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sparemethecensor

AHT Giveaway: Case of Pat LaFrieda Burgers

Limp, wet lettuce or a mushy, untoasted bun. Ick.

AHT Giveaway: Case of Pat LaFrieda Burgers

Stuffed with bacon and cheese, grilled over mesquite charcoal. MMM.

Breakfast Banh Mi

Yum!

I pickled my vegetables for two days, which honestly should have been longer to get them really pickled. I replaced the bird chile with jalapeno, as is most common in American banh mi, and it was delicious. What a fun take on banh mi for breakfast!

Win Two VIP Tickets to STREETS International, May 1st

Mmm mmm mmm halal cart.

King of Falafel & Shawarma's Falafel from 'New York a la Cart'

I agree with Linhners -- frying isn't safe or practical in my tiny apartment kitchen. Could they work baked? Or squished into disks and pan-fried?

Creamy Tom Yam Kung (Thai Hot and Sour Soup with Shrimp)

This is delicious. I made it with almond milk (boyfriend is lactose-intolerant) and it came out so well I thought I could pass it off as takeout instead of homemade! Great recipe.

Win Two Tickets to Taste of the Lower East Side, April 25th

WD-50, although I really want to try Mission Chinese!

Win Two Tickets to the Lucky Rice Cocktail Feast, May 2nd

It's not upscale, but I'd have to say Food Gallery 32 -- based solely on how often my coworkers and I go there! Always dependable, always reasonably priced, always pretty quick... Yum.

Want Real Eggs at McDonald's? Just Ask!

Whaaaat I can't believe this is an option. I haven't been to McDonald's in years, and now I feel like I have to go.

Starbucks Vanilla Blonde - Anyone tried it?

I got a free cup of the regular blonde roast (they were giving them away a few weeks ago in front of my building in NYC) and I thought it was OK. It was nice to have a Starbucks coffee that didn't taste burned, for once! I haven't tried the vanilla, but I can easily see it being extremely sweet. I find most of their sweetened drinks to be craaaaazy sugary.

Moving to the 'Burbs

Lange's Deli in Bronxville is amazing. (Way better than the Lange's in Scarsdale.)

Elia Taverna is either in Bronxville or Eastchester, and it's pretty solid -- nothing like Greek food you'll get in Astoria, but a solid dinner option.

Switching regular butter and browned butter in baking

I make cinnamon browned butter rice krispie treats with the same amount of butter the plain treats recipe calls for. I'd go for the usual amount.

Vegan Chickpea Cakes with Mashed Avocado

What's the texture of the patties before cooking? Would they be solid enough to bake instead of pan-fry? I love falafel, and I'd be interested in a healthier, baked version if it would taste (almost) as good.

Valentine's Day Giveaway: Win This Prime Rib

Something warm and homemade, eaten together.

Win Two VIP Tickets to Cochon 555 on February 10th

Banh mi from Luu's Baguette

Win Two Tickets to the Village Voice's Choice Eats on March 19th

Yunnan Kitchen - haven't tried it yet!

Super Bowl Party Giveaway: Baby Back Ribs and Pulled Pork

Barbecue pulled pork nachos at Waldo's in Mesa, AZ!

Hummus Made with Greek Yogurt Is Half the Fat, Tastes Just as Good as Regular Hummus

Is "high in fat" something people worry about with hummus? It's all olive oil.

Like Rawtoast, I make my own hummus, but I'd definitely try this yogurt variation, especially if it will be super creamy without me having to peel the chickpeas. (Supposedly that's the way to get super-creamy hummus, but I am way too lazy to do that. I'm more of a toss in the ingredients and let 'er rip kind of gal when it comes to hummus.)

Hooni Kim's Guide to Korean Food and Ingredients in NYC and New Jersey

@ LBollo

I haven't tried Tours les Jours yet, but I've always been underwhelmed by Paris Baguette. I liked Koryodang before it closed (all these are in Manhattan K-town).

Hooni Kim's Guide to Korean Food and Ingredients in NYC and New Jersey

Another typo: the K-town take-out place is Woorijip (j, not g).

I thought this article was fascinating! I didn't know there were so many differences between red pepper flakes, although I do love the variety at Kalustyan's.

Seriously Delicious Holiday Giveaway: Counter Culture Coffee Subscription

With cinnamon

Seriously Delicious Holiday Giveaway: The Sriracha Lover's Ultimate Gift Pack

Kimchi fried rice.

Seriously Delicious Holiday Giveaway: La Quercia's Pork Belly Heaven Package

I'd love to try pancetta, for the first time. :)

Seriously Delicious Holiday Giveaway: Zingerman's Camp Bacon Gift Box

Spinach salad with hot bacon vinaigrette.

When is Benji going to do beef stew? Cannot find it on here.

They're adding Benji to the site? More cute dog pictures sound good to me... :)

I know Kenji has done a Food Lab post on pho, but I don't remember seeing a European beef stew recipe from him (I'm assuming that's what you mean). SE did offer this recipe, which I thought looked yummy: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/12/beef-stew-red-wine-horseradish-chive-cream-recipe.html

Best place for crab in Baltimore? Dives OK!

I will be meeting up with an aunt and cousin for a few days in Baltimore this weekend for an event. We have Saturday totally free, and we want to get the best crab we can (a) nearby and (b) without breaking the bank. Any Baltimore-based Serious Eaters out there? What do you recommend for delicious, local crab? Crab cakes or the big buckets -- we Westerners just want crab! Dingy dive crab bars are totally OK.

For reference, we'll be staying in Linthicum Heights near the airport, so something nearby (or accessible by public transit -- does Baltimore have that?) would be preferred but not required.

Thanks in advance!

Buying/making red bean paste

So, I asked this a few weeks back on a recipe (http://www.seriouseats.com/2012/05/glutinous-rice-chinese.html), but I'm hoping some of you folks can help. How do you go about buying or making really good red bean paste?

I am in love with red bean desserts, and I'd like to try my hand at a few I can't find in nearby Asian bakeries (red bean turnovers with puff pastry are at the top of my list). I work close to Koreatown and regularly go through HMart, but what do you look for in buying red bean paste? Are there good brands? Seeing as I don't read Korean or Chinese, how can I tell if the paste is thick and chunky or really smooth?

Alternatively, is it easy to make red bean paste? I have a food processor...

Thanks in advance for any advice!

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