65 replies to this topic

[TaliesinNYC]

$23 for CHICKEN FRIED STEAK?!?!?!?!?

Huh?

It's just steak, isn't it? With breading.

There's something I'm not getting.

[TaliesinNYC]

Can you tell me what a "procini" is?

[ghostrider]

Can you tell me what a "procini" is?

It's the counterpart to the "anticini."

[Suzanne F]

Not even. Think: the cheapest possible cut of beef you can find, coated in flour, beaten to a pulp (literally), coated again, and then fried in grease. Pour off most of the grease from the skillet, add more seasoned flour, whisk in milk, and boil. Voilà: CFS!
I don't care how many people it feeds; it's cheap cheap cheap food (and a waste to make it with anything better than chuck). Part of its appeal is in its trashiness. You should read Liz Smith waxing eloquent about it.

$23 for CHICKEN FRIED STEAK?!?!?!?!?

Huh?

It's just steak, isn't it? With breading.

There's something I'm not getting.

[TaliesinNYC]

blech

sorry I asked...hah.

poutine seems to be the new "in" food for 2010.

I had to look up potted shrimp. ick. why anyone would take lovely shrimp and drown them in nutmeg/mace is odd to me.

[StephanieL]

If you're really curious about chicken-fried steak, get it at Cowgirl on Hudson Street. It's cheaper there and you can wallow in the kitschy decor.

[Anthony Bonner]

.

I had to look up potted shrimp. ick. why anyone would take lovely shrimp and drown them in nutmeg/mace is odd to me.

Its normally made with much smaller shrimp then you are used to seeing in the us.

see here

[Daisy]

.

I had to look up potted shrimp. ick. why anyone would take lovely shrimp and drown them in nutmeg/mace is odd to me.

Its normally made with much smaller shrimp then you are used to seeing in the us.

see here

Yes, and can be made with larger shrimp if you chop them up sufficiently.

The potted shrimp at J Sheeky is quite wonderful.

[Suzanne F]

.

I had to look up potted shrimp. ick. why anyone would take lovely shrimp and drown them in nutmeg/mace is odd to me.

Its normally made with much smaller shrimp then you are used to seeing in the us.

see here

Yes, and can be made with larger shrimp if you chop them up sufficiently.

The potted shrimp at J Sheeky is quite wonderful.

Just think of it as an alternative butter delivery system.

[Wilfrid]

A review at the Pink Pig this week. The restaurant has some virtues which might appear a little old-fashioned, but it's worth considering if you're in the neighborhood and don't want to battle crowds and heavy metal soundtracks. I found it instructing to make some comparisons with nearby Northern Spy Co. (thread here).

[Sneakeater]

I was supposed to go to The Brindle Room with a friend of the house, but unfortunately he had to back out at the last minute. He'd asked me to email him what I thought they could do to make it better -- but why communicate thoughts in private when you can get even more ego satisfaction by plastering them on the internet?

1. The food here is definitely better than you'd expect. It's important to bear that in mind.

2. My main problem with the menu is that it's all over the place. There's the pan-roasted chicken. There's the chicken-fried steak. There's what appears to be a stab at traditional English food until you get it and, as the Pig notes, see it's something else instead. I think if they were a bit more focused on a style, this would be more of a place you'd think of to go to, as opposed to a place you might stumble into if you were on the block and hungry.

3. Also, the menu format -- while fashionable -- is confusing. (Here we go again.) There are things on toast to share initially. There are small plates and large plates, which might or might not be equivalent to "appetizers" and "main dishes" (they aren't), with our server having trouble telling us how to portion them. The more predominant this menu model becomes, the more it annoys me.

4. Because the food here is better than you'd expect (and because Jermey Spector, with whom we all chatted, seems like a genuinely good guy), I wish this place nothing but success.

[Wilfrid]

It is unfocussed, I agree, and when I mentioned it to someone who knows and eats in the East Village he'd never heard of it. This is also not a good thing.

[Wilfrid]

An anonymous Time Out reviewer fully understood the Brindle Room (i.e., agreed with me), and even spotted the potted shrimp tweak.

The Brindle Room may not be a perfect dining experience, but with chefs dumbing down all over town, the restaurant's polished fare makes for a refreshing change of pace.

good work

[Sneakeater]

It'll be nice if that brings them some well-deserved attention from diners.

[Wilfrid]

If not, they can re-invent the burger and serve it in a limited edition at four in the morning. That should do the trick.