Did someone say grill?

As soon as the weather turns from snow and ice and wind chill to humidity, sun, and long days, we break the grill out.  Our grilling season started early this year, but it was a bit of a false start.  The weather warmed up only to cool off again.  But now, here at the start of July, the grilling season has been in full swing for at least a month.  We find ourselves grilling at least once a week up on our roof.  (Yes, we take the appropriate and legally called for fire precautions - no gas grilling, five gallons of water, fire extinguisher, and we never leave the grill unattended.) 

A week or so ago, we had people over to share in the grilling for the first time this summer.  We prepared grilled leg of lamb and then sliced it up for gyros with tzatziki, pitas, red onions, lettuce, tomatoes.  Sides included hummus, a baked potato potato salad (Reka brought this creation that was made with all the fixings of a baked potatoes including BACON!), chips, grilled asparagus, Persian cucumbers, carrots, watermelon, etc.  Steve did the grilling and the tzatziki and it was all very delicious.  Excellent job.

Here are the before pictures.  There are no after pictures.

Donna and Steve talking lamb.

The Spread.

Looking west and waiting for that lamb!

As you can see, we had plenty of food and room for all of it and us. And such a nice evening.  We followed this feast with a round of Shanghai, Popsicles, Riesen, and mini Twix.  We like our junk food while playing cards.

Hope to have everyone over again before the end of summer.

August 6

August 6th is the anniversary of Hiroshima, the day after Marilyn Monroe's death day (8/5/62), and the day before Philippe Petit walked on a tightrope between the Twin Towers in 1974. I also happens to be the birthday of three people I know: My dad's (a milestone age was reached), Amy's husband's Gareth's, and Steve's birthday (also a milestone age). While I was not able to celebrate with Dad or Amy & Gareth, I did celebrate with Steve here in Brooklyn. I invited a few friends to join up at Clover Club for cocktails after work and then we went out to dinner to Chestnut. After that, we came back to the apartment for dessert - Boston Cream Pie.

A couple weeks ago, I asked Steve what sweet he wanted for his birthday and he immediately selected BCP. I've never made a BCP, but good ol' America's Test Kitchen has a recipe for it in their Family Baking Book. While none of the individual components were difficult to make, the total prep time for this cake is long - try 6 hours. Make the cake. Let cool at least 2 hours. Make the pastry cream. Chill in refrigerator 2 hours. Make the glaze. Let that sit 20 minutes before using. Assemble cake. Chill for 2 hours before serving.

Needless to say, I started this creation around 9:30 yesterday morning. Made the cakes first. Beautiful "foolproof" sponge cakes. I weighed the cake pans as I filled them to get evenly distributed batter. When Steve made my birthday cake back in April, I sorta teased him about getting too precise when he weighed the batter between the pans. But as I stood in the kitchen yesterday trying to eyeball the evenness of the batter, I realized he was smart to weigh it. So I got the scale out. The recipe said the cakes should brown a little bit but to remove them from the oven if they pass the toothpick test. My cakes didn't brown at all but passed the test so I pulled them. After I removed them from the pans, I then worried they weren't baked enough.

Since the cakes only have to bake for about 12 minutes, I wasn't able to really start on the pastry cream while they baked. After separating eggs, and prepping the ingredients, the cream came together perfectly. EXCEPT when I broke a cardinal rule of baking - I turned my back on the stove. My two cups of milk were in the saucier coming to a simmer. As any cook knows, milk will look like it's not doing anything for quite a while and then very quickly reach that simmering point. Well, when I turned back to the stove, my milk was just about ready to boil over the edge of the pot. So I ended up with scalded milk. Since I didn't have more milk, I had to use it. I could definitely taste the scalded milk in the cream but hoped that once the cake was put together, the other flavors would cover that taste up.

After the cream was chilling, I cleaned up the gargantuan pile of dishes I had created during these two steps. Then I spot cleaned the apartment because there was a chance that guests would be over in the evening. Got the recycling and dirty cat litter ready to take downstairs later. I also kept one eye on the clock, because I had to leave the house at 3 for an Egmont event which involved librarians & other book people and mint juleps. More on that later. I was going to be cutting it close because I wanted to get the cake assembled and chilling before I left.

Finally got as much done as I could and hopped in the shower around 2. Put on my nice clothes for the Egmont event. Donned an apron over my black dress and proceeded to VERY CAREFULLY whip up the chocolate ganache glaze. After that sat for the required 20 minutes, I assembled the cake. By now it is most definitely 3 o'clock and I'm late leaving the house. But I got the cake together, glazed it, and got it in the fridge. Took off apron, grabbed bag and was out the door. I arrived at the Egmont event just as they were arriving, so my timing couldn't have been better.

The Egmont event was actually the last event on a day-long itinerary. Egmont has a new book coming out this fall by a well-known young adult author. It is historical fiction set in NYC during the Civil War. A key plot point is the draft riots that took place at this time. So, Egmont put together a very unique and special bus tour for librarians and book people that visited historical sites in NY that tied into the plot and story of the book. They also involved a NY Historical Society historian and the author. As my status with Egmont is a bit nebulous, I did not go on the bus tour, but did meet up with the group at their last stop for refreshments. Feedback about the bus tour was glowing and enthusiastic, and it was nice to have mint julep with the group. I left this event close to 5:30.

Scooted home, changed clothes, and Steve got home about 20 minutes after I did. We then went out to Clover Club where friends met us for those great cocktails CC serves up. It was another nice time there. CC is running summer specials 5-7pm on select drinks and bar eats. We ordered deviled eggs, pigs-in-a-blanket, and olives. I think we each had about two very-easy-to-drink cocktails before we decided more food was needed. I had another Moscow Mule, which was served in a freezing cold, old-fashioned, copper and enamel mug. The ice didn't even melt.

Departed the bar for Chestnut. The last time we ate here was during the winter. Chestnut has a very seasonal menu, so there were plenty of new options. There were one or two things that must be popular no matter what time of year it is because those items were still on the menu. There were five of us. We split the entree special - baby back ribs - between all of us. These were very good. Steve had eaten Chestnut's ribs during the Smith Street Festival earlier this summer and really liked them. These were just as good and were rubbed with a somewhat atypical spice blend. We definitely tasted coffee in the rub and tamarind. The ribs were also served with a tamarind sauce and really excellent cole slaw. The overall flavor of the ribs was spicy, a little bitter, a little sweet, and a little smoky.

I also had squash blossoms stuffed with curried chick peas. These were cooked very well, and the filling pleasantly flavored, but the batter could have used some more salt or other seasoning. Overall, these were bland. The second dish I ordered was the chicory, aoli, pancetta, and egg salad. I thought there was a bit too much dressing, but I loved the flavor of it. Chicory is a bitter green but the salty pancetta in the dressing played really well with this bitterness. The egg was a perfectly soft boiled egg, lightly breaded and fried, and then the yolk was injected with truffle oil. D-e-c-a-d-e-n-t to say the least. Reka also ordered this salad. We all marveled at the perfectness of the eggs.

Chestnut is a nice restaurant. We enjoyed the food again. We were able to walk in and get a table without any wait. They have what appears to be a lovely garden lit with hanging lanterns, but they didn't have any tables available out there so we were inside. The temperature last night was very pleasant and sitting outside would have been nice. Chestnut has floor-to-ceiling glass doors at the front of the dining room which were open letting in the nice night air. Service was pleasant but we did encounter quite a noticeable lull between two of our courses. The bill was extremely reasonable. However, three of us did not order entrees but two appetizers instead. Between the five of us, our alcohol order included a bottle of wine, a single glass of wine, a beer, and a cocktail. We did not have dessert.

Dessert was the Boston Cream Pie back at our apartment. Ah, you forgot about the BCP, didn't you? By now it's just about 11 o'clock. Everyone is a little tired, but the siren's cry of cake is too much to resist. After cutting it, all the layers looked right. And we gobbled our pieces up. Delish! Couldn't really tell I had scalded the milk (I could tell). The cake I worried about being undercooked was just perfect. The glaze was rich and tied everything together.

The bottom line is that Steve had a nice time and really enjoyed his cake.

Here are some not-so-pretty pictures of the cake since I forgot to take pictures BEFORE it was cut and devoured.

The unmarred side:


The hacked into side:


I think we'll have an egg white omelet with goat cheese and olives for lunch today. I have six egg whites as a result of the cream only needing the yolks yesterday. Even though the completed, assembled cake was chock full of eggs - 9 yolks, 2 whole eggs, 3 whites - it was surprising low on butter and sugar. Of course, while light on butter, it was heavy on milk fat as whole milk and cream were ingredients. Oh well.

August 6 also happened to be the day that the film crew for Eat, Pray, Love was in the neighborhood. While I didn't spot any celebrities - Julia Robers, Javier Bardem, Viola Davis, Billy Crudup, and James Franco are all listed as being in the film - it was fun to see all the trailers and crew. They appeared to be filming inside the restaurant Robin Des Bois, which Steve and I ate at not long after we moved here. It's very close to the apartment and the movie crew had parking blocked off all down our block, the block parallel to Baltic (Warren), and the block on Smith where the restaurant is.

We celebrated the 4th with food, of course

How did your holiday weekend go? Ours was fun but way too short. I kicked off the weekend on Friday with TNTE club. They came over for a night of playing Shanghai (a card game that is ridiculously tension filled. "It's just a game!") and food. We had a feast of fresh figs, perfect strawberries, veggies, warm olives, cheeses, bread/crackers, and grilled pizzas. I made two.

I used my same trusty dough recipe, but I divided it in two. The first was a traditional red sauce & cheese pizza. The second was topped with leftover balsamic caramelized onions, olives, rosemary, and garlic oil.

Let me go back two days. As part of my Bon Appetit week two weeks ago, I planned to make steak sandwiches. For one reason or another, we didn't get around to making them when planned. However, it was too good a recipe to pass up, so I finally made them Wednesday before the holiday weekend. These were far from healthy, but extremely delicious. We used half a flank steak, rather than pricier filet Mignon, sliced very thinly. Topped with Camembert, bacon, and these too delicious for words balsamic caramelized onions. Wow. They are fantastic to use for just about anything that needs a rich, savory kick. I did a whole onion, so we had lots of leftovers.

Here's how to do the onion:
1) Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in skillet over medium heat.
2) Add 1 large onion, thinly sliced; saute until soft and beginning to brown, about 8 minutes.
3) Stir in 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar and 2 tablespoons (packed) of brown sugar, reduce heat to low, and cook until onion is brown and sauce is thick, stirring often about 20 minutes.
4) Season with salt and pepper. (Definitely add the salt!)

Anyway, I used these onions to top the pizza. Both pizzas turned out pretty well. I had a little bit of trouble flipping one of them because it got stuck just a little on the pan, but otherwise, things turned out alright. Could have also cooked one of the crusts just a little bit more as it wasn't crispy enough.

Friday was also my first attempt making cookies n' cream ice cream. I think I almost nailed it right out of the gate.

Cookies n' cream ice cream
2 cups half and half
1 cup heavy or light cream
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt
2 eggs
about 2/3 of a package of Oreos (I used reduced fat Oreos, for what it's worth)

Heat the half and half over low-medium heat until just to boiling point. Let cool 15 minutes. Reduce heat to low and whisk in sugar, vanilla, salt, and eggs until well incorporated. Continue to whisk until temperature reaches 170 degrees. (I use my candy thermometer to check the temp, but my nose always tells me when it's getting close to 170 because the egg smell starts to change and smell more like cooked eggs. You don't want to have scrambled eggs in ice cream.) Remove from heat and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Chill in refrigerator for at least 2 hours, overnight is better. While chilling, prepare your Oreos. I put one row of Oreos in a zip top bag and pummeled it with a heavy rolling pin. This pulverized them. Maybe a little too much, I realized. So I chopped each cookie in another row of Oreos into eighths. After chilling, remove mix from fridge and whisk in remaining cup of cream. Freeze using ice cream mixer according to manufacturer's directions. By hand, mix in the pulverized Oreos and the chopped Oreos. Transfer ice cream to containers and freeze until you can't stand it anymore and have to eat some.

I originally used 1 cup of sugar, but we all agreed it made the ice cream just a little too sweet. I think reducing by a quarter, or maybe even a half, would be just about right. Other than being a little too sweet, this tasted great. Cookies n' cream is one of my favorite flavors anyway and it's pretty hard to screw up.

On Saturday, we decided we wanted to use the other half of that flank steak for our 4th of July dinner. so Steve grilled that up after marinating it briefly in oil, chopped onions, garlic, cilantro, salt & pepper. I made a new recipe called black bean confetti salad I found on the Smitten Kitchen blog. Yum! Easy to make and tasty, good cold or room temp, and makes enough to take to a party, this salad is one I'll make again and again. Smitten Kitchen is not a cilantro fan, but Steve and I both like it so I added some but could have added more. So if you like cilantro, be generous with it. We also had two ears of corn in the fridge, so we decided to grill those, too. Having never grilled corn before, we looked up some tips. After soaking it for about 30 minutes in water (husks & all), we moved them to the grill. Steve removed much of the husk except for the inner layer. The husks gets very charred and we thought we were burning up the corn, but the husks sort of act like a little steamer. Our kernels got caramelized and charred. Most of the husks burn away, and a quick wipe with a paper towel got the remaining bits.

We washed all of this down with margaritas. Here is our feast:


Later that night, we were able to see the fireworks from our roof. This surprised us very much as we didn't expect to be able to see any. I don't think the ones we could see were the big Macy's fireworks. The ones we saw were more towards Liberty Island and New Jersey. They were good and went on quite a while.

On Sunday, we had delicious leftovers for lunch. After having more of the flank steak for lunch topped with the bean salad in sandwiches, we cooked up a pork tenderloin with many of the leftover ingredients from the weekend. On the stove, Steve cooked the pork medallions with oil, salt, pepper, onion, cilantro, and lemon juice (I was out of limes). I made rice with butter and mixed in a little bit of cooked garlic. I mixed in the left over bean salad for a quasi Cuban-style rice.

Monday was a blur and not interesting food-wise. Today is Tuesday and I still have a heap of work to do before I leave for Chicago on Thursday. I'll be out of town until next Tuesday, and Steve will have to fend for himself. I suspect he will have lots of soup. That's what he usually eats when I'm out of town.

I'll try to remember what I eat and where while in Chicago. There are so many good places there!

I'm back! Lot's of food tales to tell.

After being preoccupied by a work event for several weeks, delayed by my healing finger, and overcoming all-around laziness, I am back to tell you about my recent adventures in food.

Going all the way back to the end of March was the Second Annual Village Voice Choice Eats event. I went with other members of TNTE club. Basically, this event was packed to the gills with dozens upon dozens of well-reviews NYC restaurants (many of them new and trendy places) offering up sample bites from their menus. Our $35 tickets got us in to sample the wares. It was really fun and I loved trying so many things, but I wonder how well these chafing dish bites really represent the quality of the food. I am guessing the format actually hinders the quality, but it does give one a good sense of flavor and style. My favorite thing was not from a chafing dish. It was a bourbon cupcake from Peaches Market. Don't you love that name? While I didn't really taste much bourbon, I loved the bite-size unfrosted cupcake that was topped with little crunchy bits that may have been peanuts but I'm not sure. I went back for seconds at the end of the night, but they had long run out of them.

Along with the food was dozens of beer, wine, liquor, and beverage vendors offering up generous pours of their inebriators. My favorite sample of the night was from Allagash brewery in Maine. They were pouring their White beer. It was very nice and I now have a four-pack in the fridge. Not sure if I'll do this event next year or not. It was very crowded and it's difficult to eat, hold a drink, and walk around in the crowded aisles. I would do this again, but I'm not clamoring for it.

Easter weekend is the next memorable food thing I can remember. Steve made Challah bread French toast that I topped with fresh berries and syrup. Challah bread really does make the best French toast and the key to getting crispier toast rather than soggy bread is to dry it out in the oven a little bit before battering it. Yum! We followed this with a small ham with a homemade glaze of pineapple juice & chunks, and brown sugar. Turned out very well.

On April 16, Steve and I went to a special screening of Beer Wars. BW is a documentary about the craft brew movement and how craft brewers are competing - or not - with the big guys like Anheuser-Busch, Miller, and Coors. At only 90 minutes long, the filmmakers couldn't include every independent brewery out there, so the focus was on Dogfish Head (in Delaware of all places), Stone (representing the SD!), New Belgium (Fat Tire), Boston Brewery (Sam Adams), and a one-woman operation called Moon Shot. I liked the behind-the-scenes of the beer industry and some of the facts about consumers, practices, and the amount of money going into promotion of beers was astonishing. But it was an extremely biased and one-sided picture of the "beer wars." It's a classic David versus Goliath story. And you do pull for the little guys while watching the film. When it was over and we were walking to the subway, Steve said, "I feel dirty for ever drinking an Anheuser-Busch beer." I like craft beers and independent breweries - Shiner being my absolute favorite, of course - so that's what I will continue to buy and drink. But I'll admit that once in a blue moon, an ice-cold Budweiser is all I want. It's the junk food of beer - familiar and easy to drink. Right now, our fridge is stocked with independent brews - Green Flash, Shiner, Allagash, Stone, and Sam. Supporting the indepentent brewers is the same as supporting local and independent businesses in any industry. Whether it's your local bookstore rather than Barnes & Noble or Amazon, the mom & pop hardware store instead of Home Depot, farmers markets and butcher shops rather than Kroger.

Anyway, the screening was followed by a somewhat awkward live panel discussion with the filmmaker, some of the key players from the film, and hosted by Ben Stein. It was interesting but I started to get a little sleepy. The live panel was in LA but the feed was sent to theaters around the country that were participating in this one time screening. I really liked seeing a live event that way. Before the movie started, instead of the usual movie theater ads, trivia question and facts, they had custom Beer Wars "ads" and "beertoids" and quizzes. That was very clever and we liked it.

Last Saturday, it was chicken enchiladas. I got the Cook's Illustrated Best Light Recipes cookbook recently, and I've made two things from it so far. The enchiladas and chicken Piccata. The Piccata was a surprise for Steve as it is one of his favorite dishes. Both turned out really well and it's hard to believe they were light versions of classic dishes. They tasted great. The enchiladas were lightened by using low-fat cheese - and less of it - and all breast meat instead of thighs. To compare the "classic" version to the light version, the cookbook included a comparison box:

Serving size 2 enchiladas
Classic
Calories: 580
Cholesterol: 110 mg
Fat: 34 g
Saturated fat: 18 g

Light
Calories: 350
Cholesterol: 65 mg
Fat: 10 g
Saturated fat: 4.5 g

I can't wait for us to get a grill because this book is full of great grilling recipes and ideas. My recent issue of Bon Appetit also has a recipe for grilled romaine lettuce wedges that I'm dying to try.

So the grill. Yes, we have shopped and know what we want - an $80 charcoal Weber - but we are waiting for our landlord to finish our roof deck before we buy it. It's killing me to have to wait.

This weekend is going to be warm. I'm so not thrilled. But to help us stay cool, I made some lime Italian ice this afternoon. Italian ice is so simple I feel stupid for never making it before I found a recipe for it.

Italian Ice
adapted from Desserts by the Yard's Lemon Italian Ice

Serves 6

2 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons zest
1 cup fresh juice (strained or not)
6 6-ounce Dixie paper cups or ramekins

1. Combine sugar and water in saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
2. Stir in zest and juice and pour into cups or ramekins. Freeze until solid.

Ta-dah. That is so easy.

I like lime for this recipe but any citrus would work - orange, lemon, lime, sweet grapefruit - or combination of those. I'd like to try a lemon-lime or a lime with tequila and a hint of Serrano pepper. I strained the juice today, but I've used unstrained juice before and it turns out fine as well. All the pulp will float to the top of the cup but it doesn't do anything to affect the taste or enjoyment.

Well, I think I got you all caught up. Hopefully, I won't be gone for so long. Keep eating out there!

Dinner at Buttermilk Channel

I bet you were wondering if I was ever going to update this again. The answer is yes. Sorry for the hiatus - it was a busy week.

But this week brought lots of yummy food that I want to tell you about. I'm afraid this will be long, Alex, but hopefully your eyeballs can handle reading this much. I will break the week up into individual posts.

Last Saturday, I met up with TNTE club at Buttermilk Channel. After a false start a couple weeks ago, we finally made it here to try out the chicken and waffles. Buttermilk is on the south end of Court Street in a lovely corner space with bright clean windows. Decor is minimalist in the homey way not the modern. One whole wall is exposed brick and the back wall is dominated by a HUGE framed mirror. Tables were covered in white linens and then topped with paper. Our table was the family table in the middle of the room and was without linens. The family table will seat up to about 12 or several smaller parties. We were a party of seven and a family of three was later seated at the end of the table. I loved the feel of the place.

The food, however, wasn't as good as we had anticipated. It was all done well and tasted good, but seemed to be lacking that "oh wow" factor that makes you want to come back to a place for a second meal. I don't think the fried chicken could have been cooked any better - it was crispy and juicy - but it lacked flavor. The batter had no seasoning, not even much salt. A little bland. It was served with an excellent maple syrup reduction that was good with the chicken but made it messy to eat with hands. The cheddar waffle that came with the chicken (1/4 of a whole round waffle) was also nice and crisp but didn't really make me want more. We also had an order of braised short ribs, and these proved to be excellent. We also liked several of the appetizers - bacon & maple roasted almonds, goat cheese & sweet potato croquettes, squash & ricotta tart (this was my favorite item of the night), and spice-rubbed baby back ribs. I actually think these small bites and appetizers were the strong point of the menu. I would go back for a tapas-style dinner, but I would probably skip an entree. Dessert was okay but I would skip it next time. Overall, Buttermilk Channel is good but you have to want to go there as it is not close as other places and it is somewhat on the pricey end of the spectrum. I do like that they use many local suppliers for sausages, bacon, cheese, etc.

I'll continue the rest of the week in the next post.

Dinner at Chestnut

Another weekend, another lovely meal with friends, AKA The Not Timid Eaters Club (TNTE). Again, staying close to (my) home, we hit up a boite on Smith Street called Chestnut. Originally, we were supposed to go to Buttermilk Channel, buuuuut things didn't work out quite as planned for our group of six - the earliest reservation we could get was at 10:30PM! So we decided to put chicken & waffles on hold, and choose another place.

I came up with Chestnut because it came up when I did a Google search for "Smith Street Brooklyn restaurants." It popped up as one on a long list, but I thought it sounded vaguely familiar. Ah, yes, it is a recipient of the Snail of Approval from Slow Food NYC.

What's Slow Food, you ask? Slow Food is a national non-profit organization that "counteracts fast food and fast life," and it "stand[s] against the disappearance of local food traditions and people's dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of the world." The Snail of Approval is bestowed upon a restaurant/bar/food store if it deemed that their food is "good, clean, and fair," or "contribute to the quality, authenticity, and sustainability of the food we eat and beverages we drink in the City of New York."

Okay, so back to Chestnut.

Chestnut was able to seat us after the manager called me back and said, "I was able to move a few things around." Steve and I arrived first and we enjoyed the warmth and ambiance of the cozy front bar. Chestnut has a luxury that most restaurants along Smith do not have - they have a double storefront instead of a single shotgun space. The bar is completely separated from the dining room which greatly helps reduce dining room noise and crowding. The bar was decked out in exposed brink, reclaimed timber, a counter to ceiling wall of booze (complete with a library-style track ladder so bartenders can reach the upper shelves), and topped off with a punched tin ceiling. The highlight of the room is the chandelier, which appeared to be sculpted in a free form out of thin copper tubing. The light bulbs were cradled in flea-market punch bowl set cups. We had a glass of Brother Thelonious beer and nibbled on complimentary homemade caramel kettle corn. So far, things were off to a good start.

Compared to the bar area, the dining room is very plain, but still warm. One wall had a large wooden sideboard and hutch, which was used as the waiters' station. Closed kitchen in the back. Creamy walls, exposed beams along the width of the ceiling (surely reclaimed from somewhere), and bright green water bottles on the tables. There are no booths, only two-top tables that can be maneuvered to make larger tables, and a few round table that looked to seat up to four. The sconces along the wall were made out of epoxy and chicken wire in the wave pattern of corrugated metal.

After we were seated, we spent a long time making menu choices. Our waiter interrupted us once to go over the menu and tell us about a few changes. Since the kitchen depends on fresh, seasonal ingredients, I wasn't surprised that some menu items were slightly altered to accommodate what food could be purchased that day. For instance, one of the fish choices was different. Here is what the group settled on:

Foie gras torchon, brioche & port sour cherries
Braised greens
Duck confit rolls
Roasted Brussels sprouts
Striped bass, white beans (not sure what kind they were), wilted greens
Grouper with saffron
Hangar steak, fingerling potatoes, valdeon & red wine
Braised short rib with puree of rutabaga
Chicken breast, sausage filling & potato gallette
Squash ravioli with ricotta salata
House made mint chocolate chip ice cream
Chocolate & peanut butter something (anyone from the crew remember what the name was?)
Churros with Mexican hot chocolate
Chai tea something with cardamon and pistachio ice cream (again, what was this called exactly?)

There were six of us. We shared most of the appetizers, sides, and desserts. The entrees were our own but we shared tastes with everyone. I think it was an almost unanimous decision that Donna's entree - the braised short rib - was the best dish of the night. I had the ravioli, which was also wonderful and so different from other raviolis I've had. I don't think I've ever had ricotta salata and it was interesting. By itself, I didn't like it very much. But mixed with the ravioli, it was quite tasty and the flavors mingled nicely. I managed a dark photo of my ravioli, but my phone isn't sending out photos for some reason, so I'll get it added to this post when my phone calms down. The only thing I didn't get a taste of was the grouper. But from the clean plates all around the table, I'd say it was probably good.

We did notice a few things that might have been a little overcooked - the chicken, the bass, the soda bread that was brought out before our food arrived. But the meats, pasta, greens, and desserts were all cooked/prepared to perfection.

In addition to the braised short rib, another highlight of the meal was the foie gras. At least the four of us who adore foie gras thought so. The portion of foie gras was very generous for the price ($16) and the presentation beautiful and simple. We actually had two orders of the foie gras. I loved eating it with my hands on the crispy brioche. The foie gras was buttery, velvety, and complemented with the sour cherry topping. I don't even like cherries.

The other appetizer we tried, the duck confit rolls, was also very good. Essentially, they were a duck confit spring roll. The cabbage in the roll actually had flavor and the duck was moist, shredded, and duck-y tasting. I love the duck balanced with the light Asian flavor. The sauce was also divine as it was a sweet plum sauce with sesame. Yum!

My last top pick for the meal was the mint chocolate chip ice cream. Wow. Infused with fresh mint - no extract here! - it was the perfect palate cleanser for this oily (I had a lot of olive oil during the meal), flavorful, rich meal. Two other ice creams were offered that night - chocolate and chocolate hazelnut -, but all six of us only wanted to taste the mint. The chocolate chips were hand chipped from good quality chocolate and the base ice cream was smooth and sweet. I said it was a sweet mint. Two people though the fresh mint tasted too grassy but the rest of us thought it was to die for. I loved it and I'll try making my own with fresh mint. I just wonder how much mint was used to get that flavor. I'll have to experiment, oh darn.

Everything was quite good. Steve and I definitely want to return. Our waiter told us that on Tuesday and Thursday nights, you can order three courses for $30-35. The most expensive entree item was $27, so if you can have that, an app, and a dessert for $35, it's a bargain. There is also a chef's tasting menu for $60, which might be interesting to try sometime. They also have a brunch menu that looks just as good as the dinner menu.

I was glad things worked out the way they did and we found ourselves at Chestnut for a thoroughly enjoyable and scrumptious meal.

Mac & Cheese: All the cheesy details

I previously posted on Facebook and here about a four cheese mac & cheese by Pithy & Cleaver. Well, last night I made this delectable and sinful comfort food. It took a while to prep my mise en place - I won't be winning any timed Top Chef-style challenges, that's for sure - but once everything was set in little prep bowls, the cooking didn't take too long and went smoothly.

The P&C recipe was easy enough to follow, but I found it needed some proofreading (a couple ingredients weren't mentioned in the step-by-step instructions) and additional cooking details. Overall, it was a complete, straightforward recipe which ended in a delicious result. I neglected to take a photo of my result, but let me describe it - dense, noodle-y, saucy, cheesy, crumbly crisp topping, and steamin' hot. I also have *a lot* of leftovers since it makes enough to feed about eight. Or two college football players.

During the cooking process, I began to get a little worried that everything would fit in my skillet. The recipe says to use a "large skillet." I was using my 12-inch All-Clad, which is the largest one I have. Everything is done in the skillet. It's really a one-skillet recipe if you don't count the boiling of the pasta in another pot. The final step in the cooking process is to add the cooked pasta to the cheese sauce in the skillet. Um, my cheese sauce was already flirting with the edge of the pan, and I didn't think it could hold a pound of cooked celentani. The suspense was killing me! I took the dare laid down by P&C, and poured the pasta in. All the pasta fit! Ta da! It was like a little magic pan, that All-Clad. I very carefully folded the pasta with the cheese until everything was coated.

I did need Steve's help when it came to pouring the luscious, gooey mix into the baking pan as I needed two hands covered in hot pads to lift the skillet. Steve scraped the innards out into the dish while I tipped them in. [Side note: I had an afterthought once the mac & cheese was baking - did I need to put it in the baking dish at all? My skillet can go directly in the oven. Anyone know if baking mac & cheese in an All-Clad skillet changes baking time, sticking-to-the-pan factor, etc? If it doesn't need to go in the baking dish, then this is one step closer to being a one skillet dish. Of course, the leftovers would still need to be transferred to something, and my leftovers are still in the baking dish, for which I have a snap on lid.]

After 20 minutes in the oven, the topping was golden brown and the sauce was bubbling. I dished it up right away and we dug in. Yum, yum, yum. This is not an every day or every week mac & cheese. It's far to full of fat and cholesterol to make often.

Good thing this mac & cheese was good since we now get to eat it all weekend. Except for Saturday night when Steve and I are dining with other members of TNTE club at Buttermilk Channel. Looking forward to some chicken and waffles!

NYC food events

In the coming months, I hope to be able to report on several special food events going on here in the gastronomic city.

First, and the only one which I am already committed to attending, is the Village Voice Second Annual Choice Eats event on March 31. This event features tastes from over 50 restaurants from all boroughs (although I don't see any representatives from SI or the Bronx on the restaurant list yet) that the two VV restaurant critic have hand picked as some of the best of the new eateries and "best kept secrets." A ticket to the event gets you tastes from all the restaurants and beer/wine. Pretty sweet deal for only $35.

I'm attending Choice Eats with the usual crowd, which I shall henceforth call, "The Not Timid Eaters Club," or TNTE. In addition to myself, charter members include Donna, Susan K., Susan C., Reka, and Elizabeth. I'm sure we'll have new members join us from time to time - Laura L., Steve, Adrienne, and more. The more the merrier!

Second, I really want to go to Craft on Tuesday and Friday nights. Craft, which you may or may not know, is chef Tom Colicchio's flagship restaurant. In case you don't know who in the world Tom Colicchio is, in addition to being a top chef, he has risen to mainstream awareness via his role as a head judge on Bravo's Top Chef television show. I ate at Craft once in the pre-Top Chef days, but not since. Well, I hope to change that by indulging in a Tuesday night with Tom. Every other Tuesday night, the private dining room at Craft is designated Tom: Tuesday Dinner. For a steep $150 a person, a prix fixe menu of fresh, seasonal food is prepared by Tom himself. There are no choices, you get what he has fresh ingredients for and feels like making that night. This would be a sincere splurge for me to go to but I'd really like to do it once.

But on Friday nights, it's a different story. Craft's private dining room turns into Damon: Frugal Friday. Damon Wise is Colicchio's executive chef. For no more than $10 a plate, the menu offers small, tapas-style dishes that fall into nine categories - snacks, salads, pizzas, food in a jar, meat on a stick, small plates, offal, cheese, and dessert. Reportedly, wine and beer is well selected and priced in line with the low-cost menu. No reservations are accepted for Friday night, so it's a first-come first served situation, which in NYC, can often result in a very long wait time for a table. They open at 5:30 and don't close until midnight. Damon: Frugal Friday is much more my budget and I really love tasting many things rather than having to order just one entree and be stuck with it. Will have to meet Steve after work one Friday night and give this a try. I must credit the February 16 issue of New York Magazine for bringing Frugal Friday to my attention and for some of the information included in this paragraph.

In that same issue, in fact the same article, the Tuesday night dinner at Beer Table is also reviewed. Beer Table is more local - here in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn. The Tuesday dinner at BT is also a prix fixe, three course menu for $25. An additional $15 for beer pairings, which NYM says is "highly recommended." Chef there is Julie Farias, and based on NYM's write-up, I'd call her food refined homey. If your food is being paired with beer, it's gotta be some version of homey, right? And it's gotta be good. Sounds like another place that is well-worth a Tuesday night visit.

Who knows, maybe Tuesday night will become the new hot night of the week for eating out. Steve and I have been eating out (or ordering in) on Friday or Saturday nights, but perhaps a switch is in order, so to speak. Also want to try the established Brooklyn fine dining restaurant, The Grocery, which is just down Smith Street a bit.