High/Low Food/Drink

{Cheap Eats} Prosperity Dumplings and Shanghai Cafe Deluxe

2012-02-01T00:01:00.069-05:00

Happy (belated) Chinese New Year! It's the Year of the Dragon and we've been fortunate to celebrate the Lunar New Year in both NYC and Las Vegas. The Dragon has always been an auspicious sign so hopefully this will be a great year!

It goes without saying that if you're wallet's a little light, Chinatown's a great neighborhood to find some cheap eats. One of the most popular places is Prosperity Dumpling on Eldridge St. It's a small Chinatown shop (assume you're going to get your dumplings to go!), with basically a takeout counter (seating for about 4 people, really tight space).

It was a nice day so we went to a nearby park to enjoy our lunch. These pan-fried pork dumplings were only $1! They were pretty tasty while hot, so don't let them sit. Eat them fast and enjoy!

Dumplings in soup ($2.50): We wish we could have this dish whenever we felt under the weather. A touch salty, but overall hot and comforting. Again the dumplings were great and it would be wonderful on a cold Winter's day.

You can also get a whole lot of frozen dumplings (50 for $9) to take home and defrost if/when it gets cold again. (The weather here in NYC has been all over the place!)

Afterward, we wandered to Shanghai Cafe for their Soup Dumplings. Be forewarned - it was busy when we were there (we could barely eat without needing to move our seats), had to ask numerous times for water (we finally got it when the bill came), and watched the overwhelmed hostesses give our first table away.

Happily their Pork Crab soup dumplings ($4.95) are pretty good. - not too doughy or overly salty, lots of broth, comes out steaming hot (be careful not to burn your mouth or face). There's a reason why every table in the place had these dumplings on it.

Shanghai Pan-Fried Noodles ($8.95) - I love these crunchy noodles, but by this time we were already full, so we ate about a quarter of the plate before packing it up to go.

Shanghai Cafe Deluxe is located at 100 Mott St. in NYC.

Happy Year of the Dragon! (Below you'll see some of our many Vegas pics - more to come!)


Caesar's Palace

Aria

Bellagio

The Venetian

Wynn

{Giveaway} SuperBowl Prize Pack: popchips and FreshDirect

2012-01-31T13:05:00.001-05:00

We are so excited that our NY Giants are in this Sunday's SuperBowl! We haven't finalized our menu yet, but were thinking that our Yankees-themed party would be a great start (swapping out the logos for the NY Giants of course!) Plus, if I can find my helmet molds, I'll be making these jello shots in Giants blue!

So help get you started on your menu, we've partnered up with @FreshDirect and @PopChipsNY to bring you this great SuperBowl snack giveaway! Here are the details:

Tomorrow (Wed, Feb 1st), just tweet us your favorite healthy snack and include hashtag #FDSuperBowl

One winner will randomly be selected and only tweets with the hashtag will be counted. Good luck!

Legal stuff: Contest is open to NY, NJ, CT residents (that's where FreshDirect delivers) and will be randomly selected using Random.org. Contest ends Wed, Feb 1st 11:59PM EST with the winner announced via Twitter on Thursday, Feb 2nd.

About FreshDirect

FreshDirect is the leading profitable online grocer in the U.S. with customers in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. It is known for its fresh-from-the-farm foods and brand-name groceries at everyday low prices, all delivered to customers’ doors. FreshDirect’s food experts rate all produce and seafood every morning and give each item an Expert Quality Rating to help customers choose what is best and in-season. FreshDirect customers can enjoy over 600 Entrees and Side Dishes, made fresh daily by professional chefs using the finest, freshest ingredients. FreshDirect ranks 70th on Internet Retailer’s Top 500 Guide®. For more information, please visit www.freshdirect.com. For updates, follow us on Twitter: @freshdirect and on Facebook: facebook.com/FreshDirect.

about popchips:

popchips™, an all-natural line of popped chips. thanks to the magic of popping, popchips™ offers a snack so tasty and crispy that you won’t even notice it’s (we hesitate to say) healthier. for more information, pop over to popchips.com. And to get the latest updates, become a fan on facebook or follow them on twitter.”

{Dining Out} Jungsik

2012-01-17T23:09:00.000-05:00

Jungsik amuse bouche

Can you believe this was only our complimentary amuse bouche? We had struggled to find a restaurant that wasn't offering an over-priced "special" New Year's Eve dinner for our last meal of 2011. Jeff suggested we check out Jungsik, a new Korean upscale restaurant in the Tribeca neighborhood. Jungsik had received some good reviews and it was offering its regular menu at our earlier 7pm seating.

From start to finish, we were impressed with Jungsik's impeccable and gracious service. The space is sleek, yet intimate. We opted to sit side by side (love these corner tables!). I chose their 5-course tasting menu ($115) while Jeff decided to make his own 5-course menu ($115). Because Jeff doesn't have a sweet tooth like I do, he asked to start with 2 appetizers in lieu of dessert (which the restaurant kindly allowed). From the moment we order, the food just kept on coming.

Special cocktails: Rose of Sharon ($16) and Melange ($16)

We started with some cocktails. My Rose of Sharon was nice for anyone who likes soju with a touch of blackberry. Jeff enjoys bitters and bourbon, so the Melange was his drink of choice.

Our first bites was the complimentary 5-course amuse bouche: Cucumber Blue Cheese (airy and served in a glass), House-made tofu (silky), Pizza with fresh mozzarella and kimchi (so much flavor in such a tiny bite), Fried chicken on a stick (addictive), and Sliders.

Apple: Foie-Gras; Complimentary smokey soup; Bimbim; Mushroom: Dashi and Egg

The foie gras dish was delicate and we loved the sweet and salty combination. The complimentary soup was very comforting and tasted like a smoky lentil soup with cured meat. I thoroughly enjoyed the Bimbim, or deconstructed Caprese salad. The basil sorbet was beautiful and I loved mixing it together with the tomatoes, mozzarella, and crunchy roots. Underneath the salty Parmesan disc was a rich mushroom dashi and poached egg that Jeff finished in mere minutes.

Spicy Kalguksu with Clams, Garlic, Jalapeno

Sea Urchin with Korean Seaweed Rice, Crispy Quinoa

Crispy Snapper with Cilantro sauce

Tribeca Lobster ($7 supplement): Butter poached lobster with Korean Mustard

Five Senses (Spicy, Crunchy, Sour, Soft & Sweet) Pork Belly

Which dishes would you have chosen? Jeff likes rich and savory dishes so he preferred the Sea Urchin, Crispy Snapper, and Five Senses Pork Belly dishes. The crispy quinoa was a surprise winning combination with the briny uni. The rich pork belly was sliced into bite size pieces - and Jeff liked it so much that he ate mine too (I was very full by this point of the meal). The snapper was perfectly cooked and though he liked the flavor, found the sauce a touch salty.

I liked the Spicy Kalguksu dish with the briny clams and mildly spicy jalapenos. My favorite main dish was the buttery lobster with sweet creamy sauce.

Complimentary palette cleanser; Apple Rice Wine Baba; chocolate pot de creme; Michters Manhattan ($17)

Our pre-dessert was a refreshing palette cleanser of granita (the fruit was similar to Goji berry) with Lavendar creme on top and Asian pear puree on the bottom. Since Jeff swapped out his dessert for an extra appetizer, he opted for a couple of Manhattan cocktails made with Michter's Rye Whiskey.

My main dessert was the Apple Rice Wine Baba with Calvados Cream. Even though I was full, I always have room for dessert! This dish was a fun one - like a deconstructed apple crumb cake. Our final bite (post-dessert) was an Anjelica Root Chocolate Pot de Creme. It was the perfect ending to a wonderful meal.

{Wine Wednesday} Terroir Tribeca

2012-01-11T00:01:00.001-05:00

Free sherry and Funky beef balls. Jeff mentioned those enticing words to easily convince me to visit Terroir Tribeca. He likes Terroir's small East Village location, so since we were in Tribeca, he wanted to stop into this larger location. The vibe is relaxing and casual - both due to the friendly, knowledgeable staff as well as the charming, rustic decor. Even the menu is pretty tongue-in-cheek in tone.

We ordered the Funky Beef Balls (aged beef, $7) to pair with his complimentary sherry (free glass before 6 pm). Jeff loves sherry and chose the fino dry sherry. I was indecisive about which sparkling wine to choose, so our server kindly poured us a few tastes which ranged from a rose Cava to a dry Champagne. I decided on a lively Cremant from Jura (Bornard Cremant du Jura Blanc de Blancs, $14/glass).

Jeff would return to Terroir for its well-curated wine list. For me, I'm already planning my next visit for the addictive, crunchy, must-try Yoshi's Fried Chicken ($9). This was one of the best fried chicken plates we've had in a long time. After all, fried chicken (and fried foods in general) pair so well with sparkling wines and Champagne.

Jeff sampled several wines during our visit. Highlights for him were the natural, mineral-edged Contadino 8 Nerello Blend ($8/taste) from Frank Cornelissen in Siciliy (what a pleasant surprise, a real winemakers wine) and the organic, unfiltered La Grapperie Le Gravot ($8.25/taste) from the Loire Valley. We both love unique, food friendly wines from the Loire region.

If you want to try a different wine or a 'natural' wine (and have some tasty fried chicken and snacks), stop by one of the three Terroir locations in Manhattan. It's definitely worth the visit. An open dialogue with the staff will enable you to try something unique and unexpected.

{Easy Entertaining} Festive Blue Holiday Dessert Table and Chobani Giveaway Winner Announced!

2011-12-27T20:18:00.000-05:00

Happy Belated Christmas/Hannukah/Festivus/Holidays everyone! We just returned from a quick, but wonderful, visit to my hometown of Toronto. While we were there, my mom told me we were also surprising my dad with a "Congratulations on your (sorta) Retirement" party (sorta since my dad will still be working part-time with his employer - they can't let him go! =) )

So I wanted to put together a fun dessert table for him but because it was a surprise, I decided on a "Winter" theme so he would think it was a table for our Christmas party. Unfortunately, I only had a day to put everything together. And since I was in Toronto, I was without my stash of pretty paper, fancy hole punches, and color printer.

I scrambled and improvised. It's not as festive as last year's dessert table (which I also had a lot more lead-time for in addition to being able to bring supplies from NYC), but I think the dessert table turned out well. Read on for tips on creating a quick and easy dessert table.

I made last year's cake pops from scratch but this year I cheated and bought Timbits (or donut holes). The best donut holes to use are the round, dense ones (i.e. I used cherry and chocolate Timbits). In each Timbit, I stuck a 6 inch Lollipop stick. Then I melted a bag of Wilton Candy Melts and coated each donut-hole-on-a-stick with the melted candy coating. It only took minutes to make these cake pops!

One bag of popcorn, some homemade spiced nuts, and a pan of brownies can go a long way when served in mini baking cups. I also love using brightly-colored ornaments and peacock feathers. Cut flowers, fresh fruit, or anything else you might have on hand can be used as decoration on the dessert table. Rummaging my mom's china cabinet was the best place to find plates and glasses to hold the desserts.

Less than one roll of patterned wrapping paper goes a long way! Instead of cake platters, I wrap empty boxes to elevate the desserts. I also used wrapping paper as cupcake toppers/flags.

Happy Holidays to you and your loved ones!

************

Thanks for everyone who participated in the Chobani giveaway! Using Random.org, the winner is Tara @ Chip Chip Hooray who wrote:

I like to use yogurt when making muffins--it helps me to think they're a liiiittle bit healthier when I make breakfast out of 'em! :)

Congrats Tara! We'll email you with details on how to claim your prize.

{Dining Out} Lunch date at Momofuku Ssam Bar

2011-12-21T19:15:00.000-05:00

Duck Sandwich with iceberg lettuce, spicy mayo, peppadews ($12)

Yesterday was our last day in the city before heading off to Toronto to spend the holidays with my family. So Jeff and I both decided to take the day off (for last minute packing and errands) and treat ourselves to a leisurely lunch at Momofuku Ssam Bar.

We easily got a table when we arrived around 12:30pm. For lunch service, you have to order from the counter in the back space that used to be Milk Bar. After you order, select your own seat and your food is then brought to you. If you love duck and pork, this is the place for you!

Pork buns ($10)

We started our meal with the Steamed Pork Buns (with hoisin, cucumbers, scallions), which were almost at our table mere minutes after we ordered. Slabs of pork belly just melts your mouth. So good! Most of the tables around were starting with the Pork Buns as well.

Next up was the Duck Sandwich (top photo). Though we enjoyed the crispy bread, tender duck meat, and spicy mayo, I'm not sure we'd order it again. We're definitely glad we tried it (it was quite tasty) and I don't think you'd be disappointed if you ordered it..It's just that after having this next dish, the sandwich doesn't stand a chance.

Duck on rice ($14 + $1 extra for lettuce)

Loved the Rotisserie Duck on Pork Fried Rice with duck, scallion, ssam sauce, and crispy shallot. Definitely pay $1 more for the lettuce - we enjoyed making our own lettuce wraps with this perfectly cooked duck and all the fixins. We will return for this dish!
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After enjoying a duck-filled lunch, we instantly wished we came with a few friends. With a group, you can order the Rotisserie Duck Ssäm with chive pancakes, bibb lettuce, hoisin, duck scallion, crispy shallots and two side dishes. This dish requires reservations in advance. So who's in?

{Easy Recipes} Yogurt Biscuits + Chobani giveaway + Dolce Gusto winner announced!

2011-12-20T09:48:00.003-05:00

For a quick weekday breakfast, yogurt's my go-to dish-to-go. But I also enjoy how versatile yogurt can be. For a healthier Caesar salad, I use plain Greek yogurt instead of dressing. For baking, much like pumpkin puree or applesauce, yogurt is a great healthy substitute for oil, shortening, or butter.

So when Chobani offered to send us some yogurt and fulfill a giveaway to one lucky HLFD reader, we happily agreed. We love the lemon, mango, and pineapple flavors, but use plain Greek yogurt most often.

I've been fighting a cold now for about a week, so I decided to bake some biscuits to go with the French Onion soup my husband was making for me. I used a recipe found in Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything (a great resource that every kitchen should have!). I love making biscuits - they're so quick and easy to make. These ones were best served hot with the soup or with jam and hot tea.

Read on for the recipe, details on our Chobani giveaway, and the announcement of the Dolce Gusto giveaway winner!

Yogurt Biscuits (adapted from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything)

Ingredients (makes 10-15 biscuits depending on size)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
5 tablespoons cold butter
1 cup 2% plain yogurt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.

2. Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl and rub butter into mixture to thoroughly blend until it resembles coarse meal.

3. Stir in yogurt until mixture forms a large ball.

4. Drop 1-2 tablespoons of dough onto an ungreased baking sheet.

5. Bake 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Serve within 15 minutes.

Thanks to Chobani, we're able to offer one lucky HLFD reader some delicious yogurt! For readers living the U.S., you'll have a chance to win three 32oz containers: 0% Plain, 2% Plain, and 0% Vanilla. Each container features a recipe to help inspire you with ways to cook/bake with the yogurt. And to celebrate Chobani's launch in Canada, this giveaway is also open to our Canadian readers who have a chance to win one 32 oz container of the 0% Plain yogurt (the Canadian version unfortunately does not have the recipe printed on it just yet)

To enter the giveaway, simply:

Leave a comment telling us what you like to cook/bake with yogurt.

This contest is open to residents who live in the continental US. and Canada and the winner will be chosen via Random.org. The contest will end on 12/26/2011 at 11:59 pm EST and the winner will be announced the next day (12/27/2011). Good luck!

And the winner of our Dolce Gusto coffee maker giveaway (as determined by Random.Org) is Amy Beth Marantino who commented "I gave a special young man a spiderman web blaster. He was thrilled to no end." Congrats Amy! We'll email you with details on claiming your prize.

FTC Disclosure: Prize provided and fulfilled by Chobani. I did not receive any compensation for this post though I did attend a Chobani kitchen event, enjoyed complimentary small bites made with yogurt and received some yogurt. All opinions expressed are my own.

{Sweet Treats} Laduree macarons on the UES

2011-12-15T16:31:00.001-05:00

I do have a weakness for macarons - the beautiful, brightly colored French desserts. (After all, I've toured Macaron Day twice here in NYC). So when Jeff mentioned that Laduree, a Parisian patisserie whose only North American location was just across the park from us, had opened a few months ago I knew I had to make a visit!

When I got there on an early Sunday afternoon, there was already a line. I waited for about 30 minutes to finally get my macarons. While in line, I took in all of the pretty boxes, ribbons, and of course, those candy-colored macarons.

I ended up getting a round "crystal" box (15 macarons, $42) so that I could try all 14 flavors they had available that day. (Plus there isn't a place to sit down at Laduree, so the box seems liked the best way to take them home). Loved how the flavors popped as much as their colors.

J's favorite was the coffee one while I enjoyed the usual lemon and pistachio, plus a new-to-me flavor: cinnamon and raisin. Though pricey, the trip to Laduree was much cheaper than going to France and it was a nice reminder of our vacation in Paris. These could now be my favorite macarons in the city.

Laduree is located at 864 Madison Ave (between 71st St & 70th St)

HLFD giveaway! Make sure to enter our Dolce Gusto Piccolo coffee machine giveaway!

{Giveaway} Dolce Gusto Piccolo coffee machine

2011-12-13T22:19:00.001-05:00

Dolce Gusto Piccolo coffee machine. Photo courtesy of Nescafe Dolce Gusto

Having a tiny kitchen means that we have very limited counter space. So any kitchen gadget that we opt to have around has to be compact, useful on a daily basis, and have multiple uses. That's why we're fans of the Dolce Gusto Piccolo coffee machine.

This cute little guy doesn't take up a lot of space and is great for a dinner party because you can serve a variety of different drinks (hot and cold coffees and cappuccinos). And the multiple uses? Well, I like using it for hot water - perfect for teas! You do have to watch the pour (it doesn't automatically stop), but that helps you adjust how strong you want your coffee.

Dolce Gusto has kindly offered us the chance to give a Dolce Gusto Piccolo coffee machine to one lucky HLFD reader. To enter the giveaway, simply:

Leave a comment telling us your favorite holiday gift that you've either given or received.

This contest is open to residents who live in the continental US. and the winner will be chosen via Random.org. The contest will end on 12/19/2011 at 11:59 pm EST and the winner will be announced the next day (12/20/2011).

FTC Disclosure: Prize provided and fulfilled by Dolce Gusto. I did not receive any compensation for this post though I did attend a Dolce Gusto event, enjoyed a complimentary meal and received my own machine. All opinions expressed are my own.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T08:13:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Enjoy these early morning pics of today's Macy's Thanksgiving Parade taken just outside our apartment! (and a pic of our fave Thanksgiving-themed sweet treat!)

{Easy Entertaining} Thanksgiving Tips by Chef Rick Rodgers

2011-11-17T20:47:00.000-05:00

Can you believe that Thanksgiving is just one week away? (Well, my second Thanksgiving since we had celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving last month). So in preparation for the holiday, I attended a cooking demonstration by Chef Rick Rodgers, sponsored by Driscoll's.

Chef Rick demonstrated ways to use berries in both savory and sweet dishes. Watch the cooking demonstration above (including a cameo by me asking whether one could batch the cocktail mix before guests arrive).

To make the Holiday Berry Bellini ahead of time, just combine 2 parts St. Germaine Elderflower, 1 part lemon juice and 1 part simple syrup in a pitcher ahead of time. When guests arrive, put the mixture in champagne glasses then add sparkling wine or champagne. Garnish with fresh raspberries and blackberries.

While Chef Rick was showing us how to carve a turkey, I chatted with other food bloggers about their turkey tips. Growing up, my parents would always break down the uncooked turkey before roasting it in the oven (to ensure even cooking though we never got to present a whole turkey). Another blogger mentioned that her mother would cook the turkey upside down - this allowed for the dripping to fall and keep and turkey breast moist.

For the most part, the food was good though I preferred dishes on the simpler side. The bellini, warm brie, roasted acorn squash and panna cotta were my favorites (with only a tad of the sauces that came with them). For all of the recipes, click here.

What are your Thanksgiving traditions? How do you cook your turkey?

FTC disclaimer: We attended this complimentary event hosted by Driscoll's Berries and received a gift bag including Chef Rodgers' cookbook. We were not compensated in any other way for this post. All views and opinions are our own.

{Food Events} Wilton Cake Decorating Class and Skanz Bracelet Giveaway Winner announced

2011-10-17T19:05:00.000-04:00

Before and After cakes...Sandy Folsom taught us all (including Jessica from FoodMayhem) some fun techniques for cake decorating.

I love desserts and creating dessert tables, but when it comes to (cup)cake decorating I'm no pro. My tools include a ziplock bag with a corner cut for icing and cupcake toppers for decoration. So I was really excited when Wilton invited me to a cake decorating class being held at Astor Place's cooking center here in NYC.

Icing tips to make all kinds of fun designs - for both sweet and savory creations!

We started off by learning about each of the tips: the smaller the number, the smaller the opening; certain tips are great for certain techniques; etc.

My basket weave technique; making grass and vines were my contribution to our group cake design; the 2 more experienced bakers on my team took on the beautiful basket weave design; the final cake!

After having fun learning technique, we were placed into groups to apply our new-found knowledge to cake molds.

Are these cakes adorable? My classmates were a talented bunch!

Every team "won", with our cake deemed "Most Colorful" by our teachers. It was one of the funnest classes I've ever attended and I can't wait to use my new icing tips for future (cup)cakes!

And now to announce the winner of our Skanz bracelet Giveaway : Congratulations Jackie! Random.org chose you as the winner of the QR Skanz giveaway. We'll be contacting you and send you your prize soon.

{Wine Wednesday} Some old time California Cabernets

2011-10-12T08:22:00.000-04:00

Since I'm not an expert (nor have the budget to acquire) vintage wines, I jumped at the opportunity to taste vintage Cabernet Sauvignon wines from California at Union Square Wines in New York City. The amazing lineup ranged from the young 2007 Mount Eden Estate Cabernet Sauvignon and 2005 Ridge Monte Bello to a few rare treats from Mayacamas and Dunn. Since fruit forward wines are the most prevalent style today (especially Cabernet from California or even France and Washington), it was a great chance to compare the structured wines and often higher acid from various appellations, or 'Old Timey Favorites' as the tasting was titled.

Here's the order of the tasting:
2007 Mount Eden Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
2005 Ridge Monte Bello
2004 Laurel Glen Cabernet Sauvignon
2002 Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon
2001 Heitz Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
1997 Mayacamas Cabernet Sauvignon
1994 Dunn Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon
1992 Dunn Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

The standouts for me were the smooth, leathery 1997 Mayacamas and the sublime, yet still powerful, Dunn Howell Mountain wines (the '94 was still young and tannic). The Monte Bello needed more time as the wine was still quite chewy (which, along with the Dunn Cabs, were greatly enhanced by the wagyu beef). To finish up, we compared the 1996 Mount Eden Cabernet to the spectacular 2007 bottling to see how the wine typically evolves. I'd take the elegant '96 now, but it will be interesting to see how the fresh '07 Bordeaux style blend (75% Cabernet) ages.

Most of the younger wines just need more time to mature and likely have some good years ahead. Though some prices are quite steep, these older vintage wines are worth seeking out. Happy hunting (and drinking)!

{Sweet Treats} Maple Butter Tart Recipe for Canadian Thanksgiving

2011-10-10T00:01:00.001-04:00

Today's Columbus Day here in NYC, but back home in Canada, it's Thanksgiving Day. Because Thanksgiving in the U.S. doesn't happen until late November, I typically have a tough time recreating an authentic Canadian Thanksgiving here. We couldn't find cranberries nor whole turkeys so we opted to roast a whole duck instead, served with tons of potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, and butternut squash.

But for dessert, I decided to bake a thoroughly Canadian sweet treat: Butter Tarts. For me, these tarts are nostalgic. My parents would usually buy them from the grocery store and my brother and I devour them after dinner. Butter Tarts are similar to Pecan Pies - but instead of pecans, these tarts usually have raisins in them and the filling is slightly runnier.

I used this award-winning recipe as inspiration. The biggest change I made was that I used Canadian Maple Syrup (a gift from my mom after she recently visited Quebec) instead of corn syrup. I love the sweetness of these tarts combined with flaky crust. If you're a fan of pecan pies, give these butter tarts a try!

Butter Tart Recipe (makes about 20 tarts)

Tart Dough:

1 cup ounces unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 pinch kosher salt

3 large eggs

3 cups pastry flour (you can substitute with 3 cups all-purpose flour)

Directions:

1. Cream the butter, sugar and salt together.

2. Add the eggs and mix until combined.

3. Add the flour and mix until it all comes together.

4. Wrap in plastic and chill thoroughly (at least 1 hour) before using.

Butter Tart Filling:

Tart dough

1 cup golden raisins

1/2 cup soft butter

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 pinch salt

1 cup pure maple syrup

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon Bourbon Vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F.
Prepare muffin pans by rolling out pie dough and cutting 4-inch (approx) circles; fit dough circles into muffin cups; set aside in fridge until ready to fill.
In a small bowl, place raisins and cover with hot tap water; let stand on the counter for 30 minutes. This will plump them up.
In a large bowl, using a wooden spoon, mix together the soft butter, brown sugar, salt and maple syrup; stir well until sugar is dissolved and butter is creamed.
Add eggs and vanilla, then mix well.
Drain raisins.
Retrieve tart shells and divide raisins equally into all shells; then divide butter mixture into all tarts.
Bake at 400F for 15-20 minutes; filling will be lightly browned but still bubbling.
Canadians fall into two camps about butter tarts and are quite loyal to their favourite type: runny or firm.
For runny (the type that dribbles when you bite into one) tarts, you can take them out of the oven after about 15 minutes.
For firm tarts, bake them for the full 20 minutes, even adding another minute or two if you wish.
Let cooked butter tarts cool in pans for 10 minutes after removing from oven; then remove and place on racks until completely cool.

Have you entered our QR Skanz bracelet giveaway? Just share this link: http://goo.gl/pWCWT and enter a comment on this post for your chance to win!

{Giveaway} QR Code Skanz Bracelets

2011-10-08T10:32:00.001-04:00

When you meet someone new, how long does it take you to get that person's phone number, email address, Twitter handle, and more? For us, we love meeting people - both personally and professionally - at events, conferences, parties, etc. Usually we exchange business cards - and end up with a whole pile we need to sort through and enter into our phones.

So when I learned about Skanz bracelets, I knew I wanted to try them out. What are they? They're QR codes (those funky barcode squares I've seen popping up everywhere). When you scan the QR code with a QR code reader on your phone (I use the Skanz QR code reader on my Droid phone), up pops a screen with all of your contact information. Your new friend/contact can download a CSV file with all of your information or simply press the buttons that link to all of your social media and traditional contact information.

After I bought one and wore it to various events, so many bloggers were intrigued and wanted one too. I reached out to Skanz (which also happened to be a new local small business) for a special discount code to offer to my readers. Enter highlowfooddrink to get 20% off your purchase at Skanz.com. (expires 10/15/2011)

As an added bonus, I have one Skanz bracelet (retail $9.99) to give away to one lucky HLFD reader! All you have to do to enter is:

Share this post via Twitter (cc: @highlowfooddnk) or Facebook (link to our Facebook page) and leave a comment below saying you've done so.

The contest will run until 10/15/2011 at 11:59 pm EST (which is also when the 20% off promo code "highlowfooddrink" expires). The winner will be chosen via Random.org. Since I am mailing the prize out, I'm opening it up to anyone anywhere! Good luck!

FTC note: I bought my initial Skanz bracelet and sticker. Skanz.com provided us with additional Skanz bracelets and stickers. We did not receive compensation and all opinions expressed are entirely our own.

{Easy Recipes} Roast Chicken inspired by Thomas Keller

2011-09-18T19:47:00.001-04:00

It's suddenly sweater-weather here in NYC. And happily, our oven (that broke at the beginning of summer) was finally replaced - just in time for the Fall! When we got this tasty new chicken, I knew just the right dish to christen our new oven: Roast Chicken - inspired by Thomas Keller.

I used a recipe found in his accessible cookbook, Ad Hoc at Home, as my dinner inspiration. I've made roast chicken before, but I found these Thomas Keller tips to be especially helpful (and you can apply them to your own favorite roast chicken recipe):

Dry your chicken before you cook it (1-2 days beforehand). This will help crisp up the skin. How do you dry the chicken? First leave the chicken in the refrigerator uncovered for 1-2 days. Then remove the chicken from the fridge and let stand for 1.5-2 hours so the chicken comes up to room temperature. I also used paper towels to soak up as much moisture from the outside of the chicken as I could.
Learn how to truss a chicken. This helps the chicken to evenly cook. I have to admit, we still have trouble with this and have to keep practicing! (Luckily, that means more roast chicken in our future!)
Roasting the chicken on top of your favorite root vegetables makes for tasty, beautiful, easy one-pot meal. The chicken juices add a lovely flavor to the vegetables, which also slightly caramelize in the roasting pan.
Put a few pieces of butter on top of the chicken breast to further help to brown/crisp the skin

Here is the rough 'recipe' of our dinner last night. But if you follow the basic directions, you can substitute any of the vegetables and even herbs with ones that you have on hand.

Roast Chicken with Vegetables (adapted from Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc at Home)

Ingredients (serves 4):

1 whole chicken (ours was this Pollo Buono that weighed 3.54 lbs, but any chicken around 4lbs will do)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

peeled cloves from 1 garlic

dried French thyme (use fresh thyme sprigs if you can)

12 oz baby carrots (sub with 4 peeled and chopped medium carrots)

1 medium red onion, peeled and cut into large chunks (any onion will do)

1 package Satur farms fingerling potatoes (sub with any small potatoes)

1/3 cup canola oil

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

Directions

1. Prep chicken as mentioned above (dry it and let it come to room temperature). Preheat the oven to 475 F.

2. My chicken didn't have any innards in it, but if yours does, remove it.

3. Generously season the cavity of the chicken with salt, pepper, thyme, and a about 4 large cloves of garlic. Massage the inside of the bird to infuse it with the flavors. Truss the chicken.

4.Fill the bottom of a roasting pan or large cast-iron skillet with the carrots, onions, garlic, and potatoes. Toss with 1/4 cup of the oil and season with salt, pepper, and thyme.

5. Rub the remaining oil over the chicken. Season generously with salt and pepper.

6. Make a nest in the center of the vegetables and nestle the chicken in it. Cut the butter into 4 or 5 pieces and place over the chicken breast.

7. Put the chicken in the oven and roast for 25 minutes. Reduce the heat to 400 F and roast for an additional 45 minutes. Take the pan out of the oven and let the chicken rest for 20 minutes.

8. If you'd like, reheat the vegetables right before serving and glaze them with the pan juices. I just placed the vegetables on a serving platter and left them in the shut-off oven (that was still warm).

9.Cut the chicken into serving pieces, arrange over the vegetables and serve.

Jeff suggests pairing this chicken dish with one of his favorite beers: Stillwater Artisnal Ale's herbal saison Of Love & Regret. You could also seek out food friendly beers like Stillwater's Stateside Saison, Captain Lawrence Saison or Brewery Ommegang BPA. We find most saison or farmhouse style beers pair well with poultry. For wine drinkers, a (relatively) dry Riesling or light red (such as Beaujolais) would be a good choice.

As Thomas Keller has said (in a GQ UK interview), "It's very difficult to get the breast done at the same time as the legs - you have to have that tolerance to say, 'The great thing about roasted chicken is the whole thing.'" I love this weekend dish! It's perfect for just my husband and myself (with tasty leftovers to enjoy the next day) or if we had a couple of guests over for dinner.

{Easy Recipes} Dark Chocolate Guinness Gelato

2011-08-15T20:40:00.002-04:00

Anyone who has followed our blog, Twitter feed, or Facebook page knows how much my husband loves beer. And because he's half-Irish, I've made him Guinness chocolate cupcakes and Guinness ice cream floats. So with the summery weather, I knew I had to make him a Dark Chocolate Guinness Gelato.

If you're a Guinness beer drinker, you'll love this easy gelato. The dark chocolate and Guinness beer mixes together to make a rich and deep flavor. The taste of the beer is definitely pronounced. You could also serve the gelato with whipped cream for the frothy beer head effect.

Dark Chocolate Guinness Gelato

Ingredients:

2 cups whole milk

1 1/2 cups dark chocolate

3/4 cup sugar

1 bottle of Guinness stout (or any dark stout beer)

Directions:

1. Heat the milk in a saucepan over medium-low heat until it begins to bubble.

2. Remove milk from the heat and stir in the chocolate and sugar until melted.

3. Slowly stir in the stout beer. Cover and refrigerate until completely cooled.

4. Pour the chilled mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's directions.

5. After freezing for a few hours, the gelato is ready to be served.

{Sweet Treats} Hazelnut Iced Coffee

2011-08-07T21:55:00.000-04:00

Summertime means that we always have people dropping by for a casual get-together. We love having friends and family over to our apartment - and there's nothing better than catching up over coffee. Since my husband loves his daily iced coffee pick-me-up, we always have a pitcher of cold brewed coffee ready to share.

This past weekend, Jeff's family and friends came to visit us in the city. While we waited out the sudden evening rain, I made Hazelnut Ice Coffee dessert drinks for everyone. Happily our guests enjoyed these sweet treats (and they perked everyone up!)

Through Foodbuzz's Tastemaker's program, we received 2 complimentary packages of Godiva coffee: Chocolate Truffle and Hazelnut Creme. Both smelled great, but I opted to use the Hazelnut Creme flavor to make both cold-brewed coffee and hazelnut coffee gelato.

To make the cold-brewed coffee concentrate, I followed this recipe. I keep the filtered concentrate ready on-hand to be served when company comes over. It's also used to make the coffee gelato.

Godiva Hazelnut Coffee Gelato

Ingredients

3 cups organic whole milk

4 large egg yolks

2/3 cup sugar

Pinch salt (brings out the sweetness)

1 cup cold-brewed Godiva coffee (room temperature)

Directions

1. Heat the whole milk until it boils.

2. In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks, sugar, and salt until mixed.

3. Slowly add the hot milk to the egg mixture until combined. Add the cold-brewed coffee.

4. Pour the mixture back into the pan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for 5 to 10 minutes, until it's thickened and the cream coats the back of the spoon.

5. Refrigerate mixture until completely chilled.

6. Pour the espresso cream into an ice-cream freezer and freeze according to the manufacturer's directions.

7. Spoon into a container, and allow to freeze for a few hours. Soften slightly before serving.

To make the iced coffee drinks, I added a couple scoops of the gelato into a chilled glass, followed by some coffee concentrate and skim milk. This creamy drink is perfect for dessert and easy to put together for any last-minute guests.

What's your go-to dish/drink for impromptu get-togethers?

{Wine Wednesday} Refreshing Rosé for Summer

2011-08-03T00:05:00.001-04:00

Now that summer has hit with a vengeance, it is the perfect time to breakout some lighter wines, including the oft-derided, yet immensely popular Rosé. Like most people, we've had far too many sweet and cloying wines or ones lacking character. My wife was actually very surprised when I ordered a glass of Rosé the last time we were out at a restaurant. But there are a few wineries I like that make a nice, crisp, clean Rosé that pairs well with seafood, salads, and other light summery dishes.

One of the wines I like is the 2010 Domaine Bernard Baudry Chinon Rosé. This salmon-colored and refreshing Rosé is 100% cabernet franc with a light berry taste and body. It is a great value like most Loire wines and often cheaper than wines from Côtes de Provence.

Every summer, our local choice is Wolffer Estate's Rosé from Long Island, which is often a good value for home consumption (well at most retailers anyway, I can't speak for restaurants or wine bars).

A couple of widely available Rosés we have enjoyed in the past are the Copain 'Tous Ensemble' Rosé and M. Chapoutier Belleruche Côtes du Rhône Rosé. So pick up a bottle and enjoy these summer sippers.

{Easy Recipes} Chocolate Peanut Butter Gelato

2011-07-17T23:41:00.001-04:00

The upside to not having a working oven at the moment is coming up with no-bake desserts. With NYC's recent 100F/40C muggy weather, I've been craving frozen treats like ice cream and gelato. I decided to make gelato since I only had whole milk on hand. (Gelato contains less fat than ice cream as it's made with more whole milk and less cream). The rest of the ingredients came from whatever I had in our pantry (making gelato one of my favorite pantry-clearing items!)

This was my first time making Chocolate Peanut Butter gelato and I was so happy with how it came out! I based my recipe on one of Giada's, but used less sugar, added a touch of salt, and didn't add cream at all. Instead of Nutella (which I also love), I used Dark Chocolate Dreams from Peanut Butter & Co. The gelato had that addictive sweet and salty intense flavor that we both love.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Gelato (adapted from Giada de Laurentis' Chocolate Hazelnut Gelato recipe)
Ingredients:
2 cups whole milk (I used whole milk from Organic Valley)
1/3 cup sugar, plus 1/4 cup
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter
sea salt
Chopped peanuts (optional for garnish)

Directions:
1. In a saucepan combine the milk and 1/3 cup sugar over medium heat. Cook until the sugar dissolves.

2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl whip the egg yolks with the remaining sugar until the eggs have become thick and pale yellow.

3. Pour 1/2 cup of the warm milk and sugar mixture into the egg mixture and stir. (This will ensure that the eggs don't become scrambled!)

4. Add this mixture back into the saucepan. Cook over very low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture becomes thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.

5. Pour the warm custard into another medium bowl and stir in the chocolate peanut butter until it dissolves. Add a little bit of sea salt to enhance the chocolate flavor.

6. Chill mixture completely before pouring into an ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's instructions to freeze. To serve, scoop gelato into serving bowls and top with peanuts.

What's your favorite frozen treat to make at home?

{Dining Out} Bar Basque

2011-07-13T00:25:00.000-04:00

We dined on a variety of tapas from new restaurant Bar Basque.

When summer comes to NYC, we rush out to the nearest patio. But lately with the temperatures reaching nearly 100F/40C,we've been rushing back inside seeking the cool comfort of air conditioning. Dining at Bar Basque, however, lets us enjoy the feeling of being outside with the cool breeze of A/C. This restaurant on the second floor of the Eventi Hotel is a beautiful space. There's also an outdoor movie screen that adds to the trendy nightspot feel to this place (and overlooks the newly opened FoodParc outdoor space).

Our menu featured the chef's selection from the main menu.

We were invited by the restaurant to try highlights from their summer menu. We had dined at their sister restaurant, Asia de Cuba, so we were eager to try the food. They had a set menu prepared for us, but welcomed us to order drinks and anything else we wanted to try.

Fried cheese and tuna tartare "lollipops"

The first couple of bites were of a Idiazabal Cheese Croquettes (usually $8) which was best to eat by hand instead of letting the cheese ooze out. It was warm with a crispy, slightly thick coating. They were good, but not as addictive nor as light as cheese gougeres. The light Yellowfin Tuna Tartare Pushpop with Red Wine Caviar (usually $9) were fun and easy to eat (a trend we've seen popping up, most recently by Lincoln at the Citymeals-on-Wheels event).

(Clockwise from top left) Octopus and mackerel in cans; tuna crudo; chorizo; scallops

One of our favorite dishes of the night was the Octopus with Black Olives and Tomato Confit (usually $8). The sweet cherry tomatoes balanced the salty olives and grilled octopus. We also liked their presentation in fish tins. The tins come from Spain and definitely reminded me of my holidays there.

The Mixed Sauteed Chorizos (usually $12) was another favorite. It had three different chorizos: chistoras, mini spicy, and Palacios. We especially enjoyed the mini spicy chorizo. This dish could easily be shared as a snack for 3 people.

The Spanish mackerel (usually $8) was fresh and meaty. My husband likes this oilier fish and thought it didn't need the shallots because it stood out well on its its own. The Yellowfin Tuna Crudo ($12) came with Ajo Blanco and Chimichurri. The tuna was okay, but we enjoyed dipping the soft yet chewy bread with the chimichurri.

The dish we didn't care too much for was the Sea Scallop Crudo with olives and preserved lemon (usually $12). The scallops got lost in the toppings.

Jeff chose a refreshing Junipero Gin & Tonic (usually $13) to drink. The gin is from Anchor Distilling in San Francisco - the same people behind Anchor Brewing. He enjoyed his drink, which was brightened by lime and coriander. I chose the Pear Blossom (usually $14) with Grey Goose La Poire, St. Germaine, pear puree, and cava. It was subtly sweet and a nice summery evening cocktail.

One of our third course dishes was the Smoked Trout a la Plancha with Jamon Butter (usually $12). it was rich and saucy, with a hint of smoke on the finish eating the fish. The salty roe was a nice touch.

The Heirloom Tomato Salad (usually $10) was very pretty. For me, it was a little overdressed with Jimenez Sherry Vinegar making the tomatoes slightly mealy.

Lastly, the Slow Braised Pork Belly, Baby Clams in an Albarino Wine Sauce (usually $14) was the third dish of our three courses. We're not used to having a pork belly without that crispy seared outside, but the savory clam and wine broth kept this really moist and easy to eat.

The desserts were my favorite dishes. The Pina Colada with Coconut Flan, pineapple salad, and rum caramel was nice and bright. The pineapple salad with fresh mint added the freshness I needed to offset our rich meal.

We both enjoyed the Fried milk with Passion Fruit reduction and Chocolate ganache. Reminding us of warm donuts (like the ones we've enjoyed elsewhere), the fried milk was lighter and creamier than we expected. The fried milk was so good being dipped in the chocolate ganache (and for Jeff, was a nice finish paired with a glass of Pedro Ximénez sherry (below pic)). The passion fruit had a slight tang, but we thought that the chocolate ganache was the better match.

My husband's dessert = a glass of sherry

We much preferred the light of the outdoor space. The dark red interior was difficult to navigate (finding the restrooms was an unnecessary challenge).

Overall, we would return to Bar Basque if we had out-of-town guests who wanted that SATC/NYC vibe and didn't mind the higher price points. We ate enough for at least three people, so the tapas menu is definitely good for a group as would just coming here for a drink and/or dessert.

Bar Basque is located at 839 Ave of the Americas (b/n 29th and 30th Sts.)

FTC disclosure: This meal was complimentary of the restaurant. The opinions are entirely our own.

{Easy Recipes} Tiramisu

2011-07-07T23:25:00.000-04:00

I always love going home to Toronto. Back in May, we got to visit with my family and friends. But one of our fond memories was going to a friend's house, being treated to a home-cooked meal, and enjoying this tiramisu that another friend brought. This tiramisu was so luscious, sweet, and creamy. It was light, airy, and oh so addictive. Of course, we had to have the recipe and happily she's shared it with us (after the jump).

Tiramisu

Ingredients:

475g mascarpone

3 eggs

6 tablespoons sugar

Lady fingers (1 package)

Strong Coffee (enough to soak lady fingers)

Grand Marnier (enough to soak lady fingers)

Cocoa (enough to sprinkle on top)

Directions:

1. Brew coffee.

2. Separate egg yolks from whites.

3. Beat egg whites until fluffy.

4. Separately, beat egg yolks with sugar until creamy, add mascarpone.

5. Fold in egg whites.

6. Add Grand Marnier to coffee.

7. Dip lady fingers in coffee and arrange in bowl.

8. Sprinkle cocoa on top.

9. Refrigerate 4-6 hrs prior to serving.

{Steals & Deals} $1 Ciao Bella "Happy Hour" at Grand Central Terminal

2011-07-05T21:04:00.000-04:00

In celebration of Ice Cream Month, Ciao Bella is running a promotion for the entire month of July. Every Wednesday in July from 3-5 p.m., the Ciao Bella Gelateria in Grand Central Terminal is offering $1 Bambini (single scoop, regularly $3.65). If you're in the area and need some cool relief from summer, check it out! Ciao Bella is located on the Lower Level Dining Concourse inside the Terminal.

{Easy Entertaining} Happy Fourth of July!

2011-07-04T09:57:00.000-04:00

When our oven broke, we discovered that we could easily cater a party without it!: Patriotic jello shots, dessert table, Caprese salad with fresh burrata, tomatoes, and basil.

Wishing you and your loved ones a very Happy Fourth of July! We celebrated a day early - having a few friends and family members over to our apartment. The biggest challenge we faced was discovering that our oven was not working. So in order to feed our already-invited dozen or so guests, we came up with some great no-bake dishes. Not only were they a hit at the party, but they're useful dinner ideas when it's so hot outside, we don't want to turn on the oven.

Agua Fresca; Dual-purpose Brooklyn Brewery six pack

Of all the no-bake options, drinks were a cinch! =) I made a refreshing watermelon agua fresca. I strained about half a large watermelon, added juice from 1 squeezed lime, some cold water, and a little bit of agave nectar. I served the drinks with ice and a garnish of fresh mint. (We also had a bottle of Grey Goose vodka beside the pitcher for those who wanted their drink spiked).

Easy appetizers: fresh fruits and veg; cheese plate; pineapple salsa; Caprese salad with burrata

With fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables, it's so much easier to make dishes without needing an oven!
We made fresh salsas and guacamole: pineapple/red onion/jalapeno/cilantro; tomato/red onion/jalapeno/cilantro; avocado/red onion/tomato/jalapeno/cilantro. I chopped up fresh watermelon and had fresh mint and feta cheese on hand so guests could make their own watermelon salads. We also had fresh vegetables with ranch and onion dips.

Cheese plates are always a hit. I added an unusual touch - natural honey comb that I bought from FreshDirect. Our guests loved trying this unexpected product - dipping it with pretzel sticks, spreading it on crackers with cheese, or trying it on its own. We served the honey comb with provolone, sharp white cheddar, and Camembert cheeses.

The other plate we served was with fresh burrata, basil, and tomatoes so guests could make their own caprese salad. Our new favorite place in the city to get fresh burrata is from the Italian shop in Chelsea Market. It's the most affordable fresh burrata we've seen in Manhattan (Eataly's burrata is much more expensive). It's a good thing we bought two of them because our guests devoured this plate!

Pulled pork taco

We love our slow cooker - it's great for weekday dinners (cooking our meals while we're at work!) and was the perfect substitute for our broken oven. Jeff got a nice lean 6lb+ boneless pork shoulder from FreshDirect (all nicely tied up too for free!), put it in the slow cooker with some chicken broth, water, and spices. He cooked it on low for over 10 hours. After it was cooked, he separated the meat from the juices, pulled the meat apart, put the pulled pork back into the slow cooker, and added his homemade sauce to further flavor the meat.

We let our guests make their own pulled pork taco. With tortillas from Tehuitzingo, baked beans (our friend had made in his pressure cooker), fresh salsas we had made, and my husband's homemade sauce, it was a colorful, tasty, yet substantial dish.

No-bake Desserts

For me, the saddest part of our oven breaking was that I couldn't bake at all. Visions of the cupcakes I would bake were no more. Instead, I fell back on some tried-and-true favorites. My cookie truffles returned to everyone's delight. Since my Super Bowl jello shots were a party hit, I decided to make patriotic jello shots. (Tip: Plan ahead better than I did - I should have started to make the jello shots days before the party so that each layer would have firmed up better, making cleaner, straighter lines!) I used Berry Blue and Strawberry jello (mixed with vanilla vodka) for the blue and red layers, respectively. For the white layers, I mixed semi-firm lemon jello with a whole container of Lite Cool Whip.

My husband made his mom's no-bake Key Lime Pie. We bought a graham cracker crust for the shell. For the filling, Jeff mixed fresh lime juice (from about 4 limes) with a can of condensed milk and a whole container of Lite Cool Whip. He put the mix into the shell, grated lime zest on top, and put the pie in the freezer overnight.

Happy Independence Day! How did you celebrate? What are your favorite no-bake recipes?

Happy Canada Day!

2011-07-01T00:01:00.002-04:00

After a wonderful dinner last night at Jean Georges' abc kitchen (details to come!), we walked by the Empire State Building. To my delight, the top of the Empire State Building was lit up in red and white to celebrate my home country. (It was a bit surprising too since it was a day too early) So as we're getting ready to enjoy the July 4th holiday weekend, we want to wish all of our Canadian friends and family a very Happy Canada's Day!

{Sweet Treats} Shake Shack Vanilla Custard with Chocolate Cookie Dough and Raspberries

2011-06-28T19:18:00.000-04:00

While Jeff's cooking my birthday dinner tonight (!), I thought this would be a good time to share a quick sweet treat from my favorite burger spot, Shake Shack. Doesn't that look good? It's sitting in our freezer right now, waiting for dessert time. But I couldn't resist and I've already sneaked a few bites. It's sweet from the thick vanilla custard, balanced with the tartness from fresh raspberries. The chocolate cookie dough puts it over the top (in a good way!) for me.

Coincidentally, my first blog post for work was posted today too. So if you're looking for some easy and healthy road trip snack tips for the family (i.e. the complete opposite of the photo I posted above!), head on over here to check it out!

{Dining Out} Salt & Fat in Queens

2011-06-23T23:30:00.000-04:00

Could there be a restaurant more appropriately named to entice food bloggers than Salt & Fat? Last Friday, I met up with Jackie (Diva That Ate NY), Ken (Hungry Rabbit), Siobhan (Blondie & Brownie), and Yvo (Feisty Foodie) in Sunnyside, Queens for a much anticipated dinner.

Yellowtail, Italian speck, pickled jalapenos, citrus ($11); "Crack" & Cheese, fried potato gnocchi, cheese bechamel, bacon ($9); PEI Mussels, Thai oyster sauce, Chinese sausage ($8); Korean BBQ Wraps, hanger steak, pickled daikon, seasoned miso ($7)

I love dining with other people who share my same motto about food: Try Anything and Everything! (and share plates, of course!) As you can see, we ordered most of the menu! The yellowtail dish was bright, while the "crack" and cheese was addictive (as I should have expected since it had similar poutine components of potato, cheese, and meat). The mussels were good (not out of the ordinary though), while the Korean BBQ lettuce wraps were tasty and fun.

Braised Pork Belly Tacos, pico de gallo, kimchi salsa, queso fresco ($8); Meatballs, spicy tomato sauce, basil ($8)

Though the meatballs were good, for me, the pork belly tacos stole the show. I was surprised that the pork belly was so large - it was as long as the taco itself!

Fried Chicken, herb ranch ($12); Short Rib Buns, pickled cucumber, apricot mustard ($8); Scallops, roasted carrot puree, truffled golden beets ($10); Oxtail Terrine, caramelized onion puree, roasted mushrooms ($9)

My other favorite dish was the oxtail terrine. I don't know how the meat kept its shape because the second I sliced it with my fork, the meat just fell apart (in a good way!) The oxtail meat was so tender and just melted in my mouth.

Ice Cream & Sorbet Trio - Lychee, Thai Ice Coffee, Jalapeno ($6); Rice Krispies with Marshmallow ice cream ($5); Lychee Panna Cotta with Yuzu Buttermilk Sorbet ($6). Instead of mints, we were given complimentary drinkable yogurt.

Sometimes I feel like I have a separate stomach for dessert. Even if I'm relatively full, I still find a way to try something sweet. Happily again, I wasn't the only one and so we shared the entire dessert menu. Having a sweet tooth, I really liked the marshmallow ice cream with the Rice Krispies. Most of the table were pleasantly surprised by the tart Yuzu buttermilk sorbet.

This dinner was definitely worth the trip to Sunnyside, Queens. Any restaurant that can satisfy/stuff all five of us for under $35/each (after tax, tip, and a few people got drinks) is one that I will definitely introduce to my husband.

{Food Events} CityMeals-on-Wheels A Taste of Home 2011

2011-06-16T23:10:00.001-04:00

Dining under the stars at the CityMeals-on-Wheels event at Rockefeller Center with desserts by Daniel Boulud, crawfish by NOLA's Commander's Palace, and reserve cognac by Pierre Ferrand.

If you like photos of food, then this post is for you! After winning two tickets to the Citymeals-on-Wheels fundraising event at Rockefeller Center, I knew we would be treated to a feast for the senses. This event was a chef's tribute for a great cause. Most chefs had a NY restaurant, but plenty of others came in from around the U.S. The chefs were sharing family recipes - though plenty seemed a lot more fancy than my family ever made at home! Armed with my camera and an empty stomach, I met up with Jeff (and soon Yvo of Feisty Foodie who also got tickets) to enjoy a night out in NYC.

It was great meeting so many chefs! David Burke was plating his BBQ chicken, with corn whipped potatoes while Bill Telepan shredded cheese on his potato & farmer's cheese pierogi, scallions, and brown butter.

I don't know what was more exciting for us - the food or meeting the chefs! Bill Telepan was friendly as always. We love his restaurant and chatted about his recent pop-up and how we wished he kept it open. Happily he said it'll return in the future!

Commander's Palace Chef Tony McPhail was tasting his Creole crawfish gnocchi with grilled Louisiana crawfish, Creole cream cheese gnocchi flambeed with cognac, mushroom bacon, and crawfish boil cream.

One of my favorite food cities is New Orleans and I still remember my meal at Commander's Palace. We were both excited to see their table here - and their crawfish and gnocchi dish was one of our favorites of the night!

The Sea Grill's root beer float with espresso ice cream and fish tacos; Jonathan Waxman's organic chicken hot dog with asparagus slaw; Proof on Main's NJ sweet corn with smoke aioli, ricotta salata, and lime; Perrier Jouet Champagne cocktails

Cedric Vongerichten's rice cracker crusted tuna with Sriracha-citrus emulsion; Angelo Sosa's tomato curry soup and photo op

Jean-Georges' son Cedric served fresh pieces of tuna that were crusted with light, crunchy rice crackers - so good! Top Chef's Angelo Sosa was charming ladies all night - though I was more interested in hearing that he's bringing back his 1000 year old ice cream sandwich in his next culinary venture.

Jean-Georges Vongerichten's bacon-wrapped shrimp with cherry mustard sauce; Fulton's swordfish, Scott Conant's (Scarpetta) crudo of yellowtail, fluke, and mackerel.

Nobu's Bara Zushi: seasoned sushi rice with vegetables or fish garnish; Maine's Arrow served Lobster rolls and fried oysters; Oceana's "Mom's Tuna Casserole"; Tom Colicchio's roasted lamb with marinated chanterelle mushrooms.

Newest Iron Chef Marc Forgione and family's buffalo tartare with vinaigrette and red veined sorrel; a contender in the meat throwdown between Quality Meats and Smith & Wollensky; Brisket Slider with burnt brisket ends, brioche bun, apple jicama slaw, chipotle drizzle from Austin, TX's The Salt Lick

ABC Kitchen's salmon tartine on warm garlic-herb toast; Aaron Sanchez's (Centrico) Tingo de Pollo of chicken hash, chipotle chiles, and aromatic spices and tomatoes. For dessert, Charlie Palmer plates his Rum Baba with vanilla chantilly and berries.

The first thing Jeff said when he ate Charlie Palmer's Rum Baba? "That could rival my mom's!" There could be no higher praise for this surprisingly light dessert!

Daniel's caramelized hazelnut sable with caraibe chocolate mousse, dulce de leche cream; Sprinkles mini cupcakes

Lincoln's Spumoni with chocolate and pistachio gelato with poached sour cherries

Despite being so full from all of the mouth-watering dishes, we still couldn't get enough of Lincoln's light spumoni. They were tasty and playful too. You held it like a lollipop, and then push the handle up so the gelato just pops in your mouth...So much fun!

With live music, light summer breezes, and wonderful food, it was one of those NYC nights that we will never forget! The next day, we met Charlie Palmer at another event and he told us this event raised over $750K for Citymeals-on-Wheels! Thank you Citymeals-on-Wheels for letting us be a part of this great event!

{Sweet Treats} Ralph's Famous Italian Ices now in Manhattan!

2011-06-13T00:50:00.001-04:00

mmm...Ralph's Creme Ices

Forget being a kid in a candy store. For me, with the weather here in NYC being so hot, I'd rather be a girl in an ice cream store. Thanks to Ralph's Famous Italian Ices, I got to live out that dream and tried a myriad of different Italian ices.

Ralph's Famous Italian Ices storefront

My friends who grew up in Long Island were so excited to hear that Ralph's Famous Italian Ices had opened a location in Manhattan. I met with Stacy, the Director of Operations for this location, who told me how they completely turned a one bedroom apartment into their Italian ice storefront. Can you imagine if your neighbor moved out and an ice cream shop moved right in?

ooh Mango Water Ice...

Since I love almost all flavors of ice cream, Stacy started my private tasting with a few of her favorite water ices. Water ices contain no dairy and pretty refreshing.

Cotton Candy Water Ice on top of a trio of fruity ices

My favorite water ice that I tried was the Mango - to me it tasted like real fruit. I appreciated the playful Cotton Candy water ice, especially since it wasn't as sweet as I expected. Overall, my preference are the fruit flavors.

Spumoni and Tiramisu Creme Ices

Since my half-Italian husband could not make the tasting in time, I took one for the team and tried a few flavors he might have liked (essentially every Italian dessert we've enjoyed at family gatherings).

My husband loves 7 layer cake (those pretty Italian almond cake with pink, yellow, green layers with chocolate) so it was fitting that my favorite creme ice ended up being the Rainbow Cookie Creme Ice. It was eery how this creme ice tasted like a cold version of those colorful cookies.

I could easily see why Ralph's has been a nostalgic favorite. With so many different flavors, and a very affordable price point ($3 small, $3.50 medium, $4.25 large), Ralph's Famous Italian Ices will bring out the kid in anyone. Open daily from noon-11pm, cash only.

{Food Events} David Burke Kitchen tasting and Vlasic Farmer's Garden launch

2011-06-10T23:30:00.000-04:00

I almost didn't make it. I knew I would be late to the David Burke Kitchen tasting event that marked the launch of Vlasic's new Farmer's Garden pickle launch. After all, I was heading to SoHo after work and my new job is based in Long Island City, Queens (dangerously close to M. Wells). By the time I arrived, everyone was finishing up their meal. Happily, the PR ladies were able to get a few extra plates for me to try. I had the added bonus of dining one-on-one with Chef Mark Susz.

The David Burke Kitchen space was beautiful - sleek, yet cozy. I bet this was the first time the bar had more garnishes on it than drinks!

Chef Mark Susz is Vlasic's culinary director. I had missed the hands-on pickle-making demonstration he had led, so he chatted about the process and the Vlasic Farmer's Garden pickles. I liked the Zesty pickles - they had a nice bite to them. I also liked the mason jar look to the jar of vegetables. (The ingredient list was: cucumbers, water, carrots, red peppers, salt, vinegar, garlic, calcium chloride, spice, natural flavor, polysorbate 80, oleoresin turmeric with 1/2 pickle serving containing 300mg of sodium!) Overall, these pickles aren't bad for a mass marketed good - though I'm still partial to my husband's homemade ones!

Then we chatted about food in general. I asked him about his favorite foods - sushi (a trip to Japan opened his eyes to real sushi), fresh pasta (that he now makes by hand with his very young kids), and his grandmother's pierogies (that he was so proud to replicate and serve to her). I shared my childhood favorites, including a Mauritian peasant dish my parents would make with tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, onions, beef, thyme, and more.

On to the food...My appetizer was a palate cleansing Pickleback Granite. I don't believe there was any alcohol in this dish (according to Wikipedia, A pickleback is a type of shot wherein a shot of whiskey is chased by a shot of pickle brine. The pickle brine works to neutralize both the taste of the whiskey and the burn of the alcohol.). But I did appreciate the cucumber granita - aka an oddly good pickle snow cone.

(left) David Burke Pastrami Salmon wtih pretzel mustard, capers, red onion, and horseradish

(middle) Bison Tartare with egg salad, smoked tomato, mustard oil, and fingerling chips

(right) Chicken club with grilled chicken, bacon, chipotle mayo, red onion marmalade, pretzel roll, farmer's garden by Vlasic
Two signature David Burke items on this plate would bring me back to this restaurant - his Pastrami smoked salmon was amazing. It was a creative interpretation of the usual lox. The other dish I enjoyed was the Bison Tartare. Bison meat is much leaner than beef, so having it as a tartare was excellent.

And finally, these beautiful cheesecake lollipops beckoned me like an old friend. We hadn't seen each other since my dinner at Fishtail but they were as sinfully decadent as I remembered.

Disclosure: Vlasic provided me with this complimentary tasting and gift bag containing a couple of the Vlasic Farmer's Garden pickles. All opinions expressed are, as always, entirely my own.

{Sweet Treats} Prairie Girl Bakery Cupcakes and an Announcement

2011-06-06T22:01:00.000-04:00

It was a Sunday, just 30 minutes after it had opened, when we reached Prairie Girl Bakery, Toronto's new cupcake shop. We saw a crowd and my New Yorker husband immediately remarked, "That better not be the line to get in (like outside Magnolia Bakery in NYC)." Luckily there was no line up (the small mob was trying to catch a glimpse of Twilight's Robert Pattinson who was filming his movie just outside the cupcake shop). And there were lots of cupcakes that tasted so good that I came back the next day. These are my favorite cupcakes in Toronto.

Owner Jean Blacklock was friendly and clearly passionate about her large assortment of cupcakes. Her cupcakes are made every morning around 5 AM with real ingredients. There are days when the cupcakes completely sell out. And when they don't, she donates the leftover cupcakes to Second Harvest.

Though I bought most of the mini cupcakes as gifts (1/2 dozen minis $9.95, dozen minis $18.95), I couldn't resist buying a few for myself. My favorite flavours included carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, banana with peanut butter frosting, the daily special cupcake with peanut butter and berry preserves icing, and anything with the strawberry frosting.

I have exciting news to share! Like owner Jean Blacklock who left her career in law and wealth management to pursue her passion full-time, I am also embarking on a new adventure! Today was my first day as FreshDirect's new Social Content Manager. I'll be managing this NYC-based online grocer's social media - so you can now follow me via FreshDirect's Twitter, Facebook, and blog! Don't worry, though there may be fewer posts per week, our blog is here to stay!

{Fun Foods Find} Summertime Fun Foods Found in Toronto

2011-06-04T13:52:00.000-04:00

Happy Saturday! To celebrate the weekend, I wanted to share a few fun food finds we found while in Toronto. It always makes me smile when we find something new to us - like the blueberry, kiwi, and rib-eye steak Lays potato chips from China and the cute little kiwi berries from New Zealand. This time while visiting my family, my brother brought over these uniquely-flavored ice pops.

When I think about ice pops, vegetables are the last ingredient that comes to mind. But that's exactly what's in these ice pops. On the left is the Sweet Corn ice pop (with real corn kernels imbedded in it) and on the right is the Mung Bean ice pop (though the French translation said "Haricots verts" which made me think of those long French green beans).

Truthfully, the corn ice pop tasted strange to me. Though we've had the Shake Shack corn custard before, the corn flavor of this ice pop tasted more like sweet corn. The sweet corn kernels definitely added to the peaches and cream corn taste. The ice pop was sweet, but it's a novelty that I don't think I would try again.

I preferred the Mung Bean ice pop mainly because it reminded me of the sweet Mung Bean dessert soup often served at Chinese restaurants. Again, there were cooked Mung beans in the ice pop, but they were hardly noticeable (unlike the corn kernels).

The other item that made me smile was this Malibu rum punch in a bag we found at the LCBO (liquor store in Ontario). I don't know why this product tickled me - I've seen wine in a box/juice box and beer in mini kegs. With its convenient handle, I could easily see this product at a picnic or pool party. Though it says it serves 10, with a straw in hand, there's no doubt that it would surely serve just one.

Would you try any of these products? What's the weirdest ice pop or beverage packaging you've ever tried or seen?

{Travel} His vs Her Lunch in Toronto

2011-06-02T11:33:00.000-04:00

Happy June! We're back from a last-minute trip to Toronto. I have an exciting new opportunity coming up (more details to come!) so we took advantage of my free time and snagged a flight deal to visit with my friends and family this past long weekend. Along with wonderful home-cooked meals, we enjoyed going out with friends to a couple new eateries in Toronto. Like our previous trips to Chicago and Toronto, we each "chose our own adventure". My husband opted for Sunday brunch at Parts and Labour (recommended to us by local food blogger Suresh Doss of Spotlight Toronto) while I selected Monday's"workday" lunch at Camros Organic Eatery.

My husband is not a fan of brunch - unless there's craft beer or lots of meat. It's the latter that made him choose Parts & Labour, a sleek restaurant located in a former hardware store. We met up with my friend and the three of us sat down at the communal tables to share a couple of dishes.

The P&L: Fried egg over potato hash, pork belly, and a pancake with maple trotter sauce ($15 CAD)
Sweet and salty mix together to make this rich and satisfying dish. This was the perfect dish for us to share - I loved the sweet maple trotter sauce (like a maple syrup) mixed with the fluffy pancake and crispy potato hash, while my husband loved the runny egg and pork belly.

Ploughmans: Mennonite gypsy sausage, 10 year old cheddar, country pate, baguette slices, bread and butter pickles (the carrots were pickled too), Granny Smith apple, and hard boiled egg ($18)
According to Wikipedia, "A ploughman's lunch (often just called a ploughman's) is a cold snack or meal originating in the United Kingdom, served in pubs, sometimes eaten in a sandwich form." To me, it seemed like a deconstructed picnic lunch. I particularly enjoyed the sharp white cheddar with the tart Granny Smith apple. My husband devoured the country pate and savory sausage.

Overall, though the brunch seemed a little pricey, the food was wonderful.

After all of that meat, I was happy to choose our next lunch at Camros Organic Eatery in downtown Toronto. Outside, the space seemed like any office retailer, but inside felt warm and nurturing to me. The food is served cafeteria-style. You choose the number of items you'd like (1-4) and select amongst both hot and cold items. My husband and I decided to share a plate of 4 items ($11.99 CAD) and looked over the organic vegan choices.

Spinach, Chick Pea and Plum stew; Raw Beet and Carrot Salad
The stew reminded us of a chick pea dish we often make at home, but we never would have thought of adding plum to it. The plum added a subtle sweetness to the hearty dish. I really loved the fresh and crisp salad filled with shredded beets, carrots, diced apples, walnuts, and a lemon/olive oil dressing. The flavor was sweet and tart - I'm definitely going to try making this salad at home!

Raw Kale Salad; Red Rice Ball
The raw kale was tender and marinated in lemon juice, apple-cider vinegar and oregano, mixed with beets and carrots. We both enjoyed this fresh salad of hearty greens and will also try making this salad at home. We were really excited about trying the red rice ball as the rice balls were highly recommended. It's made with Basmati brown rice with beets and lentils. The rice ball was drier than I expected. Our favorites were definitely the salads.

"Cheese" cake ($7.95)
There's no cheese (nor sugar, or tofu) in this vegan cake - it's made with nuts, dried fruit, spices, and dates. Truthfully, this slice of cake was good, but it wasn't cheesecake. It seemed more like a mix of decadent fruit cake and energy bar.

Overall, we were not completely full from this meal (to be fair, our server recommended 3 portions per person) and my husband did supplement our lunch with some Toronto street meat. The menu changes daily and the bill can quickly add up, but I really liked the food here. It gave us a renewed inspiration for upcoming Meatless Monday meals.

After seeing each of our lunch choices, which once would you choose - meat or veg?

{Wordless Wednesday} What Happens When You Visit a Fellow Food Blogger

2011-06-01T10:02:00.001-04:00

Thanks to Mardi of Eatlivetravelwrite.com for the wonderful lunch! We especially loved her version of Dorie Greenspan's Warm Weather Pot au Feu (recipe found here).

{Sweet Treats} Flower Ice Cream Cone cakes

2011-05-24T11:00:00.000-04:00

Sometimes the best ideas come from mistakes. After making two dozen burger cupcakes for the Share our Strength bake sale, I had tons of leftover chocolate cupcake pieces. I had already planned on making my cookie truffles for my twin sisters-in-law's birthday party so I had cake pops on my mind. Not all of my cake pops were behaving themselves (i.e. they were looking more like blobs than spheres). They started to look like dirt to me and this is where the flower ice cream cake idea took shape.

These flower ice cream cone cakes are so simple to make. They would be perfect for any kids' party or summer BBQ. All you need are: ice cream cones, chocolate cake, frosting/icing, cream cheese, candy (for the leaves), and a flower-shaped cupcake topper (which I used my scallop punch to shape). Alternatively, you can make a cookie flower or use edible flowers.

To make the "dirt", just combine the chocolate cake pieces in a large Ziplock bag with equal parts frosting and cream cheese. I don't have exact measurements since it all depends on the amount of cake that you have, but I would just add a few tablespoons of frosting and cream cheese then mix. Keep adding until you get a nice mushy consistency for the "dirt".

Pack the "dirt" mixture into the ice cream cone. You want it packed tightly enough so that the flower stands up. Add candy (I used green fruit jellies that looks like leaves - you could use mint leaves instead) and the flower cupcake topper (for the flower). You can also add gummy worms peaking out of the dirt. The ideas are endless - just use whatever you have on hand!

I also made "ice cream cakes" for the party. Basically, I packed the "dirt" into the cupcake leaving a fairly flat top. Then I piped vanilla frosting all around in a swirl to make it look like ice cream. With a few sprinkles on top, this "ice cream cake" was ready for the party.

Happy Birthday Julie and Patti! I hope you enjoyed your birthday treats!

{Easy Entertaining} Quick Party Tips with Kelly Ripa and Chef Tom Colicchio

2011-05-19T00:01:00.001-04:00

The phone rings. Your significant other calls to say he's coming home AND he has invited his friend/sibling/co-worker to dinner. They'll be at your place in 30 minutes. What do you do? Once in a while, my husband will spring guests on me at the last minute and I always worry about what I can make to serve them.

Happily, I was invited to attend Electrolux's Party Ready Boot Camp with the incredibly charming and down-to-earth Kelly Ripa and the award-winning chef and restaurateur Tom Colicchio here in NYC. The event was part of a campaign by Electrolux to support The Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. In addition to trying lots of great tasting food, I learned a lot of entertaining tips (that will help de-stress me the next time my husband brings home unexpected guests!).

Upon walking into the beautiful white studio space, we were all offered a light, crisp mocktail. A few moments later, we were sitting down with multiple glasses of wine, which highlighted Tom's first party tip: “Just like Kelly, I love to entertain at home,” notes Colicchio. “The secret to being ready when friends and family drop in is to keep the right staples on hand. I always have several bottles of my favorite wine chilling in the fridge and a host of go-to edibles in my pantry so I can pull together a quick bite or even a light meal at a moment’s notice.”

Add your own sausage joke here.

What are Chef Tom Colicchio's go-to edibles? In addition to cheeses, meats, and preserves (that can easily make a cheese plate), he always has roasted chicken (made or store-bought), pickles, fresh vegetables, anchovies, and olives at home. It was a relief to hear a chef say it's alright to have (good quality) pre-made goods on hand to serve to unexpected guests. (Places like the Italian store in Chelsea Market and Eataly in NYC have a great selection of canned or jarred goods)

Pasta can be a quick-fix meal that uses anything you have on hand. Chef Colicchio made an easy Pappardelle dish with Broccoli Rabe. Seasoned with freshly-ground pepper, grated Parmesan cheese, and salted with anchovies, this was a nice quick and tasty one-pot dish.

Dress up a prepared/store-bought dish like Roasted Chicken. You can add a homemade twist to a roasted chicken with an easy side or relish. Chef Colicchio made a red pepper relish that could be used for fish or other meats. It was a simple sweet sauce made with high quality canned roasted red peppers, sugar, sherry vinegar, and raisins. You could also add herbs (thyme), onion, shallots, garlic, or pine nuts to amp the flavor of the relish.

Mascarpone cheese makes an easy dessert...especially served with fresh orange segments and homemade candied orange peels.

Both Tom and Kelly genuinely enjoyed the question and answer session with us. I asked what their favorite party ready vegetarian dish would be:
Tom: "I never start composing a dish based on meat. It always starts with vegetables because they add flavor."
Kelly: "I make something that our mutual friend Andy (Bravo TV's Andy Cohen) enjoys. I roast corn on the grill and cut the kernels into a bowl. I add tomatoes from the garden, some fresh basil, chopped onions, avocado, and some lime juice. Anything with fresh vegetables taste good. It's so easy to be vegetarian in the summer."

Want that fridge! And that Alaia dress!!

“The right appliances can make all the difference and Electrolux is committed to helping impromptu entertainers always be ready,” said Kevin Scott, CEO of Electrolux Major Appliances, North America. “Our new French Door Refrigerator is built with their needs in mind -- from our Party Ice system which means there will always be plenty of ice on hand to our Perfect TempTM drawer which keeps all your party essentials at precisely the perfect temperature. No matter who drops by, never fear. You’ll be ready.’

Our prom photo with less corsages but better food

Visit www.kelly-confidential.com and take Kelly’s ‘Are You Party Ready?’ challenge. Every time you do, $1 will automatically go to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund as part of Electrolux’s $750,000 commitment to the cause. You might also win one of these enviable fridges! While you're on the site, check out Chef Tom Colicchio's other quick Party Ready Recipes.

My participation in the ‘Are You Party Ready’ Campaign was sponsored by Electrolux who provided me with transportation arrangements to and from yesterday's event on a very rainy NYC day. They also provided me with a gift bag including one of Tom Colicchio's (signed) cookbooks (saving us from waiting in line like the last time we got a signed Tom Colicchio cookbook).

What are your quick party tips?

{Dining Out} David Kinch Pop-Up Restaurant at Chelsea Market

2011-05-18T16:29:00.000-04:00

Last week, we returned to Chelsea Market to attend one of the last James Beard Foundation pop up restaurants. We had such a great time at the Laurent Gras dinner that we were extremely excited about returning for the David Kinch dinner. Chef Kinch's Los Gatos, CA restaurant Manresa has been on our "must visit" list for some time. Our expectations were dangerously high, and yet our experience easily exceeded them. We learned about (and ate) new foods and we got to meet one of the few chefs to win on Iron Chef America.

This was the first time I wanted the bread basket (an All-Clad pot) more than the bread!

Part of our first course was a Vegetable Beignet with crispy Kohlrabi Leaves served with a Sauvignon Blanc (Boulder Bank Marlborough, New Zealand 2008). I'vv never eaten Kohlrabi leaves (kohlrabi are those light green German turnips) - they seem like a part of the vegetable that would get discarded. But these roasted leaves were so crunchy, they reminded us of the kale chips we make at home. The beignet was stuffed with Mizuna (a Japanese mustard plant) and was so warm and comforting,

The other half of our first course was the beautiful Green Garden Gazpacho and Almond Milk Ice with Pickled Green Strawberries. The edible flowers added a nice punch of color against the cool green gazpacho. But it was the white-colored green strawberries with reddish seeds that stole the show. They were surprisingly sweet, yet different than a red strawberry flavor.

Our second course was the Romaine and Abalone Salad, Grilled Cucumber, Avocado with "Norinade" served with Chateau St. Jean Chardonnay Sonoma, California 2008. This meaty abalone has to be one of the biggest ones we've had the pleasure of eating. My husband devoured this "salad". We also learned that you can grill cucumbers - though I'm sure you have to ensure they remain plump and moist like these ones and don't shrivel nor dry out.

Our main course was a family-style Suckling Porcelet with Whey Polenta, Rhubarb, Hazelnut, and Spring Onions served with Patz & Hall Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast, California 2007. Where to begin? The porcelet (older than a piglet, younger than a pig) had crispy skin and succulent meat. The polenta was creamy while the jus was rich with rhubarb flavor.

Our dessert course were these huge, warm Popovers with Hibiscus-Berry Butter. I've only had hibiscus tea before, so this fruity hibiscus-berry butter was a nice, new-to-me, spread.

Despite the number of well-known foodies attending the dinner (with the help of a chef sitting at our table, we spotted Jeffrey Steingarten (Iron Chef America judge), chefs from Roberta's and the Modern, and of course food blogger/Kinch's girlfriend Pim Techamuanvivit, we were most excited about meeting Chef David Kinch himself. He was gracious and modest as he walked around offering each diner sweet caramels. Happily he stopped to take a photo with me and then sign our menu - a nice momento of a lovely dinner.

{Easy Recipes} Chocolate Pistachio Biscotti

2011-05-17T00:09:00.001-04:00

Though not as glamorous as my Burger Cupcakes and Cookie Fries, the Chocolate Pistachio biscotti I made did help raise some money for the Share our Strength Bake Sale. Don't tell the cupcakes, but I actually prefer the taste of the biscottis because they're not very sweet. They also go well with a hot cup of tea or coffee. These biscottis are easy to make and are perfect for people like my husband who doesn't have a big sweet tooth.

Chocolate Pistachio Biscotti (adapted from SkinnyTastes)
Ingredients:
1 2/3 cup all purpose flour
    1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Trader Joe's unsweetened cocoa)
    1 1/2 t baking powder
    pinch of salt
    3/4 cup whole pistachios
    1/4 cup butter, softened
    3/4 cup granulated sugar
    2 large eggs

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375°. Line baking sheet with baking mat (I love my silpat) or parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt). Add pistachios, and mix.

3. In a large bowl, combine the wet ingredients (butter, sugar, and eggs, one at a time).

4. Slowly and gradually, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until just combined to make a dough.

5. Remove the dough and using your hands, divide the dough into three pieces and form into long flat shapes about 8 inches long x 1-1/2 inches wide. Place on the lined baking sheet and bake 20 minutes.

6. When cool enough to handle, gently cut the loaves on the angle into 1/2 inch slices (I used my new favorite orange knife).

7. Return to the baking sheet fitting as many as you can on the baking sheet. Bake the biscotti for another 3-4 minutes on each side, less if you like it softer. Makes about 24-30 pieces.

When the biscottis have cooled, they're ready to serve!

Or you can package them up for a bake sale or as favors at a party!

{Sweet Treats} Bake Sale Burger Cupcakes and French Fry Cookies

2011-05-16T11:56:00.000-04:00

Welcome bake sale supporters! If you stopped by our Share our Strength bake sale at Kiehl's last Saturday or just follow us on Twitter and Facebook, you know that I made these deceptive sweet treats to raise money for a good cause. Though I'm not a professional baker, I do like to entertain (as evidence by the parties I've styled) and these burger cupcakes and French Fry cookies would be perfect for any kids' party or burger-fanatic's get-together (like my husband and his friends!)

Making this combo is incredibly easy; however, they took me a lot of time to put together. The effort was well worth it as our bake sale raised over $800 for Share our Strength. Here are my step-by-step instructions, with notes on shortcuts you can take:

Step 1: Bake your favorite vanilla and chocolate cupcakes (I liked this recipe for vanilla cupcakes but substituted additional 1 tsp vanilla extract for the beans. For chocolate cupcakes, I used this one, but substituted milk instead of water).
Tips: Fill the batter up to the half-way mark so that your cupcakes don't expand too large.
Shortcut: Use boxed cake mix in a pinch.
Alternatives: Instead of chocolate cupcakes, you could also make chocolate brownies and then cut them into 2-inch circles.

Step 2: Sprinkle sesame seeds on top of the vanilla cupcakes
Tip: Gradually add the seeds to your liking. I found it easier to sprinkle them with my fingers versus pouring them from the container. Also, if your sesame seeds are not sticking well to the top, make a simple syrup. Brush the top of the vanilla cupcakes first with the simple syrup and then add the sesame seeds.

Step 3: Cut the vanilla cupcakes in half to make the "bun".
Tip: Use a very sharp knife (I used this one) so that the cupcake doesn't fall apart.

Step 4: Cut 1/2 inch circles from the bottom of the chocolate cupcakes to make the "burger". (I saved the discarded cupcakes to make cake pops, like I did for Christmas)
Tip: Again, use a very sharp knife (I used this one) so that the cupcake doesn't fall apart.

Step 5: Now we're ready for the toppings! Put vanilla frosting into 3 different bowls (about 2-3 heaping spoonfuls in the "mustard" and "relish" bowls, 2 spoonfuls in the "ketchup" bowl). Add food coloring in each (I used Wilton gel coloring in Golden Yellow, Kelly Green, and No Taste Red). (For the frosting, I used a container of Betty Crocker Vanilla Frosting. With my KitchenAid mixer still in Toronto, it takes a long time to whip up fluffy icing!). Put colored frosting into a small Ziploc bag and snip a tiny hole in one end. Pipe the icing to look like ketchup, mustard, and relish.

Tip: The red was the hardest for me to get right. Start with a smaller amount of frosting (2 spoonfuls) and add the coloring. For the Ziploc bag, start with a small hole and increase size if necessary.

Shortcut: Use pre-colored icing tubes/decorating gels.

Burgers (cupcakes) are ready to be served!

Step 1: To make the French Fry cookies, I used my Christmas sugar cookie recipe (but used vanilla extract instead of lemon extract). Note that this recipe makes a lot of dough so I keep the rest in the freezer for future use.
Tip: The dough needs to be chilled before using, so make the dough ahead of time.
Shortcut: Use sugar cookie mix.

Step 2: Roll out the dough as thin as you can (about 1/4 inch) and thinly cut the "French Fries" (less than 1/2 inch wide).
Tip: The cookies will expand while baking so don't worry if you think your "fries" are too thin. Again, use a very sharp knife (I used this one).

Let the "fries" cool before serving.

To amp up the illusion of burgers and fries, I cut out and glue-gunned containers for the cupcake and cookies. I used this template created by Bakerella. (Also, check out Bakerella's post on her Cupcake and Brownie burger with Cookie fries!)

Step 1: Print the template (page 1 and 4) on cardstock. Page 1 should be printed on a white or light-colored cardstock so that the red checkered pattern can be seen. I printed Page 4 (fries template) on red cardstock, but any color will do.
Tip: The template lines are very light so using lighter cardstock makes it easier to see the lines.

Step 2: Cut and glue everything together. Feel free to add stickers or party circles onto the French Fry template. (I had created Bake Sale Cupcake Tags and added them onto the French Fry containers, but any party circle will do. You can also leave them plain).

I also cut up sheets of parchment paper to lay the "burger" and "French fries" on as well. Hope you enjoy these step-by-step instructions and, as always, email us or post on Facebook any photos of your burger cupcake creations!

{Dining Out} SHO Shaun Hergatt $33 Lunch Deal

2011-05-10T14:51:00.001-04:00

Have you ever wanted to dine like a Wall Street executive but wished you had their expense account? After hearing about SHO Shaun Hergatt's lunch prix fixe meal special (appetizer and entree $27, 3-course including dessert $33), we were excited to dine in style at only a fraction of the cost. The interior and atmosphere is sleek and austere, but the food and service is warm and decadent.

The formative wine cellar fortress was the apple of my husband's eye while I loved the design of the double espresso shot glass.

In addition to the prix fixe meal, you can also order the "Endless" wines by the glass deal. For an extra $10, you can choose between a refillable glass of red or white wine. The white wine option was a Muscadet (a French white wine) Guindon '08, Coteaux de la Loire sur Lie. My husband opted for the red wine option - a Saumur-Champigny, '05, Thierry Germain, Loire Valley. Over the course of the lunch, he was able to have 3-4 glasses of the pretty, food-friendly Cabernet Franc (13% ABV) - a steal at only $10. Meanwhile, I was enjoying the multi-grain bread with hummus.

Appetizer course: Shavings of Iberico Ham with young mache and quail eggs. The usually pricey and formerly illegal Iberico ham was why we ordered this dish. (Iberico ham was also illegal in the U.S. until July 2007 when a Spanish slaughterhouse had won USDA approval). This delicate, salty, melt-in-your mouth was so good it should be illegal (but we're glad it's not!).

Appetizer course: Green Asparagus Spears with crushed hazelnuts and green asparagus sorbet. We loved this fresh dish with tons of crunchy hazelnuts, cool asparagus sorbet, salty shaved Parmesan cheese discs, and thick but tender asparagus.

Entree: Char Siu Pork with pickled apple, scallion soubise, micro cilantro. This dish is an elegant take on a traditional Chinese dish. It brought back memories of the tasty and fatty pork dish that my grandmother would make for family get-togethers. The pork belly is slow-cooked with a variety of spices and seasonings making it tender and flavorful. I loved how this dish came served with crispy rice (our favorite part of cooking rice in a rice cooker or hot stone pot).

Entree: Crispy Skin Salmon with fiddleheads, favas, arugula puree. We ordered this dish because fiddleheads (those pretty curled vegetables), though rich in nutrients, need to be properly prepared and cooked in order to remove bitterness and toxins. Overall, this dish is light and very appropriate for Spring.

Petit Fours: The round Pink champagne truffle was milky and the apricot fruit jelly was sweet and fruity.

Dessert: Caramello Chocolate biscuit, crunchy toffee ice cream. Decadent, sweet, and sinfully good - this dessert is perfect for anyone with a sweet tooth!

Dessert: Australian Pavlova passion fruit, jackfruit sorbet. The meringue Pavlova was crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. I especially loved the beautiful fruit flavors from the thinly sliced strawberries, passion fruit, and jackfruit sorbet. It tasted like Summer.

If you find yourself in the Financial District - perhaps after taking out-of-towners to Wall Street or the Statue of Liberty - treat yourself to an elegant lunch at SHO Shaun Hergatt.

{Food Events} Bake Sale for Share our Strength This Saturday!

2011-05-09T11:59:00.002-04:00

Signage courtesy of Matt Bites

Need a sweet treat? This Saturday, all around the U.S., food bloggers will be hosting bake sales with all proceeds going toward Share our Strength. (For a list of bake sales across the country, click here.) Along with a lot of your favorite food bloggers, I will be participating in the New York City bake sale.

If you're in the NYC area, come out this Sat, May 14th to help support us as we raise money for this worthy cause.

When: Saturday, May 14th from 10AM to 3PM (or until baked goods are sold out)
Where: Kiehl's flagship store at 109 Third Ave (at 13th Street) in NYC

For food bloggers who are participating in this Saturday's bake sale, I've created bake sale tags (that you can print and cut to decorate your bags of cookies or other baked goods) and bake sale food labels (that you can use to name and display your baked goods).
Bake Sale Tags

Bake Sale Food Labels

Share our Strength is a national non-profit whose goal is to end childhood hunger through:
a) Creating public-private partnerships at the state and city level to map out comprehensive, measurable plans to end child hunger in those areas.
b) Building public awareness about the problem of childhood hunger and solutions to end it.
c) Investing in communities with grants to organizations whose work improves access to nutritious foods or that educate families about such programs.
d) Educating children and families about nutritious, affordable eating.

Hope to see you this Saturday at Kiehl's!

{Sweet Treats} Mexican Chocolate Flan for Cinco de Mayo

2011-05-05T13:46:00.001-04:00

I welcome any excuse for a party. So while I've never celebrated Cinco de Mayo growing up in Toronto, I absolutely embraced the idea of margaritas and Mexican food after I moved to the U.S. When one of my gal pals invited me over for an informal Cinco de Mayo dinner tonight, I knew that was just the right excuse I needed to try making something new.

I decided to make a Mexican Chocolate Flan (with Kahlua!) based on a couple of recipes, including one by Chef Rick Bayless (from his signed cookbook that we bought when we dined at Frontera Grill). I actually had these hot Mexican chocolate tablets on hand (bought them at Tehuitzingo), which inspired this dish. This chocolate isn't as sweet as milk chocolate. It has a higher cocoa content and it also contains cinnamon, which lends itself to a nice spicy taste. (Had I had cayenne pepper on hand, I may have added some more heat to this dessert!) This recipe does take a few steps and can be made a day or two before any event. Enjoy!

Mexican Chocolate Flan (adapted from this recipe and Rick Bayless' cookbook)

Ingredients (serves 4):
For caramel topping:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
For the chocolate flan:
2 tablets of Nestle Abuelita
1 cup milk
4 oz (half a package) of cream cheese
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 T Kahlua
4 large eggs
1/2 t vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 325F.

2. Caramel topping: Set 4 custard cups (I didn't have any so I used ramekins which were 4 inches in diameter and 2 inches tall. This made my flan more of a fudge-like consistency rather than a silky custard consistency) in a baking pan (use an oven-safe glass pan if you have it) deep enough to hold 2 inches of water.

Pour 1/2 cup of sugar into a small saucepan. Add in 1/4 cup of water and stir several times. Bring to a boil, then simmer over medium heat without stirring until the syrup begins to color. Swirl the pan until you get a deep amber color. Pour the syrup evenly between the 4 containers (I found it easier to pour a bit in one container, swirl it around so the entire bottom is covered, and then move on to the next container).

3. Custard: Pour the milk and cream cheese into a medium size saucepan. Add the Mexican hot chocolate tablets and let it melt over medium heat. Let the mixture simmer and add the 1/3 cup of sugar. Stir occasionally until everything is mixed together and remove from heat.

Whisk the eggs, Kahlua, and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl. Slowly whisk in the hot Mexican chocolate/milk mixture.

4. Baking the flan: Evenly fill the molds with the mixture. Pour about 2 inches of very hot water into the pan around the filled molds. Lay a sheet of foil on top of the pan (don't seal it) and bake in the middle level of the oven until the flan is barely set. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted halfway between the center and the edge comes out clean. Let the flan cool in the water bath, and then refrigerate the flan to cool completely.

5. Serve: Remove the flan from the refrigerator and run a nonserrated knife around the edge of each mold. Flip the mold upside down onto a small plate. (I had to do this a few times before the flan came out!) Scrape out any caramel in the container onto the flan and serve.

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

{Easy Recipes} Grilled Portobello Mushroom

2011-05-04T12:56:00.001-04:00

What are you go-to easy-to-make dinners? For me, when I want to clear the pantry, I make our Vegetarian Chili made with Beer. When I want something hearty that also make great leftovers for lunch the next day, I make our Farro Salad. And when I want to make an easy meatless dish, I make Grilled Portobello Mushrooms.

I love grilled portobello mushrooms because they're so rich and filled with umami (that similar flavor when I bite into a good steak). Like a burger, they can be dressed up any way you like it. And my meat-loving husband loves them too - which makes this recipe an easy choice for Meatless Mondays.

Grilled Portobello Mushroom (adapted from AllRecipes.com)
Ingredients:
2-3 portobello mushrooms
1/4 cup canola oil
3 T chopped red onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 T balsamic vinegar (we like the flavor of balsamic vinegar, so feel free to reduce this amount)
2-3 slices white cheddar cheese (optional)

Suggested Toppings:
Lettuce (I used tender mache lettuce)
Sliced Tomatoes
Caramelized Red Onions
Roasted red peppers

Directions:
1. Clean mushrooms with a damp paper towel and remove stems. Place caps on a plate with the gills up.
2. In a small bowl, combine the oil, onion, garlic and vinegar. Pour mixture evenly over the mushroom caps and let stand for 1 hour.
3. Grill over hot grill for at least 10 minutes (we love using our Le Creuset Enameled Cast-Iron Reversible Grill/Griddle). Add a slice of cheese on top of each mushroom just before you take them off the grill. Serve immediately with your choice of toppings (or as my husband prefers it, as a sandwich in between a whole wheat bun).

{Dining Out} Burger Lunch at 5 Napkin Burger

2011-05-03T11:38:00.000-04:00

It was the long holiday weekend and I had to find a place in NYC that took reservations for a group of 8. There needed to be space for a stroller or high chair and the menu had to include vegetarian and seafood options. Surprisingly, our perfect spot for lunch was burger joint 5 Napkin Burger in Hell's Kitchen.

Look closely at the burger above. It isn't extremely rare nor is it even meat. This is the Veggie Burger ($11.95) and it's fantastic. Made with beets (which gave the burger its rich color), barley, black beans, brown rice, sesame seeds, jalapeños, and carrots, this burger patty was so tasty. The multi-grain bun was hearty and the toppings (including the 5 Napkin sauce, pickles, and cheddar cheese) matched well with the burger. This veggie burger is so good that even with all of the other meat options, I would definitely order it again.

Burger Salad ($14.95): My sister-in-law loved her salad, filled with chopped greens, endives, tomatoes, blue cheese, cucumbers, peppers, green beans, red onions, radishes, celery, 5 napkin sauce, oil, and vinegar dressing. You can choose a beef, lamb, or turkey burger patty, but my SIL went with the veggie burger patty. She declared that patty to be the best veggie burger she's ever had.

Original 5 Napkin Burger ($14.95): My husband and brother-in-law both shunned our salad/veggie burger choices and went straight for the oozy, juicy, original namesake burger. I don't blame them - I've enjoyed the burger before - and I knew my husband couldn't refuse a beef burger with caramelized onions, Gruyere cheese, and rosemary aioli. Yes, he devoured the whole burger (and some of my veggie burger too!)

Ahi Tuna Burger ($15.95): My friend ordered the tuna burger. The tuna was marinated in ginger, scallions, and soy, grilled to a medium-rare, and topped with wasabi mayo and tempura fried onions. She liked the thick slice of tuna -though I think I would still stick with the more colorful veggie or original burger.

Bacon Cheddar Burger ($14.95): Another friend ordered the huge beef burger topped with sharp cheddar, bacon, raw onion, lettuce, and tomato. He made his meal healthier by substituting the fries for the side salad. For him, it was one of the juicier burgers he's enjoyed - making the trip with his young family in from New Jersey completely worth it!

With so many burgers to choose from, which one would you choose?

{Easy Entertaining} Queen Elizabeth's Drop Scones for a Royal Wedding Viewing Party

2011-04-27T23:36:00.000-04:00

source: National Archives

With the Royal Wedding coming up, we've gotten plenty of emails with ideas on how to celebrate this special occasion. My favorite idea came via the press release for the National Archives' upcoming exhibition What's Cooking, Uncle Sam? (click here for a look at some of the documents). What could be more appropriate for a Royal Wedding viewing party than Queen Elizabeth's very own family recipe for drop scones?

source: Press Association via The British Monarchy Flickr account

According to the press release, "In August 1959, Queen Elizabeth entertained President Dwight Eisenhower at Balmoral Castle near Edinburgh. At a barbecue in the Scottish highlands, the Queen made drop scones for the President using a family recipe. The following year, enclosed in a letter to the President, Queen Elizabeth included an annotated copy of her recipe which is featured in an upcoming exhibition at the National Archives entitled, “What’s Cooking Uncle Sam?” In her accompanying letter, the Queen suggests substituting treacle (sugar syrup) for caster sugar. Special equipment: teacup for measuring."

When I first looked at the recipe, I wondered, "How do I measure a teacup?" and "What is a drop scone?" I found a great explanation on measurement equivalents on this website. At first, I thought a drop scone would be those drier biscuits served with clotted cream. But after reading about it on Wikipedia, I learned that drop scones are closer to pancakes than biscuits.

According to Wikipedia, "Scotch pancakes are more like the American type and are served as such. In Scotland they are also referred to as drop scones or dropped scones. They are made from flour, eggs, sugar, buttermilk or milk, salt, bicarbonate of soda and cream of tartar. Smaller than American or English pancakes at about 3.5 in / 9 cm in diameter, they are made by the traditional method of dropping batter onto a griddle (a girdle in Northumberland or in Scots). They can be served with jam and cream or just with butter. In Scotland pancakes are generally served at teatime."

Pancakes for an early morning party? That sounds even more perfect to me!

Queen Elizabeth's Drop Scones (adjusted to reflect American measurements)

Ingredients:

3 cups flour

4 T superfine sugar (or grind regular granulated sugar in a coffee grinder or Magic Bullet)

1 1/2 cups milk

2 eggs

2 tsp baking soda*

3 tsp cream of tartar*

2 T melted salted butter

*if you cannot find cream of tartar, you can use 5 tsp baking powder instead of both the baking soda and cream of tartar (source) OR you can substitute just the cream of tartar with 3 tsp of lemon juice (source)

Directions:

1. Beat eggs, sugar, and half of the milk.

2. Add flour, and mix well together adding the remainder of the milk, baking soda, and cream of tartar.

3. Fold in melted butter.

I added the following steps to complete the recipe:

4. Heat a griddle and drop spoonfuls of batter to make small pancakes. (Once I see small bubbles form on the pancakes, I know it's time to flip them over).

5. Serve with jam, cream, or butter.

The upcoming exhibition, “What’s Cooking, Uncle Sam?”, sounds like it would be really interesting. According to the press release, it "is an exhibition that explores the Government’s effect on the American diet. Unearth the stories and personalities behind the increasingly complex programs and legislation that affect what Americans eat. Learn about Government’s extraordinary efforts, successes, and failures to change our eating habits. From Revolutionary War rations to Cold War cultural exchanges, discover the multiple ways that food has occupied the hearts and minds of Americans and their Government. The exhibition opens June 10, 2011, in the Lawrence F. O’Brien Gallery of the National Archives Building, 700 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC."

{Sweet Treats} Frozen Treats for a Summery Day

2011-04-26T13:13:00.000-04:00

After what seemed like an endless season of snow, blistery winds, and then torrential downpour, we've finally gotten some warm sunshiney days here in NYC. With a couple days of summery weather, we unintentionally went on a mini frozen treats binge in the city. Check out our "tour" - which ends with us making our own frozen yogurt at home!

We spotted the Joyride Truck while shopping with visiting friends on the Upper West Side. At first we were hesitant because they only carried one flavor of frozen yogurt (original plain frozen yogurt made with Greek yogurt). But after being offered a free sample and tasting its light, tangy flavor, my friends had to buy themselves a small cup ($4 plus tax included unlimited toppings). There's also an option for a "buzzed" frozen yogurt (original with a shot of caffeine) which my husband will likely try the next time we spot the truck. If you're a coffee lover, the truck also serves Stumptown Coffee (which my husband always enjoys when we're near the Ace Hotel).

Ever since the Italian-based Grom Gelato came to NYC, we've been hooked. It's first location was conveniently (and to my waistline, unfortunately) near my first apartment on the Upper West Side. Their creamy gelato reminded me of my after-college backpacking trip around Italy and eating a daily diet of gelato. On Easter Sunday, we found ourselves in the West Village and I quieted my frozen treats craving with a small cup of Pear Sorbet and Lemon Sorbet ($4.25). The pear sorbet tasted like a fresh bartlett pear while the lemon sorbet was tart and refreshing.

When it comes to frozen custards, we're pretty obsessed with Shake Shack. We love the constant rotation of inventive flavors and our nearby Upper West Side location has an express line (the "C" line) for those times when we don't want to order a burger and fries. For the best deal, we often ask for "yesterday's pint" - if there are leftovers of the prior day's flavor, Shake Shack will sell you a pint for only $4 (since a small cup will set you back $3.50, the pint is a great value).

To end our Easter Sunday dinner, we bought a pint of Saturday's flavor: Bacon and Pancakes frozen custard. This year's version was very different from last year's. While last year's version had chunks of bacon scattered amongst the creamy pancake (vanilla) frozen custard, this year's version had no chunks and looked like it was all pancake/vanilla custard. Surprisingly, this year's version tasted solely like smokey bacon. My husband loved it, but because it was so rich and so strong in flavor, I could only eat a spoonful of it (which is saying a lot since I've been known to finish a pint of ice cream all by myself!)

After all of the frozen treats sampling throughout the city, I wanted to make my own frozen yogurt at home. Luckily, I had bought 2 large tubs of Fage Greek yogurt on sale and had to use them up. I used a recipe by David Lebovitz (from his book The Perfect Scoop) that was found on 101cookbooks.com.

Vanilla Frozen Yogurt (adapted from the recipe found on 101cookbooks.com)

Ingredients
about 3 cups Fage 2% Greek yogurt (1 1/2 of the 17.6 oz tubs)
1/2 cup sugar (I used less sugar than the original recipe's 3/4 cup)
1 t pure vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Mix together the yogurt, sugar, and vanilla. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Refrigerate 1 hour.
2. Churn with your ice cream maker (We use the Cuisinart 1-1/2-Quart Automatic Ice Cream, Frozen Yogurt & Sorbet Maker)
3. Serve with your favorite toppings.

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T13:26:00.001-04:00

We wanted to wish you and your loved one a very Happy Easter! We hope you find plenty of Easter eggs! =)

{NYC Moment} Tribeca Film Festival and Elton John

2011-04-21T10:38:00.000-04:00

When I was a little girl, I remember getting up early on Saturday morning and going grocery shopping with my dad. I'd get into the back seat of our powder blue Chevrolet and my dad would turn on the radio to CHFI (the adult contemporary radio station in Toronto). Inevitably an Elton John song would come on - and now every time I hear one of his songs, I think fondly back to my childhood and bonding with my dad (while learning how to pick the best produce!)

Unfortunately this Easter weekend, I'm not able to go up to see my parents in Toronto (Don't worry - I'll see them soon in the summer!). But last night, I got to see Elton John perform live as part of the (free) opening night festivities for the Tribeca Film Festival. So I know this isn't a food-related post, but I wanted to share with you (and my dad) this wonderful New York moment. Happy Easter!

The open-air set-up by the World Financial Center was fun - and I could see the Statue of Liberty!

Circus performers entertained the crowd while we waited for the festivities to begin. Denis Leary and Martin Scorsese were on hand to open the Tribeca Film Festival. I learned that the festival, in its 10th year, was started after 9/11 to help rehabilitate the downtown area. We also enjoyed a surprise performance by The Bangles with Staten Island's PS 22 (the cute kids who sang at the Oscars).

After watching the movie, "The Union" (a documentary by Cameron Crowe featuring Elton John and Leon Russell), everyone in the area enjoyed a 5-6 song performance by Elton John.

He concluded the show with my favorite song, "Your Song". Here's a short video I took (my phone battery was running low) of the performance - it cuts off just before he ended the night stating "God bless New York".

Hope you enjoyed this NY moment! Have a wonderful weekend!

{Wine Wednesday} Seriously Cool Canadian Chardonnay event in NYC

2011-04-20T11:53:00.002-04:00

Since my wife is Canadian, I always keep an eye out for wines from her home country. They're difficult to find in NYC so I like to try them out when the wine makers themselves come to town. Last month, we tasted Canadian Chardonnay wines at the Seriously Cool Chardonnay presentation held in midtown Manhattan. The trade event was held by Wines of Ontario and Wines of British Columbia. Upon arrival, we were greeted with a glass of sparkling wine, the 2006 Cuvee Peter F. Huff Blanc de Blancs from Huff Estates in Prince Edward County, Ontario. This 100% chardonnay sparkler spent three years on lees and was a pleasant introduction at 12% ABV.

The trade group is using the term ‘Cool Chardonnay’ to differentiate its wines from warmer climates (Napa one could guess) as the grapes are grown in the cooler climates of Ontario (Niagara region and Prince Edward County) and a few from British Columbia. The wines are closer in style to wines from Burgundy and Sonoma, but in a more restrained, food-friendly style.

Before the general wine tasting, we partook in the special seminar tasting and panel discussion. The panel consisted of Tony Aspler (The Wine Guy), Thomas Bachelder (Le Clos Jordanne), John Szabo (Master Sommelier) and Tara Thomas (Wine & Spirits Magazine). One of the central themes was the ripeness levels of grapes (phenolic and aromatic ripeness) compared to the alcohol level of the wine produced. I guess this discussion plays into the constant debate of what ‘balance’ means in wine (can a wine be 'ripe' but low in alcohol or high in alcohol but still have acidity to balance the fruit?). Other panel topics were acidity and pH levels, 'reductive' winemaking techniques, barrel-aging vs. stainless steel, and fermentation methods implemented (including the use of malolactic fermentation).

The wines tasted covered a wide range of prices, vintages and style with the majority of wines under 14% ABV, with some under 13% or even 12% (which I rarely see anymore). Several wines have a strong mineral backbone to it (which I love) or even a bit of earthiness to it, but a common takeaway for me is that these wines are easy on the palate (too bad oysters and crab were not served) with crisp acidity. There was even a 1998 Chardonnay from Southbrook Vineyards in Niagara to finish up the tasting to show aging potential of the wines, albeit on the sweeter side. I would not mind seeing some of these showing up on a restaurant wine list, especially the Norman Hardie Cuvee 'L', Tawse Quarry Road Vineyard and the Quails' Gate Stewart Family Reserve.

After the seminar, we toured the walk-around tasting. There were 31 wineries pouring over 50 Chardonnays from various price ranges and styles. Similar to the structured tasting, I really liked the Norman Hardie unfiltered wines and the Claystone Terrace Chardonnay from Le Clos Jordanne. Although we did not get to try them all, both my wife and I enjoyed the wines from Tawse, Quail's Gate, Maliviore, Flat Rock and the blanc de blancs from Cave Spring Cellars (I missed the Pelee Island Barrique 2005). We finished off the tasting with the mouth-watering 2007 Icewine from Pillitteri Estates, (Chardonnay not Riesling or Vidal Blanc) in Ontario.

Overall, it was a great opportunity to hear the panelists and other industry veterans' reactions to taste alongside them. It seems they are targeting the elegant end of the white wine spectrum which would be a nice break from the high alcohol, low acid and fruit forward wines still dominating store shelves. The wineries are seeking to get their name out about their terroir and style (and even if unfairly, how it compares to Burgundy and California). Unfortunately, most, if not all, of these Chardonnays are not available in the U.S. (a couple of wineries have limited distribution of other wines). Hopefully we’ll start seeing some soon here in the U.S.

{Easy Recipes} No Bake Cocoa Oatmeal PB Cookies

2011-04-19T19:45:00.001-04:00

I like to think of my husband's office as a black hole for my baked goods. Whenever I'm testing out recipes and just make too many sweet treats, I know that he can take them to work and they'll never go to waste. For my father-in-law's 70th birthday, I had made easy no-bake cocoa oatmeal peanut butter cookies because they were soy-free. Not only are these cookies easy to make (no need to turn on the oven!), but they still taste great days after they're made. My husband brought some of the extras to work and his co-workers loved them so much that they asked for the recipe - so here it is!

No-Bake Cocoa Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients (makes about 30 cookies)

1.5 cups sugar (if your other ingredients, like cocoa and peanut butter, contain sugar, you may want to use less sugar)
1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup skim milk

1/4 cup cocoa (I used Trader Joe's unsweetened cocoa)

dash of salt

1/2 cup peanut butter (I used Trader Joe's crunchy PB because it contains only one ingredient - peanuts!)

1 t vanilla

3 cups old-fashioned oats (I used Quaker Oats)

Directions

1. Line 1-2 cookie sheets with wax paper.

2. In a large stock pot, combine sugar, butter, milk, cocoa and salt.

3. Bring contents to a boil under medium heat, stirring constantly for about a minute.

4. Stir in peanut butter, and keep stirring until it is melted.

5. Once peanut butter is melted, remove from heat and add vanilla.

6. Stir in oatmeal.

7. With a mini ice cream scoop (or a small spoon), scoop out small lumps onto wax paper and allow to cool.

8. Let the cookies cool and serve.

{Food Events} Laurent Gras Pop-Up Restaurant for JBF

2011-04-18T10:56:00.001-04:00

Good food and wine can turn strangers into friends. Nowhere was this more apparent than when we dined last week at the James Beard Foundation pop up restaurant. We were lucky to buy tickets to one of the Laurent Gras dinners - they were sold out in 15 minutes. Laurent Gras had just left L20 - a restaurant in Chicago we had been dying to try - and this dinner was hopefully a preview of what he had in store for his future NYC restaurant.

We arrived and found that the pop-up restaurant had taken over the former 202 space (202 was a clothing/antiques store nestled inside a cafe) at Chelsea Market. We were immediately served spicy nuts and a nice light, dry sparkling wine. The Veuve du Vernay Brut, France NV is a very affordable, bubbly wine that would be a good aperitif for at-home entertaining.

The 4-course meal was paired by wines chosen by sommelier Andrea Robinson (she is only one of currently 17 women to become a Master Sommelier). What we liked about the set-up of the dinner was the long communal tables. Not only was the food seamlessly served (no waiting), but throughout the meal, we got to know our table neighbors. We enjoyed lots of the conversation about food, travel, and favorite restaurants in the city. We also liked that our tickets were paid up front and included all tips and taxes so we didn't have to worry about additional expenses (even at coat check, no one would accept our tips). At $75/person (weekday price, it goes up to $100/person for Friday and Saturday nights), this dinner with wine pairing was a very reasonable meal.

Our first course was the Atlantic Halibut and Green Curry Ceviche with a hint of Chili, Coconut, Garlic, Lime, and Thai Basil. It was paired with a Finca La Celia Torrontes, Mendoza, Argentina 2008. This was my husband's favorite dish as it was light and refreshing without being oily or greasy. He thought that the wine was okay - a little light for him but fine with the food. It was a touch tart.

I really enjoyed our second course of Jonah Crab, Butter Poached in a Red Togarashi Bouillon with Celery. It was paired with an Albert Bichot Montagny Blanc, Burgundy, France 2008. This dish was buttery and the crab was meaty and fresh. We both liked the wine, with my husband enjoying this pairing better. He thought that the wine was Chablis-like without being too rich.

Our third course was the Côte de Boeuf–Foie Gras Roasted in Sake with Bonito Flakes, White Soy Sauce Bordelaise, and King Oyster Mushrooms. The dish was paired with the Burgess Napa Valley Merlot 2005. Our meat portion seemed fairly small, but it was cooked to our liking (on the rarer side) and was still quite tasty.

The foie gras portion was decent, and wonderfully rich. And of course, I enjoyed my meaty Oyster Mushrooms. The Merlot was our table's favorite wine of the night - to the point where once our seatmate learned that both me and our wine server came from the same hometown (Toronto), he immediately got up to introduce us so that our red wine glasses were immediately refilled (several times that night).

Our final course was the Honey-Yuzu Consommé, Raspberry Salad, with Mascarpone. I love yuzu (Japanese lemon) and it made this dish tart, light, and refreshing.

There was only a small amount of Mascarpone cheese (if you didn't see it before the consomme was added, you probably wouldn't have tasted it),but I think the smaller amount helped the dish be lighter (almost like a palette cleanser).

We had a wonderful time at this dinner - we ended up feeling contently full (not that overly stuffed feeling that makes you want to go to sleep). Hopefully, we'll be able to buy tickets to another dinner before the pop-up restaurant closes (ends May 14th). Tickets quickly sell out. They go on sale every Wednesday at noon and the next one (Momofuku's David Chang) will definitely be a popular dinner. If you can't attend a dinner but want to see the pop-up restaurant, there are events during the day (11-4). The space is used to serve casual lunches and hold free cooking demonstrations and lectures by cookbook authors. Click here to see the daytime schedule and here for the dinner schedule.

{Wine Wednesday} Sipping B.C. Wines

2011-04-13T12:49:00.000-04:00

After searching all around the city last year for a bottle of British Columbia wine (for my wife's "Olympics" dinner), I know that B.C. wines are hard to find. So when we were invited to the recent ‘Canadian Savoir Fare!’ event, I was looking forward to try some new wines. Held at Bowlmor Lanes in Times Square, the wines were provided by the British Columbia Wine Institute to pair with "Canadian-style" cuisine.

The food seemed like regular casual fare - cod fish and chips (to represent Newfoundland and Labrador), Chinese food like dumplings, spring rolls, and fried rice (to represent British Columbia), and sourdough pizza (to represent the Yukon territory). The only food that seemed unique was the bison stew with spinach and dried fruit (to represent the Yukon territory). My wife did like the vegetable crudite presentation, saying that she's going to use the "vegetable French fry" idea for one of her parties.

BC wines from left to right: Sumac Ridge Estate Winery Tribute Sparkling wine, CedarCreek Estate Winery 2010 Riesling, Peller Estates 2009 Private Reserve Riesling, Quail's Gate Estate Winery 2008 Stewart Family Reserve Pinot Noir, and Burrowing Owl Vineyards 2008 Meritage

Representatives from B.C. Wines introduced us to some of the whites being offered, including Rieslings from CedarCreek and Peller Estates. The CedarCreek is a citrusy, entry-level Riesling while the Peller Private Reserve Riesling with a little more weight and richness (but still the same underlying lemon and citrus). Both are easy aperitifs to start the night along with the sparkler from Sumac Ridge (Tribute, a non-vintage all Chardonnay sparkling wine).

2008 Quail’s Gate Pinot Noir was served too warm. It needed some time to settle down and show its cherry fruit. It was quite soft and round, the warmth of the wine made it a touch flabby but overall, the Pinot was easy to drink with the various bites.

Like the Quail’s Gate Pinot, the 2008 Burrowing Owl Meritage is a fruit forward, New World style wine. With ripe upfront fruit (the 50% Merlot component seems to really stand out), it opens up to an opulent blackberry jam style but without showing any heat from its 14.9% ABV. I can see this as a real crowd pleaser.

(left to right) Nk'Mip Cellars 2009 Pinot Blanc, Jackson-Triggs Okanagan Estate 2007 Estate Riesling Icewine, Red Rooster Estate Winery 2010 Gewurztraminer

Though served a little too warm, we really liked the 2009 Nk’Mip Cellars Pinot Blanc. This wine had a richer, more tropical fruit style Pinot Blanc but still had a crisp edge to it. The Pinot Blanc was my favorite white wine of the night.

2007 Painted Rock Estate Icon – this Bordeux-style blend (33% Cabernet Franc, 20% Petit Verdot and the rest an almost equal split of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec) seemed to quickly disappear. It was my favorite wine of the night (along with the Nk’Mip Pinot Blanc), with a good mineral and earthy backbone, elegant cassis-like fruit and medium body.

To finish off the evening, we enjoyed a glass of the 2007 Jackson-Triggs Okanagan Estate Riesling Icewine along with a few of the desserts. It’s hard to cellar Canadian Icewines for long-term, as many are probably drunk too young (I’m guilty of that too) so it was interesting to taste a bottle with a few years of age on it. The wine still has good acidity without being syrupy – just how it should be – and was a great nightcap.

{Easy Recipes} Oatmeal Cookie Sandwiches

2011-04-12T10:26:00.000-04:00

Soft oatmeal cookies make me feel so comforted and warm inside. And maybe because it's packed with rolled oats, I feel like they're healthy too. (At least that's what I tell myself when I eat one or four of them on my own). So when I was baking for my father-in-law's 70th birthday and thinking of soy-free desserts that our young cousin could enjoy without worry (or feeling left out), oatmeal cookies came to mind.

To make them extra-special, we made Oatmeal Cookie Sandwiches by adding a thin layer of Marshmallow Fluff in between the cookies. I knew that they were a hit when he happily came up to us to thank us for making these cookie sandwiches - and filled up a take-out container with quite a few of them to take home.

Oatmeal Cookie Sandwiches (makes about 20 sandwiches or 40 separate cookies)

(adapted from AllRecipes.com - I halved the sugar amount and used a mini ice cream scoop to make smaller cookies)

Ingredients:

    1 cup butter, softened (used Trader Joe's unsalted butter)
    1/2 cup white sugar
    1/2 cup packed brown sugar
    2 large eggs
    1 t vanilla extract
    2 cups all-purpose flour
    1 t baking soda
    1 t salt
    1 1/2 t ground cinnamon
    3 cups oats (used Quaker Oats Old Fashioned Oatmeal)

1 jar Marshmallow Fluff (used this brand in original flavor because it was soy free)

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, cream together butter, white sugar, and brown sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla.

2. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; stir into the creamed mixture. Mix in oats. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour.
3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line cookie sheets in parchment paper.

4. Use a mini ice cream scoop (or roll the dough into small walnut sized balls) and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Gently flatten each cookie with your fingers.

5. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

6. Before serving, spread a thin layer of marshmallow fluff in between 2 cookies (Don't put too much or else - as we learned - the cookies will slide off of each other).

{Easy Entertaining} 70th Birthday Party

2011-04-11T10:35:00.001-04:00

Like the Bronx cobra, we've been MIA for a little bit. Unlike Mia (the cobra) though, we haven't been hiding to take a nap. We've been busy with a number of events - the most important being my husband's father's big 70th birthday.

I'm so happy that after last week's baking, printing, and paper cutting marathon, the blue and silver party decor and dessert table I created was a big success! Everyone loved the desserts and the usually stoic birthday boy himself teared up when seeing the '70" photo collage my husband and I made.

My husband's mom dug up old photos from the birthday boy's childhood for me including his baby pictures, first communion photos, and his yearbook portrait. I scanned many of the photos, while my husband photocopied others. We printed them all in black and white and in various sizes. Then I laid the photos out to make the "70" shape and taped them all together. We used a mounting putty on the wall to hang the poster. (I got this easy idea from Martha Stewart.) This was a very easy, but impactful, party decoration that could be used for any milestone birthday or anniversary.

For the paper decorations, I used the theme of "New York" and "70 years young". I incorporated my father-in-law's yearbook photo onto one of the cupcake topper designs. I baked all of the cupcakes, Oreo truffles, and cocoa PB oatmeal cookies. (You can see my nephew eagerly anticipating dessert time!)

For me, the favorite dessert I made was the Oatmeal Cookie sandwiches. This was a new-to-me recipe (which I'll share soon) that I made for my husband's 10-year-old first cousin, once-removed. He is allergic to soy, which means he cannot eat foods containing Oreos, vegetable oil, margarine, etc. After chatting with his mom and reading websites (this one was very helpful) I became more aware of foods and ingredients (including some flours, sprinkles, and many baking mixes) that contain soy. I also made Vanilla Cupcakes (using his favorite Cherrybrook Kitchen mix because I was worried that the flour I had at home may contain soy) and Cocoa Peanut Butter Oatmeal cookies (though he's allergic to soy, he isn't allergic to soy lecithin which is normally found in chocolate). But it was these Oatmeal Cookie sandwiches that were his favorite. They were soft, tasty, and completely soy free - he loved them and took the leftovers home.

{Dining Out} Eleven Madison Park

2011-04-04T15:34:00.000-04:00

I had only been to Eleven Madison Park once before (when they offered a special 2-course $28 meal). Sadly that deal is no longer available, but they do offer a spectacular dining experience. So when Jen and Bryan came up from Boston to visit and suggested that we meet for lunch here, I was more than excited to return.

Dining at Eleven Madison Park is a can't-miss experience with beautiful, elegant food and impeccable service. The menu reminded me of Blue Hill at Stone Barns: instead of detailed dish explanations, our menu only listed 16 main ingredients (each one representing a different dish). For lunch, you can choose between 3 courses ($56) or 4 courses ($74), both including dessert.

After ordering, we immediate received all of the complimentary small bites: buttery gougère, mackerel tea (very good, seemed more like a broth) with dashi and seafood served with seaweed sesame crisps, and creamy sabayon presented in egg shells.

Most of the table opted for the rich foie gras as their first course. Isn't this dish as pretty as a picture?

Since I wasn't eating meat for Lent, I opted to start with Oysters (which definitely was not a sacrifice!) The oysters were so rich as it's served with a creamy sauce. My favorite part was the bright green leek gelatinous sauce.

Most of the table chose the lobster for their second dish, but it was my main dish (I only opted for the 3 course menu). The dish was as luxurious as it looks and I loved the seasonal vegetables in it.

For their main courses, the rest of the table had either pork shoulder or the veal. Afterward, another inventive complimentary small dish was served. This palette cleanser featured tangerine snow (looks like foam), cilantro, jasmine sorbet, and shortbread. It was light and tangy.

Time for my favorite meal - dessert! Before our dishes even arrived, we were given complimentary crisps (they were sweet like butterscotch) and mini carrot macarons (which were amazing!). Jen opted for the lemon dessert, her husband Bryan chose cheese (a Wisconsin cheddar and an English cheese), and Christine chose the luscious chocolate dish.

Normally I'm a chocolate girl, but that day I opted for the light pear dessert. It was the perfect end to a lovely meal.

Christine (Fresh Local and Best), myself, Chef David Humm, Talida (Talida Bakes), and Jen (Tiny Urban Kitchen); photo courtesy of Jen and Bryan

Chef Humm was charming and visited every table in the restaurant to make sure that everyone had an enjoyable lunch. He kindly agreed to take a photo with us foodie groupies. If you're ever in the NYC area and want to treat yourself to an incredible dining experience, you must make a reservation here!

{Giveaway Winners} Virtual Baby Shower Giveaway Winners Announced!

2011-04-03T22:22:00.001-04:00

After hundreds of comments, we have enjoyed our week of giveaways in conjunction with A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa and Fresh Local and Best. I wanted to thank our readers who have entered the contests and welcome new readers who found us through this giveaway. Don't worry if you didn't win - we often host giveaways so there will be more chances opportunities in the future!

And now for the winners (as determined by Random.org)...

The winner of the Bravado nursing tank is Noelle (Opera Singer in the Kitchen) who would love the tank in the dark plum color.

The winner of the KidCo baby food mill is Janeen who wrote, “I always like to puree potatoes or winter squash. Janeen is a Spain in Iowa commenter and subscriber. (Diana will be emailing you).

The winner of the BECO Baby Carrier is Trisha who wrote, "I am a baby wearing mom to my sweet little girl. I enjoy it because I know it is wonderful for her since she feels safe and content close to my heart and it has also been a lifesaver for me. I love that I am able to get some chores done throughout the day! I would really love to try a Beco carrier...I only have a short wrap at the moment and think the convenience of a buckle carrier would be wonderful. Thanks!"

We will be emailing the winners and coordinating with our sponsors to make sure you get your prize soon! Congratulations to all!

{Fun Food Finds} Kiwi Berries

2011-04-01T08:40:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday! Faithful readers of HLFD know that we like to eat A LOT, so it's always exciting to us when we find something new. After our United Nations-inspired meal and trips to Eataly (where we found kaffir limes and horned melon fruit), farmers markets, Chinatown, and countries around the world, I thought I had already seen or tasted most exotic fruits. But happily, when I walked into Trader Joe's earlier this week, I found these new-to-me Kiwi Berries.

Imported from New Zealand, these Kiwi Berries, according to Wikipedia, also go by the names "Hardy Kiwi", "Baby Kiwi", "Arctic Kiwi", "Dessert Kiwi", or "Cocktail Kiwi". (It's scientific name is Actinidia arguta, but that doesn't sound too sexy, right?)

The fruit comes in green (where they really do look like tiny little kiwis) or purplish-red color (like the ones I bought) and seems like a mix between regular kiwis and grapes. They can be eaten like grapes (no fuzzy skin like its "elders") and taste like a slightly sweeter kiwi (though they're still tart overall).

My kiwi berries were on the softer side (which made them also seem like watery grape tomatoes). I added them to fruit and regular salads and also made a salsa with them (like I did with the kiwano fruit) - though my husband just popped them in his mouth like grapes. These cute little guys would also be fun in a cocktail or spritzer mixed with strawberries, simple syrup, and champagne or soda water.

What are your favorite new-to-you fruit or food finds?

{Easy Recipes} Chickpea "Burger"

2011-03-28T10:02:00.003-04:00

Chef Jose Andres has stated that the future of cooking is in fruits and vegetables (and that meat is boring). While we'll never be vegetarians (giving up foie gras, steak, and pork belly is just too hard for us), we are trying to lighten up and eat more vegetables. For the past year, we've enjoyed Meatless Mondays - but with the start of Lent (Mar 9), I decided to up the ante and cook exclusively vegetarian (and a few seafood) dishes for the entire 40 days.

So far I've enjoyed the challenge, but have found that for me, it's easier to conceive a dish with meat. Meat naturally has umami flavor in it so I'm aware that I need to replace that flavor (so far mushrooms have been our staple and luckily my husband loves all varieties of mushrooms!) Another challenge I'm facing is that it's still really cold here in NYC and the availability of local fruits and vegetables is scarce (compared to the summertime when I feel it's so much easier to for us to increase our vegetable and fruit intake because they're so fresh and abundant during the warmer months). We regularly eat salads with our meal - but for the main entree, I find that I'm oftentimes using canned or frozen vegetables. This Chickpea "Burger" recipe is one of those recipes.

I found this "vegetarian burger" recipe on the wonderful blog 101 Cookbooks.com. I changed the recipe a bit to reflect our tastes and ingredients we had on hand. We like cumin in our turkey burgers so I added this spice into this patty mixture. Also, when we make meatballs, we use rolled oats instead of breadcrumbs because it's lighter so I used oats in this recipe as well. I like this recipe because it's easy to make and it uses ingredients that most people would have in their kitchen - even in the dead of winter!

Chickpea Burger (adapted from 101 Cookbooks.com)

Ingredients

1 15 oz can garbanzo beans/chickpeas, rinsed and drained

4 large eggs

1/2 t sea salt

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 large red onion, chopped

Grated zest of one large lemon

1 cup broccoli, chopped (I used frozen broccoli and defrosted it in the microwave)

3/4 cup rolled oats

1/2 t cumin

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Toppings:

1/2 large red onion, sliced and caramelized

1 large orange pepper, sliced and roasted

1 avocado, sliced

Directions:

1. In a medium-large mixing bowl, mash the canned beans with a fork. Once you have a chunky mix, add the eggs and salt. (The original recipe calls for a food processor, which will make this step quicker, but I used fork because the beans were easy to mash and I prefer a chunkier texture)

2. Add cilantro, onion, lemon zest, cumin, and broccoli chunks into the bowl. Add in the rolled oats (we like using rolled oats instead of breadcrumbs because we find it lighter). The mixture should be on the moist side, so you can add a bit of water if the mix is too dry.

3. Form patties from the mixture (about 1 inch thick, makes about 8 patties).

4. Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium low, add 4 patties, and brown both sides. Remove from the skillet and cool on a wire rack while you cook the remaining patties.

5. Serve the patty on a plate of lettuce, topped with avocado slices, roasted peppers, and caramelized red onions. Or you can serve the patty, as my husband prefers, like a regular burger on bun with toppings and condiments.

{Giveaway} BECO Baby Carrier

2011-03-25T12:16:00.001-04:00

Have you been enjoying our week of giveaways for Christine's Virtual Baby Shower? (There's still time to enter our other giveaways here and here). Our final giveaway is a good one - the Beco Baby Carrier ($129 retail value). This baby carrier would be a great gift for any mom or mommy-to-be. More information on the baby carrier plus how to enter after the jump!

About the Beco Baby Carrier

If you’re not familiar with the Beco Baby Carrier, it’s Diana's favorite backpack style carrier which allows you to carry a newborn up to a 45lb toddler on your front or back. According to Beco, "Designed by a babywearing parent, active sailor and rock climber, Gabby Caperon. Beco combines perfect ergonomics, excellent weight distribution and stylish design from top quality fabrics. Each carrier is handmade by a skilled seamstress in facilities which apply high social and economical standards. Sustainability and minimal impact of our production on the environment is important to us. We strive to provide the best quality, safe products and friendly customer service."

Diana loves this baby carrier because as her child got older, she wanted a back pack carrier to be able to carry her baby as she commenced on her daily chores. She states, "A back pack style carrier allows you to carry your child from 5 months old on your back. If you have a fussy baby, it soothes them and they enjoy the ride usually falling asleep right on your back.A back pack style carrier can literally be a life saver for any type of mami. For this reason, it’s my number one product that I recommend for any new mami to be and the reason this virtual baby shower came to be."

This baby carrier is the perfect gift for Christine because she loves to get out on walks, take trips to San Francisco, go out to restaurants, and frequents the NYC farmers market. And now, this perfect gift (with a retail value of $129) can be yours too!

To enter leave a comment from one of the options below…

If you are not currently a baby wearing mama… Why would you enjoy carrying your baby?
If you are currently a baby wearing mama… What’s the best thing about carrying your baby?
If this would be a gift for someone else… Why would this be a perfect gift for a mom or dad?

Extra Entries…

Leave a separate comment for each entry, a total of 6 extra entries.

Subscribe to receive my posts via email. (1 entry)
Become a fan of Beco Baby Carrier on Facebook and share on your wall (1 entry)
Become a fan of High/Low Food/Drink on Facebook and share on your wall (1 entry)
Blog about this giveaway and link back to this post (2 entries) Please leave 2 separate comments that you have done this.
Follow me on Twitter and tweet about the giveaway. (1 entry) (copy and paste)@highlowfooddnk Backpack Style Baby Carrier #Giveaway! http://bit.ly/foMood #babywearing

Please remember to leave a separate comment for each entry, or your extra entries will not count!

More chances to win!

For five additional entries…

I created special cupcake toppers for Christine's Virtual Baby Shower and would love for you to download and print them out, and then use them to decorate any dish you make for our virtual baby shower party. From cupcakes to sliders, these printables will look great on any party dish.

For the 5 extra entries, either take a photo of your dish with the toppers and/or write up a blog post with the photo and send the photo or link to highlowfooddrink(AT)gmail(DOT)com with a subject line of "Christine's Virtual Baby Shower Cake Topper". Click Here to Download the Toppers on Scribd.

Even More chances to win!

Visit Diana from A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa and Christine from Fresh Local and Best and comment to win on their sites for even more chances to win. We’ll each be doing a random generator from our comments and from those winning 3 comments we’ll again put it through the random generator to come up with one winner for each gift!

The official rules

The giveaway ends April 1, 2010 and is open to the Continental US only. The winner will be chosen by random.org.

{Dining Out} Ditch Plains UWS

2011-03-24T14:12:00.003-04:00

Since we've been hosting my friend Christine's Virtual Baby Shower all week with lots of great giveaways (click here and here to enter!), I've had family-friendly foodie places on my mind. A few Sundays ago, I organized a get-together with friends (who all have kids under the age of 2) at the recently-opened Ditch Plains on the UWS (in the space vacated by Bar Bao). The large 5000 sq ft space holds a bar/lounge area, communal tables, comfortable booths, and one open private room. The latter was perfect to fit our group of 4 couples, 3 toddlers/newborns, 3 strollers, and 2 highchairs with plenty of room to spare. Like Marc Murphy's other restaurant, Landmarc, Ditch Plains offers a comfortable venue with value-priced wines and beers ($4 draft beers after 4pm on Sunday).

Ditch Plains is known for their hot dogs (and we've enjoyed both the Mac n' Cheese dogs and Chili dogs before), but on Sundays, Ditch Plains offers a Lobster Pot dinner ($30). The small cast iron pot includes one whole lobster, corn on the cob, potatoes, and sausage. Each family ordered their own crustacean and it was fun to see the kids look and "pet" the lobster as well as each family try to break apart the lobster in their own way.

Because the Lobster Pot wasn't enough for 2 adults, each family ordered another entree. While our friends ordered Mussels and the Shrimp Gumbo, we chose the Grilled Fish of the Day ($20). We asked for our Arctic Char to be on the rarer side and it came out perfectly cooked to our liking. As fans of salmon and trout, we like ordering the similar tasting (though milder) Arctic Char.

While others ordered sides of rice/beans and grilled zucchini, we went with our server's suggestion and opted for a Side of Fried Jalapenos ($5). They were spicy and dangerously addictive.

After all of that food, we were all stuffed - and then we heard the dessert menu and had to try everything:

S'mores ($4): Though we can easily make these at home (we quickly microwave our s'mores, but these ones looked like they were finished off in the oven), we still couldn't turn down a plate of warm and gooey s'mores. These are an easy crowd-pleaser.

Ditch'Wich ($4): We shared the ice cream sandwiches (they came in vanilla and chocolate flavors). Both were pretty good, though not out of the ordinary.

Though we were excited about the Fried Mini Candy Bars ($4), we found that they were overall a bit too doughy.

After drinks, shared appetizers (including oysters), taxes, and tips, the bill came out to about $100/family. Overall, our group thought that Ditch Plains was a good value meal, with lots of options, and an excellent venue for young children. Our private room also came with a TV (the booths also have individual TV's), that the parents thought could be useful to entertain the kids (especially if it could be hooked up to an iPad to show videos).

What are your family-friendly restaurant picks in NYC?

Ditch Plains is located at 100 W 82nd St (at Columbus Ave) in NYC.

{Giveaway} Baby Food Mill for Christine's Virtual Baby Shower

2011-03-23T10:36:00.002-04:00

Our giveaway week continues with your chance to win a Baby Food Mill for you or any new mama/mommy-to-be you know! I'm not a mom, but I have plenty of baby showers baby birthday parties to attend and this Baby Food Mill would be a great gift. I'm running this giveaway together with Diana from A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa. Since she has first-hand experience with this product, I'll let her explain why she loves the Baby Food Mill. (More information on how you can enter this giveaway after the jump!)

Diana writes,"There is nothing more important than feeding your child the same nourishing foods that you eat to start developing healthy palates. When my babies turned one and were really ready to start with solids I used a baby food mill to puree small portions of the foods my family was eating. From the get go, whatever my family ate, my baby did as well. This has really helped in getting them accustomed to eating the same foods my family does.

A baby food mill is so easy to use and a cinch to clean up. I used a mini food processor as well, but the clean up alone often had me reaching for my food mill. What I love about this version is that it comes with a carrying case. It makes it so easy to throw it in the diaper bag and have it with you wherever you go. Whether your at a restaurant or visiting family, it’s convenient to pull out, puree a small portion and feed your baby.

Having a food mill saves you money from having to buy jars of food and really… have you tasted those baby foods in a jar?!! Trust me, your baby can tell the difference from homemade food and processed baby food in a jar as well. I’d rather get my baby accustomed to real food versus processed."

How to Enter Baby Food Mill Giveaway

Mandatory entry: For your first entry, leave a comment as to what you would puree with this Baby Food Mill.

For an additional 3 entries:

Subscribe to receive High/Low Food/Drink posts by email
Like High/Low Food/Drink on Facebook and share the giveaway on FB
Follow High/Low Food/Drink on Twitter and tweet the following, { I entered to win a Baby Food Mill on @highlowfooddnk http://bit.ly/fTin0F #giveaways! }

That is a total of 4 entries! Please remember to leave a separate comment below for each entry! If you do not leave a separate comment for each entry they will not count!

More chances to win!

For five additional entries…

Even More chances to win!

The official rules

The Baby Food Mill giveaway is open until Midnight, March 30, 2011. A winner will be announced shortly after. Contest is open to the Continental United States. The winner will be chosen by random.org.

Also, if you haven't entered our last giveaway for the Bravado! designs Nursing tank, click here.

{Sweet Treats} Macaron Tour of NYC

2011-03-21T21:44:00.006-04:00

Blue skies, bright sunshine, and free macarons - for me, there was no better way to tour the city than by enjoying my own macaron crawl courtesy of Macaron Day NYC 2011. Macaron Day (or Le Jour du Macaron) was started six years ago in Paris by la Maison Pierre Hermé in association with the Relais Desserts. People received complimentary macarons and were encouraged to donate to the specified charity. Here in NYC, Macaron Day was started last year by Chef Francois Payard to coincide with the French event. This year, there are 16 participating bakeries (with 12 in Manhattan), with many donating a percentage of the day's macaron sales to City Harvest.

Last year, I dragged my husband around to try macarons from 7 participating bakeries. This year, I wanted to try some new locations in the city. I was on my own for most of the trip as my husband declined to accompany me on my madwoman macaron tour of 10 bakeries. Armed with a bottle of water, my Metrocard, and a couple of reusable shopping bags (for the boxes of macarons I was planning on buying!), I trekked around the city to try these delicate pastries.

Though I couldn't convince my husband to run around the city with me, he did promise to check out the Jacques Torres on the UWS right after his workout. He got there around 10:30 am, but heard from the salespeople that customers were lining up outside the store before it even opened at 10am. They were almost finished with their second tray of macarons when he got his complimentary taste. He chose to try the Coffee macaron, which he liked because it wasn't too sweet.

While my hubby was at Jacques Torres on the UWS, I arrived at Butterfield Market on the UES around the same time. Coincidentally, I also chose what the salesgirl told me was a Coffee macaron (usually $2.25) - though, to me, all I tasted was citrusy yuzu. I still liked the flavor (despite it not tasting too much like coffee to me) and enjoyed the creamy filling. Butterfield Market was the first of 3 Francois Payard macaron locations.

Afterward, I took the 6 train and headed down to midtown...

By 11am, I was at Macaron Cafe (entrance on 59th St) and saw pastry chef Cecile (who I met last year at the first Macaron Cafe location). I tried the Raspberry macaron (usually $2.25 each),which was fruity and jammy. Cecile also showed me her new Macarons recipe book, which contains tips and instructions for making macarons like the ones at the cafe. This place is one of my favorites in the city, so I'm eager to see if this book can actually teach me to make their macarons!

I like fun flavor combinations, so I bought a Box of 6 ($13). After all, 10% of the proceeds were going toward City Harvest. I chose Creme Brulee, Dark Chocolate, Matcha Chestnut, Mocha Cappuccino, Cassis Violette, and Mango. I love how some of the macarons contain two flavors in one! The almond meringues also held up well - not one of them cracked when I got home. I definitely preferred the more creamy fillings over the jam filling in the Raspberry flavor and especially liked the Creme Brulee flavor.

My third stop was at the ritzy and iconic Plaza hotel. I bypassed the well-dressed crowd heading to brunch in the hotel and walked downstairs to FC Chocolate bar around 11:15am. This was the second Francois Payard stop, so I decided to try the Cranberry macaron (usually $2.25). I loved it - the macaron wasn't too sweet with a nice creamy filling.

The next stop was Rockefeller Center...

By 11:40am, I made it downstairs to the concourse level of 30 Rock and found the newest Jacques Torres Chocolate store (they opened last month for Valentine's Day). I got a lemon macaron to go (I needed to take a sugary break). I chatted with the friendly salesgirls and found out that sadly, the macarons aren't offered all the time. They're only sold for special events (like Macaron Day), occasions, or holidays. For Macaron Day, they were offering a tray of 12 macarons for $18 - one of the more affordable macaron collections in the city.

Since La Maison du Chocolat didn't open until noon, I went outside to take a break, soak up the sun, and drink some water to cleanse my palette. I love the traditional flavors offered by La Maison du Chocolat (one of the best macaron places in the city) so I waited until they opened. Like last year, the store offered hazelnut macarons (usually $2.50 - and like last year, this was the most expensive macaron amongst the bakeries I visited).

I headed downtown to check out a few more bakeries.

By 12:30 pm, I got to Francois Payard Bakery in Greenwich Village. It was a casual bakery (looking similar to Le Pain Quotidien) with sandwiches and delectable-looking French pastries. I chose a Passion Fruit macaron to go (usually $2.25) and decided to have something that wasn't sweet to eat for lunch. I sat down for a nice hot pressed panini with melted mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, and basil pesto ($8). It was simple, but just what I needed to balance out all off the macaron sweetness.

By 1:00 pm, I was ready to check out the Eva Scrivo hair salon for more macarons. Yes, that's right - a pop-up macaron store inside a hair salon! Taryn Garcia, the chef/owner behind Cours la Reine, is based in Brooklyn, but learned about making macarons while living in France. It was hard to choose which macaron to try - I ended up choosing the Passion Fruit macaron to go (usually $2 each)

I was so entranced by the vibrant colors and exotic flavor combinations that I had to buy a Box of 6 ($12) and chose: Pomegranate + Pur Caraibe Dark, Citron + Japanese Yuzu, Cherry Blossom + Green Tea, Blueberry and Verbana, Black Périgord Truffle + Chestnut, and Cafe + Grand Marnier. My only criticism is that the box was too big for 6 macarons (7 or 8 could fit), which sadly meant that most were crushed by the time I got home.

Taryn sources all of her ingredients (except the almond flour which is from California) from France and has so many creative flavors. If you're in the New York area, you can contact her to special order macarons or check out her pop-up store (at the salon on Fridays and Saturdays).

It was about 1:30pm when I got to Bisous Ciao, a fairly new bakery exclusively featuring macarons (conveniently near the Meatball Shop, so I could probably convince my husband to come here). They made a special macaron for the day: the "Macaron Day" macaron with chocolate and salted caramel. I actually liked the surprising gooey caramel center. The kiss print on top of the macaron was also cute as it represented the store's name (Bisous means "kiss" in French). I'd definitely return to try the other flavors (usually $2.25/each).

I walked a little bit to one of my favorite dessert places in the city, DT Works, which opened by 2pm. When I got there, I couldn't eat another macaron, so I got a box of 6 to go (usually $2 each or $12/box of 6). I loved their inventive flavors which consisted of Apple Pie, Butternut Squash and Maple Caramel, Banana Caramel, Salted Caramel, Praline butter cream with a hint of candied Meijer lemon, Strawberry buttercream and Pink peppercorn. (Later that night, my husband and I shared the Apple Pie macaron and couldn't believe how much it reminded us of a comforting apple crumble). DT Works also offer popular macaron making workshops which I've been thinking of taking so I can attempt to master making these difficult desserts.

I finally headed home, on a bit of a sugar high, and went for a much needed walk with my husband. Despite all of the macarons I tried, I couldn't resist dropping into nearby Georgia's Cafe for a couple more complimentary macarons. We got there just before 5pm and happily they still had some macarons available. We tried the Sorel Mint (left) and Oreo macarons. Our favorite of the two was the fresh minty Sorel Mint macaron (usually $1.65 each. Like last year, Georgia's Cafe carried the cheapest macarons amongst the bakeries we visited). It was a nice way to end my Macaron tour of the city.

Did you attend Macaron Day NYC 2011? Where is your favorite place for macarons? (in NYC or anywhere else in the world)

Entrance on 59th St b/n Madison & Park Pop-up shop in Eva Scrivo Salon (Fri & Sat)

{Giveaway} Bravado Nursing Tank for Christine's Virtual Baby Shower

2011-03-21T10:13:00.003-04:00

Photo courtesy of Christine Kim

Remember last week when I posted about fellow foodie Christine’s virtual baby shower? Well, the shower games have now begun and the week of giveaways starts today! Lovely Christine and baby foodie-to-be Alexander are doing well and looking great.

For the first prize, Diana from A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa has gotten bravado! Designs to gift a Nursing Tank to both Christine and one of our readers. Many of my friends are new moms and some of them have talked about the difficulties of feeding their newborns. Since I'm not a mom, I'll let Diana explain why she loves this Nursing Tank plus more information on how you can win this Nursing Tank (for yourself or for someone you know) after the jump!

Diana writes: "When I was nursing my babies I used a nursing tank almost every day. What I enjoyed most about them is that they allow you to nurse comfortably in public. They keep your tummy hidden and allow you and your baby easy access to your breast when you need it by simply unclipping the tank at your shoulder. When I saw the bravado Designs tank what I really enjoyed about this was the support this tank offers."

According to bravado! Designs

The Essential Nursing Tank – What You’ll Love:

Built in Bra: Proprietary design gives you a full support (molded) built in bra on the inside, a beautiful shape and cottony comfort, all in one!
Great for nursing in public: perfect to wear every day – nursing in public, around the house, going to yoga class, lounging or as sleepwear.
Long in length: Imagine…you’ll look terrific, feel great and it is easy to nurse in public because it provides tummy coverage where you need it. Our nursing tank is long giving you a beautiful and flattering shape that’s fitted but not clingy.
Maternity Tank and a Nursing Tank: Fabric gently stretches while retaining its shape after washing. A two for one value as you can wear it as a maternity tank while pregnant and then continue to wear it as a nursing tank while breastfeeding.
Cotton Nursing Tank: Soft, high-quality cotton/spandex outer fabric isn’t see through, even in white
Full Access: Cups unclip at the shoulder and drop down and away from your body to give baby full access to your breast, providing you and your baby with skin-to-skin contact which is essential, specially when establishing a breastfeeding rhythm.
Discrete Nursing Clips: allow full breastfeeding access and only you will know this is a nursing tank.

How to Enter bravado! Designs Nursing Tank Giveaway

Mandatory entry: For your first entry, we’re asking that you visit bravado! Designs by clicking here and let us know which color of nursing tank you would like!

For an additional 5 entries:

Subscribe to receive High/Low Food/Drink posts by email
Like bravado! Designs on Facebook
Like High/Low Food/Drink on Facebook and share the giveaway on FB
Follow bravado! Designs on Twitter and tweet the following, { I signed up to win an @BravadoDesigns nursing tank on @highlowfooddnk virtual baby shower http://bit.ly/hw8tTf #giveaways! }
Follow High/Low Food/Drink on Twitter and tweet the following, { I signed up to win an @BravadoDesigns nursing tank on @highlowfooddnk virtual baby shower http://bit.ly/hw8tTf #giveaways! }

That is a total of 6 entries! Please remember to leave a separate comment below for each entry! If you do not leave a separate comment for each entry they will not count!

More chances to win!

For five additional entries…

I created special cupcake toppers for Christine's Virtual Baby Shower and would love for you to download and print them out, and then use them to decorate any dish you make for our virtual baby shower party. From cupcakes to sliders, these printables will look great on any party dish.

For the 5 extra entries, either take a photo of your dish with the toppers and/or write up a blog post with the photo and send the photo or link to highlowfooddrink(AT)gmail(DOT)com with a subject line of "Christine's Virtual Baby Shower Cake Topper". Click Here to Download the Toppers on Scribd.

Even More chances to win!

The official rules

The bravado! Designs giveaway is open until Midnight, March 28, 2011. A winner will be announced shortly after. Contest is open to the Continental United States. The winner will be chosen by random.org.

Good luck everyone!

{Dining Out} Eating Out for a Cause: Helping Japan

2011-03-17T10:10:00.000-04:00

"Disaster Relief for Japan" sushi roll from Sushi Samba 7 (photo courtesy of Sushi Samba)

For the first few days this week, you may have noticed that my blog was pretty quiet. We had been watching the events in Japan and our mood was sombre. The stories of the people affected touched us deeply and we wanted to do all we could to help. The easiest way for us to help was by donating money to the American Red Cross (you can click on the ad on the right that will take you to the Red Cross donation page. Also, if you have a website or blog and would like to donate ad space to the Red Cross, click here).

Since we like to dine out, we also compiled a list of restaurants who are offering to donate proceeds or a portion of sales to Japan relief organizations:

Sushi Samba (locations in NYC, Chicago, Miami, and Las Vegas) will be offering a special Disaster Relief for Japan roll ($12) until the end of March. All of the proceeds from sales of this special sushi roll will be donated to the American Red Cross. Here in NYC, both locations (Sushi Samba 7 and Sushi Samba Park) are offering a special sushi roll made with kani, eel, tamago, cucumber (the special rolls differ nationwide).

Nobu (Nobu Next Door, Nobu, Nobu 57) will be donating $50 from every $150 Omakase (Chef's Tasting menu) sold to a relief organization helping those in need.

Terroir wine bar (Tribeca, East Village locations) will be serving a special Yoshi Fried Chicken plate ($6) with all proceeds donated to Japanese relief. Named after a line cook at Hearth and his favorite family meal, the YFC is boneless chicken thighs marinated in garlic, ginger, and soy, covered in cornstarch, and fried to a crispy bite.

Megu (UN Plaza, Tribeca locations) will be donating 5% of its beverage sales from now through March 20th to the Japanese Red Cross.

SHO will donate 10% of its sake sales from now through March 23rd to the Japanese Red Cross.

Toqueville and 15 East will donate 5% of beverage sales from now through March 22nd to the Japanese Red Cross.