Sippable Split

by Emily

I worked this weekend but Adam and I had some really nice date nights! We tried two new top-five-favorite spots in Brooklyn! Highlights included…

My ongoing love affair with summer berries. This bowl was blueberries and blackberries with a few Luxardo cherries.

Ciao Gloria‘s coffee and oat milk granita.

Maman‘s banana split iced latte(!) – strawberry milk, banana puree, Parlor espresso, topped with whipped cream, fudge, sprinkles, and a cherry.

Dinner at Three Maples. I had a 50/50 – Tito’s with tamarind hibiscus lemonade and black tea.

And a burger – short rib blend, house sauce, American cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion. With fries.

We also got the elote dip.

And the charred baby broccoli with confit garlic and red pepper flakes. <– swoon

Wild Maine blueberry crisp with vanilla ice cream for dessert. <– double swoon

Dinner at Little Rascal. We shared some amazing drinks. Cosmic Debris – basil bourbon, fresh lemon, egg white, frooty pebbles infused sugar cane extract, and pistachio cream.

The Dough of Existance – avocado spiced rum, soursop nectar, avocado pit orgeat, and wormwood. And an unphotographed Kurosawa’s Dream – Japanese whiskey, aloe, shiso honey, fresh lemon, and mint — the best drink of the night/weekend/summer.

Caviar(!!) with creme fraiche and blinis.

Halloumi croquettes with eggplant jam and parsley oil.

Roasted cauliflower with hawaji sauce and tahini dressing.

Chicken skewers with meyer lemon yogurt and mini pepper pickles.

And lamb tacos with pickled onion, feta, and paprika yogurt.

23Jun2023

Wonton More

by Emily

It was a tasty week, great snacks and even better dinners! Highlights included…

A beautiful latte with espresso, butterfly pea tea, and sweetened condensed milk.

Smoothie success – cottage cheese, frozen banana and cherries, ube extract.

See also – blueberry Greek yogurt, frozen blueberries and grapes, butterfly pea tea.

Still obsessed with these Belli-Welli bars. I finally shared one with Adam, who was not a fan, but I think they taste great.

It turns out my favorite dried fruit is kiwi; the texture and taste of these was so satisfying.

Rainer cherries (swoon) plus Haribo berries gummies.

See also – these Honest gummies are wonderfully juicy and chewy; not the best gummy I’ve ever eaten but hands-down the best fruit snacks.

Creamy lemonade – fresh lemon and lime with sweetened condensed milk and lemon seltzer.

These alcoholic Frescas are a 9.5/10 – perfectly balanced and just sweet enough.

Pinch of Yum‘s bbq salmon plus roasted Japanese sweet potato and roasted cabbage dressed in a mix of honey, rice vinegar, and Caribbean hot pepper sauce.

Korean rice cakes sauteed with tomato sauce and gojuchang, plus roasted zucchini, shredded chicken, and sharp cheddar.

Homemade baked wontons. Our filling was fresh crab and roasted cabbage and green onion with soy sauce, white pepper, and hot pepper jelly. Plus roasted cauliflower and dumpling sauce.

Salad success – baby kale, this dressing, leftover cabbage, baby bell peppers, chicken breast, cashews, homemade baked wonton crips, and furikake.

Homemade baked wonton chips (these are going to become a staple!) seasoned with szechuan pepper salt and togarashi plus baby bell peppers and pimento cheese. Full disclose, I went back for thirds!

19Jun2023

Traverse City 2023

by Emily

Adam and I had an amazing vacation in Michigan! We ran along the lake, took a ferry to Mackinac Island and admired the flowers, explored downtown, and spent time with friends and met their twin babies!

Our favorite things we ate included…

A perfectly roasty latte from Higher Grounds.

Iced espresso with cherry cold foam from Espresso Bay.

A fantastic s’mores cold foam cold brew from Biggby Coffee.

Rocky road fudge on Mackinac Island.

Ice cream with housemade fudge from Milk & Honey.

Yuzu and Earl Grey macarons from Merlyn’s Patisserie. Also an ube crinkle cookie that was the 2nd best cookie I’ve ever eaten.

The number one best cooke we’ve ever eaten was a peanut butter cookie from Common Good.

The smoked whitefish hushpuppies from Great Turtle.

Everything on the menu at Sugar2Salt, our new favorite restaurant. We liked it here so much we went back the next day! This was The Duck – duck leg confit, duck ham, duck sausage, and a duck egg with applesauce, poached pear, and crispy greens.

The salad from Mama Lu’s with pepitas and gigante beans. Plus a margarita made with creamy coconut.

A cherry whiskey slushee from Traverse City Whiskey Co.

The Pterodact Ale IPA from Terra Firma.

9Jun2023

Trader Joe’s Thai Noodles

by Emily

I hope all of my local readers are breathing a little bit better! Highlights from the past week…

A sucessful fridge dregs yogurt bowl – Trader Joe’s guava passionfruit Greek yogurt with a bit of cottage cheese, mandarin orange, and chia seeds.

The cookie dough flavor is the best Perfect Bar flavor (though I am hoping to get my hands on the crispy layered ones again asap).

Plant-based gummies. The ones on my left are one of my favorites but I was not a fan of the ones on the right as they were basically fruit leather (note – Adam loved them).

An assortment of citrus sparkling beverages. The Social Hour was the stand-out. I was suprisingly not that impressed by the Topo Chico.

I enjoyed these Trader Joe’s Mee Krob seasoned noodle crisps and would buy them again.

Trader Joe’s chicken and veggie gyoza potstickers (9.5/10) with edamame and dumpling sauce on the side.

Trader Joe’s Thai wheat noodles sauteed with spinach, edamame, green onion, and a spicy sauce (including gojuchang, Sriracha, and chili crisp!) and topped with sesame seeds and a fried egg.

5Jun2023

Williamsburg Weekend

by Emily

I worked the weekend but Adam and I were able to have some fun date nights! Some highlights (all Brooklyn-based!) included…

Qahwah House. We got a Mofawar (Yemeni coffee with cinnamon, cardamom, and cream) and a Basboasaa (a semolina cake with pistachios and sweetened condensed milk).

Inday All Day. Hibiscus Mezcal Margarita – mezcal, homemade hibiscus syrup, pineapple, and masala honey / Spicy Mango Margarita – chili-infused tequila, mezcal, cointreau, cinnamon, lime juice, and mango juice.

Housemade cheddar naan with a yogurt dipping sauce. <– so good!

Tamarind salmon.

K’Far. Persian margartia with mezcal, tequilla, and black lime.

Savory baklava with haloumi, rhubarb, and pistachio.

Short rib with amba and passionfruit.

Chocolate kanafi with a coconut ice cream.

3Jun2023

Eggcellent Eats

by Emily

Yummy highlights from the past week…

We made the best iced matcha with creamy lemonade – fresh lemon and lime juice, sweetened condensed milk, and lemon seltzer.

Pickles are a top tier snack.

And these Trader Joes Crunchy Curls are possibly the most satisfying thing I’ve ever eaten.

Double double IPAs. We loved the Destihl and liked the Montauk Brewery.

Soft-scrambled eggs (plus an extra soft-boiled egg) / a huge pile of sauteed green beans with chili crisp / Paris Baguette mini garlic croissants.

Soy marinated eggs with brown rice, roasted cabbage, and chili crisp.

Soy eggs with smoked almonds, cottage cheese, and cucumber salad (chopped and tossed with white pepper, sugar, and Sichuan pepper salt).

Fried rice. Leftover rice with Sriracha, soy sauce, and fish sauce / eggs / Trader Joe’s turkey summer sausage / green onion and white onion / chopped baby brocoli and baby cauliflower with salt, white peppers, and tons of garlic.

29May2023

Blue Mountain Dew

by Emily

Things from the weekend…

There is a new coffee spot near us with Jamaican Blue Mountain.

The homemade Snickers are definitely one of the best things I’ve ever made. And so quick and easy too.

I mostly drink IPAs but I do really love this key lime pie sour.

Multiple theme snacks! We ate these orange slices with orange slices.

And drank a variety of Mountain Dew and then rewatched the Slurm episode of Futurama.

Egg salad dinner plate. Six minute eggs with Greek yogurt, mayo, mustard, pickle juice, dill, pickles, and red bell pepper. Plus pickled red onion, crackers, and roasted purple cauliflower.

Cheeseburger-inspired salads. Romaine / special sauce dressing – 1 Tbsp each mayo, yellow mustard, olive oil, and vinegar, plus 1/2 Tbsp ketchup and a pinch of salt and white pepper / pickles / tomato / quick pickled chopped white onion / mini turkey patties topped with sharp cheddar / dill / sesame seeds.

Plus special sauce kettle chips!

23May2023

In Paradise

by Emily

This past weekend Adam and I… lost our minds over the beautiful flowers all over Park Slope / went to a Filipino/JapanFest street fair / checked off two restauarants on my “lauded cheeseburgers” list. Highlights included…

Birthday cake smoothie bowl from Juice Press. I kept seeing the advertisement for this and I couldn’t help myself! The smoothie was meh but the Out Haus birthday cake granola butter was perfection.

Marvelous by Fred – mini meringue with coffee and hazelnuts.

Ice cream from Teo’s – coffee crunch and sprinkles. Great texture, I love an egg-heavy ice cream base.

Street fair finds. Ube and calmansi juice was a surprisingly sucessful combo.

Okonomiyaki.

Mini twinkie with jackfruit and Frooty Pebbles.

Drinks at The Warren. I loved my Madame Brown with bourbon, passionfruit, sour, and egg whites. We also had the best (unphotographed) deviled eggs I’ve ever eaten; I want to come back here for dinner immediately.