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 I recently had the pleasure of teaching intensive private voice lessons to a lovely young woman who was here visiting from Sweden. (17, hour long lessons in one month!) (www.careyspassionvoicestudio.com for more info)
 In one of our conversations I asked her about her findings, if any, of good Swedish food in NYC. I do not know enough about Swedish food to be able to judge whether it’s a good representation or not, but I DO know that I like every single Swedish meatball I’ve ever tried. Be it the Lean Cuisine frozen dinner (which I imagine would offend the Swedes), the cafeteria style ones at Ikea, or the various Bar/Bat Mitzvah/Wedding appetizers on toothpicks, they are all pretty tasty as far as I’m concerned. When this student finished up her series of lessons, she surprised me with a generous gift of a credit at the restaurant she had discovered and raved about.
There are a few locations for Fika, and my first attempt was actually to the one in midtown. It was so tiny and crowded, with only a couple of stools and small tables that my friend and I decided to go somewhere else for lunch that day (If you’d like to read about that one, please see http://careysculinaryadventures.blogspot.com/2011/02/todd-englishs-plaza-food-hall-1-w-59th.html) and retry a different Fika location next time. We did a little looking around online and found that the Pearl street location looked much more promising as far as getting a seat and relaxing over lunch.
Although their business was steadily hopping, there were plenty of places to sit when we arrived. We ordered our Swedish meatball platters and a salad to share and were told that they’d bring it out to us when it was ready.  As we sat down I had a moment to notice my surroundings. It does sort of feel like it was designed at Ikea. It has a sleek decor, shiny black tables with sharp edges, bright, modern lighting, a view of the chefs making chocolate, plenty of gift items and cases of delicious looking sandwiches and desserts. The crowd was a mix of financial/business types and international tourists. The items they serve seem to all be authentically Swedish- but what an odd mix. It’s essentially an espresso bar that serves fresh chocolates and meatballs among other things.

Our salad was lovely and large, more than enough for the 2 of us to share. Fresh ingredients with a great, light balsamic dressing. The peeled orange slices and slivered almonds were a nice touch on the mesclun/radish/tomato salad. The meatball platters arrived and we joked a little about our ‘light’ lunch of meatballs and a mound of mashed potatoes the size of 2 fists. We probably could have shared one order- but they were so tasty that both of us pretty much filled our tummies to the brim. Delicious. So THIS is what ‘real’ Swedish meatballs should taste like. It’s a really interesting flavor, complex and earthy with a pungent, sweet accent. We had trouble figuring out exactly what the herbs were- but maybe sage and/or rosemary? It came with a side of lingonberry sauce- which frankly, tasted exactly like cranberry sauce to me, and it was perfect alongside the rich meatballs. The mashed potatoes were ohhhhhhhhh so good. Creamy with just the right amount of lumps. A treat I rarely consume but can’t turn down if they are right in front of me. I guess tomorrow’s run will be extra long to compensate- but it was sooooooo worth it. I had every intention to get an espresso drink and dessert, but was way too stuffed to even contemplate it by the time I finished my lunch. I will plan to go back on another occasion to try a few things. There was a marzipan covered cake with my name all over it, not to mention the tiny, perfect looking pieces of freshly made chocolate. I’m so glad I was introduced to this restaurant. It’s definitely not the same ol’ same ol’ menu-wise, or in a neighborhood I usually venture to, and I look forward to returning soon.

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It’s one of those rainy, dreary NYC days where I didn’t really feel like doing anything except hanging around and cooking for the week ahead. I recently had a wonderful pasta/seafood dish at my friend Deb’s house, and I wanted to see if I could recreate something similar. I was just playing around with things I almost always have on hand (except for the crab which was in the freezer- not a common ingredient in my house at all) and this pasta bake surprised me and came out great. It will surely feed me well for a bunch of meals in the coming week.  I usually try to go heavy on the veggies and light on the carbs in this kind of creation, and it worked really well in this one. As always, my recipes are just concepts- meant to be played around with and loosely interpreted.

>I’m convinced that having a compatible dining partner  is almost as elemental to NYC life as having a stack of delivery menus, comfortable-yet-fashionable shoes and a metrocard. ‘B’ and I try to go out to eat once a month or so. We have intellectually stimulating conversations, share a love for trying interesting restaurants, enjoy schmoozing with the waitstaff, and share a similar schedule with Fridays off. Perfect!
Today we went to Dovetail on the Upper West Side. I always preview the menu online before I go to a restaurant and was instantly drawn in to their website with such beautiful photos showing inventive and creative dishes. http://www.dovetailnyc.com/  I had an idea of what I’d order, but as always planned to ask the waiter for his suggestions. Since I have very few dislikes when It comes to food, I almost always take staff recommendations to heart and today was no different.
We each ordered a glass of wine, a Sauvignon Blanc for me and a Rose for ‘B’. I loved mine right away, but ‘B’ was not thrilled with hers and switched to a Pinot Noir that made her much happier. I wondered if they’d charge for the rejected Rose, but they did not. Excellent customer service. Speaking of which, our waiter was fun and friendly and helpful. I took recommendations for all of my courses and he was spot on. Judging by the very appealing prix fixe menu, I think it’s hard to go wrong. Everything sounded delicious.
An amuse-bouche was brought out first. It was a mushroom gelee with radish. Very interesting texturally, but I doubt I’d want more than that one little taste. It made me think of mushroom flavored gefilte fish jelly. I guess I’m not a big fan of gelatinous foods because I will always associate them with that dreaded fish jelly that I always had to scrape over to the side of my Passover plate as a kid. I won’t hold it against anyone except whoever came up with that horrible idea in the first place. We also got two pieces of warm, fresh, cheddar cornbread that was totally scrumptious.
For my first course, because the waiter recommended it and because it sounded whimsical and silly, I ordered the salsify soup with marshmallow, chives and apple. Wow- SUCH a great presentation when the waiter brought the bowl of marshmallows and apples out, and then poured the hot soup over it at the table. The small, perfectly cubed homemade marshmallows started to slowly melt into foamy, sweetness and were an amazing compliment to the hearty, earthy soup. The apples were peeled and cut into tiny little marbles and the combination of all of those flavors and textures was incredible. This kind of creativity is what I love most about NYC restaurants.

For my entree I had the hake, a fish I don’t believe I’ve tried before. It was flaky and light, with a bright, lemony flavor, peppers, potatoes and artichokes. A great choice for lunch, and the perfect portion size. I know a lot of people would disagree with me, but I prefer a small portion, especially at lunch time. A tiny plate of excellent quality beats out mass quantities of anything in my book. This was satisfying without being filling, and to walk away from a three course lunch without feeling full to the brim is a major perk to me. 

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I ordered delivery last night from Andaz Indian Restaurant because I had a 25% off coupon. I am not a huge fan of Indian food, but a few times per year I get an intense craving for it- and this was one of those times. 
I ordered 2 of the most highly rated items on the menu, putting my trust in Yelpers and seamlessweb.com-ers. The Saag Paneer (spinach with cheese) was awesome- huge chunks of the paneer cheese and fresh spinach and spices. The lasooni Gobhi (cauliflower in a sweet red sauce) was also good, but the sauce was a bit too sweet for my liking and tasted like it  was definitely ketchup based. Both dishes were quite tasty when eaten folded up on the nan, even though the nan itself was on the greasy side. I always love the sauces that come with Indian food, and the cilantro sauce cut the sweetness of the cauliflower just enough. I also ordered a mango lassi – a mango yogurt drink, that was such a bright shade of orange that I assume they must either add food coloring or perhaps some canned fruit to get that intensity. It tasted excellent, and I wished I had more when I finished it. The basmati rice that 

came with my meal was fine, but it’s just plain rice, so I put it in the fridge to use for something else. The nan bread was plenty of carbs for me, and I didn’t feel the need to waste my appetite on boring rice. They also included some kind of dessert, free of charge. As much as I love free stuff, when it’s an orange rice pudding-ish, jello-y thing with soggy cashews and raisins, It goes straight  to garbage-land. Yeah. Not interested. 

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It was a special day today, my beloved Grandma’s 95th birthday! To celebrate, My aunt took; me, my cousin, her boyfriend, and of course G’ma to have lunch at Le Perigord in midtown. I read some mixed reviews online and learned that it’s a 45 year old, traditional, French restaurant that is well loved among the older generation, but is not particularly popular with the under 50 crowd. Always excited to try something new, (especially when I am being treated by someone else, thanks Aunt Roberta!) I looked forward to forming my own opinion about it. As far as I’m concerned, any restaurant that can survive 45 years in this tough city must be doing something right.

When we arrived, there was only one other table of patrons there and plenty of waitstaff on hand. The atmosphere is definitely traditional French; white tablecloths, white plates and light green chargers, polished silver, with lovely floral displays of forsythia and gorgeous roses. There is nothing at all trendy about this place, and there shouldn’t be. It is truly a taste of what classic, refined NYC once was, and it’s one of the few that remain unchanged. This is not a place to come with a group of friends, but your grandparents? Absolutely.
The waiters were neatly dressed in tuxedos and were slightly rude at first. Apparently changing a reservation from 4 people to 5 was a huge inconvenience to our waiter. Being that the whole entire restaurant was empty except for 2 other people, I thought his reaction was a bit dramatic. Also off-putting was his snarl at my aunt who dared to interrupt him with a question while he was trying to tell us the specials. He actually said, “If you would wait until I finish…” How dare she! The nerve!  Luckily, my multilingual cousin was able to win him over with her impressive fluency in his language. Thank God, because I think he was about to snap. Way to go Steff, you saved the day! From that point on, he treated us beautifully, almost like family- and it made for a great meal.

We were given a choice of baguette or brioche, and  both were delicious and very fresh. I started with the little neck clams, which were very good- but very simple with just lemon and a shallot vinaigrette to top them with. For my entree I had the roast chicken with morrels (the best part of the whole meal), spinach and potato gratin. This entree was not exciting or bold but it was actually refreshingly simple. In a city where all of the chefs try to out-invent each other in a competition of creativity, this was just good food. No frills, no pomegranate caviar flan, no macadamia brittle prawn flambe, just seriously good food. Exactly the kind of food that Julia Child would have loved. Loads of butter, loads of wine and liquor, top quality ingredients, old trusted recipes.
The desserts were plentiful but only so-so. The chocolate souffle that we ordered for the table was tasty. What hot-out-of-the-oven chocolate item is NOT tasty? But, it was really not a souffle. It was something else more like a pudding cake. Or an undercooked pudding cake. We also tasted the chocolate mouse with Grand Marnier whipped cream, the caramel apple tart and the berry tart and all were good. Not fabulous, but pretty good.
Overall, the company I was with made this into a very memorable lunch, but the restaurant itself was not my favorite. I would not, however, hesitate for one second to recommend it to others- especially if you like the flavor of old NYC history. I guess the truth is that while I appreciate a good roasted chicken with a little history on the side, I really do prefer the macadamia brittle prawn flambe and a little trendiness when given the choice.

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 A friend who lives nearby and I decided to meet here for an impromptu dinner tonight. Funny that I’d never been since it’s a whopping 3 blocks from my apartment. Of course, I read some reviews online before going so that I knew what the best liked dishes were. The dumplings were mentioned repeatedly, so they were surely going to be ordered.
When we arrived, it was pretty empty. Only 2 other tables had patrons and a third one filled by the time we left. It draws an older crowd, if I base my assessment on tonight’s small  sampling of diners, and although the walls and ceilings are painted in rich hues of oranges, reds and pinks, it feels strangely stodgy.

We were a little bummed to find they did not offer the crunchy noodles with duck sauce to munch on while we looked over the menu, but they did bring out a little bowl of peanuts and another of sweet, pickled cabbage and carrots that was pretty enjoyable.
We shared the pork juicy dumplings to start and the mango chicken with brown rice as our entree. The dumplings really were excellent- some of the best ones I’ve had around here. Apparently, they use a small cube of frozen broth inside to keep the filling moist and their technique works beautifully. Careful though, those little packets of yumminess  are piping hot. The chicken dish was also quite good. Tender, thinly cut white meat with sliced mango, red pepper and snow peas in a tangy sauce. Although I really did enjoy all of the food- probably more than a lot of other uptown Chinese restaurants, I probably won’t ever go back because it’s ridiculously overpriced. One appetizer, one entree and one beer came to almost $50 with the tip. Outrageous, especially for the skimpy sized plates. Usually, you expect to take home abundant leftovers from a meal like this, but the portions were so small that we finished everything. The service was very good and the atmosphere allowed for lingering and chatting, but unless that’s worth $30 to you, go get the same meal somewhere else for $20.

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The lovely manager of this new location was kind enough to invite me in for a tasting a couple of weeks ago and I finally had a chance to stop by today. 55 sunny degrees in February in NYC made for a pretty crowded afternoon with the seats filled mostly with Upper East Side moms and their kids.
 It is SUCH a cute shop, decorated in funky, bright, cheery way, and totally inviting with it’s cushy mint green benches and plenty of clean tables. The staff is warm and outgoing, and made me feel very comfortable sampling the many flavors. I was even presented with a gift card to return another day for a full sized treat, how awesome! It
will definitely be used soon.
I have to say, this is the end of yogurt at Pinkberry for me. I would be shocked if it’s not closed within the next few months since it’s on the same block. This place is FAR superior. The choices alone make it an easy choice, not to mention the fact that the yogurt is much creamier, the flavors more exciting and the atmosphere more accommodating than their tiny competitor.
I sampled a bunch of different flavors, some low-fat and some non-fat and was pretty impressed with all of them.

 I anticipated a similarly chemically taste to tasti-delight (1/2 a block away), but these were surprisingly authentic and pure tasting. My favorites were the pistachio and the birthday cake. Knowing that they change out the flavors frequently, it will be fun to go back to try some other options. The toppings bar is extensive and appealing. Just about anything you can imagine was there. There should be a warning sign though…I imagine a lot of people think they are making a relatively healthy choice by going for fro-yo instead of ice cream, but then they load on cookies, chocolate, candy etc and by then it’s probably approximately 800 calories worth. It is kind of funny to see adults like kids-in-the-candy store at the bar though. Watching people loading on a little of everything was totally amusing. I was really temped by the little squares of rainbow cake (one of my favorite things in the world) but this time just wanted to taste the yogurt by itself to really be able to evaluate it. Next time, bring on the myriad toppings! I’ll be back soon…especially if the weather stays this spring-like.

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 I’ve passed this popular Williamsburg restaurant a bunch of times since it’s right near the Steven Hero Productions studio I record at frequently. (check out http://www.stefanheld.com and http://www.careyspassionvoicestudio if you are curious about what I’m talking about) It smells so tantalizing as I walk by that I think they must pump the smell out onto the sidewalk to lure you in. I often think about stopping in to try it out, but they don’t do slices and often have a ridiculously long wait. I finally had the opportunity today when I met a friend in the area for a run and headed there for lunch afterwards.
We decided to share a salad and 2 personal pies. It was a little bit too much food for lunch, but we both managed to find room. Funny how whenever truffle oil is involved, it becomes pretty difficult to leave food on the plate.  Next time, 1 pizza and 1 salad will be plenty unless we’ve just run 6+ miles. The salad was light and refreshing with arugula, roasted pears, Gorgonzola and a lemony vinaigrette. It came with 2 triangles of crusty, cheesy flatbread that was clearly a excellent preview of the pizza that was on it’s way. The pizzas were seriously fabulous: on top- baby spinach with pine nuts, mozzarella, ricotta, peccorino and white truffle oil. and on the bottom- mixed wild mushrooms, caciocavallo, mozzarella and white truffle oil. Chewy and crunchy crust, stretchy, stringy, flavorful cheeses, fresh vegetables and the perfect amount of truffle oil to finish them off. I couldn’t pick a favorite- they were both pretty close to perfection. The only tiny negative about our lunch was our waitress, who was sort of flighty and inattentive. Luckily for us, we were happy to stay and chat for over an hour since she had no interest in bringing us the check.  Oh, and it was freezing in there…until we were finally getting ready to leave when all of a sudden the heat came on. Overall, I would absolutely recommend it and will surely go back. If I lived in the area I’d be ordering delivery weekly.

> This might be the most perfect place to meet a friend for lunch that I’ve found in my culinary adventures thus far. It’s basically a combination of a fancy cafeteria with table service and a interspersed gourmet gift market. Kind of a mini Eataly. (please see my review of Eataly if you haven’t already) Todd English’s restaurants have always been my favorites, and this one is a fantastic combo of all of his best ideas in one place.
The Plaza Hotel, in it’s smack-in-the-middle of Manhattan location, makes meeting here pretty convenient no matter where you are coming from. The hostess will give you a buzzer so that you can stroll around the shops while you wait to be seated, about 15 minutes for us. There’s plenty to look at
 and we were seated before we knew it. Knowing what I   know now, I think it would be worth waiting an hour for a seat if need be, especially if you are with people who all have different tastes….Or not. It’s REALLY great when you’re with someone who likes the same things as you AND likes to share. Yup, perfect for that.
The menu is extensive, but not overwhelming. We were seated at the sushi bar, which was fun to watch but not what we felt like eating. We were happy to find out that you are not at all restricted by the area in which you are seated. Our waitress was very friendly and knowledgeable and made some great recommendations when we asked. The only negative was that they seemed to be understaffed and the wait between courses and trying to get our check was a little annoying. No biggie since we were just there socially and had nowhere to scurry off to, but it would maybe be an issue if this was a work-day lunch break. My friend and I (who both spent a long time living in the Boston area) were SO excited to see a sampling of the pizzas from Todd’s Massachusetts pizza restaurant, Figs. We both had drool-worthy memories of it and couldn’t WAIT to order the famous fig pizza. Ahhhhh. It was just as incredible as we both recollected. A crunchy rosemary crust, sweet figs, tangy Gorgonzola and salty      prosciutto. I also remember the golden potato one

 
 well and intend to go back very soon for it.
We also shared a Greek salad which was excellent. With an oregano dressing, flavorful olives, creamy feta and fresh veggies, it was the perfect accompaniment to our pizza.
When we finished everything, we were still a little hungry and chatted with our waitress about a 3rd little dish. They have so many tasting-sized, awesome sounding options that I can’t wait to go back to try more. We were tempted by the stuffed dates, the baby beets with pistachios and manchego and the lobster/artichoke pasta, but decided to take our waitress’ very strong recommendation for the risotto ‘tater tots’. YUM. This is not what one would call a little light snack, even though it’s a reasonable portion. Creamy, cheesy fried risotto balls with a creamy dipping sauce were SUCH a treat. I would have preferred a stronger flavored sauce- maybe with a spicy, mustardy kick to it, or a tomato/ketchup-type sauce, but they almost didn’t even need a sauce at all. Full of flavor and texture, I think these along with a salad would make a great lunch next time I’m in the area. Oh, who am I kidding!?!? There’s no way I would order the same thing I’ve already had when 90% of the unexplored menu is begging me to try it. Maybe I’ll see ya there…I LOVE that this is only a 30 minute walk from my apartment. I think it’s going on my heavy rotation list immediately.

>As always, this recipe is just a concept. Sometimes I add corn, onions and brown rice into the mixture or fill hallowed out zucchinis instead of peppers. Be creative…Like most of my concepts, this one is pretty hard to mess up.

For the peppers:
Mix up a can of black beans, some cilantro, a few tablespoons of salsa, and a diced shallot.
Scoop the bean mixture into peppers that have been cut in half, membranes and seeds removed, I used red and green bell peppers and jalapenos.
Put some olive oil in a baking pan.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
Top with some shredded cheddar.
Bake for another 10-15 or until the cheese is bubbly and golden.

For the Guacamole:
Mash up 2 very ripe avocados with some lime juice, diced jalapeno, diced grape tomatoes, chopped cilantro and a shallot. Add a little salt and pepper to taste.

YUM.