NYC RESTAURANT WEEK!!!

Helloooo foodies!

I am super amped for the next couple weeks because as of yesterday, NYC restaurant week is in full swing! From now until July 24, restaurants all over the city lower their prices so us plebians can enjoy fine dining for a greatly reduced price! I've always been a fan of restaurant week, but I have to say that this summer I'm doing it right (even if it means I don't eat at all for the rest of the week). As of right now, I have reservations to go to 21 club, the legendary nyc hotspot (and speakeasy). Oddly enough, this was the very FIRST reccommendation I received when looking at schools, given to me by one of my loyal Panera customers, Dave. I never forgot his recommendation and I am soo thrilled to finally go there! Next, I have plans to go to Cafe Boulud with Andrea, my fellow Food Network Intern/ Foodie that is frequently mentioned here :) There are a couple more restaurants I've been eyeing and a couple people I'm trying to go with, so I will keep you updated! As always, I'll be sure to update you with my thoughts about each restaurant throughout the week! Happy restaurant week!

Curry Cravings: Coconut Curry with Tofu

Happy Monday everyone!

This weekend, I was really craving some sort of indian food. I love going out to hole in the wall restaurants like Panna II near St. Marks to get awesome indian food for a low price (not to mention its byob) but seeing as its finals week, most people don't have time to make a night out of it. The last time I went to Panna II I was with my stylish friend, Sam, and our friend Danny. Sam is also the one who first tempted me to find a healthy alternative to eating indian food at restaurants, as most tend to use heavy cream  and full fat cheeses to make their dishes so delectable. Pair this with my Friday night craving, and I was off to Whole Foods faster than you could say Tikki Masala. I looked for inspiration on multiple sites, with the end result being a combination of a couple recipes. I opted for tofu due to the fact that I'm very picky about how chicken is prepared and I was feeling very veg-inspired thinking of Sam (who has been a newly veg/ vegan for about 6 months? yay!) I made this meal with my friend Steph at her apartment, and it actually turned out quite well! I urge you try it for something new in the kitchen (and healthy!) The result was a curry made with light coconut milk, tomato paste, and vegetables to bulk up our cubed tofu into a satisfying meal! We paired it with a boxed brown rice pilaf, but any type of rice works!

Coconut Curry with Tofu

Coconut Curry with Tofu


Serves 6 


Ingredients:
Vegetable Oil, about 1 Tbsp
1 Medium Onion, diced
1 Red Pepper, diced
1 cup sliced mushrooms (I used baby portabellas, but use whatever you like!)
Fresh ginger, sliced thin, about 1 Tbsp
20 oz canned light coconut milk
Yellow Curry Powder, approx 2 Tbsp
Cinnamon
1/2 small can Tomato Paste
Scallions
Cashews
1 block Firm Tofu, pressed and cubed
Red pepper flakes, to taste
Salt, pepper

Instructions: 

Heat vegetable oil on medium high heat, add onions red pepper, mushrooms and ginger-- cook until softened. Add cubed tofu-- let these cook in oil for a few minutes. Season tofu and vegetables with salt and pepper while in the pan. Next, add curry powder to the pan, toss until tofu is evenly coated (will give the cubes a yellowish color). Once fully mixed, add the coconut milk and tomato paste, reduce pan to medium-- mix sauce and vegetables and let simmer. Add red pepper flakes at this point for some extra spice. Simmer over medium/medium low heat for 10 minutes, until thickened. Add cinnamon to taste, approximately 1 teaspoon. Crush cashews and toast them in a separate pan until browned, use as garnish. Slice scallions to use as garnish as well. Curry can be eaten on its own, or goes well over rice!

Brown Rice Pilaf (from a box-- can't do it all!)

Sliced Scallions and Toasted Cashews for a crunchy final touch!

I was surprised how good this recipe this turned out-- very reminiscent of a dish I would get at an indian restaurant. Its slightly sweet, savory, and spicy. If you try this, feel free to add more curry for an added spice, or red pepper flakes for an different kind of kick! I've been eating leftovers of this all weekend, and its still holding up pretty well! Its chock full of veggies, low cal, and packed with flavor-- what else could you ask for?

Thank you to Steph for coming to Whole Foods with me and cooking the rice (hehe). Also, thank you for Sam for giving me this challenge, whether you knew you did or not. And thank you everyone else for reading!

Do you like indian food? What's your favorite dish? Or, what's the weirdest craving you've ever had?

Also, I wasn't lying about my friend Sam being stylish! Check out her fantastic fashion blog, GrlsGotStyle!

Where to start?! The Muffin Man: London, UK

Hello all!! It's been awhile. This semester has certainly been hectic and crazy, but definitely my favorite so far. The thing is, what do I start with?! I have tons and tons of pictures of food and places that I absolutely want to delve into as fast as possible. For now, I want to start with my spring break-- a 10 day trip back to the UK! One of my favorite foodie friends, Thea, is studying abroad at St. Andrew's University in Scotland, so I had the opportunity to go visit and explore, along with visiting my old stomping ground in London! And let me just say, I don't know what they're doing differently over there, but they're doing something right-- the food is amazing pretty much anywhere you go. I feel like even the produce is better, cleaner, crisper (here I go romanticizing things). When I was living in London last summer to take classes, my favorite thing was to be able to explore an entirely new city (as well as country) and see how things are different.

The most, I repeat, the most amazing part about the UK and Europe in general for the most part is BREAKFAST. I'm an eggs girl, from my head down to my leggggs (I feel like half the people reading this won't get that reference). I would like to believe that british eggs are just better, whether it be from not keeping them in the fridge (all eggs are left out in grocery stores-- there's really no reason to refridgerate them... fun fact!) or the actual quality of the egg, I don't know. All I can say is that I am in breakfast heaven. My favorite and most thrifty breakfast is straight from Kensington, the area in London where I lived, at a place called The Muffin Man. Exactly what I want a breakfast place in London to be named, I might add. Their "Muffin Man breakfast" is unforgettable. Check it out!

Muffin Man Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, baked beans, toast with jam and honey, tea, orange juice. Phew!

What I liked: Everything. Let me just create the scene for you. You walk in to a quaint little restaurant with little 2-person tables all around filled with pairs of friends, lovers, etc. quietly chattering away over tea. Your meal begins with your own personal teapot filled with the Muffin Man's own loose-leaf blend that strains into your teacup. Next, your orange juice arrives, normally with a colorful bendy straw (I don't know why but that always made me smile). Then, your toast arrives with your choice of fresh honey, jam, or marmalade. Are you hungry yet? Finally, your platter of creamy, flavorful eggs comes with fresh sausage, (british) bacon, and baked beans. I'm about to hop on the next flight to London after writing that. Yum! Also, this is all around £9 (approximately $13). For the amount of food you're getting and for the atmosphere, you can't beat it!

What I didn't like: I hesistate to even have this section, because I love the Muffin Man so much. I went at least once a week while studying there, and I wish I could still make that weekly trip each and every day. My only initial complaint is that they don't have maple syrup, but that's just the American in me. My favorite sweet and salty combo has got to be sausage and syrup or bacon and syrup (don't judge, its awesome). I started to use the honey they give as a substitute, though, and it pretty much works just as well! I'm still a happy camper :)

Overall, I would give the Muffin Man 11 eggs out of 12 on a breakfast scale, or 12 out of 13 if we're talkin' bakers dozen. It could be my forever romanticized version of the United Kingdom, but they really can't go wrong over there. I'm proclaiming myself a foodie ex-patriot! Why did we ever want to leave British rule again?! They have weddings and days of celebration and AWESOME food... freedom scmeedom... (totally kidding--sometimes my food love gets in the way of my thinking)

I have a lot more to talk about in regards to my spring break, so those updates will keep on coming! I'm just starting my finals week and this will be a semi-productive but enjoyable break activity. Now, on to writing papers!

And now I want to ask-- what's your favorite breakfast meal? Are you a Denny's grand slam kinda person, or a simple cereal and milk kind of guy/girl? Do you even eat breakfast? Let's get some conversation going-- it seems like I'm always doing all the talking! :)

IM COMING BAAAACK

After a not so brief hiatus and my camera cord being across the pond, i have LOTS of updates for everyone! Posts will include but not be limited to-- spring break shenanigans in Europe, more food trucksm, home happenings, etc! Stay tuned :D

morning thoughts: exasperated

have you ever tried to make something, and you know it needs something, but you can't figure out what? and then you just start mindlessly adding things until now there's too many things and you can't take the other things out? case in point: my first attempt at cheesy grits. the final product somehow included 3 different kinds of cheese, cumin, sour cream, apples, onions. i can't even look at that list. they weren't horrible i guess. i now see how frustrating it can be to, say, open a restaurant where you have to endlessly develop and tweak recipes until they're perfect. but what if you add something else? will that make it more perfect? the bottom line is, don't have your first attempt at cheese grits be your experimental one-- it will only make you unnecessarily question life decisions.

Home for the Holidays part 2: Southside Tremont

Sesame Crusted Yellowfin Tuna with Seaweed Salad, Sweet Soy, Cucumber Wasabi and Tangy Orange Sauce

After attempting to cram all of the restaurants I went to while at home into one post, I decided that I just couldn't do it-- each restaurant had its own unique atmosphere and food that I want to take the time to highlight! On that note, I'll go in chronological order, starting with Southside, a restaurant located in Tremont right outside of Cleveland, Ohio! This quaint little bar and restaurant prides itself in what I would like to call modern american pub food. The restaurant itself had an industrial feel, and has both an indoor and enclosed outdoor seating area. I love Tremont for its food and culture, giving this Cleveland suburb the slightest hint of New York if I may say so myself, with big name restaurants (and some of my favorites) such as Farenheit, Lolita, and Momocho. My dad ended up recommending Southside as an easy place to grab lunch on our way home from my Thanksgiving pilgrimage to Whole Foods (yes, I drive 45 minutes to go to the nearest/nicest Whole Foods when I'm home, get over it!) I would like to mention that I went for lunch and was incredibly disappointed that I couldn't get any of their dinner entrees (DIVER SCALLOPS) which sounded amazing. I'll have to go back for dinner! Also, this was my first official meal where I ordered a Sangria (pictured above) LEGALLY! I had just picked up my new ID from the DMV, and they didn't even card me! Figures. 

Above is the appetizer I shared with my mom-- sesame crusted yellowfin tuna with a cucumber wasabi and a tangy orange sauce. We also shared crab bisque, but I didn't get to take a picture of it. Basically, it was crab bisque. Pretty much all bisques to me are the same (at least for now). 

What I liked: As you can see, the presentation of the Tuna was absolutely beautiful. The tuna was just seared to you got the crunch of the sesame seeds but the silky texture of the raw tuna. The different sauces were delicious, but were also deceiving as I didn't love them mixed together-- the tangy orange sauce worked well on its own (maybe with the soy sauce) on the tuna, and the cucumber wasabi also worked well but on its own. The seaweed salad was seasoned quite well, giving a different but unique flavor to the dish. 

What I didn't like: There wasn't that much. I understand it was an appetizer, and I understand that they give you the seaweed salad, but there were only five pieces of tuna. Coming from New York that might sound shocking, but I've been to restaurants that give you an entire huge filet of tuna for about the same price! I guess they needed space for the presentation? I don't know. I just felt a little cheated, because I absolutely wanted more! 

Duck and Goat Cheese Salad with mixed greens, sweet corn, marinated onion, tomatoes, toasted pine nuts and warm balsalmic dressing

For my main course, I chose the duck and goat cheese salad (two of my favorite things combined onto something resembling a healthy entree?! I'll take it) and was surprised by the amount of toppings on it initially. But then I remembered--- I was not in New York anymore. I was in Cleveland, my hometown, the reason for my addiction to ranch dressing-covered everything, the reason I put every single condiment on my hot dog, the epitome of hodge-podge cooking. I completely understood-- you can only have so much lettuce-- this was a substantial yet eclectic combination of flavors and textures, but it brought me right back to my humble Ohio beginnings. 

What I liked: After the above ode to toppings, 'I can sum up my feelings by saying that I loved the toppings. Sorry mixed greens, but you're pretty much the same on any salad. The duck was tender, goat cheese creamy, and the pine nuts gave the salad the texture the salad needed. I loved the idea of the warm balsamic vinaigrette, which definitely made the salad more appealing to me. 

What I didn't like: Although I loved the toppings and loved that there was an abundance of toppings, I would say that I wish there had been a little bit of a better balance between the flavors. Sometimes I felt like the duck would over power the other vegetables, and then the goat cheese would overpower the balsamic. It became quite a task to get that perfect bite. 

Overall, I give Southside a 8 out of 10. Their missteps were small, but they ultimately knocked down their score a few points. I would definitely return to Southside to try something different-- I was completely enticed by the entire menu! 

No Place like Home for the Holidays: Cleveland edition! Part 1

Helloooo foodies!

Due to my hectic class/ internship schedule, I have been a little absent as of late on my blog, but thanksgiving break was a great time to relax and get ready to get back into things! I was able to go home for my break, and my first order of business was to make thanksgiving dinner (eek!)  Not all of it, but some of the heavy hitters of the night... Overall I think it turned out well! Here are some pics:

The Turkey! Not bad, right?!

Turkey with Sage Butter: I used a Tyler Florence recipe that my dad and I have used for the past couple of years and it has yet to fail us, using a combination of sage, butter (I like to use salted for this, which we did not do this year and it seemed to lack a bit of flavor), salt and pepper rubbed under the skin of the turkey. It keeps the bird super moist and flavorful while its cooking. We also chose to use an organic turkey this year-- I'm not sure if I knew the difference, but it still turned out well and tasted delicious! The recipe can be found here on foodnetwork.com!

Cornbread stuffing with sausage, cranberries, and apples

Cornbread Stuffing: For the stuffing, I knew that I wanted to use a combination of cornmeal and grits to get some extra crunch from it. I made the cornbread first, which had a great texture, but it seemed to lose a bit of its crunchy texture as the stuffing cooked on both in the turkey and out. One thing I would like to change in the future is finding a way to maintain the texture of the cornbread throughout the stuffing. I really had no rhyme or reason to my recipe, and pretty much just ended up throwing things into the pot at the last minute. I precooked the sausage with sauteed onions and celery, while deglazing the pan with the tiniest bit of white wine. I added a couple figs for their texture, along with some apples to give the stuffing a fall flavor. I used fresh herbs such as parsley, rosemary, sage, and thyme, while also adding a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg (again, keeping with the fall flavors). Finally, I tried my hand at using black truffle sea salt, which worked in other dishes but not in this. Well, not that it didn't work, it just didn't really shine through the other flavors. The stuffing came out quite well after all was said and done! For not having a recipe, I was pretty pleased with the outcome. 

Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash Gratin

Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash Gratin: I found this recipe on Pinch My Salt, and I would like to say that I really loved the flavors of this dish! It was simple, but delectable. Once again, I used black truffle sea salt, and it really brought out the flavors of the dish while giving it a unique, savory flavor. There was a LOT of cheese in it (which obviously I'm not complaining) but when asking to use fancy cheeses such as manchego and gruyere, the dish got pretty expensive. I chose to use a combo of young and aged cheeses, with a young gruyere, young manchego, and an aged gruyere. The young cheese brought out a sharpness, while the aged cheese gave a nutty undertone similar to parmesean reggiano. The dish looked lovely due to the uniform slices of squash and sweet potato. Overall, it was a different approach to the traditional sweet potato, and a recipe I would definitely recommend trying. You can check out that recipe here!

Meyer Lemon and Cranberry Bundt Cake

Meyer Lemon and Cranberry Bundt Cake: This was absolutely my favorite thing I made on Turkey Day-- I stumbled upon the recipe in the 2009 November issue of Food Network Magazine I salvaged from cleaning out the swag closet at work. It looks so beautiful and tastes just as good. It used about 5 meyer lemons, which are more expensive, but their sweeter flavor are worth the purchase. The cranberry reduction in the middle keeps the cake sweet with a slight tang, while the lemon bundt cake and frosting kept the flavor light and clean. Also, I knew it was a success when my father, the anti-carb king, had two slices for dessert :) 

I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving, and be assured that more reviews are to come! :) I also have more to post about my time at home, including an awesome trip to Columbus for the OSU/Michigan game!