2.28.2007

NO GRUB

Didn't eat last night folks. Came home and went to bed becuase Alec was feeling sick.

More food coming soon.

2.27.2007

DUMPLING WOMAN




Last night I was treated to something special. Something amazing. Something plump, delicious and jam packed with flavor.

I was treated to some of Meena's homemade dumplings. It was amazing.

She did two different fillings and this is how they broke down:

*Option 1
- ground pork
- garlic
- green onion
- sesame oil
- soy
- oyster sauce
- shittake

*Option 2
- fake crab with a k
- garlic
- green onion
- sesame oil
- soy
- oyster sauce
- shittake

All wrapped up in a little wonton skin? Amazing.

In addition to the potsticker version, Meena also made some dumpling soup. She basically just heated up some chicken broth with green onion and threw in a couple of those delicious little dumplings.

Meena has decided this is something she will perfect over the coming months. Look for many dumpling posts coming soon.

2.26.2007

COMFORTABLE



When you don't feel well (and Meena still didn't last night), there are few things better than some sandwiches and soup. Specifically tomato or chicken noodle soup. Tonight we went with the tomato option and whipped up a couple sandwiches to accompany our Oscar evening.

The sandwich had:
- virginia ham
- smoked turkey
- field greens
- roma tomato
- brie
- homemade mustard

The soup was right from one of those new age soup-in-a-box things they like to use these days. It was actually amazing. Some of the best tomato soup I'd had in a really long time. I'm not sure what the deal was, but it was really, really good. I'm at work now, but when I get home, I'm going to make an edit and add the name. It was that good, friends.

2.25.2007

STICKS TO YOUR RIBS


Meena still isn't feeling very well so I thought I'd make a little snack to ease us into the Oscars tonight. We were supposed to go to Nicco's new apartment to soak up all the Hollywood festivities, but Meena just didn't think she could do it. So while she was resting this afternoon, I made her a couple potstickers to take place of the lunch we didn't ever get a chance to eat.

These bite size little gems included:
- wonton skins
- shiitake mushrooms
- garlic
- green onions
- rice vinegar
- cayenne pepper
- soy sauce
- sesame seeds
- virginia ham

I served the whole thing with a little sauce:
- soy sauce
- rice vinegar
- sesame seeds

We both agreed the filling was pretty spot on. They had a nice vinegar bite with smooth garlic and salty ham tones. So that was the positive. The big negative was that the skins turned out way too dry. We did a little googling and I think it was due in large part to my inability to keep everything moist. I should have used a wet towel or something to keep them from drying out. But I didn't. And they were dry. BUT they were still wonderful.

Beer. Potstickers. Oscars. What a Sunday!

BY REQUEST


Miss Meena was still feeling under the weather this morning, so I gave her the blog and asked her to pick whatever she wanted for breakfast. After some careful consideration, she selected a variation on the above. She wanted egg, ham and cheese with some hash browns, but due to Gracefully not having some things and my natural tendency toward improvisation; we ended up with the image you see above.

The sandwich featured:
- whole wheat organic english muffins
- brie
- field greens
- virginia ham
- eggs
- barbecue sauce
- chili paste
- light mayo

The hash browns contained:
- sweet potato
- olive oil
- salt
- pepper
- dried oregano

I'm not sure this helped Meena in the fight to destroy her cold, but I know she enjoyed it. I know I did!

Now on to being lazy, doing nothing and getting back to good health.

PARTY OF THE QUARTER CENTURY!





Last night we went back out to Brooklyn for Steveo's 25th birthday extravaganza. Actually, that's not at all the proper term. It wasn't some crazy outing with insanity and debauchery at every turn. And thank goodness. In reality, it was so nice and laid back. It was comfortable and inviting. Exactly how I'd expect a Steveo birthday bash to go down in lovely Park Slope.

We got the evening started at Nana, the "sushi" restaurant across the street from Dan and Steve's apartment. I put sushi in quotes because the website actually defines the eatery as having a hand in nearly every Asian nation's cuisine. Asian fusion, they say.

At any rate, Steve, Dan, Meena, Jenny Y., Mike, Maureen and I got the whole thing started with some delicious edamame. Not sure if we paid for that or if it just came. Regardless, it was delicious.

I won't go into the specifics of the entire table's orders in the interest of time. That said, Meena had:
- volcano roll (shrimp tempura/ mango/ topped w/ spicy salmon & tobiko)
- spicy tuna roll
- white tuna sashimi
- yellow tail sashimi

Alec had the:
- blond miso soup with asari/ tofu
- yellowtail jalapeno roll with chinese cilantro
- salmon and avocado roll

I was really impressed with both the food and the setting. The DJ may have been a touch abrasive, but the environment was really cool and all the flavors and bites were fantastic. My rolls were great. Meena's were pretty impressive. The volcano was a monster and I actually had to help her eat a couple bites. She also shared a piece of each sashimi and they were both really good. The white tuna especially.

After dinner, Meena started to feel really ill, so we had to call it a night after a couple beers at one of their favorite neighborhood pubs, the Black Sheep something or other.

Thanks for having us, guys!

NOTE: Again, I jacked photos from the nana website. Don't sue me. You have to understand ... I wanted to show your food in the best light. See that photo I took with my crappy phone camera? It looks like an artist's rendering of your food! I wanted to show the world how rad everything looks when photographed properly!

2.24.2007

MORE LIKE ASSOCIATED THAN WHOLE FOODS


Last night Meena treated me to dinner at The Grocery in Carroll Gardens. We'd talked about going for some time and with all the talk about moving to Brooklyn, recently, we thought we'd give it a shot. It's a remarkably short ride from our hood and it just felt like a nice idea for a Friday night.

The first thing we noticed was the lack of any real decor going on in the one tiny dining room. That's really no big deal. I mean, the food is the big draw, so no biggie. Lots of restaurants use minimalism to make the place feel really chic and fresh. I'm not sure that's what happened here, but whatever. It was warm in there and it was freezing outside, so who cares.

Once seated, we quickly picked a nice bottle of blanc de blancs and got on with the rest of the simple menu. Just a few items (which I like) and all of them sounded very nice. The waitress was quick to take our order (maybe even too quick?) and before we knew it, a really nice bearded man came to the table with a couple opening "tastes" for our palates.
- parsnip soup
- potato croquettes

Both were fantastic. The soup was served in a little cocktail measuring cup and the croquettes were perfect little spheres of mashed potatoes with a crispy red crust.

Meena decided she wanted to further her foie gras habit and ordered a starter that featured that hotly debated liver, homemade brioche and a onion and apple chutney sort of thing. It was good. No doubt about that. Very small, but that's ideal.

So far, so very good.

At about this point, we were given a new neighbor at the next table over. I wouldn't normally even mention the people sitting next to us at a restaurant (although, anyone who has ever eaten in New York knows your neighbors are mostly impossible to ignore. Space is a premium, you know), but these two were horrible, horrible little men. I've never been forced to attempt eating while two more idiotic losers babbled on about how much they love food. I'm obviously into food. I like other people who are into food. But these two. Well, I digress, but it's just annoying to have two jokers like that ruin all that's good about the topic of food.

Our food came out soon after and we were greeted with some mixed results.

Meena had a piece of venison cooked to medium with a buttery sweet potato mash and some brussels sprouts. She really liked the mash and the sprouts, but was a little disappointed the meat came out luke warm at best. It seemed obvious the plate had sat a little too long. I thought the potatoes had a bit too much butter, but it's a restaurant. That's what they do more often than not. I really enjoyed the meat, but I agreed with Meena - too cold.

I had a white wine risotto with duck and butternut squash topped with a crispy duck leg confit. I'm not normally a risotto fan, so it's odd for me to even order this, but I do love duck so much that I thought I'd go with the evening's special. The duck was crisp and delicious, but I'll be honest - a little underwhelming. I'll say the blame is half mine and half theirs. I should have known better and they should have made the dish better than that.

We were finally served some homemade pistachio biscotti with various citrus slices, grapes and pomegranate seeds. Very delicious. Maybe one of the best things we had all night.

At the end of the day, I was mostly disappointed in The Grocery. The place was far too expensive for the food quality. The service was average at best and oh, those awful, awful people next to us. I told Meena this was still far and away the best meal we had all week, but given the last few days of local delivery, I'm not sure that's giving this critically acclaimed spot that much credit.

I certainly wouldn't suggest this to anyone. And if you're a fan, I'm sorry. Maybe we hit it on an off night. Many folks with a palate more refined than mine have given this one two forks up. So maybe it's my bad. But for the money, I doubt we'd ever go back.

I will say this, however - it was wonderful to spend a quiet night with Meena, exploring new hoods and trying new spots. That's one thing I love more than anything about this town - there's always another place to try tomorrow.

NOTE: I jacked the photo from NYmag. Please don't sue me. I'll delete it posthaste if you've got beef, dudes.

2.23.2007

JUST ... INDIAN



Nothing special to post here folks. Just a couple tired kids living in New York, eating some delicious Indian delivery from a place called Baluchis. That's it.

Meena had the:
- fish pakora appetizer
- tikka masala dinner

Alec got the the:
- chicken tikka appetizer
- lamb vindaloo dinner

I'm going to be very upfront with you: nearly every piece of meat I consumed at this sitting was a little too fatty. Very unlike Baluchis. Very disappointing. But you know, we've had this a million times and this was the first slip up. I'm not going to let a little fat kill my love affair with the best Indian in NYC.

Meena's was delicious.

The couch felt amazing last night.

30 Rock was OUTsane funny.

The End.

2.22.2007

LOST IN A SEA OF PAD THAI


Last night was an SVA night and it was horribly painful because I forgot my phone and I was forced to freak out in silence while I desperately tried to figure out what time it was. I was convinced I was going to miss Lost. I was resigned to the fact that my education was going to prevent me from geeky television addictions. It was horrifying.

BUT it was all for naught. I got home with an hour to spare. I'm horrible with time.

Anyway, when I got home, Meena and Dan were hanging with some wine and talking about life. Meena had already consumed her Pad Thai and Dan and I were so envious that we had to call Tara Thai and get some for ourselves.

Dan had the:
- chicken pad thai ... sorta spicy

Alec had the:
- chicken pad thai ... SUPER spicy

I hadn't eaten pad thai for ages and man, it was good. All that spicy, crunchy, noodle goodness was amazing. I'd forgotten how positively decadent a bowl of pad thai can be. I know that sounds dramatic, but listen dudes, it's not. It's the noodle bowl of the gods.

2.21.2007

HIRO IS JAPANESE FOR TUESDAY





We'd had high hopes of making Cuban sandwiches for dinner, but when it came right down to it, we thought it was a better idea to use the pork for work week lunch and just order some Hiro delivery. Cubans would have been insanely delicious. This is true. But we needed to buy a bunch of food and neither of us felt like it. I got home late and Meena was tired from the first day back after a long weekend.

Meena had:
- shrimp shumai
- chicken tempura roll
- spicy tuna crunch roll

I got TOTALLY crazy and tried the:
- spicy tuna roll
- spicy salmon roll
- spicy california roll
- miso soup

I know you're thinking I'm fat. Don't even try to act like you're not. I was hungry, friends. Sue me.

Hiro came through again with another of their signature performances. They're just solid when it comes to delivery sushi. Not the best in the universe, but solid. My only complaint this time was that the california roll was not spicy. But that could just be me. I have a superhuman tolerance for heat. It's entirely possibly their spice simply didn't register on my scale.

Anyway, it was a great segue into my homework time and Meena's weekly American Idol fix.

2.20.2007

PORK AND BEANS

After bumming around Brooklyn yesterday, we took the train back up to Whole Foods in Union Square to see if anything on the shelves looked like dinner. I also thought that on a Monday off it might be a little less crowded. No such luck. It was packed. But we did find a nice pork roast and some rice and beans!

Once we got home, I rubbed the pork with a variety of spices, sugar and salt. It gave it a nice red hue (mostly from the smoked paprika) and got it slow roasting in the oven with some beer and onions. Then we went on about our day.

About three hours later, Meena got started on a store bought brown rice pilaf and I threw some black beans on a skillet. The end mix featured:
- soppresatta
- black beans
- salt
- chili paste
- balsamic vinegar

The pork finally came out of the oven looking lovely. I broke it up (it was super tender) and tried to pull out some of the bigger hunks of fat. We just took a pile of the meat and threw it on top of the rice and beans and we were set for a lovely pre-Bauer Hour feast.

In case you're curious, the beer was Tacate and spice rub included:
- smoked paprika
- sugar
- salt
- cayenne pepper
- cumin
- cinnamon
- black pepper
- mustard powder
- garlic powder
- dried oregano

2.19.2007

MMMMMM GYROS


Guess what? We have Monday off! That's right. An entire extra day to lounge around, watch crappy TV and run errands whenever we feel like it.

So in honor of this glorious Monday, we decided last night would be decadently simple - gyros and Children of Men.

We'd been a little lazy during the day, so rather than having Cinderella Falafel bring our sandwiches to us, we thought getting out of the house and walking up a few blocks would be good for us. Probably a little sad that's acceptable activity, but it's a lazy Sunday, get off my back, OK?

Anyway, we decided to keep it simple and stick with the sandwich only:
- gyro meat
- lettuce
- tomato
- red onion
- cucumber sauce
- hot sauce
- pita

Folks, it may look like a mess (and I guess, actually, it is) but it's delicious. The Mediterranean hot dog never disappoints.

And while Children of Men was depressing (but so so so so good), we had a delicious meal in our cozy apartment to help us cruise on in to a lovely work-less Monday.

2.18.2007

MERCURY LEVELS



We had a very lazy Saturday. Mostly because we have Monday off and we had nothing on the schedule. Anyway, it was great.

After we managed to get cleaned up and venture beyond the front door, we went down to Chinatown to pick up some salmon for dinner. I was seriously considering buying a whole fish and having them fillet it, but I wasn't looking to drop $25 bucks on fish yesterday. So we just grabbed a nice tail fillet and hit Gracefully for some other ingredients on the way home.

While I was getting some potatoes ready for mashing, I made us a quick appetizer with some of the salmon cut away from the fillets I had marinating. These little bites included:
- salmon
- tandori spice mix
- field greens
- sour cream
- chili paste
- salt
- pepper
- flour tortilla rounds

I think we both agreed they were wonderful. For a couple little bites that took all of five minutes to whip up, these were a massive hit. Look for them at the next dinner party we throw. They look sorta’ pretty and they taste divine.

The main course was another random concoction that didn't really materialize in my brain until I saw some stuff at the grocery. I knew Meena wanted mashed potatoes and that was about it. So we just picked up a few things and my imagination started running.

There were three distinct elements to the main dish. All were obviously essential to the end product, but I made them in three batches so I'll describe them that way.

Wasabi mashed potatoes:
- baby yukon gold potatoes
- wasabi powder
- low fat sour cream
- olive oil

Pan roasted salmon:
- salmon fillets
- rice vinegar
- olive oil
- soy sauce

Mushroom salad:
- shiitake mushrooms
- dried korean seaweed (re-hydrated)
- red chili pepper
- field greens
- garlic
- olive oil
- rice vinegar
- soy sauce
- sesame seeds

I was pretty impressed with the flavor of this one and Meena's reaction seemed to support this judgment. I was a little disappointed in the presentation (everything was just stacked) but the flavor was through the roof. The mushroom and seaweed salad was sweet and tart with a hint of nice spice. The salmon was cooked just through and wasn't dry or tough. The mashed potatoes were creamy and smooth and spiced just right. I was nervous I'd go overboard with the wasabi, but Meena confirmed I hit the mark that's hot enough for me and not overbearing for her.

It was the perfect meal to get us ready for a concert with Snowden around the corner at the Mercury lounge (the show was great, BTW). I have little doubt that this one will likely find its way back to our table.

2.17.2007

HAPPY DiBIRTHDAY


In honor of D's glorious (number removed) birthday, we did a tiny spread at the house and then worked our way over to Lil' Frankies. I didn't know this, but Diana had actually wanted to try the 73 East 3rd St. staple, the lovely little pizzetta. Diana actually reads this blog! Who knew this was being consumed by someone other than Meena. Anyway, she was in luck because that's exactly what we wanted to make for them.

I'm not going to detail all the individual ingredients because I'll be honest ... I had one of those giant PBR cans while I was cooking and I can't really remember what was what. I just know what I started with:
- flour tortillas
- tomato sauce
- balsamic reduction
- ricotta
- fresh mozzarella
- field greens
- parmesan
- barbecue sauce
- soppresatta (I cooked half the pile to make it crisp)
- pepper
- brie

I'm pretty sure that was it. Anyway, we had some nice wine from Tinto Fino (James had some Vitamin water of the peach variety) and slowly made our way to Frankies.

In true Lil' Frankies fashion, Meena was immediately lured to the rigatoni with baby meatballs. Her fantastic review lead James and D to actually order the same.

I went with the pizza marinara (couldn't finish, brought a large portion home!) and for once, the waiter DID NOT ask me if I wanted to add cheese. It was eerie. But it came out wonderful as always.

I think James and D totally loved theirs. I mean, there's not much to dislike when it comes to delicious baby meatballs and rigatoni in a thick sauce, but you know, I guess it might not be for EVERYONE. But they loved it. I'm positive.

We came back to the apartment for some cava (again from Tinto Fino) and some delicious crumb cupcakes. The upper west side delight is available at our corner coffee shop and Meena picked up a couple in lieu of a cake for D.

I think everyone was super pleased with all the food and drink.

It's so wonderful to have a lazy Friday night with friends. Thanks James and D! AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

2.16.2007

CASTE





The caviar is the only reason I'm titling this with the name of India's strange social ordering system. That and we had Indian delivery from Baluchi's last night. So you know. The joke seemed obvious. I don't know. Maybe not. Forgive me. It's Friday.

Anyway, we had some leftover caviar and there was no way we were going to let that sit in the fridge a minute longer. We got down to business and started a wonderful Thursday with the good stuff. Once we'd knocked those bites back, we called in the troops and got our hands on some warm food on a cold night.

Meena had the:
- fish pakora appetizer
- tikka masala dinner

Alec got the the:
- chicken tikka appetizer
- lamb vindaloo dinner

Nothing new here. No need. I love what I get and Meena craves hers. There's no need to switch it up. My vindaloo was mad hot last night. I mean, that's the general idea. But WOW. That was hot.

I can't think of any better path to the funniest show on television, the totally amazing 30 Rock.

2.15.2007

WE BOTH HAVE CLASS





It was another Wednesday so I spent the hours immediately following work in my SVA classroom having spec advertisements critiqued. It's nasty and slushy here in NYC, so few people showed up and class was very short. Given it was actually valentines day, I was pleased to get a head start on taking it easy at home.

By the time I got home, Meena had already eaten. Once I saw her empty sushi tray and remembered how nasty the sidewalks were, I figured I'd just do the same. And because it was so delicious when I tried it this past weekend, I thought I'd abandon my maki combo and go with my newest favorite selection at Hiro.

Alec did the:
- miso soup
- spicy white tuna roll
- salmon and avocado roll

All very wonderful. I figured out some new setting on my camera (funny, because I've had it for like four years) and I think the food actually looks a little better up there.

After dinner, Meena and I cracked into her valentines day present from me. Rather than candy and teddy bears (I'd never actually buy that, BTW), I got crazy classy and got her caviar, crème fraîche, champagne, toast points, roses and a mother of pearl spoon. We drank the first bottle of bubbly before dinner on Tuesday, so last night it was cava from Tinto Fino, but it didn't really matter. The caviar was the star of the show. So we whipped up what we thought (we're caviar novices) seemed like the proper setup.
- hackleback caviar
- toast points
- crème fraîche

It was amazing, obviously. It wasn't the most expensive caviar, but I was told by the guy at the store it was at pretty good alternative to the really expensive stuff. And in my humble opinion, it really was.

Great, great, great night.

2.14.2007

WE LIKE TO BE EARLY



We've had several experiences with valentines day in NYC and I'll be honest - it's horrible. Even the best restaurants feel compelled to put together some cheesy spread and an abbreviated menu. Everyone does a prix fixe and without fail, there's always something heart shaped. Ravoli. Meat. Whatever. It's all just heart-shaped trash.

So rather than pay too much to be let down, this year we decided to take matters into our own hands and do this thing the day before. No crowds. No silly menus. No overpriced, heart-shaped wellington.

We knew it would be a great spot, but when it started sleeting last night and we realized we only needed to walk a block to this cozy little spot on 4th street, it instantly got even better. It was exactly what we wanted in a romantic restaurant. Cozy. Warm. Quiet.

And the food. Oh boy.

They do a chef's choice tasting menu that features three starters, two mains and a dessert for a very affordable price. We pretty much knew ahead of time we'd go in that direction. But once we were there and saw the very professional looking kitchen, we were sold.

Starter #1
- octopus with baby arugula in a lemongrass, coriander and ginger broth

Starter #2
- cured salmon with pickled radish, wasabi crème fraîche, baby pear and seaweed salad

Starter #3
- seared foie gras with barbeque eel and a passion fruit and miso glaze with saffron poached pineapple

Main #1
- skate stuffed with bamboo steamed crab, apple, micro green salad and Thai green curry sauce

Main #2
- medium rare venison with a host of sauces including a pear rosemary puree, olive tapanade, chestnut paste and others

Dessert was a warm chocolate cake with chocolate sauce and a very strange raspberry and guinness cocktail. I liked the cocktail very much and Miss Meena did not.

I think you can pretty much predict what I'm going to say here. The food was amazing. Small bites with tons of wonderful flavors. This is totally my kind of meal. Meena wasn't a fan of the ginger or olives, but everything else was to her liking. She really liked the venison. And although she's not very happy about it, she's now a fan of foie gras. She's decided it's a once a year thing. But a fan she has become.

So it was a wonderful, romantic pre-valentines day valentines day. Without hesitation, I'd recommend this spot to anyone.

2.13.2007

MONDAY NIGHT BITES






After another Monday back at the office, the only thing that felt right for tonight's dinner was the good old pizzetta. We had a few leftover ingredients hanging around and because Meena was breaking out of the office a little early, she ran to Gracefully to pick up the rest.

By the time I got home, Meena had done most of the prep work. Everything was chopped and diced and all I needed to do was throw it all together. Here's the list of ingredients:

* Take One: The Parm
- leftover panko chicken fingers
- field greens
- fresh mozzarella
- dried basil
- tomato sauce
- parmesan

* Take Two: Classic Anchovy
- anchovies
- field greens
- parmesan
- tomato sauce
- fresh mozzarella

* Take Three: The Euro
- balsamic reduction
- brie
- field greens
- parmesan
- black forest ham

* Take Four: Sweet & Salty
- anchovies
- balsamic reduction
- parmesan
- fresh mozzarella
- field greens
- black pepper

* Take Five: Meatlover
- leftover panko chicken fingers
- fresh mozzarella
- tomato sauce
- chili paste
- dried basil
- black forest ham

I think we both agreed that all the options were good ones last night. I think the clear winner was the Euro, oddly. I didn't have high hopes for that one, but it was really, really good. I wish I had made three of those. The Meatlover was an afterthought and honestly just a way to use up the rest of the ingredients. The "chicken parm" was the only one we really envisioned prior to getting started. I'm always amazed by the unbridled passion New Yorkers have for chicken parm and chicken cutlets. I see people order it in droves every lunch hour. So I guess this one is my nod to all those parm lovers.

Anyway, all was good. And an excellent way to get ready for a massive TWO-HOUR BAUER HOUR!

2.12.2007

FINGER FOOD



After a very lazy Sunday afternoon, the only thing we felt like eating last night was delicious comfort food that required no forks - chicken fingers and sweet potato fries. We've made both in other settings, but this was their debut as a pair. We also picked up some new barbecue sauce and made honey mustard and a balsamic sauces for glorious dipping.

The chicken fingers included:
- chicken breast
- panko
- egg
- garlic powder
- dried oregano
- wasabi powder
- sesame seeds
- smoked paprika
- salt
- pepper

And the sweet potato fries were simple as always with:
- sweet potatoes
- tandori spice mix

The chicken fingers could have probably baked a little longer, but I was worried about over cooking. The result was nice and juicy, but the panko probably wasn't as crisp as I would have liked. The sauces were good with the exception of the mustard. I think our honey mustard was old or something. We didn't end up using it. The new barbecue, some New Orleans variety according to the bottle, was delicious. The balsamic was very tart, but it gave us another flavor.

Ah. Sunday. Thank you for facilitating my need to be lazy.

2.11.2007

PRE PARTY



Our good friend Carter was in town from D.C. again this weekend and before we went up to midtown for a party one of his friends was throwing (yeah, midtown ... not a typo), we needed food. It was at an art studio, so it was actually tons of fun. I mean, in all honesty, we could have hung out in Times Square with Carter. It matters, not. He's just fun.

Anyway, before we went, we thought a small dinner was in order. Well, we had the intention of making it really small, but it ended up just being dinner. Which was fine. But because we had this idea to make it smaller, I actually switched up the regular Hiro order and tried some different rolls.

Meena had the:
- crabmeat soup
- chicken tempura roll

Alec did the:
- miso soup
- spicy white tuna roll
- salmon and avocado roll

I know it's not like I really went out on a limb or anything. Everything is pretty standard fare. But if you've read this blog, you know we're pretty true to our favorites when it comes to Hiro. So getting down with a spicy white tuna roll is big news over here on east third. Anyway, everything was really good. I think I'm going to work that spicy white tuna into my repertoire. It was really nice and buttery. Nice texture. Nice flavor. Loved it.

2.10.2007

MIDDLE EASTERN FAIRYTALE





It was a long week, dudes. It was a long week and we'd been diligent about working out and stuff, so rather than cooking up a storm before we had to cross town for some stupid fashion week thing, we decided Cinderella was going to be the belle of our ball. So a call was placed to our friends on Second Avenue and a deliveryman was dispatched posthaste. Delicious “Middle Eastern hot dogs” were on their way.

Meena had the:
- gyro sandwich
- curly fries

Alec got crazy on the gyro platter tip:
- gyro special beef grilled with baba ghanouj, hummus, chickpeas, lettuce, tomato, pita bread and yogurt sauce

I of course helped meena with her fries. They sent this odd sauce that was probably just ketchup with some hot and yogurt sauce mixed in. They also went above and beyond and included some peppers and olives in my spread. Nice touch, Cinderella Falafel. Nice touch indeed.

2.09.2007

GET SSAM, GET SSAM




There's no avoiding it. We both love ssam and it's really hard to go much longer than a week without it. I think we were both reaching our breaking point and had no choice but to cab it from a gallery opening in SoHo to the most glorious establishment second avenue has ever hosted (note: we probably could have walked on a nice day, but it's still bitter here. Cab = essential).

This was the first time we'd been back for dinner in a couple weeks and although it might have been wise to tap into our adventurous side and test other delicious items on the menu, we went with what we knew. And it's not to say there aren't very likely winners peppered throughout that tiny menu - we watched everything coming out and I have little doubt anything sub par comes from that kitchen. It's just that it was cold and we wanted what we wanted.

Both Meena and I had the:
- momofuku ssam
- ob lager

Words can't describe. It's just heaven wrapped in aluminum foil. With delicious berkshire pork, kimchi paste and mushrooms. So delicious. So filling. So amazing. So can't wait to go back.

2.08.2007

DAN'S NEW JOB IS HIS OLD JOB



Well, my previous post about Mr. Dan jumping off the DKNY bandwagon has been made a lie. Dude is staying. So as the title says, Dan's New Job Is His Old Job. Congrats, Nanners. You've made a great choice.

I mention this only because it involves food. A little. Due to this development, Meena and Dan went out to Lil' Frankie's last night and enjoyed some of the establishment's delightful baby meatballs. I was at class, so I wasn't able to join. They tell me, however, they were the same fantastic baby meatballs we've enjoyed in the past.

Once I got home from class, I didn't really feel like ordering. And I didn't feel like any serious cooking. So what to do when you don't want anything serious? Grilled cheese and carrot sticks.

The grilled cheese featured some ingredients you've seen recently:
- whole wheat bread
- fresh mozzarella
- aged australian cheddar
- chili paste
- pickled onions

And I made a little dip for the carrots:
- mustard
- chili paste
- low-fat sour cream

It was the perfect little - albeit massively cheesy - bite for the minutes leading up to the all-new Lost.