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Mar 6

Eaten Not Blogged: So Beefy

Old habits die hard. Eaten Not Blogged, which should technically be Eaten Barely Blogged, is what I ate during the past week but did not photograph and don’t feel like elaborating over yet can’t ignore completely. No one should feel compelled to read this; I just like keeping tabs on things.

Benchmark: The steak—a funky, dry-aged New York strip with great fat marbling—is very good at this semi-hidden but not at all speakeasy in Park Slope (the décor, not clientele feel more Bay Ridge/New Jersey). Everything else was a just ok B-. Poached egg in the salad was more firm than runny, the cocktail with Applejack (I always will order the Applejack drink) was kind of fruit punchy (with bright red commercial maraschino cherries, which I am fine with since they are a dying breed in Brooklyn) and the home fries and brussels sprouts were all softness, when I wanted crispy contrast.

The Full Schilling: One of the many non-destination pubs (there aren’t any destination ones, by the way) near my office, I eat lunch here maybe once a month and always get the steak salad (no, I don’t normally eat steak twice in a week) with blue cheese and a red pepper dressing. Just club soda because I’m afraid of becoming a daytime drunk. Believe me, I’m tempted to step out for a drink daily.

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Mar 6

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Mary Queen of Scots

Reimagined tartan upholstery, hipster toile wallpaper, a graying Eurasian server with a Scottish accent (I’m still waiting for young women to own this silver streaked look instead of dyeing) and a random Morrissey single I can’t even remember but want to say was "Now My Heart Is Full," all add up to yes, I’m liking Mary Queen of Scots. I’d almost forgotten this was the old Allen & Delancey space.

Despite the presence of larger dishes, the menu lends itself more to drinks enhanced by shared things rather than a more traditional appetizer, then entrée convention. Unfortunately, they were out of two of the six-or-so snacks during the early side of Friday night. No sweetbread beignets or scallop crudo.

Mary queen of scots charcuterie

Instead, we ordered a selection of charcuterie. Jamon de Bayonne, a veal cheek, pistachio and chestnut terrine and saucisson. No, you will not find haggis—all offal is Gallic. They do have scotch eggs and devils on horseback, though.

Mary queen of scots phoenix

The Phoenix (applejack, rye whiskey, maple syrup, and orange bitters topped with Champagne) wasn’t overly sweet, despite the man at the table next to ours being broken the news that none of the cocktails met his “Which are dry?” criteria.

Mary queen of scots pork belly

It was the substantial cut of gooey, crisp-skinned pork belly atop a plate of lentils coated in rivulets of foamy butter that made me think sharing would’ve been a better idea. It’s a lot of richness for one. Also, none of the mains really jumped out at me. The preparations may have been interesting, but I tend to shy away from roast chicken, salmon, moules frites and burgers unless I know that one is particularly outstanding. At least the extra side of fried brussels sprouts added a little green to the meal.

Mary queen of scots bathroom toile

When I first started seeing modern tweaks on toile back in 2004, Timorous Beasties, a Scottish design firm, was the name often mentioned. I do not know if this is their handiwork in the bathroom, but I would not be surprised.

Mary Queen of Scots * 115 Allen St., New York, NY

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Mar 6

A Stroll Through Carroll Gardens

Tedhoney You know how experts on HGTV always advise homesellers to declutter and depersonalize so potential buyers will be better able to see themselves living in the space? (This common sense does not apply to Queens where it is assumed everyone likes wood paneling and/or copious statuary and/or sheets as curtains and/or a full line of Suave products lining the tub.)

The same should apply to restaurant ads. This Living Social email that showed up yesterday morning (yes, I’ve succumbed to daily deal mania and just experienced my first deal gone sour, which was bound to happen eventually) caught me off guard with its accompanying photo of Ted & Honey, a café/restaurant up the street that I’ve never had an inclination to visit.

There’s just so much going on, too much frozen action. Was this posed or was everyone caugh in the act? Why does the faded jeans guy have two iced coffees? Are the two plates of food also being brought to him? Where’s his dining partner?  Is it the tiny sweatsuit mom with a stroller as big as she is? I had a visceral reaction to her and her determined hunched shoulders as if she were about to barrel into the server full-speed. Of course, I immediately suppressed my negative assumptions because the Brooklyn child/childfree debate is cliché and unproductive for all and I’m too old and mature to mom-bash for sport, then a few hours later I read curiously toned, “A Mom Responds Before Crowding You Out of Your Local Coffeeshop/Bar” and became unsure of my emotions, then turned bile-y again with the reassurance of the equally icked-out commenters on The Hairpin, generally a place filled with smart, rational women.

Vinzees

In other Carroll Gardens decluttering news, I’m excited to see what Vinzee’s turns out to be. I’m also trying to figure out why Eater, in both of its mentions, refers to karaoke. Do they think that magic wand, illustrated in a shortened perspective, is a microphone?

I would also like to be excited about Café Bruno, the latest business taking over that doomed spot on Henry and Union streets, but can’t quite figure out what it will be like beyond this all purpose mission: "We want this to be a place that people feel comfortable, a place where you can come with your girlfriend, your kids or your friends."

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Mar 2

Chain Links: To Russia With Love

Papajohns

Russia may only have one Chili’s, but they’ll have 200 more Papa John’s by 2020. Their To Russia With Love pizza is a local invention that includes mashed potatoes, bacon, garlic sauce and onions.

Hong Kong McDonald’s weddings finally make The New York Times.

Do they sing at Johnny Rockets? I’m not sure that they do, but they should. I can see that working in Seoul when they arrive (I've been corrected in my writing at work for calling companies they, not it, but Johnny Rockets seems like a they). Maybe it’s because I just watched a K-pop segment of Monocle on Bloomberg. Monocle would be a great name for a pretentious chain restaurant, if only such a thing existed.

Wendy’s is coming back to Japan.

When KFC tried penetrating Taiwan and Hong Kong in the ‘70s it was a disaster, now Yum, KFC and Pizza Hut’s parent company, has localization down pat. We know about the egg tarts and congee, but I had no idea KFC was hosting circumcision parties for young Uyghurs.

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