**Before I start this entry, I'd like to thank the people at The Whisk and Ladle AND Harold McGee and his wonderful book "On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen.' The entry wouldn't be here if it weren't for them.
http://www.thewhiskandladle.com
My roommate, partner in cooking crime, and eventual 'Tompkins' co-owner Anna works with an array of interesting people. One of them is involved with a Supper Club called the Whisk and Ladle. TW&L operates out of a loft apartment in Brooklyn. Normally they do weekly or monthly dinners for reserved guests and small parties. However, a friend of the people that run it asked them to cater their upcoming wedding. When you're feeding 120 people, its going to take more pairs of hands to get the job done. Luckily for Ms Jones, Anna was asked to help out and to bring me along to put my idle hands to work.
After taking the train, a bus, and walking a number of blocks (because we got off the bus too soon, haha) through some beautiful park areas of the city, we arrived at TW&L house around 11:30 am. The apartment itself was unique, or at least in terms of the places I've seen since I've been in the city. It was a bit cluttered due to the size of the task being undertaken, BUT here's an idea of the layout. A staircase splits the main living space as soon as you walk in. On a 45 degree angle to the right side you see a huge island in the middle of the kitchen. This island is topped with a cutting friendly surface and book-ended with more counter space (looks to be added on by the residents of the place itself). Adjacent to the island is literally a wooden swing suspended from the ceiling. Beyond the kitchen is a table then a bar space with stool seating. At a 90- degree angle to the right of the front door is a foyer type area with a full bathroom in the corner. To the left of the staircase is more foyer space and then at a 45 degree angle to the left is the living room. Couches, etc. Beyond that living area is a dining area. Separating the bar area on the right from the dining area on the left is a free standing boxed in room. I'm not sure what/who resides in said boxed room, but on top is storage and a few seats. If you go up the staircase, there's the rest of the living quarters.
Its in this space that the Whisk and Ladle holds its Supper Club dinner and parties...but this particular day, the focus was prepping and cooking for the evening wedding reception following a late afternoon wedding.
I had gotten an idea of what was going to be served from Anna a couple days ahead of time, but wasn't 100% sure of all that was already done OR what still needed to be done. We arrived and were introduced to most of the people that really make up the core of Whisk and Ladle staff.
Right away we were put to work. I was given the task of peeling and pressing a TON of garlic for the 'Trio of Guacamoles' and Anna was in charge of splitting, pitting, and scooping the flesh out of ripe avocados. Pressing and avocado-ing led to small talk and from there we were able to determine more of the dishes that were going to be served for dinner.
In talking with TW&L staff, they said that with a group of people working to come up with a menu, there were alot of great ideas brought to the table for this event. However, the bride and groom were able to weed through the list they were presented with and put together a simple, elegant, and most importantly, LIGHT menu with complimentary flavors.
Appetizers would be laid out and ready for the guests when they arrived around 4:30. This consisted of beef or vegetarian empanadas, an amazing ceviche, and the guacamole trio. The empanadas were all handmade and I had the pleasure of sampling a vegetarian one. It was sweet and savory, filled with sweet potato, peppers, a couple different kinds of squash, and onion. The dough was crispy on the outside and not too dense throughout. A peach salsa was served on the side, but I really don't think it was even necessary. Three different kinds of guacamole were prepped as well: regular, mango, and a black bean and beet version. Served with corn tortilla chips and plantain chips, all three were great! Well balanced, no ingredients overpowering each other, and the beet guac had an amazing burgundy color similar to borscht. I was really impressed with the flavor of the mango because I had tried mango salsa before, but never mixed with avocado. The textures went well together and again, balanced each other out when it came to flavor. Sweet and smooth.
My favorite of all the appetizers HAD to be the ceviche, which had been prepared by the time we got there and was ready to go in a GIANT container. For those of you who don't know, Ceviche is a dish that has it origins in the northers coast of South America. Small cubes (or thin slices) of raw fish are 'cooked' by immersing them in citrus juice and other acidic liquids. Onions, chili peppers, and other seasonings are usually added to the mix and the whole thing is left to marinate for at least a few hours, depending on how much one wants the texture and appearance of the fish to change. As it sits in the acidic bath, the muscle tissues' proteins denature and coagulate and the fish's normally gel like and translucent tissue becomes opaque and firm to the touch. However, it exhibits none of the flavor changes that high temperature cooked fish does. Sounds bizarre when you explain it a-la-Harold McGee, but essentially, the acid in the marinade cooks the fish. Its a giant vat of cold fish stew that you can literally throw it all together and have it all set in a few hours. This particular ceviche used mild white fish (you never want to use something that you wouldn't eat cold and something that takes on flavors particularly well...i've seen it work with lobster and shrimp), lime juice, red onion, and fresh strawberries. Brilliant and refreshing. The fish was soft and melted in your mouth, but was still firm to the point where it didn't flake off the fork. The berries took on the tang of the lime juice exceptionally well...almost like a sour strawberry candy that didn't make your face scrunch up in pleasure (or pain if you are crazy enough NOT to love sour candy). The bar also opened up during the appetizer portion of the night and we watched glasses of chardonnay, homemade sangria, and mojitos empty as the evening went on.
As for the main courses, three pots full of coconut rice were on the stove cooking away when we got to the apartment and Nick was cleaning and cutting Tilapia filets, which would eventually be put in the oven to bake. The rice and TIlapia would be the main fillings to the 'Make Your Own Fish Taco' bar in the middle of the buffet lines at dinner. Other taco toppings included a homemade yogurt-cilantro sauce, fresh tomatoes, lettuce, and red onion. Shells would be skillet-warmed corn tortillas.
On either side of the central M-Y-O Fish Taco bar would be salads and two kinds of enchiladas (steak and veggie). The first salad was roasted tomatoes, onions, and avocados on top of field greens. Have I mentioned how much I love the buttery texture of avocados yet? Because I do. The second salad was a crisp and fruity sweet corn and jicama slaw. Jicama is one of those root vegetables that I think everyone should try even if they are skeptical. Lets be honest here, I think everyone should try everything once! Some foods are sorely underappreciated...expand your minds and stomachs people!
Going into Harold McGee mode again, jicama is the swollen storage root of Pachyrhizus erosus (a South American member of the bean family). The highlight of its character is a sturdy crispness, which it even retains after cooking. If i had to compare the crunch of jicama to something, it would probably be along the same lines as Oshiniko (as seen in Japanese cold appetizers and maki rolls) , or a less nutty water chestnut. The spherical root veggie can keep for long periods of time without discoloration...although once you taste it, I'm sure you won't let it sit for very long before devouring it all.
Back to the slaw. The julienned jicama was tossed with diced mango, sweet corn, cilantro, and I even discovered grapefruit in the mix. Needless to say, the color was as vibrant and bright as the taste. The third was a black bean salad with onions and tomatoes. Balancing out the jicama and corn slaw, this bean salad had a a vinegary taste and smell to it, kind of like a black bean relish. Still wonderfully light for the amazingly humid and sunny afternoon/evening. I cant say anything about the enchiladas because I didn't sample them. But everything I heard from folks was that they were a huge hit.
SO that was the first and main course of the whole meal. Dessert was done in the perfect manner. Light and simple, just like everything else that had been done that afternoon/evening. Guests had their choice of one of (or both, lol) homemade Key Lime Pie with fresh whipped cream and Tres Leches cake topped with fresh blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries. If you look up Tres Leches (cake of three milks) up on Wikipedia...this is what you'll find. And I quote: "A Tres leches cake, or Pastel de Tres leches cake is literally a cake soaked in three kinds of milk: condensed, evaporated, and either whole milk or heavy cream. Since butter is not often used in in the cake itself, tres leches is a very light cake, with many air bubbles. This distinct texture is why, although it is soaked in a mixture of three types of milk, it does not have a soggy consistency." If you read further, you'll discover that this cake has origins in (or disputed origins) Mexico and Nicaragua and is quite popular in many areas of Latin America, which makes it a no-brainer for this wedding menu. The air pockets in the cake absorb all the liquid and makes it taste so rich while being gentle on the stomach. I'd liken it to a super moist, but not soaked, pound cake. Fabulous. The Key Lime pie was amazing as well, playing off the bright, crisp flavors in each part of the full meal.
Judging from the faces of the guests, they were unbelievably happy with the entire day. A beautiful wedding day just made that much better by sharing an amazing meal with the ones you love. Rather touching I'd say. Again, thank you SO SO SO much to everyone at the Whisk and Ladle for allowing me to be a small part of a hugely successful undertaking. They are so passionate about what they do and it really shows. They are completely professional and on top of their game and you saw that from the start of the day to the very end. If there's anything similar to a Supper Club around your personal area, I highly encourage you guys to check it out. They're like diamonds in the rough, you know?
ps - **I may have gotten a couple ingredients wrong here...because some of the prep work I wasn't able to actually see...
Next up....the good and the bad about school at the FCI.....stay tuned!
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
First NYC eats Reviews
Now since I've been in the city, I've had the chance to check out a few places around where I live and a couple further out. The first night I got into town, I swung by a place called Soho. Its directly next to a 24 hour gym and caters to that crowd ALOT. Fresh salads, custom made to order, breakfast served all day, killer wraps, and fabulous healthy options. I had a grilled vegetable wrap with roasted red peppers, portabello mushrooms, zucchini, eggplant, and mesculun greens. All this was grilled then tossed with a balsamic vinaigrette on a garlic wrap. I was totally impressed at the freshness of the ingredients and the HUGE selection they had catering to people with different dietary needs. Breakfasts of egg white omelets, fresh oatmeal with an array of fruit toppings, whole grain pancakes and waffles...it pays off to be connected with a fitness center. They even offer free delivery and a smoothie bar. The owner, Peter, is super nice too. I have been back there twice so far. Once for a salad after a late night out and once for breakfast when my father was in town. Chances are, that place will be my best friend after school lets out at 8:30pm.
The roommate and I have also been making frequent trips to Kumo, a japanese restaurant on Ditmars. Cash only, but they offer a huge selection of sushi and sashimi at incredibly reasonable prices. This is one of the rare japanese places where you can say you really got what you paid for. I've had the wakame, veggie rolls, lobster roll, yellowtail scallion roll, and found my hands down, favorite roll: the Angel Roll. Black pepper tuna & crunch inside with eel, salmon, avocado, and tobiko on top. 8 giant pieces for $8.25. They also do free delivery and check out their lunch specials if you can.
My first friday in the city, Anna and I had reservations at Les Halles on John St. Yes, Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles. Now before you start thinking everything has to be out of this world haute cuisine and exorbitantly priced...Les Halles is a Brasserie. A Brasserie is a café doubling as a restaurant with a relaxed setting. In the laid back atmosphere, it serves single dishes and other meals. The service is profession though, and they do have printed menus (unlike a bistro, which may have neither). Typically, a brasserie is open every day of the week and the same menu is served all day. The word 'brasserie' is also French for brewery, by extension, "the brewing business". All these principles hold true to Les Halles. They are open 7 days a week, serve Lunch and Dinner nonstop from 11:30am - midnight, and now even offer breakfast Monday - Friday at 7:30 am. Walking inside was inviting. The lights were low, but not too low as to where you couldn't see your meal or the person across from you. Dark woods, matching walls, and tiny white cloth covered tables squeezed so close even Anna and I had to move them to get into the back seats! Our waiter was more than patient as we debated between mussels and pommes frites...even more helpful once he noticed (from licenses) that we were from Ohio. I had the Salade d'Avocat et Crevettes (grilled shrimp and avocado with a lemon vinaigrette) and a side of legumes grills (duh, girlled veggies). Anna went with Les Halles Fitness, which was a selection of 5 vegetables as well as 6 oz of your choice of beef, chicken, fish, or shrimp. I think the simplicity of Brasserie food is what you really have to look at. Its not hard to prepare, but its delicious if its done well. Here, it was done well. The vegetables were crisp but not undercooked, the shrimp were great sized and tender, and my lemon vinaigrette matched the creamy texture of the avocado topped with the crunch of frisee and a bit of mixed greens. Anna's 'Fitness' had about 6 french fries on the plate, which Les Halles offers with most of their meat courses and even with the full orders of mussels. We were actually a little disappointed with their texture and taste...BUT really...they're french fries. So we liked it for the mood that was set inside and the artwork on the walls, and the simple dishes done well. Doubt we'd go out of our way to go back again, but we're such Bourdain freaks that we had to investigate at least once. Next time, if there is one...we'll do brunch for sure.
Just a short walk from Les Halles was our next stop: Chinatown Ice Cream Factory. Anna and I are both loyal fans of Wow Cow softserve, which is hearbreaking news to the Tasti-D stores in the area. Its also the reason we've got a Cuisinart soft serve machine in the pantry and actual Wow Cow mix to make whenever we please. But we've started a new tradition in our new place, we're going to treat ourselves big time once a month. Now this culinary treat might be going for pancakes or a slice of Juniors Cheescake (maybe in September, haha), but this time it was REAL hard-pack ice cream. There's standard flavors at CIF as well as rotating new creations and sorbets. They even have Taro and Lychee flavors! I went with a scoop of Black Cherry Pistachio and a scoop of the new Zen Butter. This was peanut butter ice cream with toasted sesame seeds mixed in. Anna went with the Zen Butter and the Almond Cookie that had pieces of fortune cookie throughout. We take our ice cream very seriously since we don't have it often...and the Zen Butter really gave us that moment of Zen. I don't think either of us 1) said a word to each other and 2) looked up to see where we were walking because we were so engrossed in ice cream heaven. Worth the splurge? Most definitely.
My father and his culinary ambition arrived a few days after I did, but he came with the rest of my worldly possessions. Once all was unpacked, we just took it easy and hit up Kumo because we knew it had to be good. The next morning, we went to the much hailed Mike's Diner on Ditmars for breakfast before heading to Yankee Stadium. Mikes is open 24 hours and you can get breakfast anytime you want. (Which you thankfully see alot here. Seeing as breakfast is my favorite meal of the day...) Along the same lines as Soho, lots of healthier options when it comes to morning meals. Egg whites, fruit, waffles, etc. They also offer things like a Mediterranean Breakfast, which is waffles, pancakes, or french toast topped with greek yogurt, honey, walnuts and fresh fruit, Their french toast is made with either Challah or Multi Grain bread and for those a little less worried about what they're eating, have the traditional Irish Breakfst with black & white pudding. gulp.
A full lunch, dinner, and dessert menu is offered as well.
Dad had the 'Lumberjack' with 3 pancakes, two eggs, and breakfast meat. He also ended up eating my potatoes that came with my breakfast, even though I asked them not to put them on the plate. I had the garden omelet with my choice of fillings. (i chose broccoli, spinach, mushrooms, and zucchini) with a dry english muffin and fruit on the side. The fruit was decent sized for $3.50 and had citrus fruits, grapes, pineapple, and melon. The omelet was HUGE and there, for a change, were recognizable chunks of my vegetable selection inside of it. Impressive and hot sauce rounded everything out nicely. Taking a look at the potatoes that I pawned off on Dad, they were chunky and pan fried as well, with peppers and onions. And they smelled terrific as well. Thumbs up for Mikes Diner. I went there recently for dinner and picked up the Veggie Breakfast Wrap with egg whites, peppers, onions, tomato, broccoli, and mushrooms. Thankfully they were able to cram that all into a fresh tortilla.
Another stop on my culinary tour with Dad was Charley O's in the Hells Kitchen area near Times Square. We went there after browsing the area a bit with Jessica and Joe Carter (not the baseball player). Its got two locations (we went to the one on 8th Ave and 45th Street) and has been around for over 50 years. Because of the area it was in, it was more expensive than any place I've been in the city so far. Not usually my style, but it was decent for what it was. The waitstaff was super helpful and my salmon just fell apart. It was served on sauteed spinach and topped with green olives, capers, and tomatoes. My dining companions had pasta dishes with meat, so I can't attest to their flavor but nothing was sent back. The only complaint my dad had was there was too much (what?!) mozarella on his fried eggplant. Was it that or the fact that the meal itself was HUGE?! Hmmmm...
Later that night, we hit up a comedy club with the Carters and Joe was able to get the dessert he had been wanting all night. A slice of Juniors Cheesecake. I referenced it earlier as a possible upcoming splurge for the Ms Jones Kitchen staff, and it will be well worth it. The slice was gigantic, browned in all the right spots, and the crust was moist, but not mushy. Personally, my favorite part of any cheesecake is where the cake meets the round edge of the pan. You know, the part you run a knife around before popping the sides of the springform pan. A golden brown color lined this part of the slice, so you knew that it was going to be perfectly cooked. Creamy, decadent...Juniors makes a whole line of specialty and seasonal cheesecakes as well as pastries too. One of these days, we'll be reviewing their Strawberry Shortcake Cheesecake, which is yellow cake encasing layers of whipped cream and fresh strawberries and a center of strawberry cheesecake. Its like my two biggest dessert indulgences had a high calorie baby.
Dad's final full day in NYC was a great one culinarily (is that even a word) speaking. We got our breakfast at Soho (egg white omelet, english muffin, and fruit for me. Omelet, toast, taters, and banana oatmeal for Dad) then set off for more sightseeing. In the middle of the day we grabbed snacks at Chelsea Market...I recommend the Semolina Sesame rolls from Amy's Bread...and continued on our way. We were supposed to make reservations at L'Ecole (the FCI's student run restaurant) but because of the horrible weather and a change to Anna's work schedule, we cancelled them. I think it was for the best 1) because I want my folks to experience that aspect of my school together and 2) we went to Taverna Kyclades instead. I had watched the lines at this place be consistently out the door each and every night since I moved to Astoria. Anna went there with her mother once and said there's a good reason for that. We only had to wait about 15 minutes for the table and the service was amazing from the start. Very helpful waitstaff and they brought piping hot bread to you along with your drinks. Taverna specializes in Greek cuisine with special attention to seafood. Lots of Mediterranean appetizers, like the Lima Beans in Tomato Sauce that my father ordered. Their sides are unusual as far as regular restaurant sides go, but the norm when referencing Greek style cuisine. The Roasted Lemon Potatoes are cooked to the point that they look like mangos when they are brought out. Other options are Steamed Dandelions and Sliced Beets. Anna and I decided to split the small Peasant Salad (which was like a meal in itself) with cucumbers, Kalamata olives, onions, tomatoes, and (2 GIANT blocks) of fresh feta. For entrees, she ordered the Grilled Whiting with Dandelions (basically just like collard or mustard greens) and I decided on the Broiled Scallops and Beets. To come after his giant plate of Lima Beans, Dad got Grilled Baby Shark with Garlic Dip and rice on the side. I'm not sure how he finished it all honestly. Anna and I ended up having enough food for two days afterwards. The only part of our meals that she and I finished were the beets, which were served with whole garlic cloves. Each piece of seafood was perfectly cooked and melted as you chewed. No fancy seasoning was needed, just a little vinegar for the Dandelion greens and we were in heaven! At the end of the meal when we thought we couldn't eat any more, the waitress brought us two surprises. Over the course of waitress/customer conversation, it was established that none of us had been there before and Anna and I were really new to the Astoria area. So she brought all THREE of us huge Taverna Kyclades coffee mugs to take home AND complimentary dessert. It was hard to figure out what it was and she wouldn't give away any information besides the fact that there was semolina in it. In dissecting my mound of sweets, we discovered that it was encased in a few sheets of phyllo puff pastry dough and drizzled with cinnamon and honey. The filling was warm and to the naked eye it looked like a custard-like cream but it actually had the texture of cream of wheat (where the semolina comes in). It was light, but none of us (except Dad) was able to polish that off after a stellar feast like the one we had to take home with us in doggy bags. Taverna Kyclades is open for lunch and does free delivery. http://www.tavernakyclades.com
Since then, we've mainly been cooking at home. Broiling tomatoes, grilling fresh fish...its so nice to have produce and fish markets literally at the corner of every street so you can grab what you need on the way home from work. We did go to one Japanese restaurant, Mottsu, on Mott Street in Soho before going over to Crash Mansion for a show. The highlight of that trip was the Nolita roll. Roasted red peppers, olives, and garlic. Little Italy in seaweed. We'd rather go to Kumo for the taste and for the value really.
Other cooking adventures had in our rumpus room so far have been experimenting with the Cuisinart and Wow Cow mix. First trial run was with Angel Food Cake flavoring. Its never going to compare with the commercial grade machines that work hard at Mr Freeze, but after mixing (or maybe over mixing) and allowing more set up time in the freezer, we had our Wow Cow feast! Its going to take a couple more trial runs to get the consistency right, but we are well on our way to homemade guilt free frozen yogurt anytime we want!
So far NYC food has done nothing but excite me. I have one more update to get to before diving headfirst into the Classic Pastry Arts program at the French Culinary Institute (ONE WEEK FROM TODAY!). This will come in the next day or so and its going to cover the Whisk and Ladle SupperClub's take on a wedding feast.
Any suggestions for spots in the city I should taste and review? Let me know!
The roommate and I have also been making frequent trips to Kumo, a japanese restaurant on Ditmars. Cash only, but they offer a huge selection of sushi and sashimi at incredibly reasonable prices. This is one of the rare japanese places where you can say you really got what you paid for. I've had the wakame, veggie rolls, lobster roll, yellowtail scallion roll, and found my hands down, favorite roll: the Angel Roll. Black pepper tuna & crunch inside with eel, salmon, avocado, and tobiko on top. 8 giant pieces for $8.25. They also do free delivery and check out their lunch specials if you can.
My first friday in the city, Anna and I had reservations at Les Halles on John St. Yes, Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles. Now before you start thinking everything has to be out of this world haute cuisine and exorbitantly priced...Les Halles is a Brasserie. A Brasserie is a café doubling as a restaurant with a relaxed setting. In the laid back atmosphere, it serves single dishes and other meals. The service is profession though, and they do have printed menus (unlike a bistro, which may have neither). Typically, a brasserie is open every day of the week and the same menu is served all day. The word 'brasserie' is also French for brewery, by extension, "the brewing business". All these principles hold true to Les Halles. They are open 7 days a week, serve Lunch and Dinner nonstop from 11:30am - midnight, and now even offer breakfast Monday - Friday at 7:30 am. Walking inside was inviting. The lights were low, but not too low as to where you couldn't see your meal or the person across from you. Dark woods, matching walls, and tiny white cloth covered tables squeezed so close even Anna and I had to move them to get into the back seats! Our waiter was more than patient as we debated between mussels and pommes frites...even more helpful once he noticed (from licenses) that we were from Ohio. I had the Salade d'Avocat et Crevettes (grilled shrimp and avocado with a lemon vinaigrette) and a side of legumes grills (duh, girlled veggies). Anna went with Les Halles Fitness, which was a selection of 5 vegetables as well as 6 oz of your choice of beef, chicken, fish, or shrimp. I think the simplicity of Brasserie food is what you really have to look at. Its not hard to prepare, but its delicious if its done well. Here, it was done well. The vegetables were crisp but not undercooked, the shrimp were great sized and tender, and my lemon vinaigrette matched the creamy texture of the avocado topped with the crunch of frisee and a bit of mixed greens. Anna's 'Fitness' had about 6 french fries on the plate, which Les Halles offers with most of their meat courses and even with the full orders of mussels. We were actually a little disappointed with their texture and taste...BUT really...they're french fries. So we liked it for the mood that was set inside and the artwork on the walls, and the simple dishes done well. Doubt we'd go out of our way to go back again, but we're such Bourdain freaks that we had to investigate at least once. Next time, if there is one...we'll do brunch for sure.
Just a short walk from Les Halles was our next stop: Chinatown Ice Cream Factory. Anna and I are both loyal fans of Wow Cow softserve, which is hearbreaking news to the Tasti-D stores in the area. Its also the reason we've got a Cuisinart soft serve machine in the pantry and actual Wow Cow mix to make whenever we please. But we've started a new tradition in our new place, we're going to treat ourselves big time once a month. Now this culinary treat might be going for pancakes or a slice of Juniors Cheescake (maybe in September, haha), but this time it was REAL hard-pack ice cream. There's standard flavors at CIF as well as rotating new creations and sorbets. They even have Taro and Lychee flavors! I went with a scoop of Black Cherry Pistachio and a scoop of the new Zen Butter. This was peanut butter ice cream with toasted sesame seeds mixed in. Anna went with the Zen Butter and the Almond Cookie that had pieces of fortune cookie throughout. We take our ice cream very seriously since we don't have it often...and the Zen Butter really gave us that moment of Zen. I don't think either of us 1) said a word to each other and 2) looked up to see where we were walking because we were so engrossed in ice cream heaven. Worth the splurge? Most definitely.
My father and his culinary ambition arrived a few days after I did, but he came with the rest of my worldly possessions. Once all was unpacked, we just took it easy and hit up Kumo because we knew it had to be good. The next morning, we went to the much hailed Mike's Diner on Ditmars for breakfast before heading to Yankee Stadium. Mikes is open 24 hours and you can get breakfast anytime you want. (Which you thankfully see alot here. Seeing as breakfast is my favorite meal of the day...) Along the same lines as Soho, lots of healthier options when it comes to morning meals. Egg whites, fruit, waffles, etc. They also offer things like a Mediterranean Breakfast, which is waffles, pancakes, or french toast topped with greek yogurt, honey, walnuts and fresh fruit, Their french toast is made with either Challah or Multi Grain bread and for those a little less worried about what they're eating, have the traditional Irish Breakfst with black & white pudding. gulp.
A full lunch, dinner, and dessert menu is offered as well.
Dad had the 'Lumberjack' with 3 pancakes, two eggs, and breakfast meat. He also ended up eating my potatoes that came with my breakfast, even though I asked them not to put them on the plate. I had the garden omelet with my choice of fillings. (i chose broccoli, spinach, mushrooms, and zucchini) with a dry english muffin and fruit on the side. The fruit was decent sized for $3.50 and had citrus fruits, grapes, pineapple, and melon. The omelet was HUGE and there, for a change, were recognizable chunks of my vegetable selection inside of it. Impressive and hot sauce rounded everything out nicely. Taking a look at the potatoes that I pawned off on Dad, they were chunky and pan fried as well, with peppers and onions. And they smelled terrific as well. Thumbs up for Mikes Diner. I went there recently for dinner and picked up the Veggie Breakfast Wrap with egg whites, peppers, onions, tomato, broccoli, and mushrooms. Thankfully they were able to cram that all into a fresh tortilla.
Another stop on my culinary tour with Dad was Charley O's in the Hells Kitchen area near Times Square. We went there after browsing the area a bit with Jessica and Joe Carter (not the baseball player). Its got two locations (we went to the one on 8th Ave and 45th Street) and has been around for over 50 years. Because of the area it was in, it was more expensive than any place I've been in the city so far. Not usually my style, but it was decent for what it was. The waitstaff was super helpful and my salmon just fell apart. It was served on sauteed spinach and topped with green olives, capers, and tomatoes. My dining companions had pasta dishes with meat, so I can't attest to their flavor but nothing was sent back. The only complaint my dad had was there was too much (what?!) mozarella on his fried eggplant. Was it that or the fact that the meal itself was HUGE?! Hmmmm...
Later that night, we hit up a comedy club with the Carters and Joe was able to get the dessert he had been wanting all night. A slice of Juniors Cheesecake. I referenced it earlier as a possible upcoming splurge for the Ms Jones Kitchen staff, and it will be well worth it. The slice was gigantic, browned in all the right spots, and the crust was moist, but not mushy. Personally, my favorite part of any cheesecake is where the cake meets the round edge of the pan. You know, the part you run a knife around before popping the sides of the springform pan. A golden brown color lined this part of the slice, so you knew that it was going to be perfectly cooked. Creamy, decadent...Juniors makes a whole line of specialty and seasonal cheesecakes as well as pastries too. One of these days, we'll be reviewing their Strawberry Shortcake Cheesecake, which is yellow cake encasing layers of whipped cream and fresh strawberries and a center of strawberry cheesecake. Its like my two biggest dessert indulgences had a high calorie baby.
Dad's final full day in NYC was a great one culinarily (is that even a word) speaking. We got our breakfast at Soho (egg white omelet, english muffin, and fruit for me. Omelet, toast, taters, and banana oatmeal for Dad) then set off for more sightseeing. In the middle of the day we grabbed snacks at Chelsea Market...I recommend the Semolina Sesame rolls from Amy's Bread...and continued on our way. We were supposed to make reservations at L'Ecole (the FCI's student run restaurant) but because of the horrible weather and a change to Anna's work schedule, we cancelled them. I think it was for the best 1) because I want my folks to experience that aspect of my school together and 2) we went to Taverna Kyclades instead. I had watched the lines at this place be consistently out the door each and every night since I moved to Astoria. Anna went there with her mother once and said there's a good reason for that. We only had to wait about 15 minutes for the table and the service was amazing from the start. Very helpful waitstaff and they brought piping hot bread to you along with your drinks. Taverna specializes in Greek cuisine with special attention to seafood. Lots of Mediterranean appetizers, like the Lima Beans in Tomato Sauce that my father ordered. Their sides are unusual as far as regular restaurant sides go, but the norm when referencing Greek style cuisine. The Roasted Lemon Potatoes are cooked to the point that they look like mangos when they are brought out. Other options are Steamed Dandelions and Sliced Beets. Anna and I decided to split the small Peasant Salad (which was like a meal in itself) with cucumbers, Kalamata olives, onions, tomatoes, and (2 GIANT blocks) of fresh feta. For entrees, she ordered the Grilled Whiting with Dandelions (basically just like collard or mustard greens) and I decided on the Broiled Scallops and Beets. To come after his giant plate of Lima Beans, Dad got Grilled Baby Shark with Garlic Dip and rice on the side. I'm not sure how he finished it all honestly. Anna and I ended up having enough food for two days afterwards. The only part of our meals that she and I finished were the beets, which were served with whole garlic cloves. Each piece of seafood was perfectly cooked and melted as you chewed. No fancy seasoning was needed, just a little vinegar for the Dandelion greens and we were in heaven! At the end of the meal when we thought we couldn't eat any more, the waitress brought us two surprises. Over the course of waitress/customer conversation, it was established that none of us had been there before and Anna and I were really new to the Astoria area. So she brought all THREE of us huge Taverna Kyclades coffee mugs to take home AND complimentary dessert. It was hard to figure out what it was and she wouldn't give away any information besides the fact that there was semolina in it. In dissecting my mound of sweets, we discovered that it was encased in a few sheets of phyllo puff pastry dough and drizzled with cinnamon and honey. The filling was warm and to the naked eye it looked like a custard-like cream but it actually had the texture of cream of wheat (where the semolina comes in). It was light, but none of us (except Dad) was able to polish that off after a stellar feast like the one we had to take home with us in doggy bags. Taverna Kyclades is open for lunch and does free delivery. http://www.tavernakyclades.com
Since then, we've mainly been cooking at home. Broiling tomatoes, grilling fresh fish...its so nice to have produce and fish markets literally at the corner of every street so you can grab what you need on the way home from work. We did go to one Japanese restaurant, Mottsu, on Mott Street in Soho before going over to Crash Mansion for a show. The highlight of that trip was the Nolita roll. Roasted red peppers, olives, and garlic. Little Italy in seaweed. We'd rather go to Kumo for the taste and for the value really.
Other cooking adventures had in our rumpus room so far have been experimenting with the Cuisinart and Wow Cow mix. First trial run was with Angel Food Cake flavoring. Its never going to compare with the commercial grade machines that work hard at Mr Freeze, but after mixing (or maybe over mixing) and allowing more set up time in the freezer, we had our Wow Cow feast! Its going to take a couple more trial runs to get the consistency right, but we are well on our way to homemade guilt free frozen yogurt anytime we want!
So far NYC food has done nothing but excite me. I have one more update to get to before diving headfirst into the Classic Pastry Arts program at the French Culinary Institute (ONE WEEK FROM TODAY!). This will come in the next day or so and its going to cover the Whisk and Ladle SupperClub's take on a wedding feast.
Any suggestions for spots in the city I should taste and review? Let me know!
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