Taglierini Piemontese

I don't know why but blogger wouldn't let me upload a picture with the last post so here is Taglierini Piemontese in all its beauty.

Midnight Meatballs

Two in one day!

I go to restaurants that I hear about. I'm not sure if I said this already but here is my theory on NYC restaurants:

1. You will never go hungry - there is at least 5 restaurants on any NYC block.

2. Of all those restaurants only a few are standouts.

3. It is easy to wander into a bad restaurant and because of that don't just leave your hotel, apartment or work and wander in to the closet place.

4. NYC is expensive. If you are going to spend money on eating out, make sure its worth your time and making a dent in your wallet (and by dent I mean spending $15 on nachos or a burger). There is nothing worse than leaving a mediocre meal and wishing you had just had a $1 slice instead of what you just ate.

5. Only go to restaurants that have been talked about. It doesn't matter by whom - the New York Times, a co-worker or a friend. This way you will know something about the restaurant and, chances are, it will only be on your radar if what was said peaked your interest.

With that said, my dad was in town two nights ago and there is a place I have been hearing about that I wanted to try out. My favorite manager at work was let go about two weeks ago and has since started a blog. He tried this place and loved it. I mentioned it to his replacement (my new favorite manager) and her response, "I used to manage there! You have to try it." Like I said, any recommendation is good, but two from two different Esca managers? I knew I had to try it.

The place is called The Meatball Shop. It is in the Lower East Side at the intersection of Stanton and Allen. The concept is simple. Pick a meatball. Pick a sauce. Pick a side. Choose if you want that "side" under the meatball and sauce or actually on the side. They don't take reservations and are pack from the second they open at noon until last call at 4am. There is a communal table in the middle of the restaurant surrounded by tables for two on two sides and a bar on the other. Take-out is also available.

I went with the special meatball - a bolognese - with a parmesan cream sauce on top of rigatoni. My dad went a non-Italian route. He got the classic beef meatball but chose a mushroom gravy on top of mashed potatoes. Both were unbelievable. The meatballs were so moist (I hate that word but it's the best description), the sauces were rich, flavorful and bountiful. My rigatoni was ok but my dad's mashed potatoes were perfection. Fluffy, airy and buttery. To go along side our meal, I ordered a side of their broccoli which was good but nothing special. Both dishes came with foccacia - used, of course, to get every last drop of the sauces once the meatballs were gone.

As for drinks. They don't have a wine list - just a few options written on a blackboard - or extensive beer list but the choices they have a good. I had two different whites - a verdicchio and a soave. Both are Italian white varietals that I am somewhat familiar with from the restaurant so I thought I'd give them a try. The verdicchio, which is a light, crisp wine, was too light for the meal but nice to enjoy while waiting. The soave, on the other hand, was a nice balance to the beef and pork meatballs and parmesan cream sauce. It is medium plus in body and had a little fruit to it but finished dry. It worked nicely to balance the rich sauce and the salt from the pork in the meatballs. Dad, as always, had a beer (Brooklyn Brown Ale to be exact).

All in all, the meal was great! I can't wait to go back and try another on the of the meatball combinations because the choices, literally, are endless.

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Currently Cooking/Eating: It's a lazy day today so I am making frozen or pre-made food (from Trader Joes of course). I love their refrigerated pulled pork! I'm toasting a white bun, microwaving the pulled pork, baking a few sweet potato fries and steaming a little broccoli. Nice and easy lunch!

Currently Craving: Ricotta gnocchi. We have award winning ricotta gnocchi at Esca and a lot of people have been ordering it lately. I can't wait until the next time I go in and get to have some!

Currently Reading: Nothing :(

Currently Obsessing Over: White truffles. We got our first truffles of the season last weekend and they were gone in two days. We got a few more yesterday and I am mesmerized. I always knew truffles were special and had a sort of mystique about them but I didn't, and still don't, completely understand. All I can say is I can't wait until I have an extra $100 to try our Taglierini Piemontese (traditional 40-yolk pasta, butter and white truffles shaved on top).

Dhall Delights

Last weekend was Homecoming at my alma mater (of six months), The University of Richmond. I took the Bolt Bus from NYC to DC and met up with some of my best friends, Nadine and Amanda, to drive down to Richmond, Virginia. It was my first trip back since graduation in May and it was the perfect reunion weekend. The weather was perfect, the company was hilarious (thanks to Meaghan and her STC friends - the UR improv troupe), and we won the football game! The real highlight though - it actually tops Richmond's new tailgating in the fraternity lots with good beer and liquor- DHALL!!!

While I was in college, I cooked in my apartment more often than I ventured across campus to eat buffet style on a meal swipe. However, Sunday brunch at 11am was a staple throughout my college career. We all decided that a brunch trip to Dhall (short for dining hall and the nickname you are told to use the second you step on campus your freshman year) was a must. And, man oh, man was it good!

As always, I got hash browns and my "signature" Dhall breakfast sandwich. It is simple and delicious and cannot be replicated outside of Dhall but here is the "recipe":

1. Walk to the grill guy and order two overhard eggs with two slices of American cheese.

2. While he is cooking them, go to the center island and toast a white bagel (you will have to send it through twice because the toasted machine sucks).

3. While the bagel is making the second trip though the toaster, walk back to the grill guy and get your eggs - they should be ready. ** Also, make sure he folds them in half. I think most Dhall grill guys do this but it makes the cheese extra gooey and makes it possible for the eggs to fit on the bagel.

4. Move one station to your right and pick up some triangle hash browns and two sausage links.

5. Pick up your perfectly twice-toasted bagel and head to your table to assembly.

6. Once at the table, open the bagel and place the eggs/cheese on the bottom half.

7. Cut the sausage links in half the long way so they are butterflied.

8. Put the two butterflied links on top of the eggs (the should fit perfectly).

9. Place top half of the bagel on the sausage and enjoy!

Nothing too extraordinary but it is delicious. Like I said, this cannot be replicated outside of Dhall. You have to have their sausage, the grill guy and their messed up toaster that requires double toasting to reach this perfection. But for anyone who reads this and is still in Richmond -Enjoy!

October

First of all, I apologize for the brief break in my posts. I have had a lot going on lately and I'm working a TON (50+ hours a week). Because I've been gone so long and I want to ease myself back into writing, I am going to do tid bits from here and there.

I finished Heat a few weeks ago and highly recommend it to anyone who loves food and wants to know more about kitchens, food education and exactly how much work goes into being in an NYC restaurant. The author, Bill Buford, was/is a writer/editor for The New Yorker when he was assigned to write about Babbo - Mario Batali's first successful restaurant in the West Village. Buford enters the prep kitchen and eventually works his way up to the line. On the line, he masters the appetizer station and even makes a successful run on the grill station. He leaves Babbo in order to learn more about the restaurant's roots and how Mario became "Molto Mario." His travels take him to a family know for it's pasta making in Northern Italy to "el Maestro" - a fourth generation Tuscan butcher. The book flows wonderfully and lends itself to easy reading. Buford is a natural writer and has a way of making you feel as if you were in Tuscany with him.

It was great reading about an NYC kitchen and picturing our kitchen and it's daily operation. The similarities are striking. On my way to work, I would read Heat on the train then walk in the cargo door and witness everything I had just finished reading. Buford describes Mario's stint with "Iron Chef America" and I got to picture an upcoming episode (I think it's airing in January) where Chef (my chef) battles Morimoto. Speaking of television appearances - I woke up three weeks ago today (October 1st??) before my alarm. This never happens so I decided to have a leisurely morning before heading to work. I made some coffee, got back into bed and turned on the Today show.

Before now, I have kept my restaurant anonomous for reasons I can't really explain. I just figured being ambiguous would be easy and keep people out of it but it's hard to describe things without connecting the name. Plus, any of you who are reading this know me and are aware of where I work, so I might as well say it. I work at Esca.

Back to the Today show. Chef David Pasternack was there to make our Linguine. Obviously I got extremely excited and when Matt Lauer (who I have waited on at Esca) said "I have to say this and it's not because you're here right now, but Esca is hands down one of my favorite restaurants in New York" (don't quote that but it was something along those line), I knew Chef would be in a good mood all day. I arrived at work an hour later and got to see Chef, say congratulations and here about how he spent the morning with Tony Bennett, who was also on the show that morning.

Now I am going to completely change course. I cried at work for the first time a few weeks ago. Restaurants in NYC are hard. Sometimes you have people who want to spend money, sometimes you don't. Sometimes customers are grateful, sometimes they're not. I had a table that I went out of my way to help over and over again and at the end of the meal, they complained about the service. I think it was a combination of being exhausted and knowing that they were the table I chose to focus on and give my best service possible. Since then work has gotten worse (realllllly bad) and is now on an upward turn. I hope it stays this way.

Now time for some restaurants. I am going to keep this short - my apologies.

Toloache- Great Midtown nuevo-Mexican restaurant located on 50th between 8th and broadway. I went here with my parents and had an amazing meal. Sam Sifton reviewed it for the New York Time recently and gave it one star. I agree with his rating - decor and other little details could be improved. The food, on the other hand, was perfection. I highly recommend the fruit guacamole and black truffle quesadilla.

Spice Market- My mom and I also went back to this Meatpacking district favorite while they visited a few weeks ago. I was excited to go back and try a few things to write about - seeing that Spice Market initiated my interest in writing a blog. I had the Red Curry Duck and Ginger Fried Rice. Both were amazing and, I believe, they are considered their signature dishes. My mom did the Bento Box - a lunch special with 5 small courses for $24.07. Her box included a squash soup, cod, an asian slaw, a chicken skewer as well as a dessert of Vietnamese coffee ice cream. Definitely a place worth trying.

Margot- This is a Dominican restaurant two blocks from where I live. Some friends of mine recommended it and I tried it this past week. I had it delivered because I was running late for work and did not have time to sit down for a meal. I ordered the Pepper Pork, rice and beans and tostones. Everything was amazing, but a little too greasy. I'm hoping that it only because it was delivered... I'm going to have to go back and try it for real sometime soon.

Balthazar- This French bistro is extremely well-known in New York. I have wanted to try it ever since seeing it on the Food Network's "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" a few months ago. THe show highlighted the french fries and I have to agree- they were amazing. I have oysters to start. Nothing special- just a dozen Blue Point oysters and minuette. Then, because I wanted to try the fries, I got the Moules Frites. As I said, the fries were great. The mussels weren't amazing and I wouldn't run back to have them again, but I am interested in seeing what else this place has to offer.

I feel like this blog is all over the place. Like I said before, I have had a lot going on. I promise to re-focus and get my posts back to where they were in the beginning. I was enjoying focusing on writing and got derailed for a bit, but I'm back. It is getting cold in New York so I look forward to writing about all that fall has to offer in New York.

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Currently Cooking/Eating: Nothing :( I'm on a bus to DC in route to Richmond for the weekend (homecoming!!!) and I was running late, so no breakfast/lunch for me :(

Currently Craving: My mom's Tuna Noodle Casserole. Look for the recipe and post in the near future!

Currently Reading: Since finishing Heat I have struggled to really dive back into a book. I started A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table by a New York based food writer Molly Wizenberg. I like it but, as I have now said three times, I've been busy.

Currently Obsessing Over: Knives! My birthday is coming up and all I want are a few good knives. Knives are really expensive so I have asked for one utility knife for my birthday to get me started.

Albarino Adventures - Part 2

I left Casa Mono with a little bit of a buzz but still determined to find my beets at the Union Square Green Market and to find skate, almonds and Albarino at Chelsea Market. My final menu for the night was going to be Crispy Skate with Red Beets and Almonds (if that wasn't obvious by the three ingredients I needed to buy). The only story worth telling about finding everything was that it was a beautiful day in New York, so instead of hopping on the L train to go from Union Square to 8th Avenue, I decided to walk. It was one of those low 70s, sunny fall days - perfect for a 20 minute walk.

I found all the things I needed without a hitch and even found special almonds - some that Conrad had suggested I tried. The Marcona Almonds were a little pricey ($8.02 for .62 lbs) but I guess all almonds are expensive. I headed home and prepared this meal.

Roasted Beets with Toasted Almonds:
(This is what I used to cook for three of us)

- 5 medium-large red beets with the greens cut off and stored for another use

- GOOD Olive Oil

- Sea Salt

- 1/4 cup of Almonds (I actually recommened just buying slivered almonds - the Marcona were a little too sweet for this recipe)

Recipe:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. Scrub beets to remove any dirt.

3. Line a cooking pan with foil and place the beets in the middle of the pan.

4. Liberally drizzle the beets with olive oil and move them around to cover evenly.

5. Sprinkle beets liberally with sea salt.

6. Pull the corners of the foil together and completely cover the beets - like a little package.

7. Place in the middle of the oven and roast for 45 minutes before checking (beets take a long time...)

8. Check the beets for tenderness. They should be fork tender but if not, place them back in the oven and cook for another 10-20 minutes.

9. Once fork tender, open foil completely and let the beets come to room temperature.

*The nice thing about this meal is that this part can be done in advance. I wasn't sure when my roommate was coming home last night, so I prepared the beets to this point because the rest of the recipe takes about 10 minutes.

Recipe Continued:

10. Heat about 1 tbsp. of olive oil over medium-high heat.

11. Place almonds in the heated oil and stir occasionally to ensure even toasting.

12. Continue until lightly toasted (4-7 minutes).

13. Add roasted beets and toss together until covered by toasted almonds.

14. Keep over low heat until ready to serve.

Crispy Skate:
(Again for 3 people)

- 1 pound skate (or as close to it- maybe a little under) in three seperate filets

- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

- 1 cup of whole milk (any milk with work but whole milk will add the most flavor)

- Olive oil

- Salt/Pepper

Recipe:

1. Heat 2 tbsp. of olive oil over high heat - until oil is really hot but not smoking.

2. While the oil is heating, put 1/2 cup of flour on a plate and pour milk into a bowl (this is for the dredging process). Use salt and pepper to season flour (two parts salt to one part pepper- as much as you think necessary)

3. When oil is ready, dip the first filet in milk so it is covered. Take milk-dipped filet and cover in flour making sure to shake off any excess.

4. Place filet in oil, turn heat down to medium-high heat and pan sear for 3 minutes per side(inital high heat is to get a nice sear and color of the filet - serve skate with that side up). Remove and place on an oven-safe plate in a 200 degree oven to keep the fish warm

5. Repeat step 3 on the remaining filets, adding more oil and heating thoroughly before adding the filets.

Once the fish is done, plate! Again, I hope this makes sense (?) I'm not well-versed in technical cooking terms - I do everything by sight, smell and sound. If this doesn't make sense, let me know.

I paired this meal with a 2009 La Cana Albarino also produced by Rias Baixas (same producer as my Zarate wine from Casa Mono). Very light, a little more citrus and fruit than the other Albarino and a great complement to the skate and roasted beets.

I also bought a bottle of Cava (Spanish sparkling wine) to have before the meal. The guy at the Wine Vault at Chelsea Market suggested a 2005 Juve y Camps "Reserva de la Familia" Brut Cava. Extremely light on the palate and a very light bead. Really a great way to start the meal - I paired it with Trader Joes Frozen Steamer Clams (5 minute cooking time in the microwave!)

Enjoy!

Albarino Adventures - Part 1

Casey commented on a post recently that she is loving the Spanish white wine called Albarino. I was off yesterday so I figured I would shape my day around trying the wine and finding something delicious to cook to enjoy with it. I woke up initially thinking of a dish we serve at my restaurant - crispy skate. I didn't know anything about Albarino so I googled it and when it describe the varietal as crisp and light I know it would be a perfect match to the buttery, sweet taste of skate.

I left my apartment and headed for the Green Market at Union Square. Every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday local farmers and producers come into the city from the tri-state area to sell their seasonal goodies. I LOVE beets and know that one of the stalls on the north side of the market sold them at a great price, so that was my first stop. While I was there, I was also going to poke my head into Casa Mono, another Mario Batali/Joe Bastianich restaurant located at 52 Irving Place - just one block east of Union Square.

I looked at my watch and realized I was hungry, so when I got there, I decided I would have a quick bite to eat. Casa Mono opened about 7 years ago and is the smallest restaurant I have ever been inside. There are 11 tables (some were pushed together while I was there, but its was 11 groups) and they are constantly filled. Just for fun, I went on OpenTable and checked their reservation availability and there is nothing open for 2 people in the next two weeks between 5:00-10:15pm - yeah, that busy. Luckily for me, there is sitting room at the bar (about 6 seats) and another 6 or 7 seats at a "bar" which actually overlooks the completely open kitchen. I decided to sit there so I could see what the executive chef, Anthony, and his line cooks could do.

This is Chef Anthony (kind of cute, huh?)

I got the wine list and found an Albarino by the glass (I'm assuming it's a wine most Spanish restuarants carry). I ordered a 2009 Zarate Albarino produced by Rias Baixas which was $19. Casa Mono is tapas, and I wasn't absolutely ravishing, so I asked the waiter to pair one dish with the wine. He suggested the Fideos with Chorizo and Clams ($18). He said the balance of some spice from the chorizo would pair nicely with the crisp, light wine.

While I was waiting for my dish to arrive, the gentleman sitting next to me asked if I had ever tried razor clams. I had, I said, its one of my chef's specialties. He got excited when I mentioned where I worked and Conrad and I shared the rest of our meal talking about food. The razor clam he offered me was cooked "a la plancha" (on the flat top) and was topped with a pesto of sorts made of almost every herb imaginable. Delicious. While we were introducing ourselves and eating the razor clams, my food arrived.

Thank god I only ordered one "tapas." As you can see below, it was a big "small plate." The dish was made up of three key components - the fideua (the Spanish version of a capellini pasta that is about an inch long), the garlic aioli, and the clams. First, the chef cooked the clams in their natural juice in the oven. I missed the initial prep because I was paying closer attention to my wine, but I saw the line cook remove the steaming clams from the oven, place them on the stove and then cover them to finish the steaming process. While this was happening, I believe they were cooking my fiduea in some of the remaining clam juice (I did not witness the juice moving from the clam pan to the pasta, but the clam flavor infused in the noodles was the prominent taste in the finished product). Once cooked, shaved garlic, a green I could not identify and chopped chorizo were added. The steamed clams were then moved from their pan to a small, authentic, red clay ramekin and topped with the fideua mixture. This was then placed in the broiler - a great step that I was not expecting to see. Because of the thin, short nature of the pasta, the top part gets this nice crispiness to it while the rest underneath warms up and soaks up the flavor of the chorizo, garlic and the green. Once removed from the broiler, the dish is topped with the garlic aioli and served. The crispy pasta, with the spicy chorizo, creamy aioli and the clams worked magically together. The wine pairing was perfect to cut through the cream and spice as well as to complement and add to the delicate flavor of the clams and their juice that was, as I said, a dominating flavor.

Conrad and I kept talking and I found out he is from Barcelona, I'm guessing he is around 60 years old, and he is a Spanish food and wine supplier. He lives in New Jersey and supplies ingredients to a lot of New York City restaurants, including Casa Mono - I guess that explains why he was able to sit down, talk over the bar to the chef and order his lunch instead of going through the waiter. He gave me his card and told me about a paella feast he is holding on Saturday, October 9th. His father was famous in Barcelona for his paella and they used to cook for up to 400 people. Next Saturday, however, is for a measly 250 people. While he is telling me about the paella and his family's history in food, Chef Anthony hands him another dish (one he did not order).

This time it was Padron Peppers. These are traditional Spanish green peppers that are thrown into hot oil and cooked until the blister. They are covered in sea salt and served whole as a finger food. Simply pick the pepper up by the stem and eat it all in one bite. There is just a little spice but the sea salt help cuts through that. By this time, my Albarino was gone but that wine (and, of course, Casey suggestion which started everything) had created a great lunch experience that wasn't over!

I decided to order a glass of Granacha - my go-to Spanish red wine. I picked an 2007 Agricolas Aguaza Sarada Seleccion produced by Almansa. It had the typical pepperiness and earthiness expected in a Granacha but it was also extremely light on the palate. It was easy drinking and worked well with the peppers.

Conrad had another dish come out that he wanted me to try. This time it was the lamb chop, also cooked a la plancha. He insisted on me taking half the dish and, in between telling me about his friend who is a food writer in Chicago, he also decided to sneak away and tell my waiter he was going to buy the glass of Granacha I had just ordered. So sweet! I felt bad taking half of his lamb chop but he got up, paid his bill, shook my hand and told me he looked forward to seeing me at my restaurant the next time he came in for dinner. He left me with the lamb, so of course I had to try it.Needless to say, it was also amazing. The meat was grilled to perfection and placed on top of a marinated chick pea salad then topped with thinly sliced bell peppers, carrots and onions with an opal basil, mint and spicy lemon pesto. To make this amazing meal even better, it was a great complement to the red wine! By this point, I was stuffed but the Manchego cheese plate sounded too good. The dessert was served with a 3 month, 6 month and 12 month aged Manchego. All were delicious and very different. The 3 month was creamy and soft and went well on the bread served on the side. The 6 month was slightly less creamy with a sharper, more pronounced flavor and my favorite of the three. The 12 month was an extremely dry cheese and very complex. It went best with the quince jelly - the sweet and soft texture of the jelly balanced the sharp texture and flavor.

Casa Mono was a great experience. Not only was the food amazing but meeting Conrad, someone so connected in the food world, was an added bonus. We have already sent each other an email and I am planning on attending the paella feast with a friend from work. Hopefully, he can be some sort of a mentor and, if not, be a great person to run into and sit next to at another NYC restuarant (who doesn't love sampling specialities and getting free wine?)

As you can see, this is part one. Remember, I woke up wanting to buy a bottle of Albarino and to cook cripsy skate. Stay tuned for part two of Albarino Adventures...
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Currently Cooking/Eating: Nothing but I was just boiling water for some tea. I'm embarrassed to say this, but I was sitting here writing and the fire alarm went off. For a second I wondered how that was possible - I don't have the stove or oven on. Shit! Yes, I do! I run into the kitchen and see that, in forgetting about the boiling water, I had let it all boil off and my pot was so hot it was smoking... I guess sometimes its easy to forget about the simplest things.

Currently Craving: Nothing. I ate so much at family meal at the end of my shift today, I doubt I'll eat the rest of the night.

Currently Reading: Heat by Bill Buford

Currently Obsessing Over: Chelsea Market. I went again yesterday to do some of the dinner shopping and I love this place. It has everything imaginable and everything is of the highest quality. I definitely recommend going to the Lobster Place - anything seafood a girl could ever ask for.

Butternut Squash Soup

Yesterday I was craving butternut squash soup. I went to Trader Joes (the new one on 72nd and Broadway) last night on my way home from an afternoon out and, as always, bought way more food than I needed. By the time I lugged the three shopping bags FULL of food from TJs to my apartment in Washington Heights I was tired, hot and wet from the down pour that wouldn't stop last night. Needless to say, when I got home at 8 all I wanted to do was take a hot shower, put on my pjs and watch tv while listening to the rain.

I woke up this morning and the rain was still coming down. I don't have to work until 3:45 so I figured I'd make the soup and have it on hand for rainy days to come. I improvised on the recipe I had on hand and here is what I came up with. I call it Creamy Butternut Squash Soup.

Ingredients:

- 2 Leeks (white parts only) chopped

- 1 medium sized butternut squash (about 2-2 1/2 pounds) cut into 1 inch cubes

- 4 cups of chicken broth (I use low sodium so I can season to taste)

- 1 cup low fat sour cream

- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

- Salt and pepper to taste

Recipe:

1. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat.

2. Add in chopped leeks to melted butter and cook until translucent (about 8-10 minutes).

3. Add cubed butternut squash and chicken broth to the butter/leek mixutre and reduce heat to a simmer.

4. Let the squash, leek and broth mixture cook until the squash is fork tender (about 20-25 minutes).

5. Once tender, use a slotted spoon to move the squash from the pot to a blender. Pour 2-3 laddles full of left over broth into blender as well - this will help everything blend together quickly and easily.

6. Pour the left over broth out (you can keep it if you want a thinner soup but I like mine to be a thicker consistency).

7. Return the pureed squash to the same pot and warm over a low heat.

8. Once the soup has reached a warmer temperature, stir in the low fat sour cream until completely incorporated.

9. Season to taste with salt and pepper (if you used low sodium broth you might need to season more than if you used a full-flavored broth).

10. Serve warm topped with a few Trader Joes Garlic and Cheese Croutons.

Enjoy!

This is the first recipe I have attempted to write out... if a step isn't clear, let me know so I can give more detail!