Odds and ends II

(Continued from last post)

Miscellaneous things I made in the past five months…

When we turned 1412 into House of Flying Pajun

Here’s when BFF and I tried to be Korean and sent pancakes flying all over my kitchen. We only missed once! But then B Oppa came home…

BFF is a master at flipping the pajun/buchimgae

B Oppa: (stepped into the kitchen, sniffed the air) You made buchimgae?
A: It’s haemul pajun. They’re too thick I think.
B Oppa: It’s buchimgae.
A: I’m pretty sure it’s haemul pajun? The seafood pancakes?
B Oppa: It’s buchimgae! And they should be thicker than this. Smells good though.

Sometimes you think you know…but you really have no idea. The haemul pajun recipe here gave me pretty good results. I haven’t played around with it that much yet, but the pancakes were yummy alright.

Haemul pajun/buchimgae?

When I finally tried that Ruth Reichl’s Swiss Pumpkin recipe (and failed)

You remember those cute little squashes featured in this post? So one day G asked me, “So Anisa, are you ever gonna cook something with those small squashes? Or are they just for photo op?”

HAHAHA

I decided it’s about time to put them squashes in the oven rather than in front of the camera. After all, I’ll admit they’d been sitting there for quite some time ( but hey, they made an excellent rustic accent to our eating area). A recipe for Swiss pumpkin from Ruth Reichl’s Comfort Me with Apples immediately came to mind. I’d been wanting to try that recipe forever, and sugar dumpling squash is just like a miniature pumpkin right?

I cut off the top of my petite squashes, scooped out their innards, and stuffed them with layers of bread and a mixture of eggs, cream, gruyere cheese, and spices. Since the cavities were so small, I wasn’t able to fit that much custard in each of the squashes. Instead of gooey cheesy goodness, I ended up with a wet glob of bread and virtually no custard in each squash bowl. It would’ve been perfectly fine if I had used a pumpkin or a bigger squash, but oh well, I guess another time!

Swiss sugar dumpling squash

Despite the taste failure, I still think it turned out ridiculously cute, and seriously, isn’t that all that matters? =p

When we couldn’t resist Valentine’s Day romanticalness

To celebrate Valentine’s Day and our collective fabulousness this year, M, S, BFF and I got together for a romantic soiree at a certain clandestine location overlooking the Manhattan skyline. (guess where? =p)

The tablespread

**********************************
Chilled Prince Edward Island Oysters with Date Emulsion
oysters, dates, apple, shallots, thyme, cider vinegar, grapeseed oil, salt, pepper

Salmon and Hamachi Ceviche
salmon, hamachi, bell peppers, pomegranate, fuyu persimmons, cucumber,
blood orange juice, lemon juice, dashi, soy sauce, mirin, rice wine vinegar

Bacon-Wrapped Enoki on Skewers
bacon, enoki, soy sauce, dashi, sesame oil, mirin, black pepper

Cold Soba with Wakame Seaweed and Cucumber
soba, wakame seaweed, cucumber, furikake, dashi, mirin

Lavender crème brûlée
yolks, cream, sugar, vanilla beans, lavender

Berries with Moscato d’Asti Sabayon
Moscato d’Asti, yolks, sugar, mixed berries

Riesling, Champagne, Moscato d’Asti

**********************************

Raw Oysters

Salmon and hamachi ceviche

Bacon-wrapped enoki on skewers

Cold soba with wakame seaweed and cucumber
There was supposed to be uni in this but Citarella ran out!

Lavender crème brûlée

Torching!

Moscato d’Asti Sabayon

S getting amused by the strawberry

Odds and ends I

Time to clean up my to-blog list!

Miscellaneous things I made in the past five months…

When we ran out of Kraft singles

Sriracha tuna salad, Sichaun peppercorn pickles,
Pecorino crisp and mesclun greens on rye

The original plan was tuna melt, but then I had to change my agenda slightly due to the lack of Kraft Singles. But fear not! When there’s a will (to eat), there’s always a way. Luckily I found a wedge of pecorino in the fridge, so I just grated up a good amount and crisped it in a dry pan on the stove–this would make a good snack on its own too with some extra seasoning. For the tuna salad, I mixed canned tuna (in water, drained) with chopped onion, a portion of mayonnaise and an equal portion of Sriracha hot sauce, then finished with a squeeze of lemon. I love the Sriracha-mayo combination. It’s a great way to cut calories without compromising the taste. I piled the tuna salad on a piece of rye, followed by a few slices of homemade Sichuan peppercorn pickle, then the mesclun greens, and finally the cheese crisp. I guess you could call it a tuna tartine.

Pecorino crisp

For the Sichuan peppercorn pickles, I used a simple pickle recipe from Epicurious as a reference for the vinegar/water/sugar ratios and then made modifications to it (lots of garlic and crushed Sichuan peppercorn instead of dill). Pickling is actually a lot of fun because you can really go wild with the choice of spices/flavorings you put in the brine. Plus it takes only five minutes but it makes you feel really domestic, which is a good thing (as Martha Stewart would say :p). Then you let the pickles soak up the yumminess of your self-designed brine for 1-2 weeks, and there you have it, your very own homemade pickles. Now how about homemade Koolickles? *cringe*

When the weather outside was frightful

Tom Kha Gai – hot and sour chicken soup with coconut milk and galangal
(hah, wordy enough for ya?)

Nothing warms you up like a bowl of soup, and here’s a really great one: Tom Kha Gai. Besides keeping you warm on a chilly day, the kha in Tom Kha Gai can help alleviate your stomach discomfort, help with indigestion, remedy vomiting, treat diarrhea, improve circulations to your hands and feet, and even cures hiccups. This is not counting the health benefits from lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves–miracle soup indeed!

(“Kha” is the Thai word for galangal. It is a relative of ginger.)

Tom Kha Gai is among my favorite Thai soups to make because most Thai restaurants in the States just can’t get it right; they butcher it with too much sugar and coconut milk. The result is a disgusting, depthless, overly thick, cloyingly sweet soup. My grandmother would raise hell at the taste of it (I am so serious). Tom Kha Gai in its true form should not have any sugar in it, and the ratio of coconut milk to chicken broth:stock should be no higher than 1:3. The key is to use enough herbs–galangal, lemongrass, and kaffir lime leaves–so the soup gets sufficiently infused with their flavors and aromas. Another crucial ingredient is lime juice, because it cuts through the richness of the coconut milk and chicken fat. Most restaurants tend to use too little lime juice resulting in something that is either too salty or sweet, or just plain flat.

Tom Kha Gai (hot and sour chicken soup with coconut milk and galangal)

1/2 lb. chicken breast/thighs/drumsticks (sliced if using breast)

6 cups chicken broth or water (or a mix)

1-2 cups coconut milk

2-4 stalks of lemongrass, cut into short pieces, and pounded

3-6 kaffir lime leaves

5-10 slices of galangal

2-4 fresh Thai chilies, pounded

lime juice and fish sauce

1) Boil the chicken broth or water in a pot. Add the chicken and simmer until the chicken is thoroughly cooked.

2) Add lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and galangal. The quantity to use for each herb really depends on whether the herbs are fresh or frozen and also your liking. I like my soup very aromatic so I usually throw in a lot more of each thing than what most Tom Kha Gai recipes call for. It’s probably better to add a moderate amount at first then keep tasting and adjusting along the way. Let the soup simmer.

3) After simmering and infusing for about 8-12 minutes, add the coconut milk. Again, add a moderate amount at first, and if it’s not rich enough then you can add more later. Season the soup with fish sauce and lime juice. This is like a titration process; you just keep adding a little bit of each until it hits that right balance of flavors, just like when the solution turns pink.

There should be a pronounced sour taste, followed a salty and then spicy taste. The subtle hint of sweetness should only come from the chicken/chicken broth. If you like smoky flavors, you could substitute dried chilies for the fresh kind or even use a combination of the two. For more contrasting texture, you could also add oyster mushrooms to the soup (just make sure to add them towards the middle/end of the simmering so the mushrooms don’t become too flaccid).

Tom Kha Gai is extremely aromatic and piquant but still mild enough to be drinkable. This makes it likable even too people who are less adventurous with food, and I have yet to find a person who doesn’t like it. Among my biggest Tom Kha Gai fans are BFF and R. BFF is a very picky eater. R basically eats everything, literally. Once he was drinking the soup and he said, “These things are very fibrous. I can’t really swallow them.” So I replied, “Uhhh, those are herbs. They’re not for eating…they’re just there for the aroma. You might be able to eat the galangal, but definitely not the lemongrass. Dude, do they even taste like you should be eating them???”Then R said, “Which one’s lemongrass? But if they’re not for eating then why did you put them in there anyway?? Witch.”

…

Just remind me to make a bouquet garni with galangal, lemongrass, and kaffir lime leaves next time. You should too, so someone won’t try to chew and swallow the herbs then choke to death.

Where to get Thai herbs:

I get mine in Chinatown. Udom’s Thai and Indonesian Store is a tiny hole in the wall jam-packed with all things Southeast Asian ranging from spices and condiments to dried food and frozen herbs. For Tom Kha Gai, I can usually find frozen galangal and frozen lemongrass here. Obviously, they won’t have as strong aromas as their fresh counterparts so you’d have to use more of them. Bangkok Center Grocery is exclusively Thai, and here you’ll find fresh, hard to find herbs like galangal, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves, and even more exotic things like pandan leaves.

Udom’s Thai and Indonesian Store
81 Bayard St.
New York, NY 10013
(212) 349–7662

Bangkok Center Grocery
104 Mosco St.
New York, NY 10013
(212) 732–8916

To be continued…

My holy grail

This below is my holy grail. What the hell is it? You ask. I agree it does look suspicious.

The holy grail

For the past month or so, I’ve been completely obsessed with the frozen yogurt at Bloomie’s. I know it’s been there forever before the advent of Pinkberry and its clones–you see lots of them on the West Coast–and before all this plain yogurt/bacteria-y flavor craze, but what can I say, I sort of just tried it for the first time last month…and now the lost sheep is back in the herd!

I was an instant convert. From the very first spoonful I knew this would be a serious long-term obsession. First of all, the texture…oh the texture…it was unbelievably rich and creamy yet light at the same time–light but gloriously substantial–which was what set it apart from all other frozen yogurt out there. And the taste…it just tasted like real yogurt–refreshingly tart and just amply sweet plus none of that crappy synthetic aftertaste (hello Tasti?). This sounds silly, but I think my first taste of it probably ranked among my top 10 most transformative food moments. FROGURT FOR LIFE!

The two weeks after that momentous day were marked by a wretched state of perpetual longing (for the Frogurt of course!). See, normally I’m a go-getter kind of girl especially when it comes to food; however, it was final exam period and I was just too screwed this time around to peel myself away from them books. I remember feeling really torn one day literally considering cabbing it to the Upper East Side to get that one cup of frozen yogurt–haha, J can testify. Then I did some online research and found somewhere that the Frogurt (the brand of the mix?) was also available at Zabar’s cafe and Lalo (though according to M, Lalo’s machine was always down, boo). But oh my, it was a milestone discovery. Now only a 15-minute subway ride separated me from pure yogurt bliss.

And then (drumroll!) somewhat miraculously, the hellish exam period ended. J, M and I went to celebrate our doneness at Tomoe, hurrah! We stuffed our faces with amazing fresh fish and despite our full stomachs, dessert seemed to be in order. Of course, what else other than the frozen yogurt from the Soho Bloomie’s! Oh so conveniently close by! So tipsily (sake-induced), we frolicked over to the Soho Bloomingdale’s and each got ourselves a helping of this:

Plain and Blueberry flavors from the Soho Bloomie’s

Simply heavenly…though we all agreed that 40 Carrots on the Upper East Side was the better place to have it. After that day, a series of tragic frozen yogurt incidents followed:

1) Some day about 2 weeks ago, 7PM

D and I were banging on the doors of Zabar’s cafe hoping that they would let us so we could have “just one cup of frozen yogurt pleeeeassee.” They did not let us in =(

Lesson learned: the cafe at Zabar’s close at 7PM

2) Same evening, 9:25PM

Against our better judgments, J and I rode the subway to the Upper East Side Bloomie’s hoping against hope that 40 Carrots would still be open. The department store itself wasn’t even open =(. We went to Serendipity and stuffed ourselves to stupendousness instead.

Lesson learned: Bloomie’s closes at 8:30PM on weekdays.

3) First day of banking boot camp, 7:30PM

Immense Frogurt craving descended after a long day of Excel training. So right after it ended, I ran to the PATH station, took the train to WTC, transfered to the 2 to Times Square, then switched to the N and got off on Lex–it’s 8:14PM, hurrah!!!! I sprinted down to the lower level, literally sprinted, in heels and all (only 16 minutes left!!!). Finally, I got down to the lower level, but the cafe was already closed!!!!!! Almost broke down right in front of the sign saying, “open daily: 10AM – 7PM.”

Feeling utterly defeated, I trotted back to the train station. It’s almost 9PM so the cafe at Zabar’s was already closed and Lalo’s machine was probably down again. I had no other option but resorting to Plan B: Pinkberry. So I went down the subway station and took the N back downtown, then out of my extreme frazzledness, I got off on 53rd thinking I was going in the wrong direction, crossed over to the other platform, then suddenly realized I had been on the right train. Oh my goodness, can you imagine? I went back to the original platform and proceeded downtown, then finally got off on 34th, feeling like a pile of poo. I got out of the station and walked over to Pinkberry, and guess what? The line went all the way out to the street! Well, I was already there so I joined the line anyway, waited and finally got myself a medium-sized cup of the Original with three fruit toppings (because it’s cheaper than a small with three toppings for some very odd reason).

Original Pinkberry with strawberry, kiwi and mango

But damn, that $5 something cup did not pacify my craving at all. It was just way icy and too insubstantial in texture, especially compared to the Bloomingdale’s yogurt. Majorly unsatisfied, I ended up going to Woorijip and got a bunch of panchan and kimbap to appease myself. HAR

Lesson learned: 40 Carrots Cafe hours = 10AM-7PM

And finally a succes story!

Then the next day, my second day of training, I got back to Manhattan around 6PM. After all that trouble and disappointment I went through the previous day, I really wasn’t craving the frozen yogurt that bad anymore. But still, it’s the principle of it! That’s what really matters! I got off my 1 train at 79th and tada! Zabar’s was right across the street. Just imagine how delirious and accomplished I felt walking into the Zabar’s Cafe seeing the frozen yogurt machine with the signs “Zaberry Plain” and “Zaberry Strawberry” on it. I walked up to the counter and the following conversation ensued:

A: Hi! Can I have a small plain please?
Z: Sure.
A: (Saw quart containers. Eyes widened, as much as they could…)
Oh my god, you have bigger containers I can take home??? Can I get a pint?
Z : This? (Held up a pint container)
A: Oh my god, that’s way too small. Can I have a quart? A gallon? Whatever biggest size you have. I was here at 7PM the other day and the wouldn’t let me in. He wouldn’t let me in!!! Iwas sooooooo saddddd.
Z: Uhhh, haha ok. I can get you a quart.
A: Ok, thank you! (Smiled my brightest smile!) I lovvvve your frozen yogurt. I just lovvvvee it!

Missionn accomplished =)

A whole quart in my freezer!!! 24 hours access!!!

40 Carrots (at Bloomingdale’s Upper East Side)
59th Street & Lexington Avenue
1000 Third Avenue New York, NY 10022

Zabar’s Cafe
2245 Broadway (at 80th St.)
New York, NY 10024
212-787-2000

Pinkberry
7 W. 32nd St.
New York, NY 10001
212-695-9631

A different kind of booty call

I love it when people ask me to bake for them, all expenses paid. It’s like, you’re paying for all this stuff so I can have fun? Are you sure? Of course! It’s a booty call of sorts. You call me. I’m always wide open. Just call me pleeeeaasee…I’ll say yes. I’m a slut.

So it was A this time around. He needed some baked goods for his residents. What a caring, thoughtful RA he is! I was overjoyed to get his request. And plus, it was also very good timing–the New York Times‘ recipe for Supernatural Brownies had been screaming “Try me! Try me!” and for the whole past week, I had to resist the temptation because I knew I would end up devouring the whole entire tray all by myself, and that, my friend, is a possibility to be avoided at all costs.

Actually, scratch that–I’d more likely end up eating half the tray and then throw the other half into the trash can, topping it off with a generous drizzle of our newly purchased apple-scented Sunlight dishwashing liquid, a la Miranda from Sex and the City. B would mourn the loss of those brownies now rendered inedible in our trash can. Finally, I would call BFF for a confessional session and reassurance. Trust me, she’s good at that.

Do I look supernatural enough?

I didn’t realize how long it’d been since my last time baking brownies. In a world inundated with so many brownie recipes and with a good fraction of them claiming to be the brownie recipe, I found it most beneficial to my sanity to just stay faithful to one, giving it the benefit of the doubt that this was indeed the brownie recipe to resort to. (Well, of course, it has to be somewhat of an excellent recipe for you to want to stick to it in the first place, like 8/10-ish at least.) My recipe of choice for the past three years has been the one from the Chocolate Bar cookbook, and self-deluded or not, I’d have to say that those brownies were pretty damn good! (If you haven’t noticed, modesty is taking a break today =p )

Supernatural Brownies

But seriously now, how often do you come by a recipe with the word supernatural attached to it? Not Deep, Dark & Decadent, not Super-Gooey, not even The Best or Perfect…but SUPERNATURAL!?!? Well, I don’t know about you, but I fell for it. The result was indeed extremely pleasing. It came out of the oven with this gorgeous sheen and crackly surface. I cut a little piece from the corner to take a peek of the interior, and surely enough, it was beautifully fudgy. The texture was just right–chewy outside and gooey and moist inside. Flavorwise, it could benefit from a darker/higher-quality chocolate (Callebaut! Valrhona!). A couple tablespoons of espresso would probably help too, just to add a little more depth. But that’s it. No walnuts. No other fancy cookie things or allergy-triggering additives. I’m a purist in this department. I just want my brownie chewy and gooey with that deep intense dark chocolate taste (like the Original Fat Witch). I especially detest brownies with frosting or brownies with cream cheese. Please don’t get me started.

‘The Cupcakes Aditi Made for Easter Last Year’

Aside from the Supernatural Brownies, I also baked these cupcakes I like to refer to as “the cupcakes Aditi made for Easter last year” for people who may not be as keen on chocolate. (Seriously what’s wrong with them?) Well, as their name suggests, I got this recipe from Aditi who got it from her friend’s mother who got it from…wait…she was the one who invented this cupcake. So understandably, it was this friend’s mother who told Aditi who told me to keep this recipe a secret. Gosh, this makes me feel so special and elitist it’s actually kind of awesome. haha just kidding!

Cupcake close-up

Since I can’t really give away the ingredients, I’d just say that these cupcakes’ flavors are reminiscent of Ambrosia salad (as Sofia had so perceptibly pointed out). Ironically enough, the list of ingredients read like it was put together by a cracked-up Sandra Lee, a Sandra Lee with keener culinary acumen as evident in the delicious cupcakes. So who knows…maybe Sandra Lee’s food actually tastes good?!!!

Angie’s birthday cake – a four-layered monstrosity

I baked this monstrous four-layered cake a while ago for Angie, one of the many many things I didn’t get around to blogging about yet. It was my first foray into the fourth layer. Just thought I should put this here because this was also “the cupcake Aditi made for Easter last year,” just 48 times its original size.

Lobster rollin’ encore!

I know this seems a bit ridiculous. Lobster rollin’ two weeks in a row? Excessive much???

Now let me give you the context: my good friend D recently landed a full-time offer at NBC–yes, a full-time job at NBC. YAY!!! CONGRATULATIONS D!!! I’m so happy for you =). That said, don’t you all agree that this special occasion warranted a grand celebration? The day was set for Saturday, and guess where D wanted to go? Pearl Oyster Bar! It’s true, I just had a lobster roll a mere week ago, but if the person landing the job–the one being celebrated–wanted lobster rolls, again, then what could I say?

HELL YES! LET’S GO! LOBSTER ROLLS ENCORE BABY!!!

So off I rode down the 1 train, again, to that disorienting intersection of Christopher & 4th. (fyi, Pearl and Mary’s are just blocks away from each other. Quite convenient for those promiscuous lobster roll fans who don’t just set their hearts on one camp, since they can simply put their names down at both places and see which place calls first.) Of course, there was a long wait. No problem! I was too happy to stroll around and spend some time at Murray’s Cheese Shop. You see, when you put me in a store like that, especially when I’m hungry, you know a mini-spree is in order. I ended up with a 1/2 lb of prosciutto, 1/2 lb of pate de canard, a sizable wedge of this cheese called piave that smelled so much like parmigiano-reggiano (a good sign!), and then…drumroll…a thingy of burratina!! (Read about my newfound obsession with this ridiculously ethereal cheese here.) Anticipate a report on this.

D holding up the precious Lobster Roll!
Shoestring Fries on T’s plate in the backdrop

All happy and radiant from our Murray’s purchase, we walked back to Pearl and tucked ourselves in at the cramped bar. Some celebratory wine was ordered, and what ensued was one deliriously happy meal that would put Micky D’s to shame. Long story short: D and T each got a lobster roll. I ordered the pan roasted scallops. T proclaimed this to be the best meal of his life. T started talking to the lobster in the poster on the wall. “Dear lobster, thank you for sacrificing yourself for us…” T declared Pearl Oyster Bar the happiest place on the planet (on par with Best Buy). D and I couldn’t agree more.

I had some of D’s lobster roll and it totally confirmed my sentiment last week. The lobster salad had significantly less mayonaise than Mary’s and you could actually hold it up! There was no celery in it, or maybe there was but it was undetectable. I take back the part about lobster chunks being too big–there’s no such things =p. With just the right amount of mayo, the absence of celery, and super-skinny shoestring fries that maximize the ratio of crispy exterior to the mushy inside, Pearl’s lobster roll is most definitely my favorite in town, and now I say with full confidence.

Pan Roasted Sea Scallops with Roasted Potatoes, Asparagus, and Shitake

Alright, I know some explanation is needed for why I copped out with the scallops. What the hell right? I know, I know. I deserve all the yelling. This sudden wave of health-consciousness descended upon me–stupid voice of reason telling me I just had the doubly mayonaise-drenched version last week and penance was to be enacted–so I went ahead with the scallops. The wholesome foursome were cooked beautifully, velvety and all, and the shitake was crispy and smoky, a nice accompaniment. But still, it was no lobster roll. I kept glancing longingly as D and T immersed themselves in theirs. The voice of reason must be quelled next time.

Finally, it’s time to order dessert–the long-awaited out-of-this-world good blueberry pie! Our waitress cruised by and I beamed, “Can we please have the blueberry pie?” I beamed more. Waitress said, “Oh I’m so sorry. We don’t have blueberry pie this season. Instead, there’s the apple crumble…it’s seasonal…and there’s also BLAH BLAH BLAH and BLAH and BLAH BLAH, or you can have the hot fudge sundae. It’s really good…”

I was almost teary-eyed. I think I actually felt vindictive against seasonality and nature for a few seconds.

But no time to lament–SJ was also having a birthday dinner that night. I parted with D and T then headed to Magnolia Bakery to pick up some cupcakes for birthday boy. Despite my personal gripe against Magnolia and cupcakes in general–they’re so throat-clogging dry and sickeningly sweet!–I found myself going back time and again to this place (or other similar-minded shops), each time fetching a double-digit number of the saccharine cupcakes for the birthday girl/boy or anybody deserving to feel special that particular day. It’s confounding…I still don’t get the deadly sweet vanilla-vanilla cupcakes but I keep buying them for people (the double chocolate ones are ok, especially when eaten drunk). Well, I guess there’s a certain allure to the fluffy pastel-colored frosting and the petite-sized single portion. Their cultish status contributes too, I guess. They’re just cute and whimsical and they make the receivers feel extra-special…or that’s what I think. Oh I don’t know why I’m trying to rationalize all this. Sorry for the babbling!

Clockwise from top left: a quartet of cupcakes for birthday boy; Banana Pudding aka better-than-sex pudding; a clearly emotionally purchased cupcake for moi; Coconut Layered Cake for BFF

Since the wait was a soul-sucking 20 minutes, I further rationalized that it would make more sense if I bought more items; hence another mini-spree as pictured above. Their banana pudding is actually quite good and mildly addictive. Thanks to J for introducing me to it.

Murray’s Cheese Shop (Greenwich Village location)
254 Bleecker St.
(between 6th and 7th Ave.)
New York, NY 10014
(212) 243-3289

Pearl Oyster Bar
18 Cornelia Street
New York, NY 10014
(212) 691-8911

Magnolia Bakery
401 Bleecker Street
New York, NY 10014
(212) 462-2572

Lobster rollin’

Last Saturday, to celebrate the end of my bedridden condition, Baybala and I made a trek down to the West Village for some good ol’ lobster rollin’. (My poor suite was hit by a mysterious plague. Three of us were somewhat deathly sick for a collective period of one week–I know, yuck. It was the weakest time of my life, and the sickness sort of accounted for my inactivity here too, well partially…but yea, be sympathetic!) But sick or not, I definitely had been fantasizing about this lobster roll business for a while. It got so bad that, for two days straight, all I could think of was lobster rolls, daydreaming about chunks and chunks of fresh lobster meat…all squished in some uber-buttery crispy hot dog bun…dripping in mayonaise…I mean…drowning…ahhh…and also shoestring fries as a bonus…so artery-clogging but so utterly wonderful! Doesn’t that just sound like the ultimate cure for some stupid virus???

I was supposed to wait a little longer to go with D and AJ, my two lobster roll buddies, but alas, the situation was far too urgent and grave. Forgive me lobster roll buddies! With Baybala as my partner in crime, I was set on going to the new Ed’s Lobster Bar in Soho. Ok, I’ll admit it…it’s the ice-cream sammich they talked about on Grub Street. But doesn’t that just look realllllly good? And the guy was a longtime cook at Pearl too, so I thought it’d be worthwhile to check it out. Unfortunately, most of the reviews on Chowhound weren’t too auspicious. Orgasmic-looking ice-cream hot dog will have to wait…so sayonora to Ed (for now). We were headed instead to Mary’s Fish Camp in the West Village, hurrah!

Louisiana Crab au Gratin

We got there around 6ish and the place was already packed. Baybala and I had to wait 30 minutes, meh–whatever, could’ve been a lot worse. We shared an appetizer of Louisiana Crab au Gratin. The puny cup held a mixture of heavy cream, cheddar cheese, and huge lumps of crabmeat, so quite predictably, it was really good. (Seriously, how do you make something bad-tasting with that combination??) Its rich fattiness warmed my heart.

Lobster Roll!!!

After the quickie warm-up, our lobster rolls arrived. They were delightfully drenched in mayonaise and overflowing with beautiful lobster meat–’twas a heartwarming sight indeed. I took my first bite and…mMmmmMMMmmMMm…it was so worth the wait. Hail the New Englanders!! All power to them for their mighty contribution to the greatness that is the American cuisine! What a colossal crustacean feat!! Oh yeahhhh!!

Awkward phrases and annoying alliteration abound, but of course, the inevitable question remains: so how did it compare to Pearl’s? (and yes, how many calories was in that one lobster roll???). Well, as much as I enjoyed the evening, I would have to say that Pearl’s is still my favorite. This is going to sound tres silly, but I thought the lobster pieces in Mary’s lobster rolls were a bit too large and the presence of the chopped celery, well, a bit too present–one less teaspoon would’ve been perfect for me. Plus, the mayo-drippiness did get a bit too drippy too. Don’t get me wrong though…Mary’s lobster roll was still the most satisfying item I put in my mouth since I got back from spring break (oh how I miss LA!). But after all, if I’m dropping 28 friggin dollars on that one damn roll, then I deserve to have all my idiosyncratic preferences fulfilled right? I’d hope so!

Hot Fudge Sundae

Finally, as a conclusion to our oh-so-healthy-heart dinner, Baybala and I shared an order of the Hot Fudge Sundae, a nice end to this decadent meal of fatty comfort food. But still, I’ll have to admit I was very bummed out that they didn’t have blueberry pie on the menu–totally looking forward to having a super-Maineiac meal (another reason why I’d prefer Pearl Oyster Bar over Mary’s Fish Camp since Pearl’s blueberry pie was so out-of-this-world good).

So yes, I’m sorry for the long period of inactivity (there’s this thing called school, unfortunately). But now that I’m done with the sickness and most of my club obligations, I’m really hoping to spend more time here. It’s my happy place =). Stay tuned!

Mary’s Fish Camp
64 Charles Street (at 4th Street)
New York, NY 10014
(646) 486-2185

Me tres happy =)

Guess what D got me from Paris???

This hunk

AND….

FROM…

PIERRE HERME!!!

HOHOHO =)

Yay LA has good pizza :: Pizzeria Mozza

Ok, I know other people are already done gushing and talking about the place ( like here, here and here), but I just took my dad there for the first time this Tuesday–yes Tuesday, 3PM no less. Gotta call in early for this one friends–and it was sooo goood. SOOOO GWOOOOOD. Even my dad loved it, and he doesn’t even like pizza. (or maybe that’s precisely why he liked it–because it didn’t taste like pizza, hah.)

Pizza bar (where you eat your pizza with wine….
because there’s also a wine bar where you drink your wine with pizza)

After much anticipation, waiting, and delay (and more delay), Pizzeria Mozza finally opened last November by a partnership between Nancy Silverton (of the legendary La Brea Bakery!) and the Batali-Bastianich duo. Interestingly, this is Molto Mario’s first foray outside New York City (along with Osteria Mozza, which is due to open anytime soon right next door from its Pizzeria counterpart). I have to admit I’m not too familiar with Ms. Silverton’s food (only got bread from La Brea three or four times and they were very good) so yea, naturally I was expecting Mozza to be more or less like a West Coast version of Mario’s Otto–the room a little more spacious and sunlit, tables not so obnoxiously crowded together, ceiling a tad bit higher, but essentially, the same thin-crusted pizza (which I like).

But boy, was I wrong! (well, to a certain degree…)

Winter Caprese

Well, the pizza…it was thin-crusted alright (just how I like it! fyi, I’m not really a fan of pizza, especially when the dough is thick and tasteless, which is most of the time. Yea…I like my crust microthin and supercrisp. Ok, I should just shut up and not eat pizza), but Mozza’s pies are nothing like the stuff they make at Otto to be sure. It’s like a gazillion times better! Ok, I shall table this pizza discussion for later since it’d probably make more sense to talk about the appetizers first….argh, I’m sorry this post is so disorganized!

 

Fried Squash Blossoms with Ricotta

So to start things off, we got the winter caprese and the fried squash blossoms stuffed with ricotta. The squash blossoms were hot and crunchy and oozy–perfectly executed. But alas, poor squash blossoms could only go so far when they came alongside this revelatory, otherworldly omigod-food-can-taste-this-good thingy that was Mozza’s Winter Caprese. So I’m sure we’ve all had this simple combination of fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and pesto sometime before in our blessed lives, but OMIGOD, THIS MOZZA THINGY FUCKING KICKS ASS! The cheese was burrata, made in house from mozzarella and cream, and I don’t know if burrata always tastes this good because this was actually the first time I’ve had it, but it was light and airy and creamy and tasted of vast green pasture and beautiful happy cows…or well, I guess to be more accurate, a mouthful of that burrata conjured up an image of beautiful cows happily grazing in some vast green pasture–yea, very idyllic. If something could taste idyllic, this would be it. And then atop that heavenly cloud of burrata were the most gorgeous cherry tomatoes, roasted on the vine–they tasted orgasmic. Hah, I don’t want to be all food-sappy but I could almost taste the amount of love and care the grower put into his little tomatoes. He probably treated them like gems–yea that’s what they were, little red gems. Quite transporting indeed. (and now you’re laughing at me…)

Pizza with Burrata, Asparagus, Prosciutto, and Onion

It was hard deciding which pizza to get, but we settled with the burrata, asparagus, prosciutto, and onion combination. And then, something terrible happened: I succumbed to my incorrigible vice of ordering the plat du jour (or I guess piatto del giorno in this case), like everytime….why??? why Anisa why?? The Tuesday special was Crisp Duck Leg with Lentils, and I fell for it. It was good, but another pizza would’ve been soooooo much better. After all, we were there to eat what could be (ready?) the greatest pizza in the world, not the greatest duck leg, oops.

Crisp Duck Leg with Lentils

So what’s so great about their pizza?? I want to hear about their pizza!! Ok ok, I hear you. Mr. Levine summed it up pretty well up there (and he better, considering how he called it the greatest pizza in the world, well, almost). But personally, I loved how the crust was perfectly crisp and thin without losing its subtance–you know, it’s like…when it’s just crisp and thin…I hope that makes sense. Remember how I said I’d thought Mozza’s pizza was just going to be a replica of Otto’s? Well, not quite. This Californian baby had a high lip and it’s puffy and blistered at all the right places….so perfect. Ahhh! I can’t stop thinking about it. And the toppings, there were four beautiful dollops of burrata on there, need I say more? People have been debating whether Mozza’s pies should really be called pizzas because of their not-so-pizza-like crust and unconventional toppings (but so novel and delicious-sounding! I really want to try them all). But seriously, who the hell cares when their pizza/flatbread/whatevermajiggle you call it tastes this goodddd??

Butterscotch Budino

The menu told us to save room for dessert, so we did. We got the Butterscotch Budino and a trio of gelato/sorbetti. A lot of people have hyped about the butterscotch pudding…now I know why. It was intense–superrich and creamy and…sexy possibly? I’ve had the sea salt-caramel pairing before in the form of candy coated in dark chocolate, but that same powerful flavor is now magnified ten, twenty times, whew! And did you see the little cookies in the picture? Someone raved about them saying how they were the best cookies to be had in Los Angeles–hah, I’m not going to go that far, but I could see where he’s coming from. I usually don’t like rosemary, but…ok, you know what, I’m just gonna come clean: I hate rosemary. But their little cookies with rosemary and pine nuts were the perfect complement to the budino: they were just buttery and crunchy and sweet enough (not so sweet) for the rich pudding. I think you would love this, J. (J loves creamy pudding!)

Gelato Trio – Blood Orange, Riso, Espresso

The gelato was good as always! I was so pleasantly surprised to see riso listed as one of their flavors. D and I had loved the rice-studded gelato at Otto in New York, but then I don’t know what happened…it disappeared from the menu =(. I was so happy to rediscover it here. Oh this would make D very happy too =).

so rich and so dreamy!

Mozza really needs to come to New York, or we’re definitely coming down with a major major case of homesickness…oyyy

Pizzeria Mozza
641 North Highland Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323) 297-0101

Gimme some assss :: Bo Ssam

So…I know it’s been a while, but let’s pick up right where we left off, shall we?

The morning after that momentous day D. Chang’s Ssam Bar rose to NYT two-stardom, Sofia messaged me. It went something like:

SYL: I think it’s time for the bo ssam

AH: Are you serious?? OMG. OMFG. Hells yeaaaa! yippeeeee

SYL: YAY. I’M SO EXCITED. YAY PORK BUTT!!!

AH: YEA, ME TOO. YIPPPEEEE. PORK BUTT FEAST!!!

I had been fantasizing about this pork butt business for a while. Everywhere I went, it just seemed like everybody was doing it, you know what I mean? Obviously I felt the need to join the rank. Sofia and I started gather round a group of dedicated eaters, made the fateful reservation, and tada!! I’m proud to announce that this past Friday, eleven of us all got ass, a beautiful bootilicious porcine ass nonetheless. It was an event to be remembered: a decadent pork butt orgy to usher in spring break–how ironically timely, eh?

In case you’re curious, Sofia wrote up a wonderful account of the evening over at her blog. Now I feel no need to burden you anymore with my crappy writing. Enjoy the crappy pictures. Buh bye!

All accoutrements ready, awaiting the main star

Ahahah, gotcha over there! Of course, my loyal readers (like five of you? Thank you. I love you more than my other friends, but let’s keep it secret ;p) would know there’s no way I would end a real entry without hitting that 500 word count. So, since Sofia already recounted the night of gluttony in all its porky detail, I’m just going to do what I do best here: WHINE. The blog is called food and whine for a reason, duh!

Disclaimer: Despite my bitchin’ and moanin’ below, Ssam Bar is still one of my favorite places to eat in the City. All these whines are based on my personal tastes. They are subjective and should not dissuade you from going there (if you haven’t been, that is. Because if you have, you’re hooked, and right at this minute you’re thinking, “Who the hell do you think you are?? You unfaithful bitch,” or something along that line. haha, am I right?

Main Sea Urchin with Tapioca, Whipped Tofu, and Scallion

1. Main Sea Urchin with Tapioca, Whipped Tofu, and Scallion - so this was a very visually pleasing dish. The colors I liked. The tastes? not so much. It’s not that I don’t like sea urchin or foamy whipped thing or tapioca balls; I just didn’t like them together. Actually, I almost liked the dish, but something in there was off for me. I enjoyed the airy texture of the whipped tofu, but oh my god, the yuzu! I hated the yuzu in there. I can see why you would want to have some sort of acid somewhere in that dish to cut through the unctuousness of the sea urchin, but the yuzu tang was just, ugh, too floral for the uni. And the big tapioca balls, sorry but you don’t belong there. They were too sweet and chewy, and they contributed nothing to the dish. Ok, I take that back. Maybe their sliminess did contribute something, but flavorwise, it just didn’t work. I think I would’ve liked this dish if it was just sea urchin, whipped tofu (no yuzu infusion contamination infiltration please!), and then maybe something refreshing and crispy like…hmmm…shiso leaf tempura? or maybe even the Korean kkaennip? or a tempura of some other Asian minty varietal. Or, if we want to keep the acidic flavor, maybe a pickled something…like okra? Will okra stay slimy and sticky if it’s been pickled? Or maybe braised okra will do. Sea urchin needs something slimy. That viscous slime inside the okra would’ve been perfect. Or, alternatively, if we want to stick with the tapioca idea, I think the smaller pearl tapioca would work ten times better, so you would have an island of sea urchin and an island of whipped tofu floating in some dreamy pearl tapioca liquid, ok maybe sabayon (a la Thomas Keller’s Oysters and Pearls. Actually, this dish did remind me of Oysters and Pearls with the seafood-tapioca action going on there). But yea, maybe the pearl tapioca sabayon could be lightly flavored with dashi, lightly being the operative word. Ok, I’m actually really curious now. Perhaps someone can tell me how to whip tofu to get to that texture so I can try out all these combinations? =)

Chawanmushi with Black Truffle, Snails, Edamame, and Scallion

2. Chawanmushi with Black Truffle, Snails, Edamame, and Scallion - aka Tello’s Chawanmushi. Is Tello a real person? If yes, I want to marry him, so he can make this chawanmushi of his for me all day everyday. This dish hit all the right spots for me, from the smooth beyond perfection texture to the delightful bits of edamame at the bottom. TELLO, MARRY ME!!!

Three Terrine Sandwich (aka Banh Mi)

3. Three Terrine Sandwich- still the best banh mi in the City for me. I shall revisit all my favorite bahn mi places in LA now that I”m here and report back whether Ssam Bar’s version is indeed the best of the best.

Aside from those three dishes, we also got my favorite, grilled rice cake + sausage + collard + kimchee, and the grilled sweetbreads, which were cooked perfectly. No whining over there, nope.

Raw Oysters

4. Bo Ssam - this was massive. I propose that we break it down to its components.

4.1 Oysters - I almost slurped mine down before the pork butt arrived, but then our waiter rushed over to stop the sacrilege from happening, lol. He said to save it for the ssam…and I did. Unfortunately, I didn’t find the oysters to be that complementary to the pork, or the ssam, due to some major salt spill issue to be discussed below.

4.2 Condiments - so along with the oysters, bibb lettuce and rice, we were also given 4 kinds of sauces to customize our ssam with: napa cabbage kimchee, kimchee puree, ginger scallion sauce, and sea salt. My problem was that everything tasted salty. By itself, it was salty ok, but together with the pork (which was quite salty, in a good way) it became too salty. A few people in our party complained that the kimchee was not sour or spicy enough, which I agreed, and I think that would’ve helped the ssam as a whole too. I would love to see another sauce added to the trio, something complex and sweet and maybe tart rather than salty. I think onion marmalade would work quite well too.

Saucage for the Bo Ssam (kimchee puree, ginger scallion sauce)

4.3 Bibb Lettuce – they’re crisp and beautiful. No complaints here.

4.4 Rice – I really wish they used more glutinous rice than whatever kind they had there. The rice got hard towards the end from sitting too long outside. Stickier rice, like Japanese or Korean kind, would withstand the long duration on the table and absorb the pork fat and all other sauces better, I think. I wonder how the ssam would taste like with coconut rice–jasmine rice cooked with coconut milk and a tad bit of brown sugar. Really nutty and fragrant rice with a little hint of sweetness…mmm

Pork butt in all its glory

4.5 HUUUUUGE Pork Butt - our raison d’etre! haha just kidding, more like our raison de trekking down there. How do you say that in French? No whining here. I just wish the crispy skin: mushy flesh ratio were higher, but I know that’s not really within their control…oh, fatty me.

When people tell you, Bo Ssam is a lot of food, you need to believe them, JUST BELIEVE. This meal was a lesson in humility as we quickly realized that our supposedly hyperelastic stomachs weren’t quite that elastic and our appetites indeed limited. *oh gasp* Witnessing your waiter dividing the unfinished pork into three sizable containers for you to doggybag home was an ordeal no self-respected glutton should ever go through, I tell ya.

So bottomline, I did enjoy the Bo Ssam experience a lot and would love to try it again (not anytime soon though and not without a 2-liter bottle of Evian by my side ;p ). You ask, so what’s your problem really? No, no problem. Somehow in my poor little head I had thought that Bo Ssam would be the ultimate Momofuku Ssam Bar experience, but really it’s not, not for me at least. Now I think my ultimate Ssam Bar experience would be to order every friggin item on their menu along with a twelve-pack of Hitachino Red Ale (despite the fact that they don’t come in twelve…but you get the idea)…mMMmMm… who’s in?

Momofuku Ssam Bar
207 2nd Avenue
New York, NY 10003
(212) 254-3500

 

I’m screwed for midterms but…

YAY