Edible / Audible

Amuse bouche of savory tart with caramelized onion and some kinda leaf... 

DISCLAIMER: This write-up is worthless if you want to know what you’ll actually be served at Contra. It’s an ever-changing, hyper-seasonal tasting menu and this took me way too long to get up and out but, either way, our experience will give you a good idea of what can be expected year-round.

I haven't had much experience with Nordic / Scandinavian food despite the fact that it's been trending for 5 yrs. What I knew prior to our meal at Contra is that it usually involves small portions with fern garnishes. Our 6 course tasting menu for $67 at Contra made me a believer. 

Bread and butter - If you don't like great bread with room temp butter you don't know what's good... I’ll tell you. It’s definitely this.

Melon, almond, anise 

Fresh spoonfuls of summer. Is that anise? Kind of tastes like tarragon. 

Uni, rye, sorana 

Not sure that the beauty of this dish translates in the photo but wow. Homey, comforting but still super elegant. Rye porridge and white sorana beans, a little diced raw shallot and creamy sweet uni from Maine on top... Mmm. Something so inviting about these flavors.

Mackerel, tomato, verbana 

Of all the fish out there, mackerel is one that can be hit or miss for me. It's an oily, meaty fish which sometimes translates as too fishy. That said, this dish was awesome. Crispy skin, perfectly cooked and resting in a bowl of tomato water with late Summer's sweet cherry tomatoes scattered around it. Satisfying but still really light.

Beef, scallion, fushimi

A few slices of tender marinated beef culotte (top sirloin cap steak) with charred spring onion and greens laid over them. Simply done and spot on. While I wanted more, I appreciate that this portion was manageable as the entree in a 6 course tasting... Still got 2 more to go! 

At this point they offer a $8 addition for a cheese course consisting of an alpine tomme with honey. We skipped it this time to save room but it hurt me to say no to cheese. 

Elderflower & pistachio 

There's some celery in there too with the sweet shaved elderflower ice and pistachio butter. Crunchy, smooth, nutty. Reminded me a little of ants on a log at Kindergarten snacktime.

Blueberry and rice 

Nothing wrong with some berries n' cream to top off the meal. This ice cream had lil globs of rice pudding surrounding it that we're good but were probably the only element of any course in our meal that came off as gratuitous. That said, this scoop was basically like taking a generous handful of blueberries straight to the face. 

Contra lived up to the hype and this meal felt so seasonally specific to late Summer that I'm compelled to go back just to see how other seasons translate into 6 courses for $67. 

Fresh food that tastes like it was homemade by your friend's grandma. The chef here closed her Bronx restaurant of the same name and has started slinging her made-from-scratch blue corn tortillas to appreciative Brooklynites in Prospect Heights since December. The menu changes all the time with all kinds of hard to find Mexican dishes I've never heard of popping up, especially on the weekend when options are more expansive. 

We’ve had a nice sampling of what they offer after three visits but there's still so much I still want to sample, a sign of the beginning of a beautiful and fattening food friendship. Grab a negra modelo and, soon enough when they get their license, a smoky n' refreshing mezcal cocktail to wash this all down: 

Cheese Flautas 

Something about these made me think of mozzarella sticks but so much better. I guess it's the Mexican grilling cheese, similar to halloumi, and the way it's hugged ever so gently by the blue corn tortilla encasement that really did it for me. Tackle an order. Don't be scared. It’s already proven difficult not to order these every time I come here.

Chicken Mole Enchiladas 

Some people love mole and others can't get past the idea of savory, complexly spiced chocolate sauce. Personally, I wanna bathe in the stuff. Rich and spicy, this is what I'd been pining over before coming here and it's a must have.

Chorizo Taco 

This is the best bite of food I've had in a loooong time. Crispy charred bits of moist chorizo with the perfect amount of that red oily sausage grease dripping out the back as you take each bite... I've worked myself into a frenzy just writing about it.

Carnitas Taco 

Very tender chunks of pork with onion. A little fattier than I might prefer but it was what put the chef’s Bronx location on the map for good reason. Get into it.

Al Pastor Taco

That slightly charred pineapple and spit-roasted pork brings that sweet Mexican beach town vibe with every bite.

Pork Shoulder in Salsa Naka, aka crazy sauce 

I've never had a Mexican dish that I'd so comfortably describe as soul food. Slow cooked chunks of pork swimming in a dark and spicy gravy over rice and beans. Scuse me while I go happily hibernate.

On recent visits, I’ve gone with ribs, posole and cochinita pibil tacos. There’s always something unexpected to try on the menu and I truly have not met a single morsel I don’t crave to eat again.

Ok. Been almost a year since the last post. Fatherhood limits your eating out abilities and forget about additional time to sit and pound out a review... But I’m gonna give it a go again and makes things more brief and to the point!

LOOK by Plant Love House is the new Brooklyn extension of a storied, authentic Northern Thai restaurant in Queens. We dropped in for a couple of bites to see how it fares since the closest truly good Thai food to us is Pok Pok or in Red Hook (Khao Soy was great and hearing the chef’s newest Chiang Mai is a must). Either way, it’s a schlep (especially given aforementioned parental responsibilities). This spot is 4 short blocks away from us on Washington Ave between Dean and Pacific. 

Chiang Mai Khao Soy (pictured above)

Always enjoy the mix of soft egg noodle and crunchy egg noodle that comes in this Northern Thai curry soup. The chicken leg was fall-off-the-bone tender and all and all this made for cold weather eats that truly hit the spot.

Som Tum-Tard

What better way to try a new Thai spot than a sampler platter centered around papaya salad? We asked for medium spicy and they were definitely going by Thai medium spicy cuz this papaya gave us a well-deserved ass kicking but I was begging for more once all was said and done. All the snackems around the salad were pretty great too: 

Thai wings - Sweet n’ meaty

Vermicelli noodles and sticky rice - Plain but great for balancing the spice

Homemade I-san sausage - Sliced up sweet meat spiked with chunks of garlic. 

Pork cracklings - CRUNCH!

And some sprouts, basil and soft-boiled egg.

It must be said that we were really lucky that all of our food came out in under 10 minutes because our 8 month old was having a shit fit by the end of it all. He definitely wanted to smear fish sauce across his face at one point but not sure that salted oyster extract is safe for infants...

A birthday party should be about what YOU want to do.  And I wanted to eat wings. Not just a basket. A whole day of wings.

The route was chosen and we made our way through Park Slope / Gowanus on a beautiful spring day, just tearing those drummies and flats apart.  Trust when I say there was no meat left on them bones.

Every participant was asked to fill out a scorecard.  Some did so with laser-like focus while others shirked on their duties.  But it must be known that not a single scorecard was turned in without a healthy smear of grease, sauce or both.  So proud...

1:37pm - Bonnie’s Grill 

We began the day with the classic Buffalo wing done oh so right.  For a full review, check this out.  There was basket of hot and a basket of hotter (and a sad basket of dry wings for one weak-stomached individual in the crowd).  The hot had more burn to ‘em this time than last and the hotter had us in tears without making the wings unenjoyable.  Personally, the hotter are right at my threshold for hot wings.

CATEGORICAL ASSESSMENT (see “OVERALL SATISFACTION” ranking at the bottom of this post for qualitative ranking)

Flavor: Hot Moistness: 3.8 Crispness: 3.7 Sauciness: 3.6 Spicyspice: 3.9 Words used to describe: Tearful, Hungshow, Tasty, Spicy ears, Creeper, Sweet n’ hot 

Flavor: Hotter Moistness: 3.8 Crispness: 3.8 Sauciness: 3.2 Spicyspice: 4.5 Words used to describe: As hot as you’d want it, Fire, Burning, Fuzzy

Flavor: Dry Moistness: 2 Crispness: 4.5 Sauciness: 0 Spicyspice: 0 Words used to describe: Sad

3:20pm - Wang’s @ Mission Dolores

The Korean fried chicken spot we chose for stop #2 is mostly a takeout spot so we got ‘em to go and went to a great beer bar on 4th Ave called Mission Dolores.

These were big, whole wings too.  We decided that 1 wing equals 2 wings here since they’ve got the tips and all.  There’s regular Korean and then Korean Spice.  Seemed like the only difference was some chili flakes so people generally didn’t differentiate on their scorecards.  Great crispiness with a light coating of a sweet soy sauce.  I’m looking forward to tackling a whole order of these in the spring sunshine some time in the near future. 

Flavor: Korean Moistness: 3.3 Crispness: 4.2 Sauciness: 2.2 Spicyspice: 1.5 Words used to describe: Finally, sweet n’ dandy, happy!, warm!, better, tribe!, more please 

4:52pm - Dinosaur BBQ

Onward we marched, gaining more people and losing a couple between stops.  Dinosaur BBQ has never been my favorite for the BBQ staples: brisket, ribs, etc.  However, they certainly do know what they’re doing when it comes to wings.  

If I had to guess, these meaty suckers are smoked for a few hours then brushed with sauce and finished on some kind of grill.  They’re saucy and smokey.  The restaurant wasn’t really sure what to make of our large boisterous group and we hit a couple of snags between getting seated and ordering and whatnot but it all turned out.  

We tried three different wings at Dino BBQ: Flavor: Wango Tango Moistness: 4.3 Crispness: 2 Sauciness: 3.7 Spicyspice: 2.4 Words used to describe: Saucy, ROARRR, Happy, Chewy

Flavor: Hoisin Sesame Moistness: 4 Crispness: 2.7 Sauciness: 4.3 Spicyspice: 1.5 Words used to describe: Sweet, Underwhelmed 

Flavor: Chipotle Garlic Moistness: 3.5 Crispness: 3.2 Sauciness: 3.8 Spicyspice: 3.2 Words used to describe: Teeth, #Selfies

And so the question must be posed.  After a long day of twisting and pulling wings and trying to avoid the inevitable sauce stains, which wing was crowned the victor?  Here’s the rankings, folks! OVERALL SATISFACTION 1st Place: Dinosaur BBQ’s Chipotle Garlic 2nd Place: Bonnie’s Grill Hot 3rd Place: Wang’s Korean And the person who ate the most wings all day? ME! Although with a grand total of twenty wings consumed, I didn’t feel like that was an especially crazy feat to accomplish over a 4 hour period.

Thanks to all who helped get it together and attended!  Not sure what kind of crawl we’ll head out on next year but this was a good one.  WANGS OUT!!!

AUDIBLE: Record of the Week

The Bright Light Social Hour 

“Space Is Still The Place”

Space is what keeps us coming back to The Bright Light Social Hour's album “Space Is Still The Place”. You can space out to the psych rock adventure of this album but really it’s about the amount of room the band gives each other and each song to grow and meld and become it's own thing. Imagine if My Morning Jacket and Pink Floyd melted together, reformed as Apollo 18 and were launched into the stratosphere from a backyard party in Austin, TX.

Listen to the whole album below or on Spotify.

Come on back for another pick next week and make sure to follow all the accounts you wish to see in your feeds…

Record of the Week

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The Hall of Sandwiches

Involuntarily drooling. Everyone has a trigger. For me, as soon as that distinctive Frank's Red Hot vinegar/cayenne mixture touches fried chicken wings and that vapor is released into my immediate surroundings, it's game over. I'm ensnared.

So when my buddy texted me about going on a wing hunt, I was in and had the target in my sights... Bonnie's Grill in Park Slope.

Apparently this place is owned and operated by folks who used to live in Buffalo, NY, home to the supposed original wing spot, Anchor Bar. The burger and beef on weck sandwiches have a good reputation but today we were all about the wings.

This 50's diner-like spot plays Johnny Cash and slings platefuls of no bullshit drums and flats. No frills attached. If it's sesame habanero pineapples wings you want go to Buffalo Wild Wing. Here it's mild, hot or hotter than H. We opted for 30 hot but got the hotter than H sauce on the side.

I have to tell you. Any wing fanatic, or even the casual admirer, should come here without hesitation. After polishing off our order (and some fries with chipotle mayo dipping sauce), we considered ordering another round. However, we remembered that Pork Slope, another place known for its wings, was just a block over.

So off we went to Pork Slope to order 6 Buffalo and 6 of what they called Broken Chili. Now, I'm a big fan of Dale Talde and most everything he does at Pork Slope to make damn good drunk food. I’d had enjoyed his wings in the past as they were kind of a play on General Tso’s. But these were different... a soulless soggy mess. I'll just leave it at that.

If it's wings you want, hurry on over to Bonnie's Grill and don't look back.

This gave me an idea. Wing crawl anyone???  There’s a bunch of spots in this Brooklyn neighborhood.  I’m thinking Dram Shop > Calexico > Bonnie’s Grill > Pork Slope > Wang’s > Dinosaur BBQ.  There’s enough variety and all within a mile.  I’m serious.  Let’s do it!

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The Hall of Sandwiches

Get caught up to speed with...

Pt. 1: http://bit.ly/edaudtulum1

Pt. 2: http://bit.ly/1G5zA5z

DAY 5

BeTulum is a high end boutique hotel on the beach with a hippie dippy spirit.  Lush entrance area with inspirational signs reminding you to smile or breathe or let go.  It’s quite nice but they failed to tell us there was a 500 peso minimum for using their chairs, fostering a bit of resentment but we got over it. 

LUNCH: BETULUM

The beach restaurant ain’t cheap and was filled with all kinds of healthy granola parfait types of concoctions and fancy infused cocktails.  There was a disclaimer on the menu that they used some secret ingredients in their cocktails too.  I didn’t take it to heart at the time but after having one I began to wonder if the world around me had a little extra sparkle... 

Fish tacos - Grouper grilled over a wood flame so it had some smoke and the crunchy slaw made this generous portion of tacos a real winner. The view is nice too.

BeTulum salad - Some good nibbling on the beach with the fruit and sweet potato components jazzing this salad up.  Strange combos that make for solid first and second bites.  After that it got a little muddled to me. 

Sidenote: This part of Mexico (if not the whole country) seems to be pretty fixated on Frida Callo, as you can see from this brightly colored cigar box that BeTulum used to deliver the check to us. 

HARTWOOD: THE 1ST ATTEMPT

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Hartwood is THE PLACE everyone says you have to try when in Tulum.  The story goes something like this… a New York City chef gets tired of the grind, moves to Tulum to start a restaurant that cooks with no electric appliances (mostly over wood fires), makes connections with local food suppliers so all meat/veggies are locally sourced, gets written up in the New York Times, has people waiting for hours while on vacation to get a seat. 

All reservations at Hartwood have to be made day-of unless you have a party over 8.  We were told that they start taking reservations at 4pm but when we arrived we were told that in fact they actually start at 3pm… Abandon ship!  Skip down if you want to see how things turned out the next day.  SPOILER ALERT: We got in and it was awesome. 

DINNER: POSADA MARGHERITA

This place received lots of rave reviews from friends that said “Go here when you’ve had enough tacos and are ready for some pasta” so we went there as a backup plan after our failed Hartwood attempt.  It’s a beautifully situated restaurant on the beach that sets the mood with candlelight and a pricey wine list.  We got there just after seven and barely beat the rush.  The host was a little dismissive and had that we-don’t-need-you attitude but we worked through it and got a table. 

I gotta be honest with my review (otherwise, why would you bother reading it?).  The pasta was good but nearing in on 300 pesos a bowl (over $20), it wasn’t THAT good.  Nice experience if you’re looking for NYC on vacation in a warm setting.  Not gonna give it high marks though. 

DAY 6 

Today we would do it.  We were determined to get into Hartwood.  Fixated on a meal all day. Ridiculous people are we. 

So we relax at the hotel and roll out to Hartwood at 2:15 to make sure we could get our name in when reservations opened up at 3.  

DINNER: HARTWOOD

Upon arrival, there’s already a line 40-50 people deep of mostly NYers who apparently love waiting for buzzy restaurants on vacation as much as they do in their natural habitat back in Manhattan or Brooklyn.  Ourselves included. GUILTY.  The line starts moving at 3pm and as we get closer someone says there’s a party of 30 that’s already got a good portion of the seats locked in.  Not looking good… and sure enough, we got three people away from the hostess stand when the decree was made.  All reservations taken!   

However, we were informed that the first seating every night at 5:30 was reserved for walk-ups.  And so, we returned at 4pm with books in tow (and a water bottle full of anejo tequila) to wait it out.  THIS WAS GOING TO HAPPEN, DAMN’T!  And it did: 

I have a hard enough time making decisions at a normal meal.  Imagine one that has taken a total of about 5 hours of effort.  Everything sounded terrific too.  We were back and forth and back again.  The servers were nice but they didn’t really have the time to deal with this dilly dallying.

I’d start with a mezcal mojito with mezcal-soaked grapefruit adorning the top. A few sips in, a conversation with the chef and we were ready to order! 

Empanadas Lechon Tizimin - Empanadas with cochinita pibil (suckling pig) and pickled fruits and Mayan basil.  Oh yeah. This was going to be good...  What a fine crunchy corn-encasement of soft and sensuous suckling pig meat you are.  Nice that you brought your friends pickled pineapple and Mayan basil along for bright bites of acidity, sweet and herbaceous.  Where can I find pickled pineapple back in NYC? I crave it now. 

Ensalada Tomate Milpa - Tomatoes originated in the Yucatan and having sought this destination as an escape from winter’s tireless grip, a simple salad made up of beautiful chunks of tomato, pickled onion and crumbly cotija cheese made thoughts of those snowdrift-lined streets of NYC melt away. 

Costillas Al Agave - While waiting in line outside of Hartwood, I’d salivatingly seen the kitchen staff take a tray of ribs and break ‘em down.  This is one of the dishes that put this place on the map and with good reason.  Ribs cooked ever-so-slowly over wood flames ’til they fall apart, brushed with a sweet and sour tamarind glaze, laid over slaw and banana peppers then crowned with a crunchy crown of chicharon… A king emerges reigning over two distinctly different worlds: Southern BBQ and the lost paradise of Mayan jungle feasts. 

Pulpo Platter - We weren’t going to get the octopus.  We had octopus on several occasions already on the trip.  None had hit the spot.  Thank you to our waitress who insisted that we change our mind.  This was truly the best octopus dish I have ever had.  Braised and then charred in their woodfire ovens.  Smokey, crunchy and then soft as butter.  Melt in your mouth is a cliche.  Cliches work. That’s what this shit did and I melted along with it. 

Hartwood may have been a pain in the ass to get into and if that’s not something you’re willing to deal with, I really don’t blame you at all.  In fact, I applaud you.  For me, I couldn’t resist and I gotta say that between the octopus and ribs it was actually really worth it.  And if I find myself back in Tulum, I would likely do it all again!  Gluttons take punishment.

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The Hall of Sandwiches

If you haven’t read Pt. 1, start here.

DAY 2

All relaxation... 

We headed to Mezzanine, a sister hotel on the beach only 5 minutes by foot. After soaking it all in for a while, we grabbed lunch at their Thai restaurant that had a good reputation all and all. Good food, maybe not the most balanced and authentic flavors, but we were on a beach in Mexico...  

LUNCH: MEZZANINE 2 for 1 margaritas from 1-4 every day! Gotta appreciate a good deal when out on vacation. 

Mushroom and cashew dish - Earthy, heavy on the sauce and served over rice. Unique dish but didn't love it. 

Fried fish skewers over mango salad - Felt like a good way to go. Nice kick in the batter they used to fry the fish and enjoyed the spicy sauce that came on the side. Mango salad was ripened mango so not the crunchier green mango I'm used to in Thai salads. 

Pad thai - Like a tuxedo on the beach… overdressed! But seriously folks, it was fine, just too saucy. 

GRAN CENOTE

The Yucatan Peninsula is volcanic limestone and, over time, rain hitting the earth has formed deep holes in the ground, creating a series of tunnels that connect the underground fresh water reservoirs. The water is incredibly clear, making cenote exploration a popular activity for divers and snorkelers. We swam around in the biggest one in the area, providing us with a refreshing dip as we met the local turtles and blind fishyfish. 

DINNER: AHAU TULUM

Met some friends for dinner at Ahau Tulum. The sign out front flaunted "TONIGHT: Mexico's Best Mariachi Band!". Oh boy! A little atmospheric music at a beachside restaurant is nice but these guys came to every table with their trumpet player's signature move of blowing right in someone's ear for a little comic relief. I was mostly amused but caught some less-than-thrilled glances around the room.

Octopus - Generous portion, charred up nicely but too chewy. I love pulpo but was 0 for 2 so far in Tulum.

Red snapper diablo - Uninspired wedding ballroom food. Edible? Sure. Exciting? No.

And with that, the Mariachi novelty had worn off entirely and we were headed elsewhere for dessert...

 DRINKS: GITANO

On jungle side, Gitano is a discoball-adorned Tulum nightlife destination. French couples smoking on couches, mustachioed waiters and, most importantly, the best cocktail I had in Tulum. I frequently turned to chile-spiked mezcal cocktails in Tulum and this one was balanced, refreshing, not sweet and just the right slow burn so you knew the girl behind the bar wasn't out to prove anything... 

We also had a guava cheesecake. Not-so-thick layer of cheesecake, buttery crust and homemade guava preserves on top. Well done.

Dinner menu looked great and made a note to come back but never made it.

DAY 4 : CHICHEN ITZA 

Sunrise wake up to make the 2 hour trip to Chichen Itza, one of the wonders of the world. A first listen to the new Jose Gonzalez record made for an energizing and meditative morning drive.

Our guide Willie was a seasoned veteran with a license to tell oversexed old man jokes who would've rather taken a photo with my wife than this dude (me).

Our first instinct was to hire a young fresh-faced guide but Willie hunted us down and I know now that I'll opt for the experienced guy with polished shtick over the young n’ nimble any day.

After almost three hours of ancient basketball courts, Mayan astronomy and human sacrifice, we’d earned our lunch and Willie pointed us to Fabiola in the nearest city, Marisa.

LUNCH: FABIOLA

Our server suggested the local speciality of Yucatan chicken, pounded chicken breast in a light sauce with rice and beans. A simple lunch made all the better by the rip-roaring habanero hot sauce that they brought out.

VALLADOLID

This is a small inland colonial city that’s on the way back to Tulum from Chichen Itza.  We strolled around the shops for a bit and then zeroed in on 2nd lunch...

2ND LUNCH: EL JARDIN DE LOS FRAILES

Beautiful garden set back from the road.  I’d heard that the area specialized in smoked meat so we got a plate of it.  Really chewy and gamey and not all that appetizing if I’m being perfectly honest.

But the cochinita pibil was superb. Suckling pig wrapped in banana leaf and slow-cooked until super moist.  Their tortillas were also fresh and we rolled ourselves some top notch tacos.

SNACK: FABRICA DE CHOCOLATE CACAO

Okay. The 3 hours of Mayan ruins and two lunches were taking its toll but we still had over an hour to drive back to Tulum. And then a mysterious force appeared to save the day.  We smelled it before we saw it… A chocolate museum.  The hostess beckoned us in and gave us a tour, explaining the origin story of cacao.  We apparently have the Mayans of the Yucatan to thank for bringing chocolate into this world.  They make their own chocolate at this place and the tour ended with a complimentary tasting of each of their products.  

Cacao was originally consumed by mashing it up and serving as a frothy hot drink.  There was an adjoining cafe next door where this traditional drink was served in addition to a magical dark creation they were calling chocolate espresso.  

We sat and sipped and then euphorically giggled our way all the way back to the car.  Powerful stuff. So powerful that my wife blacked out, leaving me on my own to guide us home on the wings of a cacao-fueled quetzal bird.

Record of the Week

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The Hall of Sandwiches

How the hell are we supposed to manage our music listening habits in a world where everything is at our fingertips?

Perhaps this sounds familiar:

Get to work

Open Spotify, iTunes, Rdio, whatever it is you use...

Stare blankly at the screen thinking about what you want to hear

Sort through playlists and algorithmically generated recommendations

Listen to something that you’ve already played ad nauseum as default

Or something like that.

So my buddy and I have been working on an Instagram account called Record of the Week where we help bring certain albums top of mind.  After months of doing this we’ve now begun reaching out to our friends and colleagues who we know have great taste or are just plain creative and awesome.

And why not add this sweet little project to the Edible / Audible arsenal?  So follow the account (https://instagram.com/recordoftheweek) or check back here for some quality recommendations for smart, funny, weird and hopefully interesting people.

This week’s recommendation came from our good friend, Mike Greenhaus, who along with being editor-in-chief of Relix Magazine, also is a huge proponent of the post-jam theory of music evolution.

His pick? The Phish album, Billy Breathes.  Here’s what he had to say about it:

"From the moment The Dead dropped the needle on their reunion, 2015 has been the year of Dead nostalgia. So for my guest pick I thought it would be fun -and slightly ballsy - to throw one over to the side of the once great Phish/Dead divide. Billy Breathes remains both Phish’s defining studio moment and yet - in certain ways - strangest proper studio album. Listening back almost two decades later, there is beautiful closeness to the recording that the band only captured during these mid-‘90s sessions; a gentleness that comes through in the close-up vocals, acoustic guitars and other stray Woodstock, NY sounds. A lot of that is thanks to producer Steve Lilllywhite, who approached the recording session with virgin ears, but Phish still show off their full arsenal of sounds - from the arena-jam of “Free” to the rhythmic, Talking Heads groove of “Taste,” the whispered beauty of “Talk,” the second set grandeur of “Theme From The Bottom,” the blob of sound that turned into “Steep” and the wedding song beauty of “Waste” (or in my case, the son-and-mom dance bounce of the album’s title track). Billy Breathes still stands on its own both inside Phish’s catalog in and in the great rock canon—the last classic rock album by the last classic rock band.”

Come on back for another pick next week and make sure to follow all the accounts you wish to see in your feeds...

Record of the Week

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Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/recordoftheweek

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The Hall of Sandwiches

I wasn’t planning to put recipes on Edible / Audible but when I posted a homecooking pic to my personal Instagram, a couple of folks wanted to make this for themselves so here it is…  Soupy Sunday is alive and well!

6 cups chicken stock 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa 12 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled 1 lb of boneless, skinless chicken thighs 1 lb of Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed 1 large fennel bulb cubed (stalks removed) 1 head of nappa cabbage, chopped 3 carrots, chopped Olive oil 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano 3/4 teaspoon coriander seeds Salt & pepper to taste

***Always put on a record you’ve been meaning to listen to before getting started.  Today’s was the new Lead Belly box set released by Smithsonian Folkways.

Saute garlic in dutch oven or stockpot for 2 min.  

Stir in fennel, carrots and potatoes.  

Once carrots soften (~5 min), add chicken thighs and cook for an additional 5-10 min.  

Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a boil.  

Add quinoa, cabbage, oregano, coriander seeds, salt and pepper.  

Remove chicken, chop into bite-sized pieces and return to pot. 

Simmer until quinoa is fully cooked.

Ladle into bowls and enjoy.

Sometimes a Saturday night where all the buzzed about places have absurdly long waits (looking at you, Emily) leads you to an unassuming neighborhood joint… and life is good.  Almadira is a candlelit Italian wine bar down the block from our new place in Prospect Heights.  There was a crowd but we were able to get a seat quickly.

Good company, good wine, good food… That’s pretty much all you need, no? 

Ricotta - Soft and fluffy. Some black pepper, red chili flakes, olive oil… I liked that it had a curdy texture to it too. Spread this stuff over a few little toast points and you’re in business.

Leeks flan - I honestly didn’t even see this one on the menu until the waiter, who might’ve been the owner, said it was a must-have.  After one bite I knew we were in good hands for the rest of the meal.  Kind of a savory custard meets frittata but with that leeky onion meets asparagus taste.  We could’ve ordered another one for the table but wanted to get around the menu. 

Deviled eggs - I grew up with my grandma’s deviled eggs for a mid-day summer snack at Lake Lanier in Georgia.  Grandma would’ve never dreamed of pureeing anchovies into her deviled eggs and I’ve gotta side with her on this one.  Some things are better left the way they are and deviled eggs should be kept simple.  Not the biggest fan. 

Mushroom carpaccio - Freshness. Thinly sliced mushrooms, spinach and chunks of good parmigiano-reggiano tossed with pepper and olive oil.  Subtle, simple. great. 

Spaghetti with tomato sauce - Yes yes yes. To know that this no frills fresh spaghetti and tomato sauce lives down the street from me is one of my new thoughts when I need assurance that everything will be okay.  It’s not anything you’ve never had before but it’s just so right.  I’ll have to come back and try the spaghetti with meat sauce next time.  Gotta have the classics on hand! 

Stoccafisso (salted cod stew) - We were intrigued. When prompted to share his opinion of the dish, the owner said that people either love it or hate it. Hearty and salty. I liked it and I have a feeling like it was a spot-on representation of the traditional dish but true that it is not for everyone.

Donnaluna Aglianico - Full bodied red with a little bitter funky plum to it.  Played well with all we ate. 

Even though I try fighting the urge to pick favorites, I can’t deny that Sturgill Simpson is my favorite musician to come along over the last couple of years.  His album, Metamodern Sounds in Country Music, will play all the way through and I’ll just hit it from the top again.  Ever since Spotify entered our lives and access to music has become basically infinite, it’s rare to find albums you want to listen to again and again, over and over.  Sturgill has given me exactly that.

“New York City, Old St. Joe, Albuquerque New Mexico This old rig is humming and rolling and doing fine"

Two sold out shows, one at Bowery Ballroom and the other at Music Hall of Williamsburg. I went to the latter and honestly haven’t ever heard NYC hoot along the way they did to Sturgill’s gritty 3-chord jams. That room was a rowdy roadhouse and Sturgill may have been under the weather but that didn’t stop him from bringing the heat to a frigid February night.

An honest voice can only take you so far. but Sturgill sings and his words feel attuned with reality. On no song is that more true than “Just Let Go”.  This past year I lost some important people in my life. Just Let Go allowed me to do just that. It's a catharsis. I'm not sure if I've ever cried at a concert but this performance had me on the verge of tears. Life is a fucking bummer sometimes. Somehow this song captures everything I know about feeling alive. I was glad to hear Sturgill say it was also his favorite song on the album.  

And throughout the night I heard bits and pieces of legendary country artists from George Jones to Ralph Stanley.  Only fitting that after showing such range and ability with his own original music that he encored with a traditional bluegrass tune by Kentucky’s legendary Osborne Brothers.  

Sturgill Simpson knows where he comes from and that’s exactly why I can’t wait to see where he’s going.

ARRIVAL

After an hour and a half drive from Cancun with a soundtrack of traditional Mexican music that may or may not have driven my wife a little crazy, we arrived in Tulum, Mexico at dusk. Our seven day vacation began with missing the turn to Mi Amor Hotel… and so we found ourselves taking an unexpected driving tour through the area's main row of beach hotels and restaurants - to the left was beach and the right jungle.  

Immediately the establishments I’d obsessively researched through TripAdvisor, blogs and friend’s recommendations became real places, torch-lit and beckoning my curious appetite.  The hip and beautiful strolled from boutique to restaurant to B&B to beach to bar, clad in hippie pants, halter tops and fedora hats.  On the upfront, this was less quaint Mexican beach town and more Bohemian yoga center meets Dioneysian winter getaway for Brooklynites. Later in the trip we'd find out there was actually more to it...

MI AMOR HOTEL

Our hotel, Mi Amor, sat on a stretch of rocky shoreline between the main hotel district and a less built up beach closer to the Mayan ruins.  At first we were disappointed with the location but we'd rented a car so that made it all pretty manageable.  It was a posh place with lots of water elements connected to an infinity pool and less than twenty rooms in all.  We’d read good things about the hotel’s restaurant Unico and, after settling into our room, decided to give it a try.  

DINNER: UNICO

Waves violently crashed in the darkness, crazy winds assaulted our table and we worked to hold down napkins and salad greens… Half meal, half juggling act. This was no time to be snapping photos of your food (if there ever is a time… oops!). 

Seafood was on the brain and we got right to it with a shrimp salad, red snapper and octopus.  They brought a complimentary passion fruit rum shot which was nice and I tried some anejo tequila to get primed for that vacation state of mind. There was a closing complimentary shot, some kind of traditional Mayan honey and anis liquor that was a hospitable gesture but wayyy too syrupy sweet.  Nothing was bad but considering the prices and having heard that the chef had worked for Tom Colicchio, we were a little underwhelmed.  Granted the conditions made it a little tough to savor the moment…

BREAKFAST: UNICO

We found ourselves back at Unico for breakfast and, seeing the cost of eating quickly piling up, we determined that a grocery run for yogurt and granola would allow us to budget more funds and stomach space toward lunches and dinners. Gotta go about this shit strategically. If this isn't in your vacation playbook, well, keep it handy on your next excursion.

The wind was still rather fierce but some sunshine, a berry smoothie, fruit plate and huevos divorciados (fried eggs in red and green sauce) got the day off to a good start.  

Then came the grocery run that included my thrifty decision to grab a bottle of Cazadores Anejo tequila and 12 cans of Modelo to keep in the beach bag… More munitions for the week ahead! (And more Vacation 101).

LA ZEBRA HOTEL

Being that our hotel was not on a swimmable beach, we ventured over to its sister hotel La Zebra for the day, having been assured that they would let us set up shop.  After some coaxing and flaunting of my seven month pregnant wife’s belly, the hotel staff gave us one beach chair and spread out a bed of towels and pillows on the sand.  Ok. Time to get comfortable!

First off, let's have a Michelada.  There’s the Michelada and the Chelada.  Both are beer concoctions.  The Chelada is like a Mexican shandy, beer mixed with lemon or lime and a salted rim.  I'm partial to the Michelada. Most often when I've had 'em they’ve been a bloody mary-like mix of Clamato juice, worchestshire and tabasco with choice of cerveza. At La Zebra, it tasted like a tamarind syrup with worchestshire and I chose a Negra Modelo, making this a dark and tasty rendition.  

LUNCH: LA ZEBRA HOTEL

La Zebra had some pretty good beach lunch fare.  

Vegetarian sopes (Fried masa of ground maize with refried beans, squash blossom, mixed greens, cotija cheese and cream)

La Zebra Ceviche Tostada (Local grouper marinated with avocado, tomatillos, cilantro, jalapeño and manzanilla olives)

Chicken quesadilla (you know what this is… best known as "the safe bet")  

I wouldn’t go out of my way for these offerings again but as beachfront restaurant options go, La Zebra was solid and the live music around happy hour is a bonus we ran into later in the trip.

DINNER: EL TABANO!

Spend any time investigating Tulum’s food options and you’ll quickly see that everyone talks about HartwoodHartwoodHartwood.  We were eager to get there but, alas, the chalkboard out front said they’d be closed for maintenance over the next three days (stay tuned in a future post for full rundown...) 

So off we went to El Tabano! for dinner.  

It’s a beautifully laid out restaurant with the quintessential Tulum torch-light and a high thatched roof hut.  A fifteen minute wait couldn’t scare off a seasoned Brooklyn couple so I sipped a delicious mezcal and habanero cocktail while we waited.  This would prove to not be the last time I found myself ordering a similar drink on this adventure. 

For the menu, El Tabano! has three or four large chalkboards covering one wall of the restaurant that requires you go and kinda hover next to other people’s tables while making decisions.  The ribs I’d heard about and wanted were scratched off the list but our waiter steered us toward some of his favorites...

Seafood-stuffed ancho chile - A touch heavy on the cream but slow-burning heat from the chile.  I think there was a combo of seafood stuffed inside but all I could really detect was shrimp.  Good start!

Tortilla soup - Pretty standard version with bits of chicken, a pinch of cheese, chiles and tortilla strips. Always seems like a good idea when ordering but tortilla soup rarely makes an impression.

Shrimp with ginger and coconut - Oh, and butter. What’s a shrimp dish without it? Slivers of coconut and a healthy ginger kick made this a good choice.  The peppers were sliced thinly and cooked kinda al dente so they were still juicy and crunchy.

Red chicken - Although I wasn't eager to order chicken (and this picture wouldn't have convinced me either), the waiter insisted. Sure glad he did as this proved to be the best dish of the night and probably Top 5 of our trip.  Tender, slow-cooked chicken in a homey, rich red sauce really hit the spot.  I honestly can’t tell you what was in the red sauce but I can still imagine the flavor as we ate every last drop of it spooned over the rice. Not a tomato-y base.  Hmmm.  Stumped but certain that if we make it back to Tulum, we will be making a trip to El Tabano for this dish again! And gotta get those ribs next time too.

Still compiling my notes from the rest of the trip but more soon! 

AUDIBLE