chikalicious

I hate when this happens! I hate when I can't decide between two things. I was convinced my favorite thing at chikalicious was their espresso shot vanilla bean ice cream sundae, but I went the other day and got something different...something amazing...something I can't stop dreaming about. I got the Choc Éclair Ice Cream Sandwich. It was heavenly. The warm chocolate sauce with the cold vanilla bean ice cream - unFREAKINreal. The best part of the entire thing was that no one bothered me for a bite. It was mine, ALL MINE! 

blizzard

BLIZZARD TIME (and no, I'm not talking about the ice cream concoctions made by Dairy Queen). The blizzard I am talking of is the one that has left me snowed in, locked up in my house for the past 24 hours. Being that I have caught up on all the seasons of Weeds, I had nothing else to do but sit by the fire and think about all the things I wish I could be doing (and/or eating). Staring into the snowy abyss I couldn't help but crave a bowl of amazing warm soup. I already had my share of tea and hot cocoa....I wanted soup. Just my luck - NYMag posted New York's 38 Best Soups, so tomorrow I plan on somehow making my way into the city and getting a bowl of one of these. Below are top choices. Enjoy!

Singapore Kari Laksa

Matzo-Ball Soup

Momofuku Ramen

Ginseng Chicken Soup

Tom Kha Gai

Khao Soi

Baby It's Cold Outisde

So the other day when I was in the city with my Pops, we stopped in at Peels to get some hot cocoa. Peels was opened by the same team of people from Freemans Restaurant (one of my favorites!). The hot chocolate was good, not great, but good. If I was to compare it to anything it would be a melted down dark chocolate candy bar. Every sip I took left me with a thick brown mustache. The best part of this warm, unusually thick, gooey drink was the honey-vanilla marshmallow. I don't love marshmallows, but this one was pretty damn tasty. Don't be fooled by the size, this little thing filled me up! I would say try it if you're near Bowery & 2nd, but no need to go out of your way. ALSO...totes had a celeb spotting there: David Yontef, ya know, the guy from Millionaire Matchmaker who sent his martini  back because it had pear puree.

David Mamet

Tablet Magazine

Eat Me!

Eating in an environment where saying "fuck off" is 100% normal and attitude is appreciated feels like home to me. Welcome to Shopsins - my new favorite place to eat. Becoming an absolute favorite of mine is rare. Yes, I like a lot of things, but to make your way into my top 5...you must be fucking special. I heard the rumors that they take no bullshit here at Shopsins. You fuck around and you're out. I was lucky enough to witness first hand a group of people being told to leave. Word of advice: if Kenny Shopsin's son Zack tells you to stand against the wall, you should stand against the wall. It's not only the the bluntness of the Shopsin's that makes this place unreal, but it's the menu. This thing takes about 20 minutes to go over and I think I could eat there every week for the rest of my life and not repeat a meal. The menu is glorious as is the food. Hello lemon ricotta pancakes and Luke's lunch 1. The pancakes are self explanatory cakes of goodness, but for those who don't know Luke's lunch 1 is BBQ pork and chili cheese fries on a ciabatta, I know, that's beautiful... I left with tears in my eyes.  I have found a new love in life. Shopsins General Market will cater my wedding and probably my children's bar/bat mitzvah. I plan on returning within the week. That probably won't happen being that they're only open from 9am - 2pm (my sleeping hours), but I'll definitely give it a try.


Kenny Shopsin's Book - Eat Me: The Food and Philosophy of Kenny Shopsin


PS: sorry about the lack of pictures from my meal, it needed to be eatin immediately.
PPS: PLEASE do me a favor and check out their menu, it will blow your mind!

rugelach

I do not care what anyone else says, any cookie that has jelly on it is amazing. Linzer tart cookies are the shit and so are rugelach! I wanted to share with you the easiest and most delicious rugelach recipe ever. Three ingredients for the dough and three ingredients for the filling. Deliciouso!

Kate's Rugelach
Melt 2 sticks of butter
Add 1 cup of softened vanilla ice cream (yes, ice cream!)
Mix those two things together
Add 2 cups of flour
Make into a dough & let cool
Roll out the dough
Layer on your favorite preservatives, golden raisins, and chopped walnuts
Roll the dough up into a log
Bake on 350 until ready (about 25 minutes)
EAT!

Blondies Have More Fun

Courtesy of Lindsay Ostacher's Gramcheese

Belgium > French

I love fries.... who doesn't??? But we all know the best part about fries are the condiments. Ketchup is classy but it ain't peanut satay, sambal olek, or wild mushroom mayo AKA three of twenty nine dipping sauces at Pommes Frites. Yes, I said TWENTY NINE! Pommes Frites is an amazing authentic Belgium fries restaurant in the East Village and drum roll please...... IT'S COMING TO NEW JERSEY!!! Even though it's faster for me to make a trip into Manhattan then it is to Hoboken, it's still exciting that they're opening up in the dirty. I'll make the trip worthwhile and pit stop at Carlos' Bakery to pick up a cannoli. 
Fries + Cannolis = Skinny ;)

KO

Two years later I'm still trying to go to Momofuku Ko. Trying to get a reservation is a bitch and I refuse to settle on eating there for lunch.....until today! As many of you know Jews + Christmas = Chinese (Chinese food that is). I'm not trying to go to my local take out spot this year, I'm trying to go to Momofuku Ko. Instead of studying for my finals, I was surfing the web when I found the Christmas menu for Ma Peche. While I hear amazing things about this place, I'm all into the exclusiveness of Ko. I logged into my Momofuku account and searched for Christmas dinner. Obviously there was nothing. I then went back and searched for lunch and BOOM, there's two openings at Ko on Christmas! I immediately text my dad the exciting news and instead of saying BOOK IT! He says, "you're incredible." I'm like yeahhh Dad, I know I'm incredible, but what does that have to do with anything? He replies, "that's what you do on a Saturday afternoon?".... UHM NO!? This is what I do when I'm studying for finals! What I'm trying to say here is that I should have secretly booked it and surprised him. My dad also has been dying to go here... the guy was off his rocker today. I'm sure the reservations are now gone and some Jew foodies out there definitely shit their pants out of excitement that they now have a Ko reservation on Christmas. Looks like I'm having chicken and broccoli this year - great.

Ran The Sandwich Man

Turns out today is honorary sandwich day on Burrnt Toast. Ran outdid himself on this one... I've never seen a homemade sandwich look so damn good! Tomato, mozzarella, chicken, mixed greens, pesto & vinaigrette all on a Whole Foods baguette. 
"I don't fuck around...even for a sandie for lunch."   
- Michael Ran

DISH

I'm sorry, but since when do places close at 2pm for lunch? Leave it to Boulder sushi restaurants to lock up shop the second it hits 2 o'clock. My friend Lindsay and I went on a lunch date today and all we were craving was Japanese, but no...every single Japanese place we went to was closed. I, on the one hand, wasn't as upset as you probably think I was because in actuality I was craving Dish! To be more specific, I was craving the Mahalo sandwich from Dish. The Mahalo is sesame crusted ahi tuna seared rare, cucumber, wasabi mayo, field greens all on an amazing baguette. I also got a side of goat cheese and asparagus penne pasta that tasted like heaven in a bowl. The whole meal was too good to be true and the Mahalo might be my new fave at Dish. Jealousy provided below...

362 1/2

So I'm not only blogging about this place because of my secret obsession with 1/2 addresses, but also because of my known obsession with cheese. The Little Cheese Pub is opening tonight in Chelsea! It isn't your typical wine and cheese establishment you find all over the city. They took a turn for the best and made it a cheese and BEER restaurant - genius on their part! Not only is there a huge selection of cheeses to choose from, but they also prepare their pasta in house for their mac & cheeses. Their selection is to die for:

I also love the interior... painted white brick & mirrors? I'm so there!

firenze!

Home in 12! Florence in 37! Where has junior year gone?!? It honestly has not hit me that I am going abroad in a month! Craziness like WOW. So instead of sending me a picture of his cooking today, Ran emailed me the best present I have ever received! Being that it is the last night of Hanukkah, it was only appropriate that the best present was saved for the last night. What's this present you are wondering?? Well it is a 29 page document of everything Europe! The best restaurants, hotels, shopping, clubs, bars etc. etc. You name it, it's on this list. He also added in his personal "must eat" favorites in Florence, which I know are only the best of the best. The overwhelming excitement caused me to almost shed a tear. Italia 2011 here I come!

Balsamic Steak from Acqua Al 2

GIVEAWAY

Everybody that knows me knows I love me a good bagel with lox and that side of chocolate babka is an added bonus! Serious Eats' holiday giveaway is a Russ & Daughter's brunch package. This giveaway is basically classic New York in package form. I personally love Russ & Daughter's. Walking into their store is like walking into old school New York. This is the go to place for the best smoked fish, whitefish salad, and creamed herring [don't eat herring, but I like the way it looks]. Going out in the Lower East Side is always exciting for me and this isn't because of the bars or clubs... it's because I always end up passing Russ & Daughter's and the 5 minutes I get to have staring into their storefront makes my night complete!

PS: no one enter this giveaway...I need it to be all mine! 

The Big 4

Happy happy birthday to Serious Eats who turned 4 years old today. Four is my lucky number and Serious Eats is my favorite food blog, so this is a HUGE deal.  If I wasn't spending my days studying my tuchas off for finals, then I so would would have made this cake for them. Everyone loves a good icebox cake and I make a damn good one! Not to disappoint anyone, but the one pictured below I stole from google images.

YAY ME!

So this is why I am obsessed with TasteSpotting - Whenever I am in a pickle and don't know what to cook, I go to this website and find the most amazing recipes with PICTURES! Who doesn't love when a recipe has a photo to keep it some company? As I was flipping through the pages, I came across this picture:

Chicken & Sweetcorn Soup

Needless to say, I was immediately inspired. I whipped up a Chicken & Sweetcorn soup of my own and I can tell just by comparing the pictures that mine definitely tasted better! I also put together a side of sesame pancakes with homemade dipping sauce, no...big...deal

RECIPE

Ran Does Pasta

'

Why do I bother going to my family's psychic when I myself am one? After receiving Ran's picture of his cherry tomato bowtie pasta marinated in olive oil, garlic, and red wine with basil, I told him that those leftovers were going to be mine that night...basically I predicted the future. As the night out at the bars came to an end, I found myself in a cab in route to Ran's house. Before I knew it I was face planted into this pasta. I also have some recollection of eating some seriously tasty chicken cutlets. The truth is this midnight meal wasn't amazing because I was intoxicated, it was amazing because it was cooked by Michael Ran.

#Sesame Chicken

Sesame chicken is not something to mess around with. I've officially come to the conclusion that if you are ordering sesame chicken from your local take out place...Don't!. It's most likely going to be super greasy and 92% breading with 8% gross dark meat chicken. BUT not too worry, I have found two exceptions. First, there is Baumgart's Cafe which is a Chinese American restaurant that has four locations in New Jersey. While Baumgart's does have tasty American food, I ONLY ever order their sesame chicken [and peanut butter noodles] because it is perfection. All white meat, hardly any breading and extra sesame seeds. It's basically the god of sesame chicken. 

Baumgart's

The second exception is Jing  at The Landmark in Greenwood Village, Colorado. My first Jing experience was for my friend Lindsay's birthday about a year ago. We haven't been back since due to the fact that it's kind of a schlep from Boulder. Today, without realizing where the fuck I was, I took a turn off the highway on my way to the Italian Consulate of Denver and suddenly the clouds began to vanish and a light from the sky beamed down right onto Jing. My sesame chicken prayers were answered. I immediately called in an order for pick up [sesame chicken, brown rice and OBVS rock shrimp tempura]. Jing, like Baumgart's has the best sesame chicken. Good to know whether I'm in Colorado or New Jersey, I can get my fix.

 JING

I Love Gelt

Maybe I have been living under a rock here but when did Hanukkah become such a hot topic in the food world? I've personally always made sure my house was stocked up on brisket, donuts, latkes, apple sauce and dreidel shaped cookies, but now the pressure has been lifted off. All my favorite food blogs have been talking about Hanukkah food events! NY Magazine has listed some celebrations for us chosen people. The two that sound most intriguing to me are the Menorah Horah and the Beer & Latkes. Grub Street also has a list of restaurants that are getting into the Hanukkah spirit. Check out Toloache's Mexican inspired menu for Hanukkah!

HANUKKAH

Time to whip out the Maneschewitz and get rowdy - It's Hanukkah!! Tonight at sundown begins my favorite holiday. Eight days of presents and eight days of fried food...what is better then that? I thought in honor of the festival of lights I would post some recipes of my favorite Hanukkah treat: LATKES! Frying up these goodies might stink up your entire house and wardrobe, but you'll see they're well worth it.

Celeriac Potato Pancakes With Apple Crème Fraîche

Pumpkin Potato Latkes

Sweet Potato Latkes With Apples & Onions

Poached Eggs Over Celery Root Latkes

Apple Latkes

Food Coma 101

I give thanks for all the amazing food I just consumed...

Wild Rice W/ Cranberries & Onions

Whipped Sweet Potato W/ Brown Sugar Pecans

Spinach & Artichoke Dip W/ Jalapenos

String Beans W/ Crunchy Onions

Cornbread Muffins

Appetizers

Brussel Sprouts

TURKEY!

Apple Galette

Pumpkin Bars

UNREAL!

Octavia's Porch

I really didn't think there would ever be a day where I would be posting about Nikki Cascone [Top Chef alum]. One of the most annoying contestants in the history of Top Chef, Nikki is now going to be the executive chef of Octavia's Porch. The point of this post is not to broadcast her re-appearance into the restaurant world, but rather to broadcast the fact that the menu of Octavia's Porch is going to be dedicated to the Jews. It's going to be "the city's first culturally Jewish restaurant." They will be serving everything from gefilte fish to matzoh ball soup to potato latkes. Who ever knew Nikki was a member of the Jew Crew???

Lulu Cake Boutique

poor & naive me... I thought boutiques where just for shoppping

Blueberry Scone

Homemade Yodels

Pain Au Chocolat

heaven

DC Brunch

My time in Washington DC was been spent eating my entire life away. Late night sessions at Johnny Rockets and now dessert for brunch. So much for my pre-Florence diet... It just so happens the weekend I was visiting my friend Katie at GWU, my high school friend Lauren was having her birthday brunch. Katie and I both attended and both devoured this entire chocolate tart. Well, they called it a chocolate tart but It was most definitely a warm chocolate lava cake [just saying]. The best part of this was the baby chocolate pearl crunchies. They are the same ones found on my favorite dessert at ChikaLicious' dessert club:  Espresso Ice Shot [seen below].