Only in New York (well maybe a few other places) can a restaurant open,  specialize in one food, and really perfect it. Everyone has seen the cupcake shops, dumpling houses, and whatnot…but a place specializing in meatballs is something that I wasn’t expecting.

That is not to say the meatball can’t be perfected, or that there can’t be many varieties…and that is exactly what the Meatball Shop brings to the table.

The Meatball Shop offers five types of meatballs.  Classic Beef, Spicy Pork, Chicken, Vegetable, and a Weekly Special.  You pick your meatballs, your sauce (Tomato, Meat, Mushroom, or Parmesan Cream), and then have to choose if you will have them on a sandwich (white or wheat) or in a bowl over a bed of something delicious.  The menus are all dry erase, and you check what you want and give it to your server.  Check out the menu here.

Anoop took me the Meatball Shop back on my birthday, and I’ve been dreaming of going back ever since.

I ordered Spicy Pork Meatballs w/classic tomato sauce, provolone cheese, on a whole wheat bread (sliders are also available, and they look adorable).   The sandwich was exactly what you would expect.  The meatballs were tender, cooked perfectly, and the combination I chose was just what I wanted.  Exactly what I expect when I order a classic meatball sandwich (something that I grew up eating).  I would be interested in trying the same combination with the beef meatballs, especially since I was inspired recently to take a stab at making my own.  There were so many combination that I don’t think eating meatballs could ever get old.

On top of it being a top notch sandwich you get an amazing side salad too!  At many restaurants the side salad is an after thought, but at the Meatball Shop I got delicious greens topped with Italian cheese, and a light but wonderful dressing.  This place gets points for presentation too.  It’s a $9 sandwich and salad, but it’s a lot of food…you won’t leave feeling hungry.

The Meatball Shop is a place you can bring just about anyone.  I mean it has vegetarian options, and it can satisfy even my picky family.  It’s comfort food, it’s Italian, and it’s unique.  Definitely worth a try, and after you go you will probably deem it worthy of at least a second or third visit  (I’m really into the idea of the meatball sandwich as comfort food).

Not only did this lunch prove to provide me with one sandwich…but actually two:

There is a much smaller desert menu, but it features a desert sandwich not to be missed…the ice cream sandwich.  This desert menu is set up the same way…pick your ice cream…pick your cookie.  We got Espresso ice cream smashed between chocolate chip cookies.  Perfect size for two people to share, and completely delicious.  A great way to end an already perfect lunch.

———————————————

The meatball sandwich and salad run $9, and the ice cream sandwich was $4.  Both well worth it.

The Meatball Shop is located
84 Stanton St
(between Allen St & Orchard St)
on the Lower East Side
New York, NY

——————————-

• this post is part of This Week In Sandwiches
  • all my food posts can be found here.

South Carolina.  My home state, and a place you can readily find fresh seafood, boiled peanuts, Cheerwine, mustard based bbq, Krispy Kreme, and pimento cheese.  According to my friends raised in other part of the country pimento cheese isn’t something that is common knowledge.

Pimento cheese is a common food in the Southern United States. The basic recipe for most pimento cheese spreads has few ingredients: sharp cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, pimentos, salt and pepper, blended to either a smooth or chunky paste (via)

So simple and delicious, but almost completely absent in other parts of the country.  Of course there are variations, but you basically get the idea.

Another restaurant that I’ve been going to, long before my foray into carnivorism, is Sesame Burgers and Beer in North Charleston, South Carolina.

At Sesame you pick your type of burger (beef, chicken, turkey, or black bean), and an unbelievable amount of toppings, both for you to choose from, or to try one of their carefully thought out combination, that can make pretty much everyone happy (including my grandparents, who are a tough sell at a restaurant).

The South Carolina Burger is simple.  Just pimento cheese thickly slathered on the bun and a burger cooked to your liking.   Sesame say it in their name…burgers and beer…and they do those things well.  The burger was delicious (not to salty, and cooked perfectly), and with a topping like pimento cheese you don’t need much else.  The meat is ground in house daily, and it’s served with bread and butter pickles…a steal for $6.50 (and a side of fries will only cost you $1.50 extra, or $2.50 if you want the sweet potato variety).  While you are there get a pint of the local, and wonderful, beer from Coast Brewing…the 32/50 Kolsch was the perfect accompaniment for my lunch.

This burger was an amazing first meal for me when I landed in Charleston, and I’ve been thinking about it since.   There were so many sandwiches here that looked amazing that it was really hard for me to decide…I wish I could have eaten here a couple of times, but sadly my trip was only for a couple days.

Luckily I’m in Brooklyn where there are no shortage of wonderful burgers…I just haven’t found one yet that has pimento cheese on it…yet (I know someone has to be listening).

If you are in Charleston, or visiting…check out Sesame:

Sesame Burgers and Beer
is located at
4726 Spruill Ave
North Charleston, SC

Sesame has also opened a second location
in the Citadel Mall
2070 Same Rittenburg Blvd
Charleston, SC

Follow Sesame on Twitter and Facebook!

Check out their full menu here.

—————————————-

• this post is part of This Week In Sandwiches
  • all my food posts can be found here.
• as well as my Going to Charleston series.
  • the rest of my going to… series can be found here.

Jack’s Cosmic Dogs is one of the places that I truly from when I lived in Charleston, SC.  Even as a humble vegetarian we would visit for the excellent french fries, and the almighty Bunny in a Bun.

Now as a more experienced food enthusiast I was willing to try the Cosmic Dog, a hot dog with blue cheese cole slaw, and Jack’s very own sweet potato mustard.  It was totally awesome, but oddly enough it fell short to the Bunny in a Bun, which was again, as always, the highlight of my dining experience at Jack’s.

A Bunny in a Bun is a hot dog bun filled with grilled carrots (sliced to just the right thickness), and if you so choose, which you should, topped with blue cheese coleslaw.  Now I can’t say for sure, but I’m pretty certain this one isn’t vegan, but it most certainly is vegetarian.  The bun is packed with grilled carrots that are so delicious I believe they have to be grilled in butter.  The coleslaw is Jack’s signature topping, and besides maybe a little bit of salt this sandwich is perfect in every way.  Full of flavor, overall kinda healthy, and something that is unique to Jack’s Cosmic Dogs.

Such a simple meat-less sandwich and so inexpenseive too (can’t remember the price, but Jack’s is super inexpensive).

Jack’s Cosmic Dogs has two locations

1531 Folly Rd
James Island, SC
(between Charleston and Folly Beach)

and the original location

2805 Hwy 17 North
Mt.Pleasant, SC
(just north of Charleston)

———————————————

Thanks to Jen and Emma for taking me out to lunch…it was awesome.

Jen does photography as Not It! Photos.  Check her stuff out!

———————————————-

• this is part of this week in sandwiches
  • sorry for the sandwich hiatus.
• The photos of Jack’s sign, and Emma and the rocket are from the White Lodge. If you would like to use these photos please link back to the flickr page, and credit the White Lodge. More posts featuring photos from the White Lodge can be found here.
  • the photos of the sandwich are unfortunately from my phone.
• this is part of my going to… series.
  • this time I happened to go to Charleston, SC.
    • more posts from this trip will be posted here.

Ok I know I’ve been posting some expensive sandwiches lately (re: the Newark Dog, the $11 hot dog), but not all sandwiches in Greenpoint and Williamsburg will break the bank.  One of my favorite go to spots for Mexican is Acapulco, way up at the tip of Greenpoint, and I’ve typically been a sucker for the huaraches but on my most recent visit I ventured into Mexican sandwich territory with the torta.

A torta is a Mexican sandwich served on a big sandwich roll made of white bread (called a called a bolillo, telera, birote. or telera).  Acapulco offers several meats (no veggie options on the menu for the torta, but I’m sure you can ask) as the main attraction which is served on the soft bread, and the standard toppings are refried beans, avocado, lettuce, tomato, onion, and jalapeños.

I went with a pernil enchilado torta.  Pernil is a baked (or roasted) pork shoulder that is then sliced thinly almost like a thick deli meat.  This was my first experience with this style of meat, and I honestly didn’t know what to expect…and it ended up being delicious.  Extremely tender and mouth watering.  I found myself picking pieces out of the sandwich to enjoy them on their own.  The enchilado, i’m pretty sure, referred to the wonderfully spicy sauce that this sandwich was slathered in…which made the sandwich a little harder to eat but all the more amazing.

I’ve never had refried beans used as a spread on a sandwich before, and it worked perfectly with this one.  Like I mentioned the enchilado sauce made this one hard to eat, but there is so much packed on to these tortas that I imagine that no matter what kind you order you are going to be losing some ingredients out the side (it might help to have a fork)…but after all that makes it all the more fun.  I can’t wait to go back and try another one, and at that point I will probably give the milanesa torta a try (I’ve never had that either).

This large sleep inducing sandwich is SUPER CHEAP too and it’s the most expensive torta on the menu!  The pernil enchilado torta costs only $5.75 making it one of the best sandwich deals in the neighborhood.

If you haven’t hit up Acapulco yet it’s a no frills authentic Mexican diner serving Mexican and American food.  It’s not a place for a first date, but it’s a great place to get a amazingly delicious cheap meal. Just so good.

—————————————————-

Try the pernil enchilado torta for only $5.75:

Acapulco is located at
1116 Manhattan Ave
(between Box St & Clay St)
Greenpoint, Brooklyn

There is a menu on the website I linked to above, but if you use menupages click here.

————————————————————-

• This post is part of This Week In Sandwiches.
• more posts on food in general can be found here.
• more on Acapulco can be found here.

The Newark Dog…it’s something that was thought of and conjured up the great state of New Jersey, but it has become the signature sandwich of St. Anselm. St. Anselm is the newest Brooklyn eatery by the owners of Spuyten Duyvil and Fette Sau (all of which are located within a block of each other), and they specialize in sausages.

St. Anselm has a selection of hand made unique sausages (from what I understand these change regularly), blue plate specials everyday, so called “nasty bits” (various animal parts), hot dogs, bugers, fries, and more.

While this all sounds pretty standard the Newark Dog has been getting press for being one of the most unique hot dog experiences out there.  They say it’s “Newark style,” and what does that mean exactly? It is two deep fried hot dogs on napoli pizza bread (basically a hybrid of a focaccia and a large roll), fried peppers & onions as well as fried potatoes. And according to this handy Hot Dog style guide…they are exactly correct.  Maybe it’s a only a unique experience due to the fact that St. Anselm is one of the only places doing it this way in Brooklyn, but none the less it is a must try.

When ordering this sandwich I really had no idea what I was getting into, and after all this is an $11 hot dog. klk had seen pictures, but I just went into it thinking that I would just order what they are known for. When I got my order my mind was kind of blown…this was the biggest hotdog concoction that I have ever seen. When you look at it in the little paper tray there is no point of reference, hence I am providing you with two pictures…one with a beer glass(above), and one with my hand (below). This thing is huge.

While it might sound like just a bunch of fried food it really is an impressive sandwich. While all of it’s contents are fried it’s not greasy. The onions and peppers are fried into a sheet of vegetable goodness that lays over the fries and hot dogs. The hot dogs themselves are delicious (as expected), and are full of flavor…juicy and perfectly cooked.

My only complaint is that the sandwich, on it’s own, is a little dry but St. Anselm takes care of this with an array of home made condiments. They have an very spicy mustard that was totally amazing. A slightly sweet ketchup to balance the mustard, and a hot chipotle sauce (which might technically be a chipotle ketchup) to add a little bit of a kick.

These condiments help bring this already amazing sandwich to the next level. It was a task to eat the whole thing, and an even harder task to fight off the coma like sleepiness that it brought on as well. Overall a great first experience at this Brooklyn sausage haven.

Currently St. Anselm does not have a liquor license, but when they get it you will be able to drink wine off of the tap. As a nice consolation they share a back yard with sister establishment Spuyten Duyvil…so you can order your food at St. Anselm, find a table out back, and then grab a beer next door. Pretty much the perfect set up. I didn’t get to enjoy the comfortable interior of St. Anselm, but that can wait til they have their own booze. Overall a great addition to the neighborhood, and a must try place for sausage enthusiasts.

——————————————
Try the Newark Dog, the $11 hot dog that is well worth it:

St. Anselm is located at
355 Metropolitan Ave
(between 4th St & Havemeyer St)
Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Check out their full menu here.

——————————–

• This post is part of This Week In Sandwiches.  More sandwich related posts can be found here.
• if you are looking for more bloggers that focus on music and food…check out Made A Blog who recently reformatted to showcase her passions….and the corresponding tumblr for additional food musings.  I love seeing music bloggers changing it up.

Nathan Williams is better known to the world as Wavves.  Whether or not you are fan of his music you have probably at least heard his name thrown around…be it  fights with other indie rockers, or a melt down on stage at a huge European music festival.  There is no denying that Wavves have released some good music in the past.  Anthems like “So Bored” still resonate in my head, and Williams’ better half Bethany Constentino, aka Best Coast, is covering it (you can see indie rock’s most famous cat in the photo above…yes that is none other than Bethany’s kitty SNACKS! Snacks also appears on the cover of King of the Beach as well as the new Best Coast album.)

Wavves’ new album King of the Beach will be released on August 3rd, 2010 by Fat Possum, and the first single  “Post-Acid” is the same sort of uber catchy beach pop that Wavves have become known for, but most of the fuzzy lo-fi vibe has been shed, Williams vocals have become more pronounced, and his vocal range has increased.  Ohhs and Ahhs have replaced the whops of the early albums, and as far as I’m concerned this new single is going satisfy old and new fans alike…lets face it if there is one thing Williams can do, and do as good if not better than anyone it’s write catchy beach laden surf punk.  Get your taste of the new album right here:

[mp3] Wavves- “Post-Acid”

As expected King of the Beach is packed full of pop tracks like “Post-Acid,” but songs like “Baseball Cards” and “Say Goodbye Baby” are really showing a new side of Williams. “Baseball Cards” goes into almost a psychedelic circus vibe, but as if the circus was set up on a beach. “Say Goodbye Baby” brings as much of a throwback to 50′s or 60′s pop as I think Wavves will ever reach, and the end of the song ventures into a fuzzed out haze of psychedelics and electronics. “Convertible Balloon” is a minimalist whimsical pop jam that almost comes off cute-sy but someone how works, and “Green Eyes” is Wavves interpretation of a rock ballad, and while slightly unconventional in terms of rock ballads it is  really well done including the chorus which really displays Williams’ voice (or the production as it may be). Overall the record comes off more polished, but in the best way possible…I think it’s exactly what needed to happen for Wavves to get me to listen to another one of their records. Whether you used to love this band, hate them, or have a new found fascination I recommend checking it out. Anyone who denies that Williams can make great pop songs isn’t doing him justice.   I’m pleasantly surprised, and it’s still growing on me.

• Pre-order King of the Beach here.

——————————————————————————–
This Thursday is the L Magazine’s Northside Festival Opening Party:

Thursday June 24th, 2010
at the Knitting Factory
Wavves 11pm
Cloud Nothings 10pm
DOM 9pm
Doors at 8pm
$17/$19 day of
buy tickets here

While some people might complain about Nathan Williams live performance the only time I ever saw him he was top notch, and with an album as good as King of the Beach it is totally worth checking out.

It also doesn’t hurt that he is playing with some Great Pumpkin favorites: Cloud Nothings and DOM!

[mp3] Cloud Nothings- “Can’t Stay Awake”

• From Turning On.  buy it on CD here, or LP here.
  

[mp3] DOM- “Living In America”

• From Sun Bronzed Greek Gods.  Buy it here.
  

—————————————————

• more on Wavves can be found here.
• Check out all my write ups(including more mp3s, videos, and reviews) of Cloud Nothings here, and of DOM here.
• More on Northside Fest 2010 here.
  • Northside Fest is a music, art, and film Festival happening in Williamsburg and Greenpoint Brooklyn from June 24-27th.  For a complete schedule clickhere, to buy an all access pass click here.

Eddy Current Suppression Ring just might be the best rock n’ roll band on Earth right now, and their new album Rush To Relax is a testament to this.  But for the seasoned ECSR fan Rush to Relax, at first, doesn’t appear to pack the punch of 2008′s Primary Colors did.

With that said Primary Colors was a phenomenal album, and one that I feel many people missed out on due how it was released (by three labels, in three different parts of the world, and spread out over a year and a half).  While Rush to Relax might not be what fans were expecting, I feel that it runs the gamut of ECSR’s extremely talented range as a rock band slowing down, almost to the point of singing ballads, then going back to their roots…the raw punk rock style of their wonderful selftitled release from 2006.

The first single of Rush to Relax was the blazingly fast, upbeat  “Anxiety.”  A track that easily got current ECSR fans excited, and probably got people who didn’t know these rockers from Australia to turn their heads .  ”Anxiety” isn’t misleading to say, but the album overall  does fluctuate.  The album has many ups and downs tempo wise, and it’s obvious that the band did this on purpose.  Not that all of their songs in the past have been fast, but ECSR has entered into new territory on this record with songs like the spoken “I Can Be A Jerk,” an apology to a lover told through melodic guitar lines, and spoken word vocals (which honestly are a common thing with this band).  ”Walk into the Corner” exhibits ECSR’s return to the punk rock roots, and “Second Guessing” ventures into a territory of rambling story teller so much so that in a sense it reminds me of Craig Finn. Expanding on the already perfected formula to create new texture in sound, and give the listener, not what they expected, but something more.

Rush To Relax is a very telling title with fast upbeats songs balanced out by slowed down jams, and this arch happens three times through the album all culminating with the title track at the end of the record which is an extended jam that slows down to the point that beach sounds take over…and those relaxing waves hitting the beach continue until the needle stops spinning…about a full twenty minutes after the music stops.  It’s almost as if the flow of the album song wise is waves hitting the beach…that initial aggressive push, then a slow down…then the sonic wave repeats.

While the album took some time to sink in, there is no denying that ECSR makes amazing albums time and time again…the listener just has to be ready to grow with the band, and expect something new…not just the same album regurgitated each time.  Rush to Relax truly is a album that will bring ECSR both new fans and continued recognition.  I write this as a person who has already owned two copies of this record (both CD and LP).

Check out the first single (which I previously posted, and talked about earlier in this post), as well as “Burn.”  “Burn” is a perfect example of how ECSR is growing and maturing as a band, learning to slow down, and still rock.  Their guitar line still has heads banging and sonically interesting, but the music is slow enough to actually let people focus on the lyrics.

[mp3] Eddy Current Suppression Ring- “Anxiety”

[mp3] Eddy Current Suppression Ring- “Burn”

• Buy Rush To Relax here.

——————————-

Eddy Current Suppression Ring is making a rare appearance in the US starting next week !  Catch them on tour…it’s going to be rad:

• June 12th @ Mohawk in Austin, Texas
• June 15th @ Hi-Tone in Memphis, Tennessee
• June 17th @ Johnny Brenda’s in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• June 18th @ Cake Shop in New York, New York
  • with  Pissed Jeans & HOME BLITZ!
    
• June 19th @ Death By Audio in Brooklyn, New York
  • with Pissed Jeans!
    
• June 22nd @ Gooskis in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• June 23rd @ Empty Bottle in Chicago, Illinois
• June 24th @ Empty Bottle in Chicago, Illinois
• June 26th @ Funhouse in Seattle, Washington
• June 27th @ Black Lodge in Seattle, Washington
• July 1st @ Eagle Tavern in San Francisco, California
• July 2nd @ Sugar Mountain in Oakland, California
• July 3rd @ Serra Bowl in Daly City, California

——————————————-

• more on Eddy Current Suppression Ring can be found here.
• more on Goner Records here.

I guess we can call this week the second installment of This Week In Sandwiches.

Last Saturday I was in Manhattan, and finally got to go to the Blind Tiger Ale House for lunch.  People have been raving about the food at this well known pillar in the New York City beer scene, but if you have ever been you know that it is typically packed from happy hour til late night everyday.  The secret is to go for lunch.  My friend Leah works fairly close to this bar, and it is one of her frequent stops and she recommended the Bloody Beast…so that is what I ordered.

The Bloody Beast is said to be a rare roast beef sandwich (according to the menu), but in actuality it was fairly well cooked for roast beef.  Not bloody, or red, but extremely tender to the point that it almost melted in your mouth.  As far as I was concerned the lack of blood, or redness wasn’t a bad thing.  The roast beef was topped with cheddar cheese, onion, and served on a soft roll.  Think of it as a classed up Arby’s sandwich…but served with a side of bloody mary sauce for dipping.  The sauce is just be the Tiger’s house bloody mary mix…maybe a hint of vodka, but it was a nice addition to an already delicious sandwich…actually the bloody mary sauce is way better than a tomato ever could be.

The sandwich itself wasn’t huge yet still very filling.  I skipped breakfast that morning and the Bloody Beast kept me going until dinner.  Thinking about it this might be a perfect work day lunch…it’s filling enough to get you through the day, but it won’t induce a food coma.  The Bloody Beast is definitely a sandwich I would order again, but it seems like with the Blind Tiger’s sandwiches you can’t go wrong (my buddy Jerry ordered the rubin, and that was also delicious).

Make sure to try one of the many amazing beers on tap while eating at the Tiger.  I had Victory Brewing Company‘s foray into the Czech style pilsner (unlike their amazing German style Prima Pils or Harvest Pils) called the Braumeister Pils which was perfect for the heat that last Saturday brought to New York.  The brewers in Pennsylvania make the best pilsners in the world, and yes you can quote me on that.

—————————————————–

The Bloody Beast is a great deal at only $5.50, and make sure to enjoy a delicious beer while you are there:

The Blind Tiger Ale House
is located at
281 Bleecker Street
(between 7th Ave and Jones St.)
New York, NY

———————————————–

• This is part of my new series This Week In Sandwiches.
  • read about more sandwiches here.