Hungry Travels

I have a guest blogger today.  Jose and a few of my former Stamford colleagues (sniff) had the nerve to go to Pat’s Hubba Hubba without me, and then they emailed the pics just to rub salt in the wound.  

In the spirit of relaying important hot dog information, I will post what Jose wrote about the place.  Here’s what I know: There seems to be a Pat’s Hubba Hubba on Main St. in Port Chester (can anyone verify this?); the Stamford location had been closed since May due to a fire.  But to the delight of hot dog lovers everywhere, they’ve just re-opened!

Here are Jose’s Hubba Hubba thoughts:

By far the best hot dog experience I’ve had since I got involved in this little hot dog quest of yours. I ordered 2 with ketchup and onions (I know boring) and loved them. First they split the dogs and grill them which gives them a nice snap when you bite into them, and secondly they grill the onions which gives you an interesting snap, crunch thing.  At first I thought they looked kind of small but I couldn’t finish them off (I noticed Matt had the same problem — you can probably eat four). The only problem was they don’t have dogs pre-grilling so It took a little longer than I would have liked but all in all two thumbs up. One thing that Bryan commented on was they don’t have as big a selection as the other places we’ve eaten at, but I would rather have five things cooked to perfection than twenty things cooked adequately. I’m all about the Hubba Hubba.

Pat’s Hubba Hubba
820 Cove Rd.
Stamford, CT 06902
203-325-9928 

24 N. Main St.
Port Chester, NY 10573
914-939-7271 

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That’s not a Disney World PeopleMover you’re looking at; it’s the conveyer belt at Sakae Sushi, a Singapore chain restaurant that’s brought its futuristic touches to NYC.  The conveyer belt winds around the entire restaurant carrying traveling plates of sushi, ready to be picked right off the belt.  A cool concept… uh, if you’re not slow like me.

“I can’t figure out if this is real food or plastic display food,” I said to Danielle.  

She looked closely.  ”I think it’s real.”  

It took me a while to figure out that it was indeed real (The fragrant smells gave it away). 

The other unique thing about Sakae Sushi?   Each table has a computer that allows you to look at the entire menu and place your order without speaking to a server.  

We had fun with the computer, ordering a spicy crunchy tuna roll and an eel roll topped with tofu skins.

The lightly fried silken tofu in broth was delicate and delicious. 

Would I even think of concluding a sushi meal without mochi? Of course not.  Green tea mochi was strangely missing from the menu, and Danielle despises red bean (I’ll convert her, give me time), so we went with vanilla.

The menu here is ten times more varied and interesting than most sushi restaurants; there were literally dozens of items I wanted to try.  Everything we ate was excellent (especially the tofu — yum) and I enjoyed the weirdness of the computers and sushi conveyer belt.  George Jetson would love it.

Sakae Sushi 
405 Lexington Ave. 
New York, NY 10017
212-286-8868 

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Earlier in the summer I gushed about the $3.50 pork banh mi sandwich I ate in San Francisco’s Chinatown, and lamented the lack of Vietnamese restaurants in Westchester.  One of the perks of working in Manhattan now is the food options; the other day I read about Bôi to Go, a Vietnamese take-out spot just minutes from my office, and possibly the only restaurant in Midtown selling banh mi.  I was intrigued. 

Danielle works right around the corner from me, so I convinced her to take a lunch break (those crazy magazine publishers are always on deadline) and walk over to Bôi to Go to see what they’re all about.  She was game, and off we went.

You’ll notice the big difference between the banh mi here and the ones in Chinatown… 

Those are fair prices for Midtown, but they sort of contradict the whole mystique of a banh mi, which is partly that it’s so darn good, but also that it’s so darn cheap.  Still, beggars can’t be choosers, and Danielle went with the bbq pork banh mi. (Not only her first banh mi, but her first taste of Vietnamese! Hopefully a fanatic was born.)

I had every intention of ordering a banh mi — hell, that was the whole reason for going. But then I paused — maybe I was worried that nothing could top the ridiculous “Mr. Lange” sandwich I’d eaten the day before, or perhaps I was flashing back to the Vietnamese noodle bowls I’d had in San Jose, but I called an audible and decided to go the noodle route instead. 

Bôi to Go keeps things simple and makes ordering a snap: You choose a “preparation” (I went rice noodles), a “meat” (bbq pork all the way) and a “sauce” (red hot pepper sauce — bring the heat!). Then I threw in a spring roll for good measure.  Very delicious actually — a big fat spring roll filled with chicken and vegetables and served with a hoisin dipping sauce.

The noodle bowl hit the spot.  Everything was fresh and the bbq pork was lean and tasty (corn and lettuce were an odd addition though).  The pork in San Jose was better — it was sliced thinner and had a stronger grilled flavor — but for Vietnamese “fast food” this was more than adequate.  

Danielle enjoyed her banh mi too, although she said the toasted bread made it messy.  Bôi to Go isn’t the best Vietnamese I’ve ever had, but it’s comforting to know that should a craving strike, it’s right around the corner.

(We also saw a sign that “Bôi Sandwich” is opening soon on 3rd Ave. between 44th and 45th. Hooray!  That’s even closer!)

Bôi to Go
800 Second Ave. (at 43rd St.)
New York, NY 10017
212-681-1122 

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Sorry to post twice in one day, but I feel the need to tell you about an extraordinary sandwich. It’s called the “Mr. Lange” and you can find it appropriately, at Lange’s Deli in Scarsdale.

A great sandwich is an assemblage of great individual components, and the “Mr. Lange” nails it, from the bread down to the condiments.   First, there’s the grilled chicken.  Leave chicken on the grill too long and it turns into a piece of cardboard.  Lange’s gets it just right — thick pieces of succulent chicken that manage to be both tender and moist.  

(This is in direct contrast to the abysmal grilled chicken sandwich I had at a Larchmont deli last weekend.  The chicken was sinfully dry and tough, and I almost took out a molar trying to get through it.  The sandwich was so bad I didn’t even have the heart to blog about it.  There was nothing to say.)

But back to the “Mr. Lange”: Sitting on top of the chicken were beautifully crisp fried slices of golden brown, breaded eggplant. A perfect compliment of texture and flavor. The bread was slathered with a pesto mayo — just enough to impart a distinct taste of basil without being overpowering — and the juicy tomatoes were summery and refreshing.

But here was the secret killer weapon — goat cheese. Tangy, smooth and rich, it took the sandwich to another level — from delicious to sublime.   I was woozy.  I ADORE goat cheese. You could serve me goat cheese on shoe leather and I’d probably eat it.

Put all the components together on a chewy wedge and I was feeling the kind of love Kumar had for his imaginary giant bag of weed.  I had the Office Space O-Face going.  I was thinking things like, “Who have I dated in Scarsdale?” and “Maybe we should get back together.”  These thoughts couldn’t be stopped — it was an epic sandwich.

Mr. Lange must have been especially fond of this creation, if out of all the sandwiches in his deli, this is the one he chose to name after himself.   He made the right choice.  Can I eat this everyday, please?  Please?

Lange’s Deli of Scarsdale
57 Spencer Place
Scarsdale, NY 10583
914-472-0330 

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If you were stranded on a desert island and could only have five foods, what would they be? That’s a question I’d have to think long and hard about, but without a doubt, the humble burger would make the cut.  I was horrified by Fast Food Nation’s revelations about the American meat processing industry, the thought of mad cow disease and E. coli gives me the willies, and for general health reasons I don’t make burgers a frequent part of my diet, but it would take a minor miracle for me to give them up for the rest of my life.  They’re too good.   

As a Westchester resident and burger lover, I’m embarrassed to admit I’ve yet to eat at the consensus best burger joints in the area: Piper’s Kilt, Blazer Pub and AJ’s.   Lame!  I suppose that makes me less a burger lover, and more a burger poser.  I’m like one of those annoying people who says he’s a huge fan of a sports team, but can’t name a single player on the team except for a guy who was traded three years ago.  This situation must be rectified.  

Not sure how it’s happened, but somehow I’ve eaten at Rare Bar & Grill in Manhattan’s Murray Hill four times in the past year. In my burger poser opinion, their burgers are top notch: enormous, beefy, juicy, nicely charred, and piled high with quality toppings.  It’s a vertical burger that you have to squeeze down on with both hands to fit it into your mouth. 

Moki and I met at Rare last night for beer (Boddingtons) and burgers; my M&M burger with caramelized shallots, cheddar cheese and meaty apple smoked bacon was a model of messy deliciousness (as evidenced by the juice dripping down my arm and ketchup on the front of my shirt).

The awesome burger would have been enough, but the massive Gus’s pickle was also one of the best pickles I’ve ever had.  I’m not sure we needed two orders of shoestring sweet potato fries though:

Think we should have gotten one and shared?  

I don’t know where Rare’s burgers rate on the grand scale of great burgers, but I love ‘em and would definitely take them with me to a desert island.   In the immortal words of LeVar Burton, “But you don’t have to take my word for it.”  I am a burger poser, after all.  

Rare Bar & Grill
303 Lexington Ave. @ 37th St.
New York, NY  10016
212-481-1999 ext. 9 

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