Pure Thai Shophouse

766 Ninth Ave
purethaishophouse.com

Some people call the stretch of Ninth Ave between 56th and 42nd streets, a little Thailand. And it's true that there's at least one and perhaps more Thai joints on nearly every block. But you realize very soon that most of those are either tourist trap versions of what the Thai may think Americans must think of Thailand and Thai food, or mini fast food chains with food akin Chinese greasy-spoon take-outs but more saccharine if not nauseatingly sweet. (Yes, I am talking about you Yum-Yum Bangkok I, and II, and III, and IV, and V).

It would have been a complete waste if it wasn't for some rare exceptions. Won Dee Siam, the one between 52nd & 53rd, and uber trendy Room Service have been satisfying my Thai food cravings with consistently solid if slightly generic menu. Until recently, that is.

Pure Thai Shophouse has opened it's doors in October 2010, and right away became a place to go for excellent and authentic Thai food. As soon as the construction scaffolding came down you could sense the difference. The restaurant brakes the mold with tasteful storefront design that includes a simple type marquee, surrounded by iridescent bulbs, and a sign featuring an iconic elephant. Inside shows the same degree of restraint and good taste. To recreate a feeling of an authentic Bangkok noodle shop the designers used unfinished wooden boards for the walls and old corrugated metal sheets for the ceiling. Not without a number of cute gimmicks, such as pulley suspended tip bucket, Pure is an exercise in maximizing space without sacrificing comfort and functionality, and good taste.


Photo courtesy of Lush Life Productions. © All rights reserved Lush Life Productions

Curiously enough, the design and concept of the place reminded me of one of my other favorite spots called Recipe, on Amsterdam Ave on the Upper West Side. Although entirely different - Recipe serves a version of new American cuisine, with some excellent terrines and pickled vegetables, they both make use of vintage styling and found objects and both of their menus hark back to the do-it-yourself country grocery ethos. As I later found out to my surprise, David who owns and is an executive chef at Pure, also owns Recipe.

But what about the food you ask? Well, in short, It's excellent. To me, it's one of the best restaurants in the city. Period. No matter the cuisine. The combination of taste-to-price-to-quality is simply unbeatable.

First hint that it's not your regular Thai is the amount and power of spice these guys use. They love chilly, and don't try to modify the recipe to appeal to a broader crowd. The waitress will warn you however if the dish is spicy, and her spicy is VERY spicy. She will also love you afterwards if you have enough balls finish it.

Pure does offer some of the Thai stand-bys such as Pad Thai and Pad See Ew. But if you are in the mood for noodles, skip those and head straight for the house specialty - Ratchabury. These home-made egg noodles, a family recipe by the way, come flawlessly cooked with slices of pork and real crab meat in light and fragrant broth. Order it with a poached egg on top.

But I would strongly recommend exploring more original items on the menu. We all had Green Papaya Salad, right? Not really, until you try it at Pure. It's spicy and tangy and explodes with fiery chilly flavor. It comes with dry shrimp, as a true green papaya salad should. But ask to include a salted blue crab (+$2), and you're in for a real treat. The crab is marinated raw in fish sauce, cracked, its top shell removed, and tossed on top of the pile of green papaya. As you suck on the creamy salty flesh, trying to put out the flames in your mouth and, at the same time, shedding tears that are 50% pain and 50% bliss, you're already planning your next meal here. Because that dish is addictive.

Equally addictive and, probably the spiciest item on the menu, is Wok Chili Turmeric With Beef. I have tried a similar dish at Jitlada in LA. There it's called dry curry beef and is a recipe LA Times food critic Jonathan Gold swears by. To my taste Pure's version is better - the balance between the flavors of green peppercorns, kaffir lime, turmeric and hot chilly is mind boggling. Literally. It feels like it burns direct pathways to your brain's addiction centers. You suffer with every bite, but unable to stop. And it's hard to tell wether the speed with which you devour the dish relates to it's actual taste or more to your desire to extinguish the heat engulfing your whole being sooner.

Another fantastic dish on the menu, albeit not spicy at all, is Fried Rice With Lump Crab Meat. This too is a true masterpiece, as I have never tasted rice that fluffy yet chewy, and ingredients so flavorful that you want to just scoop it up with a spoon. For extra kick ask a waitress for a mix of fish sauce and fresh green chillies. And it's guaranteed to send you to heaven.

The wait staff is great and attentive and specials change every three days. Pure bliss this place is.

Grilled Steak. A Good One.

Photo : Guilt MANual


From my friends at the MANual.
Step-by-step instruction for a not so usual take on a grilled steak.
Hint: it involves arugula, and parmesan.

Cuts of Meat

This is a helpful article that i am reprinting without permission but with a plug, from the MANual.

Shell Steak: Also known as a New York steak or a strip steak, a popular and tender cut most often broiled or cooked in a cast iron pan.

Filet Mignon: A very tender and lean (not to mention pricey) cut of meat that calls for searing on all four sides and a rare center. The filet remains a standard bearer despite being a little underwhelming on the flavor scale.

Rib Steak: Fatty and flavorful, a rib steak usually comes with a bone attached. Its center is well known as the rib eye and is normally served boneless. Popular cooking methods are the tried-and-true broiler method, which works for almost any cut, or on the grill.

Porterhouse: Also known as a T-bone, this consists of a shell steak and a filet separated by a bone, and is generally a large and expensive cut of meat best prepared in the broiler.

Skirt Steak: Tough, stringy, and flavorful, skirt steak is generally marinated before cooking and is best served braised or otherwise slow-cooked—a technique that keeps the cut’s mineral flavor while amping up its tenderness.

Hanger Steak: A cheap, tasty, and tough steak, hanger steak should be cooked quickly over a high heat—though served rare to medium rare—and is often used in dishes like steak tacos.

For pork…

Rib Chops: The pig version of a rib steak, this is the most flavorful cut of pork and is best served broiled.

Loin Chops: Bake these bone-in cuts for a moister piece of meat.

And for lamb…

Rack: A cut from the rib known for being fatty and flavorful (and less dry than a sad old leg), best served broiled.

Loin Chop: Similar in construction to a Porterhouse—and served bone-in—this cut has a filet on one side and a shell on the other. Like all cuts of lamb, if it’s in season (spring), the methods that are used to cook steaks can be used to cook lamb. In the wintertime, when lamb is tougher, you’ll want to use a slower method, and instead of broiling, you should try baking it.

Joy Tsin Lau Restaurant

The formula for choosing Chinese restaurants postulates that one should go for those with most Chinese patrons. And it is certainly the case at Joy Tsin. On any given Sunday morning or early afternoon, the line of diners often extends past its spacious lobby and spills onto the street. This can be a fun if a bit stereotypical way to introduce yourself to Chinese everyday life and culture, as the line is full of families complete with miniature, ancient yet dignifies elders with toothpick thin bones and parchment-like skin and vibrating packs of small children with nearly identical haircuts.

There is a constant flow of newcomers and goers dead set on squeezing past you at any cost. First you maybe overwhelmed by this persistence and the lack of consideration for your perceived personal space. And it so happens that once in a while some respectable American lady in front of you would make a sarcastic wisecrack, looking back at you with the expectation of comradery, as if both of you are united by some sort of shared experience by virtue of looking European. And you frankly don't know if these people are delivery men (unlikely), members of the family ahead of you ( you keep hearing the words "party of nine" from the hostess) or just eager visitors trying to gouge how long their wait will be. But you should just flow with it knowing that the food won't disappoint and that this, as much as the collage on the wall of hundreds of photos of the owner in various traditional costumes, in front of various honor plaques, banners and posters, with various children in arms is a part of experience.



And the experience is what you're here for. Well, really you're here for fantastic Dim Sum. And it begins with carts of steamed dumplings - shrimp, chives, pork, or freshly fried rice crepes. Followed by an unbelievably tasty and fragrant star anise beef tripe and lungs stew that goes down like an elixir spiked with spicy red chilly oil. The first 15 minutes is where you should really pace yourself. You're hungry, and everything looks good. Unfortunately you may reach your capacity right after having a bowl of congee (rice porridge) or what looks like the most tender wonton you've ever seen. So you may opt for the next cart pushed by a smiling lady and loaded with plates of crawfish (visual factor: 10, taste factor: 4), fried shrimp, snails, clams and fried quail. There's also baked rice wrapped in dry leaves, and plates with jelly fish, pork buns and mustard greens.



The waiters rush past you like acrobats balancing piles of steaming plates in a hurry to replenish the carts. Your only hope is that you get a chance at first dibs on stuffed pig intestine, since you're afraid that by the time the cart makes a circle around the immense dining room you won't have any. But that fear soon disappears as you realize that the mysterious kitchen elfs keep churning out their delicious wares and the waiting stuff is not at all interested in kicking you out in order to free up your table. One cultural trait, the wisecracking respectful American lady, I hope will find refreshing.

Luke's Lobster

93 E 7th St
lukeslobster.com

I have mixed feelings about lobster in general and lobster rolls in particular. I get the appeal of eating an "expensive" product. And it does have an impressive presence on a plate. But somehow I can't shake the feeling, every time I see someone with a plate of lobster, that in all probability the Broadway show will be amazing and the commute back to _______ (fill in the blank) will be a breeze, and after this wonderful dinner we can all relax and go back to eating crap again.

But if you're going for the flavor, I'd have a crab or a longoustine any time. The meat is so much more flavorful and texture is so much more gentle. Of course there's a way to make good lobster, to balance it's meatiness and to once and for all take it out of it's attention grabbing whore of a shell.

Enter Luke's Lobster. A smallish store front in East Village. Again, not being a huge fan of lobster rolls which in my previous experiences tended to be an uninspiring combination of rubbery meat and cheap tasting mayo, it's hard for me to claim proficiency in the art of roll making. But this is as close to the work of lobster roll perfection as one can get. First of all, the lobster is fantastically fresh. An obvious point you'd think, but an important one nevertheless. Shell fish tends to acquire a slightly metallic after taste, which these rolls lack entirely. Secondly, the meat is cooked expertly - it's juicy, succulent and flavorful. And finally, it's perfectly dressed. There's barely any mayo, and its taste does not overpower the lobster. Oh yes, the rolls are filled "to the brims" with large chunks of meat, so you can really taste and enjoy the main ingredient.



I do have a gripe though. And it's with Luke's buns. I am not sure what butter they use, but its taste is overbearing. It's too sweet with a slight whiff of artificial flavoring and it competes with the delicate flavor of the lobster meat. So just ask the dude (or dudette) not to butter them. Just try it.

And by the way, you can get wonderful crab salad and crab claws as well. Awesomeness.

Leek Soup-Purée

Leeks are great. Let me explain why. First - the taste; it's sweet, with light onion aroma and gentle spice. It adds dimension and depth to dishes without being overpowering. Second - the color; it's a mix of vibrant greens, yellows and whites that becomes even more verdant when heated. Finally, the onion's texture is truly wonderful. It can be crunchy, silky, or disappear all together blending with the main dish.

Leeks are fantastic in soups, in pies or sauteed to accompany fish or meats. Another plus is that leeks are available pretty much all year round. Early autumn being the best time to get them. I came across a fresh bunch of young leeks in my local vegetable shop just recently. These were grown in Guatemala and were much thinner than your usual leeks. Actually they looked more like thick scallions. Whether they were just young or a different type, they had gentler flesh and a wonderful subtle sweet flavor with with just the right amount of bite.

The verdict - a season appropriate soup-purée. Extremely easy to make and tasty as hell. Here's the recipe as interpreted by Julia:

What you need:
1. A nice bunch of leeks, about a pound. If of a regular thick kind, you'll need 3-4 stalks. If a younger thinner kind you'll be OK with 8. Of course depending on your taste preference, you can make it more or less "oniony". In either case pick firm, compact stalks with bright white roots and green un-wilted ends.
2. A cup of cubed carrot (half of a large carrot)
3. Two large potatoes
4. 3 Tbs of olive oil
5. 4-5 cups of water ( enough to cover the potatoes in a pot)
6. Coarse Kosher salt, crushed black pepper, whole white and black peppercorns, mustard seed, coriander seed and crushed bay leaf to taste.

Preparation:
In a large pot bring water to a boil and add cubed potatoes. Place whole spices in a canvas spice bag and place in the pot.



Clean leeks. If necessary, remove the top dead layer and trim the top edges. Cut the stalks lengthwise and wash thoroughly. Cut the leeks in pieces about 1/2 inch wide. Transfer cut leeks in a bowl, add a pinch of coarse salt and squeeze lightly with your hands to release the juice. Let stand for a minute. Heat about 2 table spoons of olive oil in a large pan and saute the leeks until bright green, about 2 minutes. Add carrots and salt and crushed black pepper to taste and saute until carrots start to soften.





Check the potatoes, they should be almost done. Add leeks and carrots. Return the pot to heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook for about 5 minutes. Turn off heat and remove the spice bag. Let it cool for 5 minutes. Sieve the stock and reserve.

Carefully puree vegetable mixture in the processor in small batches, adding reserved stock to control thickness. Ideal puree shoudl be not too thick, silky and viscous. Transfer the puree back into the pot and return to heat. Add salt, adjust for spices and bring to a boil while stirring. As soon as it boils turn the heat off.

Plate, drizzle with some olive oil and serve with a slice of crusty rustic bread. For extra kick I like to butter the bread and toast it untill just golden brown.

Ramen NYC

Ramen cauldrons at Totto Ramen

For over three years now, there has been an explosion of ramen joints in New York. Ramen - a Japanese comfort food, is a dish of noodles in a hearty broth that is traditionally served with a variety of toppings such as sliced pork belly, seaweed, sprouts, green onions and flavored with soy or miso.

Up until recently my favorite has been a ramen from Sun-Chan, a divy place on 103 St. and Broadway. Their ramen is a simple, light yet flavorful dish with a generous slice of roast pork. The only drawback is that the broth tends to be salty and pork is a bit dry. Still it is a great dish and goes well with Sun-Cha's other specialty - yakitory (skewers of bacon-wrapped quail egg is excellent). And while on the subject of Sun-Chan it's a great place to get sushi and sake as well. Everything is extremely fresh and surprisingly creative for such an under-the-radar joint. Also a nice, truly Japanese touch, is that when sake is served you get to choose your own cups from an array of mismatched options.

After Sun-Chan came Ippudo. This hipped up ramen emporium on the lower east side, which looks a bit too much like a night club, produces extremely hearty and flavorful version of ramen. But their broth, which is pork-based, is extremely heavy. It's a tasty choice, but frankly I couldn't handle a third visit. To me it's a proof that too much of a good thing is not necessarily good. But that could be just my liver talking.

So that brings us to Totto Ramen, on W 52nd. Here you find a perfect balance between all flavors and ingredients. The broth at Totto is chicken-based which lends a certain lightness to the flavor. The noodles are expertly cooked al dente, and the slices of pork belly with stripes of translucent velvety fat melt in your mouth and are crisped by a torch before landing in your bowl. Additional toppings include soy marinated hard boiled egg, sprouts and green onions.



The menu is pretty bare bone and features only a handful of choices - you could get a plain ramen, a spicy ramen (that's regular ramen + a spoonful of chilly oil) or miso ramen. If you order one dish and one dish only - order the miso ramen. The bowl of creamy broth comes with a fragrant scoop of ground pork and fermented miso paste. The broth is so fantastic is almost addictive. The noodles are wavy and chewy and miso adds a level of earthy complexity to the dish. They sometimes serve the soup with diced white onion instead of the green onion, which makes the already sweet broth a bit too sweet for my taste. The pork belly which in itself is a work of art rounds up all flavors with its smoky perfection.

Miso ramen at Totto Ramen

Another nice thing about Totto Ramen is that it's modeled on authentic Japanese ramen joints (so I heard). You don't go there to spend time. You go there to satisfy your hunger or a craving as the case may be. You go in ( that's actually is not entirely true, as the lines outside usually stretch out the experience by extra 30 min), you eat your noodles and get out. The best place in the house is at the counter where you can watch chefs boil noodles, check the fat content of the broth and torch the pork belly and joke with each other at the expense of dinners they find entertaining.


Chef crisping pork belly with a torch

Sorry for the crappy photo quality (thanks for nothing iPhone)