Hot Weather Food

Things in NY have gotten hot. Not just hot. Tropical hot. The last time I felt it this hot was when husband and I were in Thailand. And what did we do relieve ourselves from the heat?
We had a big bowl of soup, of course!
I know what you're thinking. Wouldn't an ice cream cone been a little better? This is what I say to you. That bowl of soup was the best I ever had. It had noodles, fish balls and veggies and was a little spicy. And it made me sweat. And it felt great! I actually felt cooler! It was not like we were the crazy Americans eating soup in hot, hot Thailand. It's what all of the locals were doing. When in Thailand....
So, next time you go outside and it's hot and the humidity is making your clothes stick to your body, go to your nearest Thai restaurant and grab a big, hot bowl of fishball soup. Brrrrrrr....

Pass the Spork, Please

I was having a conversation with a co-worker the other day at the restaurant where I work. We were polishing silverware at the end of the night and there was a lot to be done. He then posed the question, "We have all-purpose glassware, why can't we have all-purpose silverware?" I replied, "You mean, like a spork?" And he said, "Yes!" So, I began to wonder if there existed such a thing as a silver spork. Here is what I found.
There are quite a few titanium sporks out there for camping use. These multi-colored ones are fun. Or this simple one on Think Geek seems very classic. But fancier ones are hard to find. I found this one which is designed by Norway David Anderson. I can't find how much it costs, which probably means it costs too much. Then I found some "ice cream forks" which are beautifully engraved sterling silver and are being sold for a king's ransom. But they are not fooling us. These are not ice cream forks at all! They are definitely sporks!
But for me, this spork takes the cake. It's simple, sleek, modern, and definitely a spork. I want it! But at $100, I am just going to have to dream. "Oh spork, why can't I have thee?"

Roni and the Chocolate Factory

Yesterday, on the way home from one of the schools where I teach, I decided to stop by the Essex Street Market for some fish and veggies. While I was there, I noticed a little chocolate shop. Of course, I had to stop in and check it out.
The shop is called Roni-Sue's and it is owned by a sweet woman who literally runs a chocolate factory in a tiny space. Roni makes truffles, chocolates, caramels and lollipops all from fresh, high quality ingredients. I didn't have a lot of cash on me but she didn't have a problem with me paying with a credit card, even though I only got 3 chocolates (they were $2 a piece).
The three chocolates I chose were coconut, strawberry-rhubarb and mint. You could tell the the strawberry-rhubarb was made with fresh strawberries because it had some of the seeds in it which gave the chocolate a nice little crunch. The chocolate was of high quality and melted in my mouth. All 3 choices were delicious, but my favorite was the coconut.
You should check out this place for yourself, as well as the other little shops in the Essex Street Market. Roni-Sue's chocolates would make a great gift and are also wonderful as wedding favors.

Charcuterie=Yummy

A week and a half ago, my husband and I went to Bar Boulud. We went to celebrate the fact that I got into graduate school (yay, me!) and I got to choose the place. Ever since we heard about Bar Boulud, I wanted to go. I love charcuterie and the chef there is supposed to be the best of the best. I have just been waiting for the opportunity and here it was.
I made a reservation for 7:00 and they only had space at the communal table in the back. I was a little apprehensive about this at first but it was a great way to spy on other people's orders and listen in on the conversations next to us.
First we ordered a bottle of Cote du Rhone blanc. I forgot to jot down the name of the wine, but whatever it was, it was delicious and under $40! Rhone is one of my favorite regions for both white and red right now.
For our first course, we shared a small charcuterie plate which consisted of 3 different types of charcuterie including Pate Grand-Mere which is a country pate made with chicken liver and pork, Pate Grand-Pere which is made from foie gras, truffle, and port and finally Lapine de la Garrigue which is made from pulled rabbit and vegetables. The plate also had some cured ham, grainy mustard and slaw. For entrees, I had a sauteed brook trout with fava beans, ramps, dandelion greens and chanterelle mushrooms. While the dish did not blow me away, the fish and the veggies were fresh and the meal was light and clean.
My husbands dish took the gold. It was one of the best things we have eaten in a long time and if he had let me, I would have eaten everything off his plate. He had the Boudin Blanc which is a truffled white sausage with mashed potatoes. The sausage was sweet, rich and savory and was as soft as butter. The mashed potatoes were creamy and covered with a sweet, thick jus. It was absolute heaven.
Our desserts were good but not mind blowing. Definitely a little anti-climactic. I had a rhubarb tart with a fromage blanc and berry sorbet and my husband had a coupes glacees with marscapone mousse and passion fruit sorbet.
Overall, I would recommend Bar Boulud for it's charcuterie alone. I hope to back and grab a seat at the bar and try something new. Anyone want to join me?

Missin' Mangosteens

Last summer I went to Thailand on my honeymoon. One of the highlights of the trip was tasting all of the different street foods in Bangkok and Chiang Mai. I will blog more about that later. But with the warm weather starting to hit NYC, I am beginning to crave summer fruits. But the one I crave the most is one you can not get here in NY. Mangosteens.

Mangosteens are a delicious tropical fruit. The outer shell is not edible but the flesh yields a wonderful, creamy, citrusy, melony, grape flavor. It was one of my favorite treats in Thailand and I miss it dearly. I ate it alone, and I even ate it in a tart that I found in a little bakeshop Ken and I stumbled upon in Koh Samui.

If you know where I can get a mangosteen, please let me know. Or if you go to Thailand, sneak one home in your luggage for me. Don't let customs see!

My Favorite Sweet

I thought I'd introduce to to my favorite sweet in the world. It is not chocolate chip cookies (my very close second favorite sweet) or gummy worms (don't know why I added that), but my dear husband Ken.


Ken is my very talented pastry chef hubby. He is one of the reasons I love food so much. We love to go out to eat together and try as many things as possible. But what's really special about him is his desserts. They're all so amazing, it's hard to look back and pick a favorite. But if you want to try yourself, go to Brasserie, on 53rd between Park and Lexington, and try it for yourself!

But in the meantime, here's something to get you drooling!

First post

Hi all. I wanted to start a blog because I love food. I mean who doesn't, right? But I mean, I love food. I love food so much, I married a pastry chef. I'm no joke. I'll try almost everything. The stranger it is, the more esoteric, the smellier...you name it, the better!

My favorite foods are chocolate chip cookies (fresh baked, not Chips Ahoy), potatoes in any form, lentils, mangoes, grapes, zucchini, cupcakes, salmon, lamb, sour pickles and dark chocolate.

The foods I hate are, onions, especially if they're raw, eggplant, brussel sprouts, power bars, sweetened drinks like Snapple, cilantro when used excessively, over-cooked chicken and walnuts.

My food allergies are nuts, but not peanuts and hazelnuts (so it seems), raw veggies like carrots, celery and snap peas, and some raw fruit like cherries (I know, I almost slit my wrists the first time I had a reaction) and over-ripe peaches (ripe peaches are fine).

I can't cook, but I can eat. And I love wine. I will try to keep you informed of all the wonderful and not so wonderful things I eat and drink. I hope, as a result, you will try new things and maybe teach me a thing or two. I am always looking for suggestions of fantastic, hole in the wall restaurants in NYC and beyond.

Thanks for reading!

Why does man kill? He kills for food. And not only food: frequently there must be a beverage. -Woody Allen