New Job Neighbourhood Food Tour 2014: Chelsea Edition (And Other Thoughts)

Midway through my General Tso’s seitan sandwich, fixed with slices of pickled beets and very spicy mayo, on a toasty baguette, I realized I’d overdone it. I’d put off lunchtime, letting myself get very hungry. I meant to get something a little healthier but my new shoes hurt and I was short on time. There I was, at my desk, downing too much sandwich, and too quickly. Today was also the day I’d decided to wear the tightest jeans I own, fresh from the laundromat dryer. Oof.

And then came the deja vu. I’d been at my new job for a few weeks, and it’s located in a markedly better food neighbourhood than my last job was. The excitement of new lunch options overtook me. But with my restrictions (no meat, no chicken, no dairy), lunch has tended to fall into two categories: salads and versions of sandwiches with versions of various meat substitutes. The tofu bahn mi. The tofu wrap. And yes, the General Tso’s seitan sandwich. Which is delicious, really. But taste and nutrition wise, I felt like I’d eaten some version of a large and fancy hotdog. It was two days before Thanksgiving, and I had a lot to do, without fighting off the massive, rapidly descending food coma. And so, a moratorium: no more junky vegan lunches.

At my last job, I got really good at bringing myself delicious and healthy lunches from home. Leftover roasted veggies, salad greens, quinoa, avocado, black beans, some baked tofu or leftover salmon or even… an omelet (the poor man’s steak, if you will), made at home and the thrown atop the contents of my lunch container – any combo of those required a small amount of planning, whether it be cooking extra dinner to ensure leftovers, or just having a few extra groceries around. So I gotta bring that back. But in the meantime, mini-reviews of the recently sampled vegan and kosher-friendly lunch options in my new work neighbourhood:

No. 7 Sub

Located at the Ace Hotel, No. 7 Sub has a number of vegan options, including the General Tso’s seitan sambo I mentioned earlier. Still fending off that gluten and sugar coma. The pickled beets were a nice detail, though. At $12, before tax, this was probably the priciest of the local lunches. I was tempted by some kind of cucumber seltzer mentioned on their beverage list, but at $3.50, I was like, I should just be drinking more water 😦

V-Life

For a not-too-junky and pretty economic (lunch for about $8) vegan wrap, this place is great. It’s also miniscule, but never that busy. Their tofu wrap comes full of fresh salad greens, and is nicely filling. Actually, once I ordered their hummus wrap and wasn’t able to finish it. I think I finished it anyway.

Num Pang

More sandwiches! Slabs of spicy tofu, with lots of delicious pickled vegetables and a selection of sauces (I generally err on the side of whatever version of spicy mayo on offer), CILANTRO (alas, I married into a cilantro-free home so this is always very exciting), on a toasty, not-too-giant baguette. On the cheaper side, and with just enough veggies to not leave me appalled at my own lifestyle choices.

Bombay Sandwich Co.

Incredibly, I did not eat a sandwich here. “I want something hot and filling!” I told the nice man behind the counter. Bombay Sandwich Co. is entirely vegan, and it’s nice not to have to worry about my food rubbing up against someone’s porcine lunch. I had one of their bowls – a pretty unattractive brown rice and chickpea slop, with a few dabs of side sauces, and some soggy fresh salad. It was warm and tasty but honestly something that should have cost half of what it did. Based on the super-cute store design, and their clever branding, it seems to be a bit of an emperor’s new clothes situation, only with lots of cardamom.

Sweetgreen

Love fancy salad. Love. I had one of their salads, instead of customizing my own. It included delicious greens, avocado, tofu, the sweetest raw beets, broccoli, a sort of lime dressing – it was delicious, actually. And less than $10. Albeit for a day in which I am less hungry, but still. And I love that bit of sourdough they throw in with the mix. Very good for wiping up surplus dressing.

What can I say? It was fun while it lasted. As always, it’s cheaper and healthier to bring lunch from home. I plan to recommit after Thanksgiving, which is also when, coincidentally, I plan to recommit to lots of other things.

Is It Still Brunch if There’s No One to See It?

When life hands you one defrosted veggie sausage, almost-wilted arugula, half a tub of feta cheese and a tiny bit of early-Sunday motivation, you make a breakfast sandwich.

It’s a rare occasion when I choose not to let someone else prepare this hallowed (scorned?) meal, but I had a bunch of time and a few ideas so I decided to serve myself brunch.

First* I sliced the limp sausage into thin, diagonal pieces. I sauteed them briefly, letting them crisp and brown. Then I placed my sliced ciabatta roll face down on the still-warm skillet to toast a bit, while whisking two eggs with some milk, salt and pepper.  I removed the bread when it was slightly crispy and poured in the eggs. Scrambling eggs is a skill I have yet to fully master. I know it involves low heat and lots of patience; I’ve got one and I’m working on the other.

Sandwich assembly: layer toasty bread with slices of feta, browned v. sausage, arugula and then gently place your softly scrambled eggs on top, with some good salt and hot sauce to finish (I’m partial to Frank’s in situations like these). Carefully photograph from all angles and then stuff into your face.

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I also made coffee in my stupid Ikea french press that works, but barely, because $7.99 buys a big bag of beans and a single cortado is $4+ around these parts.

*actually, for real First I walked to the nearest fancy foodstore to purchase my fancy ciabatta and a pound of good coffee beans. I then walked through Pickle Day, a festival on Orchard Street of all things pickled and pickle-related. Should have incorporated those pickles into my sandwich but life is full of regrets.

It Happened To Me: I Now Eat Every Vegetable

Congratulations! I now, very suddenly, like avocado. I have always loved every vegetable in the whole world, except avocado. I don’t know! The smeared green-turning-to-brown, the mushy cubes making a mess in a salad,  a half-cut avo going brown and crusty in my parents’ fridge, remnants of it dried around some dumb baby’s mouth – I just couldn’t. People would go on and on about what a delight it was – oh, they could just eat with a spoon! Oh, all they need is some salt and pepper! Maybe a lemon squeeze! Lordy. Anyway, I ate it inside some sushi, and then eventually I tried some truly delicious (fresh, cilantro heavy, lime anointed, etc.) guac with chips and salsa, and then I had it on some toast with poached eggs, and now, I have graduated to actually buying my own avocado, and putting it on my toast, or ordering it inside my lox bagel (I don’t like cream cheese.) I used to go to Peacefood and order that Avocado Tempeh Ruben sans avocado. But no more! It feels very sudden, but I suppose it was gradual. I feel truly like a woman in her 30s. Spread the news; Esther Werdiger now loves every vegetable in the world, for real.

The first avocado I ever purchased, with the sole intention of eating it myself, featured here in the breakfast I ate alone this past Sunday.

DDDINNER: When It’s a Sandwich

VOILA

Grilled cheese.

I don’t know why but there’s something about pilates class that makes me think of carbs and cheese (if you’re a loyal reader you’ll already know this to be true). Is it the stretching? The planks? The bicep curls? All the time to think? Not sure but either way, about halfway through tonight’s class I started dreaming of some grilled cheese.

First step, dream. Next step, source raw materials. I wasn’t sure if we had any bread, I wasn’t sure if my cheese had gone bad and I definitely needed some new greens. However, despite living 100 feet from a decent supermarket, I’ve found that if I go home first (drop off bags! check on contents of fridge!) the chances I’ll turn around and go back outside are slim to none. And that is how I ended up buying one loaf of bread and one packet of cheese to make one sandwich.

(If anyone wants some Levy’s Everything Rye, give me a shout)

Back to the thing itself. A sandwich is something on which to project your greatest dreams and deepest hungers, and a grilled cheese sandwich is no different. Despite the parameters already set, there is a lot you can do with some bread, cheese and heat.

The secret is in the combination. I prefer adding an element of spice, a foil for the delicious fatty meltiness of the cheese. Tart is also good, and if you have a good quince jam on hand, you’re golden.

For tonight’s masterpiece I chose:

• Seeded rye bread
• Gouda cheese
• Hot yellow English mustard

You must butter the bread (or use a butter substitute, at the very least, like I did, because I definitely did not need to add a lb of butter to the fridge). I also like to salt and pepper the outside because, hello, flavor. It gives you that proper crust.

For today’s exercise, you will also swipe some mustard on the inside of one slice.

Heat the nonstick pan to medium. Place one slice on the pan, buttered/salted/peppered side down. Add cheese and top with other, mustarded, slice. Let one side brown slightly before turning over.

Now, for the key to crispy – but not burned- bread and super melty insides: cover the damn sandwich. Put a lid on it. This basically lets the sandwich steam a bit, speeds up the gooey process and gives the insides a chance to melt without leaving your bread blackened and charred. Do not forget this step.

After insides are sufficiently melted, make sure you get both sides nice and crisp and take off the heat. The whole process should take less than five minutes.

i mean, c’mon

You’re almost ready! The way I feel better about eating lots of cheese is having some greens to go with it. I also happen to love greens so I can’t lose. A simple salad of arugula with shallot vinaigrette was just the ticket.

Ugh.

I can hardly move my arms after today’s workout but I would lift this sandwich up again.

Pastrami On Why? In Which I Question The Apparent Lack of Good, Kosher Delis

Table For Jew is where we assess and report on the kosher restaurants of New York City.

In a city where my small kitchen has been designated as a dairy-only zone (in part due to having only one sink, limited storage space, and a vegetarian roommate), I periodically (get it???) crave meat. I also love sandwiches. This plus that, factoring in the city of New York, equals delis. Toasted rye, tender and fatty peppery pastrami, spicy mustard, crispy half sours, coleslaw – HOLD ME BACK.

Michael Pollan advocates for Meat-Free Mondays, but I have Meat Mondays. Sometimes my ❤ and I cook meat at his house, sometimes that meat is fish, and sometimes we eat meat a restaurant. One of my favourite places to do the latter is the Second Avenue Deli, on E33rd St. I never went to the deli when it was actually on Second Avenue. You see, back then, I wouldn’t think to eat a meat restaurant that was open on Shabbos – this is an outright halachic prohibition. The big 4 kosher certification agencies (OU, OK, Star K, and Kof K, BOOM!), would never certify a restaurant that was open on Shabbos. Actually, the aforementioned deli gets around this with an interesting, and actually legit loophole, supposedly commonly employed up until the 70s: a contract exists to automatically sell the restaurant to a non-Jew, each and every Shabbos. That way, on Shabbos, the kosher restaurant isn’t actually owned by a Jew, and the deli technically has steered clear of the prohibition. Confusing, but a thing. So the Second Avenue Deli, claiming to make the bulk of its matzo ball soup-selling business on Shabbos, is kosher. It just has a pissweak kosher certification. Which didn’t used to be okay, but is now okay with me.

Dr. Brown’s, full sours, half sours, matzo ball soup!

Another excellent Manhattan kosher deli is Pastrami Queen, near the Whitney Museum. But that too, has a questionable certification. Other famous delis – Katz’s for example, are not actually kosher at all. Why, I lament, is it so hard to find a good, capital-K Kosher deli in New York City? It makes no sense. Admittedly, as a lover of deli, herring, and smoked fish, I was born in the wrong era. Nostalgic stats will inform you that New York City used to be teeming with kosher delis. They’re all gone now. These days, food zeitgeist is leading young New Yorkers back to delis – but the kosher market has not caught up just yet. And these days, far fewer Jews actually care about kosher – so perhaps they’ll never catch up.

“But what about Gottlieb’s?”, you whine, tugging at my sleeve. Well, the thing with Gottlieb’s, an old, heimish, and extremely kosher deli in the heart of Satmar Williamsburg, is that it’s a bit gross. Yes, it’s fun to go there and sit among the noble savages and marvel at foon-der-heim (although not my heim – a schmaltz and kishke-free zone, and where kugel meant grated butternut squash, whole wheat flour, eggs, and olive oil) menu items. But I went there one Sunday a while back, and I ordered a corned beef sandwich, which is really the first thing a deli should get right, and it wasn’t very good at all. And it didn’t come with any sides. And the pickles were only full sour.  I had a fun time though; I was with my big sister and a family friend and it was a rainy outside and my sister drove me home afterwards.

Corned beef at Second Avenue Deli.

During the meal, the man at the table next to ours overheard our accents and demanded to know our last name because he’d spent 4 years in Melbourne as a cantor. We didn’t tell him. Gottlieb’s is a little too kosher. So back to the Second Avenue Deli I go, along with the rest of the heathens.

 

DDDDINNER: the Best Thing Between Sliced Bread, or Salami Banh Mi

The expiration date on my salami was rapidly approaching.

I typically just pair it with some matzah – salami on matzah is my ultimate guilty pleasure sandwich, if you can call it one.

But then I thought of another sandwich I really love and occasionally crave – the banh mi. That I can’t ever just walk in and buy one from any of the banh mi shops near my apartment, near my office, near everywhere, makes me incredibly sad.

(full disclosure: I have sampled many vegan and vegetarian banh mi and while they are delicious and tasty, I still feel like they need some meat. Some things just need meat!)

To back up for a second: a banh mi is actually the Vietnamese term for bread but commonly refers to the delectable combination of porky products, pickled carrots and daikon, crunchy cucumber, cilantro and some mayo all stuffed into an airy baguette.

Now I’ve never had this “true” version but you can pretty much sub any protein you want to kinda the same effect and it will be just as good (if I’m not right please don’t tell me).

Back to the salami – so what was it if not something to star in my homemade banh mi? Exactly. This requires some assemblage but I guess most sandwiches do and this is totally worth it.

1. quick pickle your carrots (you can also add daikon or radish but I didn’t have any). Shave a large carrot into ribbons (a peeler is great for this), douse with some seasoned rice vinegar and a bit of sugar and salt. do this first so it can sit while you prepare everything else.

2. finely slice a persian cucumber ,or cut into matchstick-sized pieces. I really love these dainty little cukes but if you only have big ol’ regular one I suppose that is fine, too.

3. mix up some mayo and hoisin sauce – HOISIN SAUCE (which is kinda like a sweet-ish asian bbq sauce?) IS KEY. you can find a kosher vegetarian version in good grocery stores and asian shops.

4. broil the salami (or pan fry) until it gets slightly crispy, but not too crunchy!

5. halve and toast your baguette (you can also scoop it it’s heavy. you don’t want too much bread).

6. wash your cilantro – “we don’t want no sand in this sandwich!”

7. ASSEMBLE THE SANDWICH: spread hoisin mayo on both sides, layer on cucumber, carrots, salami and cilantro, with a squirt of sriracha to top it off.

8. go HAM on that bad boy

 

you are welcome.