Clinton Hill Foodie

My First Visit to the Myrtle Ave Farm Stand

2010-09-05T13:28:00Z

Wow, am I behind on posts. I have a few of them in the queue, including a couple of new (for me) restaurant reviews. More on that later, but for now let's take a look at my first visit to the Myrtle Ave farm stand, which started up a couple of months ago on Thursday evenings.

The farm stand is a great idea, and it's always nice to have more options for local and sustainable food. The Greene Hill Food Co-op is also using the stand as an opportunity to recruit new members, so there's another reason to stop by if you haven't yet.

The stand itself isn't massive, but what's there looked great. We picked up a few tomatoes, some green lettuce, and a ginormous cucumber that dwarfed everything else. I loved the tomatoes and the cucumber, but the lettuce turned out to be kind of soft and disappointing. Maybe I'm just picky about lettuce.

The stand is up on Thursdays from 4-7 PM on Myrtle between Price and Navy and will run through October 28th.

The True Face of Jealousy

2010-08-11T12:52:00Z

Things are pretty good in the House of Brian these days. Great job, a new dog, and it's almost football season.

Still, all is not well, for the lovely and talented Olivia has been gone for the better part of a month, gallivanting around Europe without me. Right now she's hopping from hostel to hostel in Ireland, but before that? Before that she was livin' the dream, man. Olivia and her mother spent a week on a biking and wine tour in Provence. I'd say more, but what more really needs to be said? They ate, they drank, they biked. Sounds like a perfect holiday to me.

They were kind enough to pass along some pictures, I imagine chosen specifically to make me frothy with jealousy. They chose wisely, assuming that was their goal.

This was our first meal in Provence - all of the meals have about 5 courses. This one had quite a lot.

First picture is the Amuse-bouche, literally meaning to amuse the mouth - in this case, a salmon sashimi with a garlic cream and seasonal veggies and a cold melon soup.

Second picture is the appetizer - again, sushi-related, with rice, seaweed, avocado, with a tomato jelly below and tomato sorbet on top.

The third is the main course - lamb with seasonal vegetables, cooked to perfection and delicious

The fourth is a collection of pre-desserts - meringue cookies, nougat cookies, mini fruit tarts and violet lolly pops (not shown)

The fifth is the real dessert - custard with graham cracker and chocolate, plus strawberry sorbet on top.

Looks tasty. How about another entire meal?

Appetizer of sea scallops uncooked except for some citrus juice, atop seasonal vegetables.

Fois gras with tomatoes stuffed with tomato jelly (my mom's appetizer).

Cod fillet with sauteed fava beans, topped with peppers and a wonderful candied lemon slice (I ate the entire slice). On the side is a tomato sorbet.

Mint-infused chocolate mousse with dark chocolate pieces, topped with an unbelievable fresh candied mint leaf.

Fresh raspberries atop custard and cookie with ice cream (my mom's dessert, also superb, but not quite beating mine).

The jealousy runs deep, I tell 'ya.

Myrtle Eats Fresh

2010-08-06T17:48:00Z

Like food? How about fresh food? Live anywhere near Myrtle Ave? If so, this event might be for you!

Celebrate fresh food at the Myrtle Eats Fresh Kick-Off Event!

MARP’s Myrtle Eats Fresh initiative includes a number of projects that engage community members in activities to improve access to healthy, affordable food on Myrtle Avenue, and in the surrounding neighborhoods of Fort Greene and Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. Projects include a community-run farm stand, a community chef program, creating and expanding community gardens on public housing grounds, and the formation of a local food policy task force.

Join us to learn more about the program and celebrate the inaugural season of the Myrtle Farm Stand, and meet the community members, project partners and MARP staff involved in making it all happen!

When: Thursday, August 12, 2010
Time: 4:30pm
Where: Myrtle Avenue Farm Stand, at the Ingersoll Community Center, 177 Myrtle Avenue (Prince/Navy)

Please RSVP: Joanna Reynolds, 718.230.1689 or joanna@myrtleavenue.org

Light refreshments will be served.

Events:

KICK-OFF SPECIAL! Spend at least $8 and get an additional $2 free produce!

Cooking Demo by Community Chef Jasmine Reaves

Meet gardeners from Ingersoll Garden of Eden

Free face painting with Dumeha Bernice of ParaLee’s Peace

The Myrtle Eats Fresh Initiative is supported by New York Community Trust and Atlantic Philanthropies as part of the New York City Community Experience Partnership (CEP), a collaboration with United Neighborhood Houses of New York (UNH), with additional support from Brooklyn Community Foundation.

Quick Note

2010-08-05T18:59:00Z

For a while i haven't had any good way to get in touch to with me through the blog - you either had to leave a comment with your contact info (not ideal) or join Twitter and DM or something (also not ideal). Well, I've come up with a solution I think will work: Contact Me Page.

Just use this page to contact me if you need to. There's also a link over there on the right. Hope that helps.

Roman's Review

2010-08-03T12:30:00Z

Roman's is the new (-ish) Italian restaurant on Dekalb that replaced Bonita. It's another in the growing list of places that I've been meaning to get to but have simply been unable or unwilling to drag mass into and review. Thankfully, I am blessed to have such people in my life as my friend Shannon, who recently demanded that we go out and try Roman's since she'd apparently heard some good things. I acquiesced.

I think one of the things that had been turning me off about Roman's was its austere facade–it's just black block letters on a stainless steel panel above the door. It looked very plain, I guess. I readily admit that's a stupid reason not to go to a restaurant, but I'm being honest here. It just didn't look like much from the outside, and so I always talked myself into walking down the block to Cornerstone or Kif, or across the street to iCi.

It turns out that what Roman's lacks in panache it makes up for with good food. The menu is set up in a traditional Italian manner with small items designed to be eaten as 3-4 courses. While this is a great way to build your own meal, it does end up making things a bit pricier than they may seem at first. The dishes are small, and you're going to need a few of them.

We started by sharing the Roasted Beets with Pickled Watermelon and Fennel, which was a unique take on antipasto and perfect for summer.

Next, we each had a pasta dish which served as our main course. I had the Pennine with Summer Squash, Butter, and Parmigiano, and Shannon had the Papardelle with Ragu. Both were compact, interesting dishes that combined a variety of really interesting flavors. Of the two, I think I'd go for the papardelle over the pennine were I faced with the choice again.

Not hungry enough for a full third course, but not completely satiated, we decided to get some roasted pea pods and cherry tomatoes (not having the menu, I forget its actual title and I think it was a special). Again, very good,but I think the roasted beats carried the day.

Roman's has a fully-stocked bar and some interesting wine and cocktail choices, which we took full advantage of. It certainly added to the tab quickly, though, and a small meal for two ended up over $100.

Roman's is a great little place with an interesting menu that seems to change pretty often, so it may be worth popping in on a regular basis to see what they have. There's never very much to choose from, but that's fine with me as long as what's there is good. It's a little pricey, and for the money I'd have to think very hard about passing up iCi or No. 7, but Roman's is another great choice in a neighborhood that seems to get more by the day.

Information:

Roman's
243 Dekalb Ave
Brooklyn, NY
718.622.5300
http://romansnyc.com

Google Map

Flourless Chocolate Cake

2010-08-02T19:20:00Z

I think the first time I mentioned making a flourless chocolate cake on this blog was back in November of 2008 after making a pumpkin cheesecake. I'd recently tried a flourless chocolate at a restaurant in Chelsea and had completely fallen in love.

For some reason, I never actually got around to making it until now. I needed a dessert for a party recently and decided that yes, I'd finally make what I consider the Holy Grail of chocolate cakes. Mine didn't come out exactly as I was hoping, but I think it was a good first effort and a first step toward future greatness.

Flourless Chocolate Cake
Adapted from this recipe at food.com

Ingredients:

12 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 (12 ounce) bittersweet chocolate
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
8 large eggs (separated)
3/4 cup brown sugar (packed)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325°F. Oil and flour a 9-inch springform cake round. Cut a piece of wax paper or parchment to fit inside the bottom of the pan, place the paper in the bottom of the pan.

In a double-boiler on gentle heat (I used a makeshift double boiler out of a small pot and a metal bowl), melt the butter and chocolate together until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.

In a clean mixing bowl (make sure there is no oil residue on the bowl or mixer attachments) beat the egg whites until they become cloudy and frothy; about 30 seconds. Continue beating while adding the brown sugar and cream of tartar.

Beat until stiff peaks form–be careful not to over-beat–this is most important! If the eggs curdle, throw them away and start over with new egg whites, seriously. (I think I may have over-beat the eggs slightly).

Whisk the egg yolks and vanilla into the melted chocolate mixture in a large mixing bowl. Gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate (start by folding in about 1/3rd of the whites, then gently fold in the remaining whites), the mixture should end up fluffy and light.

Pour into the prepared pan.

Place a casserole dish filled with 1-2 inches of water on the bottom rack of your oven. Place the cake on the middle rack to cook. Bake the cake for about 60-70 minutes or until it passes the toothpick test. (I baked mine a little too long - start looking closely at around 45-50 minutes)

Remove cake from oven and allow to cool for about an hour. Gently run a knife around the edge of the pan, and then carefully invert the cake onto a flat plate or other surface.

Remove the paper from the bottom (now the top) of the cake.

The cake can be eaten right away but it may fall slightly when it is cut- for best results, it should be refrigerated for at least 6 hours before serving.

So my version came out a little...irregular. It was still very good, but it basically exploded out of the pan rather than making a nice, dense tort. I think I cooked it too long along with over-beaten the eggs. Was it good? Yes, it was. Was it what I was hoping for? No, and I'm looking forward to trying again and getting it right.

Yet Another Note on Fresh Fanatic

2010-07-16T19:30:00Z

I've spent a lot of time documenting my anticipation, excitement, and eventual disappointment with Fresh Fanatic over the last year or so. When I last visited, I got so fed up with poor service, inadequate selection, and the incomprehensible organization that I just gave up and stopped going. The other day I stopped in again, though, and they're starting to win me back.

The selection of goods seems to be better now, for one. I've been back a couple of times in the last week and have yet to not be able to find something I'm looking for. This is a good thing, because if I have to make a trip to another grocer to complete my shopping, I'm not going to bother with FF to begin with.

The service seems better - much closer to what it was when they first opened. Everyone I've interacted with recently has been friendly and helpful. I no longer feel ignored or as if my very presence is a burden. This is also a good thing.

The prices and organization still leave a lot to be desired, though. The prices I can understand to some extent - they're going for high-quality organic ingredients, and them's not cheap. But every single item they sell seems to be priced at close to the maximum they can get away with, so shopping there does end up feeling like an extravagance. Since they only stock a single brand of most items, it's not like you have a choice, either. Don't want to pay $4.99 for half a gallon of milk? Tough nuts, cowboy. That same half-gallon is $3.79 at the Park Slope Key Food, by the way.

Still also not a fan of how the produce is divided - sometimes you're looking at organic ($$) stuff, while other times you're not, and there's no good way to figure out if they have a cheaper version somewhere around a corner that you're not noticing. This problem is somewhat solved by the store being relatively small, but it's still annoying and it took me 15 minutes to find granola today.

So all that is still annoying, but a lot has changed. They have reorganized things a bit, so it doesn't feel like there's much wasted space. The selection of products seems to have stopped changing so rapidly, and everything is there, (I think). Oh, they also have beer finally. They have a pretty good selection but it's all predictably priced at the high end. $9.99 for a sixer of Amstel Light? $10.99 for Sam Adams? The Associated on Myrtle is still a better bet for your boozing needs. They do carry Stumptown coffee now, though. Good Times.

So, I guess I'm back to recommending Fresh Fanatic again. There are still a few caveats and it's still too expensive, but prices aside, I'm not sure there's a nicer grocery store to walk through in the neighborhood, and I'll be heading back somewhat regularly, even if I won't be doing my regular shopping there.

Until they piss me off again.

CHB Gets to Try Dino Before Me

2010-07-16T13:31:00Z

Not that they did anything special, mind you, but Clinton Hill Blog got in and tried the new restaurant that's replaced Loulou: Dino. Longtime readers will remember my great fondness for Loulou and my despair at its passing, so it will be with a critical eye that I examine Dino.

For the time being, go read up on what Lesterhead thinks.

Jive Turkey Re-Opens

2010-07-16T00:28:00Z

I'm not sure there's a more famous restaurant in Clinton Hill than Jive Turkey, which seems to be featured on the Food Network once a year or so. They recently closed up shop to move down the block, and now they're open again, this time between Emerson and Classon.

Go forth and get ye some deep-fried turkey and fixins!

[Thanks to Myrtle Minutes for the heads up and the picture]

Eggplant Parmesan

2010-07-14T12:45:00Z

I love eggplant parmesan. I didn't always, but a few years ago I tried making one for the first time and fell head over heels. It's not something I tackle that often, though, because it's a major time investment for me and by the end it's possible I'll be cranky, tired, and not hungry any more.

Still, it's worth it.

Liv has been bugging me to make one for a while, and since she'll be departing for an extended vacation soon (without me), I figured now's as good a time as any. As luck would have it, we stopped by the Fort Greene farmer's market on Saturday and found some gorgeous eggplant.

My fate was sealed.

Something to note before I dive in–I highly recommend that if you're going to make this that you do it on a day when you have ample free time. The way I make it, it's a long process, and I made the mistake of making this on a Monday night when I really needed to get to bed early, so I felt rushed the whole time. Feeling rushed is no fun and is no way to enjoy eating, so try and give yourself an afternoon to do this. Another option is to get it ready to bake, then wait and actually finish it off the next day.

Without further ado:

Brian's Eggplant Parmesan

Ingredients

2 lbs fresh eggplant (about two large ones from the grocery store or four smaller ones from a farmers' market)
1.5-2 lbs fresh mozzarella (two balls) sliced into 1/4" slices
1 cup freshly grated parmigiano reggiano
1 cup bread crumbs
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes or tomato puree
1-2 tbsp mined garlic
Olive oil
6-10 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1-2 fresh sage leaves, crushed or chopped
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Peel the eggplants and slice them in 1/4-inch slices. Some people like them thicker, but I don't. Slices this thin create more work (because you end up with more slices), but I personally think it's worth it. Place a layer of eggplant slices in a colander in your sink, and liberally sprinkle kosher salt over them. Continue to layer in eggplant and salt until all of the eggplant is in the colander, then stack some plates on them to drain. The idea is to pull out as much moisture from the eggplant as possible. Let the eggplant drain for 1-2 hours.

While the eggplant is draining, you can start the sauce. In a heavy-bottomed pot or saucepan, heat up 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil and add the minces garlic. Once the garlic is soft, add the tomatoes and crushed or chopped sage leaves, and a little salt and pepper to taste. Let this simmer while you're draining the eggplant, stirring from time to time.

When the eggplant is drained, remove the slices and brush off any excess salt. Lay the slices on paper towels to drain further. You can even put another paper town over them to pull off more moisture.

In one bowl, combine the flour and breadcrumbs, and have the beaten eggs in another. Put about half an inch of olive oil over medium heat in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. When the oil is simmering, dredge each eggplant slice first in the flour/breadcrumb mixture then in the egg, then place in the hot oil. Cook each slice until golden brown on each side, then remove and set on paper towels. Do this for all the eggplant slices.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Once the sauce has cooked for a while and the eggplant is all fried, you're ready to begin final assembly. Start with a thin layer of sauce along the bottom of the dish, following by a layer of eggplant, then a layer of mozzarella cheese, parmigiano reggiano, and basil. Do this 2 more times, finishing it off with all of the remaining cheese and basil.

Bake for 30 minutes, until te top layer of cheese begins to brown. Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

There you have it. It's one of my favorite dishes, but it's really something I prefer not to attempt on a weekday evening because of how long I spend with it. Sure, you can spend less time draining the eggplant or use thicker slices so there's less to fry, but some things are worth taking your time with.

Black Swan Review

2010-07-09T21:00:00Z

Black Swan flew in (ha!) a bit under my radar. I had no idea it existed until seeing it mentioned on Clinton HIll Blog recently, after which I noticed that Babes Who Brunch had already written it up. Since it's really close by, I regret by being beaten to the punch. Twice. By girls.

Kudos to them, though, and I'm glad someone finally let me know about it at any rate. Last night I gave it a try for the first time.

Black Swan's atmosphere is a bit mixed, like it can't decide if it would rather be a restaurant or a bar. It's a long, narrow space divided in half, with a short corridor bordering the kitchen connecting the two spaces. Up front is a good looking but small bar, with a great beer list and what looked like decent liquor, though I didn't give it a close inspection. In the back is a restaurant that while nice, feels more like a tavern than anything else. The high wood booths, long tables, and butcher paper placemats send a very "pub food" message. I liked it though, and I think it would make a good place to watch a bit game. With a special going on for the stupid Lebron special as well as huge signage for the World Cup, they seem to have the same idea.

One thing I really didn't like about the physical space was the seating in the booths. The benches are unconscionably narrow, making it feel like you're perched on a ledge the whole time. That's no way to enjoy a meal! I feel like maybe it should be a minor thing, but my ass was killing me by the end of dinner and it really affected my enjoyment of the night. Aside from the booths and long tables with benches, there were a number of traditional tables. I suggest you demand one of those if you stop in.

The menu is brisk - it'll take you more time to decide on a beer or bottle of wine than it will to pick your food, I imagine. That's more a reflection on the extensive beer and wine lists than it is a criticism of the menu, though. Many of my favorite neighborhood restaurants have really brief menus, and I'd always rather have a few great choices than 15 pages of uninspired nincompoopery.

Liv did mention that it would have been nice to have a specialty cocktail menu. I told her they'd make whatever she wanted, but I guess she needs interesting drink names (The Excelsior!) and odd liquor combinations (passion fruit schnapps, Asian pear bitters, and just a *hint* of Central American vodka!) to be happy.

How about the food? To start, we had fried catfish fingers which were on special. I've now had catfish fingers/fritters at three neighborhood restaurants, and while these were certainly good and worth ordering, I'm not sure they're better than the fritters at EN or the fingers at Two Steps Down. They were very spicy and I have no real complaints, but both EN and Two Steps Down blew me away with theirs. Still, I'd order these ones again.

For her entree, Liv had the Curry Chicken Salad Sandwich, which came with some uninspired mixed greens. The actual chicken salad was very interesting and didn't disappoint, but it came on this roll for which it was really ill-suited. The roll was big and dense and with every bite it felt like you got way more bun than anything else. For this kind of sandwich I'd have much preferred something like the light, crispy brioche roll that Poppa's Place (or Cornerstone or whatever it's called now) uses for their pulled pork sandwich. Liv suggested a thin piece of rye might do the trick, and I agreed. Anything but this massive whole where sponge. The dish was made better by tossing half the bun aside, frankly.

I had the BK Chop, and it was really good. It came with candied sweet potatoes and spicy green beans, and the sweet potatoes especially were really great. While expensive, it's a good pork chop and I'd recommend it.

The menu also had good-sounding burger and a spicy chicken dish that was tempting, as well as a couple of steaks. Nothing really jumped out at me, but if the burger's good I could see Black Swan becoming a good "burger and a beer" place to watch a game. For $17 you can get the burger and a Six Point Righteous Ale, and that's not a bad way to spend $17.

Black Swan was a little disappointing in some ways, but I'm not really sure what I was expecting. It's a little classier than your typical bar food joint, but I'm not sure if that makes it a better choice than Rustik or the Brooklyn Public House. It's more expensive, and the food didn't really blow me away. If you live close by, definitely give it a try, but I'm not sure it's a better place to watch a game than Moe's or Mullane's and the food isn't as good as Cornerstone, Aqualis, or Number 7, while still being in that general price range. Not bad, but hard to justify a long trip out with so many other good options nearby.

Olivia's Famous Lemon Squares

2010-07-05T17:22:00Z

In some parts of the Northeastern United States, there are those who whisper tales of baked goods like no other. Few claim to have ever tried them personally, but everyone seems to know someone who has. Over the years the legend has changed a bit, but parts of it always remain the same: They're yellow. And square. And there's lemon in there, somewhere.

This weekend I had a chance to try these legendary treats. "Are these they," I inquired?

"They are."

Olivia's Famous Lemon Squares
Adapted from Yankee Magazine's Just Desserts

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar + more for dusting
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
2 eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 1/2 tbsp freshly-squeezed lemon juice

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together flour and 1/4 cup confectioners sugar. Cut in the butter until the mixture has the consistency of cornmeal. Press mixture evenly on bottom of an ungreased 9-inch square pan. Bake for 20 minutes.

While that is baking, beat the eggs, white sugar, salt, baking powder and lemon juice together until light and fluffy. Pour on to hot, partially baked crust. Return to oven and bake for 25 minutes. Dust with confectioners sugar. Cut into squares and enjoy!

Trip

2010-07-03T12:02:00Z

I had a rough night on Halloween, 1997. I was a sophomore in college at Colgate University, and Halloween happened to fall on a Friday that year. Instead of reliving the (very) gory details of the evening, I'll just say that I imbibed.

The next day was a painful one because of the massive and enduring hangover I suffered. The pain didn't last all that long, though, because at some point in the afternoon, my Friend Lindsay convinced me to go out and get a cat. Why she thought a cat would be a suitable cure for a hangover still escapes me, but sound reasoning in general often escapes Lindsay. And me, for that matter.

Upstate, NY in November is a dreary, cold place filled with heartbreak and despair. We drove all over creation that evening looking for a cat hospital that would let me adopt a cat. "You live in a dorm," they said! "You're obviously an idiot, and you can't have a cat in a dorm," they kept saying! Of course, they were right, but I was 19, hung over, and determined. While I wanted to adopt a cat, I also din't want to return home without one. We ended up at a pet store in the Sangertown Square mall in New Hartford, NY, where I found Trip.

I'd never owned a cat before, having always wanted one as a kid but never having those desires indulged by my parents. Dog? Check - we had a Lhasa Apso named Wicket who hated water and cars, barely knew his name and liked to crap on the carpet. Throughout my childhood I also had a turtle (Oscar Moron), two white rats (Herbert and Houdini), a sparrow (Little Man), and two parakeets (James and Rita). But never a cat - for that I'd need a hangover and some poorly-considered advice from a friend, apparently.

Trip's name was almost Dexter, actually. Third place was Mr. Biggelsworth, as we were all just thrilled with Austin Powers at the time. Thank Jebus that one didn't make it. It made sense to me at the time because it could have been shortened to Biggs, which appealed to me as a Star Wars reference, but in the end I thought better of naming Trip after a movie cat, which I think speaks to my character.

Trip's first night was spent mostly just running up and down my bed, chasing either my feet or my hands under the covers. When he finally did fall asleep, it was perched on the pillow right above my head. While this might have been convenient for him, it meant that when he was startled awake (which happened a number of times), head immediately extend all of his claws and grab hold for dear life. My head wasn't pleased, as Trip had very sharp little kitten claws.

Sleeping on me would be something that lasted with Trip for most of his life. When he was little, and broken of the habit of head-clawing, he used to sleep on my chest or neck for as long as he could, usually being tossed aside once I rolled over. I still remember the afternoon at my parents' house during the summer when he was suddenly too big to do this. He tried to fall asleep on my neck and was just too big - I had to tell him it wasn't going to happen anymore, buddy. Still, for the next 13 years Trip was always pretty happy sleeping on me, somehow.

Trip was a biter. Some cats will bit playfully, while others will just lick you. Trip would grab hold of your hand and bite like you slapped his sister. In college, this meant Trip was always called, "weird." Later in life, it manifested as "holy shit that's a cantankerous cat." He was a pretty big cat (for a while I told people he was part lynx), and extremely strong, so if he got you, it hurt like a bitch. The thing is, Trip was just not a fan of most people who weren't me. He also did play rough - he was an upstate barn cat, and that's just the way they roll. He'd get me from time to time, but he was always just playing. With others, though? Yeah, that could hurt. Trip just didn't give a hoot about anyone except me, and I was always pretty fine with that.

Trip was also a yeller. He didn't start out that way, though. When he was little, he could barely make a sound at all. He'd open his mouth and nothing would come out. As he got a little older, he started to meow a bit, but it was the most pathetic thing you'd ever heard. We'd try to get him to meow just to hear it - it was the sound of a cartoon mouse dying of heartbreak. To that end, I'd always encourage him to meow. When I'd come home every day, he'd try to say hello and I'd meow right back. This positive reinforcement turned out to be an interesting choice, because after a few years, Trip found his voice. And he used it. For anything. When he got older, I had to put him on a strict diet, which meant only getting fed twice a day instead of a 24-hour food bowl available at all times. Dear lord, the cacophony. I think after a while he probably thought his name was, "Shut up, Trip."

I had a friend named Pete who stayed with me for a few months while we were, let's say, "between career opportunities." Pete needed a couch and I happened to have one, so it was a great fit. Unfortunately, Pete was allergic to cats, but in the end, free couch > cats. Our financial situations weren't really, "solid," in those days, so we had to scrimp and save to even afford White Castle (which was so worth it). After a month or two, Pete decided it was really time to give his stinky-ass clothes a good wash, and used what little money he had to do two loads of laundry, folding it all neatly in his duffle bag. This turned out to be a poor place to store clean laundry, as Trip decided "clean laundry" really meant "second litter box." Poor Pete's clothes were clean no longer.

Trip peed on lots of stuff he shouldn't have. That's all I have to say about that.

Trip had a scare a few years ago when I woke up to find him sprawled on the bathroom floor, not moving and not looking well at all. I didn't have a car at the time, so I called a car service and got him to the Forest Hills Cat Hospital as fast as I could. It turned out he had a urinary tract blockage, which was serious but treatable if they could get a catheter in. Because it was Trip, that proved extremely difficult. Because he was so big and strong and distrusting of everyone not me, he did not do well at the vet at all. While they did finally get the catheter in and he passed the blockage and was just find (after a week), the hospital told me that they'd never seen a cat that was so difficult to work with. Trip was just not pleased to be anywhere but home, and he was just fine letting everyone know that.

Two months ago, Trip seemed to be losing weight kind of alarmingly fast and was having trouble breathing. I took him to the Clinton Hill Animal Clinic for what I thought would be a routine checkup, but turned out to be must worse. They said his lungs and chest cavity were filled with fluid, and I needed to get him to the emergency hospital as fast as possible. That was the first time I had to think about losing him.

Turned out, he wasn't in good shape. One of the chambers of his heart was failing, and no matter what they did, they couldn't really keep the fluid out of his lungs. They wanted to do a bevy of tests and keep him for a few more days (they'd already kept him overnight), but they couldn't really tell me what good it would do. He was sick no matter what. I knew how much he hated being there, and how stressful it must have been for him. I'm not a doctor, but I know stress isn't good for your heart, so I went to bring him home, even if was over the objections of the vet.

A funny thing happened by the time I got there, though. He was suddenly responding much better to the medicine he was getting, and they thought maybe it might actually make sense to send him home. When I walked into the room to see him, the vet said the change in him was night and day. Like before, they'd told me he was one of the most difficult cats they'd ever seen - even with a failing heart - but once I showed up he settled down and they even got his IV out without sedating him. All Trip wanted was to go home. Despite the encouragement, the vet told me he probably only had a few weeks to a month at best.

Trip passed away yesterday afternoon, after two months of fighting a broken heart. He'd been having good days and bad days, but he'd been truckin' along ok. I honestly thought he'd confound everyone and live another few months. Thursday he had a bit of a bad day, so we decided he'd sleep alone in my room with us, much to the chagrin of both the dog and my other cat, Seven. Trip had one great last night, sleeping next to me like he wanted and purring the whole night. After breakfast the next day, he took one last walk down stairs, where his heart finally gave up.

Trip was a great cat, and he'll be missed.

If you ever met him, please feel free to talk about it in this post. Because of a computer disaster a few years ago, the one above is currently the only picture I can find of him, but I'm going to be scouring some old backup discs to see what else I can find. If you happen to have any pictures of him, please take a moment to send them along.

Happy Long Weekend

2010-07-02T12:31:00Z

I'm blessed with a four day weekend for the 4th this year, and I plan on taking full advantage of it - mostly by doing absolutely nothing. Between a new job, a new dog, and some light to medium reorganizing of my apartment, I feel like I've been moving at speed for months now, and this break is welcome.

Still, I'm hoping to really enjoy our neighborhood this weekend. I've already resolved to check out Black Swan, a new restaurant around the corner from me that Lesterhead wrote up the other day. I'll stop by the Fort Greene farmer's market tomorrow for who knows what, and I'll bet Gnarly Vines has a tasting or two worth checking out. A recent Twitter exchange with @MyrtleShuffle also has me craving some Buffy Patty, something I haven't indulged in in years.

There will definitely be some grillin' goin' on as well.

So how about you all? What are your plans for the weekend, and what do you think is worth checking out?

A Little Housekeeping

2010-07-01T15:57:00Z

I've had basically the same blog template since I started Clinton Hill Foodie, and I think it's been getting a bit long in the tooth. Frankly, I've been sick of it for a while. After all the little hacks and customizations I put it, I'm not sure it was rendering properly on any browser, and with Blogger recently changing the way images are handled, the whole thing was just a mess.

So I'm playing with things a bit. You'll notice things changing over the next few days as I settle in on something I like. For now, I'm using a very simple and basic template just to change things for the sake of change. If I like it, I'll keep it, but I may play around with it for a bit. If you have any feelings about it one way or the other, or if you find something broken, feel free to leave a comment.

Myrtle Avenue Community Farm Stand

2010-06-30T16:00:00Z

This is a great idea, and I can't wait to see it.

The Myrtle Avenue Revitalization Project (MARP) will be launching a community-run farm stand to be held every Thursday in front of the Ingersoll Community Center (177 Myrtle Avenue) from 4pm-7pm from July 8th through October 28th. The farm stand will be staffed by three youth and two elders from the neighborhood, and will bring local produce to the western end of Myrtle Avenue to help address the lack of fresh food in the area. The Myrtle Avenue Farm Stand is part of the Myrtle Eats Fresh program, a food access initiative funded by the Community Experience Partnership, a collaboration between New York Community Trust, Atlantic Philanthropies, and United Neighborhood Houses.

For more information on the Myrtle Eats Fresh program visit our blog at http://www.myrtleavenue.org/blog/ OR contact Kassy Nystrom at 718.230.1689 / kassy@myrtleavenue.org.

We hope to see you there!

Google Map

Quick Lunch of Catfish and Grilled Corn

2010-06-29T16:00:00Z

Nothing much to this one, but sometimes theres no need to get complicated. After stopping in at the Habana Outpost recently, I got in my head that I wanted to try my own roasted corn. So I did! Nothing too tricky here, it's just grilled corn with some butter, paprika, and grated parmigiano reggiano.

Now, man does not live on corn alone, so I fried a big catfish filet with some butter and cajun seasoning. It made for a yummy, if unspectacular, lunch.

Brick Oven Pizza at Anima

2010-06-28T16:00:00Z

I've written about Anima a couple of times, but haven't stopped in since they installed their new fancy brick pizza oven. We're lucky in this part of Brooklyn to have a couple of very good choices for brick oven pizza in Graziella's and Il Porto, but more is always welcome.

So how is it? Pretty great, actually. We ordered four different pizzas and then shared them all, so we each got to try a slice. Pictured above are the Campagnola, with mozzarella, mushrooms, sausage, parmigiano reggiano, and parsley, the Diavola, with mozzarella, hot sopressata, olives, and red onion, the Popeye, with mozzarella, gorgonzola, baby spinach, pancetta, and apple and the Margherita, with mozzarella and basil.

Each was fantastic, and I was surprised at how well they compared with Il Porto. Il Porto tends to take more risks with the toppings of their named pizzas, and I honestly think Anima has more hits on its menu. I'll definitely stop by again and try one or two more.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

2010-06-27T21:07:00Z

Strawberry rhubarb pie is one of summer's great treats. While at the Ft Greene farmer's market last weekend we picked up a bunch of fresh strawberries and gorgeous rhubarb, for exactly this purpose.

This pie was a combined effort by me and Liv. I did the filling, and she tackled the much harder (at least, in my opinion) pie crust. The result was pretty spectacular, though.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Ingredients

For Crust:

3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup vegetable shortening
1 tsp salt
3-6 tbsp water

For Filling

3 cups fresh rhubarb, cut into 1/2-in pieces
1 cup frech strawberries, cut into quarters
1 cup sugar
3 tbsp quick cooking tapioca
Dash of salt
1 tbsp orange zest

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

For crust:

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, shortening, and salt. Slowly add water, adding just enough that the dough barely holds together. This is tricky.

Lay crust into a 10-inch pie place, making sure to cover the entire plate.

Cut extra dough into 1-inch strips for the lattice.

For filling:

In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients and stir together well. Let sit for 10-15 minutes.

Put the filling in the pie and then cover with the lattice.

Back for 30 minutes at 400, then reduce heat to 350 and back 40 minutes more or until done. Keep an eye on the pie and take it out when the lattice starts to brown.

So there you have it! A very simple but amazing pie, perfect for summer.

Max's Bloody Battle - This Sunday!

2010-06-15T18:49:00Z

The next Max Power's Bloody battle is coming up this weekend! As we all know, I'm a Bloody Mary devotee, and I've always loved the local Bloody Battles that Max puts on. This Sunday will be an ever-so-special battle, and one in which I'll be taking part as a judge!

Here's the info, straight from Max himself:

From: Max Power
To: Bloody Mary Drinkers Everywhere
Subject: Celebrate MOE'S NINTH YEAR ANNIVERSARY with MAX POWER'S BLOODY MIXER Sunday June 20th!

FOR THOSE OF YOU WITH SHORT ATTENTION SPANS:
What: Moe's 9th Anniversary Party with Max Power's Bloody Mixer
When: Sunday June 20th @ 2pm, Bring your mix for judging by 5pm!
Where: Moe's Bar and Lounge, 80 Lafayette Ave, Brooklyn
Why: Celebrate Moe's 9th Anniversary and if you have the guts Bring Your Bloody Mary Mix To See If You Are Good Enough To Compete In The Next Bloody Battle!

Details Below and Online!

Hello All You Happy Bloody Mary Drinkers!!

I am back and the next Max Power's Bloody Battle is currently taking shape. As you may recall the next battle is an open call to Ft Greene / Clinton Hill residents. To narrow down the contestants to five we will pre-empt the Max Power's Bloody Battle with a Bloody Mixer. And to make it even more awesome we are celebrating MOE'S 9th YEAR ANNIVERSARY with Max Power's Bloody Mixer on Sunday, June 20th starting at 2pm!! Enter your mix and/or enjoy your choice of Max Power's and the current 3 winning Ft Greene / Clinton Hill Bloody Mary's — Maggie Brown, Chez Oskar, and Olea — and celebrate Moe's 9th Anniversary! I'm so friggin' psyched!

Hope to see you all there! Moe's, Sunday, 2pm.