Last Night: Caffe Pepe Rosso

salad - simple and good

bread - fine

water - tasted kind of like mold -- srange

pasta w. garlic oil and veggies (primavera) - amazing
pappardelle with lamb ragu - delicious but not what I ordered

wine - small list - well-designed to pair with the basic Italiana - Montepulciano, Chianti, Sav Blanc, etc

I'd like to go back and try the sausage dish that I originally ordered...

nice, simple, not very pricey,

Salty Meats

Last night I made friends with a nice young woman who works at Murray's cheese (Grand Central) in the meats dept. She invited me to come by the store for a discount. We also discussed sheep's milk cheese and orchids on our train ride back to NYC from the wedding.

Maybe she can get me access to this room...


More to follow...

Back to My Roots

Autumn is a wonderful time at the farmer's markets. Crunchy apples, juicy pears, and fresh-from-the-dirt root vegetables. Decided to whip up a roasted root vegetable medly a few days back, on a stay-at-home fall Saturday.

The recipe was quite easy aside from a solid half-hour of chopping. We cut half-inch wedges of pumpkin, acorn squash, turnips, parsnips, onions and potatoes -- enough to fill up a large Le Creuset 'French Oven'. All that got mixed up with a generous sprinkling of olive oil, salt, pepper, brown sugar, and cinnamon. We added fresh rosemary sprigs on top and a few garlic sections with skin left on.

Baked the whole thing at 400 for about 50 minutes, stirring once or twice. About halfway through, the delicious smells of the sweet pumpkin and the parsnip began to seep into the room... The dish was incredible. A variety of sweet and earthy flavors blended with a bit of spicy cinnamon tickling the tongue. The pumpkin and acorn squash became a rich orange mash that held the solid parsnip, turnip, and potato all together. We squeezed the roasted garlic out of their skins and stirred them through the mixture to add a little extra punch. Delicious!

This could be a meal in its own right, but I paired with my new favorite honey-glazed chicken breast recipe and a nice rich glass of red wine.

Best Ice Cream in the World

Hagen Dazs 5 has only 5 ingredients.

This brown sugar ice may be the best flavor I have ever tasted in my life.

http://www.haagen-dazs.com/products/product.aspx?id=367

Try it with some fresh almonds!

Last Night: Gluttony Hour

The Arscott-Sheil wedding last night was no joke. I went for the "fill up on hors d'oeuvres" strategy.

I walked into the reception hall and was immediately shocked to see a huge raw bar... I mean, you don't get that every day. 2 types of oysters, 2 types of clams and mounds of plump cocktail shrimp. I limited myself to a half dozen. Wonderful briny bi-valves paired with a Ketel on the rocks - splendid start to an evening!

On to my favorite... the salty meats. Melt-in-your-mouth Prosciutto, salamis, soppressata, pepperoni. A dozen different cheeses. Marinated artichokes, mushrooms, etc. Mmm... so salty. More Ketel. Seltzer on the side.

How about the passed hors d'oeuvres? Duck pate, Filet Mignon on a stick, Buffalo chicken, Lobster pastries, raspberry-brie tarts, duck spring rolls, asparagus bruscetta, meat empanadas, bacon-wrapped scallops, and the kicker... you ready... Lamb Chops. What more can I guy ask for? You mean, all I have to do is stand here with a drink in my hand, and a nice young man in a tux will come by every few minutes and offer me another lamb chop? Life is beautiful.

Only in New York: International Pickle Festival

What an unbelievable event. Crowds by the hundreds turned out for the NYC International Pickle Day at the LES summer home of Shakespeare in the Parking Lot (one of the absolute most surprising performances I've ever stumbled upon in the city). waiting in line to taste pickled stringbeans, beats, peppers, kimchi, kosher dills, new dills, garlic pickles, spicy garlic pickles, horseradish pickles, honeymustard pickles, thunder pickles and more.

Learned a few intersting things too:

Do you know what makes new pickles unique? They are brined in salt-water as opposed to vinegar.

Also - I never heard of these before: Physalis or "Husk Cherries". I bought a pound - they're fantastic. Like a tomato meets cherry with a juicy, nutty taste. Apparently there is only one or two farmers in the city that actually sell them. As Molly says, spread the word about the husk cherries so more farmers will grow them and bring them here for us to enjoy.

Last Night: 'inoteca

The quest for an LES birthday dinner spot had me considering Pho Grand, Casimir, and Schiller's. The final decision brought us to a downstairs table for 3 at 'inoteca - Birthday-Girl requested Italian.

We started off with a bottle of wine suggested by 'inoteca's wine director. We asked for medium-bodied red with an earthy taste and notes of spice. He brought an interesting selection - Caniolo. The Caniolo is a grape used mostly for blending chianti's, but it stood on its own in our bottle, which met our requests perfectly.

'inoteca serves Italian mezze courses. Meats + cheeses, bruschetta, panini, verdura, and some entrees. The antipasto sampler included a variety of rich and spicy olives, spicy sauteed broccolini, provolone picante, copa, sauteed endive, and - my favorite - an assortment of delicous farm-fresh pickled veggies.

We kept the meal generally light following the antipasto. A grilled octopus tentacle was tasty but not as awe-inspiring as those at my favorite greeks (periyali). Grilled mushrooms over arugula with shallots was well enjoyed and the Bruschetta sampler (black olive, butternut squash, white bean, porcini) was presented well on nice, big crostini but lacked real depth and flavor.

Dessert was the highlight. An affagato kicked ass and the chocolate panacotta was a rare find. Little Nutella sandwiches dipped in poached grapes were also a hit (with the ladies).

I'd do it again, 'inoteca. The experience was enjoyable - knowledgeable and helpful staff, impressive wine list. I'd shoot only for the downstairs though. Upstairs was noisy and cramped, the wine cellar room below was calm and dark. Perfect for romance or friends and few bottles.