luke kingma

04/09/13 12:01pm

BBQ Films Brings American Psycho to Life (PHOTOS)

“That’s Bone. And the lettering is something called Silian Rail.“

Those were the words that set off the most anxiety-inducing business card bout of all time, one that a restless 27-year old named Patrick Bateman would come to lose several times over. It was New York, late 1980s. The staleness of the city air was maddening; the avenues were paved with indifference. It was the sort of place where you could drag a warm, bloody corpse through the lobby of a West 81st Street apartment without batting an eye.

BBQ Films, party, Patrick Bateman, photography, tribeca

Food & Drink

02/11/13 9:36pm

Sunday in Chinatown – 農曆新年 (Chinese New Year)

by luke kingma

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For me, the ‘regular’ New Year has always been supremely disappointing. Due in part to globally inflated expectation, the night has never lived up to the description my co-workers provide in the annual ‘New Year’s Eve in East Williamsburg!’ email chain. If you’re new to the city, this means you’ll probably end up in some ‘charming’ warehouse off the Graham Avenue stop with 60 people you’ll never see again.

You’ll begin to take stock of the evening at 11pm, 30 minutes after half your friends go down (hard) for the count. Following a midnight ‘champagne toast’ that was supposed to be included in the $150 ticket fee, you’ll wander home, shocked that you fell for it. And then you’ll do it all again next year.

Chinese New Year, however, is different. Strip away the expensive parties and sharp wardrobes, add a few dozen homemade Chinese lion costumes and 400 million confetti launchers, and you’ll be getting close. Though I’ve had the opportunity to enjoy several Chinese New Year celebrations in New York City, I knew I had to go all out this year. And we’re just getting started.

Little Chinese Lions Celebrate The New Year

(more…)

china, Chinatown, chinese new year, dim sum, dragon, sunday in chinatown

Food & Drink

01/20/13 9:09pm

Sunday Beyond Flushing – Mapo Korean BBQ

by luke kingma

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Up until recently, I was wrong about some things. As far as Asian food was concerned, I always believed my world ended in Flushing. You could certainly travel east of there, but you’d find nothing but oceans – first, a traditionally liquid one; then, an ocean comprised entirely of European food. To my knowledge (or lack thereof), you’d have to travel as far as Kashgar before you found the next great Asian restaurant. But then we discovered Mapo BBQ.

You could take the 7 train as far as it goes without ever reaching Queens’ Murray Hill. Far beyond Flushing, past dozens of nondescript apartment complexes and a handful of residential dentists, lies this tiny neighborhood where our real journey begins. Looking more like a suburb of Pittsburgh than a borough town, Murray Hill is strikingly quiet and empty, even on a Sunday afternoon.

We took the rare LIRR ride to try what many call a legendary BBQ experience. Mapo, like most restaurants we love, is nothing special in terms of location, decor, or atmosphere. The beauty, of course, is found in what can be eaten. We huddled through a small doorway and were met by a single family enjoying lunch together. There were almost a dozen of them, and ten times as many plates spread across their tables. This was the place.

Tried to be discrete. Was not discrete.

My favorite culinary experiences are exactly that – experiences. While most restaurants offer a standard, rushed itinerary, spots like Mapo treat you like family on Thanksgiving. It’s intimate and exhausting, and can easily turn into an all day affair if you’re not looking. Shortly after being seated, one server explained the menu while another prepared the charcoal. We knew we were here for ribs, and ribs we ordered: 2 orders of Kalbi Beef and 2 orders of BBQ Pork ended up being more than enough for five of us.

The charcoal is prepared.

While we waited for the meat to arrive and the charcoal to warm, our servers brought out the “Banchan,” an endless array of carefully prepared vegetables, sauces, and sides. From kimchi and barbecued onions to grilled corn and spicy tofu soup, the selections were as eclectic as you’ll find in New York. I’m not exaggerating when I recall that we may have had three to four hundred thousand plates on our table. It was heroically overwhelming.

The “Banchan.” This was just the beginning.

After grilling our meat for us right in the center of the table, it was time to begin our long awaited experimentations. Using massive pieces of lettuce as our canvas, we got to work. At Mapo and other Korean BBQ places like it, there are endless combinations to try. On one piece, you might pile up Kalbi beef, kimchi, tofu, and the spicy house sauce; on another, you might try BBQ pork, cucumbers, jalapeÃ±os, onions, and crab. One thing’s for certain, though – whatever you try will be impossibly delicious.

Getting intimate with our server.

The complexity of the flavor combinations found here is currently unmatched, at least in my own personal history. Everything is seasoned to perfection, and there is truly something for everyone. Two hours later, after having tried dozens of things for the first time, our journey was coming to an end. Leaving the restaurant felt very much like coming back from a spirit-awakening adventure halfway across the world. There was suddenly so much to say; so much energy; so many realizations about the world that you didn’t see clearly before. And all of it just 30 minutes from Penn Station.

CU, meat.

It’s safe to say that this is the most inspired I have been to share in a long time. Though it’s certainly out of the way, and though it may take a whole lot of convincing to get a group out to Murray Hill, I implore you to try Mapo BBQ. It offers one of the few culinary experiences in the city that can take you far, far away from New York. You will likely spend $30-$35 a person here, but trust me – this is a meal you can’t get in Manhattan for two to three times the price. Go. Go now.

One of our many creations.

Mapo Korean BBQ [Map]
41st Ave and 149th Place
Murray Hill, NY 11355
718.886.8292

Afterword: Thanks to Connor for the recommendation!

Chinatown, Flushing, korean food, queens, sunday in chinatown

Food & Drink

12/02/12 9:03pm

Sunday in Chinatown – New H.K. Wonton Garden

by luke kingma

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With a hurricane behind us and the prospect of a frozen New York winter looking mighty good, I have finally decided to return to my beloved Chinatown. The confusing smells of summer on Canal street are long past, and one of Chinatown’s best cold weather dishes has been lodged in my mind for weeks. I’m talking, of course, about wonton soup.

Wonton soup is the stuff of legend. It works much like the best winter jacket you can think of, except on the inside of you. In short, you’ve waited far too long to try it out (or in, I suppose). When you’re ready, head to New H.K. Wonton Garden.

New H.K. Wonton Garden can be found on Mulberry Street, just a stone’s throw from the impassable crowds of Mott and Canal Streets. The restaurant, like most here, is extremely small, meaning you’ll almost certainly be waiting on a Saturday or Sunday. This is fine. It’s New York, and if you haven’t learned patience by now, you’re probably not living here anymore.

If it’s midday Saturday or Sunday, or anytime for that matter, start by exploring the restaurant’s Dim Sum menu. Wonton Garden is known for having the best vegetarian dumplings in town, and though I don’t typically associate with our green friends from the ground, I couldn’t miss the opportunity. And they were absolutely delicious. Stuffed with an array of finely diced vegetables that I couldn’t begin to identify, the dumplings (6 for $5.00) manage to hold everything in with an impossibly thin dumpling wrapper.

Vegetarian Dumplings ($5.00)

Do yourself another favor and order a plate of boiled pork and chive dumplings (6 for $5.00) along with a pair of fresh, steamed pork buns (2 for $2.50) They were the first I’ve had in Chinatown to recall the flavors found in the underground food stalls in Flushing, my absolute favorite place in New York, and in fact the earth so far.

Boiled Pork Dumplings ($5.00)

Once you’ve had your fill of dim sum, it’s time to turn your eyes (and the remaining space in your stomach) toward Wonton Garden’s namesake dish. Wonton soup is deceptively simple – boiled wontons, microscopically thin noodles and your protein of choice bathe together in a hearty soup broth. However, each bowl you’ll find at Wonton Garden offers a completely different experience.

The standard, and probably the most highly recommended option based on the research we did prior to Sunday is the beef stew and wonton noodles ($6.25). Massive, tender chunks of beef will greet you in a dark, savory broth hiding a bed of noodles beneath. It was everything we expected it to be.

Beef Stew and Wonton Soup ($6.25)

If you’re looking for grossly disproportionate amounts of flavor, order the sweet and sour sliced pork wonton soup ($6.25). Stringy bits of pork are doused in a thick, highly flavorful sweet and sour sauce. With a few added drops of hot chili oil, it’s one of the most complex soups you’ll find in Chinatown.

Sweet and Sour Sliced Pork and Wonton Soup ($6.25)

Finally, if you’re looking to try what many non-regulars would consider “weird,” ask for the beef tripe and wonton soup ($6.25). As is standard with stomach, the honeycomb tripe was almost alarmingly fatty. However, for those who have never tried the stuff (cow stomach, as it were), you’re in for a fantastic experience. Dense, chewy and subtly flavored, tripe is the perfect addition to Wonton Garden’s hot, soupy broth.

Beef Tripe and Wonton Noodles ($6.25)

As is typical with our favorite dishes in Chinatown, there are few words to describe H.K. Wonton Garden’s soups. They are instead something that needs to be experienced. Lucky for you, Wonton Garden offers the perfect venue to hide away for an hour or two with friends, order as much as you can, and share what can only be shared in Chinatown. Be wary of gruff and reticent waiters with uniforms of oddly enough, hawaiian shirts. Not unkind however, they will speak when necessary, such as to check that the non-Chinese visitor is aware what tripe is. Good luck!

Sure, this looks about right

New H.K. Wonton Garden [Map]
79 Mulberry Street
New York, NY 10013
212.349.1495

Read more of Luke Kingma’s Sunday in Chinatown column.

Chinatown, chinese food, sunday in chinatown, Wonton Soup

Food & Drink

11/01/12 11:21am

“For As Long As The Ice Is Frozen” – A Candlelit Evening At Professor Thom’s

by luke kingma

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For the past several days, I have been fortunate enough to be holed up in East Harlem, a veritable powerhouse of electricity, internet, and all things 21st century. In fact, we were so (comparatively) unaffected by the storm, that it was hard to truly understand just how bad it was in more apocalyptic parts of the city.

So last night, my friend, Huffington Post editor Rebecca Searles and I decided to explore the world below 39th street to get an idea of what it was like to live in a powerless metropolis. One cab ride down to 34th street later, and we were immediately swallowed up by the dark realms of Lower Manhattan, an appropriate environment given the holiday. And if you have not yet been there at night, it’s hard to fathom just how eerie and unsettling it is.

Down here, the world is lit by the reds and blues of police lights, or the occasional candle keeping a lone security guard company. And the quiet; the quiet is perhaps the most noticeable feature. On most blocks, there are few, if any indications that any living thing is lurking about. As far as you’re concerned, you’re the only person left on earth to fend for himself.

As we walked deeper into the abyss, however, we happened upon a storefront that appeared to have several candles burning within. A closer view revealed a small group of people crowded around a small, bright light in the back of a bar. We shined a light on the chalkboard, which claimed the bar, Professor Thom’s, was open. We couldn’t resist.

When we walked in, we were immediately greeted by manager Devin Vilardi, who seemed to be completely in his element. He immediately informed us of the specials for the night – $3 Miller High Life bottles, and $5 Arnold Palmer drinks. A backpack with a built-in speaker played Devin’s hand crafted Spotify playlist. And a waning supply of ice kept everything cold.

We started talking, during which he revealed why it was that he’d stayed open each of the past several nights.”It’s not about the money,” he said as he looked around a dark, mostly empty bar. “Clearly it’s not about the money. It’s about the novelty of staying open during a hurricane. It’s about community.” Most of the patrons were dressed in their Halloween costumes in spite of the fact that the majority of Manhattan would never see them.

After a community shot of Bushnell shared by the bartenders ourselves, it was nearly 2am, and time to find a place to sleep. On the way out, Devin told us that he hoped we’d be back when the power came back on. “The bar’s actually really nice once you see it,” he quipped. It’s the little things that take extraordinary effort that make this city the greatest place on earth. And Professor Thom’s is the perfect example of a group of people completely dedicated to it. We’ll be back. And often.

Professor Thom’s

219 2nd Ave
(between 13th St & 14th St)
New York, NY 10003

east village, hurricane, hurricane sandy, manhattan, Sandy

Arts & Culture

10/14/12 10:05pm

Millbrook Winery’s Annual Harvest Party (PHOTOS)

by luke kingma

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“It’s autumn, they said. It’ll be beautiful, they said.” For those of you who live in New York City, I’m sure you can sympathize with my disappointment in the city’s reluctance to embrace fall foliage. We live in the northeast, after all, and have come to expect a whole lot of spectacularity from autumn. But we were lied to.

Luckily, wino Jonathan Cristaldi (aka Jonny Cigar) contacted Untapped Cities about a harvest festival in the Hudson River Valley. According to the information we were given, fall was actually happening there. So we caught a train to Poughkeepsie and ran straight into one of the most serene vistas I’ve seen on this side of the country.

The event was hosted by Millbrook Winery and Vineyards, the flagship wine guys of the Hudson Valley. Set on their beautifully expansive vineyard, the event could not have seemed further away from New York City. Millbrook enlisted the help of Jehangir Mehta, executive chef and owner of both Metaphor and Graffiti, former runner-up in The Food Network’s Next Iron Chef, and upcoming contestant on Iron Chef: Redemption.

He put together a stunning four course lunch with perfect wine pairings (from Millbrook, of course). From Korean chili duck grilled cheese sandwiches to lamb shank and garlic sweet potato fries, the meal was ethereal (if a meal has ever been). In fact, knowing that one of the best meals of my life is now 24 hours in the rearview mirror, I am now preparing boxed beef stroganoff for dinner. Because, really, it won’t get any better… so why try?

The afternoon was accompanied by a mini “Millbrook Iron Chef” competition, where guests had to dream up with their own dishes based on a list of ingredients chosen by chef Mehta himself. A raffle and a shot of savory Riesling capped off an incredible day that forced us to rethink spending so much of our lives trapped on this urban island we call home… for a brief moment, anyway. Enjoy the photos!

The Tent