Side Recipe

1 Bag of Southern Greens Blend from Trader Joes
4 cloves of garlic
Green onion
Halved cherry tomatoes (optional)
Water
Red Wine Vinegar

Saute garlic and onion in oil for 6 minutes, add washed greens, a half pint of halved cherry tomatoes, 3/4 cup of water and 6 tablespoons of red wine vinegar.  Cover and let steam for 15 minutes, tossing occasionally. 

Learning to Cook without Salt

Since I've started to cook on a more regular basis, the decision to cook with NO salt has been made.  Quelle Horreur!  Though, in truth, it really isn't that bad. 

Try my simple fish dish at home in a skillet/pan:

Marinate 2 filets of tilapia, or any non-fatty white fish i.e. snapper, in lime.  10 minutes each side.
Then, sear the fish 2 minutes on each side and set aside.  In a skillet, brown onion crescents in oil and fresh cut garlic.  Once onions are browned, dump one 28-ounce can of diced tomatoes (you can of course use the same amount of fresh tomatoes), 1 bay leaf, 1 teaspoon of thyme, 1 teaspoon of rosemary, and let simmer 4-5 minutes.  Place fish in skillet and let cook 4 minutes each side in tomato sauce and voila!  A tasty fish without the use of any salt!

 Total expense: $14.14 not including the spices which I already had

Les Halles

When I first moved to New York ten years ago and knew nothing about food or Anthony Bourdain, I thought Les Halles was exceptional compared to its downtown neighbor, L'Express.  Unfortunately my last few visits have been just average.  Les Halles still provides the classic French Brasserie atmosphere, but with loud radio music, which is almost unbearable anywhere near the bar area of the restaurant. 

Let's start with the appetizers. 

Les Rillettes du Boucher - house made shredded pork confit.  The cornicons provided more flavor than the confit.

Steak tartare - always loved the tartare as they prepare table side with as many of the ingredients as you wish.  Our waiter asked if we would like it mild, medium or spicy and we ordered spicy which turned out disastrous.  You would expect a mild spiciness from the Tabasco, but it felt as if we were just eating a textured Tabasco sauce.

Fortunately, the beet and goat cheese salad did not disappoint.  This dish is appealing not only to the mouth,

but eyes.  The beets are dark red and roasted below a thin wheel of goat cheese.

Didn't bother with the two steaks (Flatrion or Steak Frites) as they were lukewarm, difficult to chew and the frites (what I consider the best thing they have going) oily. 

The dishes I usually order, but not this trip, of Choucroute and Cassoulet have never missed a beat!  They are extremely heavy dishes, but hopefully, you'll be up for the challenge (and the pork!!!)

Les Halles  411 Park Avenue South @ 29th Street
Reservations recommended

A Fork in the Road: La Dona (San Diego, CA)

The transportation through San Diego is so easy, there is absolutely no reason to not check out other areas of the city for food. We took the trolley from Seaport Village to Barrio Logan for some Mexican fare and was worth it. 

It's a ten minute ride from Seaport, then a 5 minute walk to the restaurant from the station.  Seated in our booth, we ordered a vast amount of goodies since the prices were economical (Tex-Mex is my favorite, but California Mexican will do just fine!).   It was Monday late morning, so I decided to go with a mix of breakfast and lunch items. 

Chips and salsa - the chips were thick, crunchy and lightly salted (clearly homemade)

Chili Colorado - hunks of fatty pork with rice & beans.  I enjoyed the tomato-based sauce together with the eggs & beans, but would have enjoyed more lean pork as opposed to just fattiness.

Beef Burrito with rice & beans - nice cuts of flank steak marinated with cilantro.  The guacamole can

I saved the best for last...

I've never been a fan of fish tacos...not sure why...until now! 

This was a powerful fish taco.  Thickly breaded fish, but not so much that the fish cannot be identified, mixed with a light mayo-vinegar cabbage salad in a corn tortilla.  I smile just thinking of it.

Husk-less Pork tamale (tamales were once as ubiquitous as the sandwich is today in the Inca Empire) - divine...soft corn and tasty meat.

If you want a taste of true California Mexican, try it here!  Then take the trolley 20 minutes south right to Tijuana for the real, real thing.

Please note the restaurant only takes CASH and is open M-F 7am-3pm

La Dona  1784 Newton Avenue b/t Beardsley and Sigsbee Streets  (619) 233-4939

Fatty Crab

Bro coming to town.  Check.
Plane arrives late.  Check.
Dinner late.  Check.

Fatty Crab is a stone's throw from my apartment and I was glad to announce this was where we'd be having 'dinner'.

The steamed pork buns, of course, had to be ordered.  Fatty Crab version has a touch of hoisin and shredded veggies and the fattiness to meat ratio is perfect (comparable to, and sometimes better than, Momofuku steamed buns :-0 I know....Blasphemy!)

On to the Short Rib Rendang with kaffir lime and gula jawa, which is a granulated palm sugar, served with pickled veggies.  Never have I had short rib like this.  I've had short rib on the bone, short rib ragu, chunks of braised short rib, but never looking like a perfectly cooked and sliced piece of Porterhouse steak.  I didn't pick up lime or any sweetness in the crust, but didn't care given the meat was exceptionally prepared.  The pickled carrots, radish and onion were a different touch and complimented the dish well.  Pricey at $26, but worth it.

Our waiter mentioned a 11pm-2am late night Happy Hour appetizer menu.  Good to know!

Fatty Crab  643 Hudson b/t Gansevoort & Horatio
www.fattycrab.com

Fork in the Road: Hash House (San Diego, CA)

I didn't know what to expect walking into Hash House, except that a good foodie friend had recommended it. The line was long and we arrived almost at closing time - two strikes. We put our names in, got a pager (big plus!) and made our way to the bar.

It was Sunday and had been a long 6 hour flight from New York, so the Bloody Mary was well-deserved. Typically, I never order Bloodies because of the heaviness and richness before a meal, and this one was no different. A meal in itself, but a delicious meal. Hash House uses farm fresh ingredients, so one would assume the tomato juice is fresh which makes the Bloody Mary experience entirely different. HH also had interesting twists with Bloody Marys...one with BBQ sauce, tabasco and chicaronnes and a B.L.T with bacon!

The Champagne Super Nova was a refreshing, springtime cocktail (muddled fresh mint, pressed lemonade, white and sparkling wines)

While sipping on our cocktails, we take notice of the colossal plates passing by; and not just a dish or two, every single dish. It was like musical chairs with my eyes. Each dish had to be 12" long x 6" wide!

Finally, we are seated! I cannot wait to order, but I'm having a difficult time. This is almost like Shopsin's. The menu isn't as long, but you can't decide what you want. I'm looking at every one's table and thinking, "I want that". 




The Order:

Indiana Favorites:  Famous sausage gravy & buttermilk biscuits, 2 eggs and mashed potatoes

The photos don't even begin to do the portions justice.  The biscuits were the size of my hand (not my palm!) with a lump of mashed potatoes between the two, 2 fried eggs atop the mountain then smothered with sausage gravy.  This dish was definitely tasty, but born a Southerner, the biscuits were a touch dry for me and the gravy was too creamy.  However, had the gravy had more chunks of sausage, it would have cut the creaminess.
Consumption amount: Half a biscuit, half mashed potatoes, 1 egg

The Mothership of Brunch: Sage Fried Chicken tower with waffles and eggs

This dish is a force to be reckoned with!  I mean, just look at it!  Beautifully crisp fried chicken towered on top of four 3x3" waffles complete with leeks and tomatoes.  The ingredients are so fresh, it really does make the food taste better.

Bacon-infused Waffles!!!  WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!  Genius!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The waffles were soft with crispy slices of bacon infused, then doused with maple syrup...
It was perfect in every possible way, though the tomatoes and eggs could easily be forgotten.

Consumption amount:  Every single bite, mostly by someone else.  This takes food coma to a whole new level.
Keep in mind, they open early on weekdays and weekends (7:30am), but close at 2pm weekdays and 2:30pm weekends.

3628 5th Ave San Diego, CA

http://www.hashhouseagogo.com/

SHUTTERED Overhyped and UNDERwhelmed...Vandaag

A restaurant I had been waiting to try. Everything about it appealed to me: decor, ingredients, cocktails, the menu and the endless hype. The dining room is beautifully decorated in Scandinavian style with wood tables, wire lighting fixtures, Eames chairs and an enormous floor to ceiling window on 2nd Avenue. What a room for brunch when it is flooded with light!

The waiters are dressed in white collared button-downs, jeans and adorable mis-matching floral aprons; but when I asked my usual pre-dining question, 'what are your favorite menu items?' The answer was, 'Everything is good', which was unenthusiastic and only highlighted appetizers. One thing she was right about, everything was just 'good'.

Starting with the pickle pot, I thought it was a good prelude of what was to come and unfortunately, I was wrong.

Pickle Pot complete with cucumbers, turnips and fennel

Barely there gravalax with celeriac, celery, bitters, leaves, seed and roe
(The fishy roe was the noticeable ingredient)

The one dish the waitress seemed to be excited about was the bitterballen slow braised oxtail croquettes with mustard relish; but alas, another tasteless appetizer. Authentic croquettes are typically, what most would consider, tasteless and are jazzed up with some type of dipping sauce. But these were OXTAIL! Slow braised oxtail tasteless? What the heck? They tasted exactly like a regular croquette. Slap on the wrist for me since I never order the most popular dish the menu.

The Mangalitsa pork (heirloom beans, Sepia, pear, clove jus 28) was the most enjoyable dinner item. Mangalista is a fattier cut of meat, therefore, is abundantly rich. The sepia was apparent, although I'm not sure how it tied into the dish.

Hete Bliksem ’hot lightning’ - crisp fingerlings, bacon, apple, stroop syrup
By far, the best eats at Vandaag and described by the waitress as 'Heaven in a Bowl'. Crispy potatoes with chunks of bacon, microscopic chunks of apple in a housemade stroop syrup. This dish blended sweet and heated (aftertaste) that was awesome!

We waited thirty minutes for the waitress to take our dessert order that the skyr custard (maple, rhubarb, granola bar, mace) was just brought over and on the house. Glad the decision was made.

Bottom line - Vandaag tries too hard with their menu. There are too many ingredients they're working with. Don't reinvent the wheel. Simplify.

Vandaag 103 Second Avenue @ 7th Street (212) 253-0470
http://www.vandaagnyc.com/about.html

THE Man

A year ago this month, I met THE chef of all chefs! Mr. Thomas Keller

with Edna Ishayik of NY Magazine and @Ishlist

Signing Ad Hoc

Cafe Edison

It was as if I had gone back in time in a once magical 1930's theatre district hotel. You could just imagine black-tie clad couples dining and dancing in the grand ballroom of The Edison Hotel. Well, you would have to imagine pretty hard. It has now become one of many mid-range Times Square hotels, however, the diner is still a throwback to a fountain bar serving one of the most delicious egg creams I've had.

Most of the staff are lukewarm Polish women with thick accents, but they certainly know the best items to order.

The hot Roumanian pastrami sandwich was a good with a generous helping of meat, but nothing out of the ordinary in the world of deli sandwiches.

The dish to be enjoyed is the browned corned beef hash with poached eggs and steak fries. These old-time 'diners' know how to make eggs properly!

It's sad to see, what used to be a magical ballroom, fade into history; but on a positive note, the hotel recently revamped The Rum House bar run by the Ward III folks.

The Hotel Edison 228 West 47th Street (between 7th & 8th Avenues)

SHUTTERED: Nuela Ambitious

Nuela reminds me of my short-lived, club-hopping days in good 'ole Miami. Almost all new dining establishments in Flatiron lack grand food to justify their grand spaces. Not Nuela. They have the goods to back it.

First thing I see, round corn balls which serves as their 'bread' served with mascarpone cheese drizzled with olive oil. Sweet and sour.

The ceviche bar was staffed with two ceviche chefs that prepared ceviche made-to-order. The Mixto Mariscos (lobster/shrimp/crab/octopus) had a light, charred tomato sauce. The rocoto pepper provided the heat and spicy, apple-tinged flavor.

The market fish was snapper and prepared traditionally in lime with red onion.

I must say, watching the ceviche being prepared was more enjoyable than the ceviches themselves. While fresh, they are overpriced ($16 each) for a small amount as well as difficult to decipher which shellfish you were tasting with the Mixtos.

I went against the grain (a restaurant known for it's arroz con pato (essentially duck paella), and ordered a quarter roasted suckling pig. When it arrived, I wasn't sure what was going on...Spanish-Asian fusion??? But HOLY MOLY! This was one of the best pieces of pork I've ever had!!!!

Served with scallion pancakes, cumin lime rice and a pink peppercorn guava sauce, it was a wonderful balance of protein and carb. Each bite was a new, different bite. It was......delicious!

Asparagus - brown butter, aji amarillo & white soy

The restaurant itself is a little cheesy with its black and burgundy colors with actual tourists from Miami trying to speak over the club music. The kitchen should be showcased more. It is a wall of beautiful, ridged, frosted glass panes and randomly placed clear-hinged panes to see the kitchen and its staff. The waiters were attentive, but not too overwhelming.

Don't forget the bar snack of roasted corn with onion and bacon!

Nuela 43 West 24th Street(212) 929-1200
http://www.nuelany.com/