Edible Bacon Candle

Drizzle this.... Talk about olfactory heaven...

 

Via: Gothamist.com 

Sunday Delight: Will Cotton Bakery/Art Event

At 40 Great Jones Street today! I bought pink peppercorn, gingerbread, and salted caramel macarons at the artist, Will Cotton's baking/art event. Don't miss the stunning and eye-catching painting of an Aphrodite-like model in the buff splayed out on top of a puffy cloud of pink cotton candy!

Elvie's Filipino Joint: Peaced, Dunzo, Kaput

Another economic casualty has struck the East Village... and among MY people.  Elvie's was the only Filipino joint that I had eaten at multiple times. Multiple times, because of the familiar food that reminded me of my grandmother's cooking, but mostly because the dread and laziness associated with the train ride to Queens/Jersey City to eat REAL Filipino food was unfathomable. Will miss the pinakbet... Paalam na, Elvie's.

Part 2: What Restaurant Staffers Should Never Do

Check it!  Going to take it easy in the 'hood this weekend.  Tamer than last...

Via: The New York Times

Crazy for Momofuku

I don't care how much you drool over David Chang's steamed pork buns.... This indelible display of adoration is just bonkers.

Publicity stunt? Washable Marker? But the gradient on that orange is too good...

Via: Eater.com

Dos and Don'ts: 100 Things Restaurant Staffers Should Never Do (Part 1)

Some of this is ridonculous, but definitely worth reading (#12 Don't touch the rim of my glass, or BOWL, please!). Restaurant service, social snobbery, New York/Manhattan class behavior--all in one blog post...Be sure to read the quite lengthy comments section!
Via: New York Times

Banana Meatloaf

Maybe it's because of my chronic seasonal affective disorder or my botched Halloween bacon costume from the weekend, but I have been hankering after comfort food all week. And what embodies comfort food like no other dish? Meatloaf!

I came across a novelty recipe for Banana Meatloaf posted on the Retro Recipes feature for Eatmedaily.com, originally published in 1941 by a fruit purveyor to hawk more bananas. Not sure if it will satiate my cravings, but I dig the old-timey anthropomorphization of the banana.

"Recipe: Banana Meat Loaf
From Bananas: How To Serve Them, 1941
1 pound ground beef
1 cup soft bread crumbs
1 tablespoon chopped onion
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup mashed banana
1 teaspoon dry mustard
Mix the beef, crumbs, onion, salt and pepper until fully incorporated. Add the mustard to the mashed banana and mix into beef. Pack into oiled loaf pan and bake at 350 for one hour, or until cooked through."


Via: Eatmedaily.com

Restaurant Wars

...is only the best part of every season of Top Chef. The fiery power plays, the execution disasters, to serve dessert or not serve dessert--the culinary intrigue is practically excruciating.  Kudos to "Revolt"-- the V-bros, chubby Eli, and, yes, even annoying Robin deserve the victory.  However, seeing Mission lose was disappointing.  Admittedly, the way Jennifer pronounces "salad" irks me to no end, but there is no contesting that the Le Bernardin alum is an incredibly accomplished chef. My heart sank when she started to choke under pressure. Her sauce broke!!! Her dish was beige!!! She cooked the shellfish to order!!!  Technically, she should have gone home, but so relieved when the ax fell on Laurine, who, let's face it, has sucked for weeks.   

If you watch Top Chef, then you have to start watching "The Morning After" videos.  Love.

Baked Goods

Form doesn't exactly follow function, now does it? But there's something adorably weird about that roll jutting out from that bowl. The bowl is part of an art project called "baked"--an "homage to bread and flour".  OK!

Via: Designboom.com

Terroir NYC : East Village, Wine Bar

I just recently moved to the fun, yet filthy East Village from the crime-free, yet ho-hum neighborhood of Gramercy. So, as of late,  I've been acquainting myself with all the various watering holes and cafes in the vicinity.  Last night, I had plans to meet my friend, Amy, who I met at the tasting room at  The Vines of Mendoza in Argentina while giddily swilling luscious flights of Malbec and Torrontes.  Apropos of our original introduction, she suggested meeting at a wine bar somewhere in the hood. I've strolled by the wine bar, Terroir, a number of times, but never tried the place, because it looked so formal from the outside looking in, but decided to give it a go and was surprised at how laid back and enjoyable my experience was there.  


Befitting the low-key nature of Terroir, the tables are communal and the space is cozy. The waitstaff is friendly, approachable and knowledgeable. The actual menu consists of a hefty, three-ring binder of information that includes jokey descriptions of drinks and comedic digressions in between the very serious and comprehensive wine list.  After a long week of binge drinking, I didn't think my body could take the migraine-inducing tannins, so I decided not have wine--horror of horrors--instead,  I had their specialty drink called the Abbey Flip, made of pomegranate molasses, coriander, nutmeg, egg yolks and Ommegang Abbey Ale. The concoction was rich, sweet and very satisfying. The egg apparently mellows out the beer a bit. A perfect drink for a winter/autumn day.  

The Abbey Flip

The food was not bad, we ordered the following: 
Dumpling and Escarole Soup: Despite the limp escarole, but the broth was flavorful and the dumplings were yummy.
Bacalao Bruschetta:  Rich, a bit too heavy for me.  
Arugula Salad: So fresh, slightly sweet and dressed perfectly.
Creamed Rapini with breadcrumbs:  Loved it. 
Olive Oil Cake with Roasted Apples: A bit too dry and the apples were cold.


I didn't order them, but the fried sage leaves and lamb sausages are supposed to be great.

For the ambience and wine list alone, I would absolutely hit this place again.  Bar Jamon in Gramercy was my go-to wine bar,  but now that I've moved, Terroir is definitely in the running as its replacement. 


Another reason to go is the weeknight "Happy Hour" between 5-6 PM, when glasses are only $6!!!  Un bon marché!

Terroir

www.wineisterroir.com
413 E 12th St
New York, NY 10009
(646) 602-1300

Photo via: Grapes and Grains