Almost Pho-gettable

Having been neither impressed nor disappointed with Sunset Park's Gia Lam, I thought I'd give one of the neighborhood's other Vietnamese joints a try. I was looking for a bahn mi/pho shop on 7th Avenue that I had wandered into a few months ago, but it was getting a little late, and we weren't able to find it (or anything else open). So my girlfriend and I ventured back to 8th Avenue, willing to try our luck.

We ended up at Pho Cho Lon (Bik Bay Vietnamese Restaurant), which we picked for the simple reason that it seemed to have the most amount of customers inside. It's not the most reliable strategy, but it's not a bad one, when you don't have any other clue.

Our goi cuon (summer rolls, 2 for $3.50) was pretty standard, and I was a little disappointed with the wrappers for not being as springy as I'd like, and with the filling for not being as herby. The banh hoi chao tom (barbecued shrimp paste on sugar cane with rice noodles, $9.95) was a big letdown, with the shrimp being way too dry.

But the saving grace was the cheapest dish of the lot, the com bo xao ca (beef, lemongrass, green pepper, onion, mushrooms over white rice, $4). Although the beef was probably just slices of chuck, it was flavorful and (relatively) tender. The vegetables weren't spectacular, but they were fresh and generously alloted. The real winner in the dish was the sauce, which had the nice saltiness of Japanese curry. I can't say my palate is refined enough to say what goes in it, but for $4, you really can't lose with this dish.

In fact, that's probably the approach to take at Pho Cho Lon (other than, perhaps, the pho--which is what most of the other diners appeared to be getting). There are dozens of dishes under $5, and even more under $8. The meal also came with some slighlt pickled carrots and vegetables, which were delicious and refreshing, but strangely gritty.

Pho Cho Lon (Bik Bay Vietnamese Restaurant) (map)
5604 8th Ave. (at 56th St.)
Sunset Park, Brooklyn
(718) 492-1592

Does Tanya Donelly have a following in Kingston?

Continuing on my theme of indulging in the Yankees' struggles, I went up to the Bronx this weekend to watch the first-place Los Angeles Angels of Redundant and Oxymoronic Nomenclature push Joe Torre's boys further down in the A.L. standings. And while I would have loved a serving of icy cold soba noodles on that 90-degree day, this ain't the Kingdome (whatever its replacement is being called these days).

Not wanting to pay $4.50 for a stadium hot dog, my girlfriend and I headed over to Feeding Tree before the game, picking up three patties and a ginger soda for five bucks. An open secret about Yankee Stadium is that you're allowed to bring your own food (no drinks, though), and Jamaican patties are a perfect ballgame snack--it stays hot in the pastry shell, and you can eat it with one hand. No sloppy condiments to worry about, either.

Feeding Tree makes makes a respectable patty; although some of the offerings I've had along Flatbush Avenue have flakier crusts and more creative fillings, the crust at Feeding Tree held up well, keeping a savory flavor and not getting soggy or hard in the 15 minutes it took for us to get to our seats. The beef filling had a slight spice to it, with a mushiness that gave it the texture of pate. I wouldn't make a trip up to the Bronx just for the patties (even though it's just 3 stops from my house), but it beats anything else for a game.

As for boozing--well, there seems to be no easy way around paying $8 for a Coors Light tall boy, no more than there was any way to block out the conversation of the folks behind me, who marveled at the fact that this "micro-brew" "Pilsner Estrello" came to the Bronx all the way from "Czechoslovakia." Somewhere out there, Vaclav Havel is having another heart attack.


Feeding Tree (map)
892 Gerard Ave # 161
Bronx, NY 10452
(718) 293-5025

Pacificana, II: I finally meet my match

I was so impressed with the job that Pacificana did on tripe and chicken's feet that I had to bring a group back there for some more conventional fare this weekend. Wanting to beat the crowd, we showed up at 11 a.m., but it turned out that the crowd had the same idea--we waited about 40 minutes to get a table.

That being said, I'd still go back there. The steamed barbecue pork buns were extraordinary, with a subtle touch of sweetness in the buns; a baked pork bun was even better, with a wheat-like sweetness in the breading and some good, salty meatiness to the pork. Sliced spareribs came with a silky, savory sauce that helped make up for the stringiness of the beef. The pork filling in the cheong fun was a bit bland, but the rice wrapping itself was still first-rate. We also got an order of sliced duck ($15) that was preternaturally crispy without being overwhelmingly fatty (though not nearly as trim as a Peking duck). I thought the shrimp siu mai we just so-so, although my companions were a bit more enthusiastic about them.

What did me in, though, was an order of shrimp balls wrapped in bacon and deep fried. And--oh, yeah--dipped in mayonnaise. Normally, anything involving the words "wrapped in bacon" and "deep fried" are a recipe for delightfulness, so when I saw a cart full of bacon-wrapped deep-fried goodies, I was giddy with anticipation. Unfortunately, it turns out that there can be too much of a good thing, and the concoction hit me like a Scotch egg. I only managed to finish about two of these before I realized I had to call it quits--marking what is probably the only time I was unable to finish any bacon-containing dish in my life--and I still paid for it later in the day.

The upside? The whole meal, including the duck, came to $60 for five very hungry people.


Pacificana
813 55th Street (Eighth Avenue), second floor
N to 8th Avenue; the building also has parking
Sunset Park, Brooklyn
(718) 871-2880.

Stupid PR tricks, volume 5W.

This must be your lucky day, readers o' Dave.
According to a press release that I just received two of:

[...]A few steps across the 45^th Street plaza is ___________, home of the most authentic Neapolitan pizza in New York (as certified by the Association della Vera Pizza Napoletana, the Italian organization that verifies that pizza is made according to the centuries-old traditions of “la vera pizza napoletana.”) Try the Prosciutto Pizza with a glass of cold prosecco - a night in the city doesn’t get much better.[...]

This brings to mind a series of questions:

1. White, bubbly wine with ham pizza?

2. Alliteration: the new pink?

3. What would Mario Batali do?

Hooray Posada

Normally, when I think of "Posada," I think of the guy who went hitless in Game 1 of the 2003 World Series. Still fully decked out in our Marlins gear (yeah, we were those guys), my best friend and I went to a diner after the game and ran into ... none other than Jorge himself. Being classy guys, we sent his entire family an order of fish sticks, no doubt wounding his fragile sense of security and causing him to bat less than .200 during that entire series.

I can't say I get quite the same feeling from walking into La Posada in Hamilton Heights, but I'm happy to see my excellent run of tasty tacos continue. La Posada is a bit dressier than nearby El Toro Partido, and boasts a full bar. I don't think their tacos are up to snuff, but they're still pretty good, and La Posada seems to be somewhat of a neighborhood favorite. Apparently, it turns into a pretty hopping live music joint Thursday through Sunday nights; even around 4 on Sunday, there was a healthy scattering of regulars who were chatting up the attractive but delightfully standoffish bartender.

I had a lengua taco ($2.50) and (of course) a taco al suadero ($2), both of which came stuffed with meat--about the size of a fist, really. It was way too shy on the cilantro, but the meat was expertly cooked. The cuts of tongue were beefy and chewy, and the beef belly was roasted to a nice, almost-stewed softness. Some diners might find the suadero too salty, but I happened to find it just right.

I had nary a bite to eat in hours, but I was already feeling like I carried a bowling ball in my stomach. But when I saw the two beef sopes ($2.50 each) that my neighbor ordered, I took one in the gut (no pun intended) for you guys and ordered one for myself. I don't claim much expertise in sopes, but I think I might have just discovered a new favorite food item: crispy fried tortilla disc, plus tomatoes, onions, guacamole, lettuce, cilantro, sour cream, and cheese. Oh, and a whole bunch of juicy, salty beef. Come to think of it, I might just skip the tacos next time.

La Posada (map)
3496 Broadway at 143rd St.

Yepi no de?

Does anyone know if Sorrento Bakery, the city's (and possibly time zone's) only Surinamese eatery, is still open? I've called the place, but the number is disconnected, and I really don't feel like taking the J train all the way out to Woodhaven to satisfy my hankering for saoto soup.