A Stroll Down Memory Lane

There is a saying, "you can never go home again".  I suppose it means that things will never be the same as they were when you left.  In some ways it is true, while in others specifically food related, it is the furthest thing from true.  The great city of New York was my home for five years.  While in NYC, I made so many great friends, got to do some really cool things, and experienced some of the best dining. 

I recently revisited the city with Kakes and Wixon to see Lea.  While Wixon and I were discussing the trip, we made several comments related to food, "We have to get cupcakes, we have to get pizza, etc...".  There are some foods that you can not get anywhere else but in New York.  While you can certainly get pizza and bagels anywhere, they taste better in NYC. 

One of the first stops for food, was to Lou's Cafe in Midtown.  Lou's is likely not listed in any guidebook, however it is a great little spot to grab a quick bite to eat.  It was located halfway in between where Lea and I used to work and we would meet there several times for lunch.  When she and I used to go there I would usually get the chicken soup or the ham and cheese on a croissant.  This time, I opted for the smoked salmon with chive cream cheese on a toasted bagel.  It was delicious.  Wixon got a BLT, while Kakes and Lea each got the salad sampler.  One thing that I love about Lou's, is that you can get great sandwiches that are served with either pasta salad or a mixed green salad.  There are no french fries.  YUM!

For dinner, we chose to go to Rosa Mexicanos in Lincoln Center.  I think that my love for Mexican food has been confirmed several times on this blog.  You can never go wrong with this cuisine.  The restaurant is lively which is great for a girl's night in which we would be anything but quiet.  Of course, we had to start with the guacamole that is made tableside.  Miss Lea had the duck with blackberry sauce, Kakes had the salmon, Wixon had the enchiladas, and I had the steak and shrimp stew.  While I did not taste the entrees that the girls had, they all seemed to enjoy theirs.  Mine was perfect!  The steak was so tender and the sauce that the shrimp and steak were in had the right amount of heat.  I devoured my plate.  A great thing about Rosa Mexicano's is that the portions are just right.  You walk out satisfied, but not too full.  We chose not to get dessert at Rosa's, and chose to go elsewhere.  We were delighted with the small little bites of chocolate that came with our bill. 

We tried something new for dessert and ventured further up the west side to Cafe Lalo.  It was a Wixon discovery when she was exploring options for after dinner.  This crowded cafe reminded me of the cafes in Buenos Aires as they have great desserts and a great drink menu.  Cocktails and desserts are a great way to end the evening.  I sample the apple crumb pie with a glass of Champagne.  The pie was good, but I think mine is better.  Lea's dessert was to die for!  She selected the Oreo cheesecake.  I managed to get a few bites and loved it.  It is so rich and delicious!

Let's fast forward to the following morning and breakfast.  When Wixon first starting to work in the city, she worked in the West Village and encountered a delightful little coffee/breakfast/lunch place that she so kindly introduced me to.  I love the Grey Dog Cafe and their grilled cheeses.  While a grilled cheese may not seem like it is hard to mess up, I appreciate those who concoct a mean grilled cheese.  Alas, we came here for breakfast and I have the Challah bread french toast, with eggs, and potatoes.  It was so very filling which was great that we didn't have to stop for lunch on the way back home. 

It should be of no surprise to my loyal readers that a stop to get cupcakes was the dessert to our trip.  Magnolia Bakery is one of my favorites and the favorite of several other people.  Kakes, Wixon, and I had to get some to bring home to our loved ones.  These cupcakes have the right homemade taste in the cake portion as well as the icing.  I LOVE this place.  During our visit, we somehow managed to beat the crowd and not wait in line.  It was the perfect ending to a great girls' weekend. 

p.s. I had half a cupcake for breakfast the day after I got back.  During birthday week, calories and fat do not count. 

Christmas in September

The waiter asked me, “Would you like red, green, or Christmas?”  My answer was a definitive “Christmas please.”  You may be reading this and wondering what in the world am I writing about.   What is the deal with red, green or Christmas?  The answer is red or green chili (salsa) or both, a.k.a. Christmas, on my plate.  This is how it is ordered in the “Land of Enchantment

I recently was brought to New Mexico to celebrate my aunt’s marriage in Albuquerque, or as extremely well respected (and very strong) family members nicknamed it, Cousin Fest, Cousinpolooza, or Cousin Stock. 

There are a few rules that one should follow when traveling:

1. Always eat the local cuisine.  Don’t go to your favorite national chain while away on vacation, if you like chain restaurants, you can get the same thing at home.  Also, if a destination is known for producing a great dish (i.e. fish at the beach, or seviche in a Latin American Caribbean location) go for it.  That is where you are going to get the most authentic variation of that particular dish.
2. Try the local beers.  If there is something on the menu that you can’t get at home, go for it.  You can always get Stella at home. 
3. There is no diet on vacation.  What fun is counting calories at home?  It is even worse while away.  Just don’t do it.  Enjoy your vacation.

Fortunately, or unfortunately for my diet, I followed all of these rules while in New Mexico.  However, while on vacation…

The husband and I built a few extra days into our trip to see the sights of Santa Fe.  We consulted the guidebook and recommendation of the hotel concierge and sampled the food at The Shed.  We were quite hungry and exhausted and wanted to eat right away.  We thought that we could walk right into the restaurant and get seated right away.  Much to our disappointment, The Shed takes a break in between the lunch and dinner courses.  We had to walk around the chilly and damp city until dinner.  Finally, 5:30 rolled around and we were greeted to a nice fire in the corner fireplace while we waited for our table. 

Upon sitting at our table we ordered the chips, salsa, guacamole and a pitcher of the Santa Fe Brewing Company’s Pale Ale.  The guac was smooth and creamy and we ate up every morsel.  The beer was great as well.  For dinner, we both ordered the Enchilada and Taco Plate, as per our server’s recommendation.  It did not disappoint, and I ordered mine Christmas style.  I ordered the plate with beef.  One thing that we thought was weird was that the dishes are served with garlic French bread.  I thought was weird for the dishes, but it really worked.  The bread was very soft and the garlic was not overpowering.  While we were waiting for our table, we were chatting with another patron who mentioned that The Shed is known for its Mocha dessert.  This frozen chocolate mousse was excellent.  If you are in Santa Fe, check out The Shed for the recommended dinner and dessert options. 

The following evening, we decided to try some BBQ, as we were likely to have a lot more New Mexican style cuisine in the following days.  We wanted to stay within walking distance (to walk off some of dinner) to our hotel and still get something good.  We opted to try the Cowgirl Café.  The inside was kind of cheesy, all the servers wore cowboy boots and hats and the walls were covered with pictures of rodeos and the like.  I chose to have the Bunkhouse Brisket.  The bonus for me is that it was served with baked beans and potato salad.  It was filling and was exactly what I was in the mood for.  The beef was so tender that a knife was not needed.   Of course, we ordered dessert.  I went for the peach and cherry cobbler.  It was good, but I really wanted biscuit like cobbler. 

Saturday was the day of the aunt’s wedding and the reunion of the cousins.  After the wedding, we took a short walk from the Bottger Mansion to High Noon, where dinner was served.  I opted for the Plaza Platter, which was filling but delicious.  I loved the taquitos.  The husband at the last minute chose the Brown Sugar Coriander-Cured Beef Tenderloin with wild mushroom enchiladas.  It was soooooo good.  The beef had so many flavors. 

Other foods that I loved while away included blue corn pancakes and sopaillas.  I will absolutely try to recreate the pancakes. 

Should you ever find yourself in Santa Fe or Albuquerque, go to the above-mentioned restaurants.  Don’t follow a diet, try the local beers and cuisine and order your dinner Christmas style. 

Rojo and Mambo

During the second part of vacation we stayed at the beach. We were off to Ambergris Caye and stayed at Mata Chica. This place was also beautiful. During our stay on Ambergris Caye we had a few more food options to chose from. We didn't eat in the town of San Pedro because the boat schedule from our hotel during the day we chose to go to town was not conducive to a lunch schedule.

The manager of Chan Chich recommended Rojo to us. We chose to eat there on our first night. The food at Rojo was quite tasty, though a bit expensive even after doing the math of converting Belize currency. Rojo is a tapas style restaurant, but a bigger size dish. I can't remember all that we ordered, but it was great. One day we also had lunch there. I had the nachos and they were probably the best nachos I have ever had. If my Fairfield girls are reading this, these nachos were better than Sidetracks. Want to do a road trip?

We ate a lot of our meals at the restaurant on-site at Mata Chica, Mambo. This was also another great place to eat, though slightly pricey. We had breakfast, lunch, and dinner there. I think that the lunch was my favorite menu they had. Because vacation memories fade far too quickly, I can't remember all that I had. My favorite was the seafood burrito.

Ahhh, vacation.

Chan Chich Lodge

Normally, when I discuss travels I focus simply on the restaurants that we ate in. This time I am focusing a little bit on where we stayed. This is two part, there was only one food option to eat during part of our vacation, and secondly I loved the place that we stayed in and would highly encourage everyone to stay there.

A few months ago, the husband and I were undecided as to where to go on vacation this summer. We were talked with the neighbors next door who raved about the trip they took to Belize last year. After doing some online research, we also chose Belize. We did chose a different trip than they took, we opted to spend four days in the jungle and four days at the beach.

Then the hard part came, where should we stay. I had my heart set on staying at the Chan Chich Lodge near Gallon Jug. You may ask why? I love checklists of sorts and love the book 1,000 Places to See Before You Die. I read the description of Chan Chich and knew that we had to stay there.

As I alluded to previously, there was no other choice of restaurants to eat in while we stayed there as Chan Chich is in the middle of the jungle. I think that the nearest village was about an hour away over very bumpy roads. We got to the lodge on a three seat airplane that landed on a dirt air strip on a farm. It was quite the experience.



One may ask how the food was in a place that was so remote. The food was fantastic! We chose to do the meal plan since there was no other food option around and that gave us the option of an appetizer, meal, and dessert for every meal. The only complaint I could have over the menu is that it didn't have a lot of local dishes on it.

The breakfast choices were likely the most authentic local food. They were delicious. My favorite was eggs on tortillas with plantains, black beans, and salsa. I also really liked the fried jacks that I topped with mango jam. I am getting so hungry just thinking of it now.

The black bean soup on the lunch menu was perfect. The stewed chicken was another local dish on the menu. The meat was so tender that it practically fell off the bone. One day, we had a cheeseburger for lunch after a long, hot, and sweaty hike. It hit the spot.

For dinner, I had the beef tenderloin a few times. In my last post, I mentioned that I fell off the "no red meat wagon". When I fall, I fall hard. This beef was so great and tender. The fish dishes on the menu were also great. One night for dessert, they served creme brulee. It was unlike any other creme brulee I have ever had before. It was amazing and I am salivating while reminiscing about it.

I would strongly recommend a visit to this hotel. The staff was so friendly. I was getting teary when we left them. They really made us feel like we were part of their family. This was true for the woman who worked at the front desk, Lettie, the various waitresses, and the guides that we had on hikes and drives. We met the manager on our last day there as he was travelling during the first part of our stay. He too was incredibly nice. After staying at Chan Chich, it will take a lot to impress us.

Restaurant Review - Black Mountain, NC

During the first weekend in November, I flew south for a much needed weekend away. The reason for the getaway was the First Annual Reunion Vacation Weekend. I was reunited with my dear friends, Mullins, Sam, and Browning for the first time in three years. We all worked together at my first ad agency in New York which at the time was called The Media Edge, or TME for short (I believe it is now called something else, but will be stamped in my memories as TME). Through this workplace, I got to know a lot of great people. Mullins, Sam, Browning, and I became good friends. Our friendship has endured the moves out of the area for each of us, me in Boston, Mullins in Knoxville, Sam in Raleigh, and Browning in the New Jersey suburbs.

A bonus to seeing these great women, was eating great Southern food. In the New York days, I was schooled on things such as grits and hush puppies and one can not find true Southern food that easily in Boston. My appetite was building in anticipation of the jaunt to Asheville, North Carolina. On Saturday morning, we went to the Morning Glory Cafe in Black Mountain. I had the Black Mountain breakfast, consisting of eggs, with a choice of hashbrown or grits, and bacon or sausage. Of course, I had to go for the grits. They were delicious and were provided great nourishment for our visit to the Biltmore Estate.

After exploring the estate, we headed to Asheville to walk around. Our late night festivities on Friday meant that afternoon caffeine was necessary. We stopped in the The Sisters McMullen for a dose of coffee. While there, we were tempted by the sweet and savory pastries in the display case. We all loved what we got, a cream horn for Mullins, a quiche for Sam, a black and white cookies for Browning, and a snickerdoodle for me. I was tempted to get the Boston cream cupcakes but gave into the temptation for a cookie as it would be easier to eat while walking. We wanted to get a late lunch/early dinner in Asheville, however restaurants were closed from 3 until 5. We headed back to Black Mountain where our cabin was located. The previous evening we had located Phil's BBQ Pit. Browning and I took on the menu and won that battle. She had a plate of BBQ pork and chicken with hush puppies. I had the ribs with hush puppies, baked beans, potato salad, and drank sweet tea. Everything was good, although the sweet tea was a bit too sweet for my liking.

All in all, this was a great trip. I loved spending time with the girls. I laughed so hard all weekend. There were many great memories that were made for the First Annual Reunion Weekend. I can not wait for next year's trip in a location to be determined. Some ideas include Maine or Savannah.

Restaurant Reviews - Buenos Aires

Since this is a blog dedicated to food, whether it be sharing recipes or consuming food, I think it would be great to share some restaurant recommendations.

In June, Mike and I took a trip to Argentina. While in Argentina, one must eat beef and drink malbec. Argentina is home to some of the best beef I have ever ingested. According to the travel books it is due to the cows eating grass versus being corn fed as they are in the United States. The malbec, an Argentine wine, was a wonderful accompaniment to our meals. I am so glad that Mike started to drink wine this year, otherwise I would have had a bottle of wine with each meal by myself.

Should you ever find yourself in Buenos Aires, here are some great restaurants that are highly recommended. La Cabrera is located in the Palermo Viejo neighborhood. The street name is JA Cabrera 5099. This is where we had our first sample of Argentine beef. After waiting all day long for American Airlines to deliver our suitcase that didn't make it on our flight, we ventured out to try this recommended parilla. It was quite delicious. I made the mistake of ordering a dish of beef that was meant for two, unfortunately my Spanish was not good enough to heed the waiter's advice that it would be too big for one person. I did my best to try and finish. At La Cabrera, they also serve a plate of sides and toppings for your beef. Chimichirri sauce was included and is great. I tried to make some at home after our trip and did a decent job.

La Dorita, located in Palermo Hollywood (Humboldt 1905), was another great meal. We ordered a salad, a mixed grill plate for two (we split this one), a bottle of malbec, sparkling water, dessert and cafe con leche. All this food for a total, including tip, of $40 US dollars. The food was great and Mike loved the server because she was so friendly. My only regret is that we didn't buy one of the penguin wine pitchers used for house wine. I love those pitchers and wanted to buy one. However, I didn't buy one in Argentina. When I got home, I found some online that were about the cost of my meal at La Dorita. One night we departed from the beef for dinner and tried a place that the tour book recommended. It was also one of the many magnets on our refrigerator in our rented apartment.

Cumana, is located in Recoleta (Rodriguez Pena 1149, and was a very short walk from our apartment. At this restaurant we tried pizza. It isn't the type of pizza that we are used to in the U.S., but it was great nonetheless. Our waitress, who spoke English to us, recommended a traditional Northern Argentine dessert of cheese and sweet potato sauce. I'd recommend it as well, it was delectable. El SanJuanino, also in Recoleta (Posadas 1515), gave us a great dose of local flavor. It was here that we sampled a huge basket of empanadas with various fillings. We did order entrees on top of the empanadas, but did not need to. The restaurant seemed to be a place where the local Portenos hung out. It is just the type of place that we like to eat in during our vacations.

One final recommendation, La Brigada (Estados Unidos 465) is located in San Telmo. La Brigada was also highly recommended to us. It was by far, my favorite meal in Argentina. The beef was so tender. I also ordered a side of the chorizo (sausage) for us and it was heavenly. La Brigada has a huge wine list. We went with a malbec, though I can't recall which one. The owner of the restaurant owns a wine shop located around the corner. Each time we went to the shop, a total of three times on two different days, it was closed. It was almost comical.

In summary, if you should find yourself in Buenos Aires, these are great places to eat. You should sample all cuts of beef, drink the malbec (my favorite was Finca Flichman), try the empanadas, and absolutely go to an ice cream shop and have the dulce la leche. If you think that Hagaan Daaz makes a good dulce la leche ice cream, you will melt while trying the Argentine version.