Dinner at the Hudson House of Nyack
Small Bites fans will recognize this post on dinner at the Hudson House, but we had such a good meal that I had to share twice. We went in to research the Jack Frost, which was featured in the 12 Days of Cocktails series, and to sample the cooking of Christopher Dunn, who has been in the kitchen for a while, but really seems to be hitting his stride. We tried three salads, one appetizer and two mains, and there wasn't a miss in the bunch. I think my favorite might have been the duck, but everything had great texture, balance and flavor. The duck confit salad was also a big winner:
20:04:00 on 11/29/09
by liz -
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Recipe: Korean Fried Chicken
After loving the Korean-style chicken at Momofuku last month, we decided to try it at home. We found a great recipe for Korean Fried Chicken here in the New York Times and set about making it. So good, and, really, quite easy. If a bit messy.
Thanksgiving, 2009
It was another wonderful Thanksgiving, with plenty of food, wine and friends. The plates, as usual, were full of good stuff. Clockwise from the turkey, at 1 o’clock, I have: ambrosia, stuffing, mashed potaotes, yam puff and Brussels sprouts. Below the sprouts are beets and below that is squash. Oh my.
Iron Cranberry Chef: Battle of the Sauces!
For Thanksgiving, we always bring the wine. But most years, we also bring cranberry sauce. Liz’s Cranberry Sauce is more of a conserve, with port and nuts and currants, along with the usual orange and sugar. Greg’s Cranberry Sauce is simple and fresh, with no cooking involved at all.
I’ve collected both recipes and propose a new Iron Chef Battle: Iron Cranberry Chef! Check out links to both recipes, and cast your votes in the comments section!
I’ve collected both recipes and propose a new Iron Chef Battle: Iron Cranberry Chef! Check out links to both recipes, and cast your votes in the comments section!
Recipe: Liz’s Cranberry Sauce
I found a recipe on Epicurious.com years ago that I still use to this day. You cook the berries with sugar, port and orange peel and then add cranberies and walnuts. I like it because it has depth. I like it because it has port. I like it because it has nuts — and therefore texture. As Katherine Martin likes to say: “It’s cranberry sauce for grownups.”
Recipe: Greg’s Cranberry Sauce
Greg uses the recipe from the back of the Ocean Spray cranberry bag. It's just oranges, sugar and cranberries. “I like the bite of the orange peel,” he says. “I like the fresh quality of it. It’s fruit, but it’s just got the right amount of tartness. It’s a nice balance of tart and sweet. It’s so delicious with pork, turkey or chicken.” Well, I don’t have a bag of cranberries at the moment, but there’s also a very similar recipe on Epicurious.com here.
Recipe: Rachel’s Pimento Cheese
Over the summer, I was excited to use Rachel Wharton’s recipe to make pimento cheese sandwiches with fresh pimentos from the garden. For Thanksgiving, I had to use canned. But the recipe is just as good.
Back at Peniche, with a New Chef: Scott Weiss
Small Bites fans will have already seen this post, but for SCF fans, here is a repurpose for ya: We shot the singing part of The 12 Days of Cocktails video at Peniche in White Plains. The white marble bar was a great setting to go from plain to over-the-top decorations as the song progressed from the first day of cocktails to the 12th.
So afterwards, naturally, we stayed for a few snacks. You may remember back in September, I announced the chef Christian Petroni left the restaurant to go to Barcelona in Greenwich. Don't worry: the food is still terrific. And Scott even added a few things — including a section of vegetable tapas, all of which were delishy.
Spinach with raisins and pine nuts:
So afterwards, naturally, we stayed for a few snacks. You may remember back in September, I announced the chef Christian Petroni left the restaurant to go to Barcelona in Greenwich. Don't worry: the food is still terrific. And Scott even added a few things — including a section of vegetable tapas, all of which were delishy.
Spinach with raisins and pine nuts:
21:08:00 on 11/24/09
by liz -
Restaurants -
The 12 Days of Cocktails
Just before Thanksgiving, my friend and colleague Tania and I spent the better part of an afternoon at Peniche, shooting the singing portion of our fun holiday project: The 12 Days of Cocktails. Here’s a photo from the shoot, plus, after the jump, a video and a picture of Tania hard at work.
Kale and Sausage Supper
Another no recipe night at SCF. We put a few sausages in a pan to sear. We cut the kale off its stems, julienned the leaves and sauteed them with garlic. Supper is served:
Chicken, Swiss Chard and Baked Potato
No recipe here, folks, just a great trip the the farmers market. We chopped up the stems of the chard and sauteed them with garlic before adding the leaves. The chicken is our regular roast chicken recipe. And the baked potato? Well, just throw it in the oven below the chicken’s roasting pot. Voila, Sunday night supper:
Recipe: Martha's Applesauce Coffee Cake
Greg always buys too many apples, so before they rot, I chop them up, add cinnamon and sugar and run them through the food mill. So, thanks to a Facebook update by SCF fan Paula, I was intrigued by a coffee cake recipe from Martha Stewart that called for applesauce. I accidentally doubled the nut mixture and it came out great.
Saturday Night at the Mountain House
Last time we went to we went to the Mountain House on a Saturday night, we found it not very crowded, and refreshingly quiet. This time, we found it was super-crowded and very loud. I guess the moral of the story is that you never know what you’re going to find, except for very good pizza.
12:29:00 on 11/21/09
by liz -
Restaurants -
Recipe: Sam Sifton’s Serious Potato Skins
We came across these recipes for homemade (hence, better) bar snacks a few weeks back in the New York Times Sunday magazine and it instantly started our mouths watering. It took a few weeks, but we finally got around to making them for Sunday night in front of the TV.
Brunch at Didier Dumas, Plus: A New Couch for the Neighbors!
On a warm fall Sunday morning, we headed downtown to our favorite pastry shop, Patisserie Didier Dumas. We got crepes and eggs and quiche, and met up with Kris and Tom and Irene, too. The only thing missing, as Tash noted, were the Bloody Marys. This was my crepe with egg:
12:12:00 on 11/15/09
by liz -
Restaurants -
A Very Momofuku Supper
Inspired by the newly purchased Momofuku cookbook, we got together with the neighbors and cooked a scrumptious fall feast where the center of the meal was pork, but the star of the show was Brussels Sprouts with Fish Sauce Vinaigrette:
Peter Kelly's Roast Rack of Pork
You may remember this dish from last Christmas, when Peter and several other chefs came to SCF to prepare some of their holiday favorites. Then Greg and I made it for Christmas dinner that year. Well, the link to the recipe expired, so I'm reprinting it here. A how-to video, too, after the jump.
Fried (or Roasted) Brussels Sprouts with Fish Sauce Vinaigrette
This recipes comes from the Momofuku cookbook, which originally calls for cauliflower. I’m sure that would be just as delicious. David Chang and Peter Meehan call for doing everything a la minute — or at the last minute. I prefer to have things ready to go when entertaining at home, so I toasted the rice, set it aside to cool, then heated the oil in the same pan to fry the cilantro leaves. I left those on paper towels to drain and stay crisp while the sprouts roasted in the oven. One pan. Fewer dishes. Just as delicious. Here is another version of the recipe from Epicurious.com.
A Visit to Frank Pepe's in Yonkers
If you’ve been following Small Bites, you know about this trip and blog post on Frank Pepe’s, the famous pizza place from New Haven that came to Yonkers in November. In it, I said:
1. Frank Pepe’s, founded in New Haven, Conn., in 1925, inspires rapturous loyalty in legions of fans.
2. The pizza is different from the cracker-thin, Brooklyn-style a lot of us are used to.
3. Tradition is important to the owners — the seven grandchildren of Frank Pepe himself. They do things the same way as always, right down to the rectangular sheet pans they serve the pizza on. Even in this, their fourth outpost, they use the same recipes, the same suppliers and the same ovens — even the castings of the old iron doors.
4. Those pizza ovens, fired with coal, are awe-inspiring.
5. The white clam pie — the signature dish at Pepe’s — is an acquired taste.
6. The original tomato pie — the first pie Pepe’s ever served (and it’s still on the menu) — is not an acquired taste. It is light, delicious and instantly endearing from the first bite.
For those who missed the post, it’s definitely worth a read, with tons of photos and a lot of history about the restaurant. For SCF fans, here’s a Reader’s DIgest version:
1. Frank Pepe’s, founded in New Haven, Conn., in 1925, inspires rapturous loyalty in legions of fans.
2. The pizza is different from the cracker-thin, Brooklyn-style a lot of us are used to.
3. Tradition is important to the owners — the seven grandchildren of Frank Pepe himself. They do things the same way as always, right down to the rectangular sheet pans they serve the pizza on. Even in this, their fourth outpost, they use the same recipes, the same suppliers and the same ovens — even the castings of the old iron doors.
4. Those pizza ovens, fired with coal, are awe-inspiring.
5. The white clam pie — the signature dish at Pepe’s — is an acquired taste.
6. The original tomato pie — the first pie Pepe’s ever served (and it’s still on the menu) — is not an acquired taste. It is light, delicious and instantly endearing from the first bite.
For those who missed the post, it’s definitely worth a read, with tons of photos and a lot of history about the restaurant. For SCF fans, here’s a Reader’s DIgest version:
11:00:00 on 11/12/09
by liz -
Restaurants -
Pizza at Vezzo
We celebrated Boo’s triumphant return from Paris by, what else? Having lunch. We headed to Vezzo, her favorite pizza place.
13:40:00 on 11/08/09
by liz -
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Lots of Oysters at Wild Edibles
Walking past Wild Edibles almost every day while staying at Boo’s, we couldn’t help but notice the oyster special: a dozen for a good price. Of course it being two months ago, I can’t remember what the price was, but I can tell you this: on Saturday, for our last meal of the staycation, we went.
18:29:00 on 11/07/09
by liz -
Restaurants -
Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass
That’s what DUMBO stands for. We kicked around long enough to know that it might also stand for Don’t move here Unless you’ve got a Million and a BugabOo stroller. Or something like that. Lots of strollers. Lots of dogs. Lots of kids. Lots of money. Some cool stores. Some very striking views.
Brunch at Vinegar Hill House
Vinegar Hill House is a restaurant in the Vinegar Hill section of Brooklyn. Former employees at Freeman’s opened it, so it’s got that funky hipster feel. To my mind, they’re trying just a little too hard with that. I mean, there are organ pedals above the bar. But the smoked trout, eggs and potaotes were delicious, so, no big deal.
11:36:00 on 11/07/09
by liz -
Restaurants -
Dinner at Locanda Verde
We have a new favorite restaurant. Locanda Verde in TriBeCa is what Greg called “the restaurant of the future.” It hits just the right balance between a neighborhood restaurant and special occasion restaurant, and there are none of the annoying trappings of high end dining — only the good ones. It’s casual without being sloppy. It’s fancy without being pretentious. The service is warm and friendly. And the food, by chef Andrew Carmellini, is utterly delicious.
17:23:00 on 11/06/09
by liz -
Restaurants -
Walking in Williamsburg
We spent the rest of the afternoon walking and window shopping in Williamsburg. For once, I did not buy cheese.
Lunch at Marlow & Sons
16:26:00 on 11/06/09
by liz -
Restaurants -
Ramen and Other Good Food at Momofuku Noodle Bar
After our Fried Chicken Dinner at Momofuku Noodle Bar on Friday, we got to thinking we’d rather like to try the ramen there, too. After all, we’ve been to Momofuku Saam Bar several times, but, except for the chicken dinner, never been to Noodle. So after our cocktails at PDT, we headed over. It’s not just noodles, either. We started with this beautiful appetizer of hamachi:
22:11:00 on 11/05/09
by liz -
Restaurants -
Cocktails at PDT
We do love a cocktail. And they make a mighty fine one or two or ten over at PDT. I know that some SCF fans have seen several visits to PDT, but we’re always trying new drinks, so I figure one more post can’t hurt. Here’s one of the drinks, called the Master Cleanse:
20:35:00 on 11/05/09
by liz -
Restaurants -
Greg and The Goat
Appparently, Picasso used only scrap metal to create his She Goat sculpture. Appropriate, when you consider the tin can reputation of goats, don’t you think?
Fried Chicken from the NYC Cravings Truck
SCF fans may remember I’m working on a story about food trucks, and we paid a visit to the Rickshaw Dumpling Truck a while back. Today, for lunch, we’re hitting NYC Cravings, a Taiwanese truck specializing in fried chicken over rice.
11:04:00 on 11/05/09
by liz -
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Supper at The New French
After a busy day exploring food in Flushing, we were looking for a simple supper. Mussels and some kick-ass fries at The New French seemed to fit the bill.
21:43:00 on 11/04/09
by liz -
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A Food Tour of Flushing
Once you start poking around the Internet, it’s not so hard to quickly discover the best things to eat in a neighborhood. You’re never more than a few clicks away from knowing where to find juicy steamed duck buns; delicate, rich soup dumplings; and, to quote the New York Times, “noodles to boggle the mind.” SCF fans, here’s our trip to Flushing.
13:30:00 on 11/04/09
by liz -
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Strolling the Highline
The Highline is a park on an old elevated train line that runs through the Meatpacking district. The first part of it was restored and opened this summer. We spent an hour or so walking along and admiring the plants, the views, and the delicate balance of urbanity and nature.
Dairy-Free Hollandaise and Other Detoxifying Food Items at Josie's
On Sunday, we had a leisurely brunch just up the street from Boo’s place at Josie’s, a vegetarian-friendly and sometimes organic restaurant. It’s an OK neighborhood restaurant, one you like to have around if your best friend is vegan. But other than that, nothing too special.
10:52:00 on 11/01/09
by liz -
Restaurants -
