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Max Falkowitz

Max Falkowitz

Editor of Serious Eats: New York

I'm the editor of Serious Eats: New York. I also write about spices and ice cream.

This Week in Eating Out

Taste Test: Sweetened Condensed Milk

On first glance, all those cans of sweetened condensed milk are pretty similar. How do these cans compare? Does the same brand taste different when packaged for different demographics? And is there one sweetened condensed milk to rule them all? We tasted six brands to find out. More

Behind the Scenes Burger Tour with Pat LaFrieda, Part 2: The Grilled Burger at the Little Owl

"We put a lot of effort into little businesses like this. They're important to us," says Pat LaFrieda about The Little Owl. Getting the blend of chuck, brisket, and flatiron steak just right took five or six trials, but all that work has made one hell of a grilled burger. We went into the kitchen with chef Joey Campanaro to learn how it gets made. More

This Week on Serious Eats: New York

First Look: Lebanese-Armenian at Almayass in the Flatiron

Lebanese restaurants aren't rare in this city, but they aren't especially common either—a shame for New Yorkers who'd rather pig out on eggplant and yogurt than foie gras and pork belly. Lebanese cuisine is Southern Mediterranean meets Middle Eastern, and can be as conservative or as exotic as you care for. At the newly opened, surprisingly fancy Almayass in the Flatiron, both routes are open to you. Want to stick to pita, hummus, and kebabs? No problem. Curious about quail egg-topped Lebanese salumi, beet root dips, or bulgur-studded tartar? They can make that happen. More

Lunch Today: Grilled Shrimp Sugarcane Skewers at Xe Lua

So the real name of this dish on the Vietnamese restaurant Xe Lua is Banh Hoi Salad Voi Chao Tom Nuong ($12). If that doesn't quite roll off the tongue, how about this: finely ground spiced shrimp wrapped around sugar cane and cooked on the grill. It's served with little nests of rice noodles, herbs and pickled vegetables, rice paper sheets which you soften in a bowl of hot water, and lettuce. It's a slightly ridiculous table-hogging assortment of food, but it's also one of the best renditions of Vietnamese sugar cane skewered meat I've had in New York. More

Behind the Scenes Burger Tour with Pat LaFreida, Part 1: The Pan-Cooked Burger at Lot 2

You love Pat LaFreida; we love Pat LaFreida (and if you don't know Pat, his new show on the Food Network, Meat Men, will make a fine introduction). He supplies stellar meat to some of the best restaurants in New York City and all around the country, and a good percentage of our favorite New York burgers start with his custom blends. So when Pat offered to take us on a burger crawl of the city to learn how some of our favorite burgers get made, the only questions were, "How many?" and, "When do we get started?" More

Lunch Today: Tofu with Dry Fresh Garlic at Hop Shing

You may know this place as "The Chatham Square restaurant next to the more famous Chatham Square." And I'll admit that were 6 Chatham Square not closed for renovations, I never would have stepped into Hop Shing next door. The place looks like its last redesign was in the 70's and they stopped halfway, but it's a charming (in its own way) little spot with some surprising bites if you're lucky. More

A Sandwich a Day: Spicy Capicola from Parisi Bakery

If you've been let down by the muted heat of supposedly "spicy" salumi elsewhere, give the Spicy Capicola ($8) at Parisi Bakery a try. The capicola is liberally rubbed with bright ground chili and piled high—and I mean high—on a fresh Parisi hero roll. The heat will sneak up on you, but it's a great, bright burn; it's the punchy counterpoint to the buttery, almost provolone-like tangy fat of the capicola. More

A Sandwich a Day: Paneer Kati Roll at Tawa Foods

No matter where you are, if you order paneer, you have a pretty good sense of what you're going to get: a firm, mild, ricotta-like cheese that doesn't melt. So I was genuinely surprised to open up my paneer kati roll ($5) at Tawa Foods and find a mix of onion, cilantro, and—huh?—melted cheese. The owner explained: "it's American cheese." I asked for elaboration. "You know, mozzarella." More

A Tour of Kalustyan's, the Indian Specialty Food Megastore

Of all the ethnic markets in this city, few are as beloved (or well-stocked) as Kalustyan's in Murray Hill. You may think you've seen Indian grocery stores, but until you've seen Kalustyan's, you don't really know the meaning of holy-crap-that's-a-lot-of-spices. We decided it was high time to give a photo tour of everything the store has to offer. Check out the slideshow for an aisle-by-aisle guide to this crazy warehouse of edible joy. More

A Sandwich A Day: Achari Chicken Kati Roll at Roomali

Reasonably moist chunks of chicken are rubbed down with achar paste, then rolled up in a freshly griddled roti wrap. The achar takes center stage: nowhere near as wickedly hot or tangy as Indian pickles can get, it's a bright, slightly fruity accompaniment to the mild chicken. The best kati roll in the city? No, but I haven't seen too many versions with achar around this part of town, and that mix of tangy, earthy, and slightly sweet is plenty tantalizing all on its own. More

Afternoon Snack: Methi Para at Rajbhog Sweets in Jackson Heights

Rajhbog Sweets in Jackson Heights has earned its fair share of fame in the press, and justifiably so—it's a wallet-friendly snacktime mecca that's pretty dependably delicious. Act strategically and you can make your trip into a three course snack expedition. Start with their solid chaat or dosas, then pick up a falooda—a creamy rosewater drink filled with chewy basil seeds and skinny vermicelli noodles—for dessert. But you'll also want something for the road, which is where these Methi Para ($4) come in. More

Strawberry Frozen Yogurt

@esjay I used full fat. That's odd that the TJ's didn't set up. Can you share any other details from the recipe? I've never had an ice cream that wouldn't firm up at all. How much sugar was in there?

Game of Thrones . . . recipes for watching ?

Taste Test: Sweetened Condensed Milk

@all asking about the scoring in general. I think it's attributed to three things. One, tasting six types of condensed milk makes you feel a little...icky. So there weren't a ton of incredibly positive feelings. Two, some research shows that people tend to avoid giving extreme scores on tests like this, and if they don't have incredibly strong opinions to begin with, they'll slip even more towards the middle. Three, it was basically the law of averages. Our small taste test definitely showed some trends, but all it takes is one 3 score to disagree with an 8 for it to average to a 5.5.

Taste Test: Sweetened Condensed Milk

How to Treat a Tourist Right Near the Empire State Building

@kathryn My mistake--I was confusing the bar food menu opening with the bar, which is open all day. Post amended!

Behind the Scenes Burger Tour with Pat LaFrieda, Part 2: The Grilled Burger at the Little Owl

@texas blues Take a look at that cheese drip in the front--it's a little hard to see in the photo but it definitely gets some caramelized action. Also, when the hot beef drippings meat the cheese there's something of a higher order caramelization going on. It's a beautiful thing.

7 Can't-Miss Dosas in NYC

@daffyduck Which dosas do you get at Dosa Hutt? I wasn't too impressed with my samples.

@Big B Not an oversight, I just don't think they're very good dosas. The crepes aren't especially flavorful, they don't get a good crust, and I don't think the Westernized fillings work, plus they make the interior soggy way too fast.

Behind the Scenes Burger Tour with Pat LaFreida, Part 1: The Pan-Cooked Burger at Lot 2

@NickS re pan choice: I asked Daniel, and he said it's just better than aluminum and easier to maintain than cast iron. Mostly it's a convenience decision.

@kak No exact ratio, but I believe it's more short rib than sirloin.

Behind the Scenes Burger Tour with Pat LaFreida, Part 1: The Pan-Cooked Burger at Lot 2

@azzemoto Expect them once a week for the next four weeks.

@NickS Not sure, actually, but I'll let you know if I hear.

Behind the Scenes Burger Tour with Pat LaFreida, Part 1: The Pan-Cooked Burger at Lot 2

@Burger365 I may have conflated his love of In-N-Out with his appreciation for the fast food style of burger In-N-Out represents (i.e., the sesame seed bun as part of that tradition). That's this New Yorker's mistake.

@DavidPD There's only thee of them, but each wedge is about a quarter of a medium potato. They're hefty suckers.

The Serious Eats Guide to Indian Food in New York City

@Andrew Thanks, fixed!

The Serious Eats Guide to Indian Food in New York City

@Stacey1216: Saravana in Manhattan, Ganesh in the city.

7 Can't-Miss Dosas in NYC

@Tongo Rad Thanks for the correction! I've updated the post to reflect it.

7 Can't-Miss Dosas in NYC

@mumurthigal @dbdtron I wasn't thrilled with Tiffin Wallah—the crepe tasted pretty nondescript to me and the fillings didn't jazz me up either. But I want to head back for their other offerings.

Win Two Extra Mooga Tickets to the Great GoogaMooga

Hi all,

Thanks for entering. The contest has ended and the winner has been notified by email, so I'm closing the comments.

A Tour of Kalustyan's, the Indian Specialty Food Megastore

@JayaS awesome, thanks! Good to know, and now I'm game to try some.

@John Wozniak Next time I head that way I'm there. Where do you go/what do you get?

@gage3 Cured meat + labne = all I want in life. Will have to try.

A Sandwich a Day: Paneer Kati Roll at Tawa Foods

Literally on the table next to mine. This place is awesome.

A Tour of Kalustyan's, the Indian Specialty Food Megastore

@all I just got off the phone with one of the two co-owners, Aziz Osmani. He and his cousin Sayedul Alam, the other current owner, are from Bangladesh.

A Tour of Kalustyan's, the Indian Specialty Food Megastore

@thesteveroller The ownership has changed over the years, but I'd say the plurality of the products are Indian. There are lots of everyday Indian staple products—rice, beans, pan masala, etc.—you can't really say the same for the Middle Eastern selection, which veers more toward specialty goods (exceptions abound, of course; Kalustyan's contains nothing if not multitudes).

Staff Picks: Our Favorite Ways to Eat Spring Produce

@lucylew Yup. I know I'm not supposed to, but I like the chew of the inner skin.

Afternoon Snack: Methi Para at Rajbhog Sweets in Jackson Heights

Thanks for the catch! Fixed.

Welcome to Indian Week on Serious Eats: New York

@thesteveroller Buh, that's what I get for writing at 2 AM. Thanks for the catch. And yup, we'll be having an article on Indian Chinese cuisine this week! Just had some lovely gobi manchurian that has me contemplating devoting a whole week just to fried cauliflower.

S'mores Sundae

@hollymayberry How do your toasted homemade marshmallows taste? Significantly different from storebought? If so I'd definitely be on board. (For the record, adore homemade marshmallows in general; I've just never toasted them.)

This Week at Serious Eats World Headquarters

@berzerkeley I assure you, it was quite touched by the end of the meal.

S'mores Sundae

@hollymayberry Haven't made my own graham crackers yet, but I have made a biscuit/crust out of them that's pretty awesome.

Dulces: Arroz con Leche (Rice Pudding)

I couldn't help but think of the stereotypical fiery Latin temperament when I was making this recipe. Arroz con leche (riz au lait or rice pudding), is such a languid, drowsy, gentle thing, so tender it's even suitable for those with smooth gums and weak constitutions, and yet, it is among the most well-liked and frequently made desserts throughout Latin America. Maybe we're all bark and no bite. More

How to Buy, Store, Use (and Re-Use!) Spices

It continues to baffle me how little attention is given to spices today. Maybe it's because we're told to eat local (they rarely are) or organic (they're usually not). Spices seem to still have a reputation of being slapdash cover-ups for mediocre chicken—and far too often they are—but they don't have to be. Yes, spice hunting requires a little time, effort, and money (though less than you think), but once you start using fresh spices in you're cooking, you may just find yourself addicted. More