Posts tagged seafood

Handsome Hank’s Fish Hut @ Smorgasburg

I went back Smorgasburg (foodie flea market) after being stuffed at Rosarito Fish Shack. A pretty big crowd of young folks soaking up the beautiful day on the East River Waterfront. It’s pretty funny. I heard several people around me throw around that dirty word, “hipster”. …”So many fuckin hipsters here!” Then I’d turn around and they looked exactly like everyone else. Same thing happened at the table next to me at Rosarito …hipster girl acting like she hated hipsters. Even if they don’t think they’re hipsters themselves, don’t they realize that they’re at a crowded foodie flea market in the heart of Williamsburg, Brooklyn? They didn’t realize hipsters were going to be there?

Hipster is a good thing. Hip, young, cool looking. People should want to be like that. Let’s be proud of ourselves.

Anyway, I met up with Mar in line at Handsome Hank’s Fish Hut. First, I was hesitant about most of these food vendors, because some seemed overpriced or under-portioned, like Dumont’s $6 puny little burger slider. I love Dumont, but I couldn’t believe what Mar’s friend’s Smorgasburg slider looked like (see photo below). However, there were some big portioned food, like the Cemita sandwich stand and Handsome Hank’s Fish Hut. $10 for a big thing of fried fish and fries. I was thinking people would get maybe 1 filet for that price at a thing like this. I was impressed. That looked to be one of the better deals I saw. I had some of it. Well seasoned and fried.

The biggest line I saw was for Mighty Quinn’s BBQ Pulled Pork sandwich. Never heard of it and can’t find too much info on them, but that line went almost half the length of the market.

Now that I’ve finally experienced Smorgasburg, the lines still scare me, but not the hipsters. A great place to watch people. It’s also good to have your friends give you their food that they waited so long for.

Smorgasburg – East River Waterfront (btwn N 6th & 7th St) Williamsburg, Brooklyn 11211 (Saturdays/seasonal)

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Littleneck’s Fried Clam Roll

We were playing a show at Littlefield in Park Slope/Gowanus. Sound check was so early, I had six hours to kill. So I went to check out my friend’s newish restaurant, Littleneck, nearby. Said friend suggested the Fried Clam Roll (Full Belly Ipswich Clam Roll with Tartar and Shredded Romaine — $16).

Dang, this is seriously the best thing I’ve eaten in a long time to my recollection. I’m not saying this because I know one of the owners. I’m saying this as a food blogger.

I was seriously expecting clam strips like from Captain D’s on a hotdog roll. But these clams were huge and creamy. Not chewy or rubbery like when I think of clams –as I told a girl at the show when I was trying to think of the words to describe normal clams. And I was proud, because you don’t realize how long it took me to think of those words when I was talking to her. …Nah, these clams were creamy like eating foie gras. I don’t think I’ve had anything like this before. Delicious!

Brendan came and met me at the restaurant. He also got the same sandwich. It looked the same as mine. So I don’t think I got any special treatment, like I usually like to think I get. But I guess if I did, that’d be silly to intentionally make everyone else’s dish worse because they’re not food blogging. Anyway, Brendan loved it too. He said it was such a good deal compared to a lobster roll, because you get so much more food. It was overflowing with clams.

This dang thing already makes my Best of List 2012. Their logo even looks like “LIN”.

Littleneck – 288 3rd Ave (btwn President & Carroll) Brooklyn, NY 11215

…Oh yeah. I forgot to mention how good the pickles were on the side.

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Barzola’s Ecuadorian Fish and Shrimp Casserole

Barzola made my best of 2011 list for their Seafood Soup. This time I was walking around my neighborhood. I couldn’t decide what to eat. And by that time, there were places that stopped serving brunch and even any food at all. I said screw it, I’m going to get that Seafood Soup. Instead I got their Ecuadorian Specialty –Mixed Fish and Shrimp Casserole ($13) …It might have been cheaper because I think they only charged me $14 with a beer, but maybe they forgot to charge me the beer.

By this time it was 5pm and it was the first thing I ate all day. No doubt, it was delicious …but I know it was delicious no matter what my circumstance. The gravy was sort of like a Peanut Satay type sauce. Everything tasted really good when I mixed it up with some of the hot sauce on the table and a bite of plantain. Big slices of fish and a good number of shrimps. Enough for two people I think. Maybe split an appetizer if you do that.

I also got an Ecuadorian beer –Cerveza Pilsener …I assume means “pilsner beer.” I didn’t care for the flavor, but the girl on the poster is hot. She kinda looks like Rusty’s old 19 year-old girlfriend.

I gotta try more stuff on the menu. I’m really digging this Ecuadorian food. It makes me realize how much I love New York. I can eat all types of cuisine that I couldn’t ever find unless I lived outside of New York.

Barzola Restaurant – 197 Meserole St (btwn Humboldt and Bushwick) Brooklyn, NY 11206

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Sel de Mer’s Lobster and Fish and Chips

Oh man. Sam was back in town and we grabbed dinner at Sel de Mer. They had steamed lobster on the menu again ($17) with fries. Got that and the Beer Battered Fish & Chips ($15). We split that shit. So dang good. My hands were a mess. I dipped my fries into the lobster head. Green gunk is the new ketchup.

I live so close to this place. I don’t know why I don’t eat here more often.

Sel de Mer – 374 Graham Ave (btwn Conselyea & Skillman) Brooklyn, NY 11211

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Frozen Seafood Mix

I’ve never seen anything like this before. You just thaw it and eat? …In your grocer’s freezer.

Frozen Seafood Mix Frozen Seafood Mix

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Muk Eun Ji & Son Ja Jang Restaurant

I didn’t realize this place was two restaurants in one when I ate there. Muk Eun Ji Korean Restaurant and Son Ja Jang Chinese Handpulled Noodles. I picked this place because it wasn’t packed like the other places in K-town. I needed my kimchi.

I wanted another one of those Soju bottles with the hot chick on it, but the waitress suggested I get the Bek Se Ju Korean Ginseng Wine. The waitress said if I drink it, the bottle says I’ll live to 100 years old. I don’t know if that’s what I need, but the wine was pretty tasty with that Ginseng flavor.

I got the Handpulled Noodles with Spicy Seafood Soup lunch special $8.99. Big bowl. I was taking photos of it and the waitress came over to show me how to take a photo …taking my chopsticks and pulling out a giant glob of the noodles from the bowl. Even after four years of food blogging, I still have things to learn.

I liked the broth. The noodles may not have been too impressive, although this long video of how they pull the noodles is. It puts me in a trance like watching my hard drive defragment.

I also got complimentary Kimchi, Onion and Pickled Radish that I dipped into Korean Bean Paste. I couldn’t believe how good the raw onion tasted with that bean paste.

The walls of the restaurant were big advertisements for Jinan Maisan aged kimchi. The restaurant also posted this video on Youtube…


1:08 –Me So Hungry!

They gave me a little Yogurt drink at the end. I think this meal left me with some good stomach bacteria for my probiotic diet.

Muk Eun Ji & Son Ja Jang Restaurant – 34 W 32nd St (btwn 5th Ave & Broadway) New York, NY 10001

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$1 Oysters at Sel De Mer

Rusty and I went and tried out the $1 Happy Hour Oysters at Sel De Mer (remember that Lobster & Fries?). We were impressed. The oysters were good and didn’t make us sick.

Happy Hour $1 Oysters are available Monday-Friday 4-6pm.

Sel De Mer - 374 Graham Ave (btw Skillman Ave & Conselyea St) New York 11211

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Bushwick Block Party 2011

Went to the Bushwick Block Party today in this crazy heat. It was actually enjoyable with mist sprayers and a hydrant cracked open. Some little 5 year old Dominican kid was dancing all thugged out to the heavy rock band, The Netherlands. His dad pulled him aside near me. Me and this other guy were looking at the kid like “yeah, rock on little buddy.” So the guy bends down to pat the kid and the little boy smacks him in the face. We both thought it was fucked up but funny as hell.

It looks like there are a couple of metal heads doing the pledge of allegiance.
01 Bushwick Block Party 2011 Bushwick Block Party 2011

FOOD: Free pizza generously provided by Roberta’s, unfortunately with an incredibly long line. A few other vendors selling meatless sloppy joes and ham sandwiches. There was a Arancini (Sicilian Rice Ball) Eating Contest brought to you by Arancini Bros in Bushwick. Some big guy ate 14 balls in 3 minutes. I went to go get a couple myself at the booth. I can’t believe that guy ate so many. One is pretty filling. But they were pretty good, so maybe it was worthwhile. I got Bacon & Broccoli Rabe and Ragu (sauce and cheese).

02 Arancini Bros Sicilian Rice Balls Bushwick Block Party 2011

Ran into a bunch of friends which was cool. But Rusty and I eventually left early. Assholes were getting drunk and about to be stabbed for being a dick. Dang, giving hipsters a bad name. I don’t mess with Bushwick. Stefano took this nice photo of a Bushwick native taking away this dude’s watergun.

01%20Bushwick%20Block%20Party%202011%20 %20Stefano%20Giovannini Bushwick Block Party 2011

http://stefanogiovannini.com/

And speaking of drunk hipster assholes…
02%20Bushwick%20Block%20Party%202011%20 %20Stefano%20Giovannini Bushwick Block Party 2011

http://stefanogiovannini.com/

On our way back home to pick up some Grand Seafood, we saw this scary looking dentist office.
07 Bushwick Dentist Office Bushwick Block Party 2011

…and this flyer on a street pole that I really don’t get, pointing to two Indian restaurants in the area. The flyer’s disgusting. I don’t get it, unless it’s something lost in translation from someone who doesn’t speak English well?
08 Disgusting sign in Williamsburg Bushwick Block Party 2011

Other photos from the day…

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