My dear friend Kristy surprised me with this fabulous cake from Society Bakery for my birthday yesterday. It combined two of my favorite things – champagne & Italian cream cake.
It’s always impressive when a cake can look this good and actually taste good. The cream cheese icing is out of this world, and the cake is ridiculously moist. You really can’t eat more than one piece, but that one piece is totally worth the indulgence.
So I wish I had more pictures to share with everyone, because I probably just had one of the best eating weekends of my life. From high-end to low-end I covered the spectrum of New York City eats & drinks. I’ll try to keep this short, but I want to make sure I capture all the deliciousness within one post.
DAY ONE
We arrived seamlessly on Thursday afternoon (unlike our 13 hour return ordeal) so we started our vacation with a late lunch at Bread – Tribeca. The winning dish was the imported cheese pizza with truffle essence. Good start to the weekend.
But lunch doesn’t even come close to comparing to dinner. How can you beat Le Bernardin? Even though the restaurant requires gentlemen to sport a coat it doesn’t feel overly stuffy. In fact, the restaurant seemed a lot livelier than I expected. As you can imagine, the service was impeccable. I’m pretty sure they replaced our butter over 4 times throughout the meal. Apparently their guests shouldn’t have to resort to eating from a butter dish that is less than half-full.
I obviously didn’t take any pictures at Le Bernardin, but I don’t think my terrible picture taking skills would do this meal justice anyway. The winning dish from this meal was the Skate, lightly cooked and accompanied by a brown butter dashi broth. I literally could have downed an entire glass of the broth. The runner up was the Vietnamese style Hamachi – just a simple and delicious dish.
After dinner we made a stop at Terroir Tribeca for a wine nightcap (winecap, maybe?). Cool little wine bar in TriBeca that has an unusual affliction for Rieslings.
DAY TWO
Day one was tough to follow, but we tried our best. We brunched at Bubby’s – a TriBeca institution. I feasted on a pretty basic breakfast of eggs, toast, bacon & grits. Except the grits were anything but basic. Cheesy, creamy indulgence. I’d probably go back and just eat a huge bowl of grits followed up by one of their homemade pies.
Day two weather was pretty crappy – swelteringly hot one minute and then pouring down rain the next. But we fought through the weather and made our way over to Brooklyn for some exploring and more eating/drinking.
Our first treat from the heat was Uncle Louie G’s Italian Ice. I didn’t eat much Italian Ice when I lived in the city, but I’m not sure why. I’m going to try to make up for it by eating extra snow cones for the rest of the summer.
Our second treat involved whiskey. We stopped in at Char No. 4 on Smith Street for an afternoon cocktail and our first dozen oysters of the trip. This place is seriously cool. They have a wall of whiskey:
And we had some really creamy oysters from Fanny Bay to accompany our afternoon bourbon cocktails.
For dinner, we met some friends at the West Village restaurant Yerba Buena on Perry Street. I don’t usually associate good latin fare with NYC, but this place was pretty stellar. One warning – everything is super spicy. Even the cocktails. But the duck ropa vieja I had was spectacular, as was Malbec braised short ribs with the poached egg on top. But prepare yourself for a lively & loud scene. It would definitely be a good precursor to a night on the town.
DAY THREE
Brunch at Jane in Soho. Solid meal – they have lots of benedicts to choose from if you’re a benedict kind of person. I just can’t get over my cooking class that covered hollandaise sauce where I had to combine raw eggs and butter for two hours. It’s unfortunate, but I’m scarred by it.
Later that afternoon we made a stop at the Grand Central Oyster Bar for a few (okay, 48) oysters as an afternoon snack. If you’re an oyster lover then it’s a must-stop place in the city. My grandparents used to take me there when they came to visit me, and I still love the old-school feel of this New York iconic restaurant.
Dinner was one of those experiences that only happens in New York. Or Japan, but I’ve never been there. We had a late night meal at Sushi Azabu in TriBeca. It’s literally a tiny upscale sushi restaurant in the basement of Greenwich Grill. You have to walk in, tell the hostess the secret password (We’d like to eat Sushi Azabu), and then she walks you down to the secret basement restaurant that only holds around 15-20 people at most. I’m not even sure what or how we ordered through the primarily Japanese menu, but we somehow ended up in sushi and sake heaven. I highly recommend this place for any sushi lover.
DAY FOUR
Okay, this is getting long, but I’m almost there.
Brunch at Hundred Acres on MacDougal Street. This meal alone might describe why I think I gained a few pounds on this trip. For starters I ordered the glazed buttermilk cake donuts with chocolate dipping sauce AND the warm cream biscuits with homemade jam and honey butter. But the big winner was my main course – the burger – pasture raised beef, vermont cheddar, vidalia onion mayo. This was my favorite brunch stop of the trip.
You’ll notice a pattern here. Brunch, snack, dinner. My favorite snack was my last afternoon snack – dumplings. I LOVE asian dumplings – especially handmade pork dumplings that cost $1 for five dumplings. Seriously – only 20 cents a dumpling. Next time you’re craving dumplings head to Prosperity Dumpling on Eldridge Street in Chinatown. It’s so cheap it’s worth the splurge on a cab ride to get there.
And the final meal…Babbo. I’ve always wanted to go to Mario Batali’s signature restaurant in the village. I used to pass it almost every day on my long walk to work. And you would think that I might be disappointed after waiting almost six years to actually eat there, but I can assure I was anything but. Each course was impeccable – from the grilled octopus starter all the way to the pistachio and chocolate semifreddo. We didn’t eat until 10pm on a Sunday, but the restaurant was still packed at that time. If you haven’t been there, go there. Now.
Sarah and I experienced something amazing the other night… We got to partake in a dinner party at 48 Nights. We had been anticipating these reservations for months! 48 nights is the brain-child of a few of Dallas’s most talented chefs who got together to create a pop up restaurant where guests are served an elaborate 5 course meal from a mystery guest chef and the proceeds go to charity.
We were excited to have the chefs from Tillman’s Roadhouse- Lance Smith and Dan Landsberg. I’ve eaten at Tillman’s quite a few times and never left disappointed. In the setting of 48 nights the Tillman’s team got to show off in their own style while still staying true to Tillman’s flair- sophisticated southern comfort food.
The first course began with a creamer pea humus, harache chips, and TX olive oil. Followed by an interesting take on a fish taco in course 2. The big eye tuna was folded over to make the taco “shell” and inside was a burst of flavor surprise with small chunks of watermelon, blackberry-pickled watermelon rind pico, and ancho-tequila hot sauce. The textures and bright flavors in this starter were perfect to wake up my palette and get me hungry for more. The 3rd course salad was truly local- most of the ingredients came from the chef’s personal garden.
Don’t think comfort food can be sophisticated…? Well have you ever had a poached egg that has been chicken fried? That’s exactly what I’m talking about. The 4th course with the BBQ quail over sweet corn smear, kissed with blue cheese bubbles, almost couldn’t get better, but then they went on and put a chicken-fried poached egg on top. This was one of my favorites!
I was already getting full by the 5th course but I had to make room for the perfectly cooked dry aged ribeye, on top of pecan smoked gouda grits (from our friends at Brazos Valley Cheese co), and fried okra slivers to top it all off.
Just when I didn’t think I could take anymore, dessert was placed before me- I don’t feel guilty at all admitting that I was seriously considering licking every last buttery crumb off of my plate- it was that good. Sarah and I agreed, this dish stole the night for us. This buttermilk pie was sweet custard smooth, just like it should be. But then it was off-set with peach bourbon sauce and Texas blueberry ice cream and a crumbly crisp on the plate that offered a welcome sweet crunch accompanying the smooth textures.
Thanks so much to the Tillman’s crew for a wonderful evening! The food was outstanding, and now I’m hungry to get out to Bishop Arts and visit you again.
I wish I could tell you all to go and hurry to book your own reservation, but 48 nights is almost over and they are sold out at the moment. You never know though- if you call to check you might be lucky to find an opening. Perhaps we should petition for another round… who’s with me!
It’s been awhile since Angela or I posted about a dining adventure in Dallas, so I thought I would do a quick update on my latest ventures outside of my own kitchen.
The Common Table (in the former Lola space)
I miss Lola, I do, but I like The Common Table. I can’t believe how radically different the place looks. Their food is solid. It’s not impeccable, but it’s good. More importantly, their drink selection is extensive. From house made cocktails to a wide selection of beers, they’ll have everyone covered. And they have a really great patio to enjoy if it’s not 150 degrees outside.
Neo Pizza (in the Victory Park ghost town)
Neo is brought to us by Olivella’s Pizza – one of my favorite pizza places in Dallas (behind Coal Vines). The problem with Olivella’s is that it only seats about 15 people, and it’s always hot inside the restaurant. So I’m happy they’ve opened Neo’s, which is 1) closer to me 2) air conditioned and 3) can seat more than one large mormon family. We ordered a regular sized “The Neo” and were really happy with our selection. The only issue is the size. We’re big eaters, and we easily finished off one regular on our own. Next time we’ll either have to order two pizzas, or leave a little hungry.
Perry’s has been a go-to steakhouse of mine for years. It’s my hands down favorite filet in Dallas. Service is impeccable, and the lobster macaroni and cheese is to die for. Just recently, they started offering brunch. We tested it out on Sunday, and WOW. The menu is interesting, not overpriced AND they serve homemade cornbread muffins and cheddar jalapeno biscuits upon arrival. I opted for the chicken & waffles (how could I not?), but I also tried the crab cakes benedict and fruit bowl. Everything was really stellar, and I’ll definitely be back.
Also, I’m not a daytime drinker, but if you opt for the Cyrstal Mimosas you get a unlimited mimosas and a hand-etched Waterford crystal glass to take home with you. How fun is that?
I love venturing to the Bishop Arts District in Oak Cliff for dinner. It’s a nice break from the everyday, and Hattie’s is definitely my top choice for dining in that area. Last night I feasted on the butcher block pork chop with roasted fall vegetables & brussel sprout chips.
The grainy iphone picture doesn’t do this pork chop full justice, but it was outstanding. I could have had a glass of the beer & mustard glaze it was sopped in. I’m glad I ventured outside of my usual shrimp & grits order and wasn’t disappointed.
Happy eating!
I’m always trying to come up with new, interesting hors d’oeuvres that don’t involve chips or cheese dip. Not that I’m against a steaming bowl of queso, but it’s nice to mix things up occasionally. This bruschetta dish is always a crowd pleaser, and it’s relatively easy to prepare as well.
The key is in the ingredients, but once you have them on hand preparation is a snap. And I know buying two types of honey is a pain, and can be expensive, but the outcome is worth it. You can always substitute regular old honey from the plastic bear jar if you’re a risk taker, but I promise it’s not going to be as good.
Honey Tomato Bruschetta with Ricotta (adapted from Food & Wine)
2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons clover honey
2 teaspoons thyme leaves
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
12 baguette slices, cut 1/2 inch thick on the bias
1 cup fresh ricotta (8 ounces)
1 tablespoon buckwheat or chestnut honey
6 basil leaves, thinly sliced or torn
Preheat the oven to 300°. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, toss the tomatoes with the olive oil, honey, thyme leaves, salt and pepper. Scrape the tomatoes onto the prepared baking sheet and turn them cut side up. Bake the tomatoes for about 1 hour and 25 minutes, until they begin to shrivel and brown. Let cool.
Preheat the broiler. Spread out the baguette slices on a baking sheet. Broil for about 30 seconds on each side, until the edges are golden brown.
Spread the ricotta over the baguette slices and top with the slow-roasted tomatoes. Lightly drizzle the tomatoes with the buckwheat honey, sprinkle with the sliced basil and serve with additional buckwheat honey on the side.
Every time I leave Dallas southbound to Houston on 45 my mouth begins to water and my stomach pains with cravings for Woody’s Smokehouse. Located almost exactly halfway between Dallas and Houston in a tiny town named (appropriately) Centerville Texas- this unassuming Shell station is home to what I think is some of the best food in Texas. Bold statement I know, but after one bite of their tender Buffalo Jerky, followed by a heaping plate of stick to your ribs ribs, then you can drive away with a handful of Golden Caramel Nuggets and I think you’ll agree you’ve just encountered something spectacular. 
Woody’s claims to have the best jerky in the world- another bold statement, but I again concur. Especially if we’re talking about that melt-in-your-mouth Buffalo jerky. The Turkey Jerky, and the Jalapeno Pepper Beef Jerky come in at a close second. If you don’t believe their claims then just let the free samples do the talking, or you could take the word of any of the big bellied men who flock to the counter, press their gut to the glass and spit their orders in a mouth full of hurry to get their hands on the savory smoked meats.
My dad always asks me to bring him home a block of their smoked cheddar, and I also can’t leave without grabbing a bag of their Golden Caramel Nuggets. Which taste nothing like corn, but rather a crunchy cheeto-like puff slathered in sweet buttery caramel goodness.
Each time I stop by Woody’s I have to pick up something new to try. This visit we grabbed some Pork Rub Seasoning, spicy dill pickles, a large jar of Apple Butter, Fire Roasted Hot Pepper Salsa, and a Jalapeno Cornbread Stuffed Chicken- which I can not wait to try!
For those of you who don’t ever make it that far down I-45 south, there’s still an opportunity for you to have a taste of Woody’s greatness- lucky for you, you can order most of their famed jerkys and products online. But for the more obscure products like their various stuffed chickens, exotic roasted salsas, and jams in every color of the rainbow, you have to come visit the store yourself.
Should any of you find yourself on a road trip passing through Centerville TX anytime soon, do let me know- I’d be happy to pay you to pick me up some more treats.
I’ve been craving red meat all week, and yesterday Whole Foods blessed me with a sale on ribeyes. Sometimes I find ribeyes to be too fatty, and too much work to eat, but this recipe is worth the effort. And what could possibly make red meat any better? Butter and wine of course! This was my first steak au poivre, but it definitely won’t be my last. It was relatively easy, and made for an impressive week night meal.
Rib-Eye Steak au Poivre (adapted from Food & Wine)
2 tablespoons black peppercorns, coarsely crushed
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 rib-eye steaks, cut 1 3/4 inches thick
Sea salt
1/4 cup dry red wine
1 tablespoon grainy mustard
1 teaspoon capers in 1 teaspoon of their brine
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon chopped parsley (optional)
In a small bowl, combine the black peppercorns with the garlic, cumin and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Rub this mixture all over the steaks and let stand at room temperature for 2 hours.
In a large skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil until shimmering. Season the steaks with salt, add them to the skillet and cook over moderate heat until browned, about 4 minutes per side for medium rare. Transfer the steaks to a warmed platter and season again with salt.
Discard the fat in the skillet. Add the wine and simmer over low heat until reduced to a syrup, about 2 minutes. Add the mustard and capers in brine and stir once or twice. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the butter. Return the steaks to the skillet and turn to glaze with the sauce. Transfer the steaks to plates, sprinkle with the parsley and serve.
I served my ribeye with roasted asparagus and Angela’s sweet & spicy sweet potatoes. It made for an awesome weeknight meal, which I just had to follow up with David Lebowitz’s warm chocolate chip cookies & ice cream.
Salmon can be so boring, right? I literally gag when I think about herb-crusted banquet salmon. It’s usually so dry that you have to chew it 20 times before you can get it down. blah.
But I love Copper River King Salmon, and Central Market had it on sale yesterday for $16.99 a pound. It’s not cheap, but it’s cheaper, and it’s worth it. So I picked it up without a cooking plan. And sometimes no plan is the best plan. I find if I’m really excited about a certain recipe that has lots of ingredients & steps I inevitably end up disappointed.
This recipe does not disappoint. And it’s so simple. I made it with ingredients I had around the house.
Broiled Salmon with Spicy Maple Basting Sauce (Gourmet, 1995)
6 tablespoons Grade B maple syrup (or Grade A maple syrup flavored with 3 drops maple extract, or to taste)
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh gingerroot (I freeze my gingerroot so I always have some on hand)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon salt
In a small heavy saucepan combine maple syrup, water, gingerroot, garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt and simmer until reduced to about 1/2 cup.
Cool basting sauce.
Preheat broiler.
Arrange salmon, skin sides down, on oiled rack of broiler pan and season with salt. Broil salmon about 4 inches from heat 4 minutes. Brush salmon with sauce and broil until just cooked through, about 6 minutes more. Then baste again before serving.
I served my salmon with spinach & couscous, but it would also be great with some jasmine rice & Asian vegetables.
As seen from my previous post, I was back in Chicago all last week for another photo shoot with foodie/photographer Stephen Hamilton. We had a great week, an excellent shoot, and of course lots of amazing food. My week in the windy city got me thinking about a post I wrote while back about Joe’s Seafood & Steakhouse. Some of you might recall me telling you about these incredible tomatoes they offer as a side dish? Well, as promised I have finally re-created the dish to the best of my ability for you all to enjoy here. Stephen has a fun foodie side project where he has re-created this dish in his own way as well. His blog The Restaurant Project is his creative outlet where he challenges himself to snap a photo of his favorite dishes in restaurant with his iphone- then he takes that inspiration back to his studio to recreate the dish. Below is his shot of the Joe’s Tomato inspired dish. I love the way he styled this picture with the crunchy parmesan crisp on top and the sexy balsamic drips down the side of the heirloom tomato. Gorgeous!
With tomatoes at their juicy seasonal peak this is the best time to add this side dish to your meal. The recipe is really pretty simple. It took me a little experimenting and quite a few trips back to Joe’s to figure out just how they cook their spinach topper, but after hassling the waiters enough, one of them finally told me that the secret is in the breadcrumbs they use to bind it all together, and they use American cheese on top. I’ve tried this recipe with quite a few different cheeses -thinking that surely there has to be something better than boring ol’ American…. well let me save you the time- there isn’t. American cheese is by far the best, the folks at Joe’s definitely know what they are doing.
Joe’s Tomatoes
1 large tomato
1 package of frozen chopped spinach (thawed)
1 clove garlic- minced
1 1/2 tbs italian bread crumbs
1 1/2 tbs butter
Sliced American Cheese
salt pepper to taste
Preheat your oven to 350
First slice your tomato in to thick half inch slices and set aside on a paper towel. You’ll want to pat them a little dry so that the tomato juice doesn’t make the spinach mixture soggy when you bake them.
Next saute the spinach over medium heat with the minced garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper until just warmed through and flavored. Then make a well in the spinach in the center of your skillet and place the butter and breadcrumbs in the center. Let the butter melt and slightly toast the breadcrumbs before mixing in to the rest of your cooked spinach. Once incorporated, set aside to cool slightly before topping the tomatoes.
To assemble and bake lay the tomatoes evenly on across a baking sheet, pack a heaping spoonful of the sauteed spinach on top and press gently. Then sprinkle the top with a pinch more of your seasoned breadcrumbs before topping with a slice of American cheese.
Bake in the oven for about 12 minutes until the cheese is melted and just beginning to brown.
So I know that it’s one million degrees outside. And I also know this is a cold weather dish.
But it was cloudy & rainy last week, and I was craving comfort food. It didn’t matter that it was still 95 degrees – I see rain, and I automatically crave pasta. It’s a disease.
And since I’m heading to New York in a few weeks, I thought I would prepare for my upcoming Babbo reservation by making a Mario Batali inspired pasta. I stuck to the recipe for the most part, but added a touch of pesto at the end, along with fresh pecorino. Save this recipe for the winter (or if you’re like me, a rainy day).
Lamb Ragu with Basil Pesto (inspired by Mario Batali’s Egg Pasta with Lamb Sauce)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 bunch basil leaves, finely chopped
1/4 pound pancetta, finely diced
1 1/2 pounds lamb shoulder, cut into small chunks
Salt and pepper
1 cup dry red wine (Mario uses white, but I prefer red)
1 (12-ounce) can San Marzano tomatoes
3/4 pound linguini or pappardelle
1/4 cup basil pesto
1/4 cup pecorino
In a large, fairly deep skillet, heat the olive oil over high heat until almost smoking. Add the onion, carrot, basil and pancetta and cook over medium-high heat until the pancetta fat has been completely rendered. Season the lamb with salt and pepper and add it to the pan, cooking until it is browned. Add the wine, let it cook 5 minutes, then add the tomatoes and 4 cups boiling water. Season with salt and pepper and cook, covered, until the meat is tender. With a slotted spoon, remove the meat and keep it warm, then add the pasta to the sauce and cook until al dente. When the pasta is cooked, return the meat to the pan, stir gently over heat for a few minutes and divide evenly among 4 warmed pasta bowls to serve.
Top pasta with a spoonful of basil pesto & dust with grated pecorino cheese.
