Bionic Bites » Bite vs. Bite

Classic Poutine at TPoutine – NYC

bionicgrrrl — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:17:06 +0000

Poutine, fries topped with white cheese curds and covered in gravy, is a beautiful thing. Second to Mike Meyers, poutine is my favorite Canadian export. So it was with great excitement I went to TPoutine a few weeks ago. (TPoutine opened late last year, but as with most new restaurants, I like to go a few months later so the kinks have been worked out.) TPoutine was empty when David and I got there. Worrisome, but it was 8pm on a Sunday night. Poutine, a food most commonly eaten in the wee hours after drinks, I figured we missed their busiest time by a few hours. Since it was our first time there, we ordered the Classic ($7.25), fries with gravy and white cheddar cheese curds. Then something happened.

The guy at the counter told the guy I presume to be the cook sitting nearby the order, but took it upon himself to throw handfuls of frozen fries into the fryolater with his bare hand. OK, not terrible, but let me mention while he had been taking our order, he had been coughing into the same hand. I know, hot oil will kill anything, but I don’t want to eat sh*t just because it’s been sanitized. And I’m all about teamwork, but at restaurants, even if it’s a fry shop, cooking should be left to the professionals; those hopefully trained in food safety and hygiene. David and I looked at each other and contemplated our next move. If I had been alone, I probably would have just eaten it, but David is a germaphobe, and I saw the look of disgust on his face. We could have bolted, like David wanted to do, but that would have meant $7.25 down the drain, so I decided to ask for a fresh order instead. In TPoutine’s defense, the cook kindly obliged and made us a new batch without any complaints. David, however, was still horrified they didn’t swap out the oil.

Poutine at La Banquise

New poutine prepared, I dug in. David picked nervously. The verdict: delicious! The hot fries were longer, thinner, and more crisp than the fries in the poutine I had at La Banquise in Montreal two years back. Like a good American, I love crunchy fries. In addition, the hot housemade gravy was nice and salty, and the cheese curds were slightly warmed and softened from the heat of the fries and gravy. (Don’t expect the cheese to be melty and gooey. This isn’t pizza or nachos.) It’s been a while since I’ve had the poutine at La Banquise, but on the quality of the fries alone, I’d say the poutine at TPoutine is better.

Poutine is categorized as food best eaten when drunk, but as long as the same guy isn’t behind the counter, drinks aren’t necessary at TPoutine. But if he is, I may need a stiff drink beforehand. (Pun completely intended.)

Update: No stiff drink needed. Tpoutine has closed, but according to Fork in the Road (5/13/2010), a poutine truck is said to be in the works.

TPoutine
168 Ludlow Street (betw Stanton & East Houston; map)
New York, NY 10002
646-833-7444

Din Tai Fung aka Dumpling Heaven – Hong Kong

bionicgrrrl — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 18:24:15 +0000

I love xiao long bao (Shanghainese soup dumplings). It’s one of my favorite foods in the world. When I first discovered Joe’s Shanghai in Flushing, for about a year, if not longer, I would go there at least once a week for their famous soup dumplings. Once, I went four times in one week. So when planning our East Asia trip, xiao long bao was ever present in my thoughts. For a few days, I even considered making a detour to Shanghai just to eat xiao long bao directly from the source. Luckily for my bank account though, my brain overruled my stomach, and Shanghai was nixed. However, that didn’t mean xiao long bao was out of the picture. I was in Asia after all, xiao long bao were to be mine! So on our final night in Hong Kong, David and I made our way over to Din Tai Fung, or as I like to call the place, “xiao long bao heaven.”

The meal didn’t begin too spectacularly. We ordered Tossed Cucumber With Chili Oil and Steamed Vegetable Dumplings. The cucumbers were sliced thick, tossed up in chili oil, and then stacked. The dumplings were stuffed with vegetables (mostly spinach and black mushrooms) and steamed. It was literally what the menu described, but I had been expecting more. Something more delicious, something more complex. Perhaps the cucumbers needed some roasted garlic and fermented black beans to round out the chili oil, and perhaps the steamed vegetables needed some glass noodles or some tofu to make the dumplings taste more savory. In any case, both dishes were perfectly decent, but also perfectly one note.

Xiao long Bao from Din Tai Fung

The Steamed Specialty Shanghai Hairy Crab Roe, Meat, and Pork Dumplings (6 for HK $68/US $8.35), however, were like little pouches of dumpling love. The steamed crab and soup pork dumplings were smaller than the ones at Joe’s Shanghai, but they weren’t small on taste. And although there was less soup in the dumplings because they’re smaller, don’t think you can eat them without popping them first. Everyone has a different method for eating xiao long bao. Most people poke a hole in the skin with their chopsticks while the dumpling is sitting in their spoon and slurp up the soup that pours out. I like to bite a tiny hole out of the side and pour the soup into my spoon. At Din Tai Fung, however, I figured I could just eat them without letting the soup out first, and of course, when I took a bite right into the middle, hot soup shot straight up my nose. Embarrassing, but I was more mad the soup got wasted.

Xiao Long Bao from Joe’s

In addition, the skin was extremely thin and delicate, but not so fragile the dumplings broke when picking them up. In addition, the dumplings were beautifully folded. According to the restaurant, each dumpling has 18 folds. Not sure if it’s true, but they were indeed each gorgeous to behold, not homey like the ones at Joe’s Shanghai which have a thicker and more rustic looking skin. The soup inside was also a bit thinner than at Joe’s, but extremely fragrant from the crab roe. (Joe’s Shanghai xiao long bao do not have crab roe.) And the filling — made with pork, crab meat, and crab roe — was insanely delicious. I love crab, but the addition of crab roe, COMPLETE GENIUS! After I was done with one basket of dumplings, I was still hungry so I ordered another basket of the same. While we were waiting, David decided to go downstairs to scout out some Taiwanese shaved ice. When he came back, the second order was already in my stomach. They were that good. Gone in sixty seconds.

Do I prefer Din Tai Fung over Joe’s Shanghai? Definitely not, I have room in my heart, and my stomach, for both restaurants. Joe’s Shanghai is divey, the waiters surly, the dumplings never consistent, but when they’re good, they’re fabulous like a homey Thanksgiving meal with all the fixin’s. Din Tai Fung is more refined, the waiters and waitresses soft-spoken, and the xiao long bao, as good as any appetizer at a Michelin star restaurant. Pricewise the difference is negligible. Joe’s Shanghai is cheaper (8 for US $6.65), but at Din Tai Fung you get crab roe and better made soup dumplings for only a few dollars more. Both are great, it just depends what you’re in the mood for, as long as you’re in the mood for xiao long bao. And who isn’t? I know I always am.

Din Tai Fung
20 Canton Road, 3rd Floor (betw Haiphong & Peking Rd; map)
Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong, China

Joe’s Shanghai
(There are three locations in New York, but I only go to the Flushing or Chinatown branch. Midtown just doesn’t taste the same.)

Flushing, NYC
136-21 37th Avenue (betw Main St and 138th St; map)
Flushing, New York 11354

Chinatown, NYC
9 Pell Street (betw Doyers & Bowery St; map)
New York, New York 10013

Joe’s Ginger
(Joe’s Ginger is part of the Joe’s empire. When Joe’s Shanghai has too long of a wait, I go to Joe’s Ginger down the block. The food is the same with the addition of vegetable dumplings on their menu.)

25 Pell Street (betw Mott and Doyers St; map)
New York, New York 10013

Pork Banh Mi with Pâté at Banh Mi Saigon – NYC

bionicgrrrl — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 10:05:05 +0000

Yes, I know banh mis are so early 2009, and yes, I know everyone knows about Banh Mi Saigon, the small Vietnamese sandwich shop in the back of a jewelry store on Mott Street, but I recently made an invaluable discovery. For the longest time, although I love the Pork Banh Mi ($3.75) at Banh Mi Saigon, I missed the pâté the other famous Vietnamese shop in Alphabet City has in their pork sandwiches. (As I mentioned in a previous post, I actually prefer the Alphabet City store, but for some weird reason I got food poisoning once, and now I go almost exclusively to Banh Mi Saigon.) So on a recent trip to Banh Mi Saigon, I asked if there was a way I could get some pâté in the Pork Banh Mi, and of course, it was just a matter of asking. For one dollar extra ($4.75 total), the wonderful people at Banh Mi Saigon will spread a very generous layer of creamy pâté, even possibly too much, into an already overstuffed sandwich of roast barbecued pork, Vietnamese bologna, fresh cucumber sticks, cilantro, jalapeno slices, pickled daikon, and pickled carrots. One bite and you’ll be serious umami heaven. Now if only I could get them to add some Vietnamese headcheese (giò thủ), life would be closer to perfect.

The same day I made the “pâté discovery,” I also stopped by Saigon Vietnamese Sandwich at the request of my brother. It was a crazy day of banh mi shop hopping, after which I went bodega hopping because my little nephew, Adam, requested Sour Patch Kids. So with two pork Vietnamese sandwiches in tow to New Jersey, it was a perfect opportunity to do another Bite vs. Bite.

The Saigon Vietnamese Sandwich House Special ($3.95, pictured left) is more compact, has less pickled daikon, and although has a slice of Vietnamese salami (thit nguội) which the Pork Banh Mi from Banh Mi Saigon (pictured right) does not, it still doesn’t make up for the less flavorful barbecue pork. It’s still an explosion of flavors (sweet, salty, tangy, spicy, and savory), but compared to Banh Mi Saigon, Saigon Vietnamese is just firecrackers whereas Banh Mi Saigon’s Vietnamese sandwich is Fourth of July fireworks in your mouth.

However, my brother still prefers to eat the sandwiches from Saigon Vietnamese because he’s convinced Banh Mi Saigon uses more MSG. According to him, he “can’t trust something so delicious.” Me, maybe I’m a little naive, but I can’t believe something so delicious could be so bad for you. But then again, I have pâté on the brain.

Banh Mi Saigon
138 Mott Street (betw Grand St & Hester St; map)
New York, NY 10013

Saigon Vietnamese Sandwich
369 Broome Street (betw Mott St & Elizabeth St; map)
New York, NY 10013

Bite vs. Bite / Cuban Sandwich – NYC

bionicgrrrl — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 03:56:01 +0000

I’ve been eating a lot of Cuban sandwiches lately. It’s a nice break from banh mis and it also fulfills my daily dietary cheese requirement. (I’m a cheese freak if you didn’t know.) The last two Cubans I ate were at Margon in Midtown and El Presidente in Washington Heights. I’ll be breaking down the two sandwiches here in a new feature called Bite vs. Bite.

MARGON

The Cuban sandwich at Margon is the more expensive of the two at $5.50. It’s a big sloppy pressed sandwich made with roast pork, Boar’s Head Virginia Ham, Genoa salami, Swiss cheese, pickles, mayonnaise, mustard, and mojo (garlic oil with citrus). While eating this sandwich you will invariably drip mustard all over your shirt, in my case, my white tank top. For big eaters, stuffed with three kinds of meat including salami (which according to Wikipedia is a Tampa thing), Margon’s Cuban sandwich is definitely more filling, as well as more saucy. However, because of all the meat and the cheese, the bread never gets as crunchy as I would like, and the meat ends up steamed and floppy. Margon’s Cuban sandwich is satisfying, but it’s also a hot mess.

El Presidente

On the other end of the spectrum, El Presidente’s Cuban sandwich ($3.95) is an execution in minimalism. Bread, roast pork, ham, and Swiss cheese is drizzled with an intensely garlicky mojo and pressed flat to make a panini-like sandwich. You won’t experience any messy drippings here, just falling shards of crusty bread after each and every noisy chomp. This Cuban’s only shortcoming is that it can be slightly dry; so wash down your sandwich with a Presidente, you’re in the best place for it.

So in the first Bionic Bites: Bite vs. Bite, who reigns supreme? Although I was rooting for Margon on this one, I’ll have to give it to El Presidente for their lean, yet very mean, Cuban sandwich. It wasn’t a complete knockdown, but El Presidente is the clear victor.

El Presidente
3938 Broadway & 165th Street
New York, NY 10032

Margon
136 W 46th Street (betw 6th & 7th Ave)
New York, NY 10036