Aruba in August

It's no secret we love our lazy beach getaways - sun, sand, surf, sleep, and sans-electronics!  Great way to unplug and relax.  :)  So in honor of DJ's birthday and the 3rd anniversary of the day we met, we headed to Aruba for a few days.  Thanks to Ibee and Uncle Stan (the Aruba veterans), we had a great list of suggestions of places to visit.

nothing better than drinks on the beach!

Smokey Joe's Island Grill

our usual lunch: splitting a wrap at the beach bar

birthday dinner at the Iguana Cantina (sister restaurant of Smokey Joe's)

birthday drinks and front row view of the water show at Sky Lounge 

Happy Birthday, DJ!!!

Talde with Deep and Gigi

Deep and Gigi are both around their old stomping grounds for a brief time before returning to London and Miami respectively.  So we jumped at the chance to grab brunch with them at one of our favorite go-to spots: Talde!

 

 

At this point we've had pretty much everything on the menu, but we did try a few new items today.  And thankfully, they were just as good as our usual choices.  Family-style dim sum is great for sampling a little bit of everything.  Love this place!

fried calamari with dipping sauces

pretzel dumplings

BBQ pork ribs

cheese steak bao and pad thai

corn pancakes (with awesome rum syrup and bacon!) and fried rice

Leo Party 2012

The Harrises hosted the most wonderful Leo Extravaganza at their home in Wayne!  We were lucky enough to have family here from out of town, too - Luis's parents and Alex and Shannon!!  Such a treat.  

With a buffet overflowing with every type of BBQ imaginable and delicacies that family members brought to share their cultures (altogether, we represent 5 out of the 7 continents!), we had a feast fit for royalty.  And let's face it, these Leos do consider themselves Zodiac royalty.  ;)

Home Experiment: Coq au Vin

We received a lovely Le Creuset pot for our wedding, and have been waiting for just the right time to try an ambitious recipe.  Finally, on a quiet summer day Mel was able to attempt a classic coq au vin.  

Though the recipe seemed daunting at first, it was a lot of fun to feel like a very official chef using such exquisite cookware.  And the end result - something to be proud of!  

Served with a side of mashed "faux"tatoes (cauliflower), it was quite a treat!  DJ took one bite and suggested we eat it every week.  Rest assured, Le Creuset will be on the stove for many more home experiments.  :)

Oooo La La, Lavagna

Celebration time!  We took Ursula and Antoine out to Lavagna to toast their recent nuptuals.  And what better way to toast a French wedding than with Italian food!  :)

As we chatted about their big day and their latest triathalon adventures, we enjoyed a variety of delights from the kitchen.

For starters:

the prosciutto (delightful)...

octopus carpaccio (amazingly thin slices)...
 

and scallops.  Yum!

And for the main course:

 DJ tried the rigatoni with sausage (excellent)...

Lula tried the baby rack of lamb (superb)...

Mel tried the steak (nice charcoal grill flavor)...

and Antoine tried the cod fish (not as memorable as the meats).

 

A lovely feast to celebrate the lovely Frenchies!

Cacio e Pepe Quest: Stop 1 - Cacio e Pepe

Ever since the amazing cacio e pepe in Rome, we've been on a quest to find something that comes remotely close here in NY.  What better place to start the quest than a restaurant named Cacio e Pepe!  :)  

We invited Anita, Neha, and Vanitha to join us for a catch-up session and headed downtown hoping that the restaurant would live up to its name.  Located on 2nd Avenue not too far from Union Sqaure, this little place has the same charm of a Roman eatery.  Nice decor, tasty wine, and laid-back vibe.  Fab!

And as for the cacio e pepe? 

They totally score points on presentation.  They bring the piping hot pasta over to the table in this huge cheese wheel and coat the pasta in cheese right in front of you.

As for flavor, it was pretty tasty but they were slightly heavy-handed with the salt and the pepper was left whole instead of cracked.  After a while, eating whole pepper seeds was too much and they remained on the plate.

So needless to say, the Cacio e Pepe Quest continues.  Stay tuned.