Kebab Cafe!

I went to eat at Kebab Cafe! in Astoria today. The restaurant was featured on Anthony Bourdain's show. Although he comes off as an opionated jerk on the show, apparently he's really friendly and nice. Who knew?! Anyway, this restaurant is narrow and has large glass windows. The building number is not on the outside of the restaurant and the name of the restaurant is at the top not within eye level. My friend and I almost walked past it. Once you walk inside, it's a narrow restaurant with the kitchen immediately to the right. Ali, the chef/owner, tells you the menu and brings the food out for you. He prepares traditional Egyptian dishes composed mainly of lamb. He serves all parts of the animal including brain, tongue, testicles, and cheek. Everything is prepared differently. My favorite was the brain which had the texture of tofu. It was seasoned with a lot of lime or lemon. The kushary was different from the ones I had in Egypt but it was still good. At Kebab, he uses more rice than pasta and tops it off with sauteed onions rather overfried crispy garlic bits. The testicles were soft and sauteed with green peppers and onions with a sauce that tasted like oyster sauce. I didn't really like the sauce and the texture of the balls was really soft and mushy. I will definitely be back to this restaurant. It has a nice friendly atmosphere. You feel as though you're sitting in someone's living room. The food is a bit pricey but I guess it's the price you pay for good food.

Astoria is an interesting neighborhood with ethnic fusion. You will find a Greek restaurant next to a Spanish tapas restaurant which is next to an Italian cafe. There were also a ton of hookah bars in the neighborhood as well. Most of them seem to be occupied by men which is typical of Egypt since local women do not smoke. Smoking shisha is a nice way to sit and relax and catch up with friends.

Red Hook Ball Fields

Went to Red Hook this past weekend. At the ball fields, there are about 12 food stands serving Central/South American food. The food was so good we over-ate. When I say stand, it's more like a table someone brought from home. The food also looks like it was pre-prepared at home and cooked at the field in some cases. We started with a fried potato ball with ground meat inside. Then we had seafood ceviche which came in a small plastic soup take out container. It was stored in a cooler and they took one out when you ordered. The seafood sitting in a milky colored liquid but when you taste it, it's lemony and very tasty. I'm not sure what's in the marinade. It was excellent and it only cost about $8. Everything was economical. We then had some spicy corn with lime and fresh juice. I had the cantalope. I tried some pupusas which was like a soft tortilla with cheese inside topped with pickled pink cabbage. Last item of the day was the goat taco you see above. The meat was so tender and not gamey at all. It was so good. On the table they had tons of sauces -- red, green, with veggies, green with veggies, etc. Someone asked the vendor which was mild, she said none. They don't eat anything mild. It all has to be hot. That's really cool. I like how they maintain tradition despite all the media this ball field has been receiving. I have something to look forward to when I go to Mexico.