And in other news: make yourself a bagel breakfast sandwich!
-Fry an egg or two, toast your bagel, add whatever toppings you want (lettuce, cucumber, and tomato in this case), add a little honey mustard, and voila! Deliciousness!
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Friday, November 16, 2012
Big Plate, Small Appetite?
You know how dieticians tell you to use smaller plates to curb how much you eat? That studies show, the smaller your plate is, the less you'll inadvertently eat, no matter how hungry you are? Yeah, I think my plate missed that memo...
And in other news: make yourself a bagel breakfast sandwich!
-Fry an egg or two, toast your bagel, add whatever toppings you want (lettuce, cucumber, and tomato in this case), add a little honey mustard, and voila! Deliciousness!
And in other news: make yourself a bagel breakfast sandwich!
-Fry an egg or two, toast your bagel, add whatever toppings you want (lettuce, cucumber, and tomato in this case), add a little honey mustard, and voila! Deliciousness!
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Review: Max Brenner's
I may have explained this before, but in college my roommate and a group of her friends discovered their inner fat kids, and in turn I realized I had one, too. Your inner fat kid is that little big person inside of you who wants that extra cookie, that mac and cheese sampler plate, or the extra serving of cornbread-extra-butter-please. My inner fat kid is Augustus, and unfortunately when Augustus' appetite is awakened, it's hard to satisfy.
As we discovered yesterday, my friend also has an inner fat kid, Albert. And Albert suggested to Augustus that perhaps Mac and Cheese was insufficient. Perhaps, suggested Albert, we should also go to Max Brenner's, the Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory Equivalent of a restaurant.
And then, suggested Augustus, we can get three desserts. Because why just share one, or each get one, when we can get three?! It's not like we just had eight types of mac and cheese...
So, off their brand new menu we ordered:
Salted Caramel Milkshake - Pretty darn good, although admittedly the whip cream with the salted caramel topping was the highlight
Banana, peanut butter, and chocolate crepes - Outstandingly delicious. The extra peanut butter sauce on the side might be a bit excessive for the faint of heart when you see that there's already extra peanut butter in between the crepes. Also tastes good cold the next day.
Hazelnut Milkshake - Pretty darn good.
I've seen people go there for the food, too, and it always looks good. But why get dinner when you can just get multiple desserts??
Max Brenner
http://www.maxbrenner.com/
841 Broadway (between 13th and 14th Streets)
As we discovered yesterday, my friend also has an inner fat kid, Albert. And Albert suggested to Augustus that perhaps Mac and Cheese was insufficient. Perhaps, suggested Albert, we should also go to Max Brenner's, the Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory Equivalent of a restaurant.
And then, suggested Augustus, we can get three desserts. Because why just share one, or each get one, when we can get three?! It's not like we just had eight types of mac and cheese...
So, off their brand new menu we ordered:
Salted Caramel Milkshake - Pretty darn good, although admittedly the whip cream with the salted caramel topping was the highlight
Banana, peanut butter, and chocolate crepes - Outstandingly delicious. The extra peanut butter sauce on the side might be a bit excessive for the faint of heart when you see that there's already extra peanut butter in between the crepes. Also tastes good cold the next day.
Hazelnut Milkshake - Pretty darn good.
I've seen people go there for the food, too, and it always looks good. But why get dinner when you can just get multiple desserts??
Max Brenner
http://www.maxbrenner.com/
841 Broadway (between 13th and 14th Streets)
Friday, October 5, 2012
Food!
I went to S'mac by Union Square yesterday, a mac and cheese specialty restaurant. As an adamant food and mac and cheese lover, I insisted we get the sampler plate: a giant dish with eight different types of mac and cheese (All-American, 4 Cheese, Cheeseburger, La Mancha, Cajun, Napoletana, Alpine, Parisienne).**
Yum yum!
On the veggie options:
I loved the Parisienne with figs, brie, shiitake mushrooms, and rosemary. It's a serious indulgence and probably the most daring, but the flavors work and I love me some rosemary.
The La Mancha manchego cheese was a brilliant play, but I dislike fennel so I didn't really go for that one. But if you like fennel, the flavor is infused throughout the dish and it does complement the cheese well.
And for the less daring, All-American and 4 Cheese are both excellent. I was pleasantly surprised to find the All-American tasted more like the cheddar than the American cheese, so don't avoid it just because you don't like American. It is really quite good.
The Napoletana tasted like the pizza of the same name. If you want pizza but somehow ended up at the mac and cheese joint, get it, but otherwise the other options are a better bet.
On the meat options:
Apparently the the Cheeseburger tastes exactly like a Cheeseburger (but again, if you want a cheeseburger, maybe you should just go to a burger joint...), but the Cajun with andouille sausage is the way to go.
All in all, I was quite happy. I think next time I will take their "create your own" option, and see what fancy-ness I can come up with! They also have take-out and frozen, so you can keep some S'Mac at home in the freezer for the next time you're craving a little sumthin' sumthin'.
S'Mac Sarita's Mac and Cheese
http://www.smacnyc.com/home.html
345 East 12th Street between 1st and 2nd avenues
3 First Avenue, New York, NY 10002
157 East 33rd Street between Lexington and 3rd avenues
**With tongue in cheek, they also sell antacid pills.
Yum yum!
On the veggie options:
I loved the Parisienne with figs, brie, shiitake mushrooms, and rosemary. It's a serious indulgence and probably the most daring, but the flavors work and I love me some rosemary.
The La Mancha manchego cheese was a brilliant play, but I dislike fennel so I didn't really go for that one. But if you like fennel, the flavor is infused throughout the dish and it does complement the cheese well.
And for the less daring, All-American and 4 Cheese are both excellent. I was pleasantly surprised to find the All-American tasted more like the cheddar than the American cheese, so don't avoid it just because you don't like American. It is really quite good.
The Napoletana tasted like the pizza of the same name. If you want pizza but somehow ended up at the mac and cheese joint, get it, but otherwise the other options are a better bet.
On the meat options:
Apparently the the Cheeseburger tastes exactly like a Cheeseburger (but again, if you want a cheeseburger, maybe you should just go to a burger joint...), but the Cajun with andouille sausage is the way to go.
All in all, I was quite happy. I think next time I will take their "create your own" option, and see what fancy-ness I can come up with! They also have take-out and frozen, so you can keep some S'Mac at home in the freezer for the next time you're craving a little sumthin' sumthin'.
S'Mac Sarita's Mac and Cheese
http://www.smacnyc.com/home.html
345 East 12th Street between 1st and 2nd avenues
3 First Avenue, New York, NY 10002
157 East 33rd Street between Lexington and 3rd avenues
**With tongue in cheek, they also sell antacid pills.
Friday, July 27, 2012
Best. Neighborhood. Ever.
I just found an apartment in Queens, and I am quite the happy camper. In addition to having several CSA options in our neighborhood (see if there's one near you!), Mexican food, and a gym that is literally 1/3 the price of the gyms I looked at in Manhattan, there is a Güllüoglu Baklava branch nearby.
I am currently writing a series of posts on Istanbul (coming soon!), and in there I will extol the virtues of my favoritest baklava in Istanbul. Any guesses as to what they're called??
Let's just say I am a happy happy camper.
I am currently writing a series of posts on Istanbul (coming soon!), and in there I will extol the virtues of my favoritest baklava in Istanbul. Any guesses as to what they're called??
Let's just say I am a happy happy camper.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Review: FIVES
The Ambiance
Sadly lacking. We arrived at 1pm, the peak lunch hour, and the restaurant was perhaps 1/3 full and far too cold.
The Food
I was immediately disappointed because the restaurant had not included a vegetarian option in the RW menu, although they had chosen sustainable cod and chicken for two of their entrees. We were given a bread basket full of barely re-heated bread rolls that although varied, were far too hard to eat. After giggling our way through a few difficult and tooth-damaging bites, we gave up and left the basket full.
For the entree we ordered the mozzarella and tomato ravioli and the white bean and truffle soup. Although the ravioli was tasty, they were a little too soft, as were all the vegetables and beans in the soup. The flavor of the truffle did not come through, likely because the mushroom pieces had been thrown in along with the rest of the vegetables and overcooked.
The entrees were the highlights of the meal. The chicken was supported by a ginger risotto and light salad, both of which were delicious and excellently prepared. The ginger flavor in the risotto came through, and the salad was accompanied by a light lemon dressing that didn't overpower the other flavors on the plate. The chicken, although plain, was tender and well-cooked.
Dessert was labelled as "Lithe Asian Passion Fruit Cheesecake", by which they apparently just meant "Cheesecake with Passion Fruit on Top". It was boring, and instead of a cheesecake crust they had thrown two tiny crust croutons on top of the cheesecake square. Neither the passion fruit nor the cheesecake flavors came through, and the sorbet tasted like they had used artificial flavoring. The espresso was possibly the worst espresso I've ever had.
Rating: 3/10
Ultimately, for a restaurant that charges $9 for an espresso, the meal was profoundly disappointing and the empty dining room was confirmation that their lackluster performance was not just a RW fluke, but rather an ongoing issue. If you unwittingly find yourself dining at FIVES, stick to the entrees and find a nice cafe or bakery nearby to enjoy an after-meal dessert and coffee.
Information
http://www.peninsula.com/New_York/en/Dining/default.aspx#/New_York/en/Dining/Fives/
Sadly lacking. We arrived at 1pm, the peak lunch hour, and the restaurant was perhaps 1/3 full and far too cold.
The Food
I was immediately disappointed because the restaurant had not included a vegetarian option in the RW menu, although they had chosen sustainable cod and chicken for two of their entrees. We were given a bread basket full of barely re-heated bread rolls that although varied, were far too hard to eat. After giggling our way through a few difficult and tooth-damaging bites, we gave up and left the basket full.
For the entree we ordered the mozzarella and tomato ravioli and the white bean and truffle soup. Although the ravioli was tasty, they were a little too soft, as were all the vegetables and beans in the soup. The flavor of the truffle did not come through, likely because the mushroom pieces had been thrown in along with the rest of the vegetables and overcooked.
The entrees were the highlights of the meal. The chicken was supported by a ginger risotto and light salad, both of which were delicious and excellently prepared. The ginger flavor in the risotto came through, and the salad was accompanied by a light lemon dressing that didn't overpower the other flavors on the plate. The chicken, although plain, was tender and well-cooked.
Dessert was labelled as "Lithe Asian Passion Fruit Cheesecake", by which they apparently just meant "Cheesecake with Passion Fruit on Top". It was boring, and instead of a cheesecake crust they had thrown two tiny crust croutons on top of the cheesecake square. Neither the passion fruit nor the cheesecake flavors came through, and the sorbet tasted like they had used artificial flavoring. The espresso was possibly the worst espresso I've ever had.
Rating: 3/10
Ultimately, for a restaurant that charges $9 for an espresso, the meal was profoundly disappointing and the empty dining room was confirmation that their lackluster performance was not just a RW fluke, but rather an ongoing issue. If you unwittingly find yourself dining at FIVES, stick to the entrees and find a nice cafe or bakery nearby to enjoy an after-meal dessert and coffee.
Information
http://www.peninsula.com/New_York/en/Dining/default.aspx#/New_York/en/Dining/Fives/
Monday, July 23, 2012
Review: Fig & Olive Restaurant
It's Restaurant Week in New York (a misnomer since the thing lasts nearly three weeks!), and that means: restaurant reviews!!
First off, Fig & Olive Restaurant on Fifth.
The Ambiance
The restaurant is surprisingly huge, with an entire second floor dedicated to diners, but was still hopping around lunchtime on a Thursday. Thankfully we had made reservations and were immediately whisked upstairs. The service felt a little forced, as the host downstairs alerted the hostess upstairs to our arrival, who introduced us to our server, who primarily took orders and checked in while another team of actual servers came by to serve our food. It seemed as if the logistics and effort were extremely difficult, while I suspect their actual intention was to appear like a well-oiled and effective machine...despite this, a nice lively atmosphere for a lunchtime meal.
The Food
Before we ordered we were given a three-plate olive oil tasting, which was quite good. All three oils (from Chile, Greece, and California) were very, very good.
Going with the RW Prix fixe menu I ordered the mushroom croquettes, the pesto spaghetti without shrimp, and the chocolate creme pot. My colleague ordered the gazpacho, pesto spaghetti with shrimp, and strawberry crisps.
The mushroom croquettes were absolutely delicious, fried and served with a creamy mushroom sauce, although I had enough after the first three (there were six).
The spaghetti was completely boring. A well-made pesto, varied slightly with the addition of other herbs to the basil, but ultimately not worth their regular lunchtime prices.
The dessert was mixed. My chocolate dessert was completely boring and could have been rivaled by a store-bought chocolate pudding, although it came with some hazelnut crisp-like thing that was absolutely delicious. I also had a good espresso with my dessert. The strawberry crisps, on the other hand, were outstanding. Fresh slices of strawberry served on a thin shortbread cracker with a drizzle of balsamic made this the highlight of the entire meal.
Rating: 6/10
All in all the lively atmosphere made it worth going with friends and all the dishes were good and high-quality, if somewhat ordinary. Next time I will have to try the more unusual dishes to see if the restaurant really brings anything new to the table.
Information
http://www.figandolive.com/menu/fifth-avenue/
First off, Fig & Olive Restaurant on Fifth.
The Ambiance
The restaurant is surprisingly huge, with an entire second floor dedicated to diners, but was still hopping around lunchtime on a Thursday. Thankfully we had made reservations and were immediately whisked upstairs. The service felt a little forced, as the host downstairs alerted the hostess upstairs to our arrival, who introduced us to our server, who primarily took orders and checked in while another team of actual servers came by to serve our food. It seemed as if the logistics and effort were extremely difficult, while I suspect their actual intention was to appear like a well-oiled and effective machine...despite this, a nice lively atmosphere for a lunchtime meal.
The Food
Before we ordered we were given a three-plate olive oil tasting, which was quite good. All three oils (from Chile, Greece, and California) were very, very good.
Going with the RW Prix fixe menu I ordered the mushroom croquettes, the pesto spaghetti without shrimp, and the chocolate creme pot. My colleague ordered the gazpacho, pesto spaghetti with shrimp, and strawberry crisps.
The mushroom croquettes were absolutely delicious, fried and served with a creamy mushroom sauce, although I had enough after the first three (there were six).
The spaghetti was completely boring. A well-made pesto, varied slightly with the addition of other herbs to the basil, but ultimately not worth their regular lunchtime prices.
The dessert was mixed. My chocolate dessert was completely boring and could have been rivaled by a store-bought chocolate pudding, although it came with some hazelnut crisp-like thing that was absolutely delicious. I also had a good espresso with my dessert. The strawberry crisps, on the other hand, were outstanding. Fresh slices of strawberry served on a thin shortbread cracker with a drizzle of balsamic made this the highlight of the entire meal.
Rating: 6/10
All in all the lively atmosphere made it worth going with friends and all the dishes were good and high-quality, if somewhat ordinary. Next time I will have to try the more unusual dishes to see if the restaurant really brings anything new to the table.
Information
http://www.figandolive.com/menu/fifth-avenue/
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Kigali Stories: Food
OK, so this isn't really a story, but I love food and here's what's up in Kigali (abridged):
Must Have:
Milk and/or yogurt, particularly the ones that are produced locally on the outskirts of Kigali
Homemade ice cream from La Galette, the German bakery (I like cherry, but all the flavors are outstanding)
Isambaza (available at all the local markets, but safer if you ask a local where to get the best stuff)
Market-bought passion fruit, avocado, and papaya. The papaya especially far surpasses any import you might get in Europe or the U.S.
Restaurants:
Ok, I only went to three restaurants so this is not extensive by any means...in general, all restaurants are vegetarian-friendly, so I won't make specific notes about that.
Lalibela
Kimihura (also called Kimihurura) neighborhood
The only Ethiopian restaurant in the city and popular with just about everyone. Go for their lunch buffet, where you can partake in an all-you-can-eat buffet with a drink for less than the U.S. equivalent of $10. The sponge bread is not as sour as you may expect from Ethiopian, but the rest of the food is good quality and traditional. In the neighborhood of
Africa Bite
Kimihura
You saw the pictures before (click the link if you didn't!), so you know their lunch buffet is also awesome. Slightly cheaper than Lalibela, in the same neighborhood, but less vegetarian-friendly. But they also include dessert bowl of fresh cut fruit, so I'm a fan!
Hotel de Milles Collines
City Center, Kiyovu
The hotel from Hotel Rwanda continues to be an expensive and upscale hotel (more on that later) and provides the perfect oasis within the city if you want cocktails or a quick bite to eat. Definitely more expensive than anywhere else you might go in the entire city, but might be worth it if you want to be surrounded by grass, leafy trees, and near-total peace from the city noises. They also make a mean (and surprisingly spicy) quesadilla if you're craving Mexican...
Must Have:
Milk and/or yogurt, particularly the ones that are produced locally on the outskirts of Kigali
Homemade ice cream from La Galette, the German bakery (I like cherry, but all the flavors are outstanding)
Isambaza (available at all the local markets, but safer if you ask a local where to get the best stuff)
Market-bought passion fruit, avocado, and papaya. The papaya especially far surpasses any import you might get in Europe or the U.S.
Restaurants:
Ok, I only went to three restaurants so this is not extensive by any means...in general, all restaurants are vegetarian-friendly, so I won't make specific notes about that.
Lalibela
Kimihura (also called Kimihurura) neighborhood
The only Ethiopian restaurant in the city and popular with just about everyone. Go for their lunch buffet, where you can partake in an all-you-can-eat buffet with a drink for less than the U.S. equivalent of $10. The sponge bread is not as sour as you may expect from Ethiopian, but the rest of the food is good quality and traditional. In the neighborhood of
Africa Bite
Kimihura
You saw the pictures before (click the link if you didn't!), so you know their lunch buffet is also awesome. Slightly cheaper than Lalibela, in the same neighborhood, but less vegetarian-friendly. But they also include dessert bowl of fresh cut fruit, so I'm a fan!
Hotel de Milles Collines
City Center, Kiyovu
The hotel from Hotel Rwanda continues to be an expensive and upscale hotel (more on that later) and provides the perfect oasis within the city if you want cocktails or a quick bite to eat. Definitely more expensive than anywhere else you might go in the entire city, but might be worth it if you want to be surrounded by grass, leafy trees, and near-total peace from the city noises. They also make a mean (and surprisingly spicy) quesadilla if you're craving Mexican...
Monday, December 21, 2009
Procrastination
Hi All,
I'm writing the final draft of my final final paper. So of course I'm not actually working on it. I just found this website where you enter all the foods and spices in your pantry, and then it matches up recipes you could make. It shows what percent of the recipe you have (i.e. if it has five ingredients but you only have 4 in your pantry, it says you have 80% of the ingredients) and it also lists what more you would need. It's really flipping cool!
Here's the address, check it out: www.recipematcher.com
Over and out.
I'm writing the final draft of my final final paper. So of course I'm not actually working on it. I just found this website where you enter all the foods and spices in your pantry, and then it matches up recipes you could make. It shows what percent of the recipe you have (i.e. if it has five ingredients but you only have 4 in your pantry, it says you have 80% of the ingredients) and it also lists what more you would need. It's really flipping cool!
Here's the address, check it out: www.recipematcher.com
Over and out.
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