HUNGRY GERALD

SJ here! In a previous post, Hungry Gerald lauded the Scallop Burger at Lin’s Takeout as “better than Pastrami.” Well, nothing is really “better” than Pastrami. Different, yes. Enjoyable, yes. But, Better? Hmmm. That said, Lin’s Takeout is simply terrific. The lauded Scallop Burger is a wonderful thing. The view of St. Peter’s Bay is a joy. And…The fish! Yes Lin, who can gently saute a scallop, also turns out to be a wizard with the deep fryer. She produces crisp, not-greasy and not over-breaded pieces of Haddock with stunning, hand cut, PEI sourced French Fries (or chips to these Anglo-Canadians). These fries have character and the real minerally flavor of fresh potatoes (A PEI potato farmer informed SJ that most of the Potatoes we eat in the states are up to a year old!). The fish is perfection — crack that crust with a fork and the briefest whisp of steam escapes revealing perfectly fresh, white, flakey haddock. Splash some malt vinegar on the whole, take a deep breath of that glorious rose-scented air of St. Peter’s Bay and dig into one of the finest Summertime treats.

HG never fancied that New York street treat, the “dirty water” hot dog. HG found the fat, soft, salty pretzels that were sold on many Manhattan streets to be a glob of soggy vileness. Even worse was the sad excuse for a Knish that was hawked alongside the dogs and pretzels.

HG did fancy hot chestnuts (especially on a cold Fifth Avenue winter day). But then again, HG just loves chestnuts in many different forms.

For a real New York only inexpensive treat, HG turned to the indoor pleasures of Chinese-Cuban restaurants. After Battista had fallen many Havana based Chinese restaurant owners made their way to NYC because of the large Chinese population. These newly arrived entrepreneurs found a great niche by blending Chinese favorites with the Cuban dishes of their abandoned city. These restaurants flourished (hope they still do) in Washington Heights and on Broadway north of 145th Street. There were a number on the upper West Side as well. Have these been pushed out by chains and upscale retailers?? (Nope, says SJ. La Caridad on 78th and Broadway still dishes out some fine Cuban-Chinese) The dishes HG liked were Moors and Christians (white rice and black beans) and Cubanos (roast pork, ham, pickle and cheese sandwiches pressed into savory yumminess on a grill). Good company for these dishes was an avocado-sweet onion-orange salad followed by a bracing Cuban coffee.

HG knows that the Vietnamese sandwich has burst into the forefront of cheap NYC food favorites, but for HG the classic Cubano remains tops.

The great English caricaturist, theater critic, wit and prose master, Max Beerbohm (known as The Incomparable Max) once made this cynical observation: “Why do strawberries picked in a fresh, dewy meadow never taste as good as strawberries purchased at a greengrocer?”

Funny stuff, Mr.Incomparable. But, not true. HG thought about the English dandy as he strolled to HG’s beachfront on a path lined with raspberry bushes. HG’s progress was slow due to many nibbles of drenchingly sweet, juicy berries plucked off the bushes. Delight.

HG and BSK are big fans of a lady we know only by her first name, Theresa. That’s the name that adorns various mason jars of good things — pickles, chow chow, relishes, jams jellies — available at various farm stands on Prince Edward Island. Theresa’s strawberry jam is a breakfast staple. Here’s the list of ingredients: “Strawberries. Sugar.” That’s it. Short and to the point. No preservatives, chemicals, pectin, gelatins, etc. A simple taste — “Strawberries. Sugar” — and so good. Somehow it seems symbolic of the soft green hills and soaring surf of this gentle island.

“Little Farvel” (AKA Phillip Kovelick) was a Jewish gangster and Murder Inc. member from the Brooklyn neighborhood of Williamsburg . This was long before the area became a favored site of hipsters and cool eateries. This bad guy had the distinction of being named for one of HG’s favorite foods — egg barley called “farvel” in Yiddish.

“Little Farvel” ended his career enclosed, very dead, in a steel drum in Florida. One of Little Farvel’s rivals, in crime and romance, was another Jewish hood, Benjamin “Chippy” Weiner. Chippy was once employed by the HG family firm (sweater manufacturing) where he much admired HG’s father. HG’s father did nor reciprocate the affection. HG liked Chippy and was admonished by his father who pointed to Chippy as a “shandeh” (a shame or disgrace). As predicted by HG’s dad, The Chipster came to a bad end. He did not pay a loan shark named “Farby”, another unsavory Jewish gent, a borrowed 500 bucks. Farby didn’t treat this as a trivial matter. Instead, he employed a very bad Mafia soldier named Santo Bretagna to chastise Chippy. Santo chastised him to death and clumsy Farby and Bretagna got the Sing Sing electric chair for their murderous misdeed.

Another bad guy with a great food nickname was a distant relative of HG’s late cousin, Gladys F. He was dubbed “Potatoes” and was affiliated with Chicago’s Capone mob. But, in HG’s opinion the winner of the Jewish bad guy nickname contest was the late Moses “Moey Dimples” Wolinsky. Runner up: The late Allie “Tick Tock” Tannenbaum.

Wait! What about that egg barley we were discussing? Enough gangster digression, let’s get back to food. Here’s the way HG likes his “farvel”: Toast a cup of egg barley (Manischewitz is a good brand) in some vegetable oil. Add a cup (or more) of hot chicken stock until it is absorbed and the egg barley is tender. Serve it topped with onions and mushrooms sauteed in butter. And, of course, a dollop of sour cream. Or, eliminate the sour cream and serve it as a side with beef stew — it has the same effect as spetzle or buttered egg noodles.

Nosh on that, then raise your wine glass in a joyous toast to those colorfully named bad guys of yesteryear.

The briniest, freshest hard shell clams (known as Quahogs) are available for $3.60 a dozen on Prince Edward Island. HG bought three dozen. Steamed them. Removed the meat from the shells (easier to eat that way–and less messy). Made a sauce of Chinese fermented black beans, Chinese oyster sauce, garlic, ginger, peanut oil and flavorful
clam broth straight from the steamer. Showered it all with scallions and cilantro. Big bowl of white rice. Ice cold amber ale.

Cantonese delight.

HG refers to the squab, HG’s favorite little bird. Better than a baby chicken, a duckling, a quail or (usually tasteless) Cornish Game Hen. The squab is a domestic, farm raised pigeon. Succulent. It was a staple on New York restaurant menus often served with wild rice or stuffed with shallots, mushrooms and other attractive things. Alas, it disappeared as diners became oddly squeamish regarding small birds.

It remained, however, alive in barbecue form in some Chinatown restaurants. The best version of Chinese-style squab can be found at the Sun Sui Wah restaurant in the Mt. Pleasant neighborhood of Vancouver, Canada. This is a dark brown bird — served whole of course — with lacquered, crackling skin. HG liked to bite the bird’s head off much to the consternation of HG’s sensitive dining companions.

HG’s most memorable squab was consumed at the Au Bon Acceuil bistro
(near the Eiffel Tower) in Paris. Slices of rare roasted squab were fanned out over a pungent, dark red wine sauce. A bit of watercress added a touch of green. It was accompanied by a creamy, buttery potato puree. HG ate this in November a few years ago with a bottle of very fruity just arrived Beaujolais Nouveau. A nice Paris interlude.

Join HG in wishing for a return of squab to the better dining tables.

Dan Dan Noodles a.k.a. Cold Chinese noodles with peanut butter (yes, peanut butter) sauce is a blazingly spicy dish that’s great as a summer dinner. HG will not give exact proportions since there are many recipes on the Internet and HG always encourages individual creativity. The ingredients are peanut butter (HG likes a chunky, organic brand) , a bit of tahini, sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, lots of finely chopped garlic. HG likes to thin the sauce with some strong, black Chinese tea. Dish demands a lot of heat and HG’s method is to mix sesame oil with the hottest Chinese hot sauce in the market. HG then strains the oil over the dish. HG also like to add some Szechuan preserved vegetables (a little tough to find except at Chinese groceries). Grind some Szechaun peppers over the dish (if you can stand the heat). Cool it off with lots of chopped scallions, cilantro and cubed, seeded cucumber. Some slivers of shredded cold chicken breast are a nice addition.

Back from Prince Edward Island Farmers Market with a load of organic lamb, artisan cheese and many other treats coaxed from rural PEI’s rolling green hills and fecund soil. So, amidst all this home grown bounty, what is the most popular food stand at the Market? The lox and bagel guy. Literally hundreds of jolly PEI Irish and Scots men and women were happily chomping away on this traditional New York breakfast treat.

Smart folks. They know what good is.

A supreme Steak last night was brought on by many days of fish, mussel, clam and lobster eating. HG likes steak done only one way, the HG way (see earlier post “How To Cook A Steak”). This is a once a month treat. HG picked out the biggest rib steak from the nice organic beef lady from the PEI Farmer’s market. HG’s trusty big, black cast iron pan got a layer of kosher salt. Heat was turned on very high and the windows are opened (this is a smoky process). The steak was seared until a nice crust developed on each side. Turned the heat down to medium and cooked the steak for a few more minutes. (HG likes steak very rare but not raw, saignant not bleu). Meanwhile, a can of Goya white beans was gently simmered and a small pan of garlic and olive oil warmed. When ready, HG poured some olive oil and grated garlic over the steak. The beans got the same. A glass of old vine Zinfandel was poured.

Yes, the world is a cruel and violent mess. Yes, the American ship of state is getting leaky. But, at HG’s table the peace of the carnivore reigned.