WEEKEND PERFECTION

I'm happy to report we did quite a bit of cooking this weekend! I feel like with the last few weeks being insane in the office, we just haven't been chopping and roasting with frequency I'd like. But this weekend we made an effort. Partially because we're heading to LA this week and wanted to get rid of stuff in the fridge and partially because ... we like cooking.

We started off the weekend with a trip back to 40 Verandah to pick up some old mail Pam had saved for us. While we were way over there in our old stomping grounds, we figured the best course of action would be to hit Bocca Lupo. We couldn't remember the last time we'd been and that was a problem.

We started with their cheese plate and I have to say, this may be my favorite cheese plate on the planet. They really have some strong selections here and every time I try this thing I'm blown away by each and every offering. So good. And not terribly expensive.

Meena then had:
- shrimp diavalo
- pasta with boar sausage, green beans and pine nuts

Alec had:
- two truffled cheese and mushroom bruschetta
- one butternut squash bruschetta
- one olive and white bean bruschetta

I didn't order that last one but they brought it by accident. Bank error in Alec's favor!

We finished things off with the banana and nutella panini. Oh Bocca Lupo, I missed you so. I promise we won't go that long between visits again. I promise.

Saturday morning I continued the fridge purge. I did some brussels sprouts with:
- olive oil
- sea salt
- balsamic vinegar
- chili powder
- korean bbq
- chipotle chicken sausage
- onion

And then I did a little egg cup:
- chipotle hot sauce
- egg
- onion
- mushroom
- chipotle chicken sausage
- flour tortilla

Not bad. I forgot to spray my containers and the tortilla stuck. I just looked in the sink where they're soaking and it's STILL sticking. Mental note, spray them next time. PLEASE. But the sprouts were rad. Very rad.

Before dinner I made a little appetizer:
- smoked mussels
- organic ketchup
- korean bbq
- butter
- olive oil
- sea salt
- panko
- sriracha
- chipotle hot sauce

Not bad. We needed a little bread, but it ended up being very nice. Weird. A little. But nice.

For dinner, we did a bit of halibut. Very simple here:
- halibut
- bacon
- sea salt

And I did a bit of topping:
- mushroom
- peas
- white wine vinegar
- chili powder
- sea salt

Meena also made a salad:
- red pepper jelly
- olive oil
- white wine vinegar
- sea salt
- black pepper
- honey
- mixed greens

Lovely. The fish was cooked perfectly and we were really happy with the flavor the bacon gave to the fish when it cooked. I gave it a few turns on the stove then finished it under the broiler. Crisp bacon, perfectly cooked fish and a nice little bite from the mushroom and pea topping. Meena's salad was the perfect sweet companion to our salty bit of bacon and fish. Awesome dinner.

After a lovely brunch with Dan at Buttermilk Channel, we decided to close out the weekend with a truly rich dinner - RIBS!

Nothing special, just a quick bbq and an hour in the oven:
- brown sugar
- garlic
- soy sauce
- sambal oelek
- sesame oil
- water

Meena also made a little salad to go along with it. Came out perfect. Nice vinegar bite to go with the rich, sticky and salty ribs.

Perfect weekend.

ALMOST THERE

I am SO glad it's Friday. It's been another really long week capping off about 14 days of constant insanity. So when I got home late last night, I didn't want to do anything. And fortunately, Meena was there with some Joya to help us ease into Thursday night.

We switched the regular orders up a touch. Meena had:
- spring roll
- chicken pad thai

And here's where the change came ... Alec had:
- tom yum koong (spicy)
- woon sen (spicy)

Actually, now that I'm looking back on it, it's not all that odd. I guess just the fact that I got woon sen was a bit of a departure from the norm.

Anyway, sorry for the less than inspired posts this week. I'm hoping things pick up a bit next week if work will slow down a touch. At least there's the weekend!

WHOOPS

I got home late and didn't feel like cooking or ordering food last night. Meena had already eaten at the office so I was left with one choice:

cereal.

I'm not saying this is a bad choice. Cereal is one of my favorite things EVER. I'm surprised I haven't said that more on this blog. But it's true, I love it.

This is one of those organic versions of Golden Grahams and it's pretty good. No Peanut Butter Bumpers, but pretty good.

BIG QUESADILLA

I got home a bit late last night so Meena got moving on some dinner. And guess what? It was awesome!

She went to a tried and true concept and executed it perfectly. Her version included:
- avocado (with tobasco, sea salt, black pepper and lemon juice)
- shredded cheddar
- pork shoulder
- flour tortilla
- salsa
- sour cream

They were delicious! Meena kept saying they were too stuffed, but honestly, that's sorta impossible in my mind. A fat quesadilla is a great quesadilla.

BUSY MONDAY

Last night was weird. I was supposed to be at class but I thought I needed to stick around the office for a project that was later postponed. So ... nothing really went as planned. But I guess I made it home a bit earlier than I normally would have and that was nice.

By the time I got home, Meena had called in some food from a place called Lychee Nut. The food wasn't bad. Not great. But not bad. Meena had:
- chicken with broccoli

Alec had:
- hot and sour soup
- spicy chicken with broccoli, mushroom, peppers and baby corn

Although it wasn't the best thing ever, it also wasn't bad at all. It was 100% satisfying and I guess that's all I could ask for on a Monday night.

TOO FAST

We had a great weekend but it just blew by. Maybe it was the nice weather. Maybe it was going to a concert on Friday. I don't know. But that one disappeared like Kaiser Soze.

Friday night I had the amazing opportunity to see the Handsome Furs at the Mercury Lounge with the dudes. And before the show we decided to hit one of my favorite places from the old neighborhood - Tara Thai. Love the people at this place and the food is always top notch. I can't remember what James and E. Noonz had, but I think Matt had a shrimp pad thai with no egg? That sounds right. I had some southern noodles that were nice and spicy. Sorta like a pad thai but with a bit of that woon sen bbq taste. Very nice.

Saturday night we hit Park Slope for a bit of fun with Dan and Steve. Steve had some previous plans so after a few glasses of wine and some of Dan's hummus, we hit AOC Bistro on 5th Ave. for a bit of the French cuisine. Dan had a wonderful lamb sausage sandwich with some harissa and fries. Meena had:
- mussels + frites

Alec had:
- poached tuna with egg, peppers anchovies and salad on a baguette

Pretty awesome. All those ingredients are just perfect for my palate and I can't wait to get to France next fall. I'm going to eat like this every day. Meena's mussels were pretty solid. Not the best ever, but not bad, either. Her fries seemed a bit weird, but she liked them if memory serves. I don't know why I'm calling them weird. They just seemed like that double fried variety that MAYBE came out of a bag. But probably not. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.

Sunday morning I made my new favorite breakfast. It doesn't look like much but MAN OH MAN is it good. It included:
- florida avocado
- onion
- olive oil
- mushrooms
- egg
- sea salt
- black pepper
- parmesan

With a bit of the sriracha ... man. This is like 20 bites of pure heaven. Just that silky avocado mixed with the egg and parmesan? Oh man. It's probably not good for you at all but it's what diamonds would probably taste like if you could just bite into one.

Sunday night we wrapped up the weekend with a bit of pizza. Similar to our previous efforts. Fresh Direct crust, touched up with some homey goodness on the pizza stone:
- corn meal
- serrano peppers
- pork shoulder
- mozzarella
- roasted garlic marinara
- mushrooms
- white onion
- olive oil
- sea salt
- black pepper
- parmesan

I like this pizza. VERY much. The pork got just a bit crispy on the edges. And the stone got the crust just right ... a bit bouncy on the inside and crispy and flecked with cornmeal on the bottom. Awesome. The peppers gave it just the right amount of heat and the cheese, oil and mushrooms provided that rich and silky base. WHEW. We're getting better and better with the pizza around here. Watch out, we're just going to make more. If ever there were something worth getting good at, I'm guessing this is probably it.

NO COOKING

There has been something very, very wrong with the F train this week. I've been stuck between stations for 20 minutes at a time. Weird trains have been on the F tracks. Platforms have been packed with people and trains are even more full. It has been one of those commuting weeks that makes you hate commuting.

Anyway, it was like that again last night and when we finally got home, there was no way the cutting board and ingredients were making an appearance. We were eating Cube 63. No question about it.

Meena kept it pretty standard:
- shrimp shumai
- cube 63 roll
- shrimp tempura roll

Alec switched it up a little:
- salmon and avocado roll
- striped bass sashimi
- yellow tail sashimi
- miso soup

I think Meena enjoyed her stuff. I have to say that my roll was stellar. It's a standard joint, nothing flashy. But the Cube dudes made this one perfectly. Really nice avocado and delicious salmon.

And finally, after a really insane week, we're at Friday. Thank goodness. I haven't been this happy for a weekend in a very long time.

BEAT TO THE PUNCH

Although I had a mind to cook last night, I got home a bit late and Meena had just decided to call in some Zaytoons. Beat to the punch. But it's really no big deal. Because I didn't need to stress before another huge night of LOST and I got to eat Zaytoons for dinner. And if you know me, you know ... I'm not going to argue about Zaytoons for dinner.

Standard orders here. Zaytoons mix, shish kebab sandwich and chicken shawarma sandwich.

The meal had non-standard results, however. Above average quality alert!

I'm not sure what was up with the guys at Zaytoons last night, but we had what I'm calling the best Zaytoons mix ever. My shish kebab sandwich was top notch. Meena's chicken was just right. Not sure what was up, but we certainly appreciated the precision.

TWO LATE NIGHTS

Last night Meena was at a work dinner so I was on my own. And the night before I was at my class so SHE was on her own. And similar situations yielded similar results. Meena went with a couple pork tacos and I opted for the quesadilla route. Almost identical ingredients ... just slightly different looks for slightly different nights.

Meena's Monday Night Tacos featured:
- pork shoulder
- sour cream
- salsa
- flour tortillas
- cheddar
- sriracha

And Alec Tuesday 'Dilla included:
- pork shoulder
- salsa
- flour tortillas
- mozzarella
- sriracha

Meena's were a little better than mine (I made it home late but she had saved a few for me). Mine wasn't bad, but I would have liked a bit of veg thrown in there. Alas ... we just didn't have any.

Not sure what's on the docket for tonight but I think we'll find something cool. It's a LOST night and I have a mind to cook!

BEFORE THE SNOW

This weekend really seemed to pass in the blink of an eye. I know that's a pretty typical phenomenon, but it seemed unusually fast for some reason. I don't know why. We did a lot of the things we normally do but for whatever reason, looking back on Monday morning, it just felt a bit accelerated.

Anyway.

I didn't post a Thursday night post but I'll just mention it quickly. I had to stay out late for an event celebrating my former publisher. He moved on to another magazine so we did some drinks as a celebration. I got home really late, but Meena had saved a bit of deliciousness from Chance. Curry noodles, Chang's chicken, hot and sour soup. Niiiiice.

Friday night Meena wasn't feeling so hot so we decided to to order in some Indian from Bombay Dream. I think we'd ordered from here a few times in the past, but these guys really killed it on Friday. My chicken tikka and lamb vindaloo were both perfect. Chicken was spiced perfectly and just a touch dry. I know that's not the ideal with chicken in any other area of the culinary universe, but for some reason, I really appreciate chicken tikka a little dried out. The vindaloo was a bit spicy, but not liquid fire. I know I tend toward the super-human heat, but this was just right for a Friday. Meena had this weird chicken appetizer thing. Mali kebabs? I don't know. They weren't very good. I think Meena was OK with them. I thought they were sorta gross. Her chicken tikka masala more than made up for it. Perfect chicken and a lovely sauce.

Saturday night we went went over to 4th Ave's Sheep Station for Steveo's birthday drinks and decided to grab a bite before the main event. Meena had some fish and chips and I had a chook sandwich. Chook means chicken. I didn't know that. I guess Sheep Station is Australian. Anyway, Meena was the clear winner because her fish and chips were some of the best I've had in a long time. The fish was perfectly cooked and crisp and delicious on the outside. My chook was OK. Not great. It was essentially a lime and curry chicken salad on a bun. Which ... is actually just fine for me. Not perfect. But not bad.

Drinks were great. Dan brought some cupcakes. People had a blast. Happy birthday Steve!

I haven't been paying much attention to breakfast as of late, but I just wanted to mention this burrito/taco thing quickly because it was awesome. Chicken tikka masala, serrano peppers, eggs, onion, olive oil, salsa and sour cream. Oh, and a bit of cheddar. Wow. Awesome breakfast wrapped up in a warm flour tortilla.

Sunday night we used a bit of pork shoulder cooked in the method we've been using the last few times. Slow and low all morning. After it had been all broken down and shredded, we threw it with some Korean BBQ, pickles and sriracha and wrapped it all up in Boston lettuce leaves.

So. Good. So, so, so good.

Meena also threw in a bit of veg. She baked the following:
- red potatoes
- brussels sprouts
- sea salt
- garlic
- olive oil
- black pepper
- balsamic vinegar
- parmesan

Really lovely veg. The parm was grated super fine so it just melted into the veg and gave it this wonderful, buttery flavor. Simple preparation but such a refined taste. I loved it.

That's it!

LOST IN JOYA

Meena wasn't feeling so hot last night so rather than doing a pork chop as planned, we opted for some Joya delivery. We kept it totally simple. Meena had:
- spring roll
- chicken pad thai

Alec had:
- pork salad

So I still got to have a bit of a pork chop ... just doused in Joya's liquid fire (it was hot!) rather than cooked on our skillet. Meena's pad thai was just what she needed. That's Wednesday night success.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEVEO!

A couple years ago we had a reservation at the Harrison and ended up canceling it. My folks were in town and for whatever reason, we decided to go with The Orchard instead. The good news is that we had an amazing meal and an incredible night. So I'm not saying we made a mistake. Not at all. But after dining at the Harrison last night for Steveo's birthday, I now know that either place would have yielded a truly memorable evening.

It had been a minute since we'd dined in Manhattan, so that alone was a fun change of pace. And when we eat in finer establishments, I feel like we tend toward more laid back environments that seem to dominate the Brooklyn fine dining scene (waiters with beards, wearing plaid, etc). I'm not saying the Harrison isn't laid back - it is. But something about the other diners and the general air of formality gave the joint a slightly more upscale feel.

Anyway, enough about the environment. It's the food that really matters, right?

And in that department, the Harrison over-delivered in nearly ever category.
We started with a wonderful petite syrah that was humorously listed on their "wines of the times" list. It was a discount list that had a whole host of bottles in the $29 to $39 range. Not necessarily bargain basement, but for this type of place, it was a much appreciated gesture. It was a great bottle and this got me even more excited about what was to come.

Starters were lovely in both presentation and taste. Meena had:

- house made gnocchi with braised oxtail and ricotta

Alec had:

- yellow split pea soup with duck confit and sage

Steve and Dan shared a lovely little shrimp appetizer and a crab salad special. Both were delicious.

Main courses were well thought out and cooked with precision. Meena had:

- horseradish crusted salmon with napa cabbage and turnips

Alec had:

- olive oil poached cod with blood orange, meyer lemon and sunflower sprouts
Steve also had the salmon and Dan had a chicken dish that was just perfect.

We also ordered a bowl of duck-fat fries to the table. I know it's a bit trendy to fry things in duck fat, but I mean ... it's that good. So who cares? Definitely try these if you ever make it here. Everyone else in the restaurant is so you probably should, too.

We couldn't stop while we were ahead so a couple of desserts found their way to the table as well. The table received the following:

- chocolate pretzel tart
- coconut birthday cake

In the end, for me, the pea soup and the cod were massive standouts. Pretty much everything exceeded all expectation. Meena's oxtail was good but not great ... but that was really about it. Dan and Steve seemed to order very well and ended up quite happy. Portions were unusually large for a Manhattan restaurant and I think we all left feeling gloriously stuffed with top notch food.

And honestly, what more could you possibly ask for from a birthday celebration with one of your very best friends?

Thank you, Dan and Steveo!

ZAYTOONS TO THE RESCUE

Meena had a schmooze fest to attend last night and I had a class so when we both rolled in well past 9:00 in the evening, it seemed natural to just call something in. I considered cereal for a minute but Meena felt Zaytoons would be a much better idea.

She was right.

It's almost not even worth me telling you what we ordered. We order the same thing every time. We don't even discuss it anymore. We just say ... "Zaytoons? Zaytoons. OK, I'll call."

There's no question what we'll order.

But for the sake of documentation, I'll just say ... shawarma sandwich + shish kebab sandwich + zaytoons mix.

There. It hath been documented.

My shish was a little off last night. Not sure if the recession is hitting the good folks at Zaytoons (I can't imagine how it WOULDN'T), but the lamb seemed like less than choice last night. I got a few tougher cuts. But ... whatever. It was still seasoned and cooked well ... just not the top quality ingredients I typically pull in from these dudes.

On the other hand, the zaytoons mix was on point. Spicy and inclusive of all three members of the holy trinity in fairly equal parts. That's a huge win in my book.