food critic review: perfect paella

Have you all heard about the great news? I am talking, of course, about my new food critic review! That's right, I'm back, and this time I would like to share with you an experience I recently had at an excellent Spanish restaurant:
Socarrat Paella bar
259 W. 19th St.
Food: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Décor: 2 out of 5 stars
Service: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Do you like dining at a restaurant with communal seating, uncomfortable stools, and no reservations? In that case, Socarrat is right for you. I figured I would speak about the negatives first, so that I could spend more time discussing the incredible food. As the name indicates, this restaurant specializes in paella. Socarrat serves paella for two or more people only, so I would recommend that you go there with at least one other friend.
My friends and I tried some “tapas”, which are Spanish appetizers: tortilla, which is a delicious and fluffy Spanish omelet, and croquetas del dia, which are flavorful oval-shaped croquettes filled with chicken. These appetizers were tasty but light enough so that they did not spoil my appetite. We then tried the Paella Socarrat: chunks of chicken, fish, beef, shrimp, green beans, mussels, and cockle clams. Before I describe the delicious paella, allow me to define the name of this restaurant, Socarrat: From the Spanish verb socarrar, which means to toast lightly. Socarrat refers to the caramelized crust of rice that sometimes sticks to the bottom of the pan when you are making paella. I found the paella to be unique, and I use this in the most extreme form of this adjective: crispy saffron rice, chunks of boneless meat, and a mixture of subtle seasonings that pleased my pallet. It was definitely one of the BEST paellas that I have ever consumed in my life, and I have eaten quite many.
I will honestly admit that I am a very picky eater. Many things will turn me off from eating a particular food: consistency, texture, flavor, spice, and temperature are all examples. My quest for the perfect paella has allowed me to sample this treat in many different areas, although I am biased towards a local favorite. With all of this being said, I believe that Socarrat paella bar makes one of the most scrumptious paellas that I have ever tasted! However, let me reiterate what I said in the beginning of this review: when you eat there, you sit next to other customers on a long communal table, you will be sitting on a stool for the entire meal, it takes 30 minutes for them to cook the paella, and they do not except reservations. I appreciate that these aspects do take away from the overall experience, and I would understand if they scared any of you off from going to this restaurant. Nevertheless, I was so impressed by the food that I would gladly go back to Socarrat in the future and I hope you all try it out too!
Dan (the food critic) man

A return to rare

Hi folks, last night I returned to one of the best hamburger restaurants in New York City: Rare bar and grill. The following is not so much a food review, it is a blog regarding my experience at Rare last night (also I am writing this blog spontaneously with no corrections or spell check, I just felt like being in the moment): I attended the birthday party of a friend there, and once again I was tempted by the t-bone burger: literally the meat from a t-bone steak which has been grinded and formed into a hamburger patty and then grilled. I will admit that this "rare" burger is very pricy, but I believe that you can't find a much better burger than this. It is juicy, seasoned properly, and tastes like a high quality steak in a burger form. I had a great time and I will definitely go back. In addition, I reccommend that all of you try out rare. I am willing to listen to suggestions about what you think is the best "burger" restaurant in the city, please leave your comments and I will share my opinions with you. Thanks.
Dan

I don't want to talk about it!

I am done talking about my weight: I like myself the way I am. I am done talking (at least for now) about the Yankees: I hope we win the World Series and I will support them forever (especially the captain Jeter) but I have my concerns.

Hello New York City, the world, and cyber-space:

Thanks to all of you who made my internship and semester go smoothly. This seems to have been a successful time for me, and I am appreciative of all of those who helped me along the way. I still have a long road ahead of me, but I feel that I am in a positive place right now. I am happy about who I am, hopeful about the future, and I am trying to be optimistic.
I experienced a very disturbing incident yesterday. I was walking down Lexington avenue (towards the Lighthouse for the blind on 59th street) when someone grabbed my backpack before I was about to cross the street. He didn’t really remove it from my back; he just took hold of it very strongly. When I asked the stranger why he would do such a thing, he replied “there’s a big puddle in front of you.” While I was a little glad that I avoided the water, I was more frightened by this man’s actions. Do people think that the only way to communicate to a person who is blind is to grab them or their belongings? I can’t tell you the amount of times that someone has either grabbed my arm or pushed me in order to “help” or “guide” me. Your intentions are good, but your actions have a negative impact.
I want to say this to all of you: (this will sound like a simple thing, but it is rarely done): If you would like to help someone who is blind, you should actually ask them how you can help! Don’t grab me, push me, or try to steal my backpack. I am a human, aren’t I? I am just like you, how would you like it if I grabbed your purse and then said “watch out for that puddle.” I think you get my point; this kind of thing really makes me frustrated. Sometimes I feel like I’M the only “normal” one, but then again, what does that even mean?
Your cliché of the day: do unto others as others would do unto you.
What should I talk about next? There are a limitless amount of possibilities. I would like your input on this please.
Dan

hello to all of my friends!

I would like to thank all of you for your many positive responses to my blog (I’m being sarcastic, of course, no one has commented in the last three weeks). I don’t expect any of you to agree with the things that I say, but I would at least like some kind of feedback on my postings. I know you are out there, and I know who you are! (Sorry, just kidding again)

As I head into my last week of college for the semester, I am not facing the normal amount of work to be completed. Instead, I am dealing with a constant nervousness regarding my grades. I have not received many pieces of work which I have turned in so far this semester, which worries me. How can I figure out what grade I will receive in any class if I have no grades from the semester to base my predictions on? Are these teachers overworked, underpaid, lazy, or a combination of all three? In any case, I am looking forward to the summer and to seeing how I did in my classes.

Please don’t be under the false illusion that I have any vacation this summer. No, my friends, I will be quite busy. In June, I am taking two courses at school and in July I will be working for some of that good old minimum wage money. I complain about this level of pay, but I am also grateful to even have a paying job at all. I like to be busy, and any long break would create some level of boredom for me, at least towards the end. Therefore, I will just continue to do what I do until I achieve my goals.

How are my Yankees doing? Answer: not well, not well. Yes, I said it twice; it makes me feel upset at our lack of success so far this year. My team is overpaid and under-achieves on a regular basis. It doesn’t matter to some extent, I still want to “see” the game in person, the atmosphere is incredible and I love the feeling when you are sitting among the crowd of fans.

Thanks for your time, I feel calmer now as I head out to my day of school, for more of my thoughts check me out at lcmeridian.com where I had two articles in last month’s issue.
Dan

the battle continues...

Hello, well I am off to Brooklyn in the pouring rain. I don’t feel very well, but I still want to support BCID, the organization for whom I worked last summer. In addition, I gained a few pounds and I am feeling guilty about doing that. The struggle to lose weight is a constant battle: sometimes I win and some other times I am conquered. I do love food, for those of you who don’t know, and it is SO hard for me to stop eating the things that I like. I have been on many diets in the past, and most of them just don’t work. I might lose two pounds but then I gain them back the next month, like a slight yo-yo, but not like Oprah. My philosophy is to try to lose the weight slowly, but this is not doing the trick. Perhaps it is a lack of motivation, do you think that maybe my love of food “outweighs” my ambition to lose the excess pounds? I just don’t know.
I am going now, as always, go Yankees and I just hope that I don’t let the scale dictate my life or happiness. Have a great day everyone.
Dan

Are you ready to Flex your Muscles?

Hello everyone, I have a great new food critic review for you today about an excellent new restaurant:
Flex Mussels
174 E 82nd ST
New York, NY
4.5 out of 5 stars
This is a rather new establishment which has been serving high quality muscles, in twenty-three different sauces, and French cuisine to the upper east side of Manhattan for the last four months. I wouldn’t go as far as saying that I am a muscle connoisseur, but I have certainly tried these delicious seafood delights in many different restaurants. The staff was very attentive during the entire meal: the waiters kept asking how the food was, two people greeted me on the way in and three wished me a good night when I walked out. The bread which was served was quite average, and did not impress me when I used it to taste my sauce for the muscles. I started with an appetizer of crab Cakes: this consisted of two crisp Maryland lump crab cakes, a very flavorful vegetable slaw, and a cool and tangy citrus aioli. I particularly liked the crab cakes because I could taste that they were mainly made with crab and very little filler. However, I still enjoyed the seasonings and diced vegetables which were mixed with the crab.
Finally, (I say finally because I have wanted to try this restaurant for a long time), It was time for the reason why I came here in the first place: the muscles. I remembered to have lowered expectations about the quality of the food, figuring that I could not be disappointed this way. My friend and I selected two different kinds of muscles. I tried the San Daniele muscles: accompanied with prosciutto, caramelized onions, white wine, and garlic. These were simply delicious: the muscles were particularly plump and the sauce was extremely tasty and could have almost been a soup by itself. Each of the ingredients created a layered sauce which perfectly matched the seafood flavor of the muscles. My friend chose the Maine muscles, which were cooked with a sauce of lobster, corn, white chowder, and parsley. I found these muscles to also be very large and tasty, and the sauce was chunky, fresh, and savory. We tried some French fries, which were above average. However, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend these because you will probably be full from the appetizer and muscles alone. Our meal was completed with two Swedish fish candies which were served to our table.
There is a word which I rarely use in life. I don’t like using it because I do not appreciate the meaning that is attached to it, but I will say it anyway: Flex Muscles has the BEST muscles in this neighborhood, and probably in all of Manhattan. You are welcome to disagree with me; however, this has been my experience. I recommend that all of you try out Flex Muscles, just remember to skip the bread and the fries. If you are looking for a taste of the sea, then Flex Muscles is the place to be!

I can't sleep, is anyone awake out there?

Hey, I can’t sleep tonight, my apartment is way too hot, and so I am hanging out and writing my latest blog. I am very disappointed with my Yankees, but you probably already know what I mean. Anyway, it is a great time to be alive: spring weather, baseball is here, school is almost over, and anticipation of summer time.
Speaking of which, I will be 30 soon. Really? You asked yourself: is that true? Will he really turn 30 this year? Well, I don’t know how to put this, but yeah, it’s kind of a big deal! A little nervous, a little excited, and ready to party: this would represent my emotions about this issue.
If you could eat only one food, what would it be? I am thinking about chocolate, especially dark chocolate, no matter how irrational that may sound. (Don’t forget about the flavanoids!) I am searching out new restaurants to try out, in my everlasting mission to become a famous food critic. If you have any suggestions, please pass them on to me: I am very independent and would travel to any borough if the food was right.
Friendships are hard: hard to make, hard to maintain, and very hard to improve. I am lucky to have the opportunity which has allowed me to know all of my friends in my life, but sometimes I wish I was a little more social, my network is more like a square or pentagon than a full-blown circle of friends.
Until next time, stay positive, safety first! Dan