Sal, Kris & Charlie’s Deli In Astoria Kills It
Is it still a humble storefront if it makes a bold claim on the marquee?
If you’re familiar with this blog, you know that like most people I have a serious soft spot for a classic Italian hero. That means fresh, high-quality ingredients with a decent bang for your buck. Hardly the twain shall meet. Don’t get me wrong, it’s all-too-easy to get an Italian hero just about anywhere, but chances are it’ll be terrible.
I’ve sampled the amazing Italian hero at Parisi’s Bakery, which I think might be “best in show,” the lovely one at Faicco’s on Bleecker, which has a crucial Achilles’ heel, the variation made at Carmine’s and numerous others over the years.
With that established, I can heartily recommend Sal, Kris & Charlie’s Deli in Astoria. Yowza.
Seems like there’s always a crowd.
So there’s no place to sit in the deli, it’s not that kind of joint. This is a step-up-to-the-counter, make your order, and get ready to split type of joint. I was reassured by the racks of bread in the window, doubtless they burn through ’em in short order. Speaking of, I ordered the Italian combo, and then turned my attention to the cooler for a drink, where I had a marvelous shock.
Manhattan Special in the cooler! Amazing!
That, my friends, is a bottle of Manhattan Special. I grew up with the stuff and haven’t seen it anywhere in years. And this place has at least three flavors: Vanilla Cream, Lemon-Lime, or perhaps their most famous, espresso coffee. Huge props to Sal, Kris & Charlie’s for keeping it old school and having an amazing, venerable selection. Delicious stuff – very sweet, the cream – but it swept me back to my childhood, when this stuff was delivered off the back of trucks along with seltzer and more. Amazing.
Wrapping one of the monsters up.
I want you to look at the hero in the above image and then at the gentleman’s arm. Are you seeing the proportions correctly? Do not worry, your eyes are not deceiving you. They serve up monsters, at just $7.75 a throw. I was beginning to swoon. So how was it?
Meat bomb.
Take a look at that meat bomb. It is fully loaded. Of particular interest is the ratio of filling to bread. For a better understanding of that, let’s look from another angle.
Absolutely loaded.
As you can see, the bread at the top of the various fillings is pretty thin – just a crust soaked in oil and vinegar. The bottom piece of bread was surprisingly crunchy. In fact, I believe it may have been somewhat stale – day-old bread, perhaps? – but guess what: it worked beautifully. The crunch, the bread’s flavor all added to the sensational sandwich. The lettuce, sweet pepper and provolone flavors all showed up beautifully. As did all the lovely varieties of pork that loaded up the sandwich.
Look, it’s a huge winner with killer bang for the buck. Strong recommend.
Sal, Kris & Charlie’s Deli
33-12 23rd AveAstoria, NY 11102 718.278.9240 No website
Dos Toros Makes Mission-Style, Excellent, Hefty Burritos And Will Scratch Your Cal-Mex Itch
Remember Chipotlaway?
Well, now there’s another, more practical product for those who like the idea of Chipotle, but don’t relish its execution.
It’s called Dos Toros, and it makes excellent assembly-line burritos and tacos. Really delicious and winning.
It’s a Chipotle-alike.
The setup should be quite familiar. A storefront, and an assembly line. This being the village, the employees and crowd tend toward hipsterdom. There’s usually a lot of attractive young people about, either in front of or behind the counter. It’s nice.
Some rice…
One thing that you’ll immediately notice when you order a burrito is how thin and slight-seeming the tortilla they use is. To me, that was a very good sign, I recall in California the burritos there had a similar, whisper-thin tortilla. That said, it also made me concerned about its structural integrity: Would it hold up or rupture?
The procedure, by the way, is exceedingly straightforward. Choose whether you’d like a burrito, taco or “bowl,” which is a burrito sans tortilla, choose red or black beans, choose your protein and toppings. Very simple.
Looks really vibrant and fresh!
I get the works: Their spicy pork, pico de gallo, guac and sour cream. Basically, if they have it, I tell them to put it on. I balk, though, at their very hot hot sauce, getting the milder one instead. It’s worth noting they also sell cheap beer… . The burrito was about $10, give or take.
Their assembly line is quick and efficient, and I was struck both by the substantial size of the portion and how fresh all the ingredients seemed to be. The guacamole and pico de gallo were bursting with color. Guac turns brown quick, so that left an impression on me.
OK, so I’m a bit late to the party.
OK, I admit it, I am a bit late in catching on to this place. I didn’t know about it until it opened next to the sensational Joe’s Pizza on Carmine Street. But Zagat gave it a 24, that’s a pretty triumphant rating. Could it live up to it?
Some significant heft.
In a word: Absolutely. It was absolutely delicious. I believe it’s latin name is “Burritus Superioris,” subsection Splendido. What can I say? I really enjoyed it. It’s hefty and was still nice and hot by the time I got back to my desk several blocks away. There’s some spice, not too much, to it. The burrito wrap held up beautifully and only ruptured at the bite. I could actually taste the pork, which at many Mexican joints is difficult to do. I further was able to make out the individual flavors of everything I was eating, as opposed to having them all merge into a goop, as happens at so many other places. Furthermore, for food that was coming out of steam trays, it wasn’t runny. The spice kept on coming, rising to a considerable heat by the time I was finished. The guac and pico de gallo, every flavor of them popped when it touched my tongue. What can I say? Dos Toros is impressive.
It is a welcome improvement over Chipotle, even if it follows the same basic design.
Dos Toros
11 Carmine Street New York, NY 10014 212.627.2051 www.dostoros.comBeecher’s Mac & Cheese Is Not The World’s Greatest, But It Is Appealing
Near Union Square, Beecher's. And their Mac.
Seattle cheese institution Beecher’s has recently opened a satellite shop here in New York City.
Now, Beecher’s in Seattle is known for a few things. They make their own cheese, the cheesemongering is visible through large glass windows at their shop, and they are perhaps most famous for what they modestly declare is the World’s Greatest Macaroni & Cheese. The mac is served in a cup and eaten at a counter at the shop.
So it was with considerable enthusiasm that I noted the arrival of Beecher’s here in New York.
The cheese counter. Note the condensation.
Now I should add that recent circumstances professionally have me working in an office near to Manhattan cheese institution Murray’s, and since the time I reviewed their exquisite Da Bomb sandwich, I have been back. Not just to try other sandwiches of theirs, but also to get the benefit of their cheese shop, purchasing numerous of their sensational selection. It is now not uncommon to find some of their cheeses enjoyed with our martinis during cocktail hour. I should add that lately I’m having a bit of an affair with the Finocchiona that I can get there, which is made in part with fennel, but that’s another story.
So the first thing I was interested in when I finally walked into Beecher’s was how it rated as a cheese shop. What I was hoping for was “a cheese shop with benefits.” That’s not quite the case.
Frankly, I found the cheese shop portion of Beecher’s to be somewhat anemic. It is true, I am spoiled by having both Murray’s and Zabar’s relatively close at hand, and their selections are really magnificent. Compared to those two, Beecher’s cheese shop comes up short. Of course, unlike those two, Beecher’s makes their own signature cheese, which is quite pleasant.
Cheesemaking at the shop.
Like their Seattle sister, you can see the cheesemaking taking place in a large glass room. The curds are molded into large, white rectangles and left to be rinsed off and drained in long metal pans. The same technique is broadly applied anywhere – we saw a similar display when visiting a cheesemaker in Parma, Italy. It’s neat.
The cheese counter consists of two windowed displays, and unfortunately the day I was their it seemed as though the climate control was screwy: Lots of drops of condensation and water were visible. No such thing at either Zabar’s or Murray’s. The selection is comparatively lacking, although the stuff in the case (they have both Mt. Tam and Finocchiona!) was artfully chosen.
They also have a hot bar. And at the hot bar, they have their famous mac. So let’s get down to business.
The tray didn't look very promising.
I’ll admit it. The stuff in the tray did not give a good first impression. I mean, yikes. It looked like cafeteria food. Also, it was a gooey mac. I am not so much of a gooey mac guy. I like mac to be gooey within a serving, but the serving ought to have a crusty top. I can never find a good crusty top. Just a light sprinkling of bread crumbs and some high heat to seal it is all that’s required. And this steam tray of gooey mac, I was nervous. Throw in that they label the stuff “The Best Mac And Cheese In The World,” well, color me skeptical.
That's nice of them.
It’s nice that they offer small samples. Of course I tried it. It was much, much milder than I expected. Was there any there, there? The flavor, at first small blush, seemed lacking. To confirm the suspicion and settle my own curiosity, I got a small portion.
Gooey.
First of all, the small 8 ounce portion is $5.25, which I considered to be not at all unreasonable. The 16 ounce large is $9.50, but it seemed like too much for me at the time. After being handed the cup, I made for the small counter where you can eat.
The mac itself is, as mentioned, quite gooey. It is rich, but not sharp. It has heft, that gooey-ness, that penne. Since it doesn’t come across as a baked mass, but rather a gooey sauce with pasta in it, it reminded me a bit more of eating a fondue and using ziti to dip.
Something surprising was happening. This bland thing I started eating had some emerging qualities. It was rich, hefty and starting to hit the spot. I was confused: Here is a plainly gooey mac, without much zest or overt butter flavor. It was missing something, wasn’t it? Maybe some mustard or some slight spiciness?
That’s when I realized it was an extremely decadent mac. Not at all what I was expecting. Not up to the standard of the Delta Grill – their mac remains the best I’ve had in New York City, easy. But this Beecher’s stuff was quite surprising – it grew on me, and got better with each bite. On a cold day, it would fix almost anything. World’s greatest, though? Definitely not. This is more subtle. But it is not lousy, and it is better than serviceable.
The small portion was ample. I will definitely it again.
Kudos to Beecher’s for perfecting a very simple, obvious idea. They’ve made the mac and cheese equivalent of a really good hot dog. Stop by for quick, portable comfort.
Beecher’s
900 BroadwayNew York, NY 10003 www.beechershandmadecheese.com
Hunan Balcony: Admiral, It Was Khan
Something terrible happened tonight.
Tonight, an Upper West Side institution – a vaunted Upper West Side institution – tumbled shockingly from the precipice where it had tenaciously, doggedly held its grip to the sheer cliff that is restaurant business in this neighborhood.
Countless places have come and gone. Some good, some bad. Some suddenly, some slowly.
Tonight, the Hunan Balcony, my beloved Hunan Balcony, fell from grace.
You see, Hunan Balcony has been making the exact same mediocre Chinese food for 30 or so years. The exact same stuff. It is never any better and it is never any worse. It was never particularly good, the way Shun Lee, Evergreen Cafe or other Chinese high-flyers are. But it was also never the worst rot-gut you can get at so, so many Chinese storefronts around town. You know the ones: They can leave you suffering for three days of near-hospitalization and explosive horrors hurtling from your posterior.
No, the Balcony was never particularly good, but it was never particularly bad. Their genius was in hitting that sublime middle, where it was just greasy enough to make you feel guilty while also tickling your comfort food spot. It was the kind of place where you got a Lo Mein or an egg roll or pork dumplings or – and I treasure that they are still on the menu – shrimp toast.
And they made cold sesame noodles. Definitional cold sesame noodles, in my opinion. Not especially good, not especially bad. But the perfect representation of the basic cold sesame noodle. The noodles would be mixed in a tan, peanut-colored sauce. When mixed with the noodles, you could scarcely tell which noodles were sauced and which weren’t, the color of the sauce and the noodles were nearly a perfect match. Leaving aside the way it looked, there was the way it tasted. The slight kiss of heat, some delicious shredded cucumber, some scallion. It was just right. Some do it better, many did it worse, but these guys just did it in that sweet spot every time. For decades.
I loved them for that.
Tonight, that changed.
Sluggishly lazy, I decided to indulge in some wildly bad food decisions as a little treat. So I ordered from the Balcony. Egg roll, dumplings, mu shu, and (since the order was above $10) a free side. My free side has been the same for years: cold sesame noodles. They last for days, are great right out of the fridge, I mean really, they are wonderful.
Tonight, they were wrong.
I received my order, and those noodles, those precious noodles, had changed. Gone was their tan, peanut-y color. Instead, there was a mass of brown sludge atop the bed of noodles.
Defiled.
Brown. Sludge.
The stuff that is the marker of crap cold sesame noodles.
The brown sludge which I presume comes from a vat bought at Wal-Mart with a label on it that says something like “Delicious Sez-Me Sauce.”
It’s hard to describe how crestfallen I was at the sight. At first my eyes couldn’t accept it. But there it was, like chocolate pudding atop the noodles. Brown. Sauce.
I couldn’t bring myself to try it. I’m sticking it in the fridge for a few days and perhaps will attempt it. But for now, I can’t bring myself to. The Balcony’s claim to fame was their same standard food, consistently the same forever. A cornerstone has changed, and with it the spot it held in my heart forever.
Hunan Balcony
2596 Broadway New York, NY 10025 212.865.0400
ME LIKE EAT 