Product Placement

I cannot resist sharing that I feel I have stumbled across a must-have product for the pedi-free winter months! Check out these press-on toenails!!! Granted, they are a bit scarily clawlike in length, but they were just perfect for my Saturday night Phantom outing. SCORE! It was a blast to my middle-school Lee Press-On past! Who knew?!

Lunch at ABC Kitchen

On MLK Day, my friend Leora and I took advantage of the holiday to hit ABC Kitchen for lunch. The farm-to-table restaurant north of Union Square won the James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant in 2011.

I'd planned to do the prix fixe, but Leora and I were both uninspired by the offerings, so we ordered from the regular lunch menu.

First course: roasted kabocha squash toast with ricotta and apple cider vinegar. One of the best things I've eaten this year! Mark Bittman of the NYT posted a Thanksgiving video with Jean Georges showing how to make it. Can't wait to try it myself.

Next up: line caught tuna sashimi marinated with ginger and mint, and raw diver sea scallops with chili pepper and raddish. We preferred the sashimi, but it was fun to taste both.

We wanted to share our entrees, so they split them for us in the kitchen. Classy! Black sea bass with chilies and herbs, spinach and basil.

Arctic char with roasted vegetables and some kind of puree.

Roasted brussels sprouts in a yummy, spicy sauce.

And now...the grand finale...honestly, I can't stop thinking about this dessert! I have been obsessed with caramel corn on desserts ever since Mom's 60th birthday dinner at American Seasons in Nantucket. This salted caramel ice cream sundae was THE BOMB. And you can make it yourself! What do y'all think the chances are of finding salted caramel ice cream at the Quincy Winn Dixie?

Dinner at WD-50

One of my ideas for beating the winter blues is to go to some restaurants I've had on my radar. I figure this time of year there are fewer tourists, so it's easier to get a table at some really popular spots.

Neil, Nate, Travis and I hit WD-50 on a Wednesday night in mid-January. I'd gotten some good news at work that day, so the boys indulged me in doing the full tasting menu of 11 courses. Travis even got the wine pairings with me, which I must say was a most EXCELLENT decision! It added so much to the meal...I had forgotten how much I love doing that.

Before we begin, let me just say I think this place is missing a big communication opportunity, as the few words on the menu really don't do justice to the explanation of ingredients the waiter gives with each course. Maybe I should have taken notes? Nevertheless, here's the show and tell...

Course: NIGIRI, SALSIFY, SEAWEED, SESAME

Wine: Cava Reserva 'Avinyó' J. Esteve Nadal Brut Nature NV / Penedes, Spain

Verdict: Kind of like a really nice bite of smoky sushi. But I may have to seek out that wine!

Course: SWEET SHRIMP, 'PINE NEEDLES', CHESTNUT, CRANBERRY

Wine: Cava Reserva 'Avinyó' J. Esteve Nadal Brut Nature NV / Penedes, Spain

Verdict: Loved the brushstroke presentation. Flavor was interesting, but I really don't love chestnuts. Coolest part was the "pine needles," which was some in-house creation involving a gelatin-like substance and pine essence.  

Course: PHO GRAS

Wine: Amoroso Oloroso El Maestro Sierra NV / Jerez, Spain

Verdict: Exceptional! Loved the presentation. The foie gras sort of dissolved in the heavenly broth. Would have been out of this world had the broth not been sort of tepid. Check out the funky cracker, which I think is basically a high-class pork rind.

Course: BONE MARROW, POTATO, POMEGRANATE, PEPPER STREUSEL

Wine: Pouilly-Fuissé 'Marie-Antoinette' JJ Vincent 2010 / Burgundy, France

Verdict: Loved the eye appeal. Flavor...not so memorable. There were some nice crunchies for texture.

Course: BAY SCALLOP, PEAR, OATMEAL-NORI

Wine: Pouilly-Fuissé 'Marie-Antoinette' JJ Vincent 2010 / Burgundy, France

Verdict: The subtly flavored scallop wafers were my favorite part. Points for playfulness: they almost looked like styrofoam. Possibly the freshest scallops I've ever tasted.

CRAB TOAST, SAFFRON, KAFFIR-YOGURT, ARARE

Pinot Noir Rosé Ponzi Vineyards 2011 / Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA
Verdict: Apparently I was so busy enjoying this course that I forgot to take a photo and had to get this one from Neil. 

Course: BLACK BASS, SQUASH, CHERRY, JUNIPER, COUS COUS²

Wine: Beaujolais Nouveau ‘L’Ancien’ Jean-Paul Brun Domaine Terres Dorées 2012 / Burgundy, France

Verdict: Loved this one! The fish was moist and flavorful, and the plate featured three kinds of squash, with one piece cleverly cut to look like a peach.

Course: SQUAB, TOMATO HUMMUS, PICKLED TURNIPS, TZATZIKI

Wine: Zinfandel 'Old and Mature Vines' Scherrer 2007 / Alexander Valley, California, USA

Verdict: More wafers...I think these were an herby sort? Did not love this one. My vocabulary failed me; I thought squab was seafood instead of foul, and my taste buds didn't adjust.

Course: FLAT IRON, MUSHROOM JERKY, GRAPE, VERJUS

Wine: ‘Cuvée Pif’ Clos Roche Blanche 2011 / Loire Valley, France

Verdict: The jerkey was the most interesting part of this one.

COCONUT, CUCUMBER, PINEAPPLE, CHARTREUSE
Best. Palate. Cleanser. Ever.

Course: YUZU MILK ICE, HAZELNUT, JACKFRUIT, BASIL

Wine: Late Harvest Torrontés ‘Tardío’ Santa Julia 2011 / Mendoza, Argentina

Verdict: This was incredible! It looked like a hunk of angel food cake. It was a perfect segue from the palate cleanser to the chocolate course. The little crunchy bits were delightful.

Course: S'MORES, BITTER COCOA, MERINGUE, BLACK CURRANT

Wine: Porto Quinta do Noval 'Black' NV / Douro, Portugal

Verdict: A perfect ending. The "marshmallow" was actually ice cream. Not quite as inventive as what my friend Angust commented when I posted this pic on Facebook: If that's Wd50, then the marshmallow is really a potato, the chocolate sauce is gravy, and the brownie/graham cracker is a cut of beef, no? And where's the liquid nitrogen?

Last Bite: WHITE CHOCOLATE, GJETOST
This was heaven in a ball. I think gjetost must be something like caramel? O.M.G.

All in all, definitely glad I went...but it doesn't compare to my initial foray into molecular gastronomy, which was at The Fat Duck outside of London. Still, I had no idea what to expect when I went there, whereas I went into WD-50 expecting to be dazzled.

I would not recommend this to anyone but serious foodies, as I think you have to be really fascinated by flavors, textures and presentation to enjoy it. But I'm very glad to have experienced it, and very glad we went all out with the full deal and the wines!

Sunday stroll

A recent Sunday was sunny and 50ish, so I headed to north Manhattan, around the George Washington Bridge, to stroll around The Cloisters. Trying to make the most of these short days!

Foie Gross

Travis and I went to see the Munch exhibit at MoMA, followed by brunch at Norma's in Le Parker Meridien.

We were both initially delighted and overwhelmed by the menu, possibly the most creative and appealing selection of brunch dishes I've ever seen.

The arepa with chorizo and eggs sunny side up was a winner, but the foie gras French toast with asparagus and mushrooms was, well, foie gross. And it was $32!

Never have I seem a dish so suitable for a tapas-sized serving. How would anyone eat more than a few bites of this? Blech.

Adventures with Travey

On this cold December day...how about a summer flashback?

When I was prepping for my Spain trip, I woke up one Saturday and walked from my place to the South Street Seaport (I went the long way around Battery Park, so I think it was a good four-mile warmup). Travis met me at the water, and we rode the free Ikea Ferry to Red Hook for lunch and urban exploring. We sampled what is supposedly "the best" key lime pie at Steve's Authentic Key Lime Pies. Then we pretended we were at the beach and feasted at Brooklyn Crab, where Travis channeled his hometown roots to show me how to eat crabs like a Maryland native.

Reflecting on this is a bit bittersweet, as you may know Red Hook sustained a lot of damage in Hurricane Sandy. I just looked at the website for Steve's pies, and they are back in business after a rough couple of weeks, with more repairs to come. The crab shack looks over a huge Fairway supermarket that I believe was completely flooded, with all of the inventory discarded.

Here's hoping Red Hook is returning to normal and sunnier days like this one last August are in store again...

Dinner at Marea

Adam and I decided to treat ourselves to a phancy weeknight dinner recently. We hit Marea on Central Park South and scored two great seats at the bar right before it started to fill up. 

Each of us opted for the four-course prix fixe. The menu was rather overwhelming, so I just asked the waiter to choose my dishes. We added on this starter, which is one of their signatures: 

RICCI: sea urchin, lardo, sea salt

I didn't take my camera, so all of these photos are from their website. This was my main course:

CAPESANTE: seared sea scallops, roasted cauli ower, capers, endive, currants, bagna cauda


However, Adam and I both agreed his roasted guinnea hen with porcini, sunchoke, brussels sprouts, pearl onion, and apple blew the scallops out of the water. When the waiter tells you to order the guinnea hen at a seafood place, you know it's good stuff...

Other dishes included
POLIPO: grilled octopus, smoked potatoes, pickled red onions, radish, chilies, tonnato

FUSILLI: red wine braised octopus, bone marrow

SPAGHETTI: crab, Santa Barbara sea urchin, basil

Our desserts were:

SEMIFREDDO DI NOCCIOLA:
piedmont hazelnut, dark chocolate, grapefruit, anise mascarpone
CROSTATA DI MIRTILLI:
huckleberries, ricotta crema, candied squash, sicilian pistachio, lemon sorbet


Should have snapped a photo of those, as I couldn't find the images on the website. Nevertheless, the Huckleberry tart was the clear winner in the dessert category. Definitely a big weeknight splurge, but it was truly a memorable meal and just such a treat! Adam is a wonderful dining companion, always up for anything. We have another special meal planned for Tuesday, and I will try to do a better job on photos, not to mention more timely posting...