"NYC dining" news and stories

Steakhouses, as a rule, all used to market themselves the same way. The place was presented as a sanctum sanctorum, an all-male preserve where men could drink whiskey, eat charred beef, and revel in their temporary liberation from the tyranny of women.

But times have changed; and the New York steakhouse has changed with them, giving yesteryear's cultural baggage the heave-ho. A few classic exemplars of the old school persist, and are rightly celebrated as temples of meat-worship; but now they compete with a new generation of steakhouses, all of whom bring a new, metrosexual take to the most primal of all restaurant concepts.

Typical of this breed is Quality Meats, a tarted-up meatery from the corporate group that brought you 78 different Smith and Wollensky restaurants, not to mention Cite, Maloney and Porcelli, and the Post House.

Motivated by the new rotisserie and fried chicken takeout spot from Alison Vines-Rushing and Slade Rushing (formerly of Jack's Luxury Oyster Bar) called Dirty Bird To Go, the Village Voice did a blind taste test to see if Dirty Bird's claims of "an exciting alternative to conventional fast food to satisfy families and foodies alike" were accurate. Dirty Bird went up against the real dirty birds, KFC and Popeye's.

Dirty Bird won for surviving travel, maintaining its crunch, and having the moistest, best tasting meat. However, taste-testers were disappointed with seasonings.

KFC was found to be the greasiest and least crispy of the three. Popeye's was reported as "trashy, delicious chicken. The flesh is shiny with fat, the fried shell puffy and golden brown." One of the taste-testers hypothesized that perhaps there was some sort of addictive chemical added to the chicken.

Who cares about the chicken? I could eat a dozen of Popeye's buttermilk biscuits, which I am quite certain they deep fry right alongside their chicken.

Mark Bittman debunks the myth that rice should never stick to the bottom of the pot and gives us a few recipes for stuck-pot rice with yogurt, lentils, or potatoes. Hey, I've been eating the stuff for years. In Korea (as Bittman has also explained), it's called noo-roong-jee and tastes great after dolsot (stone pot) bibimbahp.

Sarah Gilbert has already pointed to the Times' taste test of "alternative" breakfast cereals. The article seems to lean toward the opinion that they don't taste good at all and may not last against the big brands, but Sarah and her family enjoy them.

Frank Bruni first whines a little about stealth charges in NY's restaurants, wagging his finger mostly in the direction of Gilt, where the average price of red wine is $246 for a glass. Then he shuttles off to Brooklyn to give two stars (**) to Italian gem, Al di La.

We go for dip in the sea with some suggestions for sardines, oysters, and the best thing to drink with oysters other than their own liqueur, muscadet.