In the Land of Lobsta

Over the past 3 days, I've consumed 4 lobsters, and I wasn’t even trying. Port Clyde, Maine, confirmed every Maine stereotype I had, and then some.

Unlike other culinary letdowns, like the “edible botanical gardens” in the Bronx that turned out to be a dull exhibit of Martha Stewart’s herb garden, Maine held up to the hype, offering lobster for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The Dip Net restaurant, at the coast and heart of Port Clyde, serves up a whole 1 ¼-lb. lobster, freshly caught just yards from the kitchen, for a little over $20. Lying across a deep tin bucket, this steaming crustacean isn’t sitting on a bed of ice. Pick up your lobster and you’ll find quite the entourage – about 4 lbs. of steamed clams and mussels.

Once I finished sucking meat out of the lobster’s legs, I shifted gears to focus on the steamers. The “Maine way” is to first dip them in salt water, washing off any remaining ocean debris, and then in melted butter. Fresh, salty and delicious: a deadly combination that lead me to finish off the entire bucket, in addition to devouring the whole lobster.

Fresh steamed lobster, mussels and clams, cracked open by hand, served over a plastic checkered table cloth, can only be considered classy in one place – Maine.

The Dip Net Restaurant

Route 131

Port Clyde, ME

207.372.6307

http://dipnetrestaurant.blogspot.com/

Pete’s New Haven Style Pizza

The key to great pizza: not eating pizza. It’s all about the crust, the toppings, the ingredients, and the Apizza (pronounced “ah BEETS). If you’re not the foreign-language-speaking type, just go with the more common pronunciation: New Haven-style pizza.

At Pete’s New Haven Style Apizza in the Columbia Heights, you can get a taste of Connecticut in  Washington, DC, for $2.50-$3.25/slice or $18.95-$25.95/pie. I’d suggest having a team of at least four people if you decide to go for the whole Apizza because this 18-inch pie is more filling than it looks.

The toppings are what first set this pie apart – it’s not drowned in extras. Toppings are added without ruining the integrity of the Apizza foundation – cheese and crust. I ordered the Nighthawk Apizza: chicken, pesto, wild mushrooms, caramelized onions, and buffalo mozzarella. The chicken was sliced, not diced, so I could see the quality of the white meat. The onions and pesto were so fresh that I want to say they tasted home-cooked, but I don’t know any home-cooks that can cook this well. The flavors were distinct yet sang together.

The crust, the signature characteristic of Apizza, differentiates this pie from anything you’ve tried in New York. Pete’s calls it “thin crust.” I was nervous thin crust meant hard edges, but these edges have a soft heart.

Apizza is cooked in an oven that evidently works like a tanning bed, coloring and heating the dough from above and below, causing the crust to be crunchy all over while maintaining a light and airy dough inside. The dough inside is moist, not dry, and the crunch is flakey, not hard.

And this crust holds its ground, and toppings. The crispness stays firm, so you’ll have no drooping slices and no sliding toppings when you take a piece.

If you’re bold enough, you can try the “New Haven,” which is New Haven’s famous white clam pizza.

Regardless of how fearless your pizza palate is, if you’d like to try some Apizza and you’re in the DC area, then definitely check out Pete’s New Haven Style Apizza.

1400 Irving Street NW, Suite 103


Washington, DC 20010

202-332-PETE (7383)

Peking Gourmet Inn

The only thing that can up the ante on thin slices of fork-tender duck meat is a side plate of the bird's fat trimmings.

Peking Gourmet Inn in Falls Church, Virginia, does in fact have a wide variety of Chinese specialties covering their 9-page menu, but you'd never know it from the number of ducks circulating the dining room. I felt unique for just ordering an appetizer of the mini steamed dumplings because it seemed that every table was chowing down on Peking Gourmet's claim to fame: the Peking duck.

Once you order the Peking duck, your server returns with three plates: sliced cucumber, whole green onions, and hoisin sauce.

I soon realized that this preliminary delivery was a blessing because this hoisin was ungodly good – you could dip my horoscope menu in this dipping sauce and I’d eat it.

The dumplings were good, better with the hoisin. They tasted like shrimp dumplings – nothing shocking – but they weren’t the reason we came.

Our white-coated server returned with three plates and a platter that held our bird, which the waitress carved right at the table. The waitress evenly distributed the breast meat over two of the plates and placed the dark meat, skin, and fat on the third plate.

After the waitress set down a plate of warm, crepe-thin pancakes, we were good to go. I loaded up my Peking duck pancake with the works (extra hoisin). I was hesitant to try the skin plate, but the rest of the meat was so delicious, and was being devoured so quickly, I dived in. It was crispy but moist and made the perfect addition to the pancake.

If you’re in the mood for an overdose of juicy, succulent calories, then make your way to Peking Gourmet. It’s a delicious experience that your scale won’t let you forget.

Peking Gourmet Inn


6029 Leesburg Pike


Falls Church, VA 22041-2203



Tel. (703) 671-8088


Fax. (703) 671-5912

Seinfeld's Soup Nazi is Back!

Al Yeganeh, the inspiration for Seinfeld's infamous "soup nazi," reopened his original soup stall on July 21st. Yeganeh, who's famous for his strict rules and aggressive manner, no longer owns and operates the stall, although his soups live on.


The proper patron conduct that would score you free fruit and bread from the intimidating Soup Man--know what you want, have your money ready, move to the far left after ordering -- was no gimmick to attract costumers and claim a spot on a popular sitcom. Yeganeh simply wanted the ordering process to be efficient and the line to move quickly. He actually resents the way his character is portrayed on Seinfeld and has banned Jerry Seinfeld from his soup stall. Jerry Seinfeld has attempted to visit several times, but the Soup Man never let him in. Yeganeh believes his soup promotes itself and doesn't need Seinfeld's parody to acclaim fame.

Excited fans -- of both the Soup Man as well as Seinfeld -- lined up outside the small stand on West 55th Street on the day of its reopening. The eager line wrapped around the block, the tail end making it half-way to 56th Street. It was no dull wait as media vans and news cameras lined the streets interviewing the hungry crowd.


People from all corners of the world had come to visit the famous soup stall, and many planned on ordering the Soup Man's most popular and most expensive variety -- lobster bisque. 


As the Soup Man can be found on my block, I am astonished to see people sitting at the portable tables and folding chairs set up across the street from the stand, eating soup day after day in 90 degree weather.


Open from 12-7:00 p.m., you better make room in your schedule for the Soup Man because he's evidently not making very much time for you.


The Original Soup Man
259A West 55th St., New York, NY