East Harlem

Cheer & "B"s


...the kimchi serving as a feisty slaw, kicking up the cheddar's sharpness, while the fried pork belly added a great crunch with its crispy edges, and grounding the sandwich with its flavorful fat and added saltiness. The egg's warm runny yolk adding some welcome silkiness and richness.... [Full Post]
Grilled Cheese, Earl's Beer & Cheese

Mofon-Good


....I was impressed with the flavor of the monfongo, richly layered, sweet and garlicky savory, and every forkful extremely filling. The chicharrones were tasty as well, although I was hoping to get much the textural dichotomies usually associated with roast pork items: lean tender meat, a layer of flavor fat, and a "stickly" crispy skin. The skin had very little crispiness to it at all.... [Full Post]
Mofongo, Sandy Restaurant, East Harlem

Upper Upper East Fried

...Fried fish sandwiches are a staple in the South—many neighborhoods hosting Fish Fry Fridays ritualistically—and stores in major cities that sell fresh, raw fish (especially the cheaper yet still flavorful and flaky whiting and porgy varieties) as well as fry them freshly breaded to order are as common in more urban areas like Harlem than Starbucks are anywhere in or near Yorkville... [Full Post]


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L'Afrique? C'est Chic!


...A plentiful and aromatic dish, this was another tasty winner. You could really taste the melange of flavor influences, a hint of mustard in the marinade, some sweeter spices—nutmeg maybe—mixing with spicier ones, and the barely-on-the-bone lamb, with its deeper but not gamier flavor, possessing the quality of imparting its leaner meat's flavor, as well as its fatty flavors (most meats really heavily on its fat content alone for flavor).... [Full post]