Mixed Bag at Seva

I was excited to try Seva, a new Indian restaurant on 34th St. and 30th Ave. in Astoria, after reading some rave reviews on local food blogs and Chowhound; the place even scored a mention in the Daily News. The buzz about this new place? Intriguing appetizers like bok choy crispy curls and dishes like Methi Machli (red snapper fillet with caramelized onions and fenugreek) that you don't see at too many Indian restaurants in this part of Queens. And with a BYOB policy and a prix fixe dinner menu that includes an appetizer, entree and dessert for just $12, Seva seemed like the ideal Friday night date joint for two cash-strapped 20-somethings.

Seva is a small, sparsely decorated place, but some bright curtains and a few paintings add some color to the dining area. They do a very brisk takeout business-apparently, they were so inundated with takeout orders on Friday night that the waiters/waitresses could not adequately tend to their eat-in diners. At least half an hour passed before our waiter took our orders. It was a good thing we brought a bottle of Riesling, which helped tide us over until we got our appetizers. We weren't the only ones: I spotted quite a few annoyed expressions on the faces of the diners around us, as well as some harried diners angrily flagging down waiters/waitresses for their food/checks.

Slow, inefficient service aside, the food was yummy. The prix fixe menu was the logical choice: the mulligatawny soup and chicken tikka masala for me, and the lamb spring roll and lamb saag for David. We also ordered the bok choy crispy curls as an additional appetizer and a side of nan to share, for our entrees. The standouts from my meal were the appetizers. I loved the crunchy batter of the bok choy curls and the lemony mint raita that accompanied them (I kept sopping up the nan with the raita until every last bit was gone), and enjoyed the creaminess of the hearty mulligatawny soup, which had plenty of lentils (just the way I like it). The chicken tikka masala was good, but there wasn't enough chicken for my liking. I sampled David's lamb spring roll and found it tasty--the ground lamb filling reminded me of the filling in the curried pork buns from Chinatown--but it didn't have the crispyness and flakiness I prefer in my spring rolls.









I love gulab jamun, which are honeyed dumplings with cashews, rosewater and cardamon, but when the waiter plopped down our bowls, with one soggy dumpling each floating in a bland, watery syrup, I was disappointed. Go to any Indian sweets shop in Jackson Heights and you'll taste gulab jamun that are much better than the ones served at Seva.

I'm not sure if I'll dine in at Seva on a Friday night again. I always believe in second chances, but the extremely slow service at Seva will make me think twice about eating there on the weekend--maybe I'll make a mid-week trip or just order delivery.

Sunday Sugar High

I tried Sugar Sweet Sunshine's pistachio cupcake today and it was so good I'm still thinking about it. Creamy (and not too sickeningly sweet) frosting with real pistachio bits and perfect, moist pistachio-flavored cake. I would travel all the way to the LES just to have another. The $1.50 price tag wasn't too bad either--I've paid more than twice that for a cupcake at Crumbs.

Turkey Jook in Gourmet!

Photo courtesy of chezannies.blogspot.com

Who would've thought that Turkey Jook, Cantonese phonetic spelling and all, would make it to Gourmet magazine's November 2008 issue? Serious Eats spoke to Gourmet's Ruth Reichl and she listed Turkey Jook as one of her favorite recipes from that issue. For those not familiar with jook, it's also referred to as congee or Chinese rice porridge. Eating my mom's Turkey Jook every year is the ultimate comfort food--it's much more satisfying and hearty than anything else you can make with leftover turkey.

Turkey Jook (Chinese Rice Porridge with Turkey and Ginger)

- serves 6 -
Ingredients

1 cup long-grain white rice, rinsed briefly
6 scallions, divided
1 turkey carcass with some meat and skin
1 (4-inch) piece peeled ginger, halved, divided
10 cups water

Accompaniments:
soy sauce; Asian sesame oil
Procedure

1. Simmer rice, 3 scallions, turkey carcass (break into pieces if necessary), half of ginger, and water in a 6- to 8-quart heavy pot, covered, stirring occasionally, until soup has a creamy, porridge-like consistency, 50 minutes to 1 hour.

2. Meanwhile, thinly slice remaining 3 scallions and julienne remaining ginger.

3. Discard turkey bones. Serve jook sprinkled with scallions and ginger.

Spam Makes a Comeback

photo courtesy of The SPAMFAN

When times get tough, more people reach for SPAM. An article in today's New York Times reports that the Hormel factories can't make enough of the stuff. Not exactly a surprise, but I never miss a chance to pay homage to my guilty pleasure. Nothing makes me happier than SPAM with Kraft's Mac and Cheese or fried rice with SPAM and kimchi.

Keeping it Simple

A classy but non-fussy meal was what I was after on Tuesday night, and that is precisely what David and I received at Blue Ribbon Brassiere in the West Village. We didn't make a reservation (they only accept reservations for people of 5 or more), but we were immediately seated upon our arrival at 7 p.m. The place was dim and cozy--much smaller than I had imagined it to be, but it wasn't exactly a hole in the wall. The crowd was a diverse mix with a fair share of after-work people.

We ordered a bottle of Riesling to start off our meal. Our bread came quickly--warm, crusty and chewy--with spreadable butter in a little tin ramekin. I sensed that it would be a good meal already (the bread is usually a good barometer for me). We ordered the smoked trout as an appetizer to share. It was refreshing and paired very well with the dill and creme-fraiche that was served on the side. For the entree, I ordered the hangar steak with wild mushrooms and onion rings, while David settled for the striped bass.

I loved my steak--tender and cooked just right with sauteed mushrooms and roasted potatoes. However, I was a little let down by my onion rings, which were limp and thin. David also enjoyed his bass. The fish had great grill marks and rested on a bed of mashed potatoes and vegetables. I couldn't help but take several forkfuls of his mashed potatoes, which had the perfect fluffy, garlicky consistency.

You can see the whole menu here. They do need to update it online because prices have gone up (a nod to the economic downturn, maybe?). Prices are a little steeper than I would feel comfortable paying for a meal, but for the occasion (marking five years with David), it was just right.





We ended our meal with the Chocolate Bruno, which was a chocolate mousse with a cookie-like crust and several scoops of ice cream. It was good, but nothing spectacular.



Cons: We were a bit sandwiched in between other tables, so it was awkward for me to maneuver out of my seat. Our waiter also seemed a little condescending when I told him I wanted my hangar steak medium well. "The hangar steak is a leaner cut, so it gets tougher the more well-done it is," he said. I suppose he was hinting that I should have my steak more rare, but I always get my steak medium well, humpf. Overall, our service was quick, polite and efficient.

We capped off our night with some live jazz and coffee at the Bar Next Door. Check it out any night of the week for live music. It's connected to La Lanterna Caffe, one of the most romantic places in town.

New Dumpling Truck

Everyone knows NYC is ripe with food trucks serving everything from the standard chicken and rice to gourmet desserts, but a new one has hit the scene. It's the mobile version of one of my old favorite go-to spots for lunch, Rickshaw Dumpling Bar.


Photo courtesy of Eater

According to Eater.com, there'll be a Twitter account that will keep Rickshaw fans updated on where the truck will be on any given day. They'll be serving six dumplings for $6, as well as sides like chili sesame noodle salad.

In all fairness, I know I can get the same amount for $1 in Chinatown, but when you can't get all the way downtown on your lunch hour, Rickshaw's will hit the spot. Plus, if you're craving something a little different than your usual pork and chive, they've got a bunch of other yummy options like vegetarian edamame dumplings and szechuan chicken. Even as I type this, I'm jonesin' for their fried peking duck dumplings with hoisin dipping sauce.

Fingerlickin' Ribs and Sushi

On lazy Sundays like today, cooking was out of the question. Besides, I also had a huge sushi craving that had to be met. So what's a hungry girl and her carnivorous boyfriend to do? During the day, David had snagged a menu for Lucky Mojo from a delivery guy who happened to be making a food run in his building. Both of us were immediately intrigued by the unusual combo that the restaurant was offering: bbq, sushi, Cajun and Tex-mex. The restaurant was also conveniently located on 51st Ave, just a few blocks away from David's building in Long Island City, and close to the Vernon-Jackson Ave train stop on the 7 line.

I was a little skeptical about whether bbq and sushi could coexist under the same roof, but we decided to give Lucky Mojo a try.

When we walked into Lucky Mojo, I noted that the decor is just as random and unexpected as the food it serves, with mounted paintings done up in warm hues of red, orange and yellow, high vaulted ceilings, a chandelier and even a statue of a bodhisvatta perched atop the wood-paneled bar. It wasn't very crowded, so we were seated immediately.

According to a New York magazine review, the restaurant is "the reincarnation of a shuttered Upper West Side offshoot of Jacques-Imo’s, a New Orleans institution."

The New Orleans influences can be noted in the menu, which featured Cajun dishes like cornmeal-crusted catfish fingers and some interesting options like crawfish etouffee and shrimp and alligator sausage cheesecake. But David and I were eager to try the BBQ and the sushi. We opted to share three dishes, ordering two sushi rolls--the Stevie Ray Roll and Mama's Favorite Shrimp Roll, along with the Chicken and Ribs combo. The menu also featured some other creative sushi rolls like a Spicy Crawfish roll, a Magic Mushroom roll with avocado, mushrooms, sprouts and "rocket sauce" (no idea what that is), a Coconut Shrimp roll and a Softshell Crab Deluxe roll with crawfish mayo.

Our food came out fairly quickly. We started off with the sushi. Both rolls were delicious and devoured in roughly five minutes. The rice and fish were fresh, and the shrimp tempura in Mama's Favorite Shrimp Roll had just the right amount of crunch and tempura batter. The Stevie Ray Roll, wrapped in white seaweed, was equally as tasty.

Next up: the bbq. I skipped the bland mac and cheese and headed straight to the ribs, which were dressed with a sweetish honey glaze and were literally falling off the bones. They were tender, moist and nicely flavored throughout. In my opinion, they were far superior to the dry, disappointing ribs I had sampled at Blue Smoke during Restaurant Week two months ago. The chicken, slathered with the same sweet glaze, was very tasty and moist as well. The roasted Cajun corn that accompanied our entree had a nice, spicy kick to it, and was a great complement to the chicken and ribs. David, a big meat-eater, also raved about the ribs, declaring them to be better than the ribs he tried in Texas two weeks ago on a business trip.







Live music adds to the eclectic mix at Lucky Mojo. We were pleasantly surprised to discover that Sunday nights feature an open "jam session" where musicians perform on a small stage set in the back--we were treated to a great half hour of blues and jazz towards the tailend of our meal. Our lovely waitress rattled off some desserts like pecan pie and a warm chocolate brownie sundae, but we were too full to partake in any of it.

If you're looking for a place in LIC with low-key sports-bar appeal, but food that rises above the typical greasy fray, then Lucky Mojo will do the trick. The restaurant also has several flat-panel TVs--including a small one in our booth. David vowed that he would return with his two roommates on a Saturday to watch NCAA games or football--Lucky Mojo was advertising unlimited draft beer and rib tips for just $16.95 per person. A Daily News review also raved about Lucky Mojo's corn fritters, so I'll have to try that next time.

Damage: about $62, including tax, tip, and two beers (Bypass the Pork Slap ale for a draft of Abita Purple Haze, which is similar to a Belgian ale). Casual, unpretentious atmosphere, and quick, friendly service.