The Writing Room: A New Neighborhood Gem

It's official.  We have found our new go-to local spot to bring any and all visitors.  The Writing Room is so fabulous it's hard to know where to even begin describing it.

We were intrigued by this place before it even opened because everyone in the neighborhood was watching as it was built.  (It's located right in front of a major bus stop, so anyone standing there would try to peer in the fogged windows to see what this mysterious new place might have in store.)  Once you go in, you're greeted by an extremely friendly and attentive staff who immediately offer to take your coat and escort you to your table.  Before you even settle into a chair, the decor creates quite the mood.  You can tell they put a lot of thought into each and every detail to enhance the theme of a "writing room."  The brick walls are adorned with vintage photographs (strategically hung to look neatly haphazard), including some pictures of typewriter keys. 

 

The dim lighting and cozy black leather booths mixed with wooden tables evoke the feeling of being in someone's private study.  And lo and behold, after you walk by a wall lined by card catalog drawers (genius!)...

 

the back room is indeed decorated to look like a private study - complete with vintage typewriters on the mantel and built-in bookshelves brimming with tomes.

Once The Writing Room envelopes you, you know you're in for a wonderful dining experience.  And the food did not disappoint.

Spinach Salad 

(placed on top of flatbread spread with bacon jam, this salad kicks spinach up a notch)

Baby Back Ribs

(delightfully smokey with an excellent apple bbq sauce on the side)

Roasted Winter Vegetable Salad

(beautiful way to showcase what can sometimes be the more boring vegetables on a menu; perfect combination of root veggies, sweet leafy greens, and a refreshingly light dressing)

Fried Chicken with a biscuit

(the meat was incredibly juicy and the batter tasty, though it could have use a bit more salt)

Grilled Skuna Bay Salmon

(delicious; not a morsel left on the plate)

And to add to the charm even more, the bill arrives in a case lined with the image of a typewriter.  Clever way to leave a lasting impression!

Over the course of one dinner, every element of our experience at The Writing Room made it quickly rise to the top of our list for local restaurants.  Too often restaurants will take a theme and do everything in such a grandiose manner that it quickly goes from quaint to Disney World cheesy.  The Writing Room does a brilliant job of riding that fine line and doing everything in an understated, classy way to make the theme feel welcoming rather than annoying.  Cheers to them for creating a new home away from home for everyone in Yorkville!

*   *   *   *   *   *

A few weeks after our initial visit to The Writing Room, we returned for a very special visit.  Mrs. B's best friend, Mrs. Blaney, was in town for just a few days and wanted to catch up with everyone and meet DJ.  So we scored brunch reservations and enjoyed a delightful meal in the great booth by the window.

Mrs. B and Mrs. Blaney had the Roasted Chicken Salad (both raved about how well the chicken was prepared)...



Mr. B and Mel went for the Grilled Skuna Bay Salmon (paired beautifully with fingerling potatoes and greens in a creamy sauce)...



and DJ tried the Spaghetti and Meatballs (could have used a bit more salt, but the hand-cut pasta and meatballs were amazingly fresh).


We couldn't leave without having a bit of sweet, so we ordered a couple of desserts to share:

Huckleberry Cheesecake Cobbler (so indulgent - everything a dessert should be!)...


and Doughnuts (still warm from the oven with an AWESOME vanilla dipping sauce).

The Writing Room: thanks for being a perfect place to spend time with family and friends!

Slow Cooker Lamb Stew

Perhaps we should just say: any "home cooking" posts during the winter will likely involve the slow cooker.  This time around, we found a delightfully simple Lamb Stew Crockpot Recipe online and decided to give it a whirl.

The fact that it didn't involve browning the meat first was definitely a plus; it's nice to be able to just throw everything in the pot and go.  We followed the recipe pretty much to the letter except for two alterations:  

1.) we used sweet potatoes instead of potatoes (made the broth quite thick and flavorful); and 

2.) we used only one pound of lamb meat instead of two.  

Using less meat didn't impact the flavor of the dish at all.  It was still delicious with  string beans and fresh warm bread.  

 

But we did wind up with a lot more stew sauce than meat.  So next time we know that the recommended two pounds is definitely the way to go.  But in the meantime, we froze the extra stew sauce to use to spice up future leftover meat.  

Delicatessen with the Conde Crew

A long weekend calls for a long indulgent brunch with friends.  The Conde Crew got a group together to check out Delicatessen in Nolita.  

The moment we walked in, we were greeted by the comforting aroma of fried food and truffles.  So by the time we sat down, we were all craving whatever item on the menu including truffles!  Turns out there were a few to choose from, including their special parmesan fries.  In the end, the table was filled with yummy goodness ranging from burgers to chili to one of their signatures mac 'n cheese dishes.

spinach artichoke dip (with truffles) for the table to share

(piping hot and sinfully good)

salmon burger

(tasty, though the cheese became overpowering after the first few bites)

margarita mac n' cheese

(the waitress explained it perfectly: pizza meets macaroni and cheese; it is indeed as good as that meeting sounds like it would be)

"award-winning" chicken sandwich with parmesan fries

(delicious, but not quite sure what made it unique enough to win an award; wouldn't crave it above any other chicken sandwich we've had)

Overall, the vibe at Delicatessen is very hip and inviting.  It's the type of place where you feel like you might turn around and see a celebrity.  And the cuisine is fun if you're in the mood for comfort food.  But if you order a dish that involves cheese, know that they tend to be quite generous with it and be prepared to suddenly feel the need for a nap to recover afterward.  :)

ABC Cocina with the Haile-Mariams

It had been a while since we'd had a proper double-date with DJ's parents, so we invited them into the city for brunch at one of our favorite spots: ABC Cocina.

 

It was a perfect opportunity to try things on the menu we hadn't had before, while also ordering a few of our favorites.  Between the 4 of us, we enjoyed family-style sharing of:

guacamole with a side of grapefruit salsa

(both were amazing, and DJ's mom LOVED the salsa so much she might try to recreate it at home)

crispy fish sandwich

(fish prepared similarly to the fish tacos we love; very light, fresh, and flaky)

beef empanadas

(the pastry shell = perfection; the beef filling piping hot and spicy)

patatas bravas

(beautifully prepared potatoes; crispy outside, fluffy inside)

roasted pig sandwich

(to quote DJ: "Scrumptious.")

crispy fish tacos

(one of our favorites)

tres leches cake

(we all agreed this was among the best tres leches cake we've ever had; would come back just for this dessert)

No doubt about it: ABC Cocina was a wonderful place to spend quality time with family.  Though the music got a bit loud at times, we really enjoyed the overall atmosphere and the tasty food.

Sweet and Sour Chicken in the Slow Cooker

The Slow Cooker Bible is a great addition to any cookbook collection.  We reference it often in the col winter months when slow cooked food is soothing and simple.  We wanted a change of pace from our usual go-to recipes, so we decided to try the Sweet and Sour Chicken.

The recipe is surprisingly simple, and the results actually tasted like the sweet and sour chicken we've had at restaurants.  DJ loved the sauce so much he literally drank the remnants off his plate!  Served with broccoli and polenta, it was a great comfort food fix during the Polar Vortex of 2014. 

Fried Pickles with Family

DJ's Uncle Belete and cousin David were in town from California for David to interview at dental schools on the east coast.  Though their stay was brief, we got to steal them for dinner one night with Hana and Josh.  When trying to think of a fun and unique place to bring them, we remembered Jacob's Pickles with its cool decor, laid back vibe, and funky fried foods.  

Everyone was really open to trying some of the more interesting concoctions on the menu, so we wound up with a smorgasbord of:

pickled jalapenos  

(not shown below, but quite a fun flavor experiment for everyone)  

and fried pickles 

(surprisingly tasty!)

meatballs 

(awesome flavor in the meatballs, but the sauce underneath was a bit salty [pickle juice?] and overpowering; would have been great just by themselves)

 chicken fried steak 

(one of the night's specials, served on top of a fluffy biscuit)

a variety of fried chicken sandwiches 

Though we were all stuffed, the piece de resistance wound up being dessert.  At first everyone was hesitant saying anything sweet would be too much.  But DJ, being the smart man that he is, persisted in convincing us all to try the fried Oreos.  For everyone but DJ and Mel it was their first time having such a treat, and they were all pleasantly surprised at how good they were!  Definitely an unexpected crowd-pleaser.

We're so glad we could see some California family while they were in town.  We're hoping that the great fun we had will convince David that NYC is the place for him to be in dental school.  :) 

Petite Crevette pour un Grand Anniversaire

It's Dad's birthday!  Knowing how much Mr. B loves fish, Dave and Elim suggested a fabulous place in Brooklyn known for amazing fish dishes:  Petite Crevette.

 

If you look up "cozy dining" in a dictionary, a picture of this place would pop up.  Of all the places we've been, it is one of the most charming and unassuming restaurants with award-winning cuisine.  We went early to avoid crowds and lucked out that no one else was there the whole time we ate.  At dinner time it gets packed, so it looks like lunch might be a winning time to check it out.  Since it was so quiet, the owner (who is also the chef) and his son (our server) were able to chat with us a bit.  The owner/chef is known as "Doctor Fish" because of his amazing skill with seafood. 

"Doctor Fish" - the owner and chef

He has worked in the restaurant industry ever since he moved to NYC, and Petite Crevette is his 3rd personal venture.  You can tell from the decor and Doctor Fish's demeanor that this restaurant really is a piece of him and truly his passion.  

 

And once you taste the food, you know it was made by someone who loves his craft.  The small kitchen was right next to where we were sitting, so we could hear as he chopped and simmered and grilled all our meals to order; it felt like we were visiting someone's home!

We started out with fresh bread served with olive oil infused with fresh garlic and tomatoes.  Divine!  

Then came...

fried oysters

salad

 corn crab chowder

grilled skirt steak

salmon paillard

salmon burger

scallops 
(DJ said these were among the best scallops he's ever had)

seafood chowder

Every bite was superb.  We cleaned our plates!  And since they knew it was Dad's birthday, they brought out complimentary slices of flourless chocolate cake and cherry pie with candles in his honor.  So thoughtful!

This was truly the perfect place to celebrate with a seafood lover.  We can't wait to go back and try more things on the menu!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD!

Soup Dumplings with Josh and Hana

Josh is a huge fan of the soup dumplings at Joe's Shanghai, and one night he and Hana were nice enough to invite us along to try them!

Upon arriving at the restaurant, we realized we had been there once before many years ago.  At the time, we thought we might have gotten a dried out batch of the dumplings because there didn't seem to be much soup inside.  So we had high hopes for this second visit to have a proper taste of the delicacy.

And indeed, this time around was much better!  The soup dumplings were piping hot, filled with delicious steaming broth and morsels of ground pork.

The best way to eat them to avoid burning your mouth is to nibble a small hole in the top...

sip the soup broth out slowly to let it cool a bit...

and then bite away at the rest of the dumpling and pork filling.  Delicious and fun!

We started out with the dumplings, and then dined family style on sesame chicken, spicy string beans, lo mein, and pork.

They were all great!  But we agreed that next time we go we'll focus on just getting the famous dumplings and maybe some buns.  Can't wait to go back when we're in the mood for some fun snacking!!