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. 

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

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.

A 3 Course Meal

Had a kind of an amazing meal last week that was also absurdly easy to make.

Recipe from here. A certain somebody wanted to be fancy and used cooking string to tie it up roast style. A quick youtube video taught us him the trick.

Having fun with some plating. We cooked the kale in the duck fat that was rendered from searing the breasts on the pan.

Yup more gratuitous shots because it was that good.

I always thought panna cotta was a really fancy dessert but turns out it is crazy easy to make. Modified the recipe from here by using whole milk instead of cream. Chilled the mixture in wine glasses which actually allowed the panna cotta to pop out perfectly. Made some quick strawberry sauce with just the berries and sugar.

Revisiting Lunch

Finally got around to taking my drug test for work and decided to make a little road trip adventure out of it. Kept hearing how good this Vietnamese place was so finally decided to check it out. The ironic part of the whole thing is I have been going to the same Vietnamese place next door with my parents for 6 years and never realized Nam Phuong was in the same parking lot. Maybe now I'm just biased but I still think the one next door is better.

Went back to Barbuzzo and Matyson for lunch because I realized there are only so many good places to go for lunch in Philly (and I also wanted better pictures).

Got the hanger steak with truffle fries again because the steak is cooked perfectly and I freaking love french friers.
Also ordered the BBQ brisket sandwich. BYOBed this time with some white wine.

We walked down to Barbuzzo since the weather was nice which meant we were starving by the time we got there. Last time I complained the meal was too carby, but this time that carbiness was perfect.

[Sheep's Milk Ricotta]: Classic
[Prosciutto Pizza]: Loved the white sauce on this pizza

Grilled Mezze Platter of: asparagus, beets, romanesco, snap peas, farro salad, mozarella, broccoli rabe

[Salted Caramel Budin]

Brinner: Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

As promised, some lemon ricotta pancakes inspired by Cafe Lift. I cheated slightly by buying trader joe's buttermilk pancake mix (which I will say is amazing even on its own, perfectly fluffy pancakes every time and all you need to add is water and 1 egg). We had some fun playing around with the toppings and fillings including 1 topped with strawberries soaked in strawberry balsamic (from Garces Trading Co), & strawberry basil jam, 1 filled with begian milk chocolate (from TJ's), topped with Hershey's chocolate sauce and fresh blackberries, and 1 topped with blackberry sauce and mascarpone. Needless to say, it was a very satisfying brinner.

We had to think our batter out with milk since the pancake mix tends to puff up very quickly - probably why the pancakes always come out so fluffy.

Cook pancakes on a lower heat since the ricotta makes it easier to burn.

Mmmmmmmmmm...

Dining Out

Crossed off 2 restaurants of my always growing restaurant list. Lately, I've feel like I've just been returning to the same places repeatedly so with only a few more weeks left in Philly, I made a bigger effort to branch out  more. And what's particularly exciting is that there are quite a few new restaurants that have made Philly Mag's Top 50 Restaurants for 2013.

Dinner at Vernick Food & Drink:

Vernick is a new Italian-ish restaurant which has been receiving rave reviews from critiques and social media alike. We went based on the ecstatic recommendations of a friend. She rarely raves about finer dining so I figured this was a big deal. Our meal was enjoyable and the entree was out of this world but not sure if I'm going to go back any time soon, the appetizers were good but nothing spectacular.

[Beef Tartar]: Horseradish, on toast with some kind of cheese. A very hearty appetizer but still fresh tasting without any gameyness from the meat.
[Pork Steak]: Onion marmalade, mustard greens.  It looks like duck and tastes like duck (actually almost better than duck) but its not duck, its pork! We were mind blown. Easily one of the best entrees I have ever eaten.
[Hamachi]: Ruby grapefruit, jalapeno. We ordered this dish since everyone on Yelp was going crazy about it but I wasn't very impressed. Just a nice cut of yellowtail sashimi with acid to balance it out.

Lunch at Matyson:

Matyson, on the other hand, I am now obsessed with. Lunch was delicious, but what they're really known for are their dinner tasting menus that change weekly. If lunch is any indication of the dinners, I am definitely returning to this place sometime in the next 2 weeks. And did I mention they have fresh hibiscus flowers in the bathroom?

[House Pasta of the Day]: Linguine in Harissa sauce w. cauliflower and I think oysters? Not sure how I felt about all of the components of the dish but it was definitely creative.
[Hanger Steak]: I don't think I've ever eaten hanger steak before, or ordered it, but this was cooked so incredibly well. It was cooked perfectly on the inside, still moist and juicy, and who doesn't love a huge side of truffle fries?
[Mascarpone Cheesecake]: The cheesecake reminded me of the panna cotta dessert we had in Venice. It was light yet creamy. I'm normally not a fan of cheesecakes but this one was so good, especially with the almond crust on the bottom.

New & Old Again

 More exploration into the cafes of West Philly and a return to an old favorite.

Dropped into Cafe Renata to do some mild studying with a friend, but we wound up spending 1/3 of the time eating. The homemade mozzarella cheese is outrageous, seriously the best I've ever had. The apple cream cheese cake came recommended from yelp and the owner which was also delicious, although a bit too sweet for me. They've just started serving brunch (free sparkling wine if you buy oj!!!) and Mediterranean inspired dinner. Go check this place out.

$15 prix fixe lunch at distritio? Sign me up! All of the favorites are on there including the guac and mushroom flatbread.

I walk past this place basically every other day so finally decided to drop in. My chai tea latte was quite generous in size and heavily caffeinated but service is veryy slow so only come if you have some time to kill and intend on mostly lounging/studying there. 

Reading Terminal Market Revisited

Reading Terminal Market Revisited

I haven't really properly explored Reading Terminal since sophomore year (a very old post here). Sure, I'll stop by to pick up some produce or get some Bassett's ice cream, but never really take in all of the eating options.So I spent the good portion of Monday checking out some new places.

The "Blitering Idiot" (11%) @ Molly Malloys. Didn't know they had a bar inside!
A medium sized lobster for us to make lobster ravioli. (post forthcoming! here!)

Corned Beef Sandwich with sauerkraut & spicy mustard from Hershels: I don't think I've ever had a corned beef sandwich before but man they are tasty (and filling).

2lb of cookies from 4th Street Cookie Company. I've picked up 1 cookie from here before because the smell of freshly baked cookies is too hard to resist but they've always carried a steep price tag (usually $2+/cookie). But apparently, they have a cookie sale right before they close where every cookie is only a $1! (cash only). So naturally, we bought 15.

Barbuzzo

I have been wanting to go to Barbuzzo since last fall and with the return of  V from Taiwan, I figured it was a good occasion to finally try it out. You could tell a lot of thought went into the ingredients for each dish which I really appreciated. Perhaps it was just because everything we ordered was more on the carby side I left feeling like I had just eaten a lot of bread, but the food was nonetheless delicious.

Sheep's Milk Ricotta: extra virgin olive oil, vin cotto, herbs, salt, & grilled bread.
The balsamic drizzle made this dish since the ricotta is more like a whipped cream - very light in texture and flavor.

Red Wine Sangria: Good balance of fruit and sweetness and perfect for a hot day like today.

Asparago Pizza: shaved asparagus, guanciale, white sauce, fior di latte, & truffled farm egg.
The truffled egg: gahh so good. The pizza was surprisingly light for having so much heavy creamy ingredients. The red chili oil drizzled on top added a nice extra punch.

Salted Caramel Budino: dark chocolate crust, vanilla bean caramel, & seat salt.
I was told this dish was a must try. It was indeed very tasty but a little too sweet for my liking.

Some New & Old

Since I was in major food withdrawal all week, I decided it was the perfect opportunity to do some exploring and check off some restaurants on my extensive "must eats" list.

West Philadelphia Exploration

I admit I am quite a bit behind when it comes to exploring and eating at the plethora of cafes, ethnic eateries and new additions of West Philadelphia. Inspired by all of the recommendations I have been receiving, I spent most of the week taking walks west of 40th and Spruce to see what was out there.

Quickly becoming a Penn staple, this tiny taco shop offers perfectly made tacos: everything from sweet potato to shrimp and carnitas (pictured above). I'm am definitely returning this week to try out the burritos which are supposed to be even better than the tacos.

Stopped by this BYOB after seeing Marigold Cafe was closed for brunch. The menu is quite creative such as the smoked salmon crepe with carmelized apricots and candied walnuts (above), but the portions were quite small and I left feeling a tad still hungry. Good for a lunch but not what I was expecting for a Sunday brunch.

Adorable cafe with wide-range of breakfast and lunch offerings. Wasn't impressed by my particular turkey sandwich but a good place to spend a sunny afternoon away from the crowd.

An oldie (Yogorino), and one of my all time favorite dessert places in Philadelphia & a newbie (Lil Pop Shop). Thought the $3/ tiny popsicle price tag was a bit overpriced but that was before I bit into my chocolate with salted caramel brownie fudge bar which included bits of freshly baked brownie. Definitely going back to try some of the other flavors such as green tea with mochi and earl grey with vanilla bean and black pepper.

Brunch Addition

Been dying to try this pace after I heard people raving about the lemon ricotta pancakes. Will admit it was a bit difficult to find but so worth the trip! The unlimited filter coffee instantly made me a fan of the place.

Huevos Rancheros: toasted corn tortillas, topped with refried beans, roasted peppers, jack cheese, and two fried eggs, finished with grilled chorizo and pico de gallo. [AMAZING, never much a fan of spanish inspired brunch dishes but this one has converted me]
Lemon Ricotta Pancakes: Light and fluffy, was surprised it wasn't more "lemony" but I liked how the dish was really light

All Time Favorite
I lovee Jose Garces and I love love love JG Trading Company (restaurant week post here). Probably has something to do with the wine shop in the store that lets you BYO every meal...Plus, this is probably his only restaurant that regularly changes the menu which gives me reason to keep coming back.

Finally tried to duck fat fries which were fried to perfection. They do taste a bit heavier even though the fries were light and fluffy thanks to the duck fat. 

Serrano ham pizza: Brussels Sprouts, Whipped Ricotta, Pear Balsamic. This pizza is great, all of the flavors work together so perfectly and the duck fat on the dough makes it taste like a cross between a cracker and cheesy bread, I'm usually the one leaving uneaten crusts on my plate but not this time.
The Spaniard: This sandwich came at the recommendation of our waiter but it was basically an underwhelming chicken club sandwich with very dry chicken. Probably won't be ordering any sandwiches next time I come back.