time for a change.

Ask any seasoned New Yorker and they will inevitably tell you that Fall is THE BEST time of the year to be in the city.  I think that most people are big fans of Fall, regardless of residency, but New Yorkers seem to be passionate about it.  The colors, the cuisine, the wardrobe, Hocus Pocus marathons and PUMPKIN EVERYTHING – these are some of the things we love about Fall.  It’s also such a great transition (oh, “the ENERGY!”).  First of all, there’s NYFW (new york fashion week, duh).  New Yorkers love Fall so much that they kick it off by focusing on Spring.  Winter isn’t even given a thought here (we’re still in denial).  In a few short weeks, we go from relentlessly complaining about the heat to relentlessly complaining about the snow.  I just want to have my pumpkin spice cake and eat it too!  With Fall, I can!  Unless I’m in anyway connected to #NYFW, because then I can’t have anything to eat at all. (Exception to the exception: I can have something to eat during #nyfw but only if that something is avocado toast from Jack’s Wife Freda and I post a staged and filtered Instagram photo along with it.)  Anyways, I digress.  Fall is truly the best time of the year in New York! 

That said, like any season, all good things must come to an end.  Some of you may have noticed my lengthy absence this summer (just say yes, you most certainly did… wink;)) and perhaps you have been wondering where the hell I was.  Well, the answer is, all over the effing place for a bajillion different insanely exciting reasons.  Here are the highlights:

While I was away I happened to finish school, celebrate another year on this planet, visit my first New York emergency room and stuffed my face with every delicious thing I could find...  Who gains weight during bikini season?!  Well, I do and I’m ok with that.  It was worth every last bite!

a brief run down of summer:

Thanks to one of Robert’s dearest friends, I had the amazing opportunity to meet one of the most legendary and inspirational figures in the culinary world, Chef Thomas Keller.  Known throughout the culinary world as “Chef”, he single handedly set the bar for American cuisine.  Visiting his legendary restaurant The French Laundry, in Yountville, California has been a dream of mine for so long and this summer I was able to not only meet the great Chef at his New York gem Per Se, but I had the privilege of also dining at the French Laundry in August.  It was truly a full circle moment for me and I will never forget it.

 

My experiences at Per Se and French Laundry sandwiched my completion of culinary school, where, ironically, we cooked Thomas Keller’s recipes on my last day.  I had the privilege of making these salmon cornets, which were served at the Amex Per Se dinner in June and at our French Laundry dinner in August.  Who made it best?!?

 

Now, what brought us to French Laundry in the first place?  After starting and building his company from an idea with his best friend, my wonderful husband sold his baby this summer and since then, we have been busy exploring next steps.  I cannot fully express how proud I am of him and how exciting the past few weeks have been for us.  We have been traveling all over the country for friends, new business opportunities, and we’re also remodeling our house in North Carolina, which brings me to another point on the transition of this Fall.  In just a few short weeks, our time in New York will be coming to an end and we will be making North Carolina our home base.

So, in the past few weeks, I have come full circle in many ways: Per Se to French Laundry, New York back to North Carolina, and from “an endless pursuit in creativity” to having an actual purpose once again!  I still plan to share endless rants on great restaurants with you all and perhaps even some recipes, once I get into a kitchen that’s bigger than a New York taxi.  Until then, we’ll be busy living up our last few weeks here in the city!

In a last ditch effort to eat up everything in NY, I am throwing in my knives for the month and tackling my dining wish list.  Anything you want to see in particular?  Shoot me an email and give me some requests!

Onto the next thing!

 

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omakase, oh-mi-GAH-zi!

As a reminder, this post was originally scheduled for last week but I had to move it around, due to some technical issues… technical issues are now (somewhat) resolved so enjoy!

It’s the start of summer in NY, though the weather we’ve had this week would say otherwise.  Despite the chilly temps and rainy weather, everyone and their mother still wants to be outside.  We’ve braved yet another miserable Manhattan winter and we are saying “NO” to being cooped up away from the cold and sun.  An emphatic “YES WAY ROSÉ” is resounding throughout the city and New Yorkers, myself included, are donning their winter jackets for the exclusive sidewalk seating that epitomizes the New York summer dining experience.

The chill in the air this week takes me back to the darkness of winter here and memories of many wonderful dinners with friends.  I thought it might be fun to throw it back to mid-January, when R and I were invited to celebrate the birth of one of our dear friends, Mr. Frampton Stuart Swann.  The place: Sushi Nakazawa.  The crew:  Stu, Laura, R and Me.  The hair: Fratastic.  The likes of a Greek god.

We ventured to the heart of the West Village, where we enjoyed a lovely evening away from the frigid winter weather while dining omakase, which means we were served a sushi tasting menu.  Course after course of sushi, all you have to choose is what to pair it with (sake or vino?).  Sushi Nakazawa is consistently ranked as one of the best sushi hot spots in the city and you know it from the second you walk through the door.  The chic, minimalist atmosphere is the perfect complement to the perfectly executed ~20 piece sushi menu that we sampled.  We sipped on sake and shared multiple bottles of red (R can’t function without red…) as we delighted in each piece of sushi that came before us.  When it was all said and done, we loved that the most difficult decision we made all night was, “one more bottle?” to which we all answered, “well yes, duh.” 

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best of the best

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So, I’ve skipped a week already… due to some unforeseen technical difficulties.  A few weeks ago, the culinary school I’m currently attending upped and moved downtown to a sweet new location and we’ve been waiting for it to reopen ever since.  I say “we” because all of this free time has R in a total frenzy!!  Our weeknights went from mostly boring dindins while watching GOT, to: “one more drink!! ONE MORE DRINK!!  I don’t have anywhere to be tomorrow!!” ~Me, to a terrified Roberto.  After a Tuesday night that quickly faded to black, “we” decided that I needed to find something real to fill my days during this hiatus and a regularly scheduled post was just the thing.  It was the perfect solution until the reality of my tech prowess came crashing down and I, for the life of me, could not retrieve the photos that I needed for last week’s post.  Turns out, wasn’t all my fault.  After more than 6 hours of internet research on the Eyefi Mobi card, SD card readers, and lots of little rabbit trails in between, I was told that I would have to just sit and wait until the company could mail me the appropriate card reader to retrieve the aforementioned photos.  Hence, a Thursday night that quickly faded to black…  So, this week, to avoid another one of R’s terrified post-dinner facial expressions while I wait for the USPS to deliver the goods, I’m skipping ahead and sharing one of our top big nights of the year (so far… I do have a birthday coming up…)!

A little over a week ago, a list of the 50 Best Restaurants in the World was released and foodies everywhere have been clamoring to get into any and/or all of the spots that made the cut.  This list is a BFD in the food world.  Think: FIFA World Cup (minus the current scandal) but restaurants instead of a bunch of boys and balls (although, the list is noticeably lacking a strong female presence…).  

I prepared for the grand unveiling like any other unemployed foodie, by reading lots of articles on Eater and flying through the Netflix Original Series, “Chef’s Table”.  (Btw, TOTES OBSESSED with Massimo Bottura, Episode 1!! Must watch!!)  This year, the top spot went to El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, Spain.  I have yet to visit Spain and have not had the pleasure of dining at this leading establishment, but I have had the opportunity to explore the #5 spot on the list.  Dropping one spot from the #4 ranking last year, ELEVEN MADISON PARK played host to R and myself on our actual anniversary.  Yes, lots of anniversary celebrations this year.  We earned it.

As I mentioned in my previous post, our schedules didn’t permit us to leave the city on our anniversary weekend so we settled for a “NY themed” weekend together.  I could go off on a tangent here about the significance of having a typical southern wedding (wedding theme: tradish; wedding dress: big. wedding location: the old north state (a.k.a. the south)) and following it up with a city themed anniversary weekend (weekend theme: all things Big Apple; weekend dress: also big… to fit my ever growing flABs; weekend location: all over Manhattan (but mostly downtown because duh…)).  Oh, the connections you can draw between those events and the theme of this blog!  However, I will skip the tangent for now and get back to the food!

Our main focus of the weekend was food, obvi.  As I did my research on where to go, it became abundantly clear that 11Mad was the perfect choice.  Having been to Per Se and loved it, we wanted to try something equally adventurous but a little less formal.  Being the perfectionist that I am, I really wanted to push the “Big Apple theme” as far as I could and with 11Madison’s New York focused tasting menu, it was the obvious choice.  After a month of stressful hits and misses with our reservation service, we were thrilled (and R was more than relieved) when our good friend, Pedro Goodwin, came through with the Hail Mary and got us into 11Mad last minute.  We donned our finest loose fitting tops and Ubered uptown to the fourth (now fifth) best restaurant in the world.  Needless to say, we were not disappointed.  The service: first class!  The food: delicious, inspiring and even entertaining!  The WINE!!  Oh, the wine!!  We were in heaven.  Also needless to say, I will never be able to describe every detail of the meal in one blog post and I’m sure you’re already sick of reading this.  Therefore, I’ll stop while I’m ahead and let you see for yourself what we experienced while dining on the tasting menu at ELEVEN MADISION PARK.  Tangent over.  Enjoy the photos!

As you can see, Chef Daniel Humm does an excellent job presenting the best that New York has to offer in a beautiful and entertaining way.  Not only was each plate painstakingly researched and prepared, but each was served in a manner that encapsulates the diner, much like seeing a great Broadway show.  Not to be outdone, the wine service at 11Mad was equally as impressive as the dining experience.  We discovered two unbelievable bottles with the help of Dev, the surprisingly young and knowledgeable somm.   In continuing with the "dinner and a show" motif, older bottles of wine are opened with heated tongs.  The tongs are heated with a torch, placed around the neck of the bottle, below the cork, which then pops right off.  Both the aged wine and the cork are preserved and Robert and I were totally blown away.  A YouTube video from  Business Insider demonstrating this process can be viewed here.

***Note on the quality of these photos:  It was pretty dark in there, you know, to set the mood and all…  So, I’ve photoshopped some light into these shots to give you a better understanding of what we had for dinner.  In other words, apologies for the poor quality here.

viva la comida!

 

Braved the post-pastry Memorial Weekend and left little to the imagination… sorry guys.  Spending all of this time beachin’ it on vacation makes me want to just go on another vacation, and then another, and another…**  I should become a travel blogger instead.  Cue embellished eye roll from Hubs.  Seriously, I can’t get enough of getting out of the city!  I absolutely love to travel and explore the world through food, which reminds me of our recent weekender to Mexico!!

One of the biggest perks of living in the Big Apple is the proximity to two of the busiest airports in the world.  Yes, it may require a large dose of Xanax to get through security at LaGuardia, but flights in and out of JFK ain’t so bad (if you can get there in time… without running someone over… or disappearing into a gigantic pothole)!  It is this very logic that allowed me to convince Robert to go to Mexico for Easter weekend.  Well, this and the fact that our first anniversary was fast approaching and we hadn’t yet made plans and he “better figure out something awesome because it sets the tone for the entire marriage and you don’t want me thinking that you’ve given up this early because think of the implications on the size of my thighs that will have if you don’t care and then I don’t care…”  Anyways, R immediately got in touch with an amazing travel service (kk travels worldwide) and after a little less than 4 hour flight, we arrived at the Rosewood Mayakobá in Mexico. 

We had an amazing weekend full of tacos, tequila and plenty of poolside lounging and we cannot wait to go back!  Our room and grounds were immaculate, the food was amazing, and the service was the best we’ve ever experienced!  On our last night at Mayakobá, we were fortunate enough to attend the Chef’s Garden Dinner.  This is a pilot program that features a small group dinner with a Yucatan cuisine focus that takes place in the garden, an exquisite brand new event space that also provides fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs for the resort.

We were greeted with cocktails that came fresh from the garden as we explored all of the new plantings and mingled with the other guests in attendance.  We then took a culinary journey through the local region.  Nearly everything was prepared on the open fire in front of us.  We were lucky enough to snag a seat at the bar, where I could watch every plate being prepared.  It was a truly spectacular evening that I could go on and on about, but in the interest of maintaining your interest – I’ll let the photos do all the talking.  Enjoy!

**Editor’s Note (Robert is my editor):  “French fries and vacations are pretty similar – more you have them, the more you want more!

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pate a choux? don't mind if i deux!

Another MOD down, one more to go!!  Having officially completed the pastry MOD, I can officially say that it was BY FAR the most interesting and most intellectually challenging section yet!  There’s a reason I went to law school – and it sure as hell wasn’t for the money.  Math is hard, y’all!!  And so is science, for that matter!  However, our section was blessed with our most stimulating chef instructor to date (in my humble opinion, which is the only one that matters here) and I am sad that it is over!  My jeans are not sad, however, neither are Robert’s nor anyone else’s at A2HQ. 

first attempt at plating. amateur.

For the first time since starting this curriculum, I was tasked with creating things that I didn’t even realize people still made at home.  Bagels?  Get ‘em from the place on Elizabeth.  Puff pastry?  I thought Pepperidge Farm had that one down…  Tempering chocolate?  Who has the space or the patience for that shiz?!  Well, apparently I do.  Now, I can do all that fancy shiz and it’s fun!!  I now feel truly empowered in the kitchen, although Robert may tell you otherwise since he’s seen me lose my cool many a time in our teeny 2x5 in the city! 

In MOD4, we learned not only what to do, but why we had to do it that way.  Why do you have to use COLD butter to get a flakey pie crust?  I know why!  Why do you have to treat yeast like it’s your #BAE?  I know why.  Yeast can be a fickle little biatch but treat her right and you’ll love every bite!  I now know all of these things and so much more!!!  (Robert, if you’re reading this, then that means that I know EVERYTHING!  Period.)  So, in celebration of this upcoming Memorial Weekend, feast your eyes upon just a few of the tasty treats I whipped up over the past few weeks!  (Please remember to pretend like you don’t notice the cellulite when I see you on the beach this weekend…  Your discretion is much appreciated and duly noted!)

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surprise! i'm here!

Hello world outside of NY!  (Yes, there actually is one, for those of you living in NY…)  Apologies for the extreme delay in posts and pictures!  We have been so extremely busy in school and there was hardly time to snap a shot worth sharing.  I’ve now completed MOD2 and MOD3 and will be starting MOD4 tomorrow, bright and early!!!  The best part??  MOD4 is PASTRY!!!  I have the biggest sweet tooth on the planet (and I’ll soon have the biggest ass, as well.)

For a quick review:

In MOD2, we moved through all types of cooking methods at a rapid pace.  I’ve pan seared, roasted, toasted, deep fried, pan fried, braised, broiled, grilled, whew!  You name it, we did it! (Could make a sex joke here..?)  Many burns were suffered throughout the learning experience, and many more calories were consumed.  All in all, I feel pretty confident that I can handle anything in the kitchen at this point.  But let’s not test it… we have baking coming up soon and I don’t want to jinx myself.  #mathishard

 

In MOD3, our taste buds travelled around the world, starting in France, then Italy, then India, Thailand, China, Japan… apparently those are the only countries that count when you’re in culinary school.  I’ve told Robert that I need to personally visit these countries pretty soon, as I need to continue developing my palate and form a strong flavor foundation to further my culinary understanding.  It’s an investment in my future!!!  (This was received with a good laugh, an eye roll, and a brief expletive – but I am NOT a quitter!!!)

 

We finished MOD3 with a few exercises in plating.  These lessons were some of the most informative and interesting lessons yet because we learned the elements of creating a visually stunning presentation.  The phrase, “you eat with your eyes”, has never been more true than now and you can see this demonstrated below.  Can you guess what this dish is???

bacon & eggs.

 

One last note before signing off again - it seems the culinary bug is biting in our house.  The hubs is getting a little jeally of all of my sweet skillz and decided to embark upon a culinary journey of his own.  With the help of Blue Apron, an amazingly affordable and delicious meal delivery service, R prepared a delectable dinner for two one night.  He was so impressed with himself that he felt the need to share his culinary feat with me and now, I am sharing it with all of you!!!  After all, he is the one with the good looks in the family.  Enjoy!!

here's the prep:

and the saucy finale:

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hot stuff

Call me Donna Summer because I’m lookin’ for some hot stuff baby!  I don’t know about you all, but I have been freezing my tail off up here!  I’m sitting here, eatin’ my heart out, waitin’, well, for summer.  Now, I don’t want to complain much about the cold because I know that all east coasters are feeling it but DAYUM this winter just drags on and on!  Thank God I finally have somewhere warm to spend my mornings. 

Speaking of which, I have some good news and some bad news on the culinary updates.  The good news is that we finally finished MOD1 (all A’s baby!) and have slingshotted straight into MOD2 at an intense pace.  We literally went from waiting for stock to boil to having multiple sauté pans firing at once and running around an extremely hot and smoky kitchen like the place was on fire (which, for some us, it WAS!).  I have suffered a few burns and they are taking FOR-EV-ERRRR to heal and leaving some pretty bad scars, so I’m wondering if you have any tips or tricks for burn treatment?!  I’ll literally try anything at this point- between the burns, the bitter cold, and the relentless dishwashing, my hands have had a hard time holding up.  The dry, peeling skin on my hands scares me!  You’re welcome for that lovely visual…  And now for the bad news.  (Sorry- the current state of my hands was not the bad news…!)  While we’ve been killing it in the kitchen and everything has been moving at an extremely fast and exciting pace, I’ve been learning a ton of technique and cooking things that I can actually eat!  However, our new chef prefers that we do not use our iPads in the kitchen, so there will be a shortage of images for the time being.  I’m sorry!  It’s totally out of my control.  That said, (if you’re still reading…) I am going to supplement with more restaurant visits.  I’ll try to post as much about school as I can, but I have a feeling that no one wants to read a food blog without any actual images of the food.  Like, WTF is that even called?!  An essay?!  This isn’t 1994.  Get a grip.  And in the meantime, enjoy this short and sweet little image summary of the past few weeks:

follow the bone

follow the bone…

Ok, get your mind out of the gutter!  So much has happened over the past week and a half and I am totally exhausted!  It was a week of fabrication and “follow the bone” was the class mantra, not some smug fratstar’s pickup line at last call.  (I’ve actually taken to repeating it in social situations, just to get the conversation rolling.  Doesn’t translate to the over 40 crowd very well…  FYI.)  So what in the world am I talking about?  Fabrication?  Follow the bone?  Nothing I’m saying is making sense?  That’s exactly how I felt most of the time in class lately.  We are still going through the motions in class on a very basic level but we’ve ventured into unchartered territory for me.  Each day we focus on a different animal or group of animals (lots of species of shellfish) to break down.  So far, I have (somewhat successfully) broken down an entire stew of shellfish, both round and flat fish (very important distinction here), poultry, beef, veal, lamb, pork and rabbit – oh my!!  The process is both intimidating and exhausting- but EXHILERATING!  I am fascinated by how much use one can reclaim from an entire chicken.  I’m not much of a PETA sympathizer when it comes to animal rights (I LOVE a good steak, HATE a puppy mill…) but there is something so satisfying about using every part of an animal that I’m thinking, “do you see what I see?”  Waste not, want not and we have certainly not wasted one thing lately (except for the hundreds of potatoes we’ve had to perfectly dice for homework every night.) 

Let me break it down for you (no pun intended!):

On the first day of fabrication, we fileted some fish.  Four different fish, to be exact!  Salmon, mackerel, bass, and fluke.  Growing up on the Pamlico River, I’ve caught and eaten my fair share of flat fish.  I also had a totally inaccurate idea of how difficult flat fish (eyes on one side- like flounder) can be to filet properly.  Wowsers!!  Those skinny little bastards are sneaky tough to break down!  The difficulty comes in the technique, you want to be firm and very precise, which means you must use strength but in a very delicate and careful manner.  This sounds like a breeze until you realize you’re running low on time and this little guy is staring back at you:

My fluke, pre-filet.

 

After we “mastered” fish, we ventured further under the sea and practiced with shellfish.  I was PUMPED to show off my shucking skills (“In North Carolina, we call this a cocktail party.” –Actual quote by me to team.  Only the other college grad got it…) and I had a blast ripping the head off of the squid!  Who knew Calamari is super fun to prepare!?!  I also learned how to properly kill a lobster (knife right through the head) and opening clams in a beautiful way is nearly impossible.  We made a delicious seafood stew with ALL OF THE SEAFOOD we cut up and I took a little bit home for Robert to taste.  Loved it.  Duh.

Like the dinosaurs, we moved from sea to land and in perhaps the most difficult day of fabrication, I learned how to break down a duck and two chickens.  NOT as easy as it seems!!  Joints: fun in college but quite the challenge in culinary school.  Cutting through an entire bird, especially when you’re a little off with your knife placement, requires an extreme amount of grip and upper body strength that I obviously don’t have.  After watching our chef’s demo, I end up at my cutting board staring at a naked bird and I think, “This is going to be easy.  Chef just did this in 3 minutes.  I have an hour.  Done and done.”  Oh God!  Never assume!  Especially in culinary school, because all of the sudden a little joint comes out of NOWHERE and just wont break in the right direction and before you know it, you’ve spent 12 minutes and all of your energy on an effing chicken wing.  Then, thanks to the French, after breaking down the entire bird, you have to choose the “prettiest breast” (heeheehee… mind in gutter!) and “French it” (HEEHEE- mind in gutter again!).  This requires actually cutting through the end of the bone without breaking it and then exposing the bone so that it’s appealing to the eye.  That’s literally the only purpose of this ridiculous procedure- appealing to eye.  Thanks French, you assholes.

We moved on from there to beef and veal.  Fun and much easier to work with- I loved slicing up the beef loins and removing every last bit of the silverskin.  My OCD was out of control on the days of beef and veal.  MUST CLEAN EVERY LITTLE PIECE!!!

We climaxed with the rabbit, which brought everything we’ve learned together in one teeny, tiny little bunny carcass.  I secretly named mine Edgar, which is Robert’s middle name and the cutest name for a rabbit ever!  (I realize this would be much cuter if the rabbit was not skinned and sprawled out in front of me, waiting to remove his liver, kidneys, and heart.)  For a better understanding of what I’m talking about, check out all of the photos I’ve uploaded!

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new year, new you! and culinary student, too!

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A new year, a new start and an entirely new direction for me!  I’m officially a week into school and so far things are, well, interesting.  To the many of you that have called, texted, or emailed and asked how things are going – I apologize for using the same boring description but I have no other way to explain it.  Having started school with no idea of what to expect, I can’t say that I’m loving it, disappointed, or overwhelmed…  At this point, I’m just trying to play it day by day, see where this goes and learn a little something along the way!  Honestly, the first few days were a little too basic for me.  I certainly learned something new everyday, or if not new, then I at least learned how to improve upon the skills that I came into class with.  We are just now getting into the actual cooking aspect of cooking school and for that, I am more than grateful.

Let me start out by explaining that I am so happy to be given the opportunity to fulfill a lifelong dream of mine at such a young age.  I am also PUMPED that I can now officially wear my Lulu and a ponytail every day of the week and call it a uniform.  Not sure if you saw the lovely insta that R posted last week but, yes, we are required to wear our “whites” in the kitchen everyday.  Some of you may laugh at the absurdity of this outfit, but I literally get ready in 2 minutes every morning and don’t give a damn what I look like heading out the door!  No matter what’s going with my hair- I’m putting it under a commis (super stylish white cap) from 7:45-12 every morning through June.  Damn, I love a uniform- take the guesswork out of it and give me 10 more minutes of sleep!!  (Cue eye roll from my mother for putting up with my uniform complaints in elementary school at St. Peters…  Mom!  I totally get it now!!!)  Other than the perk of the super HOTT uni, we are also required to bring our knives and tools everyday.  This makes for a lot of hauling…  Picture a bundled me (it’s effing COLD here!) carrying a bookbag, knife roll, and awkwardly sized tool bag through the subway turnstile.  I have no peripheral vision because my large hood blocks my side views and I take up a 3 foot berth on the city sidewalks because it is impossible to stack all of my bags in an efficient manner.  It’s laughable.  I mean, I’m the one laughing… not the people behind or on either side of me… 

hot culinary mama. i forgot to button up the jacket...

Once I get to school and change into my uni, I meet the rest of my classmates in our room and we begin setting up the kitchen.  Everything and everyone must be dressed and ready to go by 8:00 on the dot or our Chef will let us know that he’s not happy.  Not at all.  Fortunately, this hasn’t been a big problem yet, but we’ve also been fortunate in that we’ve had little snow and DeBlasio (so far) held up his end of the bargain and kept the streets clean (NY standards, people!).  It is likely that neither of these things will hold true for the entire winter…  if we go by past experience… which was AWFUL! 

There are 16 people in our class, mostly under the age of 30.  I was surprised by the diversity of the class, so many different backgrounds, careers, reasons for being in school.  Some of my classmates have just come out the military, some are fresh out of high school, some worked in fashion, interior design, finance and just want a career change.  There are a few students that want to open their own restaurant and there are some like me, more interested in the media aspect of the culinary world and want to further develop their passion and interest in cooking.  We have a handful of international students, from Nigeria, Korea, and Haiti.  Needless to say, just being in class with so many people from different backgrounds is fascinating and a huge learning experience in and of itself.  It’s also surprisingly easy to become friends with others who share a similar passion for food. 

Speaking of sharing a passion for food, the most shocking aspect of this class so far is that some of my classmates have very little experience with cooking at all.  Learning to cook from the most basic level has been hilarious- we’ve had one student that was afraid of fire, so we learned to light the pilot lights on the stove, another student had never heard of sage, so we start herb identification day 1 and review nearly every, single day.  (I most definitely, no doubt know my herbs from a mile away!  Unless it’s oregano or marjoram- those are identical.  Also, I have a sinus infection- can’t smell or taste it properly at the moment.  Yes, this is a sore spot because I missed it on our herb identification quiz today.  DAMN YOU, OREGANO!!!)  However, I have learned that food is most susceptible to disease when it is in the “danger zone” or between 41-135 degrees Fahrenheit.  Also, the only herbs that require washing are: mint, basil, parsley, and cilantro.  The proper way to wash them is by rinsing them in a clean bowl of water four times.  Time consuming and annoying, but proper!  (Much like Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess in Downton Abbey.)

ICE is focused on training students how to perform well in a restaurant environment and they expect every student to obtain restaurant experience through the externship program that is required at the end of the culinary program.  (I’m still trying to weasel my way into a food writing or media position, so keep your eyes peeled!)  Because of this strong restaurant focus, we learn the nitty gritty of running a restaurant up front.  The first week was mainly focused on the inner workings of a restaurant kitchen and sanitization.  We’ve been lectured on everything from proper food storage techniques, to industry lingo, to what to expect on a day to day basis in a restaurant kitchen (long hours and lots of standing), to how much the dover sole costs at the 21 Club at the moment (a lot). 

While this was all interesting and necessary, I have zero interest in ever working in a restaurant kitchen and I am, frankly, more scared (now that I know how easy it is to get sick from unsanitary conditions) to work in a professional kitchen than ever.  However, I have also developed a deeper appreciation for each dish that I’ve ever ordered or will order at any restaurant because of the HUGE amount of planning and hard work involved in creating it.  It is so easy to forget, in the hour or two that you’re dining, that someone (actually many people) behind the curtain has been laboring for days to get this plate together and in front of you in perfect condition.  I now know that this requires proper menu planning, proper product ordering, prepping, organization in the kitchen and perfect execution.  One person can’t do it all alone and so being able to work as a team is also a necessary trait.  I’ve learned that the people behind that curtain are probably the hardest working, most focused, resilient, and passionate people of any industry and anyone brave enough to take that on day after day certainly has my respect!!

*** Our Chef specifically requested not to be featured in any social media so as a precaution, I’ve blurred out the faces of Chef and classmates. 

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merry, merry

What a year it has been!!  I sometimes can’t believe we actually made it to the most wonderful time of the year- 2014 has certainly been one for the record books!  I’ll sum it up with, “whew, that was fun but glad it’s done.”  While this year has certainly been exhausting, it’s also been chock FULL of amazing memorable moments with my husband, friends and family.  As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve been doing a lot of “soul searching” lately to figure out what the next stage of my life will be and while I’m still working to finalize my next move, I’ve narrowed it down somewhat.  I’ve been able to reflect on everything that truly matters in my life.   What truly moves and motivates me are the many meaningful relationships I’ve been blessed with over the years. What means the most to me is spending time with my husband and some of the best friends a girl could ask for!  I seriously don’t know how I got so lucky in the friend department and would not have made it through this year without the love and never ending support and understanding of all my lady loves back in NC.  That said, one of my favorite ways to spend time with all of the wonderful loves in my life is through sharing a meal.  Few things make me happier than hosting an intimate dinner among friends.  Great food, great wine, great company and that’s all that I need!  While accomplishing this regularly in the city is somewhat of a struggle, I’ve been exposed to some of the most interesting restaurants and specialty food shops in the world and my culinary interest has reached a new level that I didn’t even know was possible.  Starting in January, I’ll be attending the School of Culinary Arts at Manhattan’s Institute of Culinary Education.  Needless to say, I am absolutely THRILLED and somewhat terrified to begin this next journey and I can’t wait to see where it will end up!  I cannot think of a better way to combine my two greatest loves in life: friends and great food!

quite the handful of happiness here!!

Another meaningful relationship in my life: WHITE TRUFFLES!  And boy, did we end the season with a BANG in this department!  The weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas fly by when you’re in the city- literally every night is a different Christmas party or dinner or show and before you know it, it’s time for everyone to bounce and head back to where they came from (i.e; North Carolina!).  In all the hustle and bustle, it’s easy to miss out on spending some quality Christmas time with the ones you love.  So, in an effort to soak up the spirit of the season, Robert and I planned the ultimate Christmas date night and it did NOT disappoint!  We met for a drink at the Time Warner Cable center in Columbus Circle, where we could sit overlooking the park and the amazing light show they have hanging in the lobby.  After a quick nip, we strolled over to Lincoln Center to delight in the beauty and grace of the New York City Ballet in The Nutcracker.  I wish I had taken a picture of Robert’s face halfway through Act 1…  Despite his droopy eyelids in the beginning, I think I’m safe in saying we were both blown away by the performance and left giddy with holiday happiness.

As we Ubered back downtown to Colicchio & Sons for dinner, I wondered how on earth we could top our evening so far when I remembered reading a little something about a generous white truffle offering… 

We walked into Colicchio & Sons and were immediately struck by the cozy atmosphere- perfectly Christmas-y but tasteful and warm.  They even had a gingerbread village, which I absolutely LOVED!  We could hardly contain our excitement when we were seated in the perfect corner seat to take in all of the festive decorations and the action on the floor.  We started off with a glass of Four Roses, a relatively new winter tradition for us, and then the sommelier helped us choose an amazing bottle of wine to accompany our festive feast.  We started with, what else but, charred octopus and burrata.  Before you pass judgment and roll your eyes, this was not your ordinary burrata!  As promised, C&S offered a generous white truffle menu- including the Chef’s White Truffle Menu for a mere $350.  While we didn’t splurge on the white truffle tasting menu, we did indulge in the Warm Burrata, Brussels and White Truffle to start for a meager $65.  It was worth every penny and seemed like a steal when compared to Waverly Inn’s decadent truffle mac!!

We continued with the sea bream with chorizo and black truffles and Robert had the porchetta.  Both were fantastic but Robert and I both flipped out over the porchetta.  Perfectly cooked and perfect for the season, we couldn’t get enough!  It rarely occurs to me to order pork and preparing a perfectly cooked and seasoned porchetta can be quite difficult so I was delighted when it arrived so perfectly.  Nearing the end of the meal, our wonderful server offered us dessert menus but we were so stuffed that we couldn’t even take a look!  We did sample a few festive treats compliments of the pastry chef and we will definitely save room for dessert on our next visit.  Overall, it was a top night in the city and I can’t wait to do it again next year!  Here’s to 2015!!

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a family feeding frenzy

Thanksgiving is every foodie’s top holiday and I am no different!  Anytime I get to make eating my top priority for pretty much an entire weekend- I’m IN.  Oh, wait… I do that every weekend in NYC…  Oh, well.  Speaking of which, this post combines the two most essential aspects of a Thanksgiving holiday: family and food.  Enjoy and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Perhaps the best part of living in the city is sharing my city finds with visitors.  I scurry around throughout the week exploring different neighborhoods and discovering interesting eateries and when the weekend rolls around, I get to share my finds.  Sometimes it’s a hit, other times – not so much… but when I nail it- BAM!! It’s the closest I’ve come to feeling like I’ve achieved something since passing the bar.  (Yes, I realize how pathetic this sounds but this year, I’ll take whatever minimal accomplishments I can get.)  I especially love it when family comes to visit.  The juxtaposition of their small southern town restaurant experience and the immensity of New York City is, for me at least, both entertainment and an education.  We learn what works scheduling wise and what visitors actually want to see and do versus what we want them to see and do.  Or in my case, what I want them to see and eat.

We had my parents up for a few days in mid-October and had a blast.  We were totally exhausted by the time they left, bellies full and totally spoiled by their weekend in the big city.  Robert and I spent weeks debating where to take them and by the time the weekend rolled around, we prepared what I thought was a spectacular plan for a Fall weekend in the city.  Of course, like any true New Yorker, we had to start out the weekend by taking them on their first trip to the Hamptons. 

While I love the Hamptons any time of the year, Fall is definitely my favorite.  No traffic, crisp, clean air, and the FARM STANDS!!!  Fall in the Hamptons feels like you’re in a Currier & Ives print (Christmas is coming!!).  Everything is picturesque and clean and there’s always something sweet to eat (ahem, TATE’S!).

We returned from our Hamptons venture still hungry and ready to brunch (yes, brunch is a verb here).  This crowd LOVES a good bloody so, in typical New York fashion, we took them for a quick stroll on the High Line before making our 2:45 reservation at our favorite brunch spot in the city, Cookshop.  We each sampled a different bloody, my favorite is the pickled but my parents enjoyed the original Cookshop Bloody best.  Of course, R had to best all of us by ordering the green bloody Mary, which is the healthiest option and looks more like a green juice.  My favorite time to go to Cookshop is in the Fall because the walls are filled autumnal colors, pumpkins, and branches dripping with Fall foliage.  We ALWAYS order the seasonal beignets and the Cookshop scramble.  Think: buttery, delicious southern style biscuit overflowing with scrambled eggs and prosciutto or broccoli and cheese (depending on the season).  I like to humor myself by telling myself that we’ll work off our calorie intake with a brisk stroll post-brunch.  Irony- we always end up strolling straight to the next bar. 

We hit all of our favorite city scenes: the BoomBoom room for sunset cocktails, the Beirgarten for after dinner drinks and a game of ping pong, Rosemary’s for a peek at the rooftop garden, and Locanda Verde for the dreamy ricotta and honey.  To top off an epic weekend of eating, we had to share our favorite spaghetti in the city.  Scarpetta-etta-etta (Rihanna, anyone?) has THE BEST spaghetti in the city!  Lucky for you, Scott Conant felt the need to share this delicacy outside of just NYC so you can sample his tomato and basil perfection in Miami, LA, or Vegas.  I know that you’re thinking, “seriously, spaghetti?  I can get that anywhere.”  But NO MA’AM!!  You are wrong, my friend!  Please don’t be offended because you wouldn’t be the first to fall prey to this skepticism- mis padres included.  We also loved the yellowtail and crispy fritto misto to start. 

Now that you’re probably craving Italian, I hope you enjoy my favorite American holiday!  Happy Thanksgiving!


blown away by Chicago

Holy MOLY ~ I’m in LOVE and I don’t care who knows it!  I recently had the opportunity to travel to Chicago for a “business” trip.  Yes, that is how this year works.  R has to work and I have to get out of the city every now and again (emphasis on NOW and AGAIN and AGAIN and AGAIN!) and blame it all on Roberto.  #marriageperk.  Chicago is one of the few US cities that I had never visited so I was thrilled to explore it.  We were there for two nights and the weather was less than stellar, rainy but not windy… irony?!  Manhattan is windier than the Windy City…  Come on people!  Regardless, I absolutely LOVED the place!!  Couldn’t get enough!  Chicago is, in my humble but typically accurate opinion, the MOST beautiful city that we have to offer.  We’re definitely in the infatuation stage of the love cycle.  I literally can’t stop gushing over Chicago’s many lovelies to anyone around to hear: clean streets (biggie!), a beautiful riverwalk, and the ARCHITECTURE!  I could have walked around all day just looking up, but alas, the weather forced me inside to the spa by midafternoon.  Sigh.

We were stationed at the Langham (my choice and I nailed it!) - STAY HERE when you go to Chicago.  Seriously.  The Langham Chicago offered us the most beautiful room with a perfect view of the new Trump Tower and the river.  The Langham also offers the best service of any US hotel that I’ve experienced and the dining options are must tries.  The service is so attentive that everywhere I went people were referring to me as “Mrs. Long” and EVERY TIME I had to stop myself from turning to look behind me for the person they must be addressing… yes, I am that slow on the uptake.  No, I didn’t have the heart to tell these sweet staffers that the “B” stands for Buckman (although R would sing a different tune…).  The Langham is also very proud of the curated art collection, which is displayed everywhere throughout the hotel.  While the views, the service, and the collection was all top notch, perhaps the most memorable moment of our stay occurred when we ordered the flaming wings at the hotel bar.  When they say “flaming”, they mean it in the literal sense.  Our server literally set the wings on fire at the table.  Amateur video below.  Audio commentary omitted for good reason.

When we weren’t sampling the flaming delights that the Langham offered, we were out and about exploring the city based on the excellent suggestions from the concierge.  We asked for Chicago-style pizza and a Chicago-style steakhouse.  Both delivered.  Lou Malnati’s is a Chicago deep dish staple and I immediately gained 40 pounds.  It was my first (and probably my last) deep dish style pizza and it certainly didn’t disappoint.  The only thing bigger than the Chicago deep dish pizza?  My thighs post-pizza domination.  I may never work it off!!  Then, we followed that up with a heart stopping steakhouse dinner.  Bacon.  To be quite honest, I find that one steakhouse is typically just like any other but I will say that the service at Benny’s truly set it apart.  Our server was kind and funny and we genuinely enjoyed our dining experience with him.

For lunch, I needed something a little lighter (a difficult find here…) and I wanted to take my chances on my Chicago dining research.  I also wanted to go somewhere near our hotel.  I chose GT Fish & Oyster and it was hands down my favorite Chicago eatery. While technically walkable from our hotel, the miserable rain forced and time constraints forced us to cab it.  Once we arrived, we were immediately impressed with the friendliness of the staff and the spectacular atmosphere of the restaurant.  Floor to ceiling windows allow lots of light and the nautical themed décor gave the perfect nod to the sea while maintaining a modern minimalist style.  I was excited before we even took our seat.

Once we sat down, it got that much better.  My eyes immediately went to the cocktail list, despite that fact that it was the middle of the day on a Wednesday.  I debated even getting a cocktail until I landed on the “The Waitlist” (me on the waitlist- psshh!) and I knew it was a match.  I didn’t regret it for a second!  Tangy, light and delicious- I could have had four but stopped at the first.  The menu is comprised of many small plate options, which is my favorite type of menu because you get to try many different things without looking like a total heifer.  I ordered the Green Tea Soba Noodle Salad to start and it was so spicy and exotic and light that even R got a little jeal.  I also had the clam chowder, which arrives in it’s own little jar that is opened right at the table.  Our lovely server placed the cute little thing in front of me and opened the lid and the warm, savory steam just lifts right out of the jar and I was instantly cozy.  Then I topped it off with some housemade oyster crackers.  Heaven is for real, y’all!  Robert’s order did not disappoint either!  He started with the crabcake, which was one of the finest that I’ve ever tried and finished with the fish tacos.  SWEET JESUS!  Full disclosure, we love a good fish taco and these may have been the MOST DIVINE tacos to ever pass our lips.  To find a good fish taco in the middle of the continental United States is a very perplexing thing!  The fish was fresh, the taco was perfectly soft and squishy and they were topped with crumbled pork rinds.  Holy. Effing. Moly.  A girl from the south and you just crumbled pork rinds on my (ahem, R’s*) fish tacos?!  Mind was totally blown and needless to say, when in Chicago, visit GT Fish & Oyster and try the damn fish tacos.

To top off the trip, we finished with an authentic and filling Italian dinner at Riccardo Trattoria.  Yes, we LOVE Italian fare.  Yes, you will read plenty of Italian reviews on this blog.  #sorryimnotsorry.   For now, a picture is worth a thousand words.

a "Peasant" evening with friends

There have been a few adjustments that I’ve had to make since moving to the city.  If I had a dollar for every time some New Yorker responds with, “It’s a big adjustment but the energy is so awesome” then I wouldn’t be writing this blog.  I would be at Barneys.  All day.  Everyday.  The one thing about living in the city that does take a while to get used to is that everyone always has plans.  Ironically enough, these plans usually take people out the city (despite the amaaaazing energy provided here), so for the past year our lives have been a blur of Ubers to and from LaGuardia.  It’s safe to say that spending so much quality time in such a quality* airport makes our impending move home all the more intriguing.  TSA aside, all of this travel requires planning dinner dates with city friends far in advance because, for the most part, they’re all busy as well.  So this past Wednesday evening, we had the pleasure of having dinner with our good friends, Mary Elizabeth and Gabe Catala.  We met at Peasant, a cozy Italian restaurant just a few blocks from our Soho apartment. 

Robert cheesin' for the shot; Unsuspecting diners in the background

Robert cheesin' for the shot; Unsuspecting diners in the background

We had the best time catching up with Catalas over a lovely meal of all of our Italian favorites.  Peasant’s atmosphere is cozy and inviting, perfect for grabbing a pre-dinner drink at the bar or a romantic dinner for two as the weather starts to cool down.  The location is ideal – located near the corner of Spring and Elizabeth in Nolita.  Peasant is a stone’s throw away from some of the coolest bars and restaurants in the Soho/ Nolita neighborhoods.  Uncle Boon’s, Rintintin, Mother’s Ruin, Public… the list goes on and on.  Check out the scene at one of the many “sceney” nearby options either before or after your romantical dinner at Peasant.

Burrata & Roasted Tomatoes and Spicy Octopus

Burrata & Roasted Tomatoes and Spicy Octopus

My two favorite things at Peasant were: 1) THE RICOTTA and 2) the beautiful open brick kitchen in back of the restaurant.  A basket of warm, rustic bread is placed at every table and it is accompanied by the most insanely delicious fresh ricotta.  Holy MOLY!  I was losing my mind it was so light and sweet and creamy and DELECTABLE!  Robert ordered the perfect bottle of red, and we drink it as we devoured the spicy octopus (packs some HEAT!!!) and the burrata with roasted tomatoes, still on the vine!  Creamiest, melt-in-your-mouth burrata and best I’ve had in a while.  I was in heaven before we even got started on the actual meal.  We then ordered the gnocchi with mushrooms, sage, and what else but brown butter?!  The perfect Fall dish but a little heavier than expected and probably a better order in late Autumn.  The one item that we tried that I could have done without was the Porchetta Arrosto or suckling pig, their signature dish.  Granted, by the time the pig actually arrived, I was about to pop.  I should have.  I know that I shouldn’t be too harsh a judge here (having been raised in south, on the best pulled pork BBQ in the world), but after nibbling on the teeny bit of crispy pig skin, I wished I had ordered a pizza instead.  I’m not sure if I had definitely reached my limit by the time the little piglet arrived or if, after staring into the warm glow of the homey brick oven just a few feet away, hypnotizing me with every bubbly delicacy it delivered, I was having major FOMO and needed a damn pizza!  Either way, I absolutely loved the atmosphere and the starters at Peasant and I will most definitely return for a pizza.

*This is the most sarcastic comment I will ever make on this blog.  When it comes to LaGuardia, I'm on Biden's side all the way.