" Sea" The Thai Experience... NOT!

I've heard great things about Sea Thai in Williamsburg, BK. And I had walked pass its Meatpacking location many times; however I had never (and will never) stopped and enjoy a meal there.

We came as a group of 8 (for an 7:45pm reservation) this past Saturday. We wanted to provide a vacationing friend with a great fun, tasty Thai food experience that was also not too deep in the pockets. When we were been taken to our seats (on the 2nd level) the floor was so slippery with what looked like a mixture of water and oil that our guest of honor felt; our hostess only reaction to this was to turn around look at her and say sorry the floor is wet! not an we are sorry.

Once seated we decided to start with two bottles of wine, our waiter proceeded to serve full glasses of wine to every one in the table, and forgot to serve two of us. When he was informed of this he proceeded to say I am sorry but there is no more wine in the bottles; you need to order more. Mind you 1 bottle yields 5.5 servings and we had ordered two bottles for 8 people. Now I am not asking for the waiter (or any waiter) to be a master sommelier but I am asking that you know how to properly open a bottle of wine and in which manner to serve.

Once the menus were presented to us, we were rushed to order the food. The food looked delicious, and the selections were plenty. We ordered approximately 9 appetizers to share and not one of these were bad; the night I thought started looking up. Once our entrée arrived it was a chaos, side orders of Jasmine rice were missing, and when pointed out to the waiter he said we needed to pay for them although it clearly stated in the menu it was part of the dishes ordered. We went ahead and ordered the additional rice with the additional charges anyways.

I ordered the Ginger Herbs Fried Rice with Shrimp. Hubby ordered Roasted Rice T-Bone with Papaya Salad & Coconut Sticky Rice. The highlight of both of our dishes Ginger (for me), roasted rice crusted steak (for hubby) were the focal point and the reason why we ordered said dishes, trust me when I say it was the worst experience. Mine lacked ginger anything and his was only a powder rice sprinkled on top type of steak. Now; I can only really speak about my dish and that of my hubby (which I ate from) which were not good at all; but our friends also felt their dishes were not up to part, and were either too salty or lacked any of the highlighted seasoning. Oh yes our waiter was not really present at our table more than 2-3 times in a spam of 3 hour and 20 minutes.

Dessert was one thing I was looking forward; I love me sticky rice and mango any day. We ordered their Chocolate Fondue Pot, and two Coconut Sticky Rice with Mango sorbet. Well their fondue was great, and I can say I would have again; however the sticky rice and mango never arrived, and when we had the chance to flag our waiter down and informed him we were still waiting for it; he left and only brought back the Coconut Sticky Rice in a bowl, with no sorbet. When asked were was the dessert his response was, " we don't have more sorbet, so only the sticky rice".

Needless to say; its a place we would not visit ever again food was mediocre, and the service non existent. The Meatpacking is one of our favorite hangout spots, but the restaurant is a dark spot in a otherwise area were food is taken seriously.

Until next time!
XO!

Bring on the Suffle!

Souffles are one of the most scary desserts to make, but they could not be easier to do, trust me!
If you have not given it a thought, I encourage you to give it a try,  and use the recipe I found at I Breathe... I'm Hungry... a blog full of delicious low carb & gluten free recipes that would make you hungry just by reading them!
SO last night I tried the recipe at home and although the top was a bit crisp (hence why not my own pics) it was totally delicious, so much that hubby asked me if it was a pre-mixed package (as if!) AND you know what the best part was? they are only 57 calories; which is great because due to our hectic schedule we tend to eat quite late at home (7:30pm-9pm) and try to make it as healthy as possible without forgoing flavor; we are a culinary - hospitality home after all!

Raspberry -Molten Chocolate Souffle picture from www.ibreatheimhungry.com

This also would be the perfect dessert for a girls night in event, it would go perfectly with some Cava or Prosecco. You would be the low-carb-delicious dessert goddess!

Let me know how it comes out for you, perhaps your top would not be as crispy as mine?? lol

Get the recipe here!

Until next time!

XO

A Day of Tuscan Food

Many times we (hubby & I) like to re-live certain times/memories from our previous vacations by re-creating a dish, and this time around we were feeling a bit nostalgic about Tuscany.

The Tuscan region is known for its deep rooted history of wine & food, and one of our most memorable dishes was at a small organic farm and vineyard called Fattoria Poggio Alloro whilst overlooking the wonderful vines and San Gimignano in the distance. We had an amazing freshly made Tagliatelle with a Rabbit Ragu (yes Rabbit) and an organic Chianti which I proceeded to buy large quantities to bring home of. I truly recommend you stay here at least for a night, it is quite the experience!

 Click Here for Fattoria Poggio Alloro Site

So, here we are with our last bottle of the Vin Santo Chianti, and the idea of re-creating the dish came to life. Now, I wish I could say I had anything else to do besides running the dough by our pasta maker lol but we all know this is the hubby forte while mine is eating it all.

We did not have Rabbit, but made our version with a few lovely pieces of short ribs we had a day prior. Wait, does helping shred the beef for the ragu counts as creating the dish? If so I guess I did!

It as an amazing cold Sunday afternoon meal which reminded us of the wonderful adventure we lived under the Tuscan sun - even if only for a few days.

Here's a simple yet delicious homemade Parppadelle & Beef Ragu Recipe

 

So tell me, do you have any memorable dishes to share?

Until next time!

XO

Let's Make Sauce!

Every spring, we (and by we I mean hubby) plant tomatoes, red and green peppers, jalapeños and onions along with our herb garden. He tends to these seeds as if they were his 1st born, all with the final purpose to make our yearly batch of delicious homemade sauce, and half a year worth of sun dried tomatoes.

Recipe is simple, we use all organic ingredients grown in our (or our dear neighbor Fred's) backyard; and a few well kept seasonings from my dear chef of a chef.

I will post the recipe as soon as I have a chance, in the mean time here are a few pictures.

We make enough to gift to our family (and a few lucky friends) but the rest all 12 bottles are kept close by for us.

Enjoy!

Our tomato garden

Cubanelle peppers

Herb garden


 

Sauce in the making



Final product

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fancy Fancy Ice Cream Sandwiches

As a kid, we all loved when mom made us ice cream sandwiches; specially on those hot summer days after having ran around like maniacs without a care. Even as an adult now and then we still have a craving for such childhood staple. So this weekend I was craving one, however I realized that good old chocolate cookies and vanilla ice cream were not going to cut it for my now adult palate. So I set out to my local bakery to find some freshly baked cookies and make my own cookie sandwich, with Caramel and sea salt vanilla ice cream I had at home. Alas, I could not find a cookie (can you believe that) and decided to create my own "semi-homemade" chocolate sugar cookie. Semi-homemade because I used Betty Crocker cookie mix, but added my own unsweetened Mexican cocoa powder.

Needless to say, they were delicious! and I end up eating 2. Unfortunately it was too late by the time I thought about taking a picture, but below are two pictures of recipes I will make soon, and one is from a lovely blogger who I follow in pinterest.

Enjoy!

Lemon & Blueberry ice cream sandwiches from www.gourmet.com
 

Strawberry & chocolate ice cream sandwiches from www.pureandyummy.com  

Cookie recipe here
Other favorite recipes here

Italy: A Love Affair with Food and History

Last year the dart landed in Italy as a vacation destination in our map. True to our motto we decided to become Italians for the 11 days we were to be there. We chose hotels in the center of each city we visited, and asked the hotel staff, (not the concierge) but the housekeepers / or front desk agents where they eat on a daily basis. By asking this, we experience an Italia not like a tourist, but as a local.

ROMA: When in Roma, do as the Roman
Our first leg of this vacation starts at the center of the Roman Empire: Roma. As we were still a bit jet lagged from our flight, we decided to take a 2hrs power nap to recharge our batteries. Once we did so, we started our adventure by visiting the Vatican City and St. Peter's Cathedral. a tour of the inside of the cathedral, as well as the Sistine Chapel was everything I expected and much more. The deep history inside can transport you to a grand era from long ago. When entering the Sistine chapel you are informed that no pictures are allowed or cameras will be revoked. Well, thanks to my magnificent skills and camera, I was able to shoot the left side of the wall :o) Ok ok, I know their reason to not permit photograps, but did you really think I was not going to try? While in the square, asked one of the guards where they ate lunch, he recomended a local pizzeteria, which is visited by all the employees during their siesta time. I cannot for the love of my memory remember the name of this place, but I can tell you that it is off the left side walking out of St. Peter's Square on Via Della Conciliazione. It will be the 2nd street to the left, and its the 1st pizzeteria on the left side of the street. Here, $10.00 US got us 4 types of pizzas, and 2 cokes, but most of all, it got us to taste one of the most amazing pizzas ever!
The next 2 days, after a good hotel breakfast, we headed out to explore Roma. We saw all the touristic attraction such as the Coliseum, the Voca de la Verita (mouth of truth), Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, The Forum, and Piazza Navona. BUT we also discovered the Jewish ghetto, the Appio Latino, where I found many of my fellow Dominicans reside, and other parts of towns which names I cannot recall, but that provided us with amazing food, wine, and fun memories. If you are in Roma, please make sure you go to Al Peperoncino www.alpeperoncino.it and have one of their many homemade  pizzas. It is off the beaten path, in the Garbatella neighborhood, the waiters do not speak much English and would not prioritize a "I'm a tourist attitude" but would treat you like the locals just like the crowd is all families from the neighborhood; but believe when I tell you it is all worth it!

FLORENCE: City of my Dreams
"I found my happily ever after home base" those were my first thoughts and words when I arrived. Florence has everything a girl like me loves; history, great architecture, culture, delicious food and wine and lets not forget about the prestigious "Via De Tornabuoni" which houses most of the high fashion label and jewelery houses. No wonder it is known as "La Culla Del Rinascimento" or the cradle of the renaissance. Here we spent 4 days (wish it was longer) discovering and learning about all its monuments such as Ponte Vecchio, the only  bridge that survived WWII intact, and which feature a multitude of shops built around its edges.The main church Santa Maria Del Fiore, which is the best known site in Florence because of its duomo (largest dome built out brick in the world) which provide magnificent views of the city and beyond - just prepare to make a long long line of at least 2 hours to get all the way to the top! Also our visit to Basilica of Santa Croce was an amazing learning experience; here, we were able to see the final resting place of some of the most illustrious Italians in history, such as Michelangelo, Galileo, and Machiavelli.

Florence is also known for its many (many) piazzes and streets. Below are a few that are a must when visiting this city

• Piazza della Repubblica, whre you can elbow with local (and expats) artists while having a espresso.
• Piazza della Liberta which has the triumphal arch of Florence
• Piazza Santa Trinita where not only you can find  several palaces from the renaissance era, but also flagship stores such as the hubby favorite shoe designer/maker Salvatore Ferragamo.
• Oh dont forget to stroll by the Via de' Tornabuoni where you can "research" about Gucci, Emilio Pucci, and Cavalli to mention a few!

Aside from its monuments, piazzes, and basilicas, Florence has a great culinary presence; ranging from its famous Mercato Firenze to local restaurants I can say I happily ate my little heart out. There are many places that claim to be real Tuscan style, however if you find them surrounding the piazzas then know you are been fooled! Real Tuscan style restaurants, are off the beaten path, and do now have a charming Italian waiter outside wrangling business inside. They do not care if a tourist comes in, but would serve them the same way they do their everyday clientele if you happen to stumble upon them. Here are two that are a must visit in  my book:

• Il Gatto & La Volpe (Via Ghibellina, 151/r) They don't have a website that I know of; and hardly do any (if at all) advertising. This place was recommended by our lovely front desk agent; when asked where she goes to unwind after a long shift at the hotel. It took us a while to find it, as is located where the locals live; but it was worth getting lost. Food was excellent, their house wine even more so, and the atmosphere was pure delight.
• Trattoria Antico Fattore (Via Lambertesca 1/3r) www.anticofattore.it.com while walking around the off the beaten path, we stumble upon this place. Its a small family owned restaurant where all you hear is the music played inside. Because we had already eaten lunch, we decided to come back for dinner. After getting lost a few times by turning the wrong alley, we found it once again. Now; this is not what I consider FDA approved and if you are squeamish about your meat not been refrigerated, then this is not for you. The first thing you notice when walking in is the big, and I mean big slab of freshly cut meat, and today's picked vegetables. When ordering steak, which they bring this slab to you, and you order based on mm. then pick your sides. We ordered the Bisteca alla fiorentina, and their stuffed zucchini flowers and their spinach with a bottle of house red. I have to say this is a meal which I still dream of today; and know I will have at the same location once I go back to Florence in the near future. Before I forget; make sure you practice your Italian, because the waiters as well as the owner's English is close to non existent!

Florence is also the most convenient post to venturing out into the Tuscan Region. I suggest you rent a car and visit the many vineyards, villas, and  drive down rolling hills to quaint little towns such as

• Siena (where we spent 1 night)  -The Siena Cathedral is a must visit. With its Gothic architectural design, and its Piccolomini Library which has the largest collection of manuscripts from Pope Pius II. Also pay close attention to the floor you walk in. There are 56 etched and inlaid marble panels which were designed by 40 of leading artists between 1369 and 1547, all from Siena except for 1 of them, who was Umbrian. Only a few panels are open all year round, but if you are lucky as we were, you will be there when they uncover the most precious ones which are under the apse and in the transepts; protected by special flooring since this is where people sit for mass; these are only uncovered in honor of the Palio and a pair of months during the year, often in September and October.
• Pisa - Yes visit the leaning tower, but most importantly, make sure you visit a few of its 20 historical churches, and the university of Pisa, which history dates back to the 12th century.
• Voterra -better known as the Italian town from the Twitligth Saga
• San Gimignano - known for its many towers and rich history dating to the 10th century, SG is a sight not to be missed. Make sure you refresh yourself with a gelato from Pluripremiatta Gelateria. Its gelato is world known, and the flavors combinations such as Blackberry & Lavander  / spicy chocolate and sour cherries are out of this world.

VENICE: A place for foodies
For me, Venice was not what I expected. Venice can be visited in two days or less. Once you have eaten your way around, and see all the mayor sites, there is not much to do unless of course, you are the for the world famous Venice Film Festival, Venetian Carnival which happens 2 weeks prior to ash Wednesday every year,or to take a week long class in the art of glass blowing (which I would love to). Yes, their quaint little alleys, (which always end on one end or another of the many canals that surround the city) San Marco, and the various museums, are great to see, however as beautiful, and romantic as the city is, it feels like a tourist trap with its many disembarking cruises, and haggling illegal street "designer goodies" vendors makes it feel like a visit to NYC

I do have to admit, Venice has some of the best seafood I have ever eaten in this lifetime; and for that alone I would go to Venice in a heart beat. If you find yourself in Venice, make sure you visit

• Osteria 40 Ladroni (by the Fondameta Della Sensa) and you will have the best squid ink seafood pasta in your life. It was so good, we end up eating dinner here for our 3 night stay in Venice.
• Al Paradiso (Off the Rialto) menu is small (20 tbls top), local and mostly based on the catch of the day. Our lunch here was so good, we even bought extra food (octopus salad) to take during our 1/2 day tour of the outer islands.

There are many places yet to visit in Italia. We are planing a tour mainly to the south of Italy, and stopping in Cicily in the next two years. And I cannot wait to continue our food trail trough such wonderful land!

Dinner, Margaritas & Tequila!

There's not many tings I enjoy best than a dinner with the girls; and this occasion was for a dear friend's BDay celebration. The location you ask? Toloache on 50th st. Now I know there are 100's of so called Mexican restaurants, which in reality are nothing but the Americanized version of what Mexican food should be. Not Toalache, Yes, their food has a French presentation, but the flavors, ingredients, and Tequila are straight out of a real Mexican household with noise level and all!
Be ready to see, and enjoy traditional plates such as chiles rellenos (stuffed poblano chiles with ground corn, cheese, tomatoes, pork), tacos de chapulines (dried grasshoppers), and a varietal of ceviches. Their margaritas are also great, and it can be cause is not a cheap tequila used. We enjoyed the night special flavors of pomegranate, mango, and watermelon one that I swear taste just like those watermelon shape lollipops from the 90's.
And to finish off our night, we had a nice shot of Riazul Tequila with a side order of red velvet tres leches.. yes, tres leches cake made out of red velvet... How can you go wrong?!

It was a bit pricey; however I think that had more to do with our choice of drinks and tequila shots (we love love love tequila) than with the food itself. Pay a visit, and you will not be sorry!



Our Riazul Tequila shots, tres leches red velvet cake and our amazing Margaritas!



With the BDay girl :o)

 I now wonder where our next girls night out dinner date will be. Until then, I hope you take the leap and visit Toloache.

"Sunday Dinners"

Yes I married a chef... No; he's not the one cooking every single (if any) meal. It is the perception that a chef; who's passionate about his craft does spend his free time whipping some delicious meals at home right? well you are WRONG! lol

I do 99.9% of the cooking at home, and at first DH (dear hubby) excuse was that our kitchen was not up to par with what he's used to, and once we renovated and got a new stove it would be different. OK, let's get one point clear in here; as much love as I have for food, and I've been told I can cook a mean meal I am not a kitchen lover. I only started cooking once I left the comforts of my mommas house and do it cause my DH does not like to eat what he cooks. Back to the story LOL, so I caved in and decided to not only update the kitchen, but to provide him not only with the stove/hood he wanted but the fridge / dishwasher / etc he had chosen as well. By the way we did everything (with the exception of gas conversion) ourselves :o)



The before (during construction)





The after



If you think DH kept his promised, let me tell you he did so; BUT only for a month or two. I had to re-learn how to time my rice so it didn't burn; how to cook at a faster BTU (which I now love, love, love) and at the same time hear him preach about having to clean "his lady" (the stove) quick so the oil wouldn't stick to it.

So I came up with a plan, let's do "Sunday Dinner" we usually invite a coupled friend(s) over mostly my cuz Jenn and her DH Oscar (who happens to be one of my bff since 7th  grade) and my adorable god-daughter Zani. Arvin (DH) then comes up with simple & delicious master pieces for early dinner that leaves us always wanting more, more, more! There are some Sundays in which I become the chef and whip some Dominican staples. BUT I am happy to say that most Sunday dinners are by DH :o)

Below are a few pics of both of our creations during Sunday dinners:



Aged steak with a coffee rub, garlic and olive oil
tossed pasta with goat cheese and garden picked zucchini



Aged steak quesadillas with homemade salsa

Chimis: (Dominican style burger) with picked cabbage,
homemade beef patty. Passion fruit juice

Vegetarian delight: veggie dumplings with a soy-ginger broth
and enoki mushrooms

A true Dominican meal: white rice, fried chicken with picked onions on top, beans, avocado, and yuca fritters

Dominican style deep fried whole fish

Pasta tossed with Porcini mushroom, in a garlic-red pepper sauce 

Tomatoes from our back yard with shaved Parmesan, olive oil, sea salt.

Pizza: Trial and Error



A slice of good NYC pizza can make your day, no matter how bad of a day it was. One of the blogs I follow is Serious Eats  (because food to me is really serious!) has a piece on Forcella, a traditional Neapolitan pizza eatery in Williamsburg, BK. I cannot wait to head over to my old haunts - yes I am a Brooklynite :o) and have the so deliciously described deep fried crust  known as the Montagnara. Now I've had some good  and bad pizzas in the tri-estate area as well as on the motherland (Italia). But until I can make my way to Forcella, and decide for myself if its worth a 2nd trip; here are a few of my all time favorite locations:

Margherita with Pepperoni @ Grimaldi's in Brooklyn is worth the long lines.. even in winter!
www.grimaldis.com



Thin crust, dried tomatoes, mushrooms, & pine nuts from Star Tavern in East Orange NJ.
Even my non-pizza eater of a husband can't deny is out of this world!
 www.startavern.net/

The Capricciosa: Red sauce, fresh mozz di bufala, thinly sliced sardines, & topped with prosciutto
would make me take a flight straight to Il Peperoncino Dispettoso (Roma, IT) in a heart beat!
www.ilpeperoncinodispettoso.it 

Pizza by the Kilo is considered street food in Italy. I cannot remember the name of the place we got the above, however is right across from the Vatican museum. Its the 1st one you see on your right once you enter the street. We got a bit of our top favorites: the porcinni & cream, eggplant & pecorino, fresh mozz & tomatoes. & it only cost under $10U.S

Per Se

"When you acknowledge, as you must, that there is no such thing as perfect food, only the idea of it, then the real purpose of striving toward perfection becomes clear: to make people happy, that is what cooking is all about."  T.K.

In my opinion, my hubby is t he best chef in the world... To him however that chef would be Thomas Keller. About 1 1/2 years ago, we did an inpromtu trip to San Francisco and tried our luck at obtaining reservations at the fabled French Laundry; key word: Tried.  We settled for walking (without permission) the property & taking a few pictures.

Fast forward 1 1/2 years and it is my hubby's big 3-5. I decided that the bes present ever would be to create a series of surprises, starting with flying lessons, and ending with a cocktail reception. What did I also get in between both of the above gifts? Prime time reservations at Per Se! Below, its a brief recap of the most fabulous affair with food either of us had ever had.

Entering the Time Warner Building at Columbus Circle for the thousand time had a new meaning. It was July 8th, 6:30pm and we were 10 minutes away from our dinner reservation at Per Se. We were both excited as to what was awaiting us on the 4th level of the building. Immediately after arriving and taking the obvious picture of the namesake, we were warmly greeted and taken to our table. With its floor to ceiling windows, the restaurant is divided into two levels and has no more than 18 tables all facing the beauty of NYC and Central Park. Once seated we decided to experience the Chef's Tasting Menu; and began our 3 hours culinary journey.
 

View from our table


The night started with a traditional amuse bouche of "Goujeres" or a typical french finger food of puff pastries filled with warm delicious goat cheese; as well as the mini ice cream cone with salmon tartare. From there, the menu continued to a selection of 13 course made of absolute dreams, starting with Thomas Keller's signature "Oysters & pearls" dish; which was Sabanyon of Pearl Tapioca served with Island Creek Oysters and sterling white sturgeon caviar , which I have renamed "my When harry Met Sallie" moment and ending with a "Raspberry Pavlova" which left me wanting more.

 

Oysters and Pearls



During one of our conversations, my hubby expressed how he would love to be able to "peak" at the kitchen. Of course 2 hours later me and my big mouth asked our amazing waitress if it was at all possible to see the kitchen, to which she complied very excitedly I may add. I must say that the kitchen is what chef's dream of. One would never guess that a full swing 13 course dinner menu was been created time and time again for the patrons seating outside. It was the utmost quiet, coordinated kitchen I have yet to see.

After dinner, coffee and homemade mini doughnuts were given. And as leaving, we were sent off with nice parting gift bags of homemade French butter cookies (sandwich) filled with a dark ganache.

My one complaint is that there was not many pictures taken during the dinner. I was able to snap a few ones here and there, but otherwise that was it. And to be honest; I am not sure I had the time to concentrate in the task of picture taking as  I was too busy trying to figure out how the next dish would or could top the last one.

So would I come back to Per Se? Yes I would... But first I am setting my sights in getting into the French Laundry next spring for our 5th wedding anniversary, It would be a dream to visit the "mother ship" after having tried the "offspring"

If you are a foodie, I obviously recommend that you dine at Per Se at least once. I will not deny that this meal will cost a pretty penny just for the food alone. However both, the amazing food creation and the outstanding service will transport you to a world you have never imagine existed, and make every single penny you spend here soo worth it!




Birthday Boy