ABOVE: Tim Allabashi slings beef at Tim’s Philly Steaks restaurant in Norwalk. Photo by Brian A. Pounds.
Digging into a fat cheesesteak is just as much a rite of passage for anyone visiting Philadelphia as checking out the Liberty Bell.
There are a few sacred truths about Philly cheesesteaks: Picking a side in the Pat’s/Gino’s debate will divide your entire family, Cheez Whiz is the only acceptable cheese-like condiment, and you can only buy a Philly cheesesteak within the Philadelphia city limits.
Don’t believe me? Check the bible. Ezekiel 25:17: “The path of the righteous cheesesteak maker is beset on all sides by the inadequacies of out-of-state imposters.”
I might be paraphrasing a bit, but you get the idea.
ABOVE: Bloomin’ onions are a Big E staple. Though a gigantic onion, battered and deep-fried, is certainly a dangerous treat anywhere else, at New England’s bastion of gluttony, this is just about the tamest fried treat you’ll find.
Yesterday was apparently National Greasy Foods Day. I shouldn’t be surprised that is a real thing, but I am. I can’t think of anything that more directly honors that sentiment than the annual pig-out fest at West Springfield’s The Big E.
The Big E is a lot of things. Agricultural fair. Shopping mecca. New England pride display. Playground. Concert venue.
To some, more than anything, The Big E is a place to eat. Trust me on this, I’ve been going to The Big E as far back as I can remember. I even worked at the exposition’s Lost People Center for several years in high school.
There has always been a panoply of food vendors at the fairgrounds, but the culinary landscape has really changed in recent years. I present, as evidence, some of the best (and worst) fried treats at The Big E in 2011:
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The Big E
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Miniature doughnuts are shown at The Big E in West Springfield, Massachusetts, on Sunday, September 18, 2011. (Brett Mickelson)
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Fried Kool-Aid. OH YEAH. (Brett Mickelson)
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Kraz-E Burgers are pretty much bacon cheeseburgers... With doughnut buns. (Brett Mickelson)
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Blooming onions are a Big E staple. (Brett Mickelson)
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Fried cheese curds. (Brett Mickelson)
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(Brett Mickelson)
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One vendor offers fried brownies, fried Almond Joys, fried peanut butter and jelly, fried chocolate chip cookie dough, fried peanut butter and banana, and fried snickers. Healthy. (Brett Mickelson)
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Fried brownies. (Brett Mickelson)
Not pictured: Fried Oreos, fried butter.
Don’t worry, if dunking something in batter and sticking it in hot oil isn’t your thing (why are you reading this?), there are plenty of more rational options; everything from pierogi to pizza. One of my favorite options is the Maine baked potato, but be prepared to wait in line for it.
The fair is over for the year, but will return in 2012 from September 14 to 30.
The problem I always have with apple picking is my physical inability to consume the huge amounts of apples I bring home.
This year is no different, but I decided to actually put some of the beautiful empire apples I picked up at Granby’s Bushy Hill Orchard to use by making some simple apple spice pancakes. This recipe is adapted from our own Chris Preovolos’ mom’s pancake recipe.
This recipe will serve two to four diners, depending on how hungry you are (that probably means two).
WHAT YOU NEED:
1 large or 2 small apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
1½ cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
A pinch of nutmeg
2 eggs, separated
2 cups buttermilk
¼ cup melted butter
WHAT YOU DO:
1. Mix the dry ingredients.
2. Mix the wet ingredients, minus the egg whites (save those for later).
3. Mix the wet into the dry.
4. Whip the whites to a soft peak and fold them into the batter.
5. Fold apples into the batter.
6. Drop onto a griddle or skillet over medium-high heat; brown on each side, making sure to leave enough time for the apples to soften and the centers to cook.
7. Top off with any combination of butter, warm maple syrup, confectioner’s sugar, or freshly whipped cream and serve with hot mulled cider.
I have to say, I was stunned by the difference a little cinnamon and nutmeg made to the flavor of the recipe. I still have plenty of apples hanging around, so I’ll probably be making a lot of pancakes this week.
The one thing I’d do differently if I didn’t have fresh apples handy would be to use Granny Smith apples, as I prefer the tart flavor. I may also try adding a little lemon zest to the recipe.
My first act after stepping off a plane from Houston was to head over to Williamsburg’s famous Motorino for what I consider to be the best pizza I’ve ever had. As we approached, I was stunned to find the above note taped to the totally empty building.
Turns out, the landlord and the city didn’t see eye to eye on structural repairs, causing the entire building to be evacuated, as first reported by Eater. You can tell Motorino’s owner, Mathieu Palombino, isn’t pleased with the developments, given the tone of the note. You can read more about the closing from Slice, Brooklyn365, and the NY Post.
Don’t mourn for too long, as the location in Manhattan’s East Vilage (12th Street and 1st Avenue) remains open… I won’t say how I confirmed that fact, but it was delicious.
STANZIATO’S WOOD FIRED PIZZA: 35 LAKE AVENUE EXTENSION, DANBURY
I just arrived in Houston and the brick oven temperature here reminded me to finish this post.
I’d never say Danbury doesn’t have any decent pizza – after all, it’s got a Pepe’s and a few other decent places (Nico’s downtown has long been an evening staple at The News-Times). However, after months of hearing and reading about the virtues of Matt Stanczak‘s Stanziato’s Wood Fired Pizza, I finally managed to get over there last week. I can safely say I’ll be going back.
Stanziato’s serves only fresh, whole Napoletana-style pies, proudly displaying signs warning anyone who might want to buy a slice that they simply don’t sell any. The pizza is cooked in a massive wood-burning oven that looks like something a foodie Darth Vader may have commissioned for the Death Star cafeteria (see photo below). Matt is active in the kitchen, but happy to take a moment to talk about his pizza (even when a certain blogger accidentally calls him Mike).
I sampled the white spinach (goat cheese, garlic, mozzarella, spinach) and Margherita (tomato sauce, mozzarella, basil, Parmigiano-Reggiano), both of which were fantastic.
The spinach pie was my favorite of the afternoon, with the spinach and mozzarella nicely offsetting the tang from the goat cheese and garlic.
The Margherita was very good, though I found the sauce to be a bit complex for such a simple pizza. CT Bites’ Amy Kundrat described it as “herby” in her review, and I would agree. Asked about his sauce philosophy, Matt revealed that the sauce is prepared cold, never heated until it hits the dough (I’m not saying that accounts for the flavor, just throwing it out there). It’s a good sauce on a great pizza, to be sure, but my preference would be for something a little more basic.
The dough was excellent, with a good char and chewy (though slightly dry) center.
In the end, I don’t think you’ll find a better pizza in Danbury – you’ll probably need 45 minutes by car to do that. Matt and his staff clearly care about their product and customers as well.
Now I’m stuck in Texas with a craving for good pizza… Not ideal.
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Stanziato's Wood Fired Pizza
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(Brett Mickelson)
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(Brett Mickelson)
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Stanziato's Wood Fired Pizza at 35 Lake Avenue Ext. in Danbury, Conn., on Tuesday, July 26, 2011. (Brett Mickelson)
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(Brett Mickelson)
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(Brett Mickelson)
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(Brett Mickelson)
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Stanziato's Wood Fired Pizza at 35 Lake Avenue Ext. in Danbury, Conn., on Tuesday, July 26, 2011. (Brett Mickelson / Brett Mickelson)
Apologies for the blurry photo, it’s tough to ask random people to wait while you take photos of their tacos with your cell phone.
TOMATILLO TACO JOINT: 65 EAST PUTNAM AVENUE, COS COB
Moe Gad has been busy. The owner of Pacifico in New Haven and Sonora in Port Chester has been dipping his toe into more casual fare of late, first opening Moe’s Burger Joint locations in Old Greenwich and Bridgeport. His newest (for now, as he hints at a possible pizza joint in the works) venture is Tomatillo in Cos Cob.
Tomatillo has been open about two months, though I’m fuzzy on the exact timing as I only found out about it when I happened upon a sticker at the O.G. burger shop. I dropped in for a visit last month.
My first impression was “Chipotle on steroids.” (Side note: Who knew Chipotle was up to four locations in Connecticut?) The biggest difference is in the variety. While Chipotle sticks to simplicity, Tomatillo offers fillings like chili and fish and toppings like olives and jalapeño peppers. The variety isn’t overwhelming, but there’s more from which to choose than at the alternative. The layout is clean, but a little counter-intuitive. You order from right to left, but the menu signage detailing the steps to place an order goes from left to right. It seems like a small thing, but I definitely did feel slightly disoriented as my first instinct was to go to the left side to order.
Personally, I wasn’t thrilled. The tortilla was tough, the rice was dry, and the habanero salsa wasn’t all that hot. The fridge is well-stocked with Mexican sodas and the menu offers other drinks, smoothies, and desserts I have yet to try.
I’ve got to get back to Tomatillo pretty soon to give it a second chance, as Moe’s other efforts have proven worthy. Yet, with El Charrito and Casa Villa up the road, the call to Cos Cob isn’t overwhelming. Yet.
The above photo was taken by the LBC’s own Chris Preovolos, who brought a Canon 7D to an iPhone fight.
SHAKE SHACK: 1849 POST ROAD EAST, WESTPORT
Loath to go a week since the opening without a post, and even more loath to let a post about how New York’s popular Shake Shack is about to open its doors be the most recent on this blog, I’m here to talk about fries, shakes, and burgers.
Last Tuesday, Shake Shack Westport, the chain’s most recent, and solitary in Connecticut, location opened its doors to over 100 guests in advance of the grand opening on Wednesday. Plenty has been written about Shake Shack – both the franchise and this location – by foodies and bloggers more burger-crazy than I (read: Not vegetarians), but that’s not going to stop me from talking about how good it is, especially against some stiff Fairfield County competition.
A lot of burger joints will pick up some frozen patty for a veggie burger, if they carry one at all, but Shake Shack has a truly unique offering in the ‘Shroom Burger. Let me be clear: I find it borderline offensive that some restaurants consider a bland grilled portobello mushroom to be an adequate substitute for a real burger. Apparently so does Shake Shack. They make sure to inject flavor and fun into the equation by stuffing it with cheese and deep frying it. Yes, please.
As for the fries, they are fantastic. I’m not just saying that because my wife has a minor obsession with crinkle-cut fries, either. I generally prefer the more natural-seeming Five Guys-style fries, but Shake Shack definitely gets a lot of solid texture and flavor out of their fries, and just the right amount of salt.
Oh, they sell shakes, too?
Now I just need to figure out how to game the line…
RELATED NEWS: Looks like Shake Shack is also targeting a location in Grand Central Terminal, according to WNYC. As if I need more people clogging my path when I’m trying to catch a train.
MORE PHOTOS:
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Shake Shack Westport opens
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(Brett Mickelson)
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A cheeseburger and crinkle-cut French fries are shown at Shake Shack at 1849 Post Road East in Westport, Conn., on Tuesday, July 19, 2011. The new location, Connecticut's first, will open Wednesday, July 20, 2011. (Brett Mickelson)
If you’re looking for a place to grab lunch in Old Greenwich, things just got a little more interesting.
As first reported in Lincoln’s Log, ReNapoli opened its doors in early April, offering Chicago Italian beef alongside Napolitana, Romana, and New York pizza options. Since then, I’ve been able to return several times to solidify my opinions.
Maintaining consistency in the pizza industry must be difficult. When it first opened, I thought Tappo was one of the best non-New Haven pizzas I’d ever had. Over the last several months, however, something about their pies has changed, and not for the better. For what it’s worth, several other food bloggers I know have expressed similar thoughts, and Chris Preovolos says he has confirmed they changed something about their dough.
In combination with this, I was thrilled by my first visit to ReNapoli. While not as good as Tappo at its prime, the margherita was better than the last few times I had been. The crust was perfectly chewy, the sauce was both simple and flavorful, and the mozzarella (while not quite up to the buffalo mozz at Tappo) and basil were in perfect proportion. Add to that the big New York style slices and unique sides (can you say “calzoncini”?), and we had found a winner. Whole pies are pricey, but slices are reasonable and big enough for lunch.
Over time, however, I’ve noticed ReNapoli following a similar trend as Tappo. The sauce is a little more bland, the dough isn’t as tender, and the end result isn’t quite as good. Don’t get me wrong, the pizza, like Tappo, is still great, but it’s not AS great.
But don’t take my word for it. Head down to Old Greenwich and give ReNapoli a try for yourself.
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ReNapoli
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ReNapoli, a new pizza place in Old Greenwich, Conn., serves a variety of pizzas and sandwiches. Test (Brett Mickelson / Brett Mickelson)
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ReNapoli, a new pizza place in Old Greenwich, Conn., serves a variety of pizzas and sandwiches. (Brett Mickelson / Brett Mickelson)
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ReNapoli, a new pizza place in Old Greenwich, Conn., serves a variety of pizzas and sandwiches. (Brett Mickelson / Brett Mickelson)
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ReNapoli, a new pizza place in Old Greenwich, Conn., serves a variety of pizzas and sandwiches. (Brett Mickelson / Brett Mickelson)
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ReNapoli, a new pizza place in Old Greenwich, Conn., serves a variety of pizzas and sandwiches. (Brett Mickelson / Brett Mickelson)
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ReNapoli, a new pizza place in Old Greenwich, Conn., serves a variety of pizzas and sandwiches. (Brett Mickelson / Brett Mickelson)
