Home away from Home

Truffles, olive oil, pasta, salami, pesto, pizza, paninos...anything that reminds me of Italy makes me smile. Recently, an amazing restaurant here in Boulder, Frasca, opened up a little sandwich shop called Frasca Caffe. They call it cozy, I call it very small and claustrophobic, but the paninis are out of this world, so in this case size doesn't matter. My first experience at Frasca Caffe, I asked the cashier what she recommended. She said the Polpetta (meatball, san marzano tomato & mozzarella) and the Italiano (prosciutto, salami, mortadella, provolone & pickled veggies). Needing a good dose of Italian meats, I decided to go with the Italiano and I'm so happy I did! The salty meats, with the acidic vegetables and the light touch of mayonnaise made this sandwich a winner. In addition to paninis, they also have salads, soups, pastries and a lot of other great things to eat. I'm kind of sorta majorly obsessed.

Italiano

Polpetta

WOWZA!

Beef chow fun has ALWAYS been my go to order in Chinese restaurants. I'm just head over heels in love with those chewy thick rice noodles. My addiction is pretty serious. If my mom orders in Chinese and "forgets" to order my chow fun, you don't want to be there to see what happens. It's not pretty. Today on Serious Eats they posted a picture of Red Eggs's beef chow fun and I got the chills. It looks so damn tasty! I went to Red Egg two years ago on Christmas because that's what Jews do. J. Kenji Lopez-Alt says in the article that she thinks this might be the best in the city, so my search might be finished. If only I had known at the time! She also posted a picture of their salt & pepper pork chops which also look dank! Maybe I'll hit up Red Egg again this Christmas. I could use an amazing beef chow fun fix. 

Red Egg

202 Centre Street, New York, NY 10013 ‎
212-966-1123

Yom Kippered

New York Magazine dared to step foot into Russ & Daughters the day before Yom Kippur and came out with this quirky article that I love...

"It must be kind of confusing to those of you with ash-blond hair and hands-off parents, but here's how it works: Even though Yom Kippur is a holiday of fasting, Jews go bat-shit crazy over what to eat post-fast. Spreads are traditionally lavish and meatless. Hence the lox-related insanity over at Russ & Daughters, where sources say the wait time in line was somewhere around an hour, complete with some of the best George Costanza–like people watching all year. A rep from the shop was too frazzled to have a chat, but assured that today is definitely their moment. Happy epicurious atonement."

Mayhem

Yom Kippered

Yom Kippur, the Jewish holiday where you starve yourself in order to feast the following day at sundown and fall hard into a food coma. Personally, my favorite way to break the fast is with a fat toasted bagel, cream cheese, and lox. However, there might be an alternative this year. I came across Russ and Daughters Yum Kippered sandwich. Instead of the traditional cured salmon filet, this bagel has thinly sliced kippered salmon, which is hot-smoked instead of cold-smoked. Lets not get to technical here. All I am saying is man do I wish I was home to get my hands on that bagel even if the wait is over and hour. 

Madison Square Eats

I'm like so all over Madison Square Garden's new concession stands. God knows the only reason people step foot in that arena is to see the Knicks or a concert. At first I did not give a shit Swedish House Mafia sold out before I could get my hands on a pair of tickets, but now with all these new food spots opening, I'm kicking myself in the ass! I guess I'm going to have to get some seats for a concert when I'm home because I most definitely need to try out all these new eateries. Unfortunately it looks like Taylor Swift is going to have to be that ticket purchase...awkward. MSG has really stepped their shit up though. Kudos MSG...kudos.

Hill Country BBQ

Carnegie Deli

Daily Burger

Aquagrill

Sausage Boss

Simply Chicken

Chikalicious '11

I have a true fascination with Chikalicious Dessert Club. I have fallen in love with their Chocolate Éclair Ice Cream Sandwich and their Espresso Ice Shot, but it looks like there is another contender in town. The newest addition to their incredible dessert menu is a Strawberry Shortcake Sundae. I love me a good strawberry shortcake. Either from Thai Chef or from my mama, strawberry shortcakes have always been one of my favorite desserts. Sorry mom, but it looks like someone has out baked you. Chikalicious has kind of out done themselves here. This thing looks out of control and I cannot wait to get my hand on it come November! 

Buttery shortcake squares, whipped cream, & fresh strawberry slices mixed into soft serve

Something else Chikalicious recently introduced that looks out of this world is the Cookies-N-Cream Sundae. This concoction is made up of their outrageous vanilla bean soft serve mixed in with their "The Situation" cookie. It's like a DQ Blizzard on acid!

"The Situation" Cookie

The Cookies-N-Cream Sundae

ChikaLicious Dessert Club

204 E. 10th Street

New York, NY

Burger & Barrel Takes Over Burger Bash

I choose my friends wisely. There are a few standards I put in place before I let you become friends with me, but without a doubt when I met Josh Capon he was an automatic in. Read my previous post about Capon if your interested in our initial meeting. This post, however, is all about Capon winning the People's Choice at NYC Wine and Food Festival's Burger Bash. I would have done about almost anything to get a bite of that bison burger with slab bacon, smoked cheddar and 'secret sauce'!! I'm SO happy for his win because I definitely would have voted for him even if his burger sucked, which isn't possible but yeah. Capon Won!! Congratulations!!!! I will 100% be attending next year and I cannot wait for dinner at B&B to finally get a taste of one of dem burgers! 


Also, you NEED to check out the all the other burgers showcased this year at Burger Bash. I almost cried, they're beautiful.

Josh Capon's winning burger

side note: if Capon is friends with Whoopi does this mean I'm friends with her through association?!

Every Thing On It

Thank you Shel Silverstein for two of my favorite childhood books. Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light in the Attic were genius. Now you return to my life with your new book Every Thing On It and I believe you have written one of the most beautiful poems I've ever read. Keep up the good work Shel!

Italian Food

 
Oh, how I love Italian food. 
I eat it all the time,
Not just 'cause how good it tastes

But 'cause how good it rhymes.
Minestrone, cannelloni,
Macaroni, rigatoni,
Spaghettini, scallopini,
Escarole, braciole,
Insalata, cremolata, manicotti,
Marinara, carbonara,
Shrimp francese, Bolognese,
Ravioli, mostaccioli,
Mozzarella, tagliatelle,
Fried zucchini, rollatini,
Fettuccine, green linguine,
Tortellini, Tetrazzini,
Oops—I think I split my jeani.

-Shel Silverstein 

Dumplin' Lovin'

Yes, it is true... the Jews love Chinese food. What's the reasoning behind it? I cannot tell you, but what I can tell you is that I don't just love Chinese food, I love love LOVE Chinese food! I could probably live off of Dim Sum for the rest of my life and be content. Read this article  by the Time if you have any doubt with what I've written above. 

Let's start off with the announcement of Vanessa's Dumpling House opening up in Williamsburg. Lucky mother fuckers. I hope they know what is coming their way. Vanessa's isn't only the cheapest meal I have had in my life, but Vanessa's food is out of this world. It truly amazes me that dumplings fascinate me so much, but they're just so damn good. I'll stick to the original location on Eldridge rather then schlepp over to Brooklyn, but I'm happy Vanessa will be sharing her dumpling love across New York.

Moving on... the NYC Dumpling Festival was yesterday at the Sara D. Roosevelt Park. Dumplings from all around the world were served and there was a dumpling eating contest that had my name written all over it. Unfortunately for me, I'm out here in Boulder, CO where good Chinese food doesn't exist. Here are some dumplings showcased at the festival.

Frankies NEVER fails...

Squid with Two Sauces 

Frankies 17

17 Clinton St
(between Avenue B & Houston St) New York, NY 10002

Daddy Dufresne

If you don't know who Wylie Dufresne is then get out of the fucking bubble you're apparently living in. Wylie is the chef and owner of the infamous restaurant wd-50 in New York City. He is known for his mind blowing use of molecular gastronomy in his food. The man is a genius and it clearly must run in his jeans. His father Dewey Dufresne has now presented not only his BYGGYZ sandwich but also his plans to open a sandwich shop, which he is also going to called BYGGYZ (pronounced Biggie's). He wants to please the appetite of the everyday customer, but with his son's creative techniques and I'm sure he'll do just that.