[My] Week(end) in Pictures

Last Friday, David curated an awesome repertoire of new music pieces for Brooklyn Heights' Music at First series. He truly rocked Chris Marianetti's "I Think It Would Be Beating A Dead Dog If We Do Anything But Present This Statement."

Fancy hand-work!

After the concert, the lot of us walked over to Henry Street Ale House for post-show libations and grub. It seemed most of us were in the mood for fried food because the order at my end of the table consisted of: a large basket of fries, the nacho platter, jalapeño poppers and Elvis' fried pickles.

Elvis' Fried Pickles at Henry Street Ale House

I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the fried pickle spears and will definitely return to enjoy them again...

Saturday was my eight year anniversary with David and we celebrated with a wonderful dinner at New Leaf restaurant, on the grounds of The Met Museum's cloisters. But first, David made 'champagne cocktail' apéritifs with cinzano-soaked tangerines and cinzano floaters.

cava cocktails with cinzano tangerines

Later, a short walk up through Fort Tryon Park found us at our destination, New Leaf restaurant and bar. It was the first (to my knowledge) Michelin recommended restaurant that I'd been to and I was very excited. The dining room, within the restored 1930s cobblestone NYC Parks Department building, was quite lovely, with a view spanning upper Manhattan.

the view from position two

David and I both began with a glass of sparkling blanc de blanc while we examined our menus. I decided to start with the soup du jour: butternut squash soup.

Chef Scott Q. Campbell's butternut squash soup

For my main course, I chose bacon banded pork tenderloin with Tokyo turnips, chanterelles, chestnuts, blackberries, pomegranate seeds and figs.

bacon banded pork tenderloin with blackberry sauce

It was the most elegant dish I'd ever encountered with some of the most delicious vegetables as well. For dessert, David and I decided to share the warm chocolate cake with vanilla-rum ice cream.

warm chocolate cake and vanilla-rum ice cream

The dessert was not as impressive as my main, however, it was a 'suitable' chocolate cake.

Sunday night was Oscar night and I decided to not spend it glued in front of a TV set, with the rest of the masses, but instead met Karen and Cynthia for dinner at Blue Ribbon.

Mr. Crab says hello... or, more appropriately, good-bye!

It was Cynthia's birthday and the three of us settled down for some of our classic favorite dishes: beef marrow & oxtail marmalade, salt and pepper shrimp, Malpeque oysters and a smoked trout salad, for some greens. (also was, escargot, compliments of the house) We all enjoyed avinyó, brut, NV cava, to start, but cleaned out the last two bottles which left me with the task of selecting our follow up wine; I chose a bottle of pinot gris, Willamette Valley and was rather pleased with my selection. David joined us as well and he and I shared the ever-tasty roasted duck club, with sweet potato chips. Our evening ended with chocolate bruno, topped with a candle, and warm birthday wishes for Cynthia. It was a good weekend indeed!

Tomorrow in Music:

Dargel / Friend

Pianist David Friend and composer/vocalist Corey Dargel open the first 2011 concert of Music At First! David will perform electroacoustic music by composers Kate Moore, Christopher Marianetti, Daniel Wohl (of TRANSIT), Jacob TV, and premiere a new work by Angélica Negrón.

Brooklyn Heights-based Music at First Series announces its first concert of 2011, featuring sets from pianist David Friend and composer/vocalist Corey Dargel. The "astonishingly compelling" (The Washington Post) Friend will perform a set of pieces from young composers whose works reflect a radical approach to the solo piano, and will include the world premiere of a work by Angélica Negrón.

FRIEND'S program will feature works by four young composers, as well as the controversial "Cities Change the Songs of Birds," by Dutch composer JacobTV. Friend's set showcases his expansive technique, moving beyond traditional piano performance and incorporating electronics in works by Kate Moore and Daniel Wohl, spoken word in a piece by Christopher Marianetti, and foot-triggered desk bells in the Negrón premiere.

DARGEL'S six-song "Hold Yourself Together" combines dark and witty lyrics about emotional dysfunction with music that lives between the art and pop worlds. The New York Times describes Dargel as "one of the more original and consistently provocative artists pushing at the margins of modern classical music and adventurous pop." Dargel will be joined by James Moore (guitars) and Wil Smith (synths) to perform his art/pop-song cycle "Hold Yourself Together," recently hailed by The New York Times as "strongly fashioned and lyrically direct... one of Mr. Dargel’s most instantly relatable creations."

In the spirit of presenting a "diverse mix" of new music artists, composer Wil Smith, curator of the "vibrant, eclectic" (The New York Times) Music at First Series, has programmed two artists whose different modes of creation within the new classical genre nevertheless share an original and adventurous approach.

details:
what: Music at First Series featuring David Friend and Corey Dargel
when: Friday, February 25, 2011, 7:30pm
where: First Presbyterian Church (Brooklyn Heights)
124 Henry St, Brooklyn
2/3 to Clark St; A/C to High St; R/4/5 to Borough Hall
admission: $10
website: www.musicatfirstsite.com

'East Egg'

I just got back from a lovely and lengthy lunch at Egg in Williamsburg.
I met with my good friend Cynthia there and as per usual, we decided upon sharing several dishes. From "salads & appetizers," the first plate to garner my interest was the sample plate ($10) with deviled eggs, pickled eggs, country ham and pimento toast.

I think there were a few pickled potato slices on the plate as well.

Also from the same category was pâté & toast ($8) with chicken liver pâté, toast, onion jam, mustard and pickles.

Pâté & Toast. So good.

The warm pimento toast was wonderful, with melted pimento cheese, and the country ham was great alone, or as a topper for the pimento toast. The pickled egg was as good as you'd expect while the horesradishy deviled egg delivered just a bit more...

From the pâté & toast plate: the chicken liver pâté was deliciously buttery and the onion jam, which Cynthia and I topped our pâté-topped toast with, also delivered. As we neared the end of our first course, I finished off the plate by topping the remaining toasts with pickled onions and hot whole grain mustard. Tangy and spicy!

For our main course, Cynthia and I both selected sandwiches--she, the fried oyster sandwich with cornmeal-crusted oysters, spicy mayonnaise and lettuce, on a roll, and I, the grilled cheese sandwich with Grafton cheddar, grilled on five-grain bread, with pickled jalapeños and candied bacon (the latter three, my own choosing--they also have broiled tomatoes). Unfortunately, our sandwiches did not live up to our first course... although the grilled cheese wasn't bad, I don't recommend the oyster sandwich. Cynthia and I chatted and lingered over a, second, tasty cup of French press coffee before finally concluding our meal with: pecan pie--à la mode!

Desserts don't stand a chance around me.

The pie was a bit dry, for my own liking, and satisfied only when I scooped it up, together, with the ice cream. We nearly ran out (of ice cream), but nonetheless, still managed to finish the dessert. Waste not, want not!

Me vs. GQ

I wonder if my own Blue Cheese, Cranberry-Blackberry Spread & Spiced Walnut Sandwich would live up Tommy Habetz and Nick Wood's (Bunk Sandwiches, Portland, OR) Butternut-Squash Sandwich, in this month's GQ.

Perhaps I'll e-mail them the challenge.

Bunk Sandwiches' Butternut-Squash Sandwich

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 large yellow onions, sliced
¾ cup melted butter plus 2 tbsp. for sautéing
Salt
Sherry vinegar
1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced into medium chunks
Freshly grated nutmeg
¼ cup brown sugar
3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar, plus more for arugula
4 ciabatta rolls
8 to 10 slices Gruyère
Arugula
Extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Over low heat, sauté onions in 2 tablespoons butter, stirring frequently, for about 45 minutes, or until well browned. Season with salt gradually and continuously while cooking, and add a splash of sherry vinegar when nearly done. Set aside.
• Toss butternut squash with ½ cup melted butter; add salt and nutmeg to taste. Roast in oven until squash starts to brown and get tender, about 20 minutes. Toss while warm with brown sugar, balsamic vinegar and caramelized onions. Allow to cool.
• Lay out sliced ciabatta rolls. Divide Gruyère slices among rolls and spread about a quarter of the squash-and-caramelized-onion mixture on each roll. Close sandwiches and lightly brush outside of each roll with remaining ¼ cup melted butter. On a well-heated panini press, lightly grill sandwiches over medium heat for about 6 minutes, or until cheese is melted and sandwich is hot all the way through. 
• Toss arugula with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and salt. Open the sandwiches and add a handful of the dressed arugula to each. 

Balsamic Reductions

One of the people that urged me to carry on with this blog is a former co-worker of mine and the author of the blog, Balsamic Reduction. I recently came across a terrific post of hers: a lesson in knife safety. I never knew I had no idea how to use a knife! (you can also find a terrific recipe for candied orange peels on the blog)

the (sexy) chef at work

My Favorite Portrait To Date

Closing out Valentine's Day dinner at Benoit, NYC

A Two-Day Holiday

Sunday, February 13th, was David's birthday. I came home, late, Saturday night with a cookie plate and cheesecake from work with which we celebrated the very beginning of what was to be a very festive weekend...

cherry jubilee cheesecake & double chocolate, sugar, lady finger, sponge cake,
macaroon, madeline, apricot rugelach & chocolate chip cookies

Being too late to pick up any wine, I picked up a few bottles of Stella Artois on my way home, but David refused to drink beer with cookies and, instead, gave me an early valentine: a bottle of Lillet. I shook the Lillet over ice and we both had Lillet martinis to complement our late-night sweets!

The Lady Lillet

The following morning, I woke up early, (while David slept in) and headed downtown to East of Eighth to set the place cards for David's surprise birthday brunch. There were eleven, in total, with David at the head of the table and I at the center. (I think I did a nice job of the arrangement) I bought a round of drinks for the early birds while we waited for the guest of honor to arrive.

Being a Sunday, most of us opted for the prix-fixe brunch which includes: one bloody mary or mimosa; coffee or tea; and freshly baked breads and muffins... for $14.95. (your second cocktail is half-price) To my neighbors, I recommended the farmer's omelet with potatoes, Brie, bacon and sautéed onions; but, having had it many times before, I decided to try something new and decided upon crab cake benedict. I've had a taste of their "classic" benedict before (you have the choice of classic, guacamole, florentine, crab cake or salmon) and wasn't impressed, but being a big fan of crab cakes, I thought I'd give the crab cake benedict a try. My dish arrived and the crab cake reminded me more of a latke than a crab cake, but nonetheless, the perfectly poached eggs and the densely flavored hollandaise sauce saved the dish...

All our guests seemed to be pleased with their dishes and we all lingered over another mimosa or two before heading elsewhere for a few more celebratory cocktails.

David and I had until about seven o'clock before we had to part ways and head off for surprise number two: Ronald K. Brown's Evidence dance company at Joyce Theater. The performance was great, and much more than I'd expected, and left me breathing heavily throughout most of the performance (an idiosyncrasy of mine, whenever I'm highly excited about something).

Lillet-cava cocktails garnished with sweet oranges

Valetine's Day (evening) began with "Lillet-cava cocktails," garnished with oranges. Also, on the (surprise) menu were chocolates from Mondel--another valentine from David to me.

my favorite marzipan dark chocolates with coconut

A couple of Lillet-cava cocktails later, David and I headed downtown on the 1 train for surprise of the weekend number three: dinner, for two, at Benoit. The dining room was happily filled; yet, the attentively efficient maître d' whisked us right unto our table. As always, the atmosphere and setting of the dining room charmed me and as I commented on this, David pointed out the light fixtures which he was admiring.

lovely lights at Benoit

We began our dinner with a wonderfully cold bottle of blanc de blanc champagne (David's pick) and from Chef Phillipe Bertineau's Valentine's prix-fixe menu: celery root salad with black truffle and tuna tartare with caviar; steamed loup de mer and filet mignon aux poivres; and opéra chocolate cake and "our baba" baba au rhum!

celery root salad with shaved black truffle

David and I enjoyed all the dishes; my favorites were celery root salad and loup de mer while David's comments leaned toward the filet mignon which was "perfectly cooked." Although the baba au rhum was not included on the prix-fixe menu, "the chef is going to do the baba." I was so happy... After dinner, David and I ended the evening with wine and a cheese plate at Mandarin Oriental's thirty-fifth floor bar, overlooking Columbus Circle and Central Park South.

tasty bubbly and snacks at Mandarin Oriental

... a nice and quiet ending for a two-day holiday indeed!

Still Room to Book at Benoit!

If you've yet to book your Valentine's Day reservation (shame on you!), worry not, Benoit still has room for two...

This year, Chef Philippe Bertineau (formerly, of Balthazar) will be offering a three course menu for $65 per person in addition to his à la carte menu. Also, by booking your table at Benoit on February 13-14, you'll be eligible for a chance to win a two night stay at Alain Ducasse's country hotel, L'Andana, in Maremma, Italy!

But, if you're planning on having an intimate dinner at home this year, you may want to try this recipe from Benoit's pastry kitchen:

Crêpes Suzette

makes about 12 crêpes

Ingredients:

Crêpe Batter
1 cup whole milk
3 ½ ounces flour
1 ¾ ounces whole eggs
6 ¼ teaspoons butter
¼ ounce oil
2 ½ teaspoons granulated sugar
1 pinch of salt
The rind of 1 orange, finely grated
The rind of 1 lemon, finely grated

Suzette Butter
17 sugar cubes
1 2/3 cups orange juice
¼ cup Grand Marnier
4 ¼ ounces butter
2 oranges
1 dash of lemon juice

Garnish
Peeled orange segments
Candied orange zest

Procedure:

Making the crêpe batter and cooking the crêpes

• Sift the flour and add sugar.
• Beat eggs together with salt; carefully pour the mixture into the flour producing a smooth mixture.
• Thin the batter by gradually adding the rest of the milk, then the melted butter and oil.
• Add the finely grated orange and lemon rinds last. Let sit 2 hours in the refrigerator.
• Cook the crepes using clarified butter in a nonstick pan. Butter the pan with a pastry brush, keeping the amount of fat to a minimum.

Preparing the Suzette Butter

• Rub the orange skins with sugar cubes to soak up the color and essential oils.
• Melt the sugar cubes in orange juice with a dash of lemon juice.
• Bring to a boil, then whisk in the butter and flavor with Grand Marnier. Instead of adding the Grand Marnier to Suzette butter, you can set it aside until the dessert is ready to be served, then light and pour over the crepes. This tableside presentation pays homage to a favorite spectacle from the bygone era of the flambé.

Finish

• Fold each crêpe in four and let cool slightly.
• Pile orange segments and candied orange zest on top.
• Glaze with Suzette butter.

Favorite Finds Of The Week

If you've wondered what I'd been up to the past two weeks, I've (somewhat) wondered the same thing myself... I spent a good deal of it, sick, in bed. It began with a fever that stretched over about a day and a half; followed by a week of cough; then, followed by two days of severe, dry hacking cough. It wasn't until about two days ago that I'd finally began feeling myself again.

Cold night over Inwood.  If  I wasn't so sick,  I  would have opened the win -

dow, but somehow, I like the effect it gave...

However, I somehow managed to hit the town for a late lunch or two. Last week, I joined my good friend, Noy, on a hat-shopping expedition; namely, we were in search of a custom milliner that would be able to fit one of our (now former) managers for a fedora--a going away gift from the entire staff. We found a wonderful little boutique (Still Life) on Orchard Street and it was 'the perfect fit!' Our shopping expedition fulfilled, we headed northwest for some lunch; we mutually agreed on Daniel Boulud's DBGB.

I'd, for long, wanted to check out DBGB, but every time I'd thought about entering the place, it simply looked too crowded. But on a cold and early Monday afternoon, Noy and I were, literally, the only patrons in the front dining area. (we opted to dine at the bar) We began with a bottle of La Caravelle, Rosé Champagne, NV and the lobster bisque special. We, then, moved on to a tasting of several dishes: housemade foie gras torchon; boudin basque, blood and pigs head sausage; beaujolaise sausage with lentils du puy (chef's recommendation); and housemade spaetzle. 

Of course, the foie gras was faultless as was the boudin basque; however, my favorite plate was the beaujolaise sausage with its dry-moist texture. For dessert we had the flamboyant omelette norvegienne, baked alaska for two, set aflame, table side. 

$130 later, I left DBGB cash-strapped, but without regret. According to the bartender, Noy and I "really know how to have a lunch; and I've seen plenty of lunches..."

ALSO, last week, I met up with another good friend, Danny, for an early evening snack and beverage. Being in SoHo on an errand, I told Danny to meet me at Lure, at the bar. We started with two glasses of Franciacorta, followed by oyster shooters, crispy calamari, tossed in smoked chili glaze and fried oysters with caper tartar sauce. Having had tried all their other bar snacks (minus littleneck clams and shrimp cocktail) these three are, by far, my favorite. I let Danny choose our next dining destination and he chose Pulino's, on Bowery.

I'd been to Pulino's a couple of times before and am a big fan of their thin, crispy pizza--especially the acciughe pizza with anchovies. Danny wanted to go to Pulino's for their chicken liver mousse, with bacon jam. Upon sitting, we both began with a glass of their sparkling rosé, $10. (I don't know of any other place in the city where you can get sparkling rosé for $10!) Next, we ordered the chicken liver mousse and a bianca tradizionale pizza with anchovies. (the acciughe pizza wasn't on the menu) 

The first dish to come out was the mousse, served in a small, glass jar, along with a salt cellar and lightly toasted breads. The mousse was magnificent--certainly the best chicken liver mousse I've had in Manhattan, to date! The pizza was a pleasing follow up, although I do miss the acciughe pizza which seemed to have a bit more distinction than our bianca tradizionale. Danny and I ended our meal with baba al rum, with poached pineapple and vanilla anglaise; alas, it didn't live up to my aunt's baba au rhum which no one else (I know) can beat! 

Afterward, I prudently headed uptown and homeward because, after all, I was still "sick" and didn't want to overdo my indulgences... 

Year of the Cat! (Chúc Mừng Năm Mới!)

A New Day, a New Year... a New Post.

After much contemplation, consideration and the general consensus among many of my friends: I will continue posting on this blog. David was sure to be loud and clear in his opinion that: I can still write on this blog and work on my own writing at the same time--which is true. However, as foolish as it may be, I sometimes need to see for myself that, in fact, the grass is not always greener on the other side. Overall, what David said that impressed me most was: "You're not a writer unless your writing is being consumed by the public... otherwise, you're just writing in a diary."

So, Public, here's your first post of Tết, the Vietnamese (Lunar) New Year!

almond cookies, red-bean mooncakes and sesame balls

After finishing my lunch shift, late, yesterday afternoon, I called David to see if he'd like to go out, to celebrate Tết with me, or if he'd rather I pick up some Vietnamese food to celebrate Tết at home with. Having had a bit of a late start to his day, he opted for the latter. I walked the short walk into Chinatown and stopped at the first bakery I saw which was selling mooncakes (a Chinese cake traditionally eaten on the new year) and while there, also picked up sesame balls and almond cookies--two of my favorite childhood desserts.

Next, I stopped at Phở Pasteur, our favorite Vietnamese restaurant in Chinatown (quite possibly the best) and picked up two orders of chả giò, Vietnamese fried spring rolls.

chả giò from Phở Pasteur

About thirty minutes later, the A train depositing me in Inwood, I stopped at PJ Wine and picked up two bottles of bubbly: Marques de Gelida, brut cava, 2006 and Riondo, "Pink," spago argento rosé prosecco (for the dessert course). I also stopped at Fine Fare and picked up, upon David's request, lemons, garlic and maraschino cherries--with which he used to rouge our drinks "for good luck."

Tết "champagne cocktail" with elderberry flower syrup and maraschino cherries

With the lemons and garlic, David made homemade nước mắm lal (special fish sauce), Vietnamese dipping sauce, for the spring rolls. He also made homemade fried rice with egg and scallions and we were sure to not to do any sweeping (otherwise we'd be sweeping up our good luck)! At midnight, we covered ourselves in a red blanket, went outside, came back inside--ensuring for ourselves, we'd be the first to enter our home in the new year, bringing with us, good luck...

So far, so good!