#87 – EMPIRE MAYONNAISE CO. MAYO

For the third year in a row, I’m going to attempt to eat every single item on Time Out New York’s annual 100 Best Dishes list. In no particular order, here’s my take on their Top 100. Let the gluttony continue…

I had a tour attendee a few days ago who had recently visited Rice to Riches, the gimmicky Soho storefront that serves nothing but rice pudding. He asked me what other places in New York were dedicated to one gimmicky food like that. After mentioning Peanut Butter & Company and Meatball Shop, it was only later that I realized I forgot the store dedicated to only mayonnaise.

It sounds like a joke, but Empire Mayonnaise sells only mayo and they have ten varieties to boot. You can visit their store in Prospect Park (which is really more of an office) and actually sample the mayonnaise before you purchase them.

I felt like I was at an ice cream parlor, but instead of Rocky Road, I was sampling spoonfuls of White Truffle (my favorite), Miso, Lime Pickle, and Yuzu. They were all rather tasty and deeply flavored, but I couldn’t get past the fact that they were still mayonnaise. The creaminess melts away into an eggy finish that coats my mouth. I’ve never been a fan of that sensation and so usually eat my tuna fish salad as dry as possible.

I still purchased two containers – one was a small sampler of Black Garlic (since they had some leftover from a recent event). And I took home a full jar of Vadouvian Curry Mayo.

So now we have two containers of mayo.  What the heck are we going to do with these? I’m not one to make sandwiches at home anymore (and when I used to, I was much more of a mustard guy) and the idea of eating mayo on a piece of toast just seems wrong.

Well, brilliant chef that I am (that’s a joke), I decided that the black garlic mayo would be perfect as part of a caesar dressing. And gosh darn it, I was right! The deep, rich garlic flavors really made the romaine lettuce leaves pop.

The first salad was such a success that I thought it could work again with the Vadouvian curry. This time we added some honey and mustard to the dressing and the tangy sweetness of the curry balanced the potent mustard and sweet honey. It was another success.

Tasting these on their own were not a pleasant sensation for me, but who eats mayo by themselves? They’re meant to be mixed into dressings or spread on sandwiches. While gimmicky and seemingly silly, I have to admit that this product helps enhance a meal. Can Rice to Riches say that?

Would Empire Mayonnaise Co.’s Mayo make my Top 100 of the year? I don’t think I can bring myself to include mayonnaise as a best dish, but the salad dressing I made with the mayo was mighty tasty. 8 out of 10.