Burrnt Toast: December 2011

12.24.2011

Table 21

Going into the city to visit my family at The Agency can only lead to one thing... A spontaneous dinner at Burger & Barrel (obviously!). You've seen his name on Burrnttoast in the past and here it is again. Josh Capon, executive chef at B&B and Lure Fishbar is a dear friend of mine and invited me to come have dinner at his restaurant. I've been meaning to go for sometime now and finally made my way over.

Burger & Barrel, located on 25 W Houston St. is an American pub with incredible food. Sitting by my side the entire time Chef Capon did the honor of ordering us the best bites of food off his menu. Believe me, I'm down to be honest here, I don't care speaking my mind and I'm not afraid of holding anything back... So, with that said, let me tell you that the food is unbelievable! One after the other, things just kept getting better. I came to realize however that there is this misconception that goes on with the eaters at B&B. Being that burger is in the name of the restaurant and Capon is the king of Burger Bash, one's thought would be to order a burger, but the truth is the other entrees on the menu should not be put in the burger's shadow! Don't get me wrong, we ordered a burger and it was down right insane, but so was the farfalle with hen of the wood mushrooms and TRUFFLES! And might I add, since I am so special I was lucky enough to have some extra truffles shaved over my pasta and excuse me, but who doesn't love that???

Our meal started off with a sampling of the Tuna Tartae [chili oil, avocado, potato gaufrettes aka potato chip] and continued with some more samplings of some crazy good food...

Chicken Lollipops [ancho chile bbq]

Chef Capon & I cheersing to some good 'ol BACON!

Rock Shrimp Hush Puppies [corn & jalapeno, charred scallion aioli]

Brasied Short Rib [shredded cabbage, pico de gallo, cream fresca]

Special Pasta: Farfalle, Hen of the Wood Shrooms & TRUFFLE!

Bash Style Burger [caramelized onion & bacon jam, pickles, cheese} & the best tators I've ever had

Mini Ice Cream Cones

Apple Fritter Doughnut Things w/ Vanilla Ice Cream-ish Dipping Sauce - YUM!!

I mean it is clear dinner was insane and out of this fucking world. We also had their shrimp ceviche, but ate it before we realized a picture was not taken... My B!

This is clearly a snapshot of Capon & I, but what's that championship belt I'm sporting you ask? Well that's his heavy weight belt he received from my buddy Peter Raskin for winning Burger Bash. Such cute besties!

The belt is well deserved and now I kind of now want one...even though I've never won anything, but I think these things are the new #trend. Love 'em! Gotta get one...

Josh Capon kudos for being an amazing chef & person. Your fun and loving personality is infectious and my friend and I enjoyed every moment of our night (no really, she couldn't stop talking about it). The question, however, that kept coming my way the entire evening was "How do you know the chef??" Well, I must thank Peter Raskin for introducing me to Capon. Good things to come....cannot wait for the Brooklyn Bowl baby!!!

Penelope

Needing a lite lunch to fulfil our hunger craving, my friend Lindsay and I decided to make our way down to Penelope for a bite to eat. Always packed on the weekends, it was a great time to finally go. 2pm on a Thursday, we were seated immediately...there was no waiting to be done. After much deliberation on what to order, we decided to split two dishes, or as I like to call it - Splitsies!! I went for the When Veggie Met Sally [ Chopped greens with red onion, grilled veggie burger, and green apple tossed with goat cheese in a roasted garlic balsamic vinaigrette] and Lindsay ordered the Grilled Chicken Club [marinated grilled chicken with crispy bacon, melted fontina, honey mustard, mayo, greens, and tomato on toasted baguette]. For a quick and well-priced lunch in Manhattan I say, if in the area, Penelope is the place to go. My only complaint would be the fact that legit every other table were given this little dessert bar thing with their check and we got jack shit. Why they be hating?

12.21.2011

wonton boogie

Why my life is amazing?? My mom is a caterer....DUH! This means I am her guinea pig on everything she makes. I am the official taste tester. The final yay or nay on what goes out. The mind behind it all. It's a glorious job and I love it. If anyone tries taking my job over (brothers, dad, etc.) then there will be problems, but for now my Mom comes to me. Today she was making pork & shrimp dumplings and I was her #1 sous chef. After spending hours folding wontons, we cooked up a few (fried & boiled) to see if our hard work paid off and oh did it ever!

I can't stop eating them, it's kind of sick...
Recipe from Use Real Butter [Boulder, Co]

Shabbat Shalom!

Prayer after prayer. Candle lighting after candle lighting. Challah cutting after challah cutting. Every Friday night was the same. Then I went off to college and I was released from my role of reading the Friday night prayers and I have to admit I was prettyyyy happy. Now, home on break, I'm back up in this tradition. For some reason I did not mind as much because there was this incredible Shabbat dinner spread prepared by my very own mamacita & it was delicious as always.

Yummy!

Shabbat Candle

String Bean & Walnut Spread

Roasted Tomatoes

White Bead Spread

Pigs in Puff Pastry

Potatoes

Bruschetta

Chicken Cutlet

Apple Galette

TGiving

One month later... so my style, I know... but here are some pictures from my Thanksgiving feast. What am I grateful for you ask? Obvs I'm grateful for food... What else is there to be grateful for? I guess family too, but like ehhhh ;)

Nothing too fabulous, but just the basic Thanksgiving necessities...
And I have to introduce my new (as of Summer '11) puppy Bella. She's a beauty!

12.19.2011

Forbes 30 Under 30

Forbes just released their 30 under 30 in the Food & Wine industry. As I browsed the list looking for a potential future husband I thought to myself about the possibility of me one day being on this list. I have 9 years left to make my mark in the industry before I am shunned from this list. There's no doubt that I won't be making moves come graduation in May, but regardless a new goal has been set. You will see my name on Forbes 30 under 30: Food & Wine edition one day, so keep an eye out.

12.09.2011

Cafe Aion

Waking up at 8:30am and not being able to fall back asleep was shitty, but it did lead me to one thing...BREAKFAST FOOD! I'm never ever up early enough to go out for breakfast and it depresses me because I love me a good stack of pancakes. I texted my friend and immediately we were out and about deciding where to go for breakfast. We stopped off at a local eatery ,Snooze, but the wait was 25 minute & we weren't trying to stand in a cramped store front waiting to be seated, so we decided to hit up Cafe Aion. Esquire Magazine listed Cafe Aion on their "Where to Eat in Colorado Right Now" list and for a good reason. Tucked away on "The Hill" in Boulder, Cafe Aion is a cute, warm, welcoming, and quaint restaurant.

Our meal overall was damn tasty. I woke up craving an omelet, but ended my morning with polenta & poached eggs and I was not disappointed. Our meal was perfection. It wasn't the typical greasy breakfast food found in diners back home. It was a delicious gourmet breakfast and it hit the spot!