Food NYC

74 to go

December 27, 2011 – 9:11 pm

This week’s New York magazine ranks the 101 Best Restaurants in the city. I probably go out to restaurants more often than the average person due to my job and well, let’s be honest, a preoccupation with food. So I was actually a little surprised I’ve “only” been to 27 of the 101. Looks like I have some work ahead of me in 2012.

Tags , | Permalink | Comment (0)
Food Life Travel

Holidays and Moderation

December 18, 2011 – 7:23 pm

I woke up this morning in an incredibly good mood, and I wasn’t immediately sure why, until I realized that with Christmas Eve this Saturday, today marks the beginning of the holiday week. Happiness!

It’s a busy, fun week full of indulgences: my department’s holiday cocktail party after work tomorrow; lunch at Imperial No. 9 on Tuesday; dinner at The Dutch on Tuesday; flying to Tampa/Sarasota on Thursday and the multiple tempting meals and beverages with my family… including menu items like prime rib, cheese fondue, monkey bread, Yorkshire pudding and Christmas cookies, just to name a few!

I plan on fully indulging at each opportunity (I mean, it is the holidays), so this means that my workouts this week are absolutely non-negotiable. Today I ran 4.25 miles along the West Side Highway and then walked to Soho and back for my last Christmas gifts. This errand was not so bad, considering I had to go to the Apple store and Crate & Barrel (didn’t have to wait longer than 2-3 minutes at either place to check out — winner!) For dinner, I just made a recently discovered healthy meal: kale with bacon and cannellini beans. Very flavorful and a nice warm bowl makes it feel like comfort food but with a fraction of the calories.

Kale, Bacon & Cannellini Beans

Tomorrow, I am planning to wake up early and fit in 30-40 minutes at the gym before work. This is a rarity for me, as I am not a morning person, but with my event starting at 6pm, there’s little choice. I will have a drink or two, and I really don’t like to exercise after drinking. Tuesday I can fit in a run after work before dinner, as the reservation is not until 9:30. Wednesday after work I am going to a Pilates class at Equinox. Thursday I will take off because we’re traveling and then Friday I’ll go for a run in Florida before starting on the holiday festivities. I’ll play Saturday by ear but I can possibly fit one in there too, if it’s earlier in the day.

I’m looking forward to making this plan work — get the full pleasure of holiday indulgence and not gain weight this week. I haven’t even touched the topic of New Years week (back in NYC and then in Lake Placid), or our vacation to Mexico the first weekend of January (let’s consider that the motivation for staying on plan!)

I have to say, I am loving the holidays this year, even if we didn’t decorate our apartment. Considering the fact we were traveling for the holiday, and we weren’t entertaining at all during the month of December, we decided not to put up a tree. Gifts we have received are wrapped under the… TV. We’ll find the Yule-log channel at some point and open them there.

Tags , , | Permalink | Comment (0)
Life NYC

Happy Weekend

December 2, 2011 – 4:40 pm
image via Pinterest

This was one of those weeks that starts out well, where I’m excited about plans on the calendar and then by Friday I’m sleepy!  I worked long, full days getting into the office earlier than usual and then I planned the week with workout or social plans. Monday was Pilates at Equinox and then making a healthy dinner at home; Tuesday was running 3 miles, lots of stretching and then cooking another dinner at home; Wednesday I had impromptu drinks which turned into late dinner with a friend at Locanda Verde; and then Thursday I had a work happy hour followed by dinner with Pete and another couple – also at Locanda Verde!  I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of that place, and I live so close that’s a good thing.

I have to say, I’m looking forward to a weekend without many set plans. Tonight I’m going to Soul Cycle after work and then enjoy a relaxing night on the couch with a movie and maybe some takeout. Tomorrow I have a hair appointment (one of those epic 3 hour ones so hopefully I’ll finish off a stack of magazines while I’m there), and then a friend of mine is throwing a party at Delicatessan. I’ve never been there but it looks like a fun time. I expect Sunday to be a typical one – cooking with football on TV.

Tags , , | Permalink | Comment (0)
Food

Thanksgiving Dessert #2: Raspberry Almond Tart

December 2, 2011 – 3:57 pm

My (first) tart turned out so pretty and it was amazingly easy.  No baking, just the stove top and the refrigerator. Again, there are just a lot of steps and you kind of need to be around all day but it was a piece of cake tart.

Below are the in progress photos of making the Raspberry Almond Tart (recipe from Bon Appetit) I think I’ll remake this one for Christmas at my parents… and eventually graduate to something more challenging!

Just a little layer of almond paste, no big deal

 

And layering on the chocolate ganache and raspberries

 

Add the homemade glaze and sliced almonds. Voila!

 

 

Tags , , , , | Permalink | Comment (1)
Food

Thanksgiving Dessert #1: Apple Cake with Toffee Crust

November 28, 2011 – 9:56 pm

Last week I told you all about my planned desserts for Thanksgiving. Well, here’s the first recap. It went pretty well!

In making the Apple Cake with Toffee Crust (recipe from Food & Wine), the most difficult part was peeling and chopping the apples. And, lucky for me, I had Laura to do most of that work!  In fact, none of it was hard, it was just a lot of steps and you really need to be home/nearby for many hours at a time. So, it’s good for a holiday, especially because the house fills with the scent of a baked cake before all the turkey and stuffing smells change it again.

Below are some in-progress photos. Everyone really liked it (and some people thought it was actually store-bought caramel, not a topping I made myself!) and wanted some the next day too. I didn’t really make any adjustments to the recipe at all, except that I used cognac instead of brandy, which gave the sauce a fairly strong liquor taste. I served it with vanilla ice cream and chose not to make the caramelized apples as suggested in the recipe.

Chopping up the apples

Cake batter (with apples) before baking

Just out of the oven

Ready to serve!

 

Tags , , , | Permalink | Comment (1)
Life

Virginia Run Turkey Trot

November 27, 2011 – 1:47 pm

The Turkey Trot was a great way to start Thanksgiving Day — once I dragged myself out of bed at 6:30 in the morning.  Pete’s dad had six of us sleeping over and I was the first one to call it a night on Wednesday at Midnight. I also had a cold, so was dragging a bit. I was even more impressed with my fellow trotters Christine and Graham, who had stayed up drinking beer until 2am (not to mention the non-runners who stayed up till 4!)

Fortunately for us, the race was in the neighborhood and we even got to pick up our bibs indoors at a church. So we waited inside for about 15 minutes before heading to the start line. Christine and Graham both took off faster than I usually do and I decided to try and keep up. This “strategy” paid off because I achieved my 5K PR at 28:13.  Hooray! And then we walked back to the house to get started on the meal…

Before the run

 

Tags , , , | Permalink | Comment (0)
Food

Thanksgiving 2011

November 23, 2011 – 2:21 pm

I’m taking off shortly to brave the crowds at Penn Station and grab a train down to DC, to spend Thanksgiving weekend in Northern Virginia. Plans include a Turkey Trot and making some fancy desserts (necessitating that Turkey Trot). And of course turkey and wine, wine, wine. 

I have already prepared Paula Deen’s corn casserole (making a few of my own adjustments, including less butter and additions of onions, black pepper, garlic and jalapeno) and some yummy chocolate peanut sea salt cookies. I got the cookie recipe from a friend, and can’t find it on the Internet, although this link from Amateur Gourmet looks closest to what I made. I also stopped at Murray’s and have some cheese selections in my insulated bag to keep them fresh for appetizer/cocktail hour (including the amazing Dunbarton Blue from the wine/cheese tasting earlier this month). On my baking agenda tomorrow are a Raspberry Almond Tart and an Apple Cake with Toffee Crust. Photos from Bon Appetit and Food & Wine below. We’ll see how my real life ones compare tomorrow….

Tags , , , , | Permalink | Comments (2)
Food NYC

Wine & Cheese 101

November 9, 2011 – 4:50 pm

"the harmony of wine and cheese"

Last night I attended City Winery’s Wine & Cheese 101 with a focus on New World Wines, with a few girlfriends. If you live in New York and haven’t been yet, I recommend checking it out! It’s a great space and a really down-to-earth class (no wine snobs). Plus, they do concerts in the event space upstairs — fun.

The wine cellar room where the class took place held about 18 participants and we each got to try five wine/cheese pairings, as recommended by Matt from City Winery and Sascha from Murray’s Cheese.  It was fun to try new cheeses, especially, as I already know what types of wine I like. And then there’s the pairing exercise – if you pay attention to textures and aromas, you get a fully nuanced experience. My only complaint would be that the instructors talked a bit too long. Everyone was eager to taste and talk to each other, and sometimes the polite wait got annoying.  

 

Just a couple of my favorites:

Favorite Cheese: Dunbarton Blue  Not like your typical blue cheese, its texture is more like cheddar and taste more approachable (and I’m a fan of stinky cheeses). I just loved the flavor concentration and especially that it was firmer than other blues. And it’s from Wisconsin… love the Midwest!

Favorite Wine: Errazuriz Estate 2010, Maipo Valley, Chile (Carmenere)  This was a new grape to me, so it stood out the most of all the wines. So dark in color and intense in smell, yet sweet and balanced when tasted. I really got the spices and pepper.

Favorite Pairing:  And Co Supernatural 2009, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand (Sauvignon Blanc) with Consider Bardwell Pawlet  I love Sauvignon Blanc and this one had a lot of apple and earthy notes – which was perfect with this buttery, cheddary cheese. If money were no object, this cheese would be perfect to slice on apples everyday.

Afterward, my friend Jodi and I went upstairs to The Barrel Room for a glass of wine and some chatting. And I walked home on a lovely November evening – home by 10:30 too!  Pete said I seemed tipsy when I came in so I downed 16 ounces of water with an Advil. I was good to go to work this morning – and didn’t feel like I had overdone it. That may be due to the fact that I only had a few little hunks of cheese (and nothing else) for dinner.

Tags , , , , | Permalink | Comments (3)
Fashion & Beauty

Black Honey Looks Good on Everyone

November 7, 2011 – 6:12 pm

For years, Clinique’s Almost Lipstick in Black Honey has been one of my favorite lip colors — flattering and finishes almost any daily look without too much shine or opaque color. It’s been part of my makeup bag for as long as I can remember, but I had no idea it was a “cult classic.” I’m glad to know so many others love it too!

I also enjoyed sharing the love when I was in Virginia last month for Pete’s brother’s wedding. On the day before the wedding, I was shopping at Macy’s with his sister and sister-in-law, and Clinique was having one of their gift with purchase promotions. They both needed an extra item to hit the minimum so I suggested Black Honey. Neither were familiar, both tried it on. While it looked different on each girl (who have totally different skintones), they both looked amazing. And they both made the purchase. Fun!

color works for everyone! (photo courtesy of Elle)

Tags , , | Permalink | Comment (1)
Food NYC

RedFarm

November 7, 2011 – 11:25 am

daily menu

 

A few weeks ago, we  felt like we were always going to the same restaurants and were itching to try something new. Enter RedFarm, a new-ish modern Asian restaurant in the West Village. It’s tiny and doesn’t take reservations. There was a 45-minute wait upon arriving at 8:45 on a Tuesday night, but the host was very nice and simply took my cellphone number so we could go get a drink somewhere else on the block. Then RedFarm sends a text message when your table is ready.

Much of the restaurant is communal seating with tiny 2-tops lined along sides of the walls. There’s cute little barnyard touches throughout the decor. We got a 2-top and really enjoyed our food – the Pac-Man dumplings (see adorable presentation and photo), the pastrami egg roll and a special entree — lobster with pork and egg. We also had a bottle of white wine , which we hardly ever do (always seems to be red). I will say the portion sizes were huge! My favorites were the dumplings and I think next time, I would focus on sharing a bunch of different ones because the menu had so many tempting options. The claypot chicken and the shortribs dishes also looked interesting but of course, we only had a tiny tabletop and two appetites.

Pac-Man dumplings

 

lobster and pork w/ egg (special)

Tags , , | Permalink | Comment (0)

Next Page »

Next Page »