VittlesVamp

Hot Diggity Dog

I may not be in the pink of health yet, but the sight of these plump, juicy, pink dogs inspire me to jump out of my sick bed and rustle one up right now. Is it their decidedly phallic shape that calls to me? Or is it simply the divine chili and relish toppings that get my heart going pitter-pat? (Not that one or two of these suckers couldn't stop my heart from going pitter-pat, if I don't keep up my gym regimen!)

Well, all I can say is that today's Wall Street Journal profile of the best hot dogs in America got me to thinking about the glories of Hebrew National, Nathan's and alike.

Mmmm. Barbecue season is approaching. A dog on the grill could be a must-do. Something to look forward to...as I continue to cough up a lung.

Taco Kisses

Last we left our intrepid Latin American food vendors at Red Hook's soccer fields, they were in danger of being forced out of the park by the city government.

Well, apparently, these fine makers of tacos, pupusas and ceviche are going to be allowed to return to Red Hook once more -- or six more as it were. According to the Associated Press:

The soccer tacos have been saved, after a monthslong fight pitting city regulation against a delicious tradition...

...The department previously threatened to effectively end the seasonal, decades-old culinary draw, which provided Latino New Yorkers a taste of home while they watched weekend soccer tournaments and offered the city's foodies a bite of authenticity.

"It's a family affair, not just for the vendors ... but also for our patrons," Cesar Fuentes, executive director of the Food Vendors Committee of Red Hook Park. "It's 33 years that we've been in that park. That means there are a couple of generations that have grown up eating there."

New Yorkers had organized a fierce campaign to "save the soccer tacos," located in a working-class neighborhood that has recently become a hub for gentrification and commercial development. The city's food bloggers religiously followed the vendors' plight, and the cause attracted high-profile supporters including New York Democrat Sen. Charles Schumer.

"The vendors have been at the vanguard of the Red Hook renaissance, and now they have another six years to continue their delectable work," Schumer said Monday in a statement.

Passing Strange - Plus Supper

This past Tuesday night my pal Sandra and I enjoyed a riveting theatrical experience -- from a Broadway musical no less.

No, no, I'm not talking about the latest "Disney comes to Broadway" extravaganza.

The hybrid musical, concert, performance art that is the new Broadway show Passing Strange -- the story of a black man's journey from South Central Los Angeles to the red light district of Amsterdam to the artist colonies of Berlin and back to South Central once again -- is an energetic, thoughtful and soulful good time.

As the ladies of the Haddasah theater groups from Long Island would say: This show is something to kvell about!

But after the curtain came down, Sandra and I were lost. Where to go next? What dinner could possibly match, or even augment, the evening's entertainment?

Is there such a thing as South Central LA cuisine?

Next thought was an ode to Amsterdam. That was a toughy. There isn't a Dutch restaurant in Manhattan.

Hmmm...We could pay tribute to Berlin. Hallo Berlin wasn't too far from the theater.

Then we walked outside.

The cold air didn't just bite, it slapped. It slapped hard.

Forget, Los Angeles, Amsterdam and Berlin. We were in New York and New York was damn cold. Frigid. Freakin' freezing! All we could muster was a two block walk to the middling Havana Central for food that only barely reminded us of the tropics.

Then again, they do have palm trees in South Central, don't they? And, the word "Central" is in the name of the restaurant.

Loose connections at best, but after a show that enthralling, neither Sandra nor I needed more than mediocre rice and beans to complete the evening.

But if anyone wants to venture a guess on what constitutes South Central LA cuisine, I'm all ears.

Unofficial Holiday Greetings From Union Square Cafe

Looks like the staff at the ever-popular Union Square Cafe may have already indulged in one Egg Nog too many this holiday season. Check it out: USC Food Wrappers' Holiday Video

And I Thought Coffee Heath Bar Crunch Was A Problem

I want to start a campaign; a campaign to stop Ms. Leslie Zoerb of Buffalo, New York from creating any more flavors of ice cream.

Ms. Zoerb and her spoon-licking good Carmelized Pear and Toasted Pecan Ice Cream won a Haagen Daz flavor contest sponsored by Gourmet Magazine. Now, this addictive frozen confection has hit supermarket shelves and it's a problem. It's a pint-sized problem filled with rich, sweet, nutty autumnal vice, beckoning me from my local bodega's frozen foods section.

Anyone who wants to join me in getting some legislation in place to stop Ms. Zoerb and her diabolical dessert ways, drop me a line. We'll start the picketing tomorrow -- right after I've laid waste to the pint in my freezer.

Red Hook Redux

The past week or so has kept me on tenterhooks. Would the DOH shut down the latino food vendors at the Red Hook ball fields?

One stall already bit the dust. Would others follow?

To me, a year without a pilgrimage to the Red Hook Park soccer fields for Pupusas, Quesadillas, Taquitos and Ceviche is unfathomable.

And, thankfully, it looks like the vendors are safe for the summer season - but who knows what next year will bring.

So even though I'd paid call recently, this weekend I felt compelled to take a trip to the corner of Bay and Clinton Streets, with my heart heavy, stomach grumbling and camera at the ready...

Let's just hope that the DOH never gives me reason to sing "The Way We Were" when I look at these photos. (Besides, I'm tone-deaf!)

DOH Giving the Red Hook Vendors the Hook?

Just when I thought it was safe to venture to Red Hook for a Pupusa, looks like the DOH might disband the latin food vendors before the end of the season. According to The Porkchop Express:

Due to forces of nature (rains, floods, transit delays) Cesar Fuentes was on his own meeting with big guns from both the Department of Health and the Parks Department. Long story short, the Food Vendors of Red Hook Park have about 10 days to “be compliant” with the DOH's “major concerns.” By Sunday August 19th they must:

store more ice in coolers
acquire portable hand washers/sanitation units
wear sterile gloves and change said gloves regularly
have a source of running water to wash hands, tacos, etc.
rent commercial grade kitchens to prep food, or prepare everything on-site

Most significantly, The Powers That Be want everyone who works at a stand to be licensed. Anyone associated with a tent – from corn shuckers to pupusa stuffers – must undergo a training session to obtain a mobile food vending license. At present, only 12 tent operators are licensed; this number will (must) more than quadruple.

C'mon! This is getting ridiculous. The ball field vendors were just featured on a Travel Channel Bizarre Foods special about New York, for goodness sake! I think it's time they got some sort of special culinary cultural icon status from the city. Mayor Bloomberg, please help!!!

Russian Relaxation

My friend Queen Celeste had a very unusual idea for a girl's night. Now, I live in NYC, so you think I woulda already heard about the full range of girl's night options available in this great metropolis - but this one was a new one on me.

The Russian Baths. Down in the heart of the Financial District. Co-ed. Beer available.

This was either going to be very, very bad or very, very good.

Happily for me, I can report that Wall Street Bath & Spa 88 was the latter. Zig-zagging through the "spa's" shabby maze of two saunas, steam room, cold plunge, jacuzzi, pool, lounge and restaurant, it was all at once exotic, grubby and utterly soothing. Being beaten by Celeste with a bunch of oak leaves (pictured above) while schvitzing in an extreme-super-heated sauna was particularly fun female-bonding!

Taking a break in the lounge with a Baltica 333, Pringles and some nasty smoked fish wasn't half bad either. It might not have been a gourmet meal, but surrounded by a veritable sea of sweaty Russians - from big furry ones in trunks and natty robes to lithe young ones in bikinis - I didn't feel like I was in Manhattan anymore. Maybe Brighton Beach. Definitely St. Petersburg. But not Manhattan.

I'll definitely go back. But next time, I'll skip the fish - and try to find a hunky, compliant Russkie to do my branch beating in the sauna.

Raising the Bar

I have to admit something - I've never been a chocoholic.

I know. You're shocked. You're disappointed. But, it's true.

In fact, when it comes to picking something off of a typical high-falutin dessert menu, I steer clear from the Flourless Chocolate Cake and its miniature warm molten brethren. I'm usually more of a fruit or nut person. Chocolate isn't even my favorite flavor of ice cream. I'm a Butter Pecan fan.

There, I said it. I've come clean.

So now you'll understand why I felt a bit concerned embarking upon a chocolate tasting session at the lauded Michel Cluizel, a tiny retail and restaurant testament to all things chocolate, tucked within ABC Carpet & Home. I was particularly nervous, yet intrigued, to learn that my chocolate journey would be guided by Sage Friedman (with that name, he must have hippie parents), an honest-to-goodness Chocolate Sommelier. Would Sage figure out my deep - not so dark or even bittersweet - secret?

Not so much.

As a matter of fact, I think he created a convert.

Here was a man that happily shared the fact that he starts each and every day with a 30 gram bar of Michel Cluizel Noir 72%, Blended Dark Chocolate. On top of that, he seemed obsessed with a commitment to quality. No soy lecithin here! He seemed equally enamored with the flavor, texture and notes that each and every bite of good chocolate can possess.

What can I say? His passion won me over.

Well, that and the chocolate happened to rock the house too!

From the Plantation "Concepcion" (66% cocoa) Single Origin Dark Chocolate, harvested on a single plantatin in Venezuela, to Cluizel's most intense offering, the Noir Infini 99% Blended Dark Chocolate, I was entranced. Sage paired several chocolates with spirits to bring out the best of both. Armagnac and Tequila danced on my tongue, tangoing with the various chocolate varieties.

Mmmm...Oh, yes!

And then there were the bonbons...

Need I say more?

Well, yeah.

Go for the one that looks like a Macaroon Cookie. Talk about moan-worthy!

Oh, my. I was sated and elated all at once.

So, I guess I'm chocoholic after all, with one wee caveat: I only go for the good stuff. The really good stuff. The great stuff.

The Michel Cluizel.

The Burn That Soothes

I have had a life-altering week - and not necessarily in the good sense. My nerves have been frazzled. My stomach in knots. Where could I turn for comfort?

My ice cream maker.

I paired it with fresh ginger to create a rich, heady ginger ice cream that all at once soothed my frayed edges, while providing a hint of heat that tickled my tongue and forced a smile.

Tomorrow night I'll share this icy confection with a very special group of friends - friends who have been placed in similarly nerve wracking situations. I can only hope this creamy dessert brings smiles to their lips as well.

I could ask no more from my culinary talents, or my ice cream maker.