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Food, NYC Area

BBQ Stingray at Urban Hawker

April 17, 2023 tremendousblog 3 Comments

“We should try the barbecue stingray,” she exclaimed.

“Are you serious?”

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Oh, she was. So on a recent New York evening, my friend and I found ourselves digging into something we never knew existed.

This is Mr. Fried Rice at Urban Hawker. Urban Hawker is an outstanding Singaporean food hall in midtown Manhattan that was one of Anthony Bourdain’s last projects.

Hawker centers are a tradition in Singapore, as well as Hong Kong and Malaysia. They serve simple, delicious food to people from all walks of life in a fun, homey setting.

The food is so good that these tiny stands have won Michelin stars, normally reserved for fine dining restaurants. In 2020, UNESCO even listed the humble hawker center as part of the world’s intangible cultural heritage.

Urban Hawker is the only Singaporean hawker center outside Southeast Asia.

Our little hockey puck erupted with lights and vibration — our food was ready! In life, there is no moment more exciting than this.

I gingerly carried the clamshell containers back to our table. Drop them and lose a friend forever.

“When is she going to get back from the bathroom — and can I wait that long?”

Her timing was impeccable. She slid into the booth and we popped open our containers, unleashing the smell of fresh fish and fragrant rice.

The sauce was a wonderful surprise — redolent of hot chili and deeply flavorful. I was rather unsure how to eat the fish, so I started with the massive mound of rice.

Each grain shined with crackly unctuousness. I crudely shoveled rice into my mouth like a bulldog at dinner.

Okay, let’s figure out this fish.

Stingray has a lot of bones. For Americans like me who are less accustomed to fish with bones, it can be a bit of a puzzle.

But as I plunged my fork into its depths, it soon rewarded me. The flesh is delicate and toothsome with a slight whiff of the sea.

My friend’s childhood in China seemed to have given her a distinct advantage. She surgically dissected the flesh with her fork, scraping the tines through the bones like a comb.

“Ah, that’s how you do it.”

It reminded me of when I took a Korean friend out for calzones. I neatly sliced mine and gobbled it down, smile on my face.

After a few minutes, I looked over at my dinner companion.

She had taken the calzone apart, turning it back into something resembling a pizza. Nothing had been consumed.

“How do you eat this?”

I guess she felt a little like I felt with that stingray. But for both of us, once an old hand showed us the way, we never looked back.

For all its problems, this is why I love New York. People from every culture come together and eat good food and are happy.

I hope we can do it for a hundred years. Cent’anni.

What are your favorite restaurants? Leave a comment and let me know!

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Food, NYC Area

From Fries to Pastry, Lafayette Shines

March 29, 2023 tremendousblog 1 Comment

It was ice cold and the pancakes in front of me were driving me nuts. Why can’t I eat them?

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The first time I went to Lafayette, I was only pretending to have brunch.

I was an extra on the Netflix show Kaleidoscope, filming on the patio in November. Why did they have to pick a restaurant with food so hard to resist!

As the scene finished, I asked a Production Assistant if I could finally eat the pancakes. She took mercy on me and looked the other way. 😁

Even stone cold, they were delicious.

So I had to come back and try Lafayette for real!

On a recent Wednesday, I wound my way down the stairs to the private dining room. I’d barely sat down when first rate bread and butter hit the table.

When you try the bread, you know how good a restaurant will be. At an excellent place, bread is never an afterthought.

Next: an inventive frisee salad with bacon and poached egg. If you hate salad, this is the one for you!

The smoothness of the egg white and oozing yolk tantalize. The crispy greens and unctuous lardons bring it home.

Think shrimp cocktails are over? Then you haven’t tried Lafayette’s!

I have never seen shrimp steamed so perfectly. Every time I come, they’re just right — neither underdone nor turgid.

Out comes a rich mushroom risotto. The mushrooms’ earthly flavor suffuses the rice.

To think we were only halfway through! Now, the main event.

First, a giant platter of fries…err, frites. Then, a steak bigger than your head, a poivre.

And just to make us look respectable, we also got some lovely cod.

The fries were the highlight for me. How do potatoes always manage to steal the show?

These taters were crisp and heavily seasoned, the way I like them. You can’t make a good fry without a pound of salt.

“Who was the first guy who’s like ’That was a good meal we just had. I’m full. Are you full? You wanna eat a cake?’”
Jim Gaffigan

No one needs dessert. But what’s life without it?

So I cracked the shell of a beautiful torte and watched the chocolate ooze out. Awesome.

I needed all my concentration to construct the perfect bite. A little cake, a little ice cream, scoop up some of the chocolate — chef’s kiss.

But perhaps the best thing I ate that night was the almond pastry. It was flaky, nutty and moist.

Lafayette is above all a bakery. And though they turn out a lovely dinner spread, pastry is where they truly shine.

Lafayette Grand Cafe & Bakery is located in NoHo just east of Washington Square Park. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner 7 days a week, Lafayette also has a lovely outdoor patio.

Give it a shot!

What are you favorite restaurants in New York? Leave a comment and let us know!

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Whole Fish and Banku, Ghanaian Style

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Food, NYC Area

The Kosher Kings of Reserve Cut

March 1, 2023 tremendousblog Leave a comment

Tiny tacos hit the table, oozing with juices of unctuous brisket. Good thing I got here early!

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Reserve Cut is a kosher steakhouse in the Financial District. Despite the emphasis on beef, Reserve Cut has something for everyone, from vegans to sushi lovers.

It was time for another taco. How can I grab one without anyone noticing?

Better to ask for forgiveness than permission.

Next from the kitchen was a form of sushi I’d never seen. Rice was compacted and crisped to form a substrate for immaculate salmon.

Oh and there’s green stuff too! Scrumptious salad in fact — but no one else at the table seemed to notice. 🙂

The table grew tense with anticipation as the hour of reckoning approached. Entree time!

I had to be that guy. I ordered fish at a steakhouse.

No shame in my game — the Chilean sea bass was cooked to perfection. The chef knew exactly when to kill the heat, yielding a flesh flaky, tender and juicy.

The sauce was a silky smooth lemongrass citrus concoction. Acid is always a good pair with fish.

Feeling all healthy, I took the natural next step. I ordered a chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream.

As I cracked open the cake with my spoon, a river of fudge cascaded across the plate. Carefully, I scooped it up, grabbed a bit of cake, and surgically topped it with ice cream.

The perfect bite.

Reserve Cut is just off Wall Street and everything on the menu is kosher. But even for us Gentiles, it’s a heck of a meal.

What are your favorite steakhouses? Leave a comment and let me know!

More on food:

The Meatball of the Gods at Pasta by Hudson

Whole Fish and Banku, Ghanaian Style

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Food, NYC Area

The Meatball of the Gods at Pasta by Hudson

February 23, 2023 tremendousblog 3 Comments

The steaming pastas arrived, creatively nestled in Chinese takeout containers. I thanked my personal God as I dove into the best meatball in New York.

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Pasta by Hudson is an outstanding little Italian restaurant in Chelsea.

Inside, there are just two tables. It’s always the holes in the wall that have the best food!

Pasta by Hudson does everything themselves. They even make their own dry pasta, which I have never seen anywhere else.

You can taste the difference. In my classic bucatini with meatball and tomato sauce, I could practically see the garden where the tomatoes and basil were grown.

The meatball was rich, juicy, and deeply flavorful.

And putting cheese inside? Genius.

My friend tucked into her shrimp scampi. Naturally, I had to beg for a bite.

The pasta was spicy, oily, delicious. The shrimp were still tender — a rarity in restaurants.

And by the way, the portions are huge. When she couldn’t finish hers, I selflessly offered the lady my assistance.

I love Italian food, but I hate most Italian restaurants. They’re long on ambience and short on actual food quality.

Some have degenerated so far that they simply reheat premade food! This is an insult to our ancestors.

At Pasta by Hudson, they really care. That’s where I want to be.

And it doesn’t hurt that the owner, Brandon Fay, has a big smile and a hearty welcome for everyone who comes through the door. This man is doing what he was born to do.

Pasta by Hudson offers a wide variety of pastas from carbonara to bolognese. I particularly love the salmon and tomato pastas.

And if you’re low carb, I don’t know a better salad in New York! Sauteed mushrooms, fresh mozzarella, balsamic — chef’s kiss.

It’s telling that the same level of care goes into a humble salad as the most complex dish on the menu.

Pasta by Hudson even has pizza! I can never resist the macaroni, but I really must try the pies some day.

If you want to eat some of the best Italian food in New York City at an incredible price, Pasta by Hudson is for you. Bring your appetite!

What’s your favorite Italian in New York? Leave a comment and let me know!

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Whole Fish and Banku, Ghanaian Style

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Save Money on Stuff I Use:

This platform lets me diversify my real estate investments so I’m not too exposed to any one market. I’ve invested since 2018 with great returns.

More on Fundrise in this post.

If you decide to invest in Fundrise, you can use this link to get $100 in free bonus shares!

Use this link to sign up and you’ll save $15 on your first order.

I’ve used Misfits for years, and it never disappoints! Every fruit and vegetable is organic, super fresh, and packed with flavor!

I wrote a detailed review of Misfits here.

Food, NYC Area

Puerto Rico’s Finest at La Casa

January 11, 2023 tremendousblog 1 Comment

We filed into the dim, narrow space full of expectation. I didn’t even know what Puerto Rican food was — but I was about to find out.

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La Casa in Hoboken offers Puerto Rican classics in a cozy atmosphere. Each dish is deeply flavorful and cooked just right.

For starters, we ordered a papa relleno. It’s essentially mashed potatoes stuffed with meat and deep fried.

Just what the doctor ordered! And as delicious as it sounds.

Next, I ordered the camarones al ajillo — garlic shrimp — with yellow rice and black beans. I’ve had gambas al ajillo in Spain, but Puerto Rico’s take is richer and more mild.

Spain’s heavily fragrant, oily sauce is replaced by a creamy one with a more subtle flavor. Even after I finished the shrimp, I lapped up the sauce like a hungry dog!

Unlike many restaurants, the shrimp are properly cooked. No tough little stones at La Casa!

The fluffy rice perfectly complemented the black beans with their deep cumin flavor.

I normally don’t like chicken breast — too dry. But my friend John urged me to try his, and it was moist and juicy.

Overcooked food is a common problem at restaurants. But at La Casa, they do things right.

On our way out, I swung by the kitchen to thank the cooks. They smiled broadly and one gave me a fist-bump.

When people take pride in what they do like the cooks at La Casa, the results are worth writing home about.

La Casa is open every day and in addition to the fine dinner we had, I’m told they serve a delicious breakfast!

There can be a wait on weekend nights. Given the small number of tables, they don’t take reservations.

On weekends, your best shot at getting a table right away is to arrive at 8:30pm or later.

What’s your favorite Latin dish? Leave a comment at the bottom and let me know!

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Misfits Market

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Food, NYC Area

Korean Noodle Heaven at Food Gallery 32

November 21, 2022 tremendousblog 4 Comments

I stepped off the ice cold street into a place I’d never been. This was going to be an amazing meal.

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Food Gallery 32 sits in the heart of Manhattan’s Koreatown. As you wind through the stalls serving everything from taiyaki to bulgogi, you’d swear you were in a market in Asia.

My friend and I were pulled toward a noodle stand in the back as if by gravity. The plastic model of a spicy seafood noodle stew looked so good I almost took a bite.

We both ordered it, and I took a black hockey puck that promised to light up when our noodles were ready. I looked at it expectantly, willing it to erupt in vibration and flashing lights.

Food Gallery seems small, but seating is actually plentiful if you head upstairs. We found a cozy spot on the second floor and settled in, tense with anticipation.

Buzz…buzz! The noodles were ready!

I slowly navigated the stairs with our trays, careful not to spill our noodles. Friendships have ended over less.

As I began to slurp down the steaming noodles, a grin spread across my face. The piping hot, spicy broth warmed me from the inside.

I picked shrimp, mussels, and octopus from the bowl as if it were a treasure hunt. The shellfish was fresh, supple, delicious.

No matter how much I ate, there always seemed to be more! And all for just $13 plus tax.

Take that, inflation!

Stuffed, we sat for hours in Food Gallery’s toasty cocoon, chatting and laughing. You can’t help but be merry in a place like this.

Food Gallery has something for everyone, from pork buns to bubble tea, even karaoke! Stop in for a taste of what’s best about New York.

What’s your favorite spot for Korean food? Leave a comment at the bottom and let me know!

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Use this link to sign up and you’ll save $15 on your first order.

I’ve used Misfits for years, and it never disappoints! Every fruit and vegetable is organic, super fresh, and packed with flavor!

I wrote a detailed review of Misfits here.

Business, Technology

Sequoia Comes to the Big Apple

July 29, 2022 tremendousblog Leave a comment

Exciting news out this week as legendary venture firm Sequoia Capital comes to NYC. Its new offices near Union Square are the firm’s first American branch outside the Bay Area.

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From The Information:

Sequoia Capital, the Menlo Park, Calif.–based venture capital firm known for its early investments in Google and Instagram, plans to open an office in New York City, its first U.S. facility outside Silicon Valley, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter.

The move by Sequoia, the most prominent tech startup investor, underscores a broader shift by venture capitalists to plant roots outside the San Francisco Bay Area following the pandemic-fueled boom in remote work, which spurred more founders to start companies in other regions and cities, including New York

I actually heard about this through the grapevine several months ago, but now it’s official! The firm will take offices in a beautiful new glass high rise on East 14th Street.

I happen to know the area well. Next door is the only Trader Joe’s in the city with a wine shop.

Perhaps Senior Steward Roelof Botha will pop in for some $4 red?

The arrival of the greatest firm in the history of venture capital is a landmark moment for New York. Venture funding in the city has jumped over 250% in the last 2 years.

I’m seeing more and more awesome startups here. Two of my last three investments have been NYC-based companies.

Remote work is fueling the New York tech scene. Founders who had to be in the Bay Area in the past are now free to live where they like.

The accelerators that birth so many startups, like Y Combinator and the LAUNCH Accelerator, are all online now. And VC’s are comfortable investing over Zoom.

So, many founders are abandoning the Bay and coming to NYC. It’s denser than San Francisco with more to do, safer and (a little) cheaper.

Entrepreneurs used to go where the VC’s were. Now investors are following founders.

Andreessen Horowitz is also opening an office in New York, along with LA and Miami. Soon, I expect every major US venture firm will have a presence in NYC.

If density of capable people and chance meetings fuel the startup world, New York seems like a natural choice.

It’s denser than anywhere in America, by far.

I can walk between offices of numerous venture firms and startups in just a few minutes. At NYC tech events, I randomly bump into the same people almost every time.

It never made sense for an industry predicated on instant worldwide communications to cluster all in one place. I’m delighted to see this dynamism that began in California spread nationwide.

Welcome, Sequoia! And here’s a tip: head across the river to Hudson County, NJ.

It’s just better. 🙂

What do you think of New York’s tech scene? Leave a commnet at the bottom and let me know!

There will be no blog on Monday. I’ll be in the woods celebrating a friend’s birthday!

See you on Tuesday. Have a great weekend everyone! 👋

More on Fundrise in this post.

If you decide to invest in Fundrise, you can use this link to get $100 in free bonus shares!

Use this link to sign up and you’ll save $15 on your first order.

I’ve used Misfits for years, and it never disappoints! Every fruit and vegetable is organic, super fresh, and packed with flavor!

I wrote a detailed review of Misfits here.

Photo: Roelof Botha “509307017DH00078_TechCrunch” by TechCrunch is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Food, NYC Area

Our Man in Hunan

March 15, 2022 tremendousblog 1 Comment

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On a quiet block just south of bustling 42nd Street, my wife and I ducked into a doorway and disappeared.

This isn’t a spy novel. But it is an incredible lunch.

Hunan Manor in midtown Manhattan serves outstanding Chinese food firmly rooted in the traditions of the motherland. You’ll find American dishes like an excellent General Tso’s, but also traditional recipes like scallion pancakes.

We sat down today in the surprisingly spacious dining room and within minutes, our waiter brought my wife’s spicy hot and sour soup and my enticing spring roll. Biting down with a satisfying crunch, I could tell this torpedo of flavor was freshly fried.

A few minutes of conversation later, out came the entrees. For the lady: ginger shredded beef with peppers. For me: Hunan style shrimp in a thick, piquant sauce.

The shrimp were cooked perfectly. Their texture was springy and yielding, unlike the little overcooked stones so many restaurants pass off as shrimp.

But the missus’ beef stole the show. The char on the thin strips of flesh, coupled with the perfume of ginger and tender peppers, made for a perfect dish.

I found myself wishing for tortillas to put the beef in, fajitas style. It’s interesting to see how different cultures approach similar ingredients and put their unique stamp on them.

We both ordered off the lunch combo menu, which I highly recommend. Everything is between $9.50 and $12.50, and that includes rice and either soup or a crispy spring roll.

You’d be hard pressed to find a better deal in town!

There will be no blog tomorrow. I have an acting gig. 🙂

See you Thursday!

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Manhattan’s Burger Baron

Alphabet City’s Best Pizza

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Every fruit and vegetable is super fresh and packed with flavor.

I thought radishes were cold, tasteless little lumps at salad bars until I tried theirs! They’re peppery, colorful and crunchy!

I wrote a detailed review of Misfits here.

Food, NYC Area

Alphabet City’s Best Pizza

February 25, 2022 tremendousblog 2 Comments

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Last week, my wife and I found ourselves in New York’s Alphabet City for reasons obscure. It was dinner time, and we were peckish.

As we crossed 14th street, an inviting sign came into view. It spelled out the two most beautiful words in the English language: Burrata Pizza.

We raced across the street heedlessly, moths to the neon flame.

You know we had to order the signature burrata slice. I accompanied it with a Hawaiian (no Twitter mentions, please).

The missus added a chicken slice. Nontraditional, but intriguing.

We sat outside the restaurant on a bench like true New Yorkers.

As I dug into my slice, the balls of soft burrata burst in my mouth like little water balloons of flavor. The crust was crisped to perfection.

On to the Hawaiian. The slight char on the Canadian bacon really made this pie.

Bravissimo!

One of the things I liked best about Burrata Pizza was the service. The owners are very cordial and make sure your slice comes out piping hot.

This is a joy after receiving far too many lukewarm slices at lesser pizzerias.

If you’re in lower Manhattan with a jones for a pie, I strongly recommend Burrata Pizza!

What are your favorite pizza spots? Leave a comment at the bottom and let me know!

There will be no blog on Monday. I’ll be filming an episode of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel!

Have an awesome weekend and see you Tuesday! 🙂

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More on food:

A Frozen Valentine in New York

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