Spice it Up!

My fellow foodies, it would be a crime for me to not reveal my go to spice source. Now please, commit this to memory!

Penzey's is based in Wauwatosa, WI (try saying that 5 times fast) and has several retail locations. Manhattanites, you can visit a small stall at the Grand Central Food Market. Florida friends, go to Winter Park as the store is huge and they often give you freebies. Oh and make sure to get on their mailing list! If you can't get to a retail site, you can always order online :)

Now, if I was on a deserted island and could take one spice with me from Penzeys, it would be the Fajita Spice. I use it on EVERYTHING. Chicken, fish, shrimp, even in a dip I make. The best part is that the ingredients are all natural and there isn't too much salt. If you gave me one more spice to take, it would be their Sunny in Paris spice. This jazzes up any dish. I mainly use it in eggs and omelettes but have tried it in Chicken Salad and it came out really nice. The spice is a blend of shallots, chives, green peppercorns, dill, basil, tarragon, chervil, and bay leaf. Give it a go and let me know how you use it! I am always looking for a new way to use my Sunny spice!

Happy Spice Shopping!

Penzeys Spices
http://www.penzeys.com

Run for the Border....

I recently went to Empellon, a seemingly cozy Mexican spot in the West Village. My friend Laura offered it up to the group as a place we should try. And try we did. We arrived and were told by the very bothered hostess our table would be ready soon. So, like any other starving diner, we bellied up to the bar and ordered a drink. 10 minutes later, our table was still not ready. We ended up in the worst place at the bar. I was in the middle and constantly had to duck servers with trays of food. Strike ONE. Finally, our super model by day, hostess by night, came over and said our table was ready. We were taken to the back of the restaurant. When I say back, I mean back. It was the "you aren't cool enough to be in the front room" section where folks like us sat. I think secretly we were all happy since we were away from the hoopla in the main dining room. At the end of the day, we were here to visit with each other and eat delicious food, or so I thought.

Our waitress came bouncing over and asked us if we wanted chips and guacamole. We said, sure, we would love that and also please being us the wine menu. We promptly got our guac and chips from a food runner that told us he was day #2 on the job. Our waitress finally came over with a wine menu. We asked her for a bottle of Barbera. After 15 mins of chatting and eating, we had no wine. Our waitress finally came over and told us that she was out of the barbera and what else would we like. We punted and ordered something similar. At this point, we were salivating for wine. Finally we got our wine. Note this was after a good 30 minute wait. Our bubbly, bouncing server came back and asked for our order. We decided to try the short rib sopas and then order three different kinds of tacos: spinach, steak, and lobster.

Our sopas were tiny. Smaller than a sand dollar. The short rib was average, not bad but certainly not fantastic. Two bites and they were done. And I think 3 were 15 bucks. Wayyyy too pricey. But this didn't outrage us like the lobster. 10 minutes or so later, the food runner on day #2 came over with all sorts of food. We were ready to dive-in but realized we didn't order scallops or pork. Where could our food be? It turned out the table next to us ordered all this lovely food. So we gave it up and waited for our tacos. 5 minutes later our server took our chips and guac. Why she took them we don't know as we still had chips and guac left. So off the chips and guac went with a frown from all of us. Less than 5 minutes later another server delivered our tacos. After switching tacos so we each had a taco, we started munching. Spinach was OK. Not great but OK. I felt like the tacos were half filled with stuff. Where was the rest of the filling? The real atrocity was the lobster. $42 bucks for 3 tacos. And the meat wasn't even lobster meat!!!! It was crayfish. STRIKE TWO. I can't believe these people at Empellon thought we wouldn't realize this!!! I did. Had I not been starving I would have sent this back but we were hungry and we didn't realize the imposter meat until after. The taste of the lobster a.k.a crayfish was so so. Slightly fishy and drowned in tons of butter. Our last taco was steak. They always say you leave the best for last and we indeed did this with our steak tacos. They were filled with the right amount and had the nicest marinade. Absolutely lovely. But again, who can really screw up steak tacos?! After we finished, our re-fried beans and crema appeared from the day #2 food runner. He tried to give us the food and then take it away. It was the strangest exchange as he couldn't understand what was going on with our table. STRIKE THREE. The final blow came when we got the bill and we realized we spent $42 bucks on crayfish. Because of all the waiting and insanity, we called the manager over and complained. He took our bill and knocked our wine off the menu. This was a nice gesture but was made miserable by our no longer bouncy waitress. She was PISSED. She handed us our bill and said not one word. We paid and left her 18%. We could have left less but decided it wasn't exactly her fault. So we paid and got up to leave. As we walked out, the front room filled with cool people was like a lounge with people draped all over the chairs. Nobody was there to eat. People were there to be seen and look like they were eating. And this pretty much sums up Empellon. Go there if you want to be seen, but don't go for the food. It stinks!

5 minutes or less...

Dear Manhattan Friends,

Please check out these places:

The Dutch--SOHO

Ciano (been 5x times and still love)--Park Ave South

Bell, Book & Candle--West Village

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed The Dutch. I wasn't prepared to like it as much as I did. Call for a resi NOW. Ciano is amazing. I have ordered off the menu and been happy. I have also ordered the pasta tasting menu and loved. You really can't go wrong. If you go, get the meatballs. TRUST ME! Bell, Book, & Candle is a little gem in the village. Food is really good and consistent. The space is inviting...great for a birthday party. Best part, you won't spend a fortune!!!

Review coming soon: Empellon. A new west village Mexican!

BBQ Gone Bad

I love BBQ. While my home state of Florida isn't a hotbed of great joints, I have spent a few finger lickin' good nights at some great BBQ places in the US. [ Shout Out to County Line in Austin,TX]. I could call myself a full on BBQ critic with the amount of time I have logged thus far :) Trust me on this.

A few years ago, I was so excited to learn that New York City had drank the Southern Kool-aide and some great pitmasters were headed my way. Many came, and many conquered. One of the great names that came our way was Pat & Gina Neely. You might know them from their Food Network Show which I happen to watch often on the weekends. So when I found myself doing a double movie header and needing a place for dinner near 62nd and 1st, I called upon Pat & Gina to feed me. It went something like this:

We walked in to the restaurant and were overcome by the smell of smoke. Cigar smoke to be precise. I asked the ladies to seat us outside. The outside was so crowded and tight. We sat down, our waiter came over and we ordered. We split a wedge salad, and then I ordered the brisket and my pal Clarissa ordered the pulled pork. Less than 10 minutes later, our entrees appeared. Clarissa said you the server, where is our salad. He said, "Oh, I forgot." So he asked us if we wanted and we said forget it. So we started to eat our mains. My brisket was tender and flavorful. I enjoyed the slight spice. The pulled pork on the other hand was dry and in need of sauce. Sadly, our waiter didn't appear so we had to eat before it got cold. Halfway through my meal, Clarissa asked me if I noticed mold on my okra. I looked, and viola, I saw mold. I couldn't eat anymore. Without asking, the manager appeared and asked us how we liked our meal. He looked 16. I said it was OK. Clarissa said, you are being way too nice. I said, I won't come back so forget it. Not worth a fight. Next thing we noticed was the man behind me talking to his girlfriend (at least I hope it was) in a very sexy tone. I can't even tell you what he said. Suffice to say, you would be blushing too :) Finished with our meals, we paid and vowed not to come back.

I plan on writing Pat & Gina Neely a note. They need to know. The best part of the night was seeing DRIVE with Ryan Gosling. Loved the movie. I even bought the soundtrack.

My words of caution, eat BBQ carefully.....

Spring has Sprung!

OK, so I admit I have been on a bit of a blogging hiatus. First off, it was a cold, dark winter and I spent some serious time on the sofa. I did flex my cooking muscle a bit and made some interesting meals. Some I will make again and some I will retire. My latest invention involves chicken, lemon pepper panko, and of course, my sprouts. I love them so much!

Now that spring has sprung, I am back in full dining mode. I recently went with a large group to Ciano. WOW. WOW. WOWSER. It was awesome. I was a bit skeptic when I arrived - the front of house wasn't on its game. Once everyone arrived, we were taken to a private room on the 2nd floor. It was perfect. Wine all over and cozy. I started with the famous meatballs. Oh how much I want them again! Perfect size. I next had the burrata with toasted bread and an onion jam. Again, a great dish that was a perfect size. My final course was the veal with a veggie ragout. Lovely and I am not a huge veal fan. Nice size, not too much. I opted for another glass of wine for dessert! Overall, lovely. A great meal that is worth every penny.

Ciano, 45 East 22nd Street, (212) 982-8422.

Molte Bene!

Delicious Danji

I have worked in Midtown for over 12 years now...and I have always been on the West side. Consequently, I have hit almost every restaurant in a 10 block vicinity and have some battle scars to prove it. Recently on a review of the Dining section of the Times, I discovered a little Korean fusion joint that had just opened.

Danji is located on 52nd street between 8th and 9th ave...quite an unassuming block. I recently had the pleasure of sampling this place with a friend who was also up for a new dining adventure. The menu is a blend of modern and traditional plates that are meant to be shared. We ordered the pork belly sliders, the skirt steak, the rock shrimp tempura with flying fish roe, and the stir fried vermicelli with beef and veggies. The pork belly sliders were my favorite. Super spicy (my nose ran) but so lovely. The moist pork belly was served on top of a perfectly grilled brioche bun. 3 bites and it was gone! The rock shrimp were good, not the best ever. The skirt steak was tender and had the perfect blend of Korean spices...I wish they gave us more! The dish I wouldn't order again was the vermicelli. Too many noodles and not enough beef. We were much too full for dessert....sorry readers!

The prices were a little high but the food is definitely worth it! During the week you might not have a problem getting a table but book a resi on the weekend for sure!

Wise words from the U.S. Food Administration

A friend of mine from Florida posted this on her Facebook profile and I had to have it. It is so simple...

A Steeler Superbowl

Here we go Steelers, here we go! Here we go Steelers, here we go! OK, I had to say it one more time, actually twice before I let it go for the year. So sad for the loss, but I know they will work hard and be great next year. I had the lucky fortune of going to Megan's house for the great game. Megan and her boyfriend extraordinaire served quite a feast. 3 kinds of wings with blue cheese, chips, salsa, delicious chocolate chip cookies with peanuts, and the best bloody Mary's ever. Our friend Sarah made a spinach dip to remember. Apparently it was a Paula Dean recipe that I am hot to get! She is one of the best cooks I know and she gives all her dishes a farm to table feel. She never sacrifices flavor!

Congrats to Green Bay...

Stepping out during my January hibernation...

I am really optimistic that 2011 is going to be a great year for everyone. As I continue on my foodie adventures this year, I am going to challenge myself to get healthy while never sacrificing flavor. Food with flavor and taste does not need to be bad for you! Since the New Year, I have had a few dining adventures worth telling you all about...

Riverpark: Tom Colicchio's new place on 29th and 1st ave. I went twice over NYC restaurant week. My first trip was an A+. I went with a dear friend and lucked out to get a nice table by the window. For starters I had the pork belly and it was out-of-this-world! Served with a Korean BBQ sauce and pickled veggies, it was absolutely lovely. Perfect size! I decided to channel Miss Piggy a little longer and I ordered the pork chop with a brussel sprout-apple hash and parsnip puree. Every bite was better than the next. Not too much food either. We paired our meals with the Claud La Chapelle Merlot/Cab blend. So nice and very affordable. We ended our meals with a cheese plate...and this was no ordinary cheese plate! Riverpark served 3 different cheeses - Meadow Creek Grayson, Cayuga Blue, and a Ossau-Iraty Vielle. Each piece was paired with pear jam, quince paste and honeycomb. I highly recommend!!!

The Lamb's Club: Chef Geoffrey Zakarian's new place on 44th between 6th and Bway. This place wasn't on my radar at all until I had a lunch date there. The menu is a great example of how you can serve many different palates. I had the Chicken Cobb Salad with maytag blue cheese, tarragon, and tomatoes. The dressing was lite yet creamy. I am not a bacon and avocado on salad kinda girl so I held both and it didn't compromise the salad at all. Truly a delight. I hope to try for dinner one evening!

I have also hit a few of my regular haunts....Kefi, Houston's, and Company. If I wasn't so carb conscious I think I would eat pizza for every meal. I love it, especially when it is dressed up with something unusual;)

Here's to hibernating in this cold weather! Lucky me has a little Florida sun in the near future to get excited about!