The Vitals:
the spot:Easterly Hunan Chinese multiple locations in Bay Area(Berkeley location linked)
the eats: Smoked Beef, Cumin Beef, Stir Fried Fish Filet, Whole Carp, Braised Pork Belly, String Bean
the bucks: $15-$25 a person when ordered family style, entrees are large and enough for 2-4 depending on dish
the full nelson: Hardcore Hunan style Chinese
And every one of them had a person ordering in Mandarin. That was the case when I went to Easterly Hunan Chinese in Santa Clara, just south of San Francisco. A review in the SF Chronicle described the Easterly Hunan Chinese as "hardcore". And I fully agree.
Now I'll let the dishes do the talking for me.
Order family style
If you really want to explore the unique dishes and dynamic flavors of Easterly Hunan Chinese, you need to bring a group and order family style. The dishes are sized for 2-4 people and priced fairly I might add. This was for four people and we probably ate 35% of what we ordered.
But then again I'm not really good at math.
Stir fried fish filet
The right combo of salty, spicy and buttery transforms even the most mildest of white fishes into a memorable dish. I don't know what particular fish this was but it was mild and a good option for even the timid seafood eater.
This dish was recommended by our waitress and she even tried to convince us to stick with this and not order the whole carp.FYI that carp would become the showstopper dish of the night at Easterly Hunan Chinese.
Stir fried smoked beef
Considering I live in Austin TX: the capital of smoked beef you would think I've tasted it all. Then came this dish. The beef was dried to a point where it was slightly like a beef jerky but somehow that doesn't do the dish justice because beef jerky is gas station fare.
Maybe imagine Mexican machaca but brought to life in a wok Easterly Hunan Chinese style.
Braised Pork Belly
Similar to Chashu or Kakuni, this sweet, salty, tender and fatty pork dish is a winter day's best friend. If I wasn't inundated with food I would have ordered two of these dishes. I know it's family style but Easterly Hunan Chinese is pretty generous with the amount of food served.
Whole Carp(forgive me for the low quality screenshot)
This was the dish which our waitress tried to keep us from ordering. Growing up with parents from Bangladesh, I know how funky river fish tastes and it's not for everyone. But with some strong flavors and spice . . . it becomes an enjoyable albeit acquired taste.
At one point when the waitress saw we were indeed going to town on the carp, she came by to make sure we at the best part: the meat from the head. She essentially carved out the cheek and head meat tableside for us to try. We felt special. Thanks, Easterly Hunan Chinese.
Not pictured
Tofu, string bean, cumin beef and a wood ear mushroom and chicken dish. It was all wonderful. Easterly Hunan Chinese was one of my most memorable restaurant experiences and a reminder that there is so much food out there I have yet to try.
Don't waste a second and try something not just new but something seldom scene and hopefully you have a guide like I did to make the experience at Easterly Hunan Chinese as complete as can be.
The Vitals:
the spot:Rowdy Rooster 49 1st Ave., New York, NY 10003
the eats: Fried Chicken Sandwich
the bucks: $15
the full nelson: the most exciting contemporary Indian food I've ever had
What is our obsession with fried chicken sandwiches?
My theory on fried chicken sandwiches is that they smartly gloss over slightly dry fried chicken and seduce you with hot sauce or even better, addictingly hot, hot sauce. I gotta say just saying that out loud makes me kinda hungry. What makes me even hungrier is a fried chicken sandwich that simultaneously is the best Indian food I've ever had.
A fast casual gateway to award winning Indian food
Rowdy Rooster is an order at the counter fried chicken sandwich joint from the people who created a slew of award winning Indian restaurants in New York City. I was at the James Beard Awards when Chef + Partner Chintan Pandya and restaurateur Roni Mazumdar won best chef New York in 2022 and they haven't lost steam since then.
Their latest offering, Masalawala and Sons, is one of the toughest tables to snag in NYC. Lucky for me getting a Fried Chicken sandwich at Rowdy Rooster is a whole lot easier.
Choose your spice level wisely
I bring this up because I, as a brown man, can handle some spice. Well damn, maybe not at Rowdy Rooster. I struggled with level four heat in my fried chicken sandwich at Rowdy Rooster. Next time I'm going for a three so you know to choose your spice level wisely.
The most intense fried chicken sandwich I have ever had
And that is more than just the spice talking, but first the rundown. Boneless chicken is brined then marinated in yogurt, fried and coated in a chili butter. That gets sandwiched between a potato bun and sauced with mint chutney, sesame yogurt and pickled onion. It all adds up to one hell of a fried chicken sandwich that hit me with more Indian flavor than just about any restaurant experience I've had in the US.
Crank it up.
There are five levels of heat at Rowdy Rooster that increase with different chilis from different regions of India. I chose level four which featured chilis from Kerala. I struggled. But the heat from Kerala no match for the sum total of flavors from the sandwich. My brain tells me to venture to Andhra and their level three chilis but my heart and ego tell me to go to Assam. One thing every part of me can agree on is that I will definitely be back to Rowdy Rooster.
If you have invested in a Traeger, especially one with a side induction burner like on the newer Timberline series, you should try out this method. I use the Timberline all the time and yet this was my first time doing the Reverse Sear Traeger? I know, I'm baffled too.
Hardcore Carnivore Rub
This line up of seasonings from Live Fire Chef Jess Pryles is a phenomenon onto itself. This wasn't the first "black" seasoning I've encountered but I will be hard pressed to find a better one. Especially because my kid absolutely loves or as he put it "it's bussin'". My wife is a fan too and she isn't the biggest fan of most rubs.
The key here is that this seasoning greatly adds to the sear factor when using a pellet grill. If you don't know, pellet grills don't use direct heat so achieving a sear has been challenging, though the latest Timberline has made great strides. Grab some rub like Hardcore Carnivore black and you're in business.
Meater 2 Plus
This is the latest offering from Meater, a company that makes wireless smart thermometers. They have a partnership with Traeger so I have received their product over the years. A digital thermometer is a must and I have been a loyal Thermoworks fan for years, I use their Thermapen all the time. I even have a remote probe thermometer from Thermoworks which is great but it isn't 100% wirefree. You still have to contend with a probe with a wire.
I had issues with the first Meater thermometer sent to me but thus far Meater 2 Plus has been a freaking dream. The app not only tracks the cooking progress but also records previous cooks so you can really hone in on your process. The accuracy has been fantastic and I honestly may never reach for my Thermoworks remote probe again.
Cook at 275 till your 10 degrees away from your final temp
Pardon my dirty grates but meat can be messy, amirtite? This is as simple as the headline up there. Fire up the Traeger to 275 and cook your steak till 10 degrees of your goal temp. I set mine to 130 degrees.
Crank up the heat and sear away
The induction burner heats up fast. Grab a high temp cooking oil like Avocado and in a few minutes lay that steak on the sizzling pan. You're going for color here so make an audible in the huddle or in other words, use your best judgement on the level of sear you want.
Coast to coast red
Unsightly grey band underneath the sear? What stinking grey band? Exactly. Look if you're a die hard about medium rare, reverse sear Traeger is as fool proof as it gets without a sous vide. Add the Hardcore Carnivore Black Seasoning and the Meater 2 Plus and you are set for great steak dinners at home.
The Vitals:
the spot:Ramen 512 1420 Cypress Creek Road Ste 300, Cedar Park, TX 78613
the eats: Tonkotsu Ramen, Karage
the bucks: $16, $7.50
the full nelson: Top Three ramen joint in Austin TX
Is Ramen 512 the best ramen in Austin TX?
I reached that notion on good authority from trusted experts and some promising chatter on Reddit like this post. That hype alone plus the winter weather of Austin got me in the mood to go slurp. Oh and my kid being a total Ramen addict didn't hurt either.
Before I get into the ramen I had to get into what is probably my favorite starter at a ramen joint:
Karage: Japanese fried chicken
I first fell in love with karage at Izakaya restaurants which is the Japanese equivalent of a tapas bar. The addition of mirin, Japanese soy sauce, sake and potato starch add both a texture and flavor profile that distinguish it from classic southern fried chicken. But just like classic Southern fried chicken, it pairs perfectly with a cold beer.
My kid has a custom ramen order . . .
. . . that tends to exclude most vegetables and adds Narutomaki(Fish Cake) into the Tonkotsu broth. And yes he is a major anime fan too. I was lucky on this particular visit that he didn't pull the trigger on the extra chashu and egg. Kids are expensive after all.
The bottomline was that he loved it and he can be damn picky. His pickiness might have just cause though. Some of his favorite ramen joints rank up with the best in town like Ramen Tatsu-ya, Jinya, and Michi and he has eaten a few bowls in Tokyo.
My ramen custom order you ask?
My baseline is always Tonkotsu broth, the broth made thick and creamy from pork bones and collagen. For me it is an instant departure from the instant ramen I first encountered back in college and is what I crave first when I hear the word "ramen". I will add an extra egg and chashu because my move is too share the bowl with my wife. A bowl of rich Tonkotsu ramen with an extra egg and chashu makes for a perfectably splittable portion.
If you saw my IG reel or TikTok video:
https://www.tiktok.com/@alikhaneats/video/7318767491071724830
. . . you will notice that broth wasn't the richest ever, which is a hallmark to my Tonkotsu experience. What I missed out on in regards to that velvety porcine broth switched gears with an unexpected clean finish. The texture of the noodles and mushroom had the perfect firmness. It was up there with the best texture experience I've had with ramen, Japan included.
Is Ramen 512 the best in town? Too close to call in my opinion. My guess is that unlike Michi or Ramen Tatsu-ya which have multiple locations, places like Ramen 512 might benefit from being a single location with better consistency. Of course I've only gone once which means to test that theory, I will have to go again. And though it's a 30 minute drive that will have me pass a few well regarded Ramen places to get there . . . I'd gladly make the trip.
