MOVING

Will be blogging from www.lestorydefood.wordpress.com temporarily!  Gotta change the domain.  What do you think?

Food Baby Fun

Travel and Leisure compiled a list of the 100 Best City Restaurants in the world.  I was eager to see what they listed for my "homes," New York, Paris, and Hong Kong.

Noteworthy in New York
Aldea: yummy tasting menu
Locanda Verde: why?
Má Pêche: if it's anything like Milk Bar...
Maialino: yessss!
Marea: on my to "eat" list for ages now
Torrisi: in my belly, now!

ALSO!  Restaurant Week Summer 2010 is here.  July 12 - 25.  Make your reservations now!

BK DAY

BK DAY aka Brooklyn Day aka Manhattanites-need-to-get-over-themselves Day.  This day has long been in the works for Kevin and I.  He is a devout Brooklyn lover, and I rarely go past 14th Street.  Thus, we decided that my being an ignorant and snooty Manhattanite was no longer something either of us could overlook anymore.  We planned a day for all of our mutual friends (aka the Lam fam) to become a little more Brooklyn-cultured.  We didn't quite have the turnout we'd expected, but this made logistical coordination a little easier.

The verdict?  One of the best days I've had all year.  Friends.  Gorgeous weather.  Delicious food.  Down-to-earth environment.  Fun activities.  Not one siren.  Our original plan was Lucali (best pizza in Brooklyn?), Brooklyn Boulders (rock climbing warehouse with music and hot Colombian men), and finally, Coney Island.  We deviated from our plan, but it ended up being a perfect day.

So here's the story...

Rich picks me up in his hard-top convertible (yummy).  I jump in the backseat behind Todd alongside Teresa.  We just cruise.  By cruise, I mean stop at every other red light until we hit BK.  Our first destination, Lucali, was closed at 1:30 PM on a Saturday!  HUH?  The ripped up sign hanging on the door said that they're only open after 6 PM Wednesday to Saturday, closed Tuesday.  They must be really good if they can turn away  business like that.

Oh well!  We went to Café Luluc a few blocks away on Smith St., Carroll Gardens most lively street.  I noticed that the restaurants and bars are relatively small and have a strong sense of community.  Café Luluc was designed to be a typical French bistro with stained mirrors, French doors (duh), old pictures, wooden seats, and blackboard specials.  Their brunch menu is pretty standard: omelets, eggs benedict, french toast, pancakes, yogurt, and fruit.  Chicken paillard, croque monsieur, and pain au chocolat also grace the menu to give Café Luluc an authentic Frenchness.  They also have some latin flavors in the form of pulled pork sandwiches and grilled mahi mahi with guacamole and salsa.

Our food took a long (bad word) time to prepare, but we were happy with everything once it reached our bellies.  The food was good, but nothing to write home about.  Todd's turkey burger was to blame for the delay, but I heard it was worth the wait.  My eggs benedict and Rich's calamari salad were fine.  Kevin's pulled pork sandwich and Teresa's steak sandwich were very good.  The side of fries were thin, crispy, and salty...just the way I like them.  We shared pancakes as a table, which reminded me of Café Centosette's in that they were almost muffin-like, extra toasty on the outside, and fluffy on the inside.

We went to the Zombie Hut, Brooklyn's most notorious tiki bar, after brunch to watch the rest of the US vs. Ghana game.  What a heartbreaker, huh?  Anyways, this bar is adorned with bamboo and colorful pictures.  Most importantly, however, it is blessed with a strong A/C unit (unlike Painkiller).  The bartenders are friendly for a change (*cough* Manhattan).  There's a huge courtyard in the back perfect for large groups, summer weather, and fruity cocktails.  I definitely need to go back, especially since it's only 4 stops from me on the F.

Kevin, Teresa, and I left Rich and Todd to their own devices and headed towards Brooklyn Boulders for  an intense hour of rock climbing.  Carlos, our Colombian rock climbing expert, was refreshingly charismatic and funny.  Language barriers are always fun btw.  We didn't sign up for the class, but instead decided to free climb without belays.  All those years as a competitive swimmer?  Hah, means nothing.  Our arms felt like jelly within 10 minutes, and our hands are absolutely ruined for the next few days.

An hour-long session of beginner rock climbing equated to hunger.  We returned to Smith St. and ate next door to Café Luluc at Verde.  The restaurant is warm and intimate.  The industrial look wasn't too overdone since the candles balanced everything out.  However, our meal was disappointing.  Ugh, Smith St, I expected more from you!

My seafood salad was a little under-seasoned but incredibly fresh.  The calamari and shrimp were crisp.  If only the cook squeeze one more lemon over my little sea creatures my dish would've been perfect.  The pasta in Teresa's shrimp and scallop spaghetti was overcooked, and the cream sauce was not at all "light" as described on the menu.  It just seemed messy to me.  Kevin's orecchiette with chick peas and prosciutto in a garlic oil sauce was decent but nothing special.  The "prosciutto" actually seemed to be pancetta, which is never a problem in my book.

The tiramisu I had been craving since we sat down was anticlimactic.  The cream tasted a little sour and the coffee flavor was nonexistent.  My accompanying espresso was also dinkier than usual.  I literally had half a sip worth of espresso in my baby cup.  Regardless of the food, our server was delightful and sweet.  He knew how to make up for the lackluster grub.  Verde looks the part, but there needs to be some drastic changes in the kitchen if the restaurant wants to make it.

Our last stop in BK was Blue Marble Ice Cream.  What an adorable neighborhood ice cream parlor this is!  My mini marble cup of vanilla ice cream was exactly what I needed to forget Verde's tiramisu.  And mini means mini.  My scoop was probably only 2 inches in diameter, but that's all I could eat.  Mmm!  I can attest to Blue Marble's success now.  Their "farm fresh" organic ice cream is extremely creamy and smooth.  The flavors are strong too.  No cut-rate feebly flavored ice cream here!  No sir!  We ended up chatting in the shop for over an hour.  That's the power of ice cream.

Sat in the kiddie section the entire time

So that was my perfect day BK Day.  And yes, I think a little part of me has fallen in love with Brooklyn, particularly Carroll Gardens.

Are We In Puerto Rico?

Haven't done a girl's night out/dinner in a long time.  The ladies and I wanted to keep it very low key so we found ourselves at Casa Adela in Alphabet City yesterday.  Bova, Christine, Daisy, and I were feeling the heat, so logically, we decided to go somewhere even hotter than the weather outside.  Casa Adela is nothing too pretty, but you feel like you're in San Juan (never been).  It's a whole-in-the-wall restaurant with employees lounging at the tables (literally taking a nap).  The tables are covered with a clear plastic "tablecloth" and the banquest-style chairs make this place look authentically homey.

The menu is simple and cheap!  All the entrées come with rice and beans OR salad and plantains.  Each of us decided to go with the unbelievably fluffy yellow rice and delicious black beans.

Bova's roast pork was very juicy and savory.  Christine's rotisserie chicken was a little too dry but very tasty.  Love the skin!  My cod...mmm...I understand fish is fishy, but this was fishy.  This kind of fish was cooked from a dried fish, hence the extra salty and fishy flavor (had no idea).  The menu definitely sold this dish by mentioning tomato sauce, onions, potatoes, olives, raisins, and garlic.  Doesn't that sound amazing? Well...it wasn't.

Best part of the meal?  Sweet plantains (maduros)!  Paladar and Casa Adela have equally amazing plantains, both the best I've ever had (even considering Costa Rica).  These glorious babies were completely melted to a golden hue.  The bottom sides were a little crispy and the other sides were fluffy and silky.

The people working there are very polite and hospitable.  All smiles and genuine interest in feeding their customers.  We collectively decided that this place is our new go-to spot.  SO good.  SO cheap.  SO relaxed.

5th and Avenue C (my new favorite street in NY).

Milk Bar, Get Over Yourself!

I'm so tired of Milk Bar.  Yes, I'll be the first to admit that I was completely consumed by the sheer novelty that Milk Bar virgins typically experience.  I was brainwashed by the powers that be--David Chang and the Momofuku brand--to believe that their crazy pies, too-tall cakes, "compost" cookies, and rarely appealing soft serve flavors were futuristic; and therefore, delicious.  This is no more the case.  I'm a free woman!

Fine, there were some highlights in my romance with Milk Bar.  There was that Horchata soft serve they had during the holidays, the chocolate malt cake, and the Salty Pistachio soft serve.  But what else?

Crack Pie = nasty
Blueberry Cookie = tastes like vomit
Cereal Milk Milkshake = vomit, again
Cantaloupe Honey = decent vomit
Compost Cookie = what a nouveau cookie, but it's the chocolate that does anything

Last trip to Milk Bar with Chris on Wednesday, June 23, 2009

Everything is too heavy and too cool for its own good.  I always make a trip to Mud afterwards for some cleansing green tea.  And can your counterpeople smile for a change?  ADIOS!

Brussels Sprout Pizza? Only at Motorino's

Hola!  Today I had dinner with Chris.  This was unusual since we usually eat brunch together on the weekends.  I decided to try Motorino's East Village location (the original is in Brooklyn).  It's arguably the "Best Pizza on the East Coast" according to Rachael Ray.

Motorino's East Village location is tiny!  I believe Chris counted approximately 38 seats, which might not be too measly compared to other restaurants in the area.  The crowd is young, hip, and full of energy.  The lights are very dim.  The space is cozy and warm.  The marble tables and wooden seats and benches are down-to-earth, yet mindful of New Yorkers' tastes.  The servers are relaxed and dressed in black t-shirts.  Essentially, it's an inviting restaurant.

Originally, I had only wanted to order 2 pizzas.  Chris tricked me into ordering 3 pizzas by adding a 4th one to the mix to get me to "compromise."  Tricky tricky.  I'm sure half a pizza would have been enough to fill me up.  Ugh Chris...

Firstly, let me just say that Motorino needs to get some new knives or change their pizza recipe (probably the former).  I was having the hardest time cutting my slice into bite-size pieces with their dull knife.  I also didn't want to be holding my slice up in the air aiming the melting cheese in my mouth like a freak.  Oh the obstacles of life!

OKAY!  Now that that's out in the open... Our first pizza was the Brussels Sprout pizza with pancetta, mozzarella, garlic, and pecorino.  Chris was not loving the idea of brussels sprouts near any kind of pizza, but by the time it got to our table and into his mouth, he was sold (if only until the other 2 pizzas arrived).  Thank goodness for pancetta, because that stuff makes everything taste great.  It wasn't too fatty either!  The brussels spouts were chopped up and thinly spread across the pizza giving every bite a little crunch (mmm).  The cheese wasn't overwhelmingly thick or greasy, but it added to the gooeyness that was our undercooked crust.  For some reason, the bottom of our pizza was mushy.  I don't think that's how any pizza should be, but perhaps the pizza man was trying too hard to impress us with his thin pizzas.  I just don't know.  Regardless, taste-wise, Motorino rocked this pizza.

Our second pizza was the highly touted Sopressata Piccante.  That was the first pizza every employee recommended.  This was Motorino's version of a truly delicious and finger-licking amazing pepperoni pizza.  As my favorite pizza, it warmed its way into my stomach by having an unbelievably perfect crust, fresh tomato sauce, fresh mozzarrella, and spicy sopressata (pepperoni).  Unlike the Brussels Sprout pizza, this one was baked to perfection.  The red sauce tasted so fresh and light.  So tomatoey.  The sopressata was the star of the show, because it packed a punch of strong savory flavors in a few slices.

Our last pizza was the White Pizza from the specials menu.  This was Chris' favorite, but he has no idea what he's thinking.  The crust was just as good as the Sopressata's.  The few sprigs of basil and the delicate slices of prosciutto were yummy.   But between the crust and the prosciutto, there wasn't much going on.  The cheese was sparse if present at all.  I just became very bored with this pizza, especially on the heels of a crunchtastic Brussel Sprout pizza and a spicy Sopressata pizza.

Based on this meal, I can't accurately claim Motorino as having the best pizza on this island (as if my words are worth gold), but I can vouch for it's very very good pizza.

Tishes Dishes

Last Sunday was gorgeous.  Hot, but gorgeous.  After laying out in Central Park for a few hours with Rach, Kate, Jeff, Tishelman, and Greg, we decided to make dinner together.  But nooooooo!  Make no mistake.  This was no ordinary dinner.  We each went home after the park, showered, deeply contemplated our culinary endeavors, and executed them to the best of our abilities.  Tishelman was in charge of the important stuff.  He doesn't kid around.  He made chicken fajitas and cheese nachos, which were so clearly "touched by Jesus aka Moses aka Allah aka Buddha."  I made my world famous guacamole.  Rach made some very light and delicious pasta salad.  Pattycakes brought his mom's banana bread and sold it as his own.

We ate dinner outside on Jeff and Tishelman's luxury rooftop in Gramercy.  B-A-L-L-E-R status.

New York summers are so much fun!