GASTRONORMOUS

As I exited my lower Manhattan office building and crossed the street to Zucotti Park, a whistle from the World Trade Center construction site keened. It was lunchtime. A rumble in my belly, along with an advancing army of hardhats and suits in search of sustenance, told me I’d better plan my lunch strategy quickly.

However, looking at the wall of colorful food carts that lined the far end of the park, I was unexpectedly flummoxed. I had never eaten in the park before and had no clue what was good. I did a quick scan. There were a bunch of Halal carts offering chicken and gyro platters, a few fruit vendors, a farm stand selling pies and bread, and another cart obscured by a line of at least twenty people. I peered past the line to the sign on the cart which read “Sam’s Falafel.” A spicy aroma wafted by, triggering a reflexive “mmmmm.” I quickly ran to the back of the growing line that snaked through the park.

Sharp-looking office workers, camera-toting tourists, and massive construction workers waited on line patiently. I, on the other hand, with my stomach growling and my lunch break ticking away, fidgeted and surveyed the other stalls. None of them had a line like this. Others were getting their food quickly and happily devouring it within my sight.

“Why is this line so long?” I asked the guy in front of me.

“Sam’s is the best falafel.” he said matter-of-factly.

I waited two minutes more and looked ahead. There were still at least fifteen people before me. With my senses swimming in heady falafel smoke, I bailed on pita-wrapped chickpea nirvana and ran like a madman across Broadway to some more carts clustered around Noguchi’s red cube.

Once again, there were a bunch of carts but only one with an enormous line. I approached a man on the line. “Can you get good falafel here?”

The man shook his head, “No my friend, this one is good for chicken. That is where you get the best falafel.” My eyes followed his outstretched arm to a cart with a line only about five deep, Alan’s Falafel. I gave my thanks, joined the line and soon a man whom I assumed was Alan poked his head out of the cart and asked for my order.

“Hey, I heard you had the best falafel.”

Alan beamed, “You better believe it. Seventeen years around here.”

I ordered a falafel sandwich with everything. Alan smiled as he worked, proudly showing me each item as he tossed it in the pita: hummus, baba ghanoush, tzatski, ripe tomato, a big juicy hot pepper, hot sauce, and of course lots of plump falafel patties.

He wrapped it in foil and put it in a brown bag along with a crispy homemade pita chip. “You’re gonna to be back,” he said with a wink as I handed him three dollars.

I walked back to the park, plopped down and hauled out my sandwich. It was colossal. I unwrapped it and breathed in all the falafel goodness. The falafel was pungent and crispy with the perfect amount of herbs and heat. The fresh pepper exploded. The tomatoes were sweet. The hummus was savory. The smoky baba ghanoush, which featured big chunks of eggplant rather than the familiar mush, was a delicious addition.

I looked over at the long line for Sam’s Falafel and noticed that the people were staring jealously at me. “Alan’s,” I said and dreamily took another bite.

The 28th annual Atlantic Antic took place last Sunday, and the Hubs and I attended with empty bellies. We took the pooch along–we couldn’t let him pass up a mile-long carpet of dropped people-food scraps!

The food offerings ranged from your standard street fair zeppole and shawarma booths, to some more local Brooklyn specialties, from Caribbean curry goat to Lebanese baklava. The hubs and I shared food from many of the booths. The Hubs can’t pass by a street fair without getting a Mozzarepa (a corn patty stuffed with mozzarella), so he had one of those, of which I took a few bites. We split and sandwich from Nicky’s Vietnamese Sandwiches. The Hubs liked it, but I thought the bites without Siracha lacked flavor. We also split a mini key lime pie from Steve’s Authentic in Red Hook. It was just a delicious as I heard they were. I only wish they were selling their famous frozen, chocolate-dipped key lime pies at the Antic. I love that his pies aren’t bright green as so many places feel they need to be.

The biggest culinary highlight of all was (unexpectedly) the pizza fresh from the portable brick oven at Lunetta‘s booth. I ate at their restaurant once and didn’t remember pizza being on the menu, but this pizza was among the better pies I have had in my life. Simple flavors, precicely balanced, on a flavorful, perfectly crispy-chewy crust (not burnt! I am not a fan of the so-called “charred” crusts of many a popular pizza place).

Some other neat things spied: pulled pork on pretzel sandwiches at Building on Bond; a fruit punch purveyor rockin’ an Isaac Hayes look; frisbee-sized fish cakes; “Obama burgers”; and a new gyro poster girl!

See photos of all we ate, and a bunch of other food offerings from the Antic below.

I once went to Shopsins‘ restaurant when it was still located in the West Village (is is now in the Essex Market in the Lower East Side). I was equal parts in awe of the huge and inventive menu and terrified by what conditions might be like in the kitchen (cooks kept coming out of the kitchen wearing the most unbelievably filthy aprons I have ever seen). The place seemed kid friendly, with toys strewn about, though the staff was comprised exclusively of salty types who sprinkled every conversation they had with a few NC-17 curse words. Well, now Kenny Shopsin himself has cookbook, called, unsurprisingly, Eat Me. I can’t imagine every recipe from their menu being represented in a single book–the menu is that huge, but I would say the book is worth the purchase, just to see if it includes the recipe for the carmel pecan coconut bread pudding french toast. Yes, bread pudding french toast. [via Serious Eats]

I like cupcakes as well as the next chick does, but I think we have enough cutesy cake shops in New York, thanks. Grub Street reports on the opening of three more cupcake shops, including another Magnolia Bakery at times square. Oh well, maybe it’ll keep a few tourists out of the Village.

Well, it is isn’t exactly a moose burger, but…wait! That’s a good thing! I am intrigued by Food Mayhem‘s bison burgers with apple smoke salt. I am trying to imagine what apple smoked salt is like. Maybe I’ll just have to find out.

Midtown lunch is now doing a Happy Hour column! A smart addition to the great NY office-worker oriented blog. His first post is about the dive Rudy’s in Hell’s Kitchen. Before the Hubs, I once had a blind date at Rudy’s. It did not go well. Not well at all. But I won’t hold that against ML!

Just in time for Octoberfest, Eat It has a review of Radegast Hall Biergarten in Williamsburg. Get thee there before the good weather runs out! Auf wiedersehen!

See you all at the Atlantic Antic this Sunday, October 5th from 10am-6pm. There will be lots of food there, so go on out and make Gastronormous proud!

Saganaki means fried cheese. More or less. But the type of cheese used, and how is is prepared, varies across the Mediterranean. At many places in Athens, for example, saganaki means deep-fried feta. In other places it is pan-fried kefalotyri or kasseri. Although in Cyprus grilled halloumi is not usually listed on the menu by the name saganaki, that is technically what it is.

When my friend Karen and her husband came over Saturday night, I decided to make an unusual form of saganaki that she would likely appreciate. It is based on saganaki I ordered at a little taverna in the harbor town of Kamariotissa on Samothrace, during one of two summers I spent working at the archaeological site of the Sanctuary of the Great Gods (you are probably familiar with one object found there). Karen had also worked there for a summer, and I thought she may have visited this taverna, where they wrapped a hunk of feta in foil along with some oregano, thin strips of small red and yellow peppers, and a splash of olive oil. It was served still wrapped in the foil, and what a delight it was to unfold it and indulge at that little outdoor table.

So this was approximately what I made for my guests Saturday night, with a few modifications:

Serving food wrapped in foil may be charming on the veranda of a little taverna next to the ferry landing, but I didn’t think it would quite work in my Brooklyn living room. So, I filled a low shallow ceramic dish with a thick layer of feta, drizzled it with olive oil, sprinkled on a bit of oregano and black pepper (no salt!), and some paper-thin slices of jalapeno. (I was going to do strips of pepper, as in the original, but I thought the round slices looked pretty, so I left them that way.)

I covered the dish with foil and baked it in 350 degree oven until bubbly, then I uncovered and baked it for five minutes. I let is sit on the counter for a few minutes more before serving so as not to scald my guests!

When they arrived I asked Karen if she remembered the unusual saganaki in Samothrace. She responded excitedly that not only did she remember it, but that she still dreamt about it. I asked her what she remembered it being like, because I wanted to make sure I wasn’t forgetting any little authentic detail, and she went on to explain a totally different dish. It sounded more like the pan-fried kefolatyri type. She said she had eaten it at “you know, that place with the tree….”

Oh, yes, the place with the tree. I never had the saganaki there, so this is a bit of a digression, but this restaurant called Sotiros is located high above the main town of Samothrace, or Chora, and is a truly magical place. The seating is mostly if not all outdoors, on a cobbled terrace dominated by a huge, ancient tree. There are lights strung, there are locals drinking beer and being merry, there is their famous chicken in paper being eaten, and if you go at the right time, there is the most beautiful sunset you have ever seen. If you ever find yourself on Samothrace, be sure to stop by Sotiros. You’ll have to ask a local how to get there, it isn’t very straightforward.

In the end, the saganaki iteration I made was not the same as the one Karen had dreamt of, but that didn’t keep everyone from raving about it. On top of being tasty, it is really simple to prepare, and would be a great addition to your appetizer spread (it is great alongside hummus!). I hope you try this recipe and enjoy it!

I know one shouldn’t judge so important and potentially dangerous a piece of kitchen equipement as a mandoline on superficialities, but, look how cute! I just love the cheery colors this mandoline comes in, plus the hand protector isn’t as anemic as it is on a lot of other models, and this “restaurant quality” one seems to do everything a mandoline should. I guess you could buy one for less money, but will it be lime green? I think not. [$99.99 at Chef's]

There is nothing extraordinary about this egg slicer. But, do you see anything wrong with this picture? I am not sure slicing an egg shell-on would work so well. Unless you really can’t stand everyone at the picnic to which you were asked to bring your famous egg salad. [$18.99 at Amazon]

Not only is this an exquisite objet that will complement your modern kitchen, but it is also a way to keep steak knives out of sight and yet always at hand. What is this kooky double talk, you ask? See, every single spire sticking up from this small sculpture is actually the handle of a steak knife (see thumbnail below). It is available

in chrome, gold, green, black, and red. I don’t remember the last time I used a steak knife, but seeing this cool thing makes think I ought to look into aquiring a set. [$118 at Amazon]