The Sum of my Travels

thistle hill tavern: photo from NYDailyNews.com

Well folks I think I managed to hit my top stops on my visit back to New York a few weeks ago.

Let's see what happened....

Made it into Blue Apron Foods for some goodies for a New Year's Eve party I attended. Loaded up the mini with all sorts of nuts and basics from Sahadi's. Didn't make it to Frankie's 457 for the ultimate BLT, but I did go to Prime Meats twice so that makes up for it! And Prime has a teeny little market set up in a teeny little space round back where I found the most amazing butter from Vermont (thanks to my galpal Li for the tip!) I actually toted that back with me in my mini in a teeny cooler.

I didn't quite make all the places I had set out to, but along the way I actually discovered some new places to get excited about....

Thistle Hill Tavern in Park Slope was a major bonus find. Forget about what used to be in that space-(Olive Vine) it is now a totally different vibe. Sort of looks like a gastro-pub but with way way better food than a typical pub would serve! Dinner was so dee-lish: to start we had the Sicilian style local cauliflower with spicy white anchovy vinaigrette- which has now become my favorite way to prepare cauliflower- (they slice it super thin on a mandoline)-that with the dressing was just out of this world! The menu changes frequently to utilize the local ingredients that are available. I had scallops for my main course and they were seared to perfection- nicely carmelized on the outside and creamy goodness on the inside! The fried chocolate donuts for dessert are a total must have! The service was splendid and the owner, David Massoni, was on hand to guide us through the menu and wine list with a totally friendly and relaxed ease.

Court Street Grocers was another amazing find- located on Court almost all the to the end by 9th Street, this cute little grocery store is rocking out some terrific goodies- like Orwasher's Breads and pastries, and Sullivan Street bread (to die for and the reason I am on a fast right now!) Their breakfast sandwich of Eggs, Arugula, Shelburne Farms Cheddar on Ciabatta was a far cry from any I have tried-tasty and hot and wrapped in brown paper- so cute!

I wound my way up north for a visit to my sister in Ithaca NY before making the 11 hour drive back to Chi-town and we had a most amazing meal at Mercato Bar & Kitchen. Eric Trichon, our bartender extraordinaire, set us up with some tasty cocktails and wine, while we munched on their oh-so-yummy clams casino. The highlight had to be the hangar steak that was done to my medium rare liking and was such a generous portion, that I had to take some of it home-served with some of the best fries I have ever had- I ate the entire portion of those and still stole some more from my sister's plate! My brother-in-law ordered the special: a braised lamb shank with white beans- it was perfection!






The meal would not have been complete without dessert-and we hit the jackpot with a killer pine nut tart with vanilla ice cream drizzled with a balsamic syrup- all kinds of textures and tastes going on there! If I have to have that flown out here to Chicago I will- especially if I don't get back for a visit for a while!

So back in cold Chicago but heading out tonight to check out the newly opened Maude's Liquor Bar on Randolph- let you guys know how that turns out on my next post!!

Travels in NYC

Happy New Year! I can't believe how fast this new month is already going and how fortunate I have been to have spent the holidays in Brooklyn.

The highlight of this particular trip has been hands down, my visit to Eataly in Manhattan. This place is absolutely amazing if you are a foodie-and if your food of choice is Italian. Yes and yes, for me.

It's really a "food court" at it's heart, but with a lot more class and style. Everything is separated into food categories, like "pesce" (fish), "vegetale" (vegetable), "gelato" (ice cream), etc. There is a grocery section where they have tons of different dry pastas, sauces, olive oils and much more.

You can get lost for hours there......

the pasta bar

sardines and julienne of peppers

kale and crouton salad

Happy Holidays!

photo from photographersgallery.com

Well, I am a headin' East tomorrow and want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year! I am so excited to be in Brooklyn for the holidays this year....lots of places to visit too.

Here's a partial list:

Blue Apron Foods -for great cheeses, chocolates and charcuterie....
Frankie's 457 -for the best BLT ever and a Bloody Mary to wash it down!
Purl Soho-to actually see all the beautiful wools I see on their blog....
Eataly- to see what all the hype is about!
Babycakes- to have a gluten-free treat!
Pearl River Mart-to stock up on some basic tea towels, bowls and chopsticks.....
Moma store- 'cause it's loaded with cool designs in home goods and I love Muji designs....
Sahadi's- it wouldn't be a trip home without going here to get some olives, nuts, cheese and other great stuff at incredible prices.....
Blue Ribbon- for oysters of course! and to say hi to my friends there......
Prime Meats- another gem owned by the "Franks" and a new found fave......
Frannie's- haven't had any pizza yet that's this good in Brooklyn!
Pulino's- love, love, love A16 in San Fran so want to see what Nate Appleman's got going on in NYC....

Notice how most of my stops involve food? What can I say....

See you all back here in the new year....until then, Happy Eating!!

XO,

Joanne

Making a Difference with Coffee

Did you know that currently one in four people with developmental disabilities such as Down syndrome, autism and cerebral palsy are employed?*

Well, Aspire CoffeeWorks knows this and they also know that when given a chance, these folks can flourish and be vital in the community. This is why they launched a joint venture with local roaster, Metropolis Coffee Company, to help create new jobs. Aspire is one of metropolitan Chicago's leading human service non-profits that is helping to change the lives of adults and children with disabilities. They are dream makers! And the really big deal here is that 100% of their net proceeds from the sales of their coffee go to their programs that are truly life-changing.

So, go to their website and order some coffee- you can also help make a difference!!

Here are the three blends they offer....great gift idea, so what are you waiting for??

The Baker's Workhorse: The Stand Mixer

For years I coveted one of these...but the purist in me kept winning out (that and uh, the price tag!) But a couple of years ago, I took the plunge and got myself this time-and-life-saving machine.

This weekend, I was able to prep and bake at least three times the amount of holiday goodies as I would have with just my trusty whisk and wooden spoon method. I love that you can walk away while it happily churns your ingredients together! And clean up is a cinch with just the bowl and paddle to contend with. ( I put the bowl in the dishwasher so even better)

The price for stand mixers can be anywhere from $199.99 all the way up to and over $1000.00- I chose the KitchenAid for it's reputation, reliability and the fact that there are so many colors to fit any decor. I had used one before and felt that it was easy to use and with ten speeds, had the right amount of power.

Cuisinart came out with a stand mixer a few years ago- and it has gotten some great reviews from Cooks Illustrated for it's excellent ability to plow through heavy bread and pizza doughs. And now I am seeing that Breville also has joined the mixer category with their version-a powerful 550 watt motor and a "load sensor" that will keep the machine moving at precision speed when it detects a heavier load. Wow- technology is amazing.

So if you love to bake, then maybe it's time to put one of these on your wish list and hey, maybe Santa will be good to you this year!

Simple Carrot Soup

Cold days scream for hot soup and it seems you just can't find a good bowl of soup anywhere these days- it's so easy to make too so I wonder why this is? It's times like this I think I should open up a "soup bar" and solve this issue (at least in my neck of the woods!)




This recipe is based on one of Alice Waters' recipe from The Art of Simple Food, and it couldn't be any easier or simpler to throw together. It's up to you if you want to vary it by adding yogurt, for instance, or spice it up with jalapeño and cilantro even throw in some toasted cumin seeds.

Here is what I did:

Saute one onion, sliced thin, in 2 tablespoons of butter.

Cook over medium-low heat until translucent, about 10 minutes.

Add 1 pound carrots, peeled and sliced (about 3 cups). I added one sliced jalapeño here and some chopped cilantro.

Season with salt and cook for about 5 minutes to blend the flavors.

Add 4 cups of broth ( I used chicken, but you can use vegetable stock as well- water is not going to give it enough depth of flavor but you can use it in a pinch).

Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer for about 30 minutes until carrots are tender.

Cool off and puree in a blender.

Top with more cilantro and toasted cumin seeds.

Yield: about one quart

Yumm!

Rustic Holiday Decor

felted owl ornaments from crateandbarrel.com

For whatever reason I am really crazy for the rustic woodland sort of look this Christmas-and there are so many options too! From ornaments to lights, garlands and wreaths...now all I need is an idyllic cabin in the woods and I will be all set!

mahogany wreath and ornaments from terrain.com