Monthly Archives: January 2013

David’s Tea

It’s flu season. Enough said, right?

Whether or not you are battling the flu, strep throat, post nasal drip, a cold, etc. etc. I promise you that David’s Tea will have some sort of herbal mixture that will help soothe your winter sickness and discomfort. Please notice I did not say it will “cure” anything — but it will help ease the pain.

tea for a sore throat

I bought The Cold Survival Kit the other weekend because I felt a load of sniffles coming on. In the kit you’ll find a bag of Bravissimo — also known as my current sore throat savior. Made up of licorice root, chamomile, rosehip, goji berries, orange peel and peppermint — this mixture is sweet enough so you won’t have to add anything to your tea after it steeps. After your first sip, you’ll feel the tea soothe your throat immediately. It’s decaffeinated and is the perfect way to warm up before getting some much needed rest.

Of course I’m fighting off my cold with some meds, but I swear Bravissimo is helping BIG time. I don’t know how I fought colds in the past without it!

Hunter’s in Brooklyn: Part II

So, my first impression on Hunter’s a few weeks ago was a great one. It was so fabulous I had to head back to sample a few more dishes. I was tempted because Hunter’s posts some fabulous photos on their Instagram account and I was drooling over a photograph a friend of mine posted on his own page. He put up a picture of Hunter’s Agnolotti! I knew the second I saw this photo that I HAD to go back to try a few other plates on the menu.

So my foodie partner-in-crime and I headed back out to Cobble Hill, Brooklyn for dinner. Of course we ordered their Angus Burger — but we had to try out one of Hunter’s specials well as the Agnolotti and a side of the Maple Sweet Potato Mash.

Here’s our verdict:
roasted bone marrow

The bone marrow wasn’t only delicious, but it was a work of art! FYI, when you order roasted bone marrow be cautious when you pick up the bones — you will burn yourself! Even if you pick it up with a napkin you won’t be able to hold it for long. Placed on top of crispy bread, the roasted bone marrow tasted beautiful!
agnolotti with spicy cocoa pumpkin seeds

The Agnolotti was just as spectacular as I imagined. Maybe even better! Of course it was sweet from the winter squash and the sage — but it was surprising to me that the plate also had a spicy kick to it! This was probably the first time I ever ate a sweet plate that was also spicy. The spice came from the spicy cocoa covered pumpkin seeds. I also really enjoyed that the dish had brussels sprouts leaves rather than the entire head of brussels sprouts. It made it much easier to eat and it allowed the green vegetable to complement the main flavors of the dish.

I did face a fork war over the side of Maple Sweet Potato Mash. OH MY GOSH this was heavenly! We probably should have ordered 2 of these — and I would strongly suggest for everyone to never share this dish with anyone. I am still tempted to go back to ask the chef to at least share what ingredients he/she uses — or maybe I could butter him/her up enough to get the recipe!

Even though this is my second dining experience at Hunter’s — I have decided that venturing off to Brooklyn for this restaurant will always be worth it!

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L’Apicio in the LES

I am a bit embarrassed to admit how behind I am on posting this — but, better late than never! 2012 flew by so fast AND I have a feeling that 2013 is going to be an amazing year in so many ways! So, what was my final dinner of 2012? ITALIAN, of course!

So here we go … my final meal of 2012 was a great one! I headed downtown to the Lower East Side for dinner at L’Apicio — the sister restaurant to L’Artusi. It opened only a couple of months ago and we have been excited to head on down to the LES to get a taste of the menu.

L’Apicio’s menu is set up the same way as L’Artusi’s — reasonable sized plates that you share with those you are dining with. Italian cuisine and tapas style… what could be better than this?

When it comes to tapas, I will admit that I go a bit crazy ordering. It first usually starts out with me and my foodie partner-in-crime looking over the menu, eying down what we have to have then we come together to share our choices, we narrow it down to a handful of plates then we confuse ourselves by asking the server what he/she prefers on the menu. Usually we end up picking a plate or two that the server prefers, then we both pick plates we both want, then we decide on one final dish that looks good.

We started with a delicious cheese plate — my guess is the restaurant changes this cheese menu based on what they are able to order / what is fresh. I would suggest ordering 2-4 different types of cheese to start. They go beautifully with wine as well!

hamachi

Then, we ordered a couple of appetizers — but there is one specific plate I have to rave about. The Hamachi was out of this world! Hamachi is also called yellowtail (click here for more info). This dish was made with apple, jalapeno, and chives. All of these ingredients made each bite full of fresh and vivid flavors. The funny part about ordering the Hamachi is that I was hesitant about eating it — I wasn’t too sure about the description on the menu but boy am I happy I gave it a try! It might be my new raw obsession!

cauliflower ravioli

Another dinner favorite was the Mezzalune — ravioli stuffed with cauliflower and topped with pinenuts and capers. The capers added the perfect amount of salt, the pinenuts made the ravioli texture unique and the cauliflower made me feel like I was eating something healthy! The plate was small and something I wish I could have devoured all on my own. If I went back and had to order only one plate — this would be it! Who would have thought how flavorful a cauliflower ravioli would be!?

beefy gnocchi

Another great order — the Osso Bucco Ragu Gnocchi. Gnocchi is already a very filling food, and paired with hearty meat you are bound for a food-coma. It’s also very easy to screw up cooking gnocchi and the chef at L’Apicio cooked this plate perfectly.

maple squash

And, last but not least, the perfect side dish — the Delicata Squash. The squash was made with hazelnuts, sage and maple. All of these sweet flavors made the vegetable taste like candy. It’s the perfect side dish to order when you are eating such savory main dishes. This is also an inspirational side dish that I would like to recreate at home!

We also ordered polenta but it was not something we enjoyed. I believe the consistency of polenta is either loved or hated — and in a nutshell, it’s something I really don’t like. But, if you do like polenta, the restaurant gives you a few beautiful options to choose from!
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Splitting The Bill

Andddd it’s true… restaurants in New York City will never EVER give everyone at the table separate bills. So, eating out with friends means you face having to split the bill fairly. I never worry about this with my close friends; everyone is honest and if you eat only a salad no one is going to make you pay for part of Timmy’s 10 oz steak. But every once in a while you run into a situation where all you really wish is for someone to step in and divide everything up for you. Who drank wine? Who ate appetizers? Who didn’t eat dessert? This video from Portlandia (sent to me by my dear friend, Chef Stef) is hilarious and truly shows what the end of a Manhattan dinner looks like…

Melt Shop Grilled Cheese

Let’s get right to the point — Little Muenster has some major competition. Just like cupcakes, grilled cheese sandwiches aren’t just a food trend — they are a classic comfort food that has been pleasing many for generations. Which is why it isn’t a surprise to me that grilled cheese shops are popping up all across town.

Melt Shop is actually in far east Chelsea — that’s the first major plus, I didn’t have to go all the way downtown like I did for Little Muenster. Convenience is key. I also appreciated the speediness of the service and the wide selection of sandwich choices.  What’s even more exciting? They offer a breakfast menu as well — something that I need to try out! To see the entire menu, click here!

Knowing what types of food I love… take a wild guess at what I ordered.

truffle grilled cheese

Yup — I went for the Truffle Melt… a grilled cheese made up of havarti, arugula, and cracked black pepper that has truffle oil drizzled on top, all melted together in between two pieces of sourdough bread. Did you know, if you add truffle to dairy the flavor really pops? So, what could be better than cheese and truffle? Hmmm, probably nothing.

The sourdough bread had the perfect crispiness after it came out of the sandwich press, and the arugula added the perfect greenery to the grilled cheese.

Looking for something with a little more substance? Melt Shop offers grilled cheeses made with meat — chicken, pork… you name it!

So, I leave you with this thought — what could be better than a warm grilled cheese on a cold winter day? These sandwiches really hit the spot and take the grilled cheese food trend to a whole new level.

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Hawaiian Breakfast

You hear the saying all the time — breakfast, it’s the most important meal of the day. And to us, it truly is! We. Do. Not. Mess. With. Breakfast. Or, at least we didn’t while we were in Hawaii. Every day was a buffet-style breakfast and the first morning I was there I was a bit overwhelmed with what to pick. I had been on the longest travel day of my life (seriously, I was traveling for about 23 hours and only was eating snack foods the entire trip) so I naturally wanted something that would fill me up quickly… So, I went for the banana pancakes with coconut syrup. Yes, they are just as amazing as they sound. This coconut syrup is brilliant and I am playing around with recipes at home right now so I can eventually share with you a concoction you can enjoy at home.

coconut syrup

passion fruit

But, as the days went on I had the opportunity to scout everything out at the buffet — french toast, breakfast burritos, every type of fruit you can imagine, Hawaiian made granola. You name it — it was there! So, the best technique for breakfast came down to this: get the food that you absolutely have to have, share it with anyone at the table, and eat off of other people’s plates so you get to taste a little bit of everything. Don’t worry, I’m not that crazy, I wasn’t eating off of a stranger’s plate (I just plate fork war with my boyfriend over the Nutella stuffed french toast).

best crispy hashbrowns

Something we discovered that wasn’t at the buffet was an unbelievable crispy hashbrown that the kitchen was happy to whip together for us. I swear, whenever I eat a great hashbrown the rest of my breakfast is fantastic — whenever I eat a crappy hashbrown (or home fries) the rest of my meal goes down the drain. So there you have it — the way I judge a breakfast. Don’t hate me.

strawberry smoothies

One of the treats that the Four Seasons in Wailea had for us was every morning the breakfast buffet had some sort of smoothie sampling. One day the smoothie was made with kale, another day oranges, and another day strawberries and bananas. Some I preferred more than others, but it has inspired me to whip out my juicer at home to help me blend together some homemade smoothies made with only the freshest ingredients!

Wine Decanting

At one point, I can remember there being one type of wine decanter — it was in the form of a gorgeous glass “bowl”. All you had to do is pour your wine in and let it breathe. Now,  everything seems to be about instant gratification and fast food (for most people) — no one has time to stare at their wine until they can finally pour themselves a glass and unwind from an impossible day. So, it seems to me that many people are turning to modern wine aerators to help them speed up the process. I will admit, at times, I am one of those people.

food network wine aerator

My most recent experience with an aerator is with a Food Network branded product, but you can find the same exact item at stores like Williams Sonoma. What I loved most about it was you could pour an entire glass of wine into the aerator that is resting on the top of your glass , rather than slowly pouring it into a smaller aerator that you have to hold in one hand. It was also easy to clean and comes with a stand so you won’t have to worry about dripping wine every where. Does it work just as well as the classic wine decanter? I think it gets the job done, quickly. But there is something about letting wine breathe the natural way.

So, my question to you… How is everyone prepping their bottle of wine before taking the plunge into their first glass? More importantly, what’s your go-to bottle of wine?

different types of wine

I came across this pin/infographic on Pinterest and I couldn’t help but post it to my favorite board titled Lists To Love. The chart shows you all of the different types of wine. At first, I thought it was pretty neat — and after trying to find “Malbec” on the list, I felt like I was looking at something I once tried to decipher in High School chemistry class. There are so many types of wine I just couldn’t keep track.

wine and cheese chart

So, I looked for something else, something a bit less… overwhelming. I came across this neat pin/infographic that charts out the best types of cheese to eat with specific types of wine. I feel like this was made for me!

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Hot Granola

This past weekend I posted about a breakfast dish I had — Hot Granola. I’m telling ya, folks, if you want to see the food I’m eating way before I blog about it — follow me on Instagram! A few of my Instagram followers saw this picture and couldn’t help but ask, “how on earth does someone recreate this dish?” And I’m over here blogging this post wondering the exact same thing.

For the past several months I have been baking and cooking with rolled oats. But I have never had hot granola before. So, I’m opening up a forum of discussion to talk about the best way to recreate a hot granola dish that I’m dying to make at home. Feel free to venture to the “Contact Me” tab if you aren’t wanting to share any recipes with other bloggers, or simply comment on today’s post.

hot granola

This specific hot granola that I ate for breakfast last weekend was filled with hearty flavors — raisins and almond slivers also added some extra texture to the dish. The consistency was filling but didn’t weigh me down… I’m thinking it would be the perfect breakfast to consume before heading out for some wintery activities. 1. It will warm you up before you bolt out into the cold and 2. It gives you the perfect amount of energy to stay active for hours before having to eat again. Oh — and did I mention that it’s healthy? Full of whole grains and just a little bit of spices to give it that bold flavor — it’s a guilty-free start to your day!

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Blueberry Mojito Recipe

As promised, folks, I have the most incredible mojito recipe to share!

blueberry mojito recipe
Over my holiday I was surprised with a last minute trip to Hawaii. For the past few years, I have vacationed with my boyfriend to very fun, relaxing beachy locations; and every beach trip we have been on I am typically the one enjoying an ice-cold brewski and he’s sitting next to me slurping on a pina colada (wait, did I mention they are always virgins?). This year, he discovered a new drink that not only had him hooked, but me as well! And, I have to give full credit here to the bartender at the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea for this recipe — he managed to create a mojito so unbelievably amazing he must have had so many recipe requests the Four Seasons had special recipe cards printed for him to share with the guests! Created by Danny McCauley, his “Serenity Mojito” (I call it the Blueberry Mojito) seriously hits the spot on a hot day! The icy beverage has the perfect mix of flavor — from the cooling sensation of the muddled mint leaves to the sweetness of the fresh blueberries — this mixed drink is guaranteed to keep people drinking (responsibly, of course)!

Okay, so I’ll cut to the chase… see below for the recipe!

Ingredients/Directions Combined:

  • Fresh Mint Leaves (6-7 each)
  • Fresh Blueberries (8-10 each)

Muddle these ingredients together (then add to the glass).

Fill a glass with crushed ice.

  • Add 1.5 oz. of Blueberry Fris Vodka to the glass
  • Add 1 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
  • Fill the glass with soda water
  • Shake the combination thoroughly

Hawaiian Canoeing

I mentioned that while in Hawaii we learned how to row on a traditional Hawaiian canoe. Our canoeing adventure took us out into the water where we were able to check out some reefs, Hawaiian green turtles, tropical fish, and other wild life.

Below you’ll see a few photos I snapped on our early morning ride as the sun was coming up over Maui:

paddling boarding in maui

maui paddle boards

maui water sports

While rowing, we learned some fascinating history of the islanders and Hawaii itself. The Four Seasons has the perfect summary of our canoeing experience listed on their website, here’s what they say:

Centuries before the Pilgrims arrived at Plymouth Rock, Polynesian seafarers travelled over 2,300 miles to the shores of Earth’s most remote archipelago: the Hawaiian Islands. Capable and daring, they ventured across the ocean in outrigger canoes, at a time when Western boats rarely went out of sight of land.

At Four Seasons Resort Maui, you can follow in the paddle strokes of Hawaii’s ancient forefathers, even if you are a malihini (newcomer) to the sport of outrigger canoeing. The Resort’s championship paddling team oversees a complimentary outrigger canoe programme, offered two to three times a day, four days a week.

After you help launch the canoe from the beach, and rhythmically propel the canoe forward across the calm surface of the Pacific, you’ll start to feel as if you’re travelling back in time. For in between canoeing commands shouted in Hawaiian, your guide will share Polynesian culture with you through a wala’au (talking story).

With hoe (paddle) in hand, you’ll start to learn how to read the ocean from the feel of blade as it slices through the water, how to steer your course by the patterns of wind, swell and current. Na Oli (the chants) helps connect you with your fellow paddlers.

After a while, you might wonder what would possess the ancient Polynesians to traverse the ocean in an outrigger canoe. And then it all becomes so apparently clear as you journey through a magnificent reef system. Before you, a bale of green sea turtles; passing underneath, a school of manta rays; and during the season, the strong possibilities of humpback whales. Then you’ll wonder if there’s an opening in the next session.