#RedVelvet

Red Velvet anything has been the dessert hype for quite sometime and I've had a few bites here and there of RV cakes, cookies, whoopie pies, cupcakes etc...However, nothing seems to compare to Lori Burr's (my mommy) infamous Red Velvet Cake. With an array of hidden berries inside (blueberries, raspberries & strawberries) she knows how to update this old school favorite and make it something great! Iced with fresh cream cheese icing and topped off with a bouquet of flowers, her friend is one lucky birthday girl! 

Shawarma Showdown

Every corner you turn in Israel, you're bound to see some shawarma. No complaints here! I love me some shawarms, but after a heavy dose of mystery meat, I settled on falafel for the rest of the trip. 

Tzfat

Don't let the picture deceive you...This isn't a pita, but rather my new favorite thing, a LAFFA! After many shawarma & falafel meals, I like to think I have it all somewhat down to a science. If you're in the shawarma mood, a laffa is your best bet. Since the wrap and the pita got together and gave birth to a laffa, it knows how to hold the meat and toppings like a pro.

Old City of Jerusalem

Falafel in a Pita 

Chicken Shawarma in a Laffa

Mathew truly enjoying himself

With falafel on my mind, the confusion started swarming in when I saw that Shwarma Bar offered CHICKEN shawarma. No mystery meat here, just pure chicken. I had to admit it was quite enticing, but I could not go another day without falafel. Either or, the meal was amazing. Great pre-Western Wall bite to get us re-energized. 

Momofuku Montauk

I'm sure you all have heard Momofuku Milk Bar recently made a move out East, but incase you have not, I thought I would share the news. Now that summer has officially begun, it is time to escape the hot & sweaty weekends in the city and head to the South Fork. 

No huge store front here, but the cute & cozy shack still serves all the favorites. Compost Cookies, Crack Pie, or Cereal Milk?? Decisions, decisions...

If you need that something sweet after your lobster roll at Lunch head to the Make-shift Milk Bar and grab yourself something to curve that craving. 


Make-shift Milk Bar 
696 Montauk Highway
Montauk, NY 11954

Can I have some cheese on that?

In my opinion, my burger is not complete without cheese, so a burger concept in Israel was somewhat puzzling to me. It seemed to be quite puzzling to my friend Katie as well who asked for some dairy on top of her meat and was immediately shot a dirty look. We learned our lesson from that day on....

With no English menu in sight, we had to order by word of mouth. I heard the lamb/beef mixed burger was to die for and the sweet chili & chimichurri sauces were the go to. I must say, my friends did not steer me wrong. 

I've had many burgers in my day. Fast food burgers, expensive burgers, turkey burgers... you get the idea. The truth of the matter is that this Israeli Burger Bar is a fast food concept, so my expectations were not high. 

I attempted to spice up the burger with some solid toppings because I did not expect anything more then a flat dried out patty. Eggplant, pickles, onions, sweet chili sauce, tomatoes with chimichurri and garlic mayo on the side should suffice. However, before I go into any more detail I'll let you take a looksie for yourself...

YES! YES! YES! that's right kids! A beautiful, perfectly medium cooked burger. Thick, juicy and flavorful, this burger was hands down the best "fast" food burger I've ever had. This concept needs to come to the US! Say buhbye to what you thought was a good burger cooked at a mall kiosk and say hello to Burger Bar!

Feta Fix

I love me some feta cheese, so as soon as my plane touched down on Israeli soil, the search was on. I could not wait for my unlimited supply of feta. Feta on everything (minus meat of course)! Well, before I knew it, things took a turn for the worse. Maybe I'm wrong....but when I think Mediterranean, I think feta. Clearly that's not the case for Israel. Falafel balls in a pita with no feta? Oy vey! When this realization finally hit me, I became quite the feta complainer. Everywhere where we went, I kept my feta hopes high and I was constantly disappointed....UNTIL....... TEL AVIV!

Praise you Tel Aviv for reconnecting me with what seemed like a lost love. When my friends and I sat down at a random cafe in the middle of this beach town, the last thing I expected to see was the word feta, but there it was! F-E-T-A ! 

Quinoa salad w/ walnuts, cranberries & feta

A nice break from carbs, this salad was a breathe of fresh air. Just what I needed to complete my trip in Israel. My friends, Katie & Carli, also loved their meals. Sababa!

Even though we only had 2 hours of free time in Tel Aviv, we did not regret taking the time to sit down and enjoy this meal. I might have missed out on some vital evil eye bracelet shopping, but it was well wroth it. #FETA4LIFE

Holy Heaven

Every single time I bite into one of my mom's rugelach I think to myself, "is there anything really better then this?" Well poor little naive me. There is! [Sorry Mom]. Let me take to to Jerusalem, Israel where right outside the shuk is a bakery called Marzipan. Floor to ceiling walls covered in freshly baked Israeli pastries. The smell just as enticing as the site. It almost knocked me off my feet. I should have known that only the holy land could produce something this delicious...

My friend Katie and I walked into Marizpan only expecting to get one Burekas [a savory pastry that comes with a variety of fillings], but we left with much more. 

Spinach & Cheese Burekas

Cinnamon Rugelach

Chocolate Rugelach

With an overwhelming selection, we had to take a step back and focus in on what we really wanted. We went with a mushroom burekas [not pictured], a spinach & cheese burekas, chocolate rugelach and cinnamon rugelach. First of all, these burekas are out of this world. It's like a Jewish empanada topped off with sesame seeds, but savory aside, these rugelachs were hands down the best I have ever had [and I have had a lot of rugelach over the past 22 years]. However, the winner goes to the cinnamon. If I could really describe in words how this tasted, I would, but I can't...Only 11 hours on a plane plus a short bus ride can get you there! It's worth it. 

WATCH THIS!

This doesn't really have to do with food besides the fact that it is Eddie Huang, owner of BaoHaus, speaking....But I absolutely had to share this. I've always been a huge fan of Eddie and now respect him more then ever. Beyond the fact that he is one hilarious guy [see HERE], his talk at Big Omaha was incredibly inspirational. For those who want to make something of themselves, as I do,  should watch all 33 minutes of this video. 


Wanting a career involving food & media relations, I can only hope that one day I will be able to work with Eddie. Not many people have an effect on me, Eddie is the exception. 


ps: Be sure to check out Eddie's restaurant in the East Village 
BoaHaus
283 East 14th St.
New York, NY 10003
646.669.8889

MW

Four restaurants, one city...This clearly is not a chef that should be reckoned with. Michael White, executive chef of Marea, Ai Fiori, Osteria Morini and now Nicoletta (and many more), is an extremely talented chef. I'm counting down the days until the opening of Nicoletta, Michael's new pizzeria. I know this place is going to be a huge hit! However, I'm here to share some food porn with you from Osteria Morini. Now that I'm home from school (for good), I can make my way over to sample Michael's new spring pastas. 

Tortellini Zingara // Classic stuffed Bolognese pasta with peas, asparagus, red pepper & cream

Lumache Verde // lamb ragu, artichoke, fava & ricotta salata

Creste // squid ink pasta with shrimp and seppia ragu & fava

Fazzoletti // ricotta and mascarpone, lemon zest, nettle pesto & ricotta salata

Gnocchi Verde // nettle potato dumplings with sausage mushroom escarole & cream

Pretty hard to believe this guy grew up in the middle of Wisconsin...Believe me when I say, I lived in Italy for four months and this guy knows what he is doing. If these fives dishes don't make you want to call up Osteria Morini right now and make a reservation, then I don't know what will.

Osteria Morini 
218 Lafayette St.

New York, NY 10012

212.965.8777


ps: be sure to check out Michael HERE with my bud Chef Josh Capon