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      I personally HATE midtown. So many stressed out people hurrying somewhere. So many taxis screeching, ambulances with their sirens blaring, buses splashing pedestrians, suits cutting each other off walking and talking on their cell phones. Yuck. It’s just basically all of the things I hate about NYC (which I generally love) lumped together in one hectic 20 block radius. Radiance Tea House is a little bit of peace and quiet amidst the crazy fast paced surroundings and it was truly a lovely place to meet a dear friend for lunch to catch up. I found it on yelp.com and am thankful to the great reviews that led me to pick it as our meeting place. It is beautifully decorated and has a really nice gift shop inside. The high-backed  wooden chairs are surprisingly comfortable and had an antique, handmade look to them. Very appealing and perfectly coordinated with the rest of the decor. The service was polite, attentive and friendly. The menu was healthy, diverse and very reasonably priced, although the teas were astronomically priced. I had a small pot of apricot tea for $7.50, and would probably not do that again even though it was excellent tea. I understand that high quality tea really does cost a lot, but I am perfectly happy with a cheap bag of Yogi tea instead. For lunch I had salmon, baby bok choy, rice and edamame on the side. It was absolutely delicious. Light, healthy, cooked perfectly, flavored exquisitely. I would absolutely return to this little haven in midtown. Of course, that is only if I have to be in that dreadful part of the city again for some reason.

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I had dinner with 2 friends here last night and for an enjoyable meal at a very convenient uptown spot, I was glad it was suggested.
When we walked in, we were greeted by a friendly hostess and seated immediately. She asked us the name of our 3rd party who hadn’t arrived yet, and sat us in the dining room.
The vibe is warm and cozy, decorated with dim lights, primary colors, and authentic (I think) Mexican statuettes. It had the faint smell of a fireplace, which added to the ambiance on a chilly, rainy, winter night. It is a much bigger space than I thought, and I wondered how I had never been there before. Nice touch: When our third party arrived a little later, he was immediately greeted by name and sent over to us.
Water glasses were quickly filled. Fresh tortilla chips in 3 bright colors (red, yellow, and green) were put on our table (and speedily refilled when we polished them off) with their accompanying salsas; a spicy green one, a chunky tomato salsa and a smoother red salsa. Drink orders were taken- I had a mango mojito that was sweet, summery (wishful thinking) and delicious and my friends had margaritas that they loved.
Upon my friend’s recommendation, I had the Enchilada De Pollo con Mole. It was SO tasty and the perfect meal on such a damp, cold night. Served with sides of yellow rice and refried beans, even though it was very filling I cleaned my plate. We looked over the appealing dessert menu, but none of us had any appetite left. We also couldn’t really see why Ben & Jerry’s Ice cream would be on this menu- especially at almost $7 for a serving.
I know that in the warmer months they have a lot of outdoor seating and I will definitely plan to revisit at that point. I was very impressed with the efficient and polite service, we had at least 2 people waiting on us and making sure that our water glasses were kept full. A delightful neighborhood spot that I will certainly return to. Muy bien.

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 I was lucky enough to win a ‘Chicago Facebook Fan Day VIP’ Prize which included reserved seats at the show, lunch at B. Smith’s with 2 of the lead’s from the cast, a gift bag with a T-shirt and a bolero and a limo ride to the theater. Pretty incredible day overall.
We were given a special 3 course menu as well as 2 fancy drink options, and it was a real treat to be treated like VIPs. I sat across from Colman, who plays Billy Flynn in the show and it was great to chat with him and find out that he is totally down to earth. The other people who were sitting at our end of the table were also a complete joy to hang out with, and I felt really lucky to be at such a cool event with really appreciative and enthusiastic people.
The great thing is that the day was SO wonderful that I didn’t really care that the food was very meh. Restaurant row is kind of hit or miss, and this was a miss. I have a few favorites on that block and I will stick with them. (It was not, however, nearly as awful as Brazil, Brazil, my favorite one to loathe in the area…please see my review of that one if you want a good laugh)
I started with a simple green salad (not pictured) and the ‘Foxy Roxy’ a fruity drink that they came up with for us…I RARELY drink and wondered if indulging at noon on a Sunday was such a smart idea, but it turned out to be mostly juice. I couldn’t even taste the alcohol in it…which was fine by me. I asked the waiter what he recommended for an entree and he said the steak was excellent, so I went for it. I should not have believed him. It was overcooked, dry, and slobbered in a mustard sauce that completely took over the whole dish. It sat atop a medley of peas, carrot and potatoes that was one baby step above airplane food.
 The dessert was a pleasant surprise. I am pretty easy to please when it comes to carbs and sugar, and the bread pudding was quite delicious actually. It came with a very vanilla-y ice cream on top and I cleaned the plate.
If you’re in the area and looking for a great restaurant, try Orso instead. Now THAT is a fantastic place to eat. As far as B. Smith’s goes, I’ll give it a little pat on the back for the yummy dessert and efficient service, but just cause it was free for me, did not mean it was good.

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It’s another snow day out there. With about 5 inches on the ground already, I won’t be attempting to run today. On non-run-able days I make a little extra effort to eat healthy foods so as not to mess with the lack of calories burned.
I’ve also been on a cooking kick lately, trying to save money and really just enjoying how creative of an art it is. I made today’s lunch rummaging through my pantry and fridge to use what I had on hand. This whole meal probably cost about $2.50. NICE and delicious!
This recipe is a concept, like all of the ones I post, and can be used as a loose guideline. Feel free to change the veggies and sauces involved and add or subtract flavors that you like/dislike. I’m sure this would also be great with garlic, scallions and herbs added in.
For the salmon cakes:
Beat an egg.
Mix in 2 small cans of salmon, use the juice from one can but drain the other.
Dice some celery and radish and throw that in the bowl too.
Add some Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, Tabasco and mix it all up.
Form 4 cakes and squeeze most of the moisture out of them.
Roll the cakes in panko breadcrumbs until well coated.
Put a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a pan, warm over high heat, add cakes and turn down heat to medium. Don’t move them around much. Brown on each side for 2-3 minutes.

For the salad, plate up:
Mesclun lettuce mix
feta
cranberries
pepperoncini
carrots

Top with 2 salmon cakes and make a quick olive oil/balsamic dressing to pour over the top!

Enjoy!

I plan to use the 2 other cakes for a little dinner appetizer tomorrow with homemade spicy tartar sauce.

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This is not the actual photo of what I ate for dinner last night. My photo turned out really ugly and dark so I stole this one from Yelp. This IS what I ordered though, but I ate mine in the comfort of my home on a chilly night.
I had the sampler with pita. Included was Babaganush, (way too creamy, not enough eggplant, mostly tahini) Falafel, (overcooked, too dense, but good flavor) Couscous taboule, (delicious, lots of parsley, mint, tomatoes, couscous and lemon dressing) Beets (with celery and walnuts in a balsamic vinegar dressing- quite tasty and the walnuts -which I hate, didn’t even bother me) Roasted cauliflower with green tahini sauce (surprisingly tasty and kind of fun to eat since it was one huge hunk of the veggie) and Bureka (filo dough supposedly stuffed with mushrooms- although I think mine was all just greasy dough). It came with a few decent olives and 2 sauces. One of the sauces was a wonderful green tahini, the other was way too spicy for me- I’m not sure what it was.
I must say, I was sort of disappointed that in this ‘chef’s choice’ sampler there was NO hummus included. Wouldn’t YOU expect it from a place called Hummus Kitchen?
The pita, by the way, was awesome. Really fluffy and doughy and warm. I basically used it instead of utensils and everything tasted even better wrapped up in a pillowy pita bed.
Would I go back here? Well, I suppose. I would like to try the hummus at some point. The falafel, however, was so poor that I would really prefer going to Pyramida instead…where the falafel is heaven. (please see that review) I guess it’s worth another shot though, maybe it’s better in the restaurant than on delivery. Oh, and the price was VERY fair- with all of this for under $10.

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 Okay, I know what you’re thinking. Oatmeal is really NOT something I would normally think of as a culinary adventure. It’s not glamorous or exciting. It’s certainly not exotic or beautiful. That said, on the morning of a 2 foot blizzard in NYC, waking up to a piping hot, delicious-smelling, crock pot full of fresh apples & cinnamon oatmeal IS a really special treat, and a super healthy one at that!
Since I am a night owl, this works out perfectly for me. I put the ingredients in, turn it on around 1:30am and by the time I wake up, it has become simmering, golden wonderfulness. I am pretty particular about using high quality steel cut oats and McCanns is my current

favorite brand. I also like Silver Palette rough cut oats when I can’t find McCanns, although it seems to have caught on and most grocery stores carry it now. This recipe, like most of mine, is merely a concept. Nothing strict about it. It actually takes a little practice to get the right ratio of liquid in there- my first attempt a few years ago turned out to be a burnt-to-a-crisp, stuck-on mess. Thus, the importance of spraying the inside of the crock pot generously with Pam before adding the ingredients. Here’s the concept.
Mix together 1 cup of oats and a dash of salt and pour 2 cups of water over it. In the crock pot, mix together a peeled, diced apple with some brown sugar and cinnamon. Pour the water mixture over it and DO NOT MIX. Cook on low heat for 8-ish hours. If I wake up in the middle of the night I will check on it and sometimes add more water if it is looking too dry. When it’s done, mix it all up and enjoy! I like to put a little maple syrup on top for extra sweetness. It’s SO good!
Some variations I play around with are using milk and or half and half in place of some or all of the water. I also like to add in cut up dried mangos or cranberries, almonds, etc. It’s a fun breakfast to experiment with, and I usually make enough for a few days. It does microwave very well.
Enjoy!

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 It always seems to take me the longest time to try the restaurants that are closest to my apartment. I’ve walked past Tsuki a thousand times, but never went in because I have never seen one person in there. When I passed by today, I read a few of the reviews in the window and was prompted to search further online. Much to my surprise, almost all of the sites I checked out had averages of 4 stars and glowing reviews.
My favorite local sushi places are astronomically expensive, (Sushi of Gari and Sasabune) and loved for their excellent Omakase. (I hope to return to both at some point since my last visit was before I started

writing this blog, but the price tag means that they warrant special occasions.)
Tsuki, given the rave reviews is very fairly priced, and I actually had a little too much food for $23. I ordered the special sushi sampler and one piece of sushi tamago based on someone’s praise-filled review of it.
The sampler was excellent. I’d say it’s not quite as high quality fish as the two others I mentioned, but the preparation is respectable and the quality is much better than what I often refer to as run-of-the-mill sushi places. The marinated white and red tuna, fluke and salmon sushi were all delicious. The marinades complimented the fish and helped to tenderize it. I happened to really love the fluke with sea salt and yuzu, and fluke is not usually one of my preferences. The tuna roll was pretty good, but not the best.
 Tamago is one of my favorite Japanese treats- an egg omelette stuffed with rice, and when I took sushi classes, one of the unexpected pieces of information I walked away with is that one criteria you can judge a great sushi chef by is how well the tamago is made. Is should be pale yellow throughout with no brown. Soft and custardy, light but with a tofu-like firmness to it. You should be able to just barely make out the fine, parallel lines of the omelette’s many folds. Unfortunately, this one was way too thick, too fluffy, brown-spots throughout and not dense enough. It was, however, the only thing I wasn’t impressed with.
I agree with what so many other reviewers have said; this is not a 2-roll-deal kind of place, this is a place to branch out and get the pieces the chef suggests. Don’t let the lack of atmosphere and crowd keep you away, it’s worth a visit!
P.S. The delivery took less than 25 minutes. The order-taker phone person was courteous, clear and friendly….it’s the little things. Overall, pretty awesome.

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I met an old friend and his lovely wife here for lunch today. As a fellow foodie, I had total trust in his choice when he said it’s one of his favorite neighborhood spots and the many excellent reviews I found online confirmed his great taste. Walking in and seeing Anthony Bourdain sitting at the table next to us cleared up any chance that this wouldn’t be a great meal.
I ordered the Omelette D’alsace which was filled with mushrooms and comte. It was cooked beautifully and even though I was stuffed after half of it, I managed to clean my plate. Light, fluffy eggs, juicy mushrooms and the perfect amount of melted cheese. The fries arrived well-done per my request and were crunchy and perfect, not too greasy. The side salad was lightly dressed with a balsamic vinaigrette and a refreshing complement to the heavier foods on my plate. I sipped a delightful lemonade and took in my surroundings. Brightly colored seltzer bottles circled the bar, a hoppin’ UES crowd of all ages filled the tables. The noise level was a little louder than I like- but overall it was a fantastic lunch and I’m sure I’ll be returning!

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I’ve been looking forward to this meal at the newest Jean-George restaurant for weeks. Teamed up with ABC Carpet and Home, this environmentally-conscious concept uses organic, local and sustainable goods and is committed to growing whatever they can in the rooftop garden. They use recycled goods and natural cleaning products, and they support local artisans.
I walked in through the rustic doors to a modern, magical, snow-kingdom fairytale.  A vast space with a loft-like feel to it, high ceilings, exposed beams, and silver and white everywhere. Crisp simplicity. What an absolutely lovely setting! Natural tables with leaf-covered chandeliers, tiny mismatched antique bread plates and glass cube vases with miniature flower arrangements. This may be the perfect combination of minimalist and elegant. So hip, but something so timeless about it. It looks exactly the way the exquisite food tastes.
 
When we realized there were WAY too many mouth-watering options to choose from on this beautifully written menu, my two girlfriends and I decided to order a bunch of small plates to share. We asked the waiter what the most outstanding plates were and ordered pretty much everything he suggested. It really sounded like we were overdoing it, especially for 3 petite ladies, but we managed to cleaned our plates with no problem.
From top to bottom the dishes are as follows: The fresh crab toast was a hit with all of us. Flaked pieces of crab simply dressed on crunchy sourdough.

A salad made from julienned pear, endive, candied pecans and some of the best bleu cheese I’ve ever had was impeccable.  This would be a great summer dish- not too filling but full of flavor and textures. I will definitely be trying to replicate this at home.

This was my favorite dish: Arugula with homemade mozzarella, figs and balsamic. So incredibly simple, but it totally showcased what a few top notch ingredients can do together. Nothing overpowered the other, just complemented the distinct flavors of each component. The figs, as they are when they’re in season (but wait, isn’t this actually pretty late for them? How did they get such good ones?) were so velvety, sweet, and succulent that I wanted to marry them…or at least eat about a million more. The cheese was….just wow. I don’t even have words for how good it was. Melty, soft in the middle with a slight pull to the outside layer. Seriously the kind of food I’d like to eat every day.

The pizza was the only dish that we didn’t think was noteworthy. The crust was slightly soggy except for the crunchy edges. It was a little too salty overall, and the fried egg- that was supposed to be on top judging from other blogger’s photos, was undetectable. We actually think they might have forgotten it altogether. The mushrooms however, were superb- and although one friend felt there were way too many of them, I am a funghi-phile and loved them.

The bruschetta with butternut squash, ricotta and mint was an autumnal delight. This was the collective favorite dish of the day. The squash took on a caramelization that could have earned this dish a spot on the dessert menu. Again, the quality of the cheese here proved itself again with sweet, creamy goodness.

The pretzel dusted calamari was also delicious. Given the creativity of the rest of the menu, I felt that the dipping sauces- though excellent for marinara sauce and mustard, were a bit on the boring side.

Renee!

Betsy!

We were so full at the end of our many courses that when the waiter asked if we’d like dessert, we explained that although we really DID find the dessert menu appealing and tempting, we were just too full to attempt it. At that point, I gave him my blog business card and told him that I’d be writing a fantastic review of my new favorite restaurant. He must have taken that as a cue to make sure it held it’s new top spot because the next thing we knew, he reappeared with two comped desserts for us to try. Wow. Niiiiiiiice. Even cooler was the fact that they were the two we’d been eyeing- maybe he overheard us debating whether or not we should order either. The first was the pumpkin spice cake with maple cream cheese frosting. To be honest, I wasn’t crazy about this one, it wasn’t particularly pumpkin-y and I actually though the spices were too strong. I do realize that my about-to-burst stomach might be too blame here though…However, I DID find PLENTY of room for the  salted caramel ice cream sundae. It was topped with fresh whipped cream, candied peanuts and popcorn and some of the best hot fudge I’ve ever had. Where there’s a will there’s a way.
I can’t WAIT to go back !

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I learned this recipe from my brother who made it a few Thanksgivings ago. I make it frequently for myself, often switching out the raisins for cranberries and pancetta for turkey bacon. It’s a very adaptable recipe that lends itself for using whatever is in your pantry.
If you are in charge of the veggie side dish for next week’s holiday, I strongly suggest this one.






Okay, I never measure anything so just use your best judgement. I’ll try to give approximates. This probably serves about 4 people if my quantities are good guesses.
Ingredients:
*lemon
*1 basket of brussels sprouts, the small and tighter, thebetter. wash, cut in half, salt and pepper them, sprinkle with a tiny bit of lemon juice and set aside.
*1 medium thick slice of pancetta, cut into 1/4″ squares.
*a couple of tablespoons of olive oil.
*Garlic, minced. a clove or 2
*Shallot, finely chopped. Should equal about the same amount as the garlic
*1/2 cup golden raisins
*1/4 sherry wine or other white wine- actually, red would probably be lovely too.

Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet. Saute the garlic and shallots for a minute until they are starting to look like they need more oil. Add the pancetta and continue sauteing until the pancetta starts to get crisp- a few minutes on medium heat. Set aside. In the same pan with all of those delicious juices, add a tiny bit more oil if necessary and put those sprouts face down. Toss to coat, but then resist the urge to move them around for a few minutes. After they start to brown toss the raisins in and mix it all up. At this point the brussels sprouts should be almost fork tender. Add the pancetta/shallots/garlic mixture back into the pan and toss. Add the wine, bring up to high heat and cook down until the liquid evaporates. Deeeeelcious! Enjoy, and Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!

 I’ve always thought it would be really cute to get a Brussels Griffon and name it Sprout. 🙂