Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Nibbles and Clippings...

...from the past week. Hope all has been well! I've been busy wrapping up work here before seeing my family in Boston next week. Then back in NYC for one week, and then off to France for two! Whew.
@ Ben & Sanu'sSaturday night at Ben and Sanu's. Ben prepared a killer shrimp salad which we followed up with roasted lamb (lots of garlic and rosemary), creamed spinach, and cheesy potato gratin - extra crisp top! There was plenty of prosecco and wine as always (hooray!)...
Patisserie Claude...and for dessert? A classic pear tart for six from Patisserie Claude.
Patisserie ClaudeWe couldn't help but order a duo of eclairs while we were there. One coffee for Monsieur P and...
Patisserie Claude...one chocolate for myself. Innards!

Saint's AlpEarlier that day I met up with Greg to check out apartments. We celebrated his find with iced milk tea boba at Saint's Alp...seriously the best boba in the city.

ZampaIn the afternoon Monsieur P and I went shopping after a roasted mushroom and goat cheese omelette at Zampa in the West Village. The nicely charred rosemary fried potatoes that accompanied this dish was my favourite part.
ZampaAlso shared a fresh mozzarella salad. Basil, Tomatoes, Olive Oil and Sea Salt. Light and summery. Dishes at Zampa are best understood as simple food - nothing spectacular, but easy comfort.

Ronnybrook Farm DairyOf course I undid all that goodness with a coffee milkshake from Ronnybrook Dairy inside the Chelsea Market. Thick, glorious, and all things wonderful.

Union Square GreenmarketFell in love with these Orchids from MK Orchid Farm at the Greenmarket on a Monday morning. They were $25 - it was my first time buying orchids in the city - am not sure if these are the going rate or if I paid too much. Nonetheless, they make me very happy. Keep them on my desk at Monsieur P's, such a cheerful sight.

Weeknight DinnerAbove is a photo from a weeknight dinner. From left to right. Deviled Eggs. Blistered Shishito Peppers with Fleur de Sel. A Panzanella Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes, Avocado and Grana Padano.

There was a whole year in my life when I ate out for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Every. Single. Meal. But now I've trying to cook more and eat out less. Cooking I have to say, is more fun when there's two. I cook. We eat. Monsieur P cleans. We have it worked out nicely. I do the grocery/produce shopping - I only like grocery shopping alone. Other people drive me crazy and I drive others crazy because I am SO SLOW at grocery shopping. I like to comb through every farmer's offering at the Greenmarket and through every aisle at Whole Foods even if I know I'm not going to buy anything from that aisle or from that farmer. You learn something new every trip!

Stamatis RestaurantA Greek feast for 12 at Stamatis Restaurant in Queens, followed by a late night at the beer garden. I've heard so much about this massive beer garden since the first month I've moved to NYC...can you believe it's taken me three years to get there?! At Stamiatis, the octopus was the best plate of the night, thought the okra and lamb chops were excellent as well.

Ignazio's PizzeriaWent to the Brooklyn 38 party with Jess last night, and finished with dinner at Ignazio's Pizzeria in Dumbo. You know, I could eat pizza for every meal of my life. Fresh Mozzarella, Italian Plum Tomatoes, Pecorino Romano, Basil, Oregano and Olive Oil. We wiped out a large. I went home and Monsieur P had a glass of port waiting for me. Life is good...for this week at least ;)

Patisserie Claude
187 W 4th Street
New York, NY 10014
(212) 255-5911

Zampa
306 West 13th Street
New York, NY 10014
(212) 206-0601

Ronnybrook Dairy
75 9th Avenue
New York, NY 10011
(212) 741-6455

Stamatis Restaurant
2909 23rd Avenue
Astoria, NY 11105
(718) 721-4507

Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden

29-19 24th Avenue
Astoria, NY 11102
(718) 274-4925

Ignazio's Pizzeria
4 Water Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
(718) 522-2100

Friday, August 13, 2010

Weekend in Montauk and the Hamptons.

Duryea's Lobster Deck (Montauk, NY)Debbie called one morning...

"I have four vip tickets to the Mercedes Benz Bridgehampton Polo Challenge."
"Ooo, fancy!"
"You, me, my sister, and Bhaveneet. A weekend in the Hamptons?"
"YES!"

Montauk, NYThat was easy. We packed our bags for a quick getaway, a long overdue weekend with ex-coworkers turned close friends.

Tate's Bake Shop (Southampton, NY)The fun began with a stop at Tate's Bake Shop in Southampton.
Tate's Bake Shop (Southampton, NY)Filled our hotel room with bags of cookies, brownies and cakes. Love their whole wheat chocolate chip cookies, the chipless wonders, and chocolate bread pudding (Sugar Rush'ed here), and health cookies.
Tate's Bake Shop (Southampton, NY)I buy Tate's cookies frequently in the city, so it was exciting to see the actual bakery where everything is created!

Navy Beach (Montauk, NY)There was beach time, hotel time, and finally dinner at Navy Beach. Burger, rare with onion bacon marmalade, Cabot cheddar. Hand-cut fries, house pickles on the side. Delicious and the best of what we ordered that evening.
Navy Beach (Montauk, NY)Buttermilk fried chicken and the biggest wedge (practically a loaf!) of cheddar jalapeƱo cornbread. Extra butter would have been nice, but we did fine without. The chicken was covered in a sweet glaze that made it more 'wet' than expected, not ideal but sure satisfied that massive fried chicken craving we had.

Duryea's Lobster Deck (Montauk, NY)And then there were lobster rolls at Duryea's Lobster Deck...
Duryea's Lobster Deck (Montauk, NY)$21 for the lobster roll, potato salad (or chips) and cole slaw. I wolfed the whole thing down, and let me tell you...definitely not bikini friendly if you plan to go to the beach an hour later ;)

Appearances don't lie, it was good, well-seasoned, large chunks of fresh lobster, but excessively laden with mayo (luckily I love mayo). Complete opposite from the squeaky clean deliver of Luke's Lobster. Pearl's Oyster Bar, however, remains my personal favourite for lobster rolls.
Duryea's Lobster Deck (Montauk, NY)...take a peek at the menu.
Lobster Roll Restaurant (Montauk, NY)We also visited Lobster Roll...
Lobster Roll Restaurant (Montauk, NY)...which I wouldn't recommend. Too much stuff going on here...lobster bits were super tiny.

Coffee Tauk (Montauk, NY)Morning stops at Coffee Tauk (in Montauk, get it? hahah)...was so happy to find that they did iced New Orleans-style there!

Montauk  Bake Shoppe (Montauk, NY)Breakfast at Montauk Bake Shoppe...
Montauk  Bake Shoppe (Montauk, NY)...Jelly Croissants anyone?
Montauk  Bake Shoppe (Montauk, NY)Sugar-sprinkled top. The only evidence of a "croissant" element was in the shape. The taste was doughnut...
Montauk  Bake Shoppe (Montauk, NY)...alllll the way.

Mercedes Benz Bridgehampton Polo ChallengeOh yes, and there was the polo match itself, the main purpose of the trip!
Mercedes Benz Bridgehampton Polo ChallengeHere's Bhaveneet and I - it was INSANELY hot that day (I have no idea how the guys didn't sweat right through their shirts!) but we managed to have fun ;)

Left on a Friday, returned on a Sunday afternoon...a sweet break from my "normal" weekends. Am getting ready to visit Boston for ten days at the end of August. My sister is starting at Boston College! The family is going to help her move, hehe, and I'm joining in! Any restaurant/day trip/food-in-general recommendations for Boston? I visited Boston last year though plan to try different places on this visit.

Have a great weekend!


Tate's Bake Shop
43 North Sea Road
Southampton, NY 11968
(631) 283-9830

Navy Beach
16 Navy Road
Montauk, NY 11954
(631) 668-6868

Duryea's Lobster Deck
65 Tuthill Road
Montauk, NY 11954
(631) 668-2410

Lobster Roll
1980 Montauk Hwy
Amagansett, NY 11930
(631) 267-3740

Coffee Tauk
83 South Elmwood Avenue
Montauk, NY 11954
(631) 668-7007

Montauk Bake Shoppe
29 The Plaza
Montauk, NY 11954
(631) 668-2439

Sugar Rushed...

...for the week at Serious Eats New York. Plus Lunch for One at Salumeria Rosi and Cafe Select, and A Sandwich a Day at Columbine :)

Salumeria RosiLunch for One: Salumeria Rosi

Cafe ZaiyaSugar Rush: Raisin Sticks at Cafe Zaiya

Billy's BakerySugar Rush: Icebox Cake at Billy's Bakery

Cafe SelectLunch for One: Cafe Select

City Girl Country Girl CookiesSugar Rush: City Girl Country Girl Cookies

FinancierSugar Rush: Raspberry Eclair at Financier

ColumbineA Sandwich a Day: Avocado Mayo and Smoked Turkey at Columbine

Lavender by the BaySugar Rush: Lavender by the Bay

Hope you have a great weekend! :)