All Hail Haile Bistro

The times we've been down to Alphabet City recently, we noticed a brand new Ethiopian restaurant had popped up: Haile Bistro.  So when a bunch of friends mentioned they wanted to grab Ethiopian food with us, we figured it was a perfect opportunity to check it out.

We gathered the injera-craving troops (Dave, Elim, Liz, Shana, and Kristen), and headed downtown.

Though the space is extremely small, we were immediately impressed with the decor and friendly service.  We were greeted immediately, and checked on regularly throughout the night to make sure we had everything we needed.  We ordered two vegetarian samplers, the beef and lamb tibs, and doro wat to get a wide sampling.  Everything was delicious!  And we know it was made fresh because the food took a little while to come out - they definitely made it to order, which we appreciate.  The beef and lamb were flavorful and tender, and all the vegetable dishes were perfect.  The chicken in the doro wat was a bit pink in the center so we didn't eat it, but we definitely won't hold that against them.  Everything else was delicious, and that was likely just a fluke.  We literally cleaned our platters, and ordered a second round of lamb!

 Looks like we've found our new go-to Ethiopian spot in NYC.  As we left, they told DJ in Amharic "Don't be strangers!"  We definitely won't!

DaCousins Meet DaGrasshoppers

The holiday season rocks because it's a chance to eat tons of great food with those you love!  Doug stayed in town for a few days after Christmas, so it was a perfect opportunity to have a gathering of DaCousins.  DJ had been talking to Dave and Doug about the grasshopper tacos at Toloache, and both of them said they'd be game to try them at least once.  So we called their bluff and had the whole crew head to the Toloache bar for a hoppin' good time.

Doug, Kathy, Pam, Dave, Amber, and Luis all made their way to our neighborhood and settled in with a few good Mezcal drinks to loosen up their tastebuds.  Then out came --- the tacos.  A reminder of what they look like:

Kathy and Pam graciously declined a taste, but everyone else decided to find out what all the buggy hype was about.  All agreed that they really weren't that bad, as long as you didn't think about what you were chewing.  In fact, Dave finished a whole one on his own.  If you look closely, you can see one of the little buggers popping out of the sides of the taco.  Yum!

Though it was a bit crowded at first, eventually we found some more space at the bar so we wound up staying there and snacking for a while.  When that bar closed we headed outside to find another spot to hang, but not before taking a couple of pictures.  (Sadly, Pam isn't in these because she had to leave a bit early.  Really wishing we had thought to take more snapshots inside!)

You really can't beat cousin time, especially when bizarre food bonding is involved.  We'll have to do some serious research to find another adventurous spot for us all to try next year!

A Zimmern Inspired Feast at Marea

We are big fans of Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern.  Though his personality sometimes rubs us the wrong way, we do enjoy living vicariously through his food adventures around the world.  Luckily, he sometimes does episodes here in NYC which means we could potentially try the restaurant ourselves.  One such instance: an episode where he cooked at Marea, a delightful Italian seafood spot at the southern tip of Central Park.

It's hard not to love Marea from the moment you walk in.  Though the decor and location are very upscale, everyone who greets you is extremely friendly and completely unpretentious.  It seems like a place where you'd need to dress up, yet plenty of the diners arrived in jeans.  (Though perhaps the fact that we went at lunch time played a part.  Certainly the dinner crowd might up their game a little bit.)  The decor is crisp, bright, and modern with plenty of light streaming in through the windows surrounding the dining room.  We could have hung out in there all day!  

For appetizers, DJ decided to try the Granchio (peekytoe crab, honeycrisp apple, celery,

fresh horseradish, chervil)...

and Mel went for the Polipo  (grilled octopus, smoked potatoes, pickled red onion,

radish, chilies, tonnato).

 

Both were so delicious we literally wiped our plates clean with the fresh olive focaccia generously offered whenever our bread plate looked empty.

For our mains, DJ was on a mission to try the dish that Zimmern made on his show: Fusilli (durum wheat pasta, red wine braised octopus, bone marrow).  It was every bit as delicious as it looked!

Mel went for the Funghi (acquerello risotto, wild mushrooms, parmigiano reggiano) - so good she almost licked the plate!

We closed off the meal with a bit of sweetness: Bomboloni (doughnuts, rosemary, chocolate sauce, spiced honey).  Fresh, warm, and beautifully reminiscent of doughy confections at Italian street fairs.

There is no doubt why people rave about this place; it is a superb dining experience in every way. Before we left, we were already thinking of who else we'd like to invite to try it.

Christmas 2013

Deck the halls and pass the wine; we're ready to eat 'cuz it's HOLIDAY TIME! 
With the help of MetroNorth and multiple cars, we were able to spend time with multiple families in the span of 48 hours.

We had a lovely Christmas Eve in Connecticut with the Haile-Mariam crew.  We enjoyed an Ethiopian feast of epic proportions!

Afterward, we settled in for gift opening... and the opening of a bottle of Bulleit Rye for the guys to toast the season.

On Christmas Day, we headed back to NYC in time to host the Bernardin crew for lunch.  Elim brought a fabulous shrimp and vegetable dish, and we made slow cooker pot roast (using a recipe that we had tried years ago and forgotten about!) along with a mashed potatoes and parsnips dish suggested in our Meatless cookbook.  The parsnips added such a great kick, we may never go back to regular mashed potatoes!  

 

(Basic recipe: cut up 6 potatoes and 6 parsnips; brown the parsnips for 5 minutes; add the potatoes, add water until about an inch over the veggies, and boil together until soft; while draining veggies, brown fresh thyme and any other fresh seasoning you like in the pot; add the veggies back in, mash together, and season with salt and pepper for yummy goodness!  Please note: we also added butter and warm milk for a little creaminess.)

Then we all packed into cars and headed over to the Harrises to celebrate with them, the Bradshaws (including MaryEllen and Jonathan this year!), and the Rabineses (including Luis's mom this year!).  We sang carols, had a rousing gift swap, and enjoyed everyone's company as we indulged on a decadent dessert spread and "Mixed Ladies" (DJ's new concoction of Brown Ladies, Egg Nog, and ample amounts of liquor).  

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, 

and to all a bottle of Pepto Bismol.

Spina... and Downtown Bakery

We keep a list of restaurants we hear about and want to try so that we can be sure to get to them eventually.  One place we'd been meaning to get to is Spina because we heard their pasta is amazing.  So one quiet Sunday afternoon we made it our lunch destination. 

We previewed the menu ahead of time and went in knowing exactly what we wanted.  We both started off with the Autumn Salad.  Absolutely delicious!  Not that much avocado, which was kind of a bummer, but the Brussels sprouts combined with leafy greens, pumpkin seeds and cranberries was a delightful treat.

Then Mel ordered the Egg Yolk Ravioli because she can never resist a promise of truffle oil and brown butter sage sauce.  

DJ went for the Malloreddus (gnochetti with veal and pork ragu) because he can never resist meaty red sauce.

Lo and behold, when the dishes arrived Mel discovered that Egg Yolk Ravioli did not mean that the pasta was made with egg yolk as she thought.  Rather, the ravioli was filled with runny egg yolk which she is not a fan of.  Luckily, her very chivalrous and sweet husband doesn't mind egg yolk so dishes were traded and everyone was happy.  Both dishes were extremely tasty and the pasta is clearly made fresh with love at Spina.

The one catch was that the ravioli dish consisted of just 3 small pieces.  Not quite filling.  So DJ quickly consulted our list once more, remembering that there was a Mexican spot in the neighborhood he had been meaning to try.   After a delightful chat with the Spina host about their pasta-making courses on Sunday afternoons (we might need to check that out!), we headed a few blocks away to Downtown Bakery.  The funny history: Downtown Bakery used to be an Italian place.  When it shut down, it became a Mexican hole-in-the-wall and they just didn't bother to change the name.  They simply added "Mexican" to the awning.  :)  Thankfully, word-of-mouth has maintained a solid reputation for their authentic Mexican food.  DJ went for the green chile pork enchilada, and it met his expectations for a spicy jolt of flavor.   Just what he was hoping for!

What a wonderful Sunday to check two places off our list and enjoy both thoroughly!

Jaunt to Jacob's Pickles

We both had a half day to kick off the Christmas week, so we decided to celebrate with an indulgent lunch at Jacob's Pickles.  DJ had been there once before with friends for a weekend brunch.  At the time, he loved the food but the wait list for a table was at least an hour.  So it was nice to go on a quiet weekday when there was no wait for some delicious comfort food.

This place is known for its fried chicken, biscuits, pickles, beer, and cocktails.  We came armed with empty stomachs and open minds! 

We started off with the fried green tomatoes and pickled jalapenos.  Mel was pleasantly surprised that the pickled jalapenos actually weren't too hot and tasted pretty good, and DJ was pleasantly surprised that the fried green tomatoes had great flavor!

Then Mel got the Honey, Chicken and Pickles sandwich (delectable!)...

and DJ went for the Southern B.L.T. (unreal!).

 

We both agreed that the fried chicken was among the best we've ever had - super juicy and flavorful.  The biscuits were a perfect pairing with it, especially once they were made soggy with all the juices of the toppings.  Mel didn't finish that huge heap of pickles, though the ones she had added a nice kick to the flavors on the plate.  And the cheese grits served on the side could have been a meal on their own - so tasty!

Needless to say, we were stuffed but happy once the meal was through.  We had a pleasant chat with the floor manager who confirmed that weekend brunches require at least an hour wait sometimes, but on weekdays you can always get a lunch table.  So we know where to go next time we both have a day off of work and a craving for comfort grub!

Comfort Food: Greek Caponata

Oh, the weather outside is frightful... so comfort food is a must!  But all too often, "comfort food" means high carb and not-so-healthy menus.  On a quest to find something like a ratatouille (yummy with just vegetables), we came across this recipe for Greek Caponata.  

The recipe is extremely easy to follow, and the results are flavorful.  One substitution we made: a few pieces of butternut squash instead of potato.  We also sauteed some kale and mixed it into the caponata once it was cooked to add a leafy green element.  Served over pearled couscous, it was a soothing meal for a chilly winter night!

Kin Shop - Another Top Chef Adventure

After thoroughly enjoying our birthday meal at The Marrow, we heard that Harold Dieterle's third restaurant - Kin Shop - is equally amazing.  To the Top Chef's credit, his places have very different cuisines and Kin Shop features a Thai menu.  One coworker whose husband is in the restaurant business said that though they usually travel to outer boroughs to get legit spicy food, Kin Shop is one place in Manhattan they know they can count on for true levels of spice heat.

In order to try as much as possible, we decided to split a few appetizers and one main dish.  Though the noodles were tempting, we wanted to focus on proteins after a carb-filled Thanksgiving weekend.  So we tried:

Grilled Prawns

(perfect smokiness with a sauce that was so good we would have drank it like a soup)

Red: Roasted Duck Breast

(melt-in-your-mouth amazing)

Fried Pork and Crispy Oyster Salad

(perfectly fried with a delectable dressing)

Marinated Skirt Steak Salad

(the spicy heat of the meat balanced nicely by the coolness of the pickled salad)

On the menu the Marinated Skirt Steak is one of two dishes marked with "****", which they define as: "These are the spiciest dishes on our menu.  They're hot and we mean it."  One would think that would be a very clear and sufficient warning, especially after hearing people go there when seeking spice.  But Mel interpreted it as, "Oh, they're exaggerating so that people who don't like spice won't complain."  But in actuality, there was no exaggeration.  After a few bites of the steak, Mel's mouth felt like it was on fire.  Water didn't help, nor did the coolness of the salad.  It was a 5-alarm situation on the tastebuds for about 10 minutes.  

 But of course, DJ was LOVING that level of spice so the dish was finished with no problem at all.  :)

We finished things off with the Coconut Cream Cake, which was tasty but way too much to finish.  They gave us a slice that seemed like it was nearly a quarter of the cake!  Great for sharing with a group, no doubt.

 We loved every bite of every dish at Kin Shop, so much so that before we even stood up we vowed to keep coming back until we've tried everything on the menu.  So Kin Shop - we shall return!

 

Thanksgiving 2013

It was another wonderful day of giving thanks with the Haile-Mariam family in Connecticut.  At this point, DJ has really mastered the art of brining and roasting a perfectly tasty and juicy turkey.

And with a plethora of side dishes everyone helped to prepare, we had a feast fit for royalty! 

 (from top to bottom:  sourdough stuffing, Brussels sprouts, mashed potatoes, turkey, corn casserole, regular stuffing, cranberries)

 (from top to bottom:  sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, truffle macaroni and cheese)

 a loaded plate!

DJ decided to get in touch with his roots and wear traditional garb for the occasion.

 

We ate to our hearts' content, watched some football (Go Steelers!), played some Taboo (bringing new meaning to "slushy" and confusing Ice Cube with Luther Vandross), and enjoyed chasing Lia around the house.  Cheers to a wonderful holiday with family!