The Day I Broke My Own Heart

Oh reader... Reader, reader, reader. Some times even the smartest of people, like myself, make the biggest mistakes. Not since one of the few times I faked a "go with the flow" attitude which led to me and my friends missing our flight to New Orleans have I been so disappointed in myself - in case you're wondering, we made it on the next flight and it was awesome.



Last Friday, I decided to meet my boyfriend for dinner after I coerced my sister into picking up a dress for me and was going to "meet her" to help her travel home. Obviously I needed to eat before I could help her carry my packages. Chris and I wandered into Five Points after ogling the menu on menupages. Thank (insert name of respective Higher Power here), for smart phones! As we debated whether or not to sit inside or out, something wonderful happened...... I smelled something amazing and instantly I smiled. White truffles. I'd always recognize that smell.

We sat down at one of the tables by the bar and glanced at the menu. Potato and truffle pizza? Why did that sound familiar? Did I really want pizza? Could I even eat something that heavy and still fit into the dress that I had to track down in two states and three boroughs? No.... I was no longer intrigued by the truffle dish, my mind had jumped to another entrée that sounded awesome. We ordered the frito misto for an appetizer, Chris had the spinach pizza with crescenza cheese, pecorino cheese, and garlic confit, and I ordered the homemade semolina spaghetti, with littleneck clams, white wine, and chili. I was excited. Semolina is basically my middle name and I LOVE clams.

Then it happened - I felt regret... the same regret I felt when I decided not to buy myself a Fendi while in Sicily back in 2005. I knew I'd never let myself down. The food came and it was delicious. The fritto misto had different veggies, shellfish, and cod. We ate, talked, and laughed, but I still felt a little saddened by my decision. Chris was supportive; it was difficult for him to turn down truffles too. I assured myself that it wasn't like I missed shaved black truffle... it was white truffle oil... totally different..

Our entrées arrived and they were delicious. The broth that the clams had been cooked in was a perfect compliment to the semolina pasta that tasted as if they stole a nonna and only let her eat if she sat in the back and made pasta all day. The waiter then came over to talk to us about desserts. Fine, Five Points. You and your fantastic food win. I'll stop my whining and enjoy my salted caramel gelato.

Five Points
31 Great Jones St
(between Lafayette St & Bowery)

It's not really spring in NY until it's warm enough to stand on the Shake Shack line

While the 80 degree weather and the fact that tomorrow is June 1st may make the title of this post seem horrifyingly late, it is a truth accepted by most New Yorkers. Now that that's settled, let's talk about something of the utmost importance: Shake Shack.

A New York staple, I first stumbled upon the Shack as a college junior while walking through Madison Sq Park to go to an internship. My first thought, "why are all these people waiting on line?", was quickly followed by my second thought, "I want some too". Since my first tasting of the Shack, I have been hooked. Not hooked, addicted. While the shack menu boasts multiple choices, I stick to the Shack Burger and cheese fries. After all, people aren't waiting over an hour on line in the heat for Shack-cago Dog. Or maybe they are.... But I can't get myself to order anything else (except adding an Arnold Palmer or a concrete) because while MGMT sings about drugs, I'm singing (and occasionally dancing) about the Shack Burger.

Yes I make fun of franchised food a lot but Shake Shack doesn't really count. The company uses mainly local ingredients, sells alcohol, and the staff looks is happy. When was the last time a server at McDonald's told you that their custard of the day was (and I quote) "SOOOO yummy"? Plus the more locations, the more people around the world can enjoy the Shack and the bigger the chance that the line isn't ridiculously long.

While I'm sure the other Shake Shack locations are still ridiculously good, I'm loyal to Madison Sq Park. Even though there are different concretes at each location, it's still not enough of an incentive for me. I love the MSP location: the website shows how long the line is so I can prepare myself accordingly and it's effing powered by wind! It's my first, my last, my everything.

P.S. Shack-tastic slang you should know:
a) concrete: custard mixed with yummy toppings blended super fast, making it strangely thick and extra delicious
b) Shack Burger: the greatest burger ever made
c)Poochinis: custard that dogs can eat... that's right, the Shack cares about your dog too

Shake Shack
www.shakeshack.com for locations

abc-DBGB-efg

As part of my "PLAYING CATSUP (CATCH UP, get it? Oh.... I made this awkward) Series", I owe you quite a bit of yummy banter. For example, a report from my cousin's going away party in December and yummy brunch dates. I know... I KNOW! Shake your head all you want, Vanessa. Some of us have been busy doing important things, like unfriending people with babies on FB and chatting up the Starbucks barrista in hopes of a discount.

Recently, my cousin Ali decided to attend culinary school in Paris. While I don't doubt that she would have eventually figured out that she'd be a great chef, I do have to note that her decision to leave was quickly made after I beat her in Scrabble and then forced her to watch a "Sister Wives" marathon, whilst snuggling up on her arm. As she also inherited the foodie gene, her friend quickly planned a going away dinner. Now, you might be thinking "why the hell do I care about a going away dinner?". Two reasons: 1)DBGB has awesome food and 2) I said so.

 As a typical gastropub, DBGB serves jazzed up burgers, soups, and other classics. Untypical of other gastropubs, DBGB is Daniel Boulud's proof that he can turn regular food and into a dish that you literally will have dreams about for weeks. Additionally, any place with a 29 page beer and wine menu is worth talking about.

As I usually approach a restaurant after doing a substantial amount of research, I was well prepared for my night at DBGB -- until I got there and immediately wanted everything on the menu. Soon my mind was panic stricken. How is it possible to choose between the Frenchie or the Piggie? Can I flip a coin? Maybe I'll get mussels.. who am I kidding? Oh, there's lamb! I quickly scanned the drink menu, ordered myself a Session Lager (delish!) and collected my thoughts. Now now, you know you want the matzoh ball soup and everyone's getting the Piggie so you can steal a bite of theirs and get the Frenchie all to yourself... Decision made.

Reader, I may or may not have previously mentioned my strange love of all things soupy. Whether it's Top Ramen or the chicken noodle soup at Morimoto, I love soup. Perhaps I never fully got over my phase of only eating soup or canned black olives (yummy and metallic!) that I had when I was three. Whatever the reason, I was super excited when the waiter brought my soup. This soup, I feel, epitomizes the reason gastropubs are so fucking fantastic. Something so mundane as matzoh ball soup is made delectable. Don't believe me? Well this soup is so good that NY Mag listed it as one of the city's 50 tastiest soups. So there. I may not have a bubbie, but if I did this soup would be better than her's (of course, I wouldn't have the heart to tell her).

DBGB also knows how to cook a burger. I may have only had a few bites of the Piggie, but I know that I will crave that burger sporadically for the rest of my life. The Piggie, a burger topped with Daisy May's pulled pork, jalapeno mayo, and lettuce on a cheddar bun, makes your backyard grill jealous. But, there's a better burger on the menu. Now, ordering the Frenchie may have been one of the best decisions I've made in a while. The Frenchie - topped with confit pork belly, arugula, tomato-onion compote, and morbier cheese -  is a superior burger. And I had it all to myself. There were a few seconds where I nervously thought my sister would have wanted a bite, but she is also cursed with being petite and decided to concentrate on her own food. CLOSE CALL.


DBGB
299 Bowery
New York, NY

I may not be that social but Stanton is

Hello readers. I know all three of you have been anxiously awaiting my newest post, grinding your teeth in suspense. Between grad school, catching up on Fringe, and sleeping, time has really flown by in between my posts. For that, I am sorry. Please forward me the bill for the meds you've been taking to deal with my absence.

Anyway, after my vacation to Paris then my boyfriend's business trip to California, we needed to have a date to spend some alone time with our threesome partner, Good Food. I've been itching to go to Stanton Social for a few weeks ever since my sister suggested we double date. Like the great sister that I am, I decided that we should go to Stanton Social without her and her new guy since reservations for two are soooo much easier to get than for four. Sorry sis, but between you and a good meal, I will most likely choose the latter. Now reader, by now you're familiar with my proclivity of using abbreviations, but something feels inherently wrong with praising "the SS" several times in a post, so bare with me.

A few $3 Stellas later (thank you Epstein's), Chris and I walked into Stanton Social. For those of you unfamiliar with the restaurant, S Soc is the love child of chef Chris Santos, Richard Wolf, and Peter Kane that serves up tapas style revamped American classics. Sound awesome? That's because it is.
Since the tapas sized portions allows for tasting more of the menu, Chris and I avoided our usual debate over which dishes to get which usually evolves into tension. Again, I wish I were a true fat kid and not just one trapped in a petite frame... oh the places I could go! We both agreed that 5 dishes would probably satiate the both of us and leave some room for dessert, considering I only ate a slice of cheese and three crackers that day in preparation for dinner. Eliminating some dishes were tough so we ordered more than we originally planned: french onion soup dumplings, red snapper tacos, barbecued duck confit and black bean empanadas, crabcake corn dogs, and two sliders (the Kobe Philly and the Rhode Island style lobster roll). Oh helllllll yeah.

Now, I'm not saying I was disappointed because I wasn't. The food was fantastic. But one thing bothered me - the FOS dumplings. Mr. Santos, I appreciate that you combined two of my favorite foods and amplified their flavor by creating some hybrid awesomefood but these are not french onion soup dumplings. They are french onion dumplings. When I see the words soup and dumplings in the same menu item description, I expect to have to strategically bite into the dumpling to suck out the soup. It's common sense, dude. However, Mr. Santos, the flavor was impeccable and I respect the added note of the toasted crouton. Bravo. Moving on, the crab cake corn dog was very tasty and the presentation was clever, but I expected a bit more of that deep fried crunch indicative of corn dog culture and the empanadas were more beany than ducky, which was a little bit of a let down. But I will give you crazy mad props for those sliders. Kobe beef, truffle, and goat cheese?! Genius. AND THAT LOBSTER ROLL! Me and my taste buds are forever in debt to StantSo.

Now we did get some crazy chocolate dessert thing for two that was HUGE. Chris being a great boyfriend understands that I'm very territorial when it comes to my food and I don't like to share, so he ordered some gigantic dessert thing. But, alas, I was full thanks to my inadequately sized stomach. Such hardships in life; this too shall pass. But, dear reader, by now you have also probably realized that I'm a lush and enjoy sucking back $13 cocktails, and I can say that StntScl has great cocktail choices. In the words of my father, "if there's no gin, I'm leaving", therefore I naturally ordered the Bea's Gin-Lemon Mojito, made with Bombay Sapphire, mint, and lemon -- tart and fabulous.

Yes it's difficult to get reservations but there is a trick - the upstairs bar offers a similar menu and doesn't necessarily require reservations if you get there early enough....

Stanton Social
99 Stanton Street
New York, NY
http://www.thestantonsocial.com/menus/food_menu.html

Disgusting dating vs Degustation Reciprodating (I'd put my money on the latter)

There are several perks to being in a somewhat functioning relationship: compliments, presents for the holidays, someone to open jars/water bottles that are too tight, and some other reasons that I can't list here since several one family member reads this blog. However, these qualities are nothing if your significant other is incapable of reciprodating. What is reciprodating? Well, dear reader, reciprodating is showing emotion through a well thought out and planned date. Why does this sound mockingly simple? Because it is. But I am in my early twenties and men in their early twenties seem to lack some cognitive functioning - primarily organizing and prioritizing (Occupational Therapy Practice Framework, 2002). While I'm a huge fan of walking aimlessly around and having a spontaneous "oh hey this menu looks good" night, I could do that with anyone and feel special. HOWEVER, when I am reciprodated for purely being a great girlfriend well than I am inclined to feel even more special. This is where a great meal comes into play. Whether it's been 2 dates, 2 years, or 2 decades, a great dinner can always impress your significant other. While New York is filled with plenty of delicious restaurants that draw from cuisines from around the world, I am going to convince you that Degustation, a tapas restaurant, was one of my favorite reciprodates. Ever.

Now reader, I often write about food and maybe crack a joke or two at other aspects of the restaurant but, one thing to never joke about on a reciprodate is ambiance. The setting of the restaurant sets the tone for the date. I've recently had one of the best meals in my life (see Blue Hill) but the setting was not reciprodate-like, it was date-like or dinner-with-friends-like. On the other hand, Degustation seats sixteen people only, as the chairs surround the kitchen area. Not only is the space inherently intimate, watching your food being prepared is exciting enough to fuel the entirety of the dinner conversation. Reciprodating is a team sport. Therefore, the idea of tapas and small plate encourages sharing. Reciprodating requires excitement, so bring on the use of molecular gastronomy via the tasting menu. Degustation has two tasting menu choices - five or ten courses - offered at a somewhat reasonable price.

We opted for the 5 course menu ($50 per person) which consisted of hamachi, arugula salad with a perfectly cooked egg, clams and cannelloni, rabbit three ways, and a custard on crack and something deliciously s'more-like as dessert choices. I;m teasing you with a brief synopsis of the food because the tasting menu changes on a weekly basis and will most likely not be the same if you choose to dine at Degustation. But I will say this - hands down, best fried rabbit meatball I have ever had... okay so only fried rabbit meatball I've ever had, but you get the point.

P.S. I almost cried when I ate some of the perfectly poached egg... no, seriously...

Degustation Wine & Tasting Bar

239 East 5th Street

New York, NY

(212) 979-1012

Why Yes, I Would Like Some Locally Farmed Awesomeness.

Now readers (hi mom!), I don't want you think I am a food snob. I want you to know that I am a food snob. I crossed the border from foodie to snob when I gave my brother a nasty look for suggesting we eat at the Cheesecake Factory without any conscious thought. Franchised food? DON'T YOU KNOW IT MAKES MY HANDS SWELL AND CAUSE ME INSATIABLE THIRST?!... again, I am a food snob.

My boyfriend's new job gave me an excuse to take my food snobbery to a higher level. I was going to take me him out for a congratulatory dinner and since he enables my food obsession, I got to choose the place. Yes, yes maybe he should have chosen, but what's done is done, reader. After all, I choose a marvelous place: Blue Hill.

You may be asking:
"Laura, isn't it really hard to get reservations?"
- By some divine providence, an 8:30pm reservation for two popped up on my OpenTable account. Clearly, God/Allah/Buddah/Tom Cruise wanted me to eat there.
"Isn't it a bit out of your price range? Student loans aren't free money"
- 1)Yes, student loans ARE free money since I will win the lottery, and 2) It didn't cost that much.

Back to the food. For those of you who aren't food snobs, Blue Hill is an amazing tag team of farms and restaurants based in Massachusetts (Blue Hill Farm), Westchester (Blue Hill: Stone Barns) and the West Village. There is little gap from farm to table, making each ingredient more delicious than anything you have ever tasted. For an appetizer I had braised fennel with smoked apples and roasted fennel with, get this, HOMEMADE pancetta ($16). For an entree, I had pan seared duck with shittake mushrooms, a gingerbread sauce of some kind and the best sweet potato known to humans ($36). As we were both full and high from eating the best meal we've had in our lives (and slightly tipsy but that's another story), we decided to split the seckel pears with pecan cream and hazelnut sablé ($12) for dessert. I don't even know what sablé is, but I do know that it's freaking delicious.

I also felt slightly saddened that I had to spend around $200 to eat local, farm grown food - stupid America (a fast-food nation, with small farms and our import/export markets destroyed by Wal-Mart- I'll stop and save it for another type of blog). I have to admit, eating this meal caused me to pity the people who will never get to try this food. My life before this meal was void and dark.. now, it has changed (but still a bit dark, I have a reputation to uphold). Anyway, check your couch for coins, sell some stuff on Amazon, and do some odd (or weird) jobs to save some money for a Blue Hill dinner. Hands down: Best Thing I've Ever Ate.


Blue Hill Farm
75 Washington Place
New York, NY 10011
(212) 539-1776
http://www.bluehillfarm.com/food/blue-hill-new-york

New Day, New Nonna

Sweet home, Staten Island. As some of you may be surprised to know Staten Island is not only the home of tan-orexics, thick accents, and the failed MTV show "Bridge and Tunnel"; it is also the home of some pretty fucking amazing food. That's right kids, I've always eaten better than you. My hometown has better food than whatever random place of origin you're from - deal with it. The quicker you accept this, the quicker we can move on.

Now, while there are a plethora of amazing restaurants, I'm going to focus this post on Enoteca Maria. The concept of this restaurant is pretty cool - every day of the week, a different Italian grandmother (nonna) cooks her specialities. Menus are specific to the nonna and the crop from their own BIODYNAMIC garden. Additionally, being true to word "enoteca", Italian for "wine repository", Enoteca Maria has an extensive wine list. No, I'm not joking. This place does exist and you should go there, now. Anyway, there are NINE different nonnas, all from different regions of Italy. While I'm always partial to Sicilian nonnas, Carolina from Calabria makes a veal dish that almost made my father cry. Enoteca Maria's food is plated for optimal sharing conditions which is perfetto considering you should try as many dishes as possible.

Take the free ferry and walk the two blocks for Nonna-licious food or they'll slap you with a wooden spoon.

27 Hyatt Street

NY 10301-1801

(718) 447-2777

*Walkable from the Staten Island Ferry!!*
http://www.enotecamaria.com/wp/