Josh’s project in Las Vegas was extended for two more weeks so I made the journey out west yet again. This time the weather was unbearably hot, which made us both incredibly lazy. We didn’t spend much time on the strip during this visit, and we ventured out of the hotel only for food, and to see a Cirque du Soleil show. Overall it was a relaxing trip and lots of good (and some not so good) eating, but I’ll be glad when Josh’s assignment is over and we can get back to normal life in NYC exploring restaurants and experimenting in our kitchen.
Archive for 2009
Two Fat Bellies Hit the Road – Vegas Reprise
Saturday, July 11th, 2009 by virginiaCoppersmith’s
Friday, July 10th, 2009 by virginia
I went to Coppersmith’s for lunch two Fridays in a row so I decided to roll it into one post. The first trip was on July 3, when I went with Josh around 4 pm for a super late lunch. We both had the day off for the July 4 holiday and slept in, then dawdled around the apartment for a while before hunger drove us to seek food. We and had no ambition to travel far from home, and Josh was craving a French dip so Coppersmith’s was the first bar/grill we saw to serve one.
French dip sandwich with swiss cheese
It turned out to be a good call, as the food at Coppersmith’s was really tasty. The French dip was stuffed with tender beef and lots of melty swiss cheese. The bread was nicely toasted and sturdy enough to contain the sandwich fillings, making it perfect for dipping in the accompanying ramekin of French onion soup. The soup tasted like the canned variety but had big pieces of soft onion in it and was just salty enough to complement the rest of the sandwich.
French onion soup for dipping
We also shared a turkey club, which was decently moist and packed with a lot of roasted turkey breast. Both sandwiches came with French fries that were deliciously crispy and salty.
Triple decker turkey club sandwich
It was a nice day outside so we sat at a table next to the giant windows, which open up onto 9th Ave. We sat for a while as we nursed our beers, just enjoying the pleasant weather and watching people walk by.
On my second trip, I went with Rodney for a quick sit down lunch, as we both had to get back to work. It was also a beautiful day and we wound up sitting at the same table next to the window. This time I got there early enough to enjoy the lunch special, which included burgers, sandwiches, salads, and other entrees. All items listed on the lunch special are only $6.95, which is a terrific bargain (burgers and sandwiches usually run around $10 & up).
Burger with a thick layer of swiss cheese
I had a burger with swiss cheese (50 cents extra), and it was cooked perfectly at medium rare. It was very juicy and nicely seasoned. There were two slices of melted cheese on top so I could taste the tanginess of the swiss with every bite. The fries were perfect again, and had a nice sprinkling of parsley over the top.
Autopsy shot
Rodney had the fish and chips, which was a generous portion that also came with a salad on the plate. The fish tasted fresh and meaty, and the coating was delicately crisp. The salad came with a nice and creamy balsamic vinaigrette. It was a ton of food for such a small price.
Fish and chips and a salad
Coppersmith’s is really a great bar to have in the neighborhood. They have lots of different beers on tap, and the food is really good and decently priced. If you can go before 3 pm, the lunch specials are such a great deal. There are lots of options to choose from, and I haven’t had a bad meal there yet. It’s a nice casual place to just sit and eat/drink, and there are lots of TVs for the sports fans. I will definitely be hanging out there more often.
Coppersmith’s
793 9th Ave. between 52nd and 53rd St.
New York, NY
Ichiban
Sunday, July 5th, 2009 by virginiaWe were back in NJ on Sunday to do a little shopping (ok fine, a lot of shopping) and had dinner at Ichiban Japanese Restaurant in Hackensack. Ichiban is attached to a Best Western hotel but it has a separate entrance and is a far cry from mediocre hotel food. They serve sushi as well as regular Japanese food, but the hibachi tables are the highlight of the restaurant. The food is cooked on the flat griddle in front of you, and many of the chefs take the opportunity to turn it into a show. Depending on how interested the audience is, it can mean an onion volcano, a beating fried rice heart, or lots of ingredients being tossed in the air at various targets.
We started off our meal with a la carte orders of hand rolls – yellowtail and scallion for me, tuna for Josh. My yellowtail, though more reddish than normal, was fresh and tasty, and the little bits of scallion really go well with the fish. Josh’s tuna, though beautifully red, was tough and stringy. It was hard to bite through the fish, which is not a good thing. Oh well. This is why we come for the hibachi and not for the sushi.
Yellowtail and scallion hand roll and a tuna hand roll
Hibachi dinners start off with soup, either miso or clear. I prefer the clear, which is a peppery and salty broth with mushrooms and scallions floating in it. There are also little bits of fried onions, similar to the kind that tops off green bean casserole. Yum!
Clear soup
Next up is the salad, which is a bowl of mixed greens topped with delicious carrot ginger dressing and one sad cherry tomato. I can’t get enough of the dressing though, and my attempts at replicating this at home have failed miserably. Does anyone have a good recipe to share? Ichiban’s version is light, sweet and tangy, and there’s no mayo in it, so it doesn’t come off like a watery thousand island dressing. I could drink this stuff, so I don’t mind that they use such a heavy hand in dressing the salad.
Salad with ginger dressing
Now this is usually time for the show, when the hibachi chef comes and shows off his skills (I’ve never seen a female hibachi chef. Why is that?). Our particular chef this evening didn’t seem to keen on entertaining though, and stuck with straight cooking. We didn’t even get an “egg roll” joke out of him when he was making our fried rice. This has never happened before (the lack of entertainment) so I was surprised but I didn’t really mind. Usually I can’t stand when they bang utensils around, but I do enjoy an onion volcano once in a while. Nevertheless, he prepared our food in front of us methodically, only pausing to ask if we liked garlic in our fried rice (of course), and how we wanted our steaks cooked (rare).
Food cooking on the hibachi
First thing off the grill is fried rice, which I think costs about $3 extra (the hibachi dinners come with white rice). It’s just eggs, diced onions and carrots, garlic, soy sauce, salt and pepper – you can make this easily at home and it’s very tasty.
Fried rice
Next up were our shrimp appetizers, which are three big pieces that come with your set dinner.
Shrimp appetizer
Then come the mains, which for me were sirloin steak and chicken. He cooked my steak well past rare, rendering it a bit tough, but the chicken was cooked perfectly and still juicy. I guess it’s hard to regulate temperature when everything is cut into little squares. Josh’s order of filet mignon was cooked better and much more tender. The mains are quickly followed by cubes of vegetables that have been grilling on the hibachi, and noodles quickly sautéed with soy sauce and garlic. The portions here are enormous; I could barely fit everything onto my plate.
Crazy amount of food
What makes the meal complete for me are the sauces, ginger sauce and mustard sauce. I’ve been to lots of hibachi places that don’t offer mustard sauce, and it completely detracts from the experience. Mustard sauce is to hibachi as ketchup is to fries. I don’t enjoy one without the other (though I’ll still eat it!).
Ginger sauce on top and mustard sauce on the bottom
Finally, after most of my food has been placed into takeout containers for future meals (seriously, I can stuff myself silly and still have enough leftovers for at least two lunches at work), we get ice cream. They offer green tea and red bean, as well as chocolate, vanilla, and sherbet (usually orange). I always go for the green tea. Josh likes to mix it up and chose the red bean this time. The ice cream is always just a bit icy but it’s included in the meal, so that just makes it a bit more forgivable. I wouldn’t pay extra for it though.
Green tea and red bean ice cream
Overall Josh and I both love the hibachi dinners at Ichiban. It’s one of our more frequently requested dinners when we’re in NJ with his family. The prices are reasonable, especially for the amount of food that you get. I usually order steak and chicken because it’s only about a dollar or two more than just getting steak, and you get full portions of both (I’m a pig, but like I said, I also take home a lot of leftovers). Josh’s filet mignon is pricier, but most dinners top out at under $30, and that includes the soup, salad, white rice, shrimp appetizer, noodles, vegetables, and ice cream. For us, it’s always a nice treat since there aren’t many hibachi restaurants in the city (Benihana doesn’t count), and the food at Ichiban is consistently good.
Ichiban Japanese Restaurant
414 Hackensack Ave.
Hackensack, NJ
Fireworks and Food
Saturday, July 4th, 2009 by virginia
Waiting for the sun to set and watching all the boats congregate in the Hudson
The anticipation builds...
Happy July 4th!
Oooh!
Aaah!
After watching the Macy’s fireworks from our rooftop, Josh made me a delicious meal of steak, roasted potatoes and arugula salad. For the steak, all he did was season it liberally with salt and pepper, and then placed it in the oven on the top rack, near the broiler. The steak accidentally caught on fire but fortunately it went out on its own before we had fireworks in our kitchen!
T-bone steak, post fire(works)
For the roasted potatoes, he added slices of onion and garlic, and seasoned with olive oil, salt, pepper, and fresh rosemary from our windowsill planter. Yum!
Roasted potatoes with onion, garlic, and rosemary
Arugula salad is super simple and a tasty complement to an otherwise rich meal. The peppery, slightly bitter baby arugula is dressed with a squeeze of lemon, a drizzle of olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper, and topped with slivers of parmesan cheese cut from a wedge using a vegetable peeler.
Arugula salad topped with shaved parmesan
A bottle of full bodied Spanish tempranillo red wine topped off the meal. What a wonderful evening!
A tasty home cooked dinner
Pretzels and Pretzel Dogs
Saturday, July 4th, 2009 by virginiaI saw this great recipe and fun pictures on Food Mayhem for pretzel dogs, and I knew immediately that I would have to try it out since the recipe had simple ingredients and didn’t seem too time consuming. My only reservation was that I suck at baking. I don’t know why, but I have very little success when it comes to baking, even though it is the only time I follow recipes to the letter. Even my attempts at no-knead bread have failed miserably. Oh well, practice makes perfect, right?
I had all the ingredients on hand and figured there’s no better time to make hot dogs than July 4. I used my often-neglected Kitchen Aid stand mixer to do all the hard work, then set the dough in an oil bowl to rise.
Letting the Kitchen Aid do all the kneading
I was surprised that the dough actually did double in size, and my hopes for a successful completion of a baking recipe rose.
Started off at this size...
Now it's double the size!
Next came the fun part – shaping the pretzels and pretzel dogs. I pulled the dough from the bowl and quickly shaped it into a rectangle, taking care not to handle the dough too much. Using a wide flat blade, I cut the dough into 12 pieces, setting aside seven pieces for the number of Hebrew National hot dogs that come in a package (why seven?).
Strips of dough ready to be shaped
The dough was soft and springy so I just pulled it a bit to stretch it out into long strips; there was no need to roll it into a snake. It took me a little while but I eventually figured out how to form a pretzel without manhandling the dough too much. Then I dipped them into the baking soda water and placed them on the cookie sheet.
Dipping the pretzels in a baking soda/water mixture
For the pretzel dogs, I patted each hot dog dry with a paper towel then twisted the dough around it. I had a few scraps leftover from each that I quickly kneaded together, let rest for a bit, then made into regular pretzels. These turned out to be a bit denser than the other pretzels, but still tasty. Baking took longer than the eight minutes stated in the recipe – it was actually closer to 10-12 minutes. I also found that eating the pretzels right away made them taste too fluffy and bready.
Hot pretzels right out of the oven
Once I let them sit and cool down for a bit, they shrank a little and became crispier on the outside and chewier in the middle. The pretzels were also a little too sweet for me (they reminded me of the honey wheat pretzels), so I might cut back on the sugar next time (hopefully that won’t affect the rest of the recipe! Like I said, I suck at baking, and I have no idea how baking works).
Almost ready to eat...
The pretzel dogs were my favorite. The salty hot dog and the sweet pretzel, plus a dipping sauce of ketchup and mustard, really hit the spot.
Pretzel dog innards - yum!
Overall, this is really a great recipe to make, and I even I managed not to mess it up too badly. I actually found that they tasted better reheated. I don’t know if the it’s because of the butter and salt you brush on when they first come out of the oven, but the texture was much crunchier on the outside and chewier on the inside after a quick reheat in a 375 degree oven. I can’t wait to make them for our next cocktail party!
Max
Thursday, July 2nd, 2009 by virginiaBecause we left for Alaska right after my birthday, I planned a belated get together with my friends at Max in Tribeca. Everyone had a long weekend for the July 4 holiday so even though it was a Thursday, it felt like a Friday. The restaurant in Tribeca (there are other Max locations) is a pretty tiny space; the dining room is long but extremely narrow. Josh made reservations but unfortunately a lot of people were running late so they gave up our table. Luckily we didn’t have to wait super long for another big enough table to open up, but it was a pretty tight squeeze.
The bread baskets came out after everyone placed their orders. It was rustic Italian bread with a sturdy crust, and they brought bowls of olive oil with what I think was mashed sun-dried tomatoes mixed in it. The bread was just ok but the oil/tomato dip was deliciously fruity and a nice change from the usual plain oil or butter.
Bread and an olive oil dip
We ordered a few appetizers to share. First up was the bruschetta, which was decently fresh and garlicky. The pieces of toast were pretty big and not too crunchy, and the tomatoes were piled on. It was a simple but tasty appetizer.
Garlicky tomato bruschetta
We also got a few orders of fried calamari. The portions were large and the calamari was fried well – crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. It came with a tangy marinara sauce for dipping.
Fried calamari
Unfortunately, things went downhill with the entrees. I got an order of black spaghetti with shrimp in a spicy tomato sauce. The pasta was pretty mushy and gluey, and had no briney taste to it at all, which is unusual for a black pasta. The tomato sauce was a bit too acidic, and the shrimp were overcooked. I was very disappointed with the dish and barely ate half of it.
Black spaghetti with shrimp in a spicy tomato sauce
Josh got a special of the day, which was pasta with mushrooms. The pasta had no flavor and was overly oily. We dumped a bunch of salt into it which helped a bit, but it didn’t have that earthy mushroom flavor we were hoping for.
Pasta with mushrooms and olive oil
Overall I think most of us were unimpressed with our food. Aside from the appetizers, nothing was really cooked properly. One person had the lasagna, which was served in a beautiful individual casserole dish, but it was totally mushy. I took a bite and couldn’t distinguish between the noodles and the sauce and the cheese.
Mushy lasagna
Most of the pastas were really overcooked and not well seasoned. It was disappointing because it’s a really cute restaurant and the prices are very reasonable. It might be a good place to get a glass of wine and nibble on some appetizers, but I don’t think I would go back there for a full meal.
Max (multiple locations)
181 Duane St. between Greenwich and Hudson St.
New York, NY
Miso Soup with Tofu Shiratake Noodles
Wednesday, July 1st, 2009 by virginiaI first read about House Food’s Tofu Shiratake Noodles on Hungry Girl and was pretty intrigued by the low calorie/low carb aspect. Obviously I’m far from a carb (or calorie!) counter, but the idea that I could eat an entire package of noodles and not feel guilty about it was an alluring concept. Looking at the package of noodles, however, I knew they probably wouldn’t be good with pasta sauce, so I thought about what goes well with tofu. Miso soup immediately sprang into mind, and I thought we could make a sort of miso pseudo ramen soup that would be filling and nutritious.
Josh is the miso soup expert in our household, so he took care of making the dashi. He did this by shelling approximately 20 shrimp and boiling the shells in a pot of water with a handful of dried bonito flakes. If you don’t have shrimp on hand, don’t worry about it. If you just filleted a fish and have a fish head or some fish bones, you can throw those in. But they’re also not necessary, they just add a different flavor to the soup. The bonito flakes are important though and you should always have those on hand. You can get them at almost any Asian supermarket.
Bonito flakes and shrimp shells for the dashi
Basically just boil all the flavor from the shells and flakes into the water. Keep a lid partially on top so that it doesn’t boil over but all the liquid won’t evaporate too quickly. Check it periodically to make sure you don’t need to add more water. Strain the dashi into a new pot (or you could strain it into a big mixing bowl and wash out the first pot before putting the dashi back in). Season with soy sauce to taste.
Shelled shrimp, miso paste, wakame seaweed, Shiratake Noodles
Now you just throw in whatever ingredients you have on hand. Wakame seaweed is a big favorite of ours. It’s cool to see the tiny pieces of dried seaweed expand into big sheets in the soup. We also usually add cubes of soft tofu, but this time we replaced the tofu with the Shiratake Noodles. These noodles come in liquid so make sure you wash them really well. They have a weird fishy smell when they come out of the package so just beware, but the smell goes away after a few thorough rinses. These noodles are also super long so I use scissors to cut them in half. Not necessary, but makes them easier to handle when you eat them.
Sprinkling of fresh chives on top of the finished noodle soup
We threw the shrimp in last minute so they don’t overcook and get rubbery. As soon as they turn pink, which is pretty quickly, they’re ready to eat. Top with fresh chives or scallions, and enjoy!
Close up of the Shiratake Noodles
This miso soup with Shiratake Noodles really makes a quick, healthy, and filling meal. The noodles have kind of a bouncy texture to them, but you can cook them forever and they’ll still be a bit “crunchy”. The weird texture makes them not ideal for pasta sauce, in my opinion, but in soup, they’re kind of like ramen noodles. They even have the same curly look to them. I don’t think of them as a replacement for regular noodles, but they’re nice to have once in a while and I don’t feel as guilty stuffing my face. Try them out sometime – just don’t be put off by the weird smell at first. They’re actually pretty good, and good for you.
Indus Express
Wednesday, July 1st, 2009 by virginia
I first heard about Indus Express on Midtown Lunch and was intrigued by their naan sandwiches. You get your choice of filling, like basil chicken tikka or lamb sheesh kebab, and they heat it up on a griddle and wrap in into a big fluffy piece of naan. I had already tried kati rolls at the 46th St. biryani cart but I always found the kati roll wraps to be too thin for my liking. The idea of using naan for a sandwich wrap seemed genius to me.
I met up with Josh for lunch and we decided to split a naan sandwich and a chaat. The special sandwich of the day was a mixed grill, which basically included all the meats available. It was a huge mishmash of chicken, lamb, and vegetables, all really well spiced and stuffed inside a piece of naan bread. I was excited to see them serving seasoned curly fries on the side. Those were a little cold but still tasty, and much better than the soggy homemade potato chips they served previously. There’s also a little salad on the side. It’s a lot of food for approximately $8.
Mixed grill naan sandwich and seasoned curly fries
I’ve had the samosa chaat previously and was horrified to see them microwave the already cooked samosas and then dunk them into the oil for a re-fry. This time I ordered the papri chaat instead, which was like big pieces of thick and crispy chips topped with cucumbers, potato, chickpeas, tomatoes, mango, red onion and cilantro. The whole thing was covered with yogurt and I think tamarind sauce. It was cool and refreshing and very tasty. We couldn’t even finish the portion in one sitting; I took half of it back to work and ate it as an afternoon snack later on. At only $5, this dish is a total steal.
Papri chaat
Indus Express is close to my office so it’s easy for me to pop in and grab a quick lunch. There are lots of tables in the back as well so you can eat in if you’d like. I’ve ordered the lunch specials before but I wasn’t the hugest fan of their curries. Everything was a bit watered down and not as flavorful as the curries I’ve had at other Indian restaurants. The naan sandwiches and the chaats are really good though, and I’ll keep going back for more. They really do make a cheap and filling lunch.
Indus Express
48 West 48th St. between 5th and 6th Ave.
New York, NY
Rathbones
Tuesday, June 30th, 2009 by virginia
We ventured up to the Upper East Side in the pouring rain to check out our friends’ new apartment, a charming duplex with a beautiful working fireplace and two terraces off the living room. None of us were all that familiar with the area (two of them used to live with us downtown in the Financial District), but we were all excited by the prospect that there are tons of bars and restaurants in the vicinity, which is a far cry our former neighborhood where everything shut down after work. We headed to Rathbones, a somewhat divey sports pub and grill that I used to go to with my softball teammates after games at Asphalt Green West. I remember they had good wings and a nice variety of beers on tap, but the greatest appeal is the weekly specials. On Tuesday nights, it’s Two for Tuesday, which is essentially buy one get free on all beers (except Guinness), wine, burgers and sandwiches. When else can you get a pint of Sam Adams or Blue Moon for $3 each?
The special runs from 7-11 pm so unsurprisingly when we arrived at 7:30, there was already a long wait for a table. We stood by the bar and had a few beers while watching baseball on the multiple TVs in the bar area. The hostess told us it would be about a 30-minute wait, but it turned out to be closer to an hour. We were finally seated at a booth in the back, which was much more comfortable and less loud than the crowded bar area in front. Luckily, there are also tons of TVs in the back so you won’t miss out on any sports action!
Josh and I both ordered cheeseburgers with swiss, medium-rare. The burger came smothered in cheese, which was nice, as the patty was thick enough to stand up to the flavor of the swiss without being overpowered. They use English muffins at Rathbone’s, which is a nice change once in a while from a standard bun, but the muffin was way too small for the patty, and it wasn’t toasted. It came with a few leaves of lettuce, a slice of tomato, and a thick slice of pickle. No onions, unfortunately, which are my favorite topping.
Burger with a thick layer of swiss cheese and lots of skinny fries
The burger was overcooked, more medium-well than medium-rare, but it was still pretty juicy and flavorful. Not bad for a sports bar, and would be better if they could fix the bread-meat ratio by using bigger English muffins. The best part, however, were the fries. Thin, hot and crispy, just the way I like them.
Autopsy shot
Overall Rathbones is a great place to have a beer, grab a bite, and watch a game. The food is pretty good and reasonably priced, even without the specials. But after taking into account the two-for-one deal, two cheeseburgers and two hamburgers came out to just under $22, before tip. If you don’t mind the wait for a table, it’s a hard bargain to pass up. I will definitely be back, maybe on Wednesdays for 25 cent wings, or on Fridays when their tasty-sounding French dip is just $6.95. It seems like a great place to have in the neighborhood.
Rathbones
1702 2nd Ave. at 88th St.
New York, NY
Back in Seattle – Le Panier
Sunday, June 28th, 2009 by virginia
We docked back in Seattle early in the morning after our Alaska cruise was over. We got off the ship as soon as we could to avoid the crowds but we still had a few hours to kill before our flight back home. So what did we do to kill the time? Go back to Pike Place Market of course.
Case of delicious looking sweet pastries
We stopped into Le Panier, a french bakery, for some breakfast. They had delicious looking tarts and pastries but all we could focus on was the bread.
Savory tarts
The french baguettes looked and smelled incredible, and we couldn’t wait to rip into one. We saw a case of sandwiches made on those beautiful baguettes, and we headed straight for them. Josh and I both wanted a ham and cheese sandwich. We placed our order, and as the bakery worker was handing over the wrapped sandwiches, Josh looked at them and asked if she was sure they were ham and cheese, because the meat looked a bit pale in color and there was lettuce on the sandwich, which wasn’t in the ham and cheese description on the menu. The worker looked at them and said yes, they were ham and cheese. So we said ok and left.
Assortment of baguette sandwiches
While we were eating the sandwiches, I kept looking for cheese but didn’t taste any. The meat was also still really pale and kind of stringy in texture. I realized we had received turkey sandwiches, not ham and cheese. Not that the sandwich was bad. It was actually pretty tasty, and the bread was fantasticly crispy and chewy at the same time. But it was not the ham and cheese we were looking forward to having. It was just annoying because Josh specifically asked her if she was sure they were ham and cheese, and she said yes. Arg.
Turkey, not ham, and no cheese
This being Seattle, we also got some coffee for Josh and a iced mochaccino for me. I don’t usually drink fancy coffee drinks but I was in the mood for something cold. This was actually really good, not too bitter and not too sweet, with a hint of chocolate.
Hot coffee and iced mochaccino
Despite the sandwich mistake, I really liked Le Panier. I take my bread very seriously and I’m still craving their baguettes. The other bakery offerings also looked really good but I wasn’t in the mood for sweets that morning. I would definitely come back here and try some other stuff. The macarons were decently sized and pretty cheap, relative to NYC. And I loved the mochaccino I had. The coffee there was so good that Josh’s mom went back and got another iced coffee after she finished her first. I definitely recommend it for anyone who might be going to Seattle.
Le Panier
1902 Pike Place
Seattle, WA
After we filled our bellies with the wrong sandwiches, we walked through the outdoor portion of the market and drooled over all the beautiful produce.
Mushrooms galore
Piles of cherries
All in all it was a great way to spend a few hours before heading to the airport and taking the long flight back to NJ. We didn’t get home to NYC until after midnight but we really had a great trip overall.