el almacén

el almacén

you may have walked past this unassuming little green awning while strolling down driggs and never known what delicious aromas were waiting for you on the other side of the door...  i doubt it though because everyone and their mother knows this place is amazing and there's always and hour and a half wait when we try to sneak in on the weekends!  hence, jack and i are turning into blue plate special kind of folks.  who doesn't want to eat dinner at 6?  

whether you wait it out or catch an extremely late lunch, you're not going to be disappointed here.  you'll find an assorted mix of spanish inspired dishes like the paella and ceviche as well as dry aged steaks with bold sauces to accompany them.  we started with avocado fries (the best) and then worked our way into the grilled corn with chipotle mayo and cotija (mexican cheese) and a paella.  we finished up with the taco special, a tender short rib topped with some serious heat.    

el almacen is definitely a gem.  the interior is warm and comfortable, the servers are very friendly and the wine list is as pleasing to the palette as the dinner menu.  yes, they do deliver as well. 

roman's

roman's

i'm not generally one that's left speechless but during our meal at roman's, all i could do was close my eyes, savor what was on my palette and enjoy every last little bite.  we ordered a nice mix of everything on the menu and each course was as delectable as the one that came before it.  and surprise surprise, it's all being cranked out from a tucked away, laid back spot in fort greene called roman's.

chef david cooked for marlow & sons right here in williamsburg and then went and spent some time learning the ropes in italy.  trust me, you'll reap the benefits when you try his scratch made bread and pasta.  good thing he came back, brookyn's culinary scene is much better off with him here!  the menu at roman's has a plethora of farm to table starters, tender fresh-made pastas, sustainable meats and what's been called, 'brooklyn's best ice cream,' for dessert.  you won't find a ton of options on the menu but everything there is layered with robust flavors and the finest ingredients.

i have to tell you about my three favorites.  the tagliatelle with pancetta and ramps is the perfect way to start.  the sweet, garlicky ramps pair perfectly with the salty pancetta; you'll twirl through the plate in no time.  as for the entree, i can't remember the last time i had veal but since it was on special, we decided to give it a try.  i wasn't sure what to expect but after the first taste, my mouth was watering for more.  i don't know how chef david prepared it but on a flavor level, i would put this right up there with a leuger's steak.  i know; crazy, right?  it was that good though.  last but not certainly not least, chef david created a luxuriously velvety chocolate sorbet laced with salty deliciousness.  pair this with a few fresh strawberries and forget it, nothing better.

go soon, get there early don't be afraid to just order one of everything on the menu. no reservations here but they do take credit cards and the wait staff is extremely friendly and knowledgable.  enjoy~

cityfish, orlando

cityfish

anyone that knows me knows that i can't say no to a lobster roll.  they are my absolute favorite!  while working in orlando, you can imagine how excited i was when one of my colleagues told me he had found a great spot for them.  i'll tell you all about it, here.

oh, and you know what else made my week?!  on my flight down to orlando from nyc, i happened to be on the same plane as eden grinshpan! you know, the girl that does, 'eden eats,' on foodtv?  in real life she really is tall, skinny and beautiful... with no make-up. and now that i think about it, the last time i flew into st. petersburg, i saw geoffrey zakarian at baggage claim.  i need to hang out in florida more often~

marinated tofu & buckwheat noodles

i promise, i'm going to get back out there and into the restaurant scene this week! lately, i've just been quite the homebody and have enjoyed cozying up to the stove~

it seems like a lot of ingredients but this recipe shouldn't take you more than about 30 minutes to prepare.

cast iron lobster mac & cheese

cast iron lobster mac & cheese

you know how you pass some kind of gorgeous ingredient in the supermarket and you're suddenly inspired to make something with it? well, it happened to me this past weekend. there in front of me was a pound of gorgeous fresh shucked lobster meat so i felt the need to make my version of a delicious lobster mac. cast iron skillet and all, i went for it! recipe follows

seafood chowder at home

seafood chowder

i love good fresh chowder but was hesitant to tackle the fish stock part of it.  to make things a little easier (and faster), i did the stock last night, along with all of my chopping and dinner tonight was simple and quick. this is one of ina's recipes, i just added a little extra white wine and mixed in some old bay to give it a little more kick. serve along with a few slices of good crusty bread for dipping~

sweet chick

sweet chick

'for real... that was fast and delicious!' those were the exact words spoken by jack as we walked out of sweet chick tonight. a girlfriend of mine told me sweet chick was opening up a couple of weeks ago and i was stoked to try it out. it's quaint, they play saucy tunes and the food was all kinds of down home goodness. we had a couple of draft beers (the nut brown ale was particularly tasty) and a romaine salad with cornbread croutons to start. after we got our healthy greens out of the way, we jumped right in and ordered the mac and cheese and signature chicken & waffles. there's lots of good mac and cheese in this neighborhood but sweet chick uses nice plump shell pasta and the cheese sauce was smooth and creamy. and they do a ritz cracker crumble on top. seriously? yes, so yummy.  and then there was the main event. what set their chicken & waffles apart was the different options for the waffles. you can do  sweet, cheesy or savory.  we opted for the mushroom and rosemary waffles and smothered them with syrup and butter. such a naughty snack but oh, so worth it. i recommend you cut a bit of the waffle, slather on some of the chive butter, stack on a piece of chicken and then dunk the whole thing in the miniature bucket of syrup. note: keep napkins close 

sweet chick is warm, comfortable and will make you feel good from the inside out.  your belly will be very happy with you and you'll kind of feel like your sitting in your granny's kitchen. loved this spot, will definitely be back! 

 

station

station

we had a group of nearly 20 for a good friend's birthday last night at station. it proved to be a very cozy spot for dinner and although small, did a great job of hosting such a large party. 

station is situated right next to the bedford subway stop and has a warm, very comfortable ambiance. a charming little feature i noticed was the way the cocktail menus were inserted into old bound books.  at first i thought the book was a serious wine list but quickly realized, rather, it was a conversation piece to chat over while perusing the list. the aperol spritzers and old fashion cocktails were among the favorites.  everyone loved the rock candy that was used as a stirrer in the old fashions, such a cute idea!

as for starters and mains, the mussels and burger were the two items everyone seemed to enjoy most.  the broth for the mussels was garlicky and smooth, perfect for being soaked up with a crusty piece of bread.  we also loved the nutella crepes for dessert. they were served warm with chopped hazelnuts and i thought it made for a perfect combo of crunch and richness.

the menu here transitions with the seasons so be on the lookout for new items each time you go.  and enjoy the scene of the open kitchen! i love places where you can see your meal prepared right in front of you.  all in all, station is a great new staple for the 'burg-

savory spice, st. petersburg

savory spice

my goodness, it feels like ages since i've posted here... i've been quite the busy girl these past few weeks; work's been a bit on the manic side, we've been on a couple of ski trips and our latest travel plans landed us down here in st. petersburg, florida to visit jack's parents. i will be back in brooklyn soon enough though! and there are plenty of new restaurants on my list!  more on that soon-
for now, back to this little gem of a store in st. petersburg. i knew there had been a bustling art scene here for some time and i think foodies are now finding their place here as well.  in addition to the local saturday farmer's market, i fell in love with an adorable little shop called savory spice.  check out the link and go to the travel page to read more about it. it's a must see if you're in the neighborhood!

i have arrived... cookin' with my new le creuset

beef shanks in red wine sauce

yep, it was everything they said it would be... i was able to scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pot and save the flavor without the bitterness of a burn and clean up couldn't have been simpler... it just made me happy! my dearest gifted me a 5 qt. marseille le creuset braiser for christmas and i did a delicious beef shank sauce in it this past weekend. i found the recipe in food & wine and liked it because it was pretty simple and straight forward. it was great for a small dinner party too. there were four of us and there was plenty to go around; be sure to serve the dish at the table so your guests can soak up all of the delicious sauce with hunks of bread once their plate has been cleaned : )

a taste of thailand, siam rice cooking school

siam rice thai cookery school

who would have thought that this white girl from ohio could actually make a decent curry? well, not on my own but it was pretty delicious! jack and i did a day at the siam rice thai cookery school in chiang mai, thailand and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves : ) check out the travel page for full details~