O happy day!

My sister and I spent a magical day in Chicago on Thursday and realized a shared long-standing dream: a visit to the Oprah Winfrey Show! We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Casey, my hero and a friend of my friend Lara (thank you, Lara!), who works at Harpo and who put us on her ticket list a few weeks ago. We found out that we'd actually gotten tickets pretty recently and quickly threw together a plan for our whirlwind day in the Windy City.

My alarm clock went off at 4:00 am on Thursday morning and I sprang out of bed with the exciting realization that Oprah and I were hours away from being in the same room. Our mom drove me and my sister, who had flown in from London the night before, to the airport for our 6:15 am flight. We landed in Chicago by 8, checked into the Four Seasons (thanks, Credit-Suisse corporate rate!) to quickly spiff up, and arrived at Harpo Studios at 10:45. Then we waited. And waited. And waited some more. But Oprah, who finally marched out on to the stage around 1:45, was worth the wait. I love Oprah. I have watched her show for 20+ YEARS. She's been a teacher, friend, and counselor to me - yes, via television and I don't care how cheesy that sounds - and it was surreal to see her in person. That's all I'm going to say about the show since I signed a release in which I agreed not to write or blog about the taping. The show wrapped up after 3 and we stopped by the Oprah Store before thanking Casey and returning to our hotel for a little rest.

With the lack of sleep catching up to us, we headed to Frontera Grill for dinner. Fans of Top Chef Masters will recognize Frontera Grill as one of Rick Bayless's four Mexican restaurants in Chicago. It won the James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurant in 2007. And I can certainly understand why since it was fantastic. I had the best margarita I've ever tasted: a blood orange margarita that was shaken table side and served in a martini glass. And I have tried A LOT of margaritas. We shared way too much food including: guacamole; queso fundido (melted jack cheese) with crumbled chorizo, roasted peppers and oregano; delicious sopes rancheros (crispy corn masa boats with shredded beef, roasted tomatoes, avocado and house-made cheese); and grilled flank steak with a spicy serrano chile salsa, grilled scallions, and sweet corn tamales. Afterward, we headed to Xoco next door for some churros and Mexican soft serve ice cream with chocolate sauce.

On Friday, we got a 4:00am wake up call and reluctantly headed out of our warm hotel room for yet another 6:15am flight, this time back to frigid NYC. I loved my flash of a visit to Chicago and hope to return soon - though in warmer weather since it was FREEZING cold - so I can eat more (I want to try Art Smith's place, Table 52, too), spend some time exploring, and hopefully get to see my Chicago-dwelling friend Meredith and meet her little boy - sorry I wasn't there long enough this time for any visiting!

Restaurant review: Applewood

On Saturday night, Judd and I borrowed my mom's car and drove out to Park Slope to meet our friend Ann for dinner at Applewood, which serves seasonal, local food supplied by local farms and producers, even if it sounds like a barbeque restaurant (it did to me, anyway). They use only sustainably fished seafood, hormone and antibiotic-free meats and poultry, and all of their beef comes from grass-finished, humanely treated animals.

We started our evening at the bar where we shared Applewood's house-made charcuterie with garlic crostini and stone ground mustard. One was a pork testa (that's the nice way to say head cheese, which is neither head nor cheese, but pieces of meat suspended in flavorful aspic), the other was a slice of something pate-like and made with goat meat - possibly a rillette. Both were tasty enough, but the goat was wrapped in a very thick ring of fat and I did not enjoy the texture of the pork testa.

When we sat down, each with a large glass of champagne (thanks again, Geoff!), we were served freshly baked bread with a selection of tempting toppings: a roasted beet spread, whipped french butter, and a root vegetable puree. I always enjoy a variety and all three of these were nice compliments to the warm bread.

Next, I ordered the roasted red beet salad with toasted pistachios, red leaf lettuce, and roasted black pepper aioli. It was fantastic. Beets and pistachios are an excellent pairing. Judd ordered the New York venison bolognese with mascarpone polenta and parmesan cheese. I thought the venison was a little too lean to make the bolognese as rich as it normally is, but you really can't go wrong with a meat ragu and polenta. Ann ordered a special rabbit ravioli with came with tiny little rabbit chops. I tried to photograph it, but this picture doesn't capture just how small this rabbit rack was.

For my main course, I ordered red wine braised beef shortribs with braised carola potatoes, dandelion greens and red wine jus. I love shortribs and these were wonderful, although, like the venison, not quite as fatty as I'm used to. But I guess grass-finished beef is leaner than corn fed beef. Judd had sauteed North Carolina wreckfish (a mild and un-oily white fish) with winter greens, roasted onion puree, and smoked wreckfish salad. He really enjoyed it as did I when I tried it. The fish had been well cooked and had a nice crust. Ann ordered pan-roasted Chatham haddock (also an un-oily white fish) with roasted new potatoes, celery root puree, and herb oil. Yum.

For dessert, we shared a delightful bread pudding with some kind of booze-spiked sauce. I generally don't like alcohol in desserts, but this was a nice exception.

Applewood is quite a cozy little place. There's a fireplace, small herb bouquets on the tables, and I particularly loved the bathroom with its beadboard paneling and Mrs. Meyer's hand soap. And it doesn't hurt that my friend Geoff, fellow-Tufts grad and former bartender at my favorite bar of all time (rest in peace, Etats-Unis), works there. He made us feel particularly welcome. Despite the shlep from the Upper West Side to Park Slope, I will certainly return.

**

Details:

501 11th Street (between 7th and 8th Avenues)

Brooklyn, New York

(718) 788-1810

London and Dublin review

I am recovering from my short but very sweet European vacation this weekend. January is an inexpensive time of year to travel and I hadn't been to see my sister since July, so it seemed like a good time to go.

Day one: London.

Kristy booked us a table at La Petite Maison in Mayfair for our pre-Billy Elliot lunch. We started by sharing roasted Mediterranean vegetables marinated in olive oil with feta and buratta (super creamy mozzarella cheese) with fresh tomato relish. Then we shared a grilled ribeye steak which was served with a caper and shallot sauce and a spicy mustard. Everything was delicious. And, if you remember reading about our low-carb nutritionist, Heather, you will recognize my sister's loyalty to her rules.


For dinner, we met my friend James and his new fiancee Louisa for dinner at 222 Veggie Vegan Restaurant in West Kensington. I normally would not be interested in eating at a vegetarian restaurant, but they'd been there before and the menu looked promising. Things started off alright. As a starter, we shared a black bean and tofu pancake with tomato chunks and vegan cream sauce which was actually really good. We also shared warm pita with pimento, hummus, and tofutti dips. The pita was also served with cocktail sauce. Not sure how that got on the plate. I foolishly ordered seitan stroganoff for my main course. It sounded interesting on the menu: seitan strips, mushrooms, caramelized onions, and pepper cubes in cashew cream with fresh herbs and brown basmati rice. Our waitress said it was very popular. But the seitan had a smoky flavor that I didn't fancy and the texture was even worse. I will not be eating seitan again. I ended up eating a lot of Kristy's spicy chick pea curry and James' delicious pasta with wild mushrooms.

Day 2: Dublin.

We arrived in Dublin just in time for a late lunch at Peploe's Wine Bistro, a cozy french-inspired restaurant only short walk from our hotel on St. Stephen's Green. Kristy and I shared a wonderful winter rocket (that's what they call arugula) salad with balsamic, parmesan, toasted pine nuts, and sun-dried tomatoes. Then I had wild mushroom lasagna with pumpkin, baby spinach, and a bechamel sauce. Kristy had a pan-seared salmon filet with a mushroom risotto. Both of us were very happy with our selections.


Later, we had a FABULOUS dinner at Il Primo, an Italian restaurant in Dublin's city center. The restaurant, which was recommended by the concierge at the Merrion Hotel (which I cannot recommed highly enough) has been in business for over 20 years and served some of the best Italian food I've ever had. To start, we shared a green courgette (that's zuchinni to us) and pea risotto with roasted garlic and cannelloni filled with beef, pesto, and pine nuts. Then we shared a pan-fried pork tenderloin wrapped in parma ham with crushed winter vegetables (turnips, parsnips, and carrots), buttered kale, and lentils. While it wasn't the prettiest dish I'd ever seen -- everything was just piled up in a big heap -- the pork was excellent and extremely tender, which is a real feat for pork tenderloin. For dessert, we shared a pear tart with whipped cream. Cute little restaurant, super friendly staff, and surprisingly wonderful food -- it was an excellent meal.

Day 3: Dublin


After a very posh breakfast at our hotel, we headed off to explore the city. We took a bus tour and stopped off at the Guiness Brewery (I like Guiness - who knew!?) before having lunch Elephant and Castle on Temple Bar, which I forgot to photograph. Several people had recommended this place for lunch, as had this New York Times article, but we thought it was just ho-hum. Predictable Kristy ordered a house salad with avacado, tomato, and grilled chicken. I had a decidedly average grilled chicken club sandwich with curry mayo. I would have liked some sliced avocado and extra curry mayo, but our waitress was very elusive and I never had a chance to ask for those improvements.

After more exploring but before dinner, we stopped off at the fancy Shelbourne Hotel for a fancy drink. Then, still smiling about our dinner the night before and creatures of habit, we decided to return to Il Primo for dinner instead of an Irish restaurant where we'd previously made a reservation. We shared a butternut squash and rocket salad with pecorino and pears. Then we split a sublime potato, fontina and rosemary pizza. I had caramelized shallot, red onion and pecorino risotto as my main course. Kristy went with a salmon special. We shared a panna cotta tart with mixed berries for dessert. I love panna cotta and this version, with the panna cotta nestled in a crispy tart shell, was a wonderful interpretation of a classic dessert.

Day 4: London


We returned to London just in time for a late lunch at Amaya in Knightsbridge, my sister's favorite Indian restaurant. I let her do the ordering since she's been there before. We shared tandoor chicken chops, chili-infused dal, chicken biryani, tandoor broccoli with a sweet yogurt sauce, the world's largest tiger prawns in a sweet tomato sauce, and naan. Everything was so full of flavor and beautifully presented. I think the food at Tamarind, here in NYC is better, but Amaya is definitely noteworthy and worth a visit the next time you find yourself in London.


Exhausted from our trip to Dublin, we cooked at my sister's apartment on Sunday night. Also, I wanted to watch as many episodes as possible of my favorite English television show, "Come Dine With Me" (5 strangers take turns hosting dinner parties and then score each other in secret with a cash prize for the winner - it's hilarious), which Kristy had thoughtfully recorded in anticipation of my visit.

It was a whirlwind trip, and I am clearly still dealing with some jet lag (I have been up since before 5:00 am), but a lot of fun. If you haven't yet visited my sister in London, try to get over there. She's got an enormous apartment with a guest room and she is a lovely and attentive hostess to boot. And she knows all the best restaurants in town to change your impression of English dining.

On the other side of the pond

I arrived in London this morning where I'm spending the long weekend with my sister. I've already had one nice day here and tomorrow, we're heading to Dublin for two nights.

I am taking careful notes and will report back with my London and Dublin dining update early next week . . .

A cat needs her Tasti-D-Lite

I am smitten with my four year-old cat, Tessa. Judd, despite a severe cat allergy, is also smitten. Together, we are so smitten, in fact, that against our better judgment, we have been known to indulge some of her unusual tastes in food, including oatmeal, greek yogurt, rice pudding, rice, nutella, pecorino cheese, american cheese, deli turkey, bologna, sardines, roast suckling pig (from Pig Heaven), and chicken McNuggets (why Judd brought these home, I am not sure). It's not like she ever asked us to share any of these foods with her -- I do not believe that she understands English and certainly cannot speak it. We only know she likes these foods because, if you are eating any one of them, you literally have to fight her off with a stick unless you're willing to share some with her.

But I have never seen her get as excited about human food as she has been lately about Tasti-D-Lite chocolate cookie sandwiches. I bought a six-pack for Judd the other day, and each time he eats one, she climbs all over him meowing until she can get in a lick or two. It is hilarious to watch.

Last night, as she lay curled up and snoozing in the wicker basket where she spends most of her time, the mere sound of Judd's opening the plastic container which holds the Tasti cookies was enough to instantly rouse her from her cat nap and send her desperately scrambling into the kitchen. Here are some photos of her subsequent furious efforts to share Judd's dessert.

It's worth mentioning that she also likes to eat things that aren't typically considered food to humans or felines, like ribbons, flower petals, leaves, toilet paper, and paper towel. She's still developing her palette.

Quinoa pasta

I still get e-mail newsletters from Heather Bauer, the anti-carb nutritionist I have told you about. And a few months ago, she sent out such a newsletter about pasta substitutes. Since I love pasta but trust Heather and her Nu-Train team, I actually decided to read her suggestions and test them out. It turned out that I'd already tried two of the three recommended pasta alternatives: shiritaki noodles (very low calories "noodles" made from the konnyaku root, which is part of the yam family - they aren't half bad) and spaghetti squash, which I like but isn't fooling anyone into thinking it's anything but squash. But I hadn't yet tried quinoa pasta.

Quinoa, pronounced kee-nwah, is a tiny grain no bigger than a mustard seed. According to my cursory internet research, unlike wheat or rice, quinoa has a very high protein content and is gluten-free. (I know nothing about why some people who aren't allergic to gluten are trying to avoid gluten, so please enlighten me if you know.) And apparently, it can be turned into flour. Which when mixed with corn flour, can be shaped into noodles.

In honor of my new year's-inspired health kick, I bought an 8-ounce package of Ancient Harvest Quinoa "Spaghetti Style" Supergrain Pasta in the organic section of Fairway (it comes in a green box). I figured I'd make a healthy, high protein, gluten-free vegetarian dinner for me and Judd and have the pasta with some veggie meatballs (I recommend mushroom-based Nate's Meatless Meatballs). I also made broccoli with sauteed garlic. One day I will tire of broccoli, but that day has not yet arrived.

I cooked the "spaghetti style" quinoa noodles just like traditional spaghetti - 10 minutes in a large pot of salty boiling water. I thought they were still pretty al dente after 10 minutes, but I like al dente. I tossed the cooked noodles with about 2 cups of marinara sauce (I had an elf-like industriousness on Christmas morning and made several quarts of marinara sauce and a pint of pesto before Judd woke up), some fresh lightly-salted mozzarella cheese, and a handful of grated pecorino romano cheese.

The verdict: not bad! Not bad at all. Actually, it was quite good! If it hadn't been so al dente, I might not have suspected it wasn't regular old spaghetti. And my very filling 4 ounce serving (which was actually 2 servings according to the box) only had 410 calories. Well, it only had 410 calories before I added a lot of cheese - I guess I can skip the mozzarella cheese next time. And there will be a next time because quinoa pasta is tasty.

2009 in review

I go out to eat a lot. Usually for dinner, since I bring breakfast (greek yogurt with fruit) and lunch (some variety of homemade soup) with me to work almost every day. In fact, I just reviewed my planner, and think I ate nearly 215 meals at a restaurant in 2009.

So, since I didn't review most of those places, I decided to create a list of the best and worst new places I tried in 2009. I am only including restaurants that I tried for the first time in 2009 and that I didn't review independently.

Great finds (in no particular order):

Taboon - wonderful Middle Eastern/Mediterranean place in Hell's Kitchen with fantastic home made bread.

Vai - part small Italian restaurant, part cozy wine bar on the Upper West Side.

Keens - a charming and pipe-strewn old steakhouse near the Empire State Building which is frequently touted as the best steakhouse in the city by my fellow Chowhounds. I'm not sure I'd go that far, but it did not disappoint.

Tanoreen - excellent and inexpensive Middle Eastern food in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.

Roc - simultaneously casual and refined Italian in TriBeCa with the best rosemary-speckled grissini I've ever had.

Chinese Mirch - Chinese food as interpreted by Indian chefs in Curry Hill. I love their almost-too-spicy-to-eat chili garlic noodles and milder singapore noodles.

John Horse Tavern - despite the tavern feel, they offer a very sophisticated new American menu in Brooklyn Heights.

Nathan's Hot Dogs - I'd never actually eaten a hot dog at this Coney Island landmark until this year. And they were so delicious that I had two (and could have had five). I do NOT recommend you ride the Cyclone afterward unless you want to taint your memories of those tasty frankfurters with terror.

Le Petit Bistro - Judd and I had a surprisingly wonderful dinner at this unassuming French restaurant in Rhinebeck, New York, where I ate chanterelle mushrooms for the first time and fell in love.

The Grill Room at Bobby Van's - they serve a wonderful and enormous cheeseburger with french fries AND onion rings for only $15 at the Wall Street location.

Misses:

Cafe Frieda - the food at this Upper West Side Mexican place was not terrible, but the service was atrocious. Any place that charges for chips and salsa should be ashamed of themselves. Especially chips and bad salsa.

Gabriella's - another Upper West Side Mexican place that is unjustifiably popular.

Bar Artisanal - I was so excited to try this TriBeCa outpost of Artisanal. But the menu was all over the place (charcuterie, pizzas, cheese tempura, burgers AND traditional brasserie offerings!?) and overall, very disappointing.

Evergreen Cafe - Judd and I had the yuckiest Chinese food I'd had in a long while at this place near the Hospital for Special Surgery after I had a doctor's appointment there (PS - I'm fine, just some cartilage erosion in my knee).

La Vineria - sad but true, the Italian restaurant that replaced beloved La Locanda in Hell's Kitchen is underwhelming and all-around forgettable.

La Pizza Fresca - one of the many new artisanal pizza places that popped up this year, this one in the Flatiron district, that is not worth a visit.

Co./Company - After Sam Sifton, the new Times' food critic, listed their meatball pizza as one of the eleven best dishes of 2009, I had to try it. But this Chelsea pizza purveyor had a lot of problems: 1) it was crowded; 2) the service was shockingly slow; 3) everyone has to sit at long communal tables; 4) it looks like a Japanese restaurant inside; and 5) the pizza wasn't that great!

Happy new year!