Guest Blogger: Rochelle from RambleWriter.com

Two of my good friends are hitting the dusty and not so dusty trail soon, and will be travelling in a big truck across the US and down to Buenos Aires, Argentina. As a good farewell, I figured I would put up a guest post which pertained to food. To read more about their adventures and this particular trip, check out www.RambleWriter.com

-The Food Monster

Good Eats and Drinks in New York City

Trip to New York City: September 12 -15, 2008
A short trip to New York City always reminds me how much I love to visit. Nick and I flew up to NYC for a long weekend, and we ate/drank at a few restaurants that are definitely worth checking out:

Spuyten Duyvil
359 Metropolitan Avenue, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY, USA
http://www.spuytenduyvilnyc.com (pictures shown are from this website)

Josh Barton, a Durham native, introduced us to the Spuyten Duyvil. You can find Josh working behind the bar about 3 nights a week. Thanks to Josh’s stellar beer recommendations, I sampled some of the best beers I have ever tasted (this, I am sorry to say, now blows the World Beer Festival in Durham out of the water… and I am going to this year’s fest October 4th). Thiriez Xtra and Thiriez Blonde (France), La Choulette Framboise (France), Fantôme Saison (Wallonia), Green Flash Imperial IPA (California), Monchshof Schwarzbier (Germany), Ivanhoe Pale Ale (England), Caracole Saxo (Wallonia), Mahr’s Bräu Ungespundet and Mahr’s Bräu Pils (Germany), De Dolle Ara Bier (Flanders—this is the hoppy Belgian beer) are some of the beers I tried.This is the only bar I visited with clientele that closely resembled Durham folks. Everyone was pretty down to earth and wearing casual clothes. This may be the result of such an inconspicuous location. The Spuyten Duyvil does not have a sign on the front door. In fact, I am sure that many of the people in the bar did not even know the bar’s name.
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If you want to grab a bite to eat before hitting the bar, you can walk across the street to Fette Sau. A fantastic barbecue joint with family style seating, Fette Sau is owned by Joe and Kim Carroll, who also own Spuyten Duyvil. Fette Sau allows you to select a sampling of different meats for one dish. I ate brisket, beef ribs, pulled pork, sausage, and a side of pickles. Yum!

What is also noteworthy is their impressive whiskey selection - I did not try it, but Nick highly recommends it. Check out Beef Aficianado (an NYC beef blog) for pictures and detailed information about the meats.

Fette Sau
354 Metropolitan Ave Brooklyn, NY 11211

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Just last week, I mentioned to Nick that I missed the noodle dishes we had while traveling in Japan. And then we went to Momofuku. Momofuku served the best noodle bowl I’ve had since Tokyo. I recommend the Momofuku Ramen ($16) - includes pork combo and a poached egg, although their menu changes daily. Momfuku also has a ssam bar and a restaurant called Ko, which is American food. Check out their website for more information.

Momofuku
171 First Ave, between 10th and 11th
http://www.momofuku.com (pictures shown are from this website)
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I can’t wait to visit New York again once we start the South America trip. And Domino will be with us too! We have only had our dog for 3 days, but I missed him a lot while we were in NY. If you have any links to great restaurants and bars in NYC, please feel free to comment.

Pho Cafe

Tucked away in a tiny strip mall, in Silver Lake, Pho Cafe is a hidden gem. The only Vietnamese restaurant I have to compare it to, is Lime and Basil in Chapel Hill, NC. Pho Cafe, is just as tasty, while cheaper. This wasn't my first attempt at eating here. The first time, Scrumptious, Joe and I were in a time rush, and figured Pho Cafe would be a quick place to eat. If we hadn't spent 30 minutes looking for it, then I think we would have been fine. If you call them, they say, we are near the liquor store, and are the ones without a sign. On this strip of sunset, there are 4 liquor stores within sight. Once we had found it, there wasn't enough time, and we put it off for another day.

Back to the day at hand. Three of us again ventured to Pho Cafe. After a quick 10 minute wait, we had menus in hand and were sitting down. I ordered a Beef Pho, Dasha, a vegetarian cold noodle dish and a beer and her friend Nate, a different cold noodle dish. I also grabbed a Lemonade.
Here is where it gets interesting. The waiter brings us out a plate of lettuce, and what appears to be 3 spring rolls. Nate, confidently tells us, these must be complimentary. As we tear into them, a lady at the table next to us, tells us how to eat them. Roll them up in the lettuce and add mint she says, I love those and get them everytime. About this time, a lemonade and beer are delivered to her table. Once the Pho arrives, and another Pho for Dasha, we figure something is up. Apparently the waiter had confused our tables. So, the other table got their Pho and Spring Rolls, we eventually got our Lemonade and Beer, and food, and everybody was on their merry way.

The spring rolls were delicious, although I wouldn't pay more than a couple bucks for such a small appetizer. The Pho was outstanding. It came with lots of veggies to put in it, just see above picture. It gave me 2 more meals later on that week. The cold dishes, were finished, bowls licked clean, so you can imagine how they were received. Also, the lemonade was some of the best I have ever had. Lots of tart, and just the right amount of sweetness to balance it out. Lots of pulp, definitely a hand squeezed job. It was also a very cheap meal, setting us back less than $10 a person.
I will return next time I get a Pho urge again.



Pho Cafe

2841 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026
213.413.0888