re.CAP : HAMILTON Park BBQ Festival

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Saturday showed a resurgence of summer heat, cloudless skies and intense sun— the perfect setting for the 5^th Hamilton Park BBQ Festival in Jersey City. The crowds holding plastic cups filled with amber beer, unwieldy racks of ribs or over filled sandwiches, spilled onto the street bordering the park. There, there were vendors selling wares and snacks, while in the square was the meat of the matter. 

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In the graveled area, six different bbq-centric eateries dished out smoky eats like pulled pork and brisket sandwiches from Delaney BBQ, ribs from Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, drumsticks from Jimmy’s BBQ, and meaty noodles from Union Republic. Hammilton Inn poured libations like Bourbon Tea and red sangria, while  Milk Sugar Love and Cholita Dessert Bar tempted with ice cream and sweet treats. There was live music and face painting and other kiddie activities making the BBQ Festival an affair for the family, while raising funds for the New Hamilton Park Conservancy.

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RER 9.27.14

DIFFERENT and similar: Bäco Mercat

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Shadows from the candle danced on the menu at Bäco Mercat, while they scratched their heads. The music was almost jarring, and the place was almost too hip, and they were most definitely too hungry.

Choosing dishes for their meal was like choosing blindly. Different categories, different flavors, different influences, all led to a different experience, but in some ways more of the same.

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Squash blossoms were set ablaze by their little candle, warming the table and overhearing all of their conversation. Each organic package was bursting with eggplant, fresh, crunchy and creamy, fried and delicious.

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But the “original” bäco held their attention. Soft and buttery flatbread folded over to conceal stringy beef carnitas and tender pork, alive with salbitxada sauce and textures. Beautiful greens, sparkles of vegetation, and two meats to tide them over until the next bite.  

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Like slippery blistered green okra, warm with tomato and fenugreek. Herbs and heat.

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Or crusty, flaky pastry, crisp around decadent duck, crowned with a glossy pretty fried egg. A heavy mix of luxury and familiarity, with the spice of honey mustard and pebbles of pistachio interwoven.

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Or the silky and sumptuous slow roasted pork shoulder, drowned in tangy sweet pale kumquat tang. Hearty and homey, meaty and fatty, a balance completed by the fruits and the greens.

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But the decadence of the pistachio cheesecake, deep, salty and green, clashed with the warm and cold syrupy sweetness of the rustic baked semolina, even though they were both studded with the meaty gems of pistachios.

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Their dinner felt like an odd mix of heat and invention, tradition twisted to make something new yet familiar.

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brunch for ROYALTY: Bottega Louie

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Big open spaces made brunch diners feel like royalty. The pure white walls, intricate molding on the ceiling, and simplistic luxury of the café décor, allowed the impenetrable morning bright light to reflect and amplify the space to gargantuan proportions.

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Pretty sweets, delicate and colorful as pictures lined the limitless display cases in the front of Bottega Louie in Los Angeles. Reds, pinks, peaches, soft greens and decadent chocolates danced through extravagant and detailed pastries reflecting the hyper vivid rainbow of macrons for purchase.

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Passed a little café area and an open kitchen framed with glass, a tall wall divided the enormous space, slightly separating the dining room, vast and refined.

The quick weekday breakfast menu was short and sweet. Along with breakfast staples like omelets, breakfast sandwiches, parfaits and French toast Bottega Louie added a little breakfast luxury to its menu, introducing the day with decadent prosciutto and burrata, lemon ricotta pancakes, and a smoked salmon Benedict.

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The beautiful presentation of the prosciutto and burrata mimicked an opening flower, fresh and blooming. The salty meat woke the taste buds, while the creamy burrata melded with the warm and spicy potato pancake.

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For a twist on a Benedict, the smoked salmon variety came with a base of tiny flavorful potato pancakes at its base. The salty salmon was brought together with moments of spicy red onion and earthy sautéed spinach, a vivacious crème fraiche and just enough hollandaise and smooth runny yolk. The combination was a riot of flavors, mixing breakfast and lunch elements to make for a lovely Benedict.

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A pretty slide of four large pancakes dusted with powdered sugar was served on a bed of fresh blueberries. The blueberries matched the syrup with a tart sweetness and violet hue. These pancakes were airy and light, moist, just sweet enough and hinted at lemon and summertime.

Vaulting ceilings and saturating sunlight made flavors fly and colors blush, fostering moments of happy breakfasts and delicious bites. A splendid start to another day.

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it's a CELEBRATION : Flea Street Cafe

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We decided it was my “birthday,” so we ate like it was a celebration and devoured the seasonal menu at Flea Street Café in Menlo Park, California.

Heirloom Tomato and Peach Salad

Surprisingly enough, the title of the dish didn’t include sexy burrata (burrata makes everything better…or is that bacon?). This summer seasonal salad was light, buoyant and delicious. The pecan pesto made vibrant with sea salt added a little heartiness to combat the sweet and tangy fruits and the silky creamy burrata.

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Corn and Mushroom Agnolotti

The flavors were delicate, but at the same time pungent enough to hold their own. The sweet corn played to the fresh eggy pasta and the creamy, chewy mushrooms. Even the cheese brought punch, livening up the mellow moments.

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Ricotta and Chive Gnocchi

The dense gnocchi dotted with green chives, swam in a mess of delicious chaos, served with a canopy of a thin crispy round of pancetta. Silky chanterelle mushrooms mellowed the tomato sofrito, which was more intense and tangy.

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McFarland House-Smoked Trout

Pretty seasoned waffle potato chips were the perfect base for a flaky forkful of the smoky pink trout and a balanced pinch of the potato salad. The smoky bacon echoed the smoke in the trout bringing out the meatiness in the fish, while the salad –soft potatoes, salty bacon, pleasantly bitter frisee, and horseradish crème fraiche vinaigrette— added a complexity of flavors.

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Lamb and Buckwheat Crepes

The layers of flavor and expertise were exhibited in this second course. The lamb was meaty and tender, meeting perfectly with the nuttiness of the doughy buckwheat crepes. The sweet roasted beets played to the sweetness of both the meat and the crepes, while the little crown of bitter frisee added complexity and recalled the earthiness of each element.

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Which Came First?

This chicken entrée sounded complex complete with a poached egg and pork belly, but in the end felt like two separate dishes. One was comprised of sweet corn puree, smooth lobster mushrooms, mealy fava beans, salty pork belly, and the almost runny poached egg. The other was the filled rounds of chicken with crispy skin. It was a mishmash of freshness that encapsulated the season, but could have united more seamlessly.

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Meyer Lemon Beignets

The tiny filled beignets were extremely tart, banishing all saccharine and greasy effects. The crunchy granules of sugar that coated their exterior and the crunchies beneath the cream were welcomed and necessary. The seasonal huckleberry compote added more tang and shifted the balance even further to an uncomfortable tartness.

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west coast snacks: SAVORIES

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We ate the sweets, but we could not forget to indulge in some savory deliciousness on our trip either! Salty, meaty yumminess coming at ya!

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In-N-Out, Goletea

No trip to California is complete with In-N-Out Burger (I guess, that’s what they say). We got Double- Doubles, and two orders of french fries: one regular, one animal style (gotta try it). Delicious fast food at its finest, plus we were starving.

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Eggslut, Los Angeles

Thankfully, located on the edge of Grand Central Market in LA, Eggslut saved us right in time. We were starving, hot and pretty hangry, but delicious Eggslut sammies put most everything right. We ordered the Nita and Gaucho sandwiches (not the burger against my better judgment). Despite the heavy dose of bread from the Veneto roll, the insides were eggslutty and delicious. The pulled pork was soft and melted our mouths, melding with the smooth luxury of runny yolk. And the tart and tangy chimicurri and pickled red onions made the spice crusted seared wagyu steak much more delicious.

Eggslut guy: How was it?

Diner: Delicious, I love eggs!

Eggslut guy: You’ve come to the right place

Diner: Slutty eggs are even better!

Eggslut guy: Slutty anything is better!

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Wexler’s, Los Angeles

Holy corned beef! I love corned beef anything. Our Reuben sandwich from Wexler’s was piled high with thick, chucky slices of corned beef, some melty swiss, a thin layer of sauerkraut and an even thinner layer of Thousand Island dressing. The sandwich was incredible greasy— tolerable for the first half, but extremely difficult for the second. This was unfortunate as the heavy-duty sandwich was off to a great start.

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