Ohhhh fuuuuuuuuuuudge...

Writing about my brief trip to Houston reminded me that I never finished blogging about my Thanksgiving vacation with ABF! We returned to that jewel of New England, Martha's Vineyard. MV is a place I visited on day trips a few times growing up in MA, but never a place I stayed for long stretches. The island has really grown on me, and I have loved every visit there a little more each time. Also? They have really good fudge. I mean REALLY good.

ABF & I stopped at Murdick's Fudge on our previous visit, but somehow none of that fudge ended up going home with me. Hmmm.... In my trips as a younger me, I always went for the Mad Martha's ice cream over fudge (as most of my trips were in warmer weather). Another draw of the warmer weather is that you can watch them make the fudge right there (see their website for a video on the cool process). On this chilly November day, however, the tools were off-duty.

I decided I wasn't going to waste another chance to try this fudge that seemed to draw in so many other people. I picked up a wedge of chocolate walnut, a wedge of chocolate peanut butter, and just for kicks, a wedge of plain old peanut butter.

SOMEHOW I managed not to touch these until I returned to work that Tuesday, when we have our weekly staff meeting. I figured the fudge would do less damage if shared with colleagues, plus, I'm just a mostly nice person. ;) We all cut into the pieces, and holy COW was this good fudge! Buttery, smooth, a hint of salt, and just plain delicious, not at all greasy. This fudge rocks. To my surprise, the peanut butter seemed to be the winner all around, with chocolate walnut coming in second. I will NOT waste any time getting to Murdick's on my next visit!!! First purchase? more of that cracktastic peanut butter. Sacriliciousssssss : )

Who's Your Bagel??

A recent trip out for bagels turned into quite the journey, but one well worth the effort. Street scenes like this one below were all that greeted ABF & me one weekend in Long Island. I'd taken the train in Sunday morning to Rockville Centre, and after picking me up at the station, ABF set a course for his favorite bagel place, Bagels Plus in East Rockaway (they don't seem to have a website, so here's some basic info). I'd never been, but had long heard about how great they were. It took us almost 30 minutes to make an otherwise 5-minute drive, because old, beautiful trees had been torn up overnight due to the insane hurricane-like storm.

We finally arrived to Bagels Plus (their slogan on the sign outside: "Who's Your Bagel??") and saw a line winding around the entire store. Apparently a lot of folks were eating out for breakfast that day. ABF & I waited in the quickly-moving line and discussed what we wanted.

I saw my favorite cream cheese (scallion) and was a little surprised to see it was completely green. I don't know if this was just for St. Patrick's Day or if it's always that green, but as long as it tasted good I'd figure I'd work past the jarring sheen.

We filed past case after case of nicely presented food, from smoked fish to green-hued goodies (as I mentioned, it was almost Saint Patrick's Day, and they were ready to go in the bakery!)

I, however, had a one-track mind; I was there for bagels. Salty, soft, savory bagels.

And, maybe, rugelach. Yeah, I saw the raspberry rugelach and decided to get two pieces as well as our bagels.

ABF tried a bite, but he's not even half the raspberry fan I am. I thought this was good, but I didn't finish it all. I have had some amazing rugelach here in NYC, but I never seem to be able to remember where! Feel free to leave your suggestions in the comments. ;)

Back to the bagels: we brought home half a dozen: 2 poppyseed, 2 garlic (they were out of onion) and 2 everything. Yum. Look how soft they are! It took no effort to squish them, and they bounce right back to their puffy size!

We tried toasting the first bagel in the toaster, but it turned into a charred, smoky mess, so ABF decided to take it up a notch: he put a thin layer of olive oil on each half and then toasted it in his Calphalon pans. They came out a beautiful brown hue, had a satisfying crunch, and did not set off any smoke alarms! Holy COW was this genius! ABF also made a sort of kitchen-sink omelet, tossing in bits and pieces of food from the fridge: fresh chives, 2 mushrooms, scallions, etc, and seared up some sausage patties. It was super delicious and a fun, enjoyable way to welcome a rainy Sunday morning.

I've eaten many a bagel in my years on this delicious planet, and these are definitely top contenders. I would say it was definitely one of the best, freshest, most flavorful bagels I've ever eaten, and I hope ABF and I go back there on the next rainy weekend morning.

Les Halles--Midtown

ABF & I visited Les Halles downtown sometime last year. I really enjoyed my mussels, and he enjoyed his steak frites, so we planned another return recently. We decided to walk over to the Park Avenue South location this time.

Yes, I realize Anthony Bourdain is not really affiliated with this place anymore, but he is one of the 'celebrity' chefs who first impressed me (even though we disagree on a few points, such as Abba's awesomeness--I heart them-- and the eating of offal--I just can't do it). His straight-shooting, often off-color musings always entertained and informed me. He is not delicate, he can be quite harsh, but you always know he means what he says, and you never wonder what he's really thinking! He's the reason I can't bring myself to eat swordfish anymore, and the reason I rarely order mussels outside of his place ;) The faint of stomach might not want to click on this link.

I ordered the same dish here as the one I got on our visit to the John Street location: Moules Marinieres, or mussels in a white wine and garlic sauce. Yum. These mussels were incredibly tender and delicious, and not a single grain of grit to be felt. I remember liking the sauce more at the John street location, but I was still impressed with this dish, too.

It turns out I can only eat so many mussels in one sitting, and I think I left a good dozen or more in my dish. Not really a doggie-bag type of order, you know? I ate enough to be happy, but they definitely give you a crazy amount of them.

ABF ordered his same dish as he did on John street: Steak Frites. Delicious. It was cooked to a perfect medium, juicy, well-seasoned and not too salty. The fries were perfect: crispy outside, just slightly soft on the inside. I don't think I like this dish enough to order the whole thing for myself, but it is very good.

We had room to share a dessert, so we split the profiteroles. They are ice-cream filled pastry puffs, drizzled with intensely rich chocolate sauce. Long after we'd eaten the pastries, we were scraping up this fantastic sauce. Soooooo good. I even took half a spoonful and mixed it into my café au lait (which was spot-on perfect!) Save room for this dessert...but personally, I'd rather stick with the John Street location.

Le Chat Noir

ABF & I have passed by this cute little spot in Rockville Centre (Long Island) many a time, but it had always been closed. We'd drive or walk by, and I'd look longingly inside at the cute place settings, decor, and overall adorableness. It all lined up for us this past weekend, though! We were halfway through a day full of errands when we decided to pull in for a late lunch (early dinner) around 3:30. There were 2 other people inside, but otherwise it was quiet and mostly empty.

I won't lie--they had me at 'Chat.' Anyone who knows me knows I have a soft spot for black cats (I have 2 right now, Mitzi May & Oliver Squish), and most of my cats have been black cats), and the famous black cat print hangs prominently in the restaurant. There were a few other black cat touches throughout that made me smile.

Did I already say adorable? It just is. It's cozy and comfortable--a lovely look with dark wood chairs (which were quite comfortable) paired with comfy sofas, wainscoting, textured ceilings, and a generally welcoming feel to the place. I just had such a lovely time there that afternoon!

We ordered drinks first. I opted for the small pot of Earl Grey tea ($4), and ABF got the iced tea ($3). We didn't realize it was flavored and sweetened (we both normally go for plain, unsweetened), but he took a sip and was pleasantly surprised. I took a sip, too, and we both thought it might be raspberry. The server, however, told us it was currant-flavored, with a splash of simple syrup. He says they try to feature a different iced tea flavor each day.

For the entrée, ABF ordered the beouf bourgignon ($11), which came over some garlicky, creamy mashed potatoes. Sacre bleu, this was magnifique! The red wine was very strong, but not in a puckery, alcohol-y way. Just earthy and tangy and delicious. The mushrooms, carrots, and pearl onions were all scrumptious and perfectly cooked, and the cubes of meat simply melted. This was so good!

I ordered the Croque Madame ($9), a vamped-up ham and cheese that came with a perfectly fried egg on top (without said egg it's a Croque Monsieur). The folks at Chat Noir spread a thin layer of Bechamel sauce under the ham and gruyere cheese. Melty, salty, yum. The brioche it came on was soft but just a little crunchy--oh so tasty!

The sandwich also came with a side salad, mixed greens tossed with a slightly-sweet vinaigrette (almost a little too sweet for me) and generously dotted with soft, creamy goat cheese crumbles. This was delicious, too.

As I mentioned earlier, I found this place absolutely adorable. I loved the French music playing there, the understated vibe, the calm atmosphere, and the lovely matching tea sets. Look at that adorable sugar spoon in the photo below! Thanks to ABF for snapping that photo for me :) He was quite the good sport as I snapped photo after photo of the adorable matching tea set with its cute saucers, creamer, sugar bowl, etc.

We learned the restaurant is just beginning to serve dinner. The owner apparently grew up in London, had French culinary training, and is taking her time branching out to make sure she gets all the dishes right. Our two dishes are down pat, I assure you. Chat Noir also offer a full tea service ($18), bringing you hot pots of tea and finger sandwiches and the like on those lovely tiered trays. A couple sitting near us ordered that, and from what I could see, it looked beautiful. They finished almost everything, so I assume it tasted good, too!

I don't think they offer dessert yet--as our server simply came up with our check and thanked us. He mentioned that the chef works a lot of pastries into savory dishes, so maybe the sweet stuff isn't a priority right now. I hope they do branch out into this area! Until then, I'll be happy to drink their tea and snack on their sandwiches! Bon Appetit!

A Slice Melts in Brooklyn

Pizza Wagon is one of the first places my old roomie & I hit when checking out Bay Ridge. We were living on the Upper East Side at the time, a great neighborhood, but we were broke as heck! Ann knew Kelli has a great apartment in this one building, so Kelli offered to give us a tour and take us around the neighborhood. Her apartment was ridiculously big and ridiculously cheap, so we were off to a hopeful start. Then we hit the pizza place. I took one bite and said 'Okay, we can move here.' As time went on, my roomie became less enamored with the pizza, but I will always have a soft spot in my heart for their squares, aka Sicilian style pizza.

The pizza is always fresh and piping hot, and I love that they have garlic powder shakers on the table. YUM! I can't put enough of this on my pizza (along with a healthy helping of red pepper flakes). The crust is soft but not squishy, with a nice crispy crunch to it. It's 2.25 for each slice, but it's worth it to me! One square is plenty to fill me up and keep me going. One square with a serious layer of garlic powder, of course. Kel gets the plain slices for her 'usual.'

Pizza Wagon also has a walk-up window (in the right-hand side of the first photo) where you can order your slices or pies to go. I stopped by there many a time while dogsitting Fifi (my mom's late, great marvelous moppet). We could walk right up to the window and wait for our slice (no, I never shared--garlic is bad for dogs!) and people-watch.

I've been in this neighborhood for almost seven years (or is it 8? time flies), and this remains one of my few go-to, still as good as it was back when, spots. Mmm..pizza.

Cheesy Baby Peppers

Aren't these baby peppers just too cute? Giada (my girl!) featured them in an episode that I filed away in my DVR. I saw them at Trader Joe's last weekend and they looked super fresh and they were under 3 bucks! I decided now was the time to make a riff of this recipe.

I had some leftover thyme butter from Valentine's night dinner with ABF, and I sautéed the onions and shallots in it. Then I mixed it up with a few spoonfuls of ricotta cheese, added some fresh black pepper and some Parmesan cheese, and started filling those peppers! This was all by sight--kind of winging it after the spirit of Giada's recipe.

These take no work at all to put together. I placed them in a baking dish and popped them in the oven at 350 for 15 minutes.

Mine did not look quite so beautiful as Giada's when they came out, but they still looked yummy. I waited a few minutes for them to cool and then tried them. They were pretty yummy, but they still need a little more zing. I might try the peas next time, but I'm thinking these need something a little more. Next time I'm going to try some tomato sauce swirled in there, too. They're definitely fun, easy, and cute enough to earn an appearance at my next party!