2010 Big Apple BBQ Block Party

I'm going to test a different style of posting for a while and see how you/I like it (although I know in reality no one reads this thing). If you feel you like the much more long-winded and detailed posts or these shorter straight to the point posts please leave a reply in the comments section. Previous entries were done in story mode. Now we're switching to arcade mode. Please insert coin(s).

So, my wife and I attended the 2010 Big Apple BBQ Block Party in New York City a few weekends ago. It was a really awesome experience and overall I was really pleased with it. We steered clear of the NY-based institutions because we can try their products anytime we're in the city. The lines were not nearly as bad as I'd expected (granted we had a speed pass) and we got to try some really great food. Here's the short of it:

My favorite main dishes:

- The BBQ Mutton from Moonlite Bar-B-Q Inn in Owensboro, KY (my overall favorite item of the entire festival)
- The Whole-Hog Sandwich from The Pit in Raleigh, NC
- The Pulled Pork Sandwich from Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q in Decatur, AL
- Honorable mention: The Western-Tennessee Style Whole-Hog Sandwich from Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint in Nashville, TN

My favorite sides:

- Housemade Sweet Pickles from Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint in Nashville, TN
- Pimento Cheese from Jim 'N Nick's in Birmingham, AL
- Baked Beans from 17th Street Bar & Grill in Murphysboro, IL

The biggest disappointment:

- Hands down the Baby Back Ribs from 17th Street Bar & Grill in Murphysboro, IL

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Raging the Windy City à la Wind God Gau Pt. 3

After putzing around the city for a while we finally worked up the stomach room to sip a few beers at The Map Room. The sign out front was easy to spot from far off and looked like... Well, it looks like something, doesn't it?

It's not my imagination right? You see it too? Good, we're on the same page then.

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Raging the Windy City à la Wind God Gau Pt. 2

After seeing Taste of Peru featured on DD&D and finding out that it was mere walking distance from M's place, I immediately added it to our itinerary. So we skipped breakfast and walked over to ToP on Saturday.

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Raging the Windy City à la Wind God Gau

That's right, I went, I saw, I ate it all. Did I see the city? No, not really. Did I eat the city? You're GD right I did. I planned out where I wanted to eat and then we figured out the rest on the fly. My good friend M moved out there a little over a year ago and was happy to cart me around, sampling some really great foodses. From the moment I stepped off of the plane on Thursday to when we pulled out of the parking lot at Johnnies Beef on Sunday, we pretty much ate non-stop. We sampled everything from elk sausage and foie gras to to Fruto de Cacao and Thit Nuong with a detour into the Lair of the Minotaur. What the hell am I talking about you ask? Are you salivating with anticipation yet? Well then, let's get right to it.

You may find yourself asking yourself this: Did Mr. Micro have a planned food map and itinerary and did he carry it on his person at all times? Why yes, I most certainly did. No true food obsessive visits a city for the first time without researching where he wants to eat for hours on end. Slow days at work meant researching where I wanted to eat in Chicago.

My flight landed at O'Hare at 9:10pm and after finding M and (getting used to his frighteningly thick black beard that would make even the most backwoods lumberjack green with envy) giving him a hearty greeting we hopped in his car and sped off to our first destination, a place I've been dying to go to ever since I saw it on DD&D: Kuma's MFing Corner!

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NYC April 2010: Burgers, Buns, and Bagels

At this point after checking out Economy Candy we decided to head back to A's pad to chill out and sober up. We played such games as Heavy Rain, God of War 3, and Whip Your Mother With A Wet Hose 2. I especially loved the latter, although it takes a long time to beat. After A's significant other returned from a short trip upstate we finally headed out for dinner. Our destination? We'd caught wind that Shake Shack on the UWS was serving their Bacon Peanut Butter Burger, which they call their PB Shake'N Bacon Burger, for one day only and we just had to check it, along with the Shack Stack and the pancakes and bacon custard, out.

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NYC April 2010: Tapas Dinner and Bottomless Brunch

After our round of milkshakes at Stand we headed over to Union Square to get in line for rush tickets for the 8pm show of Fuerza Bruta. Yes, after hearing me rave about it so much my friends were very interested in checking it out for themselves. Well G was anyway, A proclaimed he wasn't much a fan of the performing arts. Little did he know that would change after the show.

After obtaining our tickets A suggested we see if there was a wait at one of his favorite restaurants in the city which just happened to be a few short blocks away: Pipa Tapas y Mas. Luck was with us that day as we were seated immediately. A had talked this place up quite a bit so I had some pretty high expectations, even more so since my favorite restaurant in Baltimore is also a tapas joint. I was very curious to see if Pipa would top Pazo. Unfortunately, in most cases, it didn't.

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NYC April 2010: Old Favorites and New

I researched the hell out of this trip (as I always do) and had some great places lined up to try. While we didn't get to hit all of the spots, I'm very pleased with how this trip went, the highlights being some of the best things I've eaten to date. Our bus was running a tad late and we arrived in NYC about 30 minutes late. I had reservations at Lupa but we decided to skip them since we were already running behind. Luckily I had backup plans as I wasn't traveling alone. I had three places in mind for late night eats and left it up to my man G to decide where to go. I gave him the options of Co. Pizza, Sushi Seki, and the famous Halal cart on 53rd & 6th. He chose the closest option which was great because we were starving. So, we made a beeline for Co. at W 24th and 9th.

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