Food for Thought 2/23 - 2/27

Tomorrow night happens to be Fat Tuesday, and lucky for us, the New Orleans folks won't be the only ones celebrating Mardis Gras this year!

Mardis Gras Celebrations

• Mara's Homemade over in the East Village has whipped up a special Mardis Gras menu just for Fat Tuesday. Although Mara's serves Cajun food all year round, I think you'll be more than satisfied with their Mardis Gras selection. And for a limited time only they will be serving New Orleans finest Abita beer on tap!
• Fat Tuesday's at Acme Bar & Grill- At Acme Bar & Grill Fat Tuesday lives on forever. With top notch Cajun cuisine, ABG is sure to round up an interesting local crowd for their Fat Tuesday parties, which are held the first Tuesday every month. I can attest to their food, but not their DJ.

For more Mardis Gras dinner celebrations check out about.com's list of highlighted events.

The Long Island Fare

• After living in Manhattan for the last three years, I forgot all about the good Long Island Fare. Stay tuned for posts on Plainview's infamous Coffee Shop and Martoni's.

Brunch

• I just can't keep avoiding this post, so keep an eye out for my brunch recommendations.

Lasagna at its Best

Lasagna is the perfect comfort food for the weather we've been experiencing over the last few weeks. After coming home from work, there's nothing I savor more on a rainy or cold afternoon than a nice warm meal. And the combination of meat, cheese, pasta, and veggies really hits the spot for me.

After scouring the internet for the perfect lasagna recipe, one in particular stood out from the rest. And the winning recipe is (drumroll please) Barefoot Contessa's Turkey Lasagna. Ina Garten, also known as the Barefoot Contessa, is probably the last Food Network chef I began watching, but also happens to be my favorite. Although her show might not seem as exciting as say an Iron Chef America or Emeril, there's something comforting about the way she cooks that inspires me to get in the kitchen. I think Ina is so appealing to me because she is the most real of all the Food Network chefs, less of a celebrity and more of a true cook who is passionate about entertaining her guests.

In any case, her Turkey Lasagna recipe was not only simple but turned out to be the most delicious lasagna I've ever had. Anyone can write a recipe, but Ina was able to create a guide that actually translated ingredients into their most natural form; an incredible Turkey Lasagna. And though Ina's original recipe appeared to contain the perfect balance of meat and cheese, I just needed to add my own little twist.

Since I try and cut out additional calories or fat when I can, I omitted the goat cheese and used 1lb of part skim ricotta and only 3/4 lb of shredded low fat mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese (1/2 in the dish, 1/4 on top). I also added 2 packages of frozen spinach which was a nice addition. Since the sauce is so rich, it doesn't necessarily need all of the cheese the recipe calls for. Unfortunately I couldn't find turkey sausage in my local supermarket so I bought ground turkey meat and added a few spices (fennel, caraway, cumin, garlic, salt, pepper & chili flakes) so that it would taste similar to sausage. I also added 4 oz of diced turkey bacon to the mix to give it a slight smoky flavor. I must admit that it really enhanced the flavor of the turkey. I highly recommend Ina's recipe with these revisions if you prefer a healthier lasagna.



And though the lasagna was phenomenal, it was even more satisfying knowing that each portion (9 total) only cost $2.50! You really can't beat that. For those of you who live in Murray Hill and shop at Todaro's, you'll notice that they sell a portion of their Lasagna for around $7.00. This Turkey Lasagna is perfect for freezing, just make sure you wrap your portions twice to prevent freezer burn!

Price Breakdown of Ingredients:

• 20 oz Ground Turkey: $4.99
• 2 Packages of Frozen Chopped Spinach: $2.58
• 1/2 lb Low Fat Mozzarella Cheese: $2.99 (From Wholesale Cheese Store in E. Village)
• 1/2 lb Grated Parmesan Cheese: $3.99 (also from Cheese Store)
• Small Onion: .50
• Garlic: .75
• 28 oz Can Crushed Tomatoes: $1.50 (on special)
• 6 oz Can Tomato Paste: .89
• 1 lb Fresh Pasta: $3.99 (can also use dried pasta)

GRAND TOTAL = $22.18

Portions: 9 total, $2.46 each

More Food Events, for $50

FOUNDED ON OYSTER SHELLS
The New Amsterdam Market is holding an artisanal bazaar this Saturday, February 21st. You must be thinking, what is that? I was too... Apparently the NAM is trying to push the whole environmentally and socially responsible food production movement on us. I mean if oysters are involved, why not?

The Founded on Oyster Shells event is being considered a fundraiser to keep these "artisinal bazaars" going once a month. F/ocus Rental Gallery is hosting the event in their beautiful ground floor loft in Hells Kitchen. A $50 ticket includes 7 Local oysters, generous servings of fish chowder, brewer's bread and butter, fresh pickles and kraut, and locally brewed beer. Visit Brown Paper for tickets.



MARDIS GRAS BEER FEAST
Back Forty, which opened in late October by Peter Hoffman of Savoy, will be bringing Fat Tuesday to NYC with their Mardis Gras Beer Feast. In celebration of Sixpoint Brewery's fifth anniversary, this "casual restaurant and bar" will be throwing a birthday party in celebration. Back Forty will be serving up heaping platters of Cajun favorites paired with top cask ales next Tuesday, Februrary 24th. For $50 a head, you can enjoy unlimited New Orleans goodness with strangers at fitting communal tables giving you the ultimate Mardis Gras experience.

Pancake Month at Clinton Street Baking Co.

As I'd mentioned yesterday, I headed over to Clinton Street Baking Co. to try some of their infamous pancakes since February is Pancake Month in New York. For the ill informed, Clinton St. is rotating a delicious assortment of cleverly designed pancakes every few week days. Unfortunately these inventive pancakes are only served during the week, while their equally tasty blueberry pancakes are served over the weekend (or as an alternative to the special on weekdays).

Out of any day this month I chose yesterday (Feb. 17th) not only because I was available, but because they were serving Crunchy Banana Pancakes accompanied by a Cinnamon-Chili-Chocolate Sauce. I could easily forgo the bananas, but the cinnamon-chili-chocolate sauce is just something I couldn't live without trying. As of late, I've been experimenting quite a bit with the composition of brownies and I've been toying with the idea of incorporating a few bars of chili infused chocolate into the brownie mix. I figured a taste of the cinnamon-chili-chocolate sauce would be a perfect test trial.

Since Clinton St. does not take reservations, I anticipated a small wait. But, when my friend Diana and I arrived at 7:30pm, there were still a few empty tables seemingly begging for customers to devour pancakes on. Or maybe that was just my stomach talking? We were seated almost immediately and knew exactly what we wanted. I perused the menu, just for fun, and noticed that they offer a few weekly specials:

• Burger & A Beer for $10 (Monday - Friday, 6-8pm)


• 1/2 Price Bottles of Wine on Tuesdays (WARNING, the wine ranges from $38-$60)

After deciding that the wine was a little too pricey to accompany my pancakes, I ordered a Brooklyn Lager and the Crunchy Banana Pancakes. Since Diana isn't a big fan of bananas, she stuck with their Wild Maine Blueberry Pancakes with Maple Butter.

After ordering the two of us could barely contain ourselves. We had planned our pancake outing nearly a month ago and our mouths were watering in anticipation of the fluffy goodness that was merely minutes away. As we eyed the other tables, hoping to get a peak of what we just ordered, we noticed that the other tables had been served miniature biscuits. Hmm, we thought; why didn't we get these? We immediately tracked down the waitress and politely asked for them along with some of their Raspberry (and possibly Lemon) jam.

A few minutes later we were presented with four warm buttery miniature biscuits. Though they didn't truly need any condiments, we figured we'd just smother them anyway. And what a brilliant idea that was! As soon as we had devoured the biscuits, we began eating the jam alone. It really was just that tasty. Luckily, before we made ourselves sick, our pancakes gloriously made their way to the table. The three fluffy pillows on each plate seemingly floated themselves right in front of us, all dressed up for the occassion; one was adorned in blueberries, while the other was covered in chocolate sauce and fried bananas.

I was so excited when they arrived I could barely eat them. I started cutting them up, not sure which section I should choose for my first bite. Finally, I was able to spear a forkful of the pancake, banana, chocolate sauce, and maple butter and immediately plunged it into my mouth. I was speechless. I then proceeded to shove forkful after forkful of pancake goodness into the endless pit of my stomach. After about five consecutive bites I came up for air, and then a feeling of euphoria came over me. All I could think was YUM!

I mean just look at these babies! They taste even better than they appear and I know you all want to get in on it. Tonight is the last night Clinton St. will be serving the Crunchy Banana Pancakes with Cinnamon-Chili-Chocolate Sauce but you pretty much get the Blueberry Pancakes any ol' time. Though I must admit the Blueberry were a little too sweet for my tastebuds. But Diana devoured them all in one sitting, so to each their own.

For a list of Clinton St.'s daily pancake specials check their menu here. Get them while they last!

Also, be sure to grab a to-go bag of mini scones on your way out. Unfortunately we weren't aware of that little perk : (. Silly us, we thought those paper bags were for special people.

CLINTON STREET BAKING CO. & RESTAURANT
4 CLINTON STREET (BETWEEN E. HOUSTON & STANTON)

Food for Thought 2/17 - 2/20

Oh so many things to discuss this week! I'm sorry I have neglected to post the last few days but it's been crazy at work! I won't bother you with all that so I'll just cut to the lastest food news of the week...

Food Buzz

• Did someone say Bacon Cups? Check out these beautifully designed and edible bacon cups that you can actually make yourself!


• Deep Fried S'more On A Stick, Sloppy Joe on a Krispy Kreme, Deep Fried Peanut Butter-Covered Brownie Wrapped in Cookie Dough. Apparently THIS IS WHY YOU'RE FAT.

Events

• For those of you that didn't know, it happens to be PANCAKE MONTH at Clinton Street Baking Company. Tonight I will be trying out the crunchy banana pancakes with cinnamon-chili-chocolate sauce. Tomorrow I'll have all the deets on making reservations, the wait time, and most importantly the pancakes!
• Fourth Wall Restaurants is hosting their 44th Annual Wine Week that runs from March 9th through March 13th. So if you have an expense account and can handle yourself after a few drinks over lunch, head over to Park Avenue Winter, Smith & Wollensky's, Quality Meats, Post House, or Maloney & Porcelli for a variety of wine specials and flights.
• Lasagna Bake Off!!! Sunday night I was invited to a lasagna bake off and I want to take the cake. I'd like to try out a non-traditional recipe. Email me if you have any good suggestions!

Recipes

• Speaking of Lasagna, I made a FABULOUS batch last night that only cost me $23! One entire tray feeds 9 people, which breaks out to about $2.56 per serving. Hopefully you'll read more on this recipe, courtesy of Ina Garten, later today.

Recession Roast Chicken

Roast Chicken is an easy and inexpensive meal perfect for any weeknight dinner. Its versatile nature allows you to spice up your chicken any way you like. And as you might have seen last night on Top Chef, Roast Chicken isn't only for us paupers. Even Fabio and Lidia Bastianich enjoy cooking and eating a mean Roast Chicken.

I decided to make a classic roast chicken so that I could use part of the chicken for other meals I intended to eat this week. I believe this picture proves that there are very few ingredients and steps involved in making a delicious and succulent roast chicken. For this recipe, I used about four pounds of chicken, which is twice the amount that I would normally cook, so that I could use the chicken for a chili recipe. Though, it's not a bad idea to throw in additional chicken, as you can use it for chicken salad, to throw in a soup, or even to just eat over mixed greens. I prefer to cook larger quantities at once and then either use the leftovers for other dishes or pop them in the freezer.

RECESSION ROAST CHICKEN

Ingredients (Total Cost $7-10 for 3 servings)

• 2 lbs split chicken (bone-in)
• 1-2 large carrots, chopped
• 1 red potato, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 lemon
• Olive Oil
• Salt & Pepper
• Fresh Rosemary, chopped

Preparations

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Roughly chop or dice all of your vegetables and the rosemary.
2. Rinse your chicken with water, making sure to clean underneath the skin and then dry off with paper towels.
3. Rub the chicken with a thin layer of Olive Oil, just enough to coat on both sides. Then sprinkle a fair amount of salt and pepper on either side and place the chicken in your baking dish.
4. Roll the lemon vertically on your counter (to centralize the juices), cut it in half and then squeeze the lemon over the chicken. After the lemon has been juiced, slice the lemon in 6 small pieces.
5. Place the cut lemon slices and a few tablesoons of freshly chopped rosemary underneath the skin of the chicken on each piece.
6. Lastly, distribute the chopped pieces of onion, potato, and carrot on the top and sides of the chicken. Feel free to sprinkle on some additional rosemary, salt, and pepper. You may also pour a small amount of chicken broth at the bottom of the pan which will make your chicken more tender.
7. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake in the oven COVERED for 45 minutes.
8. After the initial 45 minutes, uncover the chicken and bake for another 30 minutes.
9. After the 30 minute period your chicken should be juicy and flavorful on the inside and perfectly crisp on the outside. Feel free to serve your chicken with any green vegetable and enjoy!
   

Food for Thought 2/9 - 2/13

Due to an excessive few weeks of dining out, I decided to give it a rest. That's not to say I haven't eaten this week, because we all know that would be a complete farce. So, I'm going to back track a bit and cover some of the restaurants I didn't get to last week. I'll also cover a few recession friendly recipes for the nights you decide you just can't order in again.


FOODBUZZ

• The newly opened Baoguette is on my list of to-do's. Though this eatery is uncharacteristic of Murray Hill, I think it's arrival was greated with open arms.
• Inoteca makes its way to Murray Hill in the old Bar Milano space. What a great new addition to the neighborhood.
• The Choice Eats Tasting Event is nearly here! Their 2nd annual event is being hosted at the 69th Armory on March 31st. Buy your tickets here to taste an eclectic array of the Village finest.

BRUNCH

• Le Petit Abeille, Almond, and The Barking Dog. What we can do with and without...

DINNER

• Kampuchea is a MUST post for this week. Stay tuned for elaborate pictures.

RECIPES

• Recession Roast Chicken and Make Your Own Pizza will be light on the wallet and easy to whip up on any week night.

Happy Hour at The Village Pourhouse

Thanks to Facebook, we had a great turnout last night at our Alzheimer's Winter Wii Happy Hour that took place at The Village Pourhouse. Since I work a few blocks away from The Pour House, I'm no stranger to their Thursday happy hours or their infamous Pour Chips. I can't say that I'm a regular, though my coworkers are another story. Despite their satisfying selection of

happy hour specials:

5pm - 7pm
$2 Bud and Bud Light Drafts
2 For 1 Sauza Margaritas
2 For 1 Absolut Cocktails
2 For 1 Level Cocktails

The Village Pourhouse also has a vast selection of beers on tap as well as bottled that appear reasonably priced. They are known to serve up over 22 draft beers and 58 bottled beers on any given night. My favorite of the bunch are their nutty Blue Point and Tripel Karmeliet. Tripel gets its character from the three grains its made of- wheat, oats, and barley, which gives the beer a nice hint of Caramel that is hard to refuse.


And their menu isn't half bad either. The Pourhouse has a satisfyingly greasy array of appetizers and entrees fit for ravenous drunkards. An order of Pour Chips or Sliders will get you back on your feet in no time. The Pour Chips consist of a whole Idaho potato sliced, then baked and covered in sour cream, cheddar cheese, and chopped bacon. I don't think bar food gets better than that. Though my friend Greg decided to go with a slightly heathier choice with the Pour House Cheeseburger. The burger didn't appear to be anything special, but the fries were certainly up to snuff.

I was able to sneak some fries in while on bolwing breaks from the Alzheimer's Wii tournament that was taking place. Although I was there to support Alzheimer's Disease, I happen to enjoy the occassional Wii bowling competition and the winner of our group was eligible to win a brand new blue Snuggie. And ironically enough my coworker Dave Matthews, was able to warm up with his new Snuggie after bowling a phenomenal 193. Congrats Dave!

So, if you're in the East Village and looking for a good place to grab a beer and an itch to play Wii, head over to The Pourhouse. You won't be disappointed.

THE VILLAGE POURHOUSE

64 Third Avenue (at 11th Street)

Spinach Artichoke Dip, The Perfect Game Day Snack

Superbowl Sunday is just another reason to extend the weekend by throwing a party and enjoying some good eats. And I was doing exactly that at my friend Rob's this past weekend. I have to admit, I spent a few days contemplating what to bring. Since it would be rare for me to bring something NOT homemade, I knew I'd need to step it up. And as soon as I received Saveur's Sunday Supper newsletter featuring their Spinach-And-Artichoke Dip, I immediately decided on my game day contribution.

Spinach Artichoke Dip is not an easy dip to make. And the simple reason being, EXPECTATION. Sure, how bad could a mix of any ol' cheese, mayo, spinach, artichokes, and sour cream be? But, if you've ever had the pleasure of tasting Houston's infamous Spinach and Artichoke dip, the bar has already been set.

Admittedly, Saveur's Spinach-and-Artichoke dip recipe seemed pretty easy. It called for accessible ingredients and there wasn't much prep time involved. But as you all know, it's not always what you put in your dish, but the quantity and quality of what you're putting in it that matters. And after tasting Saveur's version, this adage proved to be true.

Depending on your preference you might LOVE Saveur's dip, but I prefer the creamier alternative. Saveur calls for equal parts sour cream, mayo, and cream cheese which is probably the first thing i would alter. Aside from using their lower fat counterparts, I'd probably start by increasing the amounts of sour cream and mayo to 1/2 cups (rather than 1/3 cups). I would also decrease the amount parmesan to 1/2 cup, leaving 1/4 cup or less for the top crust. And I would most likely subsititute the mozzarella for something with a little more flavor either a smoked mozzarella or a gouda, which would give the dip a deep rich flavor. I'd also add in 1/4 tsp or more of cayenne pepper and even another 1/4 tsp of chilli or adobo powder to give it a slight kick (though it WILL NOT taste too spicy).

Follow my alternative Spinach and Artichoke recipe and you'll WOW your guests at your next football gathering. But, if you like to go by the book, stick to Saveur's version, but be sure to use frozen spinach, canned artichokes, and LESS parmesan cheese! Or, if you prefer a guaranteed game day dish, serve up some classic pigs n blankets. My friend Lindsay Trust was kind enough to whip up a homemade batch of these in no time. And two plates were literally gone in 30 minutes! Her homemade version is far superior to the premade frozen brands because she wraps these mini Hebrew Nationals in the sweet and savory Grand's biscuits.

I hope these recipes and tips have helped you prepare for your next gathering!

Israeli Wine & Tapas Tasting at Suba

Monday night I attended an Israeli wine tasting along with a sampling of kosher Spanish tapas at the renowned Suba. Despite the general appeal of a wine tasting, my real motivation in attending this event was to get one last taste of Suba before it is swooped up by Spitzer's Corner and turned into some Mexican joint. I am very disappointed with this turnover as Suba is one of my favorite Spanish restaurants in Manhattan. Suba has a unique three floor space that is beautifully lit. Their main dining room has a small river running along the perimeter of the room that brightens up the entire space that makes for a mystical and romantic setting. And since the restaurant is closed on Monday nights, we had the entire space to ourselves (all 30 or so of us).


Luckily I was able to experience a delicious assortment of their artisinal tapas and sample some newly imported Israeli wines before it was too late. The five wineries featured at the event were


Margalit, Tzora, Pelter, Flam, and Tulip. The first wine we tried was Tulip's Gewurztraminer and Sauvignon Blanc blend. Though I had not anticipated enjoying the wine since I dislike the sweetness of Gewurztraminer, it proved to be a nice supple blend. We'd also enjoyed Tulip's Shiraz Austrailian which had hints of casis and chocolate making it very enjoyable to drink, as those are two of my favorite flavors. Suprisingly I did not care for any of the other wineries except for Pelter. Pelter's white wines are un-oaked allowing the wine to retain its true fruit flavors without the sweetness. The fruitiness and light flavor of the Chardonnay was very unique and by far my favorite wine of the night.

Though we were directed to order the wines via text, the functionality seemed to still have some kinks. But you can go on the Israel Wine Direct website and order these fine wines that are set to arrive just in time for Passover.

Suba's tapas were created to compliment each of the wine varietals. The tapas menu encompassed:

• Artisinal Spanish Cheese Plate, accompanied by thinly sliced raisin nut bread,


• Hijada de Atun, cured Big Eye Tuna with fennel salad, atun al i oli


• Queso Croquettas, fried cheese balls with caramel sauce


• Ensalada de Remolacha, heirloom beat salad with peralzola breadcrumbs and walnut beet vinaigrette


• Bravas Peludas, crispy potato pimenton de la vera"al i oli"


• Pimientos de Padron, blistered Shishito peppers with coarse sea salt


• Catalonian Smoked Cod Croquettas


• Pan con Tomate, traditional spanish toast with tomato and garlic

The most authentic tapa was the Bravas Peludas but my favorite tapas of the night were the Queso Croquettas and the "Beet Salad". The Queso Croquettas had the perfect balance of salty and sweet with its saavory blue cheese center and confectionary caramel topping. Though I enjoyed nearly all of the food that was served there was only one that everyone seemed to steer clear of, the roasted red pepper & sardine toast. Once the servers got tired

of holding up the lonely sardines they were left on the wine tables to remain untouched. I guess Jews aren't big fans of sardines. Who would have thought?

SUBA (closes at the end of the month)

109 Ludlow Street (Between Rivington & Delancey)

Cheesesteaks at Wogies

True or False. I had only eated one cheesesteak EVER before Wogies.

Though you might not believe me, given how fanatical I am about messy eating, I've only had ONE cheesesteak prior to Friday afternoon's gorging at Wogies. The initial reason my coworkers and I trekked over there, outside of craving cheesesteaks, was because I had a $10 off coupon from Restaurant.com to redeem. Wogies is a good 15 minute walk from our office, so I was hoping that braving the wind and light snow would have its payoff.

And that it did. A delicious meaty sandwich on a slightly hungover Friday afternoon really hit the spot for all of us. Granted we all wanted to take a massive nap afterwards, but I guess you can't have everything... In any case the cheesesteaks were good, not great. Though it's hard from me to evaluate a cheesesteak given my lack of experience eating them, as a sandwich I'd give it a 6, and this rating is ONLY for the steak sandwich, not the offensive looking chicken cheesesteak that you see below. But Wogies cheesesteaks do get an honorable mention for their lack of excessive grease.


Chicken Cheesesteak, I think?

Classic Cheesesteak with Mushrooms & Onions



I'd say the highlight of the meal, was when my coworker Adam was recognized by the waitress for eating at Wogies so many times. I think he'll think twice before returning... But coming in a close second were Wogies waffle fries. I'm usually not a big fan of waffle fries, but these were especially good. They were perfectly crispy and well seasoned without being too overdone. And, the best part about the fries were that they were free! Apparently during lunch, for every sandwich your party orders you get 1/2 an order of fries at no charge. So technically we should have received an order and a 1/2 but I won't hold it against them.

So, would I return? Maybe just for the fries...

Before And After Shots of my Cheesesteak covered in "Rabbit Food"

WOGIES

39 Greenwich Avenue

Food for Thought 2/2 - 2/6

Since I've been dining out quite a bit over the last two weeks or so, I decided that I will be posting a brief recap of some of the recent places I've visited, the latest food news & food related events, and what you can look forward to reading via this week's posts. Every Monday morning I will post the "Food for Thought" of the week. And here goes...

EVENTS*

• TONIGHT: Israeli Wine Tasting Event at Suba, $25 cover charge for a THREE HOUR wine and tapas tasting (which will be kosher). Proceeds will be donated to Save a Child's Heart. Pictures and details of the event will be posted later in the week.

GOSSIP: This might be your last chance to hit Suba before Spitzer's management turns it into a Mexican joint. As if we need another one of those...

• THURSDAY: Winter Wii Happy Hour at The Pourhouse, Cover-Free happy hour from 6-9 pm. Part of the proceeds of each drink are given to the NYC Alzheimer's Association's Junior Committee (WHICH I'M PERSONALLY AFFILIATED WITH).

*I will be present at both events so come and say hello : )

BRUNCH

• Though it has been some time since Borough Food and Drink has turned over, I headed over to the newly replaced Almond to see what all the fuss is about.
• And an oldie but a goodie (for some) I finally tried the European style Petit Abeille.

DINNER

• Apparently Cambodian streetfood is just that good. More on my experience at LES hot spot Kampuchea later this week as well as details on their one time only Valentine's desserts and half-price wine Sundays.

PHILLY CHEESESTEAKS

• Second time's a charm at Wogies. Chicken vs. Steak and Free Fries...

SUPERBOWL SUNDAY

• Wings, pizza, beer, SPINACH ARTICHOKE DIP, and more.