Goodies First

Nov 7

Bar Tabac

I felt like we were ordering more food than the people around us, but that
was probably just because it was past prime dining time. James and I split a
reasonably priced bottle of wine, a plate of grilled sardines, and I had a
charcuterie and cheese plate with little olives, cornichons and onions. Not
a bad place, it'll be one to add to the open-when-I feel-like-dining
restaurants in the new neighborhood. After 10pm, you're pretty screwed.
(11/7/03)

Weeknight, after 10pm dining in the neighborhood has always been a bit
tricky. Even more so when a vegetarian tows along. After a cheap seat
showing of Sideways (which I'd already seen, but Life Aquatic was a mob
scene) we were ravenous for food and wine. By process of elimination we
ended up at Bar Tabac, me with a duck salad, Jessica and I sharing mussels,
fries and a bottle of something red that slips my mind but definitely wasn't
merlot. I always forget about Bar Tabac, not that its forgettable or
anything. (12/28/04)

There's nothing terribly compelling about Bar Tabac, and there's
something bizarre about their name post-smoking ban, but it is one of the
few late night dining options nearby. The food is what youd expect from a
bistro and reasonably priced—I cant complain about my $12.50 moules
frites. (10/8/05)

Bar Tabac * 128 Smith St., Brooklyn, NY

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Nov 6

Faan

1/2

I totally became sick to my stomach mere minutes after eating a Faan, but I
can't say for sure if it was their fault or not. The kung pao spaghetti
seemed enticing in a creepy way (I don't generally recommend Asian sauces
coupled with parmesan) but I opted for the oddball Hawaiian papaya beef
instead. I thought I liked papaya, maybe I was expecting green papaya, but
it was the sweet, ripe orange stuff and it tasted an awful lot like melon,
which threw me off. I can't eat melon. Rather, I just flat out refuse. It's
not a matter of allergy, it's a simple aversion. There's no medical reason
why my body would reject papaya/melon, but I almost instantly became queasy
after leaving the restaurant and wondered if it were a coincidence or if the
fruit was genuinely wreaking havoc on my gastrointestinal tract. With all
that said, I'd probably give Faan another go. If only because it's one of
the few late night dining spots in the new early-to-bed, family-friendly
neighborhood. (11/6/03)

Faan is Faan. There's totally nothing special about it. But it's not
expensive, it's open late, and vegetarian house guests don't complain when
you take them there. The kung pao spaghetti still fascinates me, but not
enough to order it yet.(4/27/04)

Faan* 209 Smith St., Brooklyn, NY

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Nov 1

Rheinlander

The family favorite for winter holidays and once-in-a-lifetime events like
high school graduation and deflowerments (ha, joking). We'd order "The
Feast," a multi-course barrage of sauerbraten, schnitzel and strudel. I
couldn't tell you how authentic the food is, but I will say that it's not
terribly similar at all to the offerings at Zum Stammtisch and that none of
the Queens German
joints I recently checked out serve fondue. Fondue is Rheinlander's
raison d'etre. Or maybe it's just my raison d'etre.

Rheinlander* 5035 NE Sandy
Blvd., Portland, OR

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Oct 31

Zaytoons

This was just a quick, light pre-Halloween dinner, so I only have a cursory
sense of the place. I had a chicken schwarma pitza, which was nice and
grilled just right, but I always wonder if it's OK to say "pitza" without
sounding silly. I almost don't want to order it, but it's nothing compared
to the inexplicable embarrassment I'd have as a teen ordering The Super Bird
(a glorified club sandwich) at Denny's. I'd always crack up while saying it,
though I never had a problem with Denny's Moons Over My Hammy (ham and
scrambled egg sandwich with Swiss and American cheese on grilled sourdough,
as per their website). Funny.

Zaytoons * 283 Smith St., Brooklyn, NY

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Oct 29

Brooklyn Banh Mi

I’ve since re-rediscovered Vietnamese sandwiches after moving to Sunset Park a couple years ago. Despite the good Mexican food strip and the Chinatown, the neighborhood is mostly home to a disproportionate amount of harrowing Brooklyn trash (people, not garbage, duh). Thank god the area is also host to an abundance of great banh mi. An Dong was my original discovery. Ba Xuyen soon followed. Now they have a bright and shiny second branch on 8th Ave. in the low 40s that kicks ass in every way possible. They’ve upped the goodie quotient with tons of sweet things in the self-serve case and a table full of snacks, many a mystery to me. In addition to great fried spring rolls (one morning I was all sad because they didn’t have any, but it was just because they hadn’t been cooked yet. While waiting for my sandwich I was able to witness fresh, hot spring rolls being brought out. It was my lucky day.) they often have two different types of summer rolls. The one with pork and shrimp is just meaty enough to ruin the seemingly healthier effect of fresh versus fried rolls.

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Oct 29

Singapore Laksa

Ok, I’ve since had the real deal. I sampled Singapore laksa in Singapore at Lau Pa Sat and a Holland Village branch of Katong Laksa this past summer. I never thought I’d live to see the day. What I did see was where the Portland version was coming from, and it’s not totally off-base, though chicken isn’t a major laska ingredient. There might be shrimp and/or cockles, but I didn’t see any poultry being used. At least not in the Singapore version. I have heard of chicken in laksa, though, but it’s a different style. The only problem with laksa in Singapore is that there is so much damn food to be sampled, you don’t want to go overboard with it or else you’ll be ruined for the rest of the day. I totally had to restrain myself.

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Oct 23

Schnack

1/2

I'm getting to know the new neighborhood, and trying my darndest to avoid
all the red sauce and meatballs. Being new to the whole Smith St. scene I
don't have major prejudices against Alan Harding ventures. I'm just happy to
live in a neighborhood with restaurants other than KFC and Taco Bell — and
where one might argue that Schnack is but a mere notch above fast food —
you won't hear me complaining.

I had a not terribly authentic, though still tasty cubano, and James had
the quint, which is five slider patties on one giant bun. We shared fries.
The menu is what I'd call "grubbin'" even though hate to use stoner lingo.
But you know the kind of food I'm talking about. I would go back and I would
eat the banana and chocolate bread pudding, no doubt about it. (10/23/03)

Schnack is a hit. We don't go there a lot, but we're always happy when
we do. It works for burger lover, visiting vegans, and me who always orders
the same damn cubano.

My sister's boyfriend was impressed when the day after we went to
Schnack, it was the focus of Cookin'
in Brooklyn on TV. But then, it doesn't always take much to wow
British folks. (4/30/04)

Schnack* 122 Union St.,
Brooklyn, NY

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Oct 17

Khao Sarn

OK, so I professed the wonders of using green apple in
lieu of green papaya in a som tam, but that was a bad Brooklyn produce,
last minute desperate measure. I don't want to see actual restaurants
pulling this off, and especially not without warning you first.

I wouldn't expect mind-blowing Thai food in Williamsburg in the first
place, but being in the neighborhood on a hungry Friday night, I thought I'd
give Khao Sarn a shot. And it was all very adequate, which apparently is
fine for all the locals wielding chopsticks and downing their BYOB Corona
six-packs. But I would've liked a little more oomph. I'm swear not a snobby
fussbudget (well, sometimes), but Thai cuisine is one of those things where
I'm pretty particular. If I don't see lime leaves, if I do see chopsticks,
and particularly if I'm given green apple passed off as papaya, it's
curtains for a restaurant. Khao Sarn Rd. is totally the Bedford Ave. of
Bangkok so in some way it all makes senses really.

Khao Sarn * 311 Bedford Ave., Brooklyn, NY

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Oct 12

Carl’s Steaks

1/2 It was a perfect post-cat show treat. Not that cheesesteaks have anything to do with fancy cats. It's just that Madison Square Gardens and Carl's are both on 34th St. Though not a super close straight line, and that's what inspired my first Manhattan public bus ride. I ride in Brooklyn all the time, but Manhattan…I don't know, that's for subways. It was all very exciting and surprisingly efficient (at least compared to the B63). James thought the meat on his cheesesteak was skimpy. I didn't think mine was paltry though the meat was loaded heavier on one side like how Taco Bell always seems to accidentally compile their seven-layer burritos vertically as opposed to the preferred horizontal method. As you work your way through the burrito you get separate mouthfuls of rice, then sour cream, then beans, and so on. The cheesesteak was much more balanced than that. Definitely sufficient. And besides, the MTA doesn't go to Philly.

Carl's Steaks * 507 Third Ave., New York, NY

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Oct 3

Sunset Park Banh Mi

I've since re-rediscovered Vietnamese sandwiches after moving to Sunset Park a couple years ago. Despite the good Mexican food strip and the Chinatown, the neighborhood is mostly home to a disproportionate amount of harrowing Brooklyn trash (people, not garbage, duh). Thank god the area is also host to an abundance of great banh mi. An Dong was my original discovery. Ba Xuyen soon followed. Now they have a bright and shiny second branch on 8th Ave. in the low 40s that kicks ass in every way possible. They've upped the goodie quotient with tons of sweet things in the self-serve case and a table full of snacks, many a mystery to me. In addition to great fried spring rolls (one morning I was all sad because they didn't have any, but it was just because they hadn't been cooked yet. While waiting for my sandwich I was able to witness fresh, hot spring rolls being brought out. It was my lucky day.) they often have two different types of summer rolls. The one with pork and shrimp is just meaty enough to ruin the seemingly healthier effect of fresh versus fried rolls.

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Bar Tabac

Faan

Rheinlander

Zaytoons

Brooklyn Banh Mi

Singapore Laksa

Schnack

Khao Sarn

Carl’s Steaks

Sunset Park Banh Mi

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