Biscuits

I hadn't expected Recipes I Just Need Some Place to Put to become a theme, but here we are. Function before form.

From the Silver Palate Good Times cookbook.

Recent Eats IV

Baba's Pierogies
I'm basically a sucker for any kind of filling in any kind of dough. Dumplings, ravioli, bao, pelmeni, burek, whatever. And these were solid pierogies, and I'd like to go back and try the blueberry. But seriously: You want to charge almost a dollar extra for a few caramelized onions? Get over it; and bring me some applesauce while you're at it.

Sweetleaf
Once a month or so, I work a day in Long Island City (instead of Harlem). By far the best part of this experience is the morning bike ride, which takes me up through Brooklyn, over the Pulaski Bridge, and -- almost -- straight to Sweetleaf. Rocket Fuel and Voodoo Child are both [kisses fingers]. Perfect start to the day. Why they have a giant painting of Kristen Bell on the wall, I don't know.

Jacques Torres
City Bakery is of course my hot chocolate gold standard, but I certainly won't kick the stuff from JT out of bed. Nor their chocolate-covered cornflakes either.

Pizza
Living in NY means you are absolutely obligated to have strong opinions about pizza. Personally, I find it important also to distinguish between "slice joint" pizza, and "fancy" pizza. For the former, still and always, I count on Joe's. For the latter, I'm generally pretty good now with my new local, Parkside. There may technically be better fancy places out there, but there are certainly none closer. In any event, Roberta's has too long of a wait, Lucali doesn't cook their shallots, the Parkside chef used to work at Franny's anyway, etc. But life happens, and a few weeks ago I found myself at Baby Grand and in need of sustenance, so we ordered from Motorino. I gather they've built a nice little hipster business, so anticip.ation was high. But the thing is, if you're going to charge that much for a pie that doesn't really feed two not-very-hungry people, you need that pie to be great, and Motorino's wasn't even close. We had two, one with mushrooms and one with sprouts, and the toppings were sort of tasty enough, although not revelatory, but my real gripe is with the dough. It was so... doughy. Pillowy, in fact. So if that's your pizza style, vaya con dios, but it ain't mine.

Chikalicious Dessert Club
One of my many problems with living in Japan was that they weren't, as a culture, very good at dessert. I like red beans just fine, but that has to be balanced with chocolate cake from time to time, you know? In general, it always seemed to me that they were way more concerned with how desserts looked than how they tasted, and the Age of Instagram has not helped matters. So while I wouldn't say the churro ice cream cone situation is a bad one, it's definitely a Made for IG one, and if you just want good ice cream and a good churro, you're probably better off eating them separately.

The Bonnie
We recently spent a day biking around Queens, hitting up the Socrates Sculpture Park, the Noguchi Museum, and the Museum of the Moving Image. Sustenance was required throughout. And if all you need, as we did, is an airy backyard, a beer, and some fries, The Bonnie is not a bad option. ...If you can discount a certain amount of soullessness and a full-on Best of the 80s soundtrack.

Mimi Cheng's
I like dumplings. And these are good dumplings. But. I have a hard time feeling a need to bother with anything fancier than, say, $0.50 per dumpling. Just say no to gentrification, and go to Shu Jiao instead.

MAP

RECIPE: Lentil Minestrone, because ultimately, who doesn't like soup?

What to Wear

Before anyone gets defensive, let's be clear: I'm not passing judgement. (Although I can, and will, if even the smallest interest is evinced.) These are the facts. What you do with them is up to you.

So, a quick NY-attire checklist:

American Men/Women:
Are the shoes you're wearing marketed as running shoes?

American Women:
Are you wearing Ugg boots?

American Women/European Men:
Are you wearing capri pants?

American Men:
Are you wearing khaki cargo shorts?

All:
Are you wearing your backpack on your front?

If the answer to all these questions is no, you'll stand a much better chance of blending in.

RECIPE: Chocolate Pumpkin Layer Cake. For years I wavered between requesting chocolate cake and pumpkin pie for my birthday. This cake, which R baked last year, solves the problem.

Extremely Short Movie Reviews I

We manage maybe a movie a week. Sometimes. We try. There are times when this works out better than others.

April & the Extraordinary World
Talking cat, steampunk Paris, mutant reptiles... What's not to like?

Point Break (new)
Would have been a lot better if none of the characters had opened their mouths. Next time I'll just watch a string of high-octane YouTube clips.

The Long Goodbye
Good, but it's hard to beat Sam Spade.

Gates of Heaven
A documentary that feels like a mockumentary. Leaves you wondering what just happened.

Fantastic Planet
Do not attempt a) on a small screen and b) without, at the very least, a cocktail.

RECIPE: Sweet Potato & Spinach Tortellini. Turns out you can cook tortellini sort of like risotto, and it is a good idea.

Backyards

Just because it's a city doesn't mean we don't have backyards. They're just, well, in the back, which means you generally have to go through the front of the bar/restaurant/apartment in question to see them. The days I don't spend in my hammock this Spring/Summer/Fall, I intend to spend in a backyard somewhere.

Luckily L, one of my best friends has one. (In what is really an embarrassment of riches, she also has a ping pong table in her basement.) Many is the afternoon we've spent out there, eating steak tacos and guacamole, or lobster rolls and hot dogs, or kielbasa and pierogies. That backyard is where I learned to enjoy ice cubes in my wine, both for the chilling effect and the way it enables me to drink for ten straight hours.

If you are not also so lucky as to have a friend like this, never fear. Your life is of course the poorer for it, but you can still day-drink all you want and not have to do it from a brown bag in the park. Even with L's yard, we still sometimes go to a bar two blocks from her apartment and sit in its backyard. What the hell.

A few of my favourite backyard spots:

Sea Witch:
Aforementioned bar two blocks from L's apartment. Inside can be a bit dark, even with the massive fish tank, but outside has a stream with skulls in, lots of blonde wood, and occasional cats roaming by. They also generally have both Left Hand Milk Stout (one of my favourites) and a fine cider or two on tap.

Crown Vic:
The one drawback of L's pool table is that it is, as I said, in the basement. And when it's 75 degrees and sunny, the last thing you want to do is sit in a chilly, mildewy (sorry, L) basement. Crown Vic -- assuming you're willing to play on a table that's been warped to hell in the rain -- solves that problem. Also, in a city where space is so often at a premium, it's nice to have a place where you know you'll always be able to find a seat.

Not coincidentally, three of my other favorite backyards are also three of my favorite bars, period: Ice House, Hot Bird, and Tooker Alley. I have enjoyed each of their indoor spaces, but it's the outdoors that really puts them on the forever list.

Ice House is where you go for $2/$3 Miller High Lifes (always with a slice of lemon), an order of sweet potato fries, and two pulled pork baps ($5). Perfect for après-swimming at the Red Hook pool.

Hot Bird is where you go for good beer, a fire in the Winter, and whatever food you can find that will deliver.

And Tooker Alley is the best cocktails. Done.


...If you're still in Red Hook and want a cocktail though, and don't want to be cooped up in Fort Defiance, hie thee to Botanica. They don't actually have a backyard, and therefore shouldn't be included here, but their front wall pretty much opens completely, so it's like sitting outside, but with good shade.

MAP

RECIPE: Brown Butter Skillet Cornbread, because there are certain things you absolutely need one, decisive, go-to recipe for.