Asia Dog

Location: Brooklyn Flea in Williamsburg (asiadognyc.com)

The Vietnamese-style Vinh dog (on the left) was disappointing. The carrots and the daikon weren't pickled long enough and tasted pretty bland.

The Thai-style Sidney dog (on the right) was better. The mango relish is a lovely condiment for a hot dog (though it'd be even better with a homemade chicken sausage). I think the ingredients minus the fish sauce would make a great lobster salad too. Yining immediately agreed that we have to try it.

Regular dogs (beef, chicken or veg) are $4 each or two for $7. Organic dogs are $5 or two for $9.

All told, Asia Dog was not particularly memorable and, by itself, is not enough to drag me off my island. The flavor combinations are thoughtful and interesting but the hot dog is dragged down by the grocery-store quality meat and bun. They should definitely consider making their own sausages. Or, at the very least, sourcing some fresh local stuff.

Mmmm... Oscar party snacks

Occasion: My annual Oscar party (Go Kathryn Bigelow and Hurt Locker!)
Edibles: chicken satay and crudités; chow mein with bok choi

Satay Dip
(based on Ina's more complicated recipe which you can find here; her product pictured below)

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp dark sesame oil (it's pretty strong)

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

¼ cup brown sugar

2 tbsp soy sauce

½ cup smooth peanut butter

In a large bowl, dissolve the brown sugar in the vinegar and soy sauce. Whisk in all the other ingredients. Can also make in a food processor.

For the chicken, I just pan-fried boneless, skinless chicken thighs in some olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, and splash in a little white wine. When cooled, slice and put on bamboo skewers.

Chow Mein with Bok Choi

⅓ cup Chinese barbeque sauce (the Niu Tou "Cow Head" brand is best)
1 package of fresh pasta, cooked and drained (can substitute dried pasta)
2 lbs of baby bok choi, the ones with the green stems, washed and chopped
a splash of soy sauce
[optional: 1 steak, sliced]

In a wok or large sauté pan, give the bbq sauce a bit of a toast until it's fragrant. [If you're using the steak, put it in here and give it a quick fry.] Throw in the bok choi and stir-fry until mostly cooked - don't overdo it, it's nice to still have a little snap to them. (If you're up for it, put in the stems first - they take longer to cook. But it'll be just fine if you dump in the leaves at the same time.)

Add the cooked pasta, splash in a little soy sauce and toss everything together. Done!

This chow mein has very few ingredients, cooks up quickly and is great for a crowd. If you have leftovers, just stick it in the microwave the next day - the greens will not be as crisp [and the beef will be slightly tougher] but it'll still be good.

Galanga

Occasion: Dinner with Jana
Location: Galanga on W 4th between 6th and MacDougal
Edibles: I had the tofu vegetable soup and the crispy duck salad; Jana had a spicy noodle soup

Musing: A decent Thai restaurant with a very convenient location (just around the corner from the W 4th subway stop). We ended up there after fleeing the crazy weekend mob at Wilfie and Nell (slider-blocked!) and a quick pit stop at Vol de Nuit across the street for some beer and fries.

My dinner tonight: great salad, mediocre soup. The really amazing salad had crisp shards of duck (fried until they're almost like crackling), green apple, pineapple, cashews and shallots with a tart and spicy lime vinaigrette. I had to pour off some of the veritable lake of dressing but the flavors were strong and bold, just like I like it. The soup was meh, but filled the gaps.

Pongsri

Occasion: Combined review - sit-down lunch with Liliana today and a take-out lunch from last week
Location: Pongsri Thai Restaurant on 48th between B'way and 8th, one of three NYC locations (pongsri.net)
Edibles: Thai pineapple fried rice today; beef pad see ew last week

Musings: Finding lunch in midtown, especially right off Times Square (ugh!), is a challenge to say the least. (On the bright side, weaving around slow-moving tourists - and throwing the occasional elbow - is your cardio workout for the day.)

Pongsri is my boss' go-to lunch place. It's not the best Thai food I've had in the city, but the lunch prices are pretty hard to beat. The fried rice is $6.95 and the pad see ew is $5.95. [Note: those dishes go up to $10.95 and $9.95 respectively after 3pm so if you know you're going to be stuck at the office, get it at 2:30 and stick it in the microwave at dinner.]

Based on the bustling activity inside, Pongsri does a VERY healthy volume of business. And turnover equals freshness. The price and speed of service - Liliana and I were in and out in 30 minutes - make Pongsri a decent pre-theatre option, too.

[Nov. 5 Postscript: Don't get the pak tao-geaw, stir-fried mixed vegetables with fried tofu in bean sauce. It's a dish like the literal meaning of chop suey, which is "random scraps."]