There's a ton of construction going on in my hood (not just in/on my building), and with that construction comes new businesses. There are two that I am particularly excited about, and they're now both open for business. First, Greenwich Project, which offers a cocktail menu designed by John McCarthy, small bites in the downstairs bar area, and a full menu upstairs. Second is the Burger Joint, which I have loved for years in its original location in the Parker Meridien hotel. Welcome to the neighborhood!
Category: Food and Drink
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Allez Cuisine!
I have been on an ongoing quest to cut down my spending in all aspects of my life. As you may or may not know, I have some mild food-hoarding tendencies (thank you, family), so I have a well-stocked pantry and freezer. It’s strange — when I’m at the beach house, I love the Iron Chef-like challenge of assessing available ingredients and coming up with a meal based on what’s around. Perhaps it’s because there are fewer alternate options. At home, for some reason, it often seems easier to pick up something on the way home or order in, despite the fact that I like to cook. I am trying to break myself of that habit and turn to my kitchen first. Last night I was ravenous when I got home. The goal? A decent meal in 30 minutes or less from what I had in the house. The end result was a tasty batch of rice and beans, with leftovers to boot!
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Booze You Can Use: Whisky Live (with a Discount!)
Over 250 whiskies in one place?! Yep. Come join me Wednesday night at Whisky Live at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers. I'm trying to decide my game plan — single malts? bourbon? rye? a hodgepodge? Regardless, we'll get to talk to experts, ask questions, and taste some of the finest spirits around. Also, there's Cocktails Live — bartenders from Ward III, Bar and Books, the Flatiron Room, and other whisky bars will mix their original
whisky cocktails. Tickets include a full dinner buffet and there's a special discount for Sweet Blog o' Mine readers — you'll get 15% off if you use the code wlmedia. See you there! -
Booze You Can Use: Have a Negroni Sbagliato
Photo: La Cucina ItalianaSometimes one little tweak can make all the difference. Given my love for the Negroni and my recent fascination with champagne cocktails, it's no surprise that I enjoy the Negroni Sbagliato. Roughly translated, it means a bungled negroni — a mistake — but don't let that fool you. It's a perfect starter to an evening, no mistake about it.
Negroni Sbagliato
1 ounce Campari
1 ounce sweet Vermouth
1 ounce prosecco
Fill a
rocks glass with ice. Add Campari, vermouth and prosecco, in that order. Stir and garnish with orange slice or twist. -
Reboot
As many of you know, I'm in the midst of a bit of a career reboot right now (if you want details, email me!). A colleague who recently left my firm to start her own consulting business recommended a wonderful book to me called Reboot Your Life: Energize Your Career and Life by Taking a Break. I highly recommend it and frankly, wish I had read it a few years ago. The idea is that taking a sabbatical, whether planned or unplanned, can be a good way to take a look at what you really want in your life. It can be eye-opening.
Last night, I got to see a reboot close up. A former associate at my firm left to start her own catering company, TomCookery, which specializes in Southern and Carribean-inspired comfort food. Talking to Tomika about the process of getting her business up and running and getting to taste her delicious food — jerk chicken wings, macaroni pie, banana pudding and more — inspired me so much. I'm so proud of her for following her dreams, and I'm looking forward to doing the same.
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Booze You Can Use: Have a Seelbach Cocktail
Photo from Drinking Made EasyBubbles. They instantly lift the spirit. Sometimes, however, you want bubbles, but you want something a tad more complex than a glass of champagne. Enter the Seelbach. On New Year's Eve, and on a subsequent visit to Pouring Ribbons in the East Village, I kept asking for champagne-based cocktails. There are many, but I was specific — no citrus. At one point I received the Seelbach cocktail, a lovely concoction that carries the name of the hotel in Lexington, Kentucky where it was created.
Seelbach Cocktail
1 oz. bourbon
1/2 oz. Cointreau
7 dashes Angostura bitters
7 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
ChampagneStir ingredients over ice, then then strain into a chilled flute and top with champagne. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Canine Cuisine
I love spending wintry Sundays in the kitchen or reading the NYT while something delicious is simmering away on the stove. Yesterday's culinary focus wasn't on food for the week, or prepping something comforting for a dinner party, but making a batch of homemade dog food for little Miss Mox. A while back, I borrowed Feed Your Best Friend Better: Easy, Nutritious Meals and Treats for Dogsfrom the library and took note of a few recipes that used a slow cooker. I settled on a chicken and barley based "stew" with green beans, tomatoes & carrots, designed to be mixed in with her regular kibble to ensure she gets all the nutrients she needs. Economically, the enormous vat of food I made is definitely cheaper than the same amount of canned dog food, and she seems to like the taste, but I want to keep a close eye on her to see how she does on it. Stay tuned!
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Booze You Can Use: Have a Vieux Carré
Photo courtesy of Scofflaw's DenIt's cold out there. Given weather like this, I tend to gravitate towards cocktails that are stirred and boozy — at least I'll be warm on the inside. If you're looking for an alternative to an Old Fashioned, try the Vieux Carré, a classic cocktail from New Orleans.
Vieux Carré
.75 oz Rye whiskey
.75 oz Cognac
.75 oz Sweet Vermouth
1 tsp Bénédictine
2 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters
2 dashes Angostura BittersAdd all the ingredients to a rocks glass. Fill with ice and stir.
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Winding Down
L to R from top left: Xmas ornament at my aunt's; King Crab legs on my bday; cuddling w/Moxie on the couch; dim sum overload at Nom Wah; eggnog at the NoMad; Xmas eve in Washington Square ParkThe last week and a half of 2012 has been a whirlwind, but it reminds me of how lucky I am. I've got amazing, thoughtful and caring family and friends with which to celebrate birthdays, holidays, or just gather over food and drink and I've got a cute and loveable pooch who keeps me company when they're not around. Wishing you and yours a happy and healthy 2013.
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Holiday Gift Guide o’ Mine
I know, I know. It's a bit late in the game for a holiday gift guide, but hey — you can always save it for next year.
– If you are in NYC and haven't been to Hearth or Terroir, you should. If you live elsewhere, make sure they are on your list for when you come to town. Marco Canora, Paul Greico and their amazing team have created a mini-empire of high caliber but not high falutin' wine bars with food that's as high quality as the dishes they create at their mother ship restaurant. Whomever is the recipient of one of their gift certificates will be a happy camper. I guarantee it.
– I am not a big fan of heavily peated Scotches. I continue to taste them as I'm learning about Scotch generally, and I appreciate why others may like them, but they are not for me. My kind of Scotch is the Bowmore 15 Years Old "Darkest", balanced with a hint of smoke and prominent rich chocolate notes. It's finished in Oloroso sherry casks — probably another reason I like it. It retails for approximately $70.– On the complete opposite end of the booze spectrum, Lillet's newest iteration, Lillet Rosé, is a perfect apéritif on it's own or serves as a lively fruity, floral and bright addition to a cocktail recipe. It retails for about $17.
– Avuá Cachaça Amburana: This newly launched, small-batch cachaça is made by one of Brazil's few female distillers and is aged in Amburana wood (hence the name). The end result is a smooth spirit with sugarcane and vegetal notes, with a touch of spice, suitable for cocktails or sipping neat. It won't be available for a few more months, but it will retail for about $45.
– And while you're shopping for cocktail ingredients, make sure you visit The Liquid Chef Junior Merino's newly launched online store, which is chock-full of bitters, aromatics, syrups, tools, and more. Having had the opportunity to test them out in the Liquid Lab, I'm a huge fan of his salts/sugars designed to rim cocktail glasses, adding a level of unique flavor to your personal libation creations — pasilla chile & cinnamon, hibiscus & rose, Hawaiian salt & saffron and more.
– For those more food-driven, I'd suggest two new books from bloggers that I've known for years: The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook & The Amateur Gourmet's Secrets of the Best Chefs. Trust these people. I do.– For the pinot noir drinkers on your list, check out the David Family Wine Black List. This exclusive club gives you access to their limited-release Black Label pinot noirs a full six to twelve months before anyone else (at a 20-30% discount, no less) plus a discount code that you can use for their full portfolio. Sounds like my kind of club. There are limited slots available, and although there's no cost for membership, you must purchase three bottles per year to keep your place.
– Last, but by no means least, for your friends of the canine persuasion, Bocce's Bakery Biscuits uses organic local ingredients to create dog treats that sound so tempting you might try to steal them. Who wouldn't drool over truffle mac & cheese, beef bourignon, or the Elvis (peanut butter, bananas & bacon)? I know Moxie would. Although sometimes I feel like she deserves some lumps of coal (they've got those, too).