Barebells peanut butter and jelly bar. This was better than the white chocolate flavors but not as good as the originals.
Smoothie – frozen peaches and banana, soursop nectar, vanilla protein powder, and nutmeg.
Surrup mint and rosemary syrup. I liked it in an iced coffee and loved it in an iced diet coke.
Tochi salted egg popcorn – 100/10.
Arizona chocolate egg cream soda – 10/10. I made my coworkers taste-test with me and we all agreed it was spot on.
We bought an egregious amount of baked goods from Little Cupcake Bakeshop last weekend and I heartily enjoyed the leftovers all week. Note to self – buy the caramel peanut butter shortbread bar every time!
Vegetarian “meatball” rice bowls. Brown rice mixed with Le Grand pesto / roasted zucchini / balls = navy beans, firm tofu, and an egg went into the blender; got mixed with panko, salt, grains of paradise, smoked paprika, urfa, onion powder, garlic powder, and dried basil; then baked. I would make the balls again but sized much smaller.
Magnificent salads! Romaine / homemade dressing – yuzu ponzu, rice vinegar, miso, ginger, honey, Dijon, and evoo / crispy rice – leftover brown rice baked with soy sauce, sesame oil, and chili crisp / roasted baby broccoli / canned yellowfin tuna belly / Wooly Wooly aged sheep’s milk cheese/ crispy fava beans / caramelized plums – cooked in a skillet with butter, brown sugar, salt, and vanilla bean powder.
P.S. I saved the “juice” from the cooked plums and served it over plain Greek yogurt and that was the best thing I ate all week.
Doughnut Plant is hit or miss for me but this rosewater glazed doughnut was perfection.
Brunch at Vato. We shared a cinnamon bun and a burnt end, egg, and cheese burrito. The meat wasn’t my favorite but the housemade tortilla was great and their salsas were solid. I need to go back for a concha!
We were impressed with Jax Pizza; Adam liked the Rosso with six-hour tomato sauce and my favorite was the vodka slice.
Handroll dinner at Matsunori. We shared seaweed salad.
And steamed eggs.
My handrolls – spicy salmon (shown) / miso butter cod / toro with caviar / A5 Waygu. I also had a yuzu drop!
Dinner at Chuko was the best meal of the weekend. We shared some fun beverages like this ume soda.
And a Calpico.
Split a shrimp bun.
Fantastic okonomiyaki-style tots.
And kale salad (the best in the city!) with yellow raisins, miso dressing, and crispy sweet potato. They throw some fried kale into the mix and the texture mix here is just wonderful.
They offer all of their broth bases in vegetarian and are also my favorite ramen spot. I went with Kimchi (which comes with cabbage and curly yellow noodles) with pickled mustard greens, a soy egg, and chili crisp.
It is my birthday month so I, of course, opened my stash of birthday cake coffee concentrates.
Trader Joe’s sparkling matcha lemonade. Not too sweet but the flavor was weak.
Fruity candies. The freeze-dried orange slices were okay (good texture but the flavor was off) but we loved the strawberry gummy assortment from Trader Joe’s.
We are head over heels for protein peanut butter cups this week. 2 tablespoons of peanut butter mixed with 1 Tbsp malted milk powder, 1 Tbsp vanilla protein powder (for texture), 1 Tbsp total maple and/or honey, and a pinch of salt; topped with chocolate shell.
Summer salad! Heirloom tomatoes with plum, peach, nectarine, pan-fried paneer, and crispy roasted chickpeas, topped with salt, chili oil, honey, and balsamic vinegar.
We paired our mostly fruit salad with a side of roasted romanesco, which was delicious.
This meal was a watery fail and I am blogging it to remind myself not to put cold silken tofu on top of dumplings again. Silken tofu / pan-fried Trader Joe’s Thai shrimp gyoza / celery and green onion sauteed with garlic, Sichuan pepper, and white pepper / homemade dumpling sauce – rice vinegar, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil, chili oil, sugar, sesame seeds, green onion, and chopped smoked almonds.
BBQ plates. Mashed potato salad (we overcooked our potatoes so we leaned into the mashed vibe and made them extra creamy) with celery and cornichon pickles, dressed with plain Skyr, Duke’s mayo, Dijon mustard, pickle brine, garlic powder, and smoked paprika. Turkey meatballs with panade, egg, ranch seasoning, bbq sauce, and shredded sharp cheddar. And roasted green beans.
I don’t know what to call this bowl but the combination worked! Roasted zucchini and orange sweet potato topped with pan-fried paneer and tempeh sauced with Dijon, rice vinegar, and apricot jam.
Yogurt bowls. This one was plain skyr, plucot, blackberries, blueberries, crunchy peanut butter, and Nature’s Path blueberry cinnamon flax cereal.
The Sprinkles red velvet cake cup is good but not as good as the birthday cake one.
I made two-ingredient ice cream with burrata mixed in. It was good but not great but this bowl with honey and aged balsamic vinegar was pretty great.
Nuts Factory viral Dubai pistachio chocolate bar. This was the most amazing dessert we’ve ever eaten. We ate a whole bar in one night and then went back to our mall to buy a second one the next day.
Lox plates. Radish cakes / heirloom tomatoes with salt and pepper / cream cheese mixed with sauteed garleek / fried capers / avocado with togarashi / cold-smoked sockeye salmon.
Pasta bowls. Goodles cavatappi / sauteed ground turkey / sauteed mushrooms and garleek / salt, pepper, smoked paprika, mustard powder, and gochugaru / dijon mustard / cream cheese / parmesan cheese. With sauteed asparagus with lemon and butter.
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.
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.
We are on our second round of Wild Twist apples and I can say that they are my newest favorite.
I didn’t mean to do another birthday cake theme week but somehow it happened. Exhibit A – Oat Haus granola butter.
Eaten with plain skyr with plucot, blueberries, and cereal (Heritage Flakes and cinnamon Frosted Flakes).
Exhibit B – edible glitter (for cold foams) / Sprinkle’s cupcake cups / Barebell protein bar.
I hated the bar – both taste and texture were off-putting, nothing like their other flavors – but how gorgeous is this candy?!?
These berry (blackberry!) fruit gels are lovely.
Snack hour – honey mustard pretzel crackers (didn’t live up to expectations) with crab dip.
This week’s dinner theme was comfort food/Americana. Starting with “Polk Special,” aka a dish my husband’s family made growing up. Meat patties (I did ground turkey with panade, egg, urfa pepper, and smoked paprika) baked in condensed tomato soup and served on mashed potatoes (I followed this recipe but browned my butter). Plus roasted zucchini.
Leftover mashed potatoes and zucchini topped with egg tofu and sauteed mushrooms in a homemade chicken gravy.
Trader Joe’s frozen turkey corndogs (plus mustards for dipping). With green beans – steamed then sauteed with German mustard, yellow mustard, Sriracha, honey, and rice vinegar.
Disco fries! Trader Joe’s frozen waffle fries / tons of shredded mozzarella and sharp cheddar / garlicy baked chicken / gravy. Plus roasted purple cauliflower.
Peanut butter iced latte! I shook warm espresso in the last of a jar of peanut butter. Plus brown sugar and skim milk.
Yogurt bowls. Plain skyr with plucot, passionfruit, and chocolate cookie granola.
Skyr, plucot, blackberries, Fix and Fogg super crunchy peanut butter, and Love Crunch espresso vanilla cream granola.
PB&J with whole wheat bread and blueberry jam.
I didn’t eat anything red-white-and-blue this week but we did enjoy some fair-inspired foods. Dirt Cake ice cream. P.S. I put mini Jr Mints on this and the combination was delightful
Cotton candy.
An easy dinner. Trader Joe’s frozen nuggets + roasted broccoli and cauliflower + homemade Greek yogurt honey mustard sauce.
BBQ plate. Baked chicken breast that I tossed in Stubbs bbq sauce and chili crisp / roasted zucchini / esquites – fresh corn off the cob sauteed with green onion, fresno chili, and cojita cheese, tossed with mayo, Greek yogurt, lime juice, and smoked paprika, gochugaru.
Hash. Roasted purple sweet potato and brussels sprouts / sauteed yellow onion, orange bell pepper, and poblano pepper / cojita cheese / Seemore chili verde chicken sausage / fried egg.
Fourth of July. Chicken sausage on a brioche bun with mustard and ketchup / fresh watermelon / homemade cole slaw (shredded cabbage with Greek yogurt, mayo, dijon mustard, lemon juice, vinegar, sugar, and celery seed).
Eating Chalk 