On the advice of my friends

As I think I mentioned, I have such a horror of "mediocre middle" restaurants - places with mediocre food for too much money - that when I first moved to the Upper West Side, I learned to cook rather than risk boring meals. Fortunately for me, I have friends in the neighborhood who've taken me to local watering holes, so that I have options.

Friday night, I went to Cafe Ronda for dinner with a friend. I pass that place regularly, but never even looked at the menu, or I'd've known they serve tapas. We had the sauteed shrimp, with a brilliant sauce, and a mixed tomato salad to start. I'd come back just to try some of the other tapas. Our skirt steak was delicious: I'm a sucker for flavorful, grilled beef.

I've similarly been past Patsy's a gazillion times, but never went in because I usually eat NYC pizza by the slice. I had guests in town however, so I took them there. The pizza was far better than I expected. Usually I suffer the crust - I'm not a bread fan - but this crust had such a perfect consistency, I snagged it off the plate of my young companion. Admittedly, this was partly because I was so disappointed with the pasta, I'd rather eat the sausage and broccoli with her crust ends than the pasta. oops. Read More......

A Meal Fit for a Princess

I hope I don't lose my foodie card for failing to visit Salumeria Rosi for so long, bc it's just that good.

Their wine list is the perfect size: a thoughtful, representative collection of Italian wines that does not overwhelm the casual drinker. Their list of meats on the other hand is very broad. Fortunately, we had an excellent server who had clear, concise recommendations on both: we had an off-list nebbiolo, finocchiona, and prosciutto toscano grigliato. The finocchiona was delicious - the fennel gave it a very pleasant flavor and I nibbled it with a little of the rosemary that is part of the place setting. I found the prosciutto to be surprisingly ham-like; not unpleasantly, but not something I need to have again.

We'd originally planned on going for tapas last night, so the small plates were perfect. We had lasagna, brussel sprouts, costina (Tuscan short ribs braised in a tomato sauce), and butternut risotto. Everything was delicious, but I particularly liked the sweetness of the butternut in the risotto in contrast to the pumpkin seed garnish.

How wonderful was our server? When we asked for a cheese recommendation, she noticed we still had a little wine left, and suggested we save it to go with the ubriaco, a drunken cow cheese. Yum! The best though was our dessert: a campari semifreddo. It had the perfect amount of campari-bitterness to match the sweetness of the other ingredients. I'd go back to Salumeria Rosi just to see what other desserts their chef creates. 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......

When Farmer's Markets Strike

On the one hand, I just spent $50 on food and came home with pretty much one grocery bag. On the other hand, it's all fresh and yummy and local.

Personally, I blame the Missoula farmer's market. When a local friend suggested it as A Thing To Do in her town, I was dubious, but went anyhow. It was enormous, with an entire section devoted to produce and a different area devoted to prepared goods. Even with nowhere to cook, I bought huckleberries and heirloom tomatoes, quiche and chocolate and a roll. I finished the huckleberries with granola and a glass of milk at Mammoth Hot Springs (visitor center) in Yellowstone; I couldn't wait with the tomatoes and ate them immediately at the market.

The tomatoes were again my downfall at today's market: this is the first time I've seen them sold at Lincoln Center. Once I decided to buy 2lb of tomatoes, the rest was downhill. I bought swiss chard, round zucchini, turkey sausage, and macoun apples. I love how enthusiastically the fishmongers made suggestions for the flounder I'm currently eating. The acidity of my enormous tomato perfectly sets off the flakiness of the fish, and I'm looking forward to rosemary bread and farmer's cheese for dessert. Read More......

Getting My Green On

I know I'm going to hell for this, but I'd never actually been to my local green market until today - and I only went today bc I passed it on my way to Bed, Bath & Beyond for a new nonstick pan.

It was awesome. There were two vendors selling baked goods, one selling turkey, one selling pork, and one selling cheese. I was tempted to buy an herb plant, but couldn't decide if I'd really use enough rosemary to make it worthwhile, or if the basil plant was big enough.

The cheesemonger had cheese-glazed croissants and a variety of rustic breads. I bought a "medieval alpine" cheese, a cranberry walnut loaf, and a croissant. Next time I'll try the whole wheat croissant.

I couldn't decide between the various fish, so I let the fishmonger pick. I broiled the sea bass in the oven with a little white wine, olive oil, and butter while I steamed asparagus on the stove. The fish with the slight olive oil flavor is so delicious, I almost ate it between the kitchen and the dining table. I'm vaguely tempted to go back right now and buy some more, but tomorrow I get to have the beet pasta with pork chops. Mmm... Read More......

Orzo with barbecue chicken

I love living next door to Dallas BBQ. My Texan friend tells me it's not real bbq, but that's ok - why learn to roast chicken when I can have one at my door in <15 mins, for <$10?

Instead of using the last breast as a topping for a romaine and tomato salad as I usually do, this morning I ate it with orzo. I fried some onions and in the same pot, boiled water for whole wheat orzo. I bought the orzo once upon a time, thinking I'd replicate my favorite dish from Aux Delice, an orzo salad, but apparently cooking orzo is not as simple as I thought. I once tried it in a rice cooker - terrible idea, it turned into a tan sludge. This morning I followed the directions on the jar, cooking it like a pasta; the only difference was that there was a little olive oil and onions in the pan already. Unfortunately, the orzo turned out to be a little wetter than I wanted. On the other hand, the onions perfectly set off the chicken (and leftover barbecue sauce) to make a flavorful repast. Read More......

Weird Food Ideas

I often get notions of foods I'd like to combine - and Pinch & S'mac lets me indulge them. It's a very clever little semi-fast food restaurant, combining a pizza by the inch concept with custom mac & cheese. I enjoy their preset combinations - my friend ordered "parisienne" mac & cheese with brie, figs, shiitakes, and rosemary, while I had the "cajun" with cheddar, pepperjack, andouille sausage, green pepper, onions, celery, and garlic. Mmm...


My friend looked a little dubious when I suggested a pizza with hot dog and either chilis or broccoli, but she indulged me and even offered that it was pretty good afterwards. I thought the crispiness and slight bitterness of broccoli would be a nice foil to the roundness of the hot dog flavor. Next time though, I'm definitely trying the hot dog with chili. 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......