MOZZARELLA STICKS

1/5/16 - Checkers - Hardly a way to begin a comparison of Mozzarella Sticks (4/$1.99) but this began my quest. My friend Claudia had mentioned on numerous occasions her fondness for Checker's Mozz Sticks so I had to try them, no offense to my friend but these left much to be desired and were slightly overpriced what with the going "street" rate of five for a dollar in place.

One may ask "what exactly do you expect from Fast Food" and one would be correct in asking. Only about the size of 2 or 3 Fries this hardly deserves to bear the title "Monsterella" but was heated through fairly enough. Served with a room temperature cup of Marinara Dipping Sauce of the jar brand nature.

Having mellowed in my maturing years I did in fact proudly order these at the take out window by the corporate moniker MONSTERELLA 

LAURA'S CHRISTMAS PARTY 2015 - Brooklyn, New York

That time of year rolled around again and Laura & Stanley threw their annual Christmas Bash and as always there was plenty of Food, Drink and conversation to go round.

Above is pictured Laura's Christmas village (note the brewery in the foreground left).

As I am no stranger to a Laura party the festivities always begin with an array of Appetizers after everyone greets each other, hugs, kisses and handshakes are exchanged and we seat ourselves at the Dining room table.

My camera could not capture the full breadth and scope of what was on offer without a fisheye lens but I tried.

On offer here are some Pitted Olives, Sweet Peppers, Dill Gherkins, Mixed Nuts, Bocconcini with Sweet Peppers, Tostitos Scoops with Salsa, something called Pretzels, Skewered Shrimp and Pineapple wrapped in Bacon and Cream Cheese with Peppers and Ranch Roll-Ups.

I took the last to be some kind of Fresh Mozzarella from the looks of them and I was very pleasantly surprised.

Caroline made some Keftedes (Greek Meatballs) from scratch and they were out of this world and hard to not continue eating. These are similar to an Italian Meatball but contain more Bread and different Spices.

Basic and Effective is the Bocconcini and Sweet Peppers Drizzled in a little Oil and seasoned with I am assuming Parsley.

The centerpiece of the whole shebang might just have to be handed over to the Filet Mignon.

This was done to Juicy perfection and I am surprised I only had four pieces, however Laura sent me home with a doggie bag and since I don't have a dog,... Well,...

Caroline brought over a Gingerbread house and for the first time out made homeade Baklava.

These came out Beautifully and we shall now expect them several times a year.

(L to R) - some guy, Stanley, Caroline, Bobby & Laura.

The thing I like about this photo aside from everyone in it is the priceless look on Stanley's face.

(L to R) - Thomas, Stanley, Caroline, Bobby & Laura.

Thank you to Kat for offering me a Polly-O String Cheese.

I added the stick and it previously being "non-stick" was now String Cheese on a stick.

With my two favorite teenage girls Emily & Kat. 

Kat also happens to be my Drum instructor.

(L to R) - Emily, some guy, Kathopper.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE.

LIONIS - Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, New York

Just Look at it Wouldja.

Fresh Mozz in the foreground and Smoked Mozz in the background.

Couple of Tomatoes too.

An Ocean Of Olives.

Pepperoni and Cheddar Rice Balls ?!!!

Unheard of Until Now.

The Preparation Area 51

no photos please.

A Beaut of a photo but sadly I did not procure the photoed Loaf. 

I must thank my friend Roy for purchasing all the goods on this day but I did in fact turn this down. 

Goes without saying.

Best Prosciutto Balls in town thus far.

MSG Vs. The Prosciutto Ball.

Uhh, Yeah.

LIONIS ONLINE

FOOD DAY - 2014

You can take the man out of Brooklyn but you can never take the Brooklyn out of the man.

My friend Frank (A.O.F.) takes his two hour commute back to Brooklyn a few times a year to stock up on some Foodness which is unique to the area of which his youth was ensconced and we always meet up and indulge. While this BLOG is strictly Food and not "people" the back story must be mentioned as he is the deviser and entitler of FOOD DAY and this entry is hopefully the first of many more. 

Frank did get some 7 Layer Cookies, S Cookies and Anisette Cookies at the 18th avenue Bakery on 60th street prior to rendezvous.

If you look carefully our mystery man is somewhere in the epicenter of the photo above, don't blink or you might get a "Rice Ball In Da Head !!!" (in a thick Brooklyn accent).

First stop was Lioni's and while I was pacing myself (foolishly perhaps) my friend got some Prosciutto Balls and a #44 The Paul Sorvino Hero (Sausage & Broccoli Rabe) of which we shared.

I snapped a photo of the Deli Fridge showcase and as we can see it is full of Meatballs, Chicken, Chicken/Turkey Meatballs (not sure) and Sausage.

Two Manhattan Specials (diet and original) Espresso Soda's to go with Meal one at Lioni's and some Fresh Mozzarella (salted and smoked) to bring back for mom.

Afterwards we stopped in next door to Romeo Brothers Meat Market and my friend picked up some Cocktail Franks and I spied with my little eye Bacon and Cheese Spiral Sausage !!! which is unheard of, he got a piece and gifted me a piece as well.

11/16/14 - Bell & Evans Chicken Sausage with Bacon & Cheese - Out of this world and of course its Chicken, Bacon and Cheese and not Pork, Bacon and Cheese, makes much more sense. I overcooked mine a bit unfortunately being so used to making Pork Sausages.

When in Brooklyn Do as the Brooklynites Do. 

Onto the train we went Metrocards in hand to Nathans Famous on Stillwell avenue, The Original Nathan's !!!.

I was still foolishly pacing myself but did for the first time sample Nathan's Shrimp & Chips which was quite good, I cannot say the same for the Cornbread and Coleslaw served as sides but,...

Watcha gonna do ?.

Amongst the Best Sicilian Slices in Brooklyn, Da Vinci's !!!

They fell short this time, my theory is the Squares were sitting out for a bit (45 minutes was my estimation) and I have never been disappointed, this time I was. 

We still had Go Ba at Silver Star on the horizon. I will be back to Da Vinci's of course, you can never truly ruin a Classic until the Chef's change of course and I recognized the Chef's so that wasn't it.

Seven months prior a noisy sizzling Platter passed our table while dining which is not uncommon but always intriguing. My plates never sizzled but as with Indian Food there are sizzling dishes which pass by intriguingly and I asked the waiter what it was, he replied "Go Ba". Well, we made a plan to get this on the next visit.

Seven months later and it was time, "Go Ba" it shall be.

Really Great as expected, Barbecued to an extent of perfection, basically Pork, Chicken and what I can only surmise as being Shredded Pork (of which I am usually not a fan of but I loved this time) with mixed Chinese Vegetables served with a good portion of Rice and Soup of choice, my friend got the Won Ton and I was Still pacing myself but left the table completely Stuffed.

FOOD DAY was a Complete Success and I await FOOD DAY 2.

Silver Star Restaurant on Video. Frankly (A.O.F.) I was surprised to find no previous footage on Youtube of this Classic eatery, Well here we begin the cinematic Dynasty 70 years into this iconic Restaurants existence.

DARTH NOODLE.

Even Darth Vader likes Silver Star unusually long and contorted Noodles - Fast Frankie Cee 2014

LIONIS HERO MENU

NATHANS FAMOUS ONLINE

JACKSON HOLE RESTAURANT (35th street) 7/11/14 - New York City

And So I had decided that this was a Great opportunity to visit Jackson Hole once again, I have been here a few times in over a dozen intervening years and knew this was a Quality Burger and it is. Procol Harum and the Carl Palmer Band were performing just 5 avenues and 1 block away, I checked Jackson Hole's website and they were open until 1 a.m. perfect.

My two lifelong friends and cohorts in everything Progressive Rock and Food also attended the concert so we made our sojourn after the show for some Good Eats. I do hold some complaints about what I remembered to be the Perfect Burger though, The Burger itself was Excellent and of the slightly Crumbly, made fresh from Ground Beef consistency, French Fries were also of the "Steak Fry" assortment which is my preference. 

The Perfect "Caramelized" Onions were only just glassy and while cooked well enough were far from perfect, I do recall staring at the Onions on the Grill at a different location years ago and thinking "Those Are Perfect", maybe it was the time of day we were there but nonetheless, my other complaint was the Bun, Sourdough looking and maybe it was a Sourdough Bun, I prefer a Sesame Seed Bun or your standard fare Hamburger Bun.

Still A Great Burger and very good service from the staff

Before we become inundated with Food Pics Jamie and myself had a Stella Artois (served in the proper Stella Artois glass) ($6.00ish) and Charlie had a Scotch.

My Bacon Cheeseburger with Caramelized Onions. 

As you can see the Onions are not the proper and perfectly Caramelized Brown hue but pretty good, Decent Cole Slaw too ($10.25ish).

Jamie's Bleu Cheeseburger Platter ($8.75). 

I do know that Jamie had Cole Slaw on his Platter as well because we discussed it, Maybe it's shields were up as I took this photo.

Charlie became adventurous and attempted Mashed Potatoes on the side but alas Jackson Hole does not do Mash, Charlie wisely ordered Extra Sour Cream for his Baked Potato though. 

Charlie also had a Bleu Cheeseburger ($8.75ish).

And for starters of course Mozzarella Sticks, These were pretty good, possibly Double Breaded.

We shared a plate of 6 (2 apiece).

Resident's through the looking glass.

The Jackson Hole exterior (35th street location)

JACKSON HOLE BURGERS WEBSITE

FRANK AND SALS

This is The Place.
This is also on the corner from where I Live.
This is amongst the last vestiges of the Pork Store on 18th avenue.
This is Italian Food Shopping.
This could give you Agita if you dont pace yourself.

Unbelievable that it took this Long for Frank & Sal's Meat Market & Salumeria for a mention!!!!!!

also, we wanted to keep it secret.

The Lard Bread while containing no Lard is still Absolutely Delicious, more akin to a Prosciutto Bread.

I purchased a pound of Sirloin to make some Korean Bulgogi and watched in amazement as the Artisan Butcher trimmed Steaks and cut them to order, what once was a slab of meat became an artistic statement. I got my Sirloin as is and sliced it at home but the man at the butcher block knew exactly what he was doing.

I never feel right taking photo's inside of Frank & Sal's like they are going to take me out back for being rude but every now and then I have to sneak one with the iPhone. This is the far right of the Deli counter which was topped with Fresh Mozzarella both plain and smoked and some Fresh Italian cheese (Provolone ?) on this day.

An Easter Favorite, The Pizza Rustica.