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FDNY Visits Artichoke
Is my family alone in having found the pizza (both artichoke and regular slices) awful? Crust was cardboard-like and thick. Toppings were uninteresting with the regular slice being nowhere near as good as at most slice places, certainly not comparable to Bleecker St. pizza or many others downtown that we frequent, and the artichoke topping gooey and sour. We didn't finish either slice and would not return so are puzzled by the other raves.
Openings and First Reports: Artichoke
We were truly disappointed by the regular slice and the spinach/artichoke, both bad for different reasons though the crust is a universal negative - dry, thick, tasteless and cardboardy. The toppings are equally bad. Slices are huge. No place to sit. Not sure how anyone raved about this place.
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The Bill's Hamburgers Experience in Van Nuys, California
if you could have only one burger in LA, where would you go?
FDNY Visits Artichoke
Is my family alone in having found the pizza (both artichoke and regular slices) awful? Crust was cardboard-like and thick. Toppings were uninteresting with the regular slice being nowhere near as good as at most slice places, certainly not comparable to Bleecker St. pizza or many others downtown that we frequent, and the artichoke topping gooey and sour. We didn't finish either slice and would not return so are puzzled by the other raves.
Openings and First Reports: Artichoke
We were truly disappointed by the regular slice and the spinach/artichoke, both bad for different reasons though the crust is a universal negative - dry, thick, tasteless and cardboardy. The toppings are equally bad. Slices are huge. No place to sit. Not sure how anyone raved about this place.
Artichoke, a Crisis of Conscience, and Some Tough Questions
This pizza has nothing to do with Di Fara and surely does not qualify even as a "better than average" piece at a typical NY pizza place. We tried the regular as well as overly gloppy, spinach/artichoke slice. In both cases the crust was too thick, dry and tasteless. The regular slice was uninteresting, also dry, not enough cheese. The artichoke slice was greasy and sour, overly laden with topping. It did not compare to the artichoke dip served at Houstons or Agave.
We're back to Bleecker Pizza, our favorite - though the pizza elsewhere is far more to our liking than this place, which is being overly hyped. And to paraphrase Woody Allen, "The pizza is awful and there's no place to sit".
Would not return.
The Bill's Hamburgers Experience in Van Nuys, California
Wow...I lived in the Valley for 30 years and in Van Nuys for 9 years...really close to Bill's and I also drove by it and never noticed it. Next trip back to the Valley (I live on the East Coast now) I will definitely check it out. I appreciate a fresh perspective on the LA burger scene. Keep up the good work!
The Bill's Hamburgers Experience in Van Nuys, California
Nice post. Wish I'd known about that place when I first went out there and the streets were still dirt....wait, I'm not really that old...but it was a long time ago :) Look forward to your future posts.
The Bill's Hamburgers Experience in Van Nuys, California
I first started going to Bill's in 1974 when I was driving a catering truck in Van Nuys. I sold them from my truck and always had to make sure I had enough every day for lunch. Bill has made the best burgers in Van Nuys as far back as I can remember.
You should try his chili burger (open faced) it is great. I would order one for myself when I was picking up the order for my catering truck.
Very nice review.
AlaskaJoe formally Joe's catering
The Bill's Hamburgers Experience in Van Nuys, California
God I love burgers, we have something here in the UK called burger sauce - do you have it there? It tastes like a mix of mayo, mustard (heaven forfend!) and ketchup, quite nice actually!
The Bill's Hamburgers Experience in Van Nuys, California
Looks like another must-try burger to add to my list. Will definitely find my way there next time I'm in the Valley!
Openings and First Reports: Artichoke
Crust is burnt and tastes like balsa wood. While the guys running it are nice and have good intentions, this place is WAY over-hyped by the east village crowd.
Potato salad
my friend in germany makes the best potato salad. she boils them, peels them while they're still hot, then pours hot broth over them. after the broth has been absorbed, she adds onions, mustard, and cider vinegar. it is soooo delicious.
Potato salad
My Aunt Mae's special and the second one to include sour cream
Red Bliss Potatoes, skin on - boiled and cubed
celery, chopped fine
carrot, grated for color
hard boiled eggs - smashed
fresh parsley - chopped fine
fresh dill - chopped fine
Hellmans mayo
Sour Cream
salt
pepper
Paprika
AND THE SECRET INGREDIENT - added by me - Mrs. Dash Table Blend
Mix all very well and sprinkle with Paprika for a "catered deli" look
I'm not a fan of raw onion but feel free to add it if you like or halved grape tomatoes or tuna, crab, lobster, etc. This salad is a great base for any summer meal and the sour cream lends a sophisticated taste
Potato salad
our "loaded potato salad" always get raves....I never measure just mix to taste...
baked new red potato's skin on..cubed
diced green onions
diced celery
shredded sharp cheddar cheese
crumbled bacon
mayo
sour cream
dried mustard
white wine vinegar
cruched garlic
sea salt
pepper
celery seed
diced hard boiled egg whites
smashed hard cooked yolks (blended with mayo and sour cream)
a wonderfully rich salad, that can be heated and also served warm.
Potato salad
Just had a really good potato salad at a catered lunch...and keep in mind that potato salad is not one of my favorites as I don't care for mayo, mustard, or hard-boiled eggs, which lets out most recipes.
New potatoes, quartered
Light creamy dressing (mayo thinned with milk and vinegar, I think)
Bacon (rendered fat also in dressing)
Green onions
I ate two servings and rolled off to take a nap...great stuff.
Potato salad
New Potato Salad
Lunge for this recipe the moment the first tiny redskin potatoes appear, but it may also be made simply because you have some wonderful leftover roasted ham on hand. (Incidentally, the first steps of this recipe may be used to provide great roasted potatoes for a side dish.) And if new potatoes are at hand, so are fresh herbs: Please try to use them. You’ll probably want to double this, if you’re going to the trouble. But don’t crowd the potatoes in the roasting skillet or they’ll steam and never achieve that roasting flavor. And be sure to serve the salad at room temperature or slightly warmer. I think potato salad served cold is silly.
1 1/2 to 2 lbs. tiny new potatoes, a little bigger than marbles, halved or quartered if not,
washed and patted dry
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, or duck or bacon fat
2 tablespoons tarragon-infused white vinegar (to taste)
1 stalk of celery, diced
3-4 scallions, white and light green parts only (or shallots), minced
1/2 lb. ham, sliced into bite-sized pieces or strips (or good bacon, fried and diced)
1 tablespoon minced chives
1/2 cup crème fraîche
2 tablespoons prepared mayonnaise
2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon leaves, or 1 tablespoon dry (to taste)
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dry)
slices of hard-cooked egg (optional)
1/2 pound smoked trout, skin and bones discarded, flaked (optional)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat a large cast iron skillet over high heat for several minutes. Add the olive oil, and carefully stir in potatoes. (A splatter screen would be quite useful.) Sauté for five minutes, shaking skillet often after the first two minutes. Pepper them to taste.
Transfer skillet to oven. Roast 20 minutes, or until tender, giving the skillet a couple of shakes after 10 minutes to redistribute the potatoes.
Place potatoes in a large bowl. Stir in tarragon vinegar. Bring to room temperature.
Stir in remaining ingredients. Taste carefully. You might want more crème fraiche, or salt. Serve at once, with an extravagant dollop of crème fraiche and chopped chives on top. Come to think of it, a decorative tablespoon of good salmon roe would be most welcome, too. Finish with optional slices of hard-cooked egg.
Yield: plenty for four
Potato salad
I do a baked potato salad. All you have to do is add what you like on a baked potato. For me I add sour cream, green onions, shreaded chedder, bacon bits(homemade of course). Its awesome with Steak. Try it youll love it.
Openings and First Reports: Artichoke
I didn't like Artichoke and am very disappointed in all who wait on line for access to so inelegant a slice of pizza. The artichoke slice is not pizza; it is a gratin. And though the toppings on the regular slice are good and the color of the crust is nicely blackened, the texture of the crust is awful: thick, heavy, charred plaster board.
To be brief, this pizza lacks both the elegance of a New York masterpizza and the thrill of a oozy, on-the-brink of a great NYC slice.
FDNY Visits Artichoke
If these guys dont know that tossing flour in a 500 degree gas oven is an idiot move they probably shouldn't be using them. But thats another story. I just ate there for the first time after a few attempts. The line moved relatively quick. I dont know why there even is a line in the first place, they have six oven shelves to work and could probably be a little more thoughtful in the expediting department.
As for the pizza, (Joe and Pat's is THE standard), the pizza is crap. Yup, total crap. You have to be drunk to eat it. They should move to Chicago at that thickness. I imagine they had to leave Staten Island because that kind of garbage would not be tolerated. I'll stick with Bleeker in that hood or some of the thin slices on Ave. B..
FDNY Visits Artichoke
>>> certainly not comparable to Bleecker St. pizza or many others downtown that we frequent, and the artichoke topping gooey and sour.
Any hype whatsoever about Bleecker Street Pizza needs to die. Its one real claim to fame was a feature on Food Network, therefore people think it's great.
It's fine for just a slice, but why ever go there when Joe's is three blocks away?
FDNY Visits Artichoke
If all they can do is make one pie at a time for the 30 minute long line of people, why are they even open to the public yet? I waited THIRTY full minutes and when I got to the front was told it would be another 10 minutes for a slice of whatever was coming out. Insanity. I will never return. Being a New Yorker I should have known better.
FDNY Visits Artichoke
"Toppings were uninteresting with the regular slice being nowhere near as good as at most slice places, certainly not comparable to Bleecker St. pizza"
Haven't been to Artichoke yet -- it was closed when i first went and last night the line was 25 people deep. But from my observations, it looked like people were having fun waiting on line (singing along to the music - Stones, Cheap Trick, Sinatra). I kept seeing people walk out of the store with pizza in their hands; nodding and saying "yumm" with each bite. So all the blog buzz, NY Mag, Slice hype aside....I think seeing people's reactions is an even better measure of the food.
But I have been to Bleeker Street Pizza (and reviewed it on Yelp) -- that pizza is WAY overrated. Crisp my @ss! The nonna maria was too crisp it broke apart when folded!
Will try to make it to Artichoke this weekend and will report in. But reading the Yelp boards and other blogs -- seems people are really into the experience. Toppings? I thought they only serve 3 pies and no toppings except cheese?
Some dude even filmed having a broccoli rabe sandwich from Artichoke. http://moourl.com/rabewich
All comments about the queue aside, isn't the point of being a true Noo Yawker is to find ways to get around the line (go at off-times, get chummy with the people behind the counter, etc), rather than wait in it?
FDNY Visits Artichoke
I must take issue, Texan. Ask the people waiting on line if they're native. Chances are, not. We don't even form a line for getting on the bus! (And, unlike the rest of the country, we wait on line, not in it!)
FDNY Visits Artichoke
Wow! I was there last night around 9:20, and nary a word about the fire department's visit (though it was smoky). Perhaps that's why there was hardly any line. BTW, I tried all three slices and the Sicilian was my favorite. Yes, the crust was black on the bottom, but it I loved its moist and crisp texture. But is it worth waiting for in a long line? No--but New Yorkers LOVE their lines!
Artichoke, a Crisis of Conscience, and Some Tough Questions
So, last night must have been Amateur Night at Artichoke; a total clown show. I walked in and the place was packed with drunken college kids making a ruckus. Unfortunately they remained there for a good 15 minutes b/c apparently it takes a half-hour for these guys to actually pump out a pie. During my ridiculously long wait (note - I'm not opposed to long waits for good pizza s/a Di Fara, but...) the place started filling up with smoke. It was no doubt due to the fact that they were liberally throwing flour into the oven to ensure the pizzas didn’t stick to the stone. These guys don't know how to maintain an oven at all. Eventually everyone had to leave the shop b/c nobody could breathe (including two of the workers). Once I finally got my Sicilian slice I was quite disappointed. Like other commentators have noted, it was definitely burnt on the bottom. Although, I must say, the Sicilian slice is much better than the original whose massive amounts of cheese overpower the pizza. It’s all about balance. These guys don't have any of it.
Artichoke, a Crisis of Conscience, and Some Tough Questions
Adam, if you really are into breaking news about great pizzerias, pleeeeze let me know how to best reveal such a great location..youve asked me if i would be interested in doing occasional reports from the west coast the answer is yes..what is involved and again how should i inform our fellow dough sauce and cheese lovers of this info???????????????
Artichoke, a Crisis of Conscience, and Some Tough Questions
I'm a Manhattanite originally from Staten Island. I'm glad to see some Islanders are opening pizzerias in Manhattan. Because Staten Island makes the best pizza in the city. The guys from Basille's aren't the best offering from Staten Island either. SI pizza makers could make a killing in Manhattan judging by the reception of Artichoke.
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if you could have only one burger in LA, where would you go?