Cafe Rakka Rocks My Socks!

I'm not the only one I know who likes good food, Adam is quite the foodie and I appreciate all the great places he's introduced me to over the last 5 years.  (wow, can't believe how time flies!)

One such place was introduced to him by a friend, I forget who though.  It was the go-to spot when he was working at an old bar that closed down in what seems like a past life.

Cafe Rakka, located at 81 St. Mark's Place near 1st Ave, serves just about the best gyro in NYC.  I've had a fair share of them over the years, but theirs is just too tasty for words and it keeps us coming back for more.



Their food is fresh, flavorful and really affordable.

I always go for their gyro sandwich ($5.50), which has a mix of chicken and lamb with lettuce, tomatoes and onions.  In the past I always opted for sauce on the side.

Looks like I've been missing out on their awesome tahini sauce, which is sesame based and has no dairy. 



 

My friend, Tommy, also got the gyro sandwich but had them put the sauce directly on it.  Looks so much tastier with sauce!

They also have a killer hot sauce that really enhances the flavor of the whole thing.

It's a messy but delicious meal.  But be prepared to eat this with a fork since it always falls apart.  They put the meat at the bottom and they really pack it!






Adam wanted to try something different, since he always gets the gyro.  He went for the shish kebab platter this time.

I warned him that it's huge, but I didn't think he was expecting this massive portion of food for just $12.

It came with a hearty portion of grilled meat, lamb I believe, with flavorful cous cous and a huge portion of hummus.  Cut pita bread was served on the side to enjoy with the hummus.

I thought this was a steal for $12.   I really liked each of the sides and thought they went together well.  I would totally order this the next time I came, but I'd probably end up taking most of it home as left overs.

What we didn't order, but is really good here, is the lentil soup - so check it out if you stop by.

I love me some Cafe Rakka! 

Rock, Rock, Rockaway Beach!

Considering how gross it is outside with NYC setting a record for most rainfall yesterday, I figured a little food porn and sunshine might brighten the day.

Over the last two months, I've made my way down to the Rockaways on my trusty bike on a number of occasions.  I know everyone is calling the Rockaways Hipster Beach or McCarren Beach - but its still a lot of fun and there are some really great eateries to check out.

We usually go for a nice swim before eating, but on occasion I'll have to spoil my appetite for an Italian ice, which vendors sell up and down the beach.

Zac is enjoying a rainbow ice, while I'm indulging in the coconut.  I'm a HUGE fan of anything coconut, yum!

Is there anything better than a sweet, cold icey on a super hot sunny day?  Perhaps a cold and good wheat beer... yes that is definitely better than an ice but alas I didn't have a bar nearby and I think there is a restriction on bringing alcohol on this particular beach.  Not that everyone wasn't doing it anyway.  But I sure as hell don't want a ticket...  

Recently discovered there was a plethora of tastiness to be had on the boardwalk through this article.  Also, this.

Adam enjoying some tasty food!

Sometimes it takes a while to get food.  We usually split up the purchases since there are multiple vendors and not everyone wants the same thing.  

I'm a sucker for anything fried, so I've been hitting up the Motorboat and the Big Banana, which has fresh fried seafood and apparently frozen bananas.  I hate bananas so I would never get one, but I trust they're good for those who like gross, long, mushy yellow phallic fruit.


After eating here a few times, the best thing to get is an order of french fries, since they're fresh cut and truly delicious, along with some sandwiches. 

Here we have the shrimp and fries platter ($7.50).  It's more fries than shrimp, but they're really good shrimp. 

I got the fish sandwich ($7.50), which is out of this world!  The bread is buttered and toasted, as all bread should be.  The slaw on it is fresh, sweet and crunchy.  The tarter they make has a nice kick to it.  Overall, its a superb fried fish sandwich.

Zac to the right is ready to take on this colossal meal!  They give you these fun tooth-pick forks to eat your fries with, which is what is in Zac's mouth over here...

Saw hello to my not-so-little sandwich!! 

Adam didn't feel like eating fried shrimp or fish, so he opted for the thai joint, Ode to the Elephants, which might just be the best name ever for anything.  I super <3.

The only prob with this place was how long it took the kitchen to turn out everything.  Zac and I ordered our food, got our food, got a pitcher of beer and picked at our food longingly until Adam showed up with two items.  It was really ridiculous, but its sunny, warm and they don't serve whine with our food, so we were patient.

I asked him to order me the chicken satay skewers ($4) cause I was afraid my fish sangwich wasn't going to fill me up.  I sometimes have WAY bigger eyes than stomach, especially after biking 18 miles. 


My skewers were really good, actually cooked over a real fire and the peanut sauce was really tasty.  It was a mighty portion for $2 per skewer and more than enough to share.

Adam accidentally ordered the wrong thing.  He wanted to get the Shrimp Summer Rolls ($6) since they looks fresh and light for a hot day, but ordered the Shrimp and Chicken Spring Rolls ($6) which are these above.  They not so healthy but very tasty!


We all ended up sharing and enjoying the food and drinking a couple of pitchers.  I was so full that I could barely walk back to the ocean to beach myself on my towel.  Maybe not the best look in a bikini, oh well! 

On another occasion at the Rockaways, we had some Blue Bottle Coffee drinks, which were good.  I had their hot chocolate, which wasn't my fave since they use a more bitter chocolate than I'm used to.  Adam raved about the coffee though, so if that's your thang definitely try some of their special slow drip brew.

Overall, the food here keeps me coming back for me.  Sure I have my fill of Caracas Arepas Bar in Williamsburg and the East Village, but some of the other options are fun and different from the usual summer fare.  Plus, sitting by the beach is a major plus.   If only they had better beer/alcohol options.  The bar next to The Motorboat and the Big Banana is limited and expensive.  They raised their bud light pitcher from $12 (beginning on summer) to $15 (current price).  Sorry, but at no point is it okay to charge that much for carbonated pee-water that can't give a buzz to save its life.

There are only a few weeks left of summer, so get down to the Rockaways while you can! 

Savory Chicago

Two weekends ago, Adam and I ventured to Chicago to visit our lovely, amazing friends Danielle and Mark.  I went there for the first time in March, but this was Adam's first time to the Windy City.

Needless to say we spent Thursday morning until Monday night pigging out on the best food, drinking amazing cocktails and beer and just having oodles of fun.

We did a lot so I'm going to get right to it...


Toast

This was just about the cutest eatery in the world... with lots of toasters on display and toast-related art everywhere.

We caught the tail-end of brunch on Thursday and enjoyed a varied selection of great food.

Adam went with the stuffed french toast, in three different varieties: puréed fresh strawberry, mascarpone and Mexican chocolate ($9)



It was a HUGE portion and we all had to help Adam eat his delicious fluffy french toast.  I have no idea how they make this, but its great and the thickest I've ever had.  Apparently the mascarpone was out of this world, but I'll have to take Adam's word for it.




I ordered the Crabby Benedict ($13) but was surprised by how much fresh, real crab they used.  It was a might portion that I could barely finish.

Eggs were runny and magnificent as was the fresh English Muffin that tasted homemade. Everything about this screamed BRUNCH!





Mark ordered the breakfast burrito, which was a flavored tortilla stuffed w/ scrambled eggs, chihuahua cheese, diced jalapeños, tomatoes, onions and cilantro, accompanied with their house salsa and sour cream. ($9)

You can't really see what's inside, but it was a massive burrito that even the hearty Mark had trouble finishing.  Definitely worth every penny.



Danielle ordered the Crepe with apple, pear and brie with a drizzle of honey ($6).  It looked so pretty, I wish I could have taken a bite!

Everyone raved about how good the brie was, again makes me jealous but I'm used to it by now.  ::sigh::


Overall, Toast was fantastic with fresh, tasty food, a wide variety on their menu and great service.  No wonder Danielle and Mark are regulars!

Handlebar (which I went to last time)


After a long, brutally hot day, we wanted something easy for dinner.  We went back to Handlebar, which was good the last time I visited Chicago.

We started with some fried pickles, a new favorite of ours.

These were cornmeal battered with a side of home made vegan ranch dressing.  However, I had NO idea this dressing was vegan until now.  I totally missed out :(



I didn't want anything too heavy since we were going out drinking, so I opted for the fish tacos.  There was a little too much red cabbage, but that's easily remedied by taking some off.  The fish was really tasty and perfectly flacky.  I wasn't feeling the vegetarian chili that it came with, but loved the black beans Adam got by accident with his dinner.  I threw that on my tacos and went to town.

A super tasty dinner!



Danielle felt the same as me and ordered the Handlebar Salad, which has arugula, pears, walnuts and Parmesan with champagne honey mustard dressing.  Ohhh so fancy!

She also ordered a side of the smoked Gouda mac n' cheese.

Apparently its out of this world, but super rich so Adam helped out the best he could.  Needless to say I did not try this dish.

Adam ordered the blacked catfish filet, which was a surprise to me since he never eats catfish.

He was really surprised at how good it was.  It was such a huge portion that he had trouble finishing his fish, let alone the massive sides that came with it.

Handlebar is the place for hungry people!






The next day we ate breakfast at home then went for a walk around downtown Chicago.  After a while we were really hungry, but there are so few choices in the "Times Square" of Chicago near Michigan Ave.  We decided to be true tourists and hit up P.F. Cheng's right off the main area.

It was nice and air conditioned, so a welcomed brake from the 90 degrees outside.  It was HOT!
I had no idea what to expect... I don't normally eat in chain restaurants. 

We did family style and ordered three main dishes as well as the Chicken Lettuce Wraps (which I apparently didn't take a photo of, but swore I did... strange).  Here's what we got:

• Singapore Street Noodles: Shrimp, chicken, vegetables and rice noodles stir-fried in a curry sauce - this was okay.  I didn't like the curry flavor on this.  I like all the veggies and meat, but this was only good when mixed with the other food.
• Orange Peel Chicken: Tossed with a mild chili sauce and fresh orange peel - this was actually really tasty.  The chicken was all white meat and perfectly cooked.  It didn't taste like the orange peel chicken I get at a Chinese restaurant, but it was still good. It had a bit of a sweet and sour tang to it. 
• Coconut Curry Vegetables: Stir-fried vegetables, crispy silken tofu and peanuts in a mild curry powder and coconut milk sauce - This was by far the best meal.  Adam didn't like the tofu (which I thought was fantastic), but the sauce and veggies in this were unbelievable.  We kept throwing this sauce on the noodles, which was so good.  Definitely the best dish and of course Danielle picked this one out.  She rocks!!! Always, always trust Danielle (especially with wine).

Overall I had a fun time at P.F. Cheng's.  It was definitely touristy, but this is what your supposed to do on vacation, right?  Hey - we had tasty food at a good price in a pricey part of town on a super hot day.  We were hungry and it was there.  I think of it as a win-win!

Later on, we ventured to the Signature Lounge on the 96th floor of the John Hancock Building, which is the perfect place to get a good view of Chicago.  It's a wonderful place to sit back in awe of this great city and sip an overpriced beer or cocktail.  You're paying for the view, so we don't care that everyday is $9 beer day.  

 
We ordered some drinks and some desserts.  I got the White and Dark Chocolate Mousse Cake with mixed berry coulis, which was really amazing.  I didn't expect this place to have any good food since they suck at drinks.  What a nice surprise!

Danielle and Mark ordered the Nutella Bread Pudding with caramel sauce and toasted hazelnuts.  Although it doesn't look that appetizing, it was actually really good.  It was a warm cake with an ooegy gooey center.

We had the best seat in the house and saw an electrical storm in the distance over Lake Michigan.  A magical second night in this grand city!


Afterwards we were hanging out at a few cool bars in Wicker Park, when the Tamales guy showed up selling his oh-so-delicious fare.  I ordered a bag and we pigged out on fresh, hot, chicken tamales.  The perfect drunk food... it was so good we were licking our fingers as we made a mess everywhere!









The following day we hit up an amazing brunch place and enjoyed oodles of organic beef.

Flying Saucer is just about the cutest, coziest diner in Humboldt Park offering fresh, organic fare with a bit of a Southern Comfort style to it.

Danielle, although disappointed that they didn't offer the special she fell in love with during a previous visit, went for the organic sirloin steak and eggs ($12.25), which included an organic heartland farms sirloin steak served with two eggs , toast and one side.

It was a really nice sized steak that was just too damn hard to finish.  It was a might meal for the price!














I was a real pig and went for something I don't usually eat since I could and I'm on vacation therefore calories and dairy restrictions don't count.

Yup, this (above) is chicken fried steak with sausage gravy, a homemade buttermilk biscuit and two eggs over medium with a side of home fries.  I ate all I could eat and there was still half of my food on the plate.  I tried though, oh how I tried to finish this beautiful dish.

I love sausage gravy and yes I am very aware of how dangerous this is for me to eat.  I DON'T CARE - it's freaking delicious! Although I didn't get hives since I was really careful about not eating all the gravy, just enough to add some flavor to the fried goodness of the steak.  If only I could transport this place back home... yes, that would be very nice indeed!

The boys ordered the special steak bowls, which were HUGE.  I think they came with eggs, cheese, beans, grilled steak, sour cream and avocado with a few tortillas.  It is totally possible there was more to this, but they seemed really happy with it.

Adam got the avocado on the side for me since he's not a fan.  I loves it!

They looked really good, but the whole cheese and sour cream would have killed me.  Plus I was dealing with my own artery clogging goodness.

I love that we all got steak for brunch.  We're all fairly healthy people, some more than others in our group - you guys know who you are - so it was a real treat having steak and knowing that it was organic so they tasted extra good from happy cows.  I mean, I know they're not happy cause they're dead, but I'm a carnivore girl, and do my best to eat meat that's sustainable and humanely raised.  I do what I can, and just think how the world would be if everyone did that too... happy cows = happy people = happy world.  Yup... this is how I rationalize it.  Now off to other foods...

We were so full for so long that we had a late dinner at a really cute sushi place, Butterfly.  Oddly enough we were all craving sushi since we visited the Shedd Aquarium on Thursday... we're so barbaric!  On a side note, the Shedd Aquarium was awesome and totally loved the Jellies exhibit, so check it out!


Butterfly is BYOB, so we went across the street and bought a lovely bottle of white wine for me and Danielle to share, the boys opted for some fancy beer.  I, of course, let Danielle pick the wine since I officially SUCK at wine selection.  She picked a real winner if you ask me.

We started with the seaweed salad ($4.50) and edamame ($4).  The seaweed salad had a touch of citrous flavor to it, but couldn't figure out why it was SO amazing. Best I ever had.   


We also ordered the Shrimp Pot-stickers ($5.50), which were really good.  It's a shame it only came with 5, which is the usual amount, but they tasted so good I could have eaten these all myself.

Me and dumplings make a happy couple, so much so I'll probably turn into a dumpling when I get older. Yum!





Above is an order of the small assorted sashimi ($17) which included salmon, tuna and yellowtail.  Fresh and delicious!








Since Danielle and Mark tried pretty much all their special Maki Rolls, we let them decide what was best for the table.

We're glad they did cause they picked the best rolls ever!

The one on the left is the Ninja Maki, Snow crab meat, asparagus, avacoda wrapped with seared super white tuna, wasabi n black tobiko, scallions n spicy-honey mayo.  It was by far the best roll I've ever had in my life.  I don't think sushi rolls will ever be the same after this.  Seriously, it was that good.  Light and sweet with a hint of honey.  The crab was so delicate and blended perfectly with the crunch of the asparagus.  

The roll in the middle is the Sunset Maki, shrimp tempura, cucumber, mayo wrapped with salmon and mango.  It was the second best roll since the mango made it fun and sweet.  I also love salmon so it was a super win for me.

The roll on the right is the Red Dragon Maki, spicy shrimp, cucumber wrapped with tuna and avocado.  On its own, this roll is great, but next to these other rolls it wasn't as good in comparison.  I liked it, but the others were just too good!  

We did our best to finish this massive quantity of deliciousness.  I think only one of the Red Dragon pieces was left.  

Truly fresh, good and well-priced sushi and the BYOB make this place even kinder on the wallet.

That night, we went out pretty hard and needed a quick bite to eat to hold us over until we enjoyed the great culinary experience of our lives, the Girl and the Goat, which we were hitting up on Sunday night.  

The boys stayed in to sleep and work, so Danielle and I hit up Milk and Honey Cafe for what should have been a quick brunch.  However, the way they're set up tends to take longer than if you had table service.  You essentially wait in a long ass line to order food at a counter.  While waiting, a very nice woman will give you a number for a table that you then give to the counter when you order, so the runners know where to bring your food.  So everyone just stands in a long line for 20 minutes while people order... its really annoying. 
 
 I (above) ordered the crabcake sandwich, which came with homemade potato chips.  It was really amazing. with HUGE crabcakes on the softest french bread and a tangy tarter sauce.  I never should have ordered something so large since I tried to finish it and we were supposed to get ready and eat in just a couple of hours.  Oops!





 
Danielle ordered the salad special which had arugula, watermelon, pine nuts and feta and some grilled bread.  It looked light and tasty, perfect for a hot day and in anticipation for the feast that was before us.

Danielle needed something a little heavier to accompany the salad and ordered the vegetable strata, which she said was delicious.  It did look really good with lots of lovely layers of veggies and cheese.


I also ordered a strawberry frosted cookie, which wasn't as good as I hoped it would be.  I wanted something really soft and chewy, but it was hard cookies with some super sweet frosting in the middle... not the great thing I've ever eaten. 

After brunch, we did a little shopping at Penelope's, my fave store in Chicago, and got ready for "the" dinner of a lifetime.  I'll be writing a separate blog post just on that - so stayed tuned.




We went straight to Map Room after our epic dinner.  Adam has been wanting to hit this place up for some time since its considered one of the best beer bars in American.

One thing I don't really talk about in this blog is my love for good beer.  Adam and I have even ventured to Belgium just to drink some of the best beers in the world.






Needless to say we like our beers large and in charge.  Westmalle is one of the best out there and recommend trying it and enjoying this fabulous trappist beer.   Map Room has a great selection of imported and domestic beer.  I love me a place where I can try something new and expand my palette.  We had such a great time here and stayed until closing.  So check it out if you're in the area.






We weren't feeling so hot in the morning, for obvious reasons, but wanted to take advantage of the ONE nice day we had while in Chicago to check out the beach.  So we picked up some sandwiches at Jimmy John's, Chicago's better version of Subway, and ate on the beach.   I don't like crappy sandwiches since I grew up in NYC the home of awesome delis (Katz's) and even bodegas that can make a mean sandwich 24 hours a day on the cheap ($3.50, yes I'm spoiled on cheap food).  But Jimmy John's was actually really tasty.  I liked their bread and the put more meat and fun veggies to spice things up.  I ate the entire sandwich, surprisingly!

Adam gives Jimmy John's a thumbs up!

I ordered the Beach Club, which was fresh baked turkey breast, provolone cheese, avocado spread, sliced cucumber, sprouts, lettuce, tomato, and mayo.  I got it without the cheese, and I believe everyone except Mark got this.  

They also have really good potato chips to go with it.  Not the cheapest sandwich but perfect for the beach and a hot day when your head may or may not be pounding from the night before.

Sadly, our last meal in Chicago was the least exciting for me, since it was the deep dish pizza Adam just HAD to get.  I promised I would tag along and try a bite.  

We passed The Art of Pizza on the way to the beach, so figured it was fate and checked it out on the way home.  


Adam's lovely friend recommended this place from when she lived in Chicago.  Turns out that when you go there, you can get pizza by the slice, which was awesome for me since I didn't have to order a slice myself.   It was a Monday and the place was super slow, so the pizza looks like it may have been sitting there for a bit. Our big mistake was not ordering a fresh pie, which would have been amazing, or as Danielle would put it - "hot and melty!"   This place had great reviews and funky decor, so we'll have to go there more prepared next time.



The slices weren't hot and so you didn't get that gooey factor with the cheese that is so essential.

Next time we're doing the whole pie and going to town with the toppings.

I had a happy little garden salad which was a bargain at only $4.50 and it was gigantic...




Sorry Chicago, didn't have time to really enjoy some deep dish in all its glory.  We were rushing to get home to pack and hit up the airport, so pizza by the slice was all we could do.  Just got us curious for a fresh pie which we'll definitely eat the next we go.









So that was our gluttonous adventure together in Chicago.  I always eat well with my food friends, leaving me hungry for more.


Thank you Danielle and Mark for being the greatest of hosts while we were visiting.  Adam and I had an amazing time and can't wait to visit again.  I already have a list of places to take you guys when you visit.  So come hungry!

Oodles of Udon!

Is there anything better than good food and cheap booze?

The answer is definitely "no" so don't bother contemplating that.

I stumbled upon a fabulous udon noodle shop in Midtown East over a year ago and save it now to impress friends who meet me near my work for a bite to eat.  Every single person I ever took here is blown away.  It's like an Ace up my sleeve, just waiting to be used for that perfect hand.  Okay, so I don't really play poker and I certainly don't cheat.  Work with me here...  It's all this damn heat!

The place I'm referring to is Onya Noodle Bar located at 143 East 47th Street, btw Lex and 3rd.  It's a cute eatery with a lovely back area that has a glass ceiling.  Their staff, all Japanese, are so incredible polite and attentive you never want to leave.  After arriving I realized that they must feel like a million bucks since Japan just won the Women's World Cup (congrats btw,  you guys did great!)

My good ol' buddy Zac met up with me for a hot delicious bowl of fresh udon and some cheap booze.

Happy Hour Special: $2.99 draft Sapporo 5pm - 7pm (M-F, I believe)


I arrived a few minutes before Zac and was greeted warmly, seated and given a cold beer almost immediately.  My server even gave me a little bowl of these spicy french-fry chip snacks.  No idea what they were but they were crunch, salty and spicy - perfect for beer.  I pretty much ate the whole bowl before Zac got there.  ::bad jaci bad::


Zac ordered the Double Beef Udon, Half Bowl ($10) to ensure enough room for another round of beers.  The full order is $15 and massive.  Its great to share with someone, but only someone with a huge appetite can handle one.  These noodles are heavy!

I was so indecisive!  Do I try something new like the super spicy udon with ground pork or get an old favorite.  I wanted something spicy, and their shrimp are so tasty.  So I settled on the Curry Udon with Sprimp Tempura (half bowl $10).  

The food came out after about 10 minutes, just long enough for them to cook up the fresh udon.  Our steamy, hot bowls looked picture perfect and tasted even better.  Zac was so impressed with how good our food was.  He kept exclaiming "omg, this is so good" in between slurps of the thick noodles and bites of the melt-in-your-mouth beef.

We stopped for a second and looked around at the other patrons enjoying their meals and realized that we were the only non-Japanese in there!  That's when you know its good!

Lunch is also great, ranging in price from $5.95 and up.  You can pick various tempura, which is only $1 each when you buy more than two pieces.  Their shrimp is my favorite, but also recommend the potato/onion mixture. 

Oh Onya, you are so magical... thank you for filling my belly with delicious udon.  See you next time!

No Substitution for the Original

Earlier this year, I reviewed the new Jackson Diner in Manhattan, which I was excited to try out.  Although this location is far more convenient, the original Jackson Diner in Jackson Heights is so much better, I just couldn't help talking about it a bit.

The original Jackson Diner is located at 3747 74th Street in Queens off the Jackson Heights/Roosevelt Ave stop for the 7/E/F/M/R trains - so there is no excuse as most New Yorkers can manage to get here.  Trust me, its worth the trip.

It's a weird looking restaurant with lots of room, high ceilings and gruff waiters.  They do their job, but I wouldn't necessarily call them friendly.

I came here with my dad, Mel and Adam on a Tuesday evening, about 7pm.  They weren't busy, so the food came very quickly.

We started with the Chat Papri, a mixture of crisps, potatoes, and chick peas in yogurt and tamarind sauce, something we usually order and enjoy.  It's a bit sweet, tangy and spicy - a really interesting mixture of flavors and textures. 

I don't usually eat dairy, but I had no issue avoiding the small drizzling of yogurt on this dish.  Our food came just as we were finishing off the last bite.

Perfect timing!


My dad ordered the Lamb Roganjosh, boneless juicy pices of lamb cooked in traditional kashmiri masala.  He's a huge fan of lamb and rarely eats it.  I loved the sauce and kept dipping the naan bread in it, but I'm not a fan of lamb so didn't really spend much time working on this. 


As long as dad was happy... 

Adam and I ordered two dishes to share, the first was Murg Tikka Palakwala, broiled chicken pieces cooked with spinach, tomato, and ginger tempered with cumin seeds. 

This was the first time trying this dish here. It was absolutely fantastic!!  It was very similar to sag but had that butter flavor from tikka masala.  I'm sure I shoudn't have been eating this since it most likely had dairy but I didn't care!  This is probably one of my fave Indian dishes of all time.  The chicken was so succulent, the spinach so flavorful that every bite was a dream come true.  The left overs were equally delicious.  

We also ordered the Chole Peshawari, chick peas and diced potatoes cooked in traditional punjabi style.  This is similar to Chana Masala which is a common dish seen on most Indian menus.  It was really good although I like my Indian food a little more spicy.  I think they were being gentle with us since my dad asked for his dish mild. Oh well! I like my food SPICY!  

Mel wasn't too hungry, so she ordered the Aloo Gobi, which is potatoes and cauliflower tossed with Indian spices, so that I could take it home and enjoy it for lunch the next day.  I like Indian leftovers almost as much as fresh at the restaurant.  They marinate and their flavors enhance - its just so freaking good!

This was the only "dry" entree we got, which complimented the other dishes nicely.  I'm a fan of the "wet' India dishes, but its nice to mix it up once in a while.  I took an Indian cooking class and learned how to make this, except it would never come out this good. 

 

It was an epic meal and we ended up taking home a ton of leftovers.  The naan was particularly greasy, but oh so good at soaking up the incredibly flavorful sauces.  I really love Indian food and Jackson Diner serves the best in NYC (or at least what I've discovered so far). It may not be the nicest restaurant with the best servers, but their food speaks for itself.   

So check it out if you have a chance, you won't regret it! 

Escape from New York

Everyone needs a little time away from the big city and although I was raised in good ol' Brooklyn, I am no except to this rule.  So Adam and I borrowed the family car and escaped during the long holiday weekend.

We drove along the Hudson to Connecticut to visit family and then took an overnight trip around Rhinebeck, NY near Bard College where Adam went to school.  Along the way we ate some really great meals and soaked in as much sunshine as possible.

Croton Point Park

Our first stop on our gluttonous tour was a quick bite at the Westchester Diner.   We were passing nearby from Croton-on-the-Hudson and needed some fuel in our bellies to continue on the road to Oakdale, CT for a show.



We didn't want to fill up too much, so Adam ordered the Garden Salad with Grilled Chicken and I went straight for a big bowl of Matzah Ball Soup (one of my all time favorite things to order anywhere).

Usually diners are super fast, so much so I'm always worried I'm getting an old order from someone else.

Westchester Diner did take a little while to bring out the food, but when we did we were pleasant surprised with the quality and quantity on our meal.

Adam's salad was huge, served in a bowl that should be used for a family of four.  The grilled chicken was hot and juicy.  I definitely stole bites from his giant bowl throughout our meal.

My soup has the largest matzah balls ever created, ever.  Seriously, look at the size of these things.  If this isn't food porn, I don't know what is.  Yes - please admire my giant balls! (hehe)

The soup was fantastic.  Fluffy perfectly salted matzah balls in a lovely chicken broth with lots of onions, carrots and celery.  It wasn't overly salty, which is something I always worry about when ordering this soup.  Definitely made top 5 best matzah ball soup I ever ate and this includes homemade at my cousins' house during passover.

Now that we were SUFFICIENTLY full (we were only supposed to get a snack!), we made our way to see Adam's dad play in his band at a local bar (Shortie's Pub) in Oakdale.  Here is ordered chicken fingers and french fries, but didn't bother taking a photo since it was typical pub fare.

On Saturday, we journeyed through back roads to Rhinebeck and Kingston.  I was fortunate enough to get a fun email from Refinery29 (which I read daily) about 5 secret shopping destinations 3 hours outside NYC.  We were going to drive near a few anyway, so Adam humored me and let me check out Millerton, which we were passing through near the border of Connecticut and New York state.

We did stop in all four stores mentioned in the email:

1. Harney & Sons: Had tons of really cool teas.  I tried their organic raspberry iced tea which was super tasty with a nice sweet hint of raspberries!

2. Hunter Bee: This place was so incredible with lots of expensive vintage finds.  They had this really awesome giant bird cage that I really wanted.  Everything was far too much for my poor ass to afford, but one day!

3. Terni’s: I thought this place was super weird.  We walked in and the old man working there look confused by our presence.  We took a quick look around and left.  They had random clothing, most of which looked like it was for more outdoorsy types. 

4. Kamilla’s Floral Boutique: Best floral shop ever.  They had the craziest flowers with a focus on orchids and succulents.  Totally affordable too, but I kill all plants with my black-thumb and refrained from even the smallest purchase.  (Perhaps for a wedding?)

Adam and I did stop in for lunch at the really cute coffee shop in town, Irving Farm Coffee Company. It was really busy and smelled delicious, so we ordered soup and a sandwich to share. 


You order at the counter, then get a little number so someone knows where to bring your food.

Adam ordered the split pea with turkey soup was really good, although not exactly hot in temperature.  Definitely homemade with lots of flavor.

I ordered went for the curry chicken sandwich, was very bold of me (if you ask me).

I had no idea what to expect, but it was absolutely delicious.  It was chicken salad with a hint of curry with a bit of sweetness from dried cranberries.

It came on this amazing toasted "health" bread with lettuce, onions and tomato with a side of chips (which I'm happy to report I didn't eat except for a few).  Irving Farm was awesome, so check it out if you're in the area.

View from Olana Estate

Now that we were on a full stomach, we were able to drive around and check out some of the nice areas near Rhinebeck.  We visited two estates and walked around the grounds.

We couldn't have asked for a nicer day!  We took in the sunshine and the lovely views of the Hudson.  It's amazing to think that just 3 hours south in busy NYC!

After a few hours, we worked up quite the appetite and got ready for dinner!

Olana's front door. Now this is an entrance!

Enjoying a cold beer in the Bard gardens.

Adam and I have a tradition of going to the Beekman Arms & Delamater Inn when we're in the area.  The Beekman is America's oldest continuously operated hotel and the restaurant is absolutely delicious.  First off, this place looks old but its in amazing condition.  A lot of love goes into its care to ensure that an Inn built in 1766 is still standing as tall and as proud as it did back then.  Pretty impressive if you ask me.  

There was a little bit of everything on the menu, so everyone is bound to find something they like.  Adam and I ordered whatever our heart desired, since everyone's diet should go out the door when you come here.  


They sat us in the garden greenhouse, which was lovely.  It's a fairly upscale place, so we had to be on our best behavior.  We started with the Sweet and Sassy Shrimp ($9), which our awesome server recommended and described as being fried shrimp in a sweet and spicy sauce.


We didn't know what to expect, but they were AMAZING!  Small fried shrimp in this delicious sauce. Whatever they put in the sauce, it was to die for and we savored every bite.  We were super excited for dinner at this point!

I ordered the 16 oz Prime Rib with fresh horseradish, mashed potatoes and asparagus ($28), which was cooked perfectly.  

Everything about this dish was perfect.  It was large enough to share with Adam (I could have ordered the 12 oz, but was glad I didn't). 

Adam said these were the best asparagus he's ever had, cooked perfectly with just the right amount of crunch.  I happen to make pretty damn good asparagus at home, so ignored his comment :)

Adam went with the Boneless Coffee Braised Beef Short Ribs with mashed potatoes and glazed carrots ($21).    This dish was simply divine, sent down to use from the heavens!  Now this is how you break a diet in style!! 


This picture doesn't do it justice, but it was SO dark (and romantic) where we were eating.  It was a nice portion of braised beef ribs with creamy mashed potatoes and sweet, crisp carrots.  The sauce was rich and dense, but I had no idea it was coffee based until after we were done eating.  I'm glad we shared our meals, since both were so unbelievably delicious.  And no dinner is complete without dessert!


This was called the Lemon Curd Napoleon ($8), but it was a total surprise when we finally saw it.

It was crisp slices of cooked puff pastry with a lemon curd center, a lollop of lemon meringue on top, some pineapple relish and raspberry sauce.

Needless to say it was light and mind-blowingly delicious!  We practically licked the plate, and we were already stuffed from dinner.

It was a glorious dinner that made us weak at the knees.  We had to take a walk around Bard Campus to ensure we didn't slip into a deadly food coma.  We'll definitely keep coming back for more of Beekman Arms whenever we have a chance, its just too damn good and really not that crazy expensive for what you get!

On Sunday, we took it down a notch and enjoyed breakfast at Michael's Diner in Kingston, Adam's old haunt from when he went to Bard.  He loved this place back then because you could smoke inside (remember those days?) and their food was good n' cheap, what every college kid needs.


Adam ordered his usual, which might not really be a usual since he hasn't ordered it in about 8 years.

Here we got scrambled eggs, home fries and a toasted corn muffin.

I stole some of his home fries since they were super tasty, with that extra crisp from being fried in butter.  The corn muffin was awesome - I wish I had ordered one.  Or better yet, a blueberry muffin! YUM!



I was totally indecisive and went with the Michael's Special which had a little bit of everything including two pancake, two over medium eggs (the way I like 'em), two slices of well done bacon and a sausage link.

The only thing that could have made this better was some home fries, which is why I stole from Adam's plate.  The pancakes were really good as was the sausage which I'm not usually a fan of.  All I left on this plate was a bit of egg white.  Yes, I'm a disgusting pig in the morning.

Later on we had a lovely bbq with a ton of Adam's family, but I didn't bother taking photos of that.  I was being lazy playing monopoly with his younger cousins.  And yes, I definitely kick some kiddie butt in that game!  I win!  Adam didn't do so well :)  Sorry Adam!

On Monday - July 4th - we had a MASSIVE BBQ at Adam's mom's house.  Her name is Barbara and she's absolutely lovely.

We went absolutely buck wild with shrimp, lemon sole, salmon and a ton of delicious veggies.  Here's a recap on the insane amount of food for 3 people. 

Delicious Quinoa (pronounced Keen Wa)

We cooked up some lemon sole with a big of fresh sage and lemon juice and salmon with just a dash of salt and pepper.  The skewers of fresh veggies include zucchini, yellow squash, onion, cherry tomatoes, green and red pepper.  We also had some pineapple, so we decided to grill that up as well.  If you never tried grilled pineapple, I suggest trying it out asap since its absolutely delicious!!!

We bought a giant bag of frozen shrimp, which we defrosted and skewered with some pineapple. We did one skewer of shrimp with a nice marinade made of olive oil, minced garlic and fresh basil.  These came out amazing!!

Grilled Veggies!

Barbara made some delicious quinoa, which is apparently super easy to make.  Just make the quinoa as directed on the package and added whatever veggies you have on hand.  Here we have raw carrots, cucumbers and tomatoes as well as black beans and cooked broccoli and zucchini.  Mix everything together with a splash of salad dressing (Italian if you prefer).  It was fresh and light, perfect for summer!








Everything else was incredible.  The lemon sole was super tasty and was more interesting than your run of the mill salmon. The salmon did come out perfectly though, but the lemon sole stole the show.

The shrimps were sweet and succulent.  You would never know that they were initially frozen.  Most supermarkets don't sell fresh shrimp any ways, so might as well get a bag of flash frozen, with the skin still on so they have that nice shrimp flavor.  They only take 5 - 7 minutes to defrost under cold water. 

The veggies were awesome as was the quinoa, which I'm planning on making sometime next week.

We obviously cooked way too much, but the left overs will not go to waste!  Food for a week?




It kinda sucks living in an apartment with no backyard access, so when Adam and I have a chance to grill, we go all out.  At least we have family we can take advantage of! 




Adam was obviously VERY excited for all the food!  He's ready to serve up everyone's plates. 












<------ Adam and his mom, Barbara, ready to dig in and enjoy our feast!












This was my plate, and yes I did eat everything except for the whole corn.  The corn wasn't as delicious as we had hoped, but it was on sale at the supermarket (5 ears for $1, so we didn't except much from them).  

So that was our weekend.  We took the train back to good ol' Brooklyn. 

It's always so nice getting out of the city and look forward to our next gluttonous adventure, which will be Chicago in a few weeks.  Something tells me I'll be forced to eat deep dish pizza before the end of the month.  Oy!