March 26, 2006
Virgil's Real BBQ + random crap
Is it sad that when deciding between studying for a test I have on Tuesday and updating my blog, I chose to...well, you see.
But before the food, I shall talk about "things I didn't eat but are still food related". You like that, right? No? Well, you'll just have to deal. Because. This is my blog. Bwahahahaaa.
Because I'm...you know, weird, I check Magnet's myspace profile a lot. The latest comment puzzled me: "Thanks for the cookies and the beers"...
...OH MY GOD, WERE THOSE MY COOKIES? The ones borne of my sweat and mixing abilities and lack-of-muscle power? Is it too presumptuous to assume that they were my cookies? I mean, it's totally cool if they were. Those cookies had to be shared; I can tell you from experience that eating all of them would've meant a certain doom, in the form of cookie hatred or a stomach ache. Maybe they weren't my cookies. ...Maybe they were my cookies.
...WHO CARES, WHO CARES, DOESN'T MATTER, JUST GONNA TYPE ALL IN CAPS NOW, YES, OKAY.
The Guardian has this little article about Marmite coming in squeezy tubes. This is important stuff, folks. We don't need to save the whales; we need to SAVE THE MARMITE JAR! The squeezy tube shall take over your Marmite! REBEL AGAINST THE SQUEEZY TUBE! But...hey, I have a squeezy tube of Vegemite (uh, that's similar, yes?) and I think it works pretty well. Sure, I dunno what non-squeezy tube Vegemite is, but the stuff that comes out of the tube is pretty...thick. And...um...
Sorry, I wrote that last paragraph just so that I could say "squeezy tube" a lot. I don't get to say "squeezy tube" very often because aside from toothpaste, nothing I own comes in a squeezy tube. Hey, wouldn't it be cool if honey came in a squeezy tube? I mean, nice gourmet honey? I know glass jars are swanky, but a squeezy tube would make my life easier. Then I wouldn't have to spend 5 seconds cleaning a spoon covered in a layer of honey, yeah?
By the way: squeezy tube squeezy tube squeezy tube squeezy tube squeezy tube squeezy tube squeezy tube squeezy tube
This article features a picture of a guy drinking Yakult. The only reason I ever drank Yakult was because I lived in Taiwan and people there drink Yakult. Yakult is a yogurty drink that comes in a bottle that's probably smaller than some species of cockroaches. Anyhoo, the article is about liquid meals. Or something. Is it ironic that even though I suck at chewing (I'm more of a chomp, then swallow person), I'm not a fan of liquids? Not enough effort is involved! Like damn, I just swallowed some pureed fruit concoction when all I had to do was EAT A DAMN PIECE OF FRUIT and masticate it with my own teeth. The only time I just felt like not chewing was that time when I was left to puke over the porcelain throne for a day.
Last article before moving onto the food porn: something about the death of cooking! This last line caught my eye:
And when you consider the appalling by-products of bad food and bad eating habits - widespread obesity, diet related diseases, social malfunction - we should not just count the cost to society, but to ourselves.
The emphasis is mine. Social malfunction. I have to admit, food has made me much more social, and my least social time was when I was a raw foodist and couldn't eat any normal food, and...oh, I think I just proved the point. I was a social anomaly at Vassar College for many reasons (I'm weird), but the "never going out to eat" thing was probably a bad idea. People would ask me if I wanted to go to the dining hall and I'd be like, "Oh no, I've got a stash of bananas in my room."
"Social malfunction"...man, that's a harsh term. It makes me feel like a robot. A rejected robot.
Lastly (yeah, I just said the other thing was last, but this is important): TASTES LIKE LATINO! Dude. Didn't anyone at one point on the Lays marketing team think that "Latino Style" may not have been the best idea? I mean...I get it, but still. Latino = hot peppers and salsa, hot damn!
---
Yesterday I went to Midtown with Jason (one of the few good friends I made at Vassar) who made a stop in NYC on his way back to school. He wanted to check out St. Patrick's Cathedral, so...we did. And then we were left to roam for food. I chose Chikubu, but alas, Chikubu did not choose me (wow, I feel a Pokemon reference coming on...I'll let it slide). As in, it was closed.
"Uh...crap."
"Uhhhh."
Wise words; we're full of em.
After staring at the many restaurants that line 44th Street between Broadway and...the other avenue, we came across Virgil's Real BBQ. I've never had BBQ in NYC, and if it has "real" in the title, IT MUST BE REAL! Or close to real. So BBQ, we ate.
- sauce pump
I just thought that was funny. Or disturbing.
Since Jason is awesome, we decided to split two sandwiches. If you eat with me, be prepared to share your food. (Share it evenly, of course. I'm not gonna take half your sandwich and give nothing in return. What am I, some kind of glutton?...ohh...wait.)
- fried catfish filet sandwich
Jason's fried catfish filet sandwich was awesome. Do you see the structure in that baby? It was impressive! Putting two layers of fried catfish on top of tomato and chopped lettuce could result in the catfish smooshing out due to the slippery nature of the tomato or lettuce (hasn't that ever happened to you?), but everything stayed snug in the bun. BUN-SNUG, IT WAS. I've never had a fried catfish sandwich before, so maybe it's my fault for not expecting juicy (really, I was surprised by the moistness), light, tender, crispy, lightly coated fried fish, but I didn't...and it was awesome.
- pulled Carolina pork sandwich
I went with a pulled Carolina pork sandwich with a side of fries. Besides fries, you have the choice of coleslaw and potato salad (as seen in Jason's plate). Of course, I went for the more heart-clogging option. The fries were just alright, but at least earn extra points for obviously being from...real potatoes. That counts for something, yes? Righto.
- innards!
Ah ha haaaa, pile of meat! Large, dense pile of meat! In wheat! (With feet! And Pete! And "something else that ends in "eat"!) Not having anything to compare this to, I'd say this is a very enjoyable sandwich. I would describe what BBQ sauce tastes like, but...well, I can't. So actually, I wouldn't. And hopefully you already know what it tastes like (kinda sweet, kinda tangy, kinda like bbq sauce, because that's what it is). The pork was uber-tender and sauced, although it could've been a little more moist. It wasn't really juicy, just...sauced. Know what I mean? Despite the tad dryness of the meat, I'd still say this is worth getting. If you like to eat dense piles of meat stacks.
By paying $15 each, we ended up leaving a pretty hefty tip. Our waitress was nice though and the food was satisfying without making us feel like we were going to keel over from pork overdose. Good times.
- Poseidon Bakery
After our late lunch, we took a quick stroll to Poseidon Bakery on 9th Avenue. I'm too lazy to write anything in depth, so I'll just shove photos in your face.
- greek stuff!
Poseidon Bakery has a lot of stuff, as you can see. Besides all the sweets, they have savory things, which I ignored. Haha.
- flogera, afali innards
I got a flogera (milk, butter, egg custard, sprinkle of nuts and honey) and an afali (pistachio filled pastry, bergamot flavored syrup), which the woman neatly wrapped in saran wrap after drizzling sweet syrup on top and tucking it into a small paper box. Flogera is pretty good. Afali? Not so good. It was very dense with...stuff. At some point while attacking it with my fork and trying to just eat the filo pastry instead of the dense stuff inside, I realized, "Hey, I don't have to finish the whole thing!" An amazing revelation, eh?
Today I stayed in my room all day and lived off more throwaways from Bouchon Bakery that Sarah hand-delivered to my room. Sweet. I'm the epitome of laziness.
Posted by roboppy at 11:22 PM
Comments (26)
again, you beat me to a restaurant i've been meaning to check out! i live in cliff street (the beloved bastard lovechild of water) and pass by dodo every morning to campus...
quantum leap, super near campus (tho i can't remember which street it's on), has AWESOME healthy vegetarian food. you should check it out sometime
Posted by: Sue at March 27, 2006 2:19 AM [#]
Wow... that's the sandwiche I'd eat if I ever return to meat-eating. That fried catfish sandwich looks so good (and carcinogenic)! I hope you drank a lot of green tea afterwards Robyn!
PS: Yakult contains Shirota-strain of the so-called 'good' bacteria, that readdresses the (im)balance in our intestines. Or whatever! Basically, it's supposed to make you healthy (or less elegantly, 'regular'). We get it in Australia now - the Japanese company opened a factory here a few years ago. It's not as good as our Taiwanese version though. :-(
Yummm, love your pastry pics - and I love the labeling as well. I frequent two Greek patisseries. In one, the Hispanic girls at the counter coudn't care less, so good luck trying to find out the names of your favorite pastries. The second is so Greek everybody is mildly astonished when I can't order in Greek...
Oh we have Yakult here in Argentina also. I never drink it because, though I find it quite delicious (yeah I'm weird), that little bottle costs about $1.50 (around 50 cents of a dollar) and for that kind of money you could go to a bakery and get a few pa�uelitos... or one pastelito... or 3 medialunas (croissants). Tough choice, mmm....
Posted by: Maria at March 27, 2006 8:17 AM [#]
pumpkinpie: Whoa, I totally need one of those. I'd probably eat it out of the tube though. I've never seen tubed condensed milk here...then again, I haven't looked for it. The most condensed milk I've ever seen is in Asian supermarkets. I guess it's a holdover of colonialism, HARHAHR!
Marvo: Chinchilla...
Squeezy tube...
Chinchilla squeezy tube chinchilla squeezy tube chinchilla squeezy tube chinchilla squeezy tube chinchilla squeezy tube
They're both pretty fun, I GUESS.
Kathy: OMG, the banana muffin...SO GOOD! But the carrot muffin? REALLY...REALLY GOOD! I haven't tried the bran muffin left but I need to. Had a plain scone yesterday and it was so good...but I have to say, I don't know if I'd go there and pay for anything knowing i can get the old stuff that tasted just as good. Well. Some of it. The danish definitely suffered from time.
Sue: Ahh, Cliff! Cliff isn't bad, eh? I've only been there once...twice? It looked kinda like Water Street, hehe. First time I went by myself for pancakes, second time I brought friends from out of town there for...pancakes. Their pancakes are awesome! I haven't tried anything else, hehe.
aussieyam: Green tea? Uh. UhhHHHHH! Uh. I didn't. I'M GONNA DIE NOW! (I just drink water, haha. My family isn't really the tea drinking sort.)
Mm, I love good bacteria! Yeah, we definitely have issues in our intestines. I have some kind of probiotic formula on my desk right now. I take it...when I remember. I poop enough so I guess I'm alright. (There's information you didn't need to know.)
Anna: I love it when stuff is labeled! I'd be kind of...intimidated to go to a place that is so Greek that I'd be expected to known Greek. BUt I think it's kinda obvious from looking at me that I am very un-Greek. However, I would be willing to learn pastry terms...because...what else would I need? Ehe.
Maria: Whoa oh oh, baked goods totally win over Yakult! They win over most stuff! EVERYTHING.
Everytime I read your reviews, it makes me miss working in the City. Virgil's looks great. Thanks for including the link to the place in your review so I could salivate over the menu. Makes me want to go back to eating pork. ;)
I'll be in the city tomorrow--upper west side, but I'll be sure to stop in at Babycakes on my way to the Holland Tunnel on my way out. Any good spots for eats around 120th and Riverside Drive??? Thanks!
how are you NYU-ers enjoying the trader joes that just opened? Do you have any favorite snacks/meals?
Posted by: jane at March 27, 2006 12:08 PM [#]
Vegemite usually comes in a jar, plastic or glass.
And do you get those squeezy jars/tubes of honey in the US?? I will find a picture and send it to you, and if you've never had it, I swear, I will send it to you, because I feel your pain of cleaning gunky honey off a spoon two hours after making toast.
Posted by: Angela at March 27, 2006 5:24 PM [#]
Deb: Pork! I have underestimated pork. I feel like I've eate more pork this year than...EVER BEFORE.
Oh my, I have absolutely no idea what's around 120th and Riverside Drive. That's like...way opposite area of where I live, haha! Aw. Hm. I seriously have no idea what's up there. Take a peek at menupages?
Ani: Oo you work by LOTS OF BBQ? Mmm. :D I'd be tempted to go there a lot if I worked right by it, hehe. And mum's cooking must be good stuff. Ahh. It's funny because I'm probably one of the few people to say that my mum's cooking isn't better than...uh, anything I could get anywhere else.
Jane: I think Trader Joe's is still uber-crowded, eh? I only went by once, but it doesn't hold much appeal for me (well, if there's a line) because I rarely go grocery shopping anyway. The most I did lately was buy fruit from Chinatown, hehe.
Angela: I like the Vegemite jars; they're quite cute. But I do have a squeezy tube that makes life easier for when I wanna use Vegemite...which admittedly isn't very often. BUT I HAVE THE CHOICE! MM!
Ooh whoa, that's some cool honey! If anyone else is reading this, Angela sent me a photo of Capilano Honey. They seem ot be big on packaging. There's probably something like that here, but...not much of it. I mean, I have seen honey in tubes, but it's not the kind of honey I'd really want.
Man, this company has BUCKETS OF HONEY. Insaane!
Oh.. southern cooking and bakalava, that's some really rich/yummy food.
While a catfish has whiskers, they are usually removed when processed especially in most cooking all you really get is the filet. I'd dare say its one of the tastier fish out there, although since its a fresh water/farm raised fish, it usually doesn't have much of a "fishy" smell/taste to it.
Posted by: Wei at March 27, 2006 10:17 PM [#]
Here in Israel you can get honey in squeezy tubes..:)
Posted by: CJ at March 28, 2006 6:22 AM [#]
Wei: Southern food and baklava go together like!...um...no freakin' clue. They're both tasty.
My burger was whiskerless! Mmm. That fish is pretty tasty.
CJ: ISRAEL, HERE I COME, FOR YOUR TUBES.
Cathy: I think I could start a "VISIT NYC" campaign just with pastry photos, eh? Or maybe...um, visit Greece, in this case. Hm.
Deb: You're welcome! Hope you find good eats.
oh man...i promised myself washboard abs and to transfer my iron will to iron biceps...
but after a few days on this blog, you've undone almost 4 months of mental training! i dont know how much longer i can hold. haha
Posted by: ed at March 28, 2006 7:14 PM [#]
i was first introduced to "vegemite" on ur website and later, while surfing guardian unlimited, i came upon this:
Millions of people can't stand it, yet millions absolutely swear by it. What other 100-year-old product has bobbysoxing websites devoted to it with people writing lines like "I want to be buried in a Marmite jar ... oh God, I luv Marmite". That was someone from Denmark. Another drooling addict from Spain said he would like to work in the Marmite factory 24 hours a day and asked whether he would be paid in Marmite.
The first quote sounds totally like something you would write, you foodie ;)
Posted by: jane at March 29, 2006 12:05 AM [#]
ed: Keep in mind who's eating this stuff....meee! My body = marshmallow puff! ALL FOR YOU. Get those washboard abs if you can. Cos I can't. ;D
gamin: UHH, dessert is my favorite! Let's get some.
jane: "I want to be buried in a Marmite jar"....good lord, I'm scared. Those crazy Danes! (shakes head) My assumption is that Vegemite and Marmate taste similar (well, more so than Vegemite vs Nutella). I have to eat a looot more Vegemite to get a taste for it. I'LL GET RIGHT ON THAT.
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I think you need to own a squeezy tube of sweetened condensed milk. Chocolate, mango and original flavors available! It stays so neat and fresh without that sticky can...
Posted by: pumpkinpie at March 27, 2006 12:29 AM [#]