Best Fish in Aruba

If you're there, stop by the fisherman's shack near the Aruba Surf Club, out on the beach. Weekly lunch of awesome locally caught fish for 8 bucks, and Sunday BBQ grills of immense filets of whatever they got that morning (in our case, Wahoo). And one dollar local Balashi beer.

Here's my dad in front of the awesome painted walls.

This week: Hot Dogs at Shea, Charles' Chicken In Charge, and What the hell is "Philadelphia BBQ"?

It's nearing the end of the week, and as I prepare for a trip to Scotland, I reflect on some of the week's adventures.

But first, a flashback: to my 29th birthday on August 31, 2003. I went on a field trip with some friends to the famed Charles' Southern Style Kitchen, on 152nd and 8th Ave. (212-926-4313)
On a street that contains nearly nothing to look at, there are no less than what look like three Charles spinoffs, with similar awnings. Inside is a miniature dingy room with a hot table and some seats. What does it offer? Nothing but a $9.99 buffet of fried chicken, mac and cheese, collard greens, green beans, corn bread, smothered pork chops, ribs, catfish, and iced tea. And the unlabeled table hot sauce was an awesome flavor-packed beauty...probably cayenne based, as it tasted similar to Frank's Red Hot.

Worth the trip up the 3 subway and over a few blocks? Absolutely. Or, ride the M10 bus up Eighth.

Yesterday I went out to Shea Stadium in Flushing, Queens, to see the Mets lose. I ate the footlong hot dog and the grilled sausage with onions and peppers, a rip-off at $6.25, but what can you do? The flavor is great. And for extra fun, I saw the strangest show I've ever seen in my life: a crazy man wearing a bright yellow t-shirt was kicked out of some seats he tried to sneak into in the Loge section. He must've dropped his hot dog along the way, because he comes back jokingly furious that he left his hot dog behind...he was convinced the security guard ate it. After harassing the guard, he looks behind the seats, dogged, leaving his lemonade on the side while he dug. He triumphantly recovers the half a hot dog, and then finds part of the ratty bun. He holds it up as a souvenir for all the slightly amused crowd to see...then he puts the dog in the bun and eats it.

Unfortunately, someone walking by had kicked over his lemonade.

What did he do? He slopped the small puddle of befouled lemonade along the dirty concrete walkway in the Loge section using his hand, dribbled it off the ledge to the next set of seats, caught the runoff in his cup...held up the cup...and my God, he drank it down.

He said, "this is for my friends who died." And then he said he was going to be on the field with the Cat in the Hat later on.

As far as geek shows go, that was worth the price of admission. I was horrified.

Finally...what the hell is a "Philadelphia BBQ" chicken? As far as I can tell, they're the overpriced, shrunken rotisserie birds-in-bags that Gristedes manages to sell for 7 bucks a pop. Gristedes, you should be ashamed. I can't wait until Trader Joe's rises up and buries you in the Hudson River.

Easter Eggs (and Sausage)

This morning, I ate at my Mom and Dad's favorite perennial breakfast place in Suffolk County, Long Island: JT's Corner Cafe in Nesconset. Justin, the Mets fan/owner/chef-at-large, is a family friend and an experimenter par excellence. I just can't drag my folks away from this place, so I've resigned myself to eating there every morning I visit. It's like our kitchen away from home.

Today I had a South Beach-friendly Eggs Benedict: poached eggs on top of spinach, on top of sausage patties. Covered in some Hollandaise, of course. Some expertly-browned potatoes arrived on the side, tempting me to the Carb Side, but I avoided the taunt of the tubers.

Unfortunately, as a special Easter treat, JT brought out personally-made banana fritters with ice cream. I felt it would be rude not to eat a bite.

And so, another attempt at being good has been nuked beyond all recognition.
When you're in eastern Long Island, you've gotta give this place a try. It gets crowded. But say hi to Justin and Krista, and say Scott Stein says hi.

204 Smithtown Blvd Ste 7, Nesconset, NY
Tel: (631) 265-5267

The Dive Bar's Irish Breakfasts... and, Breakfast Nooks: An Idea

The other day (Friday morning), my good friend David and I ventured over to The Dive Bar near 95th and Amsterdam for what he called "a pretty extensive breakfast list."

When we arrived at the funky, dingy bar at 11:00 am, I felt like an alcoholic returning to the evil fold. The smell of old beer still felt like it hung near the angular fishtank near the window. Paint-peeling decorations like ship-front mermaids dotted the bar's dark counter.

I order the $9.99 Irish Breakfast, which boasted "Irish bacon, sausages, beans, black and white pudding, toast and eggs." First of all, Irish breakfasts don't involve beans...that's for the English. And they usually have soda bread and half a grilled tomato. (I spent three summers in Northern Ireland and Cork, in case you're curious.) Still, I love rashers, so I bit.

The meal arrived, alas, with regular bacon overly crisp, and rye-esque bread. But the sausages seemed authentic, and indeed, black and white pudding was in great supply—in fact, six or so thick slices studded the plate.

Too much food, and it made me burp the rest of the day, but I was impressed.

For nothing, here's an idea we came up with over breakfast: why isn't there a breakfast place that specializes in regional world morning food? Congee, rashers, pastachi, herring, and whatever Indian culture enjoys at dawn. We concluded that we think most people prefer breakfast to be recognizable and comforting, as opposed to exotic. Is this true? I'd be first in line for breakfast exotica.

The Wandering Chew Starts Today

Welcome, first reader: what you've got right here is a blog about eats: namely, finding the great hidden chow lurking in the cities and random byways of the earth. More specifically, New York City, where I make my home (currently in Murray Hill). But I've also lived in San Diego, Los Angeles and Long Island, and will be going other places, too...so expect lots of NYC reports, and a small handful of micro-excursions and jaunts. Coming up very soon: a week in Scotland, and a week in Los Angeles for the Electronic Entertainment Expo.

My favorite food: sushi. Specifically, yellowtail. Hamachi. The crunchy belly, if available.
My favorite cheap eats in NY: Mama's Food Shop.
Sometimes I will be reporting on the obvious; sometimes I will be reporting on the scary and unknown. But I will always be wandering. A wandering Jew, who can't help eating.

Hope you enjoy!