I became interested in espresso only after reading Jeffrey Steingarten's piece, "Explaining Espresso." Then I read about Ninth Street Espresso in NYT story Espresso's New Wave Hits Town," so we had to go. I struggle to describe the crema. "Luxurious" comes close. The colors mirrored those from the Domenico Tiepolo exhibit at the Frick Collection. The latte itself is downright soul-soothing. I can now see why this is a drink worth getting excited about.
Just south of the 79th St Boat Basin is a set of soccer fields. On the west side of the fields, tied to the external fence, is a set of curious wood sculptures. I caught the attention of parents inside the field while taking these photos, who were oblivious to what I was looking at. Some pieces look like enormous chain links, while others look like lotus roots. There's no placard or sign indicating who made these or why they're here.
Riverside Park between 59th and 66th Streets is really beautiful and apparently underappreciated. Wild grasses have been planted here among wooden plank walkways, gently sloping hills and picnic spaces.
The park's proximity to the West Side Highway will not let you completely forget you're in the city, but hearing the wind rush through the tall grass is something else entirely.
Pier D is in the background. The lettered piers were angled, where longshoremen unloaded agricultural products. The numbered piers to the south were perpendicular to the Manhattan shoreline and handled heavy railroad cars.
While doing a xiao long bao tasting between three different restaurants, we tried the Tong-Po pork dish at New Yeah Shanghai Deluxe (thanks to this eGullet thread.
It looks like a slow braised pork shoulder with a thin layer of fat and rind, and it did not disappoint. The meat was tender, sweet, and aromatically spiced without overpowering the underlying pork flavor. The steamed baby bok choy is a welcome accompaniment.
The fat/rind layer is absolutely essential to the enjoyment of this dish. To those who find the thought unappealing, I'll say this: given the tenderness of the cut, most of the fat probably rendered into the pork shoulder and the sauce during cooking. If you're eating this dish, you're already eating the fat. Just enjoy the texture, they go well with the pork meat itself.
This dish will easily serve four and costs just under $10.
These buns accompany the dish. If you order the "Berkshire pork steamed buns" at Momofuku, you'll notice some striking similarities. Which is better? Hard to say, but the value proposition is with New Yeah.
I suppose it goes without saying that the pork chops here are considered to be very good. This is a place in Chinatown that will deliver up to the Garment District with the right minimum order. I'm told that Excellent Pork Chop House specializes in Taiwanese food and is considered to be very authentic in flavor.
The spicy (pork) dumplings are not listed on the menu, though apparently they're written up as a special on the wall. The dumpling wrapper has a nice consistency and is drizzled with a hot oil (a touch of Sichuan peppercorn would be nice) and chopped cilantro.
The pork chop is thin, comes with some bone, and appears to be dusted with something similar to five spice powder. It is indeed very tasty, though perhaps a little overcooked, but for $4.75 I can't complain. Those little bits of fat around the edges? DE-LICIOUS!
The menu item actually reads "pork chop with noodle soup," However, you can order this dish without the soup, as shown here. The noodles have great body, though they stick together a bit after the long trip up from Chinatown. A layer of well seasoned ground pork, chopped scallions (quite thick) and pickled vegetables (could be stems of some sort of mustard plant) rests between the noodles and the pork chop. This is definitely not your everyday "New York Chinese."
Excellent Pork Chop House
3 Doyers Street
New York, NY 10013
212-791-7007
When I first heard of David Chang's Ssam Bar, I was a bit confused to hear about his use of tortillas (or something similar). It also didn't occur to me that Chang might choose to take a more western approach to this traditional Korean dish, and only later did I find out that he also offers a traditional ssam preparation. Here's how we did it at my in-law's house one weekend. The base layer is green lettuce. On top of that is a kkaennip leaf, some sook gat, grilled pork belly with a dab of ssamjang. Ssamjang is daenjang with a little something extra. Everyone has their own recipe. Garlic, hot peppers, sesame seed oil, and kochujang (red hot pepper paste) are common additions.
kkaennip, or perilla. Although it's commonly referred to as wild sesame in Korean, the two plants are not closely related. The flavor is hard to pin down, but it's definitely slightly minty, not sweet, and slightly astringent. References: Gernot Katzer's Spice Pages, Wikipedia. Sook gat (stems and leaves of crown daisy) in the background.
A plate of thinly sliced and marinated pa (scallions). More sook gat in the background.
This ssam is lettuce, kkaennip, pork belly, and pa. There aren't that many rules with ssam. The rice underneath? You could put that in the ssam, too. There aren't many rules beyond doing what tastes good.
Duck confit served with black currants and a towering salad, all resting on an arepa.
Braised pork shoulder mantou, with cilantro and pickles.
A better look under the hood.
The day's special: mackerel and pickeled onions.
The chowhound thread on Province.
Slightly smaller than a slider, two of these sandwiches would make a perfect lunch. Tasty fillings, not too much bun.
