Deep fried sandwich at Prune
Lately I've been super into buying kitchen stuff. Maybe it's the colder weather making me want to stay inside. I went and bought a digital probe thermometer from amazon and now all I need is a cooler and that ice cooler sous vide trick can me mine! But in the meantime I'll keep writing about food that was consumed at restaurant. A few weeks ago a late brunch took place at Prune. It's a place that offers up some pricier than normal brunch. You could find things like scrambled eggs on the menu for $12, all the way up to a dish with smoked salmon from Russ & Daughters for $23. But the meat of the menu lives in the $15 range. The reason Prune really lured Steph and me in was because they're usually highly regarded and damn, it's impossible to get a seat there unless you go super early or super late. We went super late and waited just five minutes for a table.
Steph went with the Sausage and Oysters ($18) because she was interested in the lamb sausage. I tried the sausage, which was 'handmade', and thought it was ok. They probably needed to pile the plate with that stuff to really get me excited. With the sausage, oysters, tomatoes, and bread, it wasn't enough to be a filling meal for Steph. It's understandable since there's really not that much on the plate.
I had the Monte Cristo ($15), which is actually a sandwich that has it's own wikipedia page. Apparently any time you deep fry a ham, turkey, and swiss cheese sandwich, it's a Monte Cristo. Prune's version comes with two eggs on the side and some currant jelly. Oh yea, as if that's not enough, they do some powdered sugar on top too. So let me recap that for you: deep fried sandwich, two eggs, sweet jelly, and powdered sugar. I don't have a cardiologist yet but maybe it's time to get one...
A fried sandwich should be right up my alley, but this sandwich didn't completely win me over. Yes, I was pleasantly packed with calories after cleaning my plate. There however, is something kind of weird about a fried sandwich that's sweet. Maybe it needed hot sauce? More of a savory note to it? I'm not sure. Any time you deep fry something, you're going to win my affection. Prune almost got me with this, but something was missing. Maybe the meat to bread ratio was off? Maybe I just need to add some flamin hot cheetos to it?
The other news about Prune is that their chef, Gabrielle Hamilton, is publishing a memoir next year. It's been highly touted by the likes of Anthony Bourdain. Those kitchen/restaurant memoirs are always really fascinating so I'm looking forward to that too.
Prune
54 E. 1st St.
New York, NY 10003
212-677-6221
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I have a couple small-ish coolers, let me know if you want to borrow 'em to try the sous vide hack. Beats having to shell out for something that may or may not work.
Ben
November 23, 2010 2:08 pm
Adding Cheetos to stuff does not automatically make things better... but covering things in powdered sugar does! In light of it being Thanksgiving week, they should've subbed jelly for Cranberry sauce.
Nicholas
November 24, 2010 1:50 am
@Ben,
Ah, nice. Thanks for the offer man. I actually want to get a small cooler for the summer time beach outtings. But I will let you know how the sous vide hack turns out, so then you could try it at home too if you want!
@Nicholas,
Really?! I thought cheetos makes everything better. What if it's powdered sugar on cheetos?!?!
Danny
November 24, 2010 1:58 pm
Ha, I was never a huge Cheetos fan. I hated the bright orange crust my fingers would take on. Now... sugar coated cheetos, would be like crunch cheesecake sticks!
Nicholas
November 24, 2010 7:40 pm
wow, sugar coated cheetos would probably make my mind explode...
Danny
November 29, 2010 10:52 pm