Sofia Wine Bar

When I first received an invitation to dine at Sofia Wine Bar, I was a bit skeptical.  After all, it's not often that you go to a wine bar for dinner.  But Sofia Wine Bar is upping its food game so those that come to drink will stay to eat.  Sofia opened in February 2009 and currently has 80-100 wines available by the glass and 70 by the bottle.  The selection comes from different countries and regions within those countries.  The cuisine is not typical bar food, instead it is Home style Italian.  The French windows in the front dining and bar area create an inviting space that got pretty crowded after a little while.  We sat in the back, a cavernous area that seats about 12.  The space is beautifully decorated but the exposed brick created a lot of extra noise because the voices bounced off the wall.  They typically have a pasta special on Sundays but since we were there on a Monday they decided to hook us up.  We were presented with a marvelous vegetarian lasagna.

The ricotta and tomato sauce were rich and fresh. The pasta was light and melted in my mouth. It was truly spectacular and made me wonder why they don't serve pasta all the time.  Thankfully I was told that they will soon start serving pasta every day!  If it's anything like this lasagna, I'm sure they will gain lots of repeat customers.   Pretty soon after, the Stuffed Mushrooms and Artichoke arrived.

They are mixed with prosciutto and pecorino so I didn't dig in but the other diners definitely enjoyed it.  I was wrapped up in the Mozzarella. 

The mozzarella is made fresh in house.  The thick slices were creamy and flavorful and the tomato was juicy.  I also really enjoyed the toast!  It was crunch but soft. Unbelievable!  I ate way too much bread!  The Eggplant Caponata was my least favorite.

There was nothing exciting about it. The eggplant was slightly overcooked which was disappointing but at least there was some bread there!  The beef eaters devoured the Meatballs.

They were huge and served with rich tomato sauce.  I was much happier when the Margherita Pizza arrived.

The sauce was a little tangy and tasted great with the crust. I loved the mozzarella and the fresh pieces of basil made it taste even better.  Just as I was reaching capacity, it was time for dessert! 

Holy Cannoli!!  Somehow I realized this must have been my first cannoli. This was truly a special moment.  I loved the creamy sweetness. It was perfect! Not toothache sweet just rich and filling. The cream is apparently from Italy.  I also loved the crunchy shell.  It was phenomenal!

I had a great time at Sofia.  The extensive wine list may be the reason you go, but the variety of delicious items on the menu is the reason you stay!  As the owner, Tommaso said, "Eat while you can enjoy it!"  I recommend heading over to Sofia and start enjoying it!

Hungry yet?

Wasabi Salmon with Bok Choy, Green Cabbage, and Shiitakes

Before Bestie arrived, I had spent a lot of time combing through the various magazines for a great dinner recipe. We started with the Thai Mussels and after taking a break from eating, Bestie and I made the oh so simple Wasabi Salmon recipe that was featured in the March issue of Bon Appétit.

Ingredients

¼ cup mayonnaise

1 tsp. wasabi paste

1 1” piece ginger, peeled, finely grated

2 large garlic cloves, finely grated

2 6-oz skinless salmon fillets

Sat, pepper

1 lb. baby bok choy, halved

2 cups (packed) finely shredded green cabbage

4 oz. shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, sliced

2 Tbsp. olive oil

This was seriously one of the easiest things to make! Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Heat a large rimmed baking sheet for 15 minutes.  Meanwhile, mix mayo and wasabi in a small bowl. Stir in half of ginger and half of garlic.  Season the fish all over with salt and pepper.

Place bok choy, cabbage, and mushrooms in a large bowl. Drizzle with oil and add remaining ginger and garlic.  Toss to coat; season with salt and pepper.  Scatter vegetables across one side of baking sheet. Arrange salmon on the other side.  Roast, stirring vegetables occasionally until salmon is cooked through about 10 – 12 minutes.

Divide vegetables among plates; top with salmon. Serve with wasabi mayonnaise.

Okay wow! The one sheet meal was definitely a good idea. Clean up was easy, the vegetables were crispy and the salmon was perfectly cooked.  I ended up making the other two pieces of salmon that we bought later in the week using the same recipe. Yes, it was just that good!

Hungry yet?

The Sweet Life Cafe

For our final dinner in MV we had a tough choice to make. So many delicious restaurants and only one more night. We decided that The Sweet Life Café would be the best way to close out an awesome weekend of great eats.

The restaurant is in a small house in Oak Bluffs. Most of the seating is outside in a dimly lit garden area that's decorated with Christmas lights. We sat outside on what turned out to be a lovely evening. I immediately decided my appetizer would be the Escargot Napoleon. 

When it arrived, I was floored. It was sandwiched on a phyllo dough crust and the snails were sautéed in almond butter, Pernod, spinach and blue cheese fondue. It was so good I found myself pausing many times to truly savor the taste. Z ordered the Sweet Pea Risotto.

It is typically served as a side but they were willing to offer it as an appetizer. The bright green color showcased the freshness of the peas. They were certainly generous with the portion. The risotto was delicious, but a little too filling for an appetizer.  When my entree arrived, I was equally thrilled.

The Grilled Striped Bass was served with heirloom tomato crab and corn salad. It was sitting on a wild rice pancake. The bass was amazingly good. The seasoning really allowed the freshness of the ingredients to shine through. I loved the salad and the crab added a nice textural contrast. The wild rice pancake was a first for me and I really enjoyed it! I may try to recreate it some day. Z's dish was also really good.

Wild Mushroom Strudel with creamy rosemary polenta and asparagus. It was cooked in a porcini broth with truffle oil, braised in white wine then baked. Quite the intricate preparation and it certainly paid off! After the disappointing dessert at Atria, I was really looking forward to something spectacular.

The Caramel Ginger Creme Brûlée did the job. It was served with orange ginger biscotti and the combination was perfect. It definitely had me wanting to lick the bowl.

The Sweet Life Cafe is a must try in Martha's Vineyard. The food is fresh, the staff is friendly and the ambiance is lovely. And besides if it's good enough for Mr. President, it should be good enough for you.

Hungry yet?

Blue Caravan

I have been out of town a lot these days so it has been a while since I attended a press dinner. I was fortunate enough to be invited to a delicious press dinner at Blue Caravan, a new UWS modern tapas and global cuisine restaurant. I was immediately impressed when I walked in the restaurant because I entered through the windows! It was a warm day so the full length glass windows were wide open and doubled as a door. The exposed brick in the front area of the restaurant is reminiscent of a lounge. Since I was there on a Monday night, it was a lounge because there was a live band playing enjoyable music at a volume that was not offensive. The calming blue tones through the rest of the restaurant also add a very positive vibe to the restaurant.  When we sat down and I saw the tasting menu, I could hardly contain myself!

The first course of Truffled Mixed Mushroom Bruschetta was out of this world.

This is obviously a treat for mushroom likers or lovers. Yet, even I, a mere accepter of the mushroom, was in love with this dish! I've definitely avoided mushrooms in the past but this bruschetta has me thinking of revisiting my mushroom policy. The bread was toasted but not hard enough to hurt the roof of my mouth. The crunch was perfect with the mushrooms and parmesan.  Our trio of appetizers soon arrived. 

Apparently, they're not offered as a trio but I think it was a great combination.  The Crispy Calamari was definitely the favorite.

It was simply divine! The blood orange & soy reduction that was drizzled over the tender calamari left me yearning for more.  YUM! The Porcini and Sweet Pea Arancini was also delicious.

The smoked eggplant aioli is actually what made it really good. You could really taste the smokiness. I was pleasantly surprised by the Spicy Chicken Skewer.

I NEVER order chicken skewers. I just find them to be so boring and flavorless.  This was anything but boring! Well seasoned with coriander, cumin and galangal the chicken was spectacular on its own. When I dipped it in the tamarind peanut sauce, it was like heaven on earth! After a long break to let all the appetizers settle, our entrees arrived.  We agreed sampling the two options would be the best way to handle the task of continuing to eat.  The Turmeric Salmon arrived first and parked itself right in front of me.

It was placed in coconut milk, turmeric ginger and vegetables.  The first thing I did was use a spoon to scoop up some of the sauce and wowee was it good! It had a sweet and spicy taste which only left me wanting more. The salmon was cooked to perfection. It had a crispy top but was medium in the middle. I thought for sure the salmon was as good as it gets, and then the Pan Seared Magret arrived.

It was served on a bed of wild rice, cranberry raisin and finished with a cherry port glaze.  The duck was out of this world. Duck usually overwhelms me and this was no exception. But I couldn't help it, I just kept going back! There were definitely a few moments I let out light moans of enjoyment because yes, it was just. that. good.  Thinking that I had done all that I could, I started debating whether to walk home or take the subway. That's when I realized dessert was on its way.  As soon as it arrived, there was a hush over our entire table.

The Apple Tart was crispy, warm and sweet. I ate every bite. The Profiterole was also very delicious and it was just enough chocolate to satisfy my craving.  

What a fantastic meal! Blue Caravan is amazing. The restaurant is beautiful, the owner is friendly and the food is magnificent. The blend of small plates and large as well as the global reach of the menu is truly a delight. I recommend heading over there on a warm evening so you can enjoy the open window/door and an added bonus of live music if you go on a Monday.  Apparently they'll also be adding a sidewalk cafe soon so you can enjoy one of the best aspects of summer dining in NYC.

Hungry yet?

Homemade Ravioli Stuffed with Mushroom, Spinach, and Cheese

Homemade pasta is not as easy as it seems! But somehow the head chef, Mr. I, and the sous chefs (Mr. K and I) did it.........

Mr. I started out by mixing wheat flour, all-purpose flour, and olive oil - pretty simple so far.

Next we made a hole into the pasta and cracked the eggs into it...

The flour was (very slowly) folded ontop of the egg to create a thick dough mixture. A bit of water was used when needed...

A rolling pin was used to smooth out and flatten the dough. This looks easy but took a lot of man power!
The flattened out dough was sprinkled with flour and ready to make ravioli out of...

A ravioli press was used to make the pasta shapes, by placing a sheet down and rolling over to seal once stuffed with filling.

Mr. I made the topping/filling which included: ricotta cheese, shredded 5-cheese blend (mozarella, romano, parmesan, provolone, and asiago), mushroom, and spinach.

The sauce was made with: tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, cheese, olive oil, garlic, mushrooms, and various seasonings.

Mr. I made the dish fancy by serving it on a bed of spinach drizzled with olive oil. The stuffed ravioli was extremely filling and tasty, and much more satisfying than eating store made pasta. But also time consuming and tiring, so make sure you have the energy! Mr. I, Mr. K and I all enjoyed every bite of it. Thanks Mr. I for letting me post your creative pasta dish!