Why, hello there.

The last post I wrote on this blog was about Mary's Fish Camp and it was in August in 2010. Almost two years later and a full-blown career switch, I've decided (with a little advice from my amazing friend Sarah) to resume writing.

Food is such a powerful force in my life. Long wine-filled dinners make me the happiest, followed closely by a batch of homemade cookies (I recently made a batch laced with cinnamon and packed with white chocolate chips, hot daaayum, these were ridiculous).

Now, I work in restaurant PR, at honestly, the best firm ever, and am constantly surrounded by the best chefs, eating at the best restaurants and every day there is some kinda of goodie in my line of sight. If I'm not eating, I am reading about food. If I'm not reading about food, I'm writing about food. Until recently, I kind of let myself just go with it, but have recently decided to pull back a bit harder on my metaphorical reigns and strive to strike some balance.

When I started this blog, I wanted to review restaurants, to practice writing, to eat with purpose. Now, I will aim to share my abundance of food knowledge while keeping the theme of balance in mind. So deep, I know, but it's really how I have to roll.

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The first post is always the hardest. After two years of eating my way up, down, across and through New York City (and some other places I've traveled) it's hard to pick what to share. I guess I will start with this past Saturday.

As of recently, I have decided to eat incredibly well when I am not eating somewhere new or somewhere I love. I can cook myself some great healthy meals, and for breakfast and lunch, I just have to skip the delivery and lock. it. up.

So to sum it up, breakfast: lean protein, fruit; lunch: lean protein, vegetables: snacks: protein; dinner: this is where things get fun. Weekends are an exception. You'll see.

My trainer would rather I had a big lunch, but sometimes he just does not get me. I can't go to The Spotted Pig for lunch. I cannot get barbecue for lunch, Mikey!

* * *

After rave reviews from
Pete Wells of The New York Times and many other trusted food reviewers, I gathered my crew of college besties of the male variety and headed to Il Buco Alimentari & Vineria (53 Great Jones Street) for brunch. Upon arrival, I was immediately taken by the displays of jams, cheeses, oils, pastas and more. The place is gorgeous. A solid 45% of the meal was spent discussing how "sick" it would be if we could have the place as an apartment.

Breakfast ended at 11am (honestly figured, but I apologized to my crew) and we sat down with our lunch menus. Immediately asked for three bloody mary's, but they don't have tomato juice. Weird, but forgivable.

The bread arrives and it is fucking outstanding. Like, super duper flaky bread, insanely rich olive oil and flaky sea salt in a finger bowl. Il Buco nails the bread. It's baked on premises and it was perfect. (So here's an example of this balance thing, I totally ate the bread)

We ordered as a table: ricotta with beets, grapefruit and pistachios, some prosciutto, salami, crispy artichokes. Ricotta was amazing, meats were great, but like, meats are always great. I don't like fried food, and the artichokes tasted like fried artichokes, so no thanks.

Then we ordered baked eggs with bottarga. There's a bottarga sandwich at The John Dory Oyster Bar (all April Bloomfield references are totally biased and will be common) that is out of control. Made on this thin flatbread with the smoothest butter. Perfectly balanced. This bottarga was SO salty and was just bizarre shaved on top of the eggs. Moving on. We ordered bucatini cacio e pepe and the short rib panino.

The pasta was ridiculous. Bucatini are those noodles that are like super thick spaghetti, SO good. I don't even love black pepper, but this was buttery and toothsome (yeah, I did) and just great. Then came the short rib sandwich. This place has gotten rave reviews because of their sandwiches and the waitress recommended this one wholeheartedly. It arrived and by the looks of it, I was not into it. It just looked hard. Like, the bread was going to be too crunchy and the short rib was going to be too thick and chewy. Matt took a bite and full-mouthed exclaimed, "holy shit!" Then Daniel (side note: Daniel is such a tough critic) starts freaking out that it's the best sandwich he's ever had.

I take a bite and am completely surprised by how soft the entire thing is. A huge slab of short rib, tangy blue cheese, caramelized onions and again with the bread. It was so soft but offered that essential crunch. Ugh, wow, perfection. Until we got that sandwich, the restaurant was good, if nothing but a gorgeous place to gather with your friends without bloody marys. But after that bite, wow. Totally recommending it to everyone I come across. So yeah, go. Go and get that short rib panino.

After lunch, my friend Jon and I walked all around the city (specifically to pick up my freshly groomed doggy) and upon getting back to my apartment, put on exercise clothes and blasted music (Girltalk), did a kajillion squats, lunges, crunches and jumping jacks. See, balance!

Mary's Fish Camp

Upon arriving at Mary's Fish Camp, we were a bit disappointed by their lack of brunch and liquor, as we had predicted they would have fantastic Bloody Marys. (Literally my favorite beverage on the planet, I am constantly craving them and trying them wherever I go and whenever I can.) We sat down, and looked at the menu, which had a delightful array of seafood options. No eggs, no pancakes, nothing remotely brunchy, but we went with it. We started with the steamers. I'm not sure if it was my kosher friend sitting across from me "yucking my yum," but they were only okay. I have got to get out to the Hamptons to go to my favorite steamer spot, John Scott's Surf Shack before the season ends. Fortunately, the entree course redeemed Mary's lack of liquor and decent steamers with an incredible lobster roll. Across from me, red snapper tacos, and next to me, a fried oyster po boy. We all enjoyed our respective dishes, but I must say that the lobster roll was delicious. Served on soft and fresh bread, at first glance, looked a little mayonnaise-heavy, but in fact, it was delightful. All of the lobster pieces were the good quality pieces, not like when they use that weird spongey tip-of-the-claw part for filler. Mmmm, truly delicious. I would definitely go back, probably not for brunch... steamers are never the first thing I want to eat in the morning.

Cienfuegos

My first time visiting Cienfuegos was before the doors even opened to the public. A friend and I finagled our way into the "friends and family night" by introducing ourselves, and insisting that we could also be their friends. After sharing a large bowl of delicious rum punch, I knew that Cienfuegos would become one of my favorite drinking spots.

Located above a Cuban sandwich shop off of Avenue A, Cienfuegos is definitely a hidden gem. My second and most recent trip back to Cienfuegos is a bit clearer than the first. Arriving late on a Thursday evening, the place was packed. I love the ambiance, it is bright and colorful, yet dim enough to create a romantic feeling. There are a few food items on the menu, but I am yet to eat there. The punch is what I went back for. There are multiple varieties, some boozier than others, and some with big chunks of fruit. We had the "Punch and Judy," which was filled with strawberries and pineapple. The punches come in multiple sizes; from a glass, to several size bowls. Although the waitress insisted the large would only give us about 2 glasses each, we were drowning in punch. About 4 and a half glasses each later, we were full and drunk. I wouldn't recommend such a heavy and sugary drink before a night out, but I would absolutely recommend this place to drink and have a great time with friends.

Kelvin Natural Slush Co.

Yesterday afternoon, I journeyed up to Hell's Kitchen to visit the Flea Market for the New York Food Truck Bazaar with my friends Jon and Steven. After a delicious outdoor brunch at 44 & X, we headed to 39th street between 9th and 10th to the Hell's Kitchen Flea Market. The lines for all of the food trucks were insanely long, but we chose to wait on the Kelvin Natural Slush Co. line. A slushie truck is such a brilliant summer idea. Unfortunately, they had some technical difficulties, but that only provided for more samples. We tried citrus raspberry, citrus guava, and citrus basil.

This is the way it works: you choose a base, which are black & green tea, spicy ginger, and tangy citrus. Then you choose mix-ins, which are pureed fruit or herbs. One mix-in is included, and you can add additional mix-ins for $0.50. I chose a citrus slushie with strawberry and basil. It was really refreshing on such a hot day. The fruit tasted fresh and the basil cut the sweetness of the citrus and strawberries. The guys on the Kelvin truck say they try to park around Union Square every day, but if you're looking for them, you can follow them on Twitter to find their current location.

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Grubstreet.com just posted this recipe for Schiller's Sticky Toffee Pudding. Because it is one of my favorite desserts, I thought I'd share the recipe. I'll post when I try the recipe as well.


Sticky Toffee Pudding from Schiller’s
Serves 10

Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
8 ounces chopped dates
1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for ramekins
2 cups packed dark-brown sugar
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
Toffee Sauce
Vanilla ice cream, for serving (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter ten 4-ounce ramekins; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and baking soda; set aside.
In a small saucepan, combine dates, and 1 cup warm water. Simmer until most of the water is evaporated, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a small food processor, and process until smooth; keep warm.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Slowly add the eggs, and beat to combine. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add the flour mixture, and beat until fully combined.
With machine running, add date purée, a little at a time, beating to combine after each addition. Divide evenly between prepared ramekins, filling each about three-quarters full. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 to 30 minutes.
Cool to room temperature, slice off top, and discard. Cut in half horizontally, and layer with sauce. Serve immediately with ice cream, if desired.

Toffee Sauce
Serves 10

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 cups sugar
1/3 cup corn syrup
1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Directions
In a medium saucepan, combine 1 1/4 cups cream, sugar, corn syrup, and butter. Place over medium heat, and cook, stirring occasionally, until caramel colored, about 15 minutes.
Remove from heat, let stand until cool, about 30 minutes. Place over low heat, and stir in remaining cream until smooth.

Smith and Mills

Last night, I ventured down to Tribeca to meet some friends at Smith and Mills. Upon exiting my taxi on North Moore and Greenwich, I was instantly jealous of the people sitting outside at Locanda Verde, but I had no idea I was in for such a treat across the street.

A tiny room, with no more than 6 tables, is more of a bar than a restaurant. There is no kitchen. All of the food is prepared behind the bar. The ambiance is extremely warm, and the decor is hip and antiquey. From the vintage bottles on the windowsill, to the crushed velvet banquettes, to the distressed platters they use to send out their toasted bread, the place has character.

The toasted bread was accompanied by a chunky pistachio pesto with hearts of palm, pecorino, and mint. Also accompanied by smoked ricotta. Both were delicious. The salmon tartare was great. I'm not a huge salmon fan, but lately some raw preparations have been surprising me, and this was no different. It was sweet and delicious. The burger was on a soft and fresh brioche bun, and as far as burgers go, it was pretty classic, yet extremely tasty, especially with the addition of russian dressing. The mussels were the best thing we ordered though. Prepared simply with white wine, garlic, shallots, tomatoes, and mint, the broth was so delicious that we devoured all of the accompanying bread meant for dipping.

We couldn't resist ordering dessert once we saw the couple next to us share the bread pudding. A gigantic portion of brioche bread pudding made with banana. Covered in caramel sauce, and sprinkled with pine nuts. It was delicious. I could barely keep the forks away to take a photo, but I managed to sneak one in.

Peaches!

Blanched, peeled, grilled, and roasted these babies today for a new dessert at the restaurant. Not going to lie, one of the best desserts I've ever tasted...
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