foodcapades part two

Sharing a few photos I snapped while in Houston and Austin a few weeks back.

Above: Creme brulee, Sicilian fig cookies, Grandma Donna’s macaroni salad, Lobster and shrimp ravioli, Eggs benedict, and Roberta’s-inspired pizza

More on the pizza: My dad and I decided to remake two of the pizzas from Roberta’s in Brooklyn. One with mozzarella, gorgonzola, sausage, capers, red onions, garlic and tomato. A second with mozzarella, fontina, prociutto, tomato and pepperoncini oil.

Above: Smitty’s BBQ in Lockhart, Tx,  Sausage/brisket/pork ribs from Smitty’s, Polvo’s queso,  Polvo’s migas, Amy’s chocolate peanut butter ice cream, Spicy apple pork tenderloin sandwich from Foodheads

delancey

Delancey is a pizza spot in Ballard. It’s a joint venture between Molly Wizenberg and her husband, Brandon Pettit. Ms. Wizenberg has a quite a lucrative side gig writing about food.

The food was good. Not mind-blowing, but good.

Their massive Jersey Salad with romaine, red cabbage, Grana (a gritty Italian parmesan) and housemade vinaigrette was loaded with grated cheese and garlic. $8

Delancey’s special of the day was a 12” Neapolitan-style pizza with wild nettle pesto, guanciale (pork bacon from pig’s jowls that’s typically aged for three weeks), fresh mozzarella, red onion and housemade chili oil. The pizza was surprisingly light. The individual slices were perfectly foldable. My favorite part of the pizza was the gobs of fresh mozzarella. The cheese melts, but it doesn’t completely succumb to the oven’s fire. It stubbornly occupies its original territory, rendering concentrated bites of gooey, creamy glory. $15  

Eating at Delancey is like going over to a friend of a friend’s house-warming party.

You don’t know the host directly, but you’ve heard great things about said friend of a friend. You arrive. There’s a sea of people you don’t recognize, or, in my case, several clumps of people waiting to be seated. Next, you’re awkwardly introduced to the host, or you’re told there is a 90-120 minute wait.

This is potentially quite dicey.

Luckily, your charming wit makes a swift recovery and the conversation rolls on in fluid nature, or your willingness to sit at the bar lands you a seat in 30 minutes. You order a beverage and settle in.

I’m trying to describe the ju ju of this place. The ju ju’s pretty good. I kind of love it, actually.

The restaurant is packed, and there’s a steady murmur in the background, like field crickets in the summer. There’s an assortment of chairs and works from local artists on the bare white walls. It’s real toasty inside, and you get a front row seat to the bandana’d guy throwing dough. The wood-fired oven is the focal point of the kitchen. Along the right-hand side, cases of kosher salt and other pantry goods are stacked on Metro shelving. Their point-of-sale system sits there, too. You can see the industrial sink in the back. Everything is exposed. Pettit-Wizenberg aren’t running a Michelin-starred restaurant here; they’re serving some pretty good pizzas. Wizenberg was even working the floor on this particular Saturday evening, walking some special guests through the menu. That always lands restaurants brownie points.

You have an enjoyable time: Friend of a friend is actually a pretty interesting person (with good taste in décor), and Delancey serves up some pretty solid grub.

In sum, Delancey is the friend of a friend you shake hands with upon your introduction but hug goodbye.

I’d go back again. It has bear-hug potential.

1415 NW 70^th Street
Seattle, WA 98117
206.838.1960
http://www.delanceyseattle.com (beautiful design)

Wed – Sat, 5-10pm and Sun, 5-9pm

roberta’s

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Beastmaster:

Genre: Pizzeria

Neighborhood: Bushwick

Wallet: $-$$

Comida: They don’t mess around. I ordered The Beastmaster with tomato, mozzarella, gorgonzola, capers, red onions, Berkshire pork sausage, jalapenos and garlic. ($17)  The flavors worked perfectly. I especially loved the capers, gorgonzola and chunks of garlic.  Their 12” Neapolitan-style pizzas are cooked in a red wood-burning oven.

Place: Roberta’s was highlighted in NYT in the Next Generation of Pizza’s I posted back in July. The restaurant is an unassuming building in an industrial area in Brooklyn. It’s a humble spot with a brass tacks mentality. The pizza station is completely exposed to the dining area. For a cold exterior, it’s toasty inside. Random Christmas lights, po-go sticks and red wood logs cover the walls.

Reservation: No

Tips:

• Cash only
• Delivery available
• Follow their blog for happenings: http://robertas.tumblr.com/

261 Moore Street, Brooklyn, NY
718.417.1118
http://robertaspizza.com/

pit-tsa

Here’s a great piece from NYT: The New Generation of Pizzerias. Recently there has been a revival of napoletana-style pizzas, thin crust pizzas with a soft, gooey center. Pizza napoletana is a cross between the ultra-thin, cracker-like Roman and the gooey-throughout New York pie. These artisanal pizzas are classier versions of street slices, and fresh, high quality ingredients are imperative. Frank Bruni talks through eight pizzerias in Manhattan and Brooklyn. All pictures below are courtesy of NYT.

Una Pizza Napoletana, filetti pizza

Franny’s, clam pie

Veloce Pizzeria, Sicilian or Grandma-style margherita

artichoke pizza

Genre: Pizza

Neighborhood: Union Square, New York City, NY

Wallet: $

Comida:

Crab pizza, (pictured above) Seafood on pizza? Just try. The thin crust is topped with crab, cheese and spinach. It is quite possibly the best pizza I have ever tasted. ($4/slice)

Margarita pizza, Nothing too special. It falls apart easily. Go for the crab. ($3.50/slice)

Place: Not much to comment on…small, crowded, paper plates. Get in. Get out. Grab your napkins.

Reservation: n/a

873 Broadway Ste 501, NYC, NY
212.228.1188
www.artichokepizza.com