Archive for the 'good eatin'' Category

April 15, 2007 | Filed under: good eatin'

By request, here’s a map of the tasty inexpensive treats I profiled during Videoblogging Week 2007. It’s clickable and draggable and all that jazz courtesy of quikmaps. I really like the idea of adding more stuff and expanding it. It looks sort of sad right now: such a big city and only five little spots highlighted? I think in the next edit I’ll lose the extra text…too crowded. I’ll keep all the info in each star’s pop-up text window. Maybe I should finally grow up and settle down and make the theme for this videoblog “Eating in new York”.

Or not. I just can’t afford to replace all my jeans.

Videoblog themelessness will be maintained — at least for now.

April 6, 2007 | Filed under: videoblogging Week, NYC, good eatin'

Click the pic or here for Flash

Click here for Quicktime

Chugging toward the end of VBW07 with my very favorite sandwich, the Vietnamese Bahn Mi. Roasted seasoned pork, some kind of meat pate/boloney slices (I don’t really like thinking about it…it’s beige and shiny and creepy looking) and carrots, daikon, cucumbers, chili sauce, fiery peppers and cilantro on a fresh toasted baguette. A cheap eats no-brainer at $3.50. There are cheaper Bahn Mi out there, but this one is by far the best. I prefer the pork, but they also have shrimp and veggie ones, too. You have a choice between spicey and not, and I always order them spicy but then backtrack and pull off the peppers. I love the flavor they leave behind, but biting into them is suicide.

This funny little shop churns out nothing but sandwiches, and lives in the back of a jewelery shop. You never know when you might want a coral bracelet to go with your lunch. They weren’t too keen on my fliming in there which is why there’s no footage of the store (there was some shouting and waving) but they were nice enough to forgive me and sell me a sandwich.

April 5, 2007 | Filed under: videoblogging Week, NYC, good eatin'

Play in Smooth, Silky Quicktime

Or click here to play in Flash

Not pierogies, this time, but good ol’ Asian potstickers. Dumpling Man serves hot, fresh seared dumplings in pork, chicken, shrimp and veggie varieties, and even throws in some desert flavors, as well. At about 80 cents a dumpling, it doesn’t get cheaper than this. I was full after four (but then again, I had just eaten a plate of pierogis, a bowl of soup and a mozzarepa).

Dumplings: There is no substitute.

Toward the end of this video there is a glorious NYC moment. A Thank-God-I-Carry-a-Camera moment. The kind of whackiness you always hope to see downtown that is hard to come by these days. A little reminder of what New York City once was and, I’m afraid, may never be again.

Download “Finger Food” (mp3)
from “Shook-Russo Quartet Featuring Greg Gisbert”
by The Shook-Russo Quartet
Summit Records

• Buy at iTunes Music Store
• Buy at eMusic
• Buy at RealNetworks / Rhapsody

More On This Album

April 4, 2007 | Filed under: videoblogging Week, NYC, good eatin'

You Can Play in Flash

(but Quicktime looks better)

If I had to pick one style of food to eat for the rest of my life it would be dumplings. Any dumpling from any nation. Any golfball sized food stuffed into an edible wrapper qualifies. Today’s VBW07 features tasty little dumplingy morsels from the Ukraine: pierogi. On day 4, Brian and I head to my favorite palace of plump pierogis, Veselka (actually, we went last week, I only edited and uploaded on day 4). Now, there may be some controversy, but I will state clearly and without shame my preference for fried pierogi. I realize they are often enjoyed boiled. To this I say “Thanks, but no thanks.” it’s fried or nothing.

The utterly-non-CC music featured is by one of my favorite Ukrainian gypsy punk bands* Gogol Bordello because sometimes, you just want the music you want. So go buy it, it’s a hell of a fun record. Bet you never heard anything like it!

When making videos I do make an effort to either futz around with Garageband or comb through Podsafe or IODA or the archive for Creative Commons licensed or public domain music, and occasionally I have had success. But sometimes…well, sometimes you hear a song and think “What a perfect excuse to go eat pierogis at Veselka! Wouldn’t this song work great!?”. I love music–”love” doesn’t even cover it– I’m a complete and total music freak raised by complete and total music freaks. There are very few silent moments in my life because I have music playing constantly at home and away. There is music for every occasion and mood. Music inspires me, and sometimes it inspires a videoblog post. Hopefully, I’ll inspire someone to go buy this terrific album. You can find it here, here, and here.

* Like there’s another?

April 3, 2007 | Filed under: videoblogging Week, NYC, good eatin'

Play in Quicktime

Play Flash

Today’s “cheap eats” VBW07 treat? NYC street fairs. Gotta love ‘em. I’ve lived here my whole life and street fair food has remained basically unchanged: sausage & peppers, candy apples, gyro, funnel cake, lemonade, zeppoles and kabobs. A few food newbies have popped up over the last five years or so: curly fries, crepes, fried oreos and Mozzarepas have worked their way into NYC street snacker’s hearts. Now, if somebody would finally bring Dippin’ Dots to street fairs, I would be the happiest New Yorker in town.

Ah, Videoblogging Week. Shall I compare thee to a Summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate even though you jam my Fireant so full of videos that I can barely keep up! Hats off to the blip.tv twitterfeed that allows me to just sit back and wait for videos as they post.

But the biggest news of the day? Josh Wolf is FINALLY going home. Right on.