Jason is here on business so I've been able to take full advantage of his hotel stays. And by full advantage I mean ordering off the kids menu for breakfast. I love pancakes! I love getting a deal. And quite honestly getting a deal and ordering room service don't usually go hand in hand but when you order off the kids menu they sure do!
We're at Le Parker Meridien in NYC this week. Why spend $24 on Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes from their regular menu when you can order Chocolate Chip Pancakes with Whipped Cream and Bananas from the kids menu for $15! And these aren't baby sized pancakes folks! It's my favorite thing to order here (he's been here for business quite a few times) but skip the Orange Juice. They charge $10. Which made the bill come to $40 something. Highway Robbery. Also, later in the day I asked if I could heat up food in the microwave. They said sure...but for $10. Seriously? What's more sad is that people actually pay $10 to microwave their food.
I've got the winter blues. We're expecting the worst storm ever and while I should be in sunny LA, I am stuck at home in soon to be snowpocalypse NYC. In my attempt to make the most of it, I went in search of something to make me smile.
In the calm before the storm, I had spent most of the weekend inside my apartment and really needed to get over my cabin fever. I wanted something sweet but I didn't want to walk that far. So I traveled all of one block to Noisette Pastries in Astoria. I've lived on Steinway street for 5 years and I've always driven or walked by but never ventured inside..it was finally time!
Harlem is where it's at especially on a Tuesday, who knew?! I was fortunate enough to be part of a small group previewing HarlemEatUp!, a brand new festival May 14-17 that celebrates everything Harlem from the food to the culture. If this night is any indication of what's to come...I have only one word of advice. GO!!!!
I joined the group, not knowing anyone but by the end of the night I felt like we were all friends. Gotta love that spirit of Harlem :)
In an alcove studio on the Upper West Side, I had my favorite home cooked meal of 2015. Yes, I realize it's still January but the meal I savored in Rossano's kitchen was deliziozo! Rossano is my friend Chieu's Italian boyfriend with a sexy accent and all the right moves in the kitchen, nice work Chieu! To start we nibbled on crostinis with shrimp and avocado. For the first course, he served risotto with rosemary, fennel, onion, and a splash of Pinot Grigio. Rossano likes his risotto al dente, the key is to toast the rice until it's clear on the outside but still white in the center. The flavors blended beautifully and I was thrilled with our first course but the second course was even better...cod alla barcarola. It was served on a bed of thinly sliced red potatoes and topped with caramelized red onions. The red onions were caramelized in sugar and apple cider vinegar. YUMMO! It melted in my mouth. It was light enough that I had room for my favorite part of every meal, dessert! That was gone in a matter of seconds, Maison Keyser Bakery'sdecadent chocolate "Adagio" dessert with a passion fruit filling.
Tonight I had plans to catch up with one of my favorites, my friend Chieu. Together with a bottle of Complicated Pinot Noir, we headed straight to neighborhood favorite & BYOB, Queens Comfort. On weekends the brunch line is out the door, for good reason. My tip, go for dinner, it's just as delicious and tonight we were seated right away
For brunch we decided on the Fremont Diner despite the 40 minute wait. We were there with our friends Amelia and Dalia Ceja of Ceja Vineyards. Dalia had raved about this place and we couldn't wait to try it. I could tell she felt bad about the wait but we were determined! The meal was totally worth it...I'm glad we didn't venture anywhere else out of desperation. This farm to table experience was so amazingly satisfying...we enjoyed the deviled eggs with pickled mustard seeds (my friends make fun of me for ordering deviled eggs...I LOVE deviled eggs...we ordered 2 plates), the chili con carne, brussels sprouts (a table favorite) and our entrees.
Fresh off a 5 day meditation retreat through Art of Living where I followed a vegetarian diet & refrained from alcohol I knew that this trip was going to be less rager, more relaxation. I feel so grown up after typing that sentence!
