What luck within 24 hours after picking up my brand new 2013 Dodge Dart, it starts to snow.  Fortunately this first snow of the season is just an quarter of an inch after getting off work.  This review is about 250 miles on the car.  I had about 140 miles when I picked up the car and added the 100 on my own today.

The Rallye is currently equipped with 17 inch rims with stock Continental ContiProContact Grand Touring All-Season tires.  With the combination of Traction Control and front wheel drive, the car smash the level 1 test.  Getting past the light layer of ice and snow on the hill near my home was no challenge.

Coming from a 2003 Mini Cooper S, it takes some getting use to.  The first thing I had to adjust to is the clutch.  The clutch on the Mini is much heavier but has much more engine feedback.  The Dart’s clutch is extremely light as most modern cars are but it is a very muted connection to the car.  On the Mini I was able to feel that the car need a little more gas or the car whispering in my ear shift please.  Adjustment is hard, maybe I can hear the voice of the Dart.  I usually catch the name of the car to get to know him/her, gotta wait a bit for the car to tell me his/her name.  Maybe the Dart will open up and introduce him/herself by next week.

Rating: 5 paws out of 5
Note: 9am-3pm, food is included in the price of the tour
Location: Istanbul Turkey
Link to tour: http://istanbuleats.com/walks-2/

Oh this ferret has traveled across the pond again.  How did we end up in Istanbul, Turkey, well it a long possibly a boring story, but this story of our food tour is not.  Turkey is know for meat on a stick but there is much more to that here.  There is plenty of culture, history and interesting food here.  To find this hidden treasure, you have dig deep and discover everything, sometimes a bit of help from the locals go a long way.

Link to all of the photos Link

First stop was to get some freshly baked simits.  These things are amazing, simits are a cross between a pretzel and a sesame bagel that has been toasted. If you have been lucky and picked a fresh one, they are a mouthful of wonderful flavor.

The second stop was to sample some of the local olives for breakfast and pick up some cheeses.  Being in New York, we do have a large selection of olives but the selection in Istanbul shops are much more diverse.  My personal favorite is the big fat light green ones, they have a nice lemony taste.

The dairy products in Turkey are top notch, and because of that, they produce high quality cheeses.  This white cheese kinda reminds me a bit of cream cheese with a slightly harder texture.  It went perfectly with my simit and olives later on.

This was a very interesting cheese, it taste very similar to string cheese but a little saltier.  No need to worry about the heat spoiling the cheese, it was quite cold this morning.

At our breakfast location we discussed many issues within Turkey and how daily life is like.  We ended up in the lower level of building with a stall that makes tea and coffee.  Since this was breakfast / kahvalti (Turkish word for breakfast, it actually means before coffee), I had tea with the selection of olives, cheese, and breads.  After discovering one, we noticed that these stalls are all over Istanbul.  FYI that tray goes upstairs with tea and coffee to the many offices.

This is the view when we looked up, where all that coffee and tea went.

With our bellies full from tea and breakfast, we headed to a local Baklava shop.  Sure why not right?

The smell of fresh baklava quickly revved up my appetite for sweets.

It was here where I first heard of chocolate Baklava.  I never even heard of it, all I can say is that  it was good.  With that we had tried various other baklava variations which were excellent and chatted briefly with the shop guys.

After that massive sugar rush sampling, we needed to have something to break that up that sweetness.  Kokorec sounded like something different from baklava.  OK, be prepared for what this is, small intestines wrapped around sweet breads in a sandwich.  Yummy, I like this type of stuff and it doesn’t scare me.  I am no Andrew Zimmerman but I am probably braver than the average American.

Finished product of Kokorec, in a nice wonderful toasty bread.  They had chopped up the slices and mixed it with hot pepper flakes on the grill.  The meat was chewy and had a strong fatty meat flavor.  It’s something you should try at least one time.  The texture might be not appealing to some, but for me it was great.

One of the most common soups in Turkey is lentil soup.  Many restaurants and truck stops offer this soup or at least a variation of it.  The other famous soup that Angelis suggested was the tripe soup.  We didn’t get any of that soup, it probably because we were drunk enough.  But all kidding aside, this soup is very tasty.

At this point, things are getting a bit tough but all the marvelous food we have eaten, how can I really stop sampling.  Next stop was small pide (Pronounced “P Day”) restaurant / shop.   Before we got here I could smell what might be happening, the fresh aroma of bread, meat and cheese tickled my nose.  The chef was very friendly and made up a nice fresh pide to demonstrate his skills.

The pide we got was half meat / cheese and the other half vegetables mix / cheese. Pide is very similar to artisan pizza but it does not contain any tomato sauce.   The pide was so good out of the oven, fresh and crispy.  We noticed later, many other places will make these things fresh.  It is not like New York, where many of our pizzas shops will heated up a slice.  This was the place where I noticed that tomatoes in this country are amazing, and they are not even in season.  I can just imagine how sweet they get by that time.

We couldn’t finish the last two pieces, and the chef didn’t want our left overs to go to waste, so he gobbled it up.  It made for an interesting photo.  If this guys makes pide day in and out and still loves eating it, it gotta be good.

By this time, I was on to Angelis plan on switching from savory to sweet, and back.  We ended up in one of the older Turkish delight shops in Istanbul,  4 generations old.  I never really liked Turkish Delight until I had them in Turkey, these are not like the ones from the states.  They are also not like the ones shrink wrap and sold at the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul.  The texture and flavors were near perfect, it reminds me of a middle eastern fruity or/and nutty mochi.  Oh by the way, candy that I hate are the rose flavor ones, the rose flavor here I liked.  Normally when I have candy that is rose flavored, it is like somebody sprayed channel #5 in my mouth and I start gagging. Even though I like the rose flavor,  I much preferred the double pistachio.

We are standing in front of the shop’s wonderful hard candy.  I had a couple of those and lets just say there is a large bag of this stuff hidden somewhere in my apartment building.

After that we had a tea break in an abandoned caravansary.  These structures are still standing from the silk route days.

Doner time, you can probably tell from this picture that this is no ordinary doner.  First it is whole pieces of solid unprocessed meat, 2nd there are layers of tomato and other vegetables.  This is a truly unique place.

This is a magical sandwich, the meat was excellent within a fresh piece of bread.  The vegetables were very tender and infused with the meat juices.  Highly recommend for fine purveyors of meat.

The next place is a Boza shop.  This thick beverage is made from fermented grains like millet.  The best description of what this stuff taste like, it would be apple sauce.  Angelis came with his own supply of roasted chickpeas on the top.  Normally they do not have this here.

Our last stop was to a local restaurant near the aqueducts.  This place makes a special dish which is lamb cooked in an underground oven.  You can see the proud owner preparing the dish.

My first taste of sumac was at this restaurant, it has a sour lemony taste.  After having this on various meats, I was hooked and wanted it on all meats.

Let have a closer look at that lamb.  Due to the cooking process, the meat is very tender and juicy.  A little sprinkle of the spice and this meat is ready to go.  Without the spices, the meat taste like pure lamb.

Another interesting desert which I forgot the name of called künefe.  This one is sweetened with syrupy all the way through and sprinkled with finely chopped pistachios, but on the inside has a delightful surprise.  The center is filled with cheese and it was quite good.

The question here is why was this tour worth doing?  A book can never really replace a local resident that lives in the area.  In a small group, he/she will be able to tell you about the customs and mannerisms that will show respect to the people of Turkey.  The knowledge and interaction that I gain from this tour made the remainder of my 10 days much easier.

I have included the Link to all of the photos of the tour.  If I had included all the photos, this blog would be a small novel.   Link

Rating: 4 paws out of 5
Spent:.  $30 per person
Chain: No.
Date Friendly: Yes for the vegetarian ones.
Note: Cash Only for tip.  Vegetarian and Carnivore Neutral Grounds.
3118 Broadway
Astoria, NY 11106
(718) 777-2829
www.mundoastoria.com

Astoria, what an interesting location, so close to the city with easy access from the N train, there is a small concentration of restaurants that sprung up offering interesting dishes.  Mundo is one of those interesting places that offer a neutral zone for meat eaters, vegetarians and some vegans.   Normally these places can come off way to eccentric, which in other words bad.  Hopefully, this ferret doesn’t get a mouthful of sod!

Warm Semolina Helva is a very interesting dish.  There are many contrast in temperature, texture and sweetness.  The ice cream vs the shell, the crunchy vs smooth vs bread, the sweet vs the not so sweet.  This desert is bound to have something that is appealing to everybody.

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Rating: 3 paws out of 5
Spent:.  $30 per person
Chain: No.
Date Friendly: Yes.
Note: Uses real charcoal vs gas.
41-17 Union Street
Queens, NY 11355
(718) 461-0363

Ah grilled meat, a obsession for this ferret.  There is so many places to try and so little time to try them all.  This BBQ places uses charcoal which is believed to bring out the best flavors in the meat and the sugars.  Hopefully, this guy won’t get burnt.

Interior of the restaurant is nicely decorated.  There are some nice accents throughout the place that makes it more interesting than usual.

Menu is small for a Korean restaurant, but they generally carry the standard fare you would expect from a Korean restaurant.

Standard starters from a Korean restaurant, Seaweed, kim chi, soy beans, bean sprout, which was all very tasty.

Scaillon and onion salad that normally go with BBQ meats was fresh and oniony.  The lettuce wrap pieces were very fresh plentiful.  The service was good, the lettuce, bean paste, and scallion salad were refilled often.

Raw Meat Pork and Beef Bulgogi.  The meat that they serve here is diamond cut.  There is a crisscross pattern of half cuts into the meat.  I believe it is to tenderizing it.

Due to the cuts in the meat, the pork and beef were very tender.  The meat was also very juicy from the marinate.  The sweet and savoriness from the meat tasted really well.  Also this place uses real charcoal, there is a more distinct smokey grill flavor in the meat.

Useful tips: The charcoal is really hot and you can sometimes feel it under the table.  The exhaust of the grill underneath is not heavily shielded.  Basically wear pants or you might feel a bit roasted.

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Rating: 4 paws out of 5
Spent:.  $15 per person
Chain: No.
Date Friendly: No.
Note: Limited Seating
40-21 Bell Blvd
Bayside, NY 11361
(718) 224-7753
http://www.3brosbbq.com/

This little shop might be a bit hard to miss on Bell  Blvd.  I can’t blame you at night, with the bars at full swing trying to attract all the real life Ke$hias, can be distracting time to time.  But nothing gets past this nose, once you hit the corner , you can get a whiff of some smokey goodness.  This Ferret probably gonna eat well tonight.

Interior is nicely decorated with memories of BBQ.

Menu Boards are up over the counter displaying the many items.  Ready to eat and ready to cook food items are displayed proudly.

The fridge case displays all the made food that can be reheated or server cold.

BBQ Brawler, which includes Brisket, Pork, Chicken, Bacon, Onion Rings, Cheese, and Cole Slaw.  A very large sandwich also I might add.  It something that you might want to share with other people.

BBQ Brawler is a sandwich that basically from the description, has everything including the kitchen sink.  The sandwich overall is very good and I would order again.  Also note again, you should be very hungry or looking to share this sandwich.  Common problem with this type of  sandwich is,  some of the flavors may get lost, I not sure if anything got lost, there is so much of it all.

Side View of the BBQ Brawler.

Chicken and pulled pork, both tender and smoky no surprise there.  Overall very bbq meats with the jambalaya
rice that has a nice little tomato kick to it.

Ribs have a nice thick smoky flavor.  The meat is not fall off the bones, but they are tender and  juicy.  The ribs do have a bite to them, from time to time, that something I enjoy.  Sometimes I don’t want my meat to feel like a jello mush.  The side corn has a nice sweet buttery flavor to them, also.

Rabbid Dogs, two all beef dogs, mustard, onions, bacon, kraut, and a sliced pickle.  Another monster creation made with love.  Sometimes you want a little this or that with your dog, but it won’t fit.  In this case, you have two dogs deep fried, cut in half and arranged out lengthwise.  Now there is is plenty of room for the other toppings that go well with the hotdog.

Famous Steak Sandwich Skirt Steak, Mozzarella, and Garlic Bread is the specialty of the sandwich here.  The meat is thick and tender and has been well cooked.  The flavors of the meat are of a symphony of beautiful beefy smokiness, cheese and garlicky goodness.   It a fav of mine here.

Hot Dog with mustard and Kraut.  This all beef hot dog has a nice snap, topped with the grain mustard and kraut, gives this dog all the favor it needs.  Remember, these are plain butcher dogs, you will generally need toppings to them.  These type of hot dogs are milder in spices compared to kosher dogs like Hebrew National.

Corn Bread here is surprisingly very good.  I used to think you had to go down south to get some good corn bread.  This bread’s is not overly grainy, mushy, or sweet.  It had the right balance of everything.  Cream of spinach is well made here, not overly creamy as many places might do.

Fries here were a disappointment.  They come out greasy and soggy.  Not quite sure what happened here, but if it was a mishap, I will update if they are redeemed to a crispy stature.

BLT sandwich with smoked bacon has tons of smoky flavor.  This is a case where a little bit goes a long way.  If you crave a thick cut of firm bacon you will love this one.

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Rating: 4 paws out of 5
Spent:.  $15 per person
Chain: No.
Date Friendly: Breakfast after the date : )
Note: Cash Only, lines may be long during weekend brunch.
325 Old Country Rd
Carle Place, NY 11514
(516) 333-3060

Days of the eggeries and local diners might come to an end,  mass market Ihops, Denny’s, and others from the cloning machine are slowly taking over the breakfast market.  But fear not, this ferret discovered a great place with his nose.  Can this ferret find the right tasty yolk?

Steak and Eggs with a side of hash.  The classic big breakfast dish among diners and eggeries.  Thomas’s cut is thin, so there is not much difference between, well, medium and rare since they cook the steak with a nice crust.  The exterior taste is of a Worcester like flavor.  The hash browns on the side comes plain and does require some help from ketchup, egg yolks or salt and pepper.  You guys should know the drill.

Stuff Cranberry French Toast is one sweet treat.  The cranberry with the cream cheese filling, sandwiched between two pieces of bread dipped in a batter, is one tart treat that screams yum.  Since the filling is pretty strong and moist, it doesn’t really require the usual additive of syrup and butter.  But some may want the extra kick of sweetness.

Thomas’s Scambles Omelettes also comes in a skillet which is a nice touch.  The scrambled eggs were very fluffy, mixed “Mexican chorizo sausage, jalapenos and jack cheese.  A squirt of ketchup sure hits the spot with this dish.

Corn Beef Hash, this is a magical combination that pleases many people.  There is the right amount of meat with hash with this dish.  The salty and crustiness of the dish is perfect.

Pork Chop and Eggs with hash on the side.  The pork chop is very flavorful and juicy.  This is not the traditional dry or overly fatty pork chop.  This pork chop is probably the best dish here.  The combination of eggs and hash on the side makes for a  very satisfying morning meal.

Lemonade, here is fresh tasting and tart with a touch of sweetness.

Chili Cheese Fries, the fries were cooked to a very crispy exterior texture with a soft fluffy potato inside.  The crispy exterior is able to resist the soggy making of the chili.  The spicy chili and smooth cheese mixed with the fries, created a perfect combination to hit the spot.

Chicken Sausage and Biscuit Eggs Benedict made with biscuits, tomato, chicken sausage, poach eggs and topped with hollandaise sauce and a side of hash browns.  The chicken sausage is lean, the tomato, soft poached eggs, and hollanadaise helps with leanness of the meat.  Have to be careful with this one, it might not be the liking of many people, but it is a heather choice.

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Rating: 3 paws out of 5
Spent:.  $7 per person
Chain: No.
Date Friendly: Yes.
Note:

13531 40th Rd
Flushing, NY 11354
(718) 762-9313

Along Flushing Queen’s 40th Road, you gonna see the image of dense concentrated shops  and remind you of  the streets of Hong Kong.  The layers of retail shops and restaurants are easy to get lost in, if you are unfamiliar with the signs and entrances.    This hungry guy found a restaurant to get his Malay on and see what turns up.

Interior is decorated with some style from the homeland.

Menu is large, there are lots of choice and pictures of some of the food.  This is helpful for those that are not quite familiar with Malaysian food.

This place offers two kinds of Roti cani, first is the Mayalsan Roti.  It is a chewy and thicker version with more of a bite to it.  It more hearty, very tasty.  The curry sauce is sucked up with this kind of roti since there is more body to it.

Indian Roti Cani is the other version.  This one is a flaky, thin and crispy.  It has a stronger flavor due to the crispiness of the dish.  It doesn’t quite hold the curry as well as the other type but nether less it is delicious also.

Vegetable rolls, a vegetarian dish that can be enjoyed by both carnivores or vegetarians alike.    This crispy full of vegi dish dipped in the sweet sauce is a treat.

Beef Rendang here sometimes comes in a bowl, sometimes on a plate.  The flavor of ginger, turmeric and other “curry” flavors is very strong in this stew.  The meat is semi tender, there is  still some toughness still in it.  The spicy sauce goes perfectly with the rice .

Hanaise Chicken for those not in the know, comes cool – room temperature.   The chicken is tender and has a strong chicken flavor.  The skin has a slight gelatin like texture which some will love but some will be scared of it.

Chicken Flavor Rice is the rice of choice for the Hanaise chicken.  it supposed to be made with the broth from the boiling of the chicken.  It has lots of flavor and had nice soft grains of rice.

Thai Ice Tea has a very strong floral tea flavor and extremely sweet.  I wasn’t too crazy about it, but it wasn’t bad at the same time.

Indian Mee Goreng here is ok.  The flavor doesn’t impress me much, there isn’t anything wrong with the dish, it just doesn’t have any wow factor to it.  The peanuts, egg and thick noodles along with some Indian like flavors sounds like something that can’t be beat but it didn’t work as well as it should have.

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Rating: 4 paws out of 5
Spent:.  $7 per person
Chain: No.
Date Friendly: Yes.
Note: Cash Only

10826 Ascan Ave
Forest Hills, NY 11375
(718) 263-1126

Oh Forest Hills, so close to the city, this area needs to have a good offering of food to competite again the island of Manhattan, once walking around the neighborhood, this ferrets nose picked up a wonderful scent among a small crowd of pizza.  If people were waiting out in the bitter cold pizza, it gotta be good.  Let’s see.

Interior near the open kitchen.

Interior near the window entrance.

The interior is a nice area, it is well decorated with photos of the past.  The high ceilings and bright lights gives a feeling of not being cramped.

Menu is very simple, there is also not much to pick from nor confuse you.

Caesar Salad was the first item ordered.  It was well dress, fresh greens and very tasty.  The dressing was not too salty and had a pleasant flavor.  There is a also a very generous amount of cheese sprinkled on top.

The main event item, pizza with mushroom and basil.  Crust was excellent, crispy and chewy all in the right places.  The crust was not too burnt as some other places may have it.

The sauce was tangy, not overly sweet or sour.  The basil and mushroom was fresh and abundant.  Thank goodness for that.

Meatball pie was also very good.  The all beef meatball was made of a high quality meat, and was of the right size for the slices.

Tiramisu was ok here.  Tasty wise there not much wrong with this desert. I just found the lady fingers too soaked and too thin of a layer.  The cheese and powdering is good.

Tip here, like all brick oven places, keep the toppings to just 1 or 2.  If this advice is not followed, a wet mess of a pizza will follow.

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Rating: 5 paws out of 5
Spent:.  $50 per person
Chain: No.
Date Friendly: Yes. Dark and have private booths with a curtain.
Note: Next to Ace Hotel entrance, All cabs know where this is.  There is a popular eatery for them across the street.
Ace Hotel
20 W 29th St
New York, NY 10001
(212) 679-1939

www.thebreslin.com

Burgers Burgers Burgers, who can really turn down a burger?  Not even a vegetarian, that is probably how most of the veggie burgers taste very close to meat burgers and damn good.  This ferret heard from the magic tube box that this is one of those that needs to be experienced.  If the magic box said you gotta try it, it is the best thing I ever ate, well I gotta try  it!

Interior of a classy pub with interesting trinkets and statues.  The bar portion isn’t too noisy and will not leak into the dining portion.

Menu is easy to decipher, not too many confusing  items and have detailed descriptions of each.  The only thing the might be a mystery is sweet breads.  If you are foodie, you know what that is, if not, it is the thymus gland or pancreas, depending on the place.  Yeah I know does quite sound yummy, but it can be  very tasty if done right.

Guinness Beer, perfectly poured and the right amount of head.

Started with the boiled peanuts fried in pork fat.  They were very flavorful from the pork fat.  The salty pork gave the peanuts a stronger peanut taste to them.  I just wish there was more in the bowl after going through all them.  Warning, they are extremely hot from the frying process when they arrive at the table.

Lamb Soup with yogurt, didn’t get to have any.  Friend was being a jerk and didn’t share.  JOEY DON’T SHARE FOOD!  <- a TV sitcom reference from “Friends”.  He did say it was really good.  Balls of heaven in a bowl.

Char grilled lamb burger with feta and cumin mayo on the side.  This burger was extremely juicy and had an excellent flavor.  The texture of the meat was grinned with perfection, the medium temperature of the meat was also perfect to provide the amount of juiciness needed,  the cheese and the cumin mayo paired perfectly with the lamb meat.  Not to forget the supporting structure, the bun had a hearty crisp outside with a fluffy chewy interior.  The bun was also able to handle the juices from the meat.  I dream about this burger sometimes, I know it is a bit disturbing to myself at times.

Thrice cooked chips, where have you been all my life.  The flavor of these fries are great.  The crispiness is nothing that I had before, remarkable.  The interior of the fry was also not hollow, there some nice interior potato fluffiness to them.  Also the best part of them is that they are not greasy which is always a big plus to fried foods.

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Rating: 4 paws out of 5
Spent:.  $5 per person
Chain: No.
Date Friendly: Not really.
Note: Cash Only
135-02 Roosevelt Ave #5
(Storefront entrance is on Prince side)
Flushing, NY 11354
(718) 961-2322

The friendly charm about eating in Flushing is that it is cheap and good.  It may not be healthy but damn good.   Since there are so many restaurants in Flushing, there gotta be something special about a place that survives with nothing esthetically special about it.  It is time to put on the adventure coon hat and see how this White Bear animal lives!

Exterior storefront on the Prince Street Side.

Dumpling signage for the Frozen take home ones for long term eating.

Menu items for up close reading.  If ya zoom in you can read the items.

Big sign over the kitchen of the menu items, it is identical to the mini one.

Interior of the shop, there is some seating but not much.  It is very cramped when there is a full house.

[Item 2] Wonton with Soup,  house wonton with a broth and seaweed.  The wontons are excellent, but the soup is not as flavorful as wished.  It is very light with the seaweed and scallions.  You need some hot sauce in this to liven it up.

[Item 10] Wonton with Noodle soup, the wontons of course are good in this dish, but the broth and the noodles make this dish very bland.  I am not really too sure why you would want to order this particular item.   There is just way too much noodle with nothing really going on here.  There needs to be more items to this dish to brighten it up.

[Item 20] Dumplings with Leeks, this is not the vegetarian kind of dumpling.  The ground meat is perfectly ground up with the right mixtures of leeks.  The shell is doughy in a positive way, it works well with the soy, hot sauce and filling.  Highly recommended for Chinese meat dumpling connoisseurs.

[Item 17] Noodles with Hot sauce no soup, (Also known as Dan Dan Noodle)  This dish is excellent here, the combination of the chili oil, cucumbers, soy beans sprouts and  preserved vegetables is near perfect.  The only problem with this dish is that they give you so much of it.   There is so much noodle that you reach a point where you don’t want anymore or anything else.  I would recommend sharing this dish with a couple of people since there is no meat (maybe lard) and majority carbs.

[Item 6] Wonton in Hot sauce. The chili oil, scallions, and  preserved vegetables is perfect with the house wontons.  The topping is extremely similar to the dan dan noodle dish.  The smokiness of the topping intermingles with the tasty filling and soft thin tender wrapper shell.  So if you are flying solo into this restaurant, this is the dish to try and eat.  This is probably the best combination of everything that makes White Bear a great place to eat at.

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