Category Archives: March 2013

Restaurant Reviews: Art Oddities at The Lodge Gallery with a Hidden Bar and Malaysian Delights at Nyonya

The Lodge

The hidden bar behind The Lodge Gallery

Although I normally prefer red wine or tequila cocktails, I didn’t mind the gin that night. It’s not my favorite spirit of choice- however considering it was a ginful open bar, replete with a charade of happy Hendrick’s hostesses trotting corseted A-line dresses, I didn’t mind it after all.

Artwork at the Lodge

Artwork at the Die Wunderkammer group show at The Lodge

I haven’t followed the contemporary art scene for about a decade but remembered how to play the game. As homage to the collectibles, Die Wunderkammer welcomed a room full of oddities. No wonder the artwork didn’t flow here, but was it intended to? From the life sized four legged vertebrae with optical designs, to the scary Asian monster painting (the most sellable), to the beaded double monkey sculptures with human features.

Artwork at the Lodge Gallery.

According to an art consultant, this was the most sellable piece.

Most if not all the works shown at Die Wunderkammer could’ve belonged to the same collector. In my imaginative world- he or she enjoys drinking inside dark obscured halls, their persona characterized by a pleasant and whimsical surface while haunted by its racy, perverted, and obscene daily thoughts. The gin cocktails are an escape from the mind and of reality. Thusly, this collector’s a lover of gin, it’s usual concoctions must be presented as icy cold with a touch of green olive, perhaps a cucumber or two to garnish it. And of course, they’re also a bit of a hoarder of things. Nothing’s quite curated in their drinking room…it’s the river which fails to flow. Our imaginary collector could be a real narcissist who loves their dirty gin, loves collecting beautiful people, and is usually found spending much of the daylight hours entrapped in a perfect world of chaos. Their disorganized thoughts of revenge, theft, and dominance never seem to subside….

Ling Tan

Here’s my usual muse, Ling Tan staring at the oddities.

Unfortunately my imaginary collector is nothing but imaginary. If you stick around long enough to see all the work here, you’ll be surprised by the veer bar/lounge “through” the blue curtain called Home Sweet Home. It’s been around for some time now, but it’s so well hidden- and unless you’re invited by a friend of a friend who knows about it, you’ld simply pass it off as just another store front. Upon passing through the curtains, I was greeted by New Yorkers who were dousing unlimited amounts of ravishing gin cocktails on the Henderick’s dime. I ran into some friends and followed them to the wooden corner bench/table next to the mystery novel window (where ghosts might appear and women jump off for suicide attempts). I slid into the back corner, next to the fresh air- then encountered my biggest mistake for half an hour. Can you guess what happens next? I was naturally cornered with no convo, none, zero, nope. No one spoke to me for thirty minutes. Everyone else was too busy closing in on some real estate deal- I was warned they were going to do that- so why did I follow them and get cornered? My que to move onto another scene was hinted at me after one of the guys (sitting opposite) asked me for his leather jacket (I was sitting next to it). After handing it over to its owner, I quickly noticed he checked the pockets (in a frenzy) for his wallet. Really? You think I’ld steal your wallet? You have some class sir, you’re obviously used to being in the company of some pretty classy folks. Should I be furious or understanding? After all- I did something similar on my way to there. Earlier that evening- I walked a flew blocks towards the gallery (from my car) with my DSLR clutched to my body, disgusted by the garbage pile up and paranoid of all the human alley cats I swore were hissing and prowling to snatch my baby up (camera).

I was feeling nauseous and overtly claustrophobic when rescue came along before I started to panic. I left with my friend who joined me for a bite at my favorite Malaysian place. We went to Nyonya, located at 199 Grand Street, sandwiched between Chinatown and Little Italy. This place only takes cash- but you won’t need too much of it to enjoy a multi-course meal. I frequent this joint as much as I can with whomever is willing to partake on a little curry meets Asia adventure. The coconut white rice is divine and I insist you ask for that version to replace the standard jasmine rice with the curry dishes. The sweet pineapple fried rice is pretty spectacular too.

Roti Telur at Nyonya

Roti Canai at Nyonya

The best appetizer my friends- is the Roti Telur Canai. It’s an Indian crispy thin, handmade bread with a mild curry sauce on the side priced at only $3.50 per order. One is never enough for two people. If you dine alone, that’s perfect- if there are others there with you- have everyone get their own. My Indian friend claimed the Roti bread is “as authentic as it gets”. The curried chicken on the bone is pretty close to the Indian original and reminded me of the Roti Telur Canai sauce. We also enjoyed a noodle dish, the Curry Mee with Young Tau Foo and a bean curd with vegetables.

Bean Curd Nyonya style

Bean Curd, Nyonya style.

I loved it so much that I returned the following night and savored my favorite dish (Roti Telur Canai) all over again. You can order an entire fish to share- which I’ve never had before but watched many large parties order it nearby. Appetizers range from $3.50-8.95 and entrees from $6.25-23.95. They serve a nice assortment of Malaysian non-alcoholic beverages, wine and beer. Come early, late, alone or with a crowd. It’s usually packed, whether it’s lunch or dinner. It’s casual, it’s delicious and you’ll never regret it. You might even have enough money left over to get dessert at Ferrara’s nearby.

 

Die Wunderkammer; Objects of Virtue

March 31, 2013- May 1st, 2013

The Lodge

131 Chrystie Street

New York, NY 10002

http://www.thelodgegallery.com

 

Nyonya

199 Grand Street

New York, NY 10013

Phone: (212) 334-3669

$ Very Good, Ethnic, Malaysian

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Filed under Art, Dining with Outlaws, Hot on the Blog, March 2013, Restaurants, Speakeasies

Food for Kids: Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with Kale and Avocado Ice Pops

Kale and avocado ice pops

Kale and Avocado Ice pop

I’ve been waiting to deliver the official recipe for my healthy take on ice pops via the cookbook I’m authoring however given it’s St. Patrick’s Day today and some parents recently asked me for this recipe- I’ve decided to let everyone take a shot at making their own before the book comes out. Don’t worry- you’ll still get plenty of recipes in the actual cookbook and a few comical illustrations accompanying it.

My four year old is the star of my culinary dreams. He eats just about everything. Whether it’s spicy, creamy, fermented, raw, cooked, hot or cold- there isn’t a thing he’s not willing to try- at least once that is. Nothing can be too dangerous or ethnic enough. Discovering new vegetables are always welcomed by Daniel. Alex, his older six year old brother on the other hand- won’t even look at a vegetable, unless it’s part of a lesson plan in school. He’ll look at them, with oohs and aahs- but it ends there. They never eat any digestive play.

As a parent, and being named chef mommy by my kids- how do I explain to other parents about my battle with their veggie intake? I blame it partly to the American food culture, adding the endless commercials for unhealthy snacks and their father’s bad habit of eating junk food and drinking soda in front of them. I had to smarten up and figure out alternative ways to feed them the healthier things in life.

Zoku Quick Pop Maker

The Zoku Quick Pop Maker: make ice pops in 7 minutes

So last year, I figured out how to incorporate the greens into Alex’s diet by blending them into other familiar flavors- delivered into instant ice pops thanks to the Zoku Quick Pop Maker. Within minutes, he devoured not one but three ice pops that I made with Kale, avocado, yogurt and honey.

We haven’t made these in a little while- but promise to get back into them before Memorial Day weekend. Until then…here ‘s my recipe for healthy kale and avocado ice pops you can try at home! You can also use the conventional ice pop molds.

Kale and Avocado Yogurt Ice Pops

Yields 6 Servings

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 avocado, peeled with seed removed

1 bunch of kale, stems removed

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup whole greek yogurt

Directions

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Place kale leaves and blanche until leaves are very tender (about 8 minutes). Remove kale from water and place in an ice bath. Remove kale from ice bath after about a minute and place inside a food processor or blender. Pulse for about a minute on low, then blend with the avocado, honey and yogurt until it’s smooth and creamy (about 1 minute).

Spoon mixture into ice pop molds, place wooden sticks (if you’re using conventional molds) in the center and freeze overnight uncovered on a flat surface. Unmold and serve!

 

 

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Filed under Food for Kids, Holidays, Hot on the Blog, March 2013, Recipes

Restaurant Opening: Barn Joo

Barn Joo: 893 Broadway, NYC

The view from upstairs

Spring is almost here…I can almost taste the sweetness of new desserts along with that scent of new restaurant openings- those show stopping events and the bitchy reviews by the bitter bloggers and critics thereafter. Before we know it, we’ll be swinging back into restaurant week- where some of us will casually pretend to be tourists for cheap dinners at $35.oo, though I seldom recommend it. I’m not missing the mid-winter blues either, as my foot’s finally healed after taking that unfortunate dive in the Flushing Corona Center parking lot while delivering gallons of homemade kimchi.

Opening at Barn Joo: Rina Oh, Ling Tan, Mie Iwatsuki

Rina Oh, Ling Tan, and Mie Iwatsuki at Barn Joo grand opening in NYC.

And here’s to giving Spring an early start with the first installment of restaurant openings. Say hello to the Korean pub called Barn Joo, located at 893 Broadway in the Flatiron district of New York City. It’s a multi-level drinking joint contained below the Verite Hotel, a boutique hotel by the same proprietor. The basement serves as a private clubroom replete with lounge tables and DJ booth, the main floor’s filled with more tables with a bar that’s perfect for happy hour gatherings after work, and last but not least- a private VIP lounge upstairs. We made an appearance with the usual gang, myself (Dining with Outlaws), the Insatiable-Critic Gael Greene, and Ethno Junkie: Rich Sanders, the fabulous Peter, and the former owner of the Quilted Giraffe- Barry Wine upon the first visit.

The main floor of Barn Joo with the owner, Charles "Tiger" Chong.

The main floor of Barn Joo with the owner, Charles "Tiger" Chong.

The menu’s quite small at Barn Joo- it’s a one pager, mostly small plates of Korean pub grub compared to the dozen or so pages filled with cocktails, beer, and liquor. At the opening night when I returned the following week with a different crowd of familiar Asian models- we were treated to a full house and sat in a private booth upstairs. The usual suspects were there- those who happen to attend any Korean restaurant opening in NYC. Seeing these private dining guests reminded me of Kristalbelli‘s opening last year.

Spiky Hat at Barn Joo

Restaurant openings plus spiky things are causing a deja vu experience.

The models, the manager, the K-pop fans were all there. This was indeed a Moving Feast with the familiar staff and opening patrons. I’m not complaining since the fried chicken supply seemed endless and we stayed till almost midnight indulged in heated conversations about revenge, marriage and playing mean girls in real life.

Barn Joo Fried Chicken

Fried Chicken perfect for sharing, although one order's never enough: one order per is the recommended dosage.

Formal reviews to follow later on…in the meantime you should give it a swing by with a few friends or foes and try a few soju cocktails and their Korean fried chicken.

Barn Joo

893 Broadway

New York, NY 10003

www.Barnjoo.com

 

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Filed under Dining with Outlaws, Hot on the Blog, Korean, March 2013, Restaurants