The week in food

As I type, I am digesting cake truffles from Momofuku Milk Bar(two pineapple upside down cake and one chocolate chip). Needless to say, it’s been a naughty week.

It included obscene meals at Acme and L’Artusi. Cocktails at Employees Only and Hotel Delmano.

And the capper was going to Smorgasburg in Williamsburg, with the lovely views of our most amazing city.

Where, from the gorgeous bruschetta options at Sunday Gravy, we chose walnut chicken with a beautiful pesto.

It went well with the Bamberg sandwich from Schnitz...

parsley and panko breadcrumbed chicken with pickled cucumbers and daikon and spicy dijon mustard on a pretzel roll. Delicious.

Brown Butter Salty and Oat Chocolate Chunk cookies from The Good Batch…

Just didn’t stand a chance against the hibiscus and café au lait doughnuts from Dough.

Heaven. But I have some serious repenting to do this week.

The week in food

Yes, I’ve been having my misgivings about summer’s end, la rentrée and that general meh feeling at the turn of the seasons. Nevertheless, the beautiful weather is hanging on, and there is always delicious food this time of the year to make it all better.

Like heirloom tomato toast, doused in olive oil, salt and pepper, and the roasted carrot and avocado salad at ABC Kitchen.

Pitch-perfect bluefish cakes with poached eggs and celery remoulade at Stone Park Café in Park Slope (and yes, finally getting my Instagram savviness...)

That was after a glorious blueberry muffin at Du Jour Bakery and a romp through Sugar and Plumm’s candy kingdom on the Upper West Side.

And to bring the weekend to a close, a Sunday morning bagel in Central Park. 

 Have I mentioned that I love New York?

Landed in San Francisco

24 hours into San Francisco, I have certainly not been shy about (over)eating.

I took a short walk yesterday, with a soundtrack of foghorns in the bay and squawking green parrots overhead.


But otherwise, I’ve been focused on a string of eating opportunities.

First stop was Mission Beach, a new San Francisco favorite. I managed to skip the french toast this time. But not long after, I went to my favorite candy store, Miette.


And then for a cupcake.

By the time dinner rolled around, I didn’t need another bite, not to mention calorie. But it just so happened that three friends from high school were in town, so of course I had to go eat (a turkey burger and pinot noir, for the record).

And after yoga class this morning, it was time to eat. Again.

Speaking of San Francisco favorites, when was the last time you went to Zuni?

For me, it had been eons. And I had forgotten how magical a restaurant can be.

We were seated on a banquette near the open kitchen.

Loaves of Acme sourdough bread before us. (And, before long, in front of us.)


And I watched one chef make their famous Caesar salad.

Over and over.

And over again.

Tossing, pouring, grating…


Naturally I had to have one.

Along with a pizza from their wood oven.

It was heaven.

24 hours into San Francisco, and I couldn’t be happier to be here.

The cutest restaurant in New York CIty

It may be rare that I fall head over heels, but when I fall, I fall hard. Like with Buvette.

I've been lamenting the fact that I never go out for dinner the way I used to. For whatever reason(s), since returning from Paris I just don't have the opportunity, occasion or companions the way I once did. I fell for Buvette late last spring and had only had one repeat visit. But this morning, I had the lucky opportunity to have breakfast there. And my love is for real.

Nutella crepes...

They call these tartines, but never have I seen such fluffy-thick-soft bread. And the butter and marmalade on top?! Heaven.

Waffles buried under a cloud of whipped cream and fresh berries.

Et voila... tarte tatine. Sweet-savory, caramel-y tarte tatin. For breakfast. Pourquoi pas??

Not that there weren't other amazing little baked bits to choose from...



But I guess I need something new to try the next time I go back.

My Vegan Mondays

Frugality in cooking has a long and powerful history and a pathetic present. With the exuberant abundance of the post-war half-century, many Americans forgot the lessons brought over from the old countries, honed during the rapid but harsh development of the 19th century, the lean years of the Depression, the rationing of the 1940s. Old-timers made soup from scraps, saw potatoes as a main course and considered three squares the pinnacle of good living.

Can you imagine? Now fast-food joints litter the eight-lane thoroughfares that rip through most cities and suburbs. If you want a pizza, you reach into the freezer or make a phone call; you get hungry, you pop something in the microwave, pull into the drive-thru, wait on a line. We have become accustomed not to real food but to “convenience,” one of the filthiest of modern catchwords, and to the ill health and waste associated with it. (Some estimate that 50 percent of all food produced in the U.S. is wasted, and that doesn’t include the junk that isn’t worth producing in the first place.)

I have re-read this post from Mark Bittman, not just because it espouses so many food ideals that I believe in, but because of many conversations I’ve had recently.

Food is political. It's worth getting worked up over. It's worth making conscious decisions about. I believe this more and more, especially reading after reading more of the excellent reportage and opinions of Bittman. In another article, he wrote:

Cooking changes lives in ways that eating never approaches. Cooking makes you care about nourishment, family meals, nutrition, pleasure, relaxation, skills, control, health, the environment, culture and the earth. And it leads your kids to care about these things too.

Why not make your Mondays vegan, too??

Morning
Green tea
Cereal with almond milk

Afternoon
Salad combo: roasted broccoli and leeks and chickpeas
Apple
Banana

Evening*
Veggies and hummus
Granola bar
Red wine

* Admittedly, a lame dinner. But the french fries and brussels sprouts AJ and I had last night at Joseph Leonard were vegan... that counts, right??

My Vegan Mondays

Give it up for me, mes amis! I exhibited otherworldly willpower tonight by eating at one of my favorite restaurants in the city, Joseph Leonard, and sticking vegan! Granted, I was there with my vegan friend, Craig, who made it not only easy, but fun, but still… the scallops looked really good...

Morning
Coffee and cereal with almond milk

Afternoon
Cannellini bean, avocado, roasted tomato and pumpkin seed salad from Amy’s Bread – dee-lish!
Roll
Granola bar

Dinner
A glass of red wine
Salad with caramelized shallots and roasted carrots, roasted brussels sprouts, “vegetable cakes” with bok choy and mushrooms, and hash browns*

*See? Easy, fun and delicious!

There’s nothing like this in Paris

Burgers as big as your head. Literally.

When I saw the $42 cheeseburger on the menu of M. Wells, the much ballyhooed restaurant in Queens that’s set in an old diner, I couldn’t imagine why it cost so much. Until I saw Chef Hugue Dufour spearing the patty that could feed four with a steak knife and adding a stack of onion rings to it. This place is no ordinary restaurant.

But there are French touches. The chef is from Montreal and has imported some Gallic ways and ingredients.
Oysters with a coffee sabayon, tuna tartare covered in mustard seed, and escargots and bone marrow. I tried them all and now add oysters to my list of “didn’t know I liked it” list. Bone marrow? Non.



Alas, we didn’t order the burger, but my gentleman friends, Bennie and Kev, did order the ribs for two and there was nothing subtle about that dish either. I think I was so mesmerized by the platter of meat and frites delivered to our table that I forgot to take a “before” photo, but caught the impressive “after” evidence.

And after my relatively modest meal of crab bread pudding, it was time for “my” course: dessert. Bennie insisted on the banana cream pie.

I rallied for the $16 Paris Brest.

Was it as good as Philippe Conticini’s masterpiece, the best brest in Paris?

No. But it was a beautiful taste of Paris. In a crazy New York setting.