Getting Sogged

I got sogged today. Twice. You might not know what that means right away, but it's happened to all of you. The bread product of whatever you're eating - usually some variety of sandwich - gets totally soaked by the wet ingredients. It becomes lumpy, doughy paste and is inedible. Tomatoes are often a prime sogger, as are dressings and condiments. And once your food is sogged, the entire thing is a complete waste. So who wants to eat sog?

The first major sog I recall: Many years ago my friend Nicole and I ordered a pizza that had not only tomatoes, but I believe pineapples also, on top. She told me this was a winning combination and I believed her. But the pizza arrived sogged. Soppingly sogged. Those are two very wet ingredients and no attempt was made on behalf of the pizza folks to mitigate that. Not only that, but the cheese had slid off one half of the pizza and onto the next. Did the pizza guy trip coming up the stairs? It was just unacceptable. So we ordered a new pizza, cheese in tact, but still sogged.

There have been many episodes in between that have just put me in a foul mood. I used to get regularly sogged by the deli near Central Park during office lunch breaks. It was the oil and vinegar. No one else in the lunch bunch ever had the same problem...

Today I was first sogged at lunch by a stromboli. The top crust was brown and crispy, and nice little broccolis, peppers and mushrooms were peeping out among the melted cheese. I sat on a sunny bench near the park and got very excited about my lunch. But just past the top layer of crunch and beneath the vegetables was a bottom layer of 100% sog. I was grossed out. Lunch was over. I considered going to the store and getting cookies instead. Guilty party: the tomato sauce. But who doesn't want tomato sauce with their stromboli? Next time it goes on the side and is for dipping and sog control.

Dinner time comes and I am sogged once again. You wouldn't think it's such a frequent problem in a food city like NYC, but anything is possible. This time it was a cheeseburger. Ryan and I met around Lincoln Center after work with the intention of camping out in Barnes & Noble and reading every travel guide they had on Acapulco (in preparation for our upcoming trip!) But we were hungry and went to the first place we could see from the fountain at Lincoln Center. This is PJ Clarke's a satellite of the famous burger-seafood-steak place on the east side that's been around since 1894. Attracts a mix of season tickets-theater-goers, after worksters and tourists. We discovered that most of the tourists appear to be seated on the lower (basement) level while the "New Yorker" types are placed in the front windows open to the sidewalk. Amazing. Back to the sog. I ordered a burger, fries and a beer, was really feeling those three things, and unwittingly got sogged by my burger. This time I believe it was the pickle juice puddled on the plate. Without pause I asked for a new bun and then ate my excellent (if not overpriced) de-sogged burger.

And in the bookstore we learned nothing new about Acapulco than we hadn't already known. It had it's Hollywood, classy heyday back in the 40's and 50's, moved past the gritty, polluted 80's and now is a "diva past her prime", nightlife-oriented non-stop beach scene. I can't help thinking we'll still have fun...and have some incredible eats.

As for the above speech - it's all to keep this world sog-free!

The Grilled Cheese Sandwich

The grilled cheese experience has come in many flavors in my life. And it's always paired with tomato soup. I don't have any deductive clue as to how this became the standard, but it inarguably works. We'll start with the absolute worst, but indulgent best of grilled cheese - the school cafeteria-white bread-american "cheese" type of sandwich. Paired with thinned out pseudo-tomato soup. And Oyster crackers. Blech - I cringe to think of it now, but in the days of my public school youth, that was the day to get hot lunch.

Then I found out that grilled cheese could actually be quality upon eating the antithesis of the school lunch variety. My Western Maryland hometown had a restaurant called Gandalf's where all the college-hippy and professor types went for delicious-healthy food. This grilled cheese had big, thick multi-grain bread and your choice of two cheeses melting inside, plus caramelized onions, pickles and tomatoes, if you wanted it delux. It was three inches thick. And the accompanying soup, African peanut stew, was a thick and nutty blend of tomatoes and peanut butter. $5 combo. Very unfortunately, Gandalf's caught fire, thus the end of the very high point of grilled cheeses for me.

Now Nathan has brought me to a restaurant in the city that's entirely dedicated to grilled cheese - Say Cheese. We went there last weekend after spending nearly an hour on the phone, hungry, and deciding where to eat for dinner. Don't ask me how we ended up with grilled cheese after deciding on French, but there we were at the edge of the Manhattan earth, the lone diners on Saturday night, in what is probably a hot Hell's Kitchen lunch spot. Kind of like a surreal episode of the last lunchers. It was no Gandalf's. But it was delicious. And they treated us better than the French restaurant would have. The sandwiches are pressed in a grill and oozing the filling. Mine had jack cheese, onions, and roasted red peppers. We shared the very good tomato-cheddar soup.

Long live the grilled cheese!

Say Cheese!
649 9th Ave (Between 45th and 46th Sts)
Hell's Kitchen, New York
212-265-8840

Kitchenette

If you want urban farmhouse food, Kitchenette is the place. Gingham, pink, flowers, cookies and cupcakes - there, you are surrounded by all of those things. That's about as farmhouse as you can get in the middle of the city.

Ryan and I had a recent Sunday brunch there, sitting on bar stools at the counter and staring directly at the frosted layer cakes at eye level display. I had a fantastic omelet with turkey, pepper jack and apples, along with a delicious biscuit smothered in pink strawberry butter. The most adorable brunch you have ever eaten. The brunch menu is overwhelmingly packed with homey-sounding things like mixed-berry pancakes and cottage breakfast (scrambled eggs with bacon and cheddar and dill onion toast). Soups are great, and sandwiches are always overstuffed and flavorful. You will leave with a Belly-ette.

There are two locations, one downtown in TriBeCa and one in Morningside Heights, so whenever I'm feeling indulgent and leisurely, I take my lunch there and bring a cookie back to work.

Kitchenette Uptown
1272 Amsterdam Ave (between 122nd and 123rd Sts)
Morningside Heights, New York
212-531-7600

Kitchenette
156 Chambers St. (and Greenwich St)
TriBeCa, New York
212-267-6740

Friends who can cook

Chef Verlander of the East Village cooked up a beautiful feast in celebration of Sebastian's birthday and Edith's housewarming.

The menu:

Antipasti: Cured meats (S Daniele Proscuitto, Spanish Lomo, Genoa Salami), Olives, Marinated Roasted Peppers, Roasted asparagus, Marinated mushrooms, Caprese

Insalata: Arugula and Mesclun with pears, toasted walnuts, with Roquefort and Dijon vinegarette

Pasta: Pappardelle Bolognese, sauce made with skirt steak, pancetta, ground pork shoulder

Formaggi: Four-year aged Gouda, Humboldt Fog Goat Cheese, Fromager Des Clarines

Dolce: Ice Cream Cake!

I wouldn't mind if Chef Verlander opened up a restaurant - all food was superb. And he sure does not look Italian, but if you were at the table blindfolded, you would think Nonna had made the Pappardelle Bolognese. Absolute perfection.

Double Feature: Bar Toto and Burger Joint

Well, should I get the urge, I know who to call to grab a burger. Carlos and I have had a couple of great burgers lately. But we need to soon eat some salad to thus avoid major growth in the tummy region.

Bar Toto is the place to go on a nice spring or summer night when you can sit on the patio forever drinking white wine and eating panini burgers. It's a relaxed brasserie atmosphere inside, and if the doors are open, and breeze is coming through, life is perfect. Big mirrors and windows, cool little black and white tiles, and the buzzing sound of people enjoying themselves. It definitely feels like a neighborhood spot, and you see the owner saying a lot of hellos throughout the evening.

The panini burgers are fantastic. Toto burger is gorgonzola and red onion between a crispy, grilled flat bread. Big stack of thin crispy fries. I've rarely been beyond the burger, but the rest of the menu is mostly pasta and panini and some great-sounding antipasti and ensalate.

Upon departing, the Toto effect sets in and you must walk very slowly back up the Slope.

Bar Toto
411 11th St. (at 6th Ave)
Park Slope, Brooklyn
718-768-4698
www.bartoto.com

Burger Joint is another planet. My co-workers and I first "discovered" this place when working one night we experienced a mass burger craving. Googling for burgers in the Columbus Circle neighborhood will leave you almost dry except for here. We had the address but wandered up and down the block looking and asking around until a concierge pointed us to Le fancy pants Parker Meridien Hotel.

If you are suitcaseless, they might look at you funny, but walk confidently past the front desk to the floor to ceiling curtains in the lobby, which conceal a burger joint, circa timeless mid-West. Turn right at neon burger sign. Wood paneling, movie posters, good music, burger flippers with attitude. The menu is hamburger, cheeseburger, french fries, shake. They have 1-2-3 instructions on how to best order: hamburger or cheeseburger, how you want it cooked and what you want on it. Don't mess with the system.

It's all super delicious. They have won many awards. I've known people to become addicted and find themselves going back again and again.

Burger Joint
119 56th St (between 6th and 7th Aves)
(in Le Parker Meridien lobby)
Mid-town West, New York
212-708-7414

photo: Carlos

Brazil and Cupcakes

Now that the weather is getting better, we're moving into hunting and gathering mode in the West Village. I'm not looking for berries, but in that neighborhood you're often looking for the "great restaurant" of which you are "pretty sure" of the location. It's like a fun food challenge.

Emilia was pretty sure she knew where the great Delicia Brazil was, one nice Friday evening. Sebastian and I followed our friend and her intuition through the streets until she found the tiny, basement level bungalow-esque Brazilian restaurant...somewhere around there.

We sat right down at prime time and had a GREAT meal. It was a long wait for the food. But if you are with good people and willing to drink caipirinhas while drawing with crayons on the paper tablecloth, then all is worth it. We were also entertained and paying very close attention to a table full of stunningly attractive Latin American men across the room. We found one for each of us without much trouble.

Our appetizer came by the time the real hunger set in. Pao De Quiejo - if you like bread and cheese married in one fluffy roll, this is perfect. For the main plate, I had Camarao Na Moranga - shrimp, onions, tomatoes, red pepper in coconut cream sauce over baked butternut squash. Oh, it was divine. They have other traditional Brazilian stews, and a prix fix that includes appetizer, main dish, and dessert.

On our way out of the West Village we stopped for midnight cupcakes at Magnolia Bakery, which in cupcake-craze land is famously one of the first places to really showcase the treat in NYC. According to my cupcake research, I find there are several other places in the city that are perhaps an outgrowth of the Magnolia genius. So, I will keep eating them. And I'm happy to forage in the West Village any time.


Delicia Brazil
311 W 11th St (between Greenwich and Washington Sts)
West Village, NY
212-242-2002

Magnolia Bakery
401 Bleeker St (and W 11th St)
West Village, NY
212-462-2572

From the archives: Malatesta Trattoria

I eat much faster than I write, therefore sometimes food experiences get backed up. This is good for a night like tonight, when it would be very boring for everyone to read about my leftovers. I can recall one of my last great meals and give you all a new restaurant to try.

So if you're not tired of hearing about Italian food, I will tell you about Malatesta. Nathan and I went there on a recent Sunday night.

Malatesta can be kind of fun to find, like a game of wandering 'round the tilted perpendiculars of the West Village. I mean, fun if you're not starving like Nathan was, but thankfully he has a good sense of humor and believes I will eventually lead him to good food. Enter the cozy, glowing oasis on the corner of Washington and Christopher Streets and have a seat. It's a buzzing atmosphere (how else do you describe people having a good time?) with at least one incredibly handsome waiter. He will give you extensive eye contact if you do the same.

We started with verdure alla griglia and a crostini misti with four different toppings - a funghi, gorgonzola, bruschetta and a proscuitto with fresh mozzarella. The gorgonzola had eye rolling qualities, meaning look slowly toward ceiling and wish you never had to swallow. We sipped on a carafe of Pinot Grigio and had our usual great conversation. Out came the pasta - I had a spinach gnocchi soaking in a sauce of that amazing gorgonzola. For dessert a perfectly light and creamy panna cotta with strawberry sauce. Nothing fancy, any of it, just really satisfyingly delicious. Afterward we somehow found our way back through the West Village again and spent several more hours at the favorite V Bar with the good wine, Lambic Framboise and perfect atmosphere. Here's to Sunday evening - may it never be spent in front of a television.

Malatesta Trattoria
649 Washington St and Christopher St.
West-West Village, New York
212-741-1207

Yuca Bar

I had eaten tons of food all weekend, but I'm glad Justin pressed for the Yuca Bar Sunday brunch. It's prix fixe for $12: brunch cocktail, coffee and a humongous plate of "pan-Latino" food. But that's not all. Yuca Bar is very good at atmosphere - it strikes what I think is a 1970's Cuban appeal. Everything inside has hues of golden yellow and orange - the walls, the pictures, the fresh orange juice, and the mimosas. Music is always good and usually Cuban. Justin's bloody mary was a work pop art - tall glass, deep red-orange juice with a vibrant green celery stalk and bright yellow lemon wedge suspended artfully.

I had a giant scrambled eggs burrito with jack cheese and bits of chorizo, fresh pico de gallo and guacamole on top, and yuca hash browns on the side. One cannot go wrong. We were very full at the end, so we started a nice long slow walk through the city, striving for the calmer parts so as not to disturb the digestive tract. Luckily, it was a warm and sunny day.

As soon as it turns Spring in New York the performance artists come out of the subways and into the parks. On our meander from the east to the west side, we had free entertainment everywhere. The real prize winner was probably the (ahem) talented young lady at Chelsea Pier who was singing her heart out about...it wasn't clear exactly. But it was passionate, without pause and improv Broadway-style, if there is such a thing. We, um, then decided it was time to head back to the train.

Yuca Bar: Cucina Latina
111 Avenue A (and 7th St)
East Village, New York
212-982-9553
http://www.yucabarnyc.com/

Assenzio - Tanti auguri a te!

I have an unfair affinity for Italian food. It cannot be helped. On Saturday we went to Assenzio, a Sardinian charmer in the East Village. I'm sorry that I forgot my camera for the whole of this food weekend, so I will test my descriptive writing skills.

I would camp out at Assenzio for a long time. Pitch a tent and eat the antipasti all day. Tables are all crammed together in a cozily lit room with light sea foam green walls and (probably) creaky wooden floors. Italian phrases scripted on the walls, with little candles lighting your way. You must go here. We were a good-sized party celebrating two birthdays, and we were lucky to get a table in a little alcove.

Our jubilantly tall Italian waiter taught us the Happy Birthday song in Italian and came to check on us many times. He was cheery, brought us good wine, and we had great fun.

The sun-dried tomato and olive oil spread on bread made me deliriously happy. I must try to replicate this. We shared lightly battered calamari and zuchinni with a tomato sauce for antipasti, along with a melted hunk of mozzarella between grilled slices of juicy portobello. For primi, I had a perfectly al dente fusilli with tuna, capers, and olives. Although I thought all together it would be very salty, it was in fact truly balanced. Dulci? We shared three among us: a pear tart, fried bananas crusted in cinnamon and sugar, and a chocolatey chocolate tort, all with gelato on the side for good scooping.

We walked over to Avenue C and in true birthday fashion, tried to go dancing. Maybe it was too much pasta, so we finally settled at Yum Schneider, a wonderful German bar. With a disco ball and stuffed animals perched in paper mache trees, it's certainly peculiar. But very nice and with a wide range of German beers and food. If only my pasta has not expanded, I would have sampled more...

Buon compleanno, Ryan and Brad!

Assenzio
205 E 4th St (between Avenues A and B)
East Village, New York
212-677-9466


Yum Schneider
229 E 7th St and Avenue C
East Village, New York
212-598-1098
www.yumschneider.com

Remembering Sunday Brunch...

Every week I start anticipating the weekend by Tuesday. Since the next weekend food adventure seems light years away, I simply have to recall the past until the future arrives...this past weekend Ryan and I met for brunch at Caracas, a Venezuelan restaurant in the East Village. This place opened in a storefront the size of a small bathroom and then after some time of taming the hungry, drooling crowds that gathered nightly outside, the owners expanded to the much larger (still pretty cramped) space next door. Caracas has a happy and colorful decor, bright table clothes with giant flower and fruit pattens, and big painted murals on the walls.

Here is the thing about Caracas: if you go there once and eat an arepa, afterward you will suffer strange cravings and urges to return. Arepas are foods you do not cross paths with often. That said, if you see one, eat it - a semi-sweet corn cake with any number of meat, vegetable or cheese items stuffed inside. My favorite has a combination of ripened and sweet avocado, black beans, sweet plantains, and a soft, fresh cheese inside that is dyno-mite. When I say dynamite, I mean you could literally explode with happiness. Also try their appetizers - Emilia and I have shared some favorites: tequenos (little fried cheese sticks), tajadas (fried sweet plantains and cheese), guasacaca and chips (Venezuelan guacamole and plantain chips), or ensalada la acida (multi-bean and corn salad with a puckering lemon dressing).

Last Sunday after Ryan and I unsuccessfully tried to get a table for brunch at Yuca Bar (another favorite place), we walked down the block to Caracas at prime time and sat right down. Ah, desayuno. I had un plato muy delicioso. An big plate of the favorite fillings listed above, plus perico - eggs with peppers, tomatoes and onions - and a big glass of sweet passion fruit juice. Life is good.

Caracas Arepa Bar
93 1/2 E 7th St (between 1st Ave and Ave A)
212-529-2314

Caracas To-Go
91 E 7th St
East Village, NY
212-228-5062

www.caracasarepabar.com

Max Caffe

Happy hour is best spent at Max Caffe. There is simply no contest. It's the winner, with only two possible hours during the week to celebrate - Wednesdays and Fridays from 5:00 - 6:00. This signifies that all wines are 1/2 price!

Max also wins the ambiance contest - comfy, vintage-style chairs and couches, grouped around scratched and worn coffee tables (read: a good trip to the thrift store). A scuffy wood floor, giant mirrors and big art on warm red and brick walls. Mellow bossa nova pipes through the spacious room. Lights lower as six o'clock nears.



Friday evening James and I had a (ahem) business meeting, starting there shortly after 5:00. I had the sweet Nero D'Avola and shared my favorite Antipasto di Verdure, a plate of - clearly - heaven-sent grilled crisp and buttery zuchinni, asparagus, yellow peppers, and carrots, paired with fresh, soft and salty mozzarella and crusty italian bread. See what I mean by no contest? Happy hour is normally spent getting increasingly sloshed and hungry at the same time. Oh, not here. Buzz comes slowly, in style and comfort.

Max is a coffee house, cafe and wine bar. Thus, it is suitable for all hours of the day. Also, it is two blocks from work, so I have tried all the various hours, sampling their excellent cappucino, panini, wine, and antipasti. But hmm...have not yet consumed dessert there...

You will leave feeling...discerning: After just one glass at Max, my friends have come up with brilliant observations - once Katie mused that, "Strangeness supercedes structure." Mull over that - it can be applied to almost any situation. Emilia and I have dissected our boy situations over countless glasses of the Montepulciano, always emerging with absolute clairvoyance. Or feeling...better.

Max Caffe
1262 Amsterdam Ave (at 122nd St)
Morningside Heights, New York
212-531-1210
http://maxsoha.com/caffe_home.html

Salam Café

Nathan is one of the best people to go out to eat with. He will make with you the same eyes closed, half smile expression of "Oh, THIS is good," when eating something notable. We went to Salam Café, a Northern African-Middle Eastern restaurant in the West Village. All the tables are made of lovely mosaic, and the ambiance is laid-back and cozy - lots of curtains, mirrors, colorful lights and wall hangings.

Our waiter kindly left me the menu after ordering so I could take the perfect picture of the copper relief bearing "Salam," or "peace" in Syrian, he told us. Oh, peace it was. We started with the slightly tangy homos (hummos) and toasty pita. Nathan declared it was the best he'd ever had. For dinner, he had the Moroccan cous cous with shrimp, and I had the vegetable Ouzi, a phyllo "pastry" filled with rice and raisins, zucchini, eggplant, carrots and spinach. When I asked the waiter how to pronounce the name of the dish, he said, "It's easy. "Oozey." Ouzi is easy and delightful - the flavors were incredibly subtle, all melded together, and I wish I would have asked which spices were working the magic. Cinnamon, tumeric, cumin, ginger, pepper, paprika, anis seed, parsley, coriander, saffron and mint are the basis for Moroccan cooking [Wikipedia].

Out came the dessert special - a vanilla mousse-like almond and pistachio layer cake, with a plop of cinnamon ice cream and two little dark truffles. Ahhhhhhhhhh.

Afterword, we walked down the cold and windy 6th Avenue to the V Bar, one of my favorite places in the city. It's a small wine, beer and coffee bar that is the ultimate comfortable, casual hangout. Muted globes of light hang from the ceiling, the side wall is lined with books about theater and philosophy, and couples and friends gather around a long, high table with with tall bar stools. I normally go on a Sunday evening, when it's not empty, but not too full either. This Friday it was packed and it was a challenge for Nathan and I to have our typical philosophical and theoretical discussions - but we still managed to have a good talk about what "home" is. For the sake of the food effect, home is simply good food and good friends. Nathan stuck with his fave Belgium, Lindeman's Framboise, while I tried two reds - a peppery Cannonau and a more sweet Rioja. Mmm, good night, New York.


Salam Café
104 W. 13th St. (between Sixth and Seventh Aves)
West Village, New York
New York
212-741-0277

V Bar
225 Sullivan St. (between W 3rd and Bleeker)
West Village, New York
New York
212-253-5740
http://vbar.net

Zoma

To celebrate Ann's birthday and give Katie a good send-off, Ann, Jamel, Katie and I went to Zoma, a new Ethiopian restaurant in Harlem. It was a cold walk there through Morningside Park, but the space inside was lit like a warm, white space-age womb. With little candles, low-lights and a minimalist-artifact decor, it was not your typical Harlem or Ethiopia, really.

I have only had Ethiopian food once or twice and am usually mystified by injera, the flat, spongy bread used to scoop and sop up the wat, or stew, dishes plopped colorfully on top of it. Injera has a slightly acidic taste and is not the type of bread to eat by itself. I've decided injera is not the end, but rather the means to a delicious food experience. I'm not sure what Ethiopia intended, however. Perhaps after my formal food education I will find out; for now I will use food sites on the internet.

We all shared a vegetarian combination platter, and along with it we had glasses of Tej, or honey-wine. Ahhh, tastes like a summery sweet nectar. I only wish I remember or knew exactly what was on the platter, but I can say it was several wats of lentils, carrots, cabbage, and collard greens and chickpeas. Spices were paprika, salt, ginger, onion, garlic, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, allspice, pepper, coriander, and fenugreek, all typical of Ethiopia and together making up Berbere, the thick red paste. Some wats were made with Niter Kebbeh, a butter of onion, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, cardamom, clove, and nutmeg. What a nice grocery list of foods and spices...and a wonderful warm spectrum of reds, browns and yellows. I think the spices, and perhaps Tej, also have some storytelling properties, because we heard great character sketches and stories from Ann about the men who adore her (and for good reason).

We shared another platter for the main dish (pictured above) again on injera, this time also with lamb and chicken wats. To wind down the meal we drank a tea, which may not have been tea at all, but hot water infused with some spices that smelled much like Christmas-time.

Happy Birthday, Ann! And farewell (again) Katie ...

Zoma
2084 Frederick Douglass Blvd (at 113th St)
Harlem, New York
New York
212-662-0620

Katie's Farewell Stromboli

Why must we say farewell to Katie?? It's horrible to keep saying good-bye to dear friends that have been leaving New York this year, seemingly in droves. And of course, they are some of my greatest food friends. Katie and I have shared much conversation, antipasti and after-work vino at Max Cafe in Morningside Heights and amazing lunchtime sandwiches at at Fresh Cafe (reviews forthcoming!)

The only good thing about friends leaving is that everyone gets together to share talk and eats. For Katie's down south send-off, Trish made some addictively good strombolis. They are very easy to make, and easier to keep eating ... I had one piece too many and definitely felt like a Stromboli during the train ride home.

Trish's Stromboli

What you need:

pre-made dough (Trader Joe's has a great herby one)
Sauce
Cheese
Fillings (we had some veggie and some carnie)

Spread out and flatten dough, arrange sauce, cheese and filling on half the dough, length-wise. Flip other half over the filled side, press and seal. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes, or until golden browned and crispy on top.

My favorite had scallops, zuchinni and sweet peppers. Mmm. As you can see, we ate two entire trays of the delicious stuff.

Although I could have easily rolled tummy-first back to Brooklyn, for dessert I had one of the best cupcakes in the land - buttery soft cake and fluffily pink buttercream frosting. Erin brought a big box from sugar Sweet sunshine, a bakery on the Lower East Side that I cannot wait to visit. Their website alone puts me in a cakey state of mind.

Farewell, Katie...please come back and eat with me soon...

sugar Sweet sunshine
126 Rivington St. (between Essex and Norfolk)
New York, NY
212-995-1960
www.sugarsweetsunshine.com

Australia Day Game Night!

I didn't even know we had an Australia Day to celebrate, but it's a good thing we did. Although the coldest night of the year started with me sitting on Nick's stoop waiting for someone to find me (the double whammy: no phone number and broken door buzzer!) I very quickly got a tummy warming meat pie and some yummy sweets. I also learned a lot about the commonwealth and convicts!

Meat pies, according to Nick (all information here will be according to him!) are quintessentially Australian and consumed often at sporting events - in the American hot dog variety of popularity. They are a little like chicken-pot pie, and should be consumed smothered with tomato sauce or ketchup. Typically they are filled with beef, but he got a variety from the East Village Tuck Shop for us to taste - lamb, chili con carne, and one really curried chicken pie.


Then suddenly, there was a "vanilla slice" in front of me - blobby custard between layers of crispy thin dough and with a sweeeet vanilla glaze on top. Even though the sugar was already making the room spin, I could not resist the ever popular Australian Tim Tam - two layers of chocolate cookie with gooey cream in the middle and glaze all around. There is a special way to eat a Tim Tam, apparently, which involves biting off both ends, dipping it in tea and sucking the cream out. Sounds like a marvelous idea.

After consuming all of the above, along with an Australian Shiraz-Cabernet, champagne and beer, we played a rousing game of Cranium. After all the Australian comestibles, I don't think our craniums were functioning at top form, because it collectively took a while to figure out the rules. Um, I still don't know. A few notable "star performer" charades: Lena's "tongue and groove", Sal's "energizer bunny", and Erin's amazing talent for humming and drawing with her eyes closed!

Hurray for Australia!!

Tuck Shop
68 E 1st St
New York, NY
212-979-5200
www.tuckshopnyc.com

Via Della Pace

In the East Village, Villa Della Pace is cozy and warm. You feel like you're in front of the campfire ... with delicious Italian food and wine on your lap. I mean, they do give you a table. It's just very feel good, you know. The East Village is the best neighborhood in the city for Italian food. I will probably expand on that topic at a later time.

What were we celebrating this unfortunately cold January weekend? Mmm, nothing special - just happy that Justin was visiting the city. Our table shared a nice antipasti misto, with some basics - olives, tuna, roasted eggplant and peppers, grilled zuchinni, and fresh, salty mozzarella. Drank a Vermentino wine that was light, crisp and appley. Ate a rigatoni special dish with eggplant, mozzarella and capers. Liiiight and slighty chunky tomato sauce. I want to be best friends with that sauce. BFF. And with the capers, too - magical, little bursts of salty, lemony mouth spasms. I guess we were all too full for dessert, which is very sad. I always want to go against the grain in those situations, because it is very rare that I will turn down dessert. But I also want people to share in the joy of food and feel a little silly when I am the only joyous one. It looks a little strange when only one person is in sugary raptures at the table.

The place is very reasonably priced, especially when you're short one bottle of wine on your bill. But then again, if you are with highly moraled people, they will correct the waitress and you will still make up the difference without feeling poor at the end.

Via Della Pace
48 E 7th Street
New York, NY
212-253-5803

August

No, not summer yet, unfortunately. It's nice to go to places like August in the middle of January. Emilia, Sebastian and I went there for Emilia's farewell dinner (sniff...) and were verrry happy and full by the end. Not only is the restaurant super-cozy and had a super-cute waiter milling about (who unfortunately was not ours) but the food is deliciously "regional European," according to the menu.

We ordered the least expensive bottle of Italian red wine (still very satisfying) and shared an appetizer of raclette (Swiss and French), a cheesy, potato, ham, and asparagus mini-casserole. Mmm. Apparently, Raclette, the cheese, has been around and loved since medieval times [Wikipedia]. For good reason.

I recently became pseudo-vegetarian, meaning ... I only eat meat when something tempting comes along. I don't know why I was tempted by the menu description Pork Belly and Braised Pork Cheeks...It was beyond tender and over some delicious lentils and golden-orange kumquat halves. Pork + kumquat in the same bite = out of this world. We all shared a dish of steamed and charred brussel sprouts that were lightly salted, crisp and perfect.

Tummies said "no dessert"; eyes on menu read "profiteroles." We then wisely shared fluffy, flaky Italian cookie-puffs with vanilla gelato in the middle and warm chocolate syrup drizzled on top.

Cringed slightly at the bill ($50 each), but boy was it worth it. Plus Emilia's last great food experience in New York (before, um, going to ITALY) had to be something special. I miss you already, E ... I will eat something delicious for you.

August
359 Bleecker St. between Charles and W 10th
New York, NY
www.augustny.com