Brooklyn Burger n' Beer Garden / NYC Food Fim Festival Part 2

Brooklyn Burger n' Beer Garden
http://www.nycfoodfilmfestival.com/
Tobacco Warehouse
20 Water Street
Brooklyn, New York, NY 11201

Pat LaFrieda Wholesale Meat Purveyors
http://lafrieda.com/

Burger Maker
http://burgermaker.com/

Wholefoods Market
http://wholefoodsmarket.com/

Beer Wars
http://beerwarsmovie.com/

NYC Food Fim Festival - 4th Annual - Part 2

THE CONQUEST
It was the last day of the NYC Food Film Fest and curator / burger fanatic George Motz was sending it off in true style. George and the other festival organizers set up a pop-up Burger n' Beer Garden party underneath the Brooklyn Bridge in the abandoned Tobacco Warehouse. The price of entrance entitled the attendee to unlimited burgers from Pat La Frieda, Burger Maker and Wholefoods Market as well as all you could drink beer from many microbreweries. Not only was it a grand way to celebrate the end of a fantastic festival, the beautiful setting and amazing weather created the scenario for an amazing NYC style Sunday night event.



Along with the burgers, the World's Longest Toppings Bar from Wholefoods Market and copious amounts of beer, the festival also spotlighting the Best of George's "Hamburger America" Documentary and the full length feature "Beer Wars." The latter, an independent film taking a look inside America's beer makers and the distribution system used to bring you the brewski's. "Director Anat Baron takes you on a no holds barred exploration of the U.S. beer industry that ultimately reveals the truth behind the label of your favorite beer. Told from an insider’s perspective, the film goes behind the scenes of the daily battles and all out wars that dominate one of America’s favorite industries." It's told through the opinions and stories of Anat as well as independent brewers; Sam from Dogfish Head and Rhonda from New Century Brewing.

In other words, if you love microbrews, burgers and picturesque NYC locations, this was THE event to attend. Even Mayor Michael Bloomberg was on hand stuffing burgers in his mouth! The Mayor presented director David Sigal the Food Film Fest awards for “Made in New York Award” as well as the “Feature Film award” for his film Florent-Queen of the Meat Market. It was the kind of special event that only happens in NYC ... or Chicago.

My pal JoeC from SteakClub7 met me under the bridge where we met with Dmanburger and took no prisoners eating and drinking our way around the party.



THE BURGERS
Pat La Frieda is to beef what Jay-Z is to hip-hop. Neither of them invented the game but their home town heroes and can do no wrong while they continue to make this city a great place to live. His booth seemed like the most logical place to start. With a glass of beer from Stone Brewery, we got in the long line for burgers. Large trays filled with slider sized balls of ground beef were being brought out constantly as several grill chefs were smashing them on griddles, seasoning and cooking the burgers. There were 2 people per grill; one for the beef and one to grill the buns. The burgers were coming off rapid pace and the long line didn't really take that much time to get through. Joe and I grabbed 2 burgers each and then realized our mistake.

When it comes to burger toppings and condiments, I really don't need much (although I am prone to trying crazy toppings) but I did want some cheese. Joe and I walked over to the Wholefoods "World's Longest Toppings Bar" which we immediately nicknamed the "World's Longest Line For Toppings Bar." It was at nearly 3 times longer than the wait for burgers! My perfectly cooked, juicy sliders from Pat La Frieda were quickly cooling off. I couldn't wait and took one down sans toppings. Thank god for short lines at the Dogfish Head stand!

The first burger was good, real good in fact and while I wished for a slice of cheese, the naked burger allowed me to actually taste the beef itself. Served on a mini white squishy bun, this little beefy gem was everything I hoped it would be. Perfectly seasoned, quality, juicy, grounded, loosely packed, flat-griddled, hot burger yumminess. I knew my ability to NOT immediately indulge in the 2nd burger was going to be tough, but I wanted those toppings!!

With choices from artisan ketchup's, peppers, cheeses, sliced beef and all kinds of sauces, I could see why the line was so long; what to put on your burger!?!?! As I scanned the trays, 2 trays side by side caught my eye; 1. hot melted, unsalted butter and 2. warm peanut butter. Yeah baby! It was time to desecrate the time, care and quality that La Frieda puts into their meats by transforming it into a gooberburger with cheese!! I took one side of the bun and gently dunked it into the butter and then spread some of the peanut butter on top. I slapped on a slice of cheese and then just because I could, I added 1 slice of prosciutto. Not looking to make the mistake again, I filled up another carton with toppings for my next burgers.

Joe and I walked over to a table, with a brief pit stop for some Coney Island Beers from Shmaltz Brewing, and then let the burger madness begin. The tornado of flavors whirling around in my mouth were almost too much to process. Some might have said I was out of my mind by essentially combing 3 different sandwiches (burger, peanut butter and Italian) in one tiny slider but I felt pretty pleased with myself. WOW!!!!! It was a taste bomb!! The explosion of salty and sweet tastes were incredible. Joe gave me a pretty crazy look and I realized by eyes were popping out of my head. This was a delicious frankensteined sandwich.


8 out of 10 ounces




Both of our tastes buds were buzzing and the euphoria of eating and drinking had Joe and I all charged up. "Buddy!" Joe looked at me, "We need more burgers right now!" He ran over to the Burger Maker stand which had NO LINE and returned with 2 more sliders for each of us, while I grabbed a couple of beers from the Brooklyn Brewery. Reaching into the tray of toppings bar goodies, I grabbed a slice of cheese and slapped it a top my burger.

Joe sunk our chompers into the burgers and after the first bite, we both looked up, right into each others eyes and muttered a collective "WOW!" Heads down, teeth back in, I finished off the burger unsure of what I had just eaten. No, it wasn't strange or bad. In fact, it was quite the opposite! This burger was AMAZING! The medium cooked slider was bursting with juicy savory beef flavor. With no prior knowledge of Burger Maker, I thought to myself, "am I eating the most perfect burger meat ever!?!?!"

If I could present to you exactly how I think a great burger patty would taste, it would be this burger. It was juicy but not greasy. It was savory but not salty. It was all intense beef flavor. At first thought, I wondered if this was some crazy high fat content burger unlike the burger standard of 80% lean to 20% fat, I thought this could have been a 60/40 and the cooked down fat was pulling tricks on my taste buds. If it was, I would be very upset but still admit that it was a great tasting burger.

Joe and I had hit our burger limit and honestly, I didn't wan to subject my taste buds to another burger in case it was inferior to the magic I had just consumed. We walked over into the movie tent, grabbed some beer and let it all soak in. As the Best of "Hamburger America" movie started Joe had to leave but I decided to stay. While trying out the very flavorful light beer Edison and its sister beer, the caffeinated Moonshot, I spotted someone in a Burger Maker t-shirt.

I walked over and asked "excuse me. Are you with Burger Maker?" Jamie Schweid introduced himself and said "yes." I must've come across like Chris Farley in his fan skits from SNL when as I said to Jamie "Wow. I love your burgers." Jamie laughed and told me the nearly 80 year old story of the company. Jamie is the 4th generation in a long run NYC based family business that began in NYC's meat packing district. Their beef comes from certified humane raised cows and processed in a large plan in NJ. They only recently started to pack and produce ground beef for home consumption, relying on the restaurant industry business for years. You can now order it yourself from Fresh Direct where you can choose an array of styles.

That's when I popped the question; "just how much fat content was in the mix you served today?" With a look of pride, Jamie answered confirmed that it was indeed 80/20 mix. I couldn't believe it. The burgers were so juicy and flavorful that there just had to be some kind of secret. Jamie said it's all in the beef and that's when he invited me out for a field trip to the warehouse. I knew we were about to become very good friends. Jamie had to run off to help the Burger Maker crew but handed me his card and promised to be in touch.


9 out 0f 10 ounces
-Rev



Still reeling with excitement, I turned around to get another beer. Standing there was Dmanburger, slugging back an Edison. I joined him...for several more rounds. We hung out for a bit watching the awards, "Beer Wars," talking with George Motz and hanging out with the ladies of 7B, the Horseshoe bar. It was a great time and I truly appreciated the food, the drinks, the people, the hospitality and the beautiful setting. Sign up for the newsletter now so you don't miss out on this event next and every year!




Many thanks to JoeC, Dmanburger, the ladies from 7B, Jamie from Burger Maker, Chloe, Seth, Casey, George and the entire NYC Food Film Fest crew for an amazing time!

Despaña / Colicchio and Sons - 9 + 9 = 101wich

Despaña
http://www.despananyc.com/
408 Broome Street (at Lafayette)
New York, NY 10013

Colicchio & Sons
http://www.colicchioandsons.com/
85 10th Avenue
New York, NY 10011-4725

THE CONQUEST
The popular website for foodies, Grub Street, recently published a story that had all us New York foodies buzzing. It was their comprehensive list of "The 101 Best Sandwiches in New York". I’ll admit, the minute I heard about the story, I jumped over to click through and start up a list of places I needed to eat. While there were several sandwiches immediately spoke to me, I was taken back that not a single burger had made the list. I mean, if a burger isn’t a sandwich, well then what the hell is it!?!?!? I was angry. I was puzzled. I was let down and I was very confused. How dare a site that I respect so much, straight dis on the sandwich I respect too much!??

I took a deep breath, calmed down and told myself that the Grub Street folks must believe that burgers are so specialized in the sandwich family that they deserve not to be lumped in with such a generality as “sandwich.” I know there’s a lot of great food out there and although it may seem like all I eat is burgers, wings and steak, I really do enjoy a wide array of foods. Perhaps this list was just a road sign pointing me towards other great things to eat.

Just like some people rely on my to point them in the direction of a delicious cheese burgers, I too have my sources. Every Jedi has a master and once in awhile a patawan comes back with a different use of the force than their master. In a perfect 80s movie turn around ala “The Karate Kid”, JD, one of my fellow members of the NYC Wing-Off did such a thing. JD saw the same Grub Street list I saw but was inspired in a different direction, but I will let JD tell you himself…

THE 101WICH
JD: Thanks to Burger Conquest for letting me update you guys on the state of sandwiches in New York. Obviously this is a topic I feel strongly about (and yes, a hamburger is indeed a sandwich), so when New York Magazine put up a list of the 101 best bread-meat-bread babies you must try in the five boroughs, I threw out my bucket list--which was mostly sandwich related anyway. A hundred local eats, in no specific time frame, that I would sample and rate at 101wich.com. It's not a crazy mission. I think of as fulfilling two things: 1) hunger and 2) journalistic accuracy. Because the world needs a sandwich ombudsman. Or woman.

JD: So far my sandwich missions have yielded positive results. Eating around my neighborhood of Cobble Hill I can grab a smoked meat at Mile End, a killer egg sandwich at Prime Meats, a milk-braised turkey leg at Henry Public, or some fantastic pork belly at Char No. 4. I've had the pleasure of seeing my friends at Red Hook Lobster Pound at the Brooklyn Flea, I dove into a smoked chicken sandwich from Alidoro and a chicken parm at Torrisi.

THE SANDWICH
Rev here again. When JD told me of his exploits I became instantly ecstatic. I’m all about good eating and love it when someone who’s palette I trust can now be trusted as a food filter. I showed JoeC from SteakClub7 who almost had an aneurysm! “We have to go eat one of these sandwiches with JD!!!” Easier done and said! With one email, the 2 of us were planning a trip to Despaña. Located there was #55 on the Grub Street list the Picante! A bocadillo with Despaña brand chorizo, a slice of Mahon (cow's milk) cheese, piparras (basque spicy guindalla peppers) and a dab of aioli sauce all warm pressed in fresh bread.

Sounds amazing doesn’t it? That’s kind of like everything at Despaña! A gourmet Spanish deli, grocery and bocadillo (sandwich) shop, being a relatively simple concept, there is actually nothing simple about the place. You can buy prepared meats in bulk along with other Spanish cooking ingredients, or you can move along to the back of the store and have some of their fresh made food and coffee. Once the 3 of us showed up, that’s exactly what they did.

We started with a Serrano Ham & Manchego pintxo (bite size version of bocadillos). It was so damn good! The cheese was fresh and it's mild flavor allowed the savory ham to dominate the palette. JoeC and I split it, getting about 1.5 total bites each. I could've eaten 10 more of them!! Thank god of Picantes came out so quickly or I would've gotten another.

HOLY MOLEY!! Every part of the sandwich was INCREDIBLE!! The bread was fresh made with a crunchy exterior but soft and warm on the inside. The cheese was tangy with a mild sharpness that really left its mark on the sandwich. I've never had chorizo this good before. It was everything chorizo is supposed to be; a little smoky, a little spicy and with a robust pork flavor. I was truly moved to one side of myself after eating the sandwich. In fact, I bought a Navarrico pintxo on the way out!! I ate the "Chistorra" Despaña brand thin spicy sausage, roncal (sheep's milk) cheese and sweet strips of piquillo peppers warm pressed, for breakfast the next morning and let me tell you, that was one hell of a way to kick off my day!!





9 out of 10 ounces

THE 101WICH PART 2
JD: I felt like I've had a lot of sandwiches. I've probably only had about a tenth of the list. So, while there's more work to be done, I went on a joint 101wich/Burger Conquest mission to Colicchio and Sons, because I heard Top Chef's head judge can make a mean pork loin with bread and butter pickles, #25 on the Grub Street list.

JD: Rev and I took the wives on a little brunch date set against the background of a 100-degree Gay Pride Sunday. At 11 a.m. there was no Colicchio, and no sons ... but there were a ton of empty tables. There were also about two dozen highly prized microbrews on tap (Professor Fritz Briem, 1809 Berliner Weisse, you are something special). So, with that we started hoisting a couple of beers and mimosas. We flip open the menus. Cue record scratch. No pork loin.

JD: The sandwich that I braved the crowds of Chelsea on a national gay holiday for was not on the menu. I remained calm and told the waitress that I saw it on their lunch/brunch menu online. I canceled dinner there because I knew this sandwich was only available during the day. That's when the staff of C&S stepped up and, despite prepping for a busy brunch morning and probably cursing my name name in the walk-in, made me a sandwich.

Rev: JD had just got done explaining the 101wich and that's when I stepped in. I hate, Hate, HATE to be that guy but if JD didn't get his sandwich, it was going to set the tone in such a negative manner. I busted out my Burger Conquest business card and politely explained what he and I were trying to do. Much to their credit, the staff of Colicchio and Sons were incredibly caring, friendly and accommodating. What does that mean? I got a burger, which was HIGHLY recommended by our server, but we'll get back to that in a minute.

JD: The roast pork sandwich was pretty damn good. I have a nostalgia for bread and butter pickles ... they're not my favorite pickled cue, but the sweetness and neon yellowness reminds me of making sammies as a kid. That paired with some thick country ham, spicy chorizo (I think)--and since they didn't have sliced provolone--some truffle cheese (if you must) made one heck of a panini. Critics be damned ... I have nothing but love for Tom and his kitchen. You won the Quickfire to my heart.


One sandwich at a time,
-JD, 101wich

THE BURGER
After explaining our dilemma, the Colicchio and Sons hosts jokingly asked me if I was going to "take one for the team and order a burger?" What was I to do especially since I had just had my arm proverbially twisted?? I ordered the Tap room burger with balsamic onions and pecorino along with the same glass of Prof. Fritz as JD. The beer was truly amazing and if you consider yourself a fan of beers, it's worth hunting a bottle of it down (read story here).

Thankfully the food came very quickly despite the fact that it's all hand made in one large wood burning oven, beautifully parked right in the tap room. Without having taken even a single bite, one look told me that this burger was going to be a winner. The fresh sesame seed bun had been perfectly grilled to a light brown and placed a top a heaping pile of onions and ground beef with a perfectly melted piece of cheese a top. One bite confirmed the truth!!

The patty was cooked to an absolute picture perfect medium-rare and was exploding with juiciness as if it was it's own little meat volcano. This was far and above the juiciest burger I've ever had the pleasure of eating in NYC! The ground beef was loosely packed for a lighter feeling bite but had the taste of ground steak. The grease was running down my hands and arms and I was having trouble maintaining a semblance of decency in trying to eat it. The caramelized onions had a delicate balance of sweet and sour while the cheese was mild but had a very distinct flavor. Even though the bun was lightly toasted it was still pillowy when bitten into. I did add some of their smoky and thick bacon to the sandwich which made it even better!!

If this is what it means to "take one for the team" I'll take 10!!


9 out of 1o ounces
-Rev

Whole Lotta Rosemary Back In Black Angus AC/DC Themed Burger

Metal Hammer Magazine Presents:
THE BURGER CONQUEST WHOLE LOTTA ROSEMARY BACK IN BLACK ANGUS BURGER

THE CONQUEST
Back in March, I was approached by the producers of Bobby Flay's Grill It! TV show asking me to submit a burger recipe with a coinciding video of me grilling it. I went and created The Bourbon Soaked Bacon Beast! In less than 24 hours my video was already the #1 most viewed video on the site. Check it out for yourself:


For some reason unbeknown to me, I was not selected to be on the show but no worries, that would never stop me. Shortly thereafter the fantastic people behind the UK's premier Hard Rock and Heavy Metal news outlet, Metal Hammer Magazine, approached me asking if I would create a burger for them. To celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the release of the "Back In Black" album from AC/DC, they were putting together a tribute album. They wanted to know if I could create an AC/DC themed burger to help pay tribute to the band and their anniversary.

I was tickled pink at the request and could not have been more honored to participate. I'm a huge, Huge, HUGE fan of the band and have even once filmed a personal tour of the famed grave site of lead singer Bon Scott in Fremantle, Australia.


I put together the recipe and called up my burger loving buddy Buckshot, the man behind Mosh Potatoes, the Heavy Metal Cookbook. "Mosh Potatoes" - Recipes, Anecdotes & Mayhem From The Heavyweights of Heavy Metal. 150 recipes from bands like Pantera, Megadeth, Testament, Overkill, Anthrax to Lamb of God, Devildriver, Shadows Fall, Hatebreed to Twisted Sister, Guns & Roses, Motorhead, Zakk Wylde, Dokken, Dream Theater to the new school of metal like Municipal Waste, Skeletonwitch and Moth Eater. These recipes will kick your ass. "Cook Out With Your Book Out" - In Stores on November 30th.


Buckshot was the man behind the camera for the Bourbon Soaked Bacon Beast and I knew that my AC/DC burger video would once again require his needs. He of course said "HELL YEAH BROTHER!" and with that we were off to create (drum roll please)...

THE BURGER CONQUEST WHOLE LOTTA ROSEMARY BACK IN BLACK ANGUS AC/DC THEMED BURGER

THE BURGER


INGREDIENTS

• 1 LB Black Angus ground beef
• 1/2 tsp of Thyme
• 1/2 tsp of Garlic
• 1/2 tsp Oregano
• 1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
• A Whole Lotta Rosemary!!
• Slices of Colby and Pepper Jack Cheese
• 1 package of soft potato rolls
• 2 TSBP Soft Butter
• 1/2 tsp Jalapeno Oil
  
• 1 half pint of Australian beer for Bon Scott!!

DIRECTIONS

Watch the video!

The cover of AC/DC's "Highway to Hell" performed by Mutiny Within, which is available on the compilation.

1. Blast AC/DC through out entire cooking and eating experience
2. Mix meat, spices and beer into a large bowl
3. Form beef into patties. Sprinkle a little extra Rosemary on top of the patties before setting them aside in refrigerator for at least 60 minutes
4. Pre-heat grill to medium
5. Grill burgers about 3-5 minutes a side, keeping lid closed where possible
6. Combine 2 TBSP of soft butter along with 1 tsp of Jalapeno oil into a microwave safe dish. Microwave just long enough to melt the butter. Stir thoroughly.
7. Lightly butter each side of potato rolls and place on grill. Cook long enough to just brown the buns. Keep a close eye as you do NOT want them to burn
8. Place 1 slice of cheese on patty in the last 30-60 seconds of cooking
9. Remove from grill, place on bun, eat and ROCK! Wash down burger with rest of beer
10. Order the issue of Metal Hammer containing the AC/DC Tribute
11. Order a copy of Mutiny Within's self-titled album on Roadrunner Records
    

Thanks to Metal Hammer, Alex Milas, Buckshot, Mosh Potatoes, our 2 cheese techs; Lisa and Cara, Mutiny Within, Roadrunner Records and the almighty AC/DC.

The World's First Food Truck Drive-In / NYC Food Fim Festival Part 1

The World's First Food Truck Drive-In
http://www.nycfoodfilmfestival.com/
Tobacco Warehouse
20 Water Street
Brooklyn, New York, NY 11201

GO Burger
http://www.goburger.com/

Rickshaw Dumpling Truck
http://www.rickshawdumplings.com/

The Krave
http://www.kravebbq.com/

NYC Food Fim Festival - 4th Annual - Part 1

THE CONQUEST
George Motz, the man behind the burger bible "Hamburger America," and film of the same name, along with executive chef Harry Hawk, organize and run the NYC Food Film Festival. This 5 day event combines their mutual love of food and film to create a unique twist to the standard film festival. According to them; "The NYC Food Film Festival is a competitive film festival that presents awards in six categories: Best Feature, Best Short, Best Super-Short, Best Film Made In New York, Food Filmmaker of the Year and the Audience Choice Award. The Official Selections of the 2010 NYC Food Film Festival are reviewed by a judging panel comprised of members of New York City's food and film communities."

Among the many fantastic gastronomical events was "The World's First Food Truck Drive-In." Located underneath the Brooklyn Bridge in the abandoned Tobacco Warehouse, a smattering of NYC Metro area based food trucks parked up and allowed patrons to go from truck to truck, trying delights from each. The trucks formed a semi-circle around the movie screen where various films were screened. There was plenty of food and movies as well as beers and wines to keep appetites whet. I myself took in a quite a few Harpoon IPA's which helped to make all of the following possible. Joined by my wife Cara and Jackie from Burger Conquest, with a beautiful scenic view of the Brooklyn Bridge and lower Manhattan, set off on a mission to eat.







THE BURGER
The first target on my consumables list was the GO Burger Truck. A relative newbie on the NYC food scene, this truck serves up old school diner fare ala Burgers, Dogs, Fries and Shakes. They started out as a moving target but have since parked up at the South Street Seaport but still randomly venture out around the island. They've been on my hit list so I was excited to finally try their burgers.

The GO Burger truck keeps it simple. When you order a cheeseburger, that is all you get; cheese, bun and patty. If you want condiments, you must order them. I went with the simple cheeseburger while Cara and Jackie opted to split the salmon burger. While we stood outside the truck in anticipation the waft of salmon was easily the strongest smell to be coming out of their mobile kitchen. Finally they were served and we parked up at a table, ready to eat.

GO Burger offers singles or doubles and I opted for the former. In retrospect, I wish I would've gotten the double. Why? The tasty yet over-sized bun stole the taste show away from the patty which should be the focus. Unfortunately, my bun was burnt leaving a very distinct taste in my mouth. That aside, the cheese was placed on the burger in just the right amount and had that fast food American cheese flavor that we all grew up on. The patty was cooked medium, which even though I asked for medium-rare, is how GO Burger suggests they're eaten. The juicy and flavorful burger combined with the savory cheese gave this sandwich a gourmet fast-food style burger appeal. I dug it but will need to revisit and revise my order.


6 out of 10 ounces
-Rev





THE DUMPLINGS
Once there was even a the smallest air bubble of space in my stomach, I ran over to get dumplings from the Riskshaw Dumplings Truck. They serve an abbreviated selection of dumplings and noodle bowls that can be found in their Rikshaw Dumplings Bar. Kenny, Anita and David, the trio behind Rikshaw, were an early adapter of the NYC gourmet food truck and have paved the way for many of the trucks featured in this day's event.

With all the hype behind the Rikshaw dumplings, I couldn't wait to try them. Out of the 3 various dumplings offered, I chose the Chicken & Thai Basil with spicy peanut sate dipping sauce. Sounds good doesn't it? WELL IT WAS! Dumplings really are a food item that falls under the dime a dozen category not unlike hot wings. You can get them all over, none are really all that bad but the good ones are hard to find. But, when you find the good ones, they're REALLY good and worth adding to your regular path of consumption.

These dumplings fall into that last category. The noodle covering was cooked al dente, which is something you never see. The ingredients on the inside were full of flavor and made from fresh, quality ingredients. None of the straight from the freeze jazz with these little bad boys. The sauce had a nice mix of sweet and spicy which only worked to enhance the dumplings. Next time you see this truck driving down the street, you might see me chasing after it with a fork!


8 out 10 ounces
-Rev


THE KRAVERS
Although my stomach was saying "Oh dear God no! No more food!!"My eyes were saying "you might want to eat whatever is coming out of the one truck that has a massive line." I'm a fan of maximizing opportunity, so even though I was close to bursting, I had to see what the line for this green truck was all about. Turns out everyone was waiting to sample some Korean BBQ from The Krave Truck from Jersey City, NJ.

I approached the truck to see what was on the menu and when I read "Kravers. Choice of two meats served with monterey jack cheese, shredded kimchi, onion-cilantro relish on a toasted brioche bun," all for the low, low, low price of $5, I ran to the back and got in line. A half an hour later I was holding a beef and a pork Kraver. One thing to know about me, I have been to Korea and had such an amazing and eye-opening experience, that I got Korean lettering as a tattoo on my wrist. The country holds a special place in my heart.

I walked back over to the table where Jackie and Cara both looked at me and said "those look really good but I am SO FULL." I felt the same way yet we all dug into the sandwiches. The sandwiches were served on white squishy buns, not the brioche buns as advertised. That was a little bit of a let down but in reality, it was all about the meat. I must admit to not being a fan of kimchi so I ate some but worked around it for the most part. The spices and sauce on the meat gave these a sloppy joe like consistency with exotic flavoring. Both were delicious but the beef was slightly better than the pork which I actually thought was a little on the sweet side.


7 out of 10 ounces
-Rev




Full of tasty treats and ready to burst, we said our good byes and thank yous and went home to recuperate as tomorrow would bring the NYC Food and Film Festival Brooklyn Burger n' Beer Garden.