Thanksgiving Retrospective

Last Thursday, I had Thanksgiving at my house. It was fun, but it is a HUGE sigh of relief that it is over with. After literally a month of planning, recipe hunting, several trips to the Green Market and the grocery store, Thanksgiving finally happened. Thankfully, I had two friends who were huge helps in the kitchen as well as overall preparation.

Starting the weekend before, I made cinnamon ice cream (which I will post about later) and pate brisee. On Tuesday I made the scarlet-carrot soup and my friend made the cranberry relishes. On Wednesday morning, we brined the turkey, and I picked up some beautiful flowers in the Flower District.

Brining the 21 pound turkey. Photo taken by AWD.

Later I skipped out of work a little early and headed to Big Nick's for some greasy pizza and one tall Heineken.
One crowded walk home due to the loads of people watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons getting blown up (why do people care about this? I am still trying to figure it out), I made my way to my apartment to begin making the pies - apple, pecan, and pumpkin. Unfortunately, my oven was on the fritz - accurate at one temperature - one hundred degrees off on another. This led to some slightly burnt crusts, that really just ruined the appearance, but thankfully not the taste. On top of that, I had accidentally put corn flour instead of corn starch in the pumpkin pie filling. One of my friends was so sweet to go out at 1:00 in the morning to get more ingredients so I could start over.

Photo taken by Clark, J. Petty Officer 2nd Class, USN.

While I was making the pies, my friends set up the tables. They covered the tables with craft paper and used crayons to make place settings. We left the crayons loose on the table so people could doodle and stake their claim. One of my friends also made lentils with mushrooms, as well as the turkey stock for the gravy the next day.

Broken plastic chair thanks to Clark, J.Photo taken by Clark, J. Petty Officer 2nd Class, USN.Photo taken by Clark, J. Petty Officer 2nd Class, USN.

Early next morning, we got up and got the turkey in the oven. In the meantime we made stuffing, zwieback rolls, and put finishing touches on the soup. I also made the menu to pin up on the wall.

Photo taken by AWD.Photo taken by Clark, J. Petty Officer 2nd Class, USN.Photo taken by Clark, J. Petty Officer 2nd Class, USN.

Four and half hours later we got the turkey out of the oven and let it rest and then the insanity began. Sweet potato and cranberry casserole, spicy brussels sprouts, extra stuffing, and the zweiback rolls were all placed in the oven. On the stove we got the gravy going, mashed potatoes, and fried green beans. I am never doing the fried green beans again - or least putting an intoxicated person in charge of them.

Intoxicated Navy Officer/Fry Cook. Photo taken by Clark, J. Petty Officer 2nd Class, USN.

Guests arrived in the midst of everything, and they happily doodled, drank wine and beer, and ate olives, pickles, and cheese while they waited for us to finish things up.

Photo taken by Clark, J. Petty Officer 2nd Class, USN.

Finally the meal was complete, and people lined up to serve themselves. I was so tired I wasn't even hungry - I barely touched my plate. People's favorite dishes were the brussels sprouts (which had kimchee in the dish) and the sweet potato casserole.

Two Ivy Leaguers and an Officer.

A few hours later, after our stomachs settled, we brought out the desserts. A pumpkin pie throwdown ensued and I happily won. My crust had the edge!

Lovely sister judges.

Moment of victory video!

The rest of the night was filled with music, drinks, and chatter.

Redi-Whip Enthusiast.Photo taken by AWD.Sweet Mugpa and Dana.

The next day I awoke to a huge mess - tons of empty cans and bottles, a filthy floor, and too many dishes to clean. Thank goodness I had help :)

Big Nick's

Big Nick's Burger and Pizza Joint is one of the first restaurants I ate at when I moved to New York. This place is the ultimate diner experience. This Greek diner is open 24 hours and serves a smorgasbord of food. Literally, the menu is a small book. There is an index in the back of the menu, so you can easily sort of what you are in the mood for - whether it be burgers, pizza, breakfast or dessert.

When you enter Big Nick's be prepared to be immediately bombarded by the wait staff asking you how many are in your party. They don't waste any time, and are quickly shuffling you through the narrow space to your table and bringing you small glasses of water.

The menu can be overwhelming at first, but after going there once, you get the hang of it - just remember to use the index! I always get a slice of cheese pizza and a side of waffle fries. My pizza was crispy, hot and delicious, but I always wish there was more tomato sauce. The fries are always cooked well with a crispy spicy crunch on the outside and a soft hot potato center. That evening, my friends got the Big Nick's Special slice and a Monte Cristo sandwich. The pizza slice has chopped beef, onion, fresh garlic, mushroom, and a dash of curry on an extra thin crispy crust. Nick's Special slice is always a hit because it has the perfect combination of ingredients. The Monte Cristo sandwich has turkey, ham, and swiss cheese on challah bread dipped in a rich egg batter and cooked on the grill. All in all it was a complete greasefest and I don't know if that was a good thing, yet the plate was clean by the end of the meal. And even though neither one of my friends got a burger, it is actually a big reason why people go to Big Nick's. They have quite the selection. For a detail look of their menu click here.

Photo taken by Clark, J. Petty Officer 2nd Class of USN

Unlike the food, the service leaves much to be desired. A lot of times the wait staff is straight up huffy, but sometimes you are lucky enough to get one of the rare sweet waitresses. I figure it is just part of the atmosphere. Speaking of atmosphere, one of the best reasons to go to Big Nick's is just for looking. The walls are filled with autographed photos of old celebrities, as well as Big Nick's specials and sayings. The Three Stooges are always silently shown on a tv, while the Golden Oldies are playing in the background.

Photo taken by Clark, J. Petty Officer 2nd Class of USN

Overall, if you are in the mood for a good cup of coffee, pizza, or just some grub after a late night out - go to Big Nick's, they are always open.Photo taken by Clark, J. Petty Officer 2nd Class of USN