Gluttonous Adventures in the Windy City

I just returned for a holiday in Chicago and have been totally overwhelmed by how many food related photographs I took.  There is so much to talk about and yet so little time.  My neighbor, Bitchcakes, is always saying that she never has enough time in the day to blog - I finally understand what she's talking about!  AHHH!!!!  Okay, I'll try - so here goes!

I'm going to do this in chronological order.  I'll only be talking about the restaurants I visited in Chicago and will reserve separate blogs for the cooking class I took and Farm Expo I perused.   And to think I was only there from Wednesday evening and left Sunday.  I obviously kept myself busy.

Handlebar Bar and Grill

Handlebar specializes in Vegan, Vegetarian and Seafood cuisine - which is really exciting since I've been getting more into this type of fare.  Danielle (my bff) and her fiance Mark, come here frequently since they're into good eats at a good price that's good for you.  Okay, so maybe Mark isn't so into that, but it's for his own damn good.  (Note: he's from Texas, enough said)

Handlebar has a number of great draft beers, which is always nice and their food was really great.

 

Danielle ordered one of their specials, a Shrimp and Scallop Risotto, which looked fantastic.  She loved every bite!  I wish I could have tasted it, but risotto in restaurants (unless vegan) are a big no-no for me and my belly. 

Doesn't it looks divine?  Really jealous she got to eat this.  One of these days there will be a cure for my dairy allergy.  (Like researchers are really working on this instead of all the real medical issues in the world)  A girl can dream, can't she?



Next up is my dish, one of their regular menu items, Blackened Catfish Filet with mashed potatoes and collard greens.  It was a hefty meal with lots of flavor.  The fish was fantastic.  It had this interesting rub on it and cooked perfectly.  The mashed potatoes were chunky and delicious.  I love me some mash - its one of my most favorite foods.  The collard greens were really good too.  They're the healthier variation since they don't cook meat in their kitchen, but it still packed so much flavor.  I wasn't even hungry when We came here, but I knew after the flight (I had literally just landed), I would need something since airport food SUCKS.


Last, but certainly not least, Mark ordered the Fish Tacos.  (What a pervert, just kidding!)  I was actually about to order this, but I'm glad I stuck with the catfish.

They looked so fresh and tasty with lots of yummy salsa to spice things up.  I love the large slices of avocado, natures butter!

He loved 'em cause there wasn't anything left on his plate when he was threw.

Overall, Handlebar was fantastic.  I would come back over and over again if I lived nearby.  I definitely recommend checking them out if you're in the area.  They have this great backyard/deck area too.  Perfect for Spring and Summer with good food and good drink. 

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The Fifty/50 Chicago Restaurant and Bar

On Thursday, St. Patrick's Day, Danielle and I did some shopping in her area (don't even get me started on how cute the boutiques in her area are - just check out Penelope), and needed a break mid-afternoon.

One of the bars we passed looked promising since they had outdoor seating.  The weather was nice and we had Chewie, Danielle's dog, who is amazing by the way.  Here's a little pic of the cutest pup in town.

So we sat outside, had a few drinks and ordered a couple of appetizers to hold us over till dinner.  We were taking a Vegetarian Thai cooking class and didn't want to be too full.

I love me some sliders, so that's exactly what we ordered. The nice thing about Fifty/50 is that you can mix and match what you want.  I got their burger slider and their pulled pork slider.  They were both REALLY good.  There was actually some meat in my burger, it wasn't all bun.  Some sliders are really pathetic in bars and restaurants.  Horray for good sliders!




We also ordered some waffle fries were rocked our socks!

I love french fries, but there is something extra special about waffle fries that really gets to me.  They're crispy on the outside, with a bit of spice, and soft potato on the inside. 




Danielle, far healthier than I am, ordered the chicken salad and turkey burger sliders.  They looks REALLY good.

Doesn't that chicken salad look succulent? 

Overall, the food was really good at Fifty/50 and would try to come back to check out their hot wings, which are apparently the best in Chicago.  I say "apparently" because who is judging this competition?  Why wasn't I called in for the job?

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Sushi Taiyo

On Friday, we decided to do the "touristy" activities that we had been putting off.  I was only there for a few days, but I figured I needed to see the downtown area and the lake.  So off on the subway we went and to Michigan Avenue we ventured.  Of course we stopped dead in our tracks at the Forever 21 that was GIGANTIC.  After shopping for a while, it wasn't our fault it was packed with teenyboppers, we needed some refreshments.  We super crackypants and tired and pretty much went into the first restaurant we found.  Danielle is magical since this restaurant turned out to be incredible.

We pigged out on the freshest, most delectable sushi ever.  Perhaps it was because we were starving and caffeine deprived - but I like to think its because it was just that good.


For starters, we enjoyed the New Style Sashimi Appetizer, which had thin sliced tuna, salmon, and yellowtail sashimi dressed with your soy-ginger sauce.  

Each piece came with a thin slice of jalapeno pepper, which gave it a little kick.  The fish was so fresh and tasty that we ended up ordered an entree of sashimi.






We also ordered edamame and miso soups to start.  I didn't bother taking a photo of either of these since the place was dark, my flash was annoying and I'm pretty sure everyone who has eaten in a Japanese restaurant knows what these dishes look like.

The seaweed salad, however, was too pretty and needed to be photographed.  It was cool, crunchy and tasted amazing.  It's amazing how something so healthy could be so good.



We were still a little hungry after we finished all the appetizers, so we ordered some more sashimi and went with the trio of tuna, salmon and yellowtail since the fish was so fresh.

We has NO idea how many pieces came with this dish and NO clue how much it would cost us.  I think the euphoria of being out of Forever 21 and in a nice, comfortable restaurant with good food got to us.

It turned out to have 6 pieces of each type of fish and only cost $30.  Seriously a bargain. 

We munched away and felt completely rejuvenated after our meal.  Enough so, that we ventured to the John Hancock Building's Signature Room for cocktails and a view of the city.   Their cocktails were really crappy, but the view was amazing!



But before we left, we ordered some delightful desserts.

The only thing I could safely eat was a light lychee cake with a scoop of pomegranate sorbet and a butter biscuit.

Although not the most flavorful dessert, it was light, tasty and hit the spot.  The butter cookie was really good and the cake was like a soft, sweet cupcake with a hint of lychee.



Danielle ordered the green tea creme brulee, which of course was amazing.  She's a huge fan of all things creme brulee and I've personally had tastes of the green tea variation, so I knew she'd love it.

It was SO good with the perfect caramelized glaze.  She ate it all up and loved every bite.  I was so jealous, but what can I do?  Eat dairy and then have hives and the poops on my visit.  Nope, I'll eat my lychee cake and learn to like it.  Which is exactly what I did.

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Ipsento Coffee House, Bucktown

Saturday was an exciting day since we had our Farm Expo at IUC.  Before we went, we grabbed some coffee and snacks to make sure we wouldn't ransack the free samples at the expo.

Danielle mentioned the best coffee was at Ipsento and she turned out to be right on the money.  It was such a cute shop with unique decor and lovely staff.  I ordered a breakfast croissant with an egg, peppers, onions, and mushrooms.  It was super tasty and the croissant was perfectly flakey, which meant I was making a mess all over the place.

The mocha was so rich and tasty.  Is there anything better than chocolate and espresso?

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Treat

For dinner on Saturday, we decided we need to spice things up and went to an Indian fusion restaurant famed for its seasonal Nouvelle Indian cuisine.  The place was super cute, but the staff was weird and spacy. But I guess that's part of the experience, since Danielle and Mark explained its what always happens when they eat here.  

We started with the Daisy's Fried Calamari served with Carrot Parsley Salad and Harissa Aioli.

It was unbelievably good.  Perfectly crispy with tender squid.  The aioli was delicious and the carrots were spicy!

Definitely a top notch fried calamari to rival any seafood joint.




Danielle and Mark shared the Beet Salad with Herb Crusted Baked Goat Cheese, Pickled Onions, Greens, Walnuts and Citrus Vinaigrette.  I couldn't eat it, but did try a bite of the beets since Danielle was shocked I said I didn't like them.

She made me eat it and I think I liked it.  Not sure, might have to try a fresh beet again, but its such an intimidating root vegetable.





I was a lucky girl and ordered their soup special which happened to be vegan!  It was a Potato and Leek soup but with a coconut milk base.  It was SO creamy and delicious.  I was dying over and will try to make something similar myself.

This opens up a world a possibilities for me if I can use coconut milk for dairy-based soups, which I miss so much, like seafood bisque.




Anytime I see flank or skirt steak on a menu, I'm immediately drawn to it.  Steak is SO good, but I don't eat it often, nor should a person eat steak often.  I reserve it for special occasions and my last night in Chicago is definitely a special occasion.  So I ordered the Marinated Flank Steak with Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Asparagus and Korma Sauce.

In all honesty, it wasn't the best meal in the world but it was very good.  The mash was great as were the asparagus, my most favorite vegetable (Aren't you so proud of me, Mom?!)

The steak, which I ordered medium rare since flank steak is usually a thin cut of beef, was very rare.  It didn't taste like a flank steak at all.  It was far too thick for me to consider a true flank steak, but it was a good piece of meat.  However, the sauce was what killed this dish for me.  It was spicy and almost had a tomato taste to it.  It didn't taste at all like the Korma I've had in the past.  I understand this is fusion and the chef's take on Korma sauce, but it really didn't rock my socks.  I enjoyed this dish, but it was my least favorite for the weekend.  Mark actually like this better than his lamb dish.  I would have gladly switched except I'm not a huge fan of lamb.  Poor little lambs (tear!)


Mark ordered the Mint Creek Farm Lamb Shank with Saffron Cholay, Potatoes and Rice, which looked fantastic.

Isn't that the nicest braised lamb shank you've ever seen?  I thought it tasted really good and the cholay (chickpeas) with potatoes was interesting.

There was definitely a lot of rice, which was unnecessary, but it was a hearty meal for any man.  Mark got food envy of my steak, but don't you worry - I shared a plenty.



To me, the best dish of the night was Danielle's.  She ordered the Seared Salmon with Israeli Cous Cous, Fennel, Tear Drop Tomatoes, Edamame and Almond Cream Sauce.  It even looks the prettiest and it was everything a fish dish should be.

It was light, succulent and left you craving more.  I would have ordered this except for the almond cream sauce.  Alas, I miss out again because of my dumb allergies.  It was a filling meal and Danielle was the only person to take home leftovers. I probably would have but I donated my steak to the Fill Mark's Belly Fund.

We didn't bother ordered a dessert, but I did have an espresso, which was total crap.  It was way too watery with the longest pull in the world.  The food here was interesting and I would gladly go back again to try their other dishes since they were flavorful and affordable.  The problem is we heard through the waitstaff that the chef was closing up in two weeks.   He is, however, opening a new restaurant somewhere else in Chicago - so stayed tuned for that.

As for the staff, well, let's just say we all hope they don't make it to the next restaurant.  They were total space cadets and took forever to do everything.  That isn't an issue, its just annoying.  At not point should people wait to be seated when half the seating is empty.  Also, there was a weird couple behind our table in the corner getting a little too intimate.  Poor Mark had the best view in the house, and even saw them eat food out of each others' mouths.  It was GROSS!  They were making out and he had his hand on her vajayjay the whole time.  It was really inappropriate but the staff were too spacy to notice and so nothing was done.  I guess there's a free show with every meal!

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The Bongo Room

My last meal in Chicago was probably my most memorable since it was the most ridiculous brunch I've ever had.  You'll see what I mean... 

We had to wait FOREVER for a table.  Brunch ends at 2pm and we were seated at about 2:30, but had been waiting since 1:30 if not earlier.  But we were patient and rewarded with amazing food.

Due to my recent fondness of eggs Benedict, I of course got their special, Smoked Duck Breast Eggs Benedict with Crispy Leeks and home fries.

Needless to say it was incredibly rich and delicious.  The smoked duck was so tasty and they gave such a huge portion.  In NY, you'd get like two little pieces.  I had more than I could handle.

I barely touched the potatoes, which is a shame since they were really good and not too greasy.


Danielle ordered the special omelet with goat cheese and vegetables including artichokes.  I can't remember exactly what was in it, but they were fancy veggies.  She shared this with Mark since he couldn't decide between sweet and savory.

What he ordered was RIDICULOUS - are you ready for it?



Well here it is...


Those are PANCAKES.  Yes, under all that rich sauce are two chocolate pretzel pancakes smothered in white chocolate and caramel sauce.  This place has the craziest brunch items ever.  You should have seen the french toast!  Holy crap they were HUGE and AMAZING.

I realllllllllly wanted to try another variation of their sexy, sweet pancakes and was happy to discover you can order a single pancake.



We all shared this beauty, which is a red velvet pancake with cream cheese sauce... whatever the sauce is, it tasted amazing.  I have no idea what those little crumbly things are on top, but they tasted good too.

It was the FLUFFIES pancake in the world.  I don't know how they do it, but its magical.

Their portions are too big and wish it was the type of food you could take home for leftovers.  They end up throwing SO MUCH OUT.  It's really sad.   Some ladies up front ordered two dishes for each of them, so their table was entirely fully of food.  It was really grotesque actually.  No human being should eat a full dish at the Bongo Room, let alone two.   And we wonder why there is an obesity problem in our country?

Overall, the Bongo Room was definitely worth the wait.  It was SO good with the most unique (and fattening) dishes I've ever seen.  I can't wait to go back and take Adam.   Until then, I'll be taking the stairs to burn off all the calories from my many amazing meals in Chicago.

Thank you Danielle and Mark for taking me to so many wonderful restaurants.  I had a great time and can't wait to do it again.

Beef Tagine with Red Potatoes

I'm a huge fan of Cooking Light.  When I look through my magazine, I get the same feeling as when I shop in a cheap store. That feeling of "oh I can get anything I want and I know it's still okay" comes over me.  Cooking Light has lots of lovely recipes and great articles about healthy eating and the best part is that everything looks and tastes DELICIOUS!  It's pretty much guilt free, don't you love that feeling?


So since last month's issue, I've been eyeing this incredible looking Beef Tagine and tonight is the night, baby!


I had to make one major tweak to the recipe since Adam doesn't like squash.  What can you do, the man doesn't like squash.  So I substituted red potato.


I had almost everything already in my kitchen except the meat, the chicken broth, shallots and garlic.  Overall, this was a fairly inexpensive meal.  I think I spent $14 or less.  Woohoo!


So here's what you'll need:

• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 pound beef shoulder, although I used beef chuck and beef round - it was all I could find
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 shallots, quartered
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 cup chicken broth, I always use reduced fat, low sodium broth
• 1 can diced tomatoes, undrained, again I use no salt added variations
• 3 cups root vegetable - I used red potatoes but the recipe calls for butternut squash

The recipe also calls for chopped cilantro to be served at the end but I HATE cilantro.  Apparently one's like or dislike of cilantro is hereditary, so it's technically not my fault.

Step 1:

For a recipe like this, I like to set up everything first.  So prep the potatoes.  I just gave them a good scrub , cut out some of the gnarly eyes and cut them into medium sized cubes.  Everything is easy to prepare.  I even measure out my spices in little glass dishes.  So once you have your chopped garlic and cut shallots and cleaned, dried beef, you're ready for step 2. Yay!

Step 2:

Toss all the spices in a bowl with the beef.  Coat it the beef all nice like... it will look something like this:

Then go wash those filthy hands and warm the oil in a big pot, cause you're ready to cook.
Double yay!

Step 3:
Once the oil is hot, brown the beef and the shallots.  Don't worry about the shallots getting brown.  Just add the shallots in at the same time and give the beef a nice turn around until all of it looks nice and evenly browned.  It is going to smell SO GOOD.  


Then throw in the garlic.  After a few stirs, add the can of tomatoes and the chicken broth.  Bring everything to a boil and then add the potatoes.

I noticed there wasn't enough liquid to cover the potatoes. I put a splash more chicken broth and covered the pot.  Don't worry, there will be plenty of liquid once everything starts to break down.  After about 15 minutes, you'll notice that the potatoes are covered up with the broth now.

I let everything cook down till there was a lot less liquid, which was beginning to thicken after about 30 minutes.  I wanted to make sure the meat was nice and tender, since it's typically a tough cut of meat. I was careful as I stirred to ensure I didn't break too many potatoes as they softened.  It's pretty much impossible, but I don't mind some broken down potatoes, they're tasty any way you serve them.

The recipe calls for 40 minutes of stove top time, but I ended up cooking it far longer.   I'm a patient woman, and would rather have melt in your mouth meat and wait a little longer. After about an hour and 15 minutes, I turned off the stove and let the tagine sit for a few minutes.  

After a taste test, it was ready to be served.  

This is how it looked in the end:

 

Certainly not the most attractive meal, but it was REALLY flavorful. It ended up looking nothing like the picture in the Cooking Light Article, but its the taste that counts, right? I see a ton of potential for this mix of spices.  I never thought to use cinnamon and ginger in a stew, but believe me it was awesome.  Adam and I loved it and there is plenty of left overs to enjoy.  

The one thing I would do differently would be to cook down the meat on its own for a while before adding the potatoes.  I would also add other vegetables like large chunks of carrots, maybe some parsnip.  But that's for next time, and I assure you there will be a next time for this delectable dish. 

Venturing to the New Jackson Diner

While I was taking an Indian Cooking Class at Brooklyn Kitchen, mention of a new Jackson Diner in the city brought music to my ears.  I love Indian food, obviously since I was at an India cooking class, and Jackson Heights is the number one place to get some amazing cuisine.  I've tried a few places in Jackson Heights with mixed reviews.  I usually like going to Jackson Diner, since the food is always hot, fresh and there are tons of leftovers to enjoy afterwards.


I'm not a huge fan of all-you-can-eat-buffets since I usually can't eat that much and I love having leftovers to enjoy the next day.  Indian food is one of those special cuisines that actually tastes better the next day.


With a little online searching, I discovered it opened a few months ago and has a fairly warm reception (based on Yelp of course) so far.  The new expansion is located at 72 University Place between East 10th and 11th.  A quick ride on the L and I was there in no time.


The decor was cute, a little more modern and upscale compared to the one in Jackson Heights.  We were seated right away and was excited to discover that the back wall was a window that overlooked the kitchen where they had a tandoori oven.  It's so cool to see them skewer the meat raw, put it in the over and then later pull out perfectly baked chicken.


Their menu is much smaller than their main restaurant, but it has everything one could possibly want.

Taste of Three

We ordered an appetizer, Taste of Three, to start.  It out quickly and offered us more than we could eat.  It had one samosa cut in half, which was by far the best I've ever had.  Not that I've had all that many since I'm not a huge fan of peas, but it was damn good.  It had a few juicy piece of chicken tikka, straight from that fabulous oven I was watching the entire time I was there.  It also had 3 well sized fried fish filets called Machi Amritsari.  This was exciting for us since we've never tried seafood at an Indian restaurant.  It was a flaky white fish, perfectly cooked and seasoned with Indian spices.  You could definitely taste unique spices blended into the batter.  It was really interesting!!  Honestly, this appetizer was so large, it could have easily been shared with four people.  I was already full by the time our main course came out.  Apparently this was Adam's plan all along since he wanted to take home lots of delicious left overs.  He is a sneaky fellow.

For our main course, we did what we always do, ordered a meat and a vegetarian option.  I was SUPER excited to discover that they offered lots of Sag options including Aloo and Chana (potatoes and chickpeas).  I ordered the Chana Sag and Adam went for the Chicken Curry, since it seemed like the healthier option.  It was a showdown between curry and masala, but masala has cream - hence not as healthy and would probably give me hives.  Although I would gladly take the hives for some delicious, creamy masala!


It took a while for the entrees to come out, but I wasn't hungry and enjoyed the wait.

Chicken Curry and Chana Sag

Both were brought out in the traditional metal bowls they use at the original Jackson Diner.  The portions are generous and the food was really good.  

Chana Sag

I loved the Chana Sag, it was absolutely delicious.  I know this looks gross, but its just not a photogenic dish.  Its just sloppy green glop, but its so tasty!!!  The chickpeas were cooked perfectly and practically melted in your mouth.  The greens, because I can't tell what type of greens they used, were creamy and flavorful.  It was spiced perfectly with just enough kick to keep things interesting. 

The Chicken Curry was also really good.  It wasn't the best curry we've ever had, but it was spiced well and had lots of juicy chunks of white meat chicken.  It was a hearty portion that left Adam very satisfied.  I liked that they kept it at a medium heat, per our request.  Although Adam and I can take a bit of heat, Indian food can be quite a challenge if spiced too much.  

I have a great deal of respect for cultures that can handle their spice, and let me tell you - Indians can bring it. 

Overall, the meal was well worth the small price.  The Chana Sag was only $10, the Chicken Curry was $12 and the Taste of Three was $10.  It's really an affordable restaurant that packs a lot of flavor. The service isn't that great, but you're not really going here for that - now are you??  I still think the original Jackson Diner is FAR BETTER than this.  But let's give it some time. So I'll give the new Jackson Diner 4 stars, since it is hard to find some good Indian food up to my snobbish standards in NYC.  I would have said 3.5 stars, but they had Chana Sag, which isn't all that easy to find! 


After a spicy meal, we needed something sweet.  We stopped by Whole Foods at Union Square, since they have a really nice dessert section with many local and in-house treats to choose from.  I LOVE carrot cake, and thank goodness my partner in crime feels the same as I do about it.  I don't think I could love a man who didn't love carrot cake.  We also tried the dark chocolate honeymoon, which was this chocolate caramel pecan treat that was mighty expensive, but really good.

Isn't this just about the cutest carrot cake you've ever seen.  It had real cream cheese frosting, which is the key factor in distinguishing good carrot cake from the bad. 

There was a ton of frosting, which was both good and bad.  Good in that it tasted delicious, bad in that it was not good for my waistline.  

Definitely check out the desserts available at Whole Foods, specifically the one at Union Square.  It's a nice alternative to Max Brenner around the corner that had an hour wait just to get in on a Saturday night. 

Matzoh Ball Soup

I'm sick... and when I'm feeling like poo, I always make some yummy chicken soup. For some strange reason I was craving matzoh ball soup. Usually I make a really elaborate chicken soup with lots of root vegetables, but matzoh balls take up so much room and provide plenty of starch so I went with a really easy, simple soup that ANYONE can do. Seriously, even if you can't make chicken soup YOU, yes I'm talking to you, can make this. Trust me, it's that easy.

What you'll need for the soup:

• Chicken with skin, the skin is what makes the chicken soup oh so good, its what breaks up mucus, hence why chicken soup is good when you're sick. I use only certified humane chicken, happy chickens. I used a chicken thigh package of Murray's Chicken, which contains 3 chicken thighs. Plenty for a small pot of soup.
• 2 large carrots, cut into small pieces
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 large celery stalks, chopped
• Small egg noodles
• salt for taste

For the Matzoh Balls, I used the Manischewitz Matzo Ball Mix. It's SUPER easy to make, must follow the directions. I get the re-sealable container so I can make it anytime I want and the serving makes 7 perfect sizes balls. What you'll need for this, which is listed on the box, are 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, and salt.

Be sure to follow the directions by placing the mix, once prepared, in a sealed container in the fridge for 15 minutes before you're ready to put them in the simmering water. Also, don't crowd the balls because they get large quickly. I usually use two pots to make sure there is plenty of room. Also, keep the mix loose while you gently drop it into the simmering water. To prevent the mix from sticking to your hands, wet your hands in water before you grab the mix. The looser the balls are before they drop into the water, the fluffier they will be. (Doesn't this sound dirty?)

Okay, back to the soup.

Step 1:

Boil water in a big pot.

Step 2:

Add everything into the pot once the water is boiling, this includes the chopped onions, chopped carrots, chopped celery and the chicken. Remember to clean the chicken in running water to make sure its perfect before going into your pot.

Step 3:

Let everything simmer in the pot for a while until the veggies are nice and tender and the chicken fully cooked. Remove the chicken, put on a plate and place in the fridge (you want to do this so you can pick the meat off the bones without burning your fingers). Once the chicken it out of the pot, put the noodles in. When the chicken is not hot like molten lava, remove the meat and put back into the soup.

Note: I was doing all this while making the matzoh balls in two different pots. You DO NOT want to cook the matzoh balls in the same pot as the soup.

Once the noodles are cooked, you're ready to serve! YAY! This is what is looks like:

Sitting on Octavia's Porch

Last weekend, I volunteered for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Black Tie and Black Jack event, which was AWESOME! I had the pleasure of volunteering last year and couldn't wait to do it again. I helped with Check-in to ensure guests received a bracelet for entry and their tickets to claim chips to play casino games. A good cause, great people, exciting event - it was a fantastic night.

Unfortunately the volunteers enjoy a dinner of dominoes pizza before they start their shift - something that doesn't go well with me. So my friend, Laura, and I decided to have lunch beforehand to ensure are appetites were appeased.

I've been using ScoutMob a lot lately to ensure discounted meals at local restaurants and wanted to check out Octavia's Porch which had good reviews on Yelp. For those who haven't discovered the wonder that is ScoutMob, check it out ASAP! Seriously, 50% off food and other services in NYC (and other cities I believe), you really can't go wrong.

I made a reservation for 3:30 on OpenTable, to ensure we didn't have a long wait for brunch. I couldn't risk going and being late for our training at the LLS event. Laura arrived first, since I was late (sorry Laura, I overslept!) and we seated in the front at a cute little table. I didn't see the entire restaurant since we were seated near the window at the front, but from what I could tell it was small but cute. Lots of wood, a long bar, it was cozy.


We started with the sweet potato latkas, which were actually rather tasty. They were large enough to share with 4 people, but we were only two - so we were prepared to be very full.

I had to try the matzoh ball soup, since everyone was talking about it. It was a little pricey at $7. The soup was tasty with chicken and interesting veggies like Brussels sprouts, yellow squash and who knows what else. The broth was flavorful and the matzoh ball large and fluffy. It was a very tasty soup and a meal in itself. I can't imagine anyone finishing the large since my friend and I could barely finish half of the small. I guess if you have this as your meal, $7 isn't so bad. But I sure as hell don't plan on coming back for this expensive soup, it wasn't THAT good. I'd pay $5.

Doesn't this soup look nice? Perfect for a cold day, which it was. If only this soup were cheaper, I would come here just for it. But I can make a pretty damn good matzoh ball soup myself, so there is not reason to venture all the way here for a $7 soup.

We decided to share two sandwiches to get a real feel for this place. We ordered the Brisket on Rye (of course) which is now served warm since they received feedback from customers complaining that it was cold. It's great to see a place take feedback and make adjustments to their menu. We also opted for the Truffle Turkey Salad Sandwich on Pumpernickel. Both came out and were well presented.

The turkey salad was by far the better of the two, sadly. It was really fresh and tasty. The bread was perfectly toasted and the turkey salad cool and creamy. It was really a tasty meal with a perfect little side salad with a nice light dressing.

The brisket was really underwhelming. Even though it was served warm, it wasn't succulent. I want my brisket to melt in my mouth, this did not. It was actually rather tough, I had to use a fork and knife to cut through and eat the damn thing. It was tasty with some of their homemade honey mustard, but I would not come here for this sandwich. If you want a kick ass sandwich, you walk over a few blocks and go to Katz's Deli for their pastrami on rye. Now THAT is a melt in your mouth, amazing sandwich.

Sorry Octavia's Porch, but you didn't win us over. You were okay, but not worthy of a return visit. Perhaps if you expanded the menu a bit or focused on making your "big sellers" top notch, then there is hope for you. So I'm giving Octavia's Porch 3 stars, but only because the appz were yummy!

A Food Tornado!

I've been naughty and haven't been updating this blog lately, so right now, this very second I will overwhelm you with LOTS OF FOOD I HAVE EATEN!!!! AHHHHH!!! RUN FOR THE HILLS!!!!

No but seriously... I figured I might as well tell you a little about what I've been putting into this belly o' mine.

Firstly, on Sunday, the day before Valentine's Day, my fabulous boyfriend Adam decided that cooking me dinner was not only romantic but awesome. Which it was. He totally surprised me and forced me to watch some TV (at the time I was finishing up season 4.5 of Battlestar Galatica, yes I am just that cool).

It was not only Adam's first attempt at cooking shrimp but also tuna, which I thought was great. Here we have garlic shrimp, which was super tasty with a real nice tang of orange and garlic, pan-seared tuna with lemon and dill, which was also very yummy. He was surprised by how quickly the tuna cooked up and would have preferred it a little more rare, but I thought it was still very good. We also have some brown rice and green beans cooked with chopped almonds - which was REALLY good. I never thought to cook with almonds, but Adam has inspired me to try some new ideas.

Overall it was a magical meal and I couldn't have been happier. Thank you Adam for being such a good boyfriend. Love you!

Next on our delicious food tour is breakfast at Manhattan Three Decker Restaurant in Greenpoint, my hood. They recently renovated and expanded their hours, so when we're lazy and indecisive about where to go, we come here. They have kick-ass cheap breakfast and yummy home fries. Since we're in Greenpoint, why not get some kielbasa with my eggs. Adam was feeling healthy, so he did a grilled chicken salad (BORING!) My food was okay, not amazing, but what do you expect from a diner. It was satisfying and I had plenty of kielbasa left over for breakfast in the morning.

And last on our adventure is a salad I get often enough that I should have mentioned this sooner. My boss is a HUGE fan of Cowgirl Catering, which has a small location in the basement of 875 Third Ave (just go down the escalators, you can't miss it). It's super busy, but the line goes fast and they have lots of options, not just salads. Sometimes when there is a long line, a guy comes around offering pita chips and coconut shrimp samples for free!

All the salads are pre-made in these large containers, so you just point to what you want and they scoop it into either a small or large bowl. There are only 2 salads I can actually eat here since the rest come with cheese. Stupid cheese!

I always get the Tuna Salad, seen above, which has lettuce (of course, duh), canned tuna, boiled egg (I always ask for a lot, yum!), red onions, tomatoes, green beans, boiled red potato and olives. It's a tasty, hearty, fresh salad that's served with a nice balsamic dressing. The meal also comes with choice of bread or fresh baked pita chips. I go for the pita chips since they're super crunchy and flavorful. The meal also comes with a fresh baked cookie and either fruit salad or jello. Their jello is TOO sweet so I always pick the fruit. All this food for $6! However, they recently started charging tax so it costs a little more now, but still a bargain for Midtown East. I hate that food is so damn expensive in the midtown, so I don't get this too often since its only a 1x meal. I usually go for a meal that will leave me leftovers for the next day, reducing the overall cost per meal significantly.