Category Archives: New York

Jan23

Dumont Burger: 314 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, NY

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Every eight weeks, my boyfriend I have what we call ‘blood donation and burgers day’. We try to eat pretty healthfully most of the time, so we REALLY look forward to our iron-replenishing meal and often decide well ahead of time where our next burger will take place. This time, we were VERY excited to try the famous burger at Peter Luger’s Steakhouse in Brooklyn. I’ve had the steak there and was dying to try the burger. Well, silly me, I totally didn’t think we’d need a reservation for a Sunday mid-day burger and I was very wrong. When we arrived and were told in a fairly snotty way that it would be at least 45 minutes, we decided to leave to go to Dumont Burger instead. I’ve had this burger before- but it had been a few years, and I remembered it being one of the best I’ve ever had. I also remembered the staff being super friendly and laid back, not at all like the hoity-toity Luger’s people.

When we got to Dumont and were warmly welcomed by the waitress, we had our choice of seats in the nearly empty restaurant. I should mention that by the time we left, the place was totally full, so I suppose it’s just hit or miss regarding wait times. We each ordered a burger (mine with a side of onion rings, and topped with gruyere and mushrooms and Gabriel’s with a side of fries, and topped with caramelized onions, bacon and gruyere) and a half and half (vanilla and chocolate) milkshake to share. The burgers came out quickly, with some of their housemade pickles on the side. I’d ordered my burger medium rare and it was more like medium well, or even well done. There was no red or pink anywhere in sight and I was a little annoyed but didn’t want to send it back because I was starving. Other than that, I have no complaints at all. The burger is on a delicious brioche bun, with melty cheese and meaty mushrooms and was totally delicious. The onion rings were perfect, not too greasy, but hot and crisp. The fries that came with G’s burger were also awesome. Our milkshake, though not quite as out-of-this-world as I’d remembered, was quite good and creamy- but not very sweet. I did LOVE that it was so thick that the straw could stand straight up in it. As far as I’m concerned, if you don’t get light-headed trying to suck up a milkshake with a straw, it’s simply too thin.

As good as the food was, with a bill over $40, I felt this was really overpriced. I’d be happy to pay that much in a nicer, more comfortable setting, but to sit atop bar stools in a dark, drafty, small restaurant seemed a little ridiculous. I think their prices should be much lower than they are…or the seating should be much more comfortable.

After lunch, we stopped by Dumont-to-go next door intending only to get a hot cup of coffee. When we realized that they make homemade donuts to order, we felt it was really quite important that we fill in any remaining empty spots in our stomachs with fried dough and sugar. On the suggestion of the cashier, we ordered the cinnamon donuts with dulche de leche sauce and the plain donuts with chocolate sauce. They are tiny and polishing off 2 each took about 30 seconds. We both preferred the cinnamon/dulche combo over the others. The chocolate ones would have been about a million times better if the sauce had been warm- but a piping hot donut with cold chocolate sauce seems somehow wrong to me and left a bit to be desired. I’d recommend stopping by for these anyway, especially on a chilly day when a little extra fat and carbs will feel like a big hug. Enjoy!

Jan16

Seahorse Tavern: 303 E 85th st. New York, NY

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A couple of months ago, my wonderful boyfriend gave me the most awesome shock of my life with a surprise 35th birthday party at Seahorse Tavern. I was so overwhelmed that day that I totally forgot to write about this awesome restaurant and figured that we’d just have to return another time to do so. When we found a 50% off deal on Scoutmob, we jumped at the chance to go for brunch this weekend.

I’d called for a reservation the previous day, but no one returned the call. When I called again in the morning, I was told that the messages were never listened to but that we could come in whenever. Ok. I guess reservations aren’t necessary. When we arrived, there were only a couple of tables full and we had our pick of spots. We chose a 2 top next to the window in the corner and the waitress brought over our menus and water right away.

Brunch includes a choice of entree and a drink  (bloody mary, wine, beer, or mimosa) for $14.95- it’s a fantastic deal. We remember loving the fried oysters appetizer from the party and even though they weren’t on the brunch menu, they were happy to serve them to us as our starter. YUM. SO good. Little toasted sesame seeds in the batter make for an interesting flavor and crunch on these perfectly cooked oysters. They each sit in their own shells atop a lovely tartar sauce and it’s all presented on tiny mounds of crushed sea salt. Great presentation, even better taste.

Next I had the goat cheese, arugula, mushroom omelette with home fries. This is a gorgeous, fluffy, omelette, cooked to perfection with a creamy, cheesy, mushroomy interior. My only complaint about it is that I only saw one tiny piece of arugula in there- it was mostly cheese and mushrooms. Still delicious, just not as green as I’d hoped. The home fries were wonderful- not greasy, cooked just right, and a bit spicy with various peppers mixed in. The bloody Mary is one of the best ones I’ve ever had- and was even better once I asked for a few extra olives. Gabriel ordered the Eggs Benedict over fresh crab meat and it was amazing. The crab was so fresh, flaked and chilled and piled underneath the most beautifully poached eggs. We both pretty much licked our plates clean.

The service at Seahorse is casual, low-key and friendly and the food is fabulous. I love the mix of a casual, laid back atmosphere with somewhat fancy food. This is definitely one of my favorite neighborhood spots and we’ll be going back again soon. Try it out!

Jan9

Chez Carey! (Casa de Carey :) Chicken Enchiladas!

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Unfortunately, this photo really does NOT do justice to how amazing these tasted. This is my healthy chicken enchilada creation that fed my boyfriend and I for 3 big dinners. It goes a long way indeed and just tastes better each day. I served them with diced avocado mixed with lemon juice and cilantro and a dallop of salsa on the side. It was a great belly warming meal on chilly winter nights and I’ll definitely be making it again.

As always, my ‘recipes’ are just concepts that can be altered to your likings. I don’t give quantities because I hardly ever measure anything. Just play around with the idea to get it the way you want it.

Here’s the basic idea: Throw the following in the crockpot: cut up boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut up onion, can O’ rinsed/drained black beans, can o’ rinsed/drained corn, bag O’ frozen mixed veggies, half cup chicken broth, some chili powder, fresh chopped cilantro, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, chipotle tabasco sauce, cayanne powder, garlic powder, onion powder. Cook that all on high for 6 hours or so.

Next, preheat oven to 350. Get Smart and Delicious Tortillas (50-100 calories each depending on what size you get). Put a scoop of the chicken mixture into a tortilla and roll it up tightly. Put in baking dish. Continue filling and rolling and putting them in the dish tightly packed together. Seam side down. When they are all lined up, spoon the rest of the chicken chili-thing soup that’s left over the top of the dish. Spread about a cup of salsa over the top of everything. Cover that with about a cup of cut up lowfat cheese of your liking. (I used a combo of a few kinds) Bake the whole thing for about 25 minutes and broil for a few minutes at the end to get it all bubbly.

Viola! YUM! Enjoy!

Dec24

Co Ba: 110 9th ave, NY NY

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Just a few days ago I had a realization that I’d never tried Banh Mi before. (a Vietnamese sandwich that seems to have gotten very popular in NYC recently) I had a lunch planned with a friend in an area neither of us knew very well, and after searching for scoutmob/yelp/groupon/living social deals and not finding anything very appealing, we decided to take a chance on Co Ba- which stood across the street from where we were. When we looked in the window and saw only a couple of people eating there, we realized it was a little risky but decided to give it a shot.

It’s a cute, little restaurant, with lovely photos of the rice paddies and straw hats lining the walls, and it had an overall sense of peace and calm inside.

The prices for lunch meals were mostly under $10 and I thought much of the menu sounded great. I was sure I wanted to try Banh Mi, but didn’t know which one so I asked our waiter about them. He recommended the pork belly or the beef, explaining that the pork belly was very fatty but tasty and that the beef was leaner and spicier. I went with the beef and was sure I made the right choice after the first bite. The tangy/sweet vinegar of the pickles, cabbage and carrots went SO beautifully with the watercress and spicy tender beef. The side salad it came with was refreshing with sprigs of mint and a sesame soy dressing. The crusty french baguette the sandwich came on was such a cool contrast to the asian flavors but seemed to be paired perfectly. Okay. I officially love this sandwich.

I cleaned my plate and was even more pleased with the check arrived and I saw that my whole lunch including tip was around $10. Great deal, great service and awesome food.

Oct1

Veselka: 114 2nd ave. New York, NY

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A made-at-home dinner a few nights ago including overcooked frozen pierogies inspired a visit to one of Gabriel’s old standbys, Veselka. A NYC East Village staple with almost 800 reviews on Yelp.com, it was a clear choice to go get our craving satisfied with ‘real’ pierogies.

When we arrived, we were seated right away in the obviously popular Ukrainian restaurant. A casual, diner-like setting with a bustling wait staff ensured an efficient dinner service. Menus and ice water were brought out right away as we were given a few minutes to look over the choices. I decided on the vegetarian plate, and Gabriel got the deluxe vegetarian plate. Both came with bread, soup and salad, and ended up being PLENTY of food even though we opted to round out our carb-laden meals with a side of steamed vegetables and a side of kielbasa.

I had never had hot borscht made with meat before and it totally changed my perception of the soup. As far as I can remember, the only type I’d ever tried was the cold, smooth, in-a-jar-from-the-grocery-store type, with a dollop of sour cream on top. This was really hearty and full of flavor. Instead of being smooth and creamy, it was a thin broth with pieces of beef, carrots, onions and beets in it. It was totally belly warming and delicious, and for that alone I made a note to myself to return. The salad was simple, but had a lovely lemon-dill dressing that I really enjoyed. I am a huge fan of dill, but someone who isn’t would definitely not be pleased with this one and might want to ask for another choice.

The vegetarian plate consisted of 4 pierogies (2 cheese and 2 potato) and cabbage stuffed with rice, mushrooms and herbs and covered in a mushroom gravy. It was served with a side of sour cream and a side of delicious chopped, caramelized onions (my favorite part). The pierogies were certainly much better than the ones I’d left in the oven for too long a few days prior, but didn’t blow me away. A little bit on the oily side and very simple, I thought they kind of lacked in flavor and the fluffy filling I was hoping for. The cheese one was better than the potato, but neither were really noteworthy. The stuffed cabbage was on the tough side and filled with so much rice that I felt like I was going to pop after eating it. The gravy was rich, creamy and flavorful. Gabriel’s plate also included kasha, which I tasted. It was okay, but I didn’t feel like I was missing out on much by not ordering it. Our side of vegetables included broccoli, carrots and cauliflower and was very buttery. It helped the feeling over eating a full plate of carbs for dinner, as did the half a kielbasa that we shared. For dessert we shared a blueberry/almond tart with a scoop of vanilla ice cream that was really quite good. The almond-y cake was moist and had a great consistency, although we both would have like to see more than the speckle of blueberries on top. We were probably too full to have ordered it, but somehow we managed to find room.

Although this meal was only an ‘eh’ in my book, I DID feel warm and comforted by the heavy food, and felt that I got a sense of what Ukrainian food really is. As we got ready to leave and admired a case full of desserts, pastries and more, a sighting of a small roach crawling over the cookies left me feeling rather gross. We alerted the cashier to it and left wondering if a return visit was actually in the cards anymore. I know this is NYC and it’s hard to prevent things like rodents and bugs…but really? Crawling IN the bakery case? That’s just eww.

*Photos by Gabriel Sanders http://www.magicsandbox.com

Jul11

Caputo’s Bake Shop: 329 Court St. Brooklyn, NY

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I believe my exact words after taking my first bite of this rainbow cake were, “Oh, holy shit!”.

I am a rainbow cake connoisseur. I do not kid around about these little cakes. I have been eating these since I was a wee one, and I take them very seriously. I have been on a continual quest to find the best ones in the world, and pretty much anytime I see them (as long as they don’t have <shudder> sprinkles on them) I have to buy one.

When G and I stumbled onto Caputo’s by chance, I recalled being told about it by a trusted friend of mine and knew that we must go in to sample my beloved pastries. I can emphatically and triumphantly declare that this happenstance was sent from the rainbow cake gods to me, with love. This is my new favorite. Yes, I know that is a bold statement, but I also know that not everyone uses real marzipan in between 2 of the layers, fresh jam and the most wonderfully almondy, moist, 3 colors of cake you could imagine. Wrap all of this up in high quality, dark chocolate and yes, you have true rainbow cake perfection.

Yes, there was another cookie. It WAS also delicious but c’mon, let’s acknowledge the facts. The rainbow cake made me say holy shit.

 

*photos courtesy of Gabriel Sanders. http://www.magicsandbox.com/enter/Magic_Sandbox.html

Jul11

Maui Tacos: 330 5th ave. NY NY

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This was a pretty good choice for a snack for my boyfriend and I in a touristy, crowded area. It was empty, air conditioned, and relatively cheap, which at the time was pretty much enough to make me happy. When we saw the salsa bar with tons of choices (including a pineapple one that I especially liked) AND fresh cilantro (my favorite herb) I was sold. I ordered the marinated fish tacos and I have to say, they were better than I expected. This is a order-at-the-counter place, but it was a nice touch that they actually bring your tray of food over when it’s ready. I went over to the salsa bar and enjoyed filling many little cups with the various sauces and toppings. The white fish was grilled, not fried and shared the soft taco shell with fresh cabbage, cilantro and a mayo-y sauce that I could have gone without. It sat on top of some soggy yellow rice (not worth it) and black beans (a little salty but okay). This ended up being a lot more filling than a little snack, and was actually a pretty decent lunch. If I’m in the area, I ‘d probably return there.

 

*photos courtesy of Gabriel Sanders. http://www.magicsandbox.com/enter/Magic_Sandbox.html