"[A] fantastic blog... which ranges from opinions on food and wine to daily adventures in a culinary-related profession."

Friday, December 31, 2010

Baby's Homecoming; My Mother-In-Law is Better Than Your Mother-In-Law

Last night, after a three day backlog due to 'the winter storm of 2010,' David finally returned home from visiting his family in Louisiana. I decided I'd surprise him with a 'comfort foods' homecoming dinner which consisted of: French toast, crispy salami, cranberry-blackberry spread on toasts, garlic-parmesan sticks and spiced mixed nuts.

homecoming dinner

cranberry-blackberry spread

David's favorite; the crispy salami

After finishing dinner, we exchanged our parents' Christmas gifts: for David, a hand-knit scarf, gloves and hat and for me, a hand-made qulit, quilted by Mrs. Friend herself.

one of the best gifts I'd ever received

After our gift exchange, David unloaded additional goodies from his luggage: his own copy of Music for Chameleons, The Grass Harp and Bayard, "The most popular Southern European game."

easy like checkers, challenging like chess

After breaking into David's Mondel stash and opening a smooth and spicy (David: 'I'm in the woods!') bottle of Venta Morales, Tempranillo which Cynthia had brought to our holiday party, we settled into the living room where David taught me how to play Bayard. Two games in and I was failing miserably... although David had said 'I played well.'

Thursday, December 30, 2010

The Art of Eating


Just yesterday I received in the mail a small, white envelope which at first, I thought might contain a holiday card until I read, on the back, the return address:
the Art of Eating
Quarterly by Edward Behr
Box 242 Peacham, Vermont 05862 USA
Could it be an invitation to some VIP foodie event; and they'd discovered me by reading my blog? I excitedly tore open the envelope and uncovered a black-and-white note card which opened to reveal:

"A subscription to
Quarterly by Edward Behr
is sent to you as a gift

from Brad, Christy, Emma & Jane"

I was equally as excited; this family knows how to pick out the most perfect gifts!

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

My Near-Perfect Sandwich

TONIGHT I was going to take a photo of my 'sandwich of the week,' but as I'd pulled it out from the oven (I think I had done so too excitedly; it was late and I was hungry) it spilled apart, blue cheese, walnuts and bread falling into and around the oven... Anyway, here's the recipe because it's easy and worth trying for yourself at home.

Blue Cheese, Cranberry-Blackberry Spread & Spiced Walnut Sandwich

Ingredients:
1 bag shelled walnuts
Maple syrup
Sage
Rosemary
Thyme
1 bag dried cranberries
1 package frozen blackberries
Sugar
Blue cheese
Country bread, sliced
Olive oil
Sea salt
For the spiced walnuts:
See Spiced Mixed Nuts, using walnuts only.

For the cranberry-blackberry spread:
  • Empty 1 bag of dried cranberries into a small pot, adding just enough water so that the cranberries "almost float." Bring to a boil.
  • Add 1 package frozen blackberries. Allow the berries to melt apart a bit before breaking apart the remaining pieces with a wooden spoon.
  • Boil uncovered and sweeten incrementally (every few minutes) with sugar (about a few tablespoons at a time) until the sauce just begins to sweeten (it will get sweeter as it reduces).
  • Once the sauce thickens, nearly to the point of resembling jam, remove from heat and empty the contents into an airtight container to be stored in the refrigerator.
Assembling the sandwich:
  • Preheat oven (and cookie sheet) to 350°.
  • Take 2 slices of country bread (a slightly yellowish bread is best) and on one slice spread the (cooled) cranberry-blackberry spread, and upon the other, slices of blue cheese.
  • Slightly crush a small bunch of spiced walnuts in a bowl and sprinkle them atop the cheese.
  • Place the "jellied" slice on top of the other and carefully turn the sandwich over.
  • Very lightly, drizzle olive oil on top of the top slice only, then lightly sprinkle some crushed sea salt atop the oil.
  • Place the sandwich on the preheated cookie sheet and warm the sandwich in the oven just until the edges of the bread begin to brown.
  • Do not drop the sandwich as you remove it from the oven.
Enjoy!

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

(Forgiving) B Bar & How to Impress Your Friends

My recent visits to B Bar have been up and down; but after tonight's visit I've at least come up with a B Bar "signature dish": Chicken Paillard ($13).

Now please, do not get me wrong. I'm never one to order a salad as my entrée; but B Bar's Chicken Paillard stands out so much more than their other dishes (that I've tried), that tonight, I decided to play it safe and order Chicken Paillard as my entrée. (plus, I was at "Beige" and didn't want to look paunchy) Along with the Chicken Paillard, I also had two glasses of their house sparkling, Pol Deau, Blanc de Blanc, NV ($11). Soon after, my good friend, Danny, met me there with a few friends he had been spending time uptown with.

Upon finally finding each other (it was an unexpectedly "good night" at Beige) and seeing Danny with a Champagne flute, I told Danny I was going the bar to order a glass of my own. I headed to the front bar (they weren't serving wine in the garden) to order a glass of Pol Deau and as the bartender was preparing my drink I asked him how much a bottle costs. $40. Clearly, (knowing I was going to order at least another glass) the natural choice was to order a bottle.

As I approached Danny (and his new friends--Danny was spending the evening with a new beau and his beau's longtime companions), his friends were instantly impressed as I'd approached them carrying a bottle of Pol Deau and a second, empty flute. (I figured it'd be too much trouble to have the bartender refill our glasses as needed; I left the bar with the bottle and the two empty flutes he'd placed upon the bar.)

As the night wore on, I was elected by Danny's friends to "lead the way" throughout B Bar and lead them to a corner banquette where we could converse more intimately... I excused myself to the washroom and upon my return, another glass of bubbly was waiting for me at my seat. I told Danny I was going to write my life story and title it The Belle Of The Ball!

Monday, December 27, 2010

Our [Company] Holiday Get-Together

I was chosen by Jamie, our General Manager, to host this year's holiday party at Gonazalez Y Gonzalez (chosen--not by me--for its "thriftiness"; my natural choice would have been Lure or B&B). I had no intention of eating at Gonzalez Y Gonzalez and spent the better part of the afternoon deciding where I'd have my pre-holiday-party dinner.

I didn't really want to go to Lure or B&B because I knew I'd simply order the same things I'd always ordered; and it was already too late to head down to East of Eighth for their "Quick & Easy Lunch" menu, which I believe ends at four. By the time I finished warming in the oven: a blue cheese sandwich with homemade cranberry-blackberry sauce and crushed spiced walnuts, and dressing for the party (I couldn't decide upon hipster, casual, business, or costume-y--I finally settled upon 'sophisticated') there was no time for a pre-party dinner after all.

Being at Gonzalez Y Gonzalez, I started with a margarita on the rocks before eventually moving onto Jalapeño Kisses, filled with shrimp and three cheeses, and wrapped in bacon ($8.25) and Plátanos Maduros, sweet plantains topped with queso fundido ($6.50). The stuffed jalapeños were delicious (how can you go wrong with jalapeños?) and the plátanos served as a nice dessert alternative (although the fried plantains were nothing special and the texture of the queso fundido was a touch chalky/oily). At the end, I was completely satisfied with my meal--although I would have preferred some sparkling to go along with it!

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Our 1 Year Anniversary; Our Top 10 Posts

As I arrived at number ten on The New York Times' "Crib Sheet," earlier this evening, I thought I'd come up with a 'top ten' list of my own (simply in chronological order):
  1. Gazelland: Love
  2. Proust Questionnaire
  3. Oh Pooh & White Stretch Limos
  4. Writing, Whelks & Truman Capote
  5. What I've Learned This Past Week
  6. Shrimp Heads, Pork Chops & Applesauce
  7. Rustique French Bistro--Aspen
  8. Blue Ribbon's Match
  9. Kenny Bakery--Inwood
  10. An Early Birthday...
And yes, as of Monday, December 20th, FROM BEHIND THE OPEN TABLE has reached its one year mark! I'm so happy to have reached all the readers I have this past year and can only hope to attract more in the year to come...

Cheers!

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

In My Own Words



Sauternes and blue cheese with rich creamy flavor
Velvety reds and a blue steak to savor
Dijon and sea salt and Tiffany rings
These are a few of my favorite things

Blue Ribbon dinners in blue woolen blazers

Caramel twists with their caramel flavor

White truffle burger at Burger & B

These are a few of my favorite things


Malpeques and Champagne--Moët is my favorite!
Chocolates from Mondel--I never would trade it!
Late-night Lure Burger on Mirabelle wings
These are a few of my favorite things

When the wind bites!
When my wine stings!
When I'm just a cad...
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel so bad!

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

What Gazelle Simply Wants For Christmas

I recently caught up with Gazelle and had the opportunity to ask him what all (gazelle-like) inquiring minds want to know!

GAZELLE: I really don't want anything for Christmas. I am lucky enough to have a rich life where I can experience great joy, but also, have a complicated taste, so my friends know not to take a chance in buying me anything... lol!
This week I was going uptown on the A subway line, and as I entered the train I saw this young man seated on the floor holding a guitar; his whole life, I assume, was inside a grocery cart standing next to him. He played beautifully, the song, "Owner Of A Lonely Heart" by the group Yes and it took me back to memory lane... if you really want to know what I want to for Christmas, I wish that this young man one day could have all his dreams come true, become a huge star and spread happy emotions to everyone, like he did for me in those few minutes.... and yes, I also want world peace!

Monday, December 20, 2010

A 'Comfort-Foods' Christmas

It seems I've been having a lot of early celebrations this year; I have.

Last night, David and I threw a pre-Christmas "holiday party" at our apartment with a few close friends. Here's some of what we had:



Jane's Spiced Mixed Nuts, with pretzels


David's mashed red potato quesadilla strips with ham and scallions


Fabiana's (fabulous) chicken liver and foie gras pâté


Libby's Mexican Wedding Cake cookies


Peppermint-crumble brownies (amazing!) with peppermint extract


And last, but not least, Devil's Fruitcake

(Also on the menu: meatballs with cranberry-blackberry dressing and pimento cheese and pumpernickel sandwiches...)

I must say that I was quite surprised by how much my guests were 'swooning' over my devil's fruitcake! I thought only one or two would try a slice (and I'd get to keep the rest), but everyone was so intrigued by my brandied fruitcake and wanted to try some. I told them all how to make their own devil's fruitcake plus a couple of tips I'd picked up since originally posting the recipe:

  • If you have a time limit for preparing your devil's fruitcake, you can water the cake daily, but no more than four days.
  • When the cake begins to resemble a "moist cake" and loses its original firmness, it's ready--don't water it anymore.

To my (bittersweet) surprise, at the end of the night only one slice remained. I guess to quote Cynthia would be correct:"What dessert wouldn't taste good soaked in brandy?"

Friday, December 17, 2010

The Lady Clicquot?

I recently snapped this photo after my Christmas dinner with David; it's a photo of the agrafe from our bottle of Veuve Clicquot. Never noticing the "Rembrandt" before, I asked David: "Is this the Lady Clicquot?" I did some research and found out that it is rather, "The Widow Cliquot." You can read all about this famous widow in the book, The Widow Clicquot: The Story of a Champagne Empire and the Woman Who Ruled It!

Thursday, December 16, 2010

NYE at Benoit

This year, partake in an afterhours French tradition to kick off the new year!

Late-Night Party at Benoit Bistro
Friday, December 31 from 1 - 6 a.m.
Serving an all-night French onion soup and Champagne special.
Dancing and music featuring a special guest D.J.

Benoit, 60 West 55th Street

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

An Early Christmas...


As last was night was my last 'full evening' with David before he heads home to visit his folks for the holidays, I decided we'd celebrate Christmas early (which called for a fresh shirt and table linens)! Earlier that afternoon, I'd gone to Mondel Chocolates--our favorite, and quite possibly the best chocolates in the world! Don't take my word, but rather, Miss Katherine Hepburn's:

"The time we shared,... intimate conversation, and lots of dark chocolate (the best in the world) came from a small shop on upper Broadway called Mondel's - turtles, almond bark, and breakup..."

--excerpt from Kate Remembered, by A. Scott Berg

David's top picks at Mondel are cocoa almonds and Champagne truffles, but every time I go (each December and February) I like to pick out something new for us to try. On my last visit I'd picked espresso truffles and on the visit preceding that, Grand Marnier and rum. This time I selected: cocoa almonds; Champagne, espresso and Grand Marnier truffles; and bittersweet and extra-bittersweet break-up chocolate.


To go along with the chocolates, we enjoyed a bottle of Veuve Clicquot--David's favorite Champagne.


(While on the Upper West Side, I had wanted to go to Gotham Wines, my favorite wine shop in the city, to browse their different grades of Veuve, but David wanted to meet for dinner and as he wasn't supposed to know I was shopping for his gift; I had to skip Gotham Wines and instead, picked up this classic yellow-label bottle from our local wine shop.)

After we enjoyed a light dinner (consisting mainly of wine and chocolates), I placed our Veuve on ice and retreated to our bedroom where we watched Funny Girl. As I was setting up our wine near the bedside, David gave me an early gift as well: Truman Capote: In Which Various Friends, Enemies, Acquaintances, and Detractors Recall His Turbulent Career, tied in a ribbon. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect gift.



Mondel Chocolates, 2913 Broadway, Upper West Side

Monday, December 13, 2010

Holiday Shopping

Last weekend, while David and I were meandering around Bleecker Street, doing some Christmas shopping, we happened upon Bookmarc--Marc Jacobs' recently opened bookstore. I came across a few goodies that seemed to be a cute (be it a small) gift for someone: "Marc Jacobs" mini-Sharpie keyrings, M.J. "Dirty Rat" keyring and a 'Bookmarc' tin case to carry your stash in; $20.

Bookmarc, 400 Bleecker Street

Sunday, December 12, 2010

(If You Don't Already Know) Gazelle

Gazelle, a.k.a. Paulo Gazelle or by a close few, "Gazzy" is a dear 'old' friend of mine whom I'd met nearly eight years ago at Cafeteria after he'd finished his first day's orientation at the (then) soon to open Crobar. Since his arrival on the New York City nightclubbing scene in the early aughts, Gazelle's made quite the name for himself with his often confusing, always striking looks. He even caught the eye of The Village Voice's Michael Musto, earlier this year, calling Gazelle a "Fashion God!"

A couple of months ago I was approached for a project, young director Cesar Elias wanted to feature me in his "character film" for the NY Film Academy, initially the plan was a 5 minute film about little crazy person here... however it has become a bigger project, and it will end next year when I do my thing at the New York Pride Parade 2011( I have been the grand finale of the Brazilian group for over ten years now). Cesar just released a short version teaser of the material he has accumulated while he and his crew follow me around in the city. It has been a fun experience...we took now a two week break. In this short piece you see scenes of me at home and in one night that I was part of a bizarre Halloween dinner also for another movie project, that Cesar was allowed to film. Crazy...

--excerpt from Gazelle's blog, Freak Chic

Friday, December 10, 2010

White Truffle Burger at B&B

Last night I finally buckled down and headed to B&B (Burger and Barrel) for a taste of the white truffle burger (available for a limited time only). But first, Cynthia and I started off with an iceberg wedge salad with blue cheese, slab bacon and tomatoes ($10) and beef carpaccio ($12).



The salad was tasty with thick chops of bacon and crumbled blue cheese as a foil and there were no regrets about the carpaccio, either, topped with pablanos, red onion and jalapeño aioli--all perfect to dress the crostini with, almost like a Blue Ribbon beef marrow alternative.

Next, came our white truffle burger. At $48, Cynthia and I decided to share one.



Aside from truffle shavings, the burger was topped with robiola cheese (which seemed to be great for melting) and truffle aioli. My initial estimation: likened to that of a fine wine.

Overall, the burger was moist and juicy with, of course, a very distinct flavor, yet, I don't feel like it's something I'd have to have again. Nevertheless, I'm glad to have finally had it...

Burger & Barrel, 25 West Houston Street

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Make 'Em Swoon Over Your Store-Bought Fruitcake



'Devil's Fruitcake'

Ingredients
1 store-bought fruitcake
Brandy (unflavored)

Directions
  • Remove the fruitcake from its outer packaging, leaving its baking liner in place.
  • With a long, thin piercing tool (such as a skewer) poke several long, diagonal holes throughout the fruitcake in intersecting directions.
  • Place the fruitcake in a covered, glass casserole dish (or other suitable container) and carefully pour 1-2 tablespoons of brandy over the entire top of the cake.
  • 'Move the fruitcake around' to evenly distribute the brandy throughout the cake.
  • Place the covered casserole in the refrigerator.
  • Every other day, "water" the fruitcake with 1 tablespoon brandy, remembering to 'move the cake around.'
  • For each slice eaten (always slice when cold to prevent breaking), dress the exposed side with 1 teaspoon brandy.
  • Serve with whipped cream if desired.

Holiday Gift-Giving Ideas With A Cause

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Holiday Playlist

I'm working on a playlist for a holiday party I'm throwing; here's what I have so far:

Bust A Move - Young MC
Christmas Is Coming - Vince Guaraldi Trio
Christmastime Is Here - Vince Guaraldi Trio
Darn That Dream - Miles Davis
Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down - Alicia Keys
Girls & Boys - Blur
Good Fortune - PJ Harvey
Hanging on the Telephone - Blondie
Hubcaps and Tail Lights - Barney Kessel
I'd Like to Hitch a Ride with Santa Claus - The Andrews Sisters
I'll Come Running Over - Lulu
Israel - Miles Davis
It's Beginning to Look Like Christmas - The Andrews Sisters & Bing Crosby
Jingle Bells - The Andrews Sisters & Bing Crosby
Judy Is A Punk - The Ramones
Just Like Heaven - The Cure
Kiss - Prince
La Vie En Rose - Grace Jones
Last Christmas - Wham!
Lithium - Nirvana
The Long List of Girls - The Blow
Loose Caboose - Henry Mancini
Madeline - Yo La Tengo
Michael A Grammar - Broadcast
Moon River Cha Cha - Henry Mancini
Peek-A-Boo - Siouxsie & The Banshees
Rouge - Miles Davis
Santa Baby - Madonna
Santa Claus Is Coming to Town - Frank Sinatra & Cyndi Lauper
Something for the Cat - Henry Mancini and His Orchestra
Teenage Kicks - The Undertones
This Charming Man - The Smiths
This is Love - PJ Harvey
Venus de Milo - Miles Davis
We're Desperate - X
When The Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes - The Supremes
Wooly Bully - Sam the Sham & The Pharaohs

--missing anything?

Friday, December 3, 2010

Milk Punch For The Holiday

From the pages of GQ, comes this recipe for Milk Punch to sweeten your holiday party with.

GQ Milk Punch
Serves 12 to 15

Ingredients:
1 cup whole milk
3 cups heavy cream
1 cup raw sugar
1 liter brandy
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • In a saucepan, bring the milk and cream to a simmer over medium heat and add the sugar. Stir to dissolve and remove from heat.
  • In a large punch bowl, combine the cream-sugar mixture with the rum and vanilla. Whisk well.
  • Freeze overnight and remove approximately two hours before serving. Break up remaining ice before serving.

Or, from the pages of Pirate's Pantry (a recent gift given by my in-laws), comes Southwest Louisiana's take:

Pirate's Pantry Milk Punch
Serves 6

Ingredients:
Ice
1 rounded teaspoon sugar
⅛ teaspoon vanilla
6 jiggers bourbon
2 jiggers Kahlua
Milk
Nutmeg

  • Fill blender with ice to 1 inch from top. Add other ingredients in order except nutmeg, filling blender only to 1 inch from top.
  • Put lid on and blend until ice is fine.
  • Let sit a few minutes before pouring.
  • Sprinkle nutmeg on top of each serving.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

DRES at I WEAR NEW YORK!

Visit I WEAR NEW YORK's midtown showroom tonight for an exclusive party and preview of their current designers' collections. My good friend Dres will be showing at the event--the perfect opportunity to pick up a DRES tote (or two) for the upcoming gift-giving season!

I WEAR NEW YORK is a collective of designers who exclusively produce their lines in New York.