Vegetarians Beware

I have never claimed to be a vegetarian, however sometimes I realize that I haven't eaten meat, chicken, or even fish, for a few days or a week at a time. Which then makes me question my overall protein intake and I end up dining on said meat, chicken, or even fish for the next weeks to make up for it. Ironically, I haven't been lacking protein in the past few weeks (mostly due to my stash of chicken sausages from whole foods - too many flavors to ever get bored)! However, I somehow managed to consume more meat in 1 meal this weekend, than I think I ever have, or will again... at least until my next bbq excursion ;)

Yes, that's right, on Sunday night (when nothing counts right??) I headed to Hill Country in Flatiron/Chelsea. I heard plenty about this unique place, but have never ventured inside. It's a little intimidating at first because it looks like a market where you bobble around with trays and pick and choose what you want. Not so fast though because there is a hostess at the front with a vibrant pig tattoo on her arm, and she is taking names... Needless to say, the staff is very friendly and explained how everything would work, once the initial shock of entering into this haven for meat-lovers wore off. Basically, each diner gets a ticket and you have a waitress for drinks, but otherwise, you bring your ticket up to each individual counter and the staff will check off what you order -- super simple!

First stop -> BBQ. Seeing as how we were totally out of our element, we asked the man with the giant meat cleaver for suggestions. He promptly stated that for the two of us: "3 lbs, moist brisket and pork spare ribs". Mmm Done and Done.

The sides table was where I really got excited and picked up a "Healthy Eatin'" Portion of smashed sweet potatoes and a cucumber salad. We may have snagged a piece or two of cornbread on the side ;)



Dig In!


Diner TIP - 3 lbs of meat is waaaaay too much, even for two people. I loved the pork spare ribs and had about two, but the moist brisket was just way too fatty for my liking. It comes with white bread so I put a few pieces into one slice and folded it over, but the texture and taste are just not my cup of tea. My dinner guest, on the other hand, just couldn't get enough of it! :)

Needless to say I had to be rolled home, but it was a fun dinner date for sure.

Additional recommendations: There is live music here! Check out the music schedule if you are planning on going and make sure you get in a good square dancing round!

Stuffed [my face off] French Toast

Hoboken is continuously climbing the list of the top cities to find good eats! I know I know, I live in New York, the city of a million cultures and cuisines and good good food! But, alas, sometimes too many options are not a good thing...

A few weeks ago I was home in CT playing around on the tv and settled on Bobby Flays' show "Throwdown". B Flay was in the midst of challenging a poor soul on his Stuffed French Toast. Lo-and-behold, this restaurant was located in Hoboken, NJ! La Isla - oh i have walked by this cute little awning and fake bamboo trees multiple times on Washington street, however, never managed to stop in. The head chef, Omar Giner, definitely held his own against Mr. Flay and won the competition! So, I said to myself, I must try this delectable looking french toast that clearly rocked the judges socks off.


O - M - Y - G- O - S- H

I think this may go down as the best thing I have had for breakfast ... ever. I clearly tried to make my own version of this brunch specialty right after watching the episode, but after tasting this creation today, my was an embarrassment - to put it lightly.
Two thick slices of egg bread, dipped in a cinnamon batter, coated with crushed almonds and corn flakes, and then stuffed with a strawberry and guava cream cheese filling.


I was a little afraid that the filling was going to be a little too overbearing or sweet, but it was just perfect. And no syrup necessary :)
But honestly, the kicker to this culinary perfection was the crunchy cornflake crust. That little boost of texture on french toast makes such a world of difference! When I tried to make this at home, I burned the pieces pretty spectacularly - so I'm thinking there is a trick to this cooking technique that I will master one day.

If you are ever in the area and have a hankering for some delicious sweet breakfast, stop in at La Isla, order the Stuffed French Toast and an Iced Cuban Latte and give Chef Omar a pat on the back because you will not be sorry ... ahh love sunday eats !

Restaurant Review: 2.5

Summer time makes me crave good food and good people, and being out in the city definitley finds opportunity for some great eats. Somehow, I've found the extra $$ to fund this little hobby, but all for a good cause :)

Restaurant 1:
A few weeks ago, a girlfriend from college came in for a short and sweet little visit (Hey Jessie!!). I love having friends visit, especially now, because my I have a great group of college girls in NY but we all have our own lives and schedules and it's hard to get together - much harder than living in the same [pink & purple] house :) :)

So in Jessie's honor, we made reservations at Bond ST Sushi. They have a great upstairs restaurant, as well as swanky downstairs lounge. The lounge was perfect for us because with this many girls, our appetites are all over the charts. Sometimes going to restaurants and having everyone order just appetizers or just wine makes for an unhappy waiter. Ironically, this time around we all could not resist the amazing looking menu:


Tuna Avocado Tartare



Spicy Yellowtail



Mish-Mosh of delicious food


Amazing girls


Restaurants 2:
So part of my busy schedule the last month has been....APT HUNTING! I wish I was exaggerating in saying that it was slightly miserable, but - alas - it was painful. However, after mis-matching schedule conflicts, broker lies, $$$$, lots of walking/emails/phone calls to strangers and strangers apartments, we finally found a place! We felt like this a few times along the way, so we continuously decided to treat ourselves to a glass of wine/nice dinner to celebrate. This included one stop to Barbounia. The photos are beautiful on the wall and the decoration of the restaurant and the food was great! However, I think their AC may have been broken (??) so slightly uncomfortable, especially close to the kitchen!
Still we ate a really good meal to celebrate our new apartment and new roommates!


Munching food


Charred Octopus with shaved fennel salad, mint,
grapefruit & extra virgin olive oil


Red Snapper Ceviche with Tabbouleh, cherry tomato, cilantro, olive oil & lemon juice


Restaurant Review .5


Finally, what is a good meal without a great dessert? Especially with this ridiculous heat wave that has been coming through the city, some cold ice cream always does the trick. However, it's nice to throw a little curve ball in there and try something new right!? I stumbled upon this place in Hoboken, NJ called Miami Rice (creative name huh?) It's all these different flavors of rice pudding!! Flavors like Pistachio, Cinnamon Bun, Apple Pie, Canoli, Plain, Chocolate, etc. Then...there was gelato flavors - which you could mix and match with the rice pudding...and THEN there were toppings! Like graham crackers, chocolate candies, syrup, cereals, gummies galore.
Apparently some avid fans had created their own combinations that became so popular they got their name and recipe on the board (ummm yes please?)


Our two creations:
"Pistachio Bashio": Pistachio Rice Pudding, Vanilla bean gelato, graham crackers
"Holy Canoli": Rice Pudding, Canoli gelato, whipped cream, chocolate fudge, sprinkles

Holy Cow - a must visit :)

That's all for now folks - restaurant week is coming up so I'm hoping to get some more good ones in! Stay coooool

I.Love.Pilates

Hello there! I am writing from the lovely city of Boston (Cambridge to be exact) tonight as I'm traveling for work. We just had dinner at this amazingly delicious restaurant called Chez Henri - kind of french cuban cuisine it is considered. I ordered the pan seared trout with langoustine & gremolata, a cauliflower puree, and smoked bacon. There were some green beans thrown in there for some good measure so all in all a seriously delicious and well-balanced meal if I do say so myself! Sorry no photos :(

While I enjoy traveling for work, some things I don't like about it are the fact that I have to miss out on some things that I plan ahead for - such as my pilates classes! I've been buying these classes off of groupon.com and now am on to my five mat classes at Pilates on Fifth. The cool thing about this place is that a mat class also covers this special Barre class (such as a ballet bar?). I haven't tried it yet but eventually!! I had a spot reserve this week but had to cancel due to work obligations ... ah priorities. This place is on the top floor of a building and the first time I walked in I immediately was reminded of a gymnasium when I was little. Pilates is fabulous and if you haven't tried it I seriously recommend them - I think it can do wonders for your body! ... but that being said, it's kind of wierd! Sometimes walking into these pilates studios can look like some sort of torture chamber with machines and chains and wheels and pulleys. Very strange.



Still, a great workout. Hopefully I'll get another class or two in before the weekend!

Highlights

Hey hey! Again, I have not kept up with my daily eats, but in all honesty, they really haven't been anything special: morning oatmeals, lunch ab&j's (which I am so happy to have reinstated), fruit as an afternoon snack, yada yada.
However...I have had a few highlights this week that I am happy to report:

1. Grocery Shopping at Chelsea Market last Sunday! The fruit exchange has amazing produce and is NOT expensive - who knew! I picked up a few goodies, including some almonds, tomatoes, apples - the basics.


2. My family came in for dinner, since it's my brothers Spring Break, and we went to Market Table It's this nice little restaurant in the west village with great ambiance (personally I think it would be better for a date with a boy, than a date with a my family, but...ah well) The food was really good though...
I had a cod dish with butternut squash risotta; I forgot how much I loooove risotto. Must be the italian in me ;)
My brother god a whole fish -- legit whole thing. And he completely butchered it. I triiied to teach him how to do it correctly, since I lucked out the other night and had my own lesson, but boys will be boys...c'est la vie

Topped off with a fabulous homemade gelato from an ice cream shop on Bleeker.

And 3. saving the best for last...I have been walking by the Cake Boss in Hoboken for the last few weeks just dyyying to go inside but the line is OUTRAGEOUS! Always! All I want are some cannolis...and I don't know how I got so lucky but I got a little gift later that day <3 and let me just say they were everything I dreamed of and more. mmm mmm mmm

Headed to a beer garden tomorrow to resume my favorite past time of day drinking [in the rain]?! Have a great weekend!

Disappearing Act

Whoa, it's been a while since my last post! Between a plethora of vacations and trying to fend off this little cold that I will not let get the best of me, I have been so tired and overwhelmed and as a result have not been eating well at all. I figured, there is not better way to stabilize and regroup than to return from my disappearing act and starting accounting for all of my eats! And having all of you keep me in check ;)

I lucked out last night and had this ah-maze-ing dinner at Barbuto. Seriously so delicious, I'm not joking. I started with a grapefruit salad and then ordered the Seabeam as an entree. The fish comes whole (eyes and all) so I got to cut off the head and take off the spine. There is no harm in playing with your food as an adult!

Fun Fact: if you are stranded on an island, eat the eyeballs of fish for hydration. (Yes I learned this last night...and no I did not eat them, I had a glass of water / wine in front of me so I was all set)

Dessert was an indulgence but well worth it: coffee semifredo icecream, lemon almond pound cake and mint gelato. Mm mm. No worries! I split this between 5 people, but I wish it was all for me :)

After my extra-large dins last night, I started off the morning on the right foot with a killer spin workout (I created 40 wats of energy on the new Green Revolution bikes!) and a protein shake:

1 C organic skim milk, 1 Scoop vanilla protein powder, 2 T ground flax, handful of frozen cranberries. This was delicious, and pink!

What is your take on protein powder? Is it chemicals? Is it better to get protein from "real" foods? I don't know that much/anything about it so any information would be helpful and interesting!

Great to be back folks!

Note to self:

Do not put protein powder in oatmeal after it is already cooked. I made that mistake this morning and literally felt like I was inhaling dry pretzels er something to that extent...it was not good to say the least. Having a crummy breakfast didn't put my day off to a good start, and I don't think that it got the blood flowing to my brain because I walked all the way to work, sat down at my cube, and realized that I had forgotten my laptop on my bed. A-W-E-SOME. 24 minutes and $45 later (I had to buy a new subway card) I finally got the day started..oof!

The day did get a little better though...In 3 weeks I am going to a Charity Ball in Boston!! I am a huge (HUGE) fan of dressing up and getting out on the town ;) so of course I jumped at the chance to 1. Road trip with some girlfriends to Boston for the weekend 2. Donate some $$ to a good cause and 3. play dress up :)

I have waaay too many dresses as it is, but of course I was thinking nothing in my closet would work! ;) My mother might disagree with me.....However, in the spirit of staying on budget (January was difficult to say the least) and the reality that I actually do have plenty of things to wear, I decided to do a little makeover of the wardrobe kind. I have so many long prom dresses back home that are just sitting there, accumulating the terrible attic smell that some clothes can never say goodbye to. So, I figured I would re-vamp one of my favorite dresses and make it into a sleeker, sexier, more mature version of the high school prom dress! I wish I had an old prom photo to show..but alas, they have been burned/buried to keep my dignity ;)

Picture this - but red. Anyhow, I trecked down to the lower east side today for my lunch break to this place called Nelson's to get this dress hemmed. There will be some after photos assuming all goes well - but I did hear some great things.

The highlight of my day was passing this cute little bakery that I have been wanting to try:

I didn't actually make it in (since my hour lunch break was nearing a close!) but now I know right where it is for next time. I'll have to "step inside and find out" what the heck they were talking about on this chalkboard outside ... ;)

Memorable Weekend Eats

I swear I didn't eat this whole thing...but I wish :)

My mom and brother came into the city on a whim (definitely a perk to having my family close by!) and we all went out to lunch! If you are ever in New York and are having a hard time deciding what/where to eat, Chelsea Market is a no-fail solution. There is sooo much going on in there! After perusing the mutliple options available, we ended up at Friedman's deli. I was seriously in the mood for a sandwich, so I got the Vegetable with Turkey on sourdough bread. 

It was HUGE and delicious and messy. Just perfect :) Oh and a side of sweet potato fries. If they're on the menu, they are being ordered, let's be serious.

 I also was able to make myself a little quick and easy dinner on friday by following this recipe from Nourish Network with a few tweaks to suit my needs:

White Bean and Kale Ragout with Sweet Potato and Sausage

1 T olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 Chicken sausage (roasted red pepper but choose whatever flavor you like)

2 sweet potatoes (cut into cubes)

3 minced garlic cloves

4 cups of de-stemmed and chopped kale

1/2 cup of vegetable stock

1 can of cannellini beans, drained

1/2 can diced tomatoes, undrained

sea salt and pepper

Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Saute onion and sweet potato until bronzed. Sprinkle with S&P and then add the sausage and garlic. Cook for 2 more minutes, add kale and remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until kale is tender. Finito! 

Tartine, New York style

Happy 2010!! I'm waiting to get my hands on some New Years Eve photos, since my camera battery didn't make it :( so once those make it to my computer, there will be a full recap of NYE in NYC. Of course, at the start of the new year, everyone makes their new years resolutions, or revelations, as we have started referring to them. One of my "revelations", along with the whole big picture theme of this blog, is to start seeing New York for all that it has to offer, while I am still young and able to enjoy it! The roomie and I talked about making a list of restaurants that we want to try out and make an active effort to go out and try these places. New York is the stomping ground for fabulous food and someone's gotta taste test it all, right!? 

I have been a follower of Jenna's blog for some time and recently have been reading about her new found addiction to Tartine. I've never been there myself, but it just so happens that there is one in NY as well - go figures! Figuring I would start out the new year right, me and my two cousins headed out to Tartine in the West Village for brunch this morning. It's a 15.95 prix fix, with a complimentary coffee/tea and oj. Not to shabby if I do say so myself [for new york that is ;)]. In past experiences of brunch with girlfriends, I would always order an omelette or eggs benedict and finish off the meal saying, probably verbatim, "Wow that was good, but I wish I had gotten something sweet." Now, I have shot myself in the foot one too many times, and my friends won't let me order eggs for bfast. Good thing, because I opted for the Apple Pancake from the Tartine menu, thinking about these paste brunch experiences, and it was sooooo good. The menu literally said "Apple Pancake", no extras, not even plural pancakes. I asked the waiter if it came with anything else and he said no, just an apple pancake. When it came out, I understood why. Ladies and gentleman, this is no ordinary pancake (hence the photo up top). I think it is more of a Dutch apple pancake/turnoveresque concoction. Needless to say, it was [I repeat], sooooo good. 

Are there any other fabulous brunches/meals that you have had recently?? I'm up for suggestions and will be adding to the fridge list consistently ;)

In keeping with NYE revelations, the roomie and I are headed out to dinner at The Bowery Hotel with a girlfriend of ours from college. Not sure if its kosher to snap photos in there, but I'll try to be discreet. Tata for now..