Carnivores

Two exciting meat-eating adventures from this past weekend.

Its been a bit over 6 months since Keizo Shimamoto showed up to the Brooklyn Smorgasbourg with his "more-famous-than-the-cronut" creation, the ramen burger. A certain someone, who is obsesesd with ramen has been wanting to try this thing out since August. So we journeyed all the way to Williamsburg for the Smorgasbourg but was too late in getting a head start on the 2 hour+ line of hungry eaters eagerly awaiting their chance to sample the ramen burger, of which there was a limited quantity. And then before we knew it, it was January already. Yesterday, we stumbled into the winter, indoor version of the Smorgasbourg and what did you know? There was the ramen burger stand and no line. 

Two ramen buns, secret sauce, arugula, green onions and 1/4lb chuck beef patty

So was this overhyped? Maybe I would answer differently if I had to wait for 2 hours starving to death but since I didn't, my final verdict is this is one yummy burger. Well-cooked (not dry!) patty with a secret sauce pretty similar to hoisin and nicely al dente ramen noodles mixed in. Would I order it again? Assuming there's no 2 hour line, I will say its a definite yes.  

Dinner at Peter Luger's

Unlike the ramen burger which has only been around for a few months, we had dinner at the most famous and oldest steak establishment in New York, Peter Luger's. Voted best steak of the city by Zagat for 30 years in a row, this place had some pretty high standards to live up to. Seriously, how does a place get voted #1 for 30 years in a row? Now I understand when people call places "institutions". 

Peter Luger's famous steak sauce is pretty much their version of a cocktail sauce, we weren't the biggest fans. But let me rave about the thick crispy bacon. It was life-changing good. And even the guy who hates (I mean will not eat it) bacon loved this bacon. I know this is probably blasphemous to say [but the bacon was probably better than the steak].

The star of the menu, dry-aged, bone-in porterhouse. Not sure why the portion size is meant for 2 since its enough meat to feed a small country. Half of the steak featured filet and the other side of the bone was a New York strip, cooked medium-rare with a nice char on the outside. So was this really the best steak I have ever had? In terms of pure steak, meatyness, I would say yes. The filet literally melted in your mouth. But me liking things salty wished there had been more seasoning and to the meat. And unlike korean BBQ, which we always devour no matter how full we are, we left a good portion on the plate to take home. 

Not exactly sure how we still had room for dessert but its one of those meals where you need to do it right, so we got cheesecake. Man it was some good cheesecake, served with the house made "schlagg" (aka whipped cream). And to top the meal off, some chocolate gold coins, supposedly the same ones they've been giving out sine the restaurant first opened eons ago. 

Happy 2014!

New Year's Eve Celebrations 

Can anyone believe it is 2014 already? I always say the year flies by but this past year sure felt that way. Although it was kind of cheating year with me getting to travel all over (Italy, Greece, Mediterranean) and spending half of the year cooking, blogging, yogaing and basically chilling. Then again, the other half of the year was spent working long hours with absolutely no time for cooking, blogging or yogaing. However, New Years is always exciting as your filled with the unknown prospect of what the upcoming year will bring.

Despite the plethora of party options in New York, we opted to stay in this year with a few friends and lots of champagne.

Started the night with a few delicious cocktails at Brass on Lexington.

And headed home to make more drinks for our guests!

  
New Years Day Explorations

Despite it being a holiday, the newly constructed Gotham West Market on 11th ave and 44th street was open for business. We braved the cold and ventured to this foodie market. The indoor space is BEAUTIFUL with wrought iron decorations, bar style seating for each of the restaurants along with communal seating on large wooden picnic tables. Despite the industrialist theme, the area still felt cozy and would be great place to spend an afternoon reading and munching

Tapas at El Comodo

Spicy Lamb Meatballs
Oysters
Grilled Octopus

 Cute little tapas restaurant which only offers bar seating. The spicy lamb meatballs were out of this world although the octopus was only so-so. They also offer $1 oysters during happy hour and these oysters are amazing covered in a light vinegar and garlic mixture

Ivan Ramen and Blue Bottle Coffee

Garlic Ramen from Ivan Ramen
Ginger Molasses cookie from Blue Bottle
Drip coffee from Blue Bottle

Not a shocker that another ramen joint has opened up in NYC with lots of fan fare and is already quickly developing a cult following. Ivan Ramen was started by an American in Tokyo and was so popular there that he decided to export his creation to the states. The portions are bit lacking but the broth is more a sauce, thick and flavorful, which coats each noodle so you get that porky broth goodness with each bite

Home Cooking

A blissful Christmas week at home filled with nonstop eating, tv-indulging, and sleeping in way too late. Thought I would have been more diligent about capturing all of our meals but half of the time I was to impatient to eat.  Fortunately I was able to get a few quick snaps in between all of the eating :)

A delightful discovery - Jack Rudy small batch tonic that has elevated my favorite drink to a whole new level. Thank you Bon Appetit for introducing me to this.

A classic breakfast we always eat at home. Ever since my parents had their first crepe in Montreal years and years ago, they were hooked. We've been following the same apple crepe recipe since I was probably 12.

After our apartment had dumpling night, I was craving some of my mom's home made dumplings. And the new favorite filling of the moment is lamb with celery. Nothing beats dumplings was dumpling skin made fresh.

This is not a new favorite. For as long as I can remember, we've been eating hot put at home and it beats all the hot pot I've had in Philadelphia and New York. Our favorite ingredients include thinly cut lamb, spinach, clear noodles and a spicy sesame based sauce loaded with hot peppers and cilantro.

Showing off dad's cooking skills. Roast beef smoked in his "Green Egg", home made pickles and bread made from scratch. Dad's gotten pretty good at cooking while I wasn't looking.

A simple dinner of nachos loaded with Italian sausage, home made salsa and LOTS of jalepenos, can you tell we like things spicy?

New York sure has some great food but sometimes, nothing beats mom and dad's home cooking.

Brunch at Locanda Verde

A decadent brunch in Tribeca before heading home for Christmas. I went to Locanda Verde last summer with some friends but hadn't returned until now despite its proximity to work. Lots of authentic Italian deliciousness at this eatery owned by Robert Di Niro. I'm still waiting for a celebrity sighting...

I love the rustic Italian feel of the this restaurant.

Fluffy focaccia - with carmelized onions
Citronata (in the back) - a light breakfast cocktail of Aperol, lillet (apertif wine) & aranciata (Italian orange soda)

I've developed a slight obsession with pastry baskets as of late. Anything sweet and carby smothered in butter sounds like the beginning of a perfect lazy Sunday. This dolce misti was outstanding, filled with holiday flavors including ginger chocolate bread, sugar crusted croissant, apple cider donut (favorite) and butter scone, all served with whipped butter and orange marmalade. This might have been the best part of the meal. 

Soft Scrambled Egg Crostini - with leeks, mushrooms and speck

Shaved Porchetta Sandwich - with grilled onions and provolone
This dish brought us back to our travels to Florence and the trek we made every other day to the sandwich shop that served the most amazing Porchetta sandwich we've ever had (well at that time it was the only porchetta sandwich we ever had).

Lots of home cooking (and eating) these past few days which should make for some gluttonous food posts. 

Greek Offerings

I remember in the 11th grade, my high school chemistry teacher went to Greece and recounted to me how amazing the food was. I instantly decided on the spot that I was going to Greece, for the pretty landscape but more so for the food. 5 years later, I got my wish, although I wasn't all that much wiser on Greek cuisine since the only exposure I've ever had to Greek food was Greek Lady aka lamb meat and french fries stuffed in a pita, and hummus (which isn't even exclusively Greek). Fortunately for me, my chemistry teacher was right and the food was amazing (the landscape was pretty great too) and I finally learned about the nuances and complexities of Greek cuisine.

Pork filet stuffed with smoked cheese from Metsovo, wild rise on veal gravy and fig syrup
Veal rib-eye with truffle honey garnished with hot salad from local black-eyed beans on veal gravy

Grilled octopus stuffed with rice, lamp mutton, ragu pasta, Greek yogurt with dried fruit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pork T-Bone Steak, Grilled Octopus.

Pork Souvlaki, Mezze, Spring Salad, more Greek Yogurt with dried fruit.

Baked feta cheese with honey, BBQ pork chops, Stewed beef with feta.

Amazingly delicious salads, a very innovative Greek salad with capers, Mushroom risotto.

Michelin Funkyness @ Funky Gourmet

Was browsing through some travel pictures and I realized I had an entire backlog of Greece pictures I never, figured I would start with what was probably my favorite meal of the entire Europe trip. While  the food was delicious, what made the meal so memorable was the creative presentation and innovative production of each dish. We ordered two different tasting menus and thoroughly enjoyed each item they presented to us. There was also a tiny army waiting on us throughout the entire which was quite an experience. The concept of Funky Gourmet is to put some serious twists on traditional Greek dishes and ingredients.

Left: Mastic, Mastic, Mastic (aka Mastic 3 ways)
Right: Salsify in the Soil

From what I can understand, Mastic is a plant resin that comes from the Greek island of Chios, it seems to have quite a few medicinal and cosmetic uses, which is probably why the glob of mastic on the left like soap. It was also the first time I saw a dish presented on a gnarly tree branch. Salsify is another interesting ingredient that refers to the root of a purple plant considered to have oyster undertones. We were served dried salsify roots in a cream mixture meant to represent dirt. How clever.

Left: Squaring the Pea
Right: Spring Vegetable Salad.

The spring pea soup was tasted and light with lots of "green" flavors. But let me rave about the salad. I know it doesn't look like much but it was hands down the most complex, delicious salad I have ever eaten. The mini plum tomatoes were blanched in a sugary liquid and peeled. They were so delicate and light, I didn't even realize I was eating a tomato. If I could create a last meal menu, this dish would be on that list.

Croxetti with Basil Pesto

The Croxetti might have been my favorite dish just because it was so fun. Croxetti is a type of medallion pasta that originates from Northern Italy and traditionally bore a coat of arms; our croxetti were made from a beet base and bore the name of the dining establishment. There was also a mortar for us to make our own pesto and a small pot of hot water to cook our pasta. 

Left: Scallop in the Sea
Right: Yellowtail with Wild Greens

The yellowtail was cooked splendidly and perfectly moist, but the star of the two was definitely the scallops. The scallop was only slightly cooked and retained a sweetness to it that I had never experienced before; what was even crazier was the ginger ale foam it was paired with.

Left: Funky Gourmet Burger
Bottom Right: Greek Salad

The burger was quite tasty but I forget what meat they used. When we saw greek salad on the menu, we didn't think it was going to be a very impressive dish, but we were so wrong. All of the flavors we were used to from ordering copious Greek salads throughout the trip (sweet tomato, sour vinegar, tangy feta, spicy onions) had been packaged into some sort of granita were each bite of ice tasted like we were actually eating a Greek Salad.

Rib Eye on the Stone

Another DIY dish. The stone was steaming hot and the smell of the thyme underneath perforated the entire restaurant. We were instructed to sear each piece of meat on the hot stone for few seconds and eat with the accompaniments. I loveed the idea but apparently Japanese BBQ is very similar so V was not very impressed.

Beef Cheek with Pairings

I loved the wide selection of pairings we were given. Depending on the pairing, it really altered the taste of the beef cheeks. Since we were getting quite full already, the lighter pairings such as the onion jelly, green apple and tomato paste really stood out.

Left: Orange Explosion
Bottom Right: Smoked Ice Cream Sandwich

Who doesn't love liquid nitrogen overflowing all over a table? The orange explosion was a fun mini dessert which consisted of dark chocolate filled with orange liquor liquid that exploded in your mouth. How they got the liquid inside such a thin shelled chocolate ball, I have no idea. I probably could have gobbled up 10 of those things along with another 10 ice cream sandwiches.

Left: Bread, Butter & Honey at -196C
Right: Mignardises

When I saw bread and butter for dessert on the menu, I was slightly disappointed but once again,  I was pleasantly surprised. The dish essentially tasted like creamy chunks of ice cream with delicious goblets of the best honey I have ever eaten and it was all made with liquid nitrogen. Pretty sure we tried making ice cream in chemistry class with liquid nitrogen and it tasted nothing like this. The mignardises consisted of a blueberry chocolate muffin, raspberry macaron, orange jelly candy and a chocolate truffle.

Definitely one of the best and coolest meals I have ever eaten. Don't know when I'll ever be back in Athens but if I am, I might just have to go back to this place.

East Village & Beyond

A roundup of the notable eats from the past 2 weeks in NYC. Despite the long commute to work, East Village sure has its charms..especially when it comes to all of the great food. The night before I moved to NYC, I created a spreadsheet of 100+ restaurants/foodtrucks/holeinthewalls that I had to try. Fortunately, I've manage to slowly chip away at the list (while concurrently adding even more).

1) Asian Goodness

Totto Ramen: Spicy ramen with egg + char siu pork, Extra intense ramen with extra pork, egg and other goodies
Prosperity Dumplings: BEST DUMPLINGS I have ever had (and $9 for 50 of them???)
Brick Lane Curry House: Lunch buffet for 10 bucks!

BCD Tofu House: New K-town obsession. Spicy cold noodles and spicy hot tofu :)
Sao Mai: $6 bucks Bah Mihn and Pork Bun.Yummy and one of the cheapest eats in EV.

2) Flushing

Hahm Ji Bach aka the most famous Korean BBQ in Flushing, Queens. Michelin recommended to boot.
Pork Belly & Gal Bi

Li's Noodles, Kung Fu Bubble Tea, Xiao Long Bao from Nan Xiang Dumpling House, Portuguese Egg Tarts from
New Flushing Bakery.

 3) Drinks

Cucumber cocktail, Punch bowls from CienFuegos, happy hour at 10 Degree Bar.

4) Gourmet Fast Food

Crif Dogs Hot Dog
Luke's Lobster Lobster Roll

  
5) Good Old Fast Food

Japadogs: Beef hot dg with spicy mayo, seaweed and other Asian flavors
Mark's: Bacon, regular, and pulled pork sliders & cheese fries

Brunch & BBQ

Bottomless Brunch @ Dohyo

Had my first bottomless brunch 2 weekends ago. Man they sure are a marathon but quite a bit of fun. Dohyo is located in the eccentric Yotel Hotel in Midtown West. Our brunch was filled with the usual breakfast offerings including a live DJ, a server in rollerblades and spandex and lots of balloons.

Mimosas, sangria, eggs, seaweed salad, burger slides, muffins, springrolls, spicy tuna rolls, french toast, disco fries...the 6 of us managed to order everything on the menu, our server was slightly horrified and equally impressed.

Food wasn't all that memorable (but who goes to a bottomless alcoholic brunch for the food?), however, what I really did like was how generous they were with the food and booze. Our pitchers and glasses of sangria and mimosas were never remotely empty. Definitely a good place to for large groups and celebrations.

BBQ  @ Fatty Cue

Really yummy Asian fusion BBQ (always an interesting concept) in West Village. Quite pricey for the portions but yelp had a half off gift card and free shots when you checked in so we were fat and happy by the time we left.

Yes the Pickleback shots sound disgusting but guess what? it works! and it quite tasty. We were also drunk after the shot since we hadn't eaten yet all day...

Star of the meal was definitely the beef brisket which came with buns and garnishes to make your own brisket buns. The fatty pork riblets were tasty but a little overcooked and not enough meat on the bone. 

Sunday Mezze at Kanella

A little late coming, but finally managed to go through all of the pictures and make a post on graduation dinner. The Wharton Ceremony was on Sunday which just happened to coincide with the day Kanella had its 10 course Sunday Mezze meal. Kanella describes itself as a Greek-Cypriot restaurant which I've never had before.  Everything tastes refreshing, surprisingly light and the portions were perfect so that we could actually make it thourgh the whole meal. 

First courses of salads, antipasti & pickled vegetables.

More salad, rice, and fish.

Halumi cheese, sausage, and beef.

Beans, puff pastry, more meat, and spinach pie.

Fig & Almond tart, and some sort of sweet cheese with orange cake.

Compared to what we ate in Greece, this was definitely representative of the country's cuisine. Unlike a lot of tasting menus, this was definitely more homey and felt more like a big family meal (which is what mezze is actually supposed to be so good job Kanella :).

NYC Desserts Roundup

Back from another Tour de Europe, haven't had a chance to properly rave about all of the food we ate in Greece or the Greek meal I had in Philly before I departed for the islands, but in the meantime, some new (and old) dessert finds in NYC. Spent the past 2 weekends apartment hunting and eating every chance I could get (more eating than hunting) and here are the discoveries.

Puddin' - Some of the flavors are sweeter than others (which I don't like) but the rice pudding option was amazziing and it sure beats paying the twice the price from Rice to Riches.
Big Gay Ice Cream - Have wanted to try this place since February. I think i love the concept and serious flair more than the ice cream itself
Forty Carrots - Always a good option after shopping in soho.
PopBar - Went for the sorbeto flavor instead of a gelato flavor so wasn't crazy about it.

YAY finally got to try Wafels & Dinges. Ordered the wafle that beat the great Bobby Flay.
Spekuloos: Gingerbread spread that might be better than Nutella (which I think they now sell at Trader Joe's)

Been to Magnolia Bakery before for the cupcakes but apparently its the Banana Pudding that it's really famous for. I don't even like bananas or pudding all thaat much but this might have been the favorite dessert out of everything.

Tous de Jours - I am obsessed with shaved ice and shaved ice that's the size of your face and comes with green tea is an added bonus.
Pie Face - Cute little pie shop originally from Australia. Peach Ricotta pie was quite tasty.

Back to blogging on some real food now...although who's to say desserts aren't real food.