Zagat Survey 2006

/soap box on

There are two types of food people:  those who think only the critics know best, and those who believe in the popular vote. I'm a fan of both, in truth, because each has its own place... The critics need to be consistent; the popular vote only needs to speak it's own egocentric voice.

What's this all about? It's the for the Annual Zagats survey. Schnack isn't even one of the restaurants listed, but I encourage everyone to vote the own ego for those that are. Zagat 2006 Survey

There are those who put down Zagat because they lack the rigor of the critics; "how can the Grocery be so good?" (Is it or isn't it?). The critics can afford to eat at every fancy French place in town because they don't pay with their own $$$. When people vote, they only vote what they know. So OK.. It doesn't make it RIGHT in the absolute since, but it makes it something to consider. Read what the critics write because they are paid to do that, and paid to be on target. Read Zagat to see what other New Yorkers from all walks of NYC, have to say. 'Nuff said!!

/soap box off

Our Dog

In 2003, the Village Voice said we had the Best Hot Dog in NYC, and if you search through this blog there is a link to a website that notes we have the 2nd best dog in America.. Well.. maybe that's too much hype but we have always been pleased to use the Stahl-Meyer Hot Dog and cook it so it is both hot and juicy!

Here is a little bit on their history from timesnewsweekly.com

In 1894 Louis Meyer founded Louis Meyer & Company in Brooklyn, supplying smoked and cured hams, bacon and sausage. With his business in good shape, in 1923 he built a large three-story brick building at Wyckoff and Cooper avenues in Ridgewood at a cost of $400,000. It had a rail siding with the Long Island Rail Road. In February 1924, he invited all of his customers to a housewarming visit to his new plant. By the late 1930s he merged with Stahl to form Stahl-Meyer, which was known for its 100 percent beef hot dogs. It supplied all three of the major league ballparks in New York City. Tom Wiegand researched and found that Ferdinand Schaller and Anton Weber both had worked for Stahl-Meyer before they founded their own business in 1937.

In 1980, Milton Rattner organized Hansel ’n Gretel Brand, Inc., a provision supplier catering to supermarkets that had deli departments. The company is located at 79-36 Cooper Ave. in Glendale. Its processing plant is housed in a historic building where the Brunner-Winkle Aircraft Corp. made parts for the Bird biplane in 1930-31. In this 1992 photo, the structure on the right is the former “annex” building of Brunner-Winkle. Today, this building and the one to the west of it are connected to form one large complex for Hansel ’n Gretel. It added a second story to the southern end of the “annex” for a sales showroom.

Diagonally across from its plant, Stahl-Meyer constructed a baseball diamond, which was called Stahl-Meyer Oval. The company sponsored a baseball team, the Stahl-Meyer Browns, in the Queens Alliance, and they played their home games at Stahl-Meyer Oval. Subsequently, the company merged with Ferris in the Bronx, which produced Sabrett hot dogs. The new company was called Ferris, Stahl-Meyer. It closed the plant in Ridgewood and moved the production to the Bronx.

Crazy

Hey,

If anyone wants us to try making this item.. let me know, and with enough support we will give it a try..

Chop Suey Sundae
Source: the old National Soda Fountain Guide

1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup dates
2 scoops vanilla ice cream
1/4 cup flaked coconut
1/4 cup chow mein noodles

Boil the water and sugar together for 5 minutes and then add the raisins and dates. Pour over the ice cream and top with the noodles.

The only one

We thought we might be the only place, more or less, that takes orders until 1am and then stays open until 2am..

The following is excerpted from the NY Times about LA's "Dan Tana's"

"Though Los Angeles is a town where even the most popular restaurants can be deserted by 10:30 p.m., in true New York style the kitchen at Dan Tana's takes its last order at 1 a.m.; the restaurant is open until 2.

Mr. Tana, a Yugoslavian soccer star, defected to the West in 1953 with hopes of playing soccer in the United States. Instead, he found himself in Hollywood playing bad guys in movies including "The Enemy Below" (1957). (He also lent his name to the lead character in the television series "Vega$.")

Mr. Tana is neither Italian nor even from New York, yet he has created what many people view as a shrine to their old East Coast stomping grounds."

Great Ham specials coming to an end

Hey Easter weekend is coming up.. Some in your family probably want something simple to eat like a great Schnack burger, but maybe someone else wants a great ham dinner. Well, come to Schnack on Saturday March 26th or Sunday the 27th and we will have our special Easter Ham Dinner. A special Jubilat Ham served with garlic mashed potatoes and garlic greens (Swiss chard). $9 a plate.

Order two or more and get FREE dessert!!!

Don't have any of your own LEFTOVERS? Get a Ham and Swiss and Tomato Hero for $6

Our winter menu is coming to an end. The soups are gone already and
the Mac 'N Cheese is about to go (Available til April 5th). We will
also hang up the heavy meat items like Braised Short Ribs with
Mushroom Gravy. (Running the last time on March 28 until they run out.
Our summer menu will start off featuring Swiss Chard sautéed with
Garlic (running now for $3.50), Polish Brats (boiled in beer and
char-grilled $5), and our special regional road food (info to come in
early April!!).

More blogging .com

A nice review from March 19th... Although they call the Beer Milkshake a Beer Float; it doesn't float. It's a shake, meaning like a milkshake... we of course do offer root beer floats!

"...we left The Hook and walked to a place nearby called "Schnack." Schnack wins my vote as the absolute, hands down, best latenight grub that I've ever had. And they even have a blog! It is like White Castle but a thousand times better and with beer floats. Yes. BEER FLOATS. A glass of beer with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream in it. I am so hooked, it's not even funny. The mini sliders or "schnackies" (flat little hamburgers) are phenomenal, fries: perfect, beer float: totally tubular. And it's open at one o'clock in the morning. So last night was pretty close to heaven..."


Here is a link

Doing well

We are doing well, no matter how you LINK it..

Here are two links that puts things into prospective..

Link 1

Link 2

Dine In Brooklyn

Thanks Marty!

That's what every one should say after they chow down on some food during the Dine in Brooklyn program. This years program, like last years, starts on April 11th!

This year the program will feature meals for $19.55, the year of Brooklyn Dodgers' World Series victory. Thanks to all the Boys of Summer including Johnny Podres.

For many restaurants, $19.55 is a good deal for dinner for 1, but that doesn't really fit into the value pricing @ Schnack. So as always, we making up a few of our own rules.

For lunch, $19.55 gets' you "lunch for FOUR". At dinner time, $19.55 gets' you a meal for TWO. Here are the details.

Lunch
12 Single Burgers
2 Baskets of French Fries
1 Basket of Onion Rings (Best in NYC)
4 RC Colas or 4 8 oz. Swag Beers
+ a Banana Split

Dinner
1 Basket of Fries
1 Basket of Onion Rings (Best in NYC)
6 Singles
1 Mac N Cheese with Kielbasa
1 Harry's warm Banana Chocolate Bread Pudding
2 RC Colas or 2 8 oz Swag Beers.

Epicurious.com

This year Epicurious.com is turning 10!! To celebrate we've launched a
Culinary Trivia Sweepstakes, Reader Recipe Contests and more at
Epicurious.com

Read on to learn more. Hopefully you'll find these so fun and exciting
yourself that you'll want to share it with all your readers/users.



Epicurious.com is announcing the Epicurious Culinary Trivia Sweepstakes at
This fun, entertaining, and interactive game incorporates both a trivia quiz and
an instant win component. The trivia game questions users on their knowledge
of food and Epicurious. In the instant win game, users get the chance to
blow out candles on a birthday cake celebrating the 10th anniversary of
Epicurious. If they match 3 icons behind the burnt out candles, they win
great prizes including KitchenAid stand-mixers, gift certificates from Home
Bistro and Jessica's Biscuits, gift pacts from Illy Caffe and Curious Cooke
and the grand prize of a one-week culinary holiday in Tuscany.

This is surely something you might enjoy

Thanks Mike

I wanted to thank Mike Daisey and his charming wife, Jean-M, for stopping by Schnack the other night for a very late night dinner. Mike had the courge to try our lastest kitchen experiment "turkey stuffed squid!"

Read Mike's BLOG!