63 ounces to freedom.

The package came from somewhere in the Rockies. I wasn't sure where, exactly. It arrived via Priority Mail at my Brooklyn apartment late one afternoon. It was neatly sealed with packing tape and it gave no indication of its contents. But I knew what was inside. I'd paid $65 a few days earlier to an unnamed seller on eBay for a 63-ounce jug of Starbucks pumpkin-spice syrup, the same stuff they put in the lattes. As I unpacked my new purchase — the jug had been cushioned with crumpled brown Starbucks bags, a nice touch — I set about my plan to add the sickly sweet syrup to everything I ate and drank until I ran out.

Starbucks sells an official "Pumpkin Sauce" to consumers, and though it is advertised as such, PSL connoisseurs know this is not the same syrup they use in store. As a result, there's a surprisingly robust black market for the real deal, which tends to peak in the PSL off-season: In July, one self-professed pumpkin-spice-fanatic seller moved three jugs for $120 each, claiming that they were culled from a "personal stash." The listing for the jug I bought included a photo of the batch number and its expiration date to assert its authenticity. But when I emailed to seller to find out more about this jug's origin, I received this cryptic reply:

The game of acquisition & liquidation is strung together with many parts and avenues including but not restricted to, craigslist sales, estate sales, garage sales, goodwill, internet (most often third parties) overstock, lot sales, secondhand findings, storage auctions, etc. I would have to jump into a pile of receipts to precisely pinpoint this particular acquisition. Product movement varies, our current methods do not isolate our products to one type of offer.

The seller went on to explain that he or she did "not partake in unlawful acts." After I told them I was a writer and planning a story, I expected silence. "We're very supportive of our journalistic comrades and their endeavors," they wrote.

One sip of the stuff, plain, confirmed its industrial origins. The syrup had a pungent smell, like the worst potpourri you've ever encountered. It also lingered in a truly unpleasant way — nutmeg and cinnamon coating my mouth for longer than should have been possible. It was just too strong, and it needed to be cut with something. So I poured a bit into a cup of Stumptown Holler Mountain and the truth became immediately clear: Without the flavor or structure of the latte's milk foam to counteract the syrup, pumpkin-spiced coffee just tastes astringent and perfumed, as if there were some dish-soap residue left in the bottom of the coffee cup.

But still. Given America's vast arsenal of pumpkin-flavored products, I figured the syrup would be incredibly versatile. I quickly learned otherwise: I added a float to some yogurt and the result was like sour caramel ooze, but not in a good way. Pumpkin-spice pancake with a little more pumpkin-spice syrup on top was unpleasantly acidic. I made a pumpkin-spice curry with lemongrass, shallots, chiles, galangal, and basil, and the syrup still dominated all the other flavors. Pumpkin-spiced cashew butter did blend well, but all that added corn syrup sort of defeated the point of making your own healthy nut butter. I thought pumpkin-spiced beef jerky would be surefire hit, but after spicing thick strips of London broil and diligently slow-drying them for four hours, I wound up with a pile of beautiful-looking jerky that tasted like beefy burnt oranges.

It wasn't all terrible, though: "This is not so bad," my girlfriend said as she ate some pumpkin-spiced bacon, which I'd candied in the oven, brushing it midway through cooking with a bit of the syrup — the ultimate proof that bacon really can make anything taste better.

One night, I also discovered that pumpkin-spiced Old-Fashioneds worked surprisingly well, provided you don't waste great bourbon and use extra Angostura bitters to help nullify the overpowering syrup.

Very soon, however, I discovered the main problem with a pumpkin-spiced diet: crushing sugar hangovers. I woke up in the middle of the night with a throbbing headache, sweating cinnamon and nutmeg. I got up and Googled "what happens if you drink pumpkin spiced lattes for three days straight?" but all that came up was a site that explained, unhelpfully, the greater conspiracy of how pumpkin spice lattes contain no actual pumpkin.

Even as I was hurting and making otherwise good food taste more or less inedible, I felt strangely compelled to continue — it was like pumpkin-spiced Stockholm syndrome. Like the latte-craving customers who get the stuff at Starbucks every morning, I was having issues weaning myself off this nightmare syrup. I discovered that the pumpkin-spiced cashew butter was actually pretty good if you mixed it with cream cheese and turned it into a sandwich. Bologna on slices of pumpkin-spiced French toast sounded a little odd, but it was another winner. But I hit another wall with pumpkin-spiced acorn squash soup, which started off pretty enough. I finished it with some whipped cream, yogurt, and a culinary-school-worthy zig-zag of pumpkin-spiced syrup; it tasted like a bowl of autumnal garbage.

After a second straight night of painful pumpkin-spiced headaches, I knew it was probably time to shut this project down. I still had about half of my black-market syrup supply left, so I put it in the farthest reaches of my freezer. The jug itself is stamped "best before November 6," but I know there's no way I'll use it up before then. I poured myself a cup of Stumptown French Roast, black, and really enjoyed my coffee for the first time all week.

Read more posts by Hugh Merwin

Filed Under: spice world, psl, pumpkin spice latte, pumpkin spice syrup, starbucks, syrup, the chain gang

A long time ago in a cookies and milky way galaxy far, far away… the folks at Sesame Street got the bright idea to take on the classic Star Wars film trilogy.

Starring Cookie Monster as Flan Solo, “Star S’mores” is a perfect g-rated parody of the classic sci-fi film.

If only Solo’s partner wasn’t Chewie the Cookie. But he is, and besides being very punny and funny, the muppets from Sesame Street deliver a lesson on self-control. As the wise Groda says to Solo, “There is no try, only sing.”

Not sure what that means? Watch the video:

Sesame Street Takes on Star Wars in a Delightful New Parody originally posted on
The Disney Blog - Disney News and Information -- by fans, for fans . If you're reading this on a different site, please click the above link to read the original story. Thank you.

[Instagram]

Totto Ramen quietly opened its first East Side location last week beneath its former East Side rival,Hide-Chan. But the move isn't a competitive one, since the two ramenya are owned by the same man, Bobby Munekata. According to a representative, the two shops will focus on on their respective specialties. That means porky tonkotsu broth upstairs at Hide-Chan, and downstairs at Totto, a rich chicken broth. Expect the menu at the new Totto to look similar to the one served at Totto's other locations, which includes dishes like spicy "nibo" ramen, with perfectly al dente noodles from Sun. The under the radar opening has kept lines at bay, but there's no guarantee that will last.
· All Coverage of Totto Ramen [~ENY~]
· All Coverage of Hide-Chan Ramen [~ENY~]

fionastaples:

Playing FF Tactics on my phone. Here’s a Ramza! (Sketchbook Pro 6)

best final fantasy

Japanese competitive modeling group Team Revolver is making waves with their latest completed diorama based on Attack on Titan. The the full scratch built piece includes multiple 1/35 scale figures taking on a pair of huge titan figures in a ruined section of town. As impressive as the figure sculpting is it's the mind boggling amount of detail that went into the houses that just blow me away. 

I could go on about how cool this diorama is, but you really have to see the photos for yourself. Check out the gallery below to see many of the images mirrored. The diorama has been on display at Volks Hobby Square Kyoto and will be soon touring other Japanese hobby sites. You can also check out team member @tadashi916 on Twitter for some in-progress shots of the modeling. 

[via Crunchyroll]

Read more...

-----Based on our Japanese blog-----

This is Meshi, here to serve up another heaping helping of figure previews.

In the Ninja Slayer novels, mild-mannered salary man Kenji Fujikido's family is killed in a ninja turf war and he becomes possessed by the spirit of the legendary ninja Naraku who aids his quest for revenge. The streets of Neo-Saitama will run red with the blood of his enemies!

Ninja Slayer - Vayne of Sokaiya Complete Figure [Aquamarine]

“Wasshoi!” Hope you like this trademark battle cry because you're going to be hearing it in your dreams once the anime adaptation by TRIGGER hits next year.

The Shachihoko gargoyle at his feet features a subdued color scheme that contrasts with the blood crimson of the avenging warrior standing above. How does Ninja Slayer stay balanced on his tip-toes as he jump kicks into space? Because he's a ninja, duh!

Moving any closer would put me in range of a fatal open palm strike! The things I do for you, dear reader. You can see the killer instincts of Naraku shining through the figure's crazy right eye. His armor and cape are made of blood, hence the sinuous organic form.

Each finger is exploding with pure danger. Watch out for the windup on his right hand--one punch all it takes! Feel the karate energy pulsing from head to toe.

Click on the image to get a nice look at the opposite side. The detailed folds sculpted into his outfit and gauntlets are the thing of madness. His equipment knows more battles than his foes know ways to die, but Ninja Slayer is all too happy happy to enlighten the foolish.

From behind we can feel the pathos of the character, a man seeking revenge for his family's murder. And with totally ripped muscles like that, I feel just as bad for whoever stands in his way. He's equipped for any situation--just check out his utility belt and the precision detail that went into the sculpt.

Swap the head to bring some of Kenji Fujikido's humanity back to Ninja Slayer. His gaze is focused, his will unflinching... it's a bad time to be a ninja, let me tell you.

It wouldn't be Gotham City without gargoyles, right? Well, it wouldn't be Neo Saitama without the metal Shakohoko statues! The rusted paint job and molded rivets make it feel like a solid piece of metal. Note the biomechanical bits of tech inside the mouth--wicked to the max!

Speaking of wicked, Ninja Slayer looks even sweeter bathed in shadow. We took his fight to the death from the dingy streets of Neo-Saitama to our studio with some clever lighting. Add some flickering neons for a retro-future cyberpunk feel!

This impressive sculpt stands 36cm tall, making it the perfect companion for your katana and throwing stars. Bring the forbidden secrets of deadly ninjutsu to your figure shelf--IF YOU DARE!
Ninja Slayer - Vayne of Sokaiya Complete Figure [Aquamarine]

(C)2012 Ninj＠ Entertainment
*Photos are of a prototype and the actual product may differ. 

Levi, Levi and More Levi

How did Captain Levi overcome his vertical handicap to become humanity's strongest soldier? Find out in the spin-off manga Attack on Titan: No Regrets and the upcoming OVA adaptations to be packaged with Volume 15 and 16 of the manga scheduled for December and next April.

Official homepage: http://shingeki.net/#!/page/comics_15

Manga for a Gentleman

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is the most stylish show on the air. (Sorry Space Dandy!) I mean, creator Hirohiko Araki's collaborated with Gucci and the Louvre, so there's no shame in not being as chic as Jotaro and his entourage. This new run of Ichiban Kuji prizes stays true to that patent brand of Lucky Land Communications class. You can keep the chibi figures and postcards, just give me the handkerchiefs to fold into the pocket of my suit.

Official homepage: http://1kuji.bpnavi.jp/item/858/

Marriage Market in a Downturn

Though standards are getting more lax it's still unusual in Japan for couples to live together before marriage... which is how you end up with situation comedies such as I Can't Understand What My Husband Is Saying. When a plain Jane office worker marries a hardcore otaku misunderstandings and hilarity ensue! See why Japan's birthrate is dropping when the anime premiers in October.

Official homepage: http://www.dreamcreation.co.jp/danna/

Dialogue to Die For

Lancer shows up to bully Shiro in the latest Fate/stay night TV teaser. "Sorry kid, you saw me which means you 'gotta die." Too cool! I don't know if I should pee my pants in fear or swoon in admiration.

Official homepage: http://www.fate-sn.com/

Super Natural School Kids

What if your chuni-byo powers were real... but you didn't have any evil organizations to fight? That's the stupendously mundane challenge facing the cast of Inou Battle Within Everyday Life, a light novel that's being adapted into an anime by studio Trigger. And if anyone can take the everyday and make it extraordinary, it's them! Get ready to slog through the daily lives of teens that can manipulate nature, stop time and bend space when the show starts in October.

Official homepage: http://inou-anime.com/

Because "Pig" is Too Hateful

Voice actress, proletariat freedom fighter and twin tailer for life Sumire Uesaka takes a break from battling evil to talk about how her hairstyle rules her lifestyle in the latest promo for the TV anime, Ore, Twintail ni Narimasu (I Will Become a Twintail). She plays the lead hero, a high school boy obsessed with pigtails--I mean, twin tails--who transforms into a super sentai girl to protect the world from giant monsters. See that I'm not making this up when the show starts this fall.

Official homepage: http://www.tbs.co.jp/anime/ore_twi/

Toss Your Other Timepieces

Never be late for volleyball practice again with these Haikyuu!!-themed wristwatches. Whether you team up with minty-fresh Aoba Josai High School or stay true to the orange and black of Karasuno High School, the results will be a smash. Head over to the Super Groupies homepage for product details.

Official homepage: http://www.super-groupies.com/feature/detail.php?id=78

'Gene Pixiv' site will feature spinoffs, new works by Comic Gene artists, Pixiv authors

Client: Please use the attached file as the logo in my website header.

The file was a crooked cellphone photo of a computer screen where the client had typed the name of their company in Comic Sans using the Vistaprint design-your-own-card function.

Hayao Miyazaki in Super Smash Bros ;-)

Unused image-boards for Fushigi no umi no Nadia movie by Tatsuyuki Tanaka (Cannabis Works).

Fushigi no umi no Nadia ending - Evangelion version ;-)

Sega of America announced today that it is changing its policy about comments on pictures it posts of real people. Going forward, anyone that posts derogatory and hateful comments or personal attacks on a photo of a real person posted by Sega will have their message deleted and their right to post future comments removed permanently. This new policy applies to the SEGA blog, SEGA forums, and the SEGA or Sonic the Hedgehog social media accounts.

read more

Last month, California became the first state to pass a bill banning the ubiquitous disposable plastic bag. If signed into law, the measure will prohibit grocery and retail stores from providing single-use plastic bags and require them to charge at least 10 cents for paper bags, compostable bags, and reusable plastic bags. The bill, introduced by Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Los Angeles), will also provide funding for California-based plastic bag companies to develop sturdier, reusable options.

Worldwide, consumers use an estimated 1 trillion plastic bags each year—nearly 2 million a minute—with the use time of a typical bag just 12 minutes. Californians alone throw away 14 billion a year, creating 123,000 tons of waste and untold amounts of litter.

There is evidence that bag bans and taxes can cut down on some of this waste: Ireland's 2002 tax cut bag usage between 75 and 90 percent. An analysis of bag use in Australia found that 72 percent of customers accepted single-use bags that were offered for free. When a nominal fee was charged, usage dropped to 27 percent (33 percent switched to reusable bags and 40 percent made do without).

In fact, Californians faced with municipal bag fees often opt to skip the bag altogether. In an analysis of three major California municipalities with bag bans, 39 percent of customers left the store without a bag (opposed to 17 percent pre-ban).*

Although customers avoiding bags is an obvious environmental win, the same study found that paper bag use increased from 3 to 16 percent. While disposable plastic bags' manufacture is relatively energy intensive—according to the Australian government, a car could drive 36 feet with the amount of petroleum used to make a single plastic bag—paper bags aren't any better. In fact, a paper bag (which will still be available for ten cents) must be used three times before its global warming impact is lower than continuing to use single-use plastic bags, according to a study by the UK Environment Agency.

What about the customers who switch to reusable bags? The California study found that, faced with bag bans, customers increased reusable bag use from 5 to 45 percent. It is unclear which varieties of reusable bags are the most popular, but one common type, the non-woven polypropylene bag (the kind you might buy in the Whole Foods checkout line), must be used 11 times before its global warming impact is less than disposable bags. A standard cotton tote requires 131 uses. Although the study does not factor in other benefits of reusable bags, such as reduced litter, it underscores the fact that reusable bags are only beneficial if they're actually used. Freebie branded totes gathering dust in closets are not worth the energy they took to produce.

Still, despite the higher production toll, the environmental think tank Earth Policy Institute (EPI), which has studied plastic bag bans, is "definitely in favor of reusable bags," Director of Research Janet Larsen tells Mother Jones. "Overall, we're advocating for a movement away from the disposable society and use-and-toss mentality."

One-third of Californians already live in municipalities with plastic bag bans, including those in San Francisco and Los Angeles. EPI tracks all known bag restrictions, 133 of which are in the United States:

No one is sure how long a plastic bag takes to decompose, but estimates range from 500 to 1,000 years. Even then, they never fully biodegrade; they just break down into ever-tinier plastic pellets. Each year, tens of thousands of whales, birds, seals, and turtles die after getting entangled with bags or mistaking them for food. In 2010, a gray whale that was beached and died in Seattle was found to have more than 20 plastic bags in its stomach.

Improperly recycled bags also cause problems for recycling centers like San Francisco's Recology. "When people put them in the recycling bin—and they should not do that—they wind up down at the recycling plant and they wrap around a lot of the recycling equipment," public relations manager Robert Reed tells Mother Jones. About twice a day, "you have to turn your equipment off and send mechanics in with box knives to cut them out."

Designated plastic bag recycling facilities exist, but the EPA estimates only 12 percent of bags make it there. CalRecycle puts the statewide number even lower at 3 percent. Even when bags are returned to the proper bin, they aren't truly recycled, but downcycled. "Because plastic bags have a variety of dyes and other additives, it's hard to know exactly what you're getting if you melt down a bunch of bags that consumers have used," explains Larsen. Instead, used bags "generally get turned into something else, such as park benches or flooring material."

Proposed plastic bag restrictions almost always meet opposition. In 2007, a Safeway lobbyist in Annapolis, Maryland, called a proposed bag tax "un-American." Padilla's last attempt, a similar bill introduced last year, was defeated by three votes. This time around, his bill includes a grant program to help bag factories transition from single-use to reusable bags. Even with this provision, many manufacturers like California-based Crown Poly oppose the bill, saying it will force industry layoffs.

The plastic bag industry's American Progressive Bag Alliance funded attack ads calling the bill a dirty deal between politicians and grocers, who will now be able to charge for bags:

In Hong Kong, a plastics industry-funded study claims that overall plastic bag use increased after the city implemented a bag tax, since consumers who had previously reused grocery bags began purchasing reusable bags and heavy garbage bags. Some Californians have complained that they already reuse plastic bags to clean up after pets and line wastebaskets, although it seems unlikely that the average family finds uses for the 1,500 bags brought home each year.

Another plastics-industry-backed study at the University of Arizona prompted fears after finding E. coli in 12 percent of tested reusable canvas grocery bags—though the lead author of the report told NPR that the bacteria found would not make the average healthy person sick. The report also found that more than 99.9 percent of bag bacteria can be killed by machine or hand washing, something only 3 percent of bag users actually do.

Marine researcher Charles J. Moore writes in a recent New York Times op-ed that plastic pollution in the ocean may be killing more animals than climate change. "Hundreds of species mistake plastics for their natural food," he writes, not only sickening wildlife but also "adding to the increasing amount of synthetic chemicals unknown before 1950 that we now carry in our bodies."

In a press release, Nathan Weaver of Environment California says the ban is an "important step forward" that "shows that we can achieve lasting victories for ocean and environmental health. Nothing we use for a few minutes should pollute our ocean for hundreds of years."

*This post has been updated to address the various alternatives to single-use bags.

Lusela Murandika just wants to be able to watch the evening news.

The 76-year-old farmer lives in Kanyala village in northern Tanzania, 60 miles from the nearest town that's connected to the electric grid. For years, he's powered a tiny TV set in the dim sitting room of his concrete house here with a diesel generator, spending roughly $10 each month on fuel—money that could otherwise buy more than 20 pounds of rice in a country where the per capita GDP is $695.

Earlier this year, on the advice of friends, he invested $400 in a small, 80-watt solar system. After charging all day under the East African sun, it can run his TV for two hours. The system was a pain in the neck to install, he says, and the battery is unreliable, but it's still an improvement over the generator. And here, as in most of rural Africa, there aren't many options.

"It's a joke to think we'll all be connected to the grid," he says with a rueful grin.

Continue Reading »

Wilma Jean

Dr. Mary T. Bassett, the commissioner of New York City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, shouldn’t blame Robert Newton if Brooklyn’s collective cholesterol count suddenly skyrockets. Nor should she find him at fault if that borough is seized by a gout epidemic. After all, at Newton’s recently shuttered Seersucker restaurant, the Le Cirque vet and Arkansas native tried to get New Yorkers to appreciate a more refined, less clichéd (and not-so-artery-clogging) version of southern cooking. In pursuit of that goal, he supplemented what he called his “cleaned-up southern” menu with rigorously sourced ingredients and not a few fruits and vegetables from his neighborhood Greenmarket. He also heroically attempted to wean the locals off their barbarian zeal for fried chicken by initially restricting it to Tuesday nights. Well, it didn’t work. In short, Newton wanted to channel the spirit of Edna Lewis, the grande dame of southern cuisine; his customers, he discovered, were hoping for a role model built more along the lines of Pies-N-Thighs co-founder Stephen Tanner, the bad boy of deep-fried dive-bar food.

Now, like a parent who pacifies a belligerent toddler with a Pop-Tart, Newton is giving his public what it wants. In July, he and partner Kerry Diamond shuffled two of their Smith Street properties, moving their Vietnamese restaurant Nightingale 9 to the old Seersucker space and turning Nightingale 9’s former home into a new restaurant called Wilma Jean. The super-casual spot, named for Newton’s grandmother and adorned with old-timey concert posters and a smattering of vintage family photos, specializes in fried chicken sold by the piece, by the dinner, on a bun, in a salad—even on a stick, the way they do at all the best gas stations down South. And with its craggy crust and high-decibel crunch, the bird’s as juicy and flavorful as any you’ll find in New York. The old Seersucker Robert Newton and Dr. Mary T. Bassett wouldn’t recommend it, but you’ll want to eat this chicken much more frequently than once a week. Ditto a perfectly proportioned, crisp-edged cheeseburger on a squishy sesame-seed bun, and any of the sides, especially smashed and fried Red Bliss potatoes, crisp-fried okra chips, a hunk of corn bread with salted molasses butter, and braised collards with country ham. (In fairness, the chef attempts to atone for his dietary sins by keeping portions small—and affordable—and ingredient quality high. That burger’s grass-fed, and the chicken a free-range clucker from New Jersey.)

Newton groupies will recognize a few migrations from his other menus, including the notched-and-fried bologna sandwich he served as a $6 snack at Seersucker on a Thomas’ English muffin with Dijon mustard. Here, it’s been Wilma-Jeaned, arriving on a Martin’s potato roll with a swipe of French’s and sold for a dollar less. Likewise, a new version of Nightingale 9’s excellent salad of thinly sliced raw collards turns up bathed in a celery-seed vinaigrette with roasted North Carolina peanuts. (Yes, you can get it with strips of fried chicken, but that’s going too far.) In keeping with the family-friendly vibe, there’s no hard liquor, but the terrific selection of local beers can be had in full- or half-size pours. (Hop-heads need to taste the Other Half Hop Showers IPA, brewed ten blocks away.)

To further distance Wilma Jean from any Seersucker-like association with fine dining, Newton serves everything in either paper boats or plastic mesh baskets on metal cafeteria trays, and the friendly service is accordingly built for speed. For dessert one recent evening, a tiny tin of warm peach cobbler served alongside a paper cup of Blue Marble vanilla ice cream was ordered, delivered, and devoured in about 90 seconds—a fitting tribute to the fleeting flavors of summer.

The Underground Gourmet has been in omusubi withdrawal ever since our main dealer, Oms/b, closed its midtown shop a few years back. So when we stumbled across Hanamizuki in the interstitial neighborhood between the Flower District and the Garment Center (call it the Penn Station Zone), we couldn’t believe our luck. Here, in a sleek, whitewashed space on a schlocky block, a mostly Asian clientele congregates for $9.50 rice-ball combo meals—a tasty, relatively healthful lunch of two omusubi, a bowl of miso soup, plus pickles and a rotating side.

To the uninitiated, omusubi (also called onigiri) are traditional Japanese finger food made from seasoned white rice molded into triangular and oval shapes, filled with everything from pickled plum to dressed seafood salads, and found in their homeland everywhere from convenience stores to school lunch boxes. Hanamizuki—launched in May by the owner of the laser-hair-removal salon whose premises, somewhat oddly, are accessed through the café—takes a fusion approach, studding its roster of eight white- or brown-rice balls with things like salty eel and pickled sansho pepper (in the unagi) and a porky wallop of salami, plus black olives and capers, in the Italian. The Hawaiian, with its slab of teriyaki Spam affixed to the chile-and-sun-dried-tomato-flecked rice with a band of nori, might seem out there, but it’s actually one of the 50th state’s signature snacks.

The miso soups strive for like-minded diversity, but the accoutrements (gummy tofu “gnocchi” that taste more like mochi, or wilted lettuce and lardons in the “BLT”) don’t detract all that much from the underlying fermented-soybean base. For dessert, Japanese chiffon roll cake and black-sesame crème brûlée are imported from Patisserie Tomoko in Williamsburg.

The café-salon’s hybrid setting and lofty, plant-filled space bring a breath of fresh air and a bargain lunch to a neighborhood filled with generic delis and indistinct Irish pubs. And should you happen to find yourself in need of a quick depilation as well as an omusubi combo, you’re in the right place.

---

Wilma Jean
345 Smith St., at Carroll St., Carroll Gardens 718-422-0444 wilmajean345.com
Hours: Tuesday through Sunday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Prices: $2 to $14.
Ideal Meal: Collards salad, fried-chicken dinner or cheeseburger with okra chips.
Note: Take your chicken to go and have a picnic in the adjacent herb garden.
Scratchpad: Two stars for the crowd-pleasing food, one more for the small-town-luncheonette vibe.

Hanamizuki
143 W. 29th St., nr. Seventh Ave. 212-695-5533 hanamizukiny.com
Hours: Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Prices: $2.50 to $6.50 à la carte; $9.50 for the combo plate.
Ideal Meal: Omusubi plate with Hawaiian and sweet potato rice balls and the “tofu & tofu” miso soup.
Note: To drink, there’s a selection of hot and cold teas and La Colombe coffee.
Scratchpad: One star for the rice-ball focus, another for the serene, stylish setting.

*This article appears in the September 22, 2014 issue of New York Magazine.

Read more posts by Robin Raisfeld and Rob Patronite

Filed Under: underground gourmet review, hanamizuki, kerry diamond, restaurant review, robert newton, wilma jean

We'll take four.

Shake Shack is doing its hippest product rollout of all time today, the Staple Concrete, which is a partially edible collaboration with Doughnut Plant and Staple Design. The edible part is the Shack's classic vanilla custard plus raspberry jam and chunks of black-sesame-glazed cake doughnut and is available at eight locations around town through September 21. And if you really want to go all-in, feel free to add on limited-edition T-shirts by Staple Design founder Jeff Ng, "a diehard Doughnut Plant fan," or sunglasses incorporating a third designer, Knockaround. A look at the crucial secret ingredient, straight ahead.

The wearable portion of the collaboration is right here.

[Official site]

Read more posts by Clint Rainey

Filed Under: tie-ins, concrete, doughnut plant, shake shack, staple pigeon

“If the internet is so great, why isn’t everyone using it? I thought it was just for email?”

- Client in a meeting to discuss a new website

Hey guys,

I’ll be at Small Press Expo this weekend in Bethesda, tabling with Kali, Andrea, and Jimmy, at tables W80-W81. My tablemates will all have great stuff to check out, so come see all of us!

As far as my stuff, I’ll have a few new things:

-The Hanging Tower, a 28-page Western set in a ruined fantasy world. I’ve been posting some development stuff from it over the past few weeks. The main character is an old knight who is navigating her way on a search for a lost girl. It’s got horses, rubble, bells, old timey language, vultures and I’m sure there’s some other stuff in there, too. In a lot of ways, it’s a story about place and purpose. I hope you like it.

-Pins! I have these two pins, either in gold or silver and enamel black. They’re about one-inch wide and they sparkle up real nice.

-New prints! I’ll have Gatherers, Polypheme and Odyssea, and Critical Education in 12x18” super nice archival editions.

Older stuff! I’ll have some old classic prints, a few copies of Treasure Chest, and Fantasy Basketball, and some freebie postcards! Fantasy Basketball, I should add, is up for an Ignatz Award for Outstanding Artist. If you come to the show, I hope you like it enough to vote for it. 

If you can’t make it to SPX, fear not! This stuff will be available online sometime next week.

Uptown Manhattan is loaded with old-fashioned Dominican luncheonettes — you know, the kind with the twirling stools along a formica counter, and a glass-in rotisserie in the front window in which whole chickens flip and twirl to complete brownness. Mofongo del Valle is such an establishment, located on a rather obscure stretch of Broadway just south of City College in an area known as Manhattanville.

[Sancocho]

Rubbed with oregano and lemon, the whole chickens are a bargain at $9, served with plantain and salad. True to its Dominican roots, there are an astonishing 20 varieties of mofongo alone: a mountain of mashed plantains run through with chicharrones and awash in gravy, served with oxtails or skirt steak or, for high rollers, lobster. Real bargain hunters will seek out the soups such as sancocho (shown), a porky potage loaded with veggies and thickened with Calabaza squash – priced at $4 or $6 depending on bowl size. Served with a length of buttered baguette, there's nothing more rib-sticking north of 110th Street.

[Cuban sandwich]
Other soup choices include cow foot, hen, and beef, the first one gluey as hell. The bravest will choose mondongo, a soup based on honeycomb tripe (cow stomach), and quite good in a rubbery sort of way. At lunch, there's a nifty lunch special for $7 that includes a choice of entrees served with rice, beans, and salad. But avoid the main course known as "spaghetti" — you've never had such un-al dente pasta in your life. Instead, go for the epic Cuban sandwich (shown), featuring a slice of ham, thicker slice of garlic-rubbed pork roast, and oozing mass of white cheese. At $5, it's one of the best deals on this stretch of Broadway. 3340 Broadway, 212-281-8360.

Rotis are Trinidadian wraps, traceable to the Indian sugar cane workers of a century ago, who needed a portable lunch that could be carried into the fields. Based on a flatbread called dal poori filled with yellow split peas between its flaky layers, these wraps have a curried filling, most often goat, chicken, or conch, plus a second filling of potatoes and chick peas folded up to look like a sprawled-out burrito. This classic configuration is available at Rama's Roti Shop in Flatbush. But why not try the more urbanized form, known as a "bust-up shot" ("worn-out shirt")? A different flatbread is used in a wadded-up form for scooping and dipping in the rich curry. As is conventional in Port of Spain, Trinidad's capital, you can also have a third filling added, in this case bright-orange pumpkin. Spoon on the scotch bonnet hot sauce! 2831 Church Ave, Brooklyn, 718-287-7262.

[Dosa]

In spite of Tibetan and Nepalese incursions, Jackson Heights still has plenty of Indian and Pakistani restaurants, most specializing in the meaty cooking of the Punjab, a region that cuts across national borders. Finding the vegetarian cuisine of South India has been more of a problem, and for a decade there's been only a single place to scarf dosas and diddle with iddlies. But now a newish spot called Samudra ("Ocean" in Sanskrit) has opened on 37th Avenue, peddling multiple versions of dosas (stuffed and rolled pancakes), iddlies (fleecy steamed dumplings), uthamppans (chile-studded pancakes), and vadas (deep-fried donuts). Shown is the extravagant butter masala dosa ($6.50), which comes with two chutneys and a sambar, but also available is northern Indian vegetarian fare on a totally meatless menu. Mumbai-style chaats are also featured. You won't miss the flesh! 7518 37th Ave, Jackson Heights, Queens, 718-255-1757.

· All Posts by Sietsema [~ENY~]
· All Cheap Restaurant Recommendations [~ENY~]

Duck-filled dumplings from Dumpling Galaxy

Dumplings are one of those foods, like, pizza and burgers, that even when they're bad, they're still pretty good. But when they're good — made with care and high-quality ingredients — they are truly special. And people who have visited Helen You's Tianjin Dumpling, the eight-year-old Golden Shopping Mall stall in Flushing, know that she specializes in filling combinations found nowhere else. Now she's debuted the full-service Dumpling Galaxy at the much roomier Arcadia Mall, offering upwards of 100 different varieties of dumplings.

What's the reason for the expansive menu? "I started from there and couldn't stop," You tells Grub, explaining that unlike other standard-bearer pork and chive places around the city, she fills all her dumplings to order — that's almost unheard of, anywhere. Furthermore, she now plans to overhaul the menu every other year, which means Dumpling Galaxy's selection will only grow as expansively, like its name indicates, with age. But before that happens, here's a very necessary primer: a look at 33 of the most unusual, tastiest, and most unexpectedly sweet renditions on the menu.

Duck and Mushrooms

Unless they’re explicitly identified otherwise, you can bet you’ll be getting shiitake whenever you order a mushroom dumpling here. You prefers them for their beefy flavor. This one is a must-try.

Dried Octopus

Sure, dried octopus is popular throughout China, from north to south, but is typically used in soups. You loves its strong flavor, which needs little seasoning, and wanted to create a dumpling that would appeal to those who share her passion.

Hawthorn and Wood Ear Mushroom

Americans probably don’t think dessert when they hear mushroom. But in China, hawthorn, tart red fruit, and white wood ear mushroom are used to make a popular dessert soup. At Dumpling Galaxy, the cooks deploy a heavier hand with the anise.

Pork and Bitter Melon

“Certain people, if they don’t eat bitter melon they won’t eat this dumpling at all,” You admitted. “But if they like bitter melon, they eat it like crazy. They eat it for their health, but after eating it, everything tastes sweeter, fresher, and better.”

Strawberry Tang

It's a style of dumpling called tangyuan. Tang means soup, approximately, which is why the glutinous rice balls are cooked in and served in the soup. Only mildly sweet, this strawberry dumpling is made with a sticky rice wrapper and served in a rice-vinegar based broth.

Squid

Before cooking, the squid is soaked in Shaoxing cooking wine to temper its fishiness and tenderize the meat.

Traditional Steamed Seafood

The traditional seafood actually pairs pork and chives with shrimp, a very popular combination in China.

Pork and Chives

Everyone's favorite flavor.

Pork and Bamboo Shoot

The bamboo shoots add a mild, fibrous, and slightly crunchy touch to the traditional pork filling.

Fish with Pickled Vegetables

A standout. For this dumpling inspired by the fiery suān cài yú, You toned down the spice to train the focus squarely on the fish and pickled cabbage.

Eight Treasures

A traditional dessert of dried fruit and sticky rice, You’s eight treasures dumpling sports Chinese dates, peanuts, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, cashews, and other nuts.

Egg with Dill

Despite dill’s popularity in Tianjin, you won’t find stalls hawking this combination as a breakfast special.

Beef With Tomato

As a kid in Tianjin, You savored countless bowls of beef and tomato stew. The two ingredients, she feels, always go well together. She created this dumpling to pay homage to her childhood and grandmother, whose cooking she was raised on.

Lamb and String Bean

The string beans are sautéed with a pinch of garlic before being mixed with the lamb.

Beef with Carrots

Carrots are shredded and mixed with the beef, lending deft notes of sweetness and an appealing orange hue.

Tofu with Crab Roe

For this dumpling, You uses a small amount of crab roe to accent the fresh, subtle, and “greaseless” tofu.

Mushroom with Eggplant

Shitake mushrooms are mixed with Chinese eggplant, which is seasoned lightly with salt, pepper, and garlic and then steamed.

Pork With Preserved Egg, Pan-fried

These aren’t the guo tie you grew up eating at your neighborhood $1 dumpling store. Instead, they are made in the rarely seen style of Tianjin, cooked together so that a caramelized, very thin crepe forms.

Egg and Cucumber

The delicious diversity of You’s meatless dumplings was inspired by her desire to give vegetarians options beyond the basic chopped cabbage fillings.

Premium Seafood

Two types of seafood highly prized in China, fish and scallop, are combined for this dumpling.

Lamb and Green Pepper

Chopped green bell pepper is paired with gamey lamb for crunchy texture and mild flavor.

Pork with Corn

Yes, Dumpling Galaxy is in the business of introducing westerners to the art of Chinese dumplings, but You doesn’t limit herself to traditional ingredients. Her years in the Northeast, where autumn corn is a religion, and deep “love for all vegetables” inspired this one.

Cod with Fish Roe

You uses fish roe in this dumpling not just for its texture and salty flavor, which complements the mild cod well, but because “it looks beautiful.”

Pork and Dill

Turns out the licorice-flavored herb is popular in Tianjin.

Preserved Egg and Pine Nut

“This is one of my creations,” You says. “One day, I was cooking with preserved egg and thought, why don’t I mix them together? So I added pine nuts and cashew. It’s a little crunchy.” Don't miss this one.

Shrimp and Yam

Chinese yam is a white tuber that's sometimes rare to find here, because it is difficult to cultivate.

Hawthorn and Nuts

This one pairs peanuts and sesame — both popular in Chinese sweets — with the crabapple-like fruit, a distant cousin of Mexico’s tejocote.

Lamb and Squash

Lamb and squash are a popular combination in her native Tianjin, You tells us. She uses a type of green squash popular in China.

Lamb and Celery

You finds the flavor of Chinese too strong, so she uses a combination of Chinese and Western celery for this dumpling.

Fish and Lotus Root

You is devoted to lotus root for its “special crunchy texture,” which she felt would make a great complement to tender fish.

Assorted Vegetable

A bonanza of vegetables are tightly packed into this dumpling, including bamboo shoots, bok choy, cabbage, celery, corn, mushrooms, carrots, and spinach.

Hot and Spicy Beef

Another essential pick. For this, You seasons the beef with homemade chile oil and a little bit of cumin. While cumin is quite popular in Tianjin, as it is in much of northern China, the dumpling is actually most in demand among her Indian friends and customers.

The Dumpling Galaxy storefront.

Dumpling Galaxy, 42-35 Main St., nr. Franklin Ave., Flushing; 718-461-0808

Related: A Guide to All the Wings at Seoul Chicken, NYC’s Newest Korean-Fried-Chicken Destination

Read more posts by Chris Crowley

Filed Under: one of everything, dumpling galaxy, dumplings, flushing

Just remember, it's cash-only and only one burger per-person.

There are lots and lots of people outside the "stately farm-to-table Italian restaurant" Osteria dei Ganzi this morning in Toronto, where the venerated California-based In-N-Out Burger has set up shop temporarily to sell three kinds of burgers at $4 to $6 a pop. The city's mad blitz of double-doubles lasts from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m., or until inventory runs out, of course, and, well, the odds are clearly stacked against most of these folks: Some 600 people showed up for a chance to get 300 burgers in Singapore at a similar giveaway in 2012, and everywhere else In-N-Out takes this stunt pretty much descends into a mob scene straight ahead. Just remember, it's cash only, and only one burger per person.

Here's an early look at pop-up, where In-N-Out-curious and burger fanatics reportedly turned up as early as 6:30 a.m., and where 200 people are currently lined up.

In-N-Out in Toronto? #SayWhat pic.twitter.com/KanYbytsfK

— sasha ortega (@shaortega) September 10, 2014

Waiting in line for In-N-Out! pic.twitter.com/8gGvV0MRFX

— BTS (@jaebum4eva) September 11, 2014

I was going to stroll by around 1 for In-N-Out, look at my city right now. pic.twitter.com/wA9aYyemlI

— Dynamics • £ (@theDYNAMICS) September 11, 2014

Lineup has formed outside In-N-Out Burger pop-up at Jarvis and Wellesley. Opens at 11 a.m. pic.twitter.com/Ef1uJENRDR

— Jacques Gallant (@JacquesGallant) September 11, 2014

I'm ready, bring it. #inandoutburger #inandout #LivingToronto #burgerdreams# #bestburger #Toronto pic.twitter.com/4hQJO1jLrt

— Estelle Blahut (@SellwithEstelle) September 11, 2014

The coveted In-N-Out wristband. Pay with cash only. One burger per person. Sorry newsroom, I can't bring any back. pic.twitter.com/aCgRkJfAkW

— Jacques Gallant (@JacquesGallant) September 11, 2014

More than an hour before it opens & here's the line up 4 @innoutburger @ @GanziToronto. Thx @anthonymahler 4 the pic! pic.twitter.com/KXAEAgP9MS

— Hillary MacDonald (@Heedery) September 11, 2014

All this work for @innoutburger pic.twitter.com/5FqTI0AtQJ

— tufon (@tufonus) September 11, 2014

Wow..." @Indie88Toronto 100-125 people in line for In-N-Out burger pic.twitter.com/8Un9R3VDYK"

— Posh (@bposchmann) September 11, 2014

The front of the ever-growing line at In-N-Out. Ed Yi on the right has been here since 6:30 a.m., the rest since 8. pic.twitter.com/KiIindEFz1

— Jacques Gallant (@JacquesGallant) September 11, 2014

And ... just like that, the burgers are all apparently spoken-for.

In-n-out burger lineup massive. Burgers sold out. #foodTo pic.twitter.com/AxlgtdUfEl

— Peter Kim (@PeterKimGlobal) September 11, 2014

"This thing is all over the news here," Grub's Toronto correspondent says. "It's like the biggest happening in the city for some reason."

Does this mean In-N-Out is finally coming to the East Coast, something it has repeatedly said it will never, ever do? Don't count on it. "We do not have any immediate plans to open a permanent restaurant there but this special event will help us make future decisions," the chain has said in the past, regarding the pop-ups.

[blogTO]

Read more posts by Hugh Merwin

Filed Under: animal style, burgers, in-n-out burger, pop-ups, toronto

This is what it's come to: Since Starbucks debuted the unbelievably popular coffee drink back in 2003, every fall season brings yet more products trying to capitalize on the PSL's success. This year is no exception. Here now, your guide to all sorts of pumpkin-spiced things currently on the market. Despite its breadth, it's almost certainly incomplete, owing to the fact that it's impossible to keep up with all the new pumpkin-flavored stuff that seems to come out on a near-daily basis. Food-makers of America, it's time to come up with something new.

Starbucks Lattes

Knockoff Lattes

Coffee Creamers

Kahlua

Vodka

At Least 677 Different Kinds of Beer

Almost Every Product Sold at Dunkin' Donuts

Frozen Waffles

Instant Oatmeal

Toaster Pastries

Soda

Seltzer

Peanut Butter

Margarine

Coconut Milk

Almonds

Gum

M&Ms

Marshmallows

Oreos

Milanos

Hershey's Kisses

Ghirardelli Caramels

Chai Tea

Many Different Ice Creams

Australian Yogurt

Greek Yogurt

Diet Yogurt

Fettuccini

Cookie Mix

Cake Mix

Thomas' English Muffins

Bagels

Pudding

Energy Bars

Pie (Apparently this last one has been around for a while.)

Read more posts by Vicky Gan

Filed Under: grub guides, pumpkin spice, pumpkin spice latte, starbucks

1st volumes to ship in April, May of next year

Somes pages of “Deadwood Designs” dojin self-published in 2010 by japanese director/animator Yoh Yoshinari (Little Witch Academia).

Wee Nikola Tesla

Wee Henry VIII

Why has Nintendo not done this yet? They own both franchises and just think about how much money they could make from this kind of DLC alone, for Animal Crossing. Insane...



See more: Pokémon Crossing

Twin brothers Asaf and Tomer Hanuka have been making vividly arresting comics for quite a while. Together they produced the award-nominated Bipolar. Separately, Tomer is known his covers for Vertigo and illustration for The New Yorker, the NY Times and many other places. Asaf illustrated Pizzeria Kamikaze, written by Etger Keret (and the basis of the film Wristcutters) and the ongoing webcomic The Realist.

And they have a new graphic novel coming out from First Second next July: The Divine, written by Israeli writer/filmmaker Boaz Lavie (“The Lake”). It’s a story dragged from today’s headlines. Former military man Mike is leading a boring civilian existence when his army buddy Jason invites him to take on what seems like easy money: a covert but lucrative contract  job in an obscure South-Asian country called Quanlom, which is being torn apart by civil war.

What seems like a simple job turns into a nightmare, as Quanlom’s civil war turns out to be led by 1o-year-old twins with seemingly supernatural powers. Throw in an army of godlike soldiers and a dragon and you have one weird war tale. According to the blurb, it’s ” a fast-paced, brutal, and breathlessly beautiful portrait of a world where ancient powers vie with modern warfare and nobody escapes unscathed.”

I’m a long time fan of the Hanukas striking imagery and morbid imaginations. This sound like a perfect outlet for their vision.

Earlier this week the Alamogordo City Council (Alamogordo, New Mexico) voted 7-0 to sell the 800 Atari games excavated as part of the Xbox Entertainment Studios documentary on Atari's video game graveyard earlier this year.

The City Council plans to auction off at least half of the 800 Atari games on eBay and on the council's web site. The games are currently under the watch of the Tularosa Basin Historical Society and being stored at the New Mexico Museum of Space History in Alamogordo.

read more