Coming Soon: El Toro Blanco

 If you haven't heard the news already, my dear friend Chef Josh Capon of Lure Fishbar and B&B Winepub is making an addition to his already delicious empire with the opening of El Toro Blanco. Set to open sometime very very soon, it only seems appropriate Josh would do Mexican. When I think of someone I would want by my side at a fun filled fiesta taking swigs of Patron, it would be JC. For those of you who know Josh, you know this guy knows how to have a good time! 

Keeping his commute light, El Toro Blanco is opening just around the corner from Josh's other two restaurants, so for those of you interested in a night of bar hopping around town, you now can go from a pub to a yacht and then to Mexico! 

Here's a little preview of what's to come - http://eltoroblanco.tumblr.com/

Sonoran Cheese Crisp: Mexican cheese, poblano rajas, roasted tomate & epazote

Salmon Parillada

Lobster Puerto Nuevo

Chicken Enchiladas

Tuna Tacos

Food looks amazing! And if Josh's other restaurants are any indication of what El Toro Blanco is going to be like then I'm positive it's going to be great! CAN'T WAIT!!

El Toro Blanco

257 Sixth Ave, West Village

212-645-0193 

Shake Shack

Better late then never, right? My first time at Shake Shack happened just about a week ago. Believe me, I know how embarrassing that is, but going to school in Colorado for four years didn't make it that easy to get to....There's something about waking up on a gloomy day after a fun filled night of drinking that makes you crave fattening food without the guilt. Bagels? Pancakes? Bacon?...Absolutely not - I wanted a hamburger!

Shack burger with a side of fries please! Luckily for me, it was shitty out and the line was only 5 people deep. 

Before I knew it my vibrator was vibrating and it was time to indulge!

Usually I like my burgers thick & medium-rare...However, Shake Shack is the exception! Kudos to Danny Meyer, this guy knows what he's doing and he has 17 locations to prove it.

Shake Shack's burger is full of that delicious burger flavor we all love, the bun is super soft, the cheese is mad melty and the Shack sauce is seriously yums! No wonder the Madison Square Park location alone racked in 7 million bucks in one year! Now, along with thousands of others out there, I'm officially a Shake Shack lover ;) 

Saigon Pho

Contrary to what people may think, Vietnamese food has much more to offer then just banh mi sandwiches, spring rolls, and pho. Don't get me wrong, I can get all up on a banh mi, but sometimes you just need to switch it up. My family and I came across Saigon Pho in Parsippany, NJ and we're like really happy about it! Everything was delicious! Portions perfect for sharing, big flavor, and some serious marination going on with the meats...

Banh Mi Sandwich

Pho Toppings

Rare Beef Pho

Short Rib w/ Rice

Lemongrass Rolled Beef Bun

Grilled Pork Chop Bun

And for those who don't know Bun is vermicelli noodles served at room temperature topped with meat on a bed of crunchy bean sprouts, cucumbers, carrots, lettuce, basil and mint, drizzled with peanuts and nuoc mam [Vietnamese vinaigrette]. It's not too heavy and it's a perfect meal in a bowl.

Saigon Pho

744 Route 46 W

Parsippany, NJ 07054

973.794.4632

melt bakery

Noticed them on the highline, walked passed their store @ 132 Orchard st, even saw them at the Vendy Awards last weekend, but I still never had myself a Melt Bakery ice cream sandwich! Shameful, I know... 

Well lucky me, last night I had the honor of working alongside Julian of Melt Bakery at a GQxGap event. Yes, the picture above is shitty and doesn't do these mini bites of goodness any justice, but take it from me...they're so so so good! On the left is a ginger cookie with green tea ice cream and the right is my new favorite: brown sugar cookie with peach ice cream! 

Julian & I

Quality ingredients, incredible flavors, and perfect combinations, Melt Bakery showed up the classic Chipwich and proved the original isn't always better. They also won "Best Dessert" at the Vendy Awards last weekend. How much more convincing do you need? Get yourself over to Melt Bakery asap!

Layered Chocolate Pudding "Pie"

Forget apples & honey...this year's Rosh Hashanah is going to be filled with pudding! Yes kids, that's right, pudding. NY Daily News recently declared pudding to be the "next big thing," but for me, pudding was always the thing. Two words: Kozy Shack 

My sweet new year is going to be filled with lots and lots of these LCPPs. I was eager to test out the recipe purely as an excuse to be able to eat it afterwards. One stop shopping at Trader Joes, all you need is heavy cream, powdered sugar, chocolate pudding, and graham crackers. 

Layering is key here. First put down the graham crackers then proceed to lay down a fat layer of pudding...

After you spread out your first layer, place down some more graham crackers. These crackers will also be smothered by a layer chocolate pudding. One layer just isn't enough...

Honestly, you can put as many damn layers into this thing as you want, but I could only fit two. To top it off, you're going to want to make some homemade whipped cream. Lets be real, canned sucks. 

Heavy cream & powdered sugar is all you need. Whip on high for a few seconds and there you have it. Fresh, homemade, and light whipped cream. 

Artistically smooth the whipped cream over the pudding, refrigerate for a few hours and then EAT IT ALL UP! The best part is that it keeps on getting better with each day. #Addicted

The Village Virgin

In honor of The Rocky Mountain Showdown today, I thought I would dedicate a blog post to Boulder, CO. A long night of partying after a game day only leads to one thing...a bunch of hungover undergrads at The Village the following morning. 

Walking down the sidewalk to campus, sitting in class, even out at the bars at night...people were shooting me these looks. Looks of disgust, looks of disappointment, looks of discouragement. The rumor must have been out. Everyone knew I was a virgin...

A VILLAGE VIRGIN! A second semester senior in college, 22 years old, and I had never been to The Village. The employees here make sure to embarrass the hell out of you, silencing the diner, and shouting out to everyone that, "there is a virgin in the house!" Of course my friends did not spare me... they told our waitress the I'd never had been and soon enough all eyes were on me. 

#3: two eggs, hash browns, bacon & wheat toast

#2: two eggs, hash browns, sausage links & wheat toast

Blueberry Pancake

No, the food isn't out of this world and you're not going to be dying to go back the next day for round 2, but The Village is the perfect place to go to soak up the leftover alcohol from the night before. Plus, you can show up looking like shit in your pajamas and nobody will care! 

The Village Coffee Shop

1605 Folsom st.

Boulder, CO

Ch-ch-chinese

Whenever my family takes out dinner, 75% of the time it's Chinese. I'm not talking your fried sesame chicken with a side of overcooked fried rice. I'm talking Szechuan! Luckily for me, Wayne NJ is home to Cheng Du 23, a great local joint for some delicious Chinese. There's even an added bonus: dim sum on the weekends...

sauteed shrimp w. yellow leeks 

crispy tofu & broccoli in cheng du garlic sauce 

minced pork w. pickled szechuan pickled string beans 

It was obviously all really tasty, but the damn shrimp & leeks is never a let down! It has to be one of my favorite dishes ever...

Cheng Du 23

57 Route 23

Wayne, NJ 07470

973.812.2800

Falafel Food Porn

Make sure to check out Erin Zimmer's "25 Best Things I Ate in Israel..." post on Serious Eats to see the other amazing food Israel has to offer!

Queens Baby! Ayada Thai

A trip out to JFK only means one thing.... a meal in Queens!! If you're looking for some great authentic Asain food, Queens is your spot. Aside from the ever-so-popular Flushing, there is also Woodside - home to some of the best Thai food I've ever had.

For those of you familiar with Woodside, I know what you're probably thinking...SriPraPhai!?!?! Well, here is a little disclosure: SriPraPhai is my #1...it is the best damn Thai food I've ever had and will forever be one of my favorite restaurants in New York. However, my dad insisted that we try something new, so here we have Ayada.

Raw Shrimp Salad

Declared by NY Timeout: 100 Tastes you have to try - there was no skipping out on this appetizer. At first I was hesitant about sliding raw shrimp into my mouth, but the combination of heat along with the crunchy okra made this dish a true winner. I'm not sure it is something I would find myself having a craving for, but if you're going to Ayada for the first time, then it should be on your must order list.

Northern Thai Sausage

This lovely dish ended up on our table by accident, but I felt obliged to post it. This is another dish Ayada does quite well (from what I've heard). Although we considered downing it before anyone noticed, us Burr's we're too guilty to eat it when it belonged to another table...

Crispy Chinese Watercress Salad

This salad has to be one of my favorite dishes the Thai cuisine has to offer. The words tempura & deep fried are usually associated with greasy and heavy. This super crunchy tempura fried watercress, however, is balanced out by the acidic dressing & fresh vegetables that accompany it. 

Panang Curry w/ Chicken 

Here's your classic Panang Curry...packed with flavor, but nothing out of this world...

Drunken Noodles w/ Pork

You really can't go wrong with rice noodles. Pad See Ew, Drunken, Chow Fun - the list goes on. I can't get enough of the thick and chewy consistency that these noodles have to offer. I heard Ayada isn't neccessarily known for their noodles, but hey! I wanted my Drunken noods! Again, flavor was there, but it seemed that they put alot of vegetables in to act as a filler. More noodles, less veggies! DUH! 

Pad Kra Prow w/ Pork

Hello Mr. Spicy! I like my Asian food hot and there's no better dish to order hot then some stir fried pork with thai basil. Slab it over some rice, enjoy the flavors & take the heat baby! 

Saute Chinese Broccoli w/ Crispy Pork

Along with rice noodles, my other must order is Asian vegetables. Simply done in garlic and ginger, it can't be beat. I can eat Bok Choy, Leeks, Flowering Chives, & Water Spinach for days. Throw some crispy pork on top and there might not be anything better...Although, if we're being honest here, I will tell you SriPraPhai does this dish to perfection. There is no competition here. 

Overall, flavorful and delicious meal, but I find it a true challenge straying away from my love SriPraPhai...

Ayada

78-01 Woodside Ave.

Elmhurst, NY 11373

718.424.0844

Old School

Family style, stick to your bones, buttery, delicious Italian food served to you by stereotypical Italian men. I welcome you to Don Peppe in Ozone Park - Queens, NY. You might have heard about it from the final season of Entourage. You know, the Italian joint Turtle wanted to open up in Hollywood? Yes - I am speaking of that Don Peppe. 

Baked Clams 

If you know what Don Peppe is all about, you know there is no other way to start off your meal then with their Baked Clams. A perfect combination of garlic, butter, and breadcrumbs. I must say, they were pretty solid bites of goodness. 

Linguine in White Clam Sauce

Next the Linguine in White Clam Sauce came out. My family is all about the clam sauce and we fully approved of Don Peppe's. The pasta, al dente, and the sauce, full of flavor. It's even worth the after pasta mop up. Let that bread soak in the sauce and enjoy those carbs!

Chicken Scarpariello

Moving away from the seafood and onto the poultry...Chicken Scarpariello. I am not sure exactly how they cook it, but it comes out perfectly crisped and who doesn't like their chicken skin crispy?? Squeeze the lemon over for some additional citrus and you got yourself a pretty great chicken dish! 

Eggplant Parmigiana

The Eggplant Parmigiana: delicious tomato sauce and melted cheese, I'll give them that...but I cannot stand when the eggplant is over-breaded! I know I'm spoiled because I've had the best eggplant parm throughout Italy, but this is a dish that I would not be ordering again here and you shouldn't either. 

So here's the deal...Don Peppe is good ol'gangsta Italian food. Some things are great, other things not so much. Am I running back to Queens to get another Don Peppe fix? No...Would I go back if I was in the area and was craving some garlic and butter? Yes. 


Don Peppe
13559 Lefferts Blvd.
Ozone Park, NY
718.845.7587