The Johnstontron

Review: Nana? More like No-No.

Sun, 16 Aug 2009 01:02:00 -0400

Last night Matt and I were hitting up a co-worker’s housewarming party in Park Slope. We were going to go to Brooklyn Fish Camp for some yummy lobster rolls, but the wait was too long and I was worried we’d show up to the party too late. Instead, we headed to Nana, a pan-Asian eatery a block away from the party.

From the start, it looked promising. Nana has a funky interior, with exposed brick and a giant tank filled with koi in the front window. We scored a table in the back garden, which was packed.

Nana’s menu had both sushi and Thai options on the menu. I generally will only eat sushi at eateries that exclusively serve Japanese food, and besides, Matt and I had eaten at the very excellent Taro Sushi the night before, so sushi was off the table. I decided to go for the tofu teriyaki, and Matt opted for the Malaysian curry beef, and we wanted to share the steamed vegetable dumplings to start.

The first sign that something had gone awry was when a few minutes after ordering, a different waiter from the one who took our order presented us with a plate filled with logs of fried tofu that resembled rectangular mozzarella sticks. “Tofu Tod,” he said, which apparently was the name of this dish. I told him that we hadn’t ordered fried tofu.

A few minutes later the vegetable dumplings arrived. The texture of the dumplings was gluey, and the filling didn’t have a remarkable flavor. I noticed the waiter who had brought us the fried tofu logs walking around the inside of the restaurant still holding the plate, looking confused.

Next Matt’s beef arrived. The waiter who took our order returned, and asked me, “Didn’t you order the Tofu Tod?” No, I replied, affirming that I had ordered the tofu teriyaki. “Oh,” he said, scurrying back into the kitchen. At that point I realized that it would be a few minutes before my tofu teriyaki materalized. Matt meanwhile dug into his beef, which he called “low grade, slimy” and later declared that “it was the worst meal that he had eaten in a little while.” While I didn’t get to experience the Grade D-like beef myself, I tried a string bean, and wasn’t a fan of the sauce at all.

Finally, my tofu teriyaki appeared. Sitting on a bed of bok choy and broccoli and other vegetables was… the same fried tofu logs I had sent away because I hadn’t ordered them. (I only wish I had photographed this as evidence.) I’m about 99 percent certain that the tofu in the dish wasn’t supposed to be deep fried, but rather, lightly-sauteed, and the restaurant tried to pass off the rejected dish on me. I wasn’t really in the mood for mozzarella-stick like tofu in my dinner, so I ate the vegetables and sent back all back one of the tofu logs. (I had to try one. Indeed it was golden-fried and greasy, but mostly flavorless.) Matt and I had decided not to send back our meals, but we didn’t tip. Ahem.

There are tons of great restaurants in Park Slope, especially around 5th Ave. While we have yet to find our favorite Thai restaurant since moving to the neighborhood, we won’t be going back to Nana.

Nana, 155 Fifth Ave., Brooklyn, 718-230-3479/8

Guest review: 'Wichcraft

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 18:49:00 -0400

My friend Kyle was kind enough to report back on his findings after eating lunch at ‘Wichcraft (of the Craft family brought to you by Top Chef’s Tom Colicchio). I ate lunch at ‘Wichcraft eons ago, but I’m happy to hear that it’s still a good midtown lunch option. ‘Wichcraft recently opened for dinner, fyi. Take it away, Kyle!

Lunch in Midtown Manhattan is a feast of plenty … plenty of mediocre that is.

Working stiffs who slalom tourists dailly to forage are met with remarkably similar fare at almost all turns — as if a giant old textile plant in Newark was churning out sandwiches and box sushi for two out of three spots amid the lights of Times Square. (Actually, that’s probably not far from the truth).

I was looking for some of that uninspired sushi today, when I stumbled upon the cheekily named ‘Wichcraft and its marinated white anchovy sandwich.

Good soft bread with a hard crust. A layer of plump anchovies. A pile of frisee. Some pickled onions. And a gooey soft-cooked egg that bound the whole mess together like a generous drizzle of Elmer’s.

It should be noted that ‘Wichcraft is not a little boutique. In fact, there’s one in Vegas. And at $9.70, the white anchovy a little bit dear. But such is the price of being different.

Coffee Crunch Bars I wanted to make something sweet for...

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 11:11:00 -0400

Coffee Crunch Bars

I wanted to make something sweet for Ely’s barbecue, and had had my eye on the recipe for Coffee Crunch bars ever since they appeared in February’s Bon Appetit. Then I read a little about the Coffee Crunch Bar Controversy over at the Bitten Word. Apparently the recipe was contributed by Molly Wizenberg (of the great blog Orangette), but the Bon Appetit editors modified the original recipe to reduce the baking temperature and increase the cooking time. The results, the Bitten Word guys (and Epicurious commenters) found, were burnt and hockey puck-ish.

I followed Molly’s original recipe (thanks to the Bitten Word for posting it), and I’m glad I did. At first, I was expecting something like a blondie, but because there aren’t any eggs in the recipe, the bars were crispy and without any give. As the bars cooled, they grew on me. The coffee, almond and chocolate flavors melded into a nice mocha treat. Kind of like the Jamoca Almond Fudge ice cream my dad used to get when he took us to Baskin Robbins when we were kids. The bars went fast at the party, and I’ll be making them again. Maybe I’ll experiment with eggs to make the bars more cake-like. Or maybe not. I, as the Bon Appetit editors learned, probably should not mess with a good thing.

(p.s. Excuse the blurry photo… real camera is all out of batteries, and can’t find the battery charger. It’s in a box somewhere.)

Happy 4th!

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 17:13:46 -0400

Howdy readers. I haven’t posted in awhile due to massive life events, which include taking Level I of the Cerftified Financial Analysts exam, then moving from Manhattan back to Brooklyn (Prospect Heights!), then starting a new job in which I work 10+ hours a day. During this long 4th of July weekend I’m finally starting to feel a little settled. Mostly because the aroma of coffee crunch bars are wafting from the kitchen that I’m making for Ely’s barbecue. More on that later tonight….

Crab cake sandwich from Tidewater Grille in Havre de Grace, Md....

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 12:31:16 -0400

Crab cake sandwich from Tidewater Grille in Havre de Grace, Md. I was in town yesterday for my cousin Robyn’s baby shower with Heather and her mom. Tidewater Grille’s crab cakes weren’t as good as my Baltimore-native dad’s, but when in Maryland, you eat crab.

There were no Memorial Day barbecues for me this year. I was...

Wed, 27 May 2009 23:27:00 -0400

There were no Memorial Day barbecues for me this year. I was stuck inside studying for an exam. But there’s nothing better than distracting myself from converting forward rates into spot rates and discounting cash flows than cooking. I decided to make a pizza, albeit one with lots of shortcuts. I started out by caramelizing an onion. I thinly sliced a vidalia and threw it in a hot pan with some olive oil, salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar.

Next I rolled out the dough. I was at Matt’s apartment,...

Wed, 27 May 2009 23:26:00 -0400

Next I rolled out the dough. I was at Matt’s apartment, where I don’t have any of my cooking equipment, so I had to improvise. I also cheated by buying frozen dough at the store. I had wanted to try making Jim Lahey’s (of Sullivan Street Bakery and Co.) no-knead dough (here’s the recipe), but I realized belatedly that I would’ve needed 12-24 hours to start it. Oh well.

The pizza before going into the oven. The pie was light on sauce...

Wed, 27 May 2009 23:25:00 -0400

The pizza before going into the oven. The pie was light on sauce because there was barely half a cup of tomato sauce remaining in a jar that had been in the fridge for almost forever. Pizza, I realized, is an awesome fridge- and cupboard-cleaning meal. I also sliced up a spare red pepper. I threw the pie into a 450-degree oven for about 15 minutes.

Et voila, the finished product. All in all not bad, and super...

Wed, 27 May 2009 23:25:00 -0400

Et voila, the finished product. All in all not bad, and super easy. Matt seemed to like it and asked why we don’t have caramelized onions with every meal.

Here are the finished onions. When the onions started sticking...

Wed, 27 May 2009 23:25:00 -0400

Here are the finished onions. When the onions started sticking to the bottom of the pan, I deglazed it with some balsamic vinegar, which added to their sweetness.

My one complaint was the crust, which was kind of flimsy in the...

Wed, 27 May 2009 23:24:00 -0400

My one complaint was the crust, which was kind of flimsy in the middle but too crispy on the ends. Perhaps Mr. Lahey’s crust will be better. We’ll see.

Where I ate lunch just now. I’m in lovely Hazleton, Penn....

Fri, 22 May 2009 14:25:41 -0400

Where I ate lunch just now. I’m in lovely Hazleton, Penn. visiting my Pop Pop with my mom. Byorek’s Knotty Pines is a local institution, founded in 1937. My Grammy, who died in February, worked here briefly in the early 1960s as a cook. The menu is mostly dinerish. On the off chance that you’re passing through the Poconos, stop by for the barbecue sandwich.

Unusually cold May day = a good opportunity to make stew. I used...

Sun, 17 May 2009 20:16:00 -0400

Unusually cold May day = a good opportunity to make stew. I used a recipe out of December’s Bon Appetit for Irish lamb and vegetable stew with ale. It was a fairly simple recipe, although I wish it had a thicker broth, like the stew I ate when I was in Ireland a year or so ago. I can’t find the recipe on epicurious.com or anywhere on the Internets, so I’ll post the recipe separately. P.S. sorry for the grainy iPhone photo.

Dinner out tonight at Candle 79, a vegetarian restaurant on the...

Sat, 16 May 2009 23:48:03 -0400

Dinner out tonight at Candle 79, a vegetarian restaurant on the Upper East Side. I ordered the seitan piccata, with coconut water on the side. Review to come.

Dinner tonight: Matt’s turkey meatsauce. One of his...

Fri, 15 May 2009 21:43:41 -0400

Dinner tonight: Matt’s turkey meatsauce. One of his specialties.

After returning from the Berkshires (aka the Beerkshires)...

Mon, 11 May 2009 23:23:00 -0400

After returning from the Berkshires (aka the Beerkshires) yesterday, I was craving something healthy. I’d had my eye on this channa masala recipe from Serious Eats’ Dinner Tonight column (which is great, btw), and it proved to be really ridiculously easy to make. I omitted the garam masala, which I realized belatedly that I didn’t have, as well as the jalapeno. I think I will make this again—Matt went back for seconds—and when I do I will experiment with the spiciness. I don’t think I could handle both the cayenne and the jalapeno (yes, I am a wimp), but I’d be interested to see how adding jalapeno and omitting the cayenne affects the flavor.

Healthy eating continued today for lunch. A scrambled eggs meal...

Mon, 11 May 2009 23:16:00 -0400

Healthy eating continued today for lunch. A scrambled eggs meal isn’t all that exciting, but it was nutritious and created from stuff lying around in the fridge: eggs, goat cheese, spinach, grape tomatoes. And multi-grain toast on the side. Mostly I’m happy that I’m kicking my peanut butter and jelly habit.

See? The Beerkshires. This photo was taken at Barrington Brewery...

Mon, 11 May 2009 23:06:00 -0400

See? The Beerkshires. This photo was taken at Barrington Brewery in Great Barrington, Mass. I ordered the fish and chips, which were fine but not the best I’ve ever had (that would be from this place), and was drinking the Berkshire Blonde Ale.* We didn’t have much of an opportunity to explore the great cuisine of the Berkshires, so I don’t have any first-hand recommendations for you. If I go back I’d like to try the The Red Lion, a quaint inn in Stockbridge. The chicken pot pie is supposed to be amazing.

*Please excuse the spillage on my placemat. I was responsible for pouring beers from the pitchers, which I didn’t do too gracefully.

Helloooo readers

Thu, 07 May 2009 16:16:08 -0400

Sorry for my extended absense. Over the last two weeks I’ve been inundated with school finals. The good news: I’m done, which means I’ll be back to blogging. The bad news: I’m packing for a trip to the Berkshires for the weekend, which means I may not be really back to blogging, like, today. So. Stay tuned for some updates on:

What I’ve been cooking (yes! despite the lack of blogging I have been cooking! Sadly, though, I can’t remember the last time I’ve been to Fairway.)
What I’ve been eating when I go out (mostly ethnic foods)
Whether or not there is any good eating to be had in the Berkshires (TBD)
And my favorite… friends asking for Johnstontron requests. (There’s been a few!)

Tata for now. Happy eating.

In honor of Earth Day, I thought I’d tell you about an...

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:56:00 -0400

In honor of Earth Day, I thought I’d tell you about an application I recently downloaded for my iPhone, Locavore. As you can see above, the app tells you the foods that are in season for your location (apples in April? who knew?), how long the season lasts, and what will be in season soon. You can also search by specific foods and states. Touch “markets” and it will tell you the locations of the nearest greenmarkets, as well as when they’re open. I’d like to attempt to start eating locally, since it’s better for the environment and likely better tasting too. (I’ve probably missed the boat for this season, but I’d love to join a CSA.) The app costs $2.99 to download. You can read more about it here.