Broccoli & Prosecco

New York State of Mind

2011-12-20T01:04:00.001-05:00

Some friends of mine just returned from a trip to New York City...which got me thinking that I haven't been back since June, 2010. I think a trip to New York City is definitely in order for 2012. Here's a mini flashback to the eats enjoyed on that 4 day weekend trip in 2010!

From top to bottom: Eleven Madison Park, we devoured the Four Course menu and enjoyed added extras sprinkled throughout the four courses, like these mini macaroons | Fatty Crab in the West Village sharing Fatty Sliders| Brunch (of course) at Balthazar, the scrambled eggs in puff pastry | The view from my friends' apartment balcony | Sharing the amazing and delicious, mediterranean menu at ilili restaurant, one of the largest restaurant spaces I've ever seen in New York |

It's a Boy!

2011-10-16T23:08:00.006-04:00

Check out the adorable and yummy cupcakes from a good friend's baby shower this weekend. I tried the red velvet cupcake with fondant monkey face at the baby shower...delicious...right down to the fondant. Cupcakes in attendance: chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, vanilla cake with butter cream frosting, red velvet with cream cheese frosting and cookies and cream cake with frosting to match. South Indian cuisine was served for the appetizers and lunch...delicious as well! At the end of the shower we were all asked to fill a blue polka dot bag of candy from a blue themed candy buffet. Various glass vases were filled with blue rock candy suckers, blue M&Ms, blue vanilla flavored Tootsie rolls, white chocolate covered pretzels with blue drizzle, It's a Boy! suckers and blue saltwater taffy. There were even leftover cupcakes for us to take as well...a vanilla with butter cream frosting made the trip back to my apartment. Tasted even better the next day!

Back to ino

2011-08-20T14:18:00.001-04:00

Foursquare says i havent been in a year, seems too long. I opted out of my standard truffled egg toast for bruscettas and a fontina egg asparagus breakfast one. Its good but I still recommend the truffled egg toast. A mimosa, a prosecco and a free bartender prosecco made up for the ordring deficiency. Ino is still all about daytime chilling in the village w snacks read truffled egg toast always and several glasses. Caw!

The Dirty Swede

2011-07-26T18:36:00.004-04:00

No, I'm not talking about myself and the 1/4 of my family heritage. I'm talking about ONE of the many awesome "steamed sandwiches" at Chicago Bagel Authority. It's in the Lincoln Park neighborhood right near the Armitage Brown Line stop on of course the wonderful shopping street of Armitage. CBA is one of my many favorite places to eat in Chicago and if you've been to Chicago to visit me and I haven't taken you there...I'm a bad hostess. Back to the eats...The Dirty Swede is filled with turkey, cream cheese, bacon, colby, smoked cheddar, lettuce, tomato, sprouts & mayo on an onion bagel. I got this little gem after one of my "Fit for a 5K" classes I took back in January/February/March that my friend/personal trainer M. taught at DePaul. So, I basically cancelled out that 1/2 hour of running and 1/2 of strength training for this yummy sandwich. It was worth it...it always is. Check out their HUGE menu here. Oh and my favorite thing for dessert there is this yummy treat made up of Coco-Puffs cereal and Golden Grahams cereal held together by melted marshmallows...like a deconstructed s'mores...holy crap it's good.

Speaking of M....she's really the reason I was inspired to put this post up this week. I was going through her wedding photos online from back in June...and it appears that after the wedding ceremony at our church in the Lincoln Park neighborhood...she and Andrew stopped at the CBA for post-wedding ceremony steamed sandwiches...I love it. Of course if it was me I would have made my new hubby walk a few more blocks to Sweet Mandy B's for dessert!

Traveling Cupcake: Milwaukee Day Trip (Sneak Preview)

2011-06-29T23:22:00.006-04:00

Well, for the life of me, I can't get the "Read More" or "Continue Reading" to work for me and I've got waaaay too many photos too post. So for now, until Broccoli and his magic HTML powers return from holiday, here's a tiny preview of my day trip to Milwaukee last Saturday. S. had the brilliant idea to take Amtrak and get out of town for the day and head up north, only an hour and a half away, to Milwaukee! I had never been and had wanted to check out the Milwaukee Art Museum ever since Calatrava put his mark on it. I had also heard from many friends that there were some great spots to dine and drink at. We managed to squeeze in three of the recommends 2 in the awesome Third Ward neighborhood: Water Buffalo (pre-museum snack while dining on the riverwalk), Harbor House (post-museum and pre-dinner Spotted Cow beers) and Milwaukee Ale House (dinner before heading back on the train to Chicago). The beers above (photo credit to S. and his iPhone), we happily enjoyed in the amazing sunny and warm weather from the top terrace of the Milwaukee Ale House overlooking the river. Stay tuned...

Midnight in Paris in Chicago

2011-06-23T19:58:00.004-04:00

Two Fridays ago I met S. for a movie and then dinner in what I thought was always the Lincoln Park neighborhood, but I now see by the banners in S.'s photo above that we were actually in Lakeview East (Really Chicago? Above Diversey Ave. is Lake View East?). Anyway, we met after work at Landmark Century Centre Cinema to catch "Midnight in Paris." It's a great movie and will make you want to book the next flight out of wherever you are to Paris. The movie did a great job of making you fall in love with Paris, the food, the people...all of it, all over again...and supplied a good story too. After seeing a movie with Paris as the main character, we were craving French food. Thank goodness right across the street is La Creperie. It was too cold to sit outside so we sat in the dining room between the main dining room and the patio. We started with the assiette de fromages (a monthly selection of 3 cheeses) and then we each had savory crepes. I had the poulet au champignons (chicken in an herb cream sauce with sauteed button mushrooms) and he had the poulet & fromage de chevre (chicken breast with roasted tomatoes and goat cheese). Unfortunately, there was no room for dessert that night...but It's such a cute little spot to go to after a movie, in Lake View East(?).

Another Summer in Chicago...this Time with a List

2011-06-12T18:40:00.009-04:00

And so it begins...another summer in Chicago. Though it's still chilly today, at least it's sunny. Somehow with the sun, the food and drinks in this town taste so much better. I've been hanging out with friends the last few days and we've been talking about new places to try now that summer is here. We seem to get into a food rut and get complacent about where we all go. We tend to always spend at least one of the weekend nights at D4 or Default as I've grown to call it. I love D4...it's got great food AND great cocktails and it's a big space for the city. But it's always good to try something new and explore. So, I've decided to make a list of spots to either visit for the first time or visit again and try another menu...say, brunch vs. dinner.

1. Maude's Liquor Bar (West Loop...always, always packed...)

2. Doughnut Vault (River North...though, really should I stand in line for 2 hours for a donut?)

3. GT Fish & Oyster (River North...I need to make friends in Chicago that love seafood as much as I do for this dinner.)

4. C-View (Streeterville...Marcus Samuelsson's C-House Restaurant lives on the bottom floor of the Affinia Hotel, but the rooftop bar C-View is the last on my list of rooftop bars to try in the city.)

5. Urban Belly (Avondale...New in 2009...but still have not made it west to try it out.)

6. Hot Chocolate (Bucktown...This is one of those spots I've had dinner and dessert many times, but have always wanted to try the brunch.)

7. Sunda (River North...This spot has been open for awhile...but have never gone.)

8. Bistro Campagne (Lincoln Square...Opened in 2002...French bistro...yum.)

9. Hot Doug's (Avondale...I would be in big trouble from my blogmates if I left this off the list.)

10. The Bristol (Bucktown...I've had dinner there a few times, but never the brunch.)

*Photo from last summer on the patio of The Purple Pig...probably my #11 to go back and enjoy.

Homemade ravioli- first attempt

2011-03-06T18:25:00.000-05:00

After a morning at our favourite farmers' market, we were inspired by the fresh sheep ricotta we bought at the Highmark Farms table so C and I decided to make something neither of us had ever made before: spinach + ricotta ravioli!

Following a recipe from The Silver Spoon, I took charge of the dough-making and C was in charge of sauce and filling. Unfortunately, since there was no pasta machine at my place, I got a good arm and core workout rolling out the pasta dough.

Now here's where you'll notice our novice pasta-making skills. We kind of miscalculated the spacing of the filling on the strip of dough, and the first batch of ravioli were so large such that they covered the entire palm of my hand. They were pop-tart shaped ravioli! The subsequent batches were smaller, but after ingesting 3 of the pop tart ravioli, no surprise I was full. But the filling was really delicious and the fresh sheep ricotta was super creamy.

Hopefully our next ravioli project will produce smaller, more delicate edibles. And in the meantime I'm going to pick up one of those cute ravioli cutters with the scalloped edges and ask C to bring the pasta machine over so I'm not huffing and puffing for my meal.

Dad's Birthday & American Thanksgiving

2010-12-11T01:17:00.005-05:00

I went to see my parents in Omaha for Thanksgiving...American style. I arrived the day before Thanksgiving, which was my Dad's Birthday. We celebrated his birthday with dinner at Zio's Pizzeria. We all started with a house dinner salad. Dad added HIS favorite, anchovies, to his salad. Mom and I did NOT. We shared the 3 cheese bread and then moved on to our individual slices of New York Style pizza...Y-U-M! If that wasn't enough...we arrived back at my parents' house and Mom surprised my Dad with cupcakes (2 chocolate with chocolate frosting, vanilla with vanilla frosting and a red velvet) from Jones Bros. Cupcakes (above). The graphic designer in me loves their fabulous logo, package and menu design and lovely web site. Oh and yes, they taste soo good, especially at the store with their coffee. But as always, those who know me best know that nothing beats Sweet Mandy B's cupcakes.

Thanksgiving dinner was delicious as always (No photos we ate too fast!). This year we had filet mignons from where else, but Omaha Steaks. They were a gift to my Dad from a vendor who happens to be a Canadian, a T.O. resident in fact! We also had mashed potatoes, King's Hawaiian rolls and I made the ever-so-tough to make green bean casserole. And of course for dessert, Mom's amazing Pumpkin Pie.

Flour Tortillas

2010-12-06T19:31:00.007-05:00

I got an early Christmas present from Prosecco—a tub of Pork Lard! In return I promised to post everything I make with this delicious gift.

First up, Rick Bayless' Flour Tortialls. I saw him make this recently on Mexico - One Plate at a Time. It looked so simple and delicious I had to try it.

Topped with Mexican Black Beans, Chimichurri sauce, scrambled eggs, avocado, cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime. Awesome!

To make and eat now

2010-09-07T23:15:00.002-04:00

While out in the eastern townships over the long weekend, I brought home two bags of peaches and cream corn (among many other eat-able, drink-able items). And inspired by the gorgeous shots of fresh corn pesto pasta on Lottie + Doof, I knew that this exactly what I wanted to eat. I mean, duh, corn pesto… seems so obvious, why didn't I think of this before?

I didn't have tagliatelle or fettuccine, so I used a skinnier egg pasta, which was still fantastic. My photo isn't as pretty as Tim's from Lottie + Doof, but here it is:

And to drink? I finally opened up a bottle of Cab Sauv that my friend Bo brought me from a trip to Israel. Corn from Quebéc, basil from my balcony, wine from Israel. A nice combination indeed.

Tomato sauce weekend, the 2010 version

2010-08-31T11:25:00.000-04:00

Thanks to an unusually warm (some might say sweltering) summer, the annual tomato sauce-making weekend came early this year. Last year we did them in September, but this year Uncle Luigi set August 28 as the day we would turn 10 bushels of San Marzanos into sauce.

Last year, there were only 5 adults and 2 kids (sporadically) working. But this year, one of Uncle Luigi and Aunt Marisa's sons came over with his wife and 3 kids who were all willing and ready to help so the tomatoes were all sliced and milled pretty quickly. After that, it was just the processing of the jars and waiting for them to cool down.

C just informed me last night that the final tally was 206 jars! Uncle Luigi was exceptionally proud of the fact that on average, 1 bushel of tomatoes produced 25 jars, which is about 3 more litres than last year's yield.

If you'd like to re-live our tomato weekend, enjoy the slideshow below.

Uh-Oh...

2010-07-27T22:32:00.005-04:00

Holy crap, I'm in trouble. Sprinkles Cupcakes opened on Monday in my neighborhood. It's a lovely and very welcome addition to the Gold Coast. Last night on my walk home from work I tried to stop in and buy a cupcake, but the line was down the block...even at 6:30 pm. They close at 7 pm Monday through Saturday. So tonight again on my way home, I stopped in. The line was much shorter and v. fast. The building is such a great and colorful design inside and out. The staff there is v. friendly and happy. Must be all the sugar... After examining every flavor available today...I bought a red velvet cupcake (left) and a vanilla (right), of course. I devoured the red velvet and saved the vanilla for tomorrow night. The red velvet was heaven and the cake was so moist!

Not to worry, I am still hopelessly devoted (I craved Sweet Mandy B's cupcakes ALL THE WAY from Toronto) to Sweet Mandy B's...still the best cupcake, hands down. But Sprinkles is conveniently on the way home from work, close to my favorite brunch/lunch/snack/dinner place, Feast and around the corner from Sarah's Pastries & Candies. I'm in trouble. I L-O-V-E my neighborhood.

Eat Drink Chicago

2010-07-18T17:42:00.010-04:00

Chicago is a great city. Spending a long weekend with Cupcake, eating and drinking our way across town, was as much fun as the last time we did it.

Above: We got major props from the bartender at Frontera Grill when we ordered guacamole and a round of margaritas for dessert. That's how we roll. Holla!

When we arrived, Cupcake took us to a great spot across the street from our hotel called The Purple Pig. Double bonus—we sat next to five local chefs who were on a food tour... we quickly made some new friends. They insisted we share their wine and snacks. By the end we'd sampled the entire menu and only had to order a few dishes of our own. This one was awesome—fava beans, egg and crispy pancetta.

Grilled bread and chicken liver pate with crispy sage leaves.

This one was awesome! Chopped pig's ear with crispy kale, pickled cherry peppers and fried egg. Spicy!

Fresh strawberry soft serve with balsamic drizzle. You know you want it!

A spicy breakfast at Xoco, another Rick Bayless spot. A bit too much bread for my taste, so I just grabbed a fork and enjoyed the filling of this chorizo-egg torta.

Grilled fish at Frontera Grill.

The favorite stop of the weekend—Big Star Taco! We were too tired to walk around in the heat shopping so we camped at the bar for the afternoon sampling tacos, guacamole, beer and tasty Mexican Coke (cane sugar instead of nasty corn syrup). It goes really well with $3 whisky shots. Big Star, I love you... let's make it work... even if it's a long-distance thing.

Partied out and relaxing before heading to the airport. We headed back to The Purple Pig to relax on their outdoor patio. Grilled bread with whipped feta and cucumber. So good!

Purple Pig's house made sausage with kale and grapes.

Ketchup & Coke

2010-07-18T17:30:00.000-04:00

Not really... but when I saw the bartender make this from a distance I thought he was pouring ketchup over ice, adding some lime juice and planning to crack a can of coke over the whole thing. Turns out he was making a Michelada, which is beer and hot sauce. Fusilli was brave enough to order one and she claims it was quite refreshing. I haven't include the reaction shot I took when she had her first sip. It wasn't the face you make when sipping a refreshing cocktail... more like a glass of hangover medicine.

Paella Party

2010-07-05T22:17:00.003-04:00

I was lucky enough to be gifted a precious petri dish of saffron, transported across the ocean by a generous friend a couple of months ago. So of course the first thing that pops into my head is: paella! By happenstance the following week, I found a paella pan on sale for $10 at a kitchen outlet store and the idea for a paella party was born. I know that traditionally Spanish paella is made with rabbit and green beans, but I opted for the seafood version this time: Littleneck clams, squid, jumbo tiger shrimp, haddock, peas and some chopped up kale (I had it laying around in my fridge so I just tossed it in). And what's a paella party without sangria and good friends? Check! If you're going to make paella, don't forget to keep it on the stove just a bit longer so you get that delicious crispy caramelized soccarat on the bottom. Here's the recipe I used, in case you want to have your own paella party this summer, enjoy!

Guess What's Coming to my Neighborhood!

2010-06-24T23:44:00.006-04:00

YAY! Sprinkles Cupcakes!! I love the exterior design of their stores and cannot wait to taste their many flavors of cupcakes. I hope they bring this with them too.

IMG00383-20100611-2142.jpg

2010-06-11T21:42:00.000-04:00

Its been a while, rabbit pappardelle at hearth new york, zow.

Crispy!

2010-06-01T22:09:00.003-04:00

It's Rhubarb season! Enjoy it while it's fresh!

A night at the Publican

2010-05-30T12:56:00.000-04:00

A wish I've had for the past year has finally come true. I finally had the chance to eat dinner at the fantastic pig-centric Publican last weekend. Join me in re-living this happily over-stuffed evening, won't you?

Gotta love the ricotta

2010-05-11T22:38:00.002-04:00

In the past couple years, I've become quite fond of ricotta cheese. And when I was on a liver cleanse last month, it was one of the only cheeses I was allowed to consume since cow dairy was prohibited. I think it's because ricotta's made from whey and most of the milk protein gets removed during production, so technically it's not really a cheese; it's whey cheese.

I was exposed to ricotta more through C and his family. His mother likes to have it at the table when she serves a rice sidedish, and though nobody else in the family does this, she enjoys a scoop of ricotta mixed into her rice. Then C made me pasta once that was just tossed in a mound of ricotta and drizzled with olive oil. He said that it's a typical Roman dish. C's mother often makes cakes containing a lemony sweet ricotta filling and at Easter they make little pastries also filled with sweet ricotta. But my favourite way to have ricotta is very simple and no-nonsense: slathered on bread or in this case, rye cracker, and drizzled with honey, and I'm not talking about no Billy Bee honey. This snack is like a little piece of heaven– crispy, creamy, airy, delicately sweet. I was lucky enough to pick up fresh, homemade ricotta at my farmer's market. But turns out, you can make your own ricotta easily enough at home. I haven't tried yet, but it's definitely on my to-make list.

Last night's dinner

2010-05-05T20:46:00.000-04:00

This was not made by me but thoroughly enjoyed by me. Prepared by Maurizio, C's cousin, we had brisket with gravy, rice and beans, a crispy non-mayonnaisey coleslaw and fantastic potato salad. You too can enjoy Maurizio's homecooking very soon with the launch of his ready-to-eat organic dinners, prepared using locally sourced meat. Check it out here.

The Queen and Beaver

2010-04-12T00:33:00.004-04:00

I've been on a liver cleanse for the better part of 21 days. No coffee, no alcohol, no dairy, no wheat, no fruit except for organic bananas… you get the idea; basically nothing that tastes good. So now that I'm OFF that cleanse, I had a hankering for a good old fish and chips (plus my mom sent me some birthday dinner cash!).

Last night, C and I decided to take a hike over to The Queen and Beaver on Elm street. A definite pain in the you-know-what to find parking, but well worth it. We were both craving fish and chips but each started with something different. I had the salad with Stilton, poached pear and walnuts. Nice big, fresh leaves of radicchio, butter lettuce (I think) and endive with just the right amount of dressing. And C had the smoked salmon special appetizer that came with a little mound of minced beets. I was lucky enough to have a taste of the salmon and it was fantastic… smoky, melt-in-your mouth delectable.

The fish and chips was just the right amount of food. A light, crispy batter that wasn't oily or greasy and the fish was perfectly cooked. Add some thick cut fries and homemade ketchup (Normally I am a ketchup hater, but this was so good! Not too sweet like regular ketchup), with a cider to drink and I'd say that's a swell Saturday night, chilling out, end-of-liver-cleanse-meal. Oh, and on the way home, we stopped for a Jager on the rocks at the Gem.

Oyster mushroom harvest

2010-03-30T15:09:00.000-04:00

I grew oyster mushrooms in my living room. Crazy, right? I must admit, it was a bit creepy when I first spotted the little fungus nubbins poking through the plastic bag containing the bail of straw in which mushroom spores are embedded. And awed and amazed when with each passing half day the mushrooms kept getting larger and larger. And just this past weekend, they were large enough to harvest! The instructions that came with my mushroom kit said to twist off gently so as not to disrupt the surrounding environment, but the whole mushroom family came off together and didn't want to be separated when we tried to remove them individually. Sadly, I'm on a liver cleanse until April 6 so this harvest was bequeathed to C's mother. I trust she will make something delicious with them and here's hoping for a few more harvests so I can sample them for myself!

Traveling Cupcake: North Carolina, Day 2

2010-03-21T23:01:00.006-04:00

The next morning after our night at Mamma Mia!, my Aunt and I drove first to A Southern Season which I would describe to you as a LARGE Dean & Deluca of the South. A huge wine section (I bought a bottle of French wine, "La Poule Blanche" to take back to Chicago), cheese section, chocolate section...really need I go on? Let me tell you if you're in the Raleigh/Durham area anytime soon...drive on over to A Southern Season and spend a good 2 hours there...you won't regret it. After tasting and shopping our way through A Southern Season we headed over to Fearrington Village in Pittsboro. Before exploring this quaint shopping spot, we decided to have lunch at The Old Granary Restaurant. And we were so glad we did. My Aunt had the Chicken Salad (which consisted of: celery, gala apple, red onion, grapes, spiced walnuts, potato straws, mixed greens and rosemary dressing). I had the Chicken Pot Pie which was served with the ingredients (slow-cooked chicken, winter vegetables, mustard and parsley cream) outside the buttery puff pastry.

Traveling Cupcake: North Carolina

2010-03-21T22:46:00.004-04:00

I spent last weekend in North Carolina visiting my Aunt. What's the first thing we did after leaving the airport? Eat! My Aunt found this great place called, Mamma Mia! in Apex, North Carolina. When we walked in the lovely man that greeted us said buona sera in a real Italian accent, I knew we were in for a wonderful dinner. We started with a glass of wine each and then ordered a 16 inch Bianca pizza ("New York style thin crust with fresh garlic, ricotta and mozzarella cheese") and added eggplant and meat balls for our toppings. Soo good and soo much pizza that when I left last Tuesday afternoon there were still slices in my Aunt's refrigerator to eat! What I also loved was as we left the restaurant in this strip mall were the kids sitting outside telling us to have a good night and to come back soon for food made by their Dad and Grandma. Love it.

Pickle!

2010-03-11T21:18:00.006-05:00

OMG, I can't get enough of pickle! Cucumbers, red onion, pepper corns, jalapeno, habañero, white wine vinegar and cider vinegar. Let it sit for a few hours and you'll have a spicy, épicé, picante and delicious condiment. I like it on everything except my breakfast.

Yogurt Hoarding Squirrels

2010-03-11T19:22:00.010-05:00

We're all squirrels to a certain extent... hoarding stuff, easily mesmerized by shiny objects. Fusilli hoards toothpaste for fear they may stop making Colgate Winterfresh flavour. I once found ten tubes in the bathroom cupboard... seriously.

Anyway, now we're so addicted to our apples, yogurt and granola routine that we've started hoarding our favourite yogurt! It all started when we discovered Liberté's Méditerranée style vanilla yogurt and then quickly realized it's not always in plentiful supply. Running out of yogurt can lead to morning trauma, which is the worst kind of trauma. So now when it's in stock, we just grab everything on the shelf and run erratically to the checkout.

Squirrel!

Splake

2010-03-11T18:55:00.000-05:00

Splake is spotted lake trout. Add sauteed rapini with cannellini beans and garlic for a delicious dinner.

New, New York

2010-03-10T20:05:00.030-05:00

I've said it before... last minute trips are the best. If I liked surprise birthday parties, I imagine they'd feel like it did when Fusilli mentioned Dawes were playing at the Bowery Ballroom. Surprise!

What more could you ask for than a great live band in an incredible venue... in New York? Imagine Massey hall crossed with the HorseShoe. It's Perfection!

This trip we decided we would only try new things, no old favorites, only new, new, new! First new thing: the hotel. We arrived Friday night, and checked onto the Hampton Inn Soho. This might be the best deal in town. Set on the edge of Soho, just above Tribecca, you can anywhere in a flash.

We changed and went straight to dinner. Next stop on the new tour, Public on Elizabeth in Nolita. No pictures, too hungry. Fried Oysters in shizo leaf, white anchovy on lentil cakes and berkshire pork something. I ate so fast, I can hardly remember.

Why do concerts always start late? Do they want to sell more drinks?

By the end Dawes had the entire place singing along. Bonus points if you can spot me in the audience near the end of the video.

After the concert we headed to the next new spot, Los Felis, for Tequila and snacks. The list of Tequilla options was so long I just let the waiter decide what to put in my margarita. We had guacamole and a grilled shrimp soft tacos. So much better than late night pizza.

Saturday morning was bright and cold as we headed to Bread, a new breakfast option around the corner. We both had baked eggs in tomato sauce based on a vauge recollection of Prosecco's recent post. For some reason mine was full if garlic, but Fusillli had none. I picked out all the slices of garlic (totaling about 4 cloves) and just enjoyed their essence. Garlic and onions are like scotch, best enjoyed after 4pm. Topped up with breakfast we headed to Soho for a walk.

My ears were in danger of disappearing beneath my mop, a sight not seen since they emerged in 1984. Not wanting to revisit the "awkwark years", I stopped in at my favourite spot... The NYC Shaving Co. The only not-new stop on our trip. I always love visiting here for their old school vibe and skilled barbers. Plus, what's more obnoxious than saying... I had to go to New York to get my hair cut? Ha!

Observe the perfection master barber Fracesco bestowed on my slowly disappearing head of hair. That perfect line was the result of much clipping, buzzing and staight shaving. Bravo Francesco!

It was time for lunch, so we headed to the much anticipated Breslin in the swank (new?) Ace hotel. This was turned out to be the highlight of the trip, and the reward for trying something new. I was expecting fancy pub food, but it was so much more.

First up, caesar salad. Perhaps the best I've ever had. I loved the full uncut lettuce leaves and the light and lemony dressing. It was topped with anchovy croutons and whole anchovies. Wickedly good.

Next we had a moist and delicious lamb burger with what I'm told are the best fries in NYC. They might be the best fries I've ever had! Thrice fried, and accompanied with a delicious cumin mayo dip.

The fries were so good, I had to take a close-up. They were thick and crispy, without the mushy centre. Bravo Breslin!

Saturday night we wanted to try Dinero's restaurant in TriBeCa, Locanda Verde. Unfortunately, the place was so packed so we had to come back for breakfast instead. No complaints, the brunch was incredible. I had Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with blueberries and meyer lemon curd.

Fusilli had the Uovo Modenese with cottechino hash, spinach and tomato hollandaise.

I loved the giant balls of yarn. I've never seen that before. New? Check!

Stopping for a glass of prosecco after walking for a few hours was nice, but the real treat was sitting outside on a patio in February. Cheers!

By the end of the day we needed one more meal before heading to the airport. Our first choice was closed, but they were kind enough to recommend Ideya, just down the street. They make excellent Mojitos.

What's better with a Mojito than a cuban sandwich?

Proof that we weren't the only summer jumpers enjoying the unseasonably warm weather. At least I wasn't in shorts and flip-flops.

Pu-pu Platter

2010-03-06T17:53:00.004-05:00

It's not really a Pu-pu platter, but that sounds so much more interesting than mediterranean platter. This awesome platter has chicken salad, cucumber salad, hummus, olives and pita bread. To drink, a delicious grapefruit G&T.

Porked Eggs

2010-03-06T13:06:00.005-05:00

I was going to title this post... A Poaching Perfection, because I recently learned the secret to poaching eggs, but my inner editor protested. I think my little editor was right, a vaguely rude title is always better than a bad pun.

So, the secret to poached eggs, as revealed by a current student of the Stratford Chef School. Stir the water to create a gentle vortex and then crack the egg into the centre. Simple, brilliant, and it works like a charm. The other basics still apply: Water at a gentle boil with a splash of vinegar and a pinch of salt. My additional discovery is that you can't create a vortex when there's already an egg in the water. So, poach for 30 seconds to let the egg set, pull it out with a slotted spoon and hold it in a dish until your next egg is set. Drop the other egg back in the water and poach to perfection. Don't forget to drain your eggs on a towel before putting it on your [insert meal here] or you'll drown it with watery poached eggs.

I took a second shot midway, after adding some Frank's, but it looked too much like the opening sequence from Dexter. For the unrated version, continue reading.

Memories of Cubano

2010-03-04T20:37:00.006-05:00

In the history of sandwiches, one sandwich stands out... the Cubano. Before College street was all that... and then not again, you could always count on a Cubano before a game of pool at Bar Italia. A Cubano consists of a crusty bun filled with roast pork, crispy pancetta, avocado, radicchio and garlic mayo.

Here's our attempt, and if I may say so... a worthy contender to replace the original. I made mine with a mix of mayo and Frank's hot sauce, which added a nice smokey heat. The real star was Fusilli's roast pork shoulder that had been cooking for six hours. Fall-aparty goodness!

Lemon–Almond Tart

2010-03-04T20:00:00.004-05:00

The perfect, quick dessert... especially when your only job is eat it! From the always reliable Bitten.

Mega Salad

2010-03-03T15:58:00.003-05:00

I went out to my favorite local lunch spot today. First, because it was warm enough to venture outside for the first time in a while.

Side note: Heated car seats are perhaps the greatest cold weather comfort ever invented. The problem is, you can't drive everywhere. So I'm throwing out this idea... heated pants. Imagine that feeling when you put on your pants, fresh from the dryer. Not so hot that the rivets in your jeans burn you, just that toasty warm feeling that puts a silly grin on your face. Now imagine your waiting for the street car with toasty warm pants in the midddle of winter.

The second reason I went out for lunch is to prove to Prosecco that salads rule! Observe—The Mega Salad! Tell me you wouldn't want to eat that! Grilled chicken, red leaf lettuce, tomato, cucumber, shredded carrots, shredded beets, pumpkin seeds, sun flower seeds and wheat grass. All topped with a hemp seed vinaigrette.

Last Thursday's dinner

2010-02-23T19:01:00.000-05:00

Homemade, home-cooked comfort food by Carlo's mother: butternut squash + ricotta gnocchi with butter, sage and lemon zest. Followed by salmon trout (I didn't know there was such a thing!) perfectly cooked with a breadcrumb parmigiano topping and for the vegetable component, broccoli. And next day's lunch? A salmon trout sandwich, of course!

Bacon re-incarnated

2010-02-22T21:16:00.000-05:00

This is the first I've ever heard, seen or tasted bacon… in a pretzel. Stopping into a Polish grocery store on Roncesvalles to pick up some perogies, my pal Tomi spotted these and gave me the nudge to buy them, not that she had to nudge that hard. She's a vegetarian so bacon pretzels aren't exactly on her to-eat list.

I ripped open the package when I got home and settled in to watch some Olympics (men's speed skating 1500m) with a fresh gin and tonic in hand. Smoky, salty, dry and crispy… bacon pretzels are pretty addictive. I wrapped up the remainder of the package with elastic bands and hid it away, in fear I'd down the entire thing in one sitting.

The $9 tuna melt

2010-02-18T23:24:00.002-05:00

Talk about disappointment. Tomi gets a tuna melt for lunch from (the post-changeover) Hank's and gets taken for a $9 ride. Here's what it consisted of: a thin slice of brown bread about the size of an iPhone with a smear of tuna, topped with cheese and a forest of arugula. Seriously?

Orange Crush

2010-02-10T19:36:00.008-05:00

This past Sunday I met up with Nidhi and Martina at Orange at Grand & Milwaukee for a noon-ish brunch. Orange has a few locations around the city, but this one was a good halfway point for all of us and our respective neighborhoods of: West Loop, West Town and the Gold Coast.

We ordered a round of Frushi to share. Frushi is fresh fruit, in-season, made into sushi rolls or pieces. YUM. I chose for my entree, the not pictured, Omelet #4. For me it was a nod to Kauai; with roasted ham, pineapple and swiss cheese and toasted coconut flakes sprinkled on top. Martina had the Chai Tea French Toast and Nidhi had the pancake flight.

The theme to the pancake flights changes weekly. This week's theme was honey and included these four (descriptions taken from their table menu): Lemon Thyme (blueberry buttermilk pancakes with lemon-thyme honey and whipped cream, garnished with ground pecans), Granola (almond buttermilk pancakes topped with mango-honey mousse and home made granola, Bacon (honey butter on buttermilk bacon pancakes drizzled with pecan syrup and garnished with powdered sugar) and Strawberry Banana (strawberries inside buttermilk cakes, topped with slices of banana honey-cottage cheese whipped cream and oven toasted walnuts).

My next visit to Orange I will try either the pancake flight of the week or the French Toast Kabob! What will you have?!

Bacon and eggs

2010-02-09T20:42:00.000-05:00

Who says bacon and eggs are only for breakfast? How about a little cast iron skillet pizza with the easiest pizza dough ever, topped with tomato sauce, chopped bacon from the farmer's market and a dusting of parmigiano? When it's cooked, crack an egg on top. I stuck mine back in the oven for a bit, but don't let that yoke get hard! You want it to ooze out when you slice up the pizza so you can soak up all that sunny yellow goodness.

Homemade Ramen in toronto!

2010-02-07T17:46:00.002-05:00

Kenzo on Dundas, West of Bay. Homemade Ramen noodles, broth, this is a Ramen chicken soup.

Lori and jims

2010-02-06T22:13:00.001-05:00

Perfect dinner party to relieve a hangover : viewing of lori's Bird Poop Madonna, with a delicious dinner featured below of LCBO 2008 recipe sirloin chili rub (complemented with jims description of Dwaynes rub n tug), with peppers avocado, tomato, red onion salad and cornbread. Totally delicious, sibling rivalry wine was perfect for the hangover. Tit biting.

Dinner tonight

2010-02-04T22:39:00.000-05:00

Eggs poached in homemade tomato sauce, crusty bread to mop up all that lovely sauce and runny yolks, and a fantastic value ($6.75!) Montepulciano d'Abruzzo to drink. For more egg ideas, check out this post on Apartment Therapy's The Kitchn.

St. John's Bakery

2010-01-24T14:58:00.001-05:00

This is one of my favourite stalls to visit at the Green Barn Farmer's Market. C usually buys the Red Fife and has a chocolate brioche. I just like to sip my coffee and admire the bounty of bread.

I discovered that the St. John's Bakery is a social enterprise business owned and operated by St. John's The Compassionate Mission and that bakery workers have included refugees, people struggling with addictions, people with emotional troubles or mental illness, and single parents struggling with poverty.

Tortillitas!

2010-01-20T20:36:00.002-05:00

A quick and healthy, crispy, tasty dinner : Mark Bittman, Andalucian Tortillitas - chickpea flour, water, shrimps, parsley and salt and pepper cooked in a pan like a pancake. Use any fish or herbs on hand. Una comida mue buena.

Sweet fluffy clouds

2010-01-20T01:11:00.000-05:00

I made marshmallows! It was my first attempt and I almost gave up. The recipes I read said to whisk the mixture for about 15 minutes to get it thick and stiff. Um, it took me FORTY minutes, people. Whatevs, it all worked out in the end as you can see by the little cloud floating in a mug of homemade Callebaut hot chocolate. I like this recipe from Orangette although it's a tad too sweet for my taste, especially if you'll be adding a fat marshmallow on top, so I cut the sugar by half. And about the marshmallow? You'll never go back to store-bought. These babies are delicate, fluffy, and totally gourmet. A bit messy to make but definitely worth it. Hopefully it doesn't take you 40 minutes of high-speed whisking!

Spicy shrimp

2010-01-19T20:13:00.002-05:00

More home cooking : Anchovy, garlic, oil, pepper flake, parsley pasta with garlic, oil, parsley, lemon shrimp. Tasty.

Home cooking finally

2010-01-15T21:24:00.003-05:00

This pic didn't come through last post, I hope it did this time, I'm emailing via blackberry. Poached halibut on Gios tomato sauce. Gios tomato sauce made by thick slicing tomatoes and covering them in minced garlic on one side and frying them in a pan w olive oil on each side until they turn to mush (about 8 min per side on med). Drop the halibut on top after the tomatoes are done and cover c and after another 5 to 8 min, voila healthy tasty french restaurant erasing meal that makes you feel happy. The wine was awesome, ontario small winery, foreign affairs that I found in lcbo vintages - expensive but worth a try its great. I just remembered I left a full bottle of vodka in my hotel room dangggg!

Second brunch of 2010

2010-01-11T20:29:00.002-05:00

For our second brunch of 2010, we were feeling adventurous and headed on over to the Hoof Café. It was highly recommended, and rightfully so. I've barely begun to tell you about what we ate and I'm just so excited to go back!

Not only is the room tiny and charmingly decorated, the food is delicious and special. Like things I couldn't get anywhere else for brunch, like tongue grilled cheese or marrow donuts? My gut was to go for the tongue grilled cheese, but since I'd never had tongue before, I ordered the hash which had tongue in it, but also potatoes, caramelized shallots and soft poached eggs on top. I also had the toast which came with goat butter and blueberry jam (oh so delicious!). Turns out, I like tongue! Although I'm not sure if it was cow or pig. I'm going to say pig, since their sign has a picture of a pig on it. C decided on the sweet and ordered the brioche french toast with a side of spicy sausage that came on a bed of baked beans. Hey, that's two for two now with C ordering french toast at both 2010 brunch spots! C felt like he still needed something when he was done but turned down the marrow donuts when our server made the suggestion, thinking they'd be too heavy. Instead, he ordered the house granola with goat yogurt. He liked the yogurt, but thought my homemade granola was better! Yayaya! Oh, I should also mention that we both ordered tea (Earl Grey for me, green tea for C) which were freshly brewed from leaves, not bags.

All in all, there is something for everyone here: traditionalists, adventurers, meat-lovers, vegetarians, coffee-drinkers, tea-drinkers, booze-drinkers. But definitely more geared toward adventurous carnivores. Check out the slideshow of our brunch here.

First brunch of 2010

2010-01-03T15:34:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year! What better way to start off the new year than with brunch, and on a Friday to boot. Circumstances somehow landed us in the Junction and at Cool Hand of a Girl, a charming café C and I would pass by many times but never had a chance to stop in. I'm so glad we did because we're definitely going back.

I had the all-day breakfast which consisted of scrambled eggs, roasted potatoes and toast, to which I also requested a side of spicy chicken sausage. C had the French toast special which tasted like it had lemon poppyseed cheesecake melting between the layers of bread. Delicious and decadent. The food is organic and locally produced, which was a great bonus for us, and what we really liked was the vibe of the place. Very mellow but cool. Maybe I'm just biased because they were playing the Cure, but that in combo with a good coffee and cozy breakfast while it snowed outside put me in good spirits for the first day of the year.

Sunday Scones

2010-01-03T14:02:00.005-05:00

My whole apartment smells like a buttery bakery right now. I just made Apricot and Sour Cream scones from the King Arthur Flour scone mix (A Christmas gift!). Y-U-M. I've been running all over Chicago since returning from Omaha last week, on the hunt for a mini-scone pan. My Mom got this same pan couple of years ago for only $10.95 at the Crate and Barrel outlet. She's the smart one...I bought mine FULL PRICE yesterday...but damn...it makes the best looking scones! And the size is small enough you don't feel guilty eating 2 or 10? Right? The box says, "serve warm"...which is why half of a scone is missing above. A warm scone or two and good coffee on a v. cold Chicago Sunday. Happy New Year!

Dinner and desert at le petit portoise

2009-12-30T10:45:00.000-05:00

Rabbit, monkfish, duck breast, tarte tatin.

Le Petit Portoise

2009-12-30T10:40:00.000-05:00

Apetizers from last night. One with crab, one with creyfish and beans, one camembert crusted almond and honey.

King crab

2009-12-29T08:07:00.000-05:00

Had to post another teaser, behold delicious cold king crab pre cracked with special mayonnaise. Found again at l ecume st honore. Caw!

Bistro d'henri

2009-12-29T08:05:00.000-05:00

Forgot to post dinner two nights ago. In the 6th, french, fall aparty lamb was the best, and the sardine salad, then way too many drinks. Julie is still drinking 3 days later.

Normandie oysters

2009-12-29T07:56:00.000-05:00

Paris introduced me to oysters with salted butter, rye bread, lemon and mignonette and today we had that and enhanced with a soundtrack of seagulls and surrounded in super fresh looking fish. Number 3 oysters are small, getting larger as the number goes down we had 4 types of oysters split and currently ordering a followup of king crab and saumon fumee and marinade de langoustine of course all with a bottle or two of sancerre.

L ecume st honore

2009-12-29T07:53:00.000-05:00

Forgot the name of the oyster place. Its on rue marche st honore.

First tango in paris

2009-12-27T11:08:00.000-05:00

Rencontre with fusilli and broccoli at the coude fou in paris. Delicious 'lotte' (monkfish) with veggie pate and fall aparty steamed veggies and skewer fare. Broccoli's soup in a pumpkin trick, ginger, coconut and pumpkin. And I missed the shot of fusillis virginal feast but shot her here with backdrop of vagine and wine.

Parisian Meat surfboard

2009-12-27T11:06:00.000-05:00

dinner at karens in paris, featuring a meat surfboard - the creamiest fois gras ever, country french cured ham and other treats. I failed to take the shots of 4 amazing cheeses, my favorite 'l'epoisse'. Then killer reds, one of which was a gevfrey chambertin 2006. Broccoli to post more on the night.

Not Turkey

2009-12-24T21:52:00.005-05:00

This year's Christmas dinner marks the beginning of a new holiday tradition. A Christmas without Turkey... without stuffing, without mashed potatoes and best of all... without driving for hours on end on Christmas eve.

Instead, a chance to relax and enjoy the perfect holiday meal... beef tenderloin with a green peppercorn sauce. On the side—sautéed savoy cabbage with pancetta and rosti potato.

Happy Ho Ho

Sweetwater

2009-12-10T00:59:00.006-05:00

Back in October, some friends and I went to the After Dark event in the Modern Wing at the Art Institute of Chicago. After exploring the new and very beautiful inside-and-out Modern Wing, we walked north on Michigan Avenue past Millennium Park to a not-so-new-now spot called Sweetwater. It's a large, open space with huge windows and roomy booths with a fantastic and tasty (and from a graphic design point of view, well-designed) menu. It was a rainy and cold night in Chicago so I opted for comfort food: the "Homestyle Meatloaf" with garlic mashed potatoes and gravy, asparagus, coleslaw and honey butter corn bread. Makes me hungry just writing about it. Hmmm....what to have next time?!

What I've been eating & tweeting

2009-12-09T12:09:00.002-05:00

I found someone else (other than Broccoli) who tweets what they eat! And better yet, they actually put their data to good use by analyzing it. So I decided to plug in my data, and this is the tweet cloud that was spit out:

Mom's Hot Chocolate

2009-12-09T00:08:00.005-05:00

Hello Blog. Sorry it's been so long since the foreign correspondent checked in. Many weddings and other fun times this fall have kept me away from blogging. But I have many images from the archives to share. I was just in Omaha for Thanksgiving. Family, fun and delicious food. One of the many culinary highlights...Mom's hot chocolate. It really doesn't taste the same without the sprinkles. What I wouldn't give for some of this hot chocolate in this "blizzie blizzardo" weather outside my window tonight!

Bar food at home

2009-12-06T23:36:00.000-05:00

You know how on every episode of a Nigella (Lawson, like you needed to ask!) show, she sneaks down in the middle of the night to have a bite of some delectable leftover in her fridge? This calamari could be that midnight snack for me; I guess I over-estimated how much two people could eat. Crispy, light, and so easy to make, the batter is just cornstarch, semolina and Old Bay seasoning (paprika, if you can't find Old Bay) sizzled to perfection in grapeseed oil but peanut oil's also a good option. Tonight we had it with garlic mayo for dipping, edamame and Beau's, an organic local beer I picked up while visiting friends in Ottawa last weekend. Happy hour at home!

Attack of the giant strawberry

2009-12-01T15:51:00.001-05:00

This doesn't seem right: a giant siamese strawberry that's *practically* the size of a 6 year old's head? Okay, a slight exaggeration, but still.

A San Frantastic Workcation

2009-11-24T21:31:00.016-05:00

Sometimes work can be fun. In particular, when work takes you to San Francisco!

First on the list—a visit to the Ferry Building where each Saturday they have an incredible farmer's market. The highlight was definitely this strange fruit called Buddah's hand.

The beautiful hallways at The Clift. So Starck.

One night I was lucky enough to get a tour of Palo Alto, attend a lecture at the offices of IDEO and tour the campus of Standford.

Around the corner from the hotel is an incredible breakfast place called Dottie's True Blue Cafe. The routine—line up at 7am so you can get in the door when it opens at 7:30. Don't forget to bring your own coffee, all their creative energy went into the food.

By Saturday morning, I'd had enough of Dottie's coffee so I searched for breakfast options on Yelp. I found The Butler & The Chef, an awesome French bistro

The smolked salmon eggs benedict, fresh squeezed o.j. and a delicious latte. It was so good, I went back the next day so I could line up for 45 minutes to have a breakfast crepe.

Heading to the farmer's market, I walked along the Embarcadaro and right under the Oakland Bay Bridge. Beautiful.

I love my macchiato from Bluebottle Coffee. The only problem... you have to line up for 20 minutes to get one. It's worth the wait.

They have food too! Hello Mr. Waffle.

Random chocolate fountain!

An outdoor indie music fest in the Mission.

A salad that reminds me of Christmas

2009-11-24T16:07:00.001-05:00

Beautiful feathery white ribbons of fennel mixed in with paper-thin slips of apple. Pretty to look at, fresh and crisp to cleanse your palate.

Last night's dinner

2009-11-17T22:17:00.003-05:00

Mushroom gyozas (sorry, I wasn't ambitious enough to make these myself) pan fried and some beautiful purple cauliflower which just got more psychedelic blue-y purple after roasting in the oven. The cauliflower weren't as crisp as I'd hoped, maybe I should have broiled them after the initial roast? But you can bet the dumplings were crispy on the outside and savoury on the inside. The traditional Korean dipping sauce for dumplings and wontons? Vinegar and soysauce.

addicted

2009-11-16T22:02:00.001-05:00

I am seriously addicted to and obsessed with this granola. If you've been following my tweets, or sit next to me at work (yes, you Lionel!) you'll know that I eat my version of olive oil granola every single day with a dollop or two of Liberté Mediterranean-style extra thick, extra fat yogurt with a side of coffee. Friday is my granola supply shopping day, which I usually do with Tomi, who introduced me to brown rice syrup. I think it's the je ne sais quoi ingredient that makes the granola taste like there's crack in it. I substitute brown rice syrup for the brown sugar and maple syrup that the NY Times recipe calls for. This week's granola contains: pepitas, almonds, sunflower seeds, wheat bran, dried cranberries and flax seed.

Eating what's in my cupboard

2009-11-11T22:57:00.004-05:00

A couple of months ago, I decided to run an "experiment" where I had to eat only what was in my cupboards and fridge/freezer. No grocery shopping for special ingredients, or any ingredients for that matter. Once I completely ran out of something, that's when I'd allow myself to go to the store for replenishment. The experiment was supposed to last a week, but it went longer… only because then I sort of got used to not buying groceries and making due with the stuff I had. Also, it kind of became a game for me to see what I could whip up with the odds and ends laying around. I should mention at this point that C was also doing the same experiment at his place so we had double the amount of food since some days he'd cook for both of us. And, I didn't need to buy vegetables since we were getting a weekly delivery from our CSA.

The dinner I made tonight sort of typifies what I would have during the no-grocery days and eating what would be in my fridge and pantry… dried beans, whatever greens would be onhand, and good old eggs. Presto! Navy bean stew with rapini and spinach, potato and eggplant frittata, and a salad with carrots.

Prosecco eats broccoli (and cauliflower)

2009-11-09T23:29:00.000-05:00

Chez moi ce soir: Spelt linguine with Ontario broccoli and orange cauliflower sauce. Deliciously and lovingly prepared by C, now christened by Broccoli as "Risotto". Are you still with me? A dash of olive oil and a dusting of Romano (which I mistakenly bought thinking it was Parmigiano) and dinner is served. Enjoy!

Dinner last week

2009-11-08T21:48:00.001-05:00

I know this looks like a weird, random mélange of food, which it is. But it's not just about looks, it's the taste that counts: kale chips, carrot sticks, marinated eggplant wedges and last but not least– pommes de terre boulangère. As a sidenote: I never used to think I could be a vegetarian, but this dinner was all vegetable and I was very satiated. The only thing preventing me from becoming a vegetarian (and Jewish): PORK. The meat-love of my life.

A Happy Birthday!

2009-11-03T20:05:00.009-05:00

What could be better than having a birthday dinner with friends? For me, only a home cooked meal with friends on your birthday. Prosecco and C (C—I'm officially giving you the blog name: Risotto) invited fusilli and I to the villa for an extravagant meal with fine wine, fine dining and even finer company.

To start we had pork lard on fresh toasted bread... yeah, I ate that so fast, no time to take pictures. Next, melon wrapped prosciutto and a delicious frittata. It was tough, but I was careful not to fill up, I could see at least three more courses waiting in the wings.

Risotto made an excellent, well... risotto. The incredible colour is from the beets.

Another favorite — Osso bucco.

I hope I get this right... chocolate peanut butter bacon pie, with candied bacon on top. Insane? Yes. Delicous? If you like choco-peanut-bacon pie... YES! This wins for the most unusual dessert I've ever had.

Thanks Giving

2009-10-12T16:05:00.004-04:00

Our Thanks Giving tradition is to avoid tradition... no turkey, no stuffing, just Canada's Wonderland and spicy snacks. After maxing out our adrenaline by riding the Behemoth we stopped in at Linda, for Mieng Kum and Crispy Duck.

Mieng Kum is a great example of how a few simple ingredients come together to create something incredible. I can never remember the name of leaf used to create this little pocket of fire, but you pile on chopped lime rind, shallots, peanuts, coconut, chilies, candied shrimp, something like an oyster sauce, and then pop the whole thing in your mouth. I can't describe the flavour, you'll just have to try it for yourself, but be warned... it's a mouth surprise, and the heat isn't for everyone. Have a beer close by!

If you can't make it up to Don Mills Mall, head over to their location on Gould, above the Salad King.

So Long Speedy Burger

2009-10-12T15:44:00.004-04:00

Seems like every weekend, when I get back to the hood, there's something new opening up, closing down or being demolished. On Saturday we were fueling up at our local, F'Coffee, enjoying coffee and breakfast sandwiches, while across the street Speedy Burger was being torn down. I won't miss SB or the rest of the strip mall, but I'm not looking forward to the new condo either. Slowly, all the local colour is bleeding out of the hood and being replaced with a lot of gray. If Jilly's goes, I won't be far behind.

Going to New York for Dinner

2009-10-06T21:38:00.027-04:00

I don't need much prompting to jump on a plane, let alone one headed for New York. So, when Manchego suggested we go to NYC for the weekend, it seemed like a plan. Except that it was Thursday, and last minute flights are hard to come by these days... especially on Porter. I checked for flights, just to see how insane the price would be, and I was shocked to find flights for $95. It was clearly a sign... except to Manchego who bailed and decided to spend the weekend relaxing. Lame.

We didn't make it to the High Line on our last trip, so after breakfast we walked up to the Meat Packing District to check it out. It was the highlight of the trip for me. I love public spaces, and this is an incredible example of how cities can reclaim, and adapt abandoned land. The HL passes under two buildings, the one shown here is the new hotel The Standard. Swank.

After walking most of the afternoon, we stopped into Fatty Crab for a PBR tall boy and a Chupacabra.

Chili Crabs are the specialty of the house, and normally that's what I would order, but after watching our neighbour eating them, I decided I really didn't want to get up to my elbows in sauce. Instead we ordered pickled watermelon and crispy pork. It may not look appetizing in this shot, but the hot/cold, salty/sweet, crunchy/soft contrast of the ingredients was a magical mouth tour.

After first dinner, we headed to the patio at Pastis to enjoy the unseasonably warm weather and watch the outfits stream by. An hour into the fabulous people parade, we decided to see where they were all going. Lesson learned—follow the outfits to fun. We ended up down the street at The Standard Beer Garden, under the high line. It's an open air patio, with two bars and ping-pong tables! There's nothing better than watching drunk ping-pong, which should be called "where's the ball?" Because usually the ball was floating around the floor between fashionable footwear.

For second dinner we headed to Macau Trading Co., a not-so-secret restaurant, behind an unassuming metal grate, marked only by a red lantern. Despite the elaborate interior design, which usually makes up for a weak menu, the food and drinks were on equal footing. It was too dark to take pictures, and almost too loud to talk in the downstairs room, but not too dark for drinks. I had the delicious Mr. Ho, and Fusilli ordered the Dr. Funk. The Macanese /Portuguese menu was full of small snacks, and each dish we ordered was better than the last. Olive oil poached octopus with potatoes and fennel, chicken dumplings in chili oil and mushroom & truffle croquettes.

There's only one breakfast in NYC that's worth traveling 70 blocks, and lining up for 20 minutes when you're feeling hung-over. Barney Greengrass.

The sun was out, and it felt like summer, so after breakfast we headed through Central Park towards the Whitney museum to see the Georgia O'Keefe exhibit. I've been through the park many times, but I've never walked through the Ramble. At certain points, the city pokes dramatically through the trees, highlighting how amazing it was to be standing on a bridge over a stream in the middle of the city.

The Ramble just gets better the further you explore. I was completely lost at this point, but who cares when you've just had breakfast at the Sturgeon King and your only job that day is to make it to your next meal. Welcome to the magic forest.

In an effort to cram as much into two days as possible, we got last minute tickets to the Sufjan Stevens concert at the Bowery Ballroom. I think I would have enjoyed the concert more if my feet weren't so tired.

One last meal before a quick nap and an eaaaaarly flight home.

Pasta and Frisse Salad at Balthazar.

Galette, a.k.a. a rustic topless pie

2009-10-06T21:20:00.000-04:00

A quick trip to Manotick (just outside of Ottawa) a couple weekends ago resulted in an over-abundance of apples. My friend Sunny took us to her favourite apple orchard where we picked Spartans and Cortlands. So crisp and delicious fresh from the tree! But I can't seem to eat them fast enough, no matter how many I've given away. So I've been trying to incorporate apples into every meal. Last weekend was Ontario porkchops with apples, before that it was a huge pan of apple crisp. Last night was apple galette. But what else? How can I use up the rest of these apples??

(dis)comfort food

2009-10-05T23:08:00.001-04:00

The days are getting shorter and chillier so the thought of oxtail ragu and semolina gnocchi really appealed to me. I slow-cooked the ragu for almost 3 hours while the semolina gnocchi chilled in the fridge. The final result was a rich, hearty ragu that definitely offered a comfort aspect– initially. But in the end, the meal ended up being so rich and heavy (from the semolina), that I conked out and actually got sick. I won't go into any further details but let's just say that I'm sort of over the whole thick, stewy, saucy thing for the time being. On the plus side, C made me a very nice Aperol Sprizz as an aperitif. The dinner started off with so much potential, alas it did not end the same way. :-(

The Publican

2009-10-01T22:31:00.003-04:00

Two days of awesome food, capped off with a visit to The Publican. You have to love a restaurant with paintings of pigs on the walls.

Cheap and delicious

The Sunday price fix menu, and three pedicures.

Heirloom tomato salad

Squid and sausage pizza!!! The best pizza I've ever had, hands down!

Yes, that's two fried eggs on french fries... I think it's called "Awesome Fries" on the menu

I was on the verge of exploding, and then the next course arrived.

Dessert

Chicago Gourmet

2009-10-01T20:52:00.011-04:00

Last weekend we went to Chicago to visit Cupcake, and sample food & wine at the excellent Chicago Gourmet. I knew we were in for a good time when they handed me a wine glass on the way in. From that point, until we left at five hours later, it was non stop tasting and "tasting".

Great location—Millenium Park

I looks like a burger, but it's an itty bitty bite sized steak

Scallop and corn salsa

Braised short ribs (like butta)

Waiting for the delicious... the lines were short and fast

More meaty goodness. Note to the organizers, more veggies next year please

At this point we couldn't stop eating, I had to eat it... they gave it to me!

This was the only thing I didn't like... it was a panna cotta of weirdness. If it were on a menu it would be called "Mouth Surprise"

Not sure what this was. I see some meat and other things.

This was dessert part 1

This was what happened when the green dessert jumped off my plate, landed face first and slid down my shirt. Alcohol had nothing to do with this incident.

Nice view. I could hang out here every weekend eating and drinking

The best thing the day after a gourmet bender—Mimosa's and mexican breakfast

Side of bacon, side of heaven

Dessert cupcakes

Uninspired

2009-09-29T21:24:00.001-04:00

Very uninspired lately. In every aspect of my life it seems. Just bored, I guess– food-wise, fashion-wise, work-wise, music-wise… you get the picture. So I leave you with the latest big harvest of heirloom tomatoes from my balcony garden. The yellow ones are Golden Queen and the red ones are Silvery Fir Tree. They were probably the last exciting thing I have eaten lately. Be back soon with some inspired food and thought, I hope.

Corn Roast and Clams

2009-09-20T23:14:00.003-04:00

We couldn't get enough of Gilead Cafe this weekend. After the burger brunch, we spent the afternoon walking around town, killing time, until the corn roast started. Around 5 we headed back to sample some corn, clams and Ontario wine. The highlights — deep fried clams on fries with tartar sauce... and the peach crumble with enough whipped cream to make Herb Alpert jealous.

Gilead Café. It was all about the cheeseburger.

2009-09-20T14:23:00.001-04:00

Saturday morning brunch catching up with Broccoli and Fusilli before they take off to Chicago next weekend. They turned us onto this special cheeseburger, which didn't disappoint in the least. This was the first time ever that I ate a burger with a tomato slice. Usually when I see those sad little whitish pink tomato slices, it makes me want to barf. But this tomato was calling out to me, so luscious and bright bright red. The crispy fries with apple cider mayo were the perfect friend to my cheeseburger. In fact, everyone at the table at cheeseburgers that morning! Good friends + good burgers = a very nice start to the weekend.

Summer Salad

2009-09-19T14:30:00.002-04:00

I had to add this picture from our burger brunch. Yes the burger is wicked good, but the summer salad is the perfect accessory to any cheese burger. Nothing softens the guilt of eating a cheese burger like a delicious salad. It's all about the balance.

Francesca's Forno– don't go.

2009-09-19T00:38:00.001-04:00

After a too-fast jaunt through Chicago's Renegade Craft Fair and before the next morning's half marathon, it was time to carb load at nearby Francesca's Forno. Although I'd read many great reviews of this place online as well as a personal recommendation by my sister, I'm sorry to report that the food was awful. One word: SALTY. Too much salt is the worst cooking crime according to Nigella Lawson, and I couldn't agree more. On the other hand, my cousin said she hated her meal for the exact opposite reason– not enough salt or seasoning. I wish I'd been at Terroni instead.

Goodbye Summer, Hello Lög

2009-09-18T17:51:00.002-04:00

Last weekend we had our final taste of summer, with a trip to a friend's cottage on Lake Muskoka. To end the season we decided to make our favorite camp fire meal — lög. I don't think that's actually the name, or the correct spelling, but it's what we've come to call a crazed method for cooking a huge piece of beef tenderloin in the fire. I have to give full credit to Andreas for introducing us to this unusual way of cooking... it really is a show stopper.

First make a stuffing for the tenderloin. In this case, carrots, shallots and mustard. Butterfly the tenderloin, and then spread the cooked and cooled stuffing in the middle. Wrap the tenderloin in two layers of cheese cloth, truss, and then soak the entire thing in a bottle of red wine. While it's soaking, get the fire ready and wait until you have a good bed of hot coals to cook on. When the fire is ready, drop the lög on top. It's always a guess how long the lög should cook, so turn it occasionally to ensure one side doesn't get too burnt. The moisture from the wine, and the double layer of cheese cloth should keep it from charring the tenderloin. In the end you'll have a smokey and delicious piece of beef.

Prepping the fire

Toss the lög on the fire!

Monte guarding the lög

Lög is almost ready!

Shhhh, the Lög is resting

Intelligentsia

2009-09-15T23:34:00.003-04:00

I've been called "unclassy" regarding my coffee choices in the past, but this one won't be one of them. Intelligentsia Coffee in Chicago this past weekend… what can I say? The best Americano I've ever had. Seriously.

A very nice barista (I think his name was Curtis) at the Millenium Park coffee bar gave us a lovely explanation and demo of how they brew their coffee and these machines are crazy, I've never seen these before! To give the simple breakdown of it all:

Machines are calibrated every single morning.
Only coffee which has been roasted within the week is brewed.
The machine works like a reverse French press with a metal filter to retain the oils in the coffee.
Coffee is brewed in 45 seconds.

And that's the secret to a smooth, deep, bite-free coffee. Wow.

Caprese salad by guest blogger Bo

2009-09-15T20:22:00.000-04:00

i've been fortunate to live with a roomy that appreciates all things fresh and good to eat! i've not only been able to taste test almost everything that leaves her kitchen but been the keen observer of her methods for cooking and baking in the kitchen! i've seen her raise her little balcony garden, starting with just a humble garden of herbs last year to a garden that this year included tomatoes! she picked a ripe tomato for me last week, which later became my dinner the following day- a classic salad- sliced tomato, mozzerella, fresh basil that was drizzled with olive oil, balsamic vinaigarette and fresh ground pepper.

please note that 1) i often eat popcorn + wine for dinner 2) i don't cook 3) i tend to husband duties in the household such as cleaning up after dinner, loading the dishwasher and network administration of our internet, which is why i thought this was significant enough to post.

Madras Pantry

2009-09-10T20:40:00.002-04:00

Bored with our breakfast options in the hood, we decided to ride out to the wild west on Saturday for something different. I'm not sure I'm ready to change my breakfast routine after trying the Jerk Chicken Dosa, but it certainly was an interesting change from granola or eggs. The mango lassi I ordered was the highlight for me, thick like a milkshake, mixed with ice cubes so it stayed super cold the whole time. Nummy.

Haddock with Corn & Tomato Salsa

2009-09-10T19:59:00.004-04:00

There's a great seafood store called T&J on the way home from work, so I stopped in recently to see what was fresh. On that day it was the haddock that caught my eye. I had already decided I was going to make a recent recipe from Bitten,Pan-Roasted Corn & Tomato Salsa and the Haddock seemed like a good play mate. I made a dry rub for the haddock from cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper and tossed it on the BBQ. It was totally tex-mex, but it worked.

One thing to note about the corn salsa recipe. The instructions call for the corn to be added to the bacon and onion after they've cooked for a few minutes. Don't do it. In fact, don't even add the onion to the bacon. Cook the bacon to your preference, take it out of the pan, reserving the fat to cook the onion and corn. If you add the corn to the bacon it gets all soggy. The only thing worse than a recipe with no bacon, is one with soggy bacon.

Is September the new June?

2009-09-09T00:07:00.002-04:00

Excuse me, but why am I getting strawberries in September? I don't get it. Nothing but leaves all summer and now you decide to show up? I'm so confused.

Crazy about crostata (aka fruit pizza)

2009-09-08T23:37:00.002-04:00

Anyone who knows me knows that I can become a tad OCD about certain foods. My latest obsession is this wholewheat biscuit base crostata. It's not your traditional Italian crostata but it is way easier. Take any biscuit recipe, flatten out the dough and top with your favourite fruit (+ cinnamon + nutmeg + brown sugar). I've been doing peaches lately but am excited to try apples or pears sliced thin on the mandoline. A dollop of whipped cream on the side would make it perfection.

Tomatoes become sauce

2009-09-08T23:21:00.001-04:00

Labouring on labour day weekend… see what happened to these all these tomatoes over the course of one Saturday.

Caponata

2009-09-07T13:06:00.000-04:00

If you've been following my tweets, I've been eating a lot of Caponata these days. It's a super easy way to cook up a lot of vegetables and soooo savoury. Just chop up a bunch of vegetables (we usually use potatoes, eggplant, zucchini, onion and assorted peppers from the CSA box) and throw into a pot or wok of hot olive oil and cook down until the vegetables get nice and tender. A sprinkling of salt is all you really need to season it since all the flavour comes from the vegetables. You can eat this alone as a main or on the side with just about anything (we had it with some other sautéed greens this time). And guess what? It tastes even better the next day. Enjoy!

happy summer dinner

2009-09-02T23:19:00.000-04:00

Oh, a fond memory of a dinner from 2 weeks ago when the night air was still warm…
Lamb chops marinated in white wine and herbs overnight, roasted with potatoes. A fresh and pretty strawberry and romaine salad to cleanse the palate. Summer, I miss you already!

Cupcake Homage

2009-08-25T20:46:00.005-04:00

As if any more proof was required that Monte lives a charmed life—here it is! While the rest of us work, he's out partying with the neighbours, collecting cookies, swimming in pools and inspiring cupcakes in his image. What a life.

Since he can't say thank you, I will. To all the neighbours who have spoiled Monte with treats, affection and humbling generosity—thank you, thank you, woof woof. I know he appreciates it, and now demands the same treatment at home.

Cupcakes compliments of the very talented Zabeda Wood, of Fillings & Frostings. More pictures after the link.

It really does look like Monte... who also looks like Alf.

He couldn't resist licking himself.

Flagstaff, Arizona– more than just Route 66

2009-08-24T09:52:00.000-04:00

When you're in the middle of the desert, on your way to the Grand Canyon, and it's 43 degrees by 1pm, it only makes sense you just go with the flow and have dinner at a joint called diablo burger. We just happened to stumble upon this place while wandering around downtown Flagstaff, and I'm so glad we did. Their tagline is "All about Local". And as the menu says: "Every diablo burger is made of 100% local, open range-raised, antibiotic-free and growth-hormone free beef from the Diablo Trust ranches…" Most of their produce is also locally sourced within a 250 mile radius. All this, and the food is fantastic. The branded buns are actually english muffins and the burgers were mouthwateringly juicy. I had the Vitamin B burger, which came with bacon, beets and blue cheese. An unusual combo which I wouldn't have normally chosen had I been in Toronto, but when you're on vacation in the desert, surrounded by hippies, maybe your tastebuds want something different. We had the Scrimshaw Pilsner and the Acme IPA from North Coast Brewing in Fort Bragg, California to quench our thirst. Aaaaah!

Sliders and Slaw

2009-08-17T21:34:00.003-04:00

I just realized we've had pork three nights in a row! Saturday Berkshire, Sunday tenderloin and today slow roasted pork shoulder. Tomorrow, I think the plan is to roast a whole pig.

On the side, Fusilli made a delicious crunchy slaw. We also had leftover chipotle peanut sauce from last night to use as gravy on the sliders. Next time, I think we'll try making tiny pancakes to eat with the pork. If you've ever had peking duck, or moo shu, you'll know what I mean by 木须饼.

Peanut-Chipotle Sauce & Giant Corn

2009-08-16T21:26:00.004-04:00

Corn wasn't really the star of the meal, but I will say this... it was huge! The corn came fresh from Herrle's, where they bring in multiple varieties from the field serveral times a day. The only way it could be fresher is if they let you pick it yourself. Ok, enough about the corn. The pork tenderloin with peanut-chipotle sauce was the shizz, not too spicy, not too sweet. Unlike most peanut sauce recipes this one has a tomato base, so yes it has some peanut flavour, but you don't feel like your eating melted peanut butter. A Bobby Flay original.

Ceili Cottage

2009-08-16T21:00:00.003-04:00

There's a great new patio on Queen, out in the east end—Ceili Cottage. It's worth a visit if you like eating oysters, drinking beer and sitting outside. We got there early on Saturday to avoid the line up and secure a good seat. My plan was basically to camp there until they asked me politely to leave. In then end we cleared out before last call... six hours was plenty of patio time for me.

The menu has a few excellent platters for sharing, like the one shown here—the Berkshire platter with beets, cabbage, soda bread and dijon mustard. We also tried the peat smoked salmon platter twice, a platter of oysters, a bowl of mussels and the buried treasure (mac & cheese with sausage. What? We were there for six hours... that's not a lot of food when you spread it out.

FYI—they are having an oyster eating contest. Best time eating 20 oysters wins a trip to Ireland with Patrick, the owner.