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

Breakfast on the Beach

August 6, 2012

Now if only I could transport myself from the office back to Cinque Terre on this lovely summer Monday morning for some breakfast sandwiches on the beach… Have a wonderful week! x

Ham and cheese sandwich

Bar Eden Gelateria

Ham & Cheese

Not too long ago my parents and I spent an afternoon in Skaneateles, a favorite small town of mine, situated in the Finger Lakes region. There are plenty of great spots for dining on the lake, or stopping through the nearby vineyards, but a few miles into farmland and you land yourself at the quiet Elderberry Pond for a relaxing afternoon lunch in the country. A certified organic farm, the fresh seasonable fruits, vegetables and pasture raised meats are right aside the restaurant with a delicious menu showcasing their homegrown fare.

Happy Friday! x

Grilled organic chicken sandwich served on a fresh bun with swiss cheese, sauteed mushrooms and rosemary mayonnaise

Freshly cut certified organic spinach, free range eggs and fresh garden herbs prepared in a savory quiche style and served in a freshly baked tart shell

Vegetable Soup

Crab cakes served on a bed of greens prepared with tropical blue crab and served with chipotle mayonnaise

Salad

Skaneateles Lake

Gifts for the Foodie

December 20, 2011

This time of year is always a whirlwind for me. Between holiday prep, recent traveling for work, gift buying and festive gatherings, I haven’t had any time to spare, and am just getting around to sharing some of my favorite gift ideas this season– brought to you by my amazing friend, Leslie. She recently launched Gifts Curated, a collection of carefully handpicked items from independent artists and vendors, ranging from food to body products, candles, bags and more. Last weekend she hosted a brunch and trunk show at her apartment. Not only selling her items, but giving customers a taste of her products and leaving them with inspiring ideas of recipes they could try at home. On the menu was grilled chicken and tofu sandwiches using the spicy pumpkin ginger and tomato apple chutney sauces, popcorn with sea salt, cookies with raw organic cacao chips and her grandmother’s homemade pound cake recipe with caramelized bacon using barrel-aged maple syrup. I also included shots we did for her website of my other favorite products that I couldn’t resist sharing with you. Happy Holiday Shopping! x

Gold rimmed spoon and bowl perfect for olives

 

Alta Cucina's Basil Olive Oil is perfect dipped in a fresh loaf of Eli's bread

 

Oil & Bread

 

Spicy Ginger Sauce and Sandwiches

 

Saucy By Nature Spicy Pumpkin Ginger & Tomato Apple Chutney

 

Sandwiches, Pretzels and Saucy By Nature

 

Popcorn with Salt Farm's gourmet sea salt

 

Vandalia Street Press Card & Salad

 

Pancakes with Langdon Wood's Barrel-Aged Maple Syrup

 

Pound Cake, Bacon and Maple Syrup

 

Homemade cacao chip cookies

 

Graham Crackers and cacao chips

 

JC Hot Sauce

 

Sydney Hale Company Candle & TM1985 Hand bag

 

TM1985 Handbag

 

Aromatherapy bath salts

 

Annie of Gift Shop Brooklyn makeup bags

 


Island Burgers & Shakes

November 7, 2011

This weekend my friend Kelly was here, and we ran around town (literally) for 2 days doing all sorts of fun activities like wedding dress shopping and cheering on our friends running the NYC Marathon. With little time to spare, Island Burgers and Shakes was the perfect quick stop for a delicious and filling meal on Saturday afternoon. Difficult to choose from the never-ending menu, we went with the Mona Lisa Churasco, a grilled chicken sandwich with mozzarella, pesto, sauteed onions, mushrooms, roasted peppers and Parmagiana reggiano on ciabatta. And I had the Roma Churasco, grilled chicken with thyme, rosemary, garlic, oregano and red pepper.

Roma Churasco

 

Fries & Ketchup

 

Roma Churasco

 

Mona Lisa Churasco

Café at the Cloisters

October 8, 2011

I couldn’t think of a better way to spend this gorgeous October afternoon than at the Trie Café overlooking the gardens and fascinating Medieval artifacts the Cloisters has to offer. Quite possibly my favorite museum in New York, this Uptown branch of the Met in Fort Tyron Park was a perfect place to bring my parents who are visiting for the weekend. Soaking up the sun, we snacked on Mozzarella/pesto, tuna and turkey sandwiches.

Pesto, Mozzarella and Pepper sandwich

Turkey and tomato sandwich with chips

The gardens

 

Tuna and onion sandwich

 

Pesto sandwich

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