A Food Network Fan's Travel to NYC - Butter

Butter
Chef Alex Guarnaschelli (Chopped)

When you enter the restaurant, you stumble upon an intimate ambiance filled with candles and lights strung around the restaurant. The food was delicious and probably had the biggest portion compared to all the restaurants we went to in NY. I ordered the Roasted Duck Breast. It was cooked perfectly and was paired nicely with charred onions and a fennel soffrito. I also had an order of their Truffle Mac-n-Cheese special. I hope that this dish is also available anytime, it was delicious and creamy. Matt ordered the Rack of Lamb that he absolutely loved. It came with a squash ratatouille too. He also had a side of Crispy Duck Fat Potatoes that was nice and crispy, but I enjoyed my side much more. For dessert we had the Raspberry Beignet that had a vanilla dipping sauce. This dessert is the restaurant's signature dish and I can see why. It was very yummy, light and fluffy.

Roasted Hudson Valley Duck Breast - charred spring onions with rhubarb and a fennel soffrito

Truffle Mac n Cheese

Crispy Duck Fat Potatoes with Sea Salt and Black Pepper

Colorado Rack of Lamb - with a summer squash ratatouille 

 Raspberry Beignet - vanilla dipping sauce

Salmon Panini with a Tarragon Aioli

I went to lunch with my coworkers at this place in Cumberland Mall called Fresh 2 Go. Sounds not so good, but I was surprised by their menu. I tried the Salmon Panini because the picture looked so good. And it was so good, I had to go home and make my own version. Matt loved it; and I hope you give this different panini a chance!

Salmon Panini - with a corn cilantro relish, avocado, and tarragon aioli
serves 4

Ingredients:
4 salmon filets
4 ciabatta buns
1 avocado
1 ear yellow corn
1 small red onion
1/2 c. chopped cilantro
1 egg yolk
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 c. tarragon leaves
1/2 c. olive oil
lettuce
salt and pepper 

Prepare the salmon:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove any bones left in the filet. Carefully remove the skin. Season with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Bake for about 12-15 mins.

Prepare the corn cilantro relish:
Cut the kernels off one ear of yellow corn. Dice the red onion and then soak it in cold water. Drain well. Heat a skillet over medium heat with a tbsp of olive oil. Cook the corn and red onion until tender. Turn off the heat and mix in the cilantro.

Prepare the tarragon aioli:
In a mini food processor, add the tarragon leaves, egg yolk, and lemon juice. Blend. Then add a splash of olive oil to get the aioli going. Slowly add in the rest of the olive oil. (For a thinner aioli add more olive oil. For a thicker aioli add more egg yolk.) Add salt and pepper to taste.

To prepare the panini:
Spread the tarragon aioli on the ciabatta buns. Layer with a salmon filet, piece of lettuce, corn cilantro relish, and slices of avocado. Press the sandwich between a panini press that has been buttered. Enjoy!

A Food Network Fan's Travel to NYC - The Plaza

We just got back from an amazing vacation in New York filled with lots of delicious food! Of course I documented every little bite ;) As you'll see, most of the restaurants we went to were from Food Network chefs. We wanted to see just how good they actually are. And let me tell you, they are very good...

The Plaza Food Hall
Chef Todd English (Iron Chef competitor)

Every time I think of The Plaza Hotel, I can't help but think of that Friends episode where Rachel tries to tell her dad she's pregnant, lol. Besides from being obsessed with food, I'm also obsessed with Friends. But back to the food...

My brother and his girlfriend went here for his birthday. The hotel is beautiful and the food is delicious. My brother Johnnie insisted we order the Prime Rib Sliders. He said even though it was $16 it was worth it. And we agree - it was really good. We also got the side of Risotto "Tator Tots" which was really interesting! It was heavier and richer than normal tator tots, but it was more creamy from the cheese. I will definitely try turning risotto into tator tots one day. Matt also started out with the Ham and White Bean Soup which he said was just ok because it was more like vegetable soup. So that was what we started out with. We ordered even more for the rest of our meal lol. I got the Fried Oysters with a caviar creme fraiche as my entree. Loved it. It was lighter than your normal fried oysters and the caviar creme fraiche was refreshing with it. Matt got the Ricotta Gnocchi, which was really yummy. It had this nice bolognese and veal reduction, with a nice pecorino bite to it. We also shared the Pork and Scallion Dumplings. It was good, but I still think my mom's is better ;) To end the meal we had the Chocolate Gelato. Unfortunately they were out of the Rhubarb. The Plaza Food Hall was probably our second favorite restaurant in NYC. After this it gets hard to rank the rest of the restaurants so please don't ask us to...

Prime Rib Sliders (minced red onions, fontina fondue) 

Risotto "Tator Tots" - with a truffle cheese dip 

 Fried Oysters (with a caviar creme fraiche),

Pork and Scallion Dumplings (house-made plum sauce, orange, scallion),

and Ricotta Gnocchi (bolognese, pecorino, veal reduction)

Check back for the rest of the restaurants from our trip!  

  

A Food Network Fan's Travel to NYC - Morimoto

We just got back from an amazing vacation in New York filled with lots of delicious food! Of course I documented every little bite ;) As you'll see, most of the restaurants we went to were from Food Network chefs. We wanted to see just how good they actually are. And let me tell you, they are very good...


Morimoto - our absolute favorite restaurant!
Chef Morimoto (Iron Chef)

As you approach Morimoto's restaurant, you'll enter through a uniquely designed entrance of red drapery. Through these curtains lie a beautiful, trendy restaurant design. Even the bathroom was decorated in a unique way - with a mirrored wall with flowers, reflecting in a way as if you're looking through a row of mirrors. The food was even just as beautiful. We first started out with sushi. Both Eel and Tuna Rolls were very good. Seriously the best sushi I've ever had. Morimoto's known for sushi and I can see why. I kept asking myself why it was so good. Was it the quality of the fish? Was it because it was perfectly rolled? That will be Morimoto's secret I suppose. Then we had our main course. Matt had the Halibut. The hot oil it was cooked in was nice, making the fish moist. The black bean sauce was good with it too. Then there is the Trout I had. Amazing! The best dish of the whole trip. And the best trout in my life! It was perfectly cooked - with a moist flesh and crispy skin. And it was placed on a bed of these heavenly whipped potatoes and a truffle sauce. Everything about that dish was amazing and was perfect all together. For dessert, Matt had the Flourless Chocolate Cake. It was good as was everything there. The popcorn was especially yummy. My Chocolate pot de creme was huge, and very yummy. The white froth wasn't whipped cream but a froth, made of guava? I can't remember. We enjoyed the meals with the Sake ginjo which was infused with caramelized pear. It was smooth not too hard to drink. Amazingly delicious restaurant. A must go-to for everyone!

front: Eel Avocado Roll (bbq eel, avocado, shiso)

back: Tuna Roll

front: Roasted Ocean Trout (turnip, miso, truffle, crispy prosciutto)

back: Line Caught Halibut (black bean sauce, shaved ginger, hot oil)

 The best trout and best dish ever!!! 

front: Chocolate pot de creme 

back: Flourless Chocolate Cake - with caramel popcorn, rhubarb ice cream

The most beautifully decorated bathroom stall.

Since we went to so many restaurants, I'll blog about each one individually. Check back for the rest of the restaurants from our trip! 

Smoked Salmon Bagel

My new favorite breakfast: a whole wheat bagel topped with whipped cream cheese and slices of tomato and smoked salmon. If you've never tried it, you should.

April Foodzie Tasting Box

Finally getting the chance to blog about this amazing little box that arrived in my mailbox. My good friend Lindsey sent me a tasting box from foodzie.com for my birthday (thanks again Lindsey!). The box was filled with little samples of food products from small food producers around the country. The star of the box was Cici's Italian Butterhorn Cookies. These were heavenly. It really tasted like a cinnamon toast crunch rolled up in a croissant form. It was so good that I immediately went searching online for a recipe containing its ingredients. This is the closest thing I could find: http://www.food.com/recipe/butterhorn-christmas-cookies-48576. In the box there was also a Horseradish Dill Mustard from SchoolHouse Kitchen. The condiment was interesting. You could distinctively taste the horseradish and the dill separately, and it worked really well together. It is very powerful though. There was also a Thousand Layer Spice Cake from Euforia. These were yummy and super moist. The Plantain Chips from Estrellita's Snacks were good. Very simple and plain though. It was just a green plantain that had been fried and salted. I didn't really like the Ginger Snapdragon Cookies from Liz Lovely. But it could be because I'm not big on that kind of cookie. It was kinda cakey, not like your normal cookie...and huge! I was disappointed that the biggest treat ended up being the one I liked the least lol. The Cinnamon Almond Granola from Fiona's Granola was just okay. I felt like it was missing more flavor or seasoning to it. The granola you made for me Lindsey was way better ;) Overall I enjoyed the little tasting box. It was fun getting to sample different treats from smaller producers!

Nutella Cheesecake Cup

Oh Nutella, what can I say...it's just yummy. Pair it with mascarpone cheese and oh my gosh.

This dessert is a phyllo dough cup, filled with a rich nutella mascarpone filling, and topped with some homemade whipped cream. Don't be intimidated by its look. It was incredibly easy and fast to make. And did I say delicious? I really enjoyed creating this recipe. Now I wanna go make some more just thinking about it, mmmmm :)

Nutella Cheesecake Cup
makes 6 cups
cooking time: 10-12 mins

Ingredients:
tbsp of melted butter
6 sheets phyllo dough 
1 c. nutella
8 oz mascarpone cheese
1 c. heavy whipping cream
3/4 c. sugar
chocolate for shaving

To prepare the phyllo cup:
Grease a cupcake pan with the melted butter. Take one sheet of the thawed phyllo dough and fold it so it will fit in the cupcake mold. Repeat with the remaining phyllo dough. With a small pastry brush butter the phyllo cups. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-12 mins until golden brown.

To prepare the filling:
Whip the nutella and mascarpone cheese with an electric mixer until well blended.
Chill for at least an hr for the cheesecake texture. If you don't have time to chill that's fine. The dessert will be more like a pie and is still yummy (pictured). I enjoyed it chilled more because I love cheesecake more.

To prepare the whipped cream:
Whip the cream and sugar on medium high speed until stiff peaks form. About 5 mins.

 Fill each phyllo cup with the nutella filling. Then top with the whipped cream. Zest some chocolate over the dessert cups and enjoy!