After devouring a lot of 5-layer dip and leftover lasagna in the wee Saturday post-bar hours (3am?), it was obvious that this was a weekend to go big or go home.
I woke up late Saturday morning, starving like always, and dragged Jon to Yonah Shimmel’s in the Lower East Side because I wanted a real knish, not those really disgustingly gross imitations that appear in those equally disgustingly soup/sandwich/salad places that litter the store fronts of New York.
We settled on a blueberry cheese blintz and a potato knish (somehow the Jalapeno Cheddar Knish Special just didn’t sound appetizing that early in the day).
The blintz was really superb. The blueberry was evident in every bite, but wasn’t runny or too sweet. It tasted good with the cheese and the light dough. But, it was definitely a good thing to share–those blintzes are stuffed with a lot of cheese!
The potato knish was quite the massive heap–also a good thing to share. It was the perfect temperature (warm but not too warm) and a bit peppery. I really wanted it to be the best knish I ever had, because the store itself was just so darn cute, but alas, it was simply better than average.
Still, I would definitely return to Yonah Shimmel’s. It feels like I stepped back in time to the old (more Jewish) Lower East Side, cranky yentas and all. And, they even used a dumbwaiter to bring foodstuff up and down.
After Yonah’s, we walked to the Essex Street Market. I tried an amazing blue cheese, Stichelton from Formaggio Kitchen. I’m only recently beginning to like blue cheeses, and this cheese is an excellent introduction to the blues. It is mild (well, for blue cheese at least), yet offers a sweet and complex flavor.
Then, I purchased some Twig Farm Square Cheese from Saxelby Cheesemongers. They do a better job describing it than I can do:
Twig Farm Square Cheese (raw goats’ milk) West Cornwall, VT
A beautiful raw goats’ milk cheese with a velveteen gray rind from the cellars of Twig Farm. Square cheese is a semi-firm cheese that is savory and rustic with twinges of green onions and damp earth. A truly beautiful cheese hand formed in a cheese cloth and tied up with a knot to give it a distinctive ‘belly button’ in the center of each wheel.
Look at that crazy rind!
Finally, we got some fresh-squeezed apple and orange juice from Tra La La Juice Bar. I so need a juicer in my kitchen, and that way I wouldn’t be willing to pay $2.50 for a cup of juice. At least it was better than the bottled stuff!
Jon and I spent the afternoon walking around different neighborhoods, which was definitely needed given that I then went to meet some friends at Hill Country.
Now that place is a good time. Who wouldn’t want a delicious feast of Texas barbecue?
Above: Brisket, Chicken, Pork Ribs, Beef Ribs, Corn Bread, Chili, Red Beans, Mac N Cheese, Corn Pudding.
The meat: up close and personal.
Hill Country is a lot of fun. One merely approaches different counters (i.e. meat or sides) and chooses what you want. Then, you go back to your table and feast. We had wayyy more than we needed, but everything was really good–though certain foods definitely stood out. The brisket was melt-in-your-mouth tender, the cornbread was the right amount of sweetness, and the chicken was really tasty. My friends all really loved the barbecue sauce, though I found it a bit too sweet. All of the meats have no sauce added–just a really great dry rub. We certainly were thankful for the large mason jars of water we were given to wash everything down with.
After dinner, once the food coma subsided, I found room for a Buttercup cupcake (chocolate cake, vanilla icing) hanging out in our kitchen. Oof.
Posted by chewandswallow 
Posted by chewandswallow 
Posted by chewandswallow 