Homespun Foods
June 16, 2011
Gazing out my office window at the sunshine, I desperately want to rewind back to my relaxing weekend lunch in the back garden at Homespun Foods in Beacon. A quaint little dining retreat in town, the staff was welcoming and the food produced locally including cage-free eggs from Feather Ridge Farm, grass-fed beef from Bittersweet Farm, Wallkill smoked salmon and Murray’s poultry. Top on my list was most likely the cheddar cheese sandwich with cranberry apple chutney, definitely easy enough to repeat at home, and the baba ganoosh had me going back for seconds as well.
Pita bread and dressing
Cheddar and Chutney Sandwich: sharp cheddar cheese with cranberry apple chutney
Mac & Cheese
Middle Eastern Platter: Hummus, baba ganoosh, tabouli, feta, olives, cucumbers and tomatoes with pita bread
Salad
Mac & Cheese with a colorful salad
Southampton IPA
Beacon Strawberry Fest
June 13, 2011
Summer is upon us, and it’s time to spend the weekends away from the city and out in the fresh air. While in Beacon over the weekend, a quaint art town about an hour and a half from New York, my friends and I stopped through the Strawberry Festival being held at Riverfront Park. The line was far too long to indulge in the fresh strawberry shortcake, but we enjoyed locally grown berries and a refreshing strawberry mint popsicle.
Beacon's annual Strawberry Festival
Strawberry Mint Popsicle
Volunteers hard at work making fresh strawberry shortcake
London Calling
June 6, 2011
One of my favorite places in all of London is by far Borough Market, tucked away in the tangling streets of the city’s southeast neighborhoods. Visitors not only get a taste of England’s finest foods, but international vendors from Europe and elsewhere gather here to proudly share their produce. If you’re thinking about stopping by, it’s best to get here early on Saturdays or Thursday and Friday afternoons to beat the crowds and truly enjoy the selections offered.
Fresh market fruit
Fish Market
A Friday morning at Borough Market
Sweet Leaf Organics
April 23, 2011
This smoothie and snack stand, Sweet Leaf, has quite the resume of festivals, setting up everywhere from Coachella to Bonnaroo. Providing the essential thirst quenching drink for those hot desert afternoons, these guys serve up some of the best. Based in Oregon, this traveling restaurant uses a solar powered kitchen to prep their organic smoothies, sandwiches, salads and more.
Fruit Smoothies
A Camper’s Breakfast
April 23, 2011
It’s amazing what you can do with no kitchen. Take this array of bagels and breakfast sandwiches cooked up while camping at Coachella as the perfect example.
Bagels, Toast, Eggs & Tomatoes
Bagel Sandwiches
Coachella Farmers Market
April 21, 2011
After falling in love with Santa Monica’s Farmers Market fruit last fall, I was beyond thrilled to experience more from the west coast. Spending a majority of Coachella Music Festival on the grounds, the onsite resources such as the Farmers Market that brought in vendors from neighboring areas of Palm Desert, Palm Springs and La Quinta became most valuable. Here’s what I feasted on that got me through the days…
Lemons, Oranges & Limes
Oranges & Golden Berries
Blueberries, Raspberries, Blackberries, Strawberries & Goldenberries
Green Energizing Drinks
Off to the West Coast…
April 13, 2011
I’m jetting out of town today to soak up some desert sun, photograph all the stylish fashionistas and dance my weekend away at Coachella Music Festival out in California. Of course checking out the local farmers market and other festival foods to share next week is top of my list. Be back soon… x
Ninety Acres at Natirar
April 12, 2011
I spent Sunday afternoon taking in the fresh air of a countryside farm and indulging in some fine dining all at the same time. Having the honor of getting the full tour of Natirar, a 500-acre property in Somerset County, New Jersey, I certainly kept myself busy in an attempt to explore and taste as much as I could. An ongoing project that will include not only dining, but spas, pools and accommodations, the first phase is currently complete and ready for diners. At the restaurant known as Ninety Acres, Food & Wine’s Best new chef of 2011 for the New York area, David Felton, prepared what seemed like endless amazing dishes until we couldn’t eat anymore. Aside from the food, I couldn’t leave out photographs of the old manor house, with it’s classic antique decor, it’s the perfect venue for an elegant wedding or event.
The farm at Natirar
Natirar Beet Salad with baby lettuces, goat cheese, hazelnut granola & cocoa balsamic and tomatoes growing in the greenhouse
Paprika Rubbed Grilled Octopus with meyer Lemon, baby romaine, parmesan & garlic confit
The Dining Room
Organic Risotto with saffron, sundried tomato, crispy porchetta & fried herbs
Wine & Dine
Imperial Wagyu Steak Tartare with chimichurri, picked red onions, two-hour yolk & frico
Interior of the Manor House
Wood Fired Pizza special of the day-Parmesan flat bread, prosciutto & arugula
Griggstown Quail with chili-apricot compote & brown butter brioche
Farmer's Plates on the menu
Fish Friday
February 4, 2011
In the middle of a snowstorm, my roommates and I, along with some friends from our building enjoyed a local meal at Kefi. Pictured below is the Pan Seared Striped Bass. Flashing back to another amazing fish dinner, check out a home cooked Wahoo evening in Aruba not too long ago.
Pan Seared Striped Bass, String Beans, Potato, Capers, Olives
Local Aruba Fish Market
Wahoo
Cooked and ready for dinner on the ocean
Wahoo Tacos
Marandi Sunset
January 18, 2011
A little flashback to the warm evenings in Aruba last month. Here’s a dinner enjoyed seaside at sunset in a palapa hut at Marandi.
Shrimp Tempura
Tuna Tartar
a camera in the kitchen 