Friends in the industry have been telling me Cakebread makes a mean chardonnay.
Wow! Were they right.
Not that overly buttery chard you think of when you here California. Great balance and high marks on the yumminess meter.
I picked up a bottle on my way to my buddy's place.
He made mussels, pasta pesto, baked branzino, and affogato last night.
Molto Complamenti!
I actually don't mind if its 4 or 5 eggs in the morning. But deshelling 30 eggs is NOT fun.
Instructions :
Bring up to boil.
Cut heat and cover for 8 minutes.
Cold water bath to stop the cooking.
= Soft Boiled Eggs
Words can't describe how magically delicious Momofuku Compost Cookies are.
Wow are they good! Even priced at $1.85 a cookie, the overall goodness far surpasses its monetary cost.
Every now and then, I like to treat the ladies in the office with a little home cookin'.
Today's Menu :
Mapo Tofu
Slice of Pork Belly Chashu
Pickled Cucumbers
Miso Sauce
White Rice
and it was a pot luck. Most of the people were foreigners, so I needed to represent. Initially, I thought I would make my enchiladas and guacamole. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to do something different. I called Porthos to discuss the menu, and he suggested ribs with a bad ass rub, and chicken wings. He sent me the recipe for the rub, but I couldn't find half of the ingredients, even after going to 5 stores, including an international market and a "spice depot." This leaves the wings.
1. You should always have ample refrigerator space for the finished product.
2. If not, make sure you have a ton of dry ice to keep the sugars from melting.
3. You should have a vehicle capable of transporting your 200lbs. wedding cake from point A to point B.
4. If not, make sure your Best Man has a vehicle capable of transporting your 200lbs. wedding cake from point A to point B.
Congratulations Kohji !!!
I started my day yesterday at 4:30am, making sushi for high school students in the Upper West Side. Then a barrage of meetings here and there, finally finishing up at the Plaza Hotel around 9pm.
I had zero desire to cook for myself so I grabbed my co-workers and we all went to Wu Liang Ye and dined like kings. Or should I say, "Emperor".
I have always wanted to go here but never could round up people. That is until yesterday.
Wu Liang Ye - Highly Recommended
(I'm thinking like all Chinese joints, it helps when you speak their language and convey you specifically came here for authenticity)
36 W 48th St (btw 5th and 6th)
NY, NY 10036
212-398-2308
I'm deeming this joint my favorite Chinese restaurant in Manhattan for sure. Not that there's that much competition, but this was on par with a "mom's cooking".
Items ordered :
Tender Boiled Pork Belly with Spicy Garlic Sauce **
Pu Ehr Tea Smoked Duck *
Szechuan Boiled Dumplings in Chili Sauce *
Squash in Dried Scallops and Seafood Sauce *
Young Chow Fried Rice *
And the default house tea was Jasmine Tea. Extra bonus points for sure.
Ever since Aramis introduced to me Arnold Palmers (half iced tea, half lemonade), I've been a big fan.
My coworker spotted a green tea Arnold Palmer today and got me a bottle.
And yes, its quite good.
If you ever have a craving for the Colonel's original recipe... for $1.99 and about 15 seconds... you can charge into a KFC and demand a "get a grip" piece of fried chicken breast.
I just ate one and pretty happy I ventured to give it a try.
There are so many great fried chicken joints now that "fry" a whole lot better than this boyhood chain does, so this was the perfect palate teaser and gave me enough of the 11 magical herbs and spices that make KFC so damn nostalgic.
These were flown in the other day from Japan.
The Red Snapper (aka Madai) is considered the King of Fish in Japan. Predominantly used for ceremonial and celebratory purposes. And delicious in any preparation.
I took part in a private cooking class held at the Japanese Culinary Center (Manhattan), where a Master Sushi Chef came in and taught us how to break down the fish and prepare the whole fish 5 ways.
From basic Sashimi, to Kelp Marinade, fried Scales, Simmered Split Head in Dashi and Soy, to Soup Stock with Bones.
Kinda disappointed today for lunch, but will give them one more try. I desperately want a go to Thai place near my office.
In picture : Hot and Sour / Pork and Chicken Rice Noodle Soup.
Terrible "Lechon Asado" from this Cuban joint on Christopher Street in Manhattan. 1 block east of Hudson. The name of the place is slipping my mind, but it was horendous.
In no way was this a roasted tender suckling pig,as the menu suggested.
Killer lunch special at Mitsuwa (Japanese grocery store and food court in Edgewater, NJ)
In the pic : $7.50 Gyudon with Miso Soup and Pickles
White Castle candles that smell like burgers have customers drooling
Intro
We're sick of April Fool's Day already, and it's almost three 'o' clock here in New York. But the food world keeps churning out "joke's on you!" press releases, and this one seemed worth highlighting, if only for the "A for effort" award. Below, the fake press release in full. Because nothing says "gotcha" like the manly smell of lamb leg.
"NEW YORK, April 1, 2010 -- D'Artagnan is proud to present a new line of fragrances to entice the mind and inspire the appetite. After 25 years of intensive research, D'Artagnan chefs have been able to produce alluring meat-scented oils that replicate the aromas of your favorite cooked protein. The scents are suspended in a revolutionary and environmentally-friendly medium: duck fat. These solid perfumes are not only 100% edible, they are also great skin moisturizers.
Studies (and many food blogs) have proven that men respond to the smell of bacon, that seductress of vegetarians, and many claim they would be extremely attracted to a woman who smelled of bacon. Since the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, then the way to his stomach must be through his nose. Being equal opportunity carnivores, the D'Artagnan fragrance line is unisex. After all, what woman could resist a man who smells like he can cook?
Once the science was established, D'Artagnan developed a line of fragrances for the home using these patented essential oils of meat. What smells better than bacon wafting up the stairs? Perhaps the delicate perfume of a rack of lamb, seasoned with rosemary, roasting in the oven? These room sprays will give your kitchen that friendly, cooked-in smell that makes it feel like a home. Even when you order a take-out dinner, your home will smell like you slaved for hours over the stove. Made with 100% natural ingredients, the room sprays are edible and can be used as breath fresheners. They do not, however, offer much in the way of nutritional value. For that we recommend actual meat."
Good evening. Today on Feast, we revealed a secret that may have been keeping you from one of the city's best roof top bars: The Gramercy Park Hotel's "Private" terrace is public. Tom Colicchio upstaged David Chang, Eric Ripert, and Wylie Dufresne on HBO's Treme over the weekend. And Maloney & Porcelli started bribing MTA construction workers over-the-table with steak to get their job done on time. If it's legal, it could be genius. Finally, you might have heard that Betty White hosted SNL? We found a food-related excuse to show you a clip today but in case you haven't had enough, NBC Local also uncovered video for skits that didn't make it into the live show.
Like Athos, I've been tempted to try Domino's after being bombarded by the plethora of commercials on TV. Well, after reading Athos's post, we decided to give it a try at the last UFC event. I'm a little bit of a pizza snob and you know what...this is pretty eff'n delicious. Not spectacular by any means, but pretty damn fun. The sauce is solid having a great balance of savory and sweet with decent tomato flavor. The crust was a little doughy, but relatively crispy on the bottom and the outside crust definitely has some garlic butter. Even the toppings were pretty damn good. Pepperoni was crispy, sausage was pretty tasty, but the winner was bacon. Something about bacon and pizza is so magical.
My mom is a seafood fanatic, so I decided to try making a bouillabaisse for Mother's Day. I've actually never made a seafood stew in my life and this came out hella good. It actually started out as a bouillabaisse but morphed into a San Fran cioppino as I was cooking and adjusting the flavorings. Whatever it was - it was hella delicious.
Fish Stew
I recently sat in on a talk given by one of the curators at the Met on Van Gogh and Gauguin. It ran until 7pm and naturally, my tummy reminded me it was feeding time.
I was in no mood to make a reservation in the city and wait a few more hours for a seat, so I opt for a quick bite inside the Met.
And in doing so, I discovered a comic juxtaposition between the caliber of art and food there.
While on one hand, countless breathtaking pieces of art hang on the walls through out the building, and yet, not one quality morsel of food is available in the place. Its an unfortunate truth the cafeterias and dining rooms dish out very bland and uninspiring food.
I guess we can thank Restaurant Associates for pinching their pennies and making a great place such as the Met, such a bad place for a meal.
I wonder if its the chefs or just the nature of museums, but it was just horrible.
It would be a blessing if they suspended cooking on premise and instead outsourced all the food and simply marked everything 3x. I'm sure people would prefer this over the satus quo and enthusiastically sit down for a meal.
I would happily pay $12 for 2 Gray's Papaya Dogs and a Fruit Smoothie. Or even $4 for a slice of Joe's Pizza from Bleecker St. And if I'm feeling extra good about myself, $21 for the best Turkey Club from Stage Deli in Midtown.
But unfortunately, we live in a cruel world, where restaurant chains and food service moguls dumb down our tastebuds and dictate poor food upon us.
If you ever find yourself a tad bit hungry while visiting the Met, do everything you can to avoid eating inside. I highly recommend taking a few steps outside and picking up a hotdog from the street vendor.
Went there with 8 of my colleagues for lunch this week. Went back to work with massive Diarrhea.
Needless to say, I won't be going back for eats anytime soon.
Zengo (NYC) - Not Recommended
40th and 3rd
(Mexican with a strong and highly mistaken Asian Twist)
Being from Chicago, and loving food, I’m picky about pizza. What I’m about to say is sacrilege, folks… I. Actually. Like. Domino’s. Pizza.
There, I said it.
Mind you, I didn’t always like it; in fact, in terms of pizza, I actually hated it. Yes, the h-word. It was the commercials that kept drilling into my head where they actually bashed themselves and would say stuff like “the sauce tastes like ketchup” and “crust is like cardboard.” So they promised to make a better deliverable (pun intended). Okay, I took the bait. Plus, 2 pizzas for $12 helps. They let you choose a crust? And sauce? Am I in Domino’s??? Same red, white, & blue around me, same ghetto feel in the store, same bad service… yep, Domino's. Well, let’s see how the pizza is. About 10 - 15 minutes later, I got the pies and went home. I took the first bite, and whoa. I don’t mean like “WTF-whoa,” but more like “WTF-this-is-Domino’s???-whoa.” It was actually good! Both pizzas!! I don’t remember what I ordered, but I remember I had garlic sauce instead of the traditional on one and really liked it. Fast forward about a month later, and we’re pulling in an all-nighter at work. They ordered Domino’s, and yep, it was still good. My colleagues concurred. Apparently, many people think it’s better according to this article:
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2010-05-05-dominos05_ST_N.htm?se=yahoorefer
There are a couple bold statements from that article that stand out, like: “the chain reported on Tuesday what CEO J. Patrick Doyle calls a "historic" leap in sales at locations open at least one year” and “Jeremy White, editor of trade magazine Pizza Today, agrees: 'Domino's is really kicking it right now.'”
