It is no longer coat weather in NYC, woo-hoo! Other highlights from the week…
Banana bread frozen coffee. Coffee blended with ice, cream, frozen banana, cinnamon, brown sugar, butter extract, and vanilla protein powder.
The rest of the week I did this cookie x cookie combo. The Javy cookies and cream coffee concentrate and Chobani cookie dough creamer were both good but not great.
Beautiful nougat candies my parents made for Easter.
This week’s dinner theme was sandwiches so of course I had some peanut butter and jelly snacks. Yogurt bowl – plain skyr with chunky peanut butter, concord grape jam, and blueberries.
Reese’s peanut butter and jelly big cups(!!!). These were 10/10’s (but still not as good as the chip ones!).
Egg salad. Whole-wheat bread with egg salad (hard-boiled eggs, mayo, Dijon mustard, plain skyr, scallion, poblano, and cornichons). Plus baby carrots and blueberries.
Turkey meatball. Brioche buns with Trader Joe’s pizza sauce and baked turkey meatballs (with pizza cheese, panade, and tons of garlic). Plus roasted broccoli.
Spicy chicken. Whole wheat bread, baked chicken (marinated in yogurt and Sriracha), chunky peanut butter, Kewpie, Trader Joe’s sweet and spicy jalopenos, and sharp cheddar. Plus steamed green beans sauteed with caramelized kimchi and Dijon mustard.
Tuna smash-melts. Tuna salad (canned albacore tuna and smoked trout, capers, scallion, sweet gherkins, mayo, Kewpie, Dijon mustard, and paprika) and sharp cheddar on a brioche bun that I squashed in a skillet with butter. Plus roasted zucchini.
Adam and I spent a GREAT weekend in the Hudson Valley (primarily downtown Hudson). On Saturday we walked around admiring the town for eight straight hours! Alphabetically…
Cafe Mutton. I ordered my Bloody Mary extra spicy and with excessive garnish (it came with a giant slab of house made sausage that Adam happily inherited). We shared a buckwheat scone with butter and curd.
And a mushroom and gruyere omelet with buttered toast. [And Bucitini with lamb ragu.]
Adam got a fantastic tuna melt and I got the brisket melt (my favorite sandwich of the trip!) – with smoked cheddar, jalopeno peppers, and white bbq sauce on white bread.
Lemon chess pie.
Hereafter. It was our first time at this bar. My drink on the right was a Magnolia Fizz – gin, Douglas fir brandy, magnolia oolong, milk oolong, cream, citrus, egg whites, and mint.
Hudson Roastery. Their iced espresso with skim milk is my 2nd favorite coffee in all of New York.
Kitty’s. Their brunch can’t compare to their dinner (but was still solid). I had a great mocktail, Kitty Temple – ginger beer, lemon, lime, and housemade grenadine.
We shared eggs on rice with pickled veggies and chili oil and and hashbrowns.
Lil Deb’s Oasis. Their cocktails are always amazing. Golden Thaw – Japanese whiskey, lemon, and tamarind / Unknown Legend – bay leaf, pisco, burnt honey syrup, grapefruit, egg white, and pimenton. [We also loved a Colorless Dream – Haitian rum, sake, bitter melon, and toasted rice.]
We shard a bunch of dishes. Loaded fries with vegan chz wiz and pickled onions and Fresno chiles.
Tamale with mushroom, poblano and nopal filling, and a golden milk veloute. (Adam’s favorite)
Llapingacho – a potato and cheese pancake with pickled pineapple, peanut salsa, and a fried egg. (My favorite).
Braised chicken mole with confit potato and a “Carolina Mole” (with vinegar).
For dessert we got the Sexpresso Martini – coconut nutmeg tequila, Forthave Brown, cold brew, and cola syrup.
And a scoop of chocolate sorbet.
Mel the Bakery. Pistachio and almond croissant and a fantastic corn cookie with blueberry jelly.
Stewart’s. We popped into this cute gas station and came away with maple French toast cold brew!
New York Beanery is doing a pistachio cold foam iced mocha special. The pistachio, while a lovely green, could have been more flavorful but I loved their mocha.
My homemade blueberry iced latte was better – coffee blended with brown sugar, vanilla protein powder, and frozen wild blueberries.
This week’s yogurt bowl – plain skyr with Kodiak cookie butter granola (fantastic) and blackberries and blueberries.
An array of watermelon things. 9/10 for all but positioned from least to most favorite.
Whole Food’s pie cookies are great. These were pineapple and guava. <– this is foreshadowing
Tuna salad sandwiches. Canned tuna with mayo, dijon, chopped pickles, scallions, and crushed bbq kettle chips on toasted Trader Joe’s whole-wheat bread with gouda spread.
Monday night Adam and I met up at Gup Shup for dinner in the city and had the best Indian food in recent memory. I had a non-alcoholic refresher with kokum and fig purée, mint leaf, and club soda. Adam had a cocktail with clarified tamarind that I will be going back for.
We shared a bunch of things and ended up with to die for leftovers. Mutton Sukka – goat meat, onion-curry leaf, black pepper, bone marrow stock, and malabar parotta (poppy seed).
Butter Paneer Masala. I was pleasantly surprised by how spicy this dish was.
Chicken Biryani with saffron basmati rice and burani raita. This was the most succulent and flavorful chicken. The dish came topped with a seeded bread dome that they excavated tableside.
Our favorite dish was Nizaam’s Haleem – lamb shank cooked overnight, haleem garnish, and butter naan.
Dessert was fantastic too; carrot halwa with gajar halwa ice cream from Caffè Panna.
Friday night we made a homemade pizza pie for Pi Day! Two ingredient crust topped with spinach pesto (spinach and basil food-processed with water, evoo, salt, pepper, and parmesan), extra-sharp cheddar, and tons of sauteed mushrooms.
I, of course, actually did a Pie Week. Turkey cottage pie. I loosely followed this recipe but used ground turkey and added baked cauliflower rice.
And chicken tot pie.
I very loosely followed this recipe but added sauteed mushrooms and substituted frozen potato tots for crust.
Two types of blueberry drinks. We adore the Once Upon a Coconut blueberry, it is my favorite coconut water.
I bought a box of Melo bars without tasting them (flavor untasted?) and fortunately the 1st two kinds I tried were great.
I obviously bought this Slice soda because of it’s font/branding but I was pleasantly surprised by the flavor.
Gigantic dessert yogurt bowl – plain skyr, Ben and Jerry’s s’mores bites (this was a fantastic idea!), cereal, granola, and tons of blueberries and blackberries.
Chopped chicken sandwiches. I am so glad we started making these! Chopped together on the cutting board – baked chicken, sharp cheddar, Kewpie, garlicy sauteed broccoli rabe, kimchi sauteed with scallions and butter and sugar. Plus a side of roasted green bell pepper and purple cauliflower with curry powder, sweet and spicy pecans, and dried cranberries.
Big salads. Romaine with ponzu vinaigrette, bell pepper, scallions, bean sprouts, sharp cheddar, packaged fried tofu, and Trader Joe’s crispy mochi nuggets (10/10).
Chicken salad. I put so many things in here I don’t think I remember them all but this was definitely baked chicken with skyr, mayo, dijon, hoisin, lemon juice, scallions, celery, and toasted slivered almonds. Plus a Bibigo kimchi and cheese rice ball, buttered toasted baguette, and roasted zucchini.
A take on chicken laab. I loosely followed this recipe but used ground chicken, doubled the onion, swapped guava jelly for tamarind, and added bean sprouts. Plus a quick cucumber salad (sugar, rice vinegar, Sriracha, and yuzu ponzu).
The bitter cold this weekend couldn’t stop us from having absolutely fantastic New York days! We ran a bunch of errands, spent an evening in Brooklyn (complete with unphotographed frozen pina coladas!), and spent Sunday walking around the East Village/Lower East Side. Things…
I’ve been eyeing the black and white cookie latte from Zaro’s for months and finally caved — too sweet but still tasty.
Humble Cafe is our favorite Long Island coffee. This was a wonderful latte with ube and white chocolate.
Even better – the cà phê sữa đá with salted cold foam from Le Gaz.
Cinnamon rolls from the new Sunday Morning. We tried guava cheese and pistachio. The toppings were tasty but the buns were weak – we were underwhelmed for the price/wait time.
Dinner at Little Grenjai was our best meal of the year so far! I don’t remember what was in this mimosa but it was nice and refreshing.
Crab rangoons.
Pad Thai with shrimp. This was tamarind-forward in a lovely way.
Drunken Noodles with confit duck. These were some of the best (read: marshmallowy) broad rice noodles I’ve eaten. And there were fresh green Sichuan peppercorns!
Braised short ribs in a Massaman curry sauce. Super tender and wonderful.
Pandan cream pie.
Lunch at Little Kirin was also a 10/10. We shared the Pho Sandwich – slow-braised beef, onions, scallions, cilantro, Thai basil, jalapeno, crispy shallots, and hoisin on ciabatta with pho broth on the side for dipping. Plus the crispiest tater tots.
My mom was in New York this weekend! She came up to see our condo and celebrate her birthday next weekend. We had a fabulous time and did all sorts of NYC things like – admiring the ceiling at Grand Central Station / admiring the ceiling at Albertine Bookstore / admiring the ceiling at Chelsea Market / admiring the snow in Central Park / shopping in Greenpoint / getting a flight of fruity milkshake beers at Evil Twin.
Here were some food highlights…
Morning coffees at home with this power duo (brown butter cookie cold foam!!?).
The 1st week of December has been fantastically festive!
Highlights include…
Red and green yogurt bowl; plain skyr with frosted bran flakes, strawberries, and pumpkin seed butter.
One of Blue Bottle‘s winter specials is a chocolate mint Nola.
I was not a fan of either of these “winter” energy drinks.
But I loved this Target brand eggnog in iced coffees.
Also with iced matcha.
Leftover brownies from Thanksgiving. I make the Baker’s Chocolate recipe – with the addition of chocolate chips and espresso powder! – and they always get rave reviews.
White chocolate peppermint ice cream from Jeni’s; it is pink!
Malai‘s ice cream has the perfect texture and their nutmeg flavor tastes exactly like eggnog.
Taco salads. Spinach / baby bell peppers / homemade dressing with Greek yogurt, mayo, lime, and ranch seasoning / sharp cheddar / Love Corn sour cream and onion corn nuts <– 10/10 / ground turkey and sweet onion sauteed with fajita seasoning / Frontera double roasted tomato salsa.
Nachos with baby bell peppers instead of chips (plus leftover turkey, salsa, and tons of sharp cheddar). I know this sounds like a bad TikTok trend but these were delicious.
Chilaquiles casserole. A spin on this recipe with shredded chicken; roasted bell pepper, poblano pepper, zucchini, and scallion; crushed tortilla chips; sharp cheddar; salsa; and eggs and chicken broth.
We’ve been to TWO holiday pop-ups already. Both were fabulously decorated and unflatteringly lit. Sunday – Sunday in Brooklyn‘s Snowday in Brooklyn.
We thought their themed drinks were great/better than last year. Noggin’ Toboggan – Australian whiskey, allspice, eggnog soft-serve, and Thai tea soda / Yule Shoot Yer Rye Out! – NY Distilling Jaywalk rye, Japanese whiskey, pawpaw fruit, pineapple, artichoke amaro, and curry leaf.
Polar Bear Club – frozen rum, Aquavit, coconut, pineapple, banana, and coffee bean.
North Pole Dancer – Haku vodka, passionfruit, popcorn tea, saffron, and sparkling sake. This was my favorite of the night and not just because it came with caramel corn.
We also had some really wonderful food. Wood-fired pita topped with spinach, artichoke, white cheddar, and bechamel.
Roasted honeynut squash with coffee tahini, brown butter, and a watercress salad.
Wood-roasted brussel sprouts with toasted pistachio, golden raisins, and lemon gremolata. <– these were 10/10 leftover
French Dip – grilled brisket, provolone, Gold’s mustard, and beef jus.
Wood-roasted chicken with Herb De Provence, roasted garlic jus, and seasoned fries.
Wednesday – Leyenda‘s Sleyenda. I am not a talented enough photographer to deal with their low lighting but they were decked to the nines.
I also only took a single food photo even though we great drinks and dinner. We shared fried plantains and I had the Panuchos – fried corn tortillas topped with coconut habanero shrimp, refried black beans, avocado, and pickled onions. Once again the themed drinks were great and better than last year! My favorite (always) was the frozen Candy Striper – Diplomatico planas rum, cachaca, coconut, maple, vanilla, peppermint, and cardamom.
No post last weekend because we were busy moving into OUR condo. We all (Webster included!) love it here and I feel very thankful.
Things from the past week…
Thanksgiving-themed foods abound!
I was in a celebratory mood and bought eggnog from my coffee one week early.
11/10 yogurt bowl – plain skyr with frosted bran flakes, blackberries, and persimmon.
I am a big fan of these chia Smash Bites. Blueberry and cashew butter.
Baskin Robbins seasonal ice creams – eggnog and pumpkin cheesecake. <– way better than I was anticipating, the pumpkin was loaded with cheesecake pieces and marshmallow swirl.
It’s soup season. This one was great. Chicken broth / canned diced tomatoes / roasted zucchini / sauteed onion and celery / baked chicken meatballs with garlic, panko, half and half, and hot sauce. Plus Trader Joe’s ciabatta.
Thanksgiving dinner-inspired fried rice. Leftover white rice and roasted cauliflower rice refried with eggs, smoked paprika, celery seed, butter, spicy candied pecans, dried cranberries, Trader Joe’s oven-roasted turkey breast, and sauteed onion, celery, and cremini mushroom. I topped my bowl with cranberry sauce and chipotle Cholula.
Thanksgiving dinner-inspired crunchwrap from Roast. Turkey, white cheddar, stuffing, cranberry jam, crispy onions, green beans, and mashed potatoes. Plus leftover zucchini and some blackberries.
Thanksgiving dinner nachos! Stuffing chips with Trader Joe’s unexpected cheddar, smoked turkey ham, spicy candied pecans, dried cranberries, poblanos and scallions sauteed in butter with celery seed, and topped with cranberry sauce. Plus leftover Thai green beans sauteed with gojuchang and cranberry.
