8th Anniversary! Piattino and 16 Prospect Wine Bar

Celebrating 8 years of wedded bliss required some FOOD that made us HAPPY DANCE!

The actual anniversary fell on a weekday, so Mel looked for a creative takeout option for a festive dinner.  As luck would have it, the special of the day at our beloved Piattino was Cauliflower Cacio e Pepe - a dish we fell in love with in Italy.  So it was easy to decide we'd have a pasta feast in honor of our foodie honeymoon!  We also ordered the Duck Maltagliati in case the cacio e pepe was a bust with the added element of cauliflower.  Both wound up being delicious, so it was a double win!

Cauliflower Cacio e Pepe

(Homemade Linguine, Roasted Cauliflower, Fresh Cracked Pepper, Parmesan)

Duck Maltagliati

(Duck and Truffle Sugo, Wild Mushrooms, Thyme, Topped with Fried Egg)

And DJ brought home a delightful, "hearty" (get it? HA!) treat from La Maison du Macaron in the city.  A perfect sweet chocolate mousse bomb to mark the special occasion. 

We wanted to be sure to have a date out of the house to celebrate as well.  So when the weekend rolled around, we headed to 16 Prospect Wine Bar and Bistro in Westfield to see what it's all about.  This spot has come up many times when we search for good eats in the area.  Apparently their big draw is live music at night, but we figured we'd give it a chance during the day since wine bars often have quite a cozy setting.

The setting is indeed cozy.  There are high top tables toward the front next to the bar and stage area, and regular tables in the back.  We agreed that it definitely has a worn-in, dive bar kind of vibe to it.  Lots of memorabilia on the walls, regulars sitting at the bar, and the wine/beer/liquor/faded-cigarettes-from-yesteryear aroma of "these walls have seen many a happy late-night crowd."  This place has history.

Overall the food was enjoyable!  We decided to snack on a few items just to get a sampling.

Garlic Shrimp
(Extra virgin olive oil, hot pepper flakes, garlic, roasted red pepper, four jumbo shrimp, over a garlic crouton)

Roasted Pear & Fennel Salad
(Baby arugula, crumbled bleu cheese, spicy walnuts, apple cider vinaigrette)

Five Cheese Pizza
(Tomato sauce, Asiago, Pecorino-Romano, Mozzarella, Fontina, Aged Provolone, spices)

Our favorite dish was definitely the salad; you can never go wrong with a nice pear/blue cheese combo!  Perhaps we'll keep an eye on their live music offerings and come back sometime for snacks and a show.  In the meantime...

CHEERS TO 8 YEARS!

Quality Brunch at Quality Eats

When we were living in the city, one of our go-to spots for excellent steak was Quality Meats.  At the beginning of 2019 (yes this is a delayed post, and so worth it!), our dear Frenchie Carole (who works for their managing company) encouraged us to try one of their new spots - Quality Eats.    

We actually both wound up going separately at first.  Mel went for brunch with Carole, and (after hearing the rave reviews) DJ took his work team for lunch.  That's when we each had the chance to try one of the restaurant's signature dishes - Grilled Nueske's Bacon with peanut butter and jalapeno jelly.  It sounds crazy, we know.  But WHOA-M-G, it is amazing and deserving of the title "signature dish."  We'll have to go back just to get a picture to add to this entry.  

Finally one weekend back in the summer, we ventured into the city with our little guy to grab brunch TOGETHER at Quality Eats.  Since we'd each already tried the bacon, we decided to explore some of the unsung heroes on the menu.

Spicy Tuna Tartare 

(with Fresno pepper and potato chips)

and

Crab and Avocado

(with cilantro and citrus)

A fabulous, flavorful, and light start to the meal!  Would definitely order either as a main dish with a refreshing cocktail on a hot summer day.

Tater Tot Chilaquiles 

Anyone who reads this blog knows we're OBSESSED with chilaquiles, so of course we had to try this.  The waiter advised that it's pretty filling, so we decided to split it - THANK GOODNESS!  That is one huge skillet heaping with yummy goodness.  The tater tot base added a fun new dimension to the flavor.  We still prefer the classic tortilla chips, but for a once-in-a-while splurge you really can't go wrong with this one.

Sandwich: Strawberry Shortcake Doughnut

(Strawberry Ice Cream, Lemon Glazed Doughnut, Lemon Curd; a collab with The Doughnut Project)

So... this was pretty much as EPIC as it sounds.  The wonderfully soft doughnut surrounding delectable fresh strawberry ice cream with a tangy kick from the lemon curd... as far as desserts go, this one pretty much knocks it out of the park.  What a treat!

Cheers to Quality Eats!  We love you as much as your counterpart and can't wait to return!

Bulgogi for the Win at RoosterSpin

Mel drove by Roosterspin while running errands a while back and made a mental note to check it out sometime.  We finally had a chance to grab lunch there recently and really enjoyed it!

The decor is very modern with a focus on music because the space also offers karaoke at night.  We loved the wall lined with records and the creative lighting.

Roosterspin's claim to fame is their fried chicken, so of course that was the first thing we ordered.  But we decided to make the most of the visit and try a couple of other items from the menu.

Kimchi Fries

(seasoned fries, kimchi cheese sauce)

DJ is a huge fan of kimchi, so it was surprising that Mel actual enjoyed the cheese sauce more than he did. 

Steamed Bulgogi Bun

The seasoning on the beef was fantastic, and the buns were super fresh.

Always Double Fried Chicken

Extremely tasty, but we wished there was a bit more sauce on each piece.  (We know the double fried style is not intended to be super saucy, and totally own the fact that this is merely a personal preference.)

We agreed that while the chicken was enjoyable, our favorite dish of the day was actually the bulgogi!  We noticed the dinner menu has dishes centered around the beef, so we may go back to try that sometime.  We'll report back!

Droppin' in at Dropbox and ABC Cocina

This post is long overdue, but we had to make note of some fun rites of passage back during the holiday season: our kiddo's first train ride into the city and first visit to one of our fav haunts, ABC Cocina.

The little guy is super into all forms of transportation, so he was absolutely pumped to ride NJ Transit like Dad.

We visited the Dropbox office (met coworkers and checked out the cool workspaces), and then treated ourselves to our favorite tacos and margaritas.  

Chipotle Chicken Tacos

(grilled jalapeno salsa)

 

Sauteed Mushroom Tacos

 (cashews, mole, kale, lime)

Charred Octopus

(smoked paprika creme fraiche, guajillo vinaigrette)

The preschooler is still pretty particular about food, so he wasn't interested in tasting anything.  But he enjoyed the lunch we packed for him and was super chill as we all enjoyed the ambience.

Cheers to an epic adventure into the city!  Can't wait for the next one!

Banza Pasta AND Rice = Total Game Changers

We have long been fans of Banza and their great pasta substitutes made of chickpeas. 

 They obviously don't taste exactly like pasta.  But combined with the veggies, sauces and cheeses we usually use in ziti recipes, they really do come pretty close and have tons of protein with minimal sugars.  #Winning! 

So imagine our delight when we discovered Banza now makes legume rice as well!  We eliminated rice from our cooking repertoire a long time ago, and have been pleased with the options of cauliflower rice or root vegetables instead.  But there are certainly times we've missed the texture of rice, especially when enjoying a saucy meat dish just begging for a rice bed to soak up all the extra flavor.

We honestly had extremely low expectations, but with nutrition facts like these we knew we had to try it at least once.

Happy to report, we were SHOCKED at how DELICIOUS this stuff is.  It cooks so quickly and easily, has a texture just like rice, and even tastes great on its own with just a splash of olive oil and dash of salt.  In a word - AMAZING.

We will keep at least two bags of Banza rice in our pantry at all times (right next to the Banza pasta) for those nights when we're craving carbs without the guilt.  Also a wonderful option for meat-free dinners!