Keens Steakhouse: Terrific Mutton Chops. Porterhouse Could Be Better. Now with Bacon! (food)

I love taking people to Keens Steakhouse. It's conveniently located on 36th street and 6th avenue, close to Penn Station and close enough to Times Square. The food is very good, the single malt list is extensive, and the really old school environment is something to behold. I was actually mildly surprised when I took a friend there recently to discover that even a place this old and steeped in history still tries to come up with something new on occasion.

I'm talking about bacon. A slab bacon appetizer was added to the menu about 4 months ago. While it wasn't quite as meaty as the bacon at Luger, it was still plenty flavorful. The accompanying tomatoes and greens went perfectly with the bacon, adding some nuttiness, bitterness, and acidity to counteract the feeling of shoving pure grease into your mouth.

Nice aged Longmorn, neat. The single malt list is truly impressive.

The mutton chop is my favorite thing to get here. Cooked to a perfect medium (it still gets really red next to the bone), the meat is flavorful, the fat from the "chops" is luscious, and the homemade mint jelly goes great with it. As I was splitting this with a friend, they were nice enough to slice it off the bone for us.

This was my first time ordering the porterhouse for two. While the meat flavor was there, there wasn't really enough of a minerally, dry-aged tang to it. Also, serving it sliced and resting on a cutting board allowed it to dry out and get cold quickly. This is significantly inferior to the way Luger serves it, on a super hot plate and resting in its own drippings to stay moist.

While offering a range of steakhouse staples, the desserts manage to be fairly strong here. My friend loved his red berry bibble, shown here without the ice cream that usually accompanies it.

I had to have the coffee cantata. It's basically a sundae with coffee ice cream and some raspberry, and some very good fudge sauce. I mentioned to our server that I used to like their indian pudding, which they took off the menu a while back, and he replied that I was probably one of about five people who did.

I always highly recommend Keens, but I would definitely suggest sticking with the mutton chop over the porterhouse.

NFL Picks Week 2 2011 (sport, gambling)

There was a lot of scoring in the NFL last week. A lot of quarterbacks had big games, and I think the lines have moved in response to the explosion of offense in the first week. So for this week's picks, I'm taking two unders.

SD@NE
Under 53.5

This line will probably keep going up as game time approaches. How could it not? Two of the most prolific offenses in recent memory going up against each other, and with Monday night's high scoring Pats-Dolphins game fresh in everyone's minds. But are these two teams particularly better now than they were last year? In last year's matchup, they put up 43 total on a 48.5 line. I just think this is one of those lines where the public is one way and the sharps will be going the other.

PHI@ATL
Under 49.5

The Eagles can certainly be explosive with Vick under center, but a line near or above 50 should almost always be reserved for two passing powerhouses, in my opinion. And that is not what these two teams are. Even if Atlanta is running on all cylinders offensively, they would, in fact, be running. A lot. I see a lot of drives being kept alive, but I don't know that they'll be heading into the endzones particularly frequently.

Dinner at Kin Shop (food)

I'm normally not a fan of Top Chef, but I had read some really good things about this modern Thai restaurant from Harold Dieterle, the first season winner of the popular show. As I was visiting a friend in the West Village, we decided to give it a try. All the photos are courtesy of his camera phone as I was not planning any fancy food excursion.

I cannot speak to its Thai "authenticity" as we did not try any spicy dishes, as well as the fact that the restaurant calls itself a "modern Thai" restaurant. Everything we had was delicious, although we did not have anything that I would call truly spectacular. With its tasty, well-executed food, surprisingly reasonable prices, and interesting interpretations, Kin Shop, in my view, is a wonderful neighborhood restaurant definitely worth a visit.

Our appetizers included grilled prawns and pork and oyster salad.

Fried Pork & Crispy Oyster Salad with celery, peanuts, mint & chili-lime vinaigrette. I enjoyed this dish very much. Pork and oysters go well together, and the crunchy textures throughout livened my appetite. Surprisingly light and fit to be called a salad, despite fried pork and oysters.

Grilled Prawns with fresh lime & "phuket style" black pepper sauce. The prawns cost $4 each and had a wonderful grilled aroma. They're not particularly large for the price, but reasonable and well cooked.

Roasted Duck Breast & Red Curry with crispy roti, green mango, fresh herbs & tamarind water. The duck was cooked well, but the red curry didn't really do anything for me, and it was not a particularly special combination.

Braised Goat & Massaman Curry with fried shallots, purple yams, mustard greens & toasted coconut. I really really enjoyed this dish. The flavorful fork-tender braised goat went well with the comforting massaman curry. The accompaniments all worked well and this is a wonderful dish to eat over white rice.

Duck Confit Fried Rice (Can't find it on the online menu). Rice, however, does not come with entrees, and so I decided to order a side of duck confit fried rice. It was a pleasantly large portion for $10. The duck was rich in flavor and not dry at all, which is something that can easily happen with proteins in fried rice.

NFL Picks Week 1 2011 (sport, gambling)

It's always hard to gauge how much an injury will affect a team. In the NBA, the line usually moves too much in response to an injury of a star player, and I've read about plenty of systems fading that move. I'm not so sure that's the case in the NFL however, since star players are much harder to replace, and because so many more plays have to be successful just to get a score in the NFL.

IND@HOU
Under 44

So for my first pick, I'm going on the assumption that the loss of Peyton Manning and Arian Foster (whether he misses the game or plays in a weakened state) will be worth at least two scores. In their last 10 matchups, the two teams have combined for an average of 54 points while the O/U line has averaged 48. I think 44 represents good value here. Besides the loss in actual scores, every TD that now becomes a FG is a 4 point differential.

PIT@BAL
Over 36.5

We all know how good both defenses are. But there is plenty of optimism about how good both offenses can be as well. Both teams do execute their gameplans well and tend to be very well prepared. In the end, both defenses are getting older while both offenses have players entering their prime. I think this is a good time to jump aboard both teams' offensive bandwagons before people realize how good they are.

NFL Regular Season Wins Futures Bet (sport, gambling)

Another NFL season is upon us, and without any major changes like an 18-game schedule. I began looking at regular season wins futures bets last season, when I picked the Chiefs over and the Bills under. I followed that up with an easy Knicks over for the NBA season, and was tempted by the Mariners' low number (60 wins) to take the over, but didn't pull the trigger.

I think a regular season wins futures bet is a terrific way to add interest to the season, especially for someone like me who doesn't follow a specific team, while avoiding the temptation to overbet during the season. Every week I'll have a few teams to specifically root for or against.

First up are the Cincinnati Bengals. The number opened at around 7 wins, and was quickly bet down by smart money to the point where right now it's about 5.5 wins with -165 on the under. The early line was caused by the easy schedule. However, I look at their depth chart and I only recognize Cedric Benson on offense. With the owner willing to pay Palmer $11 million to warm the bench out of spite, I don't see why they wouldn't be aiming for the Andrew Luck sweepstakes.

Next, remaining in the same division, are the Pittsburgh Steelers. Some may be worried about the Super Bowl loser's curse, but the team looks a lot healthier and the offense looks like it could do a lot of damage. Then again, everyone knows that and the line is at 10.5 wins with the over at -135. I think it's still worth taking, as they have a comfortable-looking schedule after the bye week, and they will probably need every win they can get to keep up with the Ravens.

Speaking of the Baltimore Ravens, they are my favorite bet by far. The line is 10.5 wins with the over offered at +105. While I do believe that the Steelers are the better team, I think the Ravens have a bit of an edge in their overall schedule. While both teams play the NFC South, the Ravens get the two tougher teams (Indianapolis and Houston) at home while the Steelers get them on the road. The Ravens also get the Jets instead of the Patriots, which I think is an easier match up. This is a team that won 12 games last season, and I see no reason for a 2 game drop off.

My final pick is the New York Giants under 9.5 wins. There's a premium you have to pay to make this bet as the under is -175. The Giants defense has been hit by injuries while I think the offense will suffer with the loss of last year's third receiver and tight end. With three out of division opponents that I think they can't beat (@Patriots, @Saints, and Packers), they will go under the number just by losing all their games against the Eagles and the Cowboys, which I think can very easily happen.

Summary:
Cincinnati Bengals Under 5.5 -165
Pittsburgh Steelers Over 10.5 -135
New York Giants Under 9.5 -175

5 Star Recommendation:
Baltimore Ravens Over 10.5 +105

A Quick Comment on the US Economy (economics/politics)

I was at the mall a couple of weeks ago doing some shopping and doing my part to stimulate the economy. Actually, I hate that term. Politicians and CNBC talking heads keep going on and on about stimulating the economy. That, to me, implies that the economy is like some stalled car that just needs some minor adjustments. I don't buy that. I think the engine is completely under water and totaled. Even if the original model did work (which I question), I feel that it is certainly broken now by the events of the last five years.

To use another analogy, the current belief is similar to saying the economy is like some dominoes set up where we just need to stimulate it by tipping over that first domino, and the rest will continue falling. My view is that given what has happened, people are far from incentivized to keep those dominoes falling. The setup itself is broken.

Anyway, back to the mall. So I'm in Foot Locker trying to buy a new pair of basketball shoes. I see all these Nikes, classified by LeBrons, Kobes, Jordans, etc. None of them looked like they would actually be great for basketball. Is this what the kids are buying these days at $150 a pop? So I ask one of the salespeople which are the most durable basketball shoes, considering that I actually plan to play in them. Obviously noone has asked such a question before, so he went and asked another salesperson which of the shoes are durable. Her response? "What does that word even mean, durable?"

Which leads me to wonder how we can classify this economy of ours? Are we a service economy? Because such lack of knowledge about the product doesn't feel much like service to me. Are we a manufacturing economy? Seems like the majority of the stuff we manufacture is not practical if the basketball shoes we are selling are not really good for basketball. I guess we're just the economy where we're trying to sell anything we can to the next schmuck (like our debt and money printing). Sooner or later, we're going to run out of schmucks to buy our crap, right?

SHO Shaun Hergatt Review: Exceptional Food To Be "Savored" (food)

First of all, I made my reservation using Savored. Formerly known as VillageVines, it's an interesting restaurant deal concept. Basically, you make your reservation online through their system. The reservation will cost $10, but 30% (40% in Boston) will come off your total bill (including wine!) at the end. Great savings and no commitment to buying something you don't want with a later upsell. No hassle, and the reservation can be cancelled pretty close to reservation time. They have a large number of restaurants on their list so it's worth using even for the occasional dinner out. I definitely suggest checking it out, and if you decide to sign up, please use my referral link here.

I obviously wanted to make sure that it worked, so I visited a couple of weeks before my reservation to see if anything was off limits with the discount. In that regard, SHO's Reservations and Training Manager Heather was extremely pleasant and helpful. I found out that while we could not ask for some specially created extended tasting, the discount would apply to the prix fixe or the tasting menu, and was still applicable when we decided to have the tasting menu and supplement a course from the prix fixe.

As for the rest of this review, I must warn all those readers who really just look at pictures that unfortunately, I forgot my camera due to a hectic day, and the cell phone I used to take some pictures did not have a flash, and ran out of batteries early in the meal.

First, a mention of the service. While the service was not bad, it left much to be desired for a restaurant with food of this caliber. I did not like that some of the people who brought food had accents that made it hard to hear them describe the dish (something that I mentioned back in my 2009 review), and in one case they didn't even bother with the description of the dish. At the end of the meal, we were hoping to get to thank the chef in person and discuss one of the dishes, but he was on the phone, and after we waited for a while, there was no further update. There was definitely a bright point though in Marissa, who was engaging and helped us pick out some wonderful wines. I think she is the co-wine director, as her name is listed on the online wine list. However, I also saw her bringing out dishes to some tables, which kind of muddles her role in my mind. That, in essence, is what I feel is missing about the service at SHO. A sense of order. A hierarchy of server, captain, manager, etc.

The food, most importantly, was exceptional. We had the tomato-centric tasting menu, supplemented a fish course, and replaced a couple of dishes to cater to dietary restrictions. Everything was tasty with some smart and interesting touches.

We started with a selection of canapes. Here was a small shot glass of pea puree with coconut foam. Light and refreshing.

Fried balls of potato and a little foie gras. The foie gras flavor wasn't particularly strong, and overall it had a nice beignet-like taste even though it was savory.

After the canapes, we had a small amuse. It was a sweet prawn with masago and was fresh and light, although not particularly intense in flavor.

The bread selection was quite good, with white, multi-grain, and rosemary olive rolls. My favorite was the multi-grain, which had robust flavor and texture from the seeds on the outside while the inside was soft and warm.

The real winner though, was the truffle butter. Among the best we've ever had with a perfect combination of creaminess and truffle flavor. Notice how much bigger the serving is compared to the regular butter. We ended up having about 5 servings total for the 3 of us.

CARPACCIO OF ROMA TOMATO CONFIT Simple, familiar, tastes were given ingenious textural twists. The tomato confit was peeled and oven-baked, allowing it to have an intensified flavor along the lines of sun-dried tomatoes, while remaining very juicy. Even better, the juices were contained in the bite of the carpaccio itself instead of leaking away. Also on the plate were small mounds of goat cheese panna cotta, which had a smooth, silky texture.

OVEN ROASTED TOMATO AND FENNEL SOUP The soup was fine, but the interesting components of the dish were a tomato gelee underneath the soup and a green basil espuma which combined for an interesting mix of textures. I think another component with a crispy texture would have really completed the dish. In addition, the garnishes on the peeled tomatoes were both very pretty and provided subtle hints of flavor.

TOMATO OIL CONFIT PRAWN The tomato oil and prawn smelled wonderful and was very well cooked. The sweet prawn went well with the warm tomato oil and was livened by a tomato and kaffir lime leaf sambal.

SALT PRESSED PETUNA OCEAN TROUT My friend DC could not have the prawn, so they presented this dish of alternating chilled slices of ocean trout and pear. It was quite good, and an especially fitting cold starter. None of us had tried or even thought of this fish and pear combination before, but it works.

SOUS VIDE EAST COAST HALIBUT Perfectly cooked, this was a robust piece of fish sauced nicely with a black olive oil and a cherry tomato vinaigrette. However, I felt that this was probably the least special of the dishes.

CRISPY DIAMONDS OF BRANZINO This was the dish that we added because that's how we roll. Perfectly cooked with crispy skin and flaky flesh, the accompanying liquid arugula, kalamata olive, and baby cucumbers were a fantastic combination of flavors and textures coming together in harmony in each bite.

UPSTATE NEW YORK QUAIL Absolutely wonderful. For the tomato-centric menu that had been fairly light up to this point, this was the perfect last savory course. The quail flavor was strong yet warm and comforting. The meat was soft and juicy but with a good biting texture that gave way to the foie gras on the inside. The foie gras managed not to dominate the quail flavor, but instead accentuated the flavors by adding a fattiness and a creamy finish to each bite.

CHILLED FINGERLING ESPUMA WITH COLD GNOCCHI, QUAIL EGGS, AND KAVIARI CAVIAR My friend DC couldn't have the quail, and instead went with a cold appetizer to end the savory courses. This was another example of innovative textures with familar flavor combinations. The cold potato and caviar is a classic, and the quail eggs did a nice job of bringing it all together.

SATUR FARMS YELLOW TOMATO SORBET Our pre-dessert was relatively simple and tasted exactly like what it was supposed to be.

TRISTAR STRAWBERRIES, TOMATO ESPUMA, AGED BALSAMIC Again a relatively simple dessert. The strawberries were sweet and went well with the tomato espuma, although I didn't think the balsamic was necessary.

CHOCOLATE CREMEUX WITH HONEYCOMB AND MILK ICE CREAM We were just there to have a good meal, but during our quail course, SC mentioned that we should just consider this meal an early birthday celebration as we had ordered some of her favorite wines. This was just in passing conversation, but they must have overheard and thoughtfully brought this extra dessert with "Happy Birthday" written in chocolate on the plate. This was delicious, with two different textures from the chocolate on top and the honeycomb inside. The milk ice cream was perfect in bridging those two components.

CHOCOLATES AND PETIT FOURS An okay selection.

Speaking of wine, SHO has a very impressive high end wine list, including 4 DRCs. And they aren't even the most expensive bottles! Browsing through the list online, they have a bottle listed at $15000. For our meal, we started with a Laurent Perrier Rosé, Tours-Sur-Marne, followed by the Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru, 'Le Grand Maupertuis,' Domaine Anne Gros 2004 for the meal proper, and ended with a Riesling Beerenauslese, H. Boch, 'Trittenheimer Apotheke,' Mosel, which held up well to both the strawberries and the chocolate.

Savored did indeed come through, with over $300 coming off our final bill. Looking back at my 2009 review, the food really has always been exceptional at SHO. Now that there's a 30% discount involved, there's no excuse not to go.

Buffett, BAC, and AAPL (stock/trading)

This past week was quite a week for the markets, with a record move in gold and Bernanke's comments leading the charge. However, there was also unexpected news in Warren Buffett's investment in Bank of America and the resignation of Steve Jobs from Apple.

Yes it's true that Buffett made an investment in BAC, but I certainly don't think it's the vote of confidence some make it out to be. The worst offender in that regard, as always, is CNBC. Early in the morning, their main caption headline was "BAC up on Buffett investment in stock". This is very misleading. The cumulative perpetually preferred shares Buffett received can barely be classified as stock. With a guaranteed 6% return, and no market risk (par liquidation value), Buffett is not really accumulating any real equity in the company. Then there are the warrants, which give Buffett the ability, but not the obligation, to truly invest in BAC stock.

So what does it mean for BAC shareholders? Yes, there's a vote of confidence that BAC will not go bankrupt any time soon. But at the same time, the warrants mean that the shareholders can suffer heavy dilution at any time. Who wants to own equity in a company that has such an huge overhang limiting its upside? Of course some say that Buffett is a long term investor. If Buffett exercises those warrants, it's because he plans to hold a large piece of the company for a long time. That may be true. But the warrants last for 10 years, and is it clear that Buffett will still be there in that time?

Which leads me to what I thought was one of the more interesting questions to come out of the events this week. Would I rather have Berkshire without Buffett or Apple without Jobs? Who has the bigger impact on their respective company? Will Apple be slow to innovate without Jobs like the struggles Microsoft has had? Will Berkshire be able to get the same vulture-tastic deals without Buffett? I personally think AAPL is the better bet there as it has such a loyal customer base.

Speaking of vulture-tastic deals, how does this BAC deal compare? Obviously the 6% pales in comparison to the 10% GS deal. A deal so one-sided GS couldn't buy Buffett out quick enough. While Buffett reportedly is offering BAC a better deal because conditions are better, I don't buy it. I think it's a statement to the fact that there are fewer opportunities to get an equivalent return elsewhere. While the investment may be a vote of confidence that BAC isn't going bankrupt any time soon, I think it shows a lack of confidence in the future economic outlook.

Cheap Eats Around the Area (food)

Some may be good, some may be meh, but all the food in this post is definitely cheap, and not far away from where I am.

Uncle Zhou's 83-29 Broadway (Dongan Avenue), Elmhurst, Queens

A favorite of Queens Chowhounders, this place has excellent noodles and terrific broths. It also had a good writeup in the NYT not that long ago. But the thing that really stood out for me was when I was in there one morning and the owner refused shipment on a delivery of lamb because the lamb was already diced. They wanted whole chunks of lamb which their cooks would butcher and break down themselves. That's a good sign that the food will be great.

The signature stewed noodles ($5.5) are wonderful with its rich lamb broth, cubes of lamb meat, and chewy knife-shaved noodles. Because of the way the noodles are served, they hold up well to take out in the broth.

More surprising for me were the lamb dumplings ($3 for 9). The dumplings were juicy with a good bite to the skin, but the really great thing was how flavorful the minced lamb filling was. So flavorful in fact, that it borders on funky, so it's definitely not for everyone in my opinion.

Krystal's Cafe 6902 Roosevelt Ave, Woodside, Queens

There are a lot of Indian lunch buffets around the 74th street area, but it was refreshing to find a Filipino buffet that's both good and cheap. The buffet ($7.37) is on the second floor of the cafe/bakery. You have to walk in and go to the stairs in the back, as the ground floor cafe does not serve the buffet.


There are about 10 total items including rice and noodles. The items really do tend to change daily while most of the Indian buffets tend to only switch one or two of the vegetarian options on occasion. Proteins range from fried chicken, beef, and pork, to Filipino staples like milkfish and jackfruit.

Besides the food items, there is also all you can drink soda (Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite) poured out of pitchers, as well as dessert. The dessert selection is quite good (the place is also a bakery), and tends to change daily as well.

Little Caesars 86-10 Roosevelt Ave, Jackson Heights, Queens

Yes, that Little Caesars. The one that had "Pizza! Pizza!" as its catchphrase in commercials when I was growing up. The one that was once the second most popular pizza in the US and is now the fastest growing pizza chain in the world. The signature product right now is a $5 Hot-N-Ready Pepperoni Pizza. The pizza is premade and kept warm in an oven, so it is always available. However, when you catch them at a busy time, the pizzas will come out fresh.

It's pretty much like any chain pizza. The dough isn't bad, but definitely needs to be cooked more well done for NY tastes. In the end, it's about being able to get a full sized pepperoni pizza for $5, which is great for kids.

Jose Fish Market 81-04 Roosevelt Ave, Elmhurst, Queens

Everyone loves fried food, and fried seafood allows one to indulge without feeling guilty about making a completely unhealthy choice.

The fried whiting/shrimp/scallop combo with fries ($6). Certainly a lot of food for that price. I don't think even "fried seafood" chains like Long John Silvers can compete with that price.

A closer look reveals the large mound of fries underneath as well. Honestly, the fry job wasn't bad. The shrimp and scallop lacked real flavor though, so I would recommend only getting fish and chips next time.

Corn and meat skewer stand, 82nd street, Roosevelt Ave

While the corn and tamales stand that pops up next to the taco trucks at the 74th street station is closer to me, they don't grill their corn which gives it just a bit more flavor. The corn at the 82nd street stand is pre-grilled, but they throw it on the coals to finish when you order one. Then the usual mayonnaise and chili powder and you have a terrific snack for $2.5.

Tacos and Juice place opposite the park/basketball courts near Elmhurst Hospital

I go here once in a while after playing basketball. Can't even tell you the address or the name of the place. But they have everything from tacos to enchiladas, and fresh squeezed juice.

There's a good amount of meat in the tacos, all made to order.

But the thing that makes this place special is the 3 tacos + juice deal during the day. They used to advertise it but don't anymore. I think you can still get it if you ask. Anyway, for $6, you get three tacos plus a freshly squeezed juice. Given that even tacos from the taco trucks by the subway station run $2.5 per and freshly squeezed juice can run $6 easily in Manhattan, this is quite an amazing deal. Here I had some carrot juice with my tacos.

iCook Teriyaki 85-08 Roosevelt Ave, Jackson Heights, NY

This is pretty much like the food from teriyaki chicken stalls you find in big mall food courts, but sometimes that's all one craves. Chicken, slightly sweet sauce, and rice.

This was the chicken and shrimp combo over a large mound of vegetable fried rice. The shrimp wasn't bad, but I would suggest just getting the chicken. There actually is a lot of food here for $6.75, as the container is quite wide with lots of fried rice and it comes with a small side salad.

Coming Back Soon!

My laptop broke so I haven't been able to write anything. Now that I bought another one, there should be a cheap eats post, a restaurant meal review post, and NFL preview post coming up real soon. Please be patient.