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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 partner-in-crime, aka my boyfriend, 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 with my boyfriend 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! My boyfriend and 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 the two of us 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, I pick a plate, my boyfriend picks a plate then we decide on one final dish that looks good. Every once in a while I see something that I know I would love to eat but I know my boyfriend is going to be difficult about trying something new; and I am totally guilty of giving a specific look to my server when I say “so, how is the Mezzalune? I bet it’s delicious — right?!” My non-verbal communication through my wicked eye-glare will tell any waiter that he/she needs to respond “Oh yes, it’s fantastic, and a popular dish ordered by many!” All it takes is for my boyfriend to hear a rave review by the server and he’ll order the dish. A girl has gotta do what a girl has gotta do … for delicious food ;-)

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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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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Mele Kalikimaka

This Christmas holiday was filled with just pure excitement — great food, amazing friends, and loving families. After spending a spectacular holiday with my family, I was surprised with a last minute trip to Hawaii. Or, I should say, Hawai’i.

Long story short, every year for the past 15 years my boyfriend’s family goes to Hawaii for the holiday but for the past 5 years my boyfriend hasn’t joined them because it’s a crazy time of year for him at work. But this year he pulled a huge surprise for his family and for me — we flew to the South Pacific for some fun in the sun and quality family time.

Over the next week I’m going to post a few times about our trip to Hawaii — it was a short 3-day trip because we both needed to get back (for him he needed to get back for work, for me I wanted to get back to my family). I hope you enjoy the posts — be sure to keep a look-out for an exciting recipe that will tell you how to make my new favorite mojito! I promise you, you won’t be disappointed!

four seasons wailea

Above you’ll see a view of our hotel’s beach in Wailea. The side of the Maui island we were on had calm waves — the perfect water for snorkeling, paddle boarding, and other water sports.

hawaiian green turtle

We learned some rowing techniques on a traditional Hawaiian canoe called The Canoe of the Red Sea. Rowing with 2 other locals, we were able to learn some interesting history of the island as well as see some gorgeous wild life. Above, you’ll see a photo I took of a Hawaiian Green Turtle. I was able to capture this picture at a spot the locals call “The Cleaning Station” — it’s where the turtles swim to to have their shells cleaned by the fish. If their shells don’t get cleaned, the algae acts similar to mold and will destroy their shell by making it too soft.

fish tacos

Nothing is more satisfying for lunch than some fish tacos! The flavors came together beautifully — especially once we squeezed the lime juice over top of the fish!

hawaiian sunset

I can’t wait to get back for more Hawaiian sunsets! Everything about the island was so magical — it truly is paradise!

ahi tuna tacos

These Ahi Tuna Tacos almost look fake — don’t they? The fish was so fresh — I don’t think any of us ever saw such exquisite seafood! The taste on these tacos was fresh and savory — look closely and you can see the sesame seeds on top and the drizzle of a special sauce that added the perfect kick to the tuna.

Be sure to check back next week for more Hawaii posts and that mojito recipe I told you all about!

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Festive Holiday Inspiration

You can’t really miss holiday inspiration “this time of year” — it’s every where! And I love it, it’s exactly what we need. And, when I say “we” I mean — “we, people, that live in cold locations”. Holiday cheer excites almost everyone and it’s that perfect joy I need — it lifts my spirits in the dead of winter.

So, I thought I’d share with you some of my holiday inspiration that has kept me excited for Christmas and Hanukkah this year — remember, folks, Hanukkah starts this Saturday!

home alone soundtrack

I heavily rely on my Pandora radio, it’s free and it seems to play the music I like (most of the time). But it’s always right on the money with my favorite holiday songs. This past weekend some Home Alone music popped up on my Pandora Christmas station and it inspired me to watch the movie. I was flooded with nostalgia as I watched Kevin set up the house to scare off “the bad guys” — I watched this movie ever year growing up, it’s such a classic!

holiday glitter tree

Check out this adorable mini Holiday Glitter Trees I came across at Trader Joes! How darling and festive! They are real trees and need to be watered, hopefully mine won’t fall over from thirst! A bigger hope I have is that I won’t continue to find the glitter around the house far after the holidays are over.

holiday food network magazine

The one thing I rely on every year is my Food Network Magazine — this never lets me down on great inspirational recipes to make for the holidays. One recipe I am obsessed over this winter season is the Oatmeal Lace Cookie recipe I can’t seem to stop making. Seriously, I can’t stop making it; I have made this recipe 4 times since my December issue arrived in the mail and I think I may have gained a couple cookie pounds.

Something cute I thought I’d share is this really fun pin I came across on Pinterest. Last year I had a very New York City festive seasonal/holiday card and when I saw this pin I thought how perfect it would be to turn into greeting cards.

christmas color palette

Be sure to follow me on Instagram for some of my personal Holiday photos! And of course, be sure to follow on Pinterest too, I can’t help go a little crazy over all of the seasonal ideas — from baking to decor, I love (and pin) it all! Above is a color palette I adore, Design Seeds has some fantastic ideas for color palettes — I promise, you’ll be inspired!

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What’s to come…

I have lots of pictures, and lots of typing to do — you’ll see everything over the next couple of weeks in a variety of posts. Lets just say this — one month, 3 fabulous cities. That’s right, I am a dedicated New York City lover, but I ventured to new restaurants not only in my favorite city — but I did the same in Boston and San Francisco.

New cities, new restaurants, new adventures. And, my favorite part — exploring different food markets! We all know how much I love The Chelsea Market located in [the best neighborhood] Manhattan, but I was able to explore other gems, like the Quincy Market in Boston and The Ferry Building’s farmers market in San Fran.

In case you can’t wait to see my posts, feel free to follow me on Instagram to get a sneak peek of my pictures! Thanks to the setup of Instagram’s new web feature, you can follow my pictures via mobile or online!!! Plus, almost all of these photos aren’t shared on Twitter!

Pinterest

Also, be sure to follow me on Pinterest for other great foodie ideas!