I am now just discovering Greenpoint after living in Brooklyn for more than six years. It’s not that we haven’t tried the occasional restaurant, especially those closer to Williamsburg, but the shopping districts on Nassau and Manhattan Avenues are new to me.
Today was a stand up brunch at Frankel’s Delicatessen (no seating) and what a surprise. It’s a busy corner store with a quick moving line that offers a selection of ready-made smoked fish (nova, Irish salmon) and meats (pastrami, corned beef), along with bagels and bialys. The menu also includes passed-down recipes such as matzo ball soup, chopped chicken liver and a braised brisket from the owners’ grandmother. Baked items line their rows of shelves.
We tried their amazing BLT on challah bread and white fish salad on a whole wheat everything bagel. (It was too early for their brisket sandwich, and yes, they do have bacon, eggs and cheese on a bagel.) Then we took home a decadent chocolate babka which could be one of the best I have ever tasted!
Their food is a little pricy, but portions are generous. Definitely worth a visit!
Second Visit: This time, we arrived at 12:00 pm to try their brisket sandwich but were again told we were too early. So, hot pastrami it was, and it was good!! Decided to come at 1:00 pm next time in order to score one of those elusive brisket sandwiches. Will let you know…….
Don’t be deceived by what might look like a complicated recipe. It’s easy to follow and is a delicious meal!
Ingredients:
a 3/4-pound whole skinless boneless chicken breast, halved lengthwise
Kosher salt
1/2 cup all purpose flour
4 garlic cloves, smashed
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon drained bottled capers, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves
lemon wedges for serving
Halve the chicken pieces horizontally with a sharp knife and flatten them slightly between sheets of plastic wrap. Season lightly with salt. Place flour in a medium shallow bowl. Working one at a time, place cutlets in bowl and toss to coat in flour. Knock off excess flour and transfer to a plate.
In a large heavy skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over moderately high heat. Working in batches, if needed, cook cutlets without moving them, until deeply browned underneath, about 2 minutes. Turn over and cook on the other side just until chicken is nearly cooked through, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a clean plate.
Add garlic and remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the skillet, stirring often, and reducing heat, until garlic is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add wine and capers and cook, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan, until liquid is almost completely evaporated, about 3 minutes.
Add 1/2 cup water, followed by the butter. Swirl pan vigorously while butter melts to help it form an emulsion with water, about 1 minute.
Return chicken to the skillet, and simmer until chicken is cooked through. Sauce should be thick enough to coat a spoon, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir lemon juice into the sauce; season with salt.
Transfer chicken and sauce to a platter; top with chopped parsley, and serve with lemon wedges.
Sorry, don’t know where I got this recipe, but it’s really good!
Ingredients:
1 pound of ground pork (fatty, not lean, or any fatty ground meat)
1 cup cleaned and deveined raw shrimp, minced
4 teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 tablespoon dry sherry or @Shaoxing wine or 2 -3 teaspoons of Mirin
4-6 Tablespoons of Chinese chives (substitution: ramps, garlic chives or scallion greens)
40 square wonton wrappers
Preparation:
If thin won tons are desired, roll each skin with rolling pin or they may be stuffed just as they are. Fill each skin with teaspoon of filling. Keep stack of won ton skins covered with damp cloth so they do not dry out.
To fold, bring up two sides of won ton skin and pinch all around to seal in filling. Dampen edges with a little water if necessary to make them stick. Pull two bottom edges together and pinch firmly to seal.
Continue until all filling is used. As you work, cover finished won tons with damp cloth to prevent drying out.
Bring several quarts of water to boil in a large kettle and add won tons. When water returns to boil, add half cup of cold water and let water come to boil again. Won tons are done when they float to top.
OR, these may be deep fried. Turn over once when frying. Wontons are done when they are puffy and slightly brown.
This is my own recipe perfected after more than forty years of trial and error.
Start with a large, green cabbage. If possible, remove enough outer leaves of cabbage to get about 8-10 large, nearly perfect leaves. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Put leaves in boiling water, a few at a time, until softened, 2-3 minutes; remove, and drain on paper towels. Use a paring knife to remove their thickest vein. This will make the leaves easier to roll up.
…OR, this is what I usually do.
Cut away and discard the tough center core of the cabbage. Bring enough water to a boil to cover the cabbage when it is added. Add the cabbage and let it cook about five minutes, until the outer leaves are slightly tender and can easily be pulled away. Remove the outer leaves and continue to cook cabbage briefly until the second batch of outer leaves can be easily removed. Continue until you have about 8-10 blanched leaves to be filled. Drain well. Use a paring knife to remove their thickest vein.
Ingredients for filling, combine…
1 pound 80% ground beef
3 Tablespoons rice (unwashed; white sushi rice works well)
3 Tablespoons water
1 clove chopped garlic
4 Tablespoons chopped onion
1 teaspoon salt, some pepper
1 beaten egg
handful of dried raisins
Lay out one piece of cabbage leaf at a time on a flat surface. Place a small handful of the beef mixture in the center of each piece of cabbage. Fold the cabbage neatly over and around to enclose the filling. Squeeze gently to make the rolls more compact.
Ingredients for the sauce:
Sauté: I large sliced onion, sliced cabbage (whatever is left), and 2 large carrots cut in chunks in 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil.
Add, 1 can of Muti tomatoes, and then fill can halfway with water and add.
Add 1/2 cup of raisins and some salt and pepper.
When sauce starts to simmer, place cabbage rolls on top of vegetables. If there are any left over cabbage leaves, place them on top of rolls. Slowly simmer cabbage rolls for at least 2 hours. Taste for salt. The rolls should be sweet and sour from the raisins and tomatoes. If necessary, adjust seasoning with honey and lemon.
Stuffed cabbage rolls always taste better when stand or the next day. They freeze well.
My family and I love Vietnamese food, and rather unfortunately, have a hard time finding good restaurants serving it. For many years, we were loyal customers at a restaurant on Doyers Street, in New York’s Chinatown, and were devastated to arrive one day to find that the restaurant had permanently closed. Since then, the hunt has been on. I reported earlier about Em Vietnamese Bistro, in Dumbo, where Adam and I had a delicious dinner, and today I would like to write about another good experience at Di an Di for brunch. Greenpoint is a fun place to visit, and if it’s a sunny afternoon, which it was, then it’s even more enjoyable. The lunch menu differs from their dinner menu with their offering of Banh Mi, Vietnamese sandwiches. Those were not my favorite, but their spring rolls, served with lettuce and mint for wrapping were wonderful, as was a salad made with cabbage, chicken, peanuts, and rice noodles, and chicken pho with rice noodles, scallions, fried shallots and ginger. The broth was so flavorful; we didn’t leave a drop!
The dinner menu is more extensive with quite a few vegetarian options. (Brunch also.). Definitely worth a visit.
Chicken Pho
Banh Vietnamese Shop Houseon Amsterdam Avenue
This is another Vietnamese restaurant I would like to recommend. It’s on the upper west side of Manhattan, and their Banh Mi, Vietnamese sandwiches, are incredible, according to my daughter! Not only is their food wonderfully tasty, but beautifully presented, as well. From The New York Times restaurant review, “The Banh Vietnamese Shop House lavishes unusual care and preparation on dishes rarely seen in New York.” 🙂
John Nguyen, left, and Nhu Ton own the restaurant. He runs the dining room and she is the chef.
What a pleasant surprise! Brunch wasn’t fancy, but good. I had delicious soft scrambled eggs, along with fresh baked focaccia, and Adam ordered their spicy brunch pizza. The whipped ricotta was delicious. Also, for dessert, we tried panna cotta from their bakery next door. Loved it!
My family and I decided to try this acclaimed restaurant recommended by Forbes Magazine and The Michelin Guide Point of View. Its name, according to Forbes, is from the area code found around Naples, Italy.
Walking into the restaurant feels like an instant trip to an actual courtyard in southwestern Italy. There is exposed brick, whitewashed arches, and a pizza oven as a centerpiece where the most delectable pizzas are made. (They have a puffy but crisp crust and a soft middle!))
We started with the Margherita (tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, parmigiano and basil) and then moved on to a more adventurous Patate e Porcini (fresh mozzarella, sliced potatoes, and porcini mushrooms), which was wonderfully reminiscent of a past trip to Rome 🙂
The menu is extensive and includes appetizers, salads, pasta, risotto, fish and meat entrees. We loved the Polpettine, Polenta, and Caprino (small meat balls, not so spicy tomato sauce, polenta, and goat cheese). Our waiter, and Michelin, both recommend we try the brasato alla Peroni ( beer-braised short ribs with cherry peppers and topped with gorgonzola cheese). We will definitely return for this!
Reservations are not accepted unless for large parties. We had to wait about twenty minutes for a table when we arrived at 6:30 on a Sunday evening. It was well worth the wait!
PS: Leave room for dessert!!
Margherita pizzaDesserts are amazing – all fresh cream!
NYT Recipe, adapted by Julia Moskin. Banana bread is one of my family’s favorites. Ms. Moskin reminds us to “make sure the bananas are very ripe.” The recipe did not call for vanilla, but I added 2 teaspoons. Also, instead of brown sugar, I substituted cane sugar and increased the amount to 1 cup. If you would like to add chopped nuts, stir them in when the batter is combined or scatter them over the top before baking.
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE BREAD
¼pound cool butter (1 stick), more for greasing pan
¾cup dark brown sugar******
2eggs, at room temperature
2 ⅓cups very ripe bananas (I used 4 bananas; the recipe suggests about 5.)
2 teaspoons vanilla******
2cups all-purpose flour
1teaspoon baking soda
¼teaspoon salt
optional: 1/2 -3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts******
Topping: 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar sprinkled over the batter.
PREPARATION
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan. Using electric mixer, cream butter until smooth and fluffy. Add sugar and cream together 2 minutes more. One at a time, mix in eggs. Mix in bananas until only small lumps remain.
Stir dry ingredients together and mix into banana mixture just until combined. Pour into prepared pan. Add topping.
Bake about 55 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. If the top of the loaf is becoming too dark before it’s baked through, loosely cover with foil.
Let cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack and let cool completely before wrapping tightly for storage.
Another Banana Bread: My tried and true recipe! My family feels that I should also include this one.
1 stick of room temperature butter, more for greasing pan
1 cup sugar
2eggs, at room temperature
2 large or3 smaller, very ripe bananas
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2cups all-purpose flour
1teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
I usually use a food processor for this recipe, but you can use your electric mixer. Process the butter, sugar, eggs, bananas, and vanilla first. Then add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Lastly, add the nuts, careful not to over process them.
Bake in a 350* oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Sometimes, if the toothpick does not come out dry, I turn off the oven and let the cake finish that way.
In as big a pot or casserole as you have available, begin by lightly browning your sausages and ribs—and, if using, braciole and pork chops—in lard over medium heat. Yes, you read that right: lard. You can use olive oil if you like, but for the real taste of ragù, lard is a must. (And there is no better fat for browning, by the way.) Brown as many pieces at a time as will fit in your pot in a single, well-spaced layer. (If you crowd the pieces of meat, they will steam and not brown.) Do not rush the process; take your time and brown them gently, so they render their fat and don’t darken too much. Remove the pieces to a bowl or dish as they brown, replacing them with other pieces.
When all the pieces of meat are brown, remove any remaining in the pot and add a generous amount of chopped onion and allow it to sweat until it is quite soft. Then add a clove or two of chopped garlic and, when you can just begin to smell their aroma, add back the browned meat. Turn the meat with the onion and garlic and simmer them together gently to allow the meat to insaporire (absorb the flavor of the aromatics), seasoning with salt and pepper as you turn. (If you have some spare red wine on hand, add a splash at this point and allow it to evaporate completely. If you don’t have red wine, not to worry; Angelina actually didn’t add wine to her ragù, but many recipes call for it, and it does add a nice additional layer of flavor.)
Then add the best quality canned tomatoes that you can find , passing them through a food mill into the pot, enough to cover the meats entirely. (Some recipes call for tomato paste, but I find this makes the sauce too heavy.) Nestle a sprig or two of fresh parsley among the meats. Lower the heat, partially cover the pot, and let the sauce to simmer very slowly for at least 2-3 hours, until the sauce is thick and dark and very flavorful. Along the way, add your meatballs, which you will have fried separately in oil.
Sunday Sauce is best made a day ahead, but you can use it immediately if you like.
*Note: I make this sauce using 2-3 28oz. cans of Muti chopped tomatoes. (No need for a food mill.) I also use 1 large beef short rib, one large pork chop on the bone, and sometimes some sweet pork sausage. (Definitely use olive oil.) If necessary, after final seasoning, you can add some honey to taste.
Ingredients for Meatballs (Dina)
For every pound of meat, do: 1/2 ground beef (80%), 1/4 ground veal, and 1/4 ground pork, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon of salt
Add to taste, fresh parsley, Parmesan cheese, and garlic
Take stale Italian bread, soak in water with a little milk, then break it up to make breadcrumb/like mixture.
Mix it all together, make meatballs, and fry them in oil. Add to sauce.
Note: My interpretation:
garlic: 1 large clove, finely chopped, should be enough for 2 pounds of meat.
Parmesan cheese: about 1/4-1/2 cup, freshly grated, for 2 pounds of meat.
*Stale bread: For 2 pounds of meat, let about 4 slices of bread sit out for a few hours. Remove crusts and cut bread into cubes; it should equal 2 cups. In a shallow dish, cover cubes with water and milk; drain.
A new, contemporary Chinese restaurant on the upper west side of Manhattan offers a different take on Chinese food.
Owned by two recent graduates of Columbia University, the menu flies to the four corners of China for its inspiration.
Dishes from Hunan province — where sour and spicy flavors and dried, smoked, and pickled ingredients are prized — have a major presence on the menu. Sichuan food is also a frequent menu inspiration. (We ordered their Hunan Style Fried Rice, which is spicy, and asked for a milder version. They kindly complied.)
If you are not an adventurous eater, the menu has a section devoted to American Chinese food where you will find old favorites such as Sesame Chicken, Beef and Broccoli, Prawn with Garlic Sauce and much more.
Their vegetable selection is extensive. We started with Okra with Garlic Sauce, and I’m looking forward to returning and trying some of their other offerings. All the dishes were not only delicious, but beautifully presented as well. Yes, to a repeat!!
okra with garlic sauce
Update: May 22, 2025. This blog post was written in February, 2022, so when returning to the upper westside, we decided to revisit this wonderful Chinese restaurant. Major disappointment. Restaurant is now rather shabby, and the food was fair to middling. One dish was especially terrible – their soup dumplings. Skins were inedible. Sorry, I can no longer recommend this restaurant.
