Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Missin Us??


Hey! Hey!

It has been a crazy few months. I spent the summer boiling up some peanuts and trying my hand at entrepreneurship which was fun and hard! My fellow wontonanator spent the summer out west straight up acting a menace!

With the summer antics over, and the dream of delicious wontons still abounding, we are back!



This season, I will be hosting a weekly dinner for two! I will cook with my guest's favorite ingredients to create a delightful feast and to inspire more wonton creations!

So excited about this new venture!

Wontonanators Back in Action!

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

"Thanks a latte..."

After a long weekend of boozing and wontoning, Jaime and Kelvin teamed up with Beck-Kay for a night of alcohol free debauchery. But as Williamsburg is rich in wifi-accessible watering holes, is there just a plain coffee shop? Or do they only exist in Manhattan and episodes of Friends? Where do the prude-ass kids hang?

Well, the WONTONanators somehow avoided the duds and landed amongst the prude-elite! Instead of hiding their noses in pages of Nietzsche, these caffeine addicts modeled their MacBooks with style, scones and macchiatos in hand.

1. Boneshakers
134 Kingsland Ave., Brooklyn NY 11211

Boneshakers, proudly “established in 2008”, lines the Brooklyn Queens Expressway with its' fixie pixie bike-punk aesthetic. An eclectic mix of thrash and prog (ie. Mars Volta) plays on the speakers while you sip your coffee in a mug (outrageously prices at $1). To-go cups are more expensive and reflective of an environmentally conscious Boneshakers. Menus are hand-drawn (by Megan) as a map to vegan culinary explosions of flavors catering to a gaggle of be-speckled kids studying for their MCATs. Vegan and vegetarian sandwiches, salads and pastrilicious baked goods are aptly named like "The Rebel Cruiser" ($7.50) made with BBQ seitan and coleslaw. This Kaiser filled sandwich was perfectly sweet and messy as all good BBQ should be! The coleslaw was prepared in the traditional down South way…with Vegenase, of course! You can judge a sandwich by its' name leading us to "The Makeout Party" ($6.50), but the flavors were more like a party of one with the bold spiciness slathered on a well seasoned tofu slice. A tasty mint chocolate morsel found itself to our table in the form of a cupcake! In our ventures, this junior mint inspired pastry ($2.50) was decadent yet balanced with chocolate cake and unique mint flavored icing! Roll into this bike lover's haven for proof that vegan cuisine chooses to avoid animal byproducts but NOT flavor!

INFO: "cash money only, yo!", Vegan friendly, Free Wifi w/ password

GRADE: B

1. Cho's Variety Cafe

368 Graham Ave., Brooklyn NY 11211

Don’t let the industrial tin roof fool you! You are not in Buschwick, nor is Variety anything but warm and comforting. Metallic stools and charming patio furniture line the front of the café to accommodate solo coffee consumers, but if you’re a more social denizen of Graham Avenue, head to the back with the chandelier lit parlor, where Cho’s sophisticated blend of antique and modern design becomes truly realized. Screw the décor blend, what about the coffee blend?! Even after four cups of coffee, the WONTONanators were ready to get our “espressON”! Smooth and frothy with the foam being a bit bubbly, macchiatos match the vibrant personalities of your local barista (even right before Cho’s was about to close!). Music played mellow and relaxing for us to really take the edge off our weekend. This is a truly appealing wifi hotspot, so grab an aluminum seat and flash your intellect to impress your astute countermates but hold the side of pretentiousness. Maybe you’ll get lucky enough to share a fudgy chocolate cookie with…. an adorable Variety Barista.

INFO: Cash only, Free Wifi, Organic Milk Only

GRADE: A


With caffeine doing it's own Spanish Bull Run through our veins, the WONTONanators settled in with our favorite beverage..... a beer at Harefield Road (769 Metropolitan Ave.). When the coffee stops flowing, you can sign into Harefield's WIFI and show everyone once and for all, "I am NOT a prude! I'm a drunk!" Salute!

=================================================================
Meet Becky "Beck-KAY" Kazansky,
WONTONanator Contributor. A lioness hungry for culinary goodness!









WONTONanator Jaime is a sophisticate amongst the denizens of Cho's Variety Cafe.











Jaime: I'm not friends with deformed people. I've had that rule since I was five." in reference to Kelvin's one-eyed dirty yellow hat cyclops impression at Harefield Road.







The supremely spicy "Makeout Party" accompanied by a $1 mug of delicious Boneshaker's coffee.








Stick Person #1: I got you a present.



Stick Person #1: It is coffee.



Stick Person #2: Thanks a Latte.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

VAH-DAY-DAY: Love, Happiness, Wontons!

In celebration of St. Valentine's and love amongst our friends and family, the WONTONanators threw our DEBUT SAMPLING PARTY. Sake and vino filled our glasses, wontons filled our bellies, and the company of our friends filled our HEARTS! Really!!!

Thank you to everyone who could make it out to the party! If we could package your generosity in support and friendship in little wontons, we would! (And then we'd truly be rich!) Thank you for your warmest wishes and genuine compliments! Post a message to let us know which wontons were your favorite and who knows, we might just show up at your doorstep with a batch! We love the feedback!

For those who missed out on the party, check our the party photos below and a full list of WONTONanators SAMPLING MENU!

Meat and Seafood Wontons
  • Dill Creamcheese and Smoked Lox --------------->
  • Gorgonzola Burgers
    (w/ Chipotle Ketchup or Horseradish Mustard)'



  • Buffalo Chicken (w/Chunky Blue Cheese)




Veggie Wontons
  • Sweet Potato Casserole (w/ Marshmallow Fluff) --->
  • Feta, Spinach and Roasted Red Pepper



Dessert Wontons
  • Spiced Fig (w/ Cajun Orange Marmalade)----------->
  • Fried Cheesecake (w/ Cherry Pie Filling)





  • Banana Graham ala mode (w/ Chocolate Sauce)



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Monday, February 9, 2009

Tac-QUEST-a SUNRISE...

Perhaps the title is a bit confusing but the story shall all unravel nicely....

10:00pm- Monday Night in Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Taco Bell will never again be your only option when it comes to a late night Mexican food craving. After a long night at the dance studio, Jaime met up with me, who had recently failed miserably at my second attempt at "the lemonade diet". To lift our spirits and earn a spirit at the end of the evening, the WONTONanators set out into Brooklyn's winter night in search of the perfect taco. Our prize, if we were to visit and consume 3 tacos..... a tequila sunrise and an instant wolf tattoo.

1. YOLA's Cafe Mexican Food
524 Metropolitan Ave, Brooklyn NY 11211

With two small two-tops, a barely usable counter and stools, Yola's leaves a little to be desired in atmosphere and the in-restaurant dining amenities. Locals took up all of the real estate, so luckily we were taking our order to go! Too many tacos, too little time! Even at 10:30pm, the WONTONanators were kept good company with our fellow Brooklynites. The high volume of to-go orders made our WONTON SENSES say "Good Food". Speedy service was matched by the simplicity of our highly affordable tacos ($3 each). Two warm fresh tortillas, your choice of meat filling, and a heaping serving of onion heavy guacamole. That's it. I started my evening's venture with steak, perfectly cooked to order but lacked sodium and any special Mexican spices. Jaime chose to stick with an all-night pork fest. Yola's chorizo was flavorful but greasy. But the fresh guacamole was the winner of the evening, despite the avocado being completely out of season.

INFO: Cash Only, Open daily til 1pm. Yola's uses styrofoam.... shame...

GRADE: B

2. The Taco Truck
South East Corner of N6th and Bedford Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11211

I've walked by this truck daily, on my way to the Metropolitan pool, where the line is always steady and manageable. The Taco Truck is simple in concept but their tacos are complexly, yet perfectly constructed. Jaime's chorizo taco burst with flavor, obliterating the competition, served with delicate slices of fresh avocado. With each taco ($3), including my fish taco, was served a slice of lime and fresh radish slices. Red cabbage, a dab of guacamole, hot sauce, and a sprinkle of traditional Mexican cheese, that I cannot remember how to pronounce or spell... resembled a Parmigiana Reggiano... simply perfect. As it is a truck, there is no seating but on a warm spring afternoon, the WONTONanators recommend a short walk north to McCarren Park where there is usually hipster debauchery of some form. As it were, Jaime and I chose to stay close to the truck and admire the beautiful men who served us our taco. Delicious AND delicious.

INFO: Cash only, Open til 11:30pm or when they run out of supplies, stick around for the hotties in the aprons.

GRADE: A+++

3. San Loco
160 N.4th (btw Bedford and Driggs) Brooklyn, NY 11211

Plently of seating... we should have been tipped off, but we just attributed the restaurant's emptiness to it being Monday and now nearing midnight. The tables were filthy as we waited for our food, Jaime and I resolved to cleaning off the least of offenders with a paper napkin. Few loiterers hovered over their wax paper wrappers and laptops as a sign delineates the separation between the bar and restaurant. Lunch special, happy hours (both afternoon and late night) seemed like worthwhile deals. We encountered our most expensive of soft tacos ($3.90/each) as I ordered a Chipotle Chicken and Jaime failed to find any semblance of chorizo, she settled for Pork Pinannia. Along with table service, there was no hot sauce in sight. No guacamole. Soggy shredded iceberg lettuce, a slice of flavorless tomato an even more offensive meat fillings, were served on a less than acceptable tortilla. The dirty tables now could be attributed to either the inability for the thin tortilla (not the quicker picker upper) to hold sloppy innards or the inability of San Loco's customers to stomach the sub par Mexican fair. Yet the prices of drinks seemed reasonable and after a $23 pitcher of margarita, even San Loco's tacos could be San Tolerable.

INFO: Cash only, Alcohol necessary....we mean "available"...

GRADE: C-

So after a long night on the perfect taco quest, the WONTONanators retired to the Levee (212 Berry Street.) where we earned our Tequila sunrises. Yet our second round, we opted for the a Levee house special, the Gatorita (Lemon-Lime Gatorade and Tequila $6.50/pint). Our matching wolf tattoos in tow, we discovered, that tonight, there was a full moon as the Wolf Pack played on the jukebox. We decided to call it a night with fears of being bitten by werewolves on the way home, where Jaime replied, "It's better than being dead." Yes, being infected by the werewolf virus is definitely better than being dead.


WONTON
-SPIRATION:

Chipotle Chorizo and Avocado Wonton
(served with Sour Cream and fresh Lime squeeze)

Why the WONTON?!?!?!

Well, "why not?!?!" would be our first response.

The wonton is the perfect vessel to consume your favorite foods regardless of its contents. Usually synonymous with Asian foods, the wonton is a culinary chameleon. As we experiment with local, accessible products, the WONTONanators are on a mission to bring together delicious combinations of ingredients plus the most important of components, our hippie dippie LOVE!

The wonton is dippable, the perfect party appetizer, an amuse bouche. A sampling of our savory wontons to our dessert wontons can even create a complete meal!

In our never ending quest to create the next wonton sensation, Jaime and Kelvin are sampling local cuisines, exploring your local groceries, deconstructing your favorite dishes, and plating them in any available venue and for any given event.

So what are you waiting for? Become a fan of the WONTONanators. We promise you an experience you soon WON'Ton forget..... oh yes, we went there.