I started this site four years ago and I don’t think I’ve ever gone this long without updating it. It’s gotten to the point where I feel guilty whenever I think about how long it’s been since I’ve posted. All I can say is I’ve been working very hard, not to mention playing around with Tumblr–which is great and all, but I have missed my site.

There’s one thing that’s been making life a little hectic, at least this week: I’m moving to Brooklyn, after living in the East Village for seven years. I have never lived anywhere this long and I have loved it here. Although I’m excited to be leaving, there are a few things I’m going to miss, like having so much good food mere inches away, at nearly all hours.

So I’ve been using the last few days in my neighborhood to hit all of my favorite spots one more time before I’m officially outta here. Last night’s dinner included Spicy Cumin Lamb burgers from Xi’an Famous Foods. Xi’an is a tiny noodle shop, but the burgers are what put it on the map. They pack about as much flavor as you can hope for in a $3 sandwich. The bread is stiff yet tender, rather like an arepa, and makes the perfect container for the moist and generously-spiced lamb. I always work up a low-grade sweat eating these but it is totally worth it. Best eaten on a dimly-lit and breezy Manhattan rooftop, or failing that, with cold water and napkins standing by.

It’s not like I’ll be moving far away but sometimes a little distance makes things seem a bit tastier.

Xi’an Famous Foods
81 St. Mark’s Place between First and Second Avenue
Locations in Chinatown and Flushing

I have mixed feelings about hops in beer. Too much can tip an IPA from outstanding to borderline undrinkable. But since most beers use a combination of different hops, I never thought much about their distinct flavors. That’s part of the reason why I’m really enjoying Mikkeller’s single hop IPA series. By using a common base and focusing on a single variety of hops in each brew, this series showcases different hoppy characteristics in a way I’ve never experienced before. So far I’ve tried the Nelson Sauvin Single Hop, which is crisp, dry and citrusy, with a hint of spice and a thick, foamy head. The Simcoe Single Hop packed more of a punch flavor-wise: lots of pine and bitterness, with a bit of citrus and malt coming through. Due to the intense flavors, these beers are best enjoyed in small quantities. Both are 6.9% ABV and available at Whole Foods beer room for typical fancy beer prices ($5.99 for 12 oz).

Mikkeller is a wildly prolific Danish brewery, having launched 76 new beers in 2010. I’m looking forward to digging deeper into their beer list.

Available at Whole Foods Beer Room
95 East Houston Street between Chrystie and Bowery

I didn’t think DBGB was my kind of place. The name itself seemed like an unnecessary wink at the gentrification that’s been creeping up the Bowery above Houston Street. The shell of CBGB, a block away, has become a marketplace for designer fashion, and the upscale hotels and condos popping up around it are rapidly transforming the strip into a frolicking ground for the rich and fabulous. DBGB, housed in one of these shiny new monoliths, is chef Daniel Boulud’s take on a gastropub, and reading about his restaurant Daniel–considered one of the best in New York–is what finally piqued my interest in the downtown spot. Even though the menu is essentially comfort food, everything we had was excellent. In fact, this was one of the best meals I’ve had in a while.

We arrived at around 7:30 on a Friday evening, hoping that even though the dining room was booked (in fact, there were no reservations available until Monday) we could snag a table in the cafe area. We were seated immediately at the bar, where the full menu is offered. Although it was roomy enough for two people, it would probably be awkward seating for more. We did have a couple hovering behind us for part of the night but since we were seated with our backs to the room, the scene behind us hardly seemed to matter.

I started out with a pear sidecar cocktail, with Bulleit bourbon, peat liqueur, lemon, and rhubarb bitters ($12). If you like potent cocktails with just a hint of sweetness, this was a solid drink. I followed that up with the special beer on tap, a malty Hof Ten Dormaal dark farmhouse ale ($11). I’m not sure if this is regularly offered, but either way, beer lovers won’t be disappointed with the over 20 beers on tap, including a bevvy of Belgians.

For an entree I ordered steak frites ($28). The steak was a 10 oz black angus New York strip topped with peppered butter. I ordered it medium to medium well and it arrived I bit more well done than I would have liked, but it was tender and perfectly seasoned. The fries were fantastic, with a perfect thickness and crisp outer shell. The steak came with a small salad of watercress dressed with zesty vinaigrette, and I also ordered a side of buttery broccoli rabe ($7) for added greenery. It was a good-sized portion, and anyone who knows me knows I rarely clean my plate. This time I ate ALL OF IT.

My dinner companion ordered the house-made pappardelle bourguignon, with slow-cooked brisket, red wine, pear onions, mushrooms, smoked bacon, and herbs ($23). This was a perfect example of how comfort food can be both simple and complex. The sweet roasted tomatoes contrasted with salty cuts of bacon, which managed to be both chewy and crisp. I would order this on my next visit.

For dessert we split the sticky toffee pudding. This isn’t regularly on the menu, since our server mentioned it was a winter dessert, but it should be. The toffee pudding was warm and similar to bread pudding in texture, with sweetness provided by chopped prunes. It was served with poached pineapples and kalamansi sorbet, which added a bit of cold, citrusy sourness, and topped with a paper-thin piece of caramelized sugar. We chased the various ingredients around the plate with our spoons, trying to catch all the flavors in one epic bite.

Our bill came to $128 for four drinks, two entrees, a side, and a dessert. In other words, Snackish will not be frolicking with the rich and fabulous on a regular basis, but on this night, it was money well spent.

DBGB Kitchen & Bar
299 Bowery between E. Houston and 1st St.
Reservations recommended for the dining room

Before I found out that “Gotham” is Anglo-Saxon for “Goat Town,” I expected the menu of this recently-opened restaurant to heavily feature goat meat. In actuality, aside from goat meatballs, Goat Town favors the usual seasonal gastropub fare: burgers, oysters, mussles, steak, pork chops, and veggie sides. The space looks like a comfortably elegant bistro, with an arched tin roof, a long bar with a view into the kitchen, tile-lined booths, and a promising-looking, albeit presently snow-covered, back patio. The bolt on the bathroom door was as thick as my thumb, a detail I liked. It felt cozy, like anyone living three block radius could slide into one of the booths and have a tasty and tasteful meal, without going to the uncomfortable effort of going “out” on a bitterly cold night. Read more…

Coal Yard isn’t a place where everybody knows my name, but everyone seems to know the dude at the end of the bar who’s flinging coasters at the tattooed bartender, who merely laughs and flings them back. The middle of the bar is occupied by a serious fellow huddled over a book, and the other end is taken by two older guys who look like jazz musicians fueling up for a gig. Someone’s kid appears briefly and runs into the back, and the unmistakable smell of someone’s Chicken McNuggets wafts across the room. It’s a mysteriously mellow scene for the East Village on a Friday night. But sometimes things can take a sudden turn. Read more…