Did you know Murray's Cheese shop offers $4 grilled cheeses (with add ons)?? AND did you know that if you get a melt between 3-6pm you can get a FREE scoop of ice cream (while supplies last)???
You know where I'll be on Monday.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Better Being Underground
Better Being Underground is true in some ways. It's a really cute little lunch shop that is literally underground. Parts of their menu changes daily such as the soups, “grain” and salads with rotating sandwiches every now and then. They also sell little plastic cartons of honey-based heart-shaped jellybeans. But that is where the cute ends. Being underground means not seeing the light of day... this shop should really not see the light of day with their poor excuses for a sandwich.
Their 10 or so sandwiches range from 7.50 to 10.99 (or if you go on tues-thurs, you can get the lobster roll for $14.99). I decided on the Madama Cristo which was described as Antibiotic Free Turkey w/Apple & Gouda on Pressed Raisin Sofitel. Nowhere in the description was there 2 tablespoons of spicy Dijon mustard, which is what I had to scrape off on BOTH sides of the sandwich- which 1) was cold despite the very obvious grill marks 2) was a little circle about 5” in diameter 3) came with a “Pickle Guys” pickle, except the “pickle” was about a spear 1/5 of the size of a normal one. But they do throw in a free bag of chips (whoo).
Still, when I order an $8 sandwich from a little shop, I expect one that I can’t eat in 5 bites. I also expect turkey to look more like turkey than ham, but maybe my standards are a little too high.
I don't think I will be going back here any time soon, especially with so many eateries in the neighborhood.
Their 10 or so sandwiches range from 7.50 to 10.99 (or if you go on tues-thurs, you can get the lobster roll for $14.99). I decided on the Madama Cristo which was described as Antibiotic Free Turkey w/Apple & Gouda on Pressed Raisin Sofitel. Nowhere in the description was there 2 tablespoons of spicy Dijon mustard, which is what I had to scrape off on BOTH sides of the sandwich- which 1) was cold despite the very obvious grill marks 2) was a little circle about 5” in diameter 3) came with a “Pickle Guys” pickle, except the “pickle” was about a spear 1/5 of the size of a normal one. But they do throw in a free bag of chips (whoo).
Still, when I order an $8 sandwich from a little shop, I expect one that I can’t eat in 5 bites. I also expect turkey to look more like turkey than ham, but maybe my standards are a little too high.
I don't think I will be going back here any time soon, especially with so many eateries in the neighborhood.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Sailors Live the Good Life.
When the Village Lobster & Crabhouse started to build up downstairs from my office, jumping and a lot of patient waiting occurred. I work in SoHo/West Village where there are many great restaurants but sometimes, you just have a hankering for seafood. I’ve also always wanted to go to a restaurant opening for some reason. I know better now. I understand starting anything new in any regard takes time and there will be a lot of kinks, but the guy who opened this one also owns City Crab so you’d think he’d have his sh*t together. Don’t get me wrong, I met him and he is very nice and even showed me the new prix-fixe menu he was making up. Currently they have a $14.95 2-course prix-fixe that is available for lunch or dinner and boy does it sound yummy. For a $5 supplement fee you can get a lobster roll. They also have a bar menu ranging from $8-$12 which includes items such as fried calamari with chipotle lime dipping sauce, clam chowder, artichoke spinach and crab dip with old bay pita chips, 99c oysters, mozzarella sticks and of course crab cakes. Happy Hour is from 4-8pm with $10 pitchers, $4 bottles and draughts and $4 oyster shots.
But what really caught our eye was the $21.95 Lobster Bake special that includes a 1 ¼ lb maine lobster, 4 mussels, 3 clams, roasted potatoes, corn on the cop and a cup of clam chowder. How do you beat that??
My coworker and I each ordered that last night and it was certainly filling. Nothing like cracking into a whole lobster with juices squirting in your eye. My only complaint was that the mussels and clams were dry (though I later realized there was a pool of seafood juice under the lobster) and the small portion of potatoes got soggy but the corn was sweet and soft. I only wish there was some more carbs… like a baked potato or French fries. We also had to ask for the drawn butter which would not be a big deal, but how do you have lobster without a cup of melted butter?? I’m not complaining at the value of this meal. The clam chowder was served in a generous bowl and full of clams. I think this place has a lot of potential and I will probably visit it again especially for lunch during a cold winter day.
Photos to come later!
But what really caught our eye was the $21.95 Lobster Bake special that includes a 1 ¼ lb maine lobster, 4 mussels, 3 clams, roasted potatoes, corn on the cop and a cup of clam chowder. How do you beat that??
My coworker and I each ordered that last night and it was certainly filling. Nothing like cracking into a whole lobster with juices squirting in your eye. My only complaint was that the mussels and clams were dry (though I later realized there was a pool of seafood juice under the lobster) and the small portion of potatoes got soggy but the corn was sweet and soft. I only wish there was some more carbs… like a baked potato or French fries. We also had to ask for the drawn butter which would not be a big deal, but how do you have lobster without a cup of melted butter?? I’m not complaining at the value of this meal. The clam chowder was served in a generous bowl and full of clams. I think this place has a lot of potential and I will probably visit it again especially for lunch during a cold winter day.
Photos to come later!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
How to Burn Your Tongue
Make the easiest personal pan pizza ever and get too excited to let it cool down...
After my after-work run today, I headed over to Fairway to pick up some groceries. After scoffing at how much the loaves of bread were ($4!) I decided to pick up some wraps. I saw Aladdin Bakers made Sundried Tomato and Basil wraps which was something like $2.50. I read the packaging and it had a list of things to do with it such as various sandwiches but also... pizza. Intriguing, I thought. Even though I have had a lot of pizza recently (including today for lunch where I got 2 slices at Spunto), it was one of the few things that I craved as I was so sick of eating lentils, kale and quinoa that i needed something fatty, cheesy and/or meaty (nevermind the fact that is all I ate over the weekend). So I went to the cheese section, picked up a small ball of mozzarella ($3.99), some anchovies ($2.50) and a can of tomato puree ($1.60). When I got home I just HAD to make it so I found my circular pizza pan, put a piece of tin foil on it, laid out a sundried tomato & basil wrap, spread a tiny bit of tomato puree, cut up some mozz (ok...a lot of mozz), and 3 filets of anchovies, drizzled a tiny bit of Olive Oil and popped it in the oven at 400F. 15-20 minutes later I found the cheese bubbling and the wrap toasted. I pulled it out and it was PERFECT. Surprisingly the wrap held together nicely and crisped up to a SUPER thin-crust. the cheese melded together and the anchovies gave it a nice salty kick. I sprinkled basil, oregano and crushed red pepper flakes and one of the easiest tastiest AND cheapest meals was born. This will definitely be made again soon.
P.S. I went up to the Organic section and found Sprouted Multi-Grain loaves for only $2.50. Organic, gluten-free AND cheaper than the heavily-processed sugared bread downstairs.
After my after-work run today, I headed over to Fairway to pick up some groceries. After scoffing at how much the loaves of bread were ($4!) I decided to pick up some wraps. I saw Aladdin Bakers made Sundried Tomato and Basil wraps which was something like $2.50. I read the packaging and it had a list of things to do with it such as various sandwiches but also... pizza. Intriguing, I thought. Even though I have had a lot of pizza recently (including today for lunch where I got 2 slices at Spunto), it was one of the few things that I craved as I was so sick of eating lentils, kale and quinoa that i needed something fatty, cheesy and/or meaty (nevermind the fact that is all I ate over the weekend). So I went to the cheese section, picked up a small ball of mozzarella ($3.99), some anchovies ($2.50) and a can of tomato puree ($1.60). When I got home I just HAD to make it so I found my circular pizza pan, put a piece of tin foil on it, laid out a sundried tomato & basil wrap, spread a tiny bit of tomato puree, cut up some mozz (ok...a lot of mozz), and 3 filets of anchovies, drizzled a tiny bit of Olive Oil and popped it in the oven at 400F. 15-20 minutes later I found the cheese bubbling and the wrap toasted. I pulled it out and it was PERFECT. Surprisingly the wrap held together nicely and crisped up to a SUPER thin-crust. the cheese melded together and the anchovies gave it a nice salty kick. I sprinkled basil, oregano and crushed red pepper flakes and one of the easiest tastiest AND cheapest meals was born. This will definitely be made again soon.
P.S. I went up to the Organic section and found Sprouted Multi-Grain loaves for only $2.50. Organic, gluten-free AND cheaper than the heavily-processed sugared bread downstairs.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Eataly
I FINALLY got to go to Grimaldi’s. I don’t know what took me so long, but Tom and I had gone to Amorino (on Vanderbilt) for dinner on Saturday night and I satiated my lust and craving for anchovies (Tom hates them and opted for the white pizza special with onions, ricotta, sausage and basil). Mine was super salty with the fish, capers and olives. His eggplant caponata was nothing special so I won’t even bother discussing it. Apparently this little pizzeria is Zagat rated and he said if I liked this crust (thin, a little chewy) then I’d really love Grimaldi’s, so we finally made a date to go yesterday (Sunday). I also wanted to bring him to Eataly which I will talk about in a bit.
We got to Grimaldi’s in the dreary cloudy weather and of course there was a long line outside. This pizza better be good. They are very efficient in getting people in and out so we didn’t have to wait longer than half an hour but it is very cramped. We had this Asian guy behind us who kept trying to get Tom to tell the guy we were together with his wife/gf in case they called a table of 4. Turns out they were seated next to us anyway as he pointed out… For future reference: Please don’t talk to me when I’m about to eat and don’t appear too clingy.
We ordered a large margherita with half ricotta and Italian sausage. Delicioso! We actually managed to eat the entire pie between the two of us. I can now check off this NYC institution off my list with rave remarks.
After we paid the bill, we trekked off to Eataly in Chelsea. If you love Italian food, this market brought to NYC by Mario Batalli is the gastronomical paradise you’ve always dreamed of. It is very reminiscent of the indoor Italian markets in Italy which is where Batalli got the idea from. However, it is a complete zoo inside. I thought it was going to be more like Chelsea Market where it has one long corridor spanning across one block with various restaurants and shops along it. Eataly is just one massive maze of gelato, pastries, espresso, artisanal breads, chocolates, restaurants, cured meats, cheeses, seafood, pasta, paninis, and beverages; also kind of like Harrod’s of London if you’ve ever been. But it’s kind of great seeing people walk around with their European-inspired basket-shopping carts and a glass of wine in hand. The restaurants are literally in the middle of aisles and there are seating areas all over the place; really neat atmosphere. We ended up getting a tiramisu and a gelato to share. Both hitting the spot, but what I really had my eye on was the pastas, meats and cheeses. Unfortunately the crowd was a turn-off as was the long line to purchase items so we walked away empty-handed. I will have to give it another try during the week when it hopefully won’t be as busy.
We got to Grimaldi’s in the dreary cloudy weather and of course there was a long line outside. This pizza better be good. They are very efficient in getting people in and out so we didn’t have to wait longer than half an hour but it is very cramped. We had this Asian guy behind us who kept trying to get Tom to tell the guy we were together with his wife/gf in case they called a table of 4. Turns out they were seated next to us anyway as he pointed out… For future reference: Please don’t talk to me when I’m about to eat and don’t appear too clingy.
We ordered a large margherita with half ricotta and Italian sausage. Delicioso! We actually managed to eat the entire pie between the two of us. I can now check off this NYC institution off my list with rave remarks.
After we paid the bill, we trekked off to Eataly in Chelsea. If you love Italian food, this market brought to NYC by Mario Batalli is the gastronomical paradise you’ve always dreamed of. It is very reminiscent of the indoor Italian markets in Italy which is where Batalli got the idea from. However, it is a complete zoo inside. I thought it was going to be more like Chelsea Market where it has one long corridor spanning across one block with various restaurants and shops along it. Eataly is just one massive maze of gelato, pastries, espresso, artisanal breads, chocolates, restaurants, cured meats, cheeses, seafood, pasta, paninis, and beverages; also kind of like Harrod’s of London if you’ve ever been. But it’s kind of great seeing people walk around with their European-inspired basket-shopping carts and a glass of wine in hand. The restaurants are literally in the middle of aisles and there are seating areas all over the place; really neat atmosphere. We ended up getting a tiramisu and a gelato to share. Both hitting the spot, but what I really had my eye on was the pastas, meats and cheeses. Unfortunately the crowd was a turn-off as was the long line to purchase items so we walked away empty-handed. I will have to give it another try during the week when it hopefully won’t be as busy.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Healthy Eats
Yes, I remember that the original purpose of this food blog was to chronicle healthy eating which somehow turned into how much bacon and fried chicken I was eating.
Well as I've announced before, I'm trying to start a new diet that is full of protein with less meat. My coworker and I somehow got on this health-kick with discovering kale and quinoa. My coworker T (who is vegetarian/pescatarian) has been bringing in a different Quinoa salad every week. First week had chickpeas and lemon juice. Second week was red quinoa with green beans, dried cranberries and walnuts. This week was red quinoa with apples and curry powder. Delish. I need to stock up pronto.
This was one of my lunches last week:
Can you guess what each thing is?
I also made a big batch of lentil soup (and sneaked in pancetta) which will be very welcoming to eat once it gets colder.
My goal by Sept 27 is to be able to run the 5K I booked in Disney World. Right now, I can probably do 2 easy. Hopefully eating healthier and losing some extra pounds will get me through the 3 miles. I believe I can do it, as last year when I tried to start running, I barely made half a mile without getting out of breath. Now, I wake up at 7 (sometimes) and run 1.2 miles. Wish me luck! Share any recipes in the comments as well.
Well as I've announced before, I'm trying to start a new diet that is full of protein with less meat. My coworker and I somehow got on this health-kick with discovering kale and quinoa. My coworker T (who is vegetarian/pescatarian) has been bringing in a different Quinoa salad every week. First week had chickpeas and lemon juice. Second week was red quinoa with green beans, dried cranberries and walnuts. This week was red quinoa with apples and curry powder. Delish. I need to stock up pronto.
This was one of my lunches last week:
Can you guess what each thing is?
I also made a big batch of lentil soup (and sneaked in pancetta) which will be very welcoming to eat once it gets colder.
My goal by Sept 27 is to be able to run the 5K I booked in Disney World. Right now, I can probably do 2 easy. Hopefully eating healthier and losing some extra pounds will get me through the 3 miles. I believe I can do it, as last year when I tried to start running, I barely made half a mile without getting out of breath. Now, I wake up at 7 (sometimes) and run 1.2 miles. Wish me luck! Share any recipes in the comments as well.
Weekend Feast
So much to update! As some of you may have heard, I lost my wallet (with years and years worth of irreplaceable things amongst the cash, credit cards and gift cards). I am trying to cope, but it is really hard to think all of that is gone.
But in better news: a BIG congratulations to Alice and Matt who got married this past weekend. I ate terribly and terribly well. Thursday, Tom and I drove down at 5:30am to get to Bowling Green, KY by 9pm their time. Kind of amazing and it was all Tom. The nice thing about driving on interstates is that you kind of HAVE to eat fast food since it's really all they offer. So naturally we got Wendy's. On Friday we got breakfast at Cracker Barrel. FINALLY. I've heard things from my southern folk and just the smell of Yankee candles in the "General Store" got me excited. I decided to go all out and get the southern fried chicken with grits, eggs, biscuits and lotsa gravy. I couldn't even finish my 2nd biscuit! Tom opted for the "healthier" option (yogurt, eggs, bran muffin) which was actually pretty delicious as well.
Then I finally got to see my best and oldest friend Alice at her then-fiance's family's home which was gorgeous. They had a 168 lb (gutted) pig roasting and Alice's adorable parents were busy burying delicious sweet potatoes underground. Seriously too spoiled. Saturday, we joined them at 8:30am for a yoga session in the backyard. Gorgeous day. Had breakfast there and then Tom and I got lunch at Sonic Burger- the drive-IN spot. I always saw the commercials and never really though much about them eating in their car. Little did I know that eating in your car was their schtick!
Love it. I got a cheeseburger and onion rings and an iced tea that was not what I ordered (the pains of ordering via intercom, I guess). The cheeseburger and onion rings were divine though. The batter for the onions was reminscent of zeppoles so if you can only imagine!
Saturday night was the wedding; a beautiful one at that. I got a little teary eyed when I finally hugged them post-vows. They are a cute couple and his family is so much fun and great hosts! Dinner included Korean beef (they forgot to serve our table but my grumbling stomach was not going to let us miss out on it). The servers also handed us a spring roll with peanut sauce. My only complaint was that it was actually a summer roll with fish sauce. Nevertheless, it was good... as was the perfectly-cooked medium rare steak.
Before our long drive home Sunday morning, we got breakfast at Waffle House- a dingy little place with a delicious Apple Oat Cinnamon waffle (Apparently we caught the first day of "National Waffle Week") and hashbrowns. Yay. We got Wendy's for lunch/dinner. Mmm Chili.
Because of my lack of funds now, I need to get creative with what I have in the pantry which is mostly carbs (rice and pasta) but I suppose that is better than nothing. Next post will be about the healthy attempts at eating my coworker and I are experimenting with!
But in better news: a BIG congratulations to Alice and Matt who got married this past weekend. I ate terribly and terribly well. Thursday, Tom and I drove down at 5:30am to get to Bowling Green, KY by 9pm their time. Kind of amazing and it was all Tom. The nice thing about driving on interstates is that you kind of HAVE to eat fast food since it's really all they offer. So naturally we got Wendy's. On Friday we got breakfast at Cracker Barrel. FINALLY. I've heard things from my southern folk and just the smell of Yankee candles in the "General Store" got me excited. I decided to go all out and get the southern fried chicken with grits, eggs, biscuits and lotsa gravy. I couldn't even finish my 2nd biscuit! Tom opted for the "healthier" option (yogurt, eggs, bran muffin) which was actually pretty delicious as well.
Then I finally got to see my best and oldest friend Alice at her then-fiance's family's home which was gorgeous. They had a 168 lb (gutted) pig roasting and Alice's adorable parents were busy burying delicious sweet potatoes underground. Seriously too spoiled. Saturday, we joined them at 8:30am for a yoga session in the backyard. Gorgeous day. Had breakfast there and then Tom and I got lunch at Sonic Burger- the drive-IN spot. I always saw the commercials and never really though much about them eating in their car. Little did I know that eating in your car was their schtick!
Love it. I got a cheeseburger and onion rings and an iced tea that was not what I ordered (the pains of ordering via intercom, I guess). The cheeseburger and onion rings were divine though. The batter for the onions was reminscent of zeppoles so if you can only imagine!
Saturday night was the wedding; a beautiful one at that. I got a little teary eyed when I finally hugged them post-vows. They are a cute couple and his family is so much fun and great hosts! Dinner included Korean beef (they forgot to serve our table but my grumbling stomach was not going to let us miss out on it). The servers also handed us a spring roll with peanut sauce. My only complaint was that it was actually a summer roll with fish sauce. Nevertheless, it was good... as was the perfectly-cooked medium rare steak.
Before our long drive home Sunday morning, we got breakfast at Waffle House- a dingy little place with a delicious Apple Oat Cinnamon waffle (Apparently we caught the first day of "National Waffle Week") and hashbrowns. Yay. We got Wendy's for lunch/dinner. Mmm Chili.
Because of my lack of funds now, I need to get creative with what I have in the pantry which is mostly carbs (rice and pasta) but I suppose that is better than nothing. Next post will be about the healthy attempts at eating my coworker and I are experimenting with!
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Kale
Last week I went vegan… for lunch. I was skeptical at first since I do love steak, chicken, pork, duck, fish, etc… but I saw this restaurant nearby called Soy & Sake has a great lunch special. $6 gets you a choice of a cup of the soup of the day, salad, collard green roll or soy chicken teriyaki skewers and an entrée (either Chicken Pad Thai, Black Bean Ginger Stir Fry or Chicken Sandwich. There are other choices for a dollar or two extra). I went with Chicken Pad Thai. I’ve had mock chicken (or unchicken in some circles) and I’ve always been pleasantly surprised by it. This was no exception. I got the collard green roll which was actually really tasty (probably because it was a deep fried spring roll), and the chicken pad thai portion was huge. I could only eat half of it.
This got me (and my coworker) thinking… we should try to eat healthier as we are both trying to lose weight. I told her about Souen, a restaurant with only macrobiotic dishes. I went there once with L___ and this guy; and it was an interesting experience to say the least but that was more due to the company. The food was good, bland but good. I had a broiled salmon filet with burdock, hijiki, brown rice, squash, and who knows what else (the guy ordered). Anyway, I was really hankering for the chicken pad thai from the other place so my coworker got Souen and said it was really good.
She then looked up diets that included raw foods, macrobiotic, etc. and mentioned Kale. I always figured Kale was a seaweed and maybe had it once or twice but I wondered if Fairway had it. In actuality, it’s closer to the cabbage family and according to Wikipedia:
“Kale is considered to be a highly nutritious vegetable with powerful antioxidant properties; kale is considered to be anti-inflammatory.
Kale is very high in beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin C, lutein, zeaxanthin, and reasonably rich in calcium“
Sure enough, I went last night and a bunch was only $1.99. It was so big it could hardly fit in the plastic veggie bag. With my head sticking up, feeling pretty proud I had a head of lettuce and a huge thing of kale in my basket, I walked around, got milk, yogurt, iced tea, and some chicken apple sausage from the very nice butcher .
When I got home, I looked up kale recipes thinking I would probably just steam it and eat it with rice and some sausage but I saw a link that made them out to be like potato chips. Hmmm. Seemed simple enough. I tried it and 10 minutes later I was eating Kale and kind of loving it. Here’s the recipe:
Preheat oven to 350F Cut leaves off of center stem. Wash & dry. Tear up into bite sized pieces. Spread leaves over a baking sheet (I lined mine with parchment paper). Drizzle a bit of olive oil over them. Season with kosher salt. Bake in oven for about 10-12 minutes or until the edges are crisp. I sprinkled a bit more table salt while it was still hot. Let cool and enjoy.
SO EASY. I had a batch for breakfast this morning. I lightly fried up tofu for lunch. I also ran a 1.23 miles this morning at 7am. What have I become??
This got me (and my coworker) thinking… we should try to eat healthier as we are both trying to lose weight. I told her about Souen, a restaurant with only macrobiotic dishes. I went there once with L___ and this guy; and it was an interesting experience to say the least but that was more due to the company. The food was good, bland but good. I had a broiled salmon filet with burdock, hijiki, brown rice, squash, and who knows what else (the guy ordered). Anyway, I was really hankering for the chicken pad thai from the other place so my coworker got Souen and said it was really good.
She then looked up diets that included raw foods, macrobiotic, etc. and mentioned Kale. I always figured Kale was a seaweed and maybe had it once or twice but I wondered if Fairway had it. In actuality, it’s closer to the cabbage family and according to Wikipedia:
“Kale is considered to be a highly nutritious vegetable with powerful antioxidant properties; kale is considered to be anti-inflammatory.
Kale is very high in beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin C, lutein, zeaxanthin, and reasonably rich in calcium“
Sure enough, I went last night and a bunch was only $1.99. It was so big it could hardly fit in the plastic veggie bag. With my head sticking up, feeling pretty proud I had a head of lettuce and a huge thing of kale in my basket, I walked around, got milk, yogurt, iced tea, and some chicken apple sausage from the very nice butcher .
When I got home, I looked up kale recipes thinking I would probably just steam it and eat it with rice and some sausage but I saw a link that made them out to be like potato chips. Hmmm. Seemed simple enough. I tried it and 10 minutes later I was eating Kale and kind of loving it. Here’s the recipe:
Preheat oven to 350F Cut leaves off of center stem. Wash & dry. Tear up into bite sized pieces. Spread leaves over a baking sheet (I lined mine with parchment paper). Drizzle a bit of olive oil over them. Season with kosher salt. Bake in oven for about 10-12 minutes or until the edges are crisp. I sprinkled a bit more table salt while it was still hot. Let cool and enjoy.
SO EASY. I had a batch for breakfast this morning. I lightly fried up tofu for lunch. I also ran a 1.23 miles this morning at 7am. What have I become??
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