Email Author Robert Sietsema

Awards

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

  "Siam I Am"

• 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?"

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2013 Stories by Robert Sietsema

• The Upper West Side's Strangest Sandwichr

  published Mar 18, 2013

  Wrap your lips around this meaty strangeness. A fixture right on Broadway on the Upper West Side, Big Nick's Burger Joint has been around since 1962 -- just about the time West Side Story came out a... More >>

• Happy St. Patrick's Day! From Fork in the Road

  published Mar 16, 2013

  May your bagels be forever green and your lager, too! Don't drink too much, and make sure to get up for mass tomorrow morning. Remember, we have a new pope, and he's watching you! ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  When a Restaurant Screws You

  published Mar 16, 2013

  The offending piece of fish (click on image to enlarge) Even the best restaurants make mistakes. Common ones include spilling a glass of water in the lap of a customer, who, of course, has no dry se... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  A Trek Into the Supermarket Freezer Case

  published Mar 15, 2013

  Now you don't have to go to a fancy restaurant to get gourmet sliders. It started innocently enough. I was in an odd food mood, and came to the conclusion that what I craved most was something vivid... More >>

• Ruby's Bar and Grill in Coney Island, 1985

  published Mar 14, 2013

  Every week, the Brooklyn Historical Society sends round a historic photo of Brooklyn. This weeks it's a shot from Ruby's Bar in Coney Island, taken during the 1985 World Series, a nail biter in which ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Crossing the Bridge Noodles at Lotus Blue

  published Mar 14, 2013

  First to arrive at your table is a deep bowl filled with rice noodles, chicken, shrimp, pork, and edible blossoms (sometimes Lotus Blue skips the flowers). As far as I can tell, crossing-the-bridge ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Former Van Halen Frontman Sammy Hagar Exits Sammy's Beach Bum Bar in Atlantic City

  published Mar 13, 2013

  In happier days, a garrulous, wild-haired Sammy Hagar chatted with a reporter about an upcoming show with Sammy's Beach Bum Bar & Grill as backdrop. "Rum's the best mixer on the planet," he says, as a... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Yuji Ramen's Tasty Fettuccine at Whole Foods Pop-Up

  published Mar 13, 2013

  Yuji Ramen's bacon and egg mazemen Calling itself a Test Kitchen, Smorgasburg mainstay Yuji Ramen has assumed its temporary spot in the second floor food court of the Lower East Side Whole Foods. Th... More >>

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  COVER STORY

  Laugh if You Like, Texas, but New York is Now a BBQ Capital

  published March 13, 2013

  When I wrote in January that New York 'cue is now among the best in the country, I meant it. But the backlash was swift. And harsh.... More >>

• At Lotus Blue, Tribeca Makes Room for the Food of China's Far-off Yunnan Province

  published March 13, 2013

  Many centuries ago, a scholar was preparing for his final exams. To prevent distractions, he isolated himself on an island in the middle of a... More >>

• Delectable Masala Dosas From a Cart at Washington Square

  published Mar 12, 2013

  Eat with your fingers for maximum enjoyment! Carnivores: Vegetarian and even vegan food won't bite you! And it's often just as good or even better than meat-bearing fare. A case in point is the masa... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Wildwood Barbeque's Texas Smoked Brisket and Jamaican Jerk Chicken Wings

  published Mar 12, 2013

  Served with white bread, the sliced brisket at Wildwood is damn fine [In connection with a feature that will be appearing tomorrow in the Village Voice, I've revisited half a dozen barbecues, old pl... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Brother Jimmy's Carolina 'Cue

  published Mar 11, 2013

  Brother Jimmy's BBQ's pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw option, this one from the Union Square branch. Note the presence of the charred outer parts of the meat, sometimes known as "Mr. Brown." [In ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Flan Patissier at Francois Payard Bakery

  published Mar 09, 2013

  Flan Patissier (center) is one of three custard-based, flan-borne pastries currently available at Francois Payard Bakery on Houston Street. When former Daniel pastry chef Francois Payard abandoned h... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Kirschen-Clark's Painterly New Food at Cafe Cluny

  published Mar 08, 2013

  Heirloom beet salad -- Bartlett pear, arugula, ricotta, walnuts First cutting his eye teeth at Jimmy's No. 43, playing a pair of hot plates like a DJ, chef Philip Kirschen-Clark bounced around tryin... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Great Barbecues of Texas: Gonzales Food Market in Gonzales

  published Mar 07, 2013

  Great lamb ribs are one of Gonzales Food Market's eccentricities. Founded in 1958 on the north side of Gonzales, Texas' courthouse square, Gonzales Food Market is still youthful in Texas barbecue ye... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  6 Best Jerk Chickens in Flatbush, Brooklyn

  published Mar 06, 2013

  Typical sidewalk jerking operation Brooklyn is the jerk capital of the world, more so than even Jamaica itself. You can't go very far in Brooklyn neighborhoods like Crown Heights, Rugby, East New Yo... More >>

• Finding The Perfect Jerk on Flatbush

  published March 6, 2013

  Jerk was invented by Arawak Indians, who inhabited the primeval forests of the Jamaican uplands. As the legend goes—and legends are about... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Chicken Festival: Where to Go for Inexpensive Seafood in Jackson Heights

  published Mar 05, 2013

  Jalea is one huge heap of seafood! Maybe the last place you'd think to look for great cheap seafood would be a Peruvian rotissserie in Jackson Heights, Queens, much less one whose name is Chicken Fes... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Sticking Pot Stickers Together at Ganso and Lotus Blue

  published Mar 04, 2013

  Gyoza served lattice-style at Ganso Recently, FiTR has been spotting a new form of dumpling presentation. We don't know if it yet constitutes a trend, but it certainly results in a more-attractive ap... More >>

• What to Do With a Wild Pheasant

  published Mar 03, 2013

  Here's what the wild pheasant looked like after I yanked it from the freezer this morning. State laws prohibit restaurants from serving real wild game, and all the avians and other animals that masq... More >>

• Japanese Brewery Revolutionizes Chocolate Stout -- With a Chocolate Glass

  published Feb 28, 2013

  Rogue Ales makes one, and so do Brooklyn Brewery and Harpoon. In fact, it's hard to find a fashion-forward beer factory that hasn't made its own version of chocolate stout recently. Some ramp up the e... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Hoboken's Roast Beef Battle: Brooklyn and Manhattan Fight Back!

  published Feb 28, 2013

  Gravesend's version of the sainted roast-beef mozzarella hero Last week, FiTR pitted a pair of excellent Italian-American roast beef heros found in Hoboken, New Jersey against each other. These clas... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Sullivan Street and Grandaisy: New Wave Breakfast Pastries

  published Feb 27, 2013

  Grandaisy's calzone di miele What do you grab for breakfastr Most of us scrape by with a latte and a power bar, a bowl of yogurt and granola, or nothing at all until lunch - and do the same thing ev... More >>

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  Analyze This at The Marrow

  published February 27, 2013

  Harold Dieterle, champion of Top Chef's first season, is the rare veteran of the program who's fulfilled the promise of his... More >>