Restaurant experiment: Kellogg’s Diner

Kellogg’s Diner

514 Metropolitan Avenue at Union Avenue

Brooklyn, NY 11211

718-782-4502

http://kelloggsdinerwilliamsburg.com

I’m out at 4am and there’s a bouncer assessing my need to be in the place.  Where am I?  Am I drunk and trying to get into a club?  Heck no.  I am about to enter Kellogg’s Diner because we’re starving, and it’s there, and it’s open.  Why is there a bouncer here?  Color me confused.  You enter and stand in the entryway while the bouncer goes inside and tells the hostess how many are in your party.  Wack.

Dave told me that the diner used to be smaller but expanded into the space next door.  It’s all chrome-y looking outside, like an old 50s diner which is kind of cool.  I’ve noticed it ever since the first time I stepped out of the Lorimer stop.  Dave and I were seated in a minibooth.  Our waiter came around only once in a blue moon.  The table across the aisle from us was full of four obnoxious hipsters-in-training.  Blech.

We settled on the black and blue burger and buffalo wings, both for about $11 each.  Totally overpriced.  The burger bun was wimpy and conked out on me.  The buffalo wings were essentially chicken nuggets.  Not what I wanted.  And blue cheese (or BBQ sauce) was supposed to come with them, and it was noticeably absent, so I had to wait until we flagged down our waiter again.

Not impressed.  The next day, I had a stomachache.  Coincidence??????

Restaurant experiment: Angelo’s Pizza

Angelo’s Pizza

117 West 57th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues

New York, NY 10019

212-333-4333

http://www.angelospizzany.com/

“The service is as bad as our waitress’s accent!”–Leslie

Let me set the scene.  Leslie and I had 45 minutes to eat dinner.  The original move was to go to one of those deli/multifood places that are all the rage in NYC, but Leslie decided to eschew that notion and squeeze in a quick dinner at Angelo’s, since she’s been here before and knew it was stomach-friendly.

She asked the platinum blond middle-aged hostess if we could be in and out in 45 minutes.

“Sure.”

Um, that didn’t transpire.

We were seated downstairs, and I picked out a small table near the kitchen where I could observe an overweight customer swap out his chair for a nearby one, then swap that one out for another one.  Pointy rolls emerged, and we ate the bread by dipping it into olive oil.  Leslie raved about the fried zucchini & eggplant with garlic yogurt dip ($10), so we shared that.  I don’t even care for eggplant, but I liked this.  Deep fry anything and I’ll be happy, I guess.  Mmm, tzaziki-like dip.  Hot and fresh!

Leslie and I shared a small pie with ricotta and roasted peppers.  It was taking ages to come out, following the devouring of the zucchini and eggplant.  We concluded we should ask the waitress for the check when the pizza was dropped off.

Our waitress was a young woman with a strong Eastern European accent.  She wasn’t exactly a Rhodes Scholar.  Leslie tried to explain to her in the lengthy dead time post-appetizer that we were in a hurry, and the waitress was confused and asked if we wanted the pizza and the appetizer to come out at the same time.  Huh?  Not like we can travel back in time.

The pizza came out, but I couldn’t enjoy it that much because of the time limitations.  The peppers were not too roasty but the ricotta was a smart pick.  Nice pizza.  No Lombardi’s, but what is?

A small pizza is $15, and $2.50 will get you one topping.  So $20 (including tip) each for the dinner was slightly too much.  But it’s Midtown and touristy, so I guess Angelo’s can get away with it.  If that zucchini eggplant fried delicacy wasn’t so fine…

Restaurant experiment: Zenon Taverna

Zenon Taverna

34-10 31st Avenue between 34th and 35th Streets

Astoria, NY 11106

718-956-0133

http://zenontaverna.com/

Every time I eat in Queens, it never fails to amaze me how much value/food you get for your buck.  Love it.

As Dave and I were spending a gorgeous Saturday in Astoria (check out the Noguchi Museum and Socrates Sculpture Park), we found ourselves famished and stepped into Zenon Taverna, highly recommended by a friend of Dave’s.  It was a non-traditional time to eat, and therefore the place was basically empty, but considering how many waitstaff were hanging out, the place probably becomes hopping at night.  And it seemed as though there were no two person tables.  Huh.  The decor is basically homey Mediterranean, with paintings of Greece up and such.  The servers wear smart blue button-down shirts and are friendly and seem happy to be working at Zenon.

The menu is rather overwhelming with oodles of choices.  Though I noted right away that the appetizer samplers sounded like a wonderful deal.  With the Cyprus meze, you get 16 appetizers for $19.95 (minimum two persons).  Sounded right up my alley.  Dave and I both went with this sweet deal.  I also ordered a frappe for just under $5 and sipped that strong coffee drink until the cold appetizers showed up first.  These are the descriptions from the menu posted online, and I should add that we were given a couple of strips of olive bread and endless strips of pita for the cold appetizers.  The bowls and plates are all Corelle, heh.

Kypriaki Salada – Cyprus Salad – Romaine, lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, parsley, onions, scallions, fresh cilantro, caper leaves, imported Greek feta cheese and olives. Dressed in extra virgin olive oil and vinegar

Cilantro?  Boo.  Otherwise, very good.

Tzantziki – Yogurt and Cucumber Dip – Yogurt and cucumber with the taste of fresh garlic and mint

Mmm, love it!  Also went well with the meats. 

Melitzanosalada – Eggplant Dip – Mashed eggplant, onion, parsley, imported feta cheese and caper leaves with a touch of fresh garlic

I’m not wild about eggplant, so this was just okay.

Scordalia – Garlic Dip – Mashed potatoes with fresh garlic, extra virgin olive oil and fresh lemon juice

Garlic mashed potatoes?  I’m there!

Tahini - Tahini Dip – Ground sesame seeds with fresh lemon juice and a touch of fresh garlic

If you like strong sesame tastes, this is for you.

Taramosalada – Red Caviar Dip – Mashed potatoes with red caviar, extra virgin olive oil and fresh lemon juice

I’ve had red caviar dip at Turkish restaurants, but the Cyprus version uses potatoes as a base.  Choice stuff.

Pantzarosalada – Beet Salad – Freshly sliced beets and fresh garlic with extra virgin olive oil and vinegar

Just say no to beets, I say.  Dave rather enjoyed the purple vegetables, which were marked by a strong sour taste.  Lots of vinegar was used, apparently.

Thalassinosalada – Seafood Salad - Kalamari, crab meat, shrimp and celery with extra virgin olive oil and white vinegar

With my first bite, I was a little skeptical, but I kept eating and couldn’t stop.  Kind of like the Cyprus version of ceviche.

The waitress said to let her know when we wanted the hot appetizers to come out.  Thinking back, Dave thought we should have gotten everything at once, or maybe even the hots first.  I was rapidly becoming full and felt bad.  So much food!

Lunza – Smoked Pork Loin – Sliced pork loin prepared in a traditional Cypriot manner. Marinated in red wine, smoked and seasoned with dry crushed coriander. It tastes best with fresh lemon zest

The pork is shown above, on a plate with the Cypriot cheese.  It was certainly yummy.

Halloumi – Cypriot Cheese – Grilled sheep and goat milk cheese, known as the Cypriot cheese. Tastes best with fresh lemon zest

Sadly I permitted too much time to pass before slicing up the criss-crossed grilled cheese and gobbling it down.  It probably would have been much better.  My mistake!

Loukaniko Spitisio - Cyprus Sausage – Traditional Cypriot pork sausages marinated in red wine, herbs and spices. Then char-grilled to bring out the aroma of the wine

Thumbs up here.

Keftedes – Cyprus Meatballs – Fried meatballs made with chopped pork and shredded potatoes. Seasoned with onion, parsley, black pepper and mint

These reminded me of hush puppies.

Kalamari – Squid – Char-grilled tender fresh calamari seasoned with oregano, extra virgin olive oil and fresh lemon zest. It can be deep-fried in vegetable oil 

I’m not the calamari person, though I would have eaten more had I not been so stuffed.

Souvlaki – Pork Kebab – Char-grilled pork kebab seasoned with oregano, salt and pepper

This was one of the guys who left Zenon with me, in a styrofoam container.  Eating cold, hours later, did nothing to diminish its awesome taste.

Ortikia – Quails - Quails marinated in wine, lemon and garlic. Charl-grilled and seasoned with oregano and black pepper

I ate this many hours later too.   The quail was seasoned well, but it had a lot of bones, kind of like squab.

Sheftalia – Pork Meatballs – Char-grilled pork meatballs with herbs and spices

The last doggie bag item.  Mmm, these are a Zenon signature item for a reason. 

We left Zenon wanting to come back.  That’s saying a lot.  I don’t know if I ever will, but it sure was scrumptious.

Restaurant experiment: The Mermaid Inn

The Mermaid Inn

96 Second Avenue between 5th and 6th Streets

New York, NY 10003

212-674-5870

http://www.themermaidnyc.com/

Looking back at The Mermaid Inn, I genuinely felt happy about the entire experience,  a rarity to declare. 

As it turns out, if you show up before 7 pm, you could score the blue plate special which is $20 for a sandwich, side, and beer, and you could also partake in the $1 oyster special at the bar.  Despite our reservation, the easygoing hostesses permitted us to gobble a few pearlmakers at the bar before being seated.  Even though July doesn’t have an “r” in its name, we were not struck by horrible GI distress, so whew.

The Mermaid Inn has more seating options that you can shake a stick/fishing rod at.  If you want automobile noises, the sidewalk seating is you best best.  Kind of like Second Avenue but want to be a little more sheltered?  The front space has got you covered.  Bar patron?  There’s a bar for you.  Don’t like sun as much?  Check out the back dining room.  Are you a fan of plants and tube lighting?  The back patio has your name on it!

Since Dave and I both dig chlorophyll makers, we elected to sit out on the back patio.  Ferns and Japanese maples and bromeliads are just some of the plants that make their homes there.  Our waitress was on the ball.  Personable, jokey, knowledgeable, cheerful.  She rocked.

Dave knew what he wanted (the $26 lobster sandwich), but I flirted with the grilled salmon and sautéed skate wing before committing to the lobster sandwich [roll], on a “griddled bun, [with] old bay fries.”  Seriously, it had me at Old Bay fries.  Yum.  I’d never had a lobster roll before, and therefore I was eager to taste this NYC craze.  Opinions on the true lobster roll vary, but I gathered it was basically lobster salad in a sandwich.

I ordered a drink called the Floridita daiquiri which contained muscovado.  Wikipedia tells me that it is a dark brown sugar that is reminiscent of molasses.  Regardless, I wasn’t too wild about the concoction, sigh.  Guess I had half-hoped for something more like a traditional daiquiri.  Complimentary seeded flatbread with onions was presented to us, shown in the second photograph.  The entrees came out quickly after.

I nibbled a few of the fries first, and they were perfection!  McDonald’s thin, piping hot, slightly crunchy on the outside.  Mmm, Old Bay.

So, my very first lobster roll…the first bite contained a thumb sized chunk of lobster meat.  Promising.  There was some celery in there but not too much, not intrusive.  Thankfully, since I’m not wild about celery.  The bun reminded me of a croissant, way buttery and with the multi-layers.  Hey, I dig this sandwich!  Luckily there were other chunks of lobster in the salad.  Not skimpy.

The Mermaid Inn doesn’t have a dessert menu but does give everyone a petite cup of chocolate pudding.  While it was fine, it didn’t exactly bowl me over; the pudding had solidified some, and it had a smoky taste.  But yes, free dessert!

How can you not love a dining establishment that gives you a toy?  The fortune telling fish tells me I’m false, sigh.

Already I am planning my next lobster roll.

P.S.  Check out the restaurant’s cute website to learn more about fish and oysters.

The terrible twos

Oh dear, how could I let nearly a month go by without wishing the blog a very happy birthday?  Shame on me. 

Well, happy 2nd birthday Le Gourmet Pipette!