Eat Cetera: Ostrich Dinner, Guac Crawl, Rockaway Taco Truck
5 photos
<em>RUN, gorgeous!</em><p></p> <strong>Ostrich Dinner:</strong> Ostriches are noble, elegant creatures with beautiful clear eyes, slender necks, and<em> gorgeous</em> long stems. If it were socially acceptable, we might live freely among them in inter-species bliss. But instead of falling in love at the sight of these wondrous animals, some people just see dinner. The wild ostrich population <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ostrich#Conservation">has declined drastically</a> in the last 200 years, so when we received word that West Village bistro <a href="http://www.pariscommune.com/">Paris Commune</a> would be serving a four course Ostrich dinner on March 2nd, we were inclined to, yes, hide our heads in the sand. But at least the restaurant is sourcing their ostrich locally, and the purveyor will be on hand to talk about what you're eating, you heartless glutton.<p></p>We're told the ostriches are being provided by New Jersey's Roaming Acres Farms, which also raises emus and sells the meat and eggs at the Union Square Greenmarket. (According <a href="http://blogs.villagevoice.com/forkintheroad/2010/03/roaming_acres_o.php">to Fork in the Road</a>, ostrich meat is deep red and lean (the birds don't have intramuscular marbling), and tastes beefy.) The menu is priced at $60 per person (plus tax/tip), or $100 for wine pairings. <p></p>It begins with an Ostrich and Wild Mushroom Consommé, Bourbon-Rosemary Foam with a Skewered Ostrich Meat Ball with Green Herb Aioli; followed by a Cool Smoked and Spice Rubbed Ostrich Trio, then an entree of Grilled Ostrich with Kiwi-Habanero and Apricot Chutney, Roasted Baby Carrots, Mushrooms and Turnips Cauliflower Puree. For dessert: Ostrich Egg Crème Brulée with Elderflower, Roasted Pear. <p></p> <em>99 Bank Street; call (212) 929-0905 for reservations.</em>
<em><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/roboppy/4775960351/in/photostream/">Roboppy's Flickr</a></em><p></p><strong>Rockaway Taco:</strong> Remember how it was 62 degrees and sunny on Friday before <ahref>snowingagain on Monday? Well, that won't be the only unexpected slice ofsummer New Yorkers can enjoy this February. <ahref>RockawayTaco usually caters to the surfing crowd in Queens during thewarmer months, but is promising to "<ahref>feedthe masses" at a pop-up store in Dumbo tonight. You can't beat thetaste or price of their $3 Fish Tacos and $4 Grilled Corn. Werecommend dousing everything in guacamole. Just don't get too attachedto your tacoâthe actual Rockaway location doesn't open for another <ahref>95 days.â<em>Surekha Ratnatunga</em><p></p><em>81 Washington Street off York Street, Brooklyn; 6 p.m. - 11 p.m.</em></ahref></ahref></ahref></ahref>
<strong>Guac Crawl:</strong> The fine folks behind last summer's <a href="http://nachosny.com/2010/07/guac-rock/">Guac Rock concert cruise</a> are "beyond excited" to announce their next big scheme: A Brooklyn Guac Crawl, scheduled for March 6th. On that night, they'll be "devouring guacamoles left and right" in the Red Hook/Carroll Gardens area. In an e-mail, they explain, "If you're not familiar with the term guac crawl; think bar crawl without the booze, with guacamole (probably a little booze, too if we're being honest). Our goal: gather the community of guacamole lovers to find the best in the neighborhood." Get involved, people. <p></p>The restaurants on the list are 5 Burro Cafe, Alma, and Calexico. Organizers <a href="http://nachosny.com/">Nachos NY</a> will be splitting the crawlers into into groups for the tour and will stop selling spots at about 75. $10 covers your guacamole and chips; anything else you order is up to. <a href="http://nachosny.com/2011/02/guac-crawl-carroll-gardens/">Tickets available here</a>.
<strong>Chocolate Menu:</strong> Iron Chef fans who salivated over the Mexican Chocolate menu Chef Julian Medina created during his battle against Iron Chef Jose Garces on Valentineâs Day take note: You can make what you saw on the Tee-Vee a reality in your mouth at his Hell's Kitchen restaurant <a href="http://toloachenyc.com/media/toloache.html">Toloache</a> (<a href="http://gothamist.com/2010/08/18/midweek_special_nyc_restaurant_revi_112.php">a Sam Sifton favorite</a>). Offered a la carte or as a $65 tasting menu, options include dishes such as Julianâs <em>Arepa de Puerco</em>, pork belly, chocolate-coffee glazed, cabbage slaw; <em>Pato con Mole</em>, duck breast chocolate mole, Japanese pickled plum-habanero salsa; and for dessert, <em>Mexican Panna cotta</em>, Mexican chocolate panna cotta, caramelize strawberries, raspberry salsa. Peruse <a href="http://yfrog.com/f/h43n7p/">the full menu here</a> and think fast; it's only available through February 28th. <p></p><em>251 West 50th Street; for reservations call (212) 581-1818</em>
<em><a href="http://colormekatie.com">Katie Sokoler</a>/Gothamist</em><p></p><strong>Goat Town:</strong> This stunning <a href="http://gothamist.com/2010/12/07/goat_town_photos_menu.php">East Village "American bistro</a>" is a glowing oasis these interminable winter months. Last night the owners invited us to stop by, and we almost passed because we're getting a little fed up with long frigid walks. But the trip through the tundra to East 5th Street proved worth it; Goat Town's convivial vibe more than makes up for the absence of hard spirits, and they do their best with mocktails ($7) like the Michelada Mexicana, made with house-made Bloody Mary mix and Tecate, with a chili salt rim. It sounds loco, but the fizziness of the beer makes an unlikely partner with the Bloody Mary flavor, and warms you up without getting you wasted.<p></p>In the small open kitchen right off the bar, Chef Joel Hough studiously plies his trade, sending out orders of fresh oysters, Pasture Raised beef burgers ($14, with thick fries and your choice of gruyere, blue cheese or swiss), and Pan Roasted Chicken ($18, with roasted vegetables and herb pan drippings). Due to the kitchen's presence in the dining room, <a href="http://www.goattownnyc.com/">the place</a> smells as good as it looks. New to the ever-evolving seasonal menu is the Goat Sausage ($11). But if the soup of the day is the Beet with crème fraiche, be sure to order it, and definitely don't walk away with out trying the Sauteed Kale ($6, with onion, chili flake, and lemon)âit's a perfect example of the menu's simple but flavorful freshness.<p></p>Come summer, co-owner Nicholas Morgenstern (of <a href="http://www.gothamist.com/tags/generalgreene">The General Greene</a> & Greene Ice Cream fame) tells us they'll have an ice cream cart out front serving house-made ice cream, and a garden in the big backyard growing lots of fresh ingredients. <p></p><em>511 East 5th Street, (212) 687-3641</em>