Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Places I want to eat….A Salt and Battery

http://www.asaltandbattery.com/home

A Salt and Battery
112 Greenwich Ave
New York
212-691-2713

Friday, April 24, 2009

Places I want to eat…..Sweetiepie NYC

www.sweetiepierestaurant.com

Sweetiepie
19 Greenwich Avenue
New York
NY 10014
212-337-3333

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Birthday Dinner no1….Oddfellows Rest

www.oddfellowsrest.com

80 River Street
Hoboken, NJ
(across from path)
201.656.9009

Well this year I got two birthday dinners, lucky me! The first one, on my actual birthday was at our local favourite Oddfellows Rest in Hoboken. A Cajun restaurant straight out of New Orleans, and it has some great food & great cocktails! They also do a mean Sunday Brunch, but we will talk about that at a later date.

Thursday night is half price Martini night so, well, you know, you gotta do it! We ordered an Oddfellows Gin Fiz - bombay sapphire, lemon lime soda, sour mix, sugar rim & a Classic Apple - skyy vodka, apple pucker, pineapple juice.

Then we ordered Cajun Popcorn - lightly fried crawfish tails with homemade tartar sauce 10.95 to share to start, if your gona eat southern food, you need one part to be deep fried :)

For mains I want for my all time favourite, which, by the way, tastes great the next day as leftovers, because they a big ‘ole portions, Down Home Seafood Jambalaya - Prince Edward Island mussels, sea scallops, shrimp and crawfish stewed in aromatic shrimp broth rice 16.95 • Lunch - 13.95
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and a Fried Crabcake Po' Boy - herb mayonnaise 11.95. A Po’ Boy is a sandwich which came about in Depression-Era New Orleans, a street vendor offered a complete meal for the affordable price of one nickel. His creation, a loaf of French bread dressed with meat, lettuce and tomato, was immediately popular among the near destitute, who christened it the "Po'Boy".
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You can never fault Oddfellow’s, the food is consistently good and the atmosphere, even if you just pop in for a quick drink at the bar always has that Mardi Gras party feel.

Am waiting for Crawfish Season, lb’s of Crawfish every Tuesday night from 28th April – June 30th (excl May 26th)

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Friday Night Dinner at….Mt Fuji Japanese Steakhouse

www.mtfujisteakhouse.com

Route 17
Hillburn
NY 10931

So the other week on the holiday friday we decided to go with a friend to upstate to New York, to the Palisades Mall & Woodbury Commons Outlets, while we were there, our friend remembered there was a Japanese Steakhouse nearby & suggested we go there for dinner on the way home.

So we turned off the main road & went through ornate japanese gates and started to climb a hill, the restaurant is called Mt Fuji & it really is on top of a mountain!

When we got inside we found that the reservation we had made hadn’t been written down & they were already telling people on the phone that they were full for the night, but the still managed to fit us in.

We walked through the restaurant to our table through loads of ornate screens and furniture which had been brought in from Japan to enhance the dining experience, it was gorgeous.

Our table was a large hot plate, where the chef would cook our dinner in front of us Hibachi style. Which is a show in itself.

We ordered 3 Hibachi Specialties from our Geisha Girl waitress, which not only included the main course, but started with her bringing out a steel cauldron & serving everyone with Japanese Onion Soup, not your usual onion soup, but very very tasty.
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Next out came a Fresh Garden Salad with their own house special Ginger Dressing which was awesome (and you can buy it to take home too).
While we were eating the salad our crazy Hibachi Chef wheeled out his little trolley to our table which included all the ingredients needed for our meals.
He started cooking up some whole shrimps which he flipped & chopped at speed until we ended up with tiny shrimp butterflies on our plates.
Then came piles of Fried Rice, Noodles and fresh vegetables, all dooked griddle/B-B-Q style on the plate.
While these were cooking out came the tray with all the fresh meats on, which were chopped, chipped & flipped in the same way that the Shrimp starter had been.
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In the end there was way, way too much food to eat for one person. The noodles, rice & veg were enough before the meat even came along!
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And it was all washed down with Japanese Green Tea, which does really settle a full stomach ready for the long drive home.
Definitely a place to take guests as an unusual experience in a fantastic setting, with views across the Ramapo Valley.

We ordered a Banzai Chicken with Shrimp $25.75 in a Teriyaki Sauce, and two Samurai Steaks with Shrimp $32.95, which may sound pricey but not only do you get a huge portion for the main course you also get 3 starters per person & green tea to boot.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Saturday Brunch at….Gusto Organics

http://gustorganics.com

519 Avenue of the Americas @ 14th street
New York, New York 10011.
For reservations, please call 212.242.5800

Changing the world one meal at a time.

This place is great & we are definitely going back to sample the dinner menu. We stumbled upon it by accident as we exited the 14th street Path train station, which it is opposite, next to the Pinkberry. It had opened the wide front windows and had created a mini outdoor eating area which only had one free table, so we decided to eat inside , as, although it was hot it was a little blustery outside. Simply decorated, it continues the organic theme through the rustic wooden tables and benches and plain white walls.

We both ordered Natural Fruit Blends to drink, a Rojo - Made with strawberries, orange juice, agave and ice. Rich in vitamin A, B1, fiber, and magnesium. 20 oz $6.95. and a Pura Vida - Made with strawberries, bananas, orange juice, agave ice. Rich in vitamins A, B6, C, manganese, fiber and potassium. 20 oz $6.95.
GEF gusto rojo

Then for brunch we had a Romulo’s Sandwich - Sliced turkey, mozzarella, tomato, arugula & over easy egg served on a flaky roll with side salad $11.00
GEF gust sw

and a Vegetable Omelette - Served with grilled potatoes & Media Luna $14.95
GEf gusto om

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Peanut Butter Puppy Cupcakes

It’s my favourite puppies birthday today so I made him some special Puppy Cupcakes & he couldn’t get enough of them!

1 cup Plain Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 cup Peanut Butter
1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
1/3 cup Honey
1 egg

1. Sieve Flour & Baking Soda together & mix.
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2. Add Peanut Butter, Oil & Honey & mix.
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3. Beat in Egg.
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4. Fill cupcake cases 3/4 full.
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5. Bake for 40minutes at 350F.
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6. Leave to cool then ‘frost’ with Peanut Butter & sprinkle crushed up crispy bacon.
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7. Feed to a very happy dog (He wouldn’t stand still whilst eating)
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Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Great Restaurant Reviews coming soon

Phew, had a busy long weekend, Birthdays, Days out shopping & A weekend in the Pocono’s. Ate at a couple of great restaurants along the way, keep an eye out for reviews coming soon (once I retrieve the relevant photo’s).

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Tonite I….made Lasagne with Fresh Béchamel Sauce

Béchamel Sauce
5 tbsp Butter
4 tbsp All Purpose Flour
4 cups Milk
2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Nutmeg

Meat Sauce
1.5lb Mince Beef
1/4 Yellow Onion
1/4 Red Onion
1 Scallion
6 Mushrooms
1/2 Red Bell Pepper
1 tin Tomato Sauce
3 squirts Tomato Puree
A couple of shakes each of: Aromat, Oregano, Mixed Herbs, Onion Powder, Worcestershire Sauce, Soy Sauce.

As many sheets of Lasagne Pasta as needed to fill at least 2 layers.
Grated cheese & Parmesan

Béchamel Sauce

1. Melt butter in a pan over a medium heat.
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2. Add flour, sieving out lumps, mixing as you go.
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3. Cook for 6-7mins until it turns a light golden colour, stirring.
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4. Meanwhile bring milk near to boil, then stir in, a cup at a time, to the rue.
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5. Bring to the boil then cook for 10mins stirring continuously. Add salt  & nutmeg, stir, then set aside til needed. 
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Meat Sauce

Follow instructions for Spag Bol meat sauce here

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Let it reduce down while you pre-cook the Lasagne sheets.
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Now time to layer up in pan.
Start with a thin coating of meat sauce.
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Layer of pasta. Use small pieces to fill up any gaps.
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Layer of Béchamel Sauce.
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And repeat until all sauces are finished. The top layer should be Béchamel. Top with grated cheese & Parmesan, and bake at 375F/190C for 30mins. 
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Sunday, April 5, 2009

Today was….the first Starbucks Vanilla Bean Frappuccino of the Summer

Vanilla Bean Frappuccino® Blended Crème

A deliciously creamy, classic combination of Vanilla bean and milk, blended with ice, topped with whipped cream (optional).

vanillabean_cream

Thats it, the warm weather has started & to celebrate I had myself a Starbucks special. And who cares if having whipped cream adds 120 cals, its a treat.

Friday, April 3, 2009

Tonite I….made Hoisin Turkey Burgers

1.8lb Ground Turkey Mince
2 tsp Hoisin Sauce
2 Spring Onions/Scallions sliced finely
1inch knob of Ginger grated
4 Sesame Burger Buns

1. Empty Turkey, Hoisin sauce, Scallions & Ginger into a bowl & mix.

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2. Empty bowl onto chopping board, separate into 4 equal balls.

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3. Flatten balls into patties.

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4. Place on griddle pan & cook until cooked through.

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5. Place in burger bun & serve.

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Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Today I….ate at Esperanto

www.esperantony.com
145 Avenue C at E 9th St
New York
NY 10009

GEF esperanto

Brazilian & South American Bistro.

Now , the website says 2-4-1 on their cocktail menu from 5pm til 7pm, but, dont be fooled! We ordered Mojitos, what their famous for, an finally took the bill when the rest of our party arrived, at FULL PRICE, apparently it doesn’t include EVERY cocktail (there was nothing to say this) we ordered 2 Nuevo Mojitos each time, Rum, Mint, Sugar, & Passion Fruit, but it was excluded from the offer because it contained ‘REAL’ fruit. Needless to say, our bill for cocktails alone was $80.

Food= So so, ordered a Medium Rare Carne Asado (skirt steak) with Guacamole, Rice & Salsa.

Meat was medium rare on the inside with a very burnt taste on the outside. Guacamole was very flavoursome though. Rice, could take it or leave it with a steak.

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Monday, March 30, 2009

Tonite I….made Spag Bol

Well Bolognese sauce with spiral pasta.

1 1/2 lb Turkey Mince
6 Mushrooms
1/3 Red Bell Pepper
2 slices Red Onion
1 tin Tomato Sauce/Passata
Tomato Puree
Worchestershire Sauce
Soy Sauce
Aromat
Mixed Herbs
Oregano
Pepper

1. Brown mince in a pan.

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2. Add chopped onion, red pepper and mushrooms and cook through.

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3. Add whole tin of passata, 2 squirts of puree, a few shakes each of worchestershire sauce, soy sauce, and all dry herbs & aromat.

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4. Mix together in pan, reduce heat & cook through til pasta is cooked.

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Today I….Iced my Cake

With a simple Buttercream Icing.

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1 Stick Butter
2 1/2 Cups of Icing Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Essence
2 dessert spoons of Milk

1. Cream softened butter & sieved sugar together.

2. Mix in Vanilla & Milk.

3. Spread between layers of cake & on top.

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