Carroll Gardens: Delicious Calzones at Lucali

I had been looking forward to trying the pizza at Lucali for quite some time, ever since I read an article that rated it the best pizza in New York City.  So last Friday T and I decided to head over to Carroll Gardens for dinner.

We ordered just two things, the Regular Pie with Basil and a Calzone with Portabello Mushrooms and Artichoke Hearts.  The pizza came out first.  It looked beautiful with the melted buffalo mozzarella and fresh basil on top.  Unfortunately, the taste of the pizza did not match up to its appearance.  First, the good parts.  The crust is excellent.  Thin, crisp and perfect.  The sauce is also nice and savory.  Unfortunately, the pizza overall wasn't that tasty.  The mildness of the cheese dulled the flavor of the pizza and made it just average.  We couldn't really taste the basil either.  Overall, the pizza tasted fresh and crisp but it lacked the saltiness and flavor of a really good pie.

Regular Pie with Basil ★★★☆☆

Next up, the Calzone with Portabella Mushrooms and Artichoke Hearts, served with a side of delicious tomato sauce.  This dish was excellent.  The ricotta cheese, which is made downstairs, was particularly delicious.  The crust was soft and thin and the portbello mushrooms were fresh and juicy.  We couldn't really taste the artichoke hearts but it didn't matter because dipped in the savory tomato sauce, this calzone was really tasty.

Calzone with Portabella Mushrooms and Artichoke Hearts ★★★★★

Borough Park: Delicious Beef Chow Fun at Lucky Eight Restaurant

One of the places I love to go for lunch is 8th Avenue in Borough Park, Brooklyn, which I refer to as Brooklyn Chinatown.  Whether it's congee in Fei Long's food court, pick your own dishes at a place whose name I don't know or cheap lunch specials at restaurants all over, Brooklyn Chinatown has tons of options.  Recently, T and I went to Lucky Eight Restaurant for lunch.  The place has a whole bunch of rice plates and other dishes for just $6 each.

Definitely the best thing we had was the Beef Chow Fun with XO Sauce.  This is definitely one of the best chow fun dishes I have had.  The beef was nice and tender and the dish was wonderfully flavored.  You could really taste the savoriness of a good wok also when you bite into the noodles.

Beef Chow Fun ★★★★★

The second thing we ordered was the Congee with Pork and Preserved Egg.  This was okay.  Didn't have enough salt or flavor though.

Congee with Pork and Preserved Egg ★★★☆☆

The next thing we ordered was the Fish Filet with Eggplant and Bean Curd.   The flavor was rather mild although the eggplant and tofu were hot and juicy.

Fish Filet with Eggplant and Bean Curd ★★★☆☆

The fourth thing we ordered was Kung Pao Shrimp.  This had a little more flavor than the last two dishes, but I think it would have been better if it was spicier and tangier.

Kung Pao Shrimp ★★★☆☆

If you go to Lucky Eight Restaurant, definitely get the Beef Chow Fun with XO Sauce.  It is delicious.  All of Lucky Eight's other lunch specials that we tried were a little too mild for us, but if you like milder flavors, then you'll probably love this place.  It's funny though.  Even though most of the dishes are individually not that great, the dishes together made for a nice meal.  The food was abundant and cheap, there were veggies, meats, seafood, and different sauces and all for a very affordable price.  Overall, not great, except for the chow fun, but not a bad option.

Park Slope: So Much Good Colombian Food at Bogota Latin Bistro

Bogota Latin Bistro is one of my favorite places to eat in Brooklyn.  The food is always good and there are so many delicious foods to choose from

T and I went to Bogota Friday night after a long week of work for the both of us.  The first appetizer we ordered was the Grilled Street Corn.  The corn was topped with smokin' chipotle sauce, queso blanco, parmesan cheese, chili powder and lime juice.  It was amazing!  If you go to Bogota, you must get this.  The sauce on the corn was out of this world.  The chipotle sauce in particular was sooooo delicious.  Probably the best corn I have ever had it was that good.

Grilled Street Corn
My Rating: ★★★★★
T's Rating: ★★★★★

The second appetizer we ordered was the Shrimp Empanada.  This was also really delicious.  The shrimp was sauteed in a really tasty sauce, the corn kernels were a nice touch, and the wheat-based dough was hearty and tasty.  The best thing about this dish though was the sauce, which I think had chipotle mayo as the base.  It was really delicious.  The only thing that could have been better was there could have been more shrimp filling but overall, this was one tasty empanada.

Shrimp Empanada
My Rating: ★★★★☆
T's Rating: ★★★★☆

For entrees, T ordered the Whole Red Snapper with coconut rice, tostones, cucumber cilantro salad,

pico de gallo, cilantro tartar sauce & garlic sauce.  The snapper itself was fried but not really tasty until you add the sauces.  With the sauces, it was pretty good.  The coconut rice side was fantastic.  It was so sweet it tasted like dessert.

Whole Red Snapper
My Rating: ★★★★☆
T's Rating: ★★★★☆

I ordered the Bandeja Paisa a/k/a the Colombian Platter.  The platter comes with a grilled skirt steak, pork chicharron, white arepa, rice & beans, a fried egg, sweet plaintains, avocado, and red cabbage salad.  Unfortunately, my dietary restrictions don't allow me to eat fried pig skin so you'll notice the pork chicharron is not pictured below.  Regardless, this dish was the bomb!   The whole plate was like a taste explosion.  The saltiness and tenderness of the steak, the sweetness of the plaintains, the crunchiness and sourness of the cabbage, the tangyness of the ahi sauce, the juiciness and meatyness of the beans, the creaminess of the avocado, it was all so good!  The steak was delicious and perfectly cooked.  The plaintains were sweet and tasty.  The red beans with pork was delicious and the egg yolk running over the rice and crunchy red cabbage just complemented the steak so well.  This is a must-have dish!
 

Bandeja Paisa (Colombian Platter)
My Rating: ★★★★★
T's Rating: ★★★★★

The food at Bogota Latin Bistro is excellent.  If you are in Brooklyn, this is one of the top spots I would recommend.

Midwood: My Favorite Pizza Ever at Di Fara Pizza

Di Fara Pizza looks delicious, smells delicious and tastes delicious.  Owner Dominico DeMarco makes every pie and you can really tell that his pizzas are made with love.  Watching him make each pie is an experience in itself.

T and I decided on our first trip to Di Fara to order the regular pie.  After the pizza comes out of the oven, fresh basil leaves are cut from the stem onto the pizza, extra virgin olive oil is drizzled in a swirl-like motion and grated parmesan cheese is sprinkled on.  The ingredients are fresh and high in quality.  The smell is intoxicating.  The crust is thin.  The tomato sauce is delicious.  Overall, this is one of the best pizzas you'll ever have.  We plan to come back many, many times.

Regular Pie ★★★★★

Update: T and I came back to Di Fara recently to try the Classic Pie, which is a Regular Pie topped with sausage, peppers, onions and mushrooms.  If you like the feeling of fresh vegetables on top of your pizza, this would be a great pie for you.  The freshness of the toppings is amazing.  I personally like the Regular Pie better because you can taste the salty, cheesy, basily flavor of the pizza a little better, but the Classic Pie is also excellent.

Classic Pie ★★★★☆

DiFara's is my favorite pizza place and I can't wait to try even more of their pies.

Kensington: Decent Japanese Food at Sake Sushi

T and I haven't tried too many sushi places in Brooklyn.  So when we recently moved to Kensington, we thought it would be nice to try out a place in the neighborhood we found, Sake Sushi.

We started off with a classic Japanese appetizer, Seaweed Salad.  We were surprised at how light and refreshing it was.  Sake's Seaweed Salad is not too salty like so many Japanese restaurants and really allows you to taste the sweetness of the seaweed.

Seaweed Salad ★★★★☆

We were really hungry so we ordered another appetizer, the Shrimp and Tempura Appetizer.  This was also well done and the dipping sauce was particularly tasty.

Shrimp and Vegetable Tempura ★★★★☆

Now, on to the sushi.  The first thing we tried was the Spicy Lobster Roll.  This was made with lobster salad, avocado, mango, tobiko and tempura flakes wrapped with soy bean and the chef's special sauce.  This was not very good.  The lobster salad was too mushy and there was way too much sauce on it.

Next, we ate the Fancy Roll, which contained shrimp tempura, unagi and avocado.  This was pretty good.  The shrimp was crunchy and the sauce was very good, making the roll very tasty overall.

Last, we had the Sushi Roll Combo, which consisted of a spicy tuna roll, and tuna, salmon and yellowtail sushi.  The fish was good quality so we enjoyed the combo very much.

Top to Bottom:
Spicy Lobster Roll ★★★☆☆
Fancy Roll ★★★★☆
Sushi Roll Special ★★★★☆

Overall, Sake Sushi is a good place to go if you are need of a sushi fix.  Most of the things they make are pretty good.  Just stay away from the Spicy Lobster Roll.

Battle of the Bagels: Bagel Hole v. Terrace Bagels

One of the things I love to do in Brooklyn on the weekends is get fresh, warm New York style bagels.  Two of the best bagel places I know of are located just a couple of minutes from each other in Brooklyn, Bagel Hole and Terrace Bagels.  One day, I decided to get bagels from both places and compare them.

One of the first things you notice about the bagels at Bagel Hole and Terrace Bagels is the difference in size.  The bagels at Terrace Bagels are much larger.

Left: Terrace Bagels
Right: Bagel Hole

In terms of texture, Bagel Hole's bagels are dense and chewy with a very crisp outside.  The crispness of the bagels is rather unique and understandably, the reason why Bagel Hole has a legion of fans.

Bagel Hole: Bagels ★★★★☆

The bagels at Terrace Bagels are completely different.  The outside of their bagels is still crispy, although not as crisp as Bagel Hole bagels. Terrace's bagels, however, are much fluffier, softer and not nearly as dense and chewy as the bagels at Bagel Hole.  It is the softness and fluffiness of the bagels that makes Terrace Bagels taste so fresh and satisfying.

Terrace Bagels: Bagels ★★★★★

In summary, both Terrace Bagels and Bagel Hole make excellent bagels.  The bagels at both places taste equally delicious.  I could easily understand a person liking either of them better than the other.  But I like my bagels soft and fluffy.  In my mind, that's what a classic New York style bagel should be.

Therefore, in this Battle of the Bagels, the winner is Terrace Bagels!

Borough Park: Tasty Banh Mi Sandwiches at Ba Xuyen

For those of you who don't know, a banh mi is a Vietnamese sandwich that usually consists of a fresh cilantro, pickled veggies and various types of meats on a crisp baguette.  Ba Xuyen is known to have the best banh mi in New York City and I completely agree.

Last Saturday, I decided to stop by Ba Xuyen for a sandwich.  I ordered the Number 1, the Pate Thit Nguoi.  The Number 1 consists of ham, pork and pate and is the most traditional type of banh mi.

Pate Thit Nguoi ★★★★★

First of all, the bread is perfectly toasted and better than any bread I have had on a bahn mi.  The middle is a perfect blend of meaty, pickly, herby, sweet, creamy flavors.  This is the best banh mi I have ever had.  It's the best.  There's nothing left to say.