Berrylicious Dessert

It normally irks me when people take liberties with the word "berry," but I made an exception here because it really is the perfect way to describe one of my favorite--and easiest to prepare--summer desserts: the berry crumble.  You can find recipes like this anywhere, or just make one up yourself, which is basically what I did.  Though, to be fair, I borrowed some inspiration from Vegetarian Times magazine (yes, they even do desserts!), The Joy of Cooking, and my mom of course.

If you've never made a crumble, you should! Basically you throw together your favorite assortment of fruit, sprinkle it with a crumb mixture, and bake.  No fancy equipment or technique necessary.  In fact, you can be downright sloppy about it because it's pretty hard to mess up; and because there's no such thing as a perfect-looking crumble.

In this case, I used some strawberries and blueberries that Gus's mom picked up for us at a farm stand.  I'm not sure if there's anything better than fresh, ripe, in-season local produce.  It reminds you of what fruit is at its essence--and of what you're missing out on during the rest of the year.  Sure, I can get big, firm, red--sometimes, even sweet--strawberries at my supermarket, but it's not until I walk past the stands at the Union Square farmer's market that I remember that strawberries have a very strong, sweet scent.  And the taste just doesn't compare.  Anyway, I digress, back to the crumble.  Here are my berries:

Now the next step is sort of optional, but I threw in a little cornstarch to make sure it wasn't terribly drippy.  If I had some lemon juice, I would've squirt some in too.

And now for the most important part: the crumb topping.  This is what makes it, folks. I used The Joy of Cooking's recipe for a basic streusal topping (1/3 C sugar,  2 tbsp flour, 2 tbsp butter) and added 1/2 C quick cooking oats.  Many of the crumble toppings I found online use brown sugar and more flour and butter...which probably makes more sense in retrospect.  But I guess it all depends on how much crumb topping you want in proportion to your berries.  I was using a little bread pan so this was perfect.

Then you just bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes (or until it's all nice and bubbly) and you're done! Mine did come out a little soupy, which I didn't mind because I had planned on eating it with vanilla ice cream. 

The wonderful thing about summer berries is that they're great as they are; no need to dip in powdered sugar or chocolate.  But their incredible ripe flavor really comes through in recipes like this, which offers you the satisfaction of baking without all the fuss.

Consider the Lobster Roll

Lobsters occupy an interesting chapter in food history.  In colonial America they were considered trash fish; and servants negotiated agreements so they wouldn't be forced to eat lobster more than twice a week (I imagine it went something like, "We can handle the grueling hours and lack of compensation; just please don't make us eat those lobsters!")

 When you think about it, this picture is actually pretty disturbing.

Then people decided, hey, these don't taste so bad after all (or that lobsters made for a great excuse to lap up melted butter); so naturally lobsters were overfished, which led to lower supplies and higher prices, i.e. the makings of the ultimate status symbol.

Now, they're coming full circle.  NY Magazine tell us that these curious crustaceans are once again in abundance and relatively inexpensive thanks to a variety of factors, including the overfishing of cod (the largest group of natural predators of young lobsters), Maine's surprisingly successful sustainability measures, and the financial meltdown of Icelandic banks (which, I know, sounds random; but for the sake of brevity, I will not go into. Check out page 2 of the article for full details).

So basically, you don't have to be an indentured servant or a Wall Street financier to eat lobsters anymore, at least in NYC.  The city is experiencing a sort of lobster revival.  Places like The Red Hook Lobster Pound drive up to Maine several times a week to get fresh lobsters, offering them at various vendors throughout the city.  Lobster rolls are popping up all over for $14-$15.  And undoubtedly the best story that's come out of this phenomenon (or perhaps, the trigger that set it off), is Dr. Claw.

That's right.  In case you haven't read about him yet, Dr. Claw is not the latest Spiderman villain but a Massachusetts native who makes lobster rolls out of his Greenpoint apartment, taking orders by text message and  (to the bewilderment of his elderly neighbors) hand delivering them in brown paper bags. (The get-up is his way of "preserving his identity." I just want to know where he found that necklace.)

So what is a lobster roll anyway? NY Magazine describes Dr. Claw's process as follows:  "Toasting a buttered, top-sliced bun, carefully selecting 'the perfect combination' of claw, knuckle, and tail meat dressed in a secret preparation, and brushing the whole thing with garlicky butter."

Oh, now I get it. I've never had a lobster roll, but it's definitely on my to-try list this summer.  Maybe I'll even make make a special trip to Greenpoint!

Art meets Cooking

Just came across this really cool site: They Draw and Cook, Recipe Renderings by Artists, Illustrators, and Designers.  Seeing how amazing and creative these are, it's surprising you don't see this type of stuff more often in the form of cookbooks.  I can see it making a good gift.  Anyway, here are a few cool ones, but definitely check out the site and click through more!

The perfect summer restaurant

Don't you love coming across unique, tucked away spots in the city when you don't deliberately set out to do it?  My parents came into the city for a Saturday visit, and they found the perfect little summer restaurant: Palma. 

Palma sits on Cornelia St. in the West Village, but the airy dining room transports you to Tuscany: Stucco walls, exposed wooden beams, glasses jars of fresh flowers and fruit, it even has the requisite homage to the Blessed Mother in the upper left corner of the front wall.  The restaurant opens to a beautiful outdoor garden in the back, complete with potted plants, white rickety patio furniture, and ivy covered walls: A perfect, quiet spot for an afternoon lunch.

And speaking of food, it was pretty euphoric.  The weekend menu courteously offers brunch and a regular lunch menu--a nice selection of appetizers, handmade pastas, and seafood dishes.  Here's what we had (click for the full menu):

Appetizers

• Carciofi Croccanti: The fried artichokes were fresh, crispy, and dusted with parmigiano cheese and parsley. 
• Mozzarella di Bufala: It could've been from Italy.  The mozzarella melted in your mouth, perfectly paired with fresh, ripe tomatoes.  (Palma gets their produce locally.) 

Entrées (Sadly I forgot to take pictures, I was probably too excited when they set the plates down.)

• Linguine Vongole: Linguini with fresh clams, olive oil and white wine.  Light and flavorful, perfect with a glass of white. (Mom)
• Malfatti: Homemade dumplings with spinach and buffalo ricotta in a butter and sage sauce.  Really delectable, the dumplings were small and soft, like little pillows. (Dad)
• Agnolotti di Spinaci: Homemade pasta filled with spinach and buffalo ricotta in tomato sauce, sprinkled with parmigiano and basil.  These had that homemade feel.  Very flavorful and not too cheesy, in a nicely balanced tomato sauce. (Gus)
• Fettuccine Ai Funghi: Homemade fettuccine pasta with mixed mushrooms and truffles.  Everyone agreed this was probably the best dish.  The earthy, sensuous pairing is always hard one to beat when done well.  (Guess who)

Given our instantaneous love of this place, I was surprised to see it didn't garner a Critic's Park on NY Magazine, usually my trusted, go-to source.   The review is short and sweet but gives you the feeling maybe the writer didn't actually visit the place.  Many of the reader reviews complain of the staff/service, which is interesting because our waiter looked and sounded like Clive Owen and was perfectly willing to take our picture.  Look how happy we are.

Historical tidbit: Bordering the garden is a carriage house--apparently, the only one left standing in New York City.  The chef filled us in on its history: After making a home out of it, the restaurant owners realized its obscurity was perfectly suited to host exclusive private parties for the fashion industry.  Now, they offer cooking classes, tours, and private dining parties in the two-story building.  He also mentioned an underground tunnel that runs beneath the carriage house to 6th Ave!!

Um, I need this.

NY Mag reports that a 22-year-old hostess-turned-pastry chef at Marc Forgione has created a $9 “Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich” by layering strawberry ice cream between peanut butter cookies and freezing it. Genius.

Amazing slideshow: 101 Best Sandwiches in NYC

This is why I love NY Magazine. They actually took a picture of each sandwich that made their 101 Best Sandwiches in NYC list. Many of these creations involve pork with the promise of clogging your arteries, but I find them tempting nonetheless.

The "Pig's Ass" Sandwich,
Casellula Cheese & Wine Café

Photo from NY Mag

I can do without the chopped liver sandwich (84) and the shrimp roll (59)--which looks like it belongs in a sci-fi movie. (And Chick-fil-A? Really?) I'm sad to say I've never had any of these sandwiches, but 101, 89, 87, 76, 74, 65, and 41 are on my to try list (yes, mostly the higher numbers).

Weeknight Dinners

Dinner on weeknights continues to be a challenge. I typically collapse into our apartment around 7:30 or 8 to a sink full of dishes, a fridge with ingredients that never seem to go together, and a voracious appetite. i.e. danger


In this past, this has often resulted in something like three spoonfuls of peanut butter, some pita chips with Turkish salad, an apple, and ice cream--consumed over a span of three hours--for dinner. And while this random snack combination may be deemed a "meal" in the caloric sense, it simply doesn't satiate like a home-cooked meal.


So Gus and I have decided to sit down and eat together every night (or as often as possible), whether we're making dinner or eating a can of soup. I know I've said this before, but we're really sticking to it this time! Perhaps now that we're 2-year-old New Yorkers we've come to truly value the wonderful simplicity and the importance of sitting down together and talking and eating without any distractions.


So tonight, I made a very simple meal from Epicurious: Spanish White Beans with Spinach. I love this recipe because it's quick, healthy, filling, and only requires 7 ingredients--most of which are inexpensive and/or pantry staples:

• 1 large onion
• 1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
• 2 (19-ounces cans) cannellini beans
• 2 (10-ounces) bags spinach

I was pretty excited about the sweet smoked paprika, a.k.a. Pimenton de la Vera, Dulce. I picked some up at Kalutsyans (which deserves its own post) and it definitely lives up to its sexy-sounding name. Deep and red and sweet and smoky, the spice house tells us it's essential for authentic Spanish cooking: "Popular for dishes such as gratin of leafy greens and crispy potatoes, fish dishes, spinach and chickpea stew or bean dishes. A great way to add a smokey flavor with no heat."


So I was a little disappointed when the flavor didn't come through much in the dish. Next time I'll try adding some more. (Especially now that I have an entire bottle to go through.) Otherwise, I stuck to the recipe and served it with Chapati (Indian flatbread, homemade, from Kalutsyans). The dish was a little brothy for this type of accompaniment, but the tastes went well together. It would also be good served over basmati rice or couscous. Definitely going to tuck this one away for future rushed dinner nights.

Poor man's acid

Interesting tidbit from NPR this morning: Botticelli's Venus and Mars might be stoned on Datura stramonium, a plant that's also known as "poor man's acid."

Back from the Dead

Well, it's been almost a year-to-date since my last post. It's not that I made a deliberate decision to stop blogging. Life just happened. But recently, I've been thinking about how much I enjoyed the whole blogging thing. And, forgive the adage, but I really do want to flex my writing "muscle." I mean think about it, you can easily, without thinking, go for years without writing for the sake of writing. I had a similar experience with cursive and now I can barely scrawl out my own signature (seriously, the inconsistency of my signature really defeats the purpose of having one). So I decided to give it a go again, just for myself, if anything.

That being said, reading over some of my older posts was a bit like coming across my diary from middle-school. I was a startled by how sophomoric I sounded. Because at the time, I remember thinking "damn, this is good." And now I just laugh. But I'm still evolving I guess. I'm trying to turn it into motivation.

And there's a lot I've experienced, food-wise, over this past year, that I simply need to share. I've eaten at a David Chang restaurant. Gus and I cooked a whole chicken and almost died from smoke inhalation. I've sworn off Diet Coke and rekindled my love affair with peppermint patties. All of this, I will share in good time. If you'll just bear with me.

Microwaves IN; Fat-free dressing OUT

Since we canceled our cable subscription, I've been listening to podcasts in the morning--particularly NPR, a nice change from NY1, which, for those of you who are unacquainted, plays its morning news program on a 10-minute loop.

Actually, you'll have to forgive me for this tangent, but I can't not share this: NY1 recently held a music video star contest in which they asked their die-hard fans and people with an inordinate amount of free-time to submit music videos using their theme song, coincidentally titled "New York 1." They played a few of their top picks on the air; however, they failed to share some of the true gems. Too bad I wasn't on the judging panel. My top picks would have definitely been Soraya Sobreidad (because that took balls...or not?) and Ronnie Raygun (for literally blowing my mind...and surely, haunting my future dreams.) You can watch them all here.

ANYWAY, I originally started this post to share the NPR podcast I listened to this morning, about making the most of your veggies.

I wouldn't say the podcast was earth-shattering, but I did learn a couple things, for example:

• A little fat in your salad dressing aids in the absorption of fat-soluble nutrients like those found in tomatoes. That's right, olive oil is still #1.
• Chewing or cutting/grating your food into tiny pieces aids in the body's absorption of certain nutrients. This helps to justify why I need to chop everything into tiny pieces when I cook...and why I'm a lover of all things tiny in general.
  
• Microwaving actually helps maintain antioxidants in vegetables. This is just convenient. And it helps to dispel my lingering childhood leeriness of microwaves, after being told never to stand in front of them while they're on.
  

Dining with Bruce Willis

So a couple nights ago my Aunt and Uncle treated me and Gus to dinner at P.J. Clarke's, one of three recent installments of the 125-year-old original, a favorite of Sinatra's--who apparently once exclaimed "Those urinals! You could stand Abe Beame in one of them and have room to spare." I assume he liked the food too.

The spacious, "saloon-style" restaurant was packed with a paradox of beautiful people and huge burgers. The jukebox heightened the atmosphere with hits from the Beatles and the Traveling Willbury's. The service was fast and the food was good, though definitely on the pricey end. In other words, perfect when you have generous family members picking up the tab.

But I didn't start this post to write a restaurant review. I'm writing because I simply can't contain my lingering star struck anxiety of seeing BRUCE WILLIS.

That's right, this guy:


Bruce Willis walked in about 7 minutes after we sat down. He was seated TWO SEATS away from me (unfortunately, on the same side I was sitting, so I couldn't stare at him during my meal).

For those of you who know me and my inability to contain myself upon seeing B-list, sometimes D-list celebs (i.e. Clay Aiken, Mario Lopez, and Randy from the Real World), this was huge. But I DID control myself and, despite making a phone call and sweating through my clothes, managed to appease my excitement with a few side-long glances. I suppose Bruce made it easier to not make a scene. He was very unassuming--dare I say, he looked quite average--in his baseball cap, t-shirt, and the poker-face expression he wore on his otherwise hairless head. I don't think he laughed or joked once during his meal. He was out to dinner with a guy who looks like he would be associated with the stars--some dude with long frizzy hair and sunglasses, who I did notice picked up the tab. Gus thought it may have been his manager. Anyway, no autographs or pictures ensued. But my memory of Bruce is strong enough to remain without those.

As a side note, Gus ordered his first non-vegetarian restaurant meal in 8 years: a turkey club. I was beaming with bewildered pride when I heard him tell the waiter, though the words "I'll have the free-range turkey club" didn't sound quite as bold as I imagined following my uncle's deadpan order: "Cheeseburger."

Listen up! For all of you beer pong lovers...

New York Magazine, always on their game, reported that the State Liquor Authority may or may not "send seismic ripples across the Murray Hill drinking scene" with their "declaratory ruling" about beer pong in bars:

We’re on pins and needles, folks, because during its last full board meeting, the State Liquor Authority made a declaratory ruling about one of the most important issues of our time: beer pong. A declaratory ruling, in case you’re not familiar with the ins and outs of the SLA, is when an elected official or a business owner asks the Authority to clarify its position on a certain matter. Apparently someone wasn’t sure about the legality of throwing Ping-Pong balls into crappy beer, and so the SLA will soon release a statement clarifying the conditions under which it can or cannot occur in a bar (it has previously fined establishments when gambling or unlimited drinks were involved).

One night at Hook and Ladder or Whiskey River and you'll realize the grave implications such a ruling can have: Ivy League fratboys that dominate these establishments take their drinking games almost as seriously as themselves. I've actually seen my friends challenged to a game of beer pong by a finger-pointing Ivy Leager (he made sure to inform us) in a baby blue polo and khakis yelling "FUUCK YOUUUUUUUUU!" True story.

On a semi but mostly unrelated note, how did I not know this? And more importantly, what purpose does it serve?

Attention Attention! For those of you who haven't heard the monumental news yet: Gus has joined the dark side...carnivorism. Alas, after eight years of veggie protein links (a.k.a. "hotdogs"), tofurky, and boca burgers, Gus tasted a former living animal in the form of a barbeque-slathered chicken wing dipped in blue cheese. (Actually, I'm not so sure he actually tasted the meat, but in the very least he experienced the texture.)

Why did he do it? Well, why does Gus do anything? His affair with vegetarianism started as a self-imposed challenge to see simply whether he could do it. After finding it easy to abstain from meat, poultry, and seafood for a couple of weeks, Gus chose to stick with it for the next eight years despite constant derision and mockery by friends and family.

Is this what led to his final breakdown, the lack of a "support group," as he once described it to me, which is apparently a strong factor as to whether or not vegetarians stay the course. Well, that may have had something to do with it. (But just for the record, I've become quite adept at [willingly] incorporating soy meat into our meals...I make a mean veggieblt.)

No, what it really comes down to is the chicken wing. He just wanted one. And though food manufacturers do incredible things now days with soy and vegetables to mimic the real thing, nothing really comes close to an authentic chicken wing.

So what does this mean for us? Well, his color has improved.

Before:
After:







Just kidding! No, nothing as drastic as this news may suggest. Since the infamous date, Gus's non-vegetarian inventory-to-date consists of 1 bite of a turkey sandwich, 3 scoops crab dip. We'll still be sticking with the soy stuff for the most part--there are so many compelling reasons to abstain from meat, after all. But it's nice to know that we can indulge in a chicken wing once every blue moon.

Soho restaurant provides exclusive oasis for hungry models

Starbucks Trying Out a New Strategy...yet again

(Though I wouldn't consider eating at McDonald's "smart," I would consider this ad campaign "genius.")

Is Starbucks finally seeing the error of its ways? Well, not exactly. After lukewarm receptions to its Pike Place roast, instant coffee, and new line of health-conscious food, Starbucks is embarking on a more extreme strategy to confront the decrease in foot traffic it has been experiencing as of late (and subsequent store closings and layoffs): According to a Seattle Times article, the Beyoncé of coffee chains is reinventing some of its stores, marketing itself under a new name and feel:

The ubiquitous coffee-shop giant is dropping the household name from its 15th Avenue East store on Capitol Hill, a shop that was slated to close at one point last year but is being remodeled in Starbucks' new rustic, eco-friendly style.

It will open next week, the first of at least three remodeled Seattle-area stores that will bear the names of their neighborhoods rather than the 16,000-store chain to which they belong.

The new names are meant to give the stores "a community personality"...In the spirit of a traditional coffeehouse, it will serve wine and beer, host live music and poetry readings and sell espresso from a manual machine rather than the automated type found in most Starbucks stores.

Hm, attempting to capture that cozy feel of the locally owned independent coffee shops it had nearly driven to extinction. Oh, the irony.

Well, I'm glad Starbucks is finally recognizing the value of uniqueness and diversity, even if it was only driven to this out of financial concern. But you know what else will help them in the long run? Good coffee. And reasonable prices.

NJ Turnpike Inspires New Beer Series

The Flying Fish Brewing Co. recently unveiled a new beer series (their newest brew, Exit 11 Hoppy American Wheat Ale, hit bars today) that has the NJ Turnpike Authority and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (M.A.D.D.) on edge.

The Exit Series™ of beers is a multi-year brewing experiment to brew a series of beers as diverse as the great state of New Jersey. These big beers–in size as well as flavor–will celebrate each exit of the state-long artery that connects us. Each beer will focus on a unique aspect of an individual exit.

M.A.D.D. raged against "Exit Series," telling the AP: The combination of a roadway and advertising for any kind of a beer doesn't make any kind of sense...This is almost a mockery.

The NJ Turnpike Authority had a calmer reaction, ensuring that Flying Fish made no mention of the Turnpike on the web site (besides the disclaimer at the bottom).

The rebuttal?

In an interview with NY Magazine's Grub Street, owner Gene Muller said:

We all agree that drinking and driving is a bad thing. But we thought a lot about it and made sure that there wasn't anything about the beer would give the impression that is was about that. I mean, there are Budweiser billboards on highways and there's a Budweiser logo on a NASCAR racecar going 200 miles an hour. We're a little company and if someone wants to beat someone up, it's going to be the little guy.

Hm, playing the "little guy" card. Ok. Maybe he has a point. But still. While I'm sure this will merit many fist pumps from in-staters, it's going to take a lot more than a decent beer to make me disassociate the NJ Turnpike from the traffic congestion horrors, foul smells, and asshole drivers that plague it.

Always looking out: NY Mag Cheap Eats 2009

http://nymag.com/restaurants/cheapeats/2009/

Demystying food expiration dates

Live or die by Use by/Sell by/Best if used by labels? I know I do. (It's hard not to after you've encountered sour milk in your cheerios.) But this video shows that, like people, processed food shouldn't be confined to a label.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLgUhyRYkVo

Most of it is common sense, but the egg-in-the-water trick is pretty neat. Not sure why you would freeze lunch meat, or who would actually call the manufacturer to inquire as to a food's freshness/safety, but, after reading some of the viewer comments, I realize that I tend to overestimate normalcy.

grahamulax

yesterday I was making chili cheese fries and after I ate the delicious meal I realized the chili I used were from 2004. It tasted like heaven.

ELIOZD (3 weeks ago)

thats crazy??i throw yogurt 5 days before itsexpiry date and it smells like farting:)

LondonGuysVids (2 months ago)

The powdered cheese that comes with Kraft Dinner(Mac n Cheese to everyone else outside of Canada eh), is pretty safe to use after the expiration date. Only thing is, it will taste like ass. The noodles will be perfectly fine however.

What I'm wondering is this. Is it safe to eat Campbell's "Cream of" soups about a year after the expiration date? I have several cans that expired 8 months to a year ago.

limegurl319 (2 months ago)

A friendly warning: Do not eat or open Mac n Cheese 3 years after the expiration. It's disgusting. Really. When I opened one last,the macaroni was greenish and foul smelling...

iwreckdotcom (2 months ago)

you can smoke egg shells and get throwed

hackerhell900 (2 months ago)

Really? How much do you freak out?

iwreckdotcom (2 months ago)

you ever drop acid well its kind of like that lol

My new food writer crush

So I think I found a soul-mate today in Kerry Saretsky, a 26-year-old native New Yorker who has formed a nice little niche for herself in the world of food writing. Known for her "fresh, chic" take on classic French dishes from her childhood, Saretsky has her own blog and also contributes to various publications, including Serious Eats (which, by the way, is quickly becoming my new favorite blog/social community).

She initially caught my attention with her post on 80-cent Madeleines, a recipe she contributed to Serious Eats. How can one reproduce such a sophisticated cookie on an 80-cent budget, you might ask? Saretsky uses Jiffy, the all-American corn muffin mix, as the basis for her batter "to the chagrin of the French in my family who think corn is only for feeding pigs."So, to recap, she's a native New Yorker with French blood; a love of food, cooking, and writing; and she's thriftily minded (that's the term I'm going with these days).

I wonder if Saretsky read my post about Hodgson Mills. When I meet her we'll have to bond over that one.

Check out her blog, French Revolution, where she weaves personal anecdotes, pieces of French history, and beautiful photography throughout her recipes. I highly recommend it!

Top NYC Cupcakes

Grub Street, New York Magazine's food blog, just recently posted an amazing slide show of the best of NYC cupcakes...at least according to Gramercy Tavern's all-star pastry chef, Nancy Olsen:

"Fifteen bakeries — from Brooklyn’s Baked to Two Little Red Hens uptown — dropped off more than 75 cupcakes to New York Magazine headquarters. With milk shots to cleanse the palate, Olson graded their versions of chocolate, vanilla, and everything in between on a ten-point system for taste, five for presentation, and five awarded at her discretion.

If this could somehow be a full-time job, and if such a job did not forge a direct path towards diabetes and morbid obesity, I would be first in line. I guess it's probably best that the ranking is in Olsen's hands--anyone who contributes something as wonderful-sounding as a Crunchy Milk Chocolate–Peanut butter layer cake to the world only deserves the very best.

But I digress. Olsen ranks the top 11 (why 11 and not 10, I'm not so sure) NYC cupcakes. She seems pretty discerning and her descriptions are honest when they need to be (she found many of the cupcakes much too dry). But ultimately, I think the pictures speak for themselves. #5, #4, and #2 top my "to try" list (especially #4--they're only $2 each!). I mean...just look at this picture, I almost don't have to eat it to know that this is probably the best cupcake in the city:
The only comment that made me second-guess Olsen's judgment was her favorable review of Batch's odd selection of cupcakes--"carrot-salted caramel" and "bacon caramel" are pairings which, in themselves sound like oxymorons, and in the context of "cupcakes," well, that just seems downright scary. I guess I can't knock it until I try it. Too bad I'm off pork.

I almost surprise myself to say that I've only ever tried one cupcake producer from this list: Magnolia, of course because I would feel so "out of touch" if I hadn't. From what I remember, the chocolate icing did release a flood of endorphins, but the cake part itself was lackluster. I'm not so sure it lives up to all that hype. I've also tried Crumbs, but that's like saying I've been to Sbarro if this were a pizza competition (ok, maybe that's a little harsh). Gus is a fan of Billy's Bakery and recently became enraptured by Sweet Revenge's red velvet cupcake. Apparently Sugar Sweet Sunshine tops many New Yorker's lists.

As someone who likes to hold strong opinions about food, I just know that I have a lot of catching up to do.

Chelsea Market

Well, I've been on a bit of a hiatus, but I'm back! And I have some house-cleaning things to address:

First off, please note and admire the wonderful addition to my blog: the updated header and cartoon version of myself are the creations of an incredibly talented, meat-abstaining, recent Montana transplant otherwise known as Gus's best friend. (Thank you Adam!) Check out his graphic design blog for more fun!

Now, to fill you in on what I've been up to! My birthday came early this year. Yes, that's right. Gus decided to treat me to an incredibly lavish weekend last Saturday in the Meat Packing District (I know, ironic choice), which entailed a 14th floor hotel room at The Standard (that had a floor-to-ceiling glass wall looking out on the Hudson and a completely door-less shower) and a night out at the ultra-trendy bar (meaning ultra-loud and expensive, with the obligatory bed) called APT.
Amidst all of this swanky indulgence, I got to finally explore Chelsea Market! For those of you who have ever been to San Francisco, it has a similar feel to Ferry Building Marketplace; Spanning one city block, the market consists of a wide wooden walkway lined with various restaurants, bakeries, and fresh food stores. The six-story complex was originally born out of the fiercely contested biscuit war of the 1890s: New York Biscuit Company commissioned the building in an effort to gain advantage over its rival, the American Biscuit and Manufacturing Company in Chicago. The two groups inevitably melded into one, along with a few other bakeries, to form The National Biscuit Company, which soon provided half the biscuit production in the United States; the company produced such American classics as Premium Saltines, Vanilla Wafers, Fig Newtons, Barnum's Animal Crackers, the Oreo, and the Mallomar. (Here's the full history).
Harking back to its origins, Chelsea Market still has a nice little selection of bakeries. I wish I had known this ahead of time, because Gus and I were so excited when we came across the first one, we expended our enthusiam and money on only mediocre cookies before realizing that the wonderful smell that had originally lured us in was actually emanating from Fat Witch Bakery, right next door. Next time I'm heading straight there to try one of their "wickedly delicious" brownies.

Chelsea Market is also home Amy's Bread, a well-established name in the world of New York bakeries (the "master baker" Amy Scherber has two other locations in the city) which features a wide selection of daily-baked loaves and pastries. The huge kitchen is encased in glass walls, so passerbys can watch the flour-dusted manueverings of the baking crew.
Some of our other favorites were the Chelsea Wine Vault, which happend to be offering a free wine tasting, the ultra-serene T Salon, (a perfect name, really, because I wasn't sure if I stepped into an Asian-inspired spa or a tea shop), and Roonybrook Dairy, a 1950s style restaurant which serves homemade ice cream and whole milk in glass bottles (Gus and I sat at the counter and split a creamy chocolate milkshake--then he gave me his high school pin).

Wallet-friendly Crépes

Apparently, The Gothamist shares my love of "food to-go" windows, saving money, and the French. In today's post, they blogged about Shade to Go, a take-out window that offers build-your-own crépes, right next to Shade bar near Washington Square Park. In addition to being customizable and delicious, the crépes have been reviewed as both inexpensive and satisfyingly filling. Here's more from the Gothamist:

"Each crépe comes with three ingredients, and for the "savory" crepes, customers typically pick a meat, cheese and a vegetable [A reviewer on the Insiderpages notes the selection includes smoked salmon, French brie, goat cheese, ham, smoked turkey, spinach, roasted garlic, eggs, roasted zucchini]. Or get a 'sweet' crépe for dessert and choose from ingredients like fruit, syrups, chocolate and dulce de leche. They also have sandwiches and salads, all made fresh to order. Take advantage of the special and get a crépe or a sandwich with a salad for $10."

The next time the weather breaks 60 degrees, you'll know where to find me!

Prices:
Dessert crépe: $6.75
Savory crépe: $7.75
Crépe/salad combo: $10

Location: 241 Sullivan St

Fresh Direct Gives Away Free Fruit!

A little surprise came with our Fresh Direct order today...
My apprehension quickly gave way to pure joy, as I realized this extra carton of apples was not a mistake on my part but a generous gift from The Peak Produce Club, of which apparently Gus and I are now members.

Sample Mac N Cheese for Free at the Great Greenpoint Mac Off

If you love mac 'n cheese (and who doesn't), you may want to check out The Great Greenpoint Mac Off this weekend, a competition among four Brooklyn bars to win "the highly coveted title of 'Greenpoint’s Best Mac & Cheese'."

The event, which is free and open to the public, takes on the form of a bar crawl, and participants get to sample mac 'n cheese from each bar (in addition to enjoying bar specials) to help determine the winner at the end of the night. A separate judging will also take place at 8 pm by local "celebrities" to determine the best bar fare. An after party tops off the festivities. Here are the details:

"Starting at 4pm at Red Star, chef, John Manzo serves up his menu’s Mac ‘N Cheese the day. At its own pace, the crawl moves to The Habitat where chef/owner Ashley Engmann offers samples from their standard menu. Participants then cross the road to The Mark Bar, the tried and true Greenpoint watering hole celebrating its 5th year, where Chef Michael Diprima of Lamb and Jaffee...serves the group from their all day menu. The crawl moves one block to t.b.d. Brooklyn to receive a final sample prepared by chef Cody Utzman, owner of local Cali-Mex eatery Papacitos and the soon to open Brooklyn Standard."

And the contenders are:

Red Star
37 Greenpoint Ave

The Habitat
988 Manhattan Ave

The Mark Bar
1025 Manhattan Ave

t.b.d. Brooklyn
244 Franklin St.

Pretzel Croissants: A Must-Try New York Treat

The other day at work we got these pretzel croissants from The City Bakery, a hot spot in the Flat Iron district known for their baked goods (they make a fresh batch of cookies every 30 minutes) and bustling lunch crowd (their atypical salad bar features farmer's market produce and sophisticated munchies like smoked tofu with chili garlic sauce and Bulgar with feta, parsley, and chopped bell peppers).

The pretzel croissant is City Bakery's "in between" specialty. What the French may find as blasphemous, New Yorkers have widely embraced; this Americanized classic pastry has attracted such a following that City Bakery made a website devoted exclusively to this "sweet & salty, flaky & rich, weird and wonderful," concoction, and various bloggers have elevated the baked good to god-like proportions. As Andrea Strong of The Strong Buzz noted, "Maury Rubin, the owner and creator of City Bakery, would probably have a warrant taken out on him if he ever closed City Bakery."

If you haven't yet experienced the buzz surrounding this trendy joint, I can vouch--at least for the hype surrounding the pretzel croissant. It's one of those unique "only in New York" things that everyone should get to try at some point or other. And while it's not necessarily "cheap," it will only set you back about $4, and it's so rich and satisfying it's worth every penny.

The pretzel croissant tastes exactly how you would expect a salty pretzel and a buttery, flaky croissant to taste if melded together. The bite starts out crunchy, as your teeth break into the buttery, flaky top layers. About mid-chew, your pearly whites begin to sink into the soft, moist, and chewy interior; the pretzel croissants we got were still warm, and they had that right-out-of-the-oven taste. While many things in New York are just short-lived fads, the legacy of the pretzel croissant is sure to last for many years to come. Isn't it about time you treat yourself to a sweet and salty treat?

Location: 3 W 18th St (btw 5th and 6th)

Search for local deals on 8Coupons.com

I found out via a Grub Street post the other day about a useful little site called 8coupons.com which allows users to search for local deals, from spa treatments to dental treatments and everything in between:

"8coupons is a fun and easy way to save time, money, and trees by getting the best, up-to-the-minute deals on your phone. Get FREE printable and text message coupons that you can redeem by just showing the cashier. Yes, it really works! You can also sign up for deal alerts (e-mail and text message) from your favorite neighborhood restaurants and shops so you never miss a deal!"

The site recently launched an NYC Money Map which now allows users to search for deals by zip code. I did a couple food-related searches in my area, and the results were a little mixed: As NY Magazine said, "there's a lot of filler" but also "some genuine deals." I did discover some good deals right in my neighborhood:

- A sketchy looking bar that I frequently pass called The Underground has $1 Beers and $3 Drinks during Happy Hour
- The ever-popular Tonic East lets ladies drink for free on Wednesday nights from 8 to 9 PM
- Grand Sichuan NY, a Chinese restaurant chain with a poorly designed website, has $6.25 lunch specials during the week

Since the site allows both businesses and regular web users to post deals, it relies on a user-generated rating system to vet out the real deals from the impostors. And the rating system also helps determine the Top 8 NYC Deals (just in case you were wondering what the whole "8" thing was about). Though I wouldn't rely on the site exclusively, 8coupons will be a welcomed addition to my "Cheap NYC" bookmarks folder.

A 10-Minute Recipe that Actually Takes 10 Minutes to Cook!

In my latest quest to find quick and simple meals, I found one in the most unsuspecting of places: The Food Network. I say "unsuspecting," because let's face it, many of us tune into cooking shows, not to replicate the signature dishes of our favorite celebrity chefs, but for the simple pleasure of watching an attractive and charismatic teacher guide us through his/her mouth-watering creations--and hopefully we'll pick up one or two tricks along the way.

But the other day, Giada De Laurentiis, the petite, bubbly host of my favorite cooking show, "Everyday Italian," featured a simple, easy dish which I whipped up the other night in literally a matter of minutes. Born in Rome and trained in Paris, Giada is a master at putting new and creative twists on classic Mediterranean cooking. Yet normally I appreciate her creations vicariously, when she samples everything at the end of the show.

Fortunately, Giada balances her inventive meals with dishes like the Orecchiette with Mixed Greens and Goat Cheese, a fusion of salad and pasta that's simple, quick, and cheap to recreate. Gus and I made it the other night with just a few minor alterations to the original recipe, costing us less than $15. Here is the "Gus and Emily" version:

1/3 box orchiette pasta (we used gemelli pasta because it happened to be the cheapest)
4 cups mixed salad greens
1/2 jar roasted red peppers, chopped
1 small jar artichoke hearts, halved
half pint cherry tomatoes, halved
feta cheese
salt and pepper

*Makes 2 very generous servings

Cook the pasta according to the box directions. Meanwhile, toss the remaining ingredients together. Drain the pasta, reserving approximately 1 cup of the pasta water. Combine the salad and the pasta in the pasta pot, adding in the reserved pasta water until the greens are just wilted. And voila, your meal is finished! The wonderful thing about this dish is that it requires no dressing and very little seasoning. Instead, the starchy pasta water fuses the flavors together, resulting in a healthy yet filling dish. Here's a picture, pre-toss:

Pinkberry Buy One Get One Free!

Though up until this point I've managed to insulate myself from Manhattan's obsession with glorified frozen yogurt, Pinkberry's 2 for 1 deal just may break me down.

When I first moved to the city, I remember feeling slightly taken aback by the number of Pinkberry's I came across--not to mention all of its various copycats. From Red Mango and WildBerry to Yorganic and Yolato, this new wave of frozen yogurt franchises--with their endless penchant for portmanteau--seems to have done to the gourmet dessert market what Starbucks has done to coffee.

But I guess the overwhelming support for Pinkberry and the like shouldn't surprise me; in a city filled with the weight-conscious and health-obsessed, anything that's non-fat and non-sugared yet manages to still taste halfway decent is likely to be embraced.

So why haven't I joined in the frozen yogurt fanfare? It's not the concept I have a problem with--although, if I'm really craving something sweet, I'm more inclined to share a pint of Ben & Jerry's with Gus once every blue moon rather than buy a pricey cup of "green tea" flavored dairy paste that barely passes muster as yogurt.

Ok, maybe I do have a slight problem with the concept. But, on some level, I do understand the desire for a reasonably healthy (though admittedly, less enjoyable) dessert. Perhaps it's a knee-jerk reaction to cast off anything that's wildy popular, or maybe it was the dissapointment in finding out that these frozen yogurt places only offer a wimpy 2 or 3 flavors.

Though I have yet to pinpoint the issue, I am open to trying a cup to see what it's all about. And the coupon may just push me to be so adventurous. What are my readers' feelings about the frozen yogurt phenomenon? Are you a Pinkberry lover or hater?

Martinis: The Most Cost-Effective Cocktail

For all the thrifty drinkers out there, here's a tidbit for maximizing your bar tab: According to The Consumerist, you should be ordering a martini--"Alcohol-to-price, it's the best value out there."

This surprised me, for I always assumed the infamous Long Island Iced Tea claimed this category. With equal parts vodka, gin, tequila, rum and triple sec, thinly veiled by a few splashes of sour mix and cola, the LIT is embraced by many as a cost-effective way to get the job done.

Unlike the martini, however, the Long Island Iced Tea doesn't exactly scream sophistication or class, as evidenced by the popular college cheer "Let's get LIT tonight." (I can make fun of this because I used to be one of those people.)

But since I've graduated college, I guess it's time to graduate to the martini as well. No one really needs a drink with that many different types of alcohol anyway. And when else can you order something "dirty" and actually sound cool?

Cooking Weeknight Meals: Our Boldest Venture Yet

Attention readers: Gus and I have recently made a very important, life-changing vow: to cook dinner for ourselves during the week. And while this may not seem particularly ambitious to some, for us, this is perhaps one of the biggest challenges we have ever had to face together as a couple. What drove us to this monumental decision? Well, it was recently pointed out to us that, aside from our Saturday night ritual of cooking a meal together, we were on a borderline raw foods diet, barely eating anything hot, let alone a cooked meal covering more than two food groups. Our insistence on rarely eating out, while keeping our wallets padded, wasn't exactly doing the same for our tummies.

So we decided to do something about it. The game plan: Gus would cook dinner on Monday nights, in hopes that his faulty measuring would work in our favor to provide us with leftovers until Wednesday. Thursday nights would be our "crazy" night of ordering out, and I would take care of the weekends. We gave this plan its first test run last week, and I'm pleased to report that it worked out quite well. Monday night I came home to a table set with wine glasses and a steamy four-cheese gnocchi bake; It was one of the greatest homecomings I've ever had--a delicious hot meal waiting for me after class and a boyfriend with culinary skills. (This was the first time Gus ventured beyond scrambled eggs and angel hair with jarred tomato sauce, mind you.)

While we soon realized we forgot to factor "variety" into our plan--the gnocchi was getting a little old by the third night in a row--this was working out much better than our previous habit of random snacking. Though the rest of the week followed in an equally successful suit, it really dawned on me how difficult cooking can be--it requires a whole different mentality: Planning out meals, buying certain ingredients ahead of time, factoring in time and cost considerations--it seems obvious enough, but sometimes you don't fully realize how difficult something can be until you try to do it yourself.

In our case, Gus and I have to contend with various obstacles: a half-size refrigerator, limited cabinet space, lack of a freezer, lack of culinary skills, and erratic schedules, to name a few. Sometimes, it seems as if some higher being simply doesn't want us to eat--or at least eat sufficiently well. I know this seems silly in a city brimming with Zagat-rated restaurants, but it's not so silly for busy people with limited funds.

Yet we are determined to make this work, and I am now on the hunt for simple, quick recipes with few and inexpensive ingredients. (I will probably be watching a lot of Clara videos in my downtime.) So I urge you, my readers, to share your favorite recipes that fit this criteria--for me and all of my over-worked, ill-equipped, and underfed brethren.

The Best-Valued Bread Basket in NYC

Perhaps we were inspired by the welcomed Spring-like weather, or perhaps we just needed a change from our ritual Sunday morning scrambled eggs; either way, this morning, something provoked Gus and I to embark on our first official Manhattan brunch. That's right, we've been living in the city since August and the closest we've come to "brunch" was walking to the end of our block in search of a hangover cure at Moonstruck diner.

This morning, we walked a little further--all the way to Gramercy in fact. Our destination? Friend of a Farmer, a country farmhouse-style café decidedly at odds with the rest of Manhattan. Designed to replicate the owner's upbringing in a small farming town in upstate New York, Friend of a Farmer exudes old-fashioned warmth and coziness--to the point where it wouldn't surprise me to learn that a set designer from Universal Studios had a hand in decorating the restaurant space.
From the stone hearth to the yellowing flowered wallpaper, Friend of a Farmer has put careful consideration into making its customers forget that they're in fact sitting in the heart of one of the world's largest cities. Hanging antique kitchenware. Wooden paneling lined with rows of jarred grains. A thoughtfully placed rooster here and there. While such a bold venture has the potential to go terribly awry, the genuine quality of their food keeps Friend of a Farmer from becoming too hokey; Once you bite into your first square of complimentary cornbread, you start growing fond of your waiter's flannel uniform, and you decide to try the apple butter after all. Suddenly, you find your New York City skepticism giving way to good humor, and you melt into the ambiance; you see, it's the food that binds everything together.
And while Friend of a Farmer isn't cheap, the portion-sizes, richness, and unique-factor of their meals make eating there a good value. My recommendation for ordering on a budget? If you're going there for breakfast or brunch, start with a french-press coffee ($3.75). Robust and velvety, it's the perfect morning caffeine jolt. And your own personal press will yield about three mugs full.
I also highly recommend sharing the assorted bread basket with a couple of friends. This is perhaps one of the best deals the restaurant has to offer: You get two pieces each of banana, zucchini, honey whole-wheat, and the richly dense and sweet iced lemon loaf (can you tell that one was my favorite?) all for $7.95. The bread has that wholesome, homemade taste; the smell alone convinces you it was certainly kneaded by a grandmother's practiced hands and baked in a stone hearth. It is also extremely filling, and the leftovers would make for a nice afternoon treat or convenient breakfast.

Would I go back to Friend of a Farmer? You bet. It's a nice retreat from the modern sleekness of the city, and it promises to have a nostalgic quality, even for those who never lived in the country or visited a farm. The food is comforting and hearty, and where else can you get omelets served in a skillet? It's an experience, and a tasty one at that.

Location: 77 Irving Place (btw 18th & 19th)
Price Range: $4.95- $15.95 (brunch)
Full Menu

NY Mag offers its Cheap Eats for 2009

New York Magazine just came out with their "Best of New York" issue. For those of you unfamiliar with this highly anticipated annual treat, think of it as their "SI swimsuit edition," if you will; the magazine gets right down to business, giving you what you really want and cutting out all the extra fluff. In this case, it's not skin and curves, but the créme de la créme of eating, drinking, and shopping in NYC.

Despite a disappointing deviation from their usually awesome covers (the Muppet Babies look is lost on me), this issue otherwise delivers on its promise, and this year's unsurprising focus on finding the best values makes it all the more topical.

As far as food is concerned, NY Magazine does what I attempt to do on a daily basis: find the best food on a budget. Except their reach and level of expertise is slightly superior to mine.

In the Eating section, for example, they have a handy little chart outlining the best bargains in burgers, pizza, hot dogs, sandwiches, and noodles. Though I like the idea behind this chart, I wish they would've taken it a little further; the crux of this issue is, after all, finding the best bargains. It could have been improved by adding more categories of food; finding a cheap burger is one thing, but find me the best values for real fruit smoothies, sushi, Indian food, burritos, and homemade baked goods and I'll really be impressed. I also don't understand why prices aren't listed for each food item (this is the whole point of the chart!). And the prices that are listed aren't exactly dirt cheap--I don't know about you, but I don't consider a noodle dish for $14 "a gourmet bargain."

I was more impressed by the feature titled "Am I Drunk, Or Are These Beers Really Cheap?" which compiles the best happy hour deals in the city. Two finds from this section deserve some attention here: The Village Pourhouse, which "match[es] the amount of your cab fare in comped drinks," and Bourbon St. NYC, which offers "fourteen ounces of Bud and Bud Light for 50 cents on Thursdays from 9 to 10 p.m., $1 until midnight, and $2 the rest of the way."

Grocery Coupons

Despite my recent Fresh Direct euphoria, I still can't avoid stopping at the grocery store now and again (so I haven't written them off completely). And today, I got an email from The Bargainist that listed a "Grocery Coupon Roundup," that I wanted to share with my readers.

Basically, it's a compilation of various $1-off coupons (mostly for cleaning/hygiene products) offered directly from the manufacturers' web sites. Seems legit, though I haven't tried using any of them. So if you were running low on Colgate, here's an extra incentive to stop squeezing the death out of that dried-up tube and to just go out and buy a new one.

Follow-up on Fresh Direct

I just want to thank my readers for their comments in response to my recent Fresh Direct post. I'm always interested to see how my experiences compare to those of others; sometimes it can help determine whether or not you've hit a streak of bad or good luck.

Anyway, I wanted to address a question posed by "Infomercializer," who has been considering trying out Fresh Direct. She asks "Did you happen to get any produce besides the bananas? I'm curious because I was unsure about ordering items I usually prefer pick out myself--things like lettuce and grapes."

Infomercializer brings up a great point that I didn't consider in my post: that, basically, you lose an element of control with the ease and convenience of ordering food online. For me, shopping for produce is typically a very tactile experience: I feel strongly compelled to test the firmness of my apples and to smell the freshness of my basil. Obviously, this opportunity is lost when choosing food items based on thumbnails on a web site.

But Fresh Direct came through, delivering bananas and apples sans brown spots and bruises. So far, I have no reason to doubt their judgement, and I'm more than willing to give up the little control I had over picking out my fruits and veggies (and it was little, due to the poor selection at the Food Emporium). So Infomercializer, I urge you to give it a try and report back to us with the status of your grapes and lettuce : )

Cheap Restaurant Review: Dojo

I've heard many things about Dojo, a cheap eats hot spot located just a couple blocks shy of Washington Square Park. While it seems unanimously popular among NYU students, a few Google searches yielded some less-than-favorable reviews. NY Magazine, for instance, describes the menu as a "slapdash" of Asian foods and Western adaptations lacking "originality and flavor." Other sites have questioned the cleanliness of the kitchen, and reader reviews range from laudatory ("this place is gold.") to downright angry ("one of the worst restaurant experiences I've ever had.") Overall, Dojo seems to be a love-it or hate-it type of place, so yesterday afternoon, I decided to see at which end of the spectrum I fell.

Despite a packed house, my friends and I were immediately shown a table and given ice waters. I found NY Mag's description of the dining area as a "cafeteria meets rec room" slightly disparaging; while the decor is certainly nothing special, the wooden tables exude a communal feel, and the huge windows offer plenty of sunlight and good people-watching opportunity.

Ok, so far, so good. Then came the daunting task of deciding what to eat. I say daunting, because I found Dojo's wide array of offerings more frustrating and perplexing than generous. From miso soup and soy burgers to fried calamari, nachos, and pancakes, the menu seemed like a compliation of the wild fancies of a hungry pregnant woman; NY Magazine's "slapdash" description hit it right on the mark.

Did I want breakfast? Was I in the mood for Japanese? Would the traditional soup and salad hit the spot, or did I want to venture and try the curry yakisoba (whatever that is). Readers be warned: Dojo is not for the indecisive.

The only underlying factor that seems to bind the menu together are the cheap prices. And Dojo is refreshingly cheap. I got the "ATC" (avocado, tomato, and cheddar cheese) on toasted whole wheat bread with a side salad and their famous carrot tahini dressing for $5.95. Our bill came to $43, which covered four lunches, two appetizers, and beverages. Not too shabby. And the food was good: they seem to manage hummus and nachos equally well.

The verdict? Interestingly enough, I didn't love it or hate it. I liked it, because it fulfilled my expectations--I wasn't expecting goose liver pate and caviar for less than $6. My meal was great, and, despite the grumblings in many user reviews, the service was incredibly fast and friendly. Overall, it was a satisfying experience, though I wouldn't be surprised if it would've been completely different on another day of the week. Maybe Dojo's problem is the inconsistency factor. Nonetheless, we liked it enough to make plans to go back.

Location: 14 W 4th St (on the corner of Mercer)
Price: $2.25-$9.25 (Cash only!)