The Lunch Break Chronicles

ABOVE: The coffee options under Midtown.

1/28/2010

Just when you thought your office coffee is swill at best, consider the Sandhogs.

These guys out of Local 147 in New York City are hard at work boring new train tunnels into the bedrock deep below Midtown as part of the East Side Access Project which will connect parts of the LIRR system to Grand Central.

There aren’t many creature comforts down there, but at least they have options with urns of both Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts coffee. Being a member of the UAW Local 2110, I know us union guys take our coffee breaks seriously.

Reporter Martin Cassidy and I had the opportunity to take part in a media tour of the (very) active site, which was one of the most interesting assignments I’ve worked on in some time.

CHECK OUT THE SLIDESHOW:

–CP

ABOVE: The Black Shack Burger with bacon and cheese.

BLACK SHACK BURGER: 320 LEXINGTON AVE. (BETWEEN 37TH AND 38TH), NEW YORK

1/28/2010

I’m always looking for a decent lunch joint near Grand Central for quick trips to the city when I don’t have time to venture out of midtown.

Well, I stumbled on Black Shack Burger, which has only been open a couple of months in Murray Hill. The place was dead at 11:30, but business was picking up towards the lunch hour. This gave me the opportunity to chat with the owner for a couple of minutes, initially – of all things – about the pickles, which were kind of awesome.

The burger is similar to Shake Shack and with only a couple of options on the menu, it’s definitely a nod toward the west coast’s In-N-Out.  In fact, the signature Black Shack Burger is almost a cross between the two. This is a good thing.

The menu is pared down to just the essentials: a couple of burgers, two types of fries and shakes. But the owner is quick to point out he’s doing some things with homemade mozzarella and barbecue chicken sandwiches for those who don’t go for red meat. Furthermore, the milk shakes, which I don’t normally get excited about are the real deal.

You can grab a burger, fries and a soft drink for under $10, which is a deal in New York. (My trips to Burger Joint and Shake Shack run towards $20)

Oh yeah, and they have beer.

–CP

LAYLA’S FALAFEL: 245 MAIN STREET AND 926 HIGH RIDGE ROAD, STAMFORD

1/27/2010

I’ve always loved the Arabic chicken wrap at Layla’s Falafel, which has two locations in Stamford, but stuffing it with fries is definitely the way to go. You’re going to want to slather it with the house-made hot sauce too.

It is not even on the menu, but Dino will hook you up. “Overseas, they put french fries in everything,” says owner Dino Sakakini regarding the use of fries in wraps an pitas in the Middle East, “everything is better with french fries.”

The chicken, lamb and falafel plates are so good I haven’t had the chance to try the lamb chops, except for the time when Dino handed me a to-go chop to gnaw on while walking down Main St.

He’s trying to get me hooked. It just might work.

–CP

1/21/2010

COLONY GRILL: 172 MYRTLE AVE., STAMFORD

If you want Kansas City barbecue, you go to Arhtur Bryant’s. Not the fake one at the casino, but the one on Brooklyn Avenue where the walls are lacquered with decades of hickory smoke.

Dungeness crab is best eaten San Francisco, fresh off a day-boat.

Pastrami on Rye? Katz’s Delicatessen.

Sausage and hot-oil pizza may too be one of those things where geography plays a big role, but Colony Grill in Stamford, known for its ultra-greasy and cracker-thin pies, has confirmed a franchised pizzeria is in the works for Fairfield. This is big news.

They have licensed the name and recipe to a third party, who will be working very closely with owners Gary James and Jim Screws, stepsons of longtime owner Eugene “Bobo” Bohannan who died in 2007. According to James, the new Colony will open sometime this spring or early summer in downtown Fairfield on the Post Road.

The Cult of Colony is strong. The feverish, rabid, fanatical patrons swear it is the best pizza in Stamford and turn a blind eye to many of Colony’s shortcomings. I am a card-carrying member: I have them on speed dial and even though they take the phone of the hook when it gets busy, I still call back. I put up with what some consider the poor service.

I drank the Kool-Aid a long time ago.

Certainly, the paradox is undeniable. I know I’ll have heartburn fours hours after tucking into a hot oil pie, but its draw – like the gravitational pull of the moon – is one of the strongest forces mankind has ever known.

In discussing the possibility of a Colony in Fairfield with a friend he worried if they would be able to “keep up the same quality.” This is almost laughable. Quality is not a word that comes to mind when I think about Colony.

The cheese isn’t exactly fresh mozzarella, the pizza swims in grease and most of the vegetable toppings are canned. I say all of this as a devout follower, but it is not a ‘quality’ pie in the epicurean sense of the word.

Even so, I understand what he is saying. Colony possesses a quality of a different sense, that of a neighborhood bar and gathering place. It is a landmark. An institution. A place where the walls are covered with portraits of Stamford’s men going off to war, yellowing photographs of city leaders – not of the political kind – but leaders of our social clubs, our sporting teams and our communities.

The rich history of Stamford is not lost on even the most casual diner at Colony as he sits down in one of the uncomfortably straight-backed booths, is confronted with a harried and at times surly member of the waitstaff and orders a glorious, glistening hot-oil pie.

Can the aura of Colony be transported up the line to Fairfield?

As the only Stamford restaurant I have ever seen referenced in the hallowed pages of Gourmet magazine, Colony is well-known among lower Fairfield County pizzaphiles, but it is so particular to Stamford, I have to wonder about the viability of a Fairfield Colony.

Sure, Frank Pepe’s did it, but they are in a class of their own; my love for Colony does not blind me so much as to not realize New Haven is clearly the greatest pizza town in the nation. But can Colony?

Things have been changing slowly at Colony, so maybe ambitions beyond Stamford are not a surprise. I was shocked to see a martini menu (let alone a pizza menu) sitting on my table on a recent visit.

There are few troubles in life that a cold glass of Schaefer, a shot of Wild Turkey and a Colony pie cannot cure, but a martini with my pizza? I just can’t picture Fitzy serving one.

But make no mistake Fairfield, they sling a killer pie. No doubt.

–CP

FORE MORE ON THIS STORY CHECK BACK NEXT WEEK FOR A FULL STORY

ABOVE: My ceramic dripper which has since been replaced by a Clever at the Advocate.

1/19/2010

Donny Raus, of the Connecticut Coffee Society, a Meetup-based group of local coffee geeks is hosting their first event of 2010 this Thursday.

Members will meet at Sundance Cafe & Wine Bar, 105 Broad St., Stamford at 7 p.m.

Not totally sure what’s on the agenda this time, but I’m sure it will involve drinking coffee. I guess that’s pretty self-explanatory though.

–CP

1/18/2010

Recently the New York Times‘ Gadgetwise blog wrote about Taco Loco, an iPhone app designed specifically to locate tacos in your immediate geographic area. It really is just a twist on Google Maps and this technology can be used for just about anything. When the Times blogged about it last week, I’d already had the app for a little while, since it’s geared toward California taco trucks, a staple of my diet on trips back to my homeland, but there is no reason we can’t start inputting spots locally.

I might as well add Cascabel Taqueria which opened late last year on the Upper East Side. A taco truck this is not, as four tacos a beer and tip ran me $25, but it is quite good. New York Magazine has taken note on the growing upscale taco trend (perhaps this year’s banh mi?), prefacing the article by saying “as any West Coast taco lunatic will tell you, New York’s Mexican food is not the city’s strongest culinary selling point,” which aptly describes my natural skepticism of Mexican food in the New York metro area.

The carnitas here is perfectly seasoned, spicy and tender. I urge you to check it out.

–CP

1/17/2010

Lidia Bastianich, of the popular PBS cooking show, Lidia’s Italy will appear at Stew Leonard’s Wine store in Norwalk this weekend. Every time I see her show I have the uncontrollable itch to make homemade pasta, though I don’t know how. One of these days…

FROM THE RELEASE:

Lidia Matticchio Bastianich, “The First Lady of Italian Cuisine,” returns to Stew Leonard’s Norwalk Wine store to meet fans and sign copies of her newest cookbook, Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy: A Feast of 175 Regional Recipes. The cookbook is the companion volume to the new season of her public television series, Lidia’s Italy, which began airing in September 2009. Stew Leonard’s is offering the cookbook at a special book signing price of $21.99 or two for $40.00.

Stew Leonard’s wine specialists will sample a selection of Bastianich wines for customers to taste including:

Bastianich Friulano
Bastianich Refosco Rosato
La Mozza Morellino di Scansano
Vespa Rosso

Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy: A Feast of 175 Regional Recipes, Lidia brings to us the culinary treasures of 12 lesser known regions of Italy, including Molise, Liguria, Umbria, Abruzzo, Calabria, Valle d’Aosta, Le Marche, Trentino Alto Adige, Basilicata and Sardinia. She shares new recipes and highlights local ingredients from the north, sheep country, the farmlands and coastal areas, including new pasta dishes from all of these regions. The cookbook also includes passages from Lidia’s daughter, Tanya Bastianich Manuali, who shares her love of Italy and its art.

WHEN: Saturday, Jan. 23 1-3 P.M.

–CP

ABOVE: What three bucks gets you in Thailand.

1/17/2010

From the category of: people emailing me with food photos trying to make me jealous.

Well it worked.

Sarah Lipman of Shesinlovewitheworld.com and a former Advocate editorial assistant is traveling the world and will be writing a column for the paper. Look for her this week.

–CP