My First Encounter with English Bacon

So, I’ve heard mixed reviews about English bacon but have never had the opportunity to find out for myself. That is until I decided to stop in for a few drinks and a bite to eat at Black Horse Pub. This place is filled, but not packed, with crazy Brits screaming at the big screen above the bar during some football match. They serve a full English Breakfast here but seeing as how it was well past lunch time I opted for English bacon on a roll. (Please excuse my crappy photo as my real camera is broken and my phone doesn't take the best pics.) I honestly didn't think I’d love it—considering how much I adore good old American thin, crispy, streaky bacon—but I was actually quite pleased. It's much thicker, a bit sweeter, and served simply on a buttered, toasted roll. It's basically just meat & bread... but I have to say, it’s one of my new favorite sandwiches!

Earlier this week I found out that a good friend will be moving to London in a few months. This of course devastated me as she is someone who would go to great lengths to help me discover new places to eat pigs in a blanket (what I am I going to do without you??). But now that I know English bacon is so dope, the news is now rather exciting and I can’t wait to go visit (so please hurry up and move already)!

Review: Meatball Shop

The Meatball Shop on Stanton & Allen in the LES.

Ginger snap and coconut macaroon strawberry ice cream sandwich:

Review: Hot Bird Food Truck

Snacks from the Hotbird food truck on Atlantic & Clinton in Clinton Hill.

“Really good bacon:”

Review: Supper

Dinner at Supper on 2nd St. between A & B in the East Village.

Prosciutto di Parma:

Review: Wondee Siam

Dinner at Wondee Siam on 9th & 53rd in Hell’s Kitchen.

Crispy pork special:

Review: Melt

Dinner at Melt on Bergen between 5th & Flatbush in Park Slope.

Pulled pork sliders:

Review: Apizz

Dinner at Apizz on Eldridge between Rivington & Stanton in the LES.

Lasagna cinghiale (wild boar ragu):

Pera con Prosciutto:

Review: People’s Pops

People’s Pops at the Brooklyn Flea at One Hanson.

Apricot Lavender:

Review: Nolita House

Dinner at Nolita House on Houston between Mulberry & Mott in Nolita.

Carnitas tacos:

Review: Blue Marble Ice Cream

Blue Marble Ice Cream on Atlantic between Bond & Nevins in Boerim Hill.

Pistachio Almondine:

Review: Xie Xie

Dinner at Xie Xie on 9th Ave. between 45th & 46th in Hell’s Kitchen.

Sweet glazed pork sandwich:

Review: Smoke Joint

Lunch at Smoke Joint on South Elliot at Lafayette in Fort Greene.

Iceberg wedge with bacon:

Review: Krystal's Cafe

Dinner at Krystal's Cafe on Roosevelt & 69th in Woodside.

Pork adobo:

Lumpiang Shanghai:

NYC's Best Sandwiches

Grubstreet has a list of the 101 Best Sandwiches in New York. And no surprise, many of these are pork sandwiches! There are so many in fact that I decided to choose a mere 10 from the list that I would like to try in the next year or so. From the bottom of the list up, here are my picks:

100. The Elvis - Peanut Butter & Co.

83. Ham & Cheese - Char No. 4

56. Bacon & Marmalade - Prune

53. PMB (pancetta, mango & basil) - Sullivan St. Bakery

43. Bacon, Egg & Lettuce - BKLYN Larder

39. Bacon, Egg & Cheese - Prime Meats

32. BLT - Frankie’s Sputino

26. Country Ham Biscuit - Egg

22. Grilled 3-Cheese with House-smoked Ham - The Breslin

13. Croque Monsieur - Bar Boulud

I think I’ll start with number 53! A lot of these picks are based on me already loving particular restaurants or wanting to try ones I haven’t. There is lots of porky goodness on the list besides these. What are your favorites? Any sandwiches that you think are missing? I think Bierkraft’s Serrano should have been very high on the list. And are ice cream sandwiches not considered? Because Xie Xie’s 1000 Year Old Ice Cream Sandwich would easily top my list!

Review: Tia Pol

Dinner at Tia Pol on 10th Ave. between 23rd & 22nd in Chelsea.

Roast suckling pig:

Hot Chicks Eat Bacon

Mad Men’s Christina Hendricks is mad for bacon—chocolate covered bacon to be exact—according to Esquire. A woman after my own heart, she orders a soup with both pancetta and guanciale and exclaims “I know my pork!” She goes on to extol the wonderful uses of having a deep fryer. Is there anything sexier than a hot woman who just loves to eat?

Next month, I will be going a Mad Men-era cocktail party filled with hot women who love to eat. So what do I bring for these drunk, hungry bitches? When I think of 1960s entertaining, I think: canapes! And wouldn’t baconmarmalade be a beautiful (and yummy) topping for a canape?! But... I’m not exactly prepared to share that much of my stash. Instead, I whipped out my trusty Bacon Cookbook and found a french cheese & bacon puff recipe that looks amazing. I then googled 1960s canapes and found a recipe for “baconettes” which sounds more theme appropriate. Which would you rather enjoy while knocking back a gimlet or two?

French Cheese & Bacon Puffs

1 cup water

1 stick butter, cut into pieces

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup flour

4 large eggs

1/2 lb slab bacon, diced

1 cup shredded Gruyére

Combine water, butter & salt in a heavy saucepan & bring to a boil. Reduce heat, add flour & beat w/ a wooden spoon until a ball of dough forms. Transfer to a mixing bowl & add eggs one at a time, beating with an electric mixer on high until the batter holds soft peaks. Cover with plastic wrap & chill briefly.

Fry bacon until crisp & drain. Preheat oven to 375° & Butter a large baking sheet. Fold the cheese & bacon into batter & drop by tablespoon onto the baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, turn heat off & let stand until golden & crisp, about 10 minutes.

OR

Baconettes

bacon

peanut butter

large apple & toothpicks

Spread slices of bacon with peanut butter. Roll tight & fasten with toothpicks (soaked in water). Toast under broiler until bacon is done. Serve by sticking the toothpicks into a large apple.

Review: Purple Yam

Purple Yam on Cortelyou between Rugby & Argyle in Ditmas Park.

Banana rum:

Hipsters on Horseback

A recipe sent in by our West Coast correspondent, Kajsa:

You've had Angels On Horseback, (oysters wrapped in bacon), and Devils On Horseback, (dates wrapped in bacon - the ones at Magnolia are fantastic), I now give you Hipsters On Horseback! Yes, there may have been drinking involved in the naming of this creation. These are super simple and quick to make and the brininess of the hearts goes well with the salty fattiness of the bacon. I prefer to use thick cut peppered bacon from a butcher—it cooks more evenly and is easier to wrap.

1lb bacon
1 large jar of marinated artichoke hearts

Preheat broiler to 400º and move the rack to the top position.
Line a shallow baking pan with aluminum foil.
Drain the artichoke hearts and cut the bacon in half, wrap each heart and secure with a toothpick.
Broil for 5 minutes, turn them over and broil for another 5 - 9 minutes, until bacon is crispy.
Makes about 24

Can I rate my own dish? 4 strips!!!

Review: Five Guys Burgers & Fries

Dinner at Five Guys on 7th Ave between 6th & 7th in Park Slope.

Bacon cheeseburger:

Mmmmacarons...with bacon!

At the Brooklyn Lyceum this weekend, I was on a mission to pick up some spicy BaconMarmalade, taste some MilkMade ice cream and see what other goodies I could find. Unfortunately, it was disgustingly hot and muggy up there preventing me from perusing all the tables very thoroughly. But on my quick loop around I spotted a sign through the crowd with the enticing words: Candied Bacon with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting. As I drew closer, I still had no idea what this candied bacon thing was... until I saw the pretty little display of macarons off to the side. I LOVE macarons! And now someone has put two of my great loves together? Yes, I know I have many great loves—but this is one I hadn’t even thought of. Macaron Parlour has a very unique take on the traditional macaron. Upon first bite, it is rather odd to find an actual piece of bacon sandwiched inside your delicate macaron. But the flavors are rather intriguing and work together quite well. Thanks to Simon for offering me a paper towel to mop myself up so that I may enjoy your macaron even more! Other interesting flavors I have yet to try:

S’mores

Black Sesame with Cookies & Cream Ice Cream

Might I suggest a new flavor collaboration? How about BaconMarmalade and chocolate... ooo.

Review: Bierkraft

Lunch at Bierkraft on 5th between Berkley & Union in Park Slope.

Serrano sandwich:

Peanut butter gelato & brownie sandwich:

Keep Fit - Eat Meat Every Day

This past weekend I ventured over the Williamsburg bridge for brunch at Marlow & Sons. My friend and I shared a couple dishes that included an amazing boudin sausage—possibly my favorite part of the meal (and yes, I did have bacon). Afterwards we stopped into Marlow & Daughters to check out the butcher shop where this wonderful sausage came from. Scott Bridi, manager and charcutier (and dining partner), was kind enough to give us a tour. See all photos here.

The place was packed and meat case close to empty. Scott was busy cranking out lamb sausages. Eventually there was a lull & the meat case was replenished before the shot above was taken. I was then introduced to the various charcuterie available—smoked meats, fresh sausages, patés, terrines. There is a lot of thought and care in the preparation of these items. Wine and fresh herbs are often used “to create the balance of a well composed dish,” according to Bridi. We of course had to see for ourselves... we sampled duck rillettes, pork rillettes, a Sunset Park taco-inspired pig head terrine, and sweet sopressata. Like the boudin at brunch, I could certainly eat any of these as a meal by itself. Another wonderful thing about the prepared foods is that it gives the shop an opportunity to make use of the whole animal.

Marlow & Daughters does whole animal butchering and they source their animals very locally. Their beef is from 3 farms in upstate NY. Pork comes from EcoFriendly Foods in VA as well as farms upstate including Flying Pigs. The lamb is from Elysian Fields Farm in PA. Duck and rabbit are from a farm in New Paltz. Meat isn’t all that they get locally. Fresh veggies come from Guy Jones’ upstate farm and their beans come from Cayuga Pure Organics in Ithaca. A number of groceries are sourced even closer to home: popsicles from Brooklyn Flea regulars People’s Pops, Williamsburg’s own Mast Brothers Chocolate, and Marlow & Sons’ house-made ice cream, granola, marmalade and hazelnut butter (to name a few).

This is truly your local neighborhood butcher shop... and if it's not exactly local to you, it’s worth it to go out of your way. These guys aren’t just chopping up meat. They can tell you what cut to use and the best way to prepare it. There is a flexibility and a trust between the staff of M&D and their customers. Talk to Scott, TJ or Andrew who can offer suggestions on easy, delicious dishes based on what’s available. Coming from the kitchens of Gramercy Tavern, craft, and Momofuku—these guys know how to fucking cook. So take advantage of that knowledge when planning your next meal. And don’t forget:

P.S.

M&D will soon be selling barbecue packages... Get your grills ready! (Talking to you, Rosa.) If you can’t grill, their eponymous pork sausage will be available at Summer Stage this year.

Review: Double Windsor

Dinner at Double Windsor on PPW & 16th in Windsor Terrace.

Grilled fontina & emmental on country bread with thick-cut Nueske’s bacon:

Review: Marlow & Sons

Brunch at Marlow & Sons on Broadway and Berry in South Williamsburg.

Home-made biscuits with bacon egg & cheese:

Peanut butter. Bacon. Burger??

My plans for Saturday already include a trip to Shake Shack to try the custard of the day: Pancakes & Bacon. I am all for bacon is desserts—bacon in anything really. Bacon is great on burgers. Bacon is great with peanut butter. But what to make of this very limited Shack offer (available this Saturday at the UWS location only): a peanut butter bacon burger? Could be interesting. Imagine beef satay sprinkled with bacon... that sounds tasty! But for some reason I just can’t see that combination being super awesome in a burger. And since I won’t be trekking all the way uptown, I guess I’ll never know.

Pork Parfait

At first glance, the meat sundae looks rather odd (if not a bit gross). But the carnival concoction actually sounds pretty tasty. It consists of pulled pork, barbecue sauce and mashed potatoes. I can’t seem to think of a better combination at the moment... and aren't we all looking for easier ways to eat pork? Porky’s BBQ, the traveling vendor from Indiana that created this portable product, was most recently at the Miami-Dade County Fair. Let’s hope they hit the North East area soon...

Review: Meatball Shop

The Meatball Shop in the on Stanton just off Allen in the LES.

Walnut meringue cookie & caramel ice cream sandwich:

Review: Ultimate Burgers & Dogs

Dinner at Ultimate Burgers & Dogs on Degraw between Court & Clinton in Carroll Gardens.

Bacon-wrapped dog with cheddar cheese:

West Coast Review: Starbelly’s

I never thought I’d be reviewing a BLT. The proliferation of the sandwich and the endless variety of add-ons, (I recently heard of a BLAST: Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado, Shrimp and Tomato), would make writing about them a herculean task. But this one. THIS one. It was perfect.

Starbelly’s BLT is built around some of the best tasting bacon I’ve had in months. It is very thick cut, chewy and extremely flavorful with a slight pepper kick; three fat slabs of delicious. The bread is a squishy, lightly toasted ciabatta roll, about eight inches long and smothered in basil aioli. The tomatoes were, (as are all the restaurant’s produce), farm fresh and perfectly ripe. I especially appreciated the pile of wild baby arugula, dressed lightly in oil, that echoed the pepper in the bacon.

Now it may seem that I am not the lightest of eaters, but I am. I love food, but can only handle small portions and generally end up taking quite a bit home when I dine out, as inelegant as that is seen to be. I ate the whole thing. It was bigger than my head.

(honorable mention goes to the Old Bay remoulade served with the fries)

Review by Kajsa Sexton. Photo by Suzanne Ray.

West Coast Review: The Buckshot

Full disclosure: I love this place. I would live there if I could Decor that tends toward the hunting lodge kitsch—I’ve never seen more animal heads in one place at once—with a smattering of metal and skate punk memorabilia. Cheap beer, shuffle board, pool, and skee-ball, people. In addition to this nexus of happiness, The Buckshot has a kitchen that serves, along with delicious southern-style fare, chicken fried bacon. I moved out to the West Coast from New York without ever having had the opportunity to try this recent phenomenon. I spent hours on the internet looking for a place in San Francisco that served it, only to find complaints on Yelp that it was no where to be found. So yes, I may have spilled my beer on my companions at seeing it on their chalkboard menu.

The bacon is both chewy and crunchy and lightly breaded with a crust that tends to flake off. The bacon flavor and it’s saltiness gets lost a bit in the seasoning of the batter; a thicker cut of bacon could be in order. The eight piece serving comes in a parchment lined tin cup with a side of maple syrup, which as a dipping sauce is absolutely key. Though not as thrilling as my imagination had built it up to be, I have not yet been there without ordering it; a fantastic bar snack.

As if a serving of that between two people weren’t enough, I had to try the Miss Piggy’s Mac ‘N’Cheese. It’s made with three cheeses, (Bleu, Cheddar, and either Jack or Pepper Jack—whichever they have that day), bacon, herbs and garlic bread crumbs. The portions could easily feed three, the macaroni nothing fancy and comfortingly reminiscent of good ol’ Kraft. In this dish, the bacon and Bleu are king. It is incredibly rich and creamy with bacon chunks throughout, not just as a garnish. It is well cooked and in good sized chunks, that retain their crunch despite the cheesy dousing. It's a salty dish, and the rosemary and parsley nicely balance its throat coating quality without diminishing the bacon flavor that permeates every bite.

Review by Kajsa Sexton.

You Are How Much You Eat

I read this article in AMNY yesterday that made me very happy. It states that “potion control yields more weight loss than changing the foods you eat or exercising more.” I’ve already started exercising more than I ever have in my entire life (considering I’ve never worked out before). But one thing I did not want to do in order to get back into my pre-baconista jeans is to change what I eat. I love meat, ice cream, all fatty foods in general and I’ve never had a problem with my weight eating what I do. Granted I am now in my 30s and I spent an entire year eating out excessively, hence the new work out DVDs. But this article makes me feel much better about the pork taco (notice that’s singular) I had for dinner and the corn dog I had for lunch. I mean, what good is it to eat salads everyday if you eat 3 times as much as you should? And for those of you who think AMNY is not the best source for health advice, here a few others that claim the same thing:

The NY Times says people who exercise don’t necessarily lose weight without changing their eating habits. You burn 200-300 calories in a typical 30-minute work out—you replace that with one Gatorade. Good thing I don’t drink Gatorade... wonder how many calories are in coconut water?

Lisa Young, a nutritionist and professor at NYU says, “How much you eat is more important than what you eat.” 78% of people on diets think all they have to do is watch what they eat, she wants them to realize that quantity is a bigger concern.

Everyday Health says what we eat contributes to the obesity epidemic but “how much we eat and our lack of portion control may be even more important factors.” Ordering an appetizer as your entree or from a children’s menu is recommended when eating out.

ABC News shows that a low-fat, average protein diet resulted in the same amount of weight loss as a high-fat, high protein diet. What matters more is sticking to your chosen diet... I choose bacon!