Goodies First

Jul 10

Liuzza’s

On this trip, Liuzza's was our first stop in town. Not because we were
familiar with it first hand, or that it was even at the top of our list, we
simply wanted gumbo and it's the way the itinerary fell. And the gumbo,
fried seafood platter and ice cold Abita were a perfect introductory meal.
(For some irritating reason I always get sick when I eat battered, fried
seafood, and yet I couldn't help myself this time.)

The menu is a mix of regional favorites and Italian-American staples. It
reminded me of Philadelphia (not that andouille and remoulade are rampant in
Philly, it's just the atmosphere). We did poor boys elsewhere during our
trip, but I was completely fascinated by some of their unique offerings. If
time had permitted, I definitely would've tried the fried chicken liver
rendition, as well as their french fry and gravy filled one. That's totally
a Cajun chip butty–who knew?

That they seemed to have a police officer permanently planted out front,
keeping guard, made me a little uneasy (we discovered during our stay that
the city only has 1600 police officers, which is so totally insane I can't
even believe it). New Orleans really has a sporadic, ominous feel to it,
much as I'd imagine NYC used to before my arrival in the late '90s. But all
in all, the cop only added to the ambience.

Liuzza's * 3636 Bienville
Ave., New Orleans, LA

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Jul 8

Belle Meade Cafeteria

Lime cream salad…need I say more? This cafeteria is a serious period piece, from the elderly clientele to the large smoking section to the nearly all black waitstaff. Initially, I was a little intimidated as I always am in a point and pick situation. Unless you're a regular, it's hard to know what's what, prices, how much to order, and the procedure in general.

For instance, here you choose your food, it gets handed to you, you put it on a tray, and then you end up where you'd think a cashier would be, but it's just a woman asking what you'd like to drink. You leave your tray, and one of those aforementioned black people carries it to your table. (The South is so weird that way. Sure, in NYC, service workers also tend to be minorities, but so is a bulk of the clientele. It's more mixed.) It flustered me a bit, do you tip then and there? I figured you'd just leave money on the table like in any restaurant, but later I noticed people handing the tray carriers money. Oh well. I also noticed women with four glasses of sweet tea in front of them. I guess this maneuver was to preempt the need for refills (which are nonexistent in NYC, but a given everywhere we visited in Tennessee and Louisiana).

I picked out fried chicken, fried okra, mashed potatoes, lime cream salad and coconut cream pie. It was probably a little much, but the green jello, cottage cheese delicacy had to be ordered simply for effect.

You pay upon leaving, and there's the other anomaly. Many of the food servers (not tray carriers), and the cashier were Vietnamese (and that's a whole other deal, 99% of the servers at Caf Du Monde in New Orleans were also Vietnamese. You'd think they'd have really good Vietnamese food in The South. Maybe they do, but I didn't seek it out) I don't think I'd ever heard broken English with a southern twang before, there's a first for everything.

Belle Meade Cafeteria * 4534 Harding Pike, Nashville, TN

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Jul 7

Hog Heaven

This was my first southern meal. Well, snack, really. Yes, in Tennessee, a pulled pork or bbq chicken sandwich feels like a mere tidbit (to be honest, the sandwiches werent all that huge. We both ordered larges and they were filling, but not the gut busting behemoths wed feared) . I had a chicken sandwich with white bbq sauce, an anomaly I'd never witnessed first hand. I'm not exactly sure what's in the concoction, but I'm guessing lots of black pepper. I was particularly enamored by the mural on the side of the take-out joint, of a corpulent pig with a halo. Cute, but disturbing if you think too hard about dead pigs. Apparently, he had gone to hog heaven. You might too, when you get a taste of the porky goodness (ribs are also a thing here).

Hog Heaven * 115 27th Ave N., Nashville, TN

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Jul 6

Due South

There's nothing finer than a chaps wearing anthropomorphic peanut

A buffet genre nonexistent in NYC

We were practically the youngest people in the place

Who knew they had a restaurant?

What is this, Brooklyn?!

Cute until you realize…he's dead?

All roads lead to pig meat

Pigs and neon go hand in hand in Memphis

Little Debbies are pretty irresitable

R.A.I.P. (rest area in peace)

Weirdest (and most recommended by locals) attraction in Nashville

Drive thru Thai was a novelty

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Jul 6

Oh Kueh

What I’ve really gone nuts for are kueh, which are really more of a Malaysian/Indonesian/Singaporean thing. They’re like glossy little rainbows cut into squares. Well, some of them are–I’m specifically referring to kueh lapis, layer cake. The striations might simply be green and yellow or the whole spectrum of the rainbow.

I’m a total novice, and unfortunately, NYC isn’t the best place for improving a kueh education (though khanom, Thai snacks, definitely can be had here). I defer to Shiokadelicious, since the proprietress of this site really knows her stuff. I can’t even look at this website too much or I’ll start checking flights to Singapore.

I went kueh crazy during my Singapore visit. If I lived there I’d be 300 pounds–hawker centers and food courts are a total danger to people like me. I became particularly enamored of Bengawan Solo. I would totally get a wedding cake from them if I ever got married. That would probably be a cheesy thing to do if you actually lived in Singapore, but heck, I’m American and could plead ignorance.

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Jul 4

If You Like Pina Coladas…

More limited edition candy: now there’s a Triple Chocolate Kit Kat (which isn’t even on their lame website). Almond Joy has a crazy white chocolate pineapple coconut version, which also isn’t on their lame website. Pina colada flavors are so ’80s trashy that you’ve gotta love them.

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Jun 25

Mezcal’s

I can't believe our first American meal after our Asian vacation was Mezcals. It just kind of happened. We were craving Mexican food and unfortunately, there arent any realer Mexican joints walking distance from our apartment. I'm still guessing that Mezcals is better than something like El Taco Loco in Hong Kong. You just know theyd put mayo in the guacamole. (9/10/05)

I guess Mezcal's is sort of cheesy (in both senses of the word) but sometimes that's just what you need. It was my suggested diversion from James's Friday night impulse for red sauce Italian. We're certainly in the right neighborhood for it, but I wasn't feeling the same urge. For some reason, mediocre Mexican food for white people doesn't bother me in the same way icky Italian-American food does. Nachos, chimichangas and pitchers of margaritas beat spaghetti and meatballs and Chianti any day.

So, chimichangas (filled with seafood and oozing cream sauce) and surprisingly fancy nachos, delicately placed around the plate with individual slices of medium-rare sirloin tucked on top, hors d' oeuvres style, totally hit the spot. I would never brag about eating at Mezcal's, but there's less shame involved than one might expect. And it's not like there are any authentic taco joints walking distance from our apartment anyway. No harm, no foul. My only suggestion is that they consolidate menus. I swear they hand you like five different documents, some laminated, some on paper, some handwritten, some using ten fonts and as many colors on one page. It's enough to induce a seizure. (6/25/04)

Mezcal's * 522 Court St., Brooklyn, NY

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Jun 19

Putting the Anus Back in Gowanus

Home improvement has never wound me up one way or the other. I don't have a home, and improvement of any variety has never been at the top of my to-do list. But an alternative to the heinous Red Hook Home Depot was welcome.

Lowe's is different, and not just because it's blue where Home Depot is orange. Or that they are customer service focused (they have greeters and employees that walk past you have to say hi, apparently) where Home Depot's staff acts like they wish you were dead. They both attract Hassidic Jews in droves (would someone please explain what's up with these guys and their d.i.y. fixation? Is it like Mormons having to go on missions, but in this case God wants them to build lots of crap? I noticed last week that the Dunkin' Donuts/Baskin-Robbins combo inside the neighboring Pathmark had put up a banner declaring themselves kosher, and I was like who freakin' cares over here. But then I thought back to all those handy Hassids-a very influential lot, perhaps.)

No, what sets Lowe's apart is its lovely attempts at urban landscaping. Both stores sit on the picturesque Gowanus Canal, but only Lowe's has brilliantly chosen to put park benches, gravel trails and light posts at water's edge to allow customers an eyeful of the breathtaking views. It's pure South Brooklyn beauty. There's the BQE to your left, a massive pile of garbage and metal natural gas(?) containers in middle sight, and the elevated Smith/9th St. station to your right. The benches facing the empty dirt lot under the subway tracks, filled with debris is really a sight to see. Also, don't miss the 9/11 mural, complete with giant bald eagle and American flags. Nice.

Newlowes

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Lowe's * 118 2nd Ave., Brooklyn, NY

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Jun 19

Particle Board Paradise

I was an Ikea late bloomer, but it wasn't my fault. The NW, where I spent the first 24 years or so of my life, is colorful, functional furniture deprived. But from the first moment I set foot on NYC soil, the Ikea seed was planted. Where did you get that cute, cheap insert item here? Ikea, duh. But I didn?t want to do the Port Authority shuttle like all the other New Yorkers that I?d instantly taken a disliking to. No, fresh from Portland, I wanted the suburban experience, even if it involved extra effort.

Hicksville became my focus. Heck, the LIRR stops there. (For at least my first year here, I harbored all sorts of sick romantic notions about Long Island, Levittown, little run-down prefab houses and how I should somehow be a part of that. Really, I was already isolated and trapped in Ridgewood, Queens–why not go full throttle?)

About five years later, I finally visited the Hicksville location, thanks to a car-owning boyfriend, and it is better than Elizabeth (though the newer Paramus store beats all). And it feels super Swedish since there?s also an H&M kitty-corner in the mall.

Ikea * Various locations, NJ & NY

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Jun 15

Character Building

Right now, I have one word for you: San-X (or is that two?). Sanrio’s still classic, but San-X is the cat’s pajamas. Poor little Kogepan initially sucked me in. I mean, who can resist a sad sack piece of burnt bread that carries a bindlestiff and gets drunk on milk? He’s in good company with demented friends like Melonpan and Mayonnaisepan. But they’re just the tip of the iceberg.

While Kogepan initially peaked my curiosity, the whole San-X stable is bizarrely food heavy. Examine the weird tasty evidence.

Cheese Family Just what they sound like. More official cheese.

Omusubiyasan Um, it’s an onigiri, or rice ball—what I eat almost every day for lunch. Not a well-known character, for obvious reasons.

Mikan Bouya A homesick, mandarin orange. And fruity friends.

Beer-Chan I’m not sure what it is, though I think it’s female and likes beer. Better than your typical college freshman, though.

Nyanko Cats in food. Not so appetizing in reality, but very cute in cartoon form.

Sugar Recipe Food with faces. But of course.

Yogurt Kun Live cultures never looked so good.

Ginsyarisan Part boy, part grain of rice.

Chestnuts I don’t know if they have a catchier name, though chestnuts sums them up succinctly.

Tomato Bird A true freak of nature…but so damn adorable.

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Liuzza’s

Belle Meade Cafeteria

Hog Heaven

Due South

Oh Kueh

If You Like Pina Coladas…

Mezcal’s

Putting the Anus Back in Gowanus

Particle Board Paradise

Character Building

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