Red’s Eats
On the corner of Main Street and Water Street
Wiscasset, Maine 04578
(207) 882 6128
If you’ve been following some of my previous reviews-slash-diary-entries, you know that I love lobster rolls. So, imagine my giddiness and how many circles and stars were added to my calendar when I was invited to a wedding in Damariscotta, Maine, a short drive (about 15 minutes) from a legend, Red’s Eats, in Wiscasset, Maine.
Red’s Eats stopped traffic today. There’s a crosswalk on Main Street where it meets Water Street which allows Red’s Eats’ fans to safely cross the street to its roadside trailer. Drivers, presumably from out of town, rubbernecked which added to the Sunday traffic. Perhaps they were trying to figure out why a group of summertime individuals of all ages were lined up alongside a bright red trailer. I recommend leisure reading, maybe Sudoku/a crossword puzzle, or good company while waiting in line. I walked up a little before 3pm today, surprisingly the line wasn’t terribly long (maybe 7 or 8 groups ahead of me), and I didn’t get my rolls until 3:30pm.
The menu reads “market price” and that market price was $16 today. They don’t look that dissimilar to the lobster rolls I’ve seen elsewhere except for a few outstanding features:
1. Red’s Eats takes pride in giving you all the goodness of a whole one pound lobster and then some. They ain’t joking. It looked like a whole cracked lobster was resting in a hot dog bun. (It’s kind of funny how you can rarely find a hot dog that occupies the entire length of its bun. Red’s Eats filled that bun with so much fresh lobster that it put Ball Park franks to shame.)
2. I’m not the biggest fan of the plain lobster roll bun, but Red’s was one buttery, toasty, yummy bun. It’s a winner.
3. They don’t dress the roll for you. You choose: drawn butter or mayo on the side. I’m me and I’m indecisive; therefore, I had one of each. I’m usually a fan of the mayo-dressed version, but the debate continues in the state of Maine as to whether the traditional lobster roll is served with butter or mayonnaise. I was converted today. The buttery variety was delicious. The mayo version was good too, but for some reason, dressing lobster with mayonnaise myself wasn’t as fun as I thought it would be – getting the ratio of lobster:mayo correct was a minor challenge. I was up for it and did a pretty decent job at it, but the drawn butter version undoubtedly prevailed.
If you have a chance to make it up to Maine anywhere near Wiscasset, stop at Red’s Eats for a lobster roll. You won’t be sorry plus you get the real experience free-of-charge: the line, the trailer with the single window up front where you place and receive your order, the plastic tables out back where there happens to be seat for you, and of course, the lack of a restroom.
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Wicker Park
1469 Third Avenue at 83rd Street (Upper East Side)
NY, NY 10028
(212) 734 5600
4/5/6 trains to 86th Street, Buses 101, 102, 103 to 86th Street
I wish Wicker Park was even slightly good. It happens to be about 2 minutes from my new apartment and the menu has just the kind of basics you think you could eat when in a bind of indecision (the kind of indecision that comes along with being starving and outside your apartment looking around helplessly for a restaurant that motivates you or the frustration you feel when trying to satisfy a group of six who all happen to like different types of food). You know: steaks, burgers, fries, mussels, and salads.
I sat down at Wicker Park for a quick meal and ordered from both the restaurant and bar menus. I chose french onion soup with added chardonnay topped with blue cheese crouton, tomato and mozzarella salad atop baby mixed greens, and filet mignon sliders with blue cheese sauce and caramelized onions on mini onion brioche. Along with Caesar salads, I’m also on a quest to find the best french onion soups around. Think: Balthazar.
Well, back to my meal. Bread at Wicker Park means tough pretzels and creamy honey Dijon dipping sauce. I had a few bites and then pushed the basket away to save room for a hearty meal I was expecting. The french onion soup arrived and I was surprised to see no evidence of a Swiss (or Gruyere) covering. The only evidence of cheese, at all, was a blanket of little, off-white specks floating on top of the soup. I took one bite and I knew that there was nothing good about Wicker Park’s onion soup. The blue cheese was gritty and strong, the crouton was crisp and unchanged in the warmth of the soup, and the chardonnay took away from the onion flavor. Two bites and I reached for the basket of pretzel bread again.
When tomatoes in the summertime and creamy fresh mozzarella combine, little more than salt, pepper, and basil are needed. The best mozzarella and tomato salad I’ve had was at a friend’s house in Bridgehampton. Fresh mozzarella from an Italian deli on Montauk Highway (which is no longer open) and heirloom tomatoes from Beechnut Hill Farm, an organic farm in Bridgehampton. The tomatoes from Beechnut Hill Farm come in all sizes, from grape to heirloom, are always perfectly delicious, and can be found during the summer, when lucky, at City Hall restaurant in Tribeca (www.cityhallnewyork.com).
Oh yes, back to Wicker Park. The tomato and mozzarella salad tasted as though the tomatoes were marinated in balsamic vinaigrette for hours, perhaps days, and then plopped on top of naked chopped lettuce with mini fresh mozzarella and chopped basil. The tomatoes were soggy and over-flavored while the rest of the salad was lacking any flavor whatsoever. Again, I took a few bites and then pulled the pretzels closer to me.
The filet mignon sliders were supposedly dressed in blue cheese sauce; however, the blue cheese was apparently doubled in my soup and halved in my burgers. The onion brioche was so tough that it was chewy and the filet mignon had no flavor (sound familiar?).
By the end of my meal, I had not consumed much at all…except for the pretzel basket. Before my meal was cleared, my phone rang: my friends were eating at Xunta in the East Village. I paid my bill, jumped into a taxi, and headed to Xunta for tapas.
1469 Third Avenue at 83rd Street (Upper East Side)
NY, NY 10028
(212) 734 5600
4/5/6 trains to 86th Street, Buses 101, 102, 103 to 86th Street
I wish Wicker Park was even slightly good. It happens to be about 2 minutes from my new apartment and the menu has just the kind of basics you think you could eat when in a bind of indecision (the kind of indecision that comes along with being starving and outside your apartment looking around helplessly for a restaurant that motivates you or the frustration you feel when trying to satisfy a group of six who all happen to like different types of food). You know: steaks, burgers, fries, mussels, and salads.
I sat down at Wicker Park for a quick meal and ordered from both the restaurant and bar menus. I chose french onion soup with added chardonnay topped with blue cheese crouton, tomato and mozzarella salad atop baby mixed greens, and filet mignon sliders with blue cheese sauce and caramelized onions on mini onion brioche. Along with Caesar salads, I’m also on a quest to find the best french onion soups around. Think: Balthazar.
Well, back to my meal. Bread at Wicker Park means tough pretzels and creamy honey Dijon dipping sauce. I had a few bites and then pushed the basket away to save room for a hearty meal I was expecting. The french onion soup arrived and I was surprised to see no evidence of a Swiss (or Gruyere) covering. The only evidence of cheese, at all, was a blanket of little, off-white specks floating on top of the soup. I took one bite and I knew that there was nothing good about Wicker Park’s onion soup. The blue cheese was gritty and strong, the crouton was crisp and unchanged in the warmth of the soup, and the chardonnay took away from the onion flavor. Two bites and I reached for the basket of pretzel bread again.
When tomatoes in the summertime and creamy fresh mozzarella combine, little more than salt, pepper, and basil are needed. The best mozzarella and tomato salad I’ve had was at a friend’s house in Bridgehampton. Fresh mozzarella from an Italian deli on Montauk Highway (which is no longer open) and heirloom tomatoes from Beechnut Hill Farm, an organic farm in Bridgehampton. The tomatoes from Beechnut Hill Farm come in all sizes, from grape to heirloom, are always perfectly delicious, and can be found during the summer, when lucky, at City Hall restaurant in Tribeca (www.cityhallnewyork.com).
Oh yes, back to Wicker Park. The tomato and mozzarella salad tasted as though the tomatoes were marinated in balsamic vinaigrette for hours, perhaps days, and then plopped on top of naked chopped lettuce with mini fresh mozzarella and chopped basil. The tomatoes were soggy and over-flavored while the rest of the salad was lacking any flavor whatsoever. Again, I took a few bites and then pulled the pretzels closer to me.
The filet mignon sliders were supposedly dressed in blue cheese sauce; however, the blue cheese was apparently doubled in my soup and halved in my burgers. The onion brioche was so tough that it was chewy and the filet mignon had no flavor (sound familiar?).
By the end of my meal, I had not consumed much at all…except for the pretzel basket. Before my meal was cleared, my phone rang: my friends were eating at Xunta in the East Village. I paid my bill, jumped into a taxi, and headed to Xunta for tapas.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Sonny Bryan’s Smokehouse(BBQ)
2202 Inwood Road at Redfield Street (near Harry Hines Boulevard)
Dallas, TX 75235
(214) 357-7120
http://www.sonnybryans.com/
When I think of Dallas, I think of BBQ. Since my husband is a Dallas native, I deferred to him to choose the spot, and we ended up at the original Sonny Bryan's Smokehouse. After having tried multiple spots in NYC (I think I’ve already said that my NYC favorite is Blue Smoke), I thought it was time for me to try true Texas-style BBQ... IN TEXAS.
Sonny Bryan’s has been around since 1910, and the Inwood branch is the ORIGINAL. The restaurant didn't look like much when we pulled up: a rundown wooden shack with screened windows and picnic tables outside. In fact, I felt like the Big Bad Wolf could huff, puff and blow the place down. Inside looked pretty much the same... it isn’t exactly white fabric tablecloths and sterling silverware. Plus there's no air conditioning.
The above and beyond friendly staff welcomes/accosts you as you walk in the door, requesting your order. Somehow it's not offensive since they're so cheerful about it. My husband ordered a beer on tap to enjoy while we waited, and it was so cold, steam rose from the glass in the hot air.
In order to maximize the amount of food I could taste, I ordered the two meat dinner (pork and ribs) which came with two sides (I chose French fries and cole slaw), while my husband had the beef sandwich (which came with nothing; he needed his own fries though, since I had no intention of sharing).
We couldn't resist ordering onion rings when I saw an order coming out for another patron. Thick and golden, they looked delicious. Unfortunately, they didn't deliver. The crust fell off too easily, and the delicate balance between onion and outer crust was too uneven. If you like an onion ring that's much more onion than crispy crust, then this may be for you.
But on to the good stuff: the MEAT! All of the meats were quite obviously smoked and cooked for long periods of time, since it was falling apart and tender. The pulled pork actually may have been too tender, since it was almost mushy. The flavors weren't as robust as I'd expect from TEXAS BBQ. What I did surprisingly enjoy immensely was the sauce that accompanies the meats. I'm not one for BBQ sauce, but this one was served warm, with a balanced sweet/tart/spicy taste that gave the meat the flavor it lacked. I still would've preferred a more seasoned pork.
Although there are no actual tables at this Sonny Bryan's location, you are able to eat-in (if you can stand the lack of air conditioning in the Dallas heat); the front of the restaurant holds about 14 (give or take) individual tables (similar to elementary school desks). Outside are picnic tables where you can also enjoy these grubs.
I may not try Sonny Bryan's again, but I'm glad I finally experienced true Texas BBQ. It was cheap, tasty enough and hit the spot.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)