Italian for the Frenchie

We had a fabulous Sunday afternoon celebrating the birthday of our fav Frenchie, Carole!  

We all met up up at Eastside Billiards for some quick games of pool.

 Then we headed to Sotto Cinque for some delicious Italian cuisine.  The service left a bit to be desired (Deep actually had to issue complaint), but the food was enjoyable.  We both wound up getting seafood, which was well-prepared.  But we agreed that the sauce was just a bit salty, which became overpowering after the initial few bites.  

Mel's Risotto Marachiara
(calamari, shrimp, clams,
white wine/butter)

 

DJ's  Linguine Alla Pescatora
(clams, calamari, mussels, shrimp, olive oil,
roasted garlic, tomato sauce)

 

Grill Master Strikes Again!

We'd been eating a lot of chicken lately, so we both agreed a bit of red meat would be nice.  So Grill Master DJ worked his magic with two amazing cuts of aged beef from Whole Foods.  Can we say melt-in-your-mouth pieces of heaven?!  Just what we both needed on a tired winter night.

 This Emeril grill pan is really awesome.

 DJ has the line marking down to a science!

Better than any restaurant!

Pio Pio in Hell's Kitchen - Rotisserie in Style

We have been to the Pio Pio on 34th Street many times (including one of our first dates!), so when Niko and Kristen suggested we meet up at the one in Hell's Kitchen we thought it would look identical.  But to our surprise, this one is a very fancy sit-down restaurant with two levels of dim lighting, bamboo wall decor, and a full menu that goes beyond just their rotisserie chicken.  What a change of Pio Pio pace!

We couldn't resist ordering the chicken as usual (since they're really known for it), but we also tried the ceviche which was quite delicious.  The pisco cocktails and sangria were also delightful.

We will definitely return when we're in the mood for some Peruvian flavors!

Thanksgiving Weekend 2011 - Brining and Burgers

It was a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend as we celebrated with both our families!

We headed to Fairfield on Wednesday to help with all the meal prep.  DJ (after his success with the turkey last year) was the head chef for an 18-pound Butterball.  He has really mastered the art of brining huge birds with beer, water, and salt (and this year, a bit of cognac).  

 

Brining in addition to the use of our new digital meat thermometer (which has a turkey setting) equaled the juiciest, most delectable turkey ever!  

The side dishes were also a treat for the tastebuds!  Stuffing, potatoes, yams, corn, stringbeans, macaroni and cheese and sangria (courtesy of Hirut), and yummy cocktails (a whisky, ginger ale, cider concoction now dubbed "The Sara") made for a wonderful family meal filled with laughter.

 

Afterwards, Almaz was kind enough to secretly pack a huge goody bag of everything for us to bring over for a visit at the Bernardins.  We had an awesome post-Thanksgiving lunch on Friday - it all tasted even better the 2nd day!  :)

*   *   *   *   * 

Then on Saturday (after visiting Amber and Ava at the Rabines's awesome new apartment!), we met up with Dave and Elim for a tasty dinner at a new local haunt:  Oxcart Tavern.  This place got great reviews for its burgers, and it did not disappoint! 

We all shared the onion rings to start.

Then Elim and Mel shared the crab cake sliders and fish and chips...

 

Dave tried the Good Ol' Boy burger, and DJ tried the bison burger with La Vaca toppings (fried chipotle and salsa!).

Then we closed it all out with a yummy sundae - one scoop vanilla, one scoop pumpkin, and one scoop chocolate.

We were stuffed and happy and definitely plan to make this a new local go-to spot!

We Feel the Love!: Bridal Shower and Man Party

DJ and Mel are seriously feeling the love after this weekend.  On November 19th (exactly 3 months before our wedding), we celebrated at Mel's Bridal Shower and DJ's Man Party!!

Mel's Bridal Shower was held at one of our favorite places:  The Farm on Adderley (where we had brunch after getting engaged!).  It was truly one of the most memorable days of Mel's life.  So many friends and family came to celebrate (including Michele all the way from Philly and Diana all the way from Boston!); she felt so joyful and loved she thought she might explode!  

Pearl (a.k.a. Mom, a.k.a. Mrs. B, a.k.a. Toots), Amber, and Ibee worked magic to create a day filled with fun games, touching speeches, candy giveaways, and a lovely slideshow.  They make quite the planning team!

They even had others get in on the surprises.
Uncle Stan arranged for beautiful flower centerpieces,


Guy (a.k.a. Dad, a.k.a. Mr. B, a.k.a. Toto) built an awesome "Wishing Well" for kitchen gifts...


and DJ's Aunt Abby (all the way in California) created special Ethiopian bookmarks for the goodie bags!

the mother of the groom  :)

And The Farm did not disappoint with the food.  Guests had a choice of a tuna salad sandwich, a Farm burger, or a tomato mozzarella omelet, along with home fries, salad, and chocolate brioche (quite the crowd-pleaser) on the side.

This bridal shower was a dream come true!

Meanwhile, DJ went off with Uncle Stan, Guy (Dad/Mr.B/Toto), and Manny to have a Man Party at Fette Sau - one of the top rated BBQ places in New York.  They had a great time joking about "man stuff" and chowing down on some serious meat.  But we needn't say more: the pictures are worth a thousand words.  :)

Much love and thanks to all our family and friends who worked so hard to make it a special day for both of us!!

One if By Land, Two if By Sea Bir-versary

November 14th will forever be a special day for us because not only is it Mel's birthday but it's also the day we got engaged!  So DJ aptly deemed the 14th our Bir-versary.  :)  And to celebrate, we splurged on the most amazing meal at a place Mel had heard about from co-workers: One if By Land, Two if By Sea.

Mel's co-workers had raved about this place for its historic "Gangs of New York" decor and its phenomenal menu.  Apparently, it was once the carriage house of Aaron Burr so it really does have a unique look, and there are cozy fireplaces warming the rooms as a pianist tinkles away on a beautiful baby grand piano.  Definitely romantic!

And the food?  O.... M.... G!!!  We stuffed ourselves silly, and it was worth every bite.

We opted for the 4-course prix fixe (the other option is a 6-course Chef's Tasting Menu). 

For our "Small Plate", DJ got the seafare...

 and Mel tried the tuna ribbon.

For our "Medium Plate", we both tried the scallops because a review online said they were life-changing... and they were!  Brought new meaning to the phrase "melt in your mouth."

Then for our "Large Plate", DJ chose the shortribs (which had a great Asian flare that we're going to try to replicate in our crock pot at home)...

 

and Mel went all out for the lobster.  Truthfully, the best lobster we've ever tasted (spiced up with amazing lemon butter).

 

Last but not least, for dessert DJ had the maple cheesecake...

 

and Mel was giddy over the Nutella cake.  The flavors were bursting with every bite!

 

So glad we could finally try this place!  

 

Definitely a sublime way to celebrate our Bir-versary.  :)

Lasagna at Lavagna

We kicked off the weekend with a fabulous double date with Liz at Lavagna in Alphabet City.  We didn't actually order lasagna, but we enjoyed fabulous Italian cuisine. 

The scallops melted in our mouths, 

the ravioli was divine, 

the monkfish was seasoned sublimely, 

the steak was prepared perfectly, 

and the linguine was a feast for the senses.  

We will definitely return here when we're in the mood for some authentic Italian fare!

Back to Bubby's - Family Day in BK

Hana was in town from Chicago, so the Haile-Mariam family decided to meet up in Brooklyn for brunch.  Since we had enjoyed Bubby's so much during Marina's visit, we figured it'd be fun to take everyone back to see what the brunch fare is like.  And again, we weren't disappointed.  

 

Service is admittedly a bit slow, but all the food was extremely tasty and fresh.  The eggs were also impressively fluffy; we were left wondering what their trick is.  And we couldn't resist getting a little surprise cupcake since it was the day after Hirut's birthday and we were all together.  Yay!

And of course, the best part of going to Bubby's is the view and the ease of hopping over to the promenade afterward.  So we took a quick walk by the water and grabbed some ice cream before everyone headed their separate ways.  

All in all, a fabulous family day!