new york, new york

being in new york, the culinary hotbed that it is, presents an interesting dilemma for a wannabe foodie like myself: too many choices. now, i realize its better to have too many options than not enough of them but what do you when you just had thomas keller's version of a nutter butter (peanut butter mousse sandwiched between two fresh baked peanut butter cookies) at Bouchon Bakery, which nearly killed you it was so good, and you see Doughnut Plant up ahead? i'll tell you what you do; you get a donut. because it may be several months before you come across a jelly donut as light and delicious as this again. and that's the problem you face, or at least i face: as soon as i give into the donut, i see the bagels, the pizza, the hotdogs; i want 'em all. i will get them all. at least, thats what i tell myself before reason finally starts knocking around up there to remind me: everything in moderation (or heart failure is imminent).

sadly, there's only so much of you to go around. a line needs to be drawn on how much foodie heaven one can experience in a 5 day span. interestingly enough, thats exactly what i'm looking for to help narrow down my choices: a line. not just any line, but one forming out the door, around the corner, and down the block; preferably midday in the middle of the week when the forming of such a line would seem unreasonable. furthermore, when i get in line, and still can't see the end, i want to hear people making comments like "this is nothing compared to last week" or "this isn't bad at all."



jill (my sister) led me to two such places last week. Magnolia Bakery, famous for their cupcakes, and danny meyer's Shake Shack for burgers. both places had long lines for any other joint for 2 pm but apparently shorter than usual. worth every second of the wait. unbelievable. especially good was this double stack burger - a cheeseburger and mushroom burger stacked with "shack sauce". notice the mushroom burger in this picture. a "crisp-fried portobello filled with melted muenster and cheddar cheeses. fried mushrooms and cheese...on a burger. oh God.

vegas uncorked: a bon appetit epicurean affair

jared and i had already booked our flight to las vegas when we came across an advertisement for Bon Appetit magazine's Vegas Uncorked event. we were delighted when we saw that we would be in town during the event and quickly bought 2 tickets to the Masters' Series Dinner at Rao's in Caesar's Palace. one on evening, a total of 5 Masters' Series Dinners take place at various different restaurants on the strip. a few factors played a part in our decision to go to Rao's. the hosts caught our attention because we recognized some names: Lorraine Bracco of the Sopranos, and Andrew Knowlton, Bon Appetit's restaurant editor. the executive chefs were Frank and Carla Pellegrino. to be honest, neither of us were familiar with the Pellegrino's prior to the event but, one look at the menu and we were sold. we felt really good about our choice when Paul Jowdy, the vice president & publisher of Bon Appetit appeared at the event. he started things off by explaining that he chose this event over the others because of his admiration for the chef and his respect for the original Rao's restaurant in NY.

we arrived at the restaurant early and had a glass of wine at the bar. i was so excited while i watched the staff setup and pleasantly surprised that there were only a few tables designated for the special event. not knowing what to expect, i was worried that it would be really big with hundreds of guests and we'd feel disconnected. it turned out being a rather intimate setting, there were about 5 or 6 tables with 10 or 12 place settings at each. we were seated next to 2 couples that were very fun and friendly and who shared our love of food and cooking. surrounded by other foodies, we were in heaven.

ok so, let's get to the good stuff. the meal was truly unbelievable. 6 courses that included 14 different dishes. no i'm serious, 14 different dishes. it was served family style and there was plenty to go around. the food was complimented by wine pairings from Lorraine Bracco's winery. we weren't sure if the ticket price ($150 each) included wine and even if it hadn't, i still feel like it would have been well worth every dollar. so, the wine was another unexpected detail that added to the experience. i took pictures throughout, none i'm afraid that will do the dishes any justice. i'll post the ones that aren't completely awful.

my favorite dish was the Vongole Oreganate - baked, stuffed, little neck clams. it was my first experience with clams and now i fear i'll forever be seeking a dish that will compare. they were perfectly cooked, tender not chewy (i had reservations about the consistency) and exploding with flavor, seasoned with parmesan and oregano. i could have eaten the entire plate.

i also enjoyed the Penne alla Vodka - San Marzano tomato, diced prosciutto di Parma, vodka and a touch of cream. the pasta was the definition of al dente, the sauce was a rich, creamy, comforting blanket that i wanted to wrap myself in. do you ever have that thought when you experience good food? that desire to be a part of it? maybe that's just me and i'm just weird. probably so.

the dessert included 3 dishes, one of which was a Molten lava cake, served with creme anglaise and shaved chocolate. f@*#@! unFREAKINGbelievable. i mean, c'mon, give me a break. it was the most decadent dessert ever. it was warm, chocolaty guilt in a souffle cup. the perfect ending to a rich italian dinner.


so, aside from the delicious food and wine we savored at the event, one of the coolest things about the experience was being surrounded by other people who were just as excited, appreciative and curious about food as we are. on more than one occasion the chef, Carla Pellegrino, approached our table. her warm, bubbly personality, perfectly straight teeth and sparkly eyes were enchanting. our whole table was smitten. she asked what we thought about the meal and thanked us for coming. thanked us!!?!?! she even shared one of her techniques - explaining that she never leaves any garlic in her dishes but simply uses it to infuse flavor into the food while cooking. she said that garlic is what leaves us feeling bloated after most italian meals which is why she likes to remove from dishes before serving them. now, i guess if i had studied nutrition or gone to culinary school i may have known that, but, since i didn't and i haven't, i found that terribly enlightening.

the highlight of the evening for me was meeting Andrew Knowlton. i'm a big fan and i really wanted to have my picture taken with him. i know, i'm silly. but really, he's gorgeous and so talented, i couldn't resist. i finally approached his table when things were winding down and everyone was finished eating. when he saw me coming, he stood up, very graciously shook my hand and introduced himself. i made every effort to avoid coming across as a fumbling, glaze-eyed stalker during the interaction. i'm sure i failed. :) he was so polite and every bit as interesting and articulate as his articles. he was genuine, relatable, and yes, even better looking in person than on TV.

so, i'm afraid i've written way too much for a blog post. oh well. my goal was selfish really. i just wanted to document as much about the experience that i could so that jared and i can relive it over and over. it was truly magical. we've decided that we'll definitely attend Vegas Uncorked again next year. and this time we'll attend more than one event. if Bon Appetit brings Uncorked anywhere near your area, i urge you to attend. whether you're a foodie or not, i think it's something that anyone could enjoy.

read more about Rao's Las Vegas and the Pellegrino's here

hot bubbling cheese

the first "original dish" i ever "cooked" was melted cheddar cheese in a cup. pretty gourmet, i know. when i was 7 or 8 years old it occurred to me that melting cheese on crackers made the crackers soggy, so i thought, lets leave the crackers out. innovation. my parents immediately gave me credit for the dish to boost my confidence and i, up until about my 10th birthday, claimed to have invented it.

i admit, it was not then nor will it be my finest culinary achievement. but i was onto something. there is something so addictive and comforting about melted cheese. its simple and wonderful. everyone seems to love it. jazz it up just a little bit, use some different cheeses, maybe add an ingredient or two, and one can very easily elevate the dish to even greater heights. take for example this goat cheese "queso fundido" we tried at Mesa Grill, Las Vegas. dressed up with some roasted peppers and the goat cheese it was still bubbling in its cast iron pan when it came to the table. pretty basic but so good. a slightly fancier version of my original "melted cheese in cup". i'd like to take credit, but no...

french onion soup

french onion soup either just recently went mainstream or i just started paying attention. i see it EVERYWHERE and understandably so: a lot of bread, beef broth, sweet onions, and a ton of melted cheese. what's not to love? awesome. but when everyone is serving it, it makes finding the really great stuff that much harder. i've ordered it several times before but most times it misses the mark. not all complete misses, but misses just the same. what i picture happening, those times I've ordered it, is the chef, out back, just moments away from putting on the finishing touches when the runner swoops by blankly and in a flurry and whisking it away, incomplete, to my table. some sort of altercation between runner and chef ensues. it's quite a scene.

it always seems to be missing one thing. i remember my dad ordering it once when we were vacationing in cape cod and having my first taste. it was unbelievable. all other experiences have been measured against that first one which, i admit, could be entirely distorted by my imagination.

i've made it before and, I have to say, it wasn't too difficult and it came out pretty good. but the jump from "good" to "pretty good" isn't nearly as difficult as the jump from "pretty good" to "great". mine was definitely missing something too, but its hard to put a finger on what that was. search for recipes online and you'll undoubtedly find all sorts of variations. everyone has an opinion about the key ingredient - red onion, white onion, sherry, red wine, chicken stock, beef stock, swiss, gruyere, more butter, less butter. i have to believe that, somewhere in the world, two people are coming to blows over this right now.

i was thinking about this last night at JeanRo Bistro in cincinnati while we were waiting for ours to arrive. but then we had our first taste something occurred to me, this was the closest it had ever been to that first experience. also, this was the first time i had ever ordered french onion soup at a french restaurant. perhaps the thing that had been missing the whole time was the french.