VittlesVamp

A Study In Ice Cream Sandwich

Just the thing for a rotten, miserable, snowy, rainy, blustery day -- a miracle of an Ice Cream Sandwich from the West Village trattoria Gonzo. This isn't your typical soft serve vanilla squished between slender chocolate cookies. This is house-made vanilla gelato scooped up and served between two crunchy pecan-praline meringue clouds, fragrant with brown sugar, and drizzled with dark chocolate sauce.

Suddenly, a chilly dessert doesn't sound like such a bad idea on this bone-chilling evening, does it?

A Re-Vamp

You may have noticed a few changes in the look of VittlesVamp. Spring is several weeks away, but I still felt like it was time for a bit of renewal. A sprucing up seemed in order.

My revamp isn't over. Expect a few other changes and tweaks.

In a few short weeks the spring radishes will once again make an appearance at Greenmarkets around New York. By that time my redesign should be fully in place.

Maybe I'll celebrate by dunking a few of these gorgeous pink beauties in a salty bagna cauda, dining on them lustfully alongside a bottle of vino. Hopefully with company.

Let me know if you have any suggestions for the site, festive springtime fare and/or if you wish to join my table when the time comes -- because when the revamp is done, I'll surely be ready to relax.

First Look: Ozu

No sooner do I start kvetching about yet another sushi addition in a one-block radius, when I am invited into Clark Street's yet-to-be opened Ozu for a sneak peek.

Hmmm...Looks like a fairly glam setup for the neighborhood. Elegant banquettes line the right, while a sophisticated marble and slate bar takes up the left, with stylish sea green tile work behind and impressive modern lighting fixtures hung above.

This is the owners' first foray into the city (or at least into Kings County), with two Sumou Sushi outposts already firmly planted in suburban Long Island. But, this new Japanese-fusion spot promises to take the swank up a notch from its "Giland" brethren in both kitchen and front of house.

So, I eat my words. Hopefully, I'll also enjoy eating some of Ozu's fancy fare in two week's time.

P.S. Apparently this new Brookylyn Heights Ozu is no relation to the UWS Kosher Japanese establishment of the same name. Therefore, we can rest assured that Manischewitz won't be the only wine at the bar.

Rumor Alert: More Sushi For Brooklyn Heights

After the middling pan-Asian restaurant Sea Asian decided to move to a less expensive Livingston Street location in the Heights, I had hopes that a fun new spot would take its place on Clark Street. Perhaps a branch of Brooklyn Larder? Or something from the guys behind Frankie's Sputino?

Apparently, my hopes are likely to be dashed. Word in the nabe is that yet another sushi joint is about to set up shop. That's right. A new sushi place directly across from Sushi Gallery and a block away from Iron Chef House.

I'm sorry, but how much sushi do we eat here in Brooklyn Heights? I am totally into the Japanophile thing, but c'mon. Couldn't we at least get an authentic ramen shop instead?

A Sandwich Breaks My Silence

It's been a while since I posted. All it took was a sandwich to inspire the words. It took a sandwich filled with melt-in-your-mouth slabs of tender pork done up Puerto Rican-style at Chelsea's grubby, but oh-so-good lunch counter, La Taza de Oro.

The sandwich's lettuce, tomato and slathering of mayo were unnecessary. The slices of day-glo American cheese proved a distraction. In end, it was all about the artful, juicy, well-seasoned play between the meat and the crusty roll. Several dashes of La Taza de Oro's housemade chili-packed hot sauce and the sandwich starting singing Latin American love songs to my taste buds.

Washing it down with a strong Cafe con Leche, happiness reigned supreme. And when the ever-so-gentle bill arrived, my smile remained.

La Taza de Oro - a restaurant for the recessionista and Latina in all of us.