Snack Cart: Food from countries affected by the immigrant ban, Washington D.C., and the Prince brunch tour
Grubstreet wrote up a guide to ten cookbooks celebrating countries targeted by the Trump immigration ban. One reason I love food is how instantly humanizes. Even an ISIS torturer or an Illinois Nazi has a favorite dish. This President, and his famously meh taste in food, seems to be unable to see other people as humans. He can’t comprehend the human consequence of a 5-year-old, handcuffed and hungry, detained at the airport for hours. Since he won’t, I think it’s important for us to do that even more. That means trying to understand folks who voted Trump, but it’s also on Trump voters to eat some fucking hummus.
Maura Quint drops her first piece from the New Yorker, and I’ve never read a better list of 2017 food trends. The thing I see tying all of these trends together? Despair!
“Man that Eater article on chicken nuggets was great. What can we rank? I know! Hash browns!” My outrage at the cynical nature of this Extra Crispy article is only surpassed by my outrage that the McDonald’s hash brown isn’t #1.
More thoughtful is this story by Peter Sieve on the disappointingly creepy the VIP Brunch tour of Prince’s Paisley Park.
Maybe the best read of the week is this VICE interview with Dr. Thomas Thurnell-Read, a sociologist who recently published a book on how space, culture and identity shape drinking habits.
Or, instead of reflecting on your own drinking habits, you could read George Strait talk about his. That’s more fun.
I don’t usually do recipes, but Fancis Lam is leaving the Eat column at the NYT and wrote a lovely essay about Chinese eggs with tomato sauce. The column is about diversity, moving on, and rediscovering your heritage. Also those eggs sound great.
This week’s tweet of the week is too real.
New York
Frank Pellegrino Sr., the actor and guardian at Rao’s, passed away this week. Do yourself a favor and read his obituary, which is chock full amazing stories of him shutting down famous guests who couldn’t get reservations. I’m not sure if I like the Warren Buffett story or the local priest story more.
Joining taxi drivers, bodegas across the city went on strike in opposition of President Trump’s immigration ban. It’s another reminder that almost our entire food system is built on immigrants.
Pete Wells visit the re-opened Chumley’s in the West Village. Chumley’s began life as a speakeasy and evolved into a favorite hangout of writers and alternative types. Wells clearly isn’t happy that what was once a debauched and clubby hangout is now a haute gastropub which closes at midnight (“Now, instead of atmosphere, Chumley’s has décor” actually made me wince). Nonetheless, he clearly loves the food, and a scotch highball menu is a *such* a good idea.
Ligaya Mishan visits Gumbo Bros in Boerum Hill. This is the first brick and mortar from two friends who have been serving gumbo at farmers market around the city. Mishan loves the food, even if the chefs admit readily the gumbo isn’t as good as their Moms’.
Kim Severin looks at the slowly improving food at football stadiums across America. I was fascinated by the section that talks about the logistical challenges that have made football stadium food lag behind baseball park food (fewer breaks in the game, fewer games overall).
Boston
In response to Trump’s immigrant ban, a bunch of folks assembled a list of restaurants specializing in the food of countries from which immigrants are currently banned. Universal Hub aggregated the conversation into a list. Who knew there were *any* Somali restaurants in Boston.
The Globe wrote about the spate of restaurants with very similar names. Spoiler alert: random chance. But seriously, this is a great look at what goes into naming a restaurant. Also, I wrote about this two weeks ago! Snack Cart, driving the day.
Mat Schaffer reviews Antonio’s Bacaro in Hyde Park. He finds affordable Venetian food, and a chef who needs to tone it down just a bit to make his cuisine great. He also glosses over the most interested part: a steampunk clock behind the bar made by the artist who also made the cars in Mad Max: Fury Road.
Windsor Dim Sum Cafe, which is a favorite of mine, has opened an expanded restaurant in Quincy. Ellen Bhang visits and spends the bulk of her review outlining traditional dim sum dishes. They also have a bar. En route.
One of my favorite Globe food columns is actually in the sports section. Fluto Shinzawa, the Bruins beat reporter, writes short reviews about individual trips to restaurants he takes during road games. This week, he went to Oyamel near the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.
Los Angeles
LA Weekly has a list of restaurants to go to if you want to food from the countries affected by the Trump immigration ban. Unlike Super Bowl recipes, I will link to every single one of these lists.
The Sushi Croissant is why Trump won.
LA Weekly also teaches me a new term: Crowler, part growler, part extra-large beer can. I want to go to there.
Erica Zora Wrightson, a new-to-me writer at the Los Angeles Times, writes a short history/appreciation of Apple Pan. This 70-year-old Los Angeles institution still makes some of the best burgers in the city.
Besha Rodell gives two stars to Red Herring, a new spot in Eagle Rock trying to balance between being a neighborhood restaurant and being a destination. The review has some excellent thoughts on what makes a neighborhood restaurant great as well as some of the most practical advice I’ve ever seen a critic give to the place they are reviewing.
Chicago
Fundraisers, donations, and sending food to ACLU volunteer lawyers at O’Hare, Eater Chicago covers the various ways the restaurant community is contributing to fight President Trump’s immigration ban.
Phil Vattel visits Everest in Printer’s Row and continues the Alsatian restaurant’s 30-year unbroken string of four-star reviews. With some old-fashioned ideas and a unwavering commitment to quality and service, it sounds like a place I would love. His description of their very 80s anniversary menu will delight you.
NIck Kindelsperger visits Dox Quality Greek. In a short review, he breaks down the two styles of “meat on a pita” which litter the Chicago landscape. Dox rises far above these places and offers fresh, complicated Greek cuisine at stunning prices. I am physically angry I’m not eating that octopus right now.
This interview starts with the sentence “Every restaurant should have a flamethrower”, so, you know, click on it.
Washington D.C.
I’ve finally had a week light enough I’ve felt comfortable adding a Washington section. I’m new to the food scene there, so let me know what I should be reading.
I can’t understand how a bar that is open 3 days a week can possibly succeed, but good luck!
I CAN understand how the Colada Shop is already opening its second location at 14th and T streets, Northwest. It seems like the kind of restaurant, bar, and coffee shop that dots imaginary Havana (Actual food in Havana is terrible, I’ve been told).
Tom Sietsima reviews Ari’s Diner, located in the Hecht Warehouse development off of New York Avenue NE. He doesn’t love the food, but seems to enjoy the simplicity of the menu and the small-d democratic spirit of the place.
Tim Carman reviews Melt Gourmet Cheeseburgers in Leesburg. He says opening a place like that is a challenge to critics of all stripes, then concedes that the delightful-sounding husband and wife team behind the place has lived up to their promise.
A story by Laura Hayes story in the Washington City Paper talks about the various strategies restaurants use to manage bookings, and why some won’t take reservations more than two weeks in advance (I was expecting to not be on the restaurant’s side in that policy, and I totally am).
Out of Context Pete Wells Quote of the Week
The one Ms. Blamey has provided is like an erotic poem on the theme of fat.
