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Craftbar 2007-11-01 21:28:00 I thoroughly enjoyed my meal at CraftbarCraftbar, the casual sister restaurant to Craft. It's a great central location to meet a friend (that friend being Chrissy) to catch up. You can have a full meal or snack on a wide selection of meats, cheeses, snacks, bruschettas, and of course choose from a large wine list.We shared an appetizer of Calamari with Arugula and Lemon Confit. It was possibly the best calamari dish I have ever had. Each piece was cooked perfectly and the flavor was intense. The acidic lemon confit and briny tenticles and rings fought in equal battle for dominance in my mouth.We opted for a a full dinner so I chose the entree of Bucatini with Roasted Tomatoes, Pancetta, and Clams. The pasta was cooked perfectly and pasta was flavored so well. The clams did nothing for the dish and were a tad over-cooked. I didn't mind or notice as much as I normally would because the rest of the pasta was so good. Again, the flavors just hit the mark. Chrissy ordered the Salmon. I di
Playing with Your Food 2007-11-08 19:49:00 Some very clever food designs found their way onto the Internet this week... enjoy.
The Sweet Spot 2007-11-08 13:48:00 On Wednesday I attended a great candy, chocolate, and gum showcase called "The Sweet
Spot", featuring hot trends and new products in the candy world. It was a well organized show, broken up into areas or rooms based on how one would use each product. It was a great idea because with over 70 products, it would have been way too overwhelming and hard to remember any information. We were brought through the rooms on a tour where our guide briefly described products and we sampled any that caught our interest.I did not sample anything made with artificial food coloring (since I'm allergic) so you won't get any taste opinions on the new Mike and Ike or Jelly Belly flavors, but they do have some cool sounding new flavors. I also did not sample every non-colored item either since there was just too much to sample, but I was given at least one of everything to take home so stay tuned for more reviews as the days go by. (I am going to be so fat by Christmas.)On the GoNestle Butterfinger and C
Kefi 2007-11-07 11:23:00 Last night, we had dinner with my friend Bianca and her boyfriend Jeffrey. She suggested a Greek restaurant she frequents because of the delicious food at very reasonable prices. Bianca has great taste so I had no doubt that I would be happy with the food at Kefi.KefiThe place is packed even on a Tuesday night and the tables and chairs are squeezed in close together. It's pretty noisy and they have a cash only policy but the food makes you forget all that as you enjoy with delight.The bread brought to the table is just decent but the olive oil is fantastic. Bianca recommended 3 of her favorite appetizers for us to share. All 3 were amazing. The Warm Feta with Capers, Olives, Peppers, and Pita felt so complete with so many flavors blending so well together. The Grilled Octopus Bean Salad was so simple yet the octopus was so perfectly cooked. The Meatballs were very tender and sat in a pool of flavor from tomatoes, olives, and roasted garlic. I felt like I couldn't stop eating, going
Delfino Cilantro 2007-11-14 21:50:00 Lon and I love trying new stuff so when we saw a new herb in the farmer's market, we had to try it. The sign said Delfino Cilantro
and it smells just like the cilantro or Chinese parsley available in your local supermarket. The fern-like leaves are attractive and the flavor is like a parsley/cilantro mix in a milder form with a hint of citrus.The flavor seems too mild to withstand cooking but works well raw: try salads, salsas, or freshly chopped and sprinkled on to any dish right before serving.
Dove Origins and Dark Snickers 2007-11-14 13:25:00 I promised to keep you updated as I continued to eat through the giant pile of candy from the Sweet Spot. Dove has a new line of dark chocolates called Origins
. They are made with 61% cacao and are separated by origin: Ecuador, Ghana, and the Dominican Republic. Unfortunately, I didn't get a piece from Ecuador (and I'm not going to buy any candy for a year now). However, I was surprised to find such a distinct difference between Dominican Republic piece and the Ghana piece. The dark chocolate from the Dominican Republic had a strong fruitiness that's almost raspberry-like. The dark chocolate from Ghana was pure and so smooth. I was particularly fond of it.Snickers
Dark came out a while ago but since I lost interest in candy bars years ago, I never bothered to try it. (Snickers was my favorite candy bar as a kid.) Lon and I agree that it's better than the original. The dark chocolate is less sweet and doesn't cause that sugary feeling in the back of your throat. I may actually eat
Chocolate Chip Apple Cake? 2007-11-12 08:53:00 When I first saw this recipe, I thought it was a weird combo: chocolate chips and apples? But when you bake a lot, you start feeling like you've made everything so I felt adventurous and gave it a shot. It was actually surprisingly good. Lon and Resa, my two dinner companions last night, both complimented the cake.My one complaint would be that the sugars create a harder outside to the cake. But, the inside does stay very moist. You might think that you could just reduce the sugar but the inside of the cake is not very sweet and to me, just right. Read more:Chocolate
, Apple
Jane 2007-11-11 21:35:00 Angie arranged a surprise birthday lunch for Sara at JaneJane. We didn't have the full party and the birthday girl was delayed but the hosts and wait staff were kind enough to accommodate us. Jane doesn't officially serve brunch on Saturdays but does serve some of their brunch items. We ordered the Goat Cheese Flatbread and Vanilla Bean French Toast for the table. The flatbread needed a stronger goat cheese and the onions seemed weak as well. The French toast was a big hit with all 7 of us. The thick slabs of brioche bread with creme brulee batter was so delicious and had the perfect texture.For a main, I ordered the Benedict Jane: crab and crawfish cakes, topped with poached eggs, and a light tarragon hollandaise sauce, served with a side of potatoes. The perfectly poached eggs were a great texture contrast to the crab and crawfish cakes and the flavors worked well together. Everyone was happy with their food and service so I can see why this place is packed. I don't think anythi
More Pumpkin Please 2007-11-19 19:30:00 So, here's another good pumpkin recipe: Pumpkin
Oatmeal Cookies! It's an easy recipe and the picturesque cookies have a wonderful golden color. I used Craisins instead of raisins, which I often do because I like Craisins more. I would've liked the pumpkin flavor to be more pronounced but I'm still sure this will be a crowd pleaser. Read more:Please
Pumpkin Cranberry Bread 2007-11-18 15:40:00 Hey, it's Thanksgiving and I love pumpkin cakes, breads, and rolls. I don't like pumpkin pie though. For me, it's the texture. Pumpkin
pie is like a wet custard and it's usually ultra sweet as well. For a nice and easy quickbread recipe, try this Pumpkin Cranberry Bread
. I didn't have two 9x5 loaf pans so I used one 9x5 loaf pan and one 8x8 square glass baking dish. I removed the 8x8 baking dish from the oven at 40 minutes and the loaf pan at 50 minutes. Both came out the same. Yum.Also, the dough looks strong enough to bake free form to make scones. If you try that, let me know how it comes out!
Murray's Bagels 2007-11-17 21:25:00 I used to go to Murray
's Bagels Murray's Bagels pretty often when I was in the area more. They did always have good bagels and they make several batches a day so sometimes you can catch some warm bagels fresh out of the oven. Nothing beats fresh, warm breads! Today, I tried one of their health grain bagels. I was a bit shocked that the bagel was $1.15 with nothing on it but it was a very good bagel. It had the right chewiness and a wonderful nuttiness, without the dryness that many whole wheat or grain bagels have. Despite the price (Do you remember when bagels were 25 cents?), I'd by it again.
Pizza 33 2007-11-16 21:46:00 Lon and I are huge pizza fans. We're always excited about a new pizza place near us but unfortunately, Pizza
33 Pizza 33 was a disappointment. I ran in for quick plain slice today and concluded that it wasn't worth the $2.25. The thin slice needed more cheese and each component, crust, sauce, and cheese was flavorless. They also committed my biggest peeve; the pizza was barely heated! The guys at the counter also asked my friend Jamie and I several times if it was to stay or to go. We answered "to go" each time and they still forgot to pack her slice to go. That's really not a big deal but the bottom line is that the pizza is below average.
The Cottage 2007-11-16 08:11:00 With very few exceptions, I don't eat Chinese food outside of Chinatown or Flushing. There is a very good reason for that. Most Chinese restaurants scattered across Manhattan are awful and basically inedible.Lon was craving dumplings so we took a chance and tried The CottageThe Cottage. The dumplings were horrible. The pork filling and dough were both so dense that it's no surprise that they weren't cooked through. Yes, they were cold in the center. The meat was also completely flavorless.I now had low expectations for our main dishes but they were actually not that bad. I wouldn't really call it Chinese food but it was good "fake Chinese". Lon chose a Chicken with Black Bean Sauce. He asked that they add snow peas and they happily accommodated. The dish was a bit salty but otherwise perfectly cooked chicken and vegetables. I asked for a special, Garlic Prawns with garlic, fried shallots, and scallions on a bed of steamed vegetables. We were both impressed with the generous portion
Kona Joe Coffee 2007-11-24 19:02:00 As I drank my cup of Kona Joe coffee today, I realized that I never blogged about my stock coffee. Kona Joe is the only coffee I serve at my place and that's why all of my friends always ask for coffee when they come over. Don't be fooled by the other "Kona" coffees. They may be as little as 10% Kona, blended with other beans. Kona Joe is 100% pure Kona coffee and it makes a big difference. Even their decaffeinated coffees taste good. Read more:Coffee
Happy Thanksgiving Left-Overs! 2007-11-23 16:09:00 Thanksgiving is a great food holiday. It's a wonderful feast that brings family together but then everyone stresses out about what to do with leftovers afterwards. At first I was going to write a bunch of ideas for what to do with left over turkey, cranberry sauce, etc. but I noticed a better idea: more gathering and sharing!We had so much dessert at Aunt Ilene's house that she decided to have neighbors over for canasta today to help finish off desserts like Chocolate Trifle, Apple Crumb Pie, Pumpkin Roll, Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies, Cranberry Apple Pie, Berry Pie, Chocolate Bundt Cake, and a Herbie (Lon's mom's famous pie that tastes like chocolate chip cookie dough with a Kahlua Whip Cream). Kasi also mentioned that she is going to her friend Becca's house tomorrow to help finish left-overs over there.If you have left-overs, call some friends and have a left-overs potluck. Then you won't get sick of eating the same thing for the next week. If there's still food left-over, you c Read more:Happy
, Thanksgiving
Apple Pie with Cranberries 2007-11-21 22:11:00 I'm making an Apple
Cranberry Pie to bring to Lon's aunt Ilene's house for Thanksgiving. I've made this pie several times and always use different apples depending on what's available in the farmer's market. I love baking with Mutsu apples and Granny Smith's but I didn't see good ones available so I used Cameo's and Jonagold's. It's a perfect Thanksgiving pie to share because it makes a nice presentation and tastes great.Of course you also need a good pie crust. The recipe I used for a double crust calls for 2/3 cup shortening. I used 1/3 cup butter and 1/3 cup vegetable shortening in attempt to get the best of both worlds. Vegetable shortening (like Crisco) has a a higher melting point than butter and is easier to work with but, has no taste. Using some butter, gives the pie crust that buttery flavor we love. Read more:Cranberries
, Apple Pie
Perry Street 2007-11-20 21:06:00 I was really psyched to have lunch with my friend Angie. We both have long restaurant wish lists and were about to knock another off the list together: Jean George's PerryStreet
Perry Street. Their lunch special is two dishes and dessert for $24.We made sure to choose different items in order to sample more. The Yuzu and Green Chili Scented Nishiki Risotto was topped with shaved Matsutake mushrooms and foam. The risotto was impressive in appearance but mediocre in taste and texture. It was very mushroom-y which was boring after a few bites and the rice wasn't as starchy as risotto should be. The Arctic Char Sashimi was sitting in a pool of very good olive oil but the fish itself was flavorless. Angie and I both recognized that the fish was fresh with a good texture, yet surprisingly tasteless. The Poached Snapper was cooked perfectly yet the flavoring of some chili oil was nothing special. The Grilled Bluefin Tuna Burger was a generous portion and wonderfully balanced. The bonito ma
Healthier Chocolate Oatmeal Cake 2007-11-30 21:59:00 I've been eating a lot of dessert lately so I wanted something healthier. I was bringing it to a friend's dinner so I still wanted it to meet expectations. I found a recipe for ChocolateOatmeal
Cake and altered it to lessen the fat and sugar.For the cake: I changed the half cup of margarine to 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter. I reduced the white sugar to half a cup and the brown sugar to half a cup.For the frosting: I cut the amount of confectioner's sugar in half to 2 cups.If you're a perfectionist, I recommend cutting off the edges because they get a little crispy. The rest of the cake is lovely and moist. All of my friends really enjoyed it.
Nam So'n 2007-11-30 09:29:00 Two of my bridesmaids, Sara and Angie, went with me to check out a store for bridesmaids dresses. We were already in Chinatown so dinner was easy. We decided on a Vietnamese restaurant that Angie and Sara frequently visit, Nam So'n.As I went to the bathroom, Sara and Angie picked out all the things they wanted to eat which mounted to four dishes so when I got back, my only input was a strong confirmation for ordering it all. I was excited to try some new things. My favorite was the Bun Thit Nuong (Grilled Pork with Lettuce and Vermicelli). This is a fun dish where you wrap the pork, pickled vegetables, and vermicelli in the lettuce. Then we had two pretty good dishes: Banh Mi Bo Kho (Stewed Beef with Bread) which was very reminiscent of Chinese Red Stewed Beef and the Pho (something you have to order at a Vietnamese restaurant). The sauce in the stewed beef was a bit on the sweeter side and got cold too fast, but otherwise good. The Pho was better than the Pho from Saigon Grill or L'
Baby Food for Mommy 2007-11-29 16:07:00 I was making some organic butternut squash puree for my niece Sabrina who just started eating. I ended up with way more than she could eat so I made some soup for Sabrina's mommy, Kasi. The puree for Sabrina was made by just cutting the peeled and seeded butternut squash into chunks and boiling in water for 20 minutes. Then putting it into the blender using as much or as little water as necessary for the consistency you want. To make it into soup, I just added some cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger, and salt and pepper. To my surprise, the fat free soup was delicious. No cream necessary! Sabrina liked her butternut squash too. Read more:Mommy
Sorry We Were Down... 2007-11-29 15:04:00 As many of you might have noticed, our FoodMayhem web site was not working for the past two days. For that we thank our horrible, now EX-web host, OC Hosting / Velocity Networks. They merged or something and managed to completely screw up our hosting and e-mail. We are now with a new web hosting provider, Hostmonster. We'll see how this works out.Thank you for your patience and for those of you who first let us know about the problems!
Italian Village Pizzeria 2007-11-27 08:27:00 We were actually planning to have Steve and Yael over for dinner last night. I had planned an Asian style meal of Curried Carrot Soup, Beef Skewers on a bed of Fried Rice, Garlic Baby Bok Choy. I was in the middle of cooking when Lon and I started to smell a toxic odor. It turns out that the neighboring apt was staining the floors. We tried opening all of our windows and thought maybe the smell would go away. An hour later, I was developing a headache and Lon was nauseated. I was basically done with dinner at that point but I had to pack it all up so we could take Ice (our Jack Russell) and escape.So last minute, our plan had changed, we were in a cab and on our way to Kasi's (Lon's sister) apt and we had to figure out what to do with out dinner guests. Kasi generously offered to have Steve and Yael over and so we ordered in from ItalianVillage
Pizzeria Italian Village Pizzeria(Kasi and Stephen's regular Italian place).Kasi and Stephen love Italian Village and Yael was really happ
Brunch at Taco Taco 2007-11-25 20:58:00 My friend Stephanie introduced me to some new running buddies who are actually more in to brunch than running but hey, can't blame them. We met at Engineer's Gate and ran the inner loop (4 miles) in Central Park so that we could justify our brunch so soon after Thanksgiving feasting. Karen recommended Taco Taco Taco Tacobased on reading some reviews on Yelp.com and we were all happy with the pick. As one reviewer mentioned, you would never think a place with such a name could be the real deal.Their brunch menu was so exciting; so many items I wasn't familiar with. I'm used to reading menus that read soft tacos, hard tacos, burritos, fajitas, or salads. Then choose beef, pork, chicken, or vegetarian, and sometimes shrimp. At Taco Taco, there was a wide variety of omelets, all the standard fair, and then at least five dishes I hadn't heard of. Unfortunately, I can't remember any other than the one I ordered, but the Cazuela was so good. It's a baked dish with tortilla, black beans Read more:Brunch
Go Alex! 2007-12-07 09:23:00 My friend Alex (Jando S.) spends hours on Yelp per day. He carefully write reviews for free, for your benefit. After, just over 1,000 reviews, the work paid off. He made it into Time Out New York as a Master Rater.
Awesome BBQ Turkey 2007-12-07 07:14:00 We've been trying to eat less pork because of Lon's cholesterol. He doesn't like tofu that much and I don't want to eat chicken every day. As you may have read before, I'm not a fan of breast meat so I bought turkey legs. I decided to de-bone them (leave skin on) because I wanted to use the grill. This marinade is enough for 2-3 turkey legs. Grill time will vary because turkey legs vary greatly in size.Marinade:1 cup ketchup1/2 cup soy sauce2 tablespoons mirin1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce1 tablespoon granulated garlic1 tablespoon granulated onion powder1/2 teaspoon ginger powderJust mix ingredients together and marinate meat for at least 4 hours.The turkey tasted a bit like BBQ
Pork and we both loved it!! I'm sure the marinade would be great for chicken or pork as well. Read more:Turkey
Curried Cauliflower Soup 2007-12-06 16:49:00 Lon doesn't really like cauliflower so I tried to make a not so cauliflower-like dish. It ended up being a yummy curry soup and Lon liked it. Yay! It tastes creamy without any dairy and has very little fat.2 cubes chicken bouillon2 teaspoons olive oil1 medium onion, sliced1 small head of cauliflower, cut into florets8 red potatoes, quartered1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder1/2 teaspoon turmeric*you can also use russet potatoes, red potatoes just happened to be what I had1. Dissolve the bouillon cubes in 3 cups of boiling water. Set aside.2. Heat the oil in a 3 1/2 quart pot.3. Add the onions and saute for 2 minutes on medium heat.4. Add cauliflower and saute for another 2 minutes.5. Add chicken bouillon liquid and potatoes. Bring to a boil.6. Add curry powder and turmeric and return to medium heat.7. Continue cooking, uncovered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.8. Puree in a blender until very smooth. You will need to do it in two batches.9. Serve or store. Read more:Cauliflower
Lemongrass 2007-12-05 19:58:00 We ordered dinner from Lemongrass
Lemongrass while we were at Kasi & Stephen's tonight. The food was completely forgettable and not even that cheap for that kind of restaurant. Even with the $8 coupon, I was a bit disappointed. Just don't bother with this one since there's tons of restaurants to try.
Cooking for Dummies 2007-12-04 20:20:00 Two of my best friends have just started to try a little bit of cooking. They have almost no experience and both get very nervous about it. They asked me where they should start and I recommend that beginners start by using recipes. Certain dishes are easier than others and I have compiled a short list of the best ones to start with because they are hard to mess up. So, if you're a beginner ready to start, just look up any of these recipes on www.allrecipes.com and pick one that is rated well. Let me know how it turns out!Vegetarian or Meat Chili - Great one pot meals where you don't have to worry about over cooking.Salad Dressings and Dips - Most are just putting all the ingredients together and stirring or shaking.Baked Ziti - especially easy if you use jarred sauceMeatballs - A little more work but still easy.Mashed Potatoes - Just don't over mix.Tacos and FajitasTuna Pasta SaladChicken CacciatoreCapreseReuben SandwichSmoothies - you'll need a blenderFor Desserts, start with try Read more:Dummies
Bhutanese Red Rice 2007-12-03 18:22:00 There are tons of exotic rices out there but I haven't tried many of them. (Ooh, that may become a future project.) A friend gave us a package of Bhutanese Red Rice, made by Lotus Foods, and Lon was hesitant because he doesn't like brown rice. As it was cooking, Lon started to gain interest because of the fantastic aroma coming from the pot.I decided to serve the rice with a Chicken and Spinach in Sa Cha Sauce. The red rice has a pretty red color and looked great against the spinach. The nutty flavor is distinct and we both liked the very chewy texture. My only complaint is that it's hard to eat with chopsticks because the grains don't stick at all.
Korean Fast Food 2007-12-02 21:13:00 Since my favorite Korean
Grandma shop closed, I haven't been able to get delivery of Korean food.Last night, I was desperate for some but had a major headache and didn't want to make the trek to K-town. I wined for about 30 minutes and then thought of the Korean fast food place Lon had ordered from when he used to work near by. Express Manna Kitchen Express Manna Kitchen is run by Korean people but seems to cater to Americans since it has given American names to many dishes on their menu. That already scares me, but I was desperate for Korean food so we gave it a shot. I ordered the Kalbi Tang (a beef rib soup with egg and glass noodles) and Lon ordered the Bulgolgi Donburi (classic Korean marinated bbq meat on top of rice). While neither was as good as the real thing, it satisfied my craving enough to hold me over. My beef rib didn't have much flavor and Lon's Bulgolgi was mega sweet but the portions are huge and their brown rice is the best. This is not a place I would recommend
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