Holy Mole

by Emily

I did not do a good job of taking photographs this weekend and we ate SO MANY good things! Possibly too many, I am still full.

Here were some highlights…

We love this Nola instant coffee from Blue Bottle. It is super tasty and mixes instantly even in cold water.

Noa A Cafe. Banana pudding iced latte with housemade oat banana milk and cold foam.

Concept Coffee. Coconut ube iced latte and cookie.

During the world’s most exciting trip to 7-11 I scored both the Oreo flavored Coke Zero and the Coke flavored Oreos! Super fun. I thought both were very successful and would definitely buy the soda again.

Casa Enrique. Their brunch is just as good as their Michelin-rated dinner service. Jicama and beet salad with queso fresco, mint, candied pumpkin seeds, and lemon vinaigrette.

Chicken mole enchiladas. Their mole is a work of art.

My mezcal tamarind margarita was the best drink of the weekend.

Katana Kitten. We thought the drinks could have been more alcoholic but loved the food. My amaretto sour was a standout – Wild Turkey rye, amaretto, salted plum, honey, lemon, egg white, and yukari.

We had deviled eggs with white miso, Japanese mustard, and salmon roe.

And an astonishingly good Sukiyaki Sando – soy-braised ribeye, caramelized onion, pickled ginger, jalopeno, and mayo on a baguette with au jus.

Foul Witch. The lighting was unflattering, the food was magical. We shared a great dinner. Their house bread was a 20/10.

Fairytale eggplant with heirloom tomato and fresh cheese.

Maine lobster bucatini.

Lamb shoulder with squash blossom and chimichurri. The very best bite of the night was a dessert that was too dark to photograph but blew our minds – carrot cake with meringue and husk cherry.

An easy but great homemade dinner. Mandu bulgogi chicken frozen dumplings / roasted zucchini / cold silken tofu / spicy peanut sauce (peanut butter with sugar, chili crisp, sesame oil, rice vinegar, dark soy sauce, and water) / furikake.

6Sep2024

Brinner Harvest

by Emily

It is normal to have a weekly food theme, yes? This week had two – the 1st week of Apple Month and breakfasts for dinners! On-theme highlights included…

{Apples} Duh.

Over Easy apple cinnamon granola bar (7.5/10).

Health-Ade pink lady apple kombucha (8/10).

Trader Joe’s apple chips (9/10) with a caramel apple iced matcha – matcha with caramel, apple cider, and Spindrift lime and mint seltzer.

Jelly Belly cinnamon and apple mix jelly beans (8/10).

Caramel apple cocktail – apple whiskey with apple cider, lime mint seltzer, and caramel.

{Breakfasts/Brinners} Trader Joe’s coconut cold brew. I actually really don’t like this and need to stop forgetting and rebuying it every two years or so but one morning I had a cup with young coconut water and sweetened condensed milk and that was great.

A complete breakfast coffee shake – iced coffee with half and half, cold brew powder, brown sugar, vanilla protein powder, edible glitter, frozen banana, and Lucky Charms!

Matzoh brie. We used egg and onion matzoh and it was fantastic. I top mine with salt and sugar. Plus roasted purple cauliflower.

Blueberry cottage cheese pancakes. This recipe but I used all-purpose flour, skipped the maple in the batter, and added a bit of lemon juice. These were great. I ditched my plate for a larger one so I could smoother them in maple syrup though.

Paired with the best green smoothie I’ve ever made – frozen spinach, mango, and banana, with hibiscus powder, vanilla protein powder, and water.

Egg burrito from Roast. Scrambled eggs, avocado, crispy potatoes, peppers, onions and hot sauce aioli. Plus their sweet potato tots and (homemade) green beans sauteed with honey and mustards.

Paired with a fantastic mimosa sour IPA from Abomination Brewing.

Ming Bings plant-based sausage, egg, and cheese bing. With yellow squash and fairytale eggplant that I roasted and then sauteed with gochujang, tahini, sesame oil, brown sugar, and water. After the matzoh these veggies were my favorite bite of the week!

2Sep2024

Bluebird, Blueberry

by Emily

Things from the weekend…

It is Apple Month! I started my Sunday, September 1st with a trip to New York Beanery for their caramel apple latte special.

And I, of course, have an Apple Month stash. P.S. Those fall Whole Foods hand soaps smell amazing.

Baklava flavored protein bar.

Burrata ice cream (only ok) topped with blueberry jam, honey, and aged balsamic (delicious).

Leftover creamy mushroom turkey pasta. I went back and topped with bowl with Sriracha and furikake. Goodles noodles are wonderful leftover.

Homemade cole slaw topped with baked chicken breast that I chopped and then tossed in a skillet with butter, honey, and several types of mustard.

Dinner at Bluebird Kitchen. We shared housemade chips with french onion dip and deviled eggs with gochujang mayo and furikake.

I had a Nobody Puts Baby in a Corner with Tito’s, lychee, grapefruit, and rose petals. The petals were in a rose-shaped ice ball!

And the best frozen pina colada we’ve ever tasted.

Lobster mac and cheese for dinner.

And we got the sundae for dessert – housemade vanilla soft serve, bruleed banana, chocolate
magic shell, sugar cookie crumble, whipped cream, and a maraschino cherry.

26Aug2024

Pastry Party

by Emily

We had an amazing weekend including lots of snacks, coffees, walking, and great sights!

Saturday we took the LIRR into Manhattan, walked down to the Seaport, took the Ikea ferry to Brooklyn, walked through Red Hook back to Fort Greene, then took the LIRR back home. <– a perfect day!

Some highlights…

Kismet Coffee Company‘s Rocket Fuel cold brew with coconut milk, amaretto syrup, and pina colada mix.

Honey mustard protein pretzels. These were filling and nicely spiced; I would buy them again.

Mentos fruity jelly drink, basically a nonalcoholic version of the jelly sake I am obsessed with.

Bon Bon’s Red Hook location is as lovely and uncrowded as their Williamsburg one!

The Bakery at Greywind convinced us we need to come back for dinner at the restaurant ASAP. We had a fudgy brownie with sesame and citrusy brown butter cake.

Clover Club for cocktails. Cannonball Cola – spiced rum, overproof rum, cherry cola cordial, pineapple, and lime / Dear Judy – brioche-infused gin, blueberry alpine amaro, lemon, maple, egg white, and blueberry essence / Rouge Wave – Guyanese and Jamaican white rums, blue curaçao, coconut, condensed milk, pineapple, lemon, and orgeat.

Brunch at the Dogwood Cafe pop-up at Figure Eight was my favorite thing we did all weekend. Black sesame cloud cold brew topped with the best meringue I’ve ever eaten.

Steamed egg breakfast sandwich with cheddar and chili aioli on a sweet bolobao.

Duck yogurt croissant and a yuzu lavender Kouign Amann.

Red Hook Tavern exceeded my (high!) expectations. Provence Julep – gin, mint, Provencal Cavaillon melon, sloe gin, Lillet Blanc, and lime / Isle Old Fashioned – Toki whiskey, Giffard Pineapple, allspice dram, and jerk bitters.

We shared the kale salad with toasted almonds, gouda, and champagne dijon vinaigrette.

The burger with American cheese and white onions.

And the cavatelli with oxtail ragu.

Fan Chinese. I had perfect spicy dry-fried Sichuan chicken.

And sauteed string beans.

19Aug2024

Summer Salad

by Emily

Weekend things…

Kings Coast Coffee. I got a great iced latte with toasted coconut syrup.

Chocolate mint protein bars – NuGo and Barebell, both 9.5/10.

We give these Cheddies crackers two thumbs up; they are nicely cheesy and crunchy.

Fried brussel sprouts (leftover from a fantastic Friday night sushi dinner at Kissaki) with togarashi, sharp cheddar, and a fried egg.

Crunchy tacos from Burrito Blvd. With chicken, zucchini, corn salsa, tomato salsa, mild salsa, and cheddar.

Lido Kosher Deli is one of our favorite Long Island spots. It doesn’t hurt that we usually go after an ocean-front run on the Long Beach boardwalk! Pastrami stuffed into a knish can’t miss. They have great cole slaw and house-made pickles.

Summer salad plate – plum, plucot, Midnight roma tomatoes, fried halloumi, baked tofu (marinated in honey, vinegar, olive oil, dijon mustard, and harissa), honey, and za’atar chili crisp.

16Aug2024

Thirteen Years

by Emily

Highlights from the week…

This week marked Webster’s thirteenth Buyday! We celebrated with a walk at Edgewood Oak Brush Plains Preserve.

Plus smashburgers from Paper Plate. The dog and I shared a double 🙂

The human family members also enjoyed some fries.

Also we checked out Kismet Coffee and had a honey vanilla latte. They were out of skim milk and the pistachio milk was surprisingly pleasant.

Snacks this week were most bougie/international candies. The last of my Bon Bon stash.

Blueberry and sour passionfruit gummies (both 9.5/10’s!).

Colombian guava caramel candies.

My parents sent me this hibiscus sugar for my birthday so I tried it in some fun drinks.

Like a smoothie with frozen blueberries, vanilla protein powder, and water.

And in cold foam on an iced matcha.

One of my favorite dinner combinations is cole slaw with baked chicken. This bowl was Bang Bang inspired! Cabbage slaw with plain skyr, sweet chili sauce, honey, rice vinegar, Sriracha, mayo, and dijon mustard and baked chicken that was marinated in skyr, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, sesame oil, oyster sauce, and sweet chili sauce.

Turkey Laab. Paired with roasted zucchini and a mix of brown rice and roasted riced cauliflower.

Leftover cauliflower/rice with marinated kale (basically this recipe) and cheesy scrambled eggs.

Tofu – baked shredded super firm tofu that I tossed in a skillet with Trader Joe’s yuzu green tea jelly, gochujang, rice vinegar, and sesame oil / sauteed baby bok choy with ginger and sesame seeds / radish cakes from the 99 Ranch freezer section.

12Aug2024

Shalom, Mars

by Emily

It was a FANTASTIC weekend! We had perfect Brooklyn dates (Gowanus and Williamsburg) with the best foods, drinks, sights, and walks.

Some highlights…

Blue Brown. We really enjoyed this coffee spot and shared an espresso with palm juice and a dirty Thai iced tea.

Homemade coffee shake. Iced coffee with frozen banana, half and half, instant coffee powder, black sesame paste, vanilla protein powder, and brown sugar.

Yogurt bowl. Plain skyr with Heritage Flakes, plucot, blueberries, and birthday cake granola butter + sprinkles.

NYC tip – the Williamsburg location of Bon Bon has a beautiful storefront and all of the selections of the Lower East Side location with a tenth of the line.

Pokito is my favorite bar in the city. My paloma jell-o shot was a work of art and my frozen rum punch came with a bird I got to keep.

Finback Brewery. They didn’t have small pours/flights so I skipped beer and got a delicious Guavamente cocktail – gin, guava, sorel, lemon, and nutmeg.

Three’s Brewing. We tried a few small pours and had a nice smoked peach saison that obviously couldn’t compare their Super Burrito window. We shared a California-style burrito with carne asada, french fries, jack cheese, guacamole, sour cream, and salsa.

Taglio Pizza takeout (buffalo chicken and vodka slices for me) with roasted shredded brussels sprouts and homemade Greek yogurt ranch dip.

Cafe Mars. Aka “unusual Italian.” Aka my favorite meal I’ve ever eaten. My photos were not great with the lighting but the food tasted spectacular. Also the inside was a neon retro dream. [photo from their Instagram]

I had an unphotographed El Diablo – tequila, ginger, lime, and cassis. The service was impeccable and we also started and ended the evening with complimentary drinks. We shared a bunch of things and have some very exciting leftovers. Inside Out Italian Beef – thin sliced Italian spiced chuck eye wrapped around focaccia and giardiniera and served with pepperoncini-beef jus.

Cucamelon – with cucumber, smoked trout roe, and whey granita.

Fried nectarines (my favorite savory dish I have ever been served) – with heirloom tomatoes, ricotta, and shiso. Also garlic knot monkey bread with red sauce.

Waves – homemade pasta, with shrimp, zucchini, mint, squash blossoms, and Calabrian chili. This was the other dish that blew me away; the sauce was a tiny bit sour in a way that balanced everything perfectly.

Scallops with new potato salad, cured egg yolk, and spicy cucumber salad.

Steak Pizzaiola with penne fries.

Desserts – liquor soaked cake with a chocolate pudding sauce and candied eggplant (not for me, apparently, though Adam liked it) and a watermelon sorbet with pistachio cookies and sea salt.

Shalom Japan. Another wonderful dinner where we shared and loved many things. Two cocktails that were greatly enjoyed but I can’t remember a thing about.

Corn ribs with Kewpie, parmesan, chili, and lime. Their special was the best dish of the night, a take on a caprese salad – heirloom tomatoes, plums, umeboshi dressing, koji-marinated tofu, and shiso.

Okonomiyaki with Wagyu pastrami and bonito flakes.

Lox bowl with sushi rice, avocado, Japanese pickles, fried capers (<– divine), and chili mayo.

Matzoh ball ramen soup. We added a foie gras dumpling and a soy-marinated egg.

P.S. I couldn’t take a photo because I was immediately sticky but we also had a Milk Bar marshmallow gooey brownie that was a 20/10.

22Jul2024

Evil King

by Emily

My parents are here visiting for the weekend and we had a wonderful time! We got to explore Kingston, Ridgewood, and had a perfect visit to Untermyer Gardens.

Some of our best stops included…

Orwashers. Adam and I split an everything bagel with fried egg, cheddar, and beef bacon.

Plus a tahini coffee slushie.

Evil Twin. Their beers are always great but my favorite thing this visit was the frozen cola old fasioned.

Salty Lunch Lady is definitely my current favorite NYC restaurant. We had a peanut butter banana cream pie and an Elton Mess that blew everyone’s minds. Plus Adam and I shared a sandwich on the best seeded bread with smashed chicken meatball, feta, and smoked paprika mayo.