Red Is Life

Chirping Chicken Chirps

When Chirping Chicken (UWS) was tucked into the side/front of an old multi-story garage - its eight foot wide grill - behind the glass plate windowed storefront - caused one to think twice about walking in - but you did - 

When they torn down the garage for a multi-story ultra-chic apartment condo - Chirping Chicken moved across the street - the grill - moved to the back and out of direct sight - doubling in size - instead of one cash register - there are half-a-dozen POS stations - each seemingly manned by both an order-taker and a cashier - people are constantly going in and out - 20 some odd bicycles rest against the building's side - waiting to take their owners - Chirping Chicken's delivery staff - rushing to your home - if you don't want to pick dinner (or lunch) up yourself - or sit at one of the tables inside - or when its warm outside - at the side walk cafe which wraps around both the front of and the side of the building - i.e. - the joint is jump'in - 

The chicken is good - a bit too moist (greasy) for the puritan - but instantly fixable with a blast under the home broiler - order a whole - a half - a quarter - order all white - all dark or just plain chicken - plus all the fix-ins - and if you want baby backs - or a chicken sandwich - or even a hamburger -cheeseburger - or veggie burger - no problem - and its all good - just a tad below excellent -

Try it out for yourself - enjoy - 

Daisy May's BBQ

Walked by a thousand times - read about the high end gourmet chef - hunkering down to satisfy gourmand appetites with perhaps the best BBQ in Manhattan - so this time - I entered - carefully analyzed the menu - considered my choices - tasted the creamed cheese corn (awesome) - ordered - 

I made the right decision - 

Pulled pork was awesome - right degree of pull - shreds and chunks - physically thick sauce without being heavy - nice mix of spices that complemented the meat - 

Chopped brisket - had it the next day - equally awesome - nicely trimmed - before serving - much spicier BBQ sauce than the pork - without being "hot" - no urge to grab the skinny bottles of red hot/hotter/hottest pepper sauces that I keep for similar occasions - the meat was delicious - well balanced - 

Could have gone crazy with the sides (fixin's) - baked beans with burnt ends - creamed spinach - mashed potatoes with red eye gravy - macaroni and cheese - creamy coleslaw - rustic creamy corn with ny state cheddar (mentioned above) - but I chose to "live another day" - just ordering meat for take out - 

Slight disappointment that ribs - KC Sweet and Sticky - Memphis Dry Rub - Oklahoma Jumbo Beef - did not include Baby Backs - but I will have to return for a sampler before passing final judgment - 

Overall - first venture in the door - a success - marking Daisy Mae to return for more - 

Enjoy - 

by the by - there was a packing error - when I got home - found that I had been shorted a container of pulled pork - called in - gave them my order number - 8 oz container delivered to my home - no questions asked - class act - 

Trader Joe's Charcoal

My BBQ belongs to Royal Oak Hardwood Charcoal - but running a close second - Trader Joe's Charcoal - 

In the tradition of Two Buck Chuck (2.99 NYC) - the "slow burning briquettes" are - 5.95 per 18 lbs bag - that's an amazingly low price for what has proven - at multiple recent BBQ events - to be a quality charcoal - i.e - it really does "burn slow" - 

By comparison - Royal Oak - which as a charcoal affectionado - would swear adds to BBQ as a summer art form - comes in at - 9.95 (Stew Leonard's - Danbury) - 12.95 (Stew Leonard's - Yonkers) - 16.95 (Zabar's - UWS) - 19.95 (UES) - 

NYC BBQ Reviews

A very short list of available NYC BBQ - posted on CitySearch by Justine Goodman - 

They missed a w-h-o-l-e bunch - but anything is better than nothing -as it was for so many years - 

Quick remarks by REDISLIFE.COM to accompany CitySearch's choice of Barbeque Masters - 

• Hill Country - awesome - you have to be careful not to order TOO much - 
• Rub BBQ - good - short of world class - perfect for take-out - 
• Fette Sau - on my radar - now I really have to make the trip to Brooklyn - 
• Dinosaur - its a BBQ scene - loud fun - not my personal flavor - but you will enjoy - 
• WIldwood - too cute for >hardcore BBQ aficionados ... bourbon selection is deep ...

Good Chaos

Friday night - Memorial Day Weekend - BBQ season officially starts - I'm out of Two Buck Chuck ($2.99 plus tx plus delv in Manhattan) - 

Grabbed a friend's car - headed downtown to Trader Joe's Wine Shop - my objective - lay in four cases - two for me - two for friends - 

The medium sized store was chaos - the aisles were packed with wine buyers - they had eight registers going - and - there was still a line - red wine-shopping-carts in hand - waiting to pay - 

Making my way to the store's back corner - I have been here before - in search of a sales associate to bring up my "stash" - instead found - empty floor space - not a single bottle of Chas. Shaw Sauvignon Blanc - confronting a sales associate -  "specifically called this morning to make sure you had stock" - I stated - "we did this morning" - he replied - "are you - when will you be getting more" - I queried - "we will be fully restocked at 5:00 AM - when the trailer arrives" - he stated in a matter-of-fact manner - 

Called the next morning - verified the restock had taken place - made my way back downtown - sans vehicle - bought my four cases - paid for delivery ($14.00 flat fee) - replenished the backyard summer wine refridge - bbq'd salmon for family & friends - enjoyed our "house white" on a perfect night - 

Twitter Restaurant

Forget - location - Location - LOCATION - 

Think - twitter - Twitter - TWITTER - 

The secret keys to restaurant success have shifted - want a cupcake - track - Cupcake Stop (@cupcakestop) - NYC's First Mobile Gourmet Cupcake Shoppe - on Twitter - want Korean BBQ - track - Kogi Korean BBQ (@kogibbq) - on Twitter - 

Who needs a storefront - who needs a table - who needs a reservation - 

The Kogi Phenom was all my LA friends could talk about at NRA - the mobile restaurant pulls up to the curb - 300 to 600 customers show up to feast - Korean BBQ on Tacos - 

The internet has gone from BBS > Prodigy > Blogs > My Space > Facebook > Twitter - will the white table cloth - follow the same path ? - 

Stay tuned - 

Tor Heritage

Drank - Tor - Napa Valley - Cabernet Sauvignon - Heritage - 2002 - at a BBQ  - with braised - glazed beef -

 

The wine was "tall" - very tight - when I got the bottle about 5 years ago - told the gentleman who brought the gift - I was immediately going to lay it down - he looked at me as being a bit crazy - 

Last night he was back for dinner - we opened the Tor - after cooling the bottle in the refrig for about an hour - I have taken to cooling reds to bring out cleaner definable characteristics - (go figure - it works) - then decanted decanted - 

You immediately got a sense of strength - power - the tannins were in their glory - and I immediately realized that 5 more years would not have been a bad decision - you could feel the fruit in back - but it never really surfaced -

Comments from the winemaker - Tor Kenward - indicated more fruit emerging than my experience - he also remarked that sweet sauces (ours was bourbon - honey - Pepsi syrup)  tended to flatten fruit - regardless of the wine - 

For the record - his tasting notes were - super ripe aromas of berry - plume - bitter chocolate - hints of pepper and fresh herbs - flavors that are - dense and tangy - hints of black raspberry and shaved chocolate - also noted - a mystery taste - hard to discern - shades of mint - a eureka moment - like tall soldiers protecting the vines were the eucalyptus trees, whose oils, ever so slightly had influenced the flavor of the wine - 

Bottom line - if I see another bottle of 2002 - anytime before 2012 - I'll buy it on the spot - 

Stryker Cabernet

They made 1025 cases of Stryker - Monte Rosso Vineyard - Cabernet Sauvignon - 2002 - I drank my one remaining bottle at last night's BBQ - sad to see it go - 

Had the perfectly balanced Cab nose - immediate sense of refinement - overjoyed at is rich flavors - high alc (14.7%) - solid body without being weighted down - vibrant fruit - strong cherry for a Cab - but who's to complain - chilled the bottle for a 60 minutes before opening - it clarified the flavors - my overall remark to fellow drinkers - "what a Somoma Cab is supposed to taste like" - 

Definitely enhanced the meal- particularly the medley of meats - sirloin - sausage - lamb - plus salad - smashed potatoes - 

On the negative - a hardened Francophile was encouraged to take a sip - reporting back that she tasted cough syrup - open your eyes !!! - we should never have told her the country of origin - 

Char #4

Read about the bourbon at Char #4 - who's name is a play on the grade of  the burn inside a bourbon barrel that gives whiskey its character - the "char" - it sounded like Mecca -

Read about the food at Char #4 - smokey - it sounded very appetizing -

Had the opportunity for a pilgrimage to Char #4 in Brooklyn on Tuesday - it was worth the trip -

Pascal's Manale Oyster Redux

They were the freshest of the fresh oysters New Orleans has every offered - served up by - shucker par excellence - Julius - opening the ugly shells - putting them on the marble top - even before I had made my way back from the Pascal's Manale bar (cash only) -  buying drinks and tokens for the oysters (dozen or half dozen chips) - handing dollars to the same bartender who poured my same drink 30 years ago (pure speculation) -  

Chardonnay Night

Perfect summer night - three couples - roasted mussels - cherry stone clams - shrimp - bbq lobster - lots of Chardonnay - in various  forms - 

Wildwood

220 seats for BBQ & Bourbon - beer if you insist - 18th & Park Avenue South -

WIldwood's space is large - bar is long - bourbon selection is deep - menu is maturing -

Too cute for hardcore BBQ aficionados - but they will do great -

Planning return visit - if only to work through the rest of the brown spirits -

Charcoal Or Gas

Asked - in Sunday's New York Times Magazine - Which Is Greener ??? - Charcoal or Gas ??? -

Answered - by an Environmental Scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratories - Charcoal (probably) !!!

Was there ever any doubt ??? - would Charcoal-aholics have switched if the results had been different ???

Red & Amber

Pre-July 4th BBQ - i.e. - cook outdoors - eat indoors - full blown table set up - no beer - no hearty burgundy - no super chilled two-buck-chuck -

Cos d' Estournel - 1993 - & - Feiler-Artinger Pinot Cuvee Ruster Ausbruch - 1998

Our hostess served Scallops wrapped in Bacon to nibble on - then Steak - Salad  - Corn on the Cob - all at a formal table - thank you Steph -

Our host served  - Cos d' Estournel - 1993 - wonderful St. Estephe - 60/40 Cab/Merlot - earthy as it should be - very subtle nose - decanted - opened slightly in the glass - smooth edges - mature - don't think I would let this one sit too much longer - very nice against the steak - thank you Gerry -

Desert was another plus - cheese cake - tart plum tart -

My contribution - Feiler-Artinger Pinot Cuveee Ruster Ausbruch - 1998 - pinot blanc/ newburger/ pinot grigio/ chardonnay - noble rot (botrytis) - rich amber in color - wonderful clean flavors - closed my eyes with each sip - regretting only that I did not have another bottle -

Someone suggested coffee - forgetaboutit -

 

Awesome Spuds

Cook in a restaurant - you follow the recipe - Chef says add 1/4 teaspoon of butter - you add 1/4 teaspoon of butter -

Cook at home - you read the recipe - see what's in the cupboard - shop - modify - improvise - amend - by the second or third time you make it - its yours - bearing little or no resemblance to the original -

So it is with Yukon Potatoes on the charcoal grill -

Anomaly

Love the hand sell - label graphics - wines with unique names - so when our Saturday guests showed up with a  tissue wrapped bottle of Anomaly - I knew the evening was going to be a standout -

Wild Wonderful Salmon

Now - at some local fish mongers - Wild Alaskan Salmon - Wild Copper River  - King Salmon - i.e. - non farm raised - non organic salmon -

Much more money - in some cases twice the price of the bland stuff - but taste-wise - indescribable - a factor of 3 or 4 -

Salted a thick piece of Wild Alaskan Salmon for 15 minutes - tossed on the Weber - off the flame - added a HD aluminum foil packet of soaked Hickory chips - half way through - poured a few tablespoons of honey atop the fillet -

Awesome !!!!

Red Wine & BBQ

Country for the weekend - great friends - great food - great wine -

Stopped at Stew Leonards on the way up - best prices on Baby Back Ribs - 3.99 vs 7.99 to 9.99 in the city - quick detour into their excellend liquor store - grabbing the last 4 bottles of Belle Glos - Pinot Noir Blanc - (see note at end of posting)

Bit of a refrigeration hassle to store the ribs overnight - nothing that a large trash can & many bags of ice - could not overcome -

Not Bad For Street Fare

Walking up East 51st toward Park - sun blasting - stumbled on - Daisy May's BBQ USA -

I had heard about the main joint - over on 11th Avenue - Chef an ex-pat from Daniels -

Say pulled pork or baby back ribs - I'm there - but the stars never aligned to 11th and 46th -

Charcoal Ratings

lump-charcoal.com - a website devoted to the Lump Charcoal Database -

Reviews - Ratings - Surveys - Links - FAQs - all that and more !!