If you don’t already own it, it’s never too late to buy Manners. It’s currently on sale at Amazon for $5. And to keep up with all the latest, make sure to follow both Passion Pit’s band twitter and Ian’s personal twitter too.

Ian’s “Perfect For” Picks

Chronic Brunch

Beast (638 Bergen Street – Brooklyn, NY 11238) – “$12 for a giant portion of chorizo hash browns with eggs, home fries, salad, a strong bloody mary, and endless cups of coffee sounds about right.”

Quick Eats

Calexico Cart (Prince Street at Wooster St.) – “The not-so-secret-anymore secret burrito cart that is capable of producing the most mouth watering burritos I’ve ever had. Make sure you get the crack sauce with your carne asada.”

Classic NYC Establishment

Joe’s Shanghai (9 Pell St.) – “Joe’s Soup Dumplings have saved me from illness on three separate occasions. Definitely the most effective when eaten in the middle of winter, however they taste just as good all year long. They are insanely cheap too!”

Friday/Saturday Drinks & Dinner

Blue Ribbon Brooklyn (278 5th Ave. – Brooklyn, NY 11215) -”Delicious, manly meat. They have loads of other options as well, sea food, salads, etc. But you know the whole reason you are there is for the Brisket.”

Adventurous Eating

Bklyn Larder (228 Flatbush Ave. – Brooklyn, NY 11217) – “I don’t know what half of the stuff in here is, but I do know that I want to eat all of it. They make an amazing meatball sub too. “

Ian’s Twitter People

@BreakingNews – One of the reasons I got into twitter in the first place was because it had the ability to share information extremely fast. Breaking News pools from numerous sources letting us know what’s going on as soon as it happens.

@GaryJBusey – This guy’s brain is in the gutter, he is out of his mind, and he knows it.

@RL_Stine – The infamous creator of the Goosebumps book series. He’s found a new way of storytelling by splitting short stories into two or three parts and tweeting them in series. Still on top!

@ConanOBrien – Who needs a major television network, when you have the internet to share all of your hilarious jokes with?

@comingsoonnet – I like to keep up with movie & TV news, this is how you do that. Almost like Breaking News but for Movies!

Food Rundown:

Berkshire Pork Sausage
Be aware that they only have six meats available every day and the menu changes daily. All of the meats are smoked in house and seasoned in their own dry rub. The sweet sausage is really good, the spicy sausage even better. You can’t beat three bucks for a big fat link of goodness.

Berkshire Belly (Bacon)
You don’t see dry rubbed pork belly hanging out by the brick behind a glass counter very often. This is a special occasion. While this belly wasn’t incredibly flavorful, it’s definitely worth getting a couple of slices. Mmmmmm, pure pig fat. So moist and tasty.

Brisket
Fette Sau’s brisket takes Hill Country’s to town, Vince Carter over Fredrick Weis style. Toss a couple slices of this dripping wet brisket onto a Martin’s potato roll, add some homemade chili pepper & vinegar sauce and you’ve got yourself a nice big bite of heaven.

Berkshire St Louis Style Pork Ribs
You can taste the quality oozing out of these pork ribs. The rub is what really sets these meaty, tender, delicious pig bones apart. They’re not as good as Georgia’s, but they’re pretty damn close.

Guss’ Half-Sour Kosher Pickles
Why any restaurants would choose to serve any other kind of pickle is beyond me. Guss’ pickles are incredible.

Dante’s German Potato Salad
I’m not going to lie, the sides are a little disappointing. The potato salad looks really freakin’ good, all chopped up with a mustard dressing of sorts. Oddly, it just doesn’t have much taste to it. It’s not bad, it’s just not amazing. We’ll just order more pickles and cole slaw next time.

Burnt End Baked Beans
These beans pack some serious flavor. They’re good, but if you’re a fan of of Boston style, they might be a little smoky and spicy for your taste.

Cole Slaw
A little soggy, but that didn’t stop me from licking the paper bowl clean.

Diner has been a Williamsburg institution for a decade now. Originally built out of necessity by two friends in need of a place to eat, drink and hang out – it soon became not only their home base, but every other recent settler’s home as well. It’s like the hipster Plymouth Rock. As expected, Diner takes the form of, well, a diner. It’s basically a hole in the wall, and if it weren’t for the constant crowds, you’d probably wonder how a place that looks like this stays in business. Everyone inside is most definitely cooler than you, but they don’t think they’re better than you. Both the clientele and staff are friendly, and generally seem to be enjoying themselves. There are no hard copies of the menu, your server personally writes the daily specials by hand on your table.

Food Rundown:

Fettuccini Special
You can always count on Diner for an excellent pasta special, and this homemade fettuccini appetizer with sugar snap peas and broccoli that we had last week was spot on. A light summery pasta that went quite well with our patio seat in the sun.

Rabbit Milanesa
Rabbit two ways – one, as a fried milanesa and the other as a shredded, braised meat over a salad of green and carrots and peas in a mustard dressing. Rabbit tastes like the dark meat of a chicken, with a little more BOOM if you will. Both styles tasted great, but it was the milanesa I’m still thinking about. It tasted like dessert. A little on the pricey side for an appetizer ($18), but really freakin’ awesome.

Bistro Top Rounds
Sliced steak served with mustard greens – both of which come fresh from Marlow & Daughters butcher a half block away. The melt in your mouth factor of the marrow butter makes up for the fact that the actual meat is a little tough. That’s all overshadowed by the fries though. Short, stocky potato chunks that are perfectly crispy, salty and delicious.

Burger
The burger is the one thing that’s always on the menu and for good reason. It’s one of the best burgers you’ll find in Brooklyn, and deserves consideration for anyone putting together a best of NYC list. It’s Just greasy enough to represent a real diner burger, but still made from grass-fed cows. Served on a delicious toasted brioche bun with pickled onions and greens, this thing is legit.

It does appear though, that all those people in rolled up jean shorts know great home-stlye Southern cooking when they see it. This new, larger Pies ‘n’ Thighs location is still turning out amazing fried chicken and comfort food classics that make you feel good inside. The chicken biscuit might be one of the most ridiculously unhealthy things we’ve ever seen on a plate, and it’s delicious. The place is cheap too – and cash only. No wonder it’s hipster central. Luckily, there’s an ATM out front spits out ten dollar bills, and we’re pretty sure we saw a Coinstar machine next to it. Bring a bag of change and your best suspenders.

Photo Credit: Kristen V. Brown

Food Rundown:

Fried Chicken Box
Unfortunately not served in a box if you dine in. Instead, this is a few pieces of chicken and sides on a really old plate. Thighs are indeed present, and the skin is crispy and perfect. Fried chicken doesn’t get much better than this.

Carolina Pulled Pork Box
This was the only thing on the table that fell completely flat. Somehow this pile of pulled pork on a bun lacked flavor. We drenched it in hot sauce, but it still didn’t come close to the other things on the table.

Fried Catfish Box
You don’t see fried catfish on an NYC menu very often. I think probably because eating any kind of bottom feeder caught in nearby waters would kill you. We doubt this fish was local though, and it’s pretty tasty. We’ll give this a B plus.

Chicken Biscuit
For five dollars, you probably won’t find a better way to get really fat for the money. On top of one buttery biscuit sits a piece of fried chicken, hot sauce, honey, and (no exaggeration) a quarter stick of butter. This really shouldn’t be allowed.

Burger
We almost passed this up – a hamburger here felt like it would just take up space on the table that could otherwise be occupied by something fried. However, our waitress insisted that the burger was excellent, “because the meat is really good”. She was right. The beef in this burger is supremely tasty, and this jockeyed with the chicken items for the title of best thing on table.

Sides
The mac n cheese is great, and has a spicy kick. Collared greens were smoky and also recommended. The spicy black eyed peas weren’t all that spicy, and are served cold. Skip them. As for the rest, fries and cornbread are both serviceable, but we’d recommend saving extra room for pies and cookies.

Pies
On our visit, we had rhubarb and banana cream pie. The rhubarb was pretty spectacular, the banana cream not so much. Regardless, you need pie on your table at some point during your visit.

Honestly, we’re fans of Fatty Crab and Cabrtito, and we love BBQ, so we figured we would land on the side of like with this polarizing new restaurant. We tried, but at the end of the day, we just can’t get excited about mediocre food…especially when brisket costs $37 a pound.

Food Rundown:

Dragon Pullman Toast With a Side of Master Fat
Toast served with a tiny cup of grease from the rendered fat that falls to the bottom of Fatty ‘Cue’s smoker. We were so proud of ourselves for ordering this. But someone has got to explain to me how fat from so many different and delicious animals can taste like canola oil. Such a bummer.

Cue Coriander Bacon
This certainly wasn’t bad, but it also wasn’t mind blowing like a piece of standalone bacon on a menu should be. The coriander sauce on the side was oddly gelatinous and didn’t add much to the dish. If you want bacon that will melt your face, go to Buttermilk Channel and get the mustard glazed bacon.

Cucumbers
Just some cucumbers. Cut up and served in a tiny little bowl.

Bowl of Noodles
This was actually pretty good. It’s just noodles, but i’m sure it’s the “bone broth” that makes them tasty.

Manila Clams
This was one of the few dishes that actually packed some flavor. The clams were fine but we used this mainly for dipping our “dragon toast” (AKA white bread) in the broth.

Pork Spare Ribs
These were good ribs for sure. The smoked fish syrup added a lot to the tender meat. But three for fourteen or four for twenty bucks? That’s five dollars PER RIB.

Brandt Farm Beef Brisket
Basically here is how this works: they put about three strips of brisket on a plate and cover it with the steamed buns. That way the waiter can drop it off at your table and hide while you uncover a pile of scraps. This is great if you enjoy fighting over food like a stray cat.

Fazio Farm Red Curry Duck
Duck thighs that have been smoked, then fried, and served with a red curry sauce for dipping. The duck itself was tasty, but these are hard to manage, and the curry dipping sauce unfortunately added very little.

Dearest Al Di La. It’s taken way too long for this relationship to get off the ground. People have been telling me about you for a while now, saying we’d be the perfect match. It just so happens that low key Italian ladies that don’t abuse my credit card are right in my wheelhouse. I hear you’re pretty good in the kitchen too. Unfortunately, stalking you on the internet can only get me so far. I’m jealous of the others who’ve had their way with you and brag about it all over Yelp. And why can’t I find you on Facebook?

Up until now, distance is the only thing that has kept us from this inevitable union. I have been making an effort to get out to Brooklyn more, but Park Slope? You’re really making this difficult. Nonetheless, I’m glad I made the trip. You are everything that I knew you would be. I love those huge communal tables you have. And wow…those are tight specials and perfectly sized portions. I’m going to start hitting shows at The Bell House all the time now, just so I have an excuse to see you. I do have one problem though. At some point, I am going to have to tell my girlfriend about you. Maybe, when the time is right, you guys can meet. I know she would like you. But I need time. First I’m going to have to convince her to be OK with a little ménage à pasta.

Food Rundown:

Fresh Spring Salad
Make sure you pay attention to the salads, especially the specials. This chopped salad boasted all kinds of awesome fresh greens along with fava beans, green beans, asparagus, peas and fennel in a zesty champagne vinaigrette.

Steamed Mussels
A big ass pot of jumbo mussels. Served in an excellent garlic broth, the biggest prize is at the bottom where a thick piece of bread sits, soaking up the goodness. We fully back these.

Pea Ravioli
Amazing homemade ravioli. Check the TwitPic. Inside the pasta was a heavenly spring pea puree with marscapone cheese, and they came served with a ridiculous butter sauce and fresh peas for garnish. This is pasta perfection.

Squid Ink Risotto
Al Di La is known for their risottos and has rotating specials. Order one to share, they’re generous portions. The squid ink risotto is absolutely tremendous.

Saltimbocca Alla Romana
A boneless pork loin scallopine with sage, prosciutto and sauteed potatoes. This was definitely our least favorite dish of the night, but that’s partly due to the fact that we were stuffed by this point. Either way, we wish we had ordered the rabbit which we hear is ridiculous. Next time.

One summer, I was assigned a little brother to mentor for what was called “Dream Week”. Turned out, this kid was completely and utterly obsessed with Peter Luger’s and their steak sauce. Most kids roll to camp with a sleeping bag and a couple of fresh packs of Hanes, this fat little 8-year-old came with steak sauce. Tons of it. He had special permission to keep a huge bin under his bed and bring it to the dining hall to dump on whatever was in front of him. Cheerios and Luger’s sauce? Let’s rock. I owe this little dude much gratitude. It’s because of him I came home that summer asking about Peter Luger’s. From that summer on, Peter Luger became a fixture in the Steinthal family rotation.

There are plenty of other steakhouses you can go to for a better all around meal. It’s simple and easy here: bacon, steak, dessert and off to bed. The service is gruff and cold. The food comes quickly – it’s no secret that they’re rushing you along to make room for the next hungry family. Also, it’s cash only. Deal with it. That’s the drill at Luger’s. It’s been this way for 120 years and is precisely why it’s so awesome. A small price to pay for (arguably) the best bite of steak you’ll ever eat in your life.

Food Rundown:

Luger’s Extra Thick Bacon
It’s a shame Kosher diners will never get a chance to sample pig this lard-tastic. I feel bad… it’s just so good. Do not even consider skipping out because you think you’re fat.

Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail
I look to my sister for guidance on shrimp cocktail – she pretty much orders it at everywhere. Last time we were here, she had to overcome a big smile and and a near panic attack to fully conquer these huge oxymorons. That’s a good sign.

Porterhouse Steak
Ordering steak at Luger’s is pretty simple. Porterhouse all around, for as many people as you have eating. It arrives at your table in a pool of bloody goodness, already sliced up with the filet on one side, the sirloin on the other. One fault that Luger’s has is that they don’t always use the same meat distributor. They’re all over the place in terms of where they get their meat and that results in occasional inconsistency. On most nights though, this is the best steak in New York City.

Burger
Only available at lunch, this burger is wildly inconsistent. They have a tendency to overcook, which seems to happen a lot at places that don’t specialize in burgers. Also, the bun is a bit much and if you don’t have the proper beef juices to soak that shit up, it’s too overwhelming. Here’s the bottom line – when this burger is perfectly executed, it’s amazing. When it’s not, it’s average at best.

Fries/Onion Rings
Both are very good, neither anywhere near the level of the steak. The french fried potatoes are a nice size – not too thin and not too thick. The o-rings are great – they’re in between the thick cut rings and the frizzled onion strings you generally see at steakhouses.

Madelaine Chocolate Coins & Whipped Cream
Everyone gets Luger’s custom milk chocolate gold coins with the check, and if you’re with a big group you’re rewarded with a big bowl of homemade whipped cream to dunk them in. You can’t beat that. Little known fact: the coins are made by NYC’s most excellent chocolate novelties company, Madelaine Chocolate. To put it lightly, we have a lot of love for Madelaine.

Talib Kweli’s “Perfect For” Picks

Date Night

La Esquina (106 Kenmare St.) – “Great tequila bar and restaurant, located in the cellar of a mom and pop style joint. Also great for celebrity sighting.”

Buffalo Wing Fix

Wing Wagon (351 Flatbush Ave.) – “Wing Wagon on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn. Great
for large gatherings at the crib.”

Vegetarians

Vegetarian Palate (several locations) – “Any Vegetarian Palate in the city, there is now one on
Flatbush Ave. The orange beef and the chicken nuggets are great.”

Classic NYC Establishment

Carmine’s (200 W. 44th St.) – “Old School style Italian, right in the citys heart, caesar salad is massive.”

Late Night Eats

Blue Ribbon Brooklyn (280 5th Ave.) – “Blue Ribbon, the Brooklyn location, open til 2
most nights, ’til 4 on Fridays and Saturdays.”

Talib’s Twitter People

@paulocoelho – My favorite author is a twitter activist and enthusiast. He talks politics, and sends links to his work and other things he likes. Very inspirational.

@hexmurda – He hates you. And I love it.

@dreamhampton313 – A journalist and filmmaker, dream’s thoughts range from revolution to love and everything in between.

@JeanGreasy – One of my favorite MCs and the best tweeter I know.

@shitmydadsays – Shit your dad would say if he was on Twitter.

Cranky observations aside, Rye is pretty great. The concept is definitely getting played out, but they did a good job with the place, and almost everything we ate was tasty and satisfying – particularly the sandwiches on the menu. The meatloaf sandwich is quickly becoming what the restaurant is known for, and the pork belly on a soft roll is like a big Americanized pork bun – fatter and cockier than it’s little Japanese cousin, and it loves freedom. Our only complaint is that the entrees can seem anti-climactic after the excellent starters and salads. Then again we probably shouldn’t have been eating sandwiches as starters in the first place.

Food Rundown:

Braised Short Rib Sandwich
Those are four words that we get fired up over. A beautiful soft bun with short rib, onion jam, and horseradish. Dense, sticky and amazing. This might be our favorite sandwich in the house.

Slow Cooked Pork Belly Sandwich
Another incredibly good sandwich. Fatty, crispy pork belly with cole slaw and a mustard sauce. The tangy mustard cuts the fat just enough. This will touch you in a way that few edible things can/should.

Meatloaf Sandwich
The celebrated star of the menu, this thing is messy, enormous, and delicious. Unless you are ravenously hungry, split it with someone – there’s a half pound of meatloaf in there.

Roasted Beet Salad
This was a really nice, fresh beet salad. That is, it was nice until my friend decided to tell me about some freak disease called pine mouth, at the exact moment that I was eating a pine nut from the plate. Google it.

Baked Ravioli
One huge ravioli in a bowl with some cheese and a mushroom broth. Skip this.

Colorado Leg of Lamb
It’s well known that pretty much everything from Colorado is awesome, so I was surprised to find this piece of meat a little tough. Hit the hangar steak instead.

Roasted All Natural Chicken
Places like this all seem to have a good roast chicken on the menu, and that’s true in this case as well. Honestly this could have been the best entree we ate at Rye.

I was working in Dumbo some six years ago when Bubby’s docked near Water Street. It’s arrival couldn’t have come soon enough. Back then, Dumbo was a complete wasteland in terms of food. With the exception of Grimaldi’s, it was slim pickins for eats – it was either Front Street Pizza, Peas & Pickles, a sushi spot that’s probably closed now or the dirtiest DIY salad place you’ve ever seen. Midtown lunchers have no idea how good they have it. I would have killed for a Cafe Metro. But thanks to the arrival of Bubby’s, I finally had a lunch routine worth looking forward to. My gangster move was a soup/sandwich combo and then a drive by at Jacques Torres around the corner for dessert.

If you live in Dumbo or Brooklyn Heights, Bubby’s is your go-to Chronic Brunch spot. The two restaurants are nearly identical, sans the constant Celebrity Sighting at the Tribeca location. The best you’ll do around these parts is Mos Def, who lives in the building next door.

Food Rundown:

Pancakes
Thick and extremely hearty, these p’cakes are generally a crowd pleaser. Our two favorite varieties are the blueberry and the chocolate chip (subject to availability).

Bubby’s Breakfast
A typical diner style breakfast. Two eggs any style, a choice of hash browns or grits, breakfast meat and toast. No better than what you would find at your local greasy spoon, other than the fact that the grits are awesome.

Spinach Salad
Bubby’s salads are good for lunch, but like every other business class salad, are too big and too expensive. Regardless, the spinach salad has long been my favorite.

Matzo Ball Soup
They’re not as good as Grandma’s, but these big, cakey matzo balls are more than serviceable. The move here is to order their alphabet soup and have them add matzo balls.

Grilled Ham & Cheese Sandwich
Sandwiches are what Bubby’s does best. Sandwiches and pie…more on that later. The grilled ham and cheese is an excellent specimen. Thinly sliced hickory smoked ham, sharp white cabot cheddar and grainy mustard make for a good situation.

Peanut Butter & Jelly
I get sucked in every once in a while on this, forgetting that the time before really wasn’t anything special. This is a double decker PB&J on toasted seven grain bread that doesn’t taste as good as it looks. Then again, why am I ordering PB&J when I’m out to eat? That only flies if you’re seven, or really high.

Chicken Salad Sandwich
I love chicken salad – it’s one of my all time favorite foods – but this stuff is just too smoky for me. It’s too bad, because everything else about this chicken salad is right in my wheelhouse: grapes, pecans, and minimal mayo.

Grilled Chicken Club
Best sandwich on the menu by far. A typical club with the addition of avocado – it’s simple and amazing. Slam dunk.

Pies
Make sure to save room for Bubby’s world renowned pies. Our favorites include coconut custard, chocolate peanut butter, and banana cream.