Last lunch of 2009

In Bormio...
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Chocolate and Coffee in Como

Shopping for Italian knick-knacks and stopped in Aida, a little cafe, for a breather. The Hot Chocolate is very thick here and coffee/cappuccino is strong. Still looking for a snack!
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Defelice Bros. Pizza

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Preparing the Paella

Merry X-mas Eve!
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Holiday Dinner

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Snoop and Martha Make Pot-Free Brownies

No spacecakes today, Snoop!

 Thanks to my friend, Amy, for the link...

Via: WNYC.org

Cheese Plate at Bar Jamon

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What has 90 grams of fat and costs $7.71?

Why the McDonald's Big McSausage Egg Surf and Turf Mac, of course!

According to  EatingtheRoad.com, the disgusting-- yet inventive-- culinary oddity is made up of a Big Mac, Filet-o-Fish, McChicken Patty and an Egg and Sausage McMuffin.

I can't possibly think of anything more astonishingly vile than this off-the-menu, fast-food mutation.


Behold...the Nutrition Facts! Read it and weep...

Via: Eating the Road and Eatmedaily.com

My attempt at being healthy...

The Farmer's Salad at Northern Spy Food Co.: Kohlrabi, Butternut Squash, Celery Root, Sweet Potato, Brussel Sprouts, Mizuna seasoned with mint, salt, lemon and pepper.
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Northern Spy Food Co.--East Village

Northern Spy Food Co. opened up a few months ago in the East Village and it looks like it's trying to cultivate a neighborhood reputation for being an alternative to locavore competitor, Back Forty. Steadily, over the last few weeks, the customer base has grown everytime I walk past the place.
The handcrafted and cheerful appearance of the restaurant's interior, the rough-hewn tables and benches, and the plethora of rustic design touches are characteristic of the farm-to-table ethos that this restaurant espouses.

Although their breakfast/brunch menu seemed more interesting, today, I decided to pay a visit for lunch. The choices on the menu are not as extensive as Back Forty --which is a good thing--reflecting hearty, simple food (served EVERYWHERE I go these days). I had the roasted chicken with brussel sprouts and carmelized leeks. The plate arrived somewhat sad and soggy looking. Served on the bone, the chicken breast meat was juicy and tasty, but the dark meat wasn't fully cooked to my liking. I also prefer the skin on the chicken to have a nice, seasoned, crispiness to it, which mine lacked. The brussel sprouts were overcooked and mushy, reminiscent of a bad side dish from the 1950s. The leeks were slightly slimy and also overcooked. I could tell there was flavor in each vegetable dish, but it seemed like I was served yesterday's nuked leftovers.

I am going to give this restaurant another chance for brunch, because it's so close to my apartment and the staff was so nice. Here's hoping to a better brunch experience!


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Ciao for Now in the East Village

My lunch I had on Thursday, at the East Village cafe, Ciao For Now, on 12th street. The place serves mostly dense pastries, quiches and soups. Not bad. I had a tasty Autumn Puree with a Polenta/lavender muffin.
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Dos Toros Review

On Wednesday night, Aaron and I went to a booking signing for the new David Chang Momofuku cookbook. There was an hour long Q&A before the signing with Chang and the revered chef, Mario Batali. Both Chang and Batali waxed philosophical about various culinary topics: gender gap in the kitchen, management style on the line, the difficulties of NY restaurant life, the need to turn tables to achieve financial benchmarks, and of course talk about mouth-watering, delicious food. All of this talk of food made us hungry for something hearty and satisfying, so we decided to try out the new burrito/taco joint, Dos Toros in Union Square.

Dos Toros is a very basic place, and based on the hype, I thought they were attempting to reinvent the burrito, taco or quesadilla. But in fact, their approach to food is quite simple. Nothing fancy, but still flavorful. Aaron thought his carne asado burrito was plain, but my chicken burrito was pretty good. I would go to Dos Toros again for sneaking in food to go to the movies or for a casual on the go lunch.
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Rogue Shrimp

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, C.J., Sabina and I hit the local pub, The Ye Olde Alpha, in my hometown of Wheeling, WV. The place is a taxidermist's delight with the walls festooned with strings of twinkly lights and an assortment of pointy antlers and creepy animal heads. We sat down to drink some Iron City Beers and ordered a novelty item on the menu, Captain Crunch Crusted Shrimp. See the picture? Doesn't look too hot, but it wasn't the unholy, treacly, deep fried lump that I expected it to be. I actually was able to digest it! Hooray for breakfast cereal inspired dishes, but I'll stick to the chicken wings next time.
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David Chang and Mario Batali

At The Strand promoting Chang's new book...
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Obama's First Official White House State Dinner: The Menu

Marcus Samuelsson  of Aquavit was the guest chef...The veggie-focused feast was in honor of India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Lettuce and herbs were harvested from the White House garden.  
Très vert!

Via: Eater

Hamburger Macaron

I love this.  So adorable. 

Via: Eatmedaily.com