Back in the fall of 2008, I walked through the
Grand Central Market every morning on my way to the metro north. My client (when I was with PwC) was based up in Harrison, so I had wake up extra early and travel from the Lower East Side to Grand Central, and then another 45 minute ride on the Metro North to get to the client site. I usually picked up breakfast from Corrado bread or Murray's Cheese, and then grabbed coffee at Oren's and an Archie comic from the newsstand shop...nothing like enjoying a good comic while everyone has their WSJ's open on the train ;)
After I finished the audit with that client, I only made it back to the Market every once in a big while. A few weeks ago, I was given a personal tour of Grand Central Market and all its' edible offerings by Susan. We met with a bunch of the vendors and literally tasted our way through the market...I've never left Grand Central so full!
Below, select shots from our morning:
We started off at
Murray's Real Salami and sampled no less than a dozen type of cured meats, ending with the oh-so indulgent
Ibérico de Bellota.
See a few more shots
here,
here, and
here.
We then moved onto
Zaro's and had a bounty of bread - including this massive broccoli and cheddar focaccia which I polished off over the course of an hour hours in the afternoon, a "snack" ;) I was sent home with plenty more and started off many a morning with toasted slices of the 8-grain bread (slathered with butter and then a sprinkle of salt)...and on weekend mornings, thick slices of cinnamon-raisin loaf...so perfect for french toast.
At Ceriello's there was lasagne (warmed in the oven for dinner that night ^_^) as well as beef stew...
pictured here over rice with butter-fried brussels sprouts, and pulled pork, which was also awesome with rice. Growing up in Hawai'i you learn that
everything can, if done right, be paired with white rice ;)
As
Pescatore Seafood Co., the owner was so kind to send me home with
Vietnamese Basa...along with a few suggestions of how to cook the fish, and all the ingredients I would need. I brushed the fillet with their house
ginger-lime sauce, and then breaded the fillet with their new line of
Magic Crumbs...seasoned panko crumbs...I've tired the Italian, toasted coconut, and black peppercorn. I like to keep it simple and the black peppercorn is definitely my favourite of the brunch. Pan-fried and paired with the poached asparagus from Dishes To Go (below).
Since moving to NYC a few years ago, I find myself eating nearly three meals a day out and rarely cooking. Sometime I feel guilty...but for the most part there's so much to try in this city, it would be shame to not take advantage. But that past week was an exception - I did plenty of cooking as a result of the market tour...and it felt good to be 'in the kitchen' ^_^
Over at
Dishes To Go, the woman packed me up with many, many dishes to go! There were
stuffed mushrooms (my favourite of the savoury dishes), pecan chicken, poached asparagus, coconut quinoa, roasted sesame carrots, spicy ginger tofu, and even mango-coconut tapioca pudding (loved this!!) and bread pudding. The photo above is of the roasted acorn squash stuffed with (among many things) wild rice, cranberries and walnuts and hazelnuts. All this food lasted me for days, and proved to be both convenient and delicious while I was working!
We finished at
Corrado Bread & Pastry with a quartet of cakes, including this Lemon Charlotte Royale pictured above...as well as the
Coppa Mascarpone ^_^
You would have been equally stuffed! Thanks again to Susan and all the wonderful vendors at the Grand Central Market - certainly a learning experience and a lovely way to check out all the offerings at the market.
Happy Tuesday! :)
Easy dinners are the best. Monday night supper at Men Kui Tei in the East Village. Big bowls of ramen, katsu on the side, and a four-top for Robyn, Shann, LeeAnne and myself.
For Robyn, one of the ramen specials for the night...
...curry ramen with kimchee for Shann...
...and the Sutamina ramen (miso-based) for myself. Sooo warm, sooo happy ^_^
Met Zubair on this very lovely Sunday. We brunched at Blue Ribbon Bakery (only 15 minutes wait! ^_^). In today's bread basket: challah, raisin walnut bread, and French loaf slices. I was missing the prosciutto bread that sometimes appear on lucky days - it is oh-so good. 
Zubair had the Blue Benedict, his favourite benedict dish in the city. Serrano Ham, Jarlsberg, and Tomato on Toasted Challah.
And I went with the Chorizo Hash & Onions with Lemon Cayenne and Hollandaise Sauce. Don't know what it is about this dish, but I've had it three times in the past, and every time I return for brunch, it sounds completely new on the menu. It's not until the waiter serves the order that I realize, hey, I've had this before! I must be losing it ;) Regardless, I had a case of order envy this afternoon...the Blue Benedict was about ten million times more delicious ^_^
Super thanks to Erica for hosting this year's Thanksgiving dinner! Shots from the evening below. Turkey, two types of stuffing (bread and rice), roasted brussels sprouts and squash, mashed potatoes (with gravy, of course ;), salad, and fresh cranberry sauce.
All was amazing, and the company was even better.
For dessert: THREE pies (Pumpkin Mousse, Pecan, and Fall Harvest) from Two Little Red Hens, and chocolate torte baked by Erica. Plenty of hot tea to accompany. Stuffed? Delightfully so :)
All the dishes were prepared by Erica, her sisters and Lisa. I think I ate more of the stuffing with cranberry sauce than anything else. I'm a huge starch fan when it comes to Thanksgiving dinners.
After two plates, and a little breather, we were onto dessert! I was so over the top excited for the pies. Two Little Red Hens on the UES is one of my favourite bakeries in the city. I've written up their Brooklyn Blackout Cake (a stunning cake), Gingerbread, and Cheesecake (which was voted the single best NYC cheesecake at the Serious Eats taste-off).
We started first with the Fall Harvest Pie filled with chunks of apples, pears, walnuts and a bit of ginger. The pie crust is excellent, with just the right touch of salt.
Erica's Chocolate Torte: super dark and utterly silky. Intense, rich and classic.
Pecan Pie...most definitely calls for a scoop of ice cream.
Pumpkin Mousse Pie - the all around favourite for the evening. It was heavenly. Take pumpkin pie, whip softly and lighten up the filling, perhaps with cream. Serve chilled. Amazing, amazing, amazing. I only wish you could have tried a slice.
Funghi and Taleggio Pizza
Pasta Alla Norma - Tomato, Roasted Eggplant, Basil, Bufala Ricotta
Warm Apple Crisp, Brown Butter Crumble, Honey-Ricotta Gelato
Polenta Budino - Poached Pears, Maple Syrup, Walnut Gorgonzola Crumble
Five times in the last nine days. Zubair and I are absolutely obsessed with Galanga. The restaurant has been around for a few years, and it has been on my forever list of places to try. So we did, for the first time just over a week ago. And then we've been back for more times since. Crazy? Perhaps. It's affordable and good.
Call me boring when it comes to Thai, but I love pad thai and drunken noodles like no other. I can do without larb gai and other perhaps, more "authentic" dishes. I appreciate those dishes, but at the end of the day, nothing satisfies more than:
At Galanga, we stick to our favourites, which include drunken noodles, pad thai, green curry, and the tom yum noodle soup. Duck spring rolls for appetizers and the sticky coconut rice with mango (or matcha ice cream) is a can't-miss.
I'm usually the more dessert focused one between the two of us, but when at Galanga, it's Zubair who demands dessert ;)
