Wednesday, July 21, 2004
Boutique Nibbles
So once in a while, you find in the grips of a particularly niche desire. You don't have to be pregnant or even female. It just happens. And thanks to the web, there's always a place to scratch that culinary itch! Over time, I've chanced into a few online resources that are both special and specialized.
Montana Beef Jerky
OK. I know. Beef = mad cow. BUT, you can always order the buffalo jerky! This all started when a former SCNT colleague named Mike K. took an obsessive cross country trip to visit every major league baseball stadium in America. Truthfully, I wouldn't know if professional sports ceased to be played (well, I would miss Olympic figure skating...but I'm a Vassar boy). So I didn't so much read Mike's emails because I cared about the stadiums. I just love quirky. And his emails qualified. In the course of feeding one obsession, it turned out Mike had a few others that kept sidetracking his story and I came to love the subplots about the pursuit of ribs and jerky. Somewhere around Colorado, if memory serves me correctly, Mike stumbled into the Montana Beef Jerky Company and helpfully provided a URL. Before I knew it, my freezer was filled with jerky. Jerky, Jerky, Jerky! I recommend the teriyaki. YUM.
The Nutty Guys
This was the first year that K. and I went to Sundance. Film festivals are in part about nibbling. Especially if you're really "doing it" and seeing 4-5 films a day. So somewhere along the way between Primer and Super Size Me we found ourselves munching on bags of dried frut and nuts. And boy were they good. If you're a secret squirrel yourself, you should check out The Nutty Guys.
Kalustyans
You're obsessed with a recipe for some exotic ethnic food and you can't find the ingredients. Well, if you live in The City, you can go to Lexington and 28th Street to Kalustyans and solve your problem. I guarantee it. Indian, Pakistani, Thai, Indonesian, Malaysian, Greek, Turkish, Syrian...you name it, they have it. You can lose yourself for hours in this two story wonderland. But if you don't live in The City, you can browse the website. Not nearly as comprehensive, but it gives you an idea. And then you can just call them if you don't see what you want. I bet you they have it.
Penzey's
Ah, Penzey's. This discovery was the product of Robert & Connie's wedding in Minneapolis. K. and I were wondering around in Uptown (which strangely is south of downtown area) and we chanced into a Penzey's retail store. We stayed for an hour reading the labels on the spices. If you're looking for 15 kinds of black pepper, this is your place. And the catalogue is chockablock with estoteric details, like the difference between cinnamon variants. (As a side note, you want to know something really freaky? Read about cashews! Who knew they were the source of rocket lubricant?!)
Adriana's Caravan
Rochelle Z. used to own a retail store on the UWS called Adriana's Bazaar. One day, much to our chagrin, the store was gone. We wondered what had happened because Rochelle was very open about her fight with cancer and we were concerned that her illness was the cause of the closing. But then we kept reading in foodie magazines that the source for whatever unusual spice their recipes called for was Adriana's Caravan. Hmmm, we wondered. Could it be Rochelle? It was and it is. And we were delighted when she cropped up in Grand Central Market with another retail location. But for the rest of the world, you can find her spice catalog online if you need something exotic.
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Montana Beef Jerky
OK. I know. Beef = mad cow. BUT, you can always order the buffalo jerky! This all started when a former SCNT colleague named Mike K. took an obsessive cross country trip to visit every major league baseball stadium in America. Truthfully, I wouldn't know if professional sports ceased to be played (well, I would miss Olympic figure skating...but I'm a Vassar boy). So I didn't so much read Mike's emails because I cared about the stadiums. I just love quirky. And his emails qualified. In the course of feeding one obsession, it turned out Mike had a few others that kept sidetracking his story and I came to love the subplots about the pursuit of ribs and jerky. Somewhere around Colorado, if memory serves me correctly, Mike stumbled into the Montana Beef Jerky Company and helpfully provided a URL. Before I knew it, my freezer was filled with jerky. Jerky, Jerky, Jerky! I recommend the teriyaki. YUM.
The Nutty Guys
This was the first year that K. and I went to Sundance. Film festivals are in part about nibbling. Especially if you're really "doing it" and seeing 4-5 films a day. So somewhere along the way between Primer and Super Size Me we found ourselves munching on bags of dried frut and nuts. And boy were they good. If you're a secret squirrel yourself, you should check out The Nutty Guys.
Kalustyans
You're obsessed with a recipe for some exotic ethnic food and you can't find the ingredients. Well, if you live in The City, you can go to Lexington and 28th Street to Kalustyans and solve your problem. I guarantee it. Indian, Pakistani, Thai, Indonesian, Malaysian, Greek, Turkish, Syrian...you name it, they have it. You can lose yourself for hours in this two story wonderland. But if you don't live in The City, you can browse the website. Not nearly as comprehensive, but it gives you an idea. And then you can just call them if you don't see what you want. I bet you they have it.
Penzey's
Ah, Penzey's. This discovery was the product of Robert & Connie's wedding in Minneapolis. K. and I were wondering around in Uptown (which strangely is south of downtown area) and we chanced into a Penzey's retail store. We stayed for an hour reading the labels on the spices. If you're looking for 15 kinds of black pepper, this is your place. And the catalogue is chockablock with estoteric details, like the difference between cinnamon variants. (As a side note, you want to know something really freaky? Read about cashews! Who knew they were the source of rocket lubricant?!)
Adriana's Caravan
Rochelle Z. used to own a retail store on the UWS called Adriana's Bazaar. One day, much to our chagrin, the store was gone. We wondered what had happened because Rochelle was very open about her fight with cancer and we were concerned that her illness was the cause of the closing. But then we kept reading in foodie magazines that the source for whatever unusual spice their recipes called for was Adriana's Caravan. Hmmm, we wondered. Could it be Rochelle? It was and it is. And we were delighted when she cropped up in Grand Central Market with another retail location. But for the rest of the world, you can find her spice catalog online if you need something exotic.
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