Burrata

He tapped me on the shoulder Sunday afternoon and inquired, "would you like a ball of burrata?"

"Of course!" was and always will be my answer.
He disappeared out the door and returned minutes later. His right hand held a bag from Murray's Cheese. We slid the burrata into a bowl and downed it all. Two spoons. Simple, fresh, and utterly luxurious.

"How many calories do you think that was?"
"Don't ask."
We settled in for a late afternoon nap.

Murray's Cheese
254 Bleecker Street
New York, NY 10014
(212) 243-3289

Not Food-Related...

...but I just really wanted to post this photo of Robyn and me, (which Robyn first linked in the comments of the previous post). Photo taken by Greg right after our evening meal at Cafe Kashkar. He caught us in a state of shock. Brighton Beach. It was a good day ^_^

Photo Splodge: Memorial Day BBQ with Thursday Night Smackdown

Monday, 3:00pm

Michelle, our super awesome host for Monday's BBQ put up a great post on the party, so be sure to check that out first! I'll supplement with food porn.

I couldn't get enough of the chalkboard organization system...

...so impressive!

Now onto the fooods :D

Mojo Smoked Pulled Pork

Cumin Smoked Barbeque Beans (cooked under the pork butts)

East Carolina-Style Smoked Pulled Chicken

Roasted Triple Potato Salad with Caramelized Vidalias

Red Cabbage and Cilantro Slaw with Buttermilk Dressing

Pineapple, Mango, and Jalapeno Relish

Lentil, Tomato and Goat Cheese Salad

Cornbread

And beer. Lots of beeeer!

Full yet?
Make room...there's still dessert!

Bourbon-Gingersnap Banana Pudding - with 20 awesome cups of pastry cream ^_^

Apple Pie

Double-Fudge Mocha Brownies

Dulce de Leche Cake

Blueberry Pie...

...and my favourite person in the world - Robyn! :)

Today Was...

photo by d.yee

...ridiculously delicious. Many thanks to Thursday Night Smackdown for hosting a fabulous Memorial Day BBQ. Stuffed. Totally stuffed. Full post to come tomorrow.

Happy Monday! ^_^

@ the Movies.

Friday night at the 19th Street Theater. Terminator Salvation with Zubair. In the armrest between our seats we shared a bottle of wine. And half a pound of Jasper Hill Bayley Hazen Blue from Murray's Cheese. No worries, he made sure to bring a cheese knife and bottle opener ;)

There is no returning to popcorn after this.

Happy Sunday ^_^

Murray's Cheese
254 Bleecker Street
New York, NY 10014
(212) 243-3289

Thursday, 10:00am

Starting the morning right with Caroline. We've been patronizing Grey Dog's a bunch, cause it's right in the neighborhood where most of our current work takes place.

But we were in a Joe's (as in, Joe the Art of Coffee ;) mood today. So we ordered our Iced Coffee and Lemonade there, then rounded the corner to settle our okoles on the Grey Dog's bench.

The weather was perfect ^_^

The Grey Dog's Coffee
90 University Place
New York, NY 10003
(212) 414-4739

Joe the Art of Coffee
9 East 13th Street
New York, NY 10002
(212) 924-7400

Monday Dinner: Moustache

Monday night meal at the West Village location of Moustache with Zubair and Anatolii. There's a Moustache in the East Village and Upper East Side, but this location tastes best. It must be a combination of the company, setting...and of course, the food ;)

In general, when it comes to restaurants/shops with East and West Village locations, I tend to prefer the West. More charming. Less gritty. Case in point: The Hummus Place. But I'll save that for another post.

Below, photos from dinner at Moustache.

Ayran - Yogurt Drink

Labneh - Creamy Homemade Yogurt

Babaganoush - Grilled Eggplant with Tahini and Garlic

Lentil And Bulghar Salad - Lentils, Bulghur and Fried Onions

Fresh Pita

Lahambajin Pitza - Ground Lamb, Onion, Tomato, Parsley and Spices

Ouzi - Chicken, Carrots, Sweet Peas, Onions, Raisins, Almonds, Basmati Rice and Special Spices enclosed in Filo and served with a Yogurt Sauce

Chicken Kebab Plate - Chicken Breast with Cilantro, Garlic and Lentil Puree

Okees. Am off to showing appointments, and then custard at Shake Shack! Custard flavour of the day = Salted Caramel...ohlala.

Moustache
90 Bedford Street
New York, NY 10014
(212) 229-2220

From Zubair, Via Tokyo

Zubair just returned from a trip to Tokyo, bearing everything from fresh mochi, croissants and little trinkets. He said, "this is for you!" and handed over a pale pink bag filled with a very thoughtful assortment of goodies. It was like Christmas ^_^

The first thing I opened up was a bakery (!!!bakery!!!) bag with a duo of chocolate croissants from Burdigala. He nearly missed the train to the airport waiting to get a fresh batch of these croissants, so they were extra tasty, heehee. Extra credit for bringing it all the way from Tokyo without even the slightest dent or loose crumb - impressive!

To make things extra delicious, we brewed hot coffee.

Next up - a flat green package with exactly what I've been wanting/needing for work. A tape measure!!! I've searched high a low for a decent tape measure that fulfills the requirements of sleek, lightweight, and simple. It was perfect ^_^

Also in the green package was this board with black cut-outs designed to layout potential floor plan designs. It’s flat now, but is made for 3-D organization in a plastic/glass case. This is cool beyond words! I'll have to take a photo of it when we have everything set up - it'll make more sense then :)

And last, but not least...

...unwrapping...

...almost there...

...fresh mochi!!!!!!!!!! The azuki bean paste innards look like this. Oh glory. I'm still smiling. A bazillion thanks to Zubair. It's all so delicious. ^_^

Happy Tuesday!

Two Bagels and a Bialy

I didn't intend to consume two bagels and a bialy in two hours this morning. But that's what happened. And sometimes things happen.

Stopped into Doughnut Plant for a Carrot Cake Doughnut before today's Open House marathon, but there were NO Carrot Cake Doughnuts to be found. The other flavours didn't sound enticing at the moment, so I strolled a few doors down to Kossar's Bialys for...

...a Bialy! With Coffee, of course.

I ate the still warm bialy in the bakery, sitting on one of those four stools facing Grand Street.

90% of the way though, the baker rolled our a new batch of HOT Cinnamon-Raisin Bagels. Oh man. I jammed the remaining bialy in my mouth (ever so gracefully) and stood in line for the bagel.

It was beautiful.

Soon after, I made the short walk south to our Open House on Essex Street. Caroline, my super energetic and absolutely wonderful co-worker, bustled though the apartment doors ten minutes later, greeting me with a bag of Oat Bagels from Ess-a-Bagel. I don't know about you, but I've never been one to refuse a bagel.

Happy Sunday ^_^

Kossar's Bialys
367 Grand Street
New York, NY 10002
(212) 473-4810

Ess-a-Bagel
831 3rd Avenue # 1
New York, NY 10022
(212) 980-1010

Custard Concrete: Rhubarb. Bacon. Peanut.

Tonight. I had. Simply the best possible Concrete combination at Shake Shack (Upper West Side location).

Vanilla Custard, Bananas, Vanilla-Poached Rhubarb, and Bacon-Peanut Brittle (by Meg Grace of The Redhead). Don't know how long they plan to keep the Vanilla-Poached Rhubarb or Bacon-Peanut Brittle toppings...so go...now!

This particular combination isn't on the menu, but if you ask sweetly enough, they'll gladly combine and replace bits from the Lumberjack Concrete with the current seasonal fruit, Rhubarb.

P.S.
While the Madison Square Park location offers Strawberry-Mint Custard on Sundays, the Upper West Side location offers Mint Custard on Mondays and Strawberry Custard on Sundays. Amazing! Why this makes me so excited (and really, it does, it does!), I have no idea, the gods must be crazy.

Shake Shack (Upper West Side)
366 Columbus Avenue
New York NY 10024
(646) 747-8770

Eleven Madison Park

Visits with Jess - I completely forgot to put up photos till just now. There will be more visits to come, that you can be assured of. This is our favourite place to lunch together ^_^

On our most recent visit...

French Baguette and Olive Ficelle. Butter here.

Tagliolini Carbonara with Guanciale and Black Pepper

"Salade Lyonnaise" with Chicken Liver, Quail Eggs, and Croutons

Papardelle with Lamb Ragout, Manzanilla Olives and Marjoram

Duo of Suckling Pig with Broccoli Rabe and Pickled Mustard Seeds

And then, dessert.

Daily Selection of Tarts, Left to Right: Lemon Meringue, French Apple, Chocolate Caramel, Chocolate Lilikoi, and Mango Linzer Tart

Chocolate-Lilikoi Tart

Macarons, Bottom Up: Hazelnut & Brown Butter, Peanut Butter & Jelly, Chocolate-Banana, Candied Violet, Black Olive & White Chocolate, Pistachio-Rose, and Toasted Sesame

On a separate occasion...

Poached Egg with Wild Mushrooms and Parmesan

Octopus Salad with Avocado, Fennel and Blood Orange. Closer here.

Roasted Organic Chicken with Black Trumpet Mushrooms and Celery Root

Boudin Blance with Poached Seckel Pear, Brussels Sprouts and Pommes Puree

Jivara Chocolate Mousse with "Malted Milkshake" Sorbet and Olive Oil

Eleven Madison Park
11 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10010
(212) 889-0905

Amy's Bread: Breakfast, Dessert

Rosemary-Olive Ficelle

On certain mornings, I'm over at Amy's Bread in either the West Village or Chelsea for breakfast.

Breakfast = Coffee + Pastry.

The Irish Soda Bread is my favourite breakfast treat (not including cake, because you can totally eat cake for breakfast here and no one will say a thing).

Sometimes we switch it up and go with the whole wheat version, which as you can imagine, is heartier and more crumbly. Both are good - it depends on your mood.

I was obsessed with the Hot Cross Buns during that too-short period in which the buns were offered...

...and every now and then, I have the Chocolate Croissant, even though Patisserie Claude is only two-minutes away (isn't amazing how convenient life is here?) The two croissants couldn't be more different from one another. Amy's Bread is not authentic, but satisfies a very certain desire. I wouldn't even stick it in the croissant category, so do not think of it as a croissant. Think of a flaky, not very buttery, pastry with decent quality chocolate. Stick with Claude's for the real deal.

And if I'm running late to where ever it is I'm going, I grab a Cinnamon Challah Knot and stick it in my purse. Those are the days in which I am guilty of being one of those-people-who-eat-on-the-bus.

Sometimes I like to trade in the Coffee + Pastry combo with a Ficelle + Gelato Combo. The gelato, of course, always comes from L'arte del Gelato down the street. You'd have to be crazy to settle for anything less ;)

Sometimes a return trip is made in the evening, post-dinner. Case in point -> Sunday night with Shann = Red Velvet Cake...

...and a Chocolate Brownie. With walnuts, of course. I do not like un-nutted brownies.

Oh! And yes. Getting back to the cakes. For those who are from Hawai'i and/or are familiar with the Napoleon Bakery inside Zippy's...guess what? The baker who designed the recipe for the Coconut Cake here is FROM HAWAI'I and baked at Napoleon Bakery. That means she knows what a Coconut (aka HAUPIA) Cake is supposed to taste like! The Coconut Cake from Amy's Bread is the closest thing in NYC to the Haupia Cake we get back home. How sweet is that?

Goodness...it's nearly 2:00am. I took a much needed "cave" Friday this evening and made dinner (for the first time in months ^_^). Soba, cucumbers, green onions, tofu, salmon flakes, and lots of fried panko with toasted sesame seeds. Tucked in with a viewing of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers' Follow the Fleet. Nights like these are prefect for re-energizing.

Have an super duper weekend!

Amy's Bread
250 Bleecker Street
New York, NY 10014
(212) 675-7802

Desserts...

Can't believe I nearly forgot to link you here! My post for Midtown Lunch...dessert-related, of course ^_^

Happy Thursday!

Gotham Bar & Grill

A late Tuesday lunch with Jess. How lucky I am to manage a few properties just a minute walk from Gotham Bar & Grill...all the more reason to enjoy lovely post-showing lunches ^_^

The $25 prix fixe lunch (three courses - menu here) is a wonderful deal, and the staff ever so sweet, even as I staggered in with a bloody foot...the price one pays for breaking in a new pair of spring stilettos.

I was rewarded with a set of three high quality band-aids delivered to our table. Talk about customer service.

Let's get onto the food, shall we? :)

Bread and Butter

Roasted Black Plum Salad: red onions radishes, smoked bacon and goat cheese, white balsamic vinagrette

Asparagus Salad: potato confit and quail eggs, dijon mustard dressing

Orrechiette with Duck Sausage: broccoli rabe, parmigiano reggiano, duck broth

Grilled New York Steak: twice baked potato, baby carrots, bordelaise sauce


Gotham Warm Chocolate Cake with Coconut-Caramel Ice Cream

Mango "Creamscicle" with Coconut Mango Soup

Gotham Bar and Grill
12 E 12th Street
New York, NY 10003
(212) 620-4020

No More Hot Dogs

The dinner Jess and I had a few weekends ago at Ditch Plains followed by Blue Ribbon Bakery would be a perfect candidate for This Is Why You're Fat.

We started light with warm Ricotta and Mozzarella Fritters...

...then moved on to the truly disgusting Ditch Dogs. The bottom half of this bowl dish was flooded with fries, topped with two hot dogs, and a pile of flavorless mac & cheese. There was more cream than cheese. It cost $14. And didn't even taste good. Remind me to never return to Ditch Plains.

We tried to redeem the meal with a "clean" dessert, but wound up at the bar of Blue Ribbon Bakery across the street. One massive Banana Split please (blogged this on SENY yesterday). $14.75 for a banana split. It's okay though, I really really love this dessert. Fatty with piles and piles of fresh whipped cream.

And then I cleaned up with a glass of Scotch at Zubair's.

Happy Wednesday! ^_^

Ditch Plains
29 Bedford Street
New York, NY 10014
(212) 633-0202

Blue Ribbon Bakery
14 Bedford Street
New York, NY 10014
(212) 242-1086

wd-50, Second Tasting

Many thanks to John for another wonderful dinner at wd-50. This past weekend, we had the tasting menu, as we did the first time around in January. There were many overlaps on tasting menu, but the kitchen was more than kind enough to accommodate and replace the dishes we already had with something new. We opted to keep two of our favourites from January's visit: the Foie Gras with Lilikoi, and the Squab and Butternut Noodles.

The one dish I did not enjoy much was the Snails, Red Lentils, Juniper, Orange. Love snails, love lentils, and juniper, and orange. But lentils cooked in orange juice? I'll pass on that.

As far as dessert went, we mixed it up and added a few more for variety. The definite highlight was the Soft Chocolate, Peppermint Ice Cream, Black Cardamom, Toffee...though the pre-dessert of Vanilla Ice Cream, Balsamic, Raspberry was just as splendid. One thing I couldn't help noticing: they've cut down on the mignardises! In January we had the Cocoa Packets along with Pear-Pistachio Cake, and Chocolate and Milk Ice Cream. This time there was no Pear-Pistachio Cake.


Oyster Pan Roast

Corned Duck, Rye Crisp, Purple Mustard, Horseradish Cream

Aerated Foie, Pickled Beet, Tamarillo-Molasses, Brioche

Foie Gras, Lilikoi, Chinese Celery. Lilikoi here.

Eggs Benedict

Cold Fried Chicken, Buttermilk-Ricotta, Tabasco, Caviar

Snails, Red Lentils, Juniper, Orange

Pork Loin, Charred Leeks, Caraway Mashed, Coconut-Mustard. Another View.

Squab, Butternut Noodles, Cream Soda, Carob. January's plating here.

Vanilla Ice Cream, Balsamic, Raspberry

Soft Chocolate, Peppermint Ice Cream, Black Cardamom, Toffee. Compare with this take of Milk Chocolate Cream, Devils Food, Banana, and Coffee in January.

Cheesecake, Pineapple, Raisin, Saffron, Lime

Caramelized Brioche, Apricot, Buttercream, Lemon Thyme. Compare to to the version we had January with Caramelized Brioche, Gala Apples, Sage, and Brown Butter Sorbet.

Cornbread Pudding, Lemongrass, Prune

Cocoa Packets, Milk Ice Cream

wd-50
50 Clinton Street
New York, NY 10002
(212) 477-2900

Now This Is...

...Sunday afternoon in Manhattan. Iced coffee, cortado, and one cured olive cookie, split between two. @ Abraço with Zubair.

Abraço
86 East 7th Street
New York, NY 10003
(212) 388-9731

Happy Mother's Day + Doughnuts

Here's wishing my very wonderful Mom a Happy Mother's Day!!! ^_^

This morning, I ate Doughnut Plant's Rose Petal Doughnut on her behalf, hehe. It's pricier than most of their (already expensive) doughnuts...this one rang in at $3.50. For a doughnut! Nonetheless. I am a sucker. And it was tasty.

The Cajeta filled Churros are a "better" deal at $1.50 a piece...I recently wrote about it on Serious Eats New York.

I'll be back later this week for the new Carrot Cake Doughnuts - exciting!!

Doughnut Plant
379 Grand Street
New York, NY 10002
(212) 505-3700

Three Things

When you spend a fair chunk of time in the West Village, showing apartments in the area, and lingering over meals with someone whose eating centers around a few very lovely streets, you quickly grow acquainted with certain restaurants.

I still consider the East Village my little niche, though I'm fairly adaptable and the West Village has been calling my name (and stomach!) over in recent times...after all, it's only a 15 minute walk. And home to my two favourite gelato temples.

A few West Village dishes I'm very grateful to no longer be a stranger of...to think I've been missing out all this time!

The beef chili at Blind Tiger on Bleecker Street...along with a glass of beer during the on a calm afternoon.

EN Brasserie's fresh tofu, served warm...

...it's a beautiful sight :)

And at Snack Taverna -> the semolina cake with Greek sheep's milk yogurt (like cream!) and apple compote...the saganaki is also prone to cause salivating...

...along with the joys of hot coffee + morning pastry at Amy's Bread, coffee milk at Blue Ribbon Bakery...and lahambajin pitza at Moustache on Bedford.

A bagazillion thanks to Zubair for introducing me to these places ^_^

Blind Tiger
281 Bleecker Street
New York, NY 10014
(212) 462-4682

EN Brasserie
435 Hudson Street
New York, NY 10014
(212) 647-9196

Snack Taverna
63 Bedford Street
New York, NY 10014
(212) 929-3499

A Million Congrats...

...to Andy, who just opened his second location of Pinisi at 20 1st Avenue this morning!! :)

It was a busy day, despite the rain, and I couldn't be happier for Andy. The original shop is still up and running on 4th Street, but should you want a place to sit and linger (along with free wifi)...this new location is where you ought to be.

Cranberry Muffin Tops and Cassava Squares

It's all sweets for now, but Andy will start doing savoury pastries in the next few weeks or so. Shall keep you posted ^_^

Pinisi Bakery
20 1st Avenue
New York, NY 10009