JIN JIN HONG KONG CAFE - 9/31/14 Brooklyn, New York

My friend Joe invited me out to Lunch so we met up ready to go to Silver Star but right across the street is Jin Jin Restaurant which I have heard good things about so we decided to try it out. 

Jin Jin is quite an acceptable Dining experience but we did have a little reservation here and there. The wait staff made sure to get our orders right but we were asked twice and the main Dishes arrived a few minutes too early as we were finishing the appetizer section, no big deal so lets get onto the Food.

Pictured above is the Condiments corner and of this I was most impressed, most places have Soy Sauce and maybe Salt & Pepper (I have never used Salt or Pepper on Chinese Food, I suppose someone does) but Jin Jin offered the currently Hugely popular Sriracha Sauce (I first saw this in Chinatown back in the 80s so it is nothing new) along with the mandatory Soy Sauce but also enough Chili Oil to paralyze a moose and to my wonderment a large squeeze bottle of Oyster Sauce which turned out to be Hoisin Sauce, no complaints there.

There was no Lunch Special on offer so we made sure to order two "small" Soups, a Wonton for Joe and a Hot & Sour for me ($ 1.75). It was the proper Wonton wrapped in thin Noodle with Bok Choy and the Hot & Sour to me defeated Silver Star in some ways yet was improper, it did have the correct Peppery taste but lacked in Egg Drop or Tofu which are the two ingredients I just deal with yet they do belong insofar as I know, also at Silver Star you will get a piece or two of Shredded Pork and a Black Mushroom amongst the ingredients, still this was Really Tasty.

The Crispy Soup Noodles were of the pedestrian kind and you will find no "unusually long and contorted"* shaped ones here, the House Mustard and Duck Sauce were Excellent.

Exhibit A - The Egg Roll.

I cannot pass judgement on these as I was pacing myself and did not have a taste until sixteen hours later but my bandmate was neither impressed nor disappointed so I guess they were just OK, Silver Star wins this round.

Joe did have Roast Duck and Roast Pork over Rice (no existing photo) ($ 5.50) which consisted of Roast Duck and Roast Pork Over Rice except nothing was Over Rice. Served in a largish bowl this was served round robin fashion or everything next to each other, my experience is and oval dish with the Meats, etc. served OVER THE RICE, hence the name of the dish, OK no biggie. The Duck was heated to Joe's minor dismay as it should be served pretty much room temperature but the bowl did also have a nice portion of Bok Choy included.

When In Doubt,.... Pan Fried Noodles !!! One of my Favorite Dishes ($ 8.25)

The Menu choices were Chicken, Vegetables, Ribs or Beef over Pan Fried Noodles so I special ordered Roast Pork and after some slight confusion from the waitress she got my order right, the Roast Pork was not fatty at all which is how authentic Chinese Roast Pork is often prepared and of this I was grateful. Maybe a little more Gravy/Sauce could have been administered as we never got all of the Noodles to completely de-crisp but all in all Very Good. 

However 86 Noodles and Mee Noodle Shop do a Superior version, on a positive note this did not come with Baby Corn of which I am not a fan of. Topped with American Broccoli, a Snow Pea Pod, Squash, Carrots, Water Chestnuts and Straw Mushrooms (the penis Mushroom of world cuisine) as well as the Roast Pork of course.

Chinese Food remains to be quite inexpensive to this day and what with all the competition on 18th shall probably remain so.

Jin Jin Exterior.

* - Thanks Frank, Only Silver Star has those.

JIN JIN CAFE ONLINE

NIP - IT IN THE CHEDDAR BUD - CHEEZ-IT vs. CHEESE NIPS Taste Test.

I suppose I am going to be heavy on the Cracker Snacking for the next week or two as it goes against ALL Logic to have So Many Crackers open but I will look at it like I had a big party here with 30 guests and these are the leftovers.

I was texting with my friend Renee and she brought up Chocolate Pop-Tarts but she also mentioned something else, here is how the conversation went Verbatim.

Renee - I have had so many pop tarts today, it's kind of sickening

Me - Did you toast them or right out of the box ?

Renee - I need to add chocolate pop tarts to the list of foods I should never buy like cheez-its. I love cheez-its

Me - I love Cheez-its too, Cheese Nips too, one is supposedly better in taste tests

Well, I know me and once that light bulb goes off God Help Us All.

So, I got me some Cheez-Its and Cheese Nips, we need a photo here, I will figure something out.

(Top to Bottom - Cheez-Its, Cheese Nips, Better Cheddars, Cheez-Its Tabasco)

Cheez-It - The Taste I Love, Especially the aftertaste but these seem very Unsalty.

Cheese Nip - These seem a bit Saltier and with more of an after gift.

secondary runners.

Better Cheddars - Much more Airy or Cracker like and less dense than Its or Bits, more of a Cracker aftertaste.

Cheez-It (Hot & Spicy with Tabasco Sauce) - Lots of Salt and Spicy, a bit of an "ouch" aftertaste, I knew I would Love these.

This is a Very Close Call, Cheese Nips appear to be the winner but only by such a small amount. It is So Close, I think I am going to go with Cheese Nips, still almost unperceivable.

Final Call, Almost a Tie, I really can say give me either a Cheez-It or a Cheese Nip and I will be happy.

11/17/14 - Cheez-It - White Cheddar - Milder Flavor and aftertaste.
Do I Love them ? of course.

CHEEZ-IT ONLINE

GYRO IT BABY 9/14/14

Amongst the mortal species called humankind there are many concerns in Life. 

Health, Happiness, Love, Security, Peace of mind and of course a really good Gyro. 

The other week I awoke with Gyro on my mind, I bet I even dreamed of it but it was the other week and Dreams like Gossamer wither away like clouds, preferably clouds made of Gyros.

I pondered for awhile on where my nearest Gyro spot was and to no avail, possibly on fifth avenue and 86th street but the bus fare alone would almost surpass the price of the Gyro intended. After work one evening I was dumbstruck, my local corner store of which I have frequented for years does simple sandwiches includinding a Chicken one and a BANG !!! The Gyro, Idiot I am !!!, so I got my first Gyro from my local place ($5.00), there was even a Big sign in the window that said "GYROS"

This as pictured above is the Gyro Meat of the frozen kind but I was quite pleased, typically its Meat, Lettuce, Tomato and Cucumber Dressing (or so I believe) but my man also added sliced Onions and as opposed to the street fare there was 2 or maybe 3 of the Lamb slices instead of just one.

9/20/14 - Fort Hamilton Diner - ($5.50) Not as good as my corner store, actually not even close but still passable and once again maybe 2 or 3 Lamb slices. This being a Greek Diner as most are they should be ashamed of themselves, however the Tzatziki sauce was served in a solo cup on the side, this was a good sign and they "gave" Coleslaw.

9/18/14 - Anonymous Food Cart - This is not quite a Gyro but it is the same base Ingredients. This is Lamb Over Rice ($7.00) That I purchased after having my face melted off post King Crimson at the Best Buy Theater in Times Square and it was done just right, I asked for Extra Sauce and Extra Hot Sauce, I guess thats what I got, The cart guy was friendly and so was I. The Rice is underneath folks, hence "Over Rice".

TACO PIZZA - 9/9/14

This was one of those my roommate had some leftover Pizza in the fridge and offered me to have a slice if you care too and I have always been a fan of Taco Pizza. Its Pizza but its Also a Taco. Actually its usually a Slice of Pizza with Ground Beef (preferably with Taco Seasoning) with Lettuce and Tomato. This appeared to be missing the Taco seasoning but was oddly Baked with American Cheese and No Mozzarella.

Against ALL Pizza Logic I quite enjoyed the American Cheese but alas the Pie went bad in the fridge, Hey how long can this really last anyways ? but I did have a few Slices before its timely death.

No those are not bite marks, it was my first slice.

BK AT 3 - 9/8/14

I took a late night excursion on covert operations to my local Burger King and Oh do I prefer Burger King so much more over that McDonald's place for so many reasons, OK let me count the ways.

1.) - BK is Flame Broiled and not Pan Fried

2.) - BK has Larger Burgers, McDonald's might as well be White Castle, no offense to White Castle which I also Love but their whole schtick is small Burgers

3.) - You need two hands to eat a Whopper, A Big Mac can be eaten with tweezers (Thanks Rodney)

4.) - Burger King has a better name, Who The Hell is McDonald ?

5.) - Burger King is the underdog

6.) - McDonald's Sucks

7.) - BK is Flame Broiled and not Pan Fried

8.) - The Whopper Kicks the Big Mac's Ass

9.) - You actually get satisfaction from a Whopper as opposed to that empty feeling after a Big Mac, this empty feeling is called "I Am Still Hungry"

10.) - There is a BK on the Dark Side Of The Moon.

This is called eating Al Fresco in Brooklyn, New York. 

On some anonymous persons stoop.

It being the wee hours when I stopped by and the doors being locked the police officers within waved me over to the left to the takeout window, Hey it worked and I got what I needed, namely BK satisfaction.

OH what a Glorious sight.

BURGER KING ONLINE

LENNYS PIZZERIA 8/28/14 Brooklyn, New York

Lenny's Pizzeria is a mainstay along the 86th street strip running between 18th avenue and Well past Bay Parkway and have been around since 1953 yet their name never comes up amongst enthusiasts of Brooklyn's remaining Great Pizza places and perhaps for a reason. I did in fact Very Much enjoy my Plain Slice from Lenny's but it was No Biggie, I did appreciate the Cheese which was a bit gummier than other joints and in a good way, However, Nothing special.

Almost a typical Slice as it goes these days, I have yet to try other goodies from Lenny's but the Simple Slice is the way to go when checking out the pedigree of a Pizza Place. Someone dropped the ball, Very Good but Not Excellent.

Lenny's reputation was transmogrified by the fact that in the opening scene of that John Travolta film "Saturday Night Fever" he was in the place and made his own Pizza Pie by Squishing two slices togeher Sauce side down and created the Stuffed Pizza in one fell swoop, amongst friends we all disagree but this is how Pop Culture saw it first.

LENNYS PIZZA ONLINE

"FREEZE YOU CHILI CHOKING PEPPER BELLIES" - TACO IN A BAG

As my tenure of seasonal employment at MCU Park drew to a close this Summer of 2014 I kept in mind the Edible riches that I was afforded as an employee and my employers were quite generous in their offerings, Eat what you shall (within reason of course) before or after the customers arrival and departure to the venue, after all who needs or wants to be paying a cashier who has a Hot Dog hanging out of their mouth.

I lied awake numerous nights pondering this and then one morning in my sleeping wake I had a "Eureka" moment and the light bulb 5 inches above my head went off.

OF COURSE !!!

CUCHIFRITOS.

Well, Turns out CuchiFritos is something else entirely (Spanish Pork Dishes of varying nature) but I knew what I was thinking name unseen, I wanted to make a Pepper Belly, after all we had Gehl's Cheese Sauce and Chili on tap which the leftovers could not be re-used and they went the way of the wastebasket at the end of the night. I did some research prior to my workday only to find that the "Taco In A Bag" was also known as a "Pepper Belly" and to add to that my oft used line from one of my Favorite films "Cheech and Chong's Up In Smoke" was where this line was derived from, the title of this entry "Freeze You Chili Choking Pepper Belly" is a Direct reference.

First you need a Bag of Frito Lays Corn chips, This is what all Recipes call for, Dipsy Doodles or some such Do Not come into play here so I searched 4 stores at which on the third one I did find Frito Lays Corn Chips, I saw Dipsy Doodles at store one and passed them by. 

The main idea is Chili and Cheese atop the Corn Chips IN THE BAG eaten with a fork. Many toppings are used in variation but the main idea is Chili and Cheese atop the Corn chips IN THE BAG. 

This as you can see I did accomplish. She may not be pretty but she was Delicious

PEPPER BELLIES ON WIKIPEDIA