Hodge Podge Mis Match

Looking back on the blog, I feel bad that I have neglected a lot of food in my life.

The Smoke Joint - Ft. Greene's very own BBQ joint. Self-proclaimed as authentic NYC style, it doesn't pretend to be anything it's not.

The pulled pork was good but unremarkable. Tender but lacked any real bite. The corn on the cob was great, smothered in a great aioli and seasoned with 'jointrub'. And the cornbread was a generous hunk of crumbly goodness. I also thought the bourbon bar it is attached to is a nice little place with some amazing cocktails. All in all, though, it's not the greatest place in new york, but a handy point for those that don't want to go into Manhattan. Unremarkable but not disappointing.

Tiffin Wallah - Curry Hill Indian lunch buffet. My coworker swears it is the best joint in the area and I am inclined to agree with him. Oresti and I first tried it two years prior when it first opened and was featured in NY Mag's best of list that summer. When he suggested it for a summer intern good bye party, I whole heartedly agreed (granted, a free company lunch anywhere gets my vote).

It's entirely vegetarian and entirely buffet. I couldn't tell you, exactly, what I ate because I couldn't really recognize everything. But it doesn't matter because it's all good and it's all you could eat. It's vegetarian, it's kosher, it's delicious. 3 plates and 2 beers later and I was a happy, stuffed camper.

Sugar Sweet Sunshine Bakery - Read on Chowhound, I spent weeks considered the trek to the LES from my Kips Bay job and finally made the trek. And boy am I glad I did. My first delivery was a house warming gift to good friends Madelyn and Jill. The next day, I went back (since they were sold out of the Summer strawberry cupcake the day before) and had a sampling of my own. Let me tell you, get the strawberry cupcake before they stop selling them. They are amazing! They are falling apart with strawberry goodness permeating throughout the cake and a frosting that is amazing.

The pumpkin spice comes in a close second with a hearty, tasty cake that is complimented perfectly by the cream cheese frosting. It's like the pumpkin bread that I remember from my childhood. God I love autumn flavors.

The Sassy red velvet had a rich dense cocoa crumb, moreso than I am used to in a red velvet. And the buttercream frosting is satin smooth. It's a real winner.

The black and White (buttercream with a cocoa cake) was a little dry which was a minor stumble for them but when you put out specialty cakes like these, who can be disappointed?

Maybe I just fell in love with the backstory of Sugar Sweet Sunshine, but it's a favorite in my book.

I recently upgraded my Mac to Snow Leopard (all my PCs still run XP professional) and at our pseudo upgrade party, we tried to get food. We wanted to return to Tavern on Nostrand, right near where we lived. But they were shuttered. On a saturday evening. Way to suck guys.

So we headed into the city (ended up seeing Extract with them as well) for a bite to eat with Kyle and Satoko. I invited my childhood friend Josh, who recently graduated from UC Berkeley to attend NYU Law; someone I've known since I was 5. We went to El Cantinero, a classic hang out for a casual meal with friends as I grew up at NYU. Do you like cheesy tex-mex food with Sombreros for the birthday boy? So do I, that's why I eat here. This really epitomizes the joke that all Mexican food tastes the same, because everything here is basically just meat, beans, rice, and cheese in a tortilla. But the pitchers of margaritas are fun!

Finally Labor Day weekend involved a brunch meeting of epic proportions. Bottomless brunch at Bondi Road resulted in the lot of us, all 12, with endless mimosas, a few shots of tequila-passion fruit-strawberry concoctions on the house, and a hangar steak, topped with bacon, poached eggs, and hollandaise. The food was unremarkable but the early afternoon drunch with the gang made up for it with flying colors. If you want to have a fun, relaxed, booze fueled meal with friends, it no reason Bondi Road (and Sunburnt Cow) are staples of the LES. It's times like these that I am reminded of one of my favorite quotes:

We should look for someone to eat and drink with before looking for something to eat and drink.

And while I am sorry for not updating, I promise to keep eating. See you later.

-Ryan Read More......