The Downtown Brooklyn Thread

surmounter - the clover is a $10k single cup drip coffee machine/computer that supposedly makes the best coffee in the world

Surmounter:

the clover coffee machine is fed entirely on apples from the orchards where the coffee is grown

;)

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/591152

Having the machine in the neighborhood is a *big deal* because since Starbucks bought the company the new machines aren't being sold to anyone else, as I understand it, and there weren't that many sold pre-Starbucks.

has starbucks even started using them yet

wait so starbucks uses the clover?

Hmm, maybe I'll study there tomorrow. It's closer to me than Tea Lounge (which kind of sucks anyway) and Tazza has a no-computer policy.

Apparently only select starbucks have the clover right now. I have not seen one yet.

a good recession era business would be to break into starbucks and steal their clovers then resell them to neighborhood joints

edit: apparently none in NYC Starbucks yet. Only Boston, San Fran, Seattle.

Speaking of thin-crust pizza (cross-thread), has anyone ever actually tried the Fatoosh "pitza"?

― Bonobos in Paneradise (Hurting 2), Wednesday, March 11, 2009 2:00 PM (54 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Lambajin and Zattar bread (kinda a pizza) are excellent, other pies are meh.

The clover coffee is pretty good, but not good enough that I'd consistently pay a big markup for it. Kind of redic when you see how much the machines cost.

― Bonobos in Paneradise (Hurting 2), Wednesday, March 11, 2009 2:05 PM (2 hours ago) Bookmark

Well, ya know, I decided to try another cup. It is good, have to say. $2.50 for the cheapest blend. I've had drip coffee that's just as good but drip is really unreliable even at a good place.

Lambajin and Zattar bread (kinda a pizza) are excellent, other pies are meh.

― mizzell, Wednesday, March 11, 2009 2:57 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

i grew up with these things! mmm so good. it's real easy to make the zataar at home, we do it bunches (it's just olive oil, sumac, thyme and sesame seeds)

there's a clover in my town at a non-starbucks place. the coffee is really good, but i'm not sure exactly how much is psychosomatic (i definitely sit and enjoy it and focus on the taste more, since i paid a buck extra and know it's supposed to be perfect coffee and all).

lamejun fan here - w/the big armenian population theres tons of that stuff around boston

It just tastes to me like a very fresh, strong, properly brewed drip cup (maybe with some hints of flavors that you don't get in regular drip?) I'd kind of have to taste it side-by-side with a regular drip cup of the same beans to really compare. I also noticed it takes a lot of grinds to make a cup. It's neat to watch the little coffee elevator go up and down though.

the thing apparently abt the clover is the control - so if they havent hit the sweet settings spot for whichever bean/ground its prob not gonna be so much greater than whatever

the "pitza" at places like Beduin Tent, Black Iris, Zaytoons etc, is best when served with tons of feta and dipped in hummous and/or cucumber yogurt.

lots of places sell frozen lamejun in my neighborhood> I bought it once but I could never pry the individual pies apart.

xp, he speaks the truth. or dipped in the labana can be really delicious too, which is a yogurt based thing

yeah we used to get the frozen ones all the time -- they can be very thin and hard to pry. you can microwave a touch to ease this

the labana at black iris= pure joy.

i used to eat those frozen jobbys all the time as a youth - solid staple of my familys freezer

the labana at black iris= pure joy.

― mizzell, Wednesday, March 11, 2009 4:44 PM (24 seconds ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

yah, and isn't it BYOB? i need to do this soon

im kinda down on black iris - bedouin tent is way better imo

i think this way sometimes too, but aren't they the same owners? the menus are almost identical, down to the font and layout

yah its the same people - they used to have bedouin express on s portland where pequena is too

Labana = labeneh? We're always looking for the real thing. It's hard to find the good stuff in stores except in the pickled ball form (maybe because it doesn't transport well?)

yeah, labeneh, labne. it's actually not that hard to make, you just need yogurt and a cheesecloth!

What kind of yogurt do you recommend using? We want the properly sour taste, not this sour-cream-like stuff you get in most places.

right... i'll ask my parents ;)

black iris is not great, but very reliable. i used to live right by fatoosh and think that it is better. but the labana at black iris is the best i've tasted.

Anyone ever try Hadramout on Atlantic? I kind of want to try it - menu looks very good.

OK, labne update (from my aunt):

it’s best to use plain supermarket full fat. I’ve used fat free and had to throw it out. But, I was able to make it with low fat. Or, you can mix one container low fat and one full.

All you have to do is empty the yogurt on a cheese cloth draped over a colander, that is sitting in a bowl. lightly stir in some salt, like a small spoon, don’t mix. leave it out for a few hours and then put in the fridge until the next day. It should be done.

sounds like u could just get some greek yogurt (pre drained!) and add salt - try sahadis

i'm pretty sure it's a very different taste though... greek yogurt is as creamy (if not creamier) but it doesn't have the same zesty thing.

i was shocked to look at the nutrition info on the back greek yogurt. that stuff is HEAAVY

greek yogurt is just strained yogurt - u can get it in non fat low fat etc - obv the particular preparation and zinginess varies by brand

actually i think greek yogurt is typically drained, not strained. like i don't think it requires being strained through a cheesecloth. this might account for the difference in taste/texture... all i know is the greek yogurt i've had tastes very different than any labne i've had.

but maybe i'm nuts!

im no expert but imo strained and drained mean the same thing in this context - greek is sometimes sheeps milk which would def taste dif but its usually cows at least the stuff we get here - heres what the wiki says http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strained_yoghurt

also the salting and airing def affects the thing so u cant really compare greek yogurt to yr finished dish

hmm... well, now i'm confused, cuz most of the recipes i looked at for "greek yogurt" involve boiling milk and letting it sit -- but not straining it through a cheesecloth.

in my mind, letting something sit and thicken, and then draining the juice is one thing. but letting it sit, thicken and strain through a cheesecloth seems very different.

I DUNNO JOE YOU WANNA TAKE IT OUTSIDE? :)

yahoo says you're right http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080805103253AAHE5bG

in terms of store brands, i think they sell the labne as a thicker strain, than the greek stuff.

I WILL MEET U ON S PORTLAND AND WE WILL FITE

at sahadis they hav some stuff thats like 10x as thick as yr standard fage total fair

lol @ us using wikipedia and yahoo answers to settle this - people just like us wrote those things

hehe i kno... yeah it might just be a thickness thing. i mean, it's all yogurt.

this is seriously lol, guys

also i'll do this eating-turkey-in-a-bar thing ian brought up 100 years ago, before the yogurt wars