A Lovely Day in Brooklyn

Saturday was such a sunny and (fairly) warm day so we decided to spend it in Brooklyn! We started our afternoon at Smorgasburg, a weekend outdoor food flea market in Williamsburg with almost 100 different vendors selling all sorts of delectable food and beverages. Since we hadn't eaten anything beforehand, we were super hungry and ready to eat! We started with fries at Home Frite that had been mixed with truffle oil, parmesan and parsley, with a lemon aioli for dipping. The fries were thick cut, perfectly seasoned with a fresh citrus flavor from the aioli. Next up was a small slider size brisket sandwich and pulled pork sandwich from Mighty Quinn's, a BBQ restaurant in the East Village. The pulled pork was really good, but the brisket was awesome. The meat just melted in your mouth, with the right amount of fat and flavor. We can't wait to actually go the restaurant now! Last stop was at Oaxaca, where I picked up two tacos, one with pork carnitas and the other with ceviche. Both were really fresh, with a nice kick of spice and acid from the lime. We made some good choices, ending with a refreshing beer in the beer garden at the center of the space.

As we were heading to our next destination, we had a lucky discovery that OddFellows Ice Cream was on our way! I have been wanting to try their ice cream as they are known for having for creative and wacky flavor combinations. We had a double scoop of burnt marshmallow and the big winner, miso cherry. The miso was very prominent, but not too overpowering, and the macerated cherries added the right amount of sweet and tart. I could eat that flavor of ice cream every day - trust me, I'm not joking.

Our next destination was Radegast Beer Hall, where we had several German beers - hey, we're just doing research for our trip to Europe in the fall! Some friends met us there and we hung around for awhile longer and enjoyed a pretzel because it was National Pretzel Day after all!

Our last stop, and the one I had been waiting for all day, was at a fairly new restaurant called Emily in Clinton Hill. I was drawn to it, of course, by the name, and was even more excited when I heard really great reviews! They are predominantly a pizza place, but also have some pasta dishes and sides/appetizers as well. We ordered the Emily and the Matt pizzas, of which we both agreed the Emily was the clear favorite. Loaded with mozzarella, truffles, pistachios and honey, it was the perfect balance of sweet, savory, salty and earthy. I would go back solely for that pizza. We also had the opportunity to meet one of the owners, Emily, which was a really nice treat!

I can't wait for another fun Brooklyn day, especially as the weather continues to warm up. Where are your favorite places in Brooklyn? Let me know so I can check them out this summer!

Choice Eats

Last week, Matt and I went to the Village Voice's annual event, Choice Eats, where we were able to try dishes from 70+ restaurants, imbibe ourselves with lots of beer, and enjoy some sweet treats too. It was so much fun and we stuffed ourselves silly!

By far, the best dish we tried that night was the beef brisket at Mable's Smokehouse in Williamsburg. The meat was so juicy, tender and full of flavor. I absolutely want to go there now that I know how great they are at smoking meat. 

Some of my other favorite dishes were:

• Black pork curry at Banana Leaf - great flavor from the spices and a nice kick of heat
• Mackerel crudo at Littleneck - refreshing bite of fish, complemented with the herb oil and sesame seeds
• S'mores ice cream at OddFellows Ice Cream Co. - chunks of chocolate and graham cracker mixed throughout, bringing me back to my Girl Scout days by the campfire

I found a great beer, Five Hop ESB, by MOA Brewing Company based in New Zealand. The beer was so smooth, bordering on a bit creamy, and had a subtle honey flavor. I must have gone back at least half a dozen times to get a refill. Luckily, I can find the beer at Whole Foods so I'll be heading there soon!

After having experienced this all-you-can-eat glutton fest, I can't wait for their next event, Choice Streets. Choice Streets is a gathering of food trucks on the Intrepid - how does it get any better than that?! I really hope I'll be able to make it as I have a work trip right around the same time. I highly recommend that you all go and enjoy yourselves because it's bound to be a really fun time!

Champagne Risotto

Happy three day weekend to all my lovely readers! I'm so happy that today is still my Saturday since I don't have to go to work tomorrow! I had a productive morning, running a 10 mile relay race with two girlfriends in Prospect Park. I definitely wasn't prepared for the cold - 20s with wind - I thought my toes were going to fall off! I was happy to have a delicious post race lunch - pulled pork sandwich, fries and a beer to wash it down.

I hope you all had a great Valentine's Day as well! Matt and I cooked dinner at home and watched Rush, which was a really good movie. I would definitely recommend checking it out! Our dinner menu was comprised of bruschetta, champagne risotto and chocolate cake, with a lemon raspberry champagne cocktail to finish off the night.

The champagne risotto was definitely the star of the evening. After blanching the asparagus in the chicken broth and cooking down the shallot, the time intensive (but completely worth it!) creation of this dish could really begin. I was glad to have some extra chicken broth since I ended up needing more than three cups to cook the rice enough without being too chewy.

The absolute best part of this dish had to be the crispy prosciutto. I've had prosciutto on its own, or with figs, but never cooked to a crisp. The crunch, the smoky bacon flavor...I could go on forever. I'm going to have to find ways to incorporate this into other dishes, or maybe I'll start sprinkling it on top of all pasta dishes. I think that's the right way to go!

Matt approves!

The risotto turned out wonderfully. The dish was creamy and pepper-y, with a crunch and freshness from the asparagus and smoky crunch from the prosciutto. If you're willing to put in the time for this dish, you'll be so happy with the outcome!

Date Night: Dish West NYC

It happened. I actually hit my food and beverage limit where I could not consume anything else without feeling like my stomach was going to explode. And it was so worth it. On Friday, Matt and I went to Dish West NYC, a food festival with local restaurants, bakeries, breweries, etc. offering tastings of their food and drink. We tried every single dish and drink (hey, it's all you can eat, after all!) and there were a lot of winning dishes and few flops.

One of the first tastings we really liked was from Lobel's Kitchen, a family-owned company offering gourmet pre-packaged foods and catering. The prime steak sandwich (which was Matt's favorite of the two bites) had a crispy, buttery brioche bun with a really tender piece of prime steak. My personal favorite was the pork cheeks with onion jam, which was so flavorful.

Prime steak sandwich (left) and pork cheeks with onion jam (right)

On to one of the most attractive dishes, which was unfortunately disappointing in flavor and texture. Santa Fe, an upscale Mexican restaurant on the Upper West Side, offered a black bean cake with a mole sauce cooked in and presented on a corn husk. As soon as we saw it, we need we had to try to it. However, the mole sauce was really one note and the black bean cake was too dense and lacked flavor. At least we had a margarita shot to try and kick the dish up a notch!

Oh, and now I can tell you about my favorite restaurant, Say Cheese, and my two favorite dishes of the entire night. Say Cheese offered elevated comfort food that was just delectable and a little outside of the box. First, the mac and cheese with pork belly. It was so creamy with perfectly cooked noodles, and the pork belly just melted in my mouth. I could eat tubs of this mac and cheese - it was just the perfect bite. The most creative dessert at the festival was the deconstructed s'more. The marshmallow was roasted, rolled around in graham cracker crumbs, and stuck onto a pipette filled with milk chocolate. When I took that bite and squeezed the chocolate into my mouth as directed, it was just an explosion of all the flavors you'd expect in a s'more without the mess. I even went back for a second one because it was so delicious. I will definitely be going to this restaurant to try out some of their other comfort foods.

A quick mention of my least favorite dish was the vegetarian hot wing from Atomic Wings. I can't imagine this is just me, but chicken wings are meant to be made with actual chicken. There should not be a wooden stick in a hot wing to imitate a chicken bone. As soon as I took that first bite, I realized what a mistake I had made. It did not have any resemblance in flavor or texture of chicken, just spongy, soggy soy product. Stay away!

Rounding out the evening was dessert. Chellaoui Chocolatier provided Peruvian chocolate ganache that was so creamy and decadent that I had multiple pieces. I couldn't help myself! The other bakery that provided multiple delicious desserts was Westville. The pumpkin whoopie pie was moist, a good ratio of cookie to icing, and had a great spicy, pumpkin flavor that really lingered in my mouth. My favorite tasting from this restaurant/bakery was their blueberry pie. The crust was so flaky and the blueberry filling was juicy, sweet and just the right level of tartness.

We had so much good food and drinks (thanks Chelsea Brewing Company!) that I wish we could have been carried home because we were so unbelievably stuffed. It was so worth it and I can't wait to go to some of these establishments and try more of their dishes. 

Date Night: Mexican Food and Pottery

My husband and I try to have date night at least once a month, which is sometimes easier said than done. But we did it this month! Last Thursday, we made the trek out to Williamsburg after work for dinner and painting pottery (and some ice cream, of course). I'm not too familiar with restaurants in Williamsburg since we don't venture out of the city too often, but good reviews and the convenient location to the pottery place made a winning combination. 

Dinner at Cantina Royal was a quirky Mexican dining experience and we both agreed that we want to go back as there were dishes we were very intrigued by, but couldn't eat them all! When we first walked in, the server was really friendly and let us choose where we wanted to sit (there was only one other couple in the small restaurant). Once we were seated, I started to look around at the decor. This is one of those places were all of the pieces individually clash with one another, but together they just happen to work. From the giant crystal chandelier to the giant pictures of galaxies to the showcasing of liquor bottles and electrical equipment on the walls, it was a fun atmosphere.

We started with guacamole and chips. The guacamole was really well seasoned, but had a bit too much red onion so it left that raw onion taste in your mouth. The tortilla chips were crispy and salty, just the way I like them.

We decided to have drinks (hey, it's date night after all!), sticking with the Mexican theme and ordering margaritas. Matt had the margarita tradicional and I had the cucumber margarita (based on our server's recommendation). It was delicious! I've only had a handful of cucumber based cocktails, but this one was so refreshing. I drank it slowly just so I could savor every sip.

For our main dishes, Matt ordered La Mission, which is a fish filet with jalapeño cilantro mayo dressing, pico de gallo and a flour tortilla. Despite being a small portion, the dish was excellent. The pico de gallo was incredibly flavorful and a great compliment to the fish (which was fishy, but not too much to overpower the other flavors). 

I ordered Enchiladas De Mole Chocolate, three chicken enchiladas covered in mole sauce made using Mast Brothers Chocolate with a side of rice and refried beans. This was my first time having mole so I don't have anything to compare it to, but the mole sauce left something to be desired. When I first took a bite, I tasted a subtle chocolate flavor combined with a variety of spices, but it quickly faded as I began to taste the flour tortilla and chicken within the enchilada. A bolder sauce with more depth of flavor would make this dish great. The rice was so fluffy and I loved the pieces of corn and carrot incorporated throughout. I honestly felt like the rice was my favorite part of the meal, with just the right texture and flavor. The refried beans were so creamy (and I'm not a bean fan in the least) and well seasoned, topped with some crumbled Mexican cheese. 

As we were leaving, the other server (who we actually think is the owner as he was watching over the restaurant throughout the night) came over and gave us each a shot of tequila complements of the chef. It was a really nice touch to end the meal and gave us a little buzz to head over to the pottery place! I can't wait to try the octopus BLT, Mexican pork ribs, and salsa sampler next time.

The second half of date night was painting pottery at Baked in Brooklyn. You choose a piece of pre-made pottery and they provide all of the paint and supplies to create whatever design you choose. Since I'm avid tea drinker, I went for the teacup and saucer. Matt wasn't sure what he wanted to paint so he let me choose. I went with a serving bowl since we can actually use it at home, as opposed to the Angry Birds bank that will just sit there collecting dust (although it was quite cute!). The studio is also BYOB so we enjoyed a few beers while painting. Although our pieces haven't been fired in the kiln yet to get the full effect, here they are!

Matt's masterpiece - serving bowl

My masterpiece - teacup and saucer

On our walk back to the subway, I hinted at getting some ice cream from a shop I saw on our way to the restaurant (I'm always keeping my eye out for dessert!). We stopped at Williamsburg Creamery and shared a cone of the chocolate cabernet wine ice cream. It was creamy, rich in chocolate with a subtle wine flavor that gave a bit of a kick at the end of each lick. Another frozen treat to check of my list - boozy ice cream!

Overall, date night was a great success! We don't try a lot of new restaurants, primarily because we tend to get stuck in a rut with the places we know we like, but it was really nice trying something different and delicious. We both have a bit of a creative streak, so it was nice to get some arts and craft time in (especially when you pair it with beer!). Here's to our next date night!