the road | the food | a new direction
Cayenne, Habanero, ghost peppers, and Reaper peppers — they all work together to give Carla Hall’s Southern Kitchen‘s Boomshakalaka Nashville chicken its top-of-the-line jolt. Not a masochist? She’s got six levels of heat to choose from, all the way down to no heat at all (Southern-style). They’ve been operating in soft-open mode for the last couple of weeks but the big day is tomorrow, Friday, June 17th: the grand opening of Carla Hall’s culinary ode to Nashville hot chicken. Continue reading
New York has its Dr. Brown’s and pastrami, Philadelphia enjoys a hoagie with a wishniak, and the south? Well, you haven’t really experienced southern living until you’ve savored an RC and a Moon Pie, that sugary pick-me-up of cola, marshmallow, and graham crackers. RC Cola was born in Georgia, and Moon Pies come from Tennessee, so it’s only natural that this southern duo would be honored with an annual celebration in Bell Buckle, TN. The 22nd edition of the RC & Moon Pie Festival will be Saturday, June 18th. Continue reading
Forget those hoary stereotypes about women’s eating preferences. The ladies love a good steak! Here are America’s ten best steakhouses courtesy of the online women’s lifestyle magazine PureWow. It’s a solid and not entirely predictable list that hits a pair of Old New York classics, Peter Luger and Keen’s, a celebrity chef spot in L.A., Cut, from Wolfgang Puck, and a trio of Midwest old-time favorites in Archie’s Waeside of Iowa, St. Elmo of Indy, and Oklahoma City’s Cattlemen’s. Have a look and argue to your heart’s content.
Danielle Bott is her name, and one of her duties as reigning National Cherry Queen is to travel with her entourage to the eastern media centers to publicize the National Cherry Festival, the wonders of Michigan cherries, and the tourism potential of northern Michigan for east coast residents. She arrived armed with three dozen cherry crumb pies courtesy of Grand Traverse Pie Company, which should be enough in themselves to make folks pay attention. Continue reading
We admit our immediate reaction to the story was to look for The Onion‘s byline. But, no, it’s legit: Peter Luger, the iconic Brooklyn, NY steakhouse, is being sued by a blind woman who wanted to place an order (they ship uncooked steaks and more by mail) and could not because the website is not blind accessible. While reading The Daily News’ story, we learned a little about websites and the blind and came away not quite as certain about the just outcome as we were minutes earlier. Continue reading
The Clintons are pushing hard for the food savvy vote. Earlier this week, presidential candidate Hillary Clinton joined Stephen Colbert for a meal at New York’s famed Carnegie Deli. Yesterday, her husband and possible future First Gentleman, Bill, showed up at the home of the best pizza on earth, Pepe’s Pizzeria Napoletana, in New Haven, CT, the city where he and Hillary first met. He shook hands and gabbed, and even got close enough to some Pepe’s pies to appreciate their alluring scent. His current ascetic eating plan, however, apparently wouldn’t allow him to dine, as he departed without a bite. While we admire the former president’s willpower, surely a slice of founder Frank Pepe’s favorite pie, topped with tomatoes but no cheese, would have fit into his vegan diet!
We’ve long maintained that Harold’s New York Deli in Edison, NJ serves New York’s most consistently delicious pastrami. In the latest issue of Saveur, Laura Hoffman takes a closer look at the famed Jersey deli, and its owner Harold Jaffe. What strikes first-time visitors immediately are the comically large portions. What surprises most of those fressers is how the quality surpasses the size. The great pastrami is made and smoked in-house, the matzo balls are as light as they are enormous, and even the coleslaw is top-notch. Continue reading
Running for president of the U.S. requires something of an iron gut. It’s important to be seen enthusiastically consuming the local delicacies but it’s also critical to avoid a culinary faux pas: don’t ask for Swiss on your Philly cheesesteak or ketchup on your Chicago dog. Hillary Clinton joined Stephen Colbert for lunch yesterday at New York’s Carnegie Deli, where she was given a lesson on the proper way to eat New York cheesecake. Watch and learn.
Super-hot-spiced fried chicken has been percolating along quietly in Nashville, TN for, oh, about 80 years. Through the decades the fiery bird received little national attention nor, for that matter, all that much local attention. Suddenly, within the last two or three years, the yardbird has flown the coop and is nesting in spots like New York City, Lexington, KY, and Birmingham, AL. Why now? Or, more to the point, what took so long? All it takes is a taste for a lifelong love affair. We know; we’re addicts as well. Continue reading
Last year we had Deli Man, a movie about Jewish delis, and Famous Nathan, a film about the founding of Nathan’s in Coney Island, NY. In production for release this year is Pizza, A Love Story, which will tell the story of pizza in New Haven, CT, focusing on the big three: Pepe’s, Sally’s, and Modern. We’re excited! Have a look at the first trailer (is that actual footage of Frank Pepe kneading the dough??? Sure looks like him!): Continue reading
The first positive signs of progress at NYC’s Carnegie Deli have emerged: workers have been seen cleaning the restaurant’s interior and sprucing the place up. Con Ed has also said they’ve approved the redone gas lines. The tenants who live upstairs have, thankfully, also just had their hot water turned back on (it was off since April!). Is it possible – is Carnegie Deli’s rebirth imminent?
If Nashville hot chicken is your passion, and you live in NYC, you’re in luck because, come February, Carla Hall’s Southern Kitchen will be serving their signature spicy fried bird in Brooklyn. Carla Hall’s description of her new restaurant: “a slow-cooked, fast-served neighborhood eatery serving up old-fashioned southern comfort goodness.” Hot chicken is the star but the menu will feature much more from the Southern kitchen. Carla Hall’s Southern Kitchen is already dishing up hot chicken and sides at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center arena; the real restaurant will be found at 115 Columbia Street, between the Red Hook and Cobble Hill neighborhoods.
Looking to try the best steaks across America? Then you’d better plan a stop in Le Mars, Iowa to visit Archie’s Waeside. Archie’s hasn’t exactly lived its 60+ years in anonymity — it’s well-known among regional food aficionados — but neither has it been as readily acknowledged nationally as, say, Peter Luger in Brooklyn, NY. That situation, apparently, is being corrected. This year, Archie’s was the recipient of a James Beard American Classic Award. Rachael Ray selected it as America’s fourth best steakhouse. And Yahoo! recently named it the best steak in Iowa. What Archie Jackson started in 1949 is finally receiving the love it deserves. And Iowans are proud.
From the perspective of American Jews, two important things happen on Christmas: one, most people are home celebrating with family. This means that movie theaters, which do not generally close for the holiday, are devoid of crowds. Two, most restaurants are closed for Christmas, but Chinese restaurants usually remain open. And so a Jewish Christmas was born: Chinese food and a movie out! Lately, newfangled Jewish delis have joined in the fun by presenting Chinese Christmas meals. We know of two delis that put out a Chinese spread for the holiday: Continue reading
Let the debate begin! Tom Sietsema, food writer for The Washington Post, did some extensive dining across America, with the goal of determining the nation’s top ten eating cities. Some results? The top three cities are all on the Pacific coast! Houston beats Philadelphia, and both beat Chicago and New York! We’re glad to see the recognition for Charleston, SC and New Orleans, two truly fabulous and unique food cities. Gotta hand it to Mr. Sietsema, agree or disagree, it took a lot of research and a passion for eating (and big brass ones) to produce such a list. There is a ton of great info here for future travelers, and a lot of appetizing reading. See for yourself.
How do you define most popular? One way would be to see what gets posted most frequently to Instagram, and that’s exactly what Refinery29 did, working with Instagram to determine America’s 20 most popular bakeries. But, we might also ask, how do you define bakery? Because the “bakery” that was anointed the most popular in America has never baked a single thing in its 153 year history! Cafe du Monde‘s New Orleans beignets take a hot oil bath before a heavy powder with confectioner’s sugar. Eh, big deal, they want to call Cafe du Monde America’s most popular bakery, it’s alright by us. Continue reading
If the Carnegie Deli is gone forever, they have nobody to blame but themselves. Between paying out over two million dollars last year in a back wages settlement to employees, and the divorce battle between the owner and her philandering general manager/husband, and the closing of the deli in April when illegal gas hookups designed to cheat the utility were discovered, the collapse of this institution seems inevitable. The owner from time to time announces the impending reopening of the Carnegie but it never comes to pass, and the talk is getting louder that the Carnegie may be closed permanently. Continue reading
We love the New York City hero. We also love Philadelphia hoagies and Louisiana muffulettas and all their regional brethren. A muffuletta is defined by the olive salad garnish. A hoagie, unless otherwise specified, comes with lettuce, tomato, and onion (order a cheesesteak hoagie, as opposed to a cheesesteak, and you are requesting your sandwich to be garnished [however ill-advised] with lettuce, tomatoes, and onions). Continue reading
We’ve enjoyed Junior’s famous Brooklyn cheesecake for decades, so imagine our delight when the 65-year-old deli moved their cheesecake baking operations to Burlington, NJ, just a short hop down the interstate for us. And, yes, they have a factory store on site. For those who don’t live in central Jersey, all day today Junior’s original location in Brooklyn will celebrate their 65th anniversary by offering slices of plain cheesecake for 65 cents (regular price is $6.95)! The offer is for eat-in or take-out, and an entrée purchase is required for eat-in only. Stop by today to help them celebrate, and get yourself a true slice of New York history at a bargain price.
We both grew up in the suburbs of New York City during the 1960s and have fond memories of the breads turned out from the ovens of our local Italian bakeries. These brawny Italian loaves were destined to be split and layered with cold cuts or loaded with meatballs and Italian sausage for heroes, or sliced vertically every inch or so and spread with garlic butter, then wrapped in foil and baked for ’60s-style garlic bread. Sometimes we’d just eat hunks torn from the loaf and smeared with margarine (or, rarely, butter), leaving the table blanketed with crumbs from the shattering crust. Continue reading
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