Reader Dave writes:
where's the greasiest pizza located at?.thanks
Greasiest pizza? That is an odd question better suited for the Slice man and his readers. Perhaps Adam will deign to respond.
You know that saying, "Sex is like pizza. Even when it's bad it's good"?
I say, "Pizza is like sex. When it's good, it's good. When it's bad, it's bad." And when it's greasy, it's probably bad, but I guess it could be good, depending on what frame of mind you're in. Not that I would know.
At the Thai temple in North Hollywood I attended every Sunday for many years, there was a dark-skinned southern Thai woman with plump cheek apples who came to the basement food market every week. She'd come with big oiled balls of white dough, which she'd roll out into a rope and cut into pieces about the size of a child's fist and put to rest peacefullly in little cake tins.
Later, she'd throw each ball sort of like a pizza maker would, in a figure 8 motion, then throw it down, spinning the dough until it unfurled into a thin, pliable disc in the air, the dough sometimes wearing so thin that she'd create a gap in the translucence. She'd release each disc into a loose, long rope, then roll the rope into a coil. The coils would then be placed in another flat, small pan. Upon receiving an order, she'd knead the edges out to form a flat circle, 6 inches in diameter, still retaining the whorl from its previous incarnation. One of these flat circles would land onto a hot, greased skillet, where the dough would puff into flaky layers, crisp and golden brown on both sides. After a generous drizzle of condensed milk and a teaspoon of sprinkled sugar, she'd roll each rotee into a cylinder and wrap the bottom half in white waxed paper, the grease from the griddle seeping through.
I still dream of this rotee, the hot, crisp flaky layers giving way to the warm, sweet tang of condensed milk and sugar, wiping the grease on my Sunday school uniform. And they were only $1! The rotee's fleeting glory was unmatched when hot; but once it was cold, it was a lifeless, limp mess. It's one of those many Thai street foods I've never seen on a Stateside menu, because who's going to go to the trouble of making such a thing?
It's been years since I had one; I found a recipe, but I'll probably never match the rotee lady's years of manual experience, knowing precisely how to throw the dough, when the proteins in the dough have rested enough, when the elasticity has reached its breaking point.
But when my friend Jim pointed out these frozen parathas at Pacific Supermarket in Queens, I decided to experiment. I threw a frozen disc in the pan. It puffed and browned like the rotee lady's did. I drizzled with a teaspoon of sticky condensed milk. Not bad, I must say. Of course, it's not the real thing, but these frozen paratha are convenient and good enough for a trip down memory lane.
Frozen paratha, $1.79 for 5 at Pacific Supermarket in Woodside. There are many brands available; I'm sure they can be found at the bigger Chinatown markets.
Feel ambitious? You can try this detailed recipe for Thai-style Roti.
Name: Restaurant Girl
Occupation: Food-obsessed Writer
Borough: Manhattan
Relationship status: Single
What did you eat today?
I drink an absurdly excessive amount of decaffeinated coffee and water throughout the day, so I usually start with that. Today, I had roasted chicken, mozzarella and tomato and some mixed greens. I snacked on manchego cheese, an apple with cinnamon and an unspeakable amount of peanut butter, which I tend to consume throughout the day. For dinner, I had white wine, a crab salad and a rib eye steak, medium rare. I ordered a side of parmesan asparagus and fries. For dessert, I had a pumpkin soufflé. Pumpkin’s in season right now, so I’m pretty preoccupied with all things pumpkin; ice cream, pasta, pancakes, you name it.
What do you never eat?
I pretty much eat everything, but I’m not a fan of packaged foods. I prefer anything that’s fresh baked and homemade - bread, cookies, tomato sauce. Why eat a cookie from a box when you can get a fresh-from-the-oven chocolate chip cookie from City Bakery?
Complete this sentence: In my refrigerator, you can always find:
Cheese, usually some type of goat’s milk cheese and feta cheese; apples & fresh berries, whatever’s in season; doggie bags are big in my fridge. I hate to leave good food behind, especially steak. Steak and tomato sauce always taste even better the next day and I think it’s a travesty not to take it home for a late-night snack.
What is your favorite kitchen item?
Skippy super chunk peanut butter. Does that qualify as a kitchen item? In my house, it does. I think I’d go into severe withdrawal without my daily fix. I also love my cheese slicer.
Where do you eat out most frequently?
I spend so much time trying new restaurants that I don’t get to eat at any one spot too often. Right now, there are so many new restaurants popping up on the Lower East Side and in Chelsea. I do love to dine in the West Village whenever I get the chance. Some of my favorites include Lupa, Sparks and Bar Pitti.
World ends tomorrow. What would you like for your last meal?
I love this game. It’s a tough one that I often think about. I’d have to do some major restaurant hopping, but I would start off at the sushi counter at Sushi Yasuda. Yasuda’s a genius and he gets most of his fish from Tokyo, so I’d let him feed me whatever he pleased. Then, I’d head to Lupa for the roasted duck; it’s ridiculous. I’d make my third course a pasta course and shoot up to Roberto’s in the Bronx. Hopefully, my last meal would occur in late summer/early fall, so I could get something with pesto sauce. I’d end my gluttonous evening at Daniel over a chocolate soufflé and a bottle of Riesling. After all that running around and eating, I’d probably be ready to take a nice, long rest anyway.
How Danyelle manages to stay so petite with such a voracious appetite is a mystery for the ages. Read her incredibly detailed reviews over on her website, where you can also subscribe to her newsletter.
This guy stopped me randomly on the street today:
GUY: Excuse me, do you like cooking shows?
ME: [Um, YEAH.] Um, yeah.
GUY: You know Kylie Kwong? You favor her. [Love that expression.]
I think he's right. I'm not saying I'm as accomplished as she, just that we kind of look alike, which I think is random and weird.
