Flashback to ACK
February 8, 2012
Although we haven’t had too much of a winter here in New York, I couldn’t help but feel inspired to plan a summer holiday when Donna shared these photos with me. Check them out for a flashback to Nantucket that will leave you with a craving for a warm ocean sunset.
Last summer the bf’s family graciously hosted us at their beautiful home on Nantucket. Every day we ate ice cream and went swimming at one of Nantucket’s many beaches. If it weren’t for the cold water, Nantucket would have my all time favorite beaches; but regardless, this place is amazing. We were there in the middle of July and pretty much had the entire beach to ourselves. There aren’t restrictions on ball playing, dogs, alcohol, or even driving onto the sand. And you don’t have to pay to get onto the beach **cough cough** Long Island.
One of the highlights of our trip was spending an evening at TOPPER’S Restaurant. They are located in the luxurious Wauwinet hotel. A quintessential New England seaside setting that offers views of both the Nantucket Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. The food was good but the sunset, ambiance, and complimentary boat rides aboard the Wauwinet Lady made the evening.
Lobster Bisque with poached lobster and truffle cream
Romaine lettuce with white anchovies, parmesan, pesto croutons, and creamy roasted garlic dressing
Sitting room in the The Wauwinet & Wagyu beef burger with aged Vermont cheddar, caramelized onions, and Bartlett Farm tomatoes
BVI Pusser’s British Navy Rum, Orange Juice, Coco Lopez, Pineapple Juice and Nutmeg
Poached lobster & summer corn
Wine & Tart flambée with onions, bacon, and crème fraîche
Hand-cut fries with parmesan, herbs, and truffle aioli
"Pain Killer" & Caesar salad
Bread and butter & Nantucket lighthouse
Lobster bisque with truffle cream & Ice water with lemon
Romaine lettuce and red wine
Sunfish sailing on Nantucket Bay
Superbowl Sunday
February 5, 2012
It’s that time of year for all the wings, chips and salsas to come out for the Superbowl parties. While contemplating what to cook up for this evening’s festivities, I was inspired by Eat Yourself Skinny’s BBQ chicken bites. Changing up the recipe a bit for a lighter flavor, I made a couple different versions: Whole Foods pulled chicken with tangerine dressing, Mammuth goat cheese from the farmers market and fresh cilantro into mini phyllo dough shells, and a vegetarian-friendly option that included teriyaki baked tofu. As an additional quick and easy dish, Whole Foods Alaskan Salmon bites are perfect. Go Giants!
Tangerine Chicken Bites
Salmon Bites
Cilantro, Goat Cheese and phyllo dough
Super Bowl snacks
Baked Teriyaki Tofu
Pulled chicken with tangerine dressing
A Dish for Grandma
February 3, 2012
I’ve spent the past few weeks Upstate with my grandmother during her final days, and with my family once she passed away. Now that I’m back to work, I’m looking forward to getting my food shoots up and running again. I couldn’t think of a better way to kick off my return than with a tribute to the amazing woman she was. One of her favorite meals was pasta and meatballs, an Italian classic that happens to be one of my favorites as well. I had so much fun pairing the vibrant red sauce with some old B&Ws of my grandmother and her sisters on their 4th of July holiday in the city circa 1941.
My Aunt Nici and Grandma sightseeing in NY
Aunt Flory, Aunt Nici and Grandma getting off the subway
Grandma, Aunt Nici, Aunt Flory in the park
Aunt Nici, Grandma and Aunt Flory strolling down Broadway
The finale at La Finestra – Prague Part 6
February 2, 2012
Before I said good-bye to Prague I had to cross just one more restaurant off my list, La Finestra in Cucina. The restaurant features an open kitchen where you can observe Chef Tomáš Černý whip up some classic Italian dishes. He also offers cooking and sommelier classes which if I had more time I would have loved to try. Instead, I enjoyed buttery tender short ribs. No knife was needed and the mustard sauce that accompanied it offered the perfect tang to undercut the richness of the meat. Besides mastering the short rib, La Finestra also makes a mean crispy fried zucchini. When you bite into it there is still a slight crunch and the batter doesn’t fall off (a big pet peeve of mine with fried food).
My trip to Prague was an unforgettable experience filled with good food and company. Thank you for checking out my trip!
Slowed cooked beef ribs with gratinated pecorino onions and mustard sauce
Hradčany
Crispy fried zucchini
Statue of Saints Norbert of Xanten, Wenceslas and Sigismund on Charles Bridge
Organic breast of chicken cooked in sousvide with parmesan - egg yolk potato mash and morel sauce
Prague sky
La Finestra's open kitchen
Cooks in the kitchen & Prague Castle
Chocolate muffin with berries
Prague at sunset
A fairytale afternoon – Prague Part 5
January 31, 2012
As the clock struck 1, two Jewish princesses from New York City stared at the Old Town Hall’s astronomical clock and tightly gripped their Nikons as they sped off to the Francouzska Restaurace. Gold chandeliers, sparkling crystal glasses, and fresh flowers embellished the interior of the most beautiful Art Nouveau building in all of Europe. As the piano played in the background, they dined on smoked duck, veal tenderloin carpaccio, roasted scallops, and grilled beef tenderloin. The afternoon ended with warm molten chocolate cake and two white knights a AAA cab, driving the princesses back to their castle the Czech Inn.
Municipal House & Roasted scallop with fine Bourdin noir, caper-raisin jam and sauce of sparkling apple cider
Smoked duck breast
Bridge of Legions
Alfons Mucha painting & Veal tenderloin carpaccio with foie gras shavings and hazelnut oil
Green field salad with smoked duck breast, orange dressing and Comté shavings
Grilled beef tenderloin with potato confit in thyme flavored olive oil and black truffle sauce
Interior of St. Vitus Cathedral
Chocolate cake with melted chocolate, mango coulis and cacao sorbet & Stained glass
Taking a dip in the Charles’ Bath – Prague Part 4
January 28, 2012
I was lucky enough to meet up with my best friend’s boyfriend, Martin, at U Pinkasů restaurant. This traditional Czech pub is just a few steps away from St. Wenceslas Square and serves up some belly filling food. The type of food that warms your soul and gives your love handles some extra love. After eating the biggest meal it was only appropriate to head over to the biggest club in Central Europe, Karlovy Lázněl, also known as Charles’ Bath or the 5 Story Club. We danced the rest of the night away in attempt to sweat off all the potato dumplings and duck fat.
Dancing & Roasted pork ribs, in honey marinade with mustard and horse-radish
Old Bohemian riveted plate – smoked neck, baked pork neck, sausage, a quarter of duck,variety of dumplings, red ´n´ white cabbage
Karlovy Lazne & Cucumber salad with wine dressing
Kicking the cold at Kampa – Prague Part 3
January 26, 2012
More from Donna D…
Having gone to school in upstate New York and growing up in Massachusetts cold temperatures had always been a way of life for me. So when I saw that it was 23 degrees outside I figured NBD. But after about 15 minutes of being outside without any gloves I quickly remembered how much I disliked winter so I opted to spend the day “site-seeing” from a heated interior, Kampa Park. The restaurant is located on Kampa Island and overlooks Certovka canal, the Vltava River and Charles Bridge. I spent hours staring outside watching the city go by while feasting on Rudolf I mean reindeer, halibut (best I’ve ever had and cooked absolutely perfectly), and chocolate fondant. The food was pricey but nonetheless amazing and the view was magical.
Saddle of reindeer with pumpkin soufflé, topinambur, cranberries and cardamom sauce
Marek Raditsch - Executive Chef of entire Kampa Group
Reindeer
Vltava River
Olive oil poached halibut with black truffles, crispy bacon, potato mash with French mustard, and vegetable foam
Charles Bridge
Pumpkin soufflé
Chocolate fondant with beetroot sorbet, dark bread ice cream, and toffee espuma
Foie Gras & Floyd – Prague Part 2
January 25, 2012
More lovely photos from Donna D’s travels..
It has been said that Prague’s lifeblood is not beer, but music, which is why I traveled across the Atlantic to see the Australian Pink Floyd band perform at the Tesla Arena. Well not exactly. Those of you who know me know I’m less of an English Rock and more of a Hip Hop type of gal. But my trip to Prague was all about doing things I wouldn’t normally do like eating foie gras and rocking out to the The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. In order to fully embrace Prague’s music scene I headed over to the music themed Hotel Aria, which I think is the only hotel in the world with a musical director, to dine at Coda. The food was flawless and the service was unreal. I felt like music royalty. My waiter, George, even brought out his camera and a surplus of lenses for me to use. Coda truly delivered on its name as it was the perfect meal to conclude the day.
Smooth Cream of Fennel with Roasted Pancetta and Milk Foam
Tuna Tartar seasoned with Lemon Rind and served with fresh Ginger Salad
Velvety Foie Gras Terrine with home-made Apple & Ginger Chutney
Seared Scallops served with Mango & Thai Basil Salad and home-made Chilli jam
Molten Valrhona Chocolate Cake with Liquid Centre topped with a home-made vanilla bean ice cream and berry coulis
Donna D. A Vegetarian No More – Prague Part 1
January 24, 2012
Another feature story from Donna D. Read about her week of travels as she ate her way through Prague…
After 15 years of vegetarianism I decided to relinquish my duties as a plant eater and jump face first into the land of Beer and Meat – Prague. I started my journey at Lokál for some traditional Czech cuisine and made on-site beer. The interior was reminiscent of the 80’s, long wooden cafeteria benches and child-like doodles sketched onto the walls. The food and unpasteurized beer was tasty, filling, and cheap. It was the perfect spot to kick-off my 5 day meat eating and beer drinking gluttonousness adventure in Prague.
Prazdroj Beer
Homemade Bread & Wall Art
Goulash from Beef Cheeks
Prague Ham
Lokál
All You Can Eat Potato Dumplings
Saint Vitus Cathedral
Special "Talián" Sausage by the Dolejší Family, Horseradish, and Mustard
A Taste of Russia
January 22, 2012
Last weekend while up in Washington Heights we made a stop to a Russian specialty food shop, Moscow on the Hudson, to prepare for a dinner in celebration of the traditional Russian Old New Year. A friendly small shop, the cashier and a customer were chatting at the counter when they gave us all the insider tips needed to have a successful meal. After I explained I was going to photograph the dinner, they even gave me a traditional Russian cuisine calendar as a gift, and made sure I left with everything I needed. Top on the list was Pelmeni Sibirian, Russian style ravioli with Lithuanian sour cream, and Vareniki stuffed with cheese, similar to the Polish pierogi. They also recommended we get a side of the Russian beet salad, sausage and their milk cookies for dessert. Приятного аппетита!
Russian raviolis, ring pretzels and sausage
Pretzels and Russia's version of salsa
Beet Salad
Vareniki and sour cream
Beet salad and ring pretzels
Raviolis and pickles
Sausage
Cookies
a camera in the kitchen 