Dining Desperado-The Good, The Bad and the YUMMY

Ethiopia...down and dirty with no silverware

2006-07-16T01:13:00.000-07:00

So it has been quite some time since I "crazy" dined. I figured I was way overdue to get my KC dining on. So I decided to hit up Ethiopian, on 39th St (is there anywhere else?). I dragged Sam along, like I have done the past few times. He has been quite nice, putting up with all of my madness. We walked up to Addis Abba ba. The host-waiter greeted us and I'm going to go ahead and say that he was from Ethiopia...and he sensed that we were not. What gave me away? Perhaps my jean shorts...blast, hoisted by my own baton! Sam decided to start with a Guava drink. Ah...smart move sam...well played. I thought it sounded good but an overwhelming coconut drink I had from the Dosa man in NY held me back.

So here is Sam's drink. Sideways, but no less lucious. It was thinker than an orange juice...but smooth with a nice lingering guava taste.

I decided to get a vegtable platter-cabbage, potatoes, greens, and a few other things thrown in the mix. Sam got beef, and I quote "tibbs". I laughed at this for quite a while. It's like when you go to IHOP and they make you say "I would like the rooty tooty fresh and fruity" and they won't give it to you unless you SAY IT ALL. So on to the food. The "bread" was like an unfinished pancake. It was simaltaneously bland....and flavorful. I kept trying to isolate the flavor but I couldn't compare it to anything. So I will have to just say that it is a fine vehicle for Ethiopian food for now..in its spongy and unleavened glory. The potatoes and cabbage were neon yellow, covered in a great curry flavor that was reminicent of indian spices. Next to that there were beans flavored with cardamom: it was like eating turkish coffee...so much cardamom! All in all it was quite a nice deviation from my french-Italian repertoire. I can't decide if I like the idea of having one fixed factor (i.e. the spongy bread) in every bite, but I would eat it again fo sho.

B&H extravaganza and MURRAY"S

2006-07-13T21:59:00.000-07:00

I may have to adjust my list of favorite amusement parks in NY from Chinatown to B & H Photography. There are really no words to describe it. You have to see it to belive it. The store is jam packed with STUUUUUUFF. All kinds of stuff. Imagine trying to fit 5 best buys in one store (There's so much stuff you wonder if you aren't actually looking at wall paper of stuff) And then imagine this war zone for electronics run by about 50 crazy little hasidic jews! It's possibly the strangest thing I will ever see. They all wear yamakas...and they all try to run everything as efficiently as possible. Upon talking with a guy (with a yamaka) about a camera lens I decided to buy it. He then took my credit card to ring up my reciept....but not to pay he instructed me..."go to the cashier to pay". I would my way to the cashier and found no line, but found enough stachions (sp?) set up to control a pack of wildebeasts. I was promptly called by the cashier (with a yamaka) to come up with my card ready and my id. Even though I was the only person in line...besides my friend Claire. He turned to Claire "Now watch what she does so you can do it to". His commands were quick and authoritative; plus he stood on some sort of platform which allowed him to tower over us despite his genetics. I fumbled for the recent and I could feel his eyes burning with disapproval. No time for fumbling, only time for precision and money transactions. I think the whole checkout took about 20 seconds. I couldn't think of any reason for going that fast when no one else was in line except for pride, maybe he was trying to break his personal record or something.

Well on with the story, it's not quite over. He gave me yet another reciept and pointed me to another line. This time there were little station numbered 1-7 (?) like the highly coveted roller coaster slots you wait in right before you get on the ride. Well again, I was the only person in line but the guy wanted my receipt so much I thought he might jump over the bar and get rip it from me. He glanced at it and turned around and handed me a bag....could this really be my stuff? It all happened so fast. I noticed this little moving tram overhead...then I realized that was the source of much magic! They were putting stuff people ordered on there, those tricky tricky tricksies! I felt like I had just been hustled or that I should at least feel dizzy. But I looked in the bag and there was my lens! Holy S! I got to give it to them. They are pretty damn awesome. I wish I could have taken pictures of them..but I wasn't sure if that was some sort of taboo. The last thing I wanted to do was be on the blacklist. So in any case I salute you crazy B & H yamaka wearing kids. 0-60 in 2.3 seconds.

MURRAY'S!!! Seaseme with strawberry cream cheese! Holy Bagel, Where art thou tonight?

Here's Claire's Multi-Grain Bagel. It was still warm! We're not worthy!!

Bouchon For Jenni :)

2006-07-13T21:27:00.000-07:00

Back to the old stomping grounds. It looks better than ever. Seriously, I'm not just saying that to bulster my self esteem. It is operating like a well operating machine. Its funny seeing tisserie open and remember what it was like to open Bouchon....oh goodness. Bouchon bakery. Well lets just say I would have eaten everything if I had enough money. The cases were packed with familiar things...and some NEW THINGS! Ooooo NEW THINGS! I NEW THINGS! They had the tuna sammich!!mmmm! And now they prominantly diplayed terraine of foie gras (with a cute little tag for $35) and salmon rillettes ($28 or something). And there was an s-load of new tarts!!! Including a banana!!! OH I wanted it! Too bad it wasn't breakfast. I probably should have gotten in anyway.

There are always two "seasonal" danishes. And of course this was summer...A new season! So I checked to see what the new danishes were. 1. Some apple type danish that looked pretty good. But...2. blueberry with creamy lemon curd. Yep. That's an easy decision. Plus, these are the only two pastries i haven't tried. I've had everything else. I'm glad I worked there. I think it would have tortured me if I didn't get to try everything. I don't know how other people live without trying everything, it would eat away at my soul, or maybe just my wallet.

MMMMmmmm that's bouchon consistency for ya. A dependable great everytime. This wasn't the best croissant from here I'd had but that's pretty picky because i've eaten double digit figures. The best ones I've had are always first thing in the morning...but thus is the nature of the croissant. The french would tell you it's sacrilidge to have a croissant at night (unless it was baked later that day) and they would scoff if you had milk with coffee past the afternoon (it's a breakfast thing). But when it comes to food I think we all have to surrender to the French (no pun intended, I wish I was French).

Here you can see a direct pastry comparison. Tisserie on the left and Bouchon on the right. There are different breeds of croissants, just like there are different breeds of dogs. When you make croissants you take a rich dough and you basically lay a block of butter on top of it. Then you fold the dough over the butter like an envelope and flatten it by rolling it or putting it through a machine. Then you repeat this until you have dispersed the butter into the dough in alternating levels. This process is called lamination, and the thing is that every chef does a different ratio of butter to dough, a different folding system, and a different number of times of rolling it out. So thus....that's why you find a adaptive radiation in the croissant species. There are definatley some mutants out there. Tisserie and Bouchon are both good, and it's also a little unfair to compare these two because the Tisserie's is filled before baking...which introduces all sorts of moisture issues into the equation. Right now, Bouchon is still better, but Tisserie is a good addition to Union Square fo sho. Tru dat.

Tisserie

2006-07-13T20:54:00.000-07:00

Tisserie is a bakery I heard about through the grapevine. The bakery world in NY is pretty tight knit. So while I was at Bouchon I heard about 2 brothers from south america who were opening a bakery in Union Square. So of course...it was my patriotic duty to check it out. The scoop: It's pretty big. It has a sleek modern feel. The menus are big flat screen tv's. I would say they want to be in a league with bouchon. Let's see.
At the counter there was a lovely selection of pastries. Criossants...danishes....a few sandwiches. It was quite similar to Bouchon really. A mix of things but predominantly French inspired. So what should I get? Well the most unique thing of course...or the thing that looks the most delicious. So I browsed the counter for a while and settled on a croissant filled with ricotta and topped with parmesan. The pastry itself wasn't big and impressive but I would let taste have the final say. Claire and I wondered to the back of the store where we found an upstairs. Unfortunately we had to climb over some boxes to get to it. Everyone (the workers...and consequently the customers) and everything was a little confusing which is understandable since they hadn't even been open a week.

I took a bite...A Good Croissant....not as flakey and fluffy as Bouchon's....rather the layers were more tightly packed and the outside had a thin crisp shell...where bouchon has a soft pillow top. Anyway....on to the filling. The filling was awesome! Well it was ricotta and I LOVE cheese, so what's not to like? And topped off by even more cheese! The parm was a very nice compliment in texture and taste. The ricotta is a creamy, subtle cheese and the parm is a sharp cheese which was great lightly toasted in bits on top. So...would I got back? If I was in the area I would definatley go back BUT I would wait until they had a chance to get settled down first. I would say in a couple of months they will be a nicely oiled machine but until then expect oddities with gracious service.

Manhattan...NY

2006-07-01T16:15:00.000-07:00

If there is an apple heaven...I now know what it would look like. Heading to the new store in NY, I was expecting a clean and sleek store front that belittles its neighbors with its superior design prowess, but I wasn't ready for art work. I rounded the corner of 58th st and 5th ave and sun danced on the glass of a free stranding glass structure. What doth bring such pleasure to my eyes? The Louvre? No, the Apple Store. But for all practical purposes it could be the Lourve. The store doesn't dissappoint. They have about 20 models of every computer. It's a very happy place.

First Stop back in the city. I met Dan and his girfriend Sofia! Good times.

Manhattan...Kansas

2006-06-18T08:27:00.000-07:00

MY BABY ARRIVES!

Tracey and I got the idea to go to Manhattan...Kansas. This is the result of a silly idea we had. Of course, Austin, in the middle of it. We got a comfy chair and put it in the middle of a field. Yes, this is not photohoped. Just Kansas.

Cafe Rumi

2006-06-18T08:01:00.000-07:00

The restaurant has indoor and outdoor seating and since it was a lovely night outside we sat under the awning!

Here is a fried appetizer platter. Fried califlour...eggplant, and Duck!!!!!! YUm...

Close up of the swirling and whirling platter. A variety of hummus and pita.

The Swirling and Whirling Platter!

Here is Cafe Rumi. It is also along 39th St..one of the great gems of Kansas City.

Room 39

2006-05-25T10:47:00.000-07:00

So now that I'm back in the K...I have a few choices. I can go bowling, watch the royals, or go eating. Since the two former items are pretty unfortunate I choose a hobby which is fairly obscure in Kansas City. But that's okay with me. It's time that the people of Kansas City started caring about food. We need to put our feet down and say NO to cheese processed beyond recognition. We have a farmers market. We have a small community of innovative restauranteers and we need to support them by jove.
So this Tuesday I ventured 'downtown' to 39th street. This street retains a big city feel. It has historic buildings and a diverse restaurant scene. Undoubtedly it will be the source of a lot of my fooding adventures this summer. My first stop is a relatively new place. It opened its doors in 2004 and one of the chefs trained at Union Square Cafe (tid bit for the NY buffs).
The inside is cozy and eclectic with a classy-casual vibe.
Even though its a new space they let the buildings personality bleed through: bricks peek through spots on the wall, and local art work adorns the walls.
First off, they brought us super delicous bread that was warm and crusty. A nice soft interior of the Italian Variety. MMMMM..
For lunch my dad got the Grilled Chicken Salad. This features free range chicken breast with dried cranberries, roasted runts, Grana Padaro and Sherry rosemary vinaigrette. Holy M! The Chicken was slighty blackened and it had a subtley burnt taste. The dried cherries, walnuts, and almonds complimented the salad perfect. You know it's summer when the Joe factor gets a salad.

I thought what the hey? I'll get a salad too. It is officially summer. I got the Duck Salad. My little dish featured pan roasted duck breast on baby spinach with local strawberries, pecans, red onions, and balsalmic vinaigrette. Needless to say mine was delectable. The balsalmic complimented the tendor flavor of the duck. Dad's salad had an overall citrusy zest while mine had spicy-tangy undernotes. Dessert? We decided we were too full. It was a shame. However, we would not be defeated so easily. Dad and I decided to get a dessert to go for my sister. We picked a Strawberry Napolean Remix. It featured brioche toasted in Cinnamon butter, lavender whipped cream and strawberries. Of course I brought it home and my sister didn't even want to try it...because she isn't very adventurous...what pleasures she robs the tummy makes me want to cry!!! It's complete insanity, but whatev, because I ATE IT HAHAHAH. Unfortunately it wasn't as supremely delicious as it sounds. The strawberry puree was the best part. I would like to go back and try some of their other dishes and desserts. I really wanted the coffee creme brulee but...you can't get that to go. So watch yourself brulee I'll be back for you. Nicely Done Room 39.

Eating with Giants

2006-05-23T15:16:00.000-07:00

The restaurant scene in New York is strange. At first you are blown away by all of the choices and you want to eat everything at once and you can't imagine how you will even conquer one block in the city and you wander how you could ever settle for anything less than the mind boggling display of cuisine packed into every crevice...Yet, what is not readily apparent is that there is as much bad food in New York as there is good food and there is a whole lot of mediocre food in between. The mystique and granduer of the city trick you into thinking that everything you eat is better and more delicious than anywhere else in the country. Sometimes this is true. For instance, the bagels are unstoppable and the china buns are nothing short of a miracle. However, looking back on my culinary adventures...I ate a lot of average food. I really wanted to believe that everything in New York is amazing. I wanted to believe that everything I put into my mouth would be some sort of ambroisia only accessible to the citizens which inhabited Manhatten. Yet, this is far far far from the truth. Fooding in New York is amazing. It never gets old or dull no matter how many dissappointments and meal mishaps you encouter. But I think fooding here is funner here than it is anywhere else for these very faults. It is the ultimate challenge. It requires time, effort, and meticulous planning. I have labored and deliberated over meals with unbreakable concentration and more attention to detail and precision than I would give to a calculus derivative problem. After some thought, I have decided that this is because in New York the combinations and possibilities are infinite. So much food exists...so much food exists that you don't know about...right at your finger tips. The chance for the exact proportions, the right mix, sublime flavor, in essence-the perfect meal always seems to be within reach. This proximity to greatness can stimulate even the most mildly interested people, while simultaneouly driving the food obsessed to the brink of insanity. In this way, eating in New York is an extreme sport. The good meals are savored and enhanced by the city's thumping pulse, while the bad meals are cursed and analyzed. It is a constant challenge of triumph and defeat, which makes eating unlike anywhere else. However, finding a good meal takes time, skill, and cultivation of taste buds. New York could not be conquered in a lifetime, let alone five months. I will be back, when, and for how long I can not say. With that, I introduce a new chapter in my life and in my blog. Xtreme eating in Kansas City. I'm now back on my home turf and with that said...let the eating begin.

uhhh...Thanks UPS

2006-05-23T15:03:00.000-07:00

Seriously, could you hand someone a box that looked like this? Maybe I didn't use the greatest boxes, and perhaps I need to hone my box packing skills, but honestly. It looks like somebody dropkicked this box into a sea of raging piranas. Fortunately, nothing is missing but I don't think this box would have made it any further than my living room. It's like the messenger who ran 26.2 miles to tell people about the battle of Marathon...and then died. This box commemorates the journey of all boxes. Let us salute you noble card board box for traveling 1,000 miles between my apartment in New York and my home base in Kansas via some sort of pirana infested tank that UPS uses to transport their boxes.

Hizzah, Back to the Midwest

2006-05-23T13:36:00.000-07:00

Okay, so New York might have a few more people than Kansas, and it has been said that the public transportation system is a tad bit better. Sure they have a 24 hour Apple Store and hundreds of more cool shops where we have wheat...and there's no denying that there are more diverse restaurants in New York than there are in the entire Midewest combined...Hell even their baseball team puts KC to shame. And I'm not saying that I don't miss the indefatiguable selection of cupcakes..and bagels...and chinese buns (oh god help me..where in Kansas are the Chinese buns!!!)...and the old school deli's...and the Japanese desserts...and the plethera of top dollar premiere restaurants...and the smell of crispy falafel, fresh mozzerella, and toasted baguette all comingling on the same block...BUT...there is something to be said for Kansas. On the flight back home I wasn't quite sure what that was. I could feel my soul deflating, and the rush of New York's nervous excitement dissolving into oblivion. However, when I got back I was practically blinded. My eyes were taken aback by the unfamiliar forms and colors which literally scorched my eyes with their exoticism. What were these new forms...foreign to my eyes? Well, space, for starters. Just as the sky scrappers loomed on the streets of New York, and pierced the sky, I felt the weight of space..and nothingness. Conversely, the array of colors which collided into every breath in the city were absent. Completely diminished, yet not diluted. Instead, color rallied together and poured their effort into fewer colors. Blue and Green dominated the landscape and seemed more vibrant than all the flashing lights of Times Square. Kansas may yearn for a 24 hour genius bar, and a 5 minute subway ride which will undoubtedly satisfy any food craving one could possibly have, but there is also something here which NY can not possibly touch. It would not suffice to say that there is simply more open country and more tranquility. There's something which can't be described by the five senses, and it is because of this thing, that I am happy to be home.

Clinton St. Baking CO.

2006-05-09T19:39:00.000-07:00

Blue Berry pancakes with MAPLE BUTTER!!!!!!! Robyn and I have had our eye on Clinton St. Baking Co. for obvious reasons, apparent on the left. So basically this is pancake bliss, but the real star is the little cup of HOLY-BUTTERDOM. This is what the Clinton Baking co. uses instead of syrup. So why is this not in pitchers like syrup or a jar? Because you would eat all of it and probably die. It is amazing. No wait. A-M-A-Z-I-I-I-N-G.

Otto's Again Again

2006-05-06T07:35:00.000-07:00

I hope this looks super tasty because it was. Honey Ricotta, Pistachio and ....OLIVE OIL

Once Upon a Tart

2006-05-01T19:12:00.000-07:00

I didn't eat these but they are damn cute. Would you eat one?

Alright. Muffins. One of the many happy forms of carbohydrates. If my stomach would not violently protest, I would totally eat 6 muffins a day. Specifically THIS muffin. It was so freaking good I'm happy looking at this picture of it...mmmmm. Well here's the break down. I was tempted to try a "crazy" flavor such as pear-ginger, pumpkin-praline, or lemon-poppy seed" But something said...no...no Sarah...get the blueberry. Just do it. And so I listened to the voice..which is sometimes very wrong...but this time it was right. The muffin was beyond good, it was so awesome I got another one the next day. That's right, the very next day. Ouch. Sorry stomach, be strong. This muffin has a crust that's almost like a cookie! A cookie by jove! How do they do it? Magic, me thinks. The outside has a delicate, sweet crisp and the inside is a soft cake with whole pieces of fruit that have a juicy bite. I'm not done with you yet muffins...pipe down stomach, it's for your own good.

Murray's Bagels

2006-04-26T19:48:00.000-07:00

Cafe au lait with Strawberry cream cheese and a seaseme bagel. Period. Not period in the way that ends a sentence...but period in the sense that this is all there is to breakfast. I have conducted a set of experiments and in the vicinity of the village and I have reevaluated the bagel situation. After making charts, running a few gels, and doing some extensive statisical analysis I have decided to retract my previous statement which claimed that any other bagel was better than Murray's. I was 156.43% wrong. Results have concluded that Murray's bagel is the most superior bagel that exists in the village...and possibly the world. The inside of the bagel is absolutely perfect. I can find no flaw in the taste, texture, or appearence of the bagel. It is spongy but bready, soft but resiliant, chewy but dissolvable, in essence the perfect bagel. Beyond that it has a super human (?) crust, which is slightly crisp but not crunchy. this enables the bagel to taste amazing without....being...TOASTED. It's freaking amazing. I myself marvel at its majesty. Because everyone knows bagels are twice as good warm but five times as bad cold. Murray's bagel defies physics because it is good in its natural state. It's still baffaling to me when I eat it. The cream cheese is also fabulous. There are chunks of strawberry swirled in and I eat every inch of it with no shame. So in conclusion, Murray's bagel dominates all other bagels and makes a completely awesome breakfast. Honestly if you can't eat a good breakfast what can you do?

Crosby Connection

2006-04-22T21:25:00.000-07:00

Nothing prepared me fore how small this place was. I could tell you that this place is literally a guy making sandwiches in a closet and it still wouldn't really prepare you. I'm talking small like....a hummer limo trying to fit into a hamster cage. There are no chairs. No tables. No place to sit. In fact you never enter the restaurant. It's not an option. It is one guy making the sandwiches and one handling the money. They are without a doubt 100% New Yorkers. And the people that know about this place are 'people in the know'. This is definately off the beaten path. But they are so nice and their sandwiches are really creative. The following is black forrest hma with gouda cheese, green apples drizzled with balsalmic and honey dijon. Can you say "Yeah, I'd like one" Mmmmm me too. Right not... (well maybe when I am not so full of Bouchon Pate a Choux dough...why did you make me eat you Riliguese?!?!?). Anyhoo the sandwich is pressed and a great deal for $5. Rock on.

Alta

2006-04-22T20:52:00.000-07:00

I've been reading about this restaurant for a long time on Chowhound.com. People always say....Tapas=Alta. And as usual, the hounds speak the truth. The entrance of the restaurant may be discreet, tucked into the basement in the mist of brownstones, but the inside has a wonderful aura. There are two levels of seating with a square atrium in the middle. Our waiter informed us that the inside rafters have been untouched since the mid 1800's, which is totally sweet, and perhaps the echo of the past contributes greatly to the warm atmosphere. But let's not forget why we are here. The food. The food is awesome. It is small. Tapas are by nature small, and these are no exception. But each dish is exquisitely composed with flavors.
I don't have pictures of the main dishes so I won't torture you with the details (becuase descriptions without pictures are just painful, there's no way around that).
So here is the dessert I...consumed...no savored. "Rice Krispie Treats-coconut foam, chocolate dust & peanut croquant". Woah. This was the best "rice krispie treat" I HAVE HAD. If the kebler elves had thought of this, they would be sitting on a gold mine. I'm sure they are kicking themselves. The puffs were lighter than ice cream and gelato....they erred more on the side of a meringue..in fact I'm sure they were some form it. The center pieces were little peanut cookies. Light, full of flavor, sweet with a delicate crisp. Woah, so good. Must go back!!!

Otto's......and the acclaimed Olive Oil Gelato

2006-04-17T21:33:00.000-07:00

So I finally found an excuse to make it to Otto's. My family called and said "Hey we are coming" I said "Hot dog, then....I just might make a reservation...and by might I mean Otto's Sunday at 7:45 pm" So on Sunday I found myself in the perfect mood for a hearty meal (to be capped off with gelato of course). We started with a caprese salad (which was perhaps the best tomato/mozz. salad I have consumed), a round of warm olives, and a typical ceaser. Then we got several types of pizzas..which I will have to look up for specifics. Basically, a quatro Stagioni (olives, procuitto, peppers, mushrooms and mozzerella), pepporoni (with a sweet atypical spice), and a pizza bianca (nicely garlicly. We also got a penne pasta with a great tomoto sauce but the pasta itself I found to be too al dente (something I also experienced at Lupa. For Dessert.. a cup of gelato of COURSE. I wasn't hungry for dessert at all. Somehow, without really eating that much, I had eaten too much. But sometimes the body must be sacrificed for the greater good of knowledge. And olive oil gelato was a more than worthy cause. People have been cooing over it for so long, I wasn't about to leave without seeing what all the fuss was about. I ordered a trio of flavors: parmagiano, hazelnut stracciatella, and olive oil. I haven't tried many gelatos in the city yet, but after the first bite I was convinced. This was REAL gelato. Gelato that Don Corleone would have someone get for him if he wanted gelato. Gelato that can be found off the main piazzas in every Italian city. Gelato that you imagine some old Italian woman sneaking the recipie over to America in a lock box. All the qualifications were met: light creamy, and intense flavor per square bite. The hazelnut was good but not my favorite just because hazelnut has never been my favorite. The parm. was fairly intriguing. It tasted exactly like parm..but ice cream at the same time. It was awesome. And the olive oil...I knew it as soon as it hit my tongue. A strange tangy sweet-salty, buttery-dissolving flavor. I kept eating it and trying to pin point it's flavor. It was familiar, yet it fell into no category. I kept trying to liken it to something...but the only thing it tastes like is itself...olive oil. I don't know why this is so surprising, but it is. You hear the name you try to imagine what it tastes like...and you can't. Even now, I'm having trouble recalling the flavor. It is so strange to taste something that is in and of itself. I think it will get better each time I have it. I also think that is why chowhounds rave about it...because it is a surprising and challenging flavor. It keeps you on your toes. It's complex and simple at the same time: the first dessert paradox I have encoutered. I have to go back.

Grandma's Hooooome Cookin

2006-04-12T20:59:00.000-07:00

So I knew my grandma was the master of peanut butter candy but apparently she is the master of breakfast casseroles too. Here there is a vegtable casserole featuring asparagus, a ham and potato casserole, and last, but my favorite a spicy sausage and bread pudding conncoction. Grandma please live with me.

The Capital Grill

2006-04-12T20:46:00.000-07:00

The Capital Grill...everybody's like..."Hey I don't know that.." And that's correct you do not unless you are from Kansas city. What, you thought we just nibbled on wheat stocks....no no no...that's not how we DO. This is how we do. Filet Mignon with a Bearnaise sauce, asparagus with hollaindaise, creamy garlic potates, crisp veggies....and oh..right..dessert.
Dessert platter cosisting of Strawberry cheesecake, key lime pie, crum brulee, and a flourless chocolate espresso cake. Yeah that's basically how we roll. Mmmmm. Tasty. Thanks Joe.

Cooking Lab 9

2006-04-12T20:37:00.000-07:00

Cooking Class. Egg Bread Rolls and Multigrain Bread Rolls. And by Multigrain I mean sesame seeds, flax seeds, millet, and quinoa, and honey and deliciousness. My group didn't actually make either of these but they were so cute I had to put them up. I can assure you I ate both and they are picture worthy.

Space Market

2006-04-12T20:08:00.000-07:00

I am currently recovering from bringing my camera with me...but with no batteries. Thus there are no pictures for my lunch at Gray Dog Coffee house, second outing at Doma, and Murray's bagels foray. Forgive me for my sins, but today I begin a new. Lunch today was Space Market Sushi. My little snack here was $2.75. Space Market is cheap and dependable for a nice little bite, and most importantly its close proximity is key. It was so lovely out (if you don't count the wind) that I ate out in washington square park. Everything is turning such pretty colors.
And to sooth my stomach...I wandered into Tasti-Delight, a frozen yogurt chain in the city, where I sampled the 'Baby Ruth' flavor. It had a nice light chocolate nut flavor...I asked the girl working what her favorite flavor was. She looked me straight in the eye "no comment"...what's that supposed to mean I thought....then it hit me. The after taste from the Baby Ruth that is. It tasted like some wierd metallic medicine. It left a wierd film in my mouth...She said "I don't like any of our flavors, I just work here" Holy crap...I can see what she means. These aren't just bad, they are Trick Nasty (I just invented that to describe the displeasure they caused me)! Their only salvation is the toppings which mask the yogurt flavors, which defeats teh point of their business. What are they trying to pull? This must be for people who haven't eaten real dessert in so long that they forgot what it tastes like. I see lots of skinny girls go in...they must be thinking "Oh god, I'm going to pay for this on the treadmill"...no NO...if I live 30 years longer because I'm eating "healthy" stuff like that, than maybe I don't want to live 30 years longer. Hand me a Sticky Bun and a death slip, I'm checkin out of this backward place. Besides that stuff tastes like it causes cancer anyway.

After my dance with whacked fro-yo I headed next door to Oren's Coffee. Hot Chocolate it's gotta be. "Do you use powder?" I asked. "No it's our homemade syrup" Then count me in I say! The Chocolate was almost exactly what I expected. Not super thick-city bakery style-nothing like that. Just a nice rich chocolate taste complimented by a thick milk. Give me calories or give me death!

Midwest Express

2006-04-10T18:08:00.000-07:00

So if you have never flown Midwest Express (which is very probable if you are from NY and refer to everything outside of Manhatten as...over there) then get a load of this. Warm Chocolate Chip Cookies! That is sheer marketing genius! Everytime you fly Midwest you recieve not one...but two...TWO WARM CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES. As you sit on the plane the smell of chocolate fills the cabin. First the drink cart comes...and then the COOKIES. The stewardess hands you two cookies in a napkin. Did I mention they are warm? I can see the chocolate physically melting. It's a glorious thing. The cookie is soft and I don't know how good the cookie actually is but at 3,500 feet in the air I'm used to recieveing pretzel bags with 2 and a half pretzels or being subject to unsalted dry roasted peanuts (i.e. the worst idea ever) or just a baby screaming so loud that I don't even remember what measley snack was thrust into my cramped sitting area. So given the alternatives this is either one of the best cookies I've had in comparison or food just tastes better at higher altitude. Regardless, Midwest has no fear of ever going under. If a Midwest flight is $50 dollars more...how can you put a price on warm cookies?

Ode to Doma

2006-04-03T17:42:00.000-07:00

Didn't Bob Dylan and Kerouac and basically everyone cool pass through the west village at one point or another? So my quesiton is...why haven't I BEEN here before?!?!? I basically walk the skirts of the blue and green lines...but there is so much more...could it be that I have a new favorite neighborhood? The West Village might have just overtaken the East Village in coolness...well maybe not coolness so much as cleanliness. Anyhoo I will shun the West Village no more! This is DOMA. Doma is Czech for home, and it is without a doubt my new home, my new casa, my new maison, my new crib. Looking at menupages can only tell you so much about a restaurant. The restaurant can only be fully judged in the flesh. You have to see it, stand next to it, and feel it to percieve the atmosphere. Doma is the perfect combination. It might be my soulmate restaurant...yeah that's right...who needs men? I got NY and Doma. hehe oh no... but if I were the kind of person that put up ads on craigs list looking for a hubbie, then this would totally come it. There's a gorgeous facade of windows, window sills, a steady stream of people (the perfect stream of noise and sense of community with a place to sit), warn wooden floors, hand painted dog charictures on the wall, and pardon my french but DAMN good food.
I could describe the entire mouthwatering menu but...everyone would just slobber, and no one wants to clean that up. So I'll just give you what I had and hopefully you can keep your salivation in check. First. The chai latte. This is a small cup, and it's the perfect small cup because it is BIG. The chai was great. It met all of my standards. Extra hot, Steamed Milk, Steamed tea lots of foam, and a cute plate (which is totally key).

Next the Sandwich. Balthazar's ciabatta with tomato, mozzarella (from Joe's Dairy), and basil served warm panino style. So basically.....so basically....this was AMAZING. I say a lot of things are amazing but i'll back track the chai was so so. I've had better. The pasta at Lupa was good but I've had better. But this was the BEST Panino I've had. I have to give props to Balthazar because the bread was....unsurpassable in crisp delicate yet substantial deliciousness! The cheese was scrumculescent as well. It was warm and stretchy and fresh and everything the Italians would be proud of. The sandwich also came with a side salad of mesclun tossed in Doma's lemon vinagrette. All this for $7.00...DOMA IS IN THE HOOOOUSE. Yeah yeah yeah...(insert rap song here). So...am I going back? Suckah pleeeeaaaase. I'm a gonna liiiive there.

Intro to Food Sciences

2006-04-01T21:09:00.000-08:00

For anyone who has no idea what goes on in a food sciences class...live in confusion no more. This is food sciences lab. We get a list of recipies for the week dealing with a category of food. Then different groups in the class prepare variations of cooking methods. The lesson here was stocks and soups. My group did the French Onion Soup with Swiss on a baguette. MMMMmmm.