The Dancing BBQ Man
When the Moon Hit My Eyes at Lucali’s
I find one of the most challenging decisions in NYC is where to dine. On one hand you have all of these amazing high-end restaurants with world-renown chefs. On the other hand, you have amazing cheap ethnic food. And then there is the pizza. So my recent trip up there involved some decision making. Based on finances and flexibility and my sister’s wonderful post a month ago, we decided on pizza. I suggested the “old man” but she was concerned about the wait. She instead pointed me to Lucali’s. While I may never know taste the wonderful craft of the Old Man, I can say that I had a wonderful experience and a magical pizza at Lucali’s.
I often don’t discuss service when talking about a restaurant unless there is something out of the ordinary. The staff at Lucali’s was especially cool to us that night. We had a really long, frustrating drive from RVA and it was pushing 9 PM when we were finally on the George Washington Bridge heading into Brooklyn. Anyway, they let you call in and place your name on the wait list. So we called while on the bridge and they actually had seating at the moment. We left no name and said that we would see them in a few minutes. 15 minutes later, there were people waiting, but we had a table. They saved it for us.
The restaurant itself is very similar to many of the fan restaurants here in RVA, classic row house, pressed tin ceilings, glass store-front. The one big difference was that the tables only made up half of the room (maybe 15 at the most) and there was no bar. The entire back-half of the restaurant was an open kitchen with a brick-oven. The room had very dim lighting that was accentuated by the small candles on the table. The combination of the lighting and the lively conversations surrounding us made for a very surreal experience.
The menu at Lucali’s is very simple. You can have pizza and you can have a calzone. There are a handful of toppings but those might change on a daily basis. There are also a handful of bottled soda pops. The restaurant is BYOB, and gee I wish there were some BYOB places here in RVA.
We ordered a pepperoni pie and a mushroom pie. They served us the pies one at a time. I am not sure if this was due to the size limitation of the table or the timing in the kitchen, I just remember liking that they did it. So yes, the pizza was wonderful. The crust was delightfully light, airy and crisp. There was a light char on it, but it provided a nice flavor. The sauce was simple and elegant. The tomatoes were bright and cheery and there was no overwhelming salt or sugar flavor. The cheese seemed to be a mixture of fresh and shredded mozzarella. And while the toppings provided the accents to the pizzas, they didn’t dominate it the way they often do. Between the four of us there, we finished off the 2 pies (four slices each) and each one of us left content but not stuffed. It was that light.
The price on the pies was a bit steep. Each one was $24 plus toppings, but I didn’t feel that it outweighed the experience. As I am writing this, I just want to get back there.
I want to give special thanks to the staff at the Paupered Chef. Mrs. Marinara would not let me take any photos due to the lighting. She thought it would be too obvious. Anyway, the Paupered Chef was gracious enough to let me borrow their images. Please check out their review of Lucali’s when you get a chance.
Oh My, My Mashed Potatoes
As you may know, Mrs. Marinara does the baking in our household. Other than that, it is only warming things up for the little Marinara. So when friends have babies, I have the pleasure of preparing a meal for them. Well, this latest meal was tricky because I am friends with the guy but have only met his wife in passing. On top of that, he is an Italian from Upstate NY, so my basic Italian meals might be considered rubbish. On top of that, people have built up my skills much further than they really deserve. So I have this pressure to deliver.
I decided to stay simple because simple works. I knew I wanted to grill steak (flat iron beauty from Belmont Butchery) and asparagus. For the starch, I was leaning towards a pesto farafelle when it occurred to me that pesto is out of season. Most people wouldn’t care, but that stuff bothers me. So my buddy, The Sausage King of RVA, gave me his take on mashed potatoes.
His advice was to boil the potatoes until they fall off the knife when you poke them. In the meantime, heat up ungodly amounts of butter with some heavy cream. He had me dry the potatoes, then break them up using a potatoe ricer, and add the butter/ cream mixture in slow intervals, while stirring slowly. He said moving to fast would release the gluten and mess them up. He then told me to add salt, white pepper, and nutmeg.
So I followed the recipe, except that I had no nutmeg. Oh yeah, I also added some crumbled bacon (with just a tad of bacon grease). In reality, I used 2.5 pounds of potatoes and melted 3 sticks of butter into a pint of heavy cream. I only ended up using 1/2 of the mixture because I thought you can only make mashed potatoes so liquidy before they turn into soup.
Anyway, they rocked. They could have killed a small child, but they were so good. I would rather have 3 tablespoons of amazing food than a full serving of anything average.
I completed the meal by sending over a loaf of flour garden bread, 2 large Ghiradelli mix brownies, and a pint of Bev’s ice cream (espresso oreo and dirty chocolate). I hope they enjoyed it, I sure did with all the leftovers!
Disappointment at Papa Ningo
I remember getting in trouble as a child and the parents making some dumb comment as they were about to deliver the painful punishment, “This hurts me more than it hurts you.” I never believed them. Yet as I write this post, it is hard for me to write a negative report from one of my favorite places in town. So in a sense, I guess I get it.
Yesterday I went with some buddies over to Papa Ningo for lunch. They have a pretty decent buffet for $6.99 and it includes a chicken curry, stewed chicken, pepper steak, pasta, rice, beans, and some other stuff like spare ribs or fried fish. Sometimes there will be a plate of plantains.
I would have to say that my favorite dish on there is the curry. So when we hit the buffet right at noon, we were a bit disappointed to see that the curry was almost done. We each took a small amount thinking that they would refill the supply. Alas it was not meant to be. We watched as all the meat dishes were systematically finished off by 12:30 pm. Then we watched how each tray remained empty with no obvious attempts to fill them back. The chef in the kitchen seemed to be doing nothing about it. The girl in the front wasn’t doing anything about it. Finally, we just paid and left.
I am going to give them the benefit of the doubt and say that it was an unexpectedly busy day, but really any place in the buffet business should be prepared for restocking it. Nonetheless, I will give them another try but I will say that for the first time I was really disappointed there.
Love Them Peruvian Chicks
I have always liked a good rotisserie chicken. Yes, I liked Boston Market. The problem is that when Boston Market went out business in RVA, there was nothing to fill its place. I hate dry, old chickens that have sat around for hours. That description fits the bill for Ukrops, Fresh Market, European Market and others. So when I had the chance to be in Northern Virginia, I would make my way to any number of the Peruvian style chicken places up there including Crisp and Juicy and El Pollo Rico. Pollo Ala Brasa is the term they use at the restaurants and it is characterized by well seasoned chicken, cooked on a rotating spit over a charcoal fire, and served with very tasty dipping sauces.
About 18 months ago, I saw one of these Peruvian Chicken joints in RVA. The place is called Chicken Fiesta and is located on Midlothian Turnpike between Chippenham Pkwy and the Powhite Pkwy. Since that time I would consider myself a frequent visitor.
Let me preface this by saying that I am no way an expert on Peruvian style chicken, and I will even go as far to say that this isn’t the best that I have eaten. I will say that I am grateful that it exists here, and they do a good job at it.
For atmosphere, it’s nothing exciting. It is counter service with about 10 tables inside. The staff and the clientele are mostly Hispanic. I think a good sign for any ethnic restaurant is that the clientele represents the origins of the food being made there. I think one of the standouts though, is the manager, Harold. From the first time I have been there, he has engaged in conversation and remembered me every other time I have returned.
The menu is made up grilled and roasted meats, sandwiches, and several side dishes. While I have ventured into the other cuisines, I think the chicken is where it is at. It is served in four pieces (a whole bird) and each piece has a nice golden brown color. The skin is perfectly flavored and crispy, The meat has a nice pink smoke color on the outer edges, and is juicy and wonderful. I like the dark meat better than the white, but that is because I think fat always tastes better. And speaking of fat, I like their mayonnaise based sauces. They serve a yellow, pink and a green. The green actually is a hot sauce with no mayo in it. But the yellow and the pink are perfect for dipping the chicken (the boring breast pieces). If you ask nicely, Harold may give you a sample of the special sauce he is currently working on. IT IS PHENOMENAL.
As for the sides, I think they have a well fried Yucca. The plantains served with crema are also nice. If you are feeling adventurous, they have an amazing drink made out rice milk and cinnamon.
This is a simple joint with solid food. It is reasonably priced, and it helps me when I start jonesing for some GOOD rotisserie chicken.
