A Winter Afternoon in Cold Spring
February 17, 2012
Last weekend, my friend and I took the train an hour up the river to the little town of Cold Spring. It was a bit chilly, but nothing beats the fresh air. After checking out a few different cafes and dining establishments, we opted for the Hudson House River Inn, a historical home built back in 1832, serving as a small hotel since. Having a two course meal full of soups, fruits, eggs and steak, we worked off the calories with a bit of antique shopping around town before catching the train home.
Onion Soup Au Gratin
Strawberry Butter
Accommodations at the Hudson House
Grilled Marinated Flank Steak topped with caramelized onions and maytag bleu cheese, horseradish mashed potatoes and fresh vegetables
Poached eggs and thinly sliced filet mignon on english muffin
Popovers
Onion Soup Au Gratin
Fruit with vanilla yogurt, raspberry sauce and granola
Bleu Evolution
January 15, 2012
I ventured uptown to the neighborhood I explored last summer, but have yet to familiarize myself with all the hidden gems, like Bleu Evolution. An eccentric restaurant tucked into Manhattan’s Washington Heights, it has great brunches without the typical Saturday crowds and lines found further downtown. We were able to relax with some great tunes and enjoy hearty omelettes, duck and potatoes.
Duck confit with potatoes, peppers and poached eggs
Duck confit with potatoes, peppers and poached eggs
Broccoli and feta omelette and a Bloody Mary
Bacon and cheddar omelette
Bringing in the New Year
January 4, 2012
I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the start of 2012 than with great food, friends and skiing. I’ve been pretty bummed because a photographer’s worst nightmare came true when my card with all of the Christmas holiday food shoots was damaged, and even after attempting recovery at New York’s top repair services, there was no such luck. But that just gives me an excuse to revisit some of the locations, like Elderberry Pond Restaurant, to enjoy yet another great meal. Well, enough of the disappointments, it’s time I look forward in the New Year and share with you some amazing meals from this past weekend spent at Killington. We were lucky enough to have a friend/personal chef join us for the 3 days and prepare all the meals– I should add for 16 people– with more enthusiasm than anyone I’ve seen. Here’s the menu we had, and check out the highlights below:
Taco Night–Pulled Chipotle Chix, Ground beef , Soft and hard shells, Assorted toppings, Black beans, Rice and Corn
Steak and Scrimps’ Night–Filet wrapped in applewood smoked bacon, Grilled Ribeye with fried onion strings, Marinated grilled scrimps’, Roasted Garlic Parm potatoes, Broccoli, Dilaurios butter rolls
That NYE staple known as Champagne
Filet wrapped in applewood smoked bacon
Sunday's pre-pasta meat and cheese plate
Lobster Bisque
Lobster Bisque
Baklavah
Killington
A skier's breakfast
Bacon, Egg & Cheese sandwiches
Berries & Yogurt
Homemade croutons
Pasta & Cheese
Loster Bisque
Shrimp & Broccoli
‘Tis the Season
December 24, 2011
I’ve been meaning to share these delicious looking brunch shots from a Sunday afternoon spent at Tipsy Parson recently. Tucked in a bay window seat on a cold but sunny Sunday afternoon, a friend and I enjoyed their comfort American menu with a southern flair. If you happen to be around New York for the holidays, I highly recommend stopping in. Closed for the weekend, they re-open on Monday.
Wishing everyone a safe and happy holiday, and I look forward to bringing you some festive feasts I’ll be partaking in throughout the week in Syracuse!
Flaxseed & nut granola, berry compote, berries
Pigs in a Poke-- stone ground grits, andouille sausage, poached eggs, toast soldiers
Side of eggs
Happy Halloween!
October 31, 2011
I stopped by Made Fresh Daily yesterday, a cute café and bake shop near South Street Seaport, to check out my friend’s pop-up floral shop, Stage & Asch, and have a delicious blueberry pomegranate smoothie. A great place to catch up with friends, they strive on using organic and local farm ingredients, and why not treat yourself to a beautiful arrangement while you’re there. You can stop by Thursdays through Sundays for other adorable autumn and Thanksgiving decor.
Gold decorated gourds
Blueberry Pomegranate and Orange Julius smoothies
Stage & Asch pop-up shop
Festive treats
Brunch at Rickenbacker
October 30, 2011
One of the reasons why I love a good Sunday brunch buffet is that you can spend a lazy afternoon dining on a little bit of everything– pancakes, seafood, pasta and the list goes on. What makes it even better is a location like Rickenbacker Fish Company with a beautiful view of Biscayne Bay and Miami. Sipping on mimosas with friends, we enjoyed the sunshine before heading back to the Big Apple.
Pancakes, French Toast, Strawberries and Maple Syrup
Grilled Vegetables and Seafood Paella
Grouper with parmesan
Chocolate cake for dessert
A Rainy Day Treat
October 19, 2011
It’s a gloomy day in the city, but having some of my mother’s homemade banana bread with a sesame multigrain bagel was certainly a way to brighten up the morning. It’s one of those comfort baked goods that has been around the family forever, yet never gets old.
Sesame Multigrain Bagel
Banana Bread
Indian Summer
October 14, 2011
The afternoons of rooftop brunches may be coming to an end for the season, but we snuck one last day in with the July-like heat. My father was kind enough to prepare a brunch for my roommates and friends in the building. After a morning at Zabar’s and Fairway to get all the goods, he prepared all sorts of delicious plates. We had three styles of crepes– apple cinnamon, fresh berries and ham and cheese, scrambled eggs on rosemary toasted bread, home fries, bacon and two varieties of organic sausage– Italian herb and spinach feta. For a special dessert treat, my friend Leslie’s mother was kind enough to give us a loaf of amazing chocolate challah bread for Yom Kippur, so we took that out to enjoy.
Ham & Cheese crepes
Chocolate Challah Bread
Cinnamon Apple crepe filling and Home fries
Spinach Feta Sausage and Cinnamon Apples
A Druze Brunch
September 29, 2011
Now that I’m back for some good old NYC cuisine, I decided go to Gazala’s, a small family-owned restaurant that I’ve been meaning to check out since they opened their new Upper West Side location. I admit, I had never heard of Druze cuisine, but it happens to be a religious community found in Lebanon, Syria, Israel and Jordan, that is comparable to the standard Middle Eastern fare. Known to be the most authentic tastes of this kind around town, their brunch was delicious and conveniently located across from my favorite Sunday market.
Tomatoes, cheese and scrambled eggs with seasoning and an Israeli salad
Semolina dough stuffed with chopped dates and walnuts
Poached eggs in tomato sauce
Bakkabrim
September 26, 2011
Last but not least from my tour of Iceland, this organic cafe in the town of Eyrarbakki might possibly be my favorite place to start your morning– or spend your afternoon. Unfortunately, it wasn’t open the day we were there, but I was able to explore. The entire surroundings were so amazing, just untouched natural beauty with a small, welcoming organic cafe dropped in the midst of it all. I could have sat out on the deck all afternoon. Like taking a step out of reality, it’s as if you’re entering a children’s fort in the backyard, a place to forget about your worries, breath in some of the freshest air possible and take it all in, realizing how exhilarating and beautiful life really is. I wish so badly I could have tried one of their drinks, but as my father has always told me, “You’ve got to save something for the next time.”
Because I was so intrigued by this place, I did some research, and here’s a great article about Bakkarbrim from a very cool Icelandic website. Check it out!
Organic Cafe
The deck
The view
a camera in the kitchen 