Tag Archives: lemon juice

Cafe Gitane in Soho

A very good friend of mine from Penn State (Alexandra, who goes by her middle name, Kizia) lives in New York — she was actually one of those rare “born and raised in Manhattan” folks. I say it’s rare not because she was born and raised here, but because she actually returned to the city to live and work after college. She’s actually about to go on the most amazing life journey anyone could ever go on — which is why we got together for lunch to talk about her upcoming trip. For several months in 2013 she will be living in India to study yoga and meditation. After working in PR for a few years, she’s ready for the physical and mental break (I wish I could do the same, but she’s just more daring than I am to actually go through with it). To me, the thought of packing just a backpack and traveling more than half way around the world to discover more about yourself in a few months than some do in a life time is very admirable — and I wish nothing but the most amazing experiences for her.

So, Kizia picked our lunch date location — Cafe Gitane in Soho (could be considered Nolita). I had never been before and I did exactly what I always do when I have never been to a restaurant … I stalk the online menu, I read reviews, and I pick out what I’m going to order before I arrive. Although this time I only eyed-down one thing I was going to order before arriving at the cafe, and Kizia helped me pick out my main dish.

cafe gitane avocado bread

The cafe was packed — even in the middle of the day after the typical lunch rush was over. There were even a few seats outside and they were full (it was a dreary cold day too!). So, we waited about 45 minutes before we were seated at this petite, round cafe table in the very center of the restaurant. Kizia ordered her caffeine-fix-of-the-day, then we ordered our food. Going off of Kizia’s recommendation I ordered the Moroccan couscous with red peppers, raisins, toasted pinenuts, hummus and eggplant. I had the option of ordering it with chicken but passed when she had told me it was a very large portion to begin with. We also ordered the most unusual starter to share — a seven grain toast topped with avocado, lemon juice, olive oil and chili flakes.

When the avocado toast came we split the bread and didn’t bother cutting it up for individual bites. It was hearty and full of flavor and the avocado was at it’s prime to eat (not too hard, not too mushy, perfect in color). The lemon juice was subtle, but present in every bite. And those chili flakes added the perfect amount of heat to the mild avocado. The ultimate conclusion was a mix, we were: confused as to why so many people were raving about it on various food reviews online, and we also figured these were basic flavors anyone could combine in their own kitchen so why would it be so fabulous at this little cafe? It was funny though, because we both left the restaurant ranking it out as a good plate but nothing out of this world, but a few days later we were chatting about how it grew on each of us and we really enjoyed it!

cafe gitane couscous

My couscous was a tower of unbelievable fabulousness. Piled high on my plate in the most perfect molded shape, I was afraid to pierce it with my fork knowing I would destroy the gorgeous presentation. After taking a not-so-devastating bite to the tower I couldn’t hold back — I tore through it for larger forkfuls of food. All of the flavors meshed beautifully well and the hummus was also a great ingredient to hold everything else together; it made picking up couscous with raisins, pinenuts and red pepper easy. I also really enjoyed the golden raisins in the mix of everything — it added the perfect sweetness to the savory plate.

Ready for something embarrassing? This was the first time I have ever ordered couscous at a restaurant. Yup, I’m mortified to admit it. This dish is a MUST to order if you go to Cafe Gitane; I actually enjoyed it so much I would love to attempt to make a similar plate at home. I guess I was shocked that I enjoyed the plate so much and it didn’t involve cheese as an ingredient. Actually, I got through an entire meal without eating cheese! #success

I hope to see Kizia again before she ventures off to India. Our food adventures together are always fantastic — I sure do hope she makes a few memorable ones while she travels in the upcoming year!

Steak n’ Shake burger joint

I was thrilled when my foodie friend, Stef, asked me to join her for lunch one day. Not only did we have some major catching up to do (the night before was her first culinary school class) but since our lunch date was in the middle of the day I knew I was going to be starving… I knew a burger was going to hit the spot!

Steak n’ Shake in Midtown Manhattan is the perfect place to go if you need to get off of Fifth Avenue or out of the Time Square Area, and it’s the perfect place to grab lunch to go if you’re looking to do a picnic in the park. Unfortunately it’s too cold for a picnic and during the week there isn’t enough time to squeeze that into my schedule. So, Stef and I grabbed one of the few booths to chow down at. This is something I found frustrating, there weren’t enough places available to sit and eat at. People piled into a very small space to wait for their food and moving around to grab your food from the counter was annoying! Then it was a mad-dash to try to scoop up a seat or two in order to eat lunch. And forget eating alone, the people who did this and took up a table that really seats two people became the enemy. Nasty glares were given to these solo burger eaters until they gobbled down their food quickly and made a run for the door. (No, Stef and I didn’t give nasty glares although we did stand with our food in hand waiting for a table to open up for at least 10 minutes.)

I’m not a big french fry person, so I was shocked when I fell in love with the perfectly seasoned thin fries from Steak n’ Shake. I love fries that have that potatoey sort of texture — not the type that are more crispy than anything. And a great fry can be eaten without any dipping sauce like ketchup or mayo.

When it came to the burger, Stef went for more of an “All American Burger” sort of style burger and I went for the Guacamole Burger. Piled on between the buns and above the hamburger patty was insanely fresh guacamole that would make Whole Foods wonder what their secret ingredients are, cilantro, pepper jack cheese, squeezed lemons & limes, and topped with a spicy chipotle mayo. I couldn’t believe how fresh the guacamole was — it couldn’t be more clear that they make their ingredients fresh. The guacamole added a delicious fresh flavor while the spicy chipotle mayo and pepper jack cheese infused a fantastic kick of spice.

I was pleasantly surprised at how cheap the entire menu was! For my burger and fries the total came to $4.99 — prices like that in the city will put a smile on a local’s face!

Stef and I are both burger lovers and ultimately we came to the conclusion that Steak n’ Shake was fantastic but the major thing missing was a house made “special sauce.” Shake Shack has a special sauce and it’s the most beloved ingredient! It’s an art to be able to create a sauce that makes all different types of burgers taste delicious and more importantly unique to other burger joints. On a side note — I couldn’t help but notice that Stef couldn’t sip her shake through a straw, and when I looked around at other diners they were all eating their shake with a spoon! A spoon! No, that’s not good. A shake should have a thick consistency but is easily drinkable through a straw. If a shake was supposed to be eaten with a spoon then there would be no lid and no straw given to customers.

I dont’ think I will be going back to Steak n’ Shake when the weather is cold outside. I will probably wait for the sunny warm spring weather to arrive so I can eat my burger outside on a bench rather than fight the hungry crowd for a seat.

Joe’s Crab in Chicago

On the Saturday night after Thanksgiving, my boyfriend and I went to Joe’s with his family in downtown Chicago. This restaurant was packed and apparently it’s always like that and it’s been open for years. We had so many amazing appetizers and side dishes. Sadly, my iPhone crashed on the way back form Chicago and I lost the majority of my pictures from the weekend. But I managed to save a picture of the crab because I tweeted about it while at dinner! I loved the appetizer of spinach and cheese stuffed mushrooms — and everyone loved them too! Perfectly cooked mushroom caps were stuffed with a creamy spinach and topped with a flavorful stringy cheese.

My boyfriend ordered the cold stone crab and of course I ordered my favorite — scallops. The scallops were breaded — I have never had scallops prepared like this before. I didn’t dislike them but I found them to be very different. I squeezed lemon on top which add more flavor and the citrus always goes well with seafood. I had a taste of the steak at Joe’s as well and it was so delicious — very flavorful, perfectly cooked and a big hit at the table.

When we first got to the table though, everyone quickly chowed down on the raisin bread. I had no clue until I took the photo of the bread that the bread actually has a lot of sugar on it. The mix of the sugar with a little bit of butter on top is extraordinary! If I had realized there was sugar I may not have added butter to it. But the tastes combined together are such an experience! (For a picture of the Raisin Bread, click here).

Stay tuned for more on my Thanksgiving!