peachy keen: dinner at má pêche

paris postcard: maracon wars (it's on)

2 chocolat + 1 vanille from patisserie thevenin

in the 14th arrondissement

photo © anita aguilar

food porn

the dallas burger @ bobby's burger palace

photo © anita aguilar

homestyle: easter 2011

***

balaboosta: "go and see 'em some time..."

the translation is "the perfect housewife," but say the yiddish term "balaboosta" to me (or better yet, "let's go to balaboosta") and the first thing i imagine is that most undomestic of goddesses, mae west, hip-leaning against a door frame, diamonds all down her décolletage, declaring in her best hollywood-by-way-of-brooklyn delivery, "i got ya ba-la-boos-ta right here..."

is my imagination a little wild?

it's nothing compared to the dishes coming out of einat admony's kitchen.

imagine a marriage of the falafel and the meatball. in the wrong hands, it's "feel awful" to the nth power. but at balaboosta, it's a savory bonbon. it's light and a well-proportioned ratio--equal parts grass-fed beef and ground chickpeas. (though perhaps they are smart to offer only three to a plate?) the trio comes to you with a tahini dipping sauce in a deceptively deep bowl. there will be some sauce left over, and you'll be aching for some sort of pita bread to swipe every last lick.

and then imagine grilled pizza, with carrot puree. you might fear the sweetness? in reality, it's not unlike the the sweetness of a tomato sauce, but without the acidity. it's suave, but earthy (like the grilled pizza dough it sits on) with creamy goat cheese to add a spike of salt and the merest tang. caramelized onions are more forwardly sweet, but the right touch.

crispy cauliflower is one of the best good/bad appetizers i've had. it's a deftly deep-fried affair, rendering the thick stalk more like tender meat--or even clean, freshly fried calamari? currants, pine nuts and the zing of citrus dressing give this dish the air of a high-toned salad rather than something possibly, deeply taboo. (it's a small plate, anyway. share it, and enjoy every bite.)

the patatas bravas here are catalan style--served with a garlic aioli. and these potatoes are fierce. don't skip them.

i will order them next time, for sure, along with the crispy cauliflower (take 2), fried olives, "mortar and pestle" hummus, grilled lamb chops (or chicken under a brick), and date-banana bread pudding...

***

here are photos from the first visit:

libby: champagne, fresh pineapple, sage

cassava chips

crispy cauliflower with currants & pine nuts

falafel wrapped meatballs with tahini sauce

patatas bravas with za'atar and roasted garlic aïoli

grilled pizza with carrot purée, caramelized onions, goat cheese & cilantro

***

special thank you to ms. mollie, for the recommendation. and ms. rachel for the company.

extra virgin: the first time

i was still living in the west village when extra virgin opened, but never made it there before packing up and away to the LES and murray hill, and it simply fell off my radar until this weekend when my friend zovig suggested it for brunch. i welcomed her idea in part because i was just so happy that it still lived there. the notion of a basque scramble (pepperonata, creamy polenta, salsa verde, avocado puree, and...chorizo), a smoked salmon and potato tart, or roasted artichoke provençal, cinched the deal.

we were lucky, at 12:30 to snag a window table for two, a high counter, right about the heater (set to HIGH) to warm our toes. the whole scene, overlooking west 4th street and its parade of strollers (with strollers?) was a nice comfort, a way to soothe the readjustment back to WINTER, after a sunny, tease of spring the day before.

(it was also a good opportunity to quick test the 100mm...lots of natural light...)

i opted for the roasted artichoke...

this is maybe a bit too close to appreciate the dish, but i love that you can see the grain of the cheese and the delicacy of the poached egg white...

i love the graceful neck of the artichoke. and the contralto to this heavenly chorus: nice smoky bites of pancetta.

there was one thing missing for me: a few slices of hearty peasant bread to soak up the medley of yolk and cheese bits and dressing (presumably made of extra virgin olive oil). shouldn’t good bread be compuslory at an establishment that purports to offer choice olive oils?

maybe the olive oil was so dipping delicious the night before that there was none left over?

(maybe i get lucky next time.)

christmas in connecticut: the sweetness, part 1

cookies (plenty more where these came from. PLENTY)

flan (peerless)

nutella cups with white chocolate mousse

tiramisu

red velvet cupcakes

carrot cake

coconut cream pie (best ever)

food: on thinking about lamb...

as I was lying around this morning, debating the precise moment to pull myself out of bed, I started thinking about michael psilakis.

not thinking about him thinking about him, though he does appeal...

i was remembering yesterday’s lunch at anthos, with allison. (is the lamb burger different now that he’s no longer a partner? i have no point of reference--I have to go back to kefi…maybe I should read “how to roast a lamb...” what is it about greek food, it really is so...fresh and bright and good, like sunshine...) and then i thought about all the really good greek places that i've been to: avra, ithaka, snack taverna, uncle nick's...

you see how this can go on and on.

i eventually came to a notion that greek food might be the comforting, rustic, exact opposite of the food I grew up on:

both use root vegetables, but greek roots--beets, for example-- have more water, crunch; filipinos use starchy cassava, maybe some taro, and a lot of purple yam (which I have never even seen in it’s raw form, only as a dehydrated powder or a robust, un-real purple “jam” –which is actually a paste made with grated yam, butter and condensed milk).

they dress with olive oil, citrus; filipinos season with highly fermented, intensely salted pastes and sauces (salted shrimp fry, fish sauce, soy…)

they roast a lamb; we roast a big pig.

they use yogurts and fresh cheese; our pasteurized cheese comes from a can or as sliced singles, wrapped in cellophane, or “queso de bolla” (a big ball of gouda, encased in red wax)...

maybe i was on to something? but then it was time to get up.

anyway. ANTHOS.

***

elegance is in the air at anthos. light and the city filter in through full- frontal windows. the light, when you first enter and stare out from the bar is cool; it warms up as you proceed back to the dining area. it was a full house yesterday.

and there was full menu (including a tempting "raw" meze first course) , a 3-course prix fixe for $28, and a 3-course menu hold-over from restaurant week, for $24. there was no question for me--i was going with the lamb burger, the $28 deal.

these sheep milk ricotta dumplings must have been lovingly coddled in micro-batches--it's impossible to imagine how they could otherwise turn out perfect bites that have such body and substance under the fork but fall to pudding in the mouth? delicately salty, they are well-matched with leeks and contrasted with crispy fried onions and snappy fresh peas.

and this is it, what i came for: the lamb burger. i ordered it medium rare, and it arrived medium. but it was still juicy and well-seasoned. in an interview on eater last year, psilakis mentioned that his lamb burger had feta and spicy pepper hktipi and was wrapped in caul fat. i had to look up "caul fat." i noticed red specks in the burger--safe to assume the recipe is the same? also that the red pepper puree is also the base of the sauce that dressed the bun? in any case, it was top-rate. (and: no ketchup required)

dessert options for me were an ice cream sandwich cookie (which i jumped at, at first) and goat cheese panna cotta. but how often do i have the opportunity to try a goat cheese panna cotta? that was obviously the real way to go.

when our server brought this out, i believe my exact words were "everything here is so cute. can i take home that jar?" which i retracted right away (but still hoped he'd say, ok). it's a charming presentation, yes?

but the eating is a little challenging, jamming the little jam spoon in there, and fishing out a little bit of fruit and a little bit of panna cotta. it requires a lot of patience for a few little bites. i don't see many guy friends of mine enjoying this exercise...

but the goat cheese panna cotta was very nice: strong notes of vanilla, and the light tang you enjoy from a fresh greek yogurt.

last, not least: a little cookie with a powerful lemon curd

all photos © anita aguilar

vic's bagel bar: sort of smashing

in my carefree youth, i used to patronize "bagels on the square" on carmine street with regularity--and my regular was a toasted cinnamon raisin bagel with raisin walnut cream cheese spread. everything was in proportion: jumbo bagel, generously slathered with cream cheese studded with fat raisins and big walnut pieces.

i don't eat bagels often these days. when i do, i enjoy them toasted with butter, or with cream cheese and lox or a good lox spread. pretty simple.

but i've been interested in a new place that opened up on my neighborhood: vic's bagel bar. there are now two bagel places on third avenue, about a block apart (daniel's is the other). i guess murray hill didn't get the memo about carbs being "bad" --or the 'hood is way more rebellious than i thought. either way, i sort of love it.

vic's bagel bar has been described as something of a "cold stone" for bagels: pick your bagel (all the usual suspects, but also gluten-free, low carb varieties, all hand-rolled); pick your spread ("real" and health-conscious cream cheese variations, hummus, nutella, peanut butter...); and, pick your mix-ins (this is where things get interesting--basil, sprinkles (!), maple syrup, kosher bacon bits, wasabi, bbq sauce...).

for my first visit, i surrendered to "the barista's" recommendation: the smashed potato. and even though i am inclined toward all my sandwiches being toasted and warm, i let them prepare it exactly as they deem "best."

there are some good things about this sandwich: the bagel is fresh, the dough slightly sweet. it's bigger, but lighter and airier than an h & h or an ess-a-bagel. i could tear through an unadulterated h&h or ess-a-bagel and it would feel like an indulgence; i would have to go back and try a vic's bagel without the spread or the fixins to see how it matches up.

the particular blend of smashed potato ingredients didn't seem successful: the bacon bits were too bitty, lost in the sea of fresh cream cheese and scallion. same with the potato chips--i don't know what brand they use, but this needs a more substantial chip, with crunch and salt, in order to have any sort of point here. the flavor combination is a good idea though; i kept re-imagining this sandwich in layers: cream cheese and scallion spread, piled with a strip or two of real bacon, and topped with a layer of crushed potato chips. that sounds like a winner to me.

i will confess, i de-nuded the sandwich, toasted the bagel, re-spread the fillings and enjoyed it much more.

next time i go, whether i go sweet or savory, i go toasted.

all photos © anita aguilar

flash food

i made a promise to myself to learn to shoot with flash--not the on-camera kind, but the shoe mount version. i've only ever really used it for events and headshots, when the desired result is very specific (consistent, even light). the photos have been fine enough, but pretty straightforward. i've been consulting a book called speedlights and speedlights; if i can get through that AND figure out the flash manual, i might have some really fun shots to share. but it's pretty technical. i need to become a tech geek. that might take a while.

in the meantime, this is what we're looking at. i took these on saturday. a couple of friends treated me to dinner at a cuban place.
this is exactly the look i don't want. bright, but flat.

plaintain-crusted red snapper....

tostones

another reason why i don't shoot with flash in restaurants? it's pretty obnoxious. i didn't take more time to get better shots because it (i?) quickly became the kind of distraction i disapprove of.

but the photos won't go unused, as my friend allison and i have a started a food blog. it's still in its "beta" stage; it's so "beta" that we haven't even filled in the "about" section. i'm not sure how far we go with it, but for now, the photos will have a home, and i'll get to practice the food writing. i'm pretty rusty--we'll see how it goes. if you have time and want to take a look, i'd love any feedback. you'll be able to tell which posts are mine (she posts as the admin).

thanks...

sugar, sweet, sunshine

on a favorite day of the year, a shot of my favorite tree in madison square park...

i've always liked that my birthday falls on the summer solstice--the longest day of the year, the first day of summer. everyone seems automatically happy, anticipating the most carefree season...

i wasn't unhappy in the days leading up to my birthday this year, but i was sort of feeling the weight of everything that is unsettled...

the festivities officially started a day early--combo father's day celebration. mom, dad and sister came into the city for brunch. we went to artisanal--perhaps the best neighborhood choice for special occasions and visits--and then hung around at the apartment. it was exactly like most sundays we have together (couch time, story time, baseball and nap time for dad) except it was happening in a much "cozier" (read: smaller) setting. oh, and there were presents. very nice presents.

after they left in the early afternoon, my mood was different--happy and calm. i realized then and in the days that followed how lucky i am for everything that is settled, especially family and friends who are my constant.

it was a true happy birthday.

***

and there was a lot of food:

airy beignets leave a beard of sugar...

sausage and egg (before)

oooh boudin blanc, most tender. served with a bed of lentils...

a trio of ice creams: blackberry cardamom, fennel (yes, fennel!), and coffee...

and bright and fresh strawberry-rhubarb soup, served with a frozen vanilla yogurt. this is summer, all the way...

i "made" this.

***

at maialino, on the monday morning...

brioche caramellato...a dainty, upscale cinnabon.

i wouldn't have minded a more generous serving...

***

impromptu afternoon snack, with sister, at the reliable le pain q....

black hummus, spicy tahini...

and a giant almond meringue.

it was very good, but i was blind afterwards. so much sugar...

piym: happy? groundhog day

scrapple, by jess. photo © anita aguilar for phoebeworks productions/piym.

the first time i had scrapple was at a no-name diner in philadelphia about 15 years ago. a molded slab of quasi-meat composite that had been burned to nearly black on the griddle, presented on a lonely, off-white ceramic plate. if i closed my eyes, i could imagine i was eating a shingle.

which made jess' version unrecognizable. her take on it thrills me---eggy, sausage-y, akin to a frittata, but with terrific fried bits and an interesting juiciness from...apples. yes! apples. i would have loved to eat "my" whole piece, but cute, hungry cat, john brown, got to it when i wasn't looking.

anyway, 6 more weeks of winter is not at all inspiring, but on the bright side, it's a good reason to stay in and cook. jess, in her inimitable sassy way, will give you the scoop on scrapple. it sounds sort of labor-intensive, but the cooking will keep you warm, and in the end it will be worth it.