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.
Loved both of these summer-y seltzers; the Polar was so pineapple-forward!
These marshmallows were so asthetically pleasing and so terrible (crumbly and very odd tasting).
But I used the vanilla ones to make homemade Snickers! This nougat recipe with salted peanuts and caramels folded in, topped with milk chocolate.
I was actively grocery shopping when I saw this week’s Roast specials and I changed my list to accomodate a night of take-out. Crunchwrap with honey Sriracha fried chicken, cheddar, coleslaw, french fries, and sweet chili aioli / buffalo chicken mac and cheese balls / roasted zucchini from home.
Filipino-ish dinner bowls. Ground turkey sauteed with tons of sisig seasoning, red and sweet onion, eggplant, and crispy baked shredded tofu. On a base of rice noodles tossed in chili crisp.
Bagel and lox inspired salad – romaine (with ranch, I was too lazy to figure out a cream cheese dressing), tons of fresh dill, quick-pickled red onion, hot smoked sockeye salmon, and everything seasoning roasted chickpeas.
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.
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.
Dinner at Red Paper Clip. My drink was the best of the weekend, College Drop Out – a whiskey sour with passionfruit.
Roasted cauliflower with yuzu agro dulce, shiso, and sunflower seeds.
The everything brioche with cured trout, miso egg yolk, and trout roe was a showstopper; this was stunningly good.
We got the cavetalli with nori, parmesan, and bonito.
Lobster three ways, fried salt and pepper claws / fried rice / and in a miso beurre blanc.
The burger – double patties, lettuce, special sauce, and yellow cheese.
I love a good set of theme dinners! Some highlights from this week include…
I am definitely a fan of the BelliWelli bars, cinnamon swirl was soft and not too spiced.
Summer fruits are bringing me a lot of joy. It was a great week of yogurt bowls. Plain 2% Greek with cinnamon, blueberries, blackberries, and chocolate chip cookie dough granola.
Plain Greek with maple syrup, mandarin, blackberries, granola, and chia seeds.
Adam and I really enjoyed this Mabi tea with mauby and strawberry.
Instant topokki.
Two non-traditional jerkies, both a 10/10 – Louisville Vegan Jerky Co maple bacon and Trader Joe’s salmon – both had wonderful textures and great balance of flavors.
McConnell’s double peanut butter chip ice cream is a new favorite. This was the year I discovered that chocolate flakes are a top tier ice cream mix-in.
This packaged Alfajor was surprisingly moist; we would buy it again.
Two of my current favorite canned tequilla cocktails – Superbird paloma and Onda passionfruit seltzer.
Taco salad. Arugula with Trader Joe’s cilantro dressing / black beans / cheese flavored corn nuts / homemade tortilla chips – baked with lime and togarashi / poached chicken / roasted veggies – bell peppers, poblano pepper, and sweet onion / roasted zucchini / salsa – Frontera chipotle.
Chilaquiles. Shredded chicken – breasts and thighs cooked in the crockpot / all the leftover veggies / homemade tortilla chips / salsa / sharp cheddar and mozarella / topped with a fried egg / and plain Greek yogurt and hot sauce.
Crispy quesadillas. Shredded chicken reheated with green onions and taco seasoning / seasoned and mashed black beans / mozarella and sharp cheddar. Plus a trio of dipping sauces (guacamole, salsa mixed with yogurt, serrano mayo) and roasted broccoli.
Homemade burrito. Shredded chicken, black beans, salsa, avocado, and sharp cheddar. The surgeon did an excellent job rolling.
New Wave burrito. Sirloin Steak, chimichurri, rice, french fries, lime crema, chihuahua cheese, ranchero beans, and pico de gallo.
I love this sort of spicy ginger and meyer lemon seltzer from Aura Bora.
Red bean stuffed, sesame coated mochi from Lucky King Bakery are a can’t miss.
Cola-flavored Chupa Chups!!
Lunch at Tanoreen. Za’atar mezcal margarita (mezcal, house made za’atar shrub, and fresh lime) — the best cocktail of the weekend.
Falafel. Plus we had the complimentary bread basket with great za’atar crusted crisps.
I got the baked eggplant with tomato, almonds, and ground lamb.
Knafeh – crispy filo dough with sweet cheese and orange blossom syrup.
Dinner at Virginia’s. Spicy Marg 2.0 – tequilla, passion fruit, lime, Thai chili oil, and spicy salt.
A mojito that reminded me of a julep.
Fantastic hamachi crudo.
French onion and crème fraîche dip with potato chips and trout roe.
Roasted carrots with almond romanesco and goat cheese.
THE burger with cheddar and onion marmalade. This was so good that I loved it even though it was vastly overcooked.
Plus the best shoestring fries.
We got the “banana pudding” for dessert; bananas with cookie crunch and whipped cream. Adam liked it because it tasted good and I hated it because there was not even a hint of pudding.
Adam and I were both on vacation last week and we went home to St. Thomas for Carnival! It was a perfect week – we had time with family, went on my favorite runs, ate my favorite foods (highlights included soursop shaved ice and a dark rum and coke), and went to the beach every day. It’s hard to beat a morning walk in the sand with an iced coffee!
We went right back to work when we got home (seriously, I was at my desk less than 10 hours after we left the airport!) and I didn’t get to go grocery shopping until yesterday but thankfully I had left myself a well-stocked freezer and pantry. Highlights from the week included…
This week’s coffee combo.
Beautiful smoothies. Frozen spinach, banana, and blueberries with honey, water, and key lime juice.
Frozen soursop, banana, and strawberries with vanilla almond milk, cinnamon, and plain Greek yogurt.
Trader Joe’s crispy apple chips.
These s’mores Ben and Jerry’s bites are hands-down my favorite thing.
Leftover chicken soup I made and froze a few weeks before vacation; this reheated really well.
“Freshly made” soup with this trio. Trader Joe’s ginger miso broth and garlicky cabbage plus ginger chicken dumplings.
Farro / furikake, kelp granules, black garlic, gochugaru / canned salmon and smoked trout with mayo, rice vinegar, and Sriracha / zoodles and celery / fried egg. I actually decided I didn’t like this and abandoned it halfway through for ramen but Adam liked it and I still think it was a good idea.
I work this weekend so I was off on Thursday and I went into the city for a haircut and a fun Brooklyn date. I have wanted to go to Pecking House for more than a year and it more than exceeded my high expectations! We shared fries with chicken seasoning.
Cornbread. Charred turnips with miso and almonds.
Fried chicken with salted egg sauce.
And the fantastic spicy chicken sandwich with Fuqi chili sauce, Oaxaca cheese, and pickled jalapenos on a brioche bun.
Plus gelato for dessert. A butter and salt scoop and a scoop of a cannolo flavor with candied fruits that blew my mind.
This was a yummy week; lots of new favorites in snacks and dinners! Highlights included…
PB&J inspired yogurt bowl – skyr with blueberries, salty peanuts, and blueberry jam.
I finally got my hands on this old seasonal release seltzer and it was as good as I’d anticipated; very cinnamon-y.
Boozy, citrusy fun – citron soju and a yuzu jelly sake.
Guava and dulce de leche bites my parents sent me from home.
These Tropifrutti gummies are my favorite Haribo item, the texture is perfect.
This peanut butter fudge honeycomb ice cream easily makes my top-three-favorites list. I prefer ice creams that are loaded with mix-ins but the texture of the ice cream of here was just so decadent.
Homemade baked eggrolls! We stuffed them with a mix of crab, shredded cabbage, green onion, and red pepper jelly. Plus roasted broccoli and dipping sauce on the side.
10/10 salads – arugula / homemade dressing with lime juice, rice vinegar, soy sauce, fish sauce, and sugar / sweet baby bell peppers / homemade wonton crisps (egg roll wrappers baked with Sichuan pepper salt) / peanuts / shredded chicken reheated in a skillet with green onions and chicken broth.
The TikTok hack of shaking your mac and cheese and nuggets together with buffalo sauce and ranch is legit. I used Whole Foods baked macaroni, Applegate Farms nuggets, and added some roasted cauliflower.
P.S. As of this morning the husband and I are on vacation! We have a whole week of time together!! And fun plans, including reservations at Oiji Mi for tonight.
Whole Foods’ Spring latte special is brown butter cookie – good but not excellent.
Meanwhile, Partners‘ Spring latte special is mojito and it is a 10/10.
I added butterfly peaflower tea to this smoothie (with frozen peaches, banana, soursop, and vanilla almond milk) to make it pretty and ended up with greige.
I was much more successful with frozen blueberries, banana, almond milk, and butterfly peaflower tea.
BelliWelli birthday cake flavored probiotic bar.
I feel like I should give another shout-out to this rapidly dwindling bag of Zapp’s Voodoo seasoned pretzels.
Passion fruit sips; hard seltzer and kombucha.
I had a day off this week and I walked 7 miles roundtrip from Penn Station to the Seaport for this burger and fries. The signature smashburger with gojuchang aioli, American, miso-caramelized onions, and garlic parmesan butter and waffle fries with red miso cheese sauce.
Monday I hadn’t gone to the grocery store for the week yet but we cobbled together a pretty good dinner. Chips and guacamole from our local burrito place.
Bitchin dip with mini sweet peppers (and cucumber slices).
And these Fillo’s walking tamales – Adam liked them, I thought they were underseasoned.
Tuesday I went to the fish counter and whipped up this Southern feast. Fried catfish (breaded in a mix of flour and cornmeal with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika); collard greens sauteed with green onion, lemon, and garlic; and hushpuppies. Then I doused my plate in honey, lemon, and Crystal hot sauce.
And Wednesday I made a giant batch of soup. With evoo, salt and pepper, garlic, yellow onion, celery, zucchini, carrot, potato, diced tomato, harissa, chicken broth, and chicken breast.
Eating Chalk 