On the Road: Top Eats in Madison, WI

On my most recent trip back to the great city of Madison WI, home of my alma mater, University of Wisconsin, my beloved Badgers, great bars and parties, and lots of delicious food, I of course had to visit some of my favorite places for the foods that helped me pack on the freshman 30, er, 15.  They were even better than I remembered!

Essa Bagel: Midtown

My last big weeknight out sent me straight to Essa Bagel for my favorite post-party cure-all, bagels!  While H&H and Tal Bagels are also dear to my heart, I prefer the chewy exterior and soft interior of the Essa Bagel to the sweet/soft H&H style.  It also doesn't hurt that the Essa Bagel is a behemoth in comparison, and they will toast it, butter and cream cheese it (in this case, I went with scallion cream cheese and a side of butter -yes, both - on an everything bagel).  Essa Bagel in midtown will also give you bacon on your egg and cheese sandwich, unlike the Kosher downtown location.  Get there in the morning and your bagel will be hot, too!  The perfect way to cure what ails you.

Homemade turkey breast meatballs

One of my favorite websites for recipes is Smitten Kitchen. Deb lives in New York and her recipes never cease to amaze me. From her chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting (the cake Cannelle made for my birthday in October) to her warm butternut squash and chickpea salad (a staple in my winter recipes), the dishes are always amazing. Her photos make my mouth water, and I knew when I saw these meatballs I needed to make them. They, too, have become a staple in my recipe box. I've made a few changes to suit my tastes, but trust me, they are delicious!

Recipe after the jump!

Caracas & then some

Happy Wednesday!  Time for a little update on recent culinary adventures.  Sunday brought Cherry Cupcake and I to Caracas Arepa Bar, a favorite in the EV that popped up on my radar again recently because of their gluten-free options, thanks to one of my favorite blogs!

Motorino

Last night, Miel and I decided to add some cheer to the gloomy day in NYC by making our long-anticipated trip to Motorino in the East Village for some pizza and wine.  Motorino has gotten rave reviews since it opened in the space that used to belong to Una Pizza Napoletana, but would it, could it, live up to all the hype?

Dinner, Jersey Shore Style.

Now, it's no secret that MTV's "The Jersey Shore" was very successful, particularly because of viewers like my roommates and I.  It may not be common knowledge that the show also reminded some of us of the foods we love...and inspired us to mix up the weekly cooking routine at home!

New York (Food) Institutions

When you think "New York City" and "food", a few main things come to mind - bagels, pizza, hot dogs, cupcakes, and, of course, delis.  The two most well-known, Katz's in the East Village/LES, and Carnegie Deli in Midtown, are famous for their hot pastrami on rye.  Miel and I made our way down to Katz's on a rainy Saturday to see if this sammy lived up to the hype....

Part Deux

A bit later than I promised, here is the recipe for the zucchini "pasta" I love to make as a gluten-free, low-glycemic alternative to the real thing (which, trust me, once you have this, you won't miss.)  While the zucchini is cooking in the oil, I also like to toss in garlic or garlic powder, and some Italian spices, especially basil, for added oomph.  This is great with tomato sauce, pesto sauce, or,  if you are on orders to keep it simple like I am, with some butter and parmesan.  Again, the photo doesn't do it justice...but it's the taste that matters!

Basic, But NOT Boring!

Doctor's orders have had me on a "bland" diet as of late, which, everyone knows, tastes about as fun as it sounds.  Luckily, with some poking around the internet, I found some not-so-bland (delicious, in fact!), easy-to-digest options and have been able to cook myself some pretty tasty dishes.  Here is one such recipe, found on one of my new favorite blogs, Delectably Free.  I modify the recipe by using an egg.  I also went a bit crazy with the onion on this one (and was too lazy to chop it small), as you can see...in the end, though, it tasted fabulous.  And though this may not look pretty, as everyone also knows, taste is what matters!

Nightlife Highlights

I haven't forgotten about our promise to post nightlife spots as well as great places to eat...so first on the list is my recent favorite, Bowery Electric!  They play great music, generally attract a fun, young, normal crowd (though it can be a bit on the preppy side at times)...and there's very rarely a line.  The main area is long and narrow, so it's not great for huge groups, but there's more room in the back and downstairs.  If you're in a smaller group and planning on going out in the East Village, this is one of our top picks!

Throwdown: Sticky Buns

After a recent trip to Boston, Miel was kind enough to bring home one of the treats she found along her way at Flour Bakery & Cafe, an adorable bakery featured on one of our favorite shows, Throwdown with Bobby Flay. (Spoiler Alert....

Westville Brunch

Springtime is brunchtime!  Well, it is always brunchtime for us, but, it's lovely when NYC restaurants set up their outdoor seating/throw open their windows and doors and make some extra room for hungry New Yorkers looking to catch up with friends and family and make the most of the weekend.

Get thee to a Scoop Shop

It's free cone day at Ben & Jerry's today!

Find out where your closest participating Scoop Shop is by clicking here, then entering your city, state and zip code. Be sure to tick off the "Participates in Free Cone Day" option!

Cannelle and I will be stopping by later...see you there!

Update:
Miel and I were true to our word and, once home from work, ran to our neighborhood Ben and Jerry's to find...a line winding around the block.  Not to worry!  We were rewarded for our patience (and the wait was 20 minutes, tops.  A small price to pay for free ice cream).

Tu-lu's Gluten Free Gloriousness

As I've recently made changes to my diet for health reasons, I have of course been craving all of the things I am no longer able to enjoy.  Enter Tu-lu's bakery, an adorable new East Village spot featuring gluten-free, vegan, and even agave-sweetened (for those who must avoid beloved sugar, as well) desserts that, in this glutton's mind, taste just as amazing as the real thing!

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Frozen Custard!

As warm-weather season approaches and the lines at ice cream shops around the city grow longer, I can't help but sing the praises of ice cream's lesser-known and (in my opinion) more delicious cousin, Frozen Custard!!  And where better to indulge in this rich treat than Shake Shack!?  Nowhere I say.  Shake shack frozen custard is where it's at. 

Recipes for Health: Risotto with Broccoli

Can you think of a more comforting winter food than risotto? I couldn't, and I was so taken by Martha Rose Shulman's (of the New York Times' Recipes for Health section) recipes that I had to try one. I had purchased some chicken broth a couple of weeks earlier, I'd had a bottle of white wine chilling in the fridge for well over a month that was begging to be used, and I have this one Recipe for Health per week challenge over on my other blog, Have A Good Run...so when I was cold last weekend I decided it was time to try Martha's risotto with broccoli.

Adventures in Restaurant Week: Centro Vinoteca

Miel, Cherry Cupcake and I, along with their friend C who is visiting from L.A. (she chose a perfect snowy weekend to come see NYC!), decided to celebrate the extension of restaurant week by making reservations at David Burke Townhouse.   To our dismay, we found that after we'd make our reservation, the restaurant week menu had been pulled, and the restaurant was no longer participating in restaurant week (it seems many other frugal foodies encountered this problem as well, based on my research on Yelp*).  So, we went out on a limb and made reservations at Centro Vinoteca, though we hadn't heard much about it, and boy were we glad we did!

Restaurant Week: Crema Restaurante

I had the opportunity to visit Crema during the extended Restaurant Week for my high school friend's 25th birthday. In general, I'm a lover of all things Mexican so I figured I'd enjoy a higher-end Mexican restaurant even more. Crema did not disappoint (me, at least).

Pictures and more after the jump!

Restaurant Week Date: 10 Downing

Friday night took me to 10 Downing for a second date and restaurant week meal...and while I did not bust out the camera (the second date is a bit early to reveal my over-the-top love of food, right?), i just hadddd to blog about this dinner. There were a few misses...but when they were on, they were on.

labor of love

Ohhh how I love Valentine's Day! Always have, always will...as a little kid I loved the chocolate-filled hearts and arts and crafts projects that came with making your own Valentines, and as a single twentysomething I love having an excuse to eat sweets, drink wine, and cook our annual Valentine's Day Dinner with Miel and Cherry Cupcake.

Recipes and more after the jump!

pinisi bakery

Pinisi Bakery has two locations, about three blocks away from one another. Cannelle and I had heard that their red velvet cupcakes were to die for, and it being Valentine's Day, we couldn't pass them up. I called ahead, worried that since it was V-Day they might be sold out, but I was assured that they had plenty of red velvets to go around. I went to the E. 4th St. location and found this cute storefront beckoning me in:

happy valentine's day!

A very happy Valentine's day to you and yours! 

Cannelle, Cherry Cupcake and I will be cooking up a storm soon enough, but I just stopped by Pinisi Bakery for our desserts and just had to post this photo:

 

Check back soon for a full review of Pinisi Bakery's red velvet cupcakes and chocolate cupcake with rosewater frosting (I HAD to try it...), as well as our Valentine's Day menu!

cookieeeeeees

as miel mentioned, we had big plans this week to escape our respective offices and meet at dorie greenspan's cookie bar, but alas, an escape was not in the cards for me on friday afternoon.  so!  miel (angel that she is) went ahead and grabbed some extra cookies for me, which we shared at home.

and dorie did not disappoint!  we each had our favorite chocolate chip cookie, and shared a peanut butter, and a molassas spice cookie.  these cookies were perfect - they had that homemade taste that is so often lost at a bakery...and they were the perfect size, so we could eat more than one.

friday with dorie

Have you heard of Tuesdays with Dorie? If you're a FoodGawker stalker or a Tastespotting fanatic (which Cannelle and I most certainly are), you've doubtless seen the "TWD" in some captions... Basically, every week a member of the Tuesdays with Dorie blogroll selects a recipe from Dorie Greenspan's "Baking: From My Home to Yours", and every Tuesday members of the group post photos of the goods on their blogs. It's sort of an homage to Dorie and her incredible recipes.

The most recent recipe for the TWD clan is Dorie's Best Chocolate Chip Cookies, and guess what? Since I visited her Cookie Bar pop-up shop today, I currently have TWO of them in my possession, baked by Dorie. One is for me, and one is for Cannelle. We don't share cookies.

I had heard all about this pop-up shop (which opened Monday and closes tomorrow) since Cannelle mentioned it a week ago when she saw it on Serious Eats. I had been dying to go but had been too busy at work to even step outside my office. Today I finally carved some time out of my lunch break to walk up to 59th and Park and see what Dorie had on hand.

 

My first surprise came when I realized that Dorie Greenspan herself was doling out cookies; with a glove on her right hand and a baggie (or box) in her left, she was hard at work filling the boxes with delicious treats. I heard her say that every night since this began on Monday they've been baking more and more cookies - her son Josh said that last night they made over 1200. It looks like there aren't that many cookies out on display (and there aren't), but looks can be deceiving - behind the bar Dorie had stacks of cookies in plastic containers, waiting to be eaten. Though they appeared to have plenty of chocolate chip cookies on hand, there were no World Peace cookies remaining when I got there at 12:15 (it opened at 11). I think I'll have to bake those myself.

 

I was lucky enough to be helped by Dorie and so had a little chat with her - I told her how much I'd heard about the pop-up shop ("Oh, good! Yes, we've had a lot of visitors!"), how excited I was for her permanent shop to open ("Trust me, I am too!" - the girl behind me asked where it would be and Dorie replied, "We're working on that..."), and how I'd been following TWD for quite some time ("You know, a girl from NYU came in here yesterday and told me how she wrote a paper for her food and society class on Tuesdays with Dorie!"). Honestly, she could not have been sweeter. And her cookies are absolutely incredible. I had a chocolate chunker as my afternoon snack:

Yum. Seriously, YUMMM...!!! This is one dense cookie, in the best possible way. It is a brownie-like cookie. It is a little bit chewy. When I had it, it was cold, which was perfect. This cookie is chocolaty beyond belief - Dorie packs three kinds of chocolate in there (milk, semisweet, bitter), and they go together beautifully. There are salted cashews and cherries dotted throughout. Every bite is a little bit of an adventure: Will I get a mouthful of chocolate? Maybe a salted cashew and a chocolate chunk? Will I hit the jackpot and score a chocolate-cherry-cashew bite? The possibilities were endless and I savored every single bite. For $3.50, the price was a little steep, but goodness, that cookie was...delicious.

I think her permanent outpost, whenever/wherever that opens, will be a frequent stop for me.

Tonight, Cannelle and I have some important research to do on Dorie's peanut butter cookie, chocolate chip cookie, and molasses spice cookie and will report back on our findings.

xx

Miel

oh, the weather outside is frightful...

...but my eggplant-tomato-chickpea casserole is soooo delightful! When it's cold outside, all you want is comfort food, whether it's homemade mac and cheese, a gooey chocolate chip cookie, or your mom's chicken noodle soup; something warm and tasty to make you feel happy!

The problem with some of these comfort foods (OK, so there's never a problem with chocolate chip cookies, but...) is that they're usually pretty heavy and fatty, but super delicious so you just keep eating more. If you're looking for an easy comfort food that's also healthy, give this eggplant tomato chickpea casserole a try.

 

So it's not the most photogenic dish, but trust me, it's super tasty and warms you right up! We got 6" of snow here in NYC - needless to say, I could not leave the office today to get lunch but I had luckily left (or...forgotten) my leftovers from the day before in the office fridge. It was just what I needed to forget about the snow outside.

Eggplant, Tomato and Chickpea Casserole

by Martha Rose Shulman

Ingredients:
1 large eggplant or 2 medium (1 pound), peeled if desired, cut in half lengthwise, then sliced about 1/2 inch thick
Salt to taste
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, sliced thin across the grain - I used a yellow onion
2 to 4 garlic cloves (to taste), minced
1 (28-ounce) can chopped tomatoes - I used a 15 oz can of no-salt-added diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
Pinch of sugar
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1 sprig basil - I did not use this
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained
3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and brush the foil with olive oil. Place the eggplant slices on the foil, sprinkle with salt and brush each slice lightly with oil. Place in the oven for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from the heat, and carefully fold the foil in half over the eggplant. Crimp the edges together, so that the eggplant is sealed inside the foil and will continue to steam and soften. Leave for at least 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, make the tomato sauce. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until tender, about five minutes, and add the garlic and a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant, about a minute. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, cinnamon, basil and salt to taste. Bring to a simmer, and simmer uncovered, stirring often, for 20 to 25 minutes, until the sauce is thick and fragrant. Add freshly ground pepper, then taste and adjust salt. Remove the basil sprig, and stir in the drained chickpeas.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil a 2-quart baking dish or gratin. Cover the bottom with thin layer of tomato sauce, and make a layer of half the eggplant. Spoon half the remaining sauce over the eggplant, and repeat the layers.
4. Bake 30 minutes, until bubbling. Remove from the heat, and allow to cool for at least 10 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle on the parsley before serving.

Enjoy!

xx
Miel

get involved

in restaurant week!  Miel, Cherry Cupcake and I set out for our restaurant week dinner and, like good little piggies, followed our tummies and the rave reviews of nyc dining experts Blondie and Brownie right to Convivio, nestled in Tudor city.  our culinary oracles did not disappoint.

small wonders...

Ahhh how I love Bite.  Quick, cheap, and delicious!, this unassuming little spot seems to make the best soy lattes, panini's, sammies, and one killer mediterannean salad...

I'm told that the sangria is pretty rough, but I am more than willing to overlook this small trangression as I set out to try every sandwich  and snack on the menu.

mmmm takeout...

What with being stuck in the apt sick lately, and not always in the mood to cook (sometimes a gal needs a break!), I've been completing many takeout missions.

finally...yerba buena!

Let me just start by saying that we have been talking about going to Yerba Buena (Ave. A at E. 2nd St.) pretty much since we moved here 2 1/2 years ago. Last Sunday was the perfect occasion - we surprised Cherry Cupcake with a drunk birthday brunch! Her birthday is on Christmas Eve so she's usually at home with her family and not out getting rowdy with her friends, so Cannelle and TexMex Surprise planned a surprise brunch. They tricked Cherry Cupcake into thinking the brunch would only be the three of them, but they were super clever and invited all of Cherry Cupcake's friends in the city to a most excellent brunch. She was completely surprised and we all had a great time with the bottomless drinks!

Yerba Buena serves all sorts of delicious Latin food. From traditional huevos rancheros (which Cherry got), to arepas (skip these if you go to YB - go for the arepas at Caracas instead), to a Cuban sandwich, Yerba Buena will do you right by Latin cuisine. Cannelle and I opted for traditional brunch dishes with a Latin twist - Cannelle got the Steak "a Caballo"

and I got the Benedict Yerba Buena.
Cannelle loved her dish, but I didn't get a chance to taste it. I was a little too absorbed in my meal to bother trying anyone else's, and oh my GOD, it was SOOOO delicious. YUM! The potato crisps weren't anything to write home about (and yet I ate them ALL), but the dressing on the salad was tasty - a little citrusy - and the Benedict YB was AMAZING. The "hollandaise" is their own take on the sauce and has jalepeno. The meat on the benedict was so good...it all just went together perfectly.

Everyone was really happy with the bottomless drinks - they let you change, so if you pick sangria at first, you can get a mimosa next (which a lot of us did...). The sangria was soooo good!

Someone at a table nearby heard it was Cherry's birthday and sent her over a totally amazing and truly bizarre drink - something called a Poquito Picante. According to YB's menu, it's tanqueray gin, jalapeno, cilantro, cucumber, cointreau liqueur and fresh lemon juice. It managed to be spicy, sour, and soothing simultaneously - and I usually hate gin-based drinks! You should absolutely give it a try - unfortunately it's not a part of bottomless cocktails, but it's totally worth a try.

We ended the meal with some Funfetti cupcakes - Cherry's fave! As great as it is to make things from scratch, I just don't think it's easy to top Pillsbury's Funfetti mix.

All in all, a fantastic experience! On top of the amazing food, the waitstaff was very attentive as well. Two thumbs up!

xoxo
Miel

resolutions

Cannelle is totally beating me in the posting since we started this. So here's one of my new year's resolutions - BE A BETTER BLOGGER!

Luckily, I've been documenting my cooking, baking and eating adventures throughout the year so I have plenty of material to work with. Another resolution is to continue my cooking, baking and eating adventures, so there will be EVEN MORE to post. Get ready.

Over break I was very diligent in this pursuit - I was baking all day long on Christmas day, baking rugelach (I opted for raspberry filling though),

chocolate peppermint bark shortbread cookies,

and an apple pie.

Which was consumed before I could take a picture of it. But it is TRULY amazing - Martha Stewart's favorite pie crust and the filling of Paula Deen's crunch top apple pie. AMAZING. Try it. You will not be sorry. Just use 8 oz of applesauce instead of 16 oz that Paula wants you to use. And double the crunch topping. Your belly will thank you.

Another resolution of mine is to run a marathon this year. Unfortunately, I think I'll be cutting back on the treats once I start training, but that's not going to be for quite a few months. So until then, I resolve to bake more treats!

xoxo
Miel

resolutions and hangover remedies

Happy New Year!  Went to brunch at the smith yesterday in hopes of seeing hot waiter...alas he was not working. didn't take a photo of my food as i was too busy enjoying my mimosa/catching up on girltalk with Potato Pie, but my chicken apple sausage dish wasn't as good as the steak and eggs i had there last time. the steak was juicy and thick (small, but still great for a breakfast steak)...unfortunately, with this dish, the poached eggs and sausage were set on spicy cornbread, and while the cornbread was great by itself, slathered in butter, the flavors didn't mesh that well.. the home fries, however, were to-die-for.