Archive | June, 2009

Market Fresh Cooking

26 Jun

I love Markets.  Farmer’s Markets are my favorite and I’ve always loved Chelsea Market.  I like walking into a place having no idea what I’ll cook and selecting my dinner based on what looks the best that day.  The only problem I have with NYC markets is that they’re crowded and it can sometimes be very annoying to have to push through everyone.  Nothing in Union Square Market was calling out to me, especially not enough to go through the crowd any more, so Mike and I made our way to Chelsea Market for the fish at The Lobster Place.

I felt overwhelmed at the fish counter, however, I wound up selecting the Turbot.  Why? I have no idea.  It just called out to me (and perhaps had the word “buttery” on the description) and was something I had never tried.  The sign also mentioned that it resembled halibut, so when struggling to find a yummy sounding turbot recipe, we looked into how to cook halibut and found an easy butter/shallot sauce that sounded good (so much for eating healthy with fish)!  We added the homemade pasta bought from the Italian market and made our favorite brussel sprouts recipe once again.  The scallops also looked great, and are always a favorite, so we cooked some of those up for an app (just a touch of egg, then flour, then pan seared).  It was a hearty and rich meal that we thoroughly enjoyed.  We also picked up some of my favorite Fat Witch brownies for dessert.  YUM!


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Shallot Butter Sauce

·         Pound Butter — softened

·         2 Shallots — chopped

·         1 Cup White Wine

·         1/2 Cup White Wine Vinegar

·         1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice (we went without)

·         Salt And Pepper — to taste

Directions 

Saute shallots with the wine & vinegar. Reduce the liquid for 10 minutes until the pan is dry, and only shallots remain. Whisk in butter. After butter is totally melted, add remaining ingredients, bring to boil. Remove from heat, keep warm. 

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Nomming through Brooklyn

15 Jun

This past weekend, Mike and I had two separate parties to attend in Brooklyn, so we took advantage of the last month that he lives in Park Slope to explore some more of Brooklyn.

Our first evening was in Williamsburg, so Mike did some research and found a restaurant called Dressler, which was right near Peter Luger Steakhouse.  The restaurant had an old feel, but was beautifully decorated and well set up. 

The menu looked fabulous and we had a hard time deciding.  I started with the artichoke heart salad, which was a huge cooked artichoke heart filled with cranberry beans (which resembled white lima beans) and greens with artichoke dressing.  As an artichoke lover, I was quite happy.  Mike had a quail appetizer which was tasty but a bit on the small side (though I can’t fault the restaurant for that since quail are certainly small).

Mike ordered the pork chops, which were good, but not the best I’ve had. 

My meal, however, was amazing.  It was a grilled sirloin with braised short ribs in a bordelaise sauce.  It came with creamed spinach and boulanger potato (which turned out to be an amazingly flavorful, gratin like potato).  The short ribs were terrific and the sauce was perfect.  Thoroughly enjoyable.

We capped off with a dessert special: apple tart with sweet glazed pecans and vanilla ice cream.  Probably one of the best tarts I’ve ever eaten.

Total Nom Points for Dressler: 7.5 out of 10

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The next day we spent our time walking around Park Slope and made a stop in the Prospect Park Zoo.  It was a great, small zoo and we had a very good time.  By 3pm, however, we were famished.  We glanced at a few menus and stumbled upon Belleville on 5th and 5th.

I went with the special crepe, which had gruyere, onions, and herbs.  The flavors were great and the crepe itself had great taste, however, it was only about 1/4 filled, which was dissapointing.

Mike went with the burger, and it was tasty (I love when meat tastes like meat) but not too special.  The fries looked great, but were certainly lackluster in taste.

Total Nom Points for Belleville: 5.5 out of 10

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On Sunday we were on our way up Park Slope to a party at Union Hall (great party bar! Loved the library).  On the way, we stopped in at Rachel’s Taqueria on 5th Ave at 7th Street.  We had been there once before in a terrible monsoon of a rain storm and drank margaritas until the rain passed.  I wasn’t sure if I enjoyed it so much because it really was good, or because the margaritas were so good.  So we decided to give it another try.

Now for me, Mexican is a novelty.  I am allergic to peppers, which for the part means Mexican is something I avoid.  Sometimes, however, a restaurant will work with me and be very clear about what does and does not have peppers.  Rachel’s has succeeded twice now and I’m still not sure if I like it so much because it’s so new to me or because it is quite good.  Mike seemed to think it was average, though  I thoroughly enjoyed my burrito, which was huge and had shredded pork, rice, beans, sour cream, and cheese (no salsa nor guac due to the peppers).

Mike had a very messy though delicious looking chimichanga.

Total Nom Points for Rachel’s: 6 out of 10

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Steak Frites

15 Jun

On various days, Mike and I will walk through the city in a single direction while looking at menus until something sparks our interest.  We’ve been pretty lucky in our “stumble upons” and Steak Frites on Varick at Clarkson (West Village) was no exception.

Since the inside was mostly red, I already liked it.

We were there right around late brunch time (it could have been linner by then) but we both still went for variations on egg dishes.  My dish was unbelievably good, with the exception of the egss being overpoached (why is this so common when mine turn out perfectly almost every time? Ok… I’m not a chef in a restaurant… maybe I shouldn’t say anything).  I think it was a special, since I can’t find it on their menu, but it was a parmesan (perfectly crispy) thick piece of toast with spinach, tomatos, poached eggs, bacon, hollandaise and shaved parmesan.  The blend of flavors was impressive.

Mike went with the steak and eggs, which seemed to be quite enjoyable (though also with overpoached eggs).

Total Nom Points: 7 out of 10

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