Hungry for home-style

This is a very long-overdue entry that I've been meaning to post and decided today was the day to do it without anymore excuses.

So Eric and I went to Pistahan back in September, a place you probably would just walk right by without a glance because it looks almost like a fast food/take-out joint. With bright-orange painted walls and a glass window fridge that allows you to pick desserts to-go (and some random perishable items), the place was dimly lit and rather empty.

But I had read about this place in New York magazine and was curious to know what they called a culinary hodgepodge of Asian cuisines was like. I ordered the Chicken Adobo while Eric asked the waiter whether he should get the "Grilled Pork Belly with vinegar and soy sauce" or the "Deep-fried Pork Belly with special liver sauce." She stood there rather indecisive herself. "Um, they are kind of the same," she says. Now Eric was set on getting something deep-fried that night because well chances are that usually translates to: "You're gonna LOOOOOVE it no matter how bad the meat really tastes," even though he told me after dinner that he was hoping to be "less squishy again." Yeah, fat chance if you're dining with me. And guess what, he got the deep-fried pork belly. He was also smart to get us a plate the garlic rice.

The chicken adobo arrived at the table first. While not a dish to marvel at over the presentation, we both thought the adobo sauce was really fabulous. It wasn't inundated with vinegar; in fact it was almost sweet and broth-like, soaking in the natural flavors of chicken. While the meat didn't slip off the bone as I have had at other places, it was still a hearty dish with a simple, home-style character to it. But there were two things we had wished for for this dish: 1) The chicken could have been marinated in the sauce much longer. The meat closer to the bone had very little flavor, while the exterior was enveloped very well with the adobo sauce (While it is normally made with garlic, vinegar, soy sauce, chilies, tomatoes and onions, this one was simply vinegar, soy sauce and onions). 2) There was more bone than meat to be had. Lots of time was spent getting the meat off that for the most part I was worried I'd be flinging the rest of my food at Eric. While I wouldn't have minded that the food hit him, it would have a been a great loss to not have eaten the flying pieces. However, only one chunk managed to fly off the plate and unfortunately it was in my lap. Thankfully the chicken wasn't too oily. I think my clothes will not suffer greatly. But the flavors were nonetheless delicious, simple with nothing so heavy to throw your digestive system in a funk.


The garlic rice was a bit of a revelation because it was fragrant, bold and even had pieces of grilled garlic in it, yet was safe enough to eat without having to worry about breathing garlic on everybody for the rest of the night. Ew. But the rice was cooked perfectly, each grain glistening with some sort of oil to keep the rice moist and appetizing. It was such a complement to our two dishes that I'm guessing any entree in the house could use the rice as a side (except for the desserts).

The Deep-fried Pork Belly came at last and you could tell immediately it was going to rock. How? Because the rind looked crispy, there was a thin layer of fat between the fried skin and the very tender, juicy pork. The rind was a bit difficult to chew as it was semi-thick and hard, but combined with the fat and the meat, the trio is a must for a fried-food lover because you get the crunch but you also get forward-flavor pork and smoothness from the fat...ending your bite with plenty of textures and pure pork bliss. The special liver sauce reminded me of the sweet-sour sauce normally served with Peking Duck, which I never use anyways. I wasn't a fan of it though I wouldn't say it was bad. Eric and I naturally dunked our pork in the left-over adobo sauce instead. Yum.

We finished everything except the extra bowl of white rice we had ordered. Probably because we devoured the dishes so there was none left to accompany the lonesome rice. In fact, if my memory serves me well, I think Eric almost licked clean the bowl with the adobo sauce in it. That good you say? Yeah, it was but don't expect a mind-blowing experience. Sometimes simple is just plain satisfying and I'd say the adobo sauce is tasty enough to convert almost any dish into comfort food.

We considered dessert, but decided against it and instead went to Something Sweet, a place that has the best Truffle Buttons (almond macaroons with chocolate ganache and dipped in Belgium chocolate) I've had so far. That entry will be for another day. Today its Pistahan...and I pat myself on the back for finally getting this account up on here. Oh and the photos are courtesy of Eric's phone camera...quite clear, eh? Please take special care in noticing how well-fried/crisp the pork is, how shiny the rice granules are and how succulent the chicken chunks look.

Lesson of the day: I take it out of a line from this above entry..."Sometimes simple is just plain satisfying."

Pistahan
229 First Ave. (between 13th and 14th Sts.)
212-228-9000