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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Cheese!

Spotted in Union Square... We can use a great cheese shop around here... Mmmmm
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The Best Chocolate Cake in the World

This afternoon, I went to try The Best Chocolate Cake in the World. At this Nolita outpost, one can find a few savory food items, but ultimately, the reason to venture down to Spring Street is to try the chocolate cake. It is chocolate mousse, layered with chocolate meringue and crispy wafer-like cake. There are two varieties; traditional (55% cacao) and bittersweet (70% cacao). The cake is flourless, yet still manages to be relatively light. Most flourless chocolate cakes are pretty dense, but this is more of a mousse, topped with chocolate ganache, and thoroughly enjoyable. I do love chocolate, but too much of a good thing is just sometimes simply too much. It was very sweet, and very delicious, but a few bites were more than enough for me.

The Best Chocolate Cake in the World
55A Spring Street (near Mulberry Street)
New York, NY 10012

Cereality

My sister is in Dallas, TX for work and has stumbled across Cereality; a DIY cereal bar. My sister combined Golden Grahams, Froot Loops, and Rainbow Marshmallows... Mmmmm
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Stone Street

One of my favorite spots in NYC... Quite a hidden gem, nestled in the Financial District of Manhattan. A small, cobblestone and car-less street filled with picnic tables and umbrellas, lined with numerous restaurants for your choosing. From pizza, to Mexican, to tapas, you cannot go wrong. Adrienne's Pizza Bar is a must, their "old fashioned" pizza is by far in a way my favorite in the city. The "fresh" at Vintry Wine & Whiskey is absolutely necessary as well. You must try a "fresh" for yourself, but its a cocktail of white wine, apricot liquor, Gran Marnier, lemon juice, club soda, with mint and orange slices. On a beautiful day like today, nothing is better than grabbing a picnic table and drinking the most delicious drink, dare I say, that I've ever tasted. The downtown (I mean, the farthest downtown you can go) location also lends itself to a gorgeous walk up the Hudson River, if you've got the time.

Pastry School

A few of my pastry school creations... cookies, miroir, financiers, pizza rustica, and a fruit tart...

The Kitchen

Working in a professional kitchen is an experience that one cannot be properly prepared for. Personally for me, the anxiety that builds up when you have 5 tickets fired, a souffle in the oven, and doughnuts frying behind you, is much more than you'd expect. There are hungry, impatient customers outside, and at an establishment like where I work, they expect the best. Once the desserts are sent out though, total relief, peace, and pride as you wipe up the mess you've just created.

I've only worked in two different kitchens so far, and they couldn't be more different. The first restaurant I worked in was a smaller restaurant, and I did mostly prep work. We prepared the desserts for service, but then left at around 5pm, when garde manger took over and plated the desserts. At my current job, I am the plater of all of the pastries and desserts. Whether I'm working breakfast, serving croissants and muffins, or lunch, or dinner, plating intricate and quite honestly, hard to master, desserts, the pressure is on. (I must admit though, that 3 weeks in, I have now mastered every dessert on our menu and I feel extremely proud of myself.)

Last night was a turning point for me in the kitchen. Getting up to go to work, when you know that you're going to be there until at least 1am, is really hard. The work isn't necessarily challenging, but it is a roller coaster of anxiety and relief. Last night, for the first time, some of the cooks took a real liking to me. It definitely took them some time to warm up to me, but last night, they decided that I was one of them. Having given up basically my entire life for this gig, it felt so good to be accepted into their little kitchen clique. I've been nicknamed "Peaches" by some of the waiters, and it's actually starting to grow on me. Every night, until last night, I would clean my station as fast as possible and bolt for the door, but last night, I stayed and enjoyed a beer with the rest of the cooks and waitstaff, and honestly, it was fun.

La Giostra

When I think about how food and I really "DTR," (defined the relationship, thanks @mikey_z) my time spent abroad in Florence, Italy stands out as a real turning point. My idea of good Italian food was the family-style variety found in my hometown of Roslyn, New York: Matteo's and La Parma (I will absolutely post about these in the future because although they are not necessarily authentic Tuscan cuisine, they are absolutely phenomenal).

It's hard for me find a place to begin when addressing the food in Florence, so I will just begin with my favorite restaurant.

La Giostra
Borgo Pinti, 12

I was only abroad for five months, but my friends and I managed to establish a Monday night tradition of dining at La Giostra. Prosecco upon arrival, and several bottles of Pinot Grigio, our dinners were rowdy and delicious.

The freshest mozzarella cheese I've ever tasted, with perfect prosciutto, roasted asparagus with melted parmesan cheese and bread crumbs, and zucchini "carpaccio," so thinly sliced, and grilled to perfection, scattered with pine nuts, covered in parmesan cheese, and drizzled with fresh olive oil.

The food is incredible: pear and pecorino ravioli, ricotta and spinach gnocchi, wild boar pasta, veal milanese. Everything at La Giostra is simply delicious.

As a pastry cook, I must discuss the fantastic desserts at La Giostra. Their secret family recipe for tiramisu is unlike any tiramisu I've ever tasted. It's not bitter like many I've tried, it's so creamy and light, really really delicious. My favorite dessert was the gelato sundae. It was simply vanilla gelato covered with a sweet, mixed berry compote, perfection.

The restaurant itself is a

long, dim room, lit by candles and christmas lights. The walls are covered in photographs of loyal patrons, and historic images of Florence. Saldanno, the owner of the restaurant, is incredibly sexy, and a true gentleman. He wears a uniform of a sweatshirt, jeans, hundreds of bracelets, and several necklaces. We had him pose with us on our photograph that is now framed on the wall, amongst all of the photos of people who love La Giostra as much as we do.

Welcome

Hello. I'm Jamie, and as far back as I can remember, food and I have had a very interesting and close relationship. I exclusively ate the yummiest things; gnocchi, salt bagels, cinnamon toast crunch, oreos, and mozzarella cheese. I would fall asleep dreaming of breakfast, and fantasize about my after-school snack all day at school.

I graduated from NYU with a bachelors degree in communications, and then continued to the Institute of Culinary Education where I studied pastry. I am currently working as a pastry cook at a fairly new and very popular restaurant in NYC.

I’m extremely confused and impatient, yet eager to learn more. I look forward to sharing some delicious suggestions from my past, and sharing my adventures in the culinary world. Please join me as I dine at as many restaurants as possible, and try as many recipes as time allows.