Email Author Robert Sietsema

Awards

• 2011 - Association of Food Journalists Awards, published June 23, 2010

  "An Open Letter to Josh Ozersky"

• 2011 - AAN AltWeekly Awards, published June 23, 2010

  "An Open Letter to Josh Ozersky"

• 2011 - AAN AltWeekly Awards, published December 1, 2010

  "May We Interest You in Some Egg Fetus?"

• 2011 - AAN AltWeekly Awards, published December 8, 2010

  "Siam I Am"

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2011 Stories by Robert Sietsema

• Pablo's New Year's Eve Greek Dinner: Happy New Year!

  published Dec 31, 2011

  Rare roast lamb, Greek salad with feta and red wine vinaigrette, caramelized brussels sprouts, shrimp in tomato sauce over rice... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Leftovers: 10 More Astonishing Dishes That Didn't Quite Make My Top 11

  published Dec 31, 2011

  The sandwich called King Patacon at the café called King Patacon It was a tough call which 11 dishes astonished me the most last year. Here are 10 more candidates that nearly make the grade, ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  11 Most Astonishing Dishes of 2011, NYC

  published Dec 30, 2011

  Truffle chawan mushi from EN Japanese Brasserie (click on image to enlarge) What does it mean to call a dish "astonishing"r Well, it has to be beautiful to look at, innovative within its canon, and ... More >>

• Tomorrow: 11 Most Astonishing Dishes of 2011

  published Dec 29, 2011

  Will the fish head with pickled chilies at Hunan Kitchen be good enough to make the grader Sometimes food is just strange -- interesting without being necessarily good. Sometimes food is good, witho... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Medieval Times: In Case You Ever Wondered What Medieval Food Looked LIke

  published Dec 28, 2011

  Tomato bisque, the first course. Hey, are we in a Burger Kingr Why are those people wearing paper crownsr It's been a decade since I went to Medieval Times with Michael Musto and Lynn Yaeger. I wrot... More >>

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  Pongal at Sri Ganesh's Dosa House

  published Dec 28, 2011

  When you order Pongal at Sri Ganesh's, you get an entire vegetarian ensemble. I was making my periodic pilgrimage to Sri Ganesh's Dosa House -- on the Indian strip along Newark Avenue in Jersey City... More >>

• Almighty Brisket Sandwich at Joe Dough

  published Dec 28, 2011

  The Almighty Brisket at Joe Doe spin-off Joe Dough. As sandwiches have undergone a resurgence in popularity over the last couple of years, restaurateurs have been studying how to make them bolder an... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Radicchio Tardiva, Imported From Italy

  published Dec 27, 2011

  Gnarly, and a beautiful shade of red-purple, radicchio tardiva is queen of the winter salad greens. Found this lovely salad green at a several markets just before Christmas; bought some and used it ... More >>

• Allswell: Nate Smith Won't Play B-17

  published December 28, 2011

  Carrying the gastropub banner forth into battle, Spotted Pig alumnus Nate Smith didn't have much of a chance at the Dean Street Tavern... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  'Escape From Christmas' Chinese Banquet, 2011

  published Dec 25, 2011

  The first dish to arrive was a palate-preparer of sliced cold cucumbers with pepper sauce. Every year some friends and I stage an afternoon banquet called "Escape From Christmas." This year for a se... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Handy Guide to FiTR Xmas Coverage, Including Last-Minute Gift Suggestions

  published Dec 24, 2011

  This year, Fork in the Road pulled out all the stops in our Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa coverage, giving you hints on where to shop and what gifts to buy, and examining holiday rituals from a cynical p... More >>

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  The Dead Celebrity Cookbook at MXYPLYZYK, Gift Suggestion #14

  published Dec 23, 2011

  The cookbook displayed in the window of MXYPLYZYK, against a backdrop of hamburger greeting cards and Ritz boxes. Help the Goth, Vamp, or just plain cynic on your list have a very morbid Christmas b... More >>

• Jerry-Can Christmas Tree at Chelsea Market

  published Dec 23, 2011

  A tree made out of 40-gallon plastic jugs is the centerpiece of Chelsea Market's Christmas display. One-eighth of people in the world drink water that makes them sick. Indeed, clean water is probabl... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Gregory's 26 Corner Taverna: 6 Unforgettable Dishes

  published Dec 22, 2011

  Fried salt-cod patties served with scordalia This week Counter Culture coasts in to Gregory's 26 Corner Taverna, a rustic bar in a white frame house with wonderful Greek food. Here are some of my fa... More >>

• Burger King's New French Fries: A Review

  published Dec 22, 2011

  The brand-new fries at Burger King have been rolled out. Burger King has made a big fuss over its new fries, the first reformulation of that product since 1998, when the extra crispy and starchy fri... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Hot Dog With Chili, Cheese, and Onions at Papaya King

  published Dec 21, 2011

  Papaya King, 86th Street and Third Avenue, 9:30 p.m. Founded in 1932, Papaya King is the first of the Greek-owned hot-dog chains to serve papaya drink -- to aid in digestion, or so the claim goes. T... More >>

• Protesting Dog Butchers, Chinese Performance Artist Strips

  published Dec 21, 2011

  Performance artist Pian Shankong caged in front of a dog butcher The Shanghaiist reports that 40-year-old performance artist Pian Shankong stripped down to his tighty-whities and scrunched himself ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  11 Best Burgers of 2011, NYC

  published Dec 21, 2011

  Bacon cheeseburger at Prospect Heights' Dean Street In honor of National Hamburger Day (why so close to Christmas, meat-mastersr), we here present the 11 burgers that stuck most in our minds. And we... More >>

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  5 Gourmet Play Kitchens for Kids, Gift Suggestion #13

  published Dec 20, 2011

  Red Retro Kitchen Collection from Pottery Barn Kids, $699. I only wish my own kitchen were this nice! You buy the best gourmet groceries, and seek out superior knives, pots and pans, and other kitch... More >>

• Gregory's 26 Corner Taverna: Attica! Attica!

  published December 21, 2011

  A block south of restaurant-crammed Ditmars Boulevard—Astoria's Greek main drag—there's another street of slightly more concealed... More >>

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  The Wonderful Toasted Cheese Sandwiches of Earl's Beer & Cheese

  published Dec 20, 2011

  First up is the cheddar toasted cheese Earl's Beer & Cheese is a cozy place in a neighborhood with no name, with a food menu so single-minded it's pretty much restricted to the substance mentioned i... More >>

• Sea Beans at Manhattan Fruit Exchange

  published Dec 19, 2011

  Mmmm! Sea beans Also known as glasswort and pickleweed, sea beans are marsh plants capable of growing up to their necks in saltwater. The plant is native to North America, South Africa, Europe, and ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Love Dollar Pizzar Here Comes Dollar Burger!

  published Dec 19, 2011

  The banner is still new on this Port Authority storefront. One of the bright spots of the budget dining scene over the last year or so has been the sprouting up of dollar pizza stores. Yes, the slic... More >>

• Grow-It-Yourself Window-Box Baguette Farmr

  published Dec 18, 2011

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  FEATURED STORY

  In Defense of Cottage Cheese

  published Dec 18, 2011

  Almost surreal in its whiteness, plain cottage cheese tastes better than plain yogurt. But who ever heard of eating plain yogurt, which lends itself to all sorts of post-culture processing. No dairy... More >>