Vacation Eating -Rockland Edition

My vacation officially started Friday at 3:30, but now I am on full vacation mode. Not doing anything special, visiting family and doing errands I can't do while I'm working mostly.

But I am liking the waking up whenever I want. Sadly, I am still on work mode, so I got up at my usual.

I thought this week off would be a good time to change up my diet. More protein, not really concerned with fat, and being more careful with carbs. Refraining from white flour, white sugar. Stuff like that.

After taking Ford out for a walk at Children's Park, I stopped by Fairway for breakfast/snack. Currently eating smoked salmon trimmings and a spicy tuna roll with brown rice. Not bad, although I scraped most of that mayo stuff off. Green tea to wash it down. 

My mom wants to get sushi later. Can't say no to that.

Sushi Tei (Albany, NY)

The first day of spring. Cold and dreary… not how I wanted to start the day. But at least it ended on a good note. Not too long ago Albany Jane, R from Chopsticks Optional and I discussed having a girls night sushi fest. Along the way we got A, a cider donut tour veteran to join us. It was my first time going there, and I can’t believe I waited this long to do so.

I got to the restaurant early, and got a table. I timed it perfectly – soon after I arrived the place started to fill up. If you’re thinking about going here with a group, it wouldn’t hurt to call ahead and have them reserve a table. It’s a small dining area, but it didn’t feel cramped at all. While I waited for the rest of the group to arrive I flipped through the menu to figure out what to order. There is a lot of stuff on there, and of course I wanted to get everything.

But if I did that, then I wouldn’t have a reason to come back. Silly girl, tackle that menu in multiple visits!

Hiyayako – Cold silken tofu topped with bonito flakes, grated ginger, and scallions.

Mini Udon Bowl – Udon noodles in broth topped w/ shrimp tempura

Ika Maruyaki – Grilled squid w/ sauce

Oh, natto. You evil, evil stuff.



Finished off with green tea tempura ice cream, which I absolutely cannot pass up. 

Sushi With Your Bagel & Schmear?

Spotting this on a quick visit home. I was heading into the city and decided to grab some coffee and a sandwich. I ordered an egg and cheese on a hard roll... which I never ate. Kind of forgot about it. Coffee was eh, adequate. But what really drew me in was the sushi. Well, the sign anyways.

They serve sushi! According to my dad it's a recent thing. 

Haven't tried it yet. And to be honest, I don't have high hopes for it. Come on... it's a bagel shop.

Anniversary Dinner

My parents recently celebrated a wedding anniversary. They’ve been married for over 30 years… impressive, no?

Fresh Market Sushi

I’ve been wary of most sushi from grocery stores. There have been some exceptions (Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s for the most part), but I trust those places. Can I trust TFM as well?

Not bad. Will never compare to actually eating at a sushi place, but for a quick bite, it’ll do.

Late Lunch

50% Off Sushi @ Sushi Park (New York, NY)

Went into the city Friday with some classmates to hit up a job fair thing. We got hit with the knowledge that we were basically wasting our time, since everyone there was applying to the same five places and we were better off looking outside of this area. We pretty much knew this, but at least she said it in a nice way… and with a puppet no less.

After a couple of loops around the room (I scored a lot of pens!), my group grabbed a couple of drinks and headed outside. We were all in a sushi mood so we headed over to Sushi Park to chow down on discounted food. I’m not sure if it’s all day Friday, but it’s definitely a weekly thing. They are a decent amount of options, but you have to order a minimum of $14.95 to get the deal. I don’t have a picture of it, but I ordered a Colour roll (tuna, salmon, avocado - $10.95) and a Sakekawa (salmon skin – $5.95) roll. Both rolls had six pieces each, and were exactly what you would expect. There were some interesting sounding ones, but I think I’ll save those for the next trip.

There were four of us, and we each ordered two rolls. Tack on a ginger ale, and the bill came out to 43 dollars. Not too bad.

Sushi Park (in case you can’t read it in the picture)
121 East 2nd Avenue (between 7th and 8th streets)
New York, NY 10003
212-533-8448
website

Gen Sushi (Montvale, NJ)

I wrote this a while ago and forgot it. Whoops.

Never thought I would get a sushi recommendation at the bookstore.

Mags and I were in the cookbook section of Borders when she blurted out, "You know, I haven't had sushi in a while."

I was flipping through the Momofuku book and automatically responded with "That's surprising."

"So yeah... let's get sushi."

Still going through the book, debating if I should buy it. "I guess so, where's a good place around here?"

So we're standing in the cookbook section trying to think of a place to eat, when one of the workers rounded the corner and walked toward us.

"I've heard of this really good place up in Montvale. I can't remember the name, but it's in this shopping plaza with the antiques place." She then proceeded to mention something Anthony Bourdain said about not trusting discount sushi. We thanked her for the recommendation and headed back north.

Gen has been open for eight years. And considering how long I've lived in this area, I keep forgetting it's there. Maybe it's because it just happens to be in the same shopping plaza as Peter Wong's, and I don't venture very much past that. Or maybe it's people like Matt who think it isn't that great that has kept me away.

But it was late, and we were hungry. So Gen it was. This first thing we noticed when we headed in? A cop car pulled up to the front of the restaurant, and asked the delivery guy if it was too late to order something. Mags and I thought he was going to say something about the cars parked there, but I guess his stomach came first (and if you were wondering, it wasn't too late to order dinner).

Their dinner service was winding down and only a few tables were occupied. The host/delivery guy brought us to a table in the back, to get us away from the draft. It was much appreciated and we had a nice view of the fish tank (right behind it is one of their hibachi tables, they've recently expanded so they might have a couple more). We took a quick look at their menu (which looked pretty big at the time) and placed our orders.

buttered squid. amazing.

winter roll. fried sushi. they really love their crab. i love it too.

green tea ice cream. very green tea flavored, and creamy to boot. may give peter wong's green tea a run for their money.

Gen Sushi (Montvale, NJ)

Mags and I were only going to Gen to get some green tea ice cream. It's pretty darn good, and we were in an ice cream mood.

We were supposed to go in, and get ice cream.

Really. That's what we said we would do.

We're suckers for this place. Mags ordered the sashimi appetizer.

I went with the grilled butter squid.

I had to.

It was so good! Crunchy tentacles!

And if you were wondering, we did end up ordering the green tea ice cream.

Buffalo Wagon (Colonie, NY)

It's a great feeling when someone gets you. Knows you better than you realize they do; and at times may know you better than yourself. M gets me. He gets me... and my stomach.

Tuesday was a perfect example of this. We headed over to Colonie to do some gift shopping and take a quick look to see what's on sale (btw, there is nothing in the stores that you can't find cheaper online). We dealt with traffic, we dealt with crowds... and sure enough, the happy me was slowly turning very hangry.

We were driving down Wolf Road when M asked where I would like to eat.

"I don't care... anywhere. I'm soooooo hungry." Yes. I'm well aware I turn into a whiny brat when I get hungry.

M remained silent, and kept on driving. When we reached Macaroni Grill, he slowed down and turned onto Metro Park Rd. I wasn't really paying attention and figured it was one of those short cuts only locals know. He slowed down the car again and pulled into one of the plazas that line the road.

"Hey, what's going on?"

"Well, you're hungry so I figured we'd go eat somewhere you like."

Now I feel like such an asshat.

"Besides, someone told me that this was a good place."

Buffalo Wagon. I have no idea how long it's been there (edit: they've been open since February), but the only way you would know about it would be through word of mouth, or you just happen to be on that street. I don't think they do television ads, and I'm not sure if they have any in the local papers (edit: both the TU and Metroland have done reviews on Buffalo Wagon... and I'm guessing they've placed ads in them as well). So it's a hidden spot, possibly only known by people who work in the area.

Layout wise, it's a pretty big space with the dining area sectioned off in groups of four. Definitely roomy enough if you were considering a large dinner party. It might be a little too late, but if you still need to throw a holiday party, you may want to check them out. If you're having a quick lunch by yourself, there is more than enough space at the sushi bar. You'll find it at the front of the restaurant on the right hand side.

For their lunch menu, they offer 23 Chinese dishes, 5 Japanese lunch boxes, 10 rolls to choose from for the Maki roll special, and 2 options for sushi bar lunch. For their Pan-Asian options? The lunch menu boasts five to choose from, and they all have curry in them. Their regular menu gives you more options, but I'm sure you can order from there if you really want something curry free.

I was actually at a loss for what to pick when I saw it:

crispy. roasted. pig.

I've never tried the roasted pig at Emperor's, CCK, or the Asian Supermarket. And I've been meaning to, but something always got in the way. This time around? There was no excuse, I had to get it. If I didn't get it, it would haunt me forever. Okay, not forever... but I'd kick myself in the butt if I didn't. So crispy pig for me, vegetable tempura lunch box for M.

Chinese lunch specials come with soup (wonton, hot & sour, or egg drop) and either vegetable fried rice or white rice. The Japanese lunch boxes come with miso soup, salad, rice and either a California or cucumber roll. M was happy they gave him a fork for his salad and was surprised that his miso soup "actually has some taste to it." My hot & soup soup was just how I like it- spicy with just enough sour. And... to my surprise, it's meat free! So M may be able to have it (he always talks about some place back in Michigan that makes a vegetarian version). Not only is it meat free, but a large will only set you back three bucks. And if by large they mean quart, then BW's is cheaper than my take out place.

As for the sushi menu? Always interesting to see what different restaurants name their special rolls. Escalation roll? Predator roll? Naruto roll? lolz, BW. LOLz.

It could be the box its served in, but that's a lot of tempura, no? M finished it all, like a champ... and a couple of times mentioned that BW could possibly be up there with Okinawa (in terms of food for him). He denies it now, but when he was eating it, he was saying good things.

Crispy roasted pig! It came with a dipping sauce that unfortunately I cannot remember, but it was good. Some spicy vinegar would have been good too, but eh... that's the Filipino in me. A good portion of pork, moist for the most part (if it was dry I think would remember better). The sauce was great with it, and the rice... ooooh! I was such a happy person. I could not stop talking about it. The skin was very thin and crunchy and ohsowonderful. We tried to figure out what part of the pig it came from- M thinks its pork belly, but there was hardly any fat. I'm thinking it's pig butt. Pig rump? Pig tush? Pig yummy. I ended taking the rest back to apartment, where I crisped it up again and washed down with beer... pulutan style.

I also ordered a salmon skin roll that the staff apologized and let me know would come out after our food. No biggie for me. I think it was worth it, they must have just cooked up that skin because that first piece was warm and super crunchy. Really good. Will have to order that again.

So my crispy roasted pig? $5.95. Awesome, awesome, awesome. And lunch for under 20 bucks can't be beat.

Buffalo Wagon Pan Asian Cuisine & Sushi
Wolf Road Park
6 Metro Park Road
Colonie, NY 12205
(518) 689-0938
(518) 689-0939 fax
http://www.buffalowagon.com

Monday - Thursday 11AM - 10PM
Friday & Saturday 11AM - 11PM
Sunday 12PM - 9:30PM

Food Droid?

So last week I got a Motorola Droid. And while there is the occasional quirk that drives me insane, I love this phone. Not to mention some of their apps. For example, Pic Say. I used it on the picture above. Yay, now I have that cartoon feeling for my pictures!

Compared to my old phone, this one kinda sucks. But eh, whatever. So let me apologize in advance for some crappy looking pictures from this phone. The next update better fix this issue.

Stuffed

Lunch at East after clinicals. Tuna Thursdays.

Tappan Sushi (Tappan, NY)

**Note: I wrote this post... months ago. And I'm finally posting it now. Whoops.**

Oh. Hey.

I had a nice long break between classes last week, so I decided to check the Korean situation. If you are familiar with the Rockland/Northern Jersey area, then you know each and every Korean place right in that border area. It's not hard to know, since there is only ~5 (give or take an opening/closing). This restaurant is right next to what looks like an Asian (although probably a bit more emphasis on the Korean) grocery store... which is down the road from an H Mart wannabe and the Korean BBQ place. I can go on and on, but let's stop it there.

I dragged a classmate along with me and had to give her the heads up that I will be taking pictures of her food.

She thought I was kidding. Now you know, missy. Have you ever noticed that it's pretty much just the Korean restaurants have these spoon covers? Note the politeness and love of Lady Liberty.

My meal came with banchan... which is expected when you order a Korean dish. A little spicy, a little spicy-sweet. And then there was that omlette thing. Shredded carrot, celery, and sesame seeds. It was cold, and my biased dislike for eggs made me gloss over this one and give it to my friend to finish. She's an egg fan and thought it was pretty good. I'm thinking this would be something M would like.

Yes, I've said this before... but I don't learn my lesson when it comes to bibimbap. And once again, I forgot to ask for the egg well done. It was okay, ate almost all of it, and that's with ordering a roll.

Classmate went with the chicken teriyaki bento box. As you can see, it came with salad, gyoza, and California roll. Not pictured are the soup (which was done at that point) and the rice. She enjoyed her meal, and attempted to try and use chopsticks, but gave up and asked for a fork. Weaksauce.

Blog, I've Missed You

I've missed eating too.

Last Friday I went out with my friend A to celebrate passing my first Pharm exam. Since school started my diet has consisted mainly of large hazelnut coffees from DD and a meal here and there (if I get two meals in it's a huge accomplishment). I was in a sushi/seafood mood, so we went to Minado. A had never been there before, and I think she was starting to get tired of me gushing about how great this place is... and the sushi, oh the sushi!

Long story short, A loved it. Dinner is a little too pricey ($30 on the weekends, $28 during the week) but we may hit it up again for lunch in the future.

 

Okay, that picture has nothing to do with food... but it's the hand dryer at Minado. It's a Dyson!

Wild Ginger (Ridgewood, NJ)

O hai thar.

My original plan yesterday was to start studying for my quiz after class. By the time I got to my car however, I decided to spend some quality time with my friend A instead. She suggested we give Wild Ginger in Ridgewood a try. The last time we were down there, we found out they have a four course dinner special.

Sadly, the special only runs Sunday - Thursday. And we had just missed lunch. Shucks.

As you can see, the place was empty. But it is very nice. Perhaps if we had been seated away from the window, it wouldn't have felt so hot inside. Thank goodness for the cool metal tables.

Wild Ginger isn't a straight up Japanese place, but "Pan Asian." The menu had a good variety of Asian dishes and an adequate sushi menu. A and I both went with the Pad Thai, hers with shrimp and mine just vegetables. We also ordered some sushi- Philadelphia roll, Salmon, and Salmon skin roll.

Presentation is nice. The mini woks are cute. The Pad Thai itself was alright, with plenty of egg and tofu. For a twelve dollar dish, it seemed to be a small portion... but A had a hard time finishing her meal.

I don't know if you can see it very well, but Wild Ginger doesn't use too much rice on their rolls. Sounds good to me. The Salmon skin had a nice smoky taste to it. A devoured her sushi, and the ginger to boot (which was very fresh).

If you get the chance to eat here, have the sorbet. The mango is the best, hands down.

Wild Ginger
31 Chestnut St.
Ridgewood, NJ 07450
201-857-3830

Ginza (Latham, NY)

That's right... I have a blog. Finals and getting everything ready for the start of my program, and being... social has really cramped my blogging style.

Not to worry.

I think.

Anyways, here are some shots from dinner at Ginza. I think it's owned by the same guy who ran San & Bada, perhaps my most favorite upstate Japanese place. There was some roll that they made... a wookie maki? I forget the name, but man so tasty. I would take out-of-town friends there so they could enjoy what I could eat on a daily basis.

Compared to S&B, this place is HUGE. Massive. Ginormous. Ok, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but the space is big... and very red.

I wish I could tell you what the name of this roll was. The fish had the tempura batter and was quickly fried. Very tasty, but the size was off putting. It was one of those maki rolls, the ones that you have to make two- or three-biters.

Ban chan!!! No more explanation needed.

Soon dubu chigae, or spicy tofu soup. I think I had the one with seafood. It was okay, but I'm still disappointed when it comes to Korean up here.

M must really like me, because I subject him to eating torture. I checked the tofu teriyaki and according to the menu, they lightly batter the tofu slices. Does it look like that tofu was even remotely battered? It doesn't even look like it was dusted with flour.

M ate it, but hated it. To him, it was warmed over tofu drenched in sauce.

I am never going to learn my lesson with him. Sorry.