Greenpoint: We recently dined at popular (?) NoGre Mexican restaurant Papacitos. PROS: byob, casual outdoor seating. CONS: Fish in fish tacos not fried, and not even really seasoned; unsalted tortilla chips and no salt on the tables!; the world’s slowest service (over an hour passed between ordering/receiving); Meatloafer Ben’s burrito was an enormous quasi-marinara-esque–covered blob. SADNESS FACTOR: They were robbed last week, so maybe that’s why they sucked. In fairness, we’ll return someday to report on the (unconfirmed) $1.50 lunch tacos. Papacitos, 999 Manhattan Avenue, Brooklyn, NY
Midtown: In Bryant Park news, the Harrison Ford (/McAdams/Keaton/Goldblum) comedy Morning Glory was filming this week around 43rd and 6th. We didn’t see any of the stars, but we noticed that Grace Plaza was renamed IBS Plaza for Monday’s filming. Coincidentally, the Trini-Pak cart on the north side of Grace/IBS Plaza has recently expanded their offerings. (pics of today’s Trini-Pak lunch TK)
Our good friend Mom bought a motorcycle recently. In her own words:
Hi there,
Wanted to let you know I took the plunge (grandma doesn’t know yet and am not sure when I will tell her). I bought a 2003 Honda Rebel 250 motorcycle this week! I still can’t believe I did it, but Millie Salensky’s has been for sale since last year. It is the bike I borrowed to practice on when I took my motorcycle safety course. … Guess the worse [sic] that can happen is if I don’t like it, I can sell it. … My hope is to get confident enough that I can ride it to the clubs and save on gas. You would love it. …
We’ll be at the lake for the weekend. Hope the weather stays nice. Supposed to be about 70 and sunny. Liisa and the kids will be up tomorrow afternoon. We are looking to have fun.
Sorry for the lack of updates. Meatloafing is technically a “seasonal lifestyle website.” Basically, that means we don’t write much—at least not when laziness or SAD kicks in.
But we’ve been out and about lately, spending quality time with good friends and spreading the good word of pickling. Our latest project was inspired by Rick’s Pick’s Smokra, a product we’ve never tried but have read good things about. In this economy (ok, in any economy. we’re thrifty.), though, $12.99 for a 15 oz. jar seems rather steep. Meatloafing’s version of Smokra cost a mere $4 and yielded at least twice the amount of the lightly fuzzy* pentagonal fruit. The recipe is a variation of our basic dilly bean recipe; main differences include the lack of dill and the generous heap of pimentón de la vera (smoked paprika). We also only used white vinegar (ACV just didn’t seem right in this case) and added some cumin seeds to complement the smokiness. Read on for the complete list of ingredients:
Today Mat asked us “What are Meatloafing’s tips to fight the recession?” His own tips included bringing lunch to work, composting, and gardening. We couldn’t agree more.
Our answer? Pickling: a simple luxury that’s cheap, low-stress, and extremely fulfilling. And lately we’ve really been into the kind of cooking where you just throw some stuff into a jar and let it sit for a couple weeks. Inspired by Yossi—who recently pickled some beets!—as well as the recipes in Arthur Schwartz’s Jewish Home Cooking: Yiddish Recipes Revisited, we finally picked (heh) up some green beans and made these deliciously snappy pods. Yep, it’s true: pickling is the new plaid.
While strolling through Soho on Saturday, our friend Shawn noted that lately there seems to be more crazy people in New York. Is it the ecomony? Obama? iPhones? We’re not really sure why, but after running into this guy later that same day, we think he’s right.
Quiche is easy, delicious, and attractive. This recipe—our first stab at quiche, although we used to make a mean frittata—is both versatile and forgiving. Swap out the bacon and ’shrooms for broccoli. If you want to make your own crust, by all means, go for it. Forgo the half & half and just use milk if you want a lower-fat (and less tasty) quiche. And so on.
Ingredients
1 frozen 9-inch pie shell from Whole Foods
1 tablespoon butter
6–8 slices bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
l outdoor seating. CONS: Fish in fish tacos not fried, and not even really seasoned; unsalted tortilla chips and no salt on the tables!; the world’s slowest service (over an hour passed between ordering/receiving); Meatloafer Ben’s burrito was an enormous quasi-marinara-esque–covered blob. SADNESS FACTOR: They were robbed last week, so maybe that’s why they sucked. In fairness, we’ll return someday to report on the (unconfirmed) $1.50 lunch tacos. Papacitos, 999 Manhattan Avenue, Brooklyn, NY
Smokra. 
The quiche, fresh out of the oven