With a little help from some pepper

Today my fishmonger said, "Well, if you've had the bass, it's been a while, so why don't you have that this week?" Sure. I bought both the fillets she had left and cooked one with a little butter in the skillet, with olive oil, black pepper, and salt on the fish itself on both sides. Maybe I'm just hungry, or maybe it's just tasty: either way, I'm contemplating getting the other fillet out of the fridge and cooking it too.

It's no longer heirloom tomato season :( but I have sugar snap peas I bought at the supermarket a few days ago. I tossed those in the oil-pepper mixture remaining in the skillet after the fish. I added a little ground ancho to add another dimension to the vegetables, which was absolutely the right choice. So good. Read More......

Best Entree Ever

Fairway is now selling a "chard mix" in the bagged salad section: the reds and greens make it irresistible, so I made this lentil recipe from Epicurious for a second time.

The first time I had French lentils but no carrots; this time I had carrots but red lentils. As we previously learned, the type of lentil makes a difference: while last month's batch was picture pretty, this batch looked like a yellowish mush. I like this batch better though: the carrots add a hint of sweetness that makes it extra interesting, particularly with the sausage flavors and the extra garlic.

This might be my new favorite dish to cook - in slightly more time than it would take for Indian food delivery to arrive, I have a tasty and healthy entree. Seriously: I peeled and chopped a carrot and an onion. I browned the sausage, added the carrot, onion, and 2 minced garlic cloves. 5 minutes later, I added 1.5c of lentils, a bay leaf, a teaspoon each of fennel seeds and rosemary, and 3c of water. I brought it to a boil, then let it simmer for 20 mins. Then I steamed the chard on top for 7 mins and mixed it with a large spoon. Yum! In 360 calories, with 7g of fat, I have a meal that contains >50% of the RDA for iron, with both the heme and non-heme varieties, combined with a third of a day's supply of vitamin C for extra-absorption goodness. Hurrah! Read More......

RW Summer 2008, pt 2

It's taken me so long to write this post about Bar Boulud, I've actually been back twice!

I took a summer Friday to take care of some renovation-related things at home, but even my sister who works all the time took lunch off when she heard I had a reservation for Bar Boulud. The lunch was magnificent. Charcuterie is their specialty and mine was delicious - but my father's carrot soup was intriguing - it had a strong cumin flavor and the flavors were so well blended, it no longer tasted carrot-y. I had a ricotta and chanterelle ravioli for an entree; I'm not a fan of mushrooms and I believe ravioli should always contain meat, but the flavors blended so well, I didn't care. Dessert was a hazelnut mousse. Mmm..

My mother liked the restaurant so much, we went back for dinner for my brother's birthday. Turns out they always have a prix fixe and I think this might be the best fine dining/pre theater deal in the city - $42 for an exquisite, impeccably served 3-course meal. The carrot soup and the charcuterie were less transporting the second time, but overall the meal was delicious and delightful.

Did I mention Bar Boulud is across the street from Lincoln Center? We ended up going there before the opera and once again, the food delighted. I had a taste of my mum's head cheese, which was fantastic, and I had the skate. Both highly recommended.

They have tasting flights on their wine menu, which I don't think I've seen in fine restaurants before, and their sommelier is friendly and helpful. My mother keeps encouraging me to go there on my way home from work - and maybe I should. Read More......

Would you like that on Wonderbread?

Lunch yesterday at the cafeteria was chicken pot pie, braised beef tenders, macaroni & cheese, buttered noodles, twice baked potatoes, parslied (sic) turnips, and asparagus stir fry. Particularly galling as earlier in the day, I came across this article which lists obesity as a potentially job-threatening habit. whiskey-tango-foxtrot?

Me, I had a spinach-celery-ginger juice with protein powder. I've had it before, but with parsley, which was delicious. Without the brightness of the parsley, the mustiness of the spinach and the tang of the ginger conflicted too much and the whole drink was out of whack :(

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