The Tower of Babel: No Reservations - New York Outer Boroughs (Engl)

Friday, October 23, 2009

No Reservations - New York Outer Boroughs (Engl)

Tony knows the jungles of Malaysia and the streets of London better than he knows what's just outside his Manhattan... so he enlists some locals to help him explore NYC’s five boroughs.

While in Queens, Tony enjoys traditional Chinese, Indian and Korean foods such as pigs feet, head cheese, lamb noodles, fried pancakes, wriggling chopped octopus, and piles of steaming seafood.

When traveling to Staten Island, Tony meets up with the lead singer David Johansen of the former band, the NY Dolls. Their first stop is New Asha, a Sri Lankan restaurant, where they enjoy the Sri Lankan specialty, black curry goat. They also take some time out to discuss the true roots of rock and roll.

After Staten Island, Tony goes to Brooklyn and joins Chris Chung for a delicious dim sum breakfast of duck feet, tripe, fried bread, pork meatballs and hargao in Sunset Park. A Mexican lunch is next on his list and Tony meets up with Carlos, his close friend and chef at Les Halles, at Los Hermanos, a tortilleria that both manufactures and serves tacos.

His trip to the Bronx is fast – Tony meets his friend Fat Dave, who runs a taxi tour of local restaurants, for a traditional meal of ribs, collard greens, rice and beans and oxtail at Sam’s, which is located next to Yankee Stadium.

Back in Brooklyn, he discovers the budding enterprise of Marlow and Sons, as well as Marlow and Daughters, serving sustainable foods from local farms in the Hudson Valley, the only locally-sourced, whole-animal butcher shop in NYC. Tony and Peter Meehan, food writer and critic, are treated to a delicious meal of seared beef heart and bone marrow, which are enough to render Tony speechless. Diner Restaurant, right next door, Peter and Tony are immersed in exquisite dishes – pig’s head fettuccine, brussel sprouts and grits, and a deliciously juicy rib-eye steak while discussing whether or not Tony missed the boat to Brooklyn.

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