Big John’s Coffee Shop Wall Art
I love when corner places use their outside wall space for murals or in this case food art. These pictures are from Big John’s Coffee Shop located on 4th avenue and 32st in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. They serve breakfast and all types of classic sandwiches. I’ll be trying these folks very soon. Here is a link to their menu if you’re in the area. Here is a link to generally favorable reviews on Yelp.
Big John’s Coffee Shop Wall Art
Daddies Tomato Ketchup
This 30 ft tall inflatable “Daddies Tomato Ketchup” is a public art installation at City Hall Park in lower Manhattan. The piece will be there till November 30th. The artist’s name is Paul McCarthy. Daddies Tomato Ketchup, now owned by Heinz, is a real brand in the U.K. It’s a fun installation though it’s difficult to not compare it with the pop art Andy Warhol did in the 60s.
I love Cadbury Creme eggs. Apparently they make a version called “Screme Eggs” this time of year which are the same as regular eggs but feature neon green and white fondant inside. I picked up one from Rite Aid yesterday. Fun for novelty but don’t expect a different flavor.
The ad above is promoting said seasonal Cadbury Screme Eggs. The stop motion/animation combo is quite interesting. I’ve never seen an iron maiden used in an ad before. Score one for morbid humor. The Cadbury Bunny though would be mortified.
Simply 7 Pomegranate Chips
Simply 7 is a company that bases itself on 7 tenets, listed in their about us. The main idea is that they use natural ingredients rather than artificial or hard to pronounce additives. Also noteworthy is that all of their snacks are gluten free. Among other options are lentil and hummus chips. A very positive review can be found here.
It’s fun to see all the veggie and fruit chips variations coming out these days. Pomegranate is most unusual and the chips are pink! The Simply 7 Chips are made of potato flour, potato starch, safflower oil, sugar, pomegranate powder, beetroot powder, sea salt, pomegranate natural flavor. They’re clearly marked as gluten free.
Simply 7 Pomegranate Chips
Initially you notice potato taste followed by the tang and aroma of the pomegranate. These chips are intriguing being neither totally sweet nor savory but rather a little of both. The bag was 4oz though like rice crackers, you get more than it sounds like. The serving size is 33 chips, so about 4 servings to a bag. It was sale for $2.99 at my local grocery store. I will absolutely buy these again.
Here is a link to their store locator.
Tusker Lager (Kenya)
Tusker is the first and only beer I’ve tried from Kenya. Like wine labels I do get sucked in by good beer labels and this one features a tusked elephant (go figure). Oddly the name is in tribute to the founder of Kenya Breweries, George Hurst who was killed by an elephant while hunting.
TUSKER is brewed from 100% African ingredients that are all locally sourced; the barley is from the Savannah and the Maasai Mara, the spring water is from the Aberdare Mountains and all the yeast is developed locally which means that you feel closely connected to the brand’s origins and roots.
It’s a nice golden colored lager. It pours a very minimal head. It’s crisp and light – highly drinkable. The malts and hops aren’t very noticeable. There are heavy honey notes and some floral aromas. This is one of my favorite lagers. The price for a bottle was $2.79 at Eagle Provisions. Check out other RoodonFood Beer and Wine Reviews here. It seems not many other folks were fans of this beer, Leapbeer though appreciated it too.
I’m not of Polish descent but can appreciate pierogies. If you can’t, odds are you’re a terrible person. In case you were unaware today is National Pierogi Day.
My favorite way to eat them is non-traditional. First, add some oil to a frying pan. Throw in a handful of onions. Allow about 5-7 minutes to brown slightly on medium low heat. For a dozen pierogies add about a tablespoon of soy sauce and a teaspoon of honey. Include a dash of salt, pepper and garlic powder. Mix well. Cook until browned a little on both sides (around 10 minutes more, flipping when needed). Serve with apple sauce or sour cream.
If you’re in a big city, odds are you can find them fresh. If not, Mrs T’s makes a really good onion and cheese version though that will require boiling first. I really love the ones with meat and cabbage best of all. National Pierogi Day is a great excuse to carb it out.
Check out Polish Athena’s pictures and memories on National Pierogi Day.
The other day I mentioned the joys of Conrad’s Bakery, located between Wingate, Crown Heights and Brownsville neighborhoods in Brooklyn. Another noteworthy joint in the vicinity is called Silver Krust, located at 1695 President @ Utica Avenue. Of the at least 2 dozen Jamaican or general Carribean joints spotted during the trip, it was the only restaurant doing brisk business during off hours. I wasn’t sure if the name was a knock off the Carribean chain Golden Krust, but competition is always welcome.
Like most of the restaurants in the area they’re set up with steam tables. You can choose between items such as Oxtail, Goat, Chicken Feet and Tripe, Curry Chicken, and fish all served with rice and beans or plain rice. Additionally it comes with a side such as plantains, cabbage or vinegar based coleslaw. Because of the level of busyness I was a little nervous. A very imposing but friendly patron suggested the curry chicken. I got that along with coleslaw on top. The price was around $5. It’s a to-go place primarily with only two small tables outside. The patron who resembled a bouncer said bye and told me to “enjoy it.” Sometimes it’s the scariest people who are the nicest.
Silver Crust Curry Chicken
The curry was mildly spicy and sweet. The coleslaw provided an excellent crunch as well as welcome acidity. It was a wonderful, unpretentious meal. I’ll be by Silver Crust again. Side note: They were sold out of patties – these will be sampled during a subsequent visit.
Silver Crust Restaurant – A Restaurant With a Difference
On my way out I asked the cook who happened to step outside, if a picture of the restaurant would be okay. Without hesitating he said “It’s a free country. It’s free a country, my brother.” You can’t argue with that.
The Only Thing Better Than My Psychic Abilities Are RoodonFood’s
– Rasputin
Congratulations to Old Rasputin Imperial Stout by Northcoast Brewing Company which just won Gold (Guld) for best Porter / Stout 6% or Above at the 2012 Stockholm Beer Fest. Perhaps Rasputin’s psychic abilities are rubbing off on us here at RoodonFood.
Back in late August we proclaimed it the best stout ever. I’m glad the Stockholm judges have good taste.
This “Gangnam Style” song by Psy is getting out of control. Babies now won’t eat food unless the video is going on. I pray that baby Benjamin doesn’t need this song to be on every time as he grows older. The parents have a website called, appropriately, Gangnamstylebaby.com.
Original Song, Gangnam Style:
Maybe after hearing the song hundreds or thousands of times as a child, Benjamin will grow up with a great sense of rhythm and will become either a pop artist or perhaps equestrian.
In the 80s pop culture was enamored with rich people. Movies and TV were chock full of examples of underdogs trying to outwit rich jerks/jocks to get the girl. Guys with names like Blaine, Chaz and girls like Mercedes and Cordelia showed up with alarming frequency. At the same time, regular people wanted to enjoy the finer things in life the way these upper crust folks did. Ads for food in the 80s, especially condiments followed this trend with some memorable results.
Who remembers this commercial for Polaner “Allfruit”? The ad is clever because the reaction to the product being called “jelly” is over the top. Additionally, they manage to mention the product name a handful of times.
I was definitely curious to try Grey Poupon after seeing this classic ad. Fancy cars and fancy men eating a nice meal in their car. Ooo! It’s made with wine you say?
What are your favorite 80s food commercials?
