The Lot at the Highline
July 29, 2011
New Yorkers love their food trucks, and what could be better than a selection of the best all in one locale? Last night I met a few friends underneath the bridges of the High Line park for food and drinks. Changing daily, there’s a taste to satisfy everyone from Red Hook’s Lobster Truck to Rickshaw Dumpling, Korilla BBQ and Eddie’s Pizza. They’ve also got a pop-up bar serving local wines and seasonal beers from Brooklyn Brewery. It’s like a summer-long fair or a cafeteria for adults, so be sure to stop by before the cold weather comes!
Lobster Roll from the Red Hook Lobster Pound Truck
Rickshaw Dumpling Truck
Eddie's Pizza Truck
High Line Park
The Lot on tap
Family Homestyle Cooking
July 14, 2011
Sometimes the best meals are the ones shared within the home. In between our daily Montana excursions we relaxed at my aunt and uncles, cooking in the heart of the country. We had steak nights, pierogi nights and sometimes just leftover nights. My favorite though, was when my father prepped his classic Greek-American grilled vegetables and chicken spiedies. For the veggies, he threw together a marinade with extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, fresh garlic, thyme and oregano, and let tomatoes, yellow squash, green zucchini, fresh mushrooms, red sweet peppers and large vadalia onions set over night before tossing on the grill. When finished, topping with feta cheese adds just the right extra flavor. As for the chicken, he let it set in a similar marinade of olive oil, crushed garlic and plenty of dried oregano, put on skewers and grilled to perfection.
Prepping the marinade
Fresh thyme
Prepping the marinade and table
Grilled vegetables ready to go
Grilled chicken spiedies
More of the veggies
Some of my aunt's rustic decor
Fresh lemonade on the porch
A grilled steak kind of night
Kitchen condiments
Cooking up Grandmother's pierogies recipe
Paws Up
July 9, 2011
One doesn’t often combine the words luxury and camping into one sentence, but that’s exactly what you get from Paws Up, a ranch resort about 30 miles outside Missoula. Stopping through for an evening, I was treated with impeccable service from the strawberry lemonade upon arrival through my next morning’s breakfast wrap with fresh produce. These chefs have the fine rustic cuisine down to perfection as they prepared some of their specialty dishes including Elk Loin and Quail Breast.
Aside from the dining, the resort offers anything you could possibly imagine to make your Montana holiday fulfilling. Due to my time constraints, I didn’t participate in their endless list of activities, but I certainly wouldn’t hesitate venturing back for another visit. Who could complain about waking up in an outdoor luxury tent, followed by a hot air balloon ride at sunrise and an afternoon horseback riding in the mountains? And of course you can’t forget ending your evening with their infamous rustic ranch cuisine.
Seared Quail Breast, Huckleberry Bread Pudding, Roasted Baby Turnip, Sautéed Spinach, Pan Jus
The dining room at Pomp
Pan Seared Ono, Cauliflower Salad, Fava Leaves, Baby Squash, Mint Oil
The terrace at Pomp
Iron Seared Elk Loin, Fregola-Mushroom Stew, Baby Fennel, Asparagus, Black Currant Puree
Outdoor dining and camp fire pit
Moulard Duck Breast, Potato Croquette, Orange Braised Fennel, Asparagus
Huckletini; 44 North Huckleberry Vodka, Huckleberry Syrup, Turbinado Sugar Rim
Homemade infused liquors
Village Entrance
Morning Hot Air Balloon Ride
Montana Breakfast Wrap, Scrambled Eggs, Yukon Gold Potatoes, Bacon, Peperzella Cheese
Sunrise Scrambler, Ham, Scrambled Eggs, Crisp Potato Croquette, Brewer's Grain Toast
Breakfast at Tank & Trough
A Summer Solstice Salad
June 23, 2011
To celebrate the official start of summer, a couple friends and I threw together a salad with one of the season’s iconic fruits: watermelon. Tossing it with some feta cheese and fresh basil from the garden, and topping with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar, it’s a quick and light refreshing salad.
Feta, Watermelon & Basil
Salad
Coast to Coast
June 15, 2011
Last night, my friend invited me to a 4 course dinner at Chef Brandon Chavannes’s pop-up restaurant, Coast to Coast. Inspired by worldly coastal flavors, the exotic dishes were all beautifully presented and delicious. In between courses, the mixologists served up specialty cocktails, wine and Greenport Harbor beers.
Curried watermelon with black pepper, scallions and curry scented dressing with the Bisin Fire cocktail- Polish Bison Grass Vodka, jalapeno lemongrass elixir, crystallized ginger and fresh basil
Chilled crab soup with roasted gazpacho broth, hearts of palm and green apple
Cebollada- braised beef cheeks, salsify puree, romesco verde and an onion jus
Mahi Mahi with dandelion greens, chorizo and Marjoram vinaigrette and a 1970 bottle of Château Lafite Rothschild
Tres Leches with maple tuile and chili and Apricot tart with cardamom, cinnamon, marcona almonds and caramel with orange blossom ice cream
Paul McCartney’s Vegan Enchiladas
June 9, 2011
If Paul McCartney cooked them, they must be good, so we gave it a try. A fun, completely vegan answer to the classic Mexican dish, these tofu enchiladas were delicious. Serving up some homemade sangria with fresh fruit and homemade guacamole on the side. If you’re feeling inspired to try, you can check out the recipe in the PETA Celebrity Cookbook or online.
Homemade sangria and peppers
Avocados
The making of..
Enchiladas
A Vegetarian Combo
June 2, 2011
Last night for dinner, my roommate, Genni cooked up one of her wonderful vegetarian dishes; a pesto pasta salad with arugula and parmesan cheese and veggie balls. To get a bit eccentric with the menu, we added Wakame, or roasted seaweed as an appetizer to hold us over before the meal was ready.
Veggie Balls and Pesto Pasta Salad
Wakame (roasted seaweed)
Dinner on the Roof
May 26, 2011
The warm evenings have arrived in the city, and what better way to kickoff the season than putting together this simple, yet delicious vegetarian dish my roommate created for a rooftop dinner. Taking no time at all, you cook whole wheat couscous and combine with an eggplant tapenade sauce and chickpeas. For the side, a spinach, mozzarella and cherry tomato salad.
Couscous, mozzarella, spinach and cherry tomatoes
The garden: Twisted Grass and Basil
5 Napkin Burger
May 2, 2011
I know I’ve already featured 5 Napkin’s Deep Fried Pickles, but after ordering out from here not once, but twice over the weekend with friends and roommates, I decided it was worth another blog post. This time showing off their veggie burger and fries. And they’ve recently opened up a joint in Boston as well, so it’s not just limited to New Yorkers anymore.
Veggie Burger
French Fries
Sushi Saturday
April 11, 2011
Sushi is by far one of the most beautiful food presentations out there, rich in color, textures and just so visually appealing (and of course tasty). Stopping through one of my favorite city spots, Momoya, they kindly prepared their selection of the best sushi/sashimi for me to photograph before bringing it home for friends to enjoy.
During preparation
The Sushi/Sashimi Platter
Salmon Crunchy Roll- spicy salmon, mango, avocado & crunchy rice
Sharing plates with friends
a camera in the kitchen 