#42: Menu

After that Christmas reference, I am going to blow you out of the water with my knowledge of Yiddish. Traif means “not kosher”….and after eating there I don't think I'll be converting to a kosher diet anytime soon (ha..ha. mmm I wonder how many food bloggers have made that exact joke). Anyway, there is something pretty amazing about a place called “Not Kosher”, in Yiddish, located in a part of town heavily populated by orthodox jews, that "celebrates shellfish and pork" (quoting from the website here). Even more amazing is that they serve bacon donuts, but I am getting ahead of myself.

Once again, I am impressed by how far (both literally and figuratively) New Yorkers are willing to go for a good meal. Traif is located on a desolate block under the BQE on South 4^th. Upon entering, the tiny kitchen and relative lack of crowdedness makes you feel like you discovered a hidden trasure. But don’t be fooled. You will wait. My sentence was an hour and a half, but once I saw the menu is was well worth it.

This place has the type of menu that makes you break out in a panicky sweat. It is long, the font is small, the ingredients are many. I was relieved to hear the plates are to share, and up to 5 (phew 5!) could be consumed by two people. Still, there is so much deliciousness on it that I could tell both me and my dining buddy feared we would not reach compromise. We laid out the ground rules: Each say one thing from the top half of the menu (the lighter half) and one from the bottom (heavier half). Luckily, we agreed quite easily.

Salt and Pepper Spicy White Shrimp with pineapple and sweet potatoes (Tasted like high end Chinese and that’s not a bad thing)

Crispy pork belly with caliuflower, romesco, parsley, garlic… some other stuff. (the best pork belly I have ever had…so buttery I could cut it with a fork!)

Duck leg on an amazing and rich bed of lentils

Pasta with Blue crab, mushrooms, black truffles and braised leeks (my favorite).

Burrata with beets, pomegranate seeds, mint, yougurt (the one miss)

Next time I go back it’s gonna have to be the strawberry-cinnamon glazed pork ribs. Or maybe the roasted bone marrow on garlic toast with sardines, or maybe the…arghh I can’t decide.