Park & Sixth Comfort Food
8/3/2010 Update:
Park & Sixth Update August 2010
We’re back again with this month’s “what’s hot” at Park & Sixth update! The top 5 items, plus take a journey through a custom catering trip around the world!
NOTE: Park & Sixth will be on vacation from August 16th – 25th. Re-opening at 11:00am on Thursday, August 26th. So get your fix in the next two weeks!
See their menu here – or click the image below.
What’s Hot at Park & Sixth – August 2010
- Hors D’Oeuvres Parties
- Buffalo Muzz Spring Rolls (NEW)
- Park & Sixth Salads
- Park & Sixth Brisket Sandwich (we made over 400 in June)
- The Havana (Our version of the Cuban sandwich has gained considerable momentum)
I Fly By The Seat of My Pants (Usually)
“Few people believed me when informed I wrote half the sandwiches down on our Blackboard Menu before I ever made them. That sounds pretty stupid or cocky or both, but it’s true. I’d made brisket before, but never the Park & Sixth brisket sandwich with fresh Muzz and Crazy Gravy (by far our #1 selling sandwich.) Hell, I hadn’t made fresh mozzarella before a few months prior to opening Park & Sixth. I hadn’t made the Havana, The All-Star or Eli Manning for that matter. I just knew the flavors would work. Like everything else I’ve done in my life from writing 10 page college papers the night before due date to prepping Hors D’oevres parties last minute…. I fly by the seat of my pants. My staff, my mom and just about anyone who has ever relied on me to produce something fabulous hate this about me. What I call “Impromptu Cooking,” or really impromptu living.
I catered a party on Garden Street a few months back and my customer Kelley said something along the lines of “Brian, I’m sick of the standard sandwich platters and chicken satay….I want something different for my party.” I love customers like Kelley. She had sampled my store food and was willing to give me a shot to cater her event. I told her, “allow me a few days,” to develop a different menu, one she hadn’t seen before. Kelley agreed but supplied some guidelines to follow. Among her guests were friends and family from Philly, Sweden, Ireland, Italy, and Maine. She was adamant that each hors d’oeuvres must be “one bite meals” encompassing the flavors from each respective region. Oh, and she requested one vegetarian dish of my choosing.
Philly was simple. I rolled our famous Philly Cheesesteak spring rolls–shaved rib eye meat, caramelized onions, and American cheese in spring roll wrappers. Everyone loves them and what better than a mini version of what Philadelphians take such pride.
See more of Chef Brian’s catering thought process (plus more photos) – after the jump!
Sweden was equally as simple–House cured citrus gravlax served on potato pancakes with scallion cream cheese. The Swedes invented gravalax, or at least some Scandinavian country did, so that hors d’oeuvres was easy. I salt and sugar cured a side of salmon with fresh dill, lemon and lime zest for a few days, blended cream cheese and scallions, not unlike the scallion creams cheese one orders on a bagel, and made some potato pancakes from shredded potato, flour, eggs, garlic powder and hot sauce. Awesome hors d’oeuvres–crispy potato pancake with fresh scallion cream cheese and gravlax “roses” placed atop with a garnish of wasabi shoots.
Ireland was a little tougher task. Irish cuisine, and for the Irish people reading this please forgive me, doesn’t exactly scream out fancy “one bite” hors d’oeuvres to me. All I could think was haggis, which is probably Scottish and I know it involves intestines or kidney or something really gross, and shepherds pie. So, I deconstructed shepherds pie, swapped lamb for braised brisket, added peas and carrots, some cool herbs and red wine, then served it in mini fried potato cups topped with garlic truffle whipped potato. I know, I know truffle is French but it just worked–”a culinary orgasm,” as Kelley said.
Italy was even tougher because Kelley requested “Something with pesto.” Silly Me, I suggested mini custard pesto quiches. Now, I have made custard quiches many times, and the dough crust, but never mini and never multiple mini quiches. Of course I waited til the day of the party to figure out how to make the shell (crust) in which the egg custard would sit. And, of course, I hadn’t the time to make the dough from scratch. I grappled with leaving the mini quiches off the menu altogether. However, last minute a light bulb flashed above my head….”Puff pastry!” If I could retard the “puff” in puff pastry, stop it from doing in the oven exactly what is was designed to do, it would make the perfect light flaky vessel to hold the mini quiche. I flew by the seat of my pants, it worked. Those quiche morsels were fabulous.
Maine seems easy–LOBSTER! But it really wasn’t. How does one serve an ingredient so indigenous to a region they scramble into omelets as if it were cheese or onions. I just had to do lobster, though, but spin it Uncle B style. I prepared olive oil poached mini lobster rolls. Poaching lobster in olive oil is an outrageous technique, which involves par-boiling whole lobsters for two minutes, harvesting the meat while it’s essentially still raw, and then poaching in 140 degree olive oil. Then I mixed the lobster meat with mayo, Dijon mustard, chives, chipotle Tabasco, lemon zest and celery and jammed it into mini potato buns. Kelley’s mother, from Maine, cornered me in the kitchen for the recipe. OUT OF THIS WORLD!
And Last the vegetarian dish–fresh shelled pea salad. I drove to the Farmers Market in Union Square the morning of the party and found beautiful fresh peas. I had no idea what I would do with them but they were gorgeous and an ingredient which needs little attention to be awesome. So, I shelled and tossed them into a soy ginger vinaigrette, added pickled red onions, scallion shoots and a drizzle of wasabi oil. They were served on wonton spoons. Simple, fresh and a perfect ending to a great party.
I flew by the seat of my pants, I just work better that way. Maybe because the pressure insures excellence, or maybe I procrastinate, or maybe I’m kinda lazy; kinda crazy. Call it what you will.
Brian
Chef and Owner
Park & Sixth Comfort Food
Other Park & Sixth Catering Creations
In the image gallery below – see some other catering choices you have at Park & Sixth!
See previous “What’s Hot at Park & Sixth” Archives below:
Happy First Anniversary Park & Sixth!»NY Post talks about Park & Sixth»
March 2010 Update»
February 2010 Update»
January 2010 Update»
See you next month!
9/21/2009 Update:
For the last several months – I’ve been having Park & Sixth Cravings on Monday’s for some reason – only to be bummed that I forgot they weren’t open.
Good news – now open Mondays!
Last week, in conjunction with the start of the school year, Park & Sixth is now open on Mondays too! I think I’ll have swing by later today and test out a new sandwich I haven’t tried yet.
6/18/2009 Update:
Quick little update here. I’ve been back to Park & Sixth a few times since they opened. I have a new favorite item – the Buffalo Chicken Salad. Fantastic to eat straight.. pulled chicken breast, a relatively mild buffalo spice, and tons of miniature celery bits. It’d be nice to have a “hot-n-spicy” option, but I’m perfectly satisfied as-is.
Oh, and SEE MENU HERE.
6/10/2009 Update:
Positive first day
The eatery was buzzing with customers when I stopped in at around 2pm – fully loaded with prepared dishes, salads, meats and a bunch of hard-to-find condiments and spices.
Quick first impressions: I ordered the chef’s favorite of the day – Meat Lasagna, plus some roasted corn salad (with red onion, tomato, scallion and cilantro) – and a “Two-Tier” Chicken Parm (with prosciutto in-between). Without getting into full detail, the dishes were all very good, and the attention to detail in their preparation was plainly evident. Good value as well, the portions were generous for the price (I have enough left for TWO more meals).
I also tasted the Fresh Mozzarella (made in house) – which was fantastic!
Interesting to note, was the various spices and sauces they had for sale. Including David’s Kosher Salt (which is apparently very hard to find) – and an array of hot sauces and salsas.
Check it out tonight on your way home!
(Menu to be posted later this week.)
6/1/2009 Update:
Coming June 2009!
I had a chance to stop by Park & Sixth Comfort Food (539 Park Ave.) this weekend. Spoke with Jimmy, who along with his brother Brian – have done quite a good job transforming the old Piccininni Salumaria location into a new destination for hungry Hoboken residents!
(Hoping) to open somewhere around June 10th – Park & Sixth hopes to wow customers with a varying array of “comfort” foods every day. From sandwiches, prepared dishes, a salad-station, a large selection of fine cheeses – and much more. Walking around the interior made you feel like they did something right. I happen to get a big kick out of the interesting variety of random photos hanging on the wall. I immediately noticed that they’re big NY Yankees fans – and found out that the only “dress code” that employees will have to adhere by is – that they’ll have to don Yankees caps – regardless of who their favorite team is. I like these guys already!
Jimmy also seemed to be very in touch with his neighbors, fielding tons of questions about the new eatery from curious passerby every day. He expect the initial operating hours to be 7am-8pm, six days a week (closed Mondays) – and will fine tune the offerings based on popular demand.
I for one, can’t wait to try their version of a hot roast beef and mozz sandwich! Stay tuned to Hoboken411 for further updates!
4/7/2009:
Hoboken411 reader McSpacebar spotted this new business opening up at 539 Park Avenue called: Park & Sixth Comfort Food.
Piccininni Salumaria spot no longer vacant
“Here is a pic my girlfriend took of the exterior of the former Piccininni Salumaria on 6th & Park Ave. It is finally rented, and a sign went up in the window a few days ago.
I have high hopes for this place although it can in no way replace Pincinini’s.”
Description: Comfort food, prepared foods, sandwiches, fresh mozzarella, cheeses, hamburgers, salads.
Address: 539 Park Ave # 2, Hoboken, NJ 07030
Web: TBD
Phone: 201-710-5020
Happy Birthday, Park & Sixth!
6/11/2010 Update:
Hoboken411 has been updating Mile Square residents about Park & Sixth Comfort Food since (before) the very beginning, and would like to wish them a Happy First Anniversary!
Yesterday, June 10th marked their official 1st birthday, and they’re celebrating by offering all customers a 20% discount on Sunday, June 13th!
Park & Sixth gets a mention in the NY Post
3/29/2010 Update:
This past weekend, the NY Post gave a little shout out to Park & Sixth – in their article about celebrities and restaurants.
“Meeting Eli Manning was a pipe dream for Park and Sixth Comfort Food owner Brian Dowling, who coined the Eli Manning sandwich in honor of the quarterback, days after winning the Super Bowl in 2008. “I’ve been a Giants fan my whole life,” he says, “and I knew Eli Manning lived in Hoboken.”
The sandwich, which is now the most popular item on the menu, consists of roast beef, caramelized onions, roasted garlic mayo and horseradish ($7.99 for 7-inch; $14.99 for 14-inch). “It’s the only celebrity dish we have,” says Dowling. “I was hoping maybe he would stop by.”
What’s Hot at Park & Sixth – March 2010
- The Meatloaf Fresh Muzz and Gravy
- Grilled Chicken Fresh Muzz and Roasted Red Peppers
- The Skirt Steak Salad
- Philly Cheese Steak Spring Rolls
- The Spicy Crab Cake Sandwich (Friday Special)
When in Doubt add fried shallots
“The NEW Meatloaf, Muzz and Gravy Sandwich has quickly risen to fame at Park & Sixth. What began as a special I developed when my manager bought too much ground beef one day has become one of our top five sellers. The recipe is as interesting as it is diverse. In fact, there are 19 ingredients, which are as follows: Ground Beef, Bacon, red onion, celery, carrot, garlic, fresh thyme, dried oregano, bread crumbs, the innards of Dom’s bread, Parmigiana Reggiano, eggs, half and half, lemon zest, salt and pepper, chipotle Tabasco and fried shallots.
The fried shallots were an afterthought. I had mixed the ingredients together and made a meatball to test the flavor profile and it was missing something. So, I employed my golden rule When in Doubt add fried shallots. Something magical happens to a shallot when it caramelizes. It becomes sweet and nutty and adds a complexity to an otherwise ordinary dish—not to say the meatloaf wasn’t good before, but the shallot sent it over the top.
So come on in to Park & Sixth and try the new addition to our menu—The Meatloaf, Muzz and Gravy Sandwich
- Brian Dowling
What’s Hot at Park & Sixth – February 2010
- The Fresh mozzarella
- The Havana
- The Roasted Tomato Chipotle Soup
- The Park & Sixth Brisket Sandwich
- The NEW Meatloaf Muzz and Gravy Sandwich (Special)
A Fresh Mutz newbie? No way!
“I had never made fresh Mozzarella before I opened Park & Sixth Comfort Food. Yes, its true. I didn’t know a curd from a cotton ball but I knew If I were to open a store in Hoboken I’d better learn, learn quickly and rightly. Because Hoboken is the land of Fresh Muzz. So, my brother and I spent three months working out the details—how finely the curds should be broken down, water temperature, salt content and so on. And aside from burning our hands and laughing a lot we developed, what we consider, great fresh mozzarella.
Here’s how we do it:
First a block of Mozzarella curd is broken down into fine pieces about the size of raisins. We fluff the little pieces of curd up with our hands something akin to fluffing cooked rice with a fork to allow for open pockets of air. This step is crucial when the hot salty water is poured over the curd. It allows the salty water to penetrate the curds and makes for a perfect marriage of cheese to salt.
Once the hot water melts the curds into an amorphous congealed mass sitting in salty walter we use a paddle to stretch the curd much like a candy maker stretches saltwater taffy. What was once a block of curd broken down into little pieces is now a silky ribbon of awesomeness. We form the balls about the size of baseballs and lay them into very cold, but not ice cold, water so they set properly. In a sense shocking them into place.
So, come on in to Park & Sixth we’d be happy to give you a taste!
Brian
What’s Hot at Park & Sixth – January 2010
I always want to know what everyone else is ordering, so I asked them for a list of their hottest selling items, plus a little background on #1!
- The Park & Sixth Braised Brisket Sandwich
- The Philly Cheese Steak Spring Roll
- The Buffalo Soldier
- The Eli Manning
- Fresh Mozzarella
The Park and Sixth Braised Brisket Sandwich
Here’s what the owner has to say about the most popular item on the menu (man am I hungry now!)
“When I sat down to write the sandwich menu for Park & Sixth Comfort Food I knew I had to incorporate braised brisket somewhere. Little did I know it would be our signature sandwich.
I am a man consumed by braising. Braising is sexy. Perhaps because the process involves taking a less desirable “peasant” cut of meat with the consistency of an old shoe and morphing it into tender deliciousness, the proverbial frog into a prince as it were.
Braising is a cooking technique that requires a fattier cut of meat to be cooked over a long period of time over low heat. It is actually quite simple, but requires considerable time to gather and prepare the ingredients.
Our briskets braise in the oven for five hours at 300 degrees in a red wine based sauce, which later becomes the “Crazy Gravy” on the Park & Sixth Brisket Sandwich.
If you don’t have the time to braise…. we’ll do it for you. At Park & Sixth we braise five briskets a day and it is by far the most popular item on the menu.”
131 Responses to ** Park & Sixth Comfort Food **
June 14th, 2010 |
The food here is good. I just wish the guys would be a tad more attentive, like they used to be. It’s been a couple of times I’ve gone in there and it seems the focus has been on preparing orders for delivery. The person serving has always been very nice, but it seems to take a little longer than it should to catch the attention of someone behind the counter.
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August 3rd, 2010 |
I love this place, but the recent interview with Brian on 411 makes me want to slap him into reality. He sounds like an overprivileged brat – like it takes a strike of genius to put spare ribs, mutz, and gravy on a bun. And to compare adding three toppings to a sandwich to writing a ten page college paper, sounds like he didn’t go to Princeton…
Clintondude
In response to oceanbloo who said:
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August 3rd, 2010 |
yeah…or
“I’d made brisket before, but never the Park & Sixth brisket sandwich with fresh Muzz and Crazy Gravy (by far our #1 selling sandwich.)”
How genius
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August 3rd, 2010 |
I, like “clintondude”, LOVE Park & Sixth as does my husband … but for totally different reasons… My weekly treat is the buffalo chicken soldier garlic wrap with some mutz thrown in. My hubster loves the Eli Manning roast beef sandwich. Would we call it “genius” .. no. But we WOULD call it easily the BEST FOOD available Hoboken has experienced in a really long time!
Good food is good food and taking personal “shots” at someone who’s providing
we Hobokenites the opportunity to FINALLY HAVE GOOD FOOD that’s not cookie cutter pre-made crap is … well, perhaps we should re-evaluate who needs to be slapped into reality.
In response to clintondude who said:
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August 3rd, 2010 |
I’m new to Hoboken and live around the corner from this place and it is always packed solid on the weekend! I haven’t gone in yet but this article definitely makes it more
enticing. Reading the hors d’ouevres that were put together for the one party and looking at some of the photos made me really hungry!!
And, as event planner … I love the creativity of his ideas and they sound great for some of the parties I plan. Time to visit the store, try the food and … who knows … maybe book an event or two!!!
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August 4th, 2010 |
ToughLittleGuinea – I’m glad we agree on the quality of the food, I’m a big fan of the buffalo chicken salad as well as the Park & 6th chicken salad. What Park & 6th did well was identify a market need, create a product to meet that need, and obtain the resources to open a successful business. My issue is with the quotes from Brian, he deserves the credit for the store’s success but it’s not because of the ‘ingenious’ menu he created flying by the seat of his pants – it’s the business plan. He might as well compare the sandwich board he created to Moses descending from the heavens with the ten commandments. Also, flying by the seat of ones pants is not something to boast about. Now, about your screen name…
clintondude
In response to ToughLittleGuinea who said:
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August 4th, 2010 |
I’ve wanted to try to park and sixth for a while, but after being reminded by this commercial–I mean post–my husband and I decided to go last night, but not before checking the hours on the menu posted here on Hoboken411.com and on the Park and Sixth website. Wouldn’t you know, they’ve changed their hours. This isn’t really a huge deal, obviously, but perhaps somewhere between congratulating himself on being such a genius and bragging about “flying by the seat of his pants,” Brian could have mentioned that they are now only open till 5 pm. What made them choose 5pm? If they want to close early, you’d think they would close circa 3 pm (after people have gotten lunch) or after dinner time. Not before it, right? Am I crazy? At any rate, maybe we’ll try and swing by there on the weekends, or maybe not.
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August 4th, 2010 |
The food is always great, but I’m disappointed by their inability to streamline their process to the point of getting me in and out of there in less than 25 minutes. No matter if the crowd is big or the place is empty I need to budget almost a half hour to get my food. Yeah, I’ve tried to call in orders. It doesn’t make much of a difference. I still keep coming back, though.
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August 4th, 2010 |
I thought this place was great in the beginning but I stopped going awhile ago. They cant even make a Chicken Parm correctly. My advice to Brian is to stop reading on Hoboken411 on how great they are & being more concerned about customer service.
The last 2 times I was there, I had to wait 10 minutes before the guys behind the counter turned around to ask who was next. Back to Vito’s & MP’s for me..
I hope Brain doesnt break his arm patting himself on the back
I cant wait for the Park & Sixth September Update….
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August 4th, 2010 |
Funny, this is why I recently stopped going there as well. While I love their food, the attitude from everyone there started feeling like I was hassling them and they were doing me a HUGE favor taking 30 minutes to get a $15 sandwich. Sorry guys, but I came over to your store after getting sick of that attitude from Fiore’s, but now you guys are even worse than they are.
The old story, sometimes success goes to one’s head and it spreads like cancer through the employees.
In response to yourbrainondrugs who said:
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August 4th, 2010 |
I appreciate the feedback from my latest “What’s Hot at Park & Sixth.” However, I am a little surprised by some of the responses. The “What’s Hot” article is supposed to be some fun and interesting insights into our food…how we prepare it etc etc. In no way was I calling myself a genius or patting myself on the back. I was merely sharing how I do things, usually last minute. I felt I was poking fun at myself. I really didn’t intend it to be taken as cocky or arrogant.
That said, I also appreciate the feedback on our customer service and time it takes to get our food out the door. We have steadily grown over the past year and our delivery business has tripled in just a few short months. Pair that with the fact that our food is made from scratch and takes a bit longer to prepare the wait time has definitely grown. We are taking measures to expedite the process. We pride ourselves on customer service and if we have fallen short I assure you the issue is being addressed. Please do not hesitate to email me directly at Brian@parkandsixth.com.
Thank You,
Brian Dowling
In response to yourbrainondrugs who said:
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