Among the Flowers

My summer has been filled with lots of weekend activities.  Most have been fun, but all have been exhausting.  Good thing that earlier this summer I planned a long weekend in Martha’s Vineyard with Z.  It was such a relaxing weekend and I totally needed it. It was my first time up in MV and I must say in many respects, it gave the Berkshires a run for its money.  (eeep!) Our first breakfast was not one of those occasions.  We went to Among the Flowers.  A cute little restaurant with tons of outdoor seating…you guessed it, among the flowers.

It was a little chilly outside so when they offered us a seat indoors we were happy to take it.  I was definitely looking forward to sampling some of the treats on the menu.  They took a little while to get our orders but once the waitress arrived it was no problem.  Z ordered the Wild Mushroom, Herb & Goat Cheese omelette.

I must say that although the omelette looked good, I was instantly turned off by the fact that it was served on a paper plate. I instantly started to question whether they had running water and if they valued the environment.  They brought the coffee in a mug so I’m not really sure the logic behind their actions.  When my French Toast arrived, I was equally annoyed with the paper plate.

However, the deliciousness of the dish made it easy to forget why I was upset. I scarfed it down and was left staring at the bottom of a paper plate. Hmmph!  The French Toast wasn't enough for me, so I also ordered a side of Home Fries.

They were well seasoned and the pan fried effect definitely was a good idea.  Overall the food at Among the Flowers was quite good, but the paper plates were a major turn off. I’m sure there were other breakfast spots that we could have tried out but this one was close, the food was good and the price was right. If you’re staying in Edgartown, you should try out Among the Flowers. Just close your eyes to the paper plates.

Hungry yet?

Pumpkin Pancakes

I remember back when fall first started I was excited about all the pumpkin I would eat and the chili I would make.  In truth I’ve done very little about both.  I started looking around for recipes and found one for pumpkin pancakes!

Although it was monsooning in NYC, I decided to venture out to the grocery store and pick up some milk and a few other items.   It was a late night so I didn’t actually get around to making this until around 1:30.  Definitely a simple recipe so if you have some leftover pumpkin – or plan to make some muffins too – make it happen!

1 ¼ cups flour

3 tbs brown sugar

2 tsps baking powder

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp ginger

¼ tsp nutmeg

dash of cloves

4 eggs, separated

4 tbs melted butter

¾ cup pumpkin puree

1 ¼ cups milk

1 tsp vanilla

Mix flour with brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and salt.

Put the egg yolks into a small bowl and mix in half a stick of melted butter, pumpkin puree, milk and vanilla.

Beat the egg whites in a separate bowl until they are just stiff.

Mix the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture, and then carefully fold in the egg whites.

Fire up the griddle to medium heat and make some magic happen.

Definitely an easy and awesome Sunday recipe! 

P.S. The recipe makes about 16 pancakes so it was also a delicious Monday dinner ;-)

Hungry yet?

Il Caffe Latte

Although I was up really late last night I ate dinner so early that I woke up famished. Unfortunately, Mr. W wasn't scheduled to arrive until around 1. I found a small snack and managed to not stuff myself while waiting for him. Of course he took the wrong train but finally he made it!  We headed straight to Il Caffe Latte because it's right in the neighborhood and I haven't been there in a really long time.

Caffe Latte is a cute little spot that is one of many places helping to revive Lenox Avenue. Their menu has lots of options and you're bound to find something to satisfy your mood. I definitely wanted breakfast and Mr. W had moved on to lunch. I was really excited to make my own omelette. I added spinach, onions and turkey sausage.

The omelette was served with a side salad. The spinach and sausage, when eaten alone, were nothing short of amazing. Unfortunately, they were in the mix with huge slices of onions that were rather distracting and the egg was slightly burnt on one side. Drats! I was really looking forward to giving this place a great review. The salad was really good so whatever dressing they threw on those leaves was awesome. I really wanted to order a pastry to accompany my eggs but I'm glad I didn't. Mr. W ordered a cheeseburger with sweet potato fries.

Those fries were just what I needed to complete my meal. Although I didn't taste it I knew the burger was good because Mr. W didn't leave a single crumb on the plate.

The service at Caffe Latte was a little spotty. Our server was distracted or disinterested (hard to tell the difference).  The food was good but not great. Yet I know I will return. Not just because its in the neighborhood but because of the warm feel of the place (they have wi-fi and power outlets), the fries, and the knowledge that one good but not great omelette does not make or break a restaurant.

Hungry yet?

Kitchenette Uptown

After an enjoyable dining experience in Philly, I was excited to return to New York and continue my good eating streak.  Once my train arrived, I made a quick stop at my apartment then raced over to Kitchenette to meet my mentee Ms. A.  After rescheduling and postponing a few times, I was happy we were finally able to get together.  We waited outside in the brisk October weather for quite some time before being called for our table.  Kitchenette has an insane rush on weekends from about noon – 1:30. 

When we finally sat down I was a little nervous because the menu was printed differently and I thought that meant the contents had changed. Luckily, my favorites were still in there.  I ordered the Lumberjane and recommended either the Farmhouse or Lumberjack to Ms. A.  While you may wait a while for a seat, you certainly don’t have to wait long for your food.  My Lumberjane was out within a few minutes.

Two thick slices of French toast, 2 eggs any style (hard scrambled for me!) and two pieces of the best homemade turkey sausage ever!  I was in food heaven! Kitchenette truly does have the best turkey sausage ever.  I recommend digging into it right away because the freshness when it’s warm is unrivaled.  The French toast was very thick and sweet.  Ms. A’s Lumberjack also arrived pretty quickly.

Her two mixed berry pancakes topped with strawberries looked amazing.  She also agrees that the turkey sausage was fantastic.

It was great meeting and chatting with Ms. A and of course stuffing myself silly with delicious eats from Kitchenette.  If you’re ever in the Morningside Heights neighborhood and craving brunch, this is definitely the spot to go to.  Almost makes me miss being in law school.

Hungry yet?

A Delightful Sunday Brunch

Earlier this week, Mr. G and I decided to have a lil brunch festival for a few friends we haven’t seen in a while and to celebrate daytime eating J I developed the menu on Friday and couldn’t wait to try out so many new things.  I was excited because I thought this would be post 200, but turns out I’m one short! Oh well, still a fantastical brunch and totally worth writing about.

I started out with the French Toast.  On Saturday night I mixed up a slightly altered version of this recipe I found on Epicurious.

4 large eggs

3/4 cup half and half

1/4 cup + 1 tbs orange juice or Grand Marnier or triple sec

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

8 potato bread slices

Whisk first 6 ingredients to blend in a wide medium bowl. 

Dip each bread slice into egg mixture and arrange in 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish or cookie sheet. Pour the remaining egg mixture evenly over bread. Let stand until egg mixture is absorbed, at least 20 minutes. I prepped it on Saturday night and made it around 12:30 on Sunday morning.

When you’re ready to make it, place a baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 350F. Heat up a griddle to or medium sized frying pan. Add bread slices and sauté until cooked through and brown, about 3 minutes per side. Place on baking sheet in oven to keep warm. Repeat cooking until all pieces are done.  Cut each slice in half, transfer to a plate.  Sift powdered sugar over. Voila!

Looks good right? They were a big hit, but I think the Chocolate Chip Pancakes hangin out next to them were even better.  I fully intended on making this recipe, but realized I didn’t have any whole-wheat flour.  Instead I adapted this recipe for blueberry buttermilk pancakes.

1 1/3 cups all purpose flour

3 tablespoons sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 250°F. Place baking sheet in oven. Whisk first 4 ingredients in large bowl.  Whisk buttermilk, eggs, and 2 tablespoons butter in medium bowl; stir into dry ingredients. Fold in chocolate chips.

Heat large nonstick griddle or skillet over medium heat. Drop batter by 1/3 cupfuls onto griddle. Cook pancakes until brown and hard around the edges about 2 minutes per side. 

Transfer to sheet in oven to keep warm. This was my first time eating chocolate chip pancakes and they were amazing! While I am very familiar with the power of chocolate, I didn’t know it could do just great things to pancakes. Yum yum yum!!!

While those two items turned out great, I had a little bit more difficulty with the Cranberry Scones I made from this blueberry scone recipe.

1/4 cup butter, cold and cut in pats

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/8 cup granulated sugar

1/8 cup light brown sugar

Pinch kosher salt

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup half-and-half

1 egg, beaten

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and on low fan speed, if using a convection oven.  By hand in a large bowl, blend the butter pats with the flour, sugar, brown sugar, salt and baking powder until the butter has been combined. Add the cranberries and mix well.

In second bowl with a whisk, blend the cream, half-and-half, and the egg. Stir in the flour mixture and mix until the dough comes together. This is the scone dough.

Remove the scone dough from bowl and knead on floured counter, rolling 5 to 6 times, ensuring not to over blend; this will result in a tough dough. Unfortunately I added too much sugar to the mix so I had a really hard time because the dough was EXTREMELY sticky.  I kept adding flour to try to make it less sticky but it didn’t quite work out.  I managed and kept following the recipe.

Divide the dough into 12 even triangular shape portions.  These aren’t exactly even triangles but they’re triangular.

Arrange on a cookie sheet and bake until the tops are slightly browned, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer the scones to a serving platter.

In the end the scones got pretty good reviews even though they didn’t look as good as I wanted them to, they still tasted good.  You'll notice the mini blueberry muffins next to the scones.  These were courtesy of Betty Crocker.  I needed a backup plan ;-)

Based on the amount of leftovers (only 4 pieces!) the Apple Coffee Cake with Crumble Topping and Brown Sugar Glaze was by far the favorite!!  Hats off to Mr. Lagasse, another fantastic recipe.

Cake:

1 stick plus 2 teaspoons unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups peeled, cored and chopped apples

Crumble Topping:

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Brown Sugar Glaze:

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish with 2 teaspoons of the butter.

In a large bowl, cream together the remaining stick of butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  If you’ve never worked with brown sugar before, be warned that there’s a lot more splatter than white sugar.  I covered the bowl with a paper towel until the mixture was a little creamy.

Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating after the addition of each. In a separate bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add to the wet ingredients, alternating with the sour cream and vanilla.  Sour cream is kind of hard to measure, so it’s possible I added a little more or less than a cup.  Fold in the apples. Pour into the prepared baking dish, spreading out to the edges.

To make the topping, in a bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter, and mix until it resembles coarse crumbs.  I used my hands to mix and that worked out pretty well.  

Sprinkle the topping over the cake and bake until golden brown and set, 35 to 40 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes.

To make the glaze, in a bowl, combine the sugar, vanilla, and water and mix until smooth. Drizzle the cake with the glaze and let harden slightly. Serve warm.

This cake was a HIT.  I served it as dessert and even though everyone was already stuffed, they were still all over it.

We also had some home fries which I made in the wok.  I shared this recipe earlier and I made it essentially in the same way.

Mr. G also made some incredible eggs with special cheese, onions, red and green peppers. 

Of course needed even more protein so some turkey sausage and turkey bacon was also served.

For the calorie counters I included yogurt, granola and fruit.

The cranberry-pomegranate punch was also very well received.

Although the plan was to have a little brunch, we definitely threw down in a big way.  Brunching on Sunday definitely helps ward off the Sunday night blues.  Hopefully Monday will have some inspiring eats as I edge towards my next milestone post 200.  

Hungry yet?

Brunch @ Cafe Luxembourg

On this wonderful summer day, Mr. G and I decided to go out for brunch.  We initially wanted to dine at Compass, but they were not open at 10:30 when we were already up and about.  We decided on its neighbor Cafe Luxembourg and we did not regret the decision.

We started off with a pastry basket.

Blueberry muffin, cranberry scone and banana nut bread.  The pastries were very fresh.  The muffin was soft and moist, the scone was hard but not stale and very delicious.

Mr. G ordered an omelette with onions, mushrooms, gruyere and roasted peppers.

It was served with hash browns...in pie form! I've never seen hash browns presented in that way before, but they tasted magnificent!

I ordered French Toast.

My my those are the thickest pieces of toast I've ever had.  I could barely finish one.  They were fantastic!

While not our intended dining destination, Cafe Luxembourg turned out to be a surprisingly perfect alternative!  The service was great and they let us linger a while after we paid.

Hungry yet?

Haven Café & Bakery

We woke up this morning and watched Germany annihilate the Brits.  It hurt to watch, especially the ref’s poor call but c’est la vie.  After watching the pummeling, it was time to get our chow on.

We went to Haven Café & Bakery in Lenox.  A short drive from the house.  Haven is a cute spot and the best part is you pick up your food then pick a table.  Since we had the whole crew of 7, we were fortunate to get a seat at the largest table.

Mr. A, Ms. A (not the same A), Mr. G and I ate here yesterday, so there will be some blending of experiences and use of the previous day’s pictures in this post.  Here is a picture of Mr. G's corn muffin from yesterday.  He remarked that this is the best muffin he has ever had and was disappointed when they didn't have it today.

Ms. A ordered the French Rolled Santa Fe Omelet.  Chopped bacon, cheddar cheese, roasted poblanos, sour cream and pico de gallo. Now check out the picture she snapped.

According to Ms. A, the poblanos are the real deal.  They are more flavorful than green or red peppers, but not as hot as other chilies.  Tasted so good, she ordered it both days.  

Ms. P ordered the Smoked Salmon Scramble.  Hudson valley brown eggs, smoked salmon and caramelized onions on fresh spinach.

Mr. G and I ordered the same thing on Saturday.  Although they called it smoked, the salmon was more cooked than I’m used to.  Still tasted good I’m just sayin’.  The potatoes were also pretty good.

Ms. D ordered a fantastic Aegean Salad.

Look at that deliciousness, Grilled artichoke hearts, marinated tomatoes, Kalamata olives, feta cheese, tuna with capers on mixed greens.  Props to Ms. D for snapping the fantastic picture.

Mr. W and I ordered the Croissant French Toast, two pieces dipped in cinnamon, vanilla egg batter topped with powdered sugar.

Yummers!  I was a bit skeptical about this dish because it looked paltry.  However, from my first bite I was in love.  The croissant was light and the hint of cinnamon was fantastic. My only regret was that I didn't take a picture that really did it justice.

Mr. A and Mr. G both ordered pancakes.  However, Mr. A added coconut shavings for a tropical flair. 

Sorry about the pic…he already started eating before I could snap.

Haven is fantastic.  The prices are very reasonable and the portions are enough for brunch but won’t leave you stuffed.  If you’re ever in Lenox or surrounding towns, I highly recommend a trip to Haven Café & Bakery.

Hungry yet?