Rye

Hello Fellow Piggys!  It's been a while hasn't it?  So much has happened since I last posted, but the biggest of all is that it's now 2013!  Happy New Year!

I took some time to reflect on my 2012 and it was definitely quite a year for me:
- there was a break-up, a make-up, and a break-up again
- a best friend moved away, a best friend moved back
- I took plane rides to Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Las Vegas, Arkansas, Los Angeles and San Diego
- Sandy reminded us of our vulnerability
- I parted ways with my crackberry and finally got a fully functional smartphone (luuuuurv my S3!)
- and most importantly, I realized I almost let go of a dream

That realization was a hard one for me to swallow.  And so I didn't swallow it.  I decided to pursue it and here we are folks - its happening!  I know I'm being vague, but I will have explanations later.  For now, I'm only looking forward to what 2013 will be.  And what better way to kick it off on this blog than with a post!

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Rye in Williamsburg.  This restaurant has been on Piggy KL's and my list for a while now and we finally had the chance to scope it out!  A quick ride on the L train and a dark yet brisk walk from the Bedford station transported us to the Rye dining room.

We arrived around 6:30pm on a weekday and there were plenty of tables available, but by the time we left around 8pm it was definitely a scene!  They don't take reservations, but I believe you can call ahead and put your name down on the wait list on busy nights.

The menu was a simple one but it still offered something for everyone:

ba'sik

Over the summer after a delicious dinner at Gwynnett St. in Williamsburg, my friends and I stumbled on a bar just up the block called ba'sik.  It's a cozy place with a great neighborhood feel to it.  Apparently there is also a sizable outdoor patio in the back, but unfortunately I didn't know to scope it out at the time.  More reason to return (...next spring *sob*)!

[courtesy of basikbrooklyn.com]

We grabbed some seats at the bar, and I'm glad we did because the bartenders were really nice and friendly.  They have a small cocktail menu but they are all creative.  Of the ones we tried (Picket Fence, and how, Poppa's Pride, o.v.c.), they were all delicious!  Oh darn, I just realized that was 4/5 of the menu, now I'm just bugged that we missed one.

Most importantly at $10 a cocktail, it's a steal compared to NYC prices!

Not only do they have cocktails, but they have a food menu too.  We were pleasantly full after dinner, but in order to do some due diligence for you (or at least that's what I tell myself), we ordered a little snack to help the cocktails go down.

The Meatball Shop's Spicy Pork Meatballs

A few months back I visited The Meatball Shop in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and stopped in for a "quick snack".  Famous last words... of course the meatballs disappeared from my plate before I got a photo for you guys.  I need to stop doing that!  

One order of meatballs comes with 4, and you pick the sauce you want on top.  They also have sliders, heroes, and meatball sandwiches on their menu.  I just wound up getting meatballs that day, and my favorite was the spicy pork meatballs topped with classic tomato sauce.

When we got the bill, they also gave us a little recipe card as a souvenir - and luckily it was for their spicy pork meatballs! Yay!!

I wound up trying out the recipe for a special occasion dinner at home.  I followed the recipe exactly and used good quality ingredients which really made a big difference!  Try and make the extra effort to get good quality ground pork.  Comparing the two instances I made the meatballs: the freshly ground pork I got from the butcher at Eataly resulted in meatballs SOO much better than when I used regular ground pork from my local supermarket chain.  The meat from Eataly resulted in juicier and lighter meatballs, so worth it!  

For the sauce, I made tomato sauce from scratch using a recipe from Scarpetta, Scott Conant's famous Italian restaurant. I LOVE the freshness of homemade sauce, but you can definitely just go with canned tomato sauce to save time.  I'll save Scarpetta's recipe for another post :)

Spicy Pork Meatballs [recipe from The Meatball Shop]

Check out the delicious recipe below courtesy of The Meatball Shop.  It has a hint of heat from the hot cherry peppers, and the fresh white bread (as opposed to breadcrumbs) helps make the meatballs less dense. Great recipe!

Spicy Pork Meatballs Recipe from The Meatball Shop

Blue Ribbon at Brooklyn Bowl

My friends know if you want to get me to bowl, entice me with food.  Yup, I'm that kind of piggy:  *Gutterball Queen*Will bowl for food*.  Fortunately they can kill two birds with one stone at Brooklyn Bowl, where they serve up food by the esteemed Blue Ribbon!  Blue Ribbon has various restaurants in NYC and Brooklyn, but this truly unique location allows you to bowl, booze, stuff your face, and listen to live music all at the same time.  I was shocked that bowling alley food could be this good; where have you been all my life??

@Brooklyn Bowl

If you're going to bowl it tends to gets crowded at night, especially on Friday and Saturday, so be sure to get there on the earlier side.  Even if you have to wait a bit for a lane, hang out at the bar where they have a nice assortment of beers on tap.  There is a small dining area with a few tables separate from the bowling lanes, but you can also pump it up a notch and order off the full menu while bowling!

Since I have zero bowling knowledge to impart on you (unless you'd like to hear how I rock out the granny bowl-style!), let's dive right into the food.  Here are a few dishes I've ordered during my visits:

The Roasted Adobo Corn is deliciously loaded with queso fresco, chipotle butter and served with lime wedges on the side.  I found myself rolling the corn in the cheese and butter left on the plate.  

Roasted Adobo Corn

Le Comptoir

I've just had another wonderful meal in Williamsburg and I can't wait to share this little gem with you!

My fellow eater recently returned from a trip to Europe where she enjoyed a meal at a restaurant called Le Comptoir.  When perusing savored.com (for those of you unfamiliar with Savored.com, its a site where you can make reservations at certain restaurants for a nominal fee and receive 30% off your bill), she found a restaurant in Williamsburg with the same name.  Although it's unrelated to the one in Europe, she thought it was a good omen and quickly snatched up a reservation for our dinner date.  Plus, who doesn't love a discount on dinner?

So off we went to Le Comptoir in Williamsburg.  Dont' be discouraged by its location - Le Comptoir is only a short walk from the L-train Bedford station. When you get to the restaurant, you are greeted with this sign out front:

$1 oysters?  Great food?  Sexy chef?  I love it all!  Without setting a foot inside, I already have a good feeling about this place! 

Traif

OH MY GOODNESS.  Can we talk about what an awesome meal I had at Traif?  Maybe it was a recent disappointing experience at another Williamsburg restaurant that set my expectations low.  Maybe it was my hunger calling the shots.  Or maybe it was Traif just being its awesome self (which it was).

Yes, the restaurant is in Williamsburg but I promise you it’s a quick trip.  I consulted my trusty Google maps which said to take the JMZ train to Marcy Ave – first stop in Brooklyn.  While only 2-3 blocks from the station, the location is a bit tricky to navigate so make sure to have a map handy (or access to one on your snazzy phone).  

Entrance to Traif

Traif, which specializes in pork and shellfish dishes (definitely not Kosher here!), changes their menu based upon what’s fresh and in season.  They recommend ordering dishes to share (2-3 dishes per person) so it’s a great opportunity to try different things.  

Fette Sau - Another Piggy's Musings

There is something about BBQ that makes me go to far lengths for it.  Even Brooklyn! Just kidding, Brooklyn is really not far at all hehe.  Piggy KK just posted a review on Fette Sau and I thought I would offer a different experience on it.  Unfortunately it was a big 'Piggy says no!' meal for Piggy KK and her qualms are totally warranted!  Heck if someone actually asked me for a tip I would really wish to not leave one at all.  So rude!

Fette Sau signage via NY Mag (http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/fette-sau/)

While we almost always agree on all things food-related, I am sharing a differing opinion just so that you do not completely write-off Fette Sau because I actually had a fantastic time there over the summer!  I actually felt really bad Piggy KK had a bad experience there, because I was one of the people raving to her about it.  I hate when that happens :(

Piggy KK does a great job describing the specifics of how ordering works and the layout of the place, so I'll just give you a quick blurb about my visit.

Fette Sau

This is my first "Piggy says no" review.  It's sad, but this day had to come eventually.  I hope you allow me to explain why I found my experience so disappointing...

Having heard nothing but glowing reviews about this BBQ place in Williamsburg, Fette Sau quickly moved to the top of my "must try" list.  It’s understood that there is a decent wait during peak times, so my friend R and I decided to give it a go on a weeknight at 6pm (and keeping our fingers crossed that no one else likes to eat at granny times which, btw, I specialize in). 

Upon arrival, we noted that there were only a handful of people in front of us and thought “Score - we beat the rush!”  Oh boy, were we wrong.  The handful of people in front of us turned into a miserable and slow 35 minute wait.  As we made our way to the front, I noticed that the inefficiency was due to the lone guy in charge of putting together your selection of meats.  While I appreciated the love he put into each order, it was frustrating to see three other people milling around behind him just waiting for side orders.  I can assure you, the side orders definitely don’t take nearly as long as the meat.  Isn’t there a more efficient way?  Didn’t anyone take operations management and learn about Just-in-Time systems (sorry, the business school side of me escapes every now and then…)?

The case of meats

Maybe I was just grouchy from a long day of work and hungry from smelling BBQ for the last 35 minutes.  Whatever it was, I decided to put my frustration aside and focus on what I was here for – glorious BBQ.  Lucky for eaters that day, it was the first Thursday of the month and Fette Sau offered “Fat Pig Thursday” where an entire pig is roasted for that night’s meal.  Take a look at the menu: