Senor Pollo

I feel stupid for not blogging about Senor Pollo before.

But I'm partially forgiven because Tuesday was the first time I had actually eaten inside the restaurant. Prior to that night, I'd get take-out or delivery a bunch. Don introduced me to this place waaayy back in 2008. He got delivery one night and I pounced on his order of fried plantains. Fate must have been telling me something when, six months later, I moved in right around the corner from Senor Pollo. It's literally AROUND the corner. Like 28 steps away. It's cheap, and really REALLY tasty.

I had dinner with Greg there the other night. Our initial plan was to meet for ramen at Minca on 5th Street. But in the summer heat, having to venture anywhere further than three blocks for dinner (when you're surrounded by tons of great options) is silly. So I suggested Senor Pollo.

Greg arrived first. (Isn't funny how, the closer you live to a place, the later you're bound to arrive?) When I got there, he was standing in front of Senor Pollo, eyeing the commerical looking neon signs warily.

It looked as if he, gasp, doubted my dinner suggestion, "let's go to Setagaya for ramen. It's close, on 9th Street."
"Nooo. We gotta eat chicken! And we're already here."
"But we can get their cold noodles! Mmmm. Cold noodles." (It was SUPER hot that day).
"Nooo. But chicken! Only $6.50!" I pointed to the awesome deal they had posted in the window.

And really it is an awesome deal. $6.50 buys a quarter of a Peruvian rotisserie chicken with two sides of your choice. And there are a lot of choices. It took a bit of prodding, but I managed to convince Greg that Senor Pollo was gonna be awesome.

And it was! (Wasn't it, Greg? ;)

Not knowing the protocol for "dining-in" at Senor Pollo, we thought to order at the counter and then take our food to the table, a la Panda Express. We dilly-dallyed for a bit before a woman came and asked, are you eating in?

We said, yes. and she lead us to a seat, brought over menus, and water, and condiments. The works!

Holy cow, Senor Pollo was a full-service restaurant! That was totally unexpected. And you can still get the same $6.50 deal when dining-in. I was in love with this place.

Ok. So you order your chicken. And the two sides. For my sides I got maduros (fried sweet plantains) and...

...Spanish potato salad. I'm not exactly sure what makes the potato salad "Spanish", but the salad was a cross between potato salad and egg salad, topped with a single strip of red bell pepper. The salad was pretty darn mayonnaise-y and I couldn't stop eating it.

And don't forget about the condiments. You get two. One is a parsley oil (beautiful isn't it?), and the other is a slightly spicy green mayonnaise-esque sauce. They are both equally awesome, and I'd gladly squirt/pour bucketfuls of both over hot white rice, and call it dinner.

For his sides, Greg opted for spinach mashed potatoes and mixed rice and beans. The potatoes might look gross and somewhat akin to cafeteria food, but this is case in which looks are indeed deceiving. Potatoes are super buttery, though you can't really discern any spinach (aside from the colour, haha).

These are the rice and beans. They give you a lot. You can't choose which quarter of the chicken you get, but you can be sure the skin is always going to be hot, a little crisp and savoury just so. Meat consistently moist, no complaints there. By luck of the draw, Greg got the drumstick and all the dark meat that comes with it. I got the breast and white meat. I'll have to cross my fingers for dark meat next time!

P.S.
1. Everyone who works there is over the top nice.
2. Soursop, mango, and papaya milkshakes are on the menu.
3. So is Peruvian fried rice (chifan), I'll be sure to try that soon.

Senor Pollo
221 1st Avenue
New York, NY 10003
(212) 777-0362

Otto and Mayahuel with Tam

Thursday dinner with Tam at Otto. This dinner turned out to be a surprise belated birthday gift for me...so super thank you Tam!! :D

We started dinner with a few drinks, including the Raz Rickey (pictured above), Sardinian Iced Tea, and Prosecco & Strawberries...

and then moved onto plates of Prosciutto...

...along with Summer Corn & Fregola and Figs "Agrodolce."

Here's a closer shot each of the corn...

...and figs :)

We also shared the Vongole Pizza, with clams, garlic, mozzarella. I didn't enjoy this pizza the first time I had it (back in 2004), but now it's one of my favourites on the pizza menu. Serving the clams in shell isn't the most efficient or graceful route, but it certainly adds character. Plus, there's something nice about sucking the juices out of the shell, heheh.

For dessert, we had one copetta each. For Tam, the Olive Oil Copetta made with olive oil gelato, lime curd, lilikoi granita, basil syrup, and strawberries. This is the same one Zubair and I had last week.

I spotted a NEW dessert (new as of the last time I went, which was two days before!) on the menu. It took a great deal of energy not to pop our of my bar seat and go HUZZAHH!!! New gelato copettas get me SUPER excited. This particular one matched a new summer flavour, Sweet Corn, with warm white chocolate, and a mix of summer berries including raspberries, blackberries, blackcurrants, and wonderful little chunks of toasted polenta cake. The berries were fresh, but frozen, and they didn't defrost them all the way before serving. That was the only sad part ^_^

Post-Otto, we walked over to Mayahuel for a drink and a few more snacks.

There, I had a Selena Fizz composed of blanco tequila, elderflower, graprefruit and lime juice, egg whites, soda, and orange bitters...

...and we shared chicken tamales (they were horrible and overpriced)...

..and an order of chocolate and churros which I wrote up on SENY.

Happy Wednesday! ^_^

Otto
1 Fifth Avenue
NY, NY 10003
(212) 995-9559

Mayahuel
304 E 6th Street
New York, NY 10003

Italian Ice Hunt 2009

Last week I joined Grace and Robyn for the first annual Italian Ice Hunt. This hunt consisted of three girls in a car (thanks for driving Grace!!), an empty stomach, and five hours in Brooklyn and Queens. It was tons of fun but I never ever want to see Italian ice again. Or at least for a few months, heheh. The results are posted in Grace's Serious Eats post. Knock yourself out ;)

Our last stop was at L&B Spumoni Gardens, by which point we were badly craving something savoury. Thank god for pizza. We chased that last cup of lemon ice with a slice each of the Sicilian...

...and then Robyn and I split another plain slice. The more pizza, the merrier!! Goodness you have no idea just HOW DELICIOUS this was after one too many cups of lemon ice. Pizza is one my favourite foods - I keep meaning to do one MASSIVE pizza post, but don't know if I'll ever get around to it :/

Robyn says 'hi'! :D

L & B Spumoni Gardens
2725 86th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11223
(718) 449-1230

Doughnuts!

Last week, I met with Suzanne Ma, reporter for the Associated Press.

The subject? DOUGHNUTS.

Suzanne had found me via the NYC Doughnut article I wrote for Serious Eats. We met in the afternoon, at the Herald Square location of one of new twelve Tim Horton's shops to hit the city.

The article, published on Yahoo news, and some other places, is titled "Canadian doughnut chain enters NYC doughnut wars." I'm just briefly mentioned in two paragraphs but there's a photo of me licking away crumbs, holding a bitten iced-chocolate cake doughnut in my right hand, and a chocolate-covered chocolate cake doughnut in my other hand.

TWO KINDS OF CHOCOLATE CAKE DOUGHNUTS.

...you can never have too many...heheh

I'd tell you more about how we sampled twelve doughnuts (including this crazy looking blueberry number) on a Wednesday afternoon, but Suzanne's behind the scenes post on our meeting at, "Fried dough, what’s not to like?” –the story behind the story…" is much more awesome than what I could write...make sure to read it! ^_^

Strangely enough, eating all those doughnuts made me crave malassadas from the Punahou Carnival. Sigh, you can never win ;)

Happy Sunday!

Manatees Loves Robyn ^_^

Shots from last week's surprise Robyn Appreciation Dinner.

This photo by Claire captures Robyn's surprise just right - I love it!

Group shot here.

At the dinner table: Robyn, Diana, Olia, Lee Anne, Greg, Claire, John and myself.
Location: Arirang in Korea Town.
Previous Arirang post.

Why? We couldn't think of anyone more deserving of a surprise party than Robyn, the sweetest friend anyone could ever ask for. And what better way to celebrate than with communal bowls of noodle soup? ^_^

Between eight people, we shared two massive pancakes, and three even more massive bowls of noodles. It was the perfect amount.
We ordered three different types of noodles. Pictured is the Seafood in the front, and the Vegetable Kar-Jeabe in the back. They're all topped with the same tangle of vegetables, so look alike till you give it a good mix and unearth all the seafood (clams, shrimp, and octopus) in the former. All the "Kar-Jeabe" noodle soup consists of two types of noodles: Kalguksu (knife-cut noodles) and Sujebi (noodle chunks / torn noodles).
And here is the Chicken Kar-Jeabe. Robyn once wrote about how very chicken-y the broth is. But seriously, you have no ideas JUST HOW chicken-y she means until you try it. Put this on your must-eat list :)
Vegetable Kar-Jeabe in action, compliments of Greg.


And the two pancakes. First, kimchee and mochi...

...and then the seafood pancake. Mix your own sauce to dip.

After we're pau eating...time to blow out the candles!

And cut the cake!

Nomnom. From Sugar Sweet Sunshine -> Chocolate Almond Buttercream with Chocolate Cake. FYI, yes we did consider opting for a huge bucket of banana pudding in place of cake, but cake route seemed more appropriate ^_^

Happy Saturday!

Arirang
32 West 32nd Street, 3rd Floor
New York NY 10001
212-967-5088

One Million-th?

That sounds about right.

I think this is my one million-th post on Otto, the one restaurant I frequent more than any other in Manhattan. (Excluding bakeries or gelaterias in this count, only full-service restaurants ;).

Last Friday. Escaping out of the pouring rain, straight into the comforts of Otto, dinner with Zubair.

Photos follow below ->

Prosecco and Amaro

Prosecco and Strawberries

Cheese: Baita Friuli, Cow, FRI; Tuada, Sheep, TOS; and Bergkäse, Cow, TREN.

Every cheese plate comes with accompaniments of cherries, apricots, and truffled honey.

Spaghetti con borttaga

And for dessert, one very perfect Olive Oil Copetta, composed of olive oil gelato, lime curd, lilikoi granita, basil syrup, and strawberries. Sugar Rush'ed on SENY.

Note: Just back from another Otto dinner tonight, this time as a sweet belated birthday surprise from Tam (thank you!!). A delicious meal, and composed in a completely different manner from the same menu. Post to come soon :)

Till then, Happy Friday!

Otto
1 Fifth Avenue
NY, NY 10003
(212) 995-9559

Kanoyama

Until last Sunday, Kanoyama held a steady spot on my never-ending list of places to visit "one day...some day...". Despite it being located two blocks from my apartment, I never got around to it, mainly because of the prices. It's not expensive for a sushi restaurant by any means, but for the price, I'd rather put out a bit more and go to Sushi Yasuda.

But then one day, about a month ago, I spotted a sign for an early bird special posted in the window. $15! For quite a bit of food, and a nice selection. It was the sushi special that intrigued me, so last Sunday, Steph, Shann, and I headed over for dinner. We slid into a comfy booth at 5:00pm, and I couldn't help but feel like an old lady...don't remember the last time I had dinner this early!

We all ended up ordering the same special with the same entree. Go figure - after living together for so long, our tastebuds must be aligned. The meal starts with a bowl of miso soup...

...then dishes of hijiki, salad with carrot-ginger-miso dressing, and an "entree" of shrimp tempura. If shrimp tempura isn't your thing, you can also pick from vegetable tempura, grilled salmon or shumai.

And then you get six pieces of California roll. Say what you will, but I have a very soft spot for California rolls. Or any rice + avocado combination for that matter ;)

And finally the sushi, pickles on the side. From left to right: Tobiko, Salmon, Fluke, Tuna, and Shrimp. They clearly don't reserve the best quality fish for this early bird special, but that's understandable - you can't expect to receive the best for $15. But it was not bad at all...though it made me miss Hawai'i sushi...cheap and good.

Sometimes I think I ought to refrain from eating sushi in NYC. Makes me miss home every time I do!

For dessert: pineapples and cream. An odd combination, but simple and fresh. I was however, secretly hoping for a bowl of green tea ice cream, heheh ^_^

Kanoyama
175 2nd Avenue
New York, NY 10003
(212) 777-5266

Yay, Flushing! :)

Saturday afternoon, Zubair and I drove to Flushing for a late lunch/early dinner/our only meal of the day. We had a pretty exciting flat tire issue in the morning that resulted in visiting no less than four different car stations between Soho and Chelsea. Luckily, a solution was found in due time, and with rumbling tummies, we made our way to Flushing for a ton of food.

This was my first "official" trip out to Flushing without Kathryn, the human encyclopedia on Flushing. My past fooding trips in the area have been led by Kathryn...dumplings (steamed, fried, boiled), buns, dim sum, and lamb face salad...she has it all down! For this particular trip, I picked my favourite spots from places we had previously ventured.

Our first stop was at Corner 28, a street facing stand where you can order Peking Duck Buns by the piece...for only $1 each! This never fails to make me so very happy. I love how you can get one or two and not worry about committing to an entire duck.
And they're good too! VERY good. These particular buns were so plush and warm, not a single dry spot - they must have just finished steaming. Duck, scallions, and hoisin sauce to finish. We each wolfed our down in a minute and dashed over to...

...Xi'an Famous Foods, located in the basement of an un-airconditioned mall. Goodness, was it steamy in there! I was already dripping piles of sweat before before we found a seat inside the stand. We shared the Lamb Burger...

...served very spicy with plenty of cumin, stuffed into a hot griddled bun.

But the next item we had there was my favourite of the day, and quite possibly my single favourite dish in all of Flushing: Liang Pi Noodles ($3.50). The noodles, made from wheat starch are touch gelatin-esque, very slippery and served cold. Mixed with boiled bean sprouts and chunks of wheat gluten, the entire concoction is tossed in a fire-y, garlic-laced sauce. Ask for it extra-spicy ;) It's nothing short of incredible, especially on a muggy July day. We SUPER regretted not purchasing a few extra orders when we got hungry later in the night ^_^

We then proceeded to cool off with cups of Ginseng Tea, slightly sweetened.
Our third stop was at Nan Shing Dumpling House, famous home of xiao long bao, which Joe wrote about for SENY. We arrived at the restaurant just before 5pm, and though it was relatively full, there was luckily no wait. The waitress led us to a table near the xiao long bao makers, and we happily occupied ourselves watching the pretty mezmerizing repition of dumpling creation. The xiao long baos are so big that they only fit six to a standard steamer (where as most restaurants do eight to a steamer). The extra thin skin is a major, and crucial bonus.
We were pretty full after the xiao long baos, but there was just one more spot on our agenda, and one would been crazy to leave without it. "It" being, White Bear Dumpling. You'll want to order the #6, "wontons in hot oil."
Loook! Man, isn't that gorgous? A dozen wonton per order, $4.50. Hot oil (though it looks about ten million times spicier than it tastes) is poured atop the plate, topped with preserved vegetables and scallions. The wontons are boiled to order, and the hot skin just slips on your tongue, and savoury, juicy pork is packed tight just so. It's absolutely wonderful, and falls only second to Xi'an's liang pi noodles as my favourite Flushing dish.

And last but not least, a pause in at Yi Mei Fung Bakery Corp. One cup of milk tea boba for the ride home :)

Happy Monday!

Corner 28
40-28 Main Street
Flushing, NY 11355
(718) 886-6628

Xi'an Famous Foods
1-28 Main St, Basement #36
Flushing, NY 11355
(718) 885-7788

Nan Xiang Dumpling House
38-12 Prince St.
Flushing, NY 11354
(718) 321-3838

White Bear Dumpling
135-02 Roosevelt Avenue #5
Flushing, NY 11354
(718) 961-2322

Yi Mei Fung Bakery Corp
135-38 Roosevelt Avenue
Flushing, NY 11354
(718) 886-6820

Browniiieess ^_^

Seth Greenberg of East End Cookie Company was sweet enough to drop off a fresh baked batch of his signature brownies as I headed down to apartment showings last Friday. The babies come a dozen to an order, all neatly packed into a brown and gold box. For those who play the cakey versus fudgey game, these are for fans of the latter. The brownies are fudge to the n-th degree, impossibly rich as the photos implies and studded with pecans.

If the Greenberg name sounds familiar, it's because Seth is the son of William Greenberg Jr who previously owned a bakery by the same name on the Upper East Side (they do the black & white cookie that was mentioned in my cookie post). The bakery is no longer owned by the Greenberg family, but Seth started his own bakery and is responsible for these brownies along with a line of Sticky Schnecken Buns and Lemon Squares.

The brownies don't have that crackly crunchy top I'm so very fond of, but they more than redeem themselves with the most chocolate-y of innards and lots and lots of pecans.

A glass of milk on the side is mandatory. Nuts are optional, but why say 'no' when you can say 'yes'? ^_^

East End Cookie Company
By Delivery Only

Go Read Robyn's Post + Katsuhama

1. First, head on over to Robyn's blog for her post on a super awesome day we had in Brighton Beach waaayy back in May. I never got around to posting the Brighton Beach shoot with the very talented Diana (see photos here, here, and here) and the following meal at Cafe Kashkar. The night ended with cupcakes and gelato...L'arte del Gelato, of course ;)...huzzah! ^_^

2. Second, photos from a workday lunch at Katsuhama with Phyllis.

Phyllis had the Katsu Curry...

...while I went with the lunch special. They start you off with some pickles and a bowl of toasted sesame seeds. You grind up the seeds (bringing about this very lovely scent!), pour the katsu sauce over, and mix...

...and then you get a bowl of rice and miso soup...

...and then the katsu! With piles of thin shredded cabbage. I LOVE THIS CABBAGE, paired with their house dressing, light miso-esque. You can get seconds, and thirds of the cabbage. I bet you can even get fourths of the cabbage (but I haven't gone that far). Oh, and the katsu is pretty memorable too ;)

Not bad for $11, eh?

Katsuhama
11 East 47th Street
New York, NY 10017
(212) 758-5909

Wednesday Night Pizza...

...up on Doug's apartment rooftop with Robyn and Doug. A casual and lovely way to spend the night after a rather stressful workday.

One slice each of the Margarita, Sicilian, and of course, Artichoke, pizza.

Happy Wednesday! ^_^

Artichoke Pizza
328 E 14th Street
New York, NY 10003
(212) 228-2004

Have You Been to the Blue Moutains?

On Saturday, Zubair and I woke up late, sat on the couch, and wondered out loud,

"what shall we do today?"

Our usual Saturday entails West Village brunch, followed by a stroll around Soho, along with random knickknacks and errands, dinner and drinks with friends, and a late night movie(s).

But today was different. Because routine is good till it gets boring. And then you gotta switch it up!

"Have you been to the Blue Mountains?" he asked.
"Blue Mountains?" Clearly I had not.
"Ok, then let's go!"

I love spur of the moment adventures!

He pulled out his mountain biking gear and started to packed. I browsed through books and picked a few for the afternoon. But we couldn't leave without taking care of the most important part of our adventure: lunch! I've developed the slightest obsession with the nearby Murray's Cheese, both for the cheese and the desserts (Tumbador sweets, their milkshakes, a solid selection ice creams, and chocolates to satisfy all whims). After reading Carey's post on their new sandwich bar last week, it seemed only fit to pack Murray's picnic sandwiches for lunch.

We strolled down to Murray's and picked out sandwiches from their panini menu..."The Great Cabot Roast" with Cabot clothbound cheddar, caramelized onions and house-roasted beef for him...

...and the artichoke loaded "Delicate Flower" for myself. We completed the meal with jalapeno slaw and garlic dill pickles. Two bags of dill and jalapeno chips and Gus' sodas in grapefruit and valencia orange on the side :)

With the picnic basket set to go, Zubair went to pick up his car, while I stopped in at Amy's Bread for something sweet to eat on the drive over. He requested brioche, one of the few sweets I had not yet made my way around to try at Amy's.

And golly, I've been missing out! My favourite Amy's Bread item to this day is the Irish soda bread, but this almond brioche comes a close second. Thick-sliced brioche is smothered in marizpan and slivered almonds, then baked a golden brown. Like an almond croissant, only done with brioche! The flavours are just awesome, though unforgivingly dense and heavy in the belly.

Between bites of brioche, we drove up to Peekskill, an hour north of the city. My time on the east coast is so very centered in Manhattan, and it's only once or twice a year that I venture out to other cities like Boston, DC, and Philly. I visited Montreal once last year, but aside from that, my time is split between Manhattan and bi-yearly trips home to Hawai'i. So while weekends upstate might be common for a lot of people here, it's really quite a trip for me, so you can imagine how excited I was! I ought to travel more.

Here we are at Blue Mountain! So pretty, isn't it? There were not many people around, save for a few families...

...and some men fishing.

It was nice to feel space...there was so much rooooom, I almost didn't know what to do with myself!

Except...relax, you know? ;)

But first we needed to eat! I picked a lovely spot near the late, and set out our lunch.

This was the second time I've used this picnic basket (first was for Zubair's birthday picnic), and I intend to put it to good use this summer! I intended to lay out the picnic blanket on the grass, but was worried the ducks would venture to close to the food...

...those ducks weren't shy in the least! We ended up organizing everything on a lake facing bench.

Post-lunch, Zubair changed into biking gear for his ride up the mountain, while I lazied back and tucked away the afternoon with books. I've never been the biking type, walking - yes, but biking - not so much. I found myself a small table on the other side of the lake and dozed off. It was so peaceful with no people around.

This is the beginning of the bike trail up Blue Mountain. Oh! And there's my picnic basket on the bottom right. Forgot to move it for the photo, heheh.

After he returned from the ride, we simply did nothing for a while. And how good it felt! To do absolutely nothing. Except sit and lie down (occasionally brushing off a stray bug ;) We left the Blue Mountains early evening, driving our way through Tarrytown and then Sleepy Hollow.

Upon entering Dobbs Ferry, Zubair turned into the parking lot of Half Moon, a restaurant he had been to once before. We sat at an outside table with front row views of the Hudson - it was perfect.

The ocean views made me miss Hawai'i for just a second - how easily we take the water for granted in Hawai'i! I'll have to remind myself that on the next trip home. Ocean views + drinks + a full day of utter relaxation...there's little more to desire.
But we couldn't make do without food, of course! ;) We shared an order of spicy calamari...

...and the house, "Half Moon" burger. They kindly split the large burger into two upon request, and each half was still pretty hefty. The burger is paired with spicy aji amarillo sauce, tomato salsa, frisee & pickled cucumber. Fries and coleslaw on the side.

I spotted bread pudding on the menu and couldn't leave without it. The custard soaked bread, served warm, layered sliced bananas and plenty of walnuts. To finish - vanilla ice cream and drizzles of chocolate.

We drove back to the city soon after, and it was about 11pm when we arrived home. Our timing was perfect because it just started to drizzle on the walk from the car to the apartment...by the time we got behind closed doors, there was thunder and lighting! My plans for finishing the night with a few paddles of L'arte del Gelato was out the question in that weather, but no matters, for hot tea and a movie is a more than perfect substitute.

Happy Monday! ^_^

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

Half Moon
1 High Street
Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522
(914) 693-4130

Fun Stuff...

...from the past week :)

1. Cherries, blueberries, and strawberries at the Greenmarket! I bought a pint of each and left them in my office fridge...a sweet start to each day.

Greg's Banana Gelato and Pear Sorbet

2. Loooots of 4th of July gelato with Robyn, Zubair, Diana, Greg, Lee Anne, and Chris. Where at? Why of course, the only gelato shop that counts: L'arte del Gelato ^_^

Zubair and I shared the biggest size in a waffle cone with mint gelato, mango sorbet, and lilikoi sorbet.

Robyn had an especially lush looking serving of gianduja gelato and pear sorbet.

3. On Tuesday evening, Zubair and I went to the first baseball game of our lives at Citi Field.

We were invited as part of a Jacques Torres and pre-Atlantic City Food & Wine Festival event held at the Caesars Club, followed by the game.

A live and personal demo by Jacques Torres + chocolates + chocolate chip cookies + baseball game?

Definitely more exciting than my typical Tuesday night! :)

4. Brunch at Cafe Angelique...

...where it's perfectly acceptable to share a blueberry tart...

...almond croissant...

...and a smoked salmon bagel stick for breakfast.

And don't forget the iced chai latte! :)


Employees Only

5. Friday night at Doma, Agave, Spotted Pig, and Employees Only with Jess, Zubair and Anatolli.

Spotted Pig

We had dinner here a few weeks ago...chicken liver toast, ricotta gnudi, and the buger with those wonderful fries...excellent as always.

Our early dinner/meeting stop at Doma was my first to this cafe, home of Robyn's favourite TMB panini. I was looking for something on the lighter end, and for the first time in...a year perhaps...ordered a salad! Above is the Endive Salad With Pears: grilled endive, haricots verts, red wine poached pears, toasted walnuts and Stilton cheese. Not exactly a "healthy" salad, but a satisfying one at that, minus the extra bitter endives.

Zubair had an iced chai latte, along with...

...the Smoked Bluefish Pate, served with carrots, marinated cucumbers, and baguette...

...whiles Jess had the Artichoke Sandwich, comprised of marinated artichokes, lemon-basil aioli, mozzarella and tomatoes, served open-faced on Balthazar bread.

6. Weekend cooking! Lots of simple dishes such as tagliatelle pasta with balsamic browned butter and hot italian sausage (from Faccio's), and...

...basil-pesto ravioli (from Murray's Cheese), balsamic browned butter, and grated white cheddar.

7. Zubair's first taste of dragonfruit ^_^

8. And one bazillion thanks to Robyn for trucking over a huge slab of my very favourite carrot cake in the entire world. ENTIRE world. I kid you not.

Does this look familiar? It should! The cake comes via M&I International Market in Brighton Beach.

L’Arte del Gelato
75 7th Avenue
New York, NY 10011
(212) 924-0803

Cafe Angelique
68 Bleecker Street
New York, NY 10012
(212) 475-3500

The Spotted Pig
314 W 11th Street
NY, NY 10014
(212) 620-0393

Employees Only
510 Hudson Street
New York, NY 10014
(212) 242-3021

Doma Cafe
17 Perry Street
New York, NY 10014
(212) 929-4339

M&I International Foods
249 Brighton Beach Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11235
(718) 615-1011

The Redhead.

Chips & Dip: Housemade Waffle Chips, Butter-Braised Onion Dip

I must say thanks to Steve and Ginny for taking me out for drinks and bites at Redhead earlier this evening :) It's easy to forget how wonderful it is to dine at Redhead with the doors swung wide open on a pleasant day. And oh! Wasn't today's temperature in the city lovely? Not too hot, not to cold, just perfect. I've posted on Redhead once before, and used to come her much more often when the restaurant had just opened for full service dinners.

House Made Soft Pretzel with Kentucky Beer Cheese

Along with cocktails, we shared housemade potato chips and soft pretzels, which came with Kentucky beer cheese...I've never had anything quite like it. If you haven't had the fried chicken here yet, you ought to do so. They turn out this crazy good buttermilk fried chicken which I am especially fond of. Oh! And I'll stop now, but if we're going to talk fried chicken, one cannot forget BBQ Chicken, which I swear is my favourite fried chicken in this city. BBQ = Best of Best Quality.

But really, my favourite part of Redhead is the post-meal treat. They used to give out these fantastic chocolate chip cookies, which I previously blogged here and here. It's been a while since my last visit, and they've totally changed things up since then...because...this time we got a blondie! Oh joy, I do very much love blondies (though I'll always fall for the brownie if forced to choose).

These were wonderful little numbers, especially because they were still warm upon receipt. Super moist and chewy, rich in brown sugar, full in flavor and topped with candied fresh ginger. I loved taking each bite and letting the sharp, spicy crunch of ginger break through. Might I dare say, these are even more tasty than the chocolate chip cookies :)

Happy Thursday!

The Redhead
349 E. 13th Street
New York, NY 10003
(212) 533-6212

Chocolate Bar.

Just wanted to say, thanks man! Greg dropped off a bunch of belated birthday chocolates the other day. I took them out the next morning to snap photos, intending to share them with friends. But I couldn't help it, and ate both boxes in one sitting. Sometimes there's no point in attempting to restrain oneself.
The first box, clockwise from top left: peanut butter & jelly, lilikoi, another peanut butter & jelly, and then a milk chocolate round. The pb&j was REALLY good, so I was super happy there were two! heheh.

And the second box, clockwise from top left: ginger, pecan, cocoa nib, and raspberry. Individual photos follow below.

Ginger

Raspberry

Pecan

Cocoa Nibs

Milk Chocolate

Lilikoi

Peanut Butter & Jelly

I did a brief post for Serious Eats on the re-opening of Chocolate Bar in the West Village...see here if you'd like :)

Chocolate Bar
19 8th Avenue
New York, NY 10014
(212) 366-1541

In the NY Times Today...Pizza

The New York Times ran a piece on "The New Generation of Pizzerias" in the city today, and used a few of my photos from Veloce Pizzeria...see here! I thought that was pretty cool, heehee.

Happy Wednesday!

Picnic, Yay! ^_^

I've been meaning to post these photos for the longest time. A few weeks back, I threw Zubair a surprise picnic as part of his birthday present. But it was pouring rain that afternoon when I arrived at his doorstep, picnic basket in hand.

So we did the next logical thing, and had a picnic in his living room :)

I actually prefer indoor picnics. This way you don't have to deal with nature and all the other external elements...bugs, noise, sun, etc. Heheheh.

On the Menu:

- Tristar Strawberries (Greenmarket)
- Blueberries (Greenmarket)
- Chocolate Pudding (Sarabeth's)
- Corn & Avocado Salad (made it myself :)
- Prosecco (Astor Wines)
- Tuscan Ring (Amy's Bread)
- Cured Meats: Prosciutto, Coppa, Mortadella, and Bresaola (Murray's)
- Cheese: Cana Oveja, Morbier, and Smoked Cheddar (Murray's and Whole Foods)

It took two days and quite a bit of assembling to get everything together, but it was well worth it. The wooden basket is from the Chelsea Market. And the "picnic cloth" is just a simple tablecloth.

Nothing like picnicking inside, while it pours rain just out the window. I must say, it was a pretty awesome spread and a very lovely afternoon ^_^

Rocco's Cannolis, Yes Please.

The cannolis at Rocco's in the West Village are absolutely ohlalalalaa. Zubair first turned me on them a few months back and since then we've been living on a steady diet of cannolis. I am a huge HUGE cannoli freak, and have blogged about these particular ones from Roccos on Serious Eats.

Not counting cannolis from Villabate (Bensonhurst), Salvatore Brooklyn Ricotta (Brooklyn Flea) and Madonia Brothers (Bronx), all of which are too far for me to make daily trips, Rocco's makes the finest. And given that the ones just listed are not in Manhattan...does Rocco therefore make the best cannoli in Manhattan? o_O? ^_^

If you know of others, please do tell! I had the cannoli (also freshly filled) at Bruno's the other week and they were an utter fail.

There's this horrible thread about Rocco's on Chowhound, and while the good bulk of their products (save for the cannoli, fruit tart, and lobster tail) are terrible...the cannoli itself is salvation enough!

We usually order the plain cannoli, piped to order, peanuts (yes, those are peanuts and not pistachio) and powdered sugar to finish. BUT the other night I was in a chocolate mood, so we had the chocolate cannoli which satisfied my craving in all the right ways. Usually we get a mini cannoli and share that one as a post-dinner, post-dessert treat. But next time we just might have to get one plain and one chocolate. Heheh.

Rocco's
243 Bleecker Street
New York, NY 10014
(212) 242-6031

EN Japanese Brasserie

On Sunday evening, post-Gay Pride Parade, Zubair took me out to EN Japanese Brasserie for my birthday dinner :D My first visit to this restaurant was back in late April, when we stopped in for an order of the fresh tofu, served warm. It was amazing! On that occasion, we came in during the late afternoon, and were the only diners in the very large restaurant. I guess it should have been no surprise when we returned two months later on that Sunday, and the hostess said, "ahh so good to see you again! didn't you two stop by for tofu months ago?" A sweet surprise ^_^

This meal was equally gorgeous...above is a shot of the bar, right when you enter in the restaurant...

...and this is the dining area.

We started off with sake...

...the Ksumi Tsuru recommended by the waitress. And then proceeded to eat, huzzah!
First, the fresh-made tofu, served warm with wari-joyu
Pouring, pouring...this dish is just so lovely, it makes me happy just to look at it!

I an absolute sucker for anything with uni, so we had to get the uni roll. Avocado, cucumber, and shiso wrapped inside, topped off with uni.
Isn't it pretty?


Next, the goma dofu agedashi. This dish was ten million times better than we anticipated. Four cubes, two each of fresh housemade black and white sesame tofu, lightly fried. The tofu is served in a dashi broth with a variety of Japanese mushrooms. When you bite through the crisp fried crust, molten tofu shoots outs...potentially dangerous, but oh-so-delicious. It was like eating hot black and white sesame cream. Definitely the most interesting dish of dinner.

We also shared the spicy chu toro roll, which featured marbled tuna belly mixed with okra...

...and the reisei uni chawanmushi, off the seasonal menu. Uni custard topped with more uni. I swear, along with pasta and pizza, I'd kill to have uni every day of my life ^_^

Finally, soba tea pudding, clean and haunting in its' simplicity. The texture was memoerable, a supple cross between that of Chinese almond tofu and panna cotta.

Oh man, I always forget how much I love Japanese food, a staple cuisine in Hawai'i, though of a different sort. To bad we don't have places like Kozo Sushi in New York...accessible, fresh and affordable enough to eat on a daily basis. Oh well, on these rare occasions that I have sushi in New York, I appreciate it all the more :)

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

Po, Tartine

Last Saturday, Zubair suggested Po for dinner and I was like, omg yes.

No, more like OMG YES!!!.

bwhaahha. I love to eat pasta (and pizza) and could eat one of the two for every single meal for the rest of my life. Otto is my reliable pasta standby, my best friend when it comes to pasta at restaurants. I love Lupa, Babbo, Convivio and Alto quite a bit, but it's simply not reasonable for everyday meals. I think Po falls into the category of restaurants you could eat at twice a week. Fairly priced, comfortable, and OH SO DELICIOUS.

It might come to replace Otto as my favourite.

We didn't have reservations that evening, but opted wait around a bit. Luckily there was plenty to do in the interim and soon enough, we were seated at just the sweetest table in the restaurant...a little nook at the front of the restaurant with windows opened onto Cornelia Street.

Here's the view looking outside the window...and that's Zubair on the right :)

They started us off with White Bean Bruschetta...

...and bread with olive oil while we perused the menu.

None of the mains spiked interest, so we decided to share a appetizer and three pastas. First off, Beet Carpaccio, with baby artichokes, watercress and pine nut crusted goat cheese.

Then, the White Bean Ravioli with Balsamic Brown Butter Sauce. We didn't request for them to split the pasta orders into two separate plates, but they did so without us having to ask. How sweet is that?? This ravioli is Zubair's favourite pasta dish and it is indeed a real winner. Pureed white beans tucked into each ravioli, a light finish of the smoky, butter rich sauce with the balsamic coming in at the end.

The next dish was just as awesome. Black Fettuccine, Fresh Mussels, Sun Dried Tomatoes, Scallions and Green Chilies. That again is a half-portion. But it is absolutely massive and could easily past as a whole serving in any other restaurant. Mussels were plentiful, fettuccine cooked a perfect al dente...smiles all around :)

We were more stuffed than anticipated by the time we finished the two pastas. So we cancelled the third order which was housemade Gnocchi. Just another reason to come back ^_^

But no matter how full one is...you can never ever pass up dessert. To end - the 'Po Sundae' made with fresh mint gelato, cinnamon spiced pine nuts & chocolate sauce.

A near perfect dinner? I'd sure say so! Pictured above is the view looking into the nook. I'll have to make sure we get seated at the table every time! We finished the evening with movies on the couch and plenty of sleep.

For brunch the following day, we walked to the corner of 11th & 4th Street, and scored a perfect outdoor table for two at Tartine. The restaurant has a $14.95 prix fixe brunch menu that comes with coffee and fresh squeezed orange juice. Like Po, I've walked past Tartine numerous times, always wanted to try it, and simply never found the opportunity. Luckily, there was only a short five minute wait that Sunday morning before we sat down to eat.

Zubair had the Eggs Benedict made with Canadian bacon, homemade hollandaise. Roasted potatoes on the side.

I couldn't decide if I was in a sweet or savoury mood, so the French Toast was a perfect fit because it came with roasted potatoes and smoked bacon. The French toast was made from homemade brioche, huzzah! I get so mad when sweet dishes on brunch menus only have sweet elements. Like lemon ricotta pancakes with berries. Or waffles topped with strawberry compote and maple syrup. Something savoury should automatically be involved without having to order an extra side dish.

The afternoon was followed by a six-hour live viewing of this year's Gay Pride parade for which we had perfect views from Anatolli's apartment.

We saw the whole parade from beginning to end. Man, was it exhausting!

Next post...EN Brasserie! ^_^

Po Restaurant
31 Cornelia Street
New York, NY 10014
(212) 645-2189

Tartine
253 W 11th Street
New York, NY 10014
(212) 229-2611