Spoon #16: Skinner's Loft

Good Mornin' Captain...

This weekend Ms. Dish and I stopped by Skinner's Loft in Jersey City for brunch:

These were uncharted waters, but Skinner's Loft proved to be downright delicious.  As an added bonus, Ms. Dish and I got to continue our trend of eating Huevos Rancheros in Jersey City.

Here we have numero dieciseis, which is marked "Oneida 18/10 New York" and "56-11":

Oneida describes their "New York" pattern like this: 

This richly sculpted, plume-like design is finely crafted in lustrous stainless steel. New York is bound to noticed and appreciated by your patrons for its beautiful finish and exceptional quality.

 

I have to say that, extravagant descriptions aside, this spoon is pretty fancy.  Here is a picture of the whole family:

Searching for information on the Oneida "New York" pattern turns out to be pretty difficult because, wouldn't you know it, all the results come back for Oneida, New York!  

Spoon #15: Loreley

Earlier this week Ms. Dish and I took a trip down to Manhattan's Lower East Side to visit one of our favorite German restuarants: Loreley. 

There's not much better than sitting in the Loreley beergarden with a currywurst and a Gaffel Kolsch sharing in the "gemutlichkeit" of old Cologne!  Loreley's website points out that out of over 17,000 restaurants in New York City, there are less than twenty German restaurants.  To me that is astounding! 

Spoon 15 came to us with a cup of "Kaffee":

Marked "Winco Stainless 18-10", Spoon 15 also features the mysterious "8 in a circle" mark.  Looks like Spoon 15 is from Winco's "Stanford" collection:

I should point out that Ms. Dish swapped this spoon, exemplifying the stealth and cunning of a cool-headed spoon-swapper!

Spoon #14: BXL East

Worry not Spoon-Swappers - Ms. Dish and I are still on the prowl!  I know it's been a little while, but just this past weekend we excecuted another swap, this time at BXL East:

Ms. Dish and I went to BXL East to celebrate that festival of Belgiumish culture that is cycling's Ronde van Vlaanderen a.k.a. Tour of Flanders.  In between watching Belgium's own Tom Boonen sprint to victory and Fabian Cancellara's quadruple collarbone fracture we enjoyed a delicious taste of Belgiumese cuisine.
Here is our new Spoon Number Fourteen:

Fourteen was a tricky swap, as it is nearly identical to Spoon Thirteen.  It is differentiated by the marking "Qualite Dominion" on the back.  As with Spoon Twelve, I found no information about a "Qualite" manufacturer.  Are they defunct?  Anti-internet?  Also, as with Spoon Twelve, it appears that other manufacturers make a very similar "Dominion" spoon, including ABC Valueline, Walco, and Winco.  Isn't that suspicious?  Is there one huge factory out there somewhere stamping out "Dominion" style spoons with different manufacturer's names on them?  Or if you tell someone in the spoon business that you need a "Dominion" spoon, do they nod knowlingly and pull out a catalog of "Dominion" manufacturers?  And in fact wasn't it Spoon Number 4 that we identified as an ABC Valueline Dominion?  It was!

Spoon #13: Jackson Hole

Yesterday Ms. Dish and I found ourselves out late on the Upper West Side.  Overdue for a swap and with the Upper West Side under-served by our spoon-swapping, we sauntered into the Jackson Hole diner on 91^st and Madison.

I had read a review of Jackson Hole saying their burgers were humongous, more like a small meatloaf than a burger, so of course I had to see for myself.  Low and behold out came a meat baseball on a bun!  Ms. Dish had a Cobb salad and she reported it to be quite tasty.  We were lucky and got the best seat in the house; a table right on the corner that allowed us to both look directly outside!

Here is Spoon Number 13:

No. 13 is marked “167 Stainless Steel” on the back.  I’m no spoon snob, but Number 13 is very light and has some pretty rough edges.  This is strictly an economy spoon!  I guess as long as they’re grilling seven ounce burgers, Jackson Hole has to make cutbacks in the spoon department.  Unfortunately the manufacturer was so ashamed of 13, they did not leave their mark.  We will have to classify it as “unidentified”.

Spoon #12: Coogan's

This weekend Ms. Dish and I were accompanied by our accomplice Ursa Minor to Coogan's on 169th Street.

Coogan's is a bit of an icon in Washington Heights as it is one of very few decent bar/restaurants in the neighborhood.  There are two things you notice when you go to Coogan's.  First, there are probably near a hundred track uniforms from various schools throughout the country hanging from the ceiling.  This is explained by the proximity to the nearby track center located in an old armory down the block.  Second, there are all types of different people at Coogan's.  It's a real melting pot for folks who live and work in the diverse local community.  Along with locals, you'll find doctors and nurses from nearby Columbia Presbyterian, construction workers, politicians, and on the walls are pictures of famous personalities who have payed visit.  On Saturday when we stopped in the dining room was full of runners in the neighborhood for Coogan's annual 5K run.

Here we present Spoon Number 12:

Spoon 12 is marked "Qualite Fanfare" on the back.  The usual sources turned up very little information about a "Qualite" manufacturer, but it appears that Walco makes a "Fan Fare" line which is virtually identical: 

I will go ahead and call this a match, but why no Walco marking?  The mysteries of spoon swapping never end! 

UPDATE: After encountering additional Qualite spoons, it appears that this mark may not be related to Walco after all.

Spoon #11: Keens Steakhouse

When Ms. Dish and I have a special occasion to celebrate and we feel like indulging our inner carnivore, we always enjoy going to Keens Steakhouse on 36^th and 6^th.

Keens was originally a pipe club.  Hanging between the rafters are thousands of smoking pipes!  Back in the old days you would come to Keens, request your pipe, and a “pipe boy” would retrieve it for you.   The pipes are all long-stemmed churchwarden style, which are made of a thin clay.  Keeping track of these delicate objects was the responsibility of a dedicated “Pipe Warden”.  On display you will find the pipes of some of the more famous patrons, including Teddy Roosevelt, Buffalo Bill, Babe Ruth, Stanford White, and Will Rogers.  More of the history of Keens can be read here.  

Nowadays lighting up in Keens would probably fetch you a nice fine or at the very least a tour of the door, but you can still enjoy a delicious steak or their famous mutton chops.  Don’t forget to stop by the bar on the way out to say “hello” to Miss Keens! 

Here is our new Spoon #11: 

At first glance it looks like Spoon 11 is unmarked, but using Spoon Swapper Spoon-o-Zoom Technology, we can see plainly the words “Sant Andrea” marked on the bowl: 

Evidently, Sant' Andrea is an Italian subsidiary of Oneida.  Number 11 appears to be from their Bellini collection:

Now here's something interesting:  The Bellini comes in two versions, 18-10 Stainless and Silver Plated.  Could this be our first Silver Plated spoon?  Unfortunately my untrained eyes just can't tell.

Spoon #10: Brennan & Carr

This weekend Ms. Dish and I took the Spoon-Mobile out for a spin to Brooklyn's famous Brennan & Carr:

Brennan & Carr is known for its roast beef sandwiches, featured here on TV's Man vs. Food:

I think that video pretty much sums it all up, and Ms. Dish and I can vouch that the sandwiches are just as good as they look on TV.  Talking to natives from around the area, there seems to be some rivalry between Brennan & Carr and nearby Roll-n-Roasters.  Perhaps we can investigate in the future and settle this dispute.


Here's a tip: If you happen by Brennan & Carr, leave room for their blueberry pie a la mode - it's the tits!  Ours came with this: Spoon Number Ten.

Number 10 is marked only with the word "STAINLESS" on the back.  For now its origin remains unidentified.