Sweet Blog O'Mine

Category: Food and Drink

  • My Everything

    Everything bagel

    I, like many, have strong feelings about everything bagels.  I had one yesterday from Absolute Bagels that, in my opinion, was the perfect specimen. Given the many everything bagels I've had over the years, I've noticed a few things — first, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, onion, and garlic seem to be non-negotiable. The two elements that tend to vary are salt and caraway seeds. For me, the salt should be there and makes for a superior bagel. The caraway, however, has no place whatsoever — it takes over and ruins the whole thing.

  • Back in the Big City

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    At some point this weekend,  I'll post pictures and a recap from my lovely week in California,  but in the meantime,  this shot of Joseph Phelps will have to tide you over…

  • Weekend Wrapup – Edible Edition

    In lieu of recapping what I did this weekend, I might as well just tell you what I ate. 

    • Zapp's potato chips, fried oysters with comeback sauce, beef jerky, Tom's balls (at Porchlight)
    • Melty fontina, chicken liver and foie terrine, beef tartare, arugula salad, chocolate peanut butter mousse (at The Red Cat)
    • Scrambled eggs with Flying Pigs Farm sausage, kale, onions, and cheddar (at home)
    • Bo Ssam (at Momofuku Ssam Bar)
    • Cold peanut noodles, assorted dumplings, lobster roll (at Smorgasburg)
    • Chocolate ice cream soda (at Shake Shack)
    • Cheeseburger (from the Burger Joint) and salt and vinegar fries (from Sticky's Finger Joint)
    • 1/2 a PB&J on whole wheat (pre-5K run) and 1/2 an onion bagel with cream cheese (post 5k-run)
    • Cheese & crackers, veggies & dip, cheeseburger & salad (at Carrie's backyard BBQ)
    • Small bits of octopus, pasta primavera, and steak (at Alta)

    I think it may take me the rest of the summer to recover.

  • Gone Too Soon

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    Thinking of Josh Ozersky this morning — he died yesterday at age 47, which is way too young, and the whole thing still just seems somewhat unreal. We weren't close — I knew him mostly from the early food blogging days (as pictured above from this 2007 NYT article) — but he was the sort of person with whom I'd always stop and chat when we bumped into each other on the street or at an event. RIP, Josh. May your afterlife be filled with as much gusto as your life here on earth.

  • Booze You Can Use: Go to Mace!

    Mace-cocktail

    Photo by Amanda Schuster

    Looking for a spot to grab a drink tonight? I highly recommend Mace.

  • Bacon, Egg, & Cheese

    Love, love, LOVE this article in this week's food section about the beauty that is the Bacon, Egg, and Cheese sandwich.  That said, I take issue with one phrase: "in the classic and possibly highest formulation: bacon, scrambled eggs and cheese on a roll."  I always thought the classic was a fried egg, but maybe that's because I always get it that way. My perfect deli/cart BEC is a fried egg over medium with American cheese (yes, American cheese), and well-done bacon on a roll. Perfection.

  • My Eater 38

    Was reading this thread about people's personal takes on the "Eater 38" – essential NYC restaurants. Here's mine, in no particular order. What did I miss?

    1. Pearl Oyster Bar
    2. Joe's Pizza
    3. Momofuku Ssam Bar
    4. Momofuku Noodle Bar
    5. Porchetta
    6. Caracas Arepa Bar
    7. Hearth
    8. Otto
    9. The NoMad/NoMad Bar
    10. Uncle Boon's
    11. Nom Wah Tea Parlor
    12. Red Farm
    13. Blue Hill at Stone Barns
    14. Prime Meats 
    15. Bobwhite Counter
    16. La Nacional
    17. Taim
    18. Banjara (nowHaveli/Banjara)
    19. Mother's Ruin
    20. Crif Dogs
    21. Blue Ribbon
    22. Kanoyama
    23. Village Yokocho
    24. Great Jones Cafe
    25. Blue Smoke
    26. Minetta Tavern
    27. Old Town Tavern
    28. Katz's Deli
    29. Di Fara
    30. Maison Premiere
    31. Eleven Madison Park
    32. Bar Veloce 
    33. Frankies (Bklyn)
    34. Russ & Daughters (the store)
    35. Fried Dumpling (Mosco St.)
    36. Jing Fong
    37. White Bear
    38. Mayahuel

  • Stupid NYC Landlords

    Winnies

    Greedy bastards. Killing one of my favorite places in the city.

  • In the News

    My favorite quote from today's news, in an article about divisions within the Republican party regarding proposed abortion legislation: "Representative Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic leader, recalled on Thursday when she was new to Congress and opposed a bill restricting abortion. “One of the Republican members got up and said, ‘Nancy Pelosi thinks she knows more about having babies than the pope,’ ” Ms. Pelosi, who has five children, said, adding, “Yeah. Yeah. That would be true.”"

    UPDATE: and another, from the first female customer allowed through the door of McSorleys: “Martinis are like marriages,” said Ms. Shaum, who was married twice, to men who are now deceased. “Two is enough and three is too many.”

  • Booze You Can Use: Have a Bamboo

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    photo: Saveur

    Yes, it's Friday, and I know you probably want I cocktail. I do too. Not *now* of course, but at the end of the day. Maybe you've had a rough week and want something strong, but you might prefer something on the low-alcohol side — something that will ease you gently into the long weekend. I had the pleasure of going out for cocktails at Attaboy earlier this week, and was introduced to the Bamboo Cocktail. It's a classic made with equal parts of two low-alcohol ingredients: dry vermouth and sherry, and dashes of both orange and Angostura bitters. If you're looking for a slight a variation, try a Perfect Bamboo, which splits the vermouth into half sweet and half dry.

    1 1/2 ounces dry vermouth
    1 1/2 ounces dry sherry
    2 dashes orange bitters
    2 dashes Angostura Aromatic Bitters

    Add vermouth, sherry, and bitters to a mixing glass; add ice and stir. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with a lemon twist