With a drastic change in the weather last week, as if someone had literally pulled the curtain down on summer, people all around me seemed to be abuzz about what fall foods they can't wait to dive into. But I say not so fast, Charlie Brown! I mean, weren't we just talking about Lobster Rolls two seconds ago? Why can't I continue to crave one of those bad boys despite the downturn in temperature?
Apparently, I am not alone. Cooling winds did not deter Jeffrey Chodorow from recently opening Ed's Chowder House—a seafood asylum that offers the sea-shack staple. And Luke's Lobster, a tiny restaurant that will be located on 7th Street between the two Caracas, isn't even due to open its doors until sometime in October. The big buzz about the latter is that they will offer $14 lobster rolls. Kind of a steal in these parts. But if you don't work, live, or hang out in the East Village, I've got another mouth-watering alternative:
Tab For Two: Xie Xie
Address: 645A 9th Avenue
New York, NY 10036
What to wear, Who's there: This sliver of a sandwich shop seats 24 on a warm day, when the storefront opens onto the sidewalk. How many people will fit once that wall is permanently shuttered to the cold remains to be seen—but make sure you are one of them. Designed in varying shades of violet with a sprinkling of three-dimensional, day-glo fortune cookies on one wall adding a bit of playful pop, the decor is minimalist yet evokes a Japanese superkawaii sensibility. Customers range from buttoned-down men ordering one of everything on their lunch breaks to gossiping groups of girls taking advantage of the beverage case stocked with half-size Champagne bottles, wine "juice boxes," premium beers, Mash sodas and homemade iced Thai coffee.
What They're Serving: Chef and culinary consultant Angelo Sosa (Yumcha, Buddakan) combines years of culinary training with inspiration he gleaned from extensive travels throughout Asia to create a fast-casual restaurant that focuses on an American favorite: the sandwich. The edited menu ranges from a shredded, braised chicken topped with smoked egg salad and cilantro to glazed pork nestled inside of a Chinese bun with sweet and sour sauce to Vietnamese BBQ beef with basil mayo, carrot and kimchee. "This is not a banh-mi shop," says Sosa. "I took specific memories from while I was traveling to create a series of different sandwiches and flavors. For instance, the Fish Chaca La Vong was inspired by a dish that I had in Hanoi where fish is cooked over hot coals right in front of you. The turmeric splatters all over your shirt but the dill that they throw inside explodes with flavor and it was absolutely delicious...and so I tried basically tried to recreate the experience through using the ingredients and similar cooking techniques packed in a roll."
We Effing Loved: I have a hard time saying no to a loster roll on most days. But the fact that Sosa gave it an Asian spin made resistance futile. Lobster meat, Japanese Kewpie mayo, tarragon and crispy shallots were beautifully piled on top of
a split-top hotdog bun made from lightly buttered and toasted, warm brioche. It. Was. Phenomenal. The lobster meat is flown in from Nova Scotia, tasting fresh and succulent, the crispy shallots stand in for traditional celery providing crunch, while the Kewpie mayo adds a delicately sweet umami factor. Mmmm. And the brioche blew my mind...it's a signature recipe that Sosa developed and has outsourced an unnamed bakery to produce for him. The fluffiness makes all the difference in the world, and has me thinking packaged hot dog buns should be perhaps outlawed forever. What's the point when something this good exists? Do you hear me Wonderbread? You are pointless.
As I was leaving, Sosa insisted that I take his "1,000-Year-Old Ice Cream Sandwich" to go. Now, you all know I don't eat regular ice cream. I'm lactose intolerant. For me, it's the culinary equivalent to swallowing a grenade. But...then Sosa explained where the name came from.
"In China, there is this tradition of taking an egg and burying it for a month so that when you dig it up it's all stinky and when you crack it open—the yolk is black," he began. "Actually, I always thought it was disgusting. BUT the concept was really cool." And this led him to create an ice-cream sandwich composed of thin chocolate wafers and caramel-flavored ice cream with a black caramel center that oozes out as you eat it.
Naturally, with that kind of back-story, I had to try it. Digestion be damned. It is exactly this type of creativity and thoughtfullness that is the mark of a talented chef, and why I fell in love with food in the first place. So with a foil-wrapped sample in hand, I descended to the sidewalk.
I may have been half-delirious with illness for the next two days, but the layers of taste that I encountered with each bite on that walk—from the crispy-chewy wafers to the creamy rich ice cream laced with caramel to the decadent black gold that touched my lips in the center—well I wouldn't take back that moment for all the lobster rolls in the world.
Look for a second location on St. Mark's Place later this fall.