We're back and better than ever.

It's spring so instead of cleaning out my closet and tidying up at home, I'm reformatting my blog. I hate to admit it, but I sort of cringed every time I signed in to post on the old, tacky pink thing I used to call Le Dish. I've found a new home for my posts and I think it's truly fantastic. One of my New Year's Resolutions was to blog more so I think this new format will certainly keep me on the right track.

Do let me know your thoughts!

Pizza-making AND Wine Tasting? Um, YES!

Photo: Devour This

Tonight, we're heading back to New York Vintners, scene of a heinous Valentine's Day date in which over twelve glasses of champagne were consumed and a case (ok, four bottles) were drunkenly purchased, forgotten about and not picked up until a month later.

Anyways, tonight's class focuses on pizza-making at home and wines that pair well with these gluttonous pies.

I'm praying that it's a different class instructor so I'm not immediately judged upon arrival. Will keep you posted on how it goes!

Summer's Front-Runner Pasta Recipe

I consider my daily emails from Saveur, Tasting Table and Grub Street to be the most welcome break in a hectic day. So, you can only imagine my audible glee when this recipe appeared in my inbox.

Ever since I compulsively purchased about six cookbooks in the past three months from Amazon, I've been craving more time at the stove lately (please note: am NOT actively trying to embrace traditional gender roles here. It merely just happens when you live with a manfriend). I can't wait to get some fresh artichokes to try this recipe on Sunday. This just screams "SUMMER IS HERE!":

(Photo: Andre Baranowski)
Fettuccine with Artichokes and Chicken:
Juice of 1 lemon
15 baby artichokes (about 2 lbs.)
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 dried mushrooms, such as porcini,
chopped (about 1⁄8 oz.)
1 small carrot, finely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper,
to taste
3 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1 lb.),
cut into 1" chunks
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1⁄4 cup white wine vinegar
4 tbsp. chopped tarragon leaves
3 cups chicken broth
1 lb. dried fettuccine
3⁄4 cup grated parmesan

1. Stir lemon juice into a medium bowl filled with water. Trim away tough outer leaves of the artichokes to expose their tender, pale green interior. (For illustrated, step-by-step instructions, see Trimming Baby Artichokes.) Put trimmed artichokes into lemon water; set aside.

2. Heat the oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, mushrooms, and carrots and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, about 8 minutes. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Increase heat to high and add the chicken and tomato paste; cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is lightly browned, about 6 minutes. Add the vinegar and cook, stirring constantly, until liquid has evaporated, about 1 minute. Drain the artichokes and add them, along with 2 tbsp. tarragon and the chicken broth, to the pot. Bring broth to a boil and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until chicken and artichokes are very tender and the broth has reduced by half, about 40 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set sauce aside.

3. Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 7 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta water. Drain pasta and transfer to pot with artichoke and chicken sauce; set over high heat. Bring sauce to a boil, stir in 1⁄2 cup parmesan and cook, tossing occasionally with tongs, until sauce thickens and clings to pasta, about 2 minutes. (If sauce is too dry, pour in a little pasta water.) Add remaining tarragon and season with salt and pepper. Transfer pasta to 4 bowls and sprinkle with remaining parmesan.

SERVES 4

This article was first published in Saveur in Issue #118

HALLELUJAH! Israel comes to New Jersey

After my May 2006 trip to Israel, I was seriously hooked on Maoz. Then it opened up in Union Square in NYC. Now, it's opening AROUND THE CORNER from my new casa in New Brunswick.

(Image: Serious Eats)

I have never been so ecstatic about a chain opening in my life!

Black Fettucine and Mussels and Meatballs, OH MY!

Birthdays are never taken lightly in my presence. I've always been known to bring home cupcakes for roommates on their birthdays, plan birthday dinners for friends and begin celebrating my own birth at LEAST two weeks before it actually arrived.

So, for my manfriend's big New Year's Day birthday, I had to make it memorable. Not only did we start celebrating with meatball pizza, rigatoni bolognese and not a vegetable in sight at Vic and Angelo's in Florida a week beforehand but we rounded up the troops from NYC, shuttled them on the next NJ Transit train to New Brunny and fed them. Extraordinarily well.


Since moving here, one of the warmest, most comfortably sophisticated institutions I could never tire of visiting is Catherine Lombardi's. It's one of those places where you cozy up to a loved one and munch on some stuffed calamari and garlic popcorn while watching 08901's finest bartenders create mind-blowing concoctions.


To not celebrate BFOLED's birthday at Catherine's would be a felony. Seriously. The red-walled, vintage chandeliered dining room was made for birthdays. And so we came. We ate. We conquered.


Now, I'm not usually one to fill up on greens at an Italian joint, but the arugula and Parmigiano-Reggiano salad was not to be believed. The lightly acidic lemon juice perfectly dressed the tender sprigs of baby arugula. The freshly grated cheese added the perfect bite to the peppery greens. Luckily, BFOLED's red meatballs (not to be confused with the black variety, no seriously) were calling my name directly to my left. I don't know how these people can make such a firm yet moist (ew I hate that word but there isn't another to describe the texture!) meatball. Yes. I'd like another, please.

(Image: Google images - I know, I should have taken photos of this one!)

Oh, and while all of these first courses are being devoured there is garlic bread staring me in the face. No, this isn't any ordinary garlic bread. This is a freshly baked baguette smothered with garlic, olive oil and some sort of magic potion that makes you eat at least two rounds. It's seriously heaven.


Anyways, back on track, we're ready for our primi, or pasta course. Now, I'm all for going out on a limb and being adventurous 90% of the time. But, Catherine Lombardi is a very smart lady. She really knows her black fettuccine and mussels. And you cannot stray from what she knows and does well. So, I found a primi partner and we went to work on the fantastically al dente strands of squid ink-infused fettuccine tossed with the most harmonious combination of garlic, pepper flakes and roasted tomatoes possible. Bliss.

The other stand out dish that night was the long fusilli with walnut basil pesto cream. Not too heavy, not too creamy. Long fusilli was never so much fun to eat.
(Image: Foodnetwork.com)

For dessert, we were all practically reeling from sensory overload but alas, a birthday had to be celebrated, people. Gratis, a gorgeous plate of chocolate hazelnut bread pudding arrived. I'm not sure if it was the South African cab that went straight to my brain but I cannot remember this dessert for the life of me. All I can tell you was that "Happy Birthday, Lee" was glistening on the rim of that plate. In chocolate. How could I possibly forget that?

If you're ever in the market for a birthday dinner, a casual night out, a glass of fine wine or inventive cocktail AND you don't mind going to the gym the next morning, you simply must get yourself to Catherine Lombardi's. It's one of those places you just cannot forget.

Michael White...in the new New York?

That's right. Not too long ago, I (GASP!) moved from the Big Apple to the Big New Apple, aka the new New York aka New Brunswick, NJ. I wish I could use this blog as a platform to rant, complain and tear New Brunny to shreds but to be honest, it really has been smooth (culinary) sailing.

Friday nights in the new New York typically include a bottle of wine post-work and the all motivations are lost while renting bad movies on the couch. Well, this past Friday, a surge of energy propelled us into Due Mari, a terrific Michael White-owned gem on the next corner. After flirting with the restaurant for the past two months (essentially doing a pop-in only to find no available seats at the bar or tables until 10 pm), we finally made the crucial ressie and entered the space with the confidence that we'd leave happy.

The space itself is traditional with its white table clothes and muted colors but the bar and the energy is truly contemporary. The circular bar sprawls across the entire cross section of the restaurant and is packed to the gills with diners craving the latest hand-crafted pasta dish. BFOLED (bf of le disher) and I were led to charming table, passing some old 50-something diehards and some exotic-looking 30-somethings. As much as I'm trying to lay off the carbs, I couldn't resist the foccacia being laid out as a peace offering from the server. From that point forward, I was in Michael White heaven.

Our server was beyond knowledgeable and made the experience very farm to table - he knew exactly where everything was sourced. I started with the grilled octopus salad that combined the most tender, melt-in-your-mouth octopus with red peppers, olives, radicchio, and ceci beans. It was the perfect light starter to what was about to be unveiled. BFOLED's Caesar salad was truly unmemorable - this is a seafood place, people!!

Ready for the main event? Just thinking about it makes me want to go back and experience it all over again. Knowing Michael White as Poseidon, King of the Sea, I went straight for jugular: the "Pesce" section of the menu. I settled on the Chatham cod: pan-seared and served atop of cushion-y bed of eggplant, cremini mushrooms, roasted Brussels sprouts and tiny cipollini onions. Not only was the fish one of the freshest filets I've ever laid taste buds on, but it married wonderfully with the fall veggies.

Of course, Michael White is not only a god of the sea but he also is a pasta-making god as well. Being the true carb-lover that he is, BFOLED chose the pasta special: a pappardelle laden with pork ragu. The long, wide ribbons of tender pasta were coated to perfection with the rich, hearty stew-like ragu. Let's just say my fork made its way across the table more than once.

Now that we've been introduced to Michael White in the new New York, I'm already looking forward to returning. Again. And again. And again.

You'd like it here.

Taste of Tribeca

A big thanks to FoodBuzz for my ticket to the annual Taste of Tribeca food and wine festival. My personal highlight? Grazing Gail Simmons' shoulder as we snaked through the crowd to maul some of Tribeca's finest food.

The day was nearly perfect: 80 and sunny (low humidity!) and food was literally surrounding us from every angle. I forced Lee to strategize since we only had 12 (food?!) stamps and there were dozens of restaurants vying for taste buds' attention. While Lee went the predictable pasta/meatballs/red sauce route, I ventured into my comfort zone of spicy tuna hand rolls, diver scallops and watermelon-feta-arugula salad. The latter, from the new Bar Artisanal, was totally inedible and I was hard-pressed to find the nearest garbage can immediately. Disappointment ensued - Terrance Brennan has never let me down like that before.

However, everything else we tasted was truly spectacular and hit the spot. The real winner? Definitely The Odeon's homemade cookies and cream ice cream with M1-5's pulled pork sliders coming in a close second.

Maybe it was the weather, maybe it was the fact that I was in foodie heaven? Whatever the case may be, this was one of the most memorable dates ever.

Bar Blanc Bistro: Get it while it's hot!

Recessionomics is in full swing across the dining scene in NY. Everywhere you turn there are recession specials here, budget-friendly deals there. So, I've done my due diligence as a (new) New Yorker to scope out the best specials out there. And alas, on Friday night, I believe I found it.

Bar Blanc Bistro, in the heart of the West Village, is the most fantastic multi-purpose venue: date night, girls night out, solo night, etc. BFFOLD (bff of le dish) and I had scoured the menu and read the reviews so we could take full advantage of the 6 to 8 pm happy hour (50% off most appies and booze by the glass! Practically free!). The minute we walked into the marble bar surrounded by gorgeous white tufted leather banquettes, we were taken by the space (other than a freakish faux plant on the end of the bar). Perched on our bar stools, we went to work.

Our new friend Chad The Bartender (who self-imposes a diet of fruits and veggies only...all together now: WHY?!?) professed his love of the mac and cheese and the burger. Four glasses of $6 cava later, we had decided on the duck liver toasts, the white bean and anchovy crostini and obviously, to appease Chad, the mac and cheese with black truffles.

All three of the aforementioned appies were simply delightful. At a mere $4 or $5 a piece, you simply cannot make a bad choice. The duck liver toasts were slightly charred and paired well with the smooth, rich pate. The white bean puree (something I normally would shy away from) was light and salted perfectly by the single anchovy on top. But, the real winner of the night was the mac and cheese. When I tell you that I will be returning weekly (even when the special ends) to consume at least one bowl of this delicacy, I am NOT kidding. The quarter-sized, ridged rounds were covered by creamy cheese and speckled with black truffles. The top was a cheesy crust, the innards were creamy yet not overwhelming. You will understand when you go.

But, get to BBB fast: Chad alluded to the fact that the special will only be running through next Friday or so. Don't worry, I tried my hardest to convince him to extend it indefinitely. You're welcs.

Budget-friendly tip #3: Pretty, pretty please with cream cheese frosting on top?

My all-time favorite bakery is celebrating its five-year anniversary and I am devastated that I won't be in town to celebrate. Billy's Bakery, located in the heart of Chelsea on 22nd and 9th, is celebrating by offering their crack-based, tooth-achingly sweet cupcakes for only $1 on December 23, reports NY Mag. Now, since I will be poolside in sunny south Florida, I expect all of you to visit, purchase and savor one of these little slices of heaven for me.

What is your favorite flavor?

Gee, F+W, thanks for pointing out the obvious

As Eater notes today, Food+Wine does a really excellent job of providing tips on how to save money when dining out. And by excellent, I mean terrible. I mean, seriously, people. Who DOESN'T already booze beforehand and order tap instead of sparkling water? This is NOT brain surgery!

The only redeeming tip?
4. Try a restaurant while they’re new and might still have a BYOB policy or a discount on price.

Thanks for that expertise, F+W!!

Budget-friendly tip #2: online coupons!

Let's not fool ourselves: New Yorkers order in more than those in any other city. Well, lucky for us, Seamless Web realizes this and is offering a $5 off coupon for new online orders in multiple U.S. cities. Go to http://www.seamlessweb.com/AtHome and enter code 2seamless.

Cheers!

Le Dish goes budget-friendly!

I know, everyone's looking for a good deal these days. However, I am REALLY trying to see how far a dollar will stretch due to my recent layoff. So, instead of posting about newly opened, trendy restaurants, I will bring you some fun, budget-friendly recipes I've been trying out in addition to some great neighborhood deals that I just can't pass up.

Last night, in my first real night out since the layoff, I ventured to Pamplona on 28th street. True, it wasn't the most bumping of nights, but the wine and sangria were half off (making a casual $9 glass a mere $4.50!!! Unheard of, right?!?) and I needed an excuse to get out of the apartment.

Kara and I both ordered a glass of a robust red Tempranillo and shared the grilled shrimp and chorizo skewers served over goat cheese toast. When I tell you that this was one of the best little appies for $6 that I've ever had, I am not joking around. While the skewers could have been a bit warmer, the toast was crisp and the flavors melded really well. We also tried the potato frittata for $6 which can best be described as unmemorable. However, Pamplona had a ton of other tapas and larger dishes that defintely appeared to have potential.

Pamplona is great for catching up with a friend at the bar and grabbing a recession-proof bite. When all was said and done, I paid about $15 for a glass of wine and two uniquely delicious tapas plates. Not bad for a Monday night.

Baby, it's cold outside so you know what that means...

....carbs, carbs, and more carbs! As most of you know, I can't turn down a carbohydrate (or chocolate, for that matter) and when the temperature drops, the noodle soups and penne alla vodka turn up. It also doesn't help that my boyfriend only eats (and hence shares with me)foodstuffs that end in parmigiana or bolognese.

So, during a recent chilly night, we ventured to Lil Frankie's, the most casual of the three Frank restaurants. Decked in vintage "heirlooms" and catering to a variety of pastavores (from LES hipsters to UES yuppies), the aroma of heavily seasoned marinara sauce immediately hit me square in the face.

First, we started off with mussels marinara that was served with the most incredible peasant bread I've ever tasted. The airy, thick slices sopped up every ounce of marinara deliciousness and the mussels were hearty and plump. Definitely a great way to prep the tastebuds for what was to come.

We then shared a thin-crust margherita pizza that was probably the most forgettable dish of the night. In my mind, it was merely a barrier to the main event: hearty gnocchi and mezzi rigatoni with baby meatballs. (Don't worry, there were three of us. Ew, that's still an exorbitant amount of food.)

Now, I know I JUST posted about the most delicious gnocchi at Da Silvano but Lil Frankie's gnocchi were a terrific poor man's version of the Da Silvano classic. The thick, blood red sauce coated each little pillow perfectly and the freshly grated parmigiano cheese was evident yet not overpowering. The mezzi rig was probably the weakest pasta dish since I prefer meatballs that don't look like turds. Once I got past the appearance, they were pretty tasty but probably would have soaked up better flavor as a meat sauce instead of mini-meatballs.

Considering the low price-point, cool atmosphere, and abundance of cold weather Italian comfort food, I will definitely be returning to this little gem.

Foodbuzz Electrolux Event!

So many details, so little time. Let's just say when I have some more dolla bills, I am totally installing these awesome appliances in my home that I will share with Brad Steelman. 

Food porn and deets to come!

Da Silvano: are taste and elbow room inversely related?

It seems as though the less elbow room a restaurant in NY has, the bigger, bolder and more delicious the food tastes.  This theory was definitely proven true as I dined en masse (party of 6)  at Da Silvano. Seriously, I thought the waiter would poke my eye out as he opened a bottle of wine for the table directly across from us. 

However, I would not be discouraged: I would order a no-knife-required arugula and Parmigiano Reggiano salad and the gnocchi with lobster and tomato so I would not give my fellow diners a black eye. 

The salad was refreshingly light and seasoned with the perfect amount of salt and pepper to balance the bitterness of the arugula.  Oh, and the hefty shavings of Parmigiano didn't exactly hurt.

Now, let's get dirty and talk about these delightfully tender pasta pillows.  Gnocchi is just one of those pastas that's either really bad (heavy, doughy, heavy on the sauce retention) or really, really good (light, fluffy, soaks up the proper flavor).  The gnocchi at Da Silvano was simply perfect: a healthy portion (truth be told, I had to dole out a good amount), mild tomato sauce complemented the succulent lobster insanely well. I didn't want the dish to ever end.

 Photo: Bene.com

I left the wine list selections up to the birthday girl so I can only assume it included a range of Italian varietals and prices as we downed three (or was it four?) bottles. 

Definitely great for an "occasion" dinner but only with four people max.  You don't want to go elbowing anyone while they're eating.

Today's lunch was a true game changer

Well, it looks as though my lunch for fall is permanently set.  Today's 'wichcraft tomato soup with parmesan and half of a grilled gruyere and grilled onions was far beyond any sort of expectation.  It was piping hot, even 20 minutes after it was prepared, creamy and perfectly seasoned. 

At $3.95, the soup is insanely reasonable and is accompanied by two lovely churro-shaped rosemary bread sticks. I probably shouldn't make a habit of dunking that grilled Gruyere sando though...

Venturing to new territory

Now that KP is moving to Chelsea, I figured I would take it upon myself to start exploring the area a bit more. Tonight, I'll be heading to Bar Veloce on 20th and 7th ave. Maybe after tonight, my go-to winebar list will be altered...

Marsha, Marsha, Marsha!!!

Listen up, New Yorkers: even though the gastro-capital is literally at our tastebuds, there are some seriously awesome places elsewhere...you just need to be willing to venture outside of the tri-state area.

That said, Marsha Brown in New Hope, PA is a wonderful gem of a restaurant (well, technically, it was previously a church, but nonetheless). Even in a torrential downpour, the valet could not have been more accommodating and we arrived dry and ready to devour the Creole deliciousness for which MB is so notoriously famous. Waltzing past the tank of live lobsters and raw bar, I could barely contain my excitement as I ordered my lemon meringue martini (super sweet, should have been dessert).

Let's get down to biz: for starters, I couldn't resist the lobster and shrimp non-bisque. I say "non" since the broth was less heavy cream and more seafood stock chocked full of hearty seafood. My dining companions, the entire Meyers clan, were amazed at how smooth and addictive it was. Lee ordered a perfectly dressed Caesar (you KNOW how I feel about receiving dressing with a side of lettuce as a salad) and super moist duck meatballs. My only complaint? They could have been a bit hotter, but nonetheless were a great little distraction before the main course.

Finally (at this point I'm sipping on a nice, crisp Californian Viognier), the main event arrives and, wait for it, IT WAS AWESOME. Marsha (Lee's mom, not to be confused with Marsha Brown) made perhaps the most intelligent decision of the evening by ordering two appetizers, the lollipop lamb chops and the seared fresh tuna. When I say that the lamb chops were THE MOST FLAVORFUL, delicious pieces of meat I've ever laid on my taste buds, I am NOT kidding. They were heavenly.

I was so intent on sneaking more off of her plate that I almost forgot to take note of how perfectly tender my scallops were. Paired with a semi-dry lobster and amazingly rich crawfish risotto, I can say with every bit of certainty that I virtually cleared my plate.

Oh, and pretty sure I tasted a bit of the filet mignon and it, too, was insanely flavorful and definitely topped some of the best steaks here in the Big Apple. Needless to say, I did not have the pleasure of tasting any of the desserts...

The impeccable service, the wonderful atmosphere and the delicious soul food will keep me coming back to PA for years to come.

I know, I know, I'm such a slacker...

But now I'm back and better than ever!

Last night's trip to Tarallucci e Vino was, gastro-wise, somewhat disappointing (company-wise, it could not have been more ideal). The bread and olive oil always deliver and got me super fired up for the actual meal but, in reality, it just didn't deliver. The fresh mozzarella in the bruschetta was was too soggy and watery and the eggplant was far from flavorful. We also were feeling frisky and ordered the fried dough with mozzarella and ham and that too was somewhat boooooooring. Definitely needed a dipping sauce or accoutrement of some sort.

Thankfully, the pastas were a bit tastier. But, at an entree price of $28, expectations were high and well, Katie's long, thin paper-like noodles that housed a duck ragu and parmigiano cheese was the only one to really wow us. My tortelli with pork cheek and braised rabbit was just ohhhhhhkay and not as flavorful or rich as I'd imagined. Poor Lee ended up with stuck together tagliatelle and sun-dried tomatoes with absolutely zero sauce or flavor.

Thank goodness for the deliciously crisp Viognier and awesome company. I'll probably just go back for the heavenly hen broth with parmigiano crepes and wine.

US Open, here I come!

Some people go to watch world-class athletes. Presumably, I attend for the food alone. I'm planning on venturing out next Friday to try this and all of this. What day are you going?