Chilaquiles

Tomatillos are another favorite food/flavor of mine. They're the star in this dish: chilaquiles. It's a pretty simple recipe with an amazing array of flavors. It's tangy, tart, salty, and oh-so-satisfying. If you're at Mama Mexico in NYC, may I suggest you order their version? One of the tastiest I've found so far. If you're in the market for saving a little cash and making them at home, try this recipe!

Laura came over one day for cheap and tasty brunch in my Brooklyn apartment. This dish took less than 20 minutes to put together, but tasted like it took much longer! I highly recommend you give it a shot--delish. We added some fresh avocado slices, refried beans, and a fried egg to round out the plate. Que rico!!!

Falafel!

Today was a verrrrry long day as I filled in for both day and night shifters. I was dragging my weary self back to our midtown office when I remembered it's WEDNESDAY.. which meant the kosher falafel truck is parked right outside our building!! My boss had been raving about their falafel, but I always seemed to be stuck at the studio on Wednesday (which is wayyyy over in Kips Bay area--practically in the East River). NOT TODAY!

Now I've had plenty of bad falafel--it can be heavy, oily, greasy, and just weigh down your stomach in the most unpleasant way. But I've also had enough good falafel that, when my boss raved that this was GREAT, I was motivated to give it a shot.

Kosher Oasis offers burgers, onion rings, falafel, and various other delicious dishes. I had to try the dish my boss had raved about, so I asked for the falafel platter. It was 6 dollars for 5 falafel, a hefty dose of rice, some salad fixings, and an assortment of pickles (I love pickles!!) The friendly guy making my order asked if I wanted the pita on the side--I said yes, figuring I might not even eat it, but what's the harm in having extra? I hastily dashed upstairs to my office so I could snap some pix in the fading afternoon sun (it was almost 3 by the time I ate lunch--stupid Wednesday!)

Holy falafel, these were good. They had a decent crunch, a super-flavorful inside (did I taste cilantro?? parsley? Something green and awesome) without being too much of a mish-mash of flavors, and even the RICE was wonderful. It was this soft (but not over-cooked), delectable fluffy rice that soaked up the cracktastic sauce. My only change to this order would be to ask for extra sauce. Holy yum.

And remember the pita that was a mere afterthought? I didn't even bother taking a picture, THAT'S how little I thought of it at first! Well, it was the most pillowy, soft, scrumptious pita I've had in a long, long, long, long, LONG time. Oh mercy. Give me some extra sauce and one of their pitas and this shiksa will be in tastebud heaven. Yum!!!

PS: On Wednesdays, you will find Kosher Oasis parked on the south side of 49th street between 6th and 7th Avenues. It's at other places during the week--google for info! GO!!!

Il (Cheap) Bastardo

ABF & I made plans for this past Monday with our friends, That Sara and her BF, Mike. We'd bought tickets long ago for a comedy fundraiser which didn't start until 8pm. What to do between leaving work and going there? Why, eat of course! But where? ABF did a quick search of the area and found that Il Bastardo (yes, it means what you think it means) offered an 18 dollar prix fixe dinner until 7pm. Reviews we found online said this deal was real and still ongoing, so ABF, That Sara & I met up there around 630 for dinner.

Annnnd here's the thing: you pay 18 dollars for an appetizer, entrée and dessert. Sounds good, right? The rub is this: almost every pasta dish or entrée comes with a supplemental charge (an extra 1, 2 or 3 bucks). So....then it's NOT really an $18 dollar prix fixe, is it? It's more like a 21 dollar prix fixe. I think I would have been far less annoyed if they'd just said "$21 dollar prix fixe dinner." I mean, it's still a decent deal. When almost EVERY item on your list is extra, it's time to up the general price. This irked me considerably. But back to the food...

The appetizers looked pretty decent: salads, mussels, grilled veggies. Sara & I both picked the mussels, which came in a white wine sauce. These were decent: a good amount of mussels, mine were all grit-free and tender, decent sauce--I found the chiffonades of fresh parsley an unpleasant contrast, though. Could just be me.

ABF picked the Caesar salad and kindly let me try a bite. It was crisp, just enough dressing, and very tasty. The salty Parmesan shavings went perfectly with the creamy, tangy dressing. I didn't see any croutons, but I would have avoided them, anyway.

I ordered the Trout Livornese, which I was told was fish with a tomato and olive sauce. This was good, perfectly cooked, a little bit of breading but not too heavy. The tomatoes and olives were a nice touch. The side was just some steamed broccoli. They broccoli was perfectly crunchy, with a nice thin coat of butter, but way too salty.

Sara got the lamb shank entrée, which got very good reviews from a few folks already. I had a taste of this and it was definitely worth the extra 3 dollars. The sauce was earthy, just a touch of rosemary but not TOO much. I didn't try the polenta, but Sara seemed quite pleased with her dish. If I went back (and that's a big If), I'd get that.

ABF is on a skirt steak kick lately (ever since our trek out to Cabana last month), and he ordered the skirt steak with salsa verde. It came with a mess of mixed greens. He gave us each a sample of his dish and it was pretty good. Not York Grill or Cabana good, but still pretty tasty. He also cleaned his plate, so I think he was happy with it.

Dessert was the 'dessert of the day,' which in this case was strawberry sorbet. I think our server actually saw my face drop a story or two when he said that. Like seriously? He spoke very slowly, so when he first said strawberry I was thinking "Where is he going with this? Strawberry souffle? Strawberry cake?" Sorbet? In the winter? Okay, late fall. Whatevs. I was a little disappointed. Normally most prix fixes will give you at least 2 or 3 options. Not at the Cheap.. I mean Il Bastardo. The sorbet, to be fair, was very flavorful. It was just...odd. The service was okay, but I couldn't help feeling that they'd pegged us as cheap prix fixe people. Oh well. It was worth trying, but I will not be making any extra effort to hit the joint again.

Caffe Dante

My friend Carlota treated me to dessert and coffee the other night at a well-known spot for serious sweets, Caffe Dante. We'd been there once before, but it had been at least a few years, and I hadn't tried their tiramisu, which Carlota said is the best she's ever eaten. That's enough to get me to go. ;)

Dante's serves sandwiches and other savory eats as well, but we were there to focus on the sweet side. They had a beautiful, colorful array of gelato and sorbet, including a seasonal flavor: pumpkin! I almost got that, but the mousse caught my eye and that was that. I have no regrets! ;)

We shared the tiramisu and the chocolate mousse--both portions were more than generous. The tiramisu was clearly fresh, and you could smell the coffee and the liqueur. It was extremely light, fantastically flavorful, and definitely one of the best tiramisus I've ever had. Yum.

To go with the tiramisu, I ordered a steamed milk with amaretto. It came in a striking presentation and was quite delicious. The amaretto wasn't as strong as I expected; it was subtle and not-too-sweet. Perfect pairing for the tiramisu!

Carlota got the hot chocolate which came with a glorious crown of real whipped cream. I sampled a taste and agreed it was quite heavenly. I just might get that next time.

The other dessert was the monster-sized chocolate mousse. This. was. lovely. It was light, but it had real depth to it. The chocolate flavor was strong and serious and real. As delicious as it was, we couldn't quite finish it, though I did go back for a few more spoonfuls even though I was full, because it was just that tasty!

Every bite was delicious, and I will definitely go back to try one of the many other tempting desserts on display (like maybe that pineapple cake!!) This spot is worth visiting more than once!

Outback!!

Outback Steakhouse is yet another chain I won't apologize for loving! There is a great one located not far from Bay Ridge--I think it's technically in Bensonhurst. Every great once in a while, Kelli and I jump in her car and head out here. We almost always get the same thing, too.

I learned years ago from someone that you should ask them to 'layer' the cheese in the addicting cheese fries, so it's not all a big glop on top. What I forgot on my last visit this same person taught me was to order the HALF order of fries. It doesn't say so on the menu, but this is totally doable (and much less dangerous to your waistline). I do not like ranch dressing, but for some reason, I am powerless to resist it when paired with cheese fries.

Their house salad is delicious, but nothing tops the Caesar for me. It's as garlicky as they come, and definitely has a generous kick of hot sauce. Awwww yeah. It also comes with lots of croutons, which I'd already removed before snapping this photo.

My standard order is the melt-in-your-mouth 7 oz. Victoria filet, a filet mignon cooked to perfection (which, for me, is medium). There's usually enough for leftovers the next day. I wouldn't get any other side but the baked sweet potato. I usually get the butter and brown sugar on the side, but I just went with the normal way this time. If you're wondering if it reheats well, I can most assuredly guarantee you that it does. I had the rest for dinner the next night and it was still tender, juicy, and maybe even a little more delicious.

Kel is a NY strip steak kind of gal--she also gets regular baked potato with the works. This is not a time to skimp, folks! Live! Eat! Go home in a food coma!

And now I'm hungry again.

Crispy Kale (aka Holy Crack!)

I saw Jacques Pépin make this recipe on TV a few months ago and thought it might be a good way for me to overcome my dislike of kale. However, I had Laura's awesome kale soup before, so that I already jumped that hurdle.

After the Chocolate Show Saturday (post forthcoming!), Yoga Jen, her BF and her friend Karen & I wandered through Union Square's Farmers' Market. We strolled by some kale and Jen mentioned SHE made the crispy kale and it was outrageously good. That was enough to get me moving. I picked up a beautiful bunch of kale for 2.00. It was grown nearby, so I figured it didn't get much fresher than that.

I scoured a few web pages and noted some comments that I took to heart: make sure the kale is all in one layer, otherwise the leaves underneath will get soggy. Place the kale on a baking rack over a sheet pan. Of all the kitchen tools I have, a baking rack is not among them! I used, instead, my pizza dish from Williams-Sonoma (a bargain I picked up a few weeks ago for a mere 7.50).

After removing the kale from the spine (just wrap your hand around it and pull it down, like de-stemming a rose), I tossed it in some olive oil and sea salt and popped it in the oven. I turned it over halfway through. Results?

Yes, that photo below shows a whole empty section of the pan seconds after I removed it from the oven. I took a tentative bite, my eyes flew wide with gustatory delight, and I began audibly "nomming" (that Cookie Monster-like sound you make when eating something scrumptious). Holy Crack. This stuff is AWESOME.

I'd only used half the bunch of kale, you know, just in case I didn't like it. I immediately threw the second half in the oven and did a happy dance while waiting for it to finish. This stuff is sooooooooooooooo good. It crackles and crumbles and falls apart in your mouth. It's ALMOST like the crunch of potato chips, but dreamily light and airy. The flavor is deep and earthy, and I can tell you right now I cannot eat just one piece. I could easily sit down on the couch with a bowl of this and happily snack on my very own batch--no sharing. Okay, I'll share.. I'll just have to make more.

NYC Chocolate Show!

Back when I had my Recession Recipes party, Yoga Jen proposed a bunch of us hit the NYC Chocolate Show. It seems so long ago now, but before we knew it, the weekend had come. I met Jen, her BF, and her friend Karen for a tour of more candy than you could ever hope to eat. This was not Jen's first time to the show, so she came prepared with gallon-size Ziploc bags which she handed out to all of us (yay!). This year, the show just happened to fall on Halloween, so I joked that it was like trick-or-treating for grownups.

The first thing we saw was a display of Halloween costumes that featured chocolate details. My favorite was the Marie Antoinette-style dress with chocolate roses on the bodice.

The French Culinary Institute set up their own haunted house, made, of course, entirely of chocolate. The aroma was quite tempting, so people weren't just leaning close to get a look at the tiny details, they were inhaling that delicious scent of chocolate!

One of the more interesting exhibits we visited was based out of Egypt. They sold camel-shaped chocolates (like the one Jen is holding in this photo) that were also made from camel MILK. Oh yeah. I tried one. It was very sweet and not that bad, but the whole time my brain was screaming "CAMEL MILK! CAMEL MILK!" I might not be ready for this full-time just yet.

There were quite a few places mixing the savory-sweet cards: chocolate-covered bacon popped up more than once! One maker had a good balance, the other one tasted too much like bacon and not enough like chocolate (not a TERRIBLE thing, mind you, but not the one I preferred). A trend I enjoy even more is the spicy chocolate--we found quite a few infused with serrano, jalapeno and other hot peppers. Que rico!

Another favorite stop was at the chocolate martini exhibit. Makers of a liqueur called "Love Potion #9" were making tiny doses of chocolate martinis with the citrusy liqueur. These were scrumptious. Not as good as the ones at Ayza, but definitely a close second.

It wasn't all chocolate, though. In the back of the hall, there was a huge table with an aromatic array of herbs and spices. I stood there a few times, just inhaling the wonderful scents. They had sweet, savory, exotic, run-of-the-mill, you name it. It smelled even better than it looked, and it seemed to be doing some brisk business.

We must have spent a good 3 hours or so wandering the aisles of the (packed) exhibit. Liqueurs, dessert wines from California, rums from Puerto Rico, chocolates from South America, and plenty of sweets from the good old USA kept us busy snacking and packing our goodie bags.

We saw chocolate making, chocolate carving, and did plenty of eating on our own. This was so much fun!