Who Knew?

FYI:  Sierra Nevada Anniversary Ale + Dark Chocolate = Excellent!

Italian on the East Side - Convivio

So Convivio was definitely very good on a number of fronts.  We did the $59 prix fixe and concentrated on a mostly seafood path through the menu for the first course.  From what we ate it seemed pretty clear that Michael White, who was there hanging out with a table in the dining room around when we were leaving, seems to do very well with bright acidic notes.  He was really able to use them to make certain dishes pop.  For the appetizer Alison had a three pieces of yellow tail with a mix of olive oil and fennel, capers, and lemon had an excellent contrast and really hit some high notes.  My marinated sardines with a caper-type pod was good but didn't shout in the same way.

Our pasta course, where White is supposed to shine was also quite good.  I had a saffron gnocchi with crab and sea urchin.  It was pleasantly buttery-seeming (though I don't think White cooks with it) and the gnocchi were substantial, smooth, and flavorful.  I wouldn't write home about it, but it was solid.  Alison had a ricotta and leek in spinach tortellini that was incredibly delicate and broke and melted all over your tongue.  It was excellent.

For our secondi we both got fish dishes again.  Alison got the bronzino again that had another nice pop of bright colors to it.  I got the mackerel over potatoes and some other things that are escaping me.  It was put together with all the richness that you would want on the coldest rainiest rawest New York day.  It was a strong testament to White's ability to be successful in very different ways with fish.  Our server suggested coming back for more of a meat-centric experience to get the full picture, but on very empty stomachs.  Those portions are supposed to be much larger.

For desert we had a nectarine tart with a delicious almond ice cream that was good but I probably wouldn't order again.  We also got what was a relatively massive mini-flourless chocolate cake that was made with a rich and multi-noted cocoa and topped with candied hazelnuts that were out of this world - definitely a far cry from the traditional hit your over the head hazelnut flavor that I come by too often in ice creams.

Two other things struck me about Convivio.  First, the wine list was very well put together.  I don't like it when wine stores organize their wines by their characteristics.  I still feel like you're taking a shot in the dark when you pick like that.  If you really want to get what you want you should be able to ask a knowledgeable employee.  At a restaurant, however, I found that it helped to narrow down the choices before the sommelier came by.  It was particularly helpful that not only were the reds and whites split into a very small number of categories, but each one was further broken down by region of Italy.  This was nice, especially since drinking wine with my friend Gene has exposed me much more to wines from Italy's north.  We settled on a nice mellow red with hints of rose.  It was a good, well-assisted choice.

The other thing that was particularly noticeable was that despite having a reservation for 5 (we had to catch the Steve Earle concert at Judson Memorial Church around 8) and were the first party at the restaurant.  The next party of two that came it was seated directly next to us despite the fact that about 20 other tables for 2 were available.

Overall, it was excellent.  If there weren't so many (okay 2) excellent pasta options (for but a fraction of the price in my neighborhood) I'd be back for that meat version even sooner than I will.

Bruni's review here and Platt here.

The Corner Bodega Just Seems So Far Away Now

Among the excellent wedding party gifts I've received, the Beer of the Month club membership from Dave is the first I can post to the blog. The mix of beers have a pretty wide range of geographies (Maryland, Michigan, Kentucky, and Georgia), types (Saison Ale, Belgian style wheat, English style dark ale, and an EPA), and levels of development. The Celis White Belgian style wheat comes with a label, but it's capped with a generic non-branded bottle cap. I receieved three of each of the followign. Hopefully reviews will ensue:

- Red Sky at Night, Clipper City Brewing (Saison Ale) Baltimore, MD
- Celis White, Michigan Brewing Company (Belgian Style Wheat) Webberville, MI
- BBC Dark Star Porter, Bluegrass Brewing Company (Traditional English-Style Robust Dark Ale) Louisville, KY
- 420 Extra Pale Ale, Sweet Water Brewing Company (Extra Pale Ale), Atlanta, GA

Milk Thistle Farm

Several months ago I switched buying milk from Ronnybrook Farm Dairy (though I still get my butter from them) in favor of Milk Thistle Farm. The main reason for the switch was that Milk Thistle is organic whereas Ronnybrook is not. In fact, in the beginning I slightly preferred the richness of the milk produced by Ronnybrook's Holsteins over that of Milk Thistle's Jersey Cows. However, that's not the case anymore. The Milk Thistle milk this week was just incredible. I don't know what the cows have been eating, but this is the most incredibly milk I've ever tasted. It's rich. It's creamy. It has more nuances of flavor than I could begin to describe. I first caught a change in the taste of the milk a few weeks after the cows were probably spending more time in the pasture, but that was nothing compared to this. If you're in the NYC area do yourself a favor and pick up a half gallon. Their green market schedule is below:

• Fridays: Union Square
• Saturdays (8am-3pm year round): Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn, NW entrance of Prospect Park
• Saturdays: (8am-3pm year round): Inwood, Isham Street between Cooper and Seaman
• Sundays: (8am-3pm June–Nov) Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn Carroll street between Court and Smith
• Sundays: The Columbia Market, 114th & Broadway

Kansas City, MO: The Grand Finale!

So it all built up to this. As we traveled from St Louis, down the Mississippi, through Texas, and then toward the North again, all we heard over and over was...."Have you been to Kansas City yet?"

And now some history on Arthur Bryant's: In the 1930's, Mr. Arthur Bryant built a BBQ palace in an industrial district of Kansas City, MO. The word spread around, but as generations passed and word continued to spread, one wonders, could the meat really live up to the reputation? These were the thoughts running through our heads as we approached 1727 Brooklyn Avenue, K.C., MO. As the pictures show, we had to wait in a long line to find out. We had to make it through a pretty rough and tumble gauntlet of meat cutters and packers, as locals elbowed their way to their sliced brisket and rolled their eyes as we hesitated on whether we wanted a "combo" or separate orders of beef brisket, pork ribs, and sauced-up "burnt ends" of pork shoulder. We opted for a separate order of each. With much sweat and near tears we brought the bounty to the table, as depicted above.

The verdict: all that you hear about Arthur Bryant's is true. This is THE BEST BARBECUE THAT WE EVER TRIED, AND IF WE HAD STARTED HERE, WE WOULD HAVE BEEN DISAPPOINTED BY EVERYWHERE ELSE. Meat: all tender in a way that was like a revelation, smoked slow with a deep and smokey dry rub. Sauce: truly unique paprika, cayenne pepper, cumin flavor with almost no sweetness. All dished up on slices of Wonder Bread with a side of french fries done up in PURE LARD. Just awesome. We really hope you all have the chance to make the pilgramage one day. If you want to expereince some of what Arthur Bryant's has to offer, check out the video at: http://www.arthurbryantsbbq.com/our_restaurants/brooklyn/photos.htm

Pit Stop: Oklahoma City

On a 12 hour drive from Austin to Kansas City, MO, we stopped in the stockyards district to have a steak at the well-known Cattlemen's Steakhouse. DANG! was that good steak! Have you ever had au jus degalzed with sherry to accompany your rib eye or sirloin? Try it. By the way, amazing service too.

Texas Dossier

Texas barbecue is distinctive in two ways: an emphasis on beef and a disdain for sauce. Most of this derives from the frontier/cowboy experience. If we come back in a century or so, we might see the Mexican spice influence starting to entrench itself. But alas "BBQ" and TexMex are different institutions today. We got a taste of both, with emphasis on the BBQ of course. (Though Nicole disputes this point, given that we did have 6 TexMex meals in a row.)

In Houston, we were very graciously hosted by Nicole's Uncle Charlie and Aunt Anita, who sheparded us to the local standard bearer, the County Line BBQ. It was there that we met our first beef rib of the summer, and we must say, quite intriguing. Aunt Anita insisted that what we were eating was not the best the County Line was capable of---we suspected that service and preparation were a bit lax after the intensity of the July 4th weekend. Afterall, we were there on July 5th. Nonetheless, the big meaty beef rib was a welcomed change: thick, smoky, and succulent.

Next stop was San Antonio, where we detoured a bit from BBQ a la Americain for a sampling of the finest TexMex fare that the state had to offer: Taco Taco. What makes their tacos so good, we determined---and much to our surprise---were the *tortillas*. Honestly, we had never experienced anything like the fluffiness and crispiness that Taco Taco had to offer. Apparently these tortillas are a vehicle for a breakfast that is to die for. We were in for lunch, and the carne guisada, fire grilled steak, and the "puffy" chicken taco were knock outs.

Houston and San Antonio, however, were both preparation for the main event: the BBQ captial of the Lone Star state (nation?), Lockhart.

Let me try to paint the picture here. The town is about 40 miles off the main highway, beyond expansive ranches and reedy hills. It's all American, with painted wood signs and colorful town hall in the middle of the square. It is here that specialists in texas BBQ have been plying their trade for generations. The style is beef-centric, slow cooked and smokey, and, generally speaking, sauceless.

We sampled the fare at Smitty's Meat Market, where you enter into a smoke-filled hall and walk past open fires that prepare the hickory and oak charcoal that are then loaded into the base of the 20-foot wrap-around pit. You are basically standing over the pit, with smoke coming into your face, when you are asked to order your meat by the pound. We went with a hunk of their brisket and their smoked beef sausage. The taste was good: The brisket had a "jerky-like" finish, the classic red "smoke ring", and was pretty (although not greatly) tender on the inside. The sausage was nice: we appreciated the beefiness. It did taste a bit like a desperate bratwurst, perhaps without the necessary pork and veal compliments necessary to make the real deal. In the end, the experience was fun and unforgettable, but we wondered: would Texas be able to outshine what we knew was on the horizon: Kansas City? Stay tuned.