Donna D. Photography Brings Us… For the love of uni
December 18, 2012
I have an obsession with those spiny little globular animal’s gonads. I can’t get enough of their creamy custard-like texture that dissolves on your tongue and tastes like a delightful ocean mist with a sweet after tone. Anytime, I hear about a restaurant serving up the best oceanic foie gras, especially one whose menu reads like a Jacque Cousteau book, a visit is a must. It took me two years to get there but Marea, and its warm sea urchin wrapped under a cashmere blanket of melted lardo, was well worth the wait.
FUNGHI acquarello risotto, wild mushrooms, parmigiano
RICCI sea urchin, lardo, sea salt
ASTICE nova scotia lobster, burrata, eggplant al funghetto, basil
SAN PIETRO new zealand john dory, sunchokes, pomegranate, brussel sprouts, hazelnuts
SPIGOLA NERA local black bass, beluga lentils, cipollini onion, trumpet royal muchrooms, red wine jus
TAGLIOLINI manila clams, calamari, white wine, hot chilies
FUSILLI durum wheat pasta, red wine braised octopus, bone marrow & SPARNOCCHI sweet main shrimp, lava salt, lemon
BOMBOLONI deep fried doughnuts, zabaglione crema, espresso crumble chocolate sauce, white espresso gelato & NOCCIOLA PRALINATO hazelnut, dark chocolate lemon, mint
Donna D at A Brooklyn Biergarten
September 24, 2012
Radegast Hall & Biergarten in Williamsburg, Brooklyn conveniently located right next to one of my favorite chocolate stores, Mast Brothers Chocolate, is a great place to bring friends and family for afternoon of eating and drinking. With a wide selection of beers and traditional German fare, I often end up spending hours laughing with friends new and old. The pretzels and pickles are a must.
Munich Pretzel with Spicy Mustard and Cornichon
German Folk Band
Beer, Bratwurst, & Radegast “Easter” Sausage
Beer on Tap
Pickles & Bratwurst
Friends
Donna D: Getting bombed with the Sandwich King of Astoria
September 14, 2012
Donna D.’s signature sandwich is fresh mozzarella on a roll with tomatoes, shredded iceberg lettuce, thinly sliced pickles, a small amount of white onions which must be sliced paper thin and honey mustard sauce. As simple odd as this sandwich may sound, very few delis have been able to perfect it. Either the bread is stale, they don’t shred the lettuce, or even **gasp** use processed mozzarella or even **larger gasp** don’t use the right honey mustard sauce (which I actually don’t even know the name of the brand I prefer). Only two delis have been able to master my sandwich, Toasties in NYC and the Ave in New Rochelle (yes I’ve schlepped to Westchester for my favorite sandwich). You would too if you have ever experienced the amazingness of the Ave.
But at last I have found another deli that can not only perfect my sandwich but also offers da bomb sandwiches for DIRT cheap. I’m talking $7.50 for a foot-long sandwich that can easily feed two people. Sal, Kris, & Charlie’s Deli is just north of the Triborough bridge in Astoria and is an old school deli. Their signature sandwich “The Bomb” is basically every meat and cheese that they offer loaded into a freshly baked Italian sub. The sheer weight of it could easily knock out anyone trying to steal it from you. The sandwich is that good. So be prepared to use it as a weapon to fight off perps.
Sal’s is a cash only joint and doesn’t have any seating so be prepared. For an inexpensive date I suggest grabbing food from Sal’s then heading over to Socrates Sculpture Garden or Astoria Park for a picnic.
Sal, Kris, & Charlie’s Deli’s store front
The bomb & Root beer
What shall I eat?
Slicing cheese
Fresh mozzarella, lettuce, tomatoes, honey mustard, and finely sliced onions & pickles on a roll
23rd Ave Astoria
Donna D brings us to LIC Market
September 10, 2012
Located in the heart of Long Island City’s business district, LIC Market is a charming farm house inspired restaurant that serves up local seasonal food. I stopped by here one Sunday morning to enjoy their brunch. We arrived at few minutes before 11:00am to avoid having to wait for a table, like most popular brunch places in the city this place can sometimes be a bit of wait. But the food and price are well worth it. The gazpacho, a favorite of mine was perfectly chilled and tasted like the tomatoes were just picked from the vine. It was a very refreshing start to our meal. We also enjoyed roasted baby turnips, juicy shredded brisket with a tangy red cabbage slaw, fluffy buttermilk pancakes, and slow roasted duck hash. I can’t wait to go back and try their dinner menu.
Roasted Baby Turnips with Parsley, Extra Virgin Olive Oil & Aged Balsamic
Complimentary Pastries with Housmade Berry Jam & Butter
Fried Eggs Over Easy
Gazpacho
Slow Roasted Duck Hash with Crisp Potatoes, Red Onion, Peppers, Dried Cherries & Pine Nuts under two Fried Eggs
Buttermilk Pancakes with Toasted Pumpkin Seed Butter & Maple Syrup
Shredded Brisket & Red Cabbage Slaw
Life is too Short to Eat Cheap Chocolate
May 21, 2012
Here’s a little post from Donna D on desserts!
I don’t consider anything to be dessert unless it is chocolate and am usually happiest when I am consuming it. I don’t waste precious calories on any type of chocolate. For starters “white chocolate” is an insult to the chocolate family and should seriously be renamed and second of all I really can’t stomach generic mass produced chocolates. At the end of the day, life is too short to eat cheap chocolate. If you share my proclivities, you should be stopping by Mast Brothers Chocolate in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Their chocolate is orgasmic. My favorite is their Maine Sea Salt which is the perfect balance of salty and sweet. If for some reason [which I really could never understand] you don’t care for chocolate, visiting their factory is an experience in itself. You get to see the entire chocolate making process from bean to package. Speaking of package; I am in love with their packaging and design. I seriously couldn’t get enough of this place and can you believe that I just happened to stumble upon it?
Mast Brother Chocolate Factory
Samples of Chocolate
Mast Brothers Double-Chocolate Cookie
Mast Brothers Baker
Bags of Cacao Beans & San Martin Chocolate Samples
Truffles
Chocolate Making Machinery
Mast Brothers Double-Chocolate Cookie & Truffles
Mast Brothers Assorted Chocolate Bars
Macroons
Donna D Goes to SmorgasBurg
May 1, 2012
While I ventured Upstate for the weekend, Donna D stayed local, and spent her Saturday taste-testing Williamsburg. Check out her great shots!
Every Saturday on the Williamsburg waterfront between North 6th and North 7th St., from 11am to 6pm, Smorgasburg brings together food entrepreneurs and established purveyors from New York City and across the region selling both packaged and prepared foods, fresh produce, and other food-related stands. The market is open rain or shine, and man-oh-man, did I get my eat on this past weekend. As you can see from all the photos, I sampled a lot of food. I think I managed to hit up 50 vendors. Some of my favorites were the Lime-in-the-Coconut candy bars from Liddabit Sweets, the S’morgasm from S’more Bakery, braised Pork Belly with sliced cucumber, pickled jalapeno, scallions and hoisin from Bite Size Kitchen, and a shot of Vichyssoise soup from Sea Bean Goods [they are a micro-soupery which I’m dying to try their soup subscription]. If you don’t already know, I have an obsession with carbonated water – so obviously Brooklyn Soda Works‘ Apple Ginger Soda was a major hit to my taste buds. I also picked up some of Grady’s Cold Brew which is a New Orleans–style coffee concentrate and the best staple for a girl that doesn’t have a coffee maker.
Is it Summer Yet?
March 14, 2012
Last night I was strolling around the neighborhood in short sleeves after I thoroughly enjoyed a dinner at the New York Historical Society. The streets were buzzing, the restaurants overflowed onto the sidewalks and the smell in the air was that of a summer evening. Whether it’s here to stay or not, I’m daydreaming of the months to come, especially for those weekend trips out to the Hamptons. Here’s a little taste from Donna D…
Last April the bf, babies, and I headed to the Hamptons for a weekend of rest and relaxation. It was one of our first times experiencing the far East-end of Long Island and it was the perfect escape from the craziness of NYC. I am quite happy that we chose April because it saved us some major money and it wasn’t crowded with all the cool kids that come during the summer. The weather was also perfect despite forecasts of rain. We stayed at the charming Hampton Beach House and spent the weekend playing on the beach, eating good food, and touring the many dog-friendly wineries. Some of the highlights of our trip included breakfast at the Mexican inspired Estia’s Little Kitchen, sampling wine at Paumanok, Duckwalk, and Pindar vineyards, shopping for our picnic lunch at the The Village Cheese Shop, and watching the beautiful spring sunsets on the beach.
Paumanok Vineyards & Pindar Vineyards
Owner, Rosemary, putting together the cheese for our picnic at the The Village Cheese Shop
The Village Cheese Shop
Owner, Rosemary, preparing a sample of cheese at the The Village Cheese Shop
The Village Cheese Shop
Lunch
Duckwalk Vineyards
Paumanok Vineyards' wine & Bread, goat cheese, fig jam, and olive
Blueberry Port at Duckwalk Vineyards
Bread, goat cheese, and fig jam
Pindar Vineyards
Picnic Lunch
The Cook at Estia's Little Kitchen preparing our breakfast
Sophie’s Crab ‘n’ Eggs with avocado on an english muffin at Estia's Little Kitchen
Guacamole, chips and salsa at Estia's Little Kitchen
Morning coffee at Estia's Little Kitchen
Spring sunset on the beach
Sunset
From Donna D: Frostbite & Freaks
February 14, 2012
A little over 2 ½ months ago I started drinking the CrossFit cool-aid and decided to participate in LIC’s CrossFit 2nd Annual Frostbite Competition. Most of my friends thought I was coo coo for cocoa puffs to want to spend a Saturday freezing my tuches off while performing a variety of exercises in a muddy half-frozen abandoned lot outside. I sure do love me a good challenge. The workouts were HARD and the cold made them that much HARDER. But I survived and really appreciated all the support and camaraderie of the other athletes, coaches, judges, and spectators. Everyone was wicked awesome but let’s not forget about the food. Yes I am that girl that shows up to a fitness competition eager to check-out the food and FOODfreaks couldn’t have been a more fitting food truck. They were serving up warm and delicious grilled cheese sandwiches, chillis, and side-dishes like crispy fried brussel sprouts. I definitely need to pay them a visit (perhaps when it is a tad warmer out) at their FortGreenePark location in Brooklyn.
Double unders & Food Freak Chili
Hungry crossfitters lining up at the Food Freak truck
Short rib grilled cheese sandwhich & Ground to overhead with dumbbell
Short ribs, gruyere, pickled red onions, balckberry jam, and watercress on sourdough
“The Human Snowflake” (Workout 3) & Chilli topped with cilantro
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
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 camera in the kitchen 