Sweet Jesus: The Donald Has an Old-Timey Ice Cream Parlor

Donald Trump is many things - real estate titan, reality television star, hairpiece cautionary tale -- little did I know that there is one more string to his bow: Old-Timey Ice Cream Parlor owner.

[bxA]

That's right, The Donald keeps a good old American Ice Cream Parlor in the basement of the Trump Building on 5th ave. Nestled in a sea of gold-trim and fine corinthian marble, Trump's Old Fashioned Ice Cream Shoppe is an oasis calm amongst the frenzied dealings of high finance. A place for businessmen to get their two scoops of peanut brickle and mint chip, and let the worries melt away.

Ice Cream not your thing? Donald's got you covered, with his own line of Trump Jelly Beans. Cheer up Charlie! No golden ticket or glass elevator is necessary to enter this world of pure imagination, just use the escalator to the basement.

The Final Touch: Motorino 2's Snappy New Signage

With just hours to go until Motorino Part Deux opens its doors, I present a photo of its totally awesome new signage. It's official: this baby is ready to go!

The Smell of Desperation: Oliver's Brunch Signage

I know that times are tough out there, and I suppose that $13.95 for a two-drink brunch in a West Village pub inspired by Raiders of the Lost Ark is a pretty good deal, but if the gigantic sign in Oliver's window doesn't scream desperation then I don't know what does.[bxA]

Birdbath In the Old Vesuvio Space, Huh?

I guess it's cool that Birdbath is moving into the space old Vesuvio space. I know this doesn't make any sense, but it would be great if they could just keep the old window and awning signage the way it is.

Sneak Peak Inside Motorino 2!

With just a few days to go until the second branch of Mathieu Palombino's Motorino Pizza opens up in the old Una Pizza Napoletana space, I present a few walk-by snapshots of its remodeled interior! 

Green stripes? Check.  Framed photos of the Old Country? Check. Also, looks like Motorino Part Deux will be packing more tables than UPN ever did. So far, the decor kind of reminds me of a cross between an old-timey ice cream parlor and somewhere young Ray Liotta would work at the beginning of Goodfellas.  Cool! [bxA]

JudgeFudge's Suggestions for New Shake Shack Locations

Eater announced last week that in addition to opening seven Shake Shacks in Saudi Arabia and Dubai, Danny Meyer also has plans to open up three more locations in New York within the next year.  Because Danny didn't offer any specifics in regard to locations, here are some he might want to consider: [bxA]

1.  Astor Place -- The original Madison Square Park location is only about fifteen blocks away, but a Shake Shack in the old Starbucks location would be a huge hit with NYU and Cooper Union students for whom anything north of 14th Street is a mystery.  Tourists are always checking out St. Marks, Astor Place is just a ten minute walk for West Village families, and throngs of bar and club goers from the East Village and the Lower East Side would flock to a location here if it were open late enough.  The old Starbucks even looks like the original Shake Shack . . .

2. South St. Seaport -- While tourists love the South Street Seaport because they feel like it's where real New Yorkers go, real New Yorkers generally avoid it like the plague. Adding a Shake Shack to the Fulton St. open mall would be game changing as it would attract Wall Streeters, City Hall workers, and Manhattanites who want a vital third reason to go to the Seaport other than the Ikea Ferry and a decent view of the Brooklyn Bridge.

3.  Park Slope, 7th avenue near Prospect Park -- I think it's safe to say that at least one new Shake Shack will be in Brooklyn.  While I'm rooting for Dumbo, I think that Danny Meyer will want to replicate the success of his UWS location by opening up shop in a family oriented neighborhood close to a park with a lot of foot traffic.  So, Park Slope it is.  This would be the least visited Shake Shack location by tourists or people from other neighborhoods, but I'm sure that Park Slopers would be proud to have a Shake Shack to call their own, and would make it a smash hit.  Also -- Five Guys had no problem opening in this neighborhood about a year ago.

4.  The High Line -- It's true, the West Side already has its Shake Shack, but a location under or around the High Line would be the other big attraction that the neighborhood really needs to bring tourists and foot traffic to the area. Residents of Chelsea and the West Village would flock to it, as would day trippers checking out the High Line park.  A Shake Shack would also be a delicious, affordable food option in a neighborhood overcrowded with glitzy, high end eateries. 

Update: Mere minutes after writing this post, Eater broke the very exciting news that the first new Manhattan Shake Shack location has been announced!  It will be in Nolita on the corner of Mulberry and Prince Street.  Downtown Manhattan, you have been warned.  Start hitting those treadmills now! 

Happy Labor Day From JudgeFudge!

Happy Labor Day! 'Tis the season for firing up the grill one last time, seeing third rate Sandra Bullock vehicles, and spending time with family and friends, safe in the knowledge that your children will be heading back to school in a mere matter of hours.  I know it's not really a gift giving holiday, but I got you something anyway[bxA]

 A picture of a hamburger! 

This particular burger is the Bistro Burger from the Corner Bistro -- I ate it a few weeks ago and it was delicious! The burger snobs will say that their beef isn't the most flavorful, and that the burgers are precooked then reheated before it is served to you -- all true, all true.  The thing is, for $5.25 a Bistro Burger (served with bacon and American cheese) is a savory, sloppy delight. Sure, there are better burgers in this city, but not when you're eating it. 

Applemania Hits a Snag: TripeGate

While New Yorkers are thrilled that wunderkind chef Nate Appleman will be making his New York debut later this fall at the helm of Pulino's Pizzeria, some denizens of Nate's hometown of San Francisco aren't so happy with a few things he has had to say about their fair city on his way out the door.  In an Appleman profile that ran in the Times this week, Nate dropped this little nugget: 

"In San Francisco the audience is easy.  You put tripe in a bowl and tell them it's from a humanely raised cow and they're going to eat it."

Angered, confused, and seeking answers, San Francisco Chronicle readers turned to food critic Michael Bauer to make sense of this.  Did The 'Apps really diss SF, Mike?! [bxA]

In a blog post Bauer defends Appleman, saying that if anything, dude was praising the way the city's diners embrace challenging foods and care for freshness and sustainability, but he does note that San Franciscans are generally "a sensitive lot." While I mostly agree with Bauer's take on the situation,  I'm not sure Appleman's comment didn't contain at least some small dig at San Francisco diners.  Let's be honest here: tripe is one of the most disgusting foods known to man.  It tastes like feet. 

Bauer also draws our attention to another Appleman quote from the Times piece: 

 "New York is totally different.  In fact, I'm not sure what you have to do in New York." 

It's a good question, Nate.  Maybe keep tripe off the menu at Pulino's? 

Restaurants in Mad Men: Drinks and Room Service at The Savoy Plaza Hotel

In the Mad Men episode "For Those Who Think Young," Don and Betty Draper celebrate Valentine's Day 1962 with drinks and room service at The Savoy Plaza Hotel.  Located on the majestic corner of East 59th Street and Central Park South, The Savoy was just across the street from the Plaza Hotel, and became known as its younger, sexier counterpart.[bxA]

The Savoy Plaza was built in 1927 by the Childs family, whose chain of eponymous upscale American eateries set the standard for restaurant franchises in the last half of the twentieth century.  It was demolished in 1964 to make way for the General Motors building which now houses, among other things, FAO Shwartz and The Apple Store. 

Although the heyday of The Savoy is relatively short by New York Hotel standards, its lounge where Betty and Don have drinks was considered one of the most elegant and contemporary of its time.  The scene between the Drapers certainly echoes this. Beginning with Betty descending the stairs in slow motion, it is one of the first times you sense Don trying to recapture a moment lost to time.  

After a drink at the lounge, and some bad sex in the hotel room, Betty orders room service. She asks for something special and "out of season," eventually settling on a rare petit filet and a half an avocado filled with crab meat.  The room service was presumably from Trader Vic's on the first floor of The Savoy, which specialized in steak, seafood and exotic cuisines.  Trader Vic's is the restaurant that started the "tiki" craze, eventually expanding to 25 locations across the country.  While the notion of a tiki bar seems cheesy by today's standards, Trader Vic's was well reviewed by The New York Times in 1958 and became such a destination for the rich and famous that when the Savoy closed its doors, the Plaza hotel bought the restaurant and moved it across the street. 

I find it interesting that Mathew Weiner and Co. chose The Savoy Plaza as the spot where the Drapers try to rekindle their flame, because unlike a lot of other establishments namechecked in Mad Men, the hotel's reputation has been somewhat lost to history.  In the scenes at The Savoy, you're left with the impression that, despite their problems, Don and Betty might still be capable of being the beautiful, sexy and sophisticated couple that everyone else sees them as.   I guess it's fitting that Matthew Weiner chose to set this scene in a place that only seems to exist in the rose colored memories of long, long ago. 

Things I Ate in Port Townsend, WA

I took trip to Port Townsened, Washington with my girlfriend last week  to visit her family and enjoy a little R & R.  Port Townsend is a small coastal town about two hours northwest of Seattle -- it famously spawned the bumper sticker "Port Townsend: We're Here Because We're Not All There".[bxA]

The best thing I ate on the trip was a fish taco from a street vendor at the annual Uptown Street Fair. I don't know why New York can't get fish tacos right. This one was great -- three large pieces of heavily battered, perfectly fried cod, hugged by fresh guacamole, pico de gallo and a light but creamy beschamel sauce. Seriously, this needs to make the cross country trip.

Did you know that New York is not the only place that has food trucks? I didn't try coffee from the Java Gypsy coffee truck, but I can vouch for the fact that the barista, who looked like a young Stevie Nicks, was a beast on the espresso machine even though she had a toddler in a sling strapped to her.

 

Also at the Uptown Street Fair: this woman chillaxing in a baby carriage stuffed to the brim with fresh vegetables.

Breakfast is a big deal in Port Townsend. The Hudson Scramble at The Port Hudson Cafe is superb -- scrambled eggs, spinach, mushrooms, roasted new potatoes and nicely smokey bacon, smothered in very good mozzarella cheese. I haven't had a fresher tasting egg dish anywhere in New York.

Port Hudson's cherry cornmeal pancakes are also a hit. The mix of slightly salty batter and sour cherries really sing when butter and maple syrup are liberally applied.

Waterfront Pizza is a Port Townsend institution. For over 25 years they have been making a durable sourdough crust pie, with a slightly sweet marinara sauce and a well dispersed layer of good commercial grade mozzarella.

I loved how the andoullie sausage on the half sausage half regular pie we ordered was layered in a perfectly even blanket, and added a rich and spicy kick to what is a very starchy pizza. Comparing Wafterfront to John's or DiFara's is an apples to oranges kind of thing, but even by pizza snob standards, this is very, very good stuff.

Coffee. Where to start? There seem to be as many coffee places in Port Townsend as there are mailboxes. I think I tried about three different cups of coffee every day I was in town. On average, the coffee was much, much better than anything we have in New York, mostly because everyone brews it very strong. 

The coffee from Sweet Laurette's is the closest facsimile to what I consider to be the best coffee in the world -- Peet's from Berkeley, California. In a blind taste test, I don't know if I could tell the two apart. Sweet Laurette's uses Umbria Coffee Company beans -- their drip coffee has a rich, ashy taste akin to a good piece of dark chocolate.

Tyler Street Cafe also has excellent drip coffee, which miraculously has no trace of bitterness, even though it is dispensed from large self-serve urns. The beans are from Seattle-based Caffe Vita -- the brew isn't as rich as Sweet Laurette's, but it is just as strong.

The Poulsbohemian Coffeehouse in the nearby town of Poulsbo is a charming old cafe perched on a bluff overlooking Liberty Bay. Great vibe, sufficiently strong if slightly acrid coffee from the Mukiliteo Coffee Company. I'm told espresso is the thing to get here.

I was excited to try the coffee from Undertown Coffeehouse, as they serve Stumptown beans, the Portland-based coffee company that is all the rage in New York right now. I've had Stumptown from maybe five or six different places in NYC, and each cup has been god awful. Their coffee is always weak and has a weird perfumey taste, like someone tried to add "coffee flavor" to the beans or something. I figured that if there was one place to try Stumptown, it would in the trendy twentysomething hangout in downtown Port Townsend.

It was apparent that the gang at Undertown knew what they were doing. Upon ordering a cup of drip, they gave me the option of having the dregs of a pot that that was already being served, or a fresh cup from a pot that had just been brewed (they throw their coffee away after thirty minutes). I opted for the older pot, and my girlfriend got a cup of the fresher stuff. As I fixed my coffee, I wondered, was I about to have some of the best coffee of my life? 

Nope.  Both cups of the Stumptown coffee tasted exactly like they do in New York. I give up. Stumptown makes horrible coffee.  While they might know a lot about marketing their brand, they certainly don't know the first thing about what coffee should taste like. I swear to god -- this cup in particular tasted like a Whoppers malt ball.

The Fountain Cafe is the kind of restaurant that simply doesn't exist in New York. The decor is funky, there's one dude on the kitchen who cooks everything, the wine list is stellar, the pastas are splashy but very good, the seafood is fresh and properly seasoned, the desserts are big gooey lip smackers, and everything is reasonably priced. 

On our last few days in town, we kept hearing of places to try and foods to sample that we never got around to. Port Townsend is a relatively small town -- population nine thousand -- but it is something of a cultural hub for the area. There seem to be a lot of people passing through, whether it is weekenders staying at a B and B, or sailors in town because of its many harbors and dry-docks -- I guess it makes sense that the food would be so solid, and the coffee would be like rocket fuel.