Archive | October, 2011

Casa Nonna: Pasta

25 Oct

 

We have gone back to Casa Nonna a few times in the months it has been open.  Afterall, it is right in our building.

This time we decided to try the pastas, and boy am I glad we did!  It is here that Nonna really shines.

First, we tried the Bucatini alla Matriciana, which is spaghetti “with a hole,” sweet onion, pancetta, and tomato.  I keep forgetting how much I enjoy bucatini.  Somehow adding that hole into the spaghetti really makes it that much better.

 

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This was delicious.  Filled with flavor, great pancetta, and sauce that just sang.

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We also tried the Stracci di Manzo, which is “Rags” tossed with braised beef short rib and tomato.  The pasta was perfectly cooked and the braised short ribs were just perfect and delicious. Really impressive.

 

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And after such a healthy meal (ha!) we decided we had to have dessert.   We tried the Torrone Semi Freddo, which was Italian nougat, almond sponge, and chocolate crackle sauce.  I think when I heard “chocolate crackle sauce,” I figured something along the lines of magic shell.  It didn’t harden, but it did taste good.  I haven’t been overwhelmed by the desserts here.  Not to say that they aren’t good, but they aren’t GREAT either.

 

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Stick with the pasta

 

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Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory

20 Oct

 

 

 

Right on the edge of Brooklyn, under the Brooklyn Bridge in Greenpoint, lives the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory.  I had never been, simply because I always walked across the bridge, which you do a few feet before this place (which is right near Grimaldi’s famous pizza as well).

I went with a friend on a very hot day and we stood in the (very hot) line in anticipation of homemade, small batch ice cream.

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I went with Butter Pecan and I was very pleased with the flavor.  The pecans kept their crisp but benefited from the sugars and perfectly buttery flavor.  I always say that good butter pecan ice cream should taste like the ice cream version of a good pecan butter cookie.  This was exactly that.

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My friend got the coffee, which they are known for, and it was probably the best coffee ice cream I have ever had.  It was like the difference between watered down instant coffee and an amazing, freshly made espresso.  Super intense and just sweet enough.  So good.

And the view is pretty damn amazing.  The Brooklyn Bridge’s famous double arch is right between our cones…

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Worth the journey!

 

 

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Shumi Sushi: Somerville, NJ

18 Oct

I was in NJ to spend some time with my mom around my birthday.  We were on the hunt for somewhere local to eat in Somerville and she remembered a sushi restaurant that she had heard rave reviews about, Shumi.  I did some mobile research and this place had AMAZING reviews.  So we followed the directions and ended up… here…

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Hmmm.  That isn’t exactly the most inspiring place to get sushi, however, I was willing to try it and see how strip mall sushi was.

We started with miso soup.  I don’t LOVE miso soup.  It is usually a bit too bland, either totally under or over salted, and the texture of tofu is not my favorite.  This, on the other hand, was delicious.  Good flavor, good broth, and more than 2 chunks of tofu and a slice of carrot hanging around in the bowl.

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Next we ordered a special… Monkfish liver.  I had only had it once before and while I was skeptical about strip mall sushi, I decided I was going to go all the way.  This was awesome.  My mom couldn’t get past the idea of monkfish liver enough to enjoy it, but I just ate this up (very literally).  It was perfectly cooked, seasoned, and dressed.  Scrumptious.

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Even the salad that came with the emal was good.  The ginger dressing tasted much more fresh and anyone who dares to put a beet in my salad is a friend, in my opinion.

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We decided to go Omakase (chef chooses what he serves you).  I cannot remember for the life of me what the special things were, but I do remember Spanish mackerel and some kind of Japanese fluke I had never heard of.  Each bite was better than the last.  Fresh… filled with flavor… And even the rice was somehow special.

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I was absolutely impressed by this place.

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I would say this sushi rivaled many of the good (and much more expensive) sushi in NYC.  And this was in NJ… in a strip mall!  I have to start being less of a judgmental snob.

Total Nom Points: 8 out of 10

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