FoodahoLIC: Which wine with my brunch?
25 Feb
As palates broaden, taste buds blossom and restaurants look for a new twists to old favourites I was pleased to discover a new taste combination whilst eating brunch at Crankys, on Vernon and 49th Ave. in Hunters Point.
Brunch dishes are pretty similar around town; eggs Benedict and it’s variants with spinach, smoked salmon and even sausage; omelettes, pancakes and waffles; fry-ups of eggs, steak, sausage, hash browns etc; all usually washed down with coffee, tea or juices.
Cranky’s have been offering mimosas as a brunch thirst quencher for a while and offer a very fine Bloody Mary. Winter, however, begs for something that is a little more warming than a chilled juice or iced tea; so I was pleased to be able to try their mulled wine, that traditional mix of red wine and spices that goes back to the time of Chaucer and his baudy taverns. In doing so I discovered a new, and now favourite, wine and food combination: Mulled wine with Croque Madame. For those who don’t know, Croque Madame is a variation on Croque Monsieur (Toasted Ham and Cheese sandwich), and includes a sunny-side up fried egg. Cranky’s version of this offers a choice of ham or turkey. I chose the traditional ham, a nice thick slice of tasty meat, which sat with gruyere cheese and a nicely made béchamel sauce, wrapped in a country bread and accompanied by a small dressed salad. I could have chosen the fries/frites but the pounds per square inch inside my shirt were a little on the high side. In retrospect I could have asked for the egg to be poached to avoid the frying but the meal was traditional and very pleasing, well cooked and flavorsome. The mulled wine was just right, lots of spice and at a temperature that meant you could drink it right away; a real heartwarmer.
Cranky’s serve their brunch Friday thru Sunday 9-4pm and it is clearly and deservedly popular, judging by the people waiting. If you are there on other days around lunchtime I can recommend their salads. The chef has a great way of marinating chicken and steak so that the meat stays moist on cooking and has subtle tastes of herbs and spices. My favourites are caesar salads with steak or chicken. The mixed salad is fresh and crisp, the meat moist and tasty with the salad dressing (a speciality) enhancing the mix in ways that give just the right mix of sweetness, oil and citrus.
Cranky specializes in French Louisiana Creole dishes, with a few available at lunchtime and more in the evening – try their delicious Gumbo soup and Fra Diablo spaghetti with seafood (freshly cooked to order). More on these in another edition.
Eric Hathaway
www.sometimeinlongislandcity.com
As my literary thirst is quenched by the ever growing additions of overly verbose and self indulgent writings, I find myself overwhelmed by the lingering odor of mulled spice wine on top of my chicken caesar salad.
For those who don’t know or have not been to Europe, a salad is a densely packed pile of flourishing greens sometimes tickled with a rub of a herbs sunbathing in an artisanal oil.
I am heading to my nearest baudy tavern to channel the spirit of Chaucer. For you lesser readers that’s a bar and Chaucer is like John Grisham but makes me feel better about myself to mention.
I love you so much.
Or should I say: Upon contemplating your exquisite diction, I find myself filled with the warmth of summer in Italy, with the affection for you my heart second only to the rapturous affair I had with that rare bottle of fine wine we drank in the shady olive groves.
Is this guy British or does he want to be British?
While I find the comment mean spirited, I agree…….
Eric, you are condescending at times and an average writer at best.
i killed a guy with a thesaurus!
Wow…never read so many ENVIOUS comments. I think he’s British. And his writing is pretty good.
Not envious. I’m a writer, but I don’t write like that, that’s for sure. I only asked if he was British because his writing isn’t consistent. He uses words like “whilst” and “favourite” (British spelling) but then uses “flavorsome” and “specializes” (American spelling).
Thanks for pointing out the spelling inconsistencies, John. For the record I was educated in New Zealand, England and Scotland so three forms of English there!
Cool, that’s good enough for me!
That’s odd. You do not come off as educated at all.
You are kidding right?
It’s some serious pseudo intellectual garbage.
In every review he uses the phrase “In case you might not know” That is BAD writing and condescending.
Then he mentions a literary or musical reference usually having nothing to do with anything.
He has now mentioned mulled wine pairing in two reviews which is flat out odd. We get it you like the stuff.
I agree with the comments here. It’s drivel and he is plugging some other blog anyway.
Last time I ate at Cranky’s the sandwich still had the peel/wrapping on the cold cuts. Was really great spitting out inedible bits with every bite. Disgusting.
That said, the soup there was great!
Chickens and other egg-laying creatures are widely kept throughout the world, and mass production of chicken eggs is a global industry. In 2009, an estimated 62.1 million metric tons of eggs were produced worldwide from a total laying flock of approximately 6.4 billion hens.”
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