Thursday, May 20, 2010

Hoboken Road Trip Part 3 - Candy Shoppe, Elysian Cafe

Continuing their ramble up the main drag of Washington Street, the Divas decided to turn up 4th Street and head to the parks by the Hudson. It was time to sit down, rest, and work some more on the Friday NY Times puzzle. On the way to the parks we stumbled on the Candy Shoppe and, of course, had to detour in. It's candy of the old-fashioned variety: fruit slices, nonpareils, Jordan almonds, etc. Everything is the same price, so you just load up your bags and pay by total weight. I'm not sure what Diva1's favorite was [the dark chocolate nonpareils -Diva1], but Diva2 loved the chocolate 'olives'; these were almonds covered with chocolate, shaped like olives and died green with a red tip. Divine; all they needed was a chocolate martini. Alas none was in sight.
The Divas continued on up 4th Street to the parks and took a well-deserved rest, finishing off the Times puzzle, solving the problems of the world and watching the local Hoboken faithful file into the church across the street for Friday confession. When the Divas were ready to move on they zig-zagged back to Washington and continued to check out the sights of Hoboken. Much to #2's surprise #1 announced she was scouting out places for lunch. On top of breakfast and bakery and candy shop, you also want lunch? OK, I can always eat; no one in #2's family ever passes up food.

Thus we came to Elysian Cafe at 1001 Washington; it's the Hoboken version of a Paris bistro and very nice it was. We dined outside under some shade, and I tell you, I felt a million miles away from NY. It was like being on vacation. Diva1 had the house Elysian burger with some great fries (crispy, tasting of potato - you get the idea) and Diva2 had the spaghetti bolognese. It was just about as bolognese as I am; in other words, just a plate of spaghetti and meatballs, but tasty it was and it came with some lovely garlic bread. There may even have been salad; Diva2 forgets. We washed it all down with root beers and the refills (on the house) kept coming. For dessert #1 had a very tasty apple strudel and #2 had the profiteroles with white and chocolate ice cream. The profiterole dough was a little tough and hard to cut, but all was forgiven because of the whipped cream on top. This was the genuine article, thick and tasting of fresh cream, and absolutely not some spritz from a spray can. Two thumbs up from the Divas on this place. We would go back.

After lunch the Divas continued meandering up Washington, giving out prizes for the day. The children's shop (El Bambi at 1204 Washington) got a prize for the pink pig humidifier for baby's room that was in the window. I wanted that pig and I'm no baby. The horticultural prize for the day went to the most beautiful and most fragrant apricot and yellow rose that the Divas wandered past somewhere i n their travels and I think Diva1 gave a prize to the very regal elk statue in front of the Hoboken BPOE lodge. By mid-afternoon the Divas had made their way to 14th Street, so they turned down it and made their way to the ferry stop at the bottom of the street. A short ferry ride later and the Divas were back at 39th Street in Manhattan after a hard day of playing tourist.


More Hoboken adventures will surely follow; Divas intend to go back at the first possible opportunity.

Elysian Cafe on Urbanspoon

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Hoboken Road Trip Part 2: Carlo's Bakery

The Divas certainly did enjoy their road trip to Hoboken. We filled up at La Isla first on the theory that if we stuffed ourselves with big breakfasts then we wouldn't buy out Carlo's Bakery and have to lug 10 pounds of cookies all over Hoboken for the rest of the day. It was a good plan; I think Diva1 bought only a coffee mug and half a pound of cookies and Diva2 escaped with 2 large Black and Whites. Carlo's Bakery, for those who don't know, is an old-fashioned, old school (read slightly frowsy and slightly down at the heels) Italian bakery at 95 Washington Street, and it is the site for TLC's reality series Cake Boss. The Cake Boss is owner Buddy Valastro, but he was not in evidence when the Divas were there; Buddy's sister Mary was, however. On the Cake Boss series Mary is edited as bitchy and unfriendly to the customers; I think she's getting a bad rap. Diva2 had a small issue paying for her cookies and Mary was nice, I tell you, positively nice in straightening out the problem. Just as the Divas were leaving, a large Canadian (yes, Canadian) tour bus pulled up and 40 or so young men and women (high school trip?) piled off the bus and stormed the bakery, cameras at the ready. Hopefully Buddy put in an appearance for this group. I knew Cake Boss was a hit for TLC but somehow in my mind that didn't translate to Canadian tour buses. I can't speak for Diva1's box of cookies, but my Black and White's were mighty tasty when I finally got around to them at home over the weekend. The Divas give out prizes on occasion, and even though they didn't try any of the cupcakes on offer in the bakery, a special visual prize was awarded for the Muppets cupcakes, especially the one with the blue sparkly frosting. The Divas will be back here soon; that's a promise.

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Hoboken Road Trip Part 1: La Isla

For some time now this culinary haven in New Jersey has been beckoning to the NYC DinerDivas, who were waiting only for better weather before venturing across the waters to the haunts of Hoboken. Finally on Friday the skies were clear and the temperature was neither too warm nor too cold, so the Divas met early in the morning at the 34th Street PATH station for a reverse commute across the Hudson.

First in the plans was breakfast at La Isla at 104 Washington Street, and at 9:00 a.m., when we arrived, it was throbbing with a Latin beat and a lively breakfast crowd. Luckily, there was still a spot for us in the narrow, 36-seat restaurant. We ordered coffee (black for Diva1, iced for Diva2) and sat back to peruse the menu. It was a difficult decision for Diva1, whose response to every choice was "Oh yeah, I want that!" Diva2 was better prepared: she had come specifically for the Stuffed French Toast, the chef's award-winning original creation, and only hoped that it was not sold out. Our luck held: it was available.

This is the concoction that won a Bobby Flay Throwdown on The Food Network. Ingredients include guava, strawberries, cream cheese, cinnamon, nutmeg, almonds ... the question was, could it really taste as heavenly as it sounds? Diva2's blissful sigh at first bite provided the answer. Diva1 begged a bite, and heartily concurred.

In fact, Diva1 now looked at her Huevos Rancheros and wondered whatever had possessed her not to simply duplicate Diva2's order for herself. She took another sip of coffee (strong, with real body, but with not so much as a hint of bitterness), scooped up a spoonful of the rice (delicious), then had her answer in a mouthful of poached egg with spicy tomato sauce. This breakfast was a revelation for Diva1: how the various parts of a dish can meld into one yet retain their own distinct flavors.

So here's the La Isla verdict from Diva1: the service is friendly and efficient, the ambience is cheerful and lively, and the food is a delight for the taste buds. Even the price is right: not cheap, but not wallet-busting, either, especially considering the high level of care taken to prepare and serve these culinary gems.

Makes a DinerDiva want to swear off Diner food altogether and become ... egads! ... a foodie.

No, no, no, especially when you can get food as wonderful as this in this place with its honest-to-goodness down-to-earth real Diner vibe.

The Divas shall definitely return here to further explore Chef Omar's delicious take on Cuban cuisine!

La Isla on Urbanspoon

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Old Town Bar and Restaurant - an unexpected demerit

Diva2 had occasion to be in the Union Square neighborhood recently so she went for lunch at the Old Town Bar and Restaurant. This place is a New York institution, north of Union Square on East 18th Street, and around since 1892, if I recall correctly. There's lots of dark wood paneling and plenty of seating, at tables and at the bar - a nice comfy vibe to the place. The menu comes with an insert showing the specials of the day and including a factoid of the day, You gotta love a place that tells you one of the soup specials is corn chowder and by the way it's the birthday of James Monroe, fifth president of the US.

I got a cup of the corn chowder, which was lovely - lots of corn and potato pieces and a nice broth. However, it could have used some salt; it was definitely under seasoned in that respect. I got the clam roll, a bad choice; it was just nasty small pieces of clam previously fried somewhere else and reheated in the microwave methinks. You get a choice of one side with the clam roll so I got the cole slaw which was also under seasoned; it too needed salt. However, it was fresh and crunchy and not overly mayoed; in fact, I think the dressing may have had a buttermilk base and not mayo at all. Plus points for that.

For dessert I got the apple crumble; plus points to the waitress for asking if I wanted it heated up. Yes, please. Quite enjoyable it was too. I also ordered a cup of tea since I am not a coffee drinker. Diva2's first monthly Big Demerit Award goes to Old Town. The waitress promptly returned to tell me there was no tea; they had decided not to carry it any longer. What is the big deal about a cup of tea? It's a tea bag and some water. How hard is it to stock a few tea bags? Sheesh. Old Town, you are off my list until cups of tea return.

Old Town Bar & Restaurant on Urbanspoon

Troy Turkish Grill - a cure for the Port Authority blues

Diva2 went off to play in NJ yesterday and got back to Port Authority later than she intended, right in the middle of rush hour, and she was hungry to boot. What to do? The choices in PA are by and large dreadful; there are far too many coffee and pastry joints and the smell of all that pastry is enough to sicken anyone.

Nip out the back door at 9th Avenue and go diagonally across the street to Troy Turkish Grill to wait out rush hour, that's what to do. Troy is small and narrow with seats for about 15 or so and the food is basic. I had the Adana Kebob (minced lamb seasoned with spices) grilled and served on yellow rice with a little salad of lettuce, tomato and red onion and accompanied by a large warm tasty pita. The whole thing was quite serviceable and the rice had a nice spicy tang to it; I think the small pieces of something green in the rice may have been hot peppers. That would certainly account for the spicy tang. I washed the whole thing down with a Stewart's root beer and felt I had certainly gotten value for my $12.65.

Added bonus: Diva2 got to stock up on the Tamek brand of Turkish sour cherry juice that Troy obligingly carries in its soda case. Can't find Tamek anything in my neighborhood but Troy always has the cherry juice. Downing one is like drinking a cherry pie.

Troy on Urbanspoon

Monday, May 3, 2010

French fry heaven on Flatbush Ave.

So there Diva1 was on Flatbush Avenue in Park Slope, by the 7th Avenue subway stop on the Q line, facing five eateries in a row. Of course she would choose the Diner: Parkside Diner, in this case.

She almost didn't go in: the windows were shaded so there was no telling what was inside before actually going through the door, a definite turn-off. Oh, the things a DinerDiva does for the blog!

It was dimly-lit inside, the decor had a very worn, tired look in spite of the flat-screen-tv concession to modern diner life, and I spotted only two other patrons as I slid into a booth by the door. The waiter, a young man in jeans and a baseball cap, was johnny-on-the-spot with a glass of water and a menu, which he left me to peruse. The menu, too, seemed a bit worn. And tired. I probably should just order a burger, I thought, but I was really hankering for some nice crisp fresh veggies, so I took a chance and ordered the Chef's Salad, specifying no roast beef. Then hoped the veggies would not be as worn as the decor and the menu ...

The waiter took the order, took the menu, went to the kitchen in the back, and promptly returned with the news that they were out of turkey for the Chef's Salad. As I didn't want any roast beef, that left only those (possibly worn) veggies and some cheese ... I took the opportunity to order a well-done cheeseburger deluxe instead.

It wasn't at all a bad choice. The bun was something soft and nondescript, the pickle wedges limp and undistinguished, but the burger was well-done as ordered, the tomato slice juicy and the bit of lettuce fresh and crispy. The french fries were a real, welcome surprise, crisply well-done and scrumptious with an added sprinkling of pepper. In a word: yum!

One further test, however: apple pie. The waiter asked a question I considered to be a good sign: would I like it heated? Why, yes, I would. And so the pie arrived, well heated. Hot. Too hot. With a mealy crust. Oh, why oh why didn't I stop at the fries?

For a burger and fries, though, this place was just only fine. In fact, I'd definitely go back just for the fries. And a burger. At the counter. Replace the worn-out decor, and there you have quintessential Diner.



Park Side Restaurant on Urbanspoon