This weekend I: worked both days // celebrated Rex Manning Day by watching Empire Records and eating pizza and brownies // celebrated Easter by infusing vodka with Peeps marshmallows and eating my weight in sugar.
Highlights included…
Tapatio pickles. These were nice and firm and spicier than I was expecting.
Peeps vodka with pink Ting. <— a perfect combination!
Triple chocolate brownies. The Bakers chocolate recipe (halved) with the addition of espresso powder, cocoa powder, and chocolate chips.
Nougat candies that my parents made at home!
Noosa lemon bar frozen yogurt is a 10/10 for Spring.
Turkey laab (we love this recipe) with sauteed bok choy and fennel with ginger and green onions.
It was a wonderful weekend! Adam and I had a ton of time together, the weather was gorgeous, and we took some great walks around the Lower East Side and Williamsburg and admired the spring flowers. Also we went on a million and one dates; our fridge is stuffed to the brim with leftovers – a very good problem to have!
Some highlights include…
Iced coffee with ube cold foam.
Dalgona iced latte with strawberry milk and and a dreamy packet of peaflower and edible glitter!
Iced matcha with ginger sparkling water and fresh-squeezed orange juice.
Pazazz apple – a good spring choice, sweet and crispy.
Butterdose. Cream puffs – yuzu, ube coconut, and an Easter special with Cadbury eggs, Oreo, whipped cream frosting, and cream cheese filling.
Levain. This dark chocolate chocolate chip cookie tastes exactly like brownie batter and was the #1 best thing I ate all weekend.
Lindens. This meal was pretty unforgettable; the space was gorgeous and it was hands-down the best service I have ever experienced at a restaurant. We will be going back!
Lavender Daisy – pisco, gin, lavender, concord grape jam, lemon, club soda, and egg white.
Rosemary spiced margarita with mezcal, habanero, grapefruit, and agave.
Parker house rolls with grilled ramp butter. Tempura artichoke, maitake, and broccolini with chili oil and a cilantro yogurt sauce.
Herbed shoestring fries with a truffle aioli. 3rd best thing I ate this weekend and easily the best fries I’ve eaten the past 5 years.
Cheeseburger with grilled onion and cherry pepper relish.
Ocean Code. We had a highball with kyoho grape syrup.
Oden – beef, black fungus, daikon, tofu, and an inari-wrapped mochi ball in a super flavorful broth.
I had the spicy tuna rice bowl.
Okka. Very good cortado and Turkish coffee, plus baklava.
OTB. My favorite bar food in Brooklyn. The fantastic cup on the left was a frozen mojito.
Nuggets and chili cheese fries.
Rule of Thirds. Chiba Surf Club – yuzu sake, lillet, strawberry, sparkling wine, and fresh chives.
Douglas Fir-Banks – sesame shochu, gin, peach, vetiver, lime, umeboshi, and douglas fir. Plus a hojicha iced latte that was the 2nd best thing I ate this weekend.
Souffle pancake.
Japanese omelette sandwich on milk bread with miso mayo and yuzu cucumbers.
Smashed potatoes with mushrooms, hatcho miso, and a poached egg.
Things from this week… My dinners were all topnotch.
Reminder for myself – I did not care for the churro version of these vegan crisps at all.
I did quite enjoy this Mango Chili Truly; it was a bit salty in a very satisfying way.
Fully paired these two IPAs because they both had laser in their name. We preferred the Goose Island.
Insane loaded veggie nachos. Homemade baked toritlla chips with lime and togarashi / nacho cheese sauce / Trader Joe’s vegan soy chorizo / roasted sweet onion, bell pepper, and poblano pepper / roasted zucchini / fresh tomato and tomatillo.
Take-out birria quesadilla with leftover veggies plus green beans.
Broccoli and cheese potatoes. Baked potatoes with soyrizo, cheese sauce, turkey bacon, and roasted broccoli.
Burritos! I stuffed mine with double roasted tomato salsa (two thumbs up!), pickled jalopenos, cheddar, soyrizo, sweet potato tots, and scrambled eggs and topped it with crispy extra-sharp cheddar cheese. Pro tip – I actually used the cheese blanket to seal my wrapped edge and it worked great. Plus roasted cauliflower with taco seasoning.
Adam and I had a really lovely weekend. There were storms Friday night into Saturday morning but afterwards the weather cleared up nicely so we could enjoy some walking dates. We covered a lot of ground, including walks across the Williamsburg Bridge and Queensboro Bridge. Also a trip to the Guggenheim for the Nick Cave exhibit.
Doughnut Project‘s maple cruller is our favorite doughnut in the city.
Lucky Kings Bakery‘s fried mochi stuffed with red bean paste and rolled in sesame seeds. This was amazing.
Banana pudding at Baonanas. Cookies and cream and ube.
Drinks at Dante. Our favorite was this Amalfi Limonata – malfy lemon gin. limoncello, lemon curd, lemon juice, and limonata soda.
I 100% planned last week’s meals so we would have leftover ingredients for homemade painkillers. Pineapple juice, fresh orange juice, and light coconut milk with sweetened condensed milk with dark rum.
Brunch at Loulou. I had a Remy – tequilla, Lillet Rose, and homemade grenadine with lime and sparkling grapefruit.
Also a gruyere omelette.
Lunch at Tacombi. Horchata / hibiscus agua fresca with mezcal and chile.
Corn esquites.
Breakfast taco with eggs, pico, and Oaxaca cheese. <– best dish of the meal
Birria tacos.
Dinner at Super Burrito. We ordered all of this week’s specials with ground beef – burrito, crunchwrap, and nachos. We loved it here!
Epic homemade burrito bowls. Roasted cauliflower rice with roasted onion/bell peppers/poblano pepper, sharp cheddar, double roasted salsa, chicken and chile verde sausage, crispy tortilla strips, and pickled jalopenos.
Key lime skyr with passionfruit, banana, and chia seeds; plus granola halfway through.
These guava crackers were weird in a wonderful way; super thin and crispy and a bit sweet.
Fun drinks – tasty spiced hibiscus bissap tea and soursop nectar.
I enjoyed my soursop in a margarita!
See also – rum and coke slushies. Frozen coke ice cubes blended with Cruzan rum and fresh lime.
We made some really great dinners, all of which received a healthy dousing of hot sauces. I stuck with these three for a Caribbean theme.
Coconut rice and beans – brown rice cooked with coconut milk, dark kidney beans, onion, ginger, habanero, and spices / curried fish cakes – canned tuna and salmon with egg, panko, mayo, and Jamaican curry powder / rainbow chard and celery sauteed with some fish sauce and rice vinegar.
Sauteed zoodles with pineapple pulled chicken (a loose take on this recipe).
Roasted kabucha squash with a very loose take on callaloo – frozen kale with coconut milk, onion, garlic, ginger, habanero, turkey, bacon, fresh crab, and spices.
It was a short workweek because I spent Monday-Wednesday in Ohio. My grandma is moving and I went help pack up/visit with her and my mom! Here were some random things I’ve enjoyed since I got back home…
Pocket latte – coffee chocolate bar with caffeine.
This real latte was better. New York Beanery‘s monthly special is a mint mocha. We also had a pretty amazing creme brulee latte.
Fruity, extra-creamy yogurts. The fig was too lemon-y for my tastes but the marionberry was perfect.
Buttered popcorn with togarashi, furikake, and brown sugar.
Yogurt soju 9/10 and yuzu jelly sake 20/10.
We tried and loved a new-to-us Vietnamese spot in Long Island – Sup. Bang bang chicken salad.
Vietnamese iced coffee (with also had a great strawberry tea) and green papaya salad.
Turkey chili with white beans, bell peppers, and poblano peppers. I cooked the ground turkey with toasted rice powder and fish sauce and this came out great. I topped my bowl with plain Greek yogurt, pickled jalopenos, and tons of hot sauce and sharp cheddar.
Eating Chalk 