So today we're traveling outside the confines of New York City in order to bring you something special: a Philly flashback! Yours truly spent a recent weekend back in the City of Brotherly Not-Quite-Love-And-Probably-More-Like-Hate visting friends and, of course, having my fill of Philadelphia's incredible restaurants. People who know me think I'm crazy when I say that Philadelphia's food scene is better than NYC's, which is probably why they sprinkle antipsychotics in my cereal, but consider the advantages of world class chefs (Vetri, Garces, etc.) catering to a blue collar population. BYOs, cozy bistros, and food trucks litter the landscape, all while providing delicious and creative food at reasonable prices. NYC's counterparts are essentially cost-prohibitive for someone on a budget, like myself.
But let's get back to the crown jewel of this trip, or what I had initially thought was at least going to be a diamond in the rough. Koo Zee Doo is a Portugeuse restaurant in Northern Liberties, the Brooklyn of Philadelphia, so to speak. I have wanted to eat at this restaurant, which has quickly climbed everyone's best-of list, for years now, but I never crossed it off my bucket list when I lived in Philly. I decided to finally right this wrong. Now, understand when I say that I had built this restaurant up to proposterous proportions in my mind. Without ever having eaten a bite or having smelled a whiff of the food, KZD had become the stuff of legends, alongside Bigfoot, Atlantis, and Miley Cyrus in terms of its ability to amaze. Clearly, my expectations were not going to be met.
And so they weren't. KZD crashed and burned worse than 2011 Philadelphia Eagles (I had to). My fellow diner and I split the salt cod croquettes (I happen to love salt cod) and the shrimp in piri piri sauce. When someone says to you, "I'm going to deep fry one of your favorite things to eat," there would seem to be low probability that it could be bad. Hell, even deep fried ice cream works. Deep fried butter works, too. But for some reason, the croquettes were utterly forgettable. Soft on the outside, somewhat lacking in that intense seafood flavor expected out of salt cod, and pretty average overall, I was annoyed enough at the outcome to throw one of the croquettes at the nearby bartender. The shrimp in piri piri sauce, while fun to say, were also average. You'll see that the word "average" comes up a lot in my description of KZD's food, and I suspect that's because I was expecting creative food with strong flavors, even if KZD was serving up traditional Portugeuse grub. The entree, a highly recommended baked duck rice, was large enough for two people, with well-cooked duck and a Portugeuse version of dirty rice. Typical, mediocre, commonplace, ordinary. Yeah, average.
[PICTURE COMING SOON!]
Verdict: 3.6 (Can you believe it?) out of 5 delusions of grandeur
Restaurant Review: Arepas Cafe
After the rousing success that was Vesta's brunch, I prematurely crowned Astoria as the king of New York's diamond-in-the-rough restaurant scene. Of course, this was most irregular, as I'm usually never premature...about anything. Astoria is not bulletproof, of course, but it still represents an attractive culinary investment, particularly for those whose pockets are shallower than my taste in women. Just kidding ladies, you're beautiful on the inside, too, from what I've heard.
Arepas Cafe falls squarely into the realm of "austerity measures." Don't let the elegant website fool you; what you see is what you get. That is to say, you're getting elevated street food served in a venue the size of a shoebox with enough character to make you say, "What was that cute little Venezuelan place we went to last month?" Of course, you won't remember, and you won't care that you don't remember. Instead, you'll probably wind up back there in a few years with an intense feeling of deja vu and a substantial amount of regret.
Before we start unabashedly bashing Arepas Cafe for no reason, let's first go over what an Arepa is (this is your cue to read the wiki). Now that you're back, you might be saying to yourself, "Why is that General Tso so gosh darn mean? I mean, the ceiling for this type of fare is pretty low." Look here, cupcake, cry me a river. Being a restaurant that serves primarily street food does not excuse the place from lack of experimentation. Browse the menu of Arepas Cafe and you'll be stunned at the lack of creativity. Again, the food wasn't bad, it was simply disappointing. If you're up for an average meal at an average restaurant, then by all means spend your money, which apparently grows on trees, at Arepas Cafe.
Verdict: 3.5 out of 5 austerity measures
Arepas Cafe falls squarely into the realm of "austerity measures." Don't let the elegant website fool you; what you see is what you get. That is to say, you're getting elevated street food served in a venue the size of a shoebox with enough character to make you say, "What was that cute little Venezuelan place we went to last month?" Of course, you won't remember, and you won't care that you don't remember. Instead, you'll probably wind up back there in a few years with an intense feeling of deja vu and a substantial amount of regret.
Before we start unabashedly bashing Arepas Cafe for no reason, let's first go over what an Arepa is (this is your cue to read the wiki). Now that you're back, you might be saying to yourself, "Why is that General Tso so gosh darn mean? I mean, the ceiling for this type of fare is pretty low." Look here, cupcake, cry me a river. Being a restaurant that serves primarily street food does not excuse the place from lack of experimentation. Browse the menu of Arepas Cafe and you'll be stunned at the lack of creativity. Again, the food wasn't bad, it was simply disappointing. If you're up for an average meal at an average restaurant, then by all means spend your money, which apparently grows on trees, at Arepas Cafe.
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| Street food they might as well serve on the asphalt. |
Verdict: 3.5 out of 5 austerity measures
You Can't Be Serious
Because everyone needs a little jolt to get them through mundane Mondays, we bring you food jokes! Read, laugh, pause, lather, rinse, repeat.
Q: What did one tired root vegetable say to the other?
A: I'm beet!
Knock, knock.
Who's there?
Lettuce.
Lettuce who?
Lettuce in, and we'll tell you!
Signs you're drinking too much coffee:
- You got a speeding ticket...while parked.
- You grind your coffee beans in your mouth.
- You go to AA meetings for the free coffee.
- You run 20 miles on the treadmill before realizing it's not plugged in.
- Your eyes stay open when you sneeze.
Customer (after spilling soup in his lap): Waiter, there's a soup in my fly!
Customer: Bring me a hot dog.
Waiter: With pleasure.
Customer: No, with ketchup.
This guy walks into a bar with a duck on his head, and the bartender asks him, "What can I do for you?"
The duck responds, "Get this guy out of my ass!"
Okay, so maybe the last one wasn't food-related. Shut up, no one cares you butthead. Happy Monday! (These jokes were pulled from various sites using something called Google.)
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| You know what else is funny? YOUR FACE! |
Verdict: hilarious
Restaurant Review: Waterzooi
It's pretty hard to make a bad Belgian bistro. One of the primary reasons people come into these types of establishments is the unique beer selection, so by the time food arrives and people have thrown back a few brews with the alcohol content of moonshine, they're obviously going to be hungry for greasy, gourmet burgers and mountains of mussels doused in cream-based sauces.
But let's get one thing straight: it's exceedingly difficult to make a special Belgian bistro. Beyond the beer and the food, there has to be a sense of soul. You should feel as if you've been transported from whatever Yankee city you live in to the cultured streets of Belgium. Also, it doesn't hurt if they spike your food with acid to keep you coming back. In all seriousness, though, you want the pub to have character. Your entrance should be countered with the pungent aroma of briny mussel juice and fresh-baked bread. The wooden tables should be stained with beer, partially moistened by years and years of spilled aperitifs. The people should be kind of snobby, but not as snobby as French people, so that your hate only festers and doesn't manifest as a punch to the nose.
Waterzooi, a Belgian bistro located in Garden City, NY (yes, Long Island), definitely delivers on the food, but unfortunately is a little lacking in the ambiance. Of course, once your food arrives, you forget that you're seated on cushions that only Elvis could love. The red velveteen fabric combined with the absurd paintings on the wall and the abnormally bright lighting screams "clowns!" more than it does "Belgian!" Let's forgive these shortcomings for now, because 1) we are in the middle of nowhere (Long Island), and 2) Waterzooi makes up for it with its spectacular food.
I went to Waterzooi one night after work with some co-workers, one of whom had highly recommended this restaurant. The first thing I noticed was the beer selection, which was extensive but not overwhelming. For grub, I got the Homard, a pot of mussels cooked in cream with bits of lobster sprinkled throughout. Part of me thinks this isn't fair. You'd have to have several extra chromosomes to mess this type of dish up; but then again, I had never had mussels in a broth this good before. By the way, do NOT make the rookie mistake of ordering anything else off of the menu. The mussels come in a pot the size of a large dog. Even though I was hungry, I still had enough leftover mussels to feed my four baby mommas.
Oh, and just so you know, here's the Wikipedia link to Waterzooi. It's not that interesting; I think the name's just fun to say. Waterzoooooooooooooooooiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii. Ahem.
Verdict: 4.2 out of 5 Waterzoooooooooooooooiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis
I went to Waterzooi one night after work with some co-workers, one of whom had highly recommended this restaurant. The first thing I noticed was the beer selection, which was extensive but not overwhelming. For grub, I got the Homard, a pot of mussels cooked in cream with bits of lobster sprinkled throughout. Part of me thinks this isn't fair. You'd have to have several extra chromosomes to mess this type of dish up; but then again, I had never had mussels in a broth this good before. By the way, do NOT make the rookie mistake of ordering anything else off of the menu. The mussels come in a pot the size of a large dog. Even though I was hungry, I still had enough leftover mussels to feed my four baby mommas.
Oh, and just so you know, here's the Wikipedia link to Waterzooi. It's not that interesting; I think the name's just fun to say. Waterzoooooooooooooooooiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii. Ahem.
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| You could put this on a car bumper, and it would taste good. |
Verdict: 4.2 out of 5 Waterzoooooooooooooooiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis
Restaurant Review: Gaia Italian Cafe
So let's get one thing straight: I'm not a mean person. Well, not that mean, anyway. I'd like to think there's a minuscule amount of good in even the most depraved people, and that principle goes for food, too. So when I say that Gaia Italian Cafe provided me with the worst meal of my life, rest assured that this is not false bravado or hyperbole. I spit the truth, dawg.
Instead of my usual spiel, let's have story time. Once upon a time, there was a devilishly handsome food blogger named General Tso (his friends called him GT for short). GT had just moved to New York, and was on the prowl for good eats in the city, but he was overwhelmed by the numerous restaurant options, the women, the subway system, the different neighborhoods...oh, and the women. Luckily, he used Al Gore's invention to find a highly rated Italian diner named Gaia Italian Cafe, although there were only 10 reviews on its Yelp page...all one-liners. But still, a perfect rating on Yelp in the LES? That %$&# cray.
So one gorgeous evening, GT and his parents decided to saunter on down to this CAFE and sample their wares. Seeing as how this was a CAFE and not a formal dining establishment, GT decided to forego reservations, because, well, it was a CAFE. When the happy family arrived, they noted that there was not a single customer in the place. Odd, because when they began taking a seat in the barren restaurant, the owner rushed at them like a Spartan in 300, telling them that they were only seating reservations that night. The family, confused at the circumstances before them, looked at each other haplessly and exited the restaurant.
Flash forward several months. GT had finally made reservations at Gaia Italian Cafe for him and a lady friend. The anticipation had been building for this night, where GT would finally get a taste of Gaia's famous panini. Again, the restaurant was desolate, but the couple were seated according to the Geneva Convention rules of reservations. The two noticed strange things starting to occur in the restaurant. For instance, nobody else was in the freakin' place. Also, Gaia kept turning away perfectly acceptable customers because they lacked reservations. Ain't no one in here homegirl, whatchu doin'?
The worst was yet to come, however. Namely, the food. The two ordered several of the $5 paninis, a steal if you were getting something edible. They were not. The paninis were cold, the ingredients within were sparse and average, and the presentation was terrible. Oh yeah, by the by, CAN A BROTHER GET SOME PLATES?! The coup de grace was an odd concoction of some sort of mystery meat curry laid on top of homemade mozzarella. It all sounded well and good, until they got the dish, which amounted to cold diarrhea on top of mozzarella sitting in a pool of its own whey. This was as appetizing as a murder scene.
Verdict: 1 out of 5 bouts of diarrhea
Instead of my usual spiel, let's have story time. Once upon a time, there was a devilishly handsome food blogger named General Tso (his friends called him GT for short). GT had just moved to New York, and was on the prowl for good eats in the city, but he was overwhelmed by the numerous restaurant options, the women, the subway system, the different neighborhoods...oh, and the women. Luckily, he used Al Gore's invention to find a highly rated Italian diner named Gaia Italian Cafe, although there were only 10 reviews on its Yelp page...all one-liners. But still, a perfect rating on Yelp in the LES? That %$&# cray.
So one gorgeous evening, GT and his parents decided to saunter on down to this CAFE and sample their wares. Seeing as how this was a CAFE and not a formal dining establishment, GT decided to forego reservations, because, well, it was a CAFE. When the happy family arrived, they noted that there was not a single customer in the place. Odd, because when they began taking a seat in the barren restaurant, the owner rushed at them like a Spartan in 300, telling them that they were only seating reservations that night. The family, confused at the circumstances before them, looked at each other haplessly and exited the restaurant.
Flash forward several months. GT had finally made reservations at Gaia Italian Cafe for him and a lady friend. The anticipation had been building for this night, where GT would finally get a taste of Gaia's famous panini. Again, the restaurant was desolate, but the couple were seated according to the Geneva Convention rules of reservations. The two noticed strange things starting to occur in the restaurant. For instance, nobody else was in the freakin' place. Also, Gaia kept turning away perfectly acceptable customers because they lacked reservations. Ain't no one in here homegirl, whatchu doin'?
The worst was yet to come, however. Namely, the food. The two ordered several of the $5 paninis, a steal if you were getting something edible. They were not. The paninis were cold, the ingredients within were sparse and average, and the presentation was terrible. Oh yeah, by the by, CAN A BROTHER GET SOME PLATES?! The coup de grace was an odd concoction of some sort of mystery meat curry laid on top of homemade mozzarella. It all sounded well and good, until they got the dish, which amounted to cold diarrhea on top of mozzarella sitting in a pool of its own whey. This was as appetizing as a murder scene.
 |
| I cannot identify a single good thing about this dish. |
Verdict: 1 out of 5 bouts of diarrhea
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