Copper Chimney

A few moons ago, AAA and I attended a press event at Copper Chimney. It was a private affair with a hand selected menu showcasing many of the top dishes at Copper Chimney.  

The lighting wasn't very good so some of these images may be a little more washed out than I would like.  We started with the Tandoori Samosa. 

These mini pockets of heaven were filled with spicy potatoes and peas. They were very flavorful so they didn't require a sauce, but one of the batches may have been baking for a little long because it was a little dry. The Gobi Honey Garlic were one of the surprising treats.  Gobi means Cauliflower in Hindi. The Cauliflower florets were tossed with a multilayered spice blend. They were not hot, just spice filled. Definitely a big fan. Bombay Bhaja was another surprising favorite.

We were served a variety of fritters, onion, eggplant, potato and spinach fried in chickpea batter. The spinach was my favorite and it was spicy, so you know I loved it! The Shrimp Balchao was by far my favorite appetizer.

A spicy blend of onions, tomatoes and curry cooked with red wine -- perfection! I was satisfied with the appetizers and truthfully, if the dinner stopped then, I would have been satisfied and quite impressed. But, thankfully it didn't! 

The entrees were saved in four separate bowls but really I ate them as one.  My favorite was the Lamb Vindaloo.

A tangy and spicy blend of lamb and potatoes. The lamb wasn't as tender as I would have liked, but the flavors were up there with the best vindaloo I've ever had.  The Chana Pindi was also up there on my list.

I don't know when I first fell in love with chickpeas, but it was definitely an India dish that first did it to me. I loved the blend of onion and tomatoes. Allegedly there were pomegranate seeds in there as well, but I don't recall tasting any. The Chicken Tikka Masala was solid.

Nothing spectacular in my mouth, but AAA was a big fan. The Saag Paneer Bhutta was another solid performer.

Spinach and cheese in an onion and tomato curry sauce. The other diners that sat my table were definitely into it and finished their portion quite quickly, but really who am I to judge? Wasn't much left when I finished.  

Copper Chimney gets solid marks from me. The appetizers were great and really opened the palate and set a high bar for the entrees. The entrees met that bar and a few of them even exceeded it. Definitely Indian food worth traveling for. Special thanks to One Source Resource for the invite!

Hungry yet?

Jeanne and Gaston

So about a month ago I received an invitation to dine at a new French restaurant, Jeanne & Gaston. I was super psyched especially because I was able to bring MM with me. The restaurant is inviting with its French windows but the true  gem is out back. They have an outdoor space that was still being built, but will definitely be the site of many under the stars dining experiences this summer.   The inside of the restaurant boasts simple elegant decor. The exposed brick and ceiling tiles add character.

Our dining invitation allowed us to take advantage of the $40 Prix Fixe menu. This is probably the most  generous prix fixe ever.  We were allowed to order any appetizer, entree, and dessert that we wanted. Sweeeet!  We were greeted with a wonderful surprise in the chef's amuse bouche.

Bitter point oysters with sashimi! It was fan-effing-tastic! Seriously, I could have eaten that all night.

Thankfully there were several items on the menu that appealed to me. MM was kind enough to order items I wanted. The Tuna Tartare was fantastic!

Aside from the sushi grade tuna, it was made even more delicious because it was served with wasabi caviar which was the perfect complement.  The Escargot was also an amazing choice.

Not much to look at but truly was parsley heaven! I asked for more bread so I could truly enjoy every last drop.  It wasn't just the parsley either, the little snails were perfectly seasoned which just made for an even better dining experience.

Slimy yet satisfying! MM ordered the Salmon entree.

It definitely wasn't the most exciting menu item, but it was perfectly executed. The ginger and honey mustard emulsion added an unexpected flavor that wasn't decidedly French but still hit the spot. I ordered the Skate Wing special.

I always love ordering the fish special because it's bound to be the freshest item on the menu. This was no different, but unfortunately it suffered from being over salted. The potatoes and spinach were mild and helped neutralize the salt, but I would have liked to take a bite of the skate alone without tasting so much salt.

Of course I was stuffed after dinner but as usual I couldn't turn down dessert. We decided to try the Chocolate soufflé and the Creme brûlée.

The soufflé was fine, but probably would have been better in one of the other flavors that they had. I just wasn't that into it. The creme brûlée was also lacking.

The flavors were right but it likely wasn't chilled enough or there was a little more liquid than there should have been.  It was way too melty.

The food at Jeanne and Gaston definitely makes it a place worth going back to, but there are certain items I'm more willing to recommend than others. I had a chance to sample the Mac and Cheese and I put it high on the must try list!

Rich flavors, crispy bread crumb top, and not too cheesy. Definitely unexpected at a French restaurant but very well done.  As the weather slowly warms up, I recommend you check out Jeanne and Gaston and claim your space in front by the French windows or in the outdoor space.

Hungry yet?

good

I love when my friends visit! When Mr. S, Ms. S and her Mr. K showed up a few weekends ago, I was thrilled.  We had a great time that weekend.  After a very late dinner on Friday, we went down to good for brunch.  We only waited a couple of minutes before we were seated.  That was enough time for us to notice the simple décor, which included photographs of utensils.  Mr. S claims that the furnishings are likely old items from an antique store.  The brunch menu at good is incredibly expansive.  We decided to each order the goodBrunch special.  Mr. K started with the Hand-rolled orange sour cream donuts.

Holey donut!! The donut holes were delicious! They were very sweet, but a delicious natural sweetness thanks to the flavor of the orange.  I was fortunate that Mr. K forgot the other donut when he left so I was able to enjoy it on Monday morning.  For his main course, Mr. K ordered the Basil & Goat Cheese egg scramble.  It was served over sourdough cherry tomatoes, asparagus and pesto. 

Quite the healthy alternative considering he just ordered donuts.  If not for the goat cheese, I probably would have ordered this too.  Ms. S ordered the Savory Cheddar Cornbread.

Yummers! The cheddar was thankfully not overwhelming. The bread was served warm which also added to its deliciousness.  It was crispy and had a little kick baked in.  For her main course, Ms. S ordered the special. Baked Eggs with gruyere and spinach on sourdough bread.

Props to Ms. S for getting through the entire plate. I’m pretty sure she ate half a dozen eggs.  Mr. S ordered the Banana Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast.

He destroyed that beast, but he didn’t quite make it through the bananas.  I ordered the Migas.  It’s scrambled eggs with crisp corn tortillas, onions, peppers & cilantro spicy salsa.  This my friends is a first, I was so caught up in the many plates and glasses on the table that I actually forgot to photograph my own food!  I know, wild.

Truthfully, they didn’t look that great anyway so it’s probably best I didn’t photograph them. Haha.  They tasted alright though. They were a little lacking in kick considering they are supposed to contain spicy salsa.  We also ordered Chicken Sausages.

They were wrinkly but very delicious.  The Spicy Home Fries were excellent.  Not as stewed and tasty as others, but they were still an excellent compliment to the other items on the table.

Good was great! Having my friends in town is always such a treat and the way we eat it’s even better!

Hungry yet?

Friendsgiving 2011

It's the most wonderful time of the year! The Super Bowl of cooking is here! Thanksgiving is the BEST holiday EVER! I love my family and spending Thanksgiving with them is fantastic.  But, I also love my friends. So this year, I decided to get the best of both worlds by hosting a Friendsgiving a few weeks before Thanksgiving.  It was an awesome treat for me because I love cooking, eating, and hosting.  I tried a couple of new recipes, but also had many oldies but goodies in the mix.  I think there was something wrong with my camera, or perhaps I just got too excited about the food that I didn't get a chance to take a picture of certain dishes.  The recipe posts will hopefully come later, although last year I never got around to posting the recipes.  Without further ado, below are some of the delicious treats that were part of the feast.

The appetizer selection included two types of wings. Spicy BBQ on the right and Jerk Wings on the left.

Mr. N got quite the shock when he took a bite of the Jerk Wings without realizing what he was getting himself into.  I was patting myself on the back for the quality of these Crab Cakes.

I must have been patting with both hands, because I didn't remember to take a photo after they were plated.  le sigh. I will say the Marylanders approved so I must have done something right :) The Shrimp Dumplings were also a hit.

Ms. O was kind enough to construct and fry these crispy delicious bites. She also mixed the accompanying sauce which was terrific.  After the appetizers, the many parts of the main course were served. It's not Friendsgiving without the Turkey!

This one was Honey Brined and fall off the bone good. Cooking turkey in a bag is really the way to go. I also served Drumsticks with peppers and onions.

Ms. H was convinced this was sausage....I guess the peppers threw her for a loop.  To compete with the poultry, I also served Salmon.

Whole Foods was having a sale on Coho Salmon that week, so once Mr. M mentioned it, I decided to incorporate it into the menu.  I think most will agree that the sides are truly the stars of Thanksgiving. This was definitely the case at Friendsgiving.  By far the most popular was the Sweet Potato.

I served one with marshmallow topping and the other with streusel. I didn't get a chance to photograph the streusel so I'm using a photo from last year.

There were plenty of debates through the night about which was best.  I think a little bit of both is the way to go.  For those who only enjoy the classics, I also served Mashed Potatoes.

I was afraid I wouldn't have enough carbs so I made two pastas.  The Baked Mac and Cheese was a hit, primarily because of the potato bread crumbled on top.

The lasagna also got a lot of love, but unfortunately none from the camera.  Here's a picture from last year.

I can't make pasta without also including rice, so of course some Jollof Rice was absolutely necessary.

And by some, I mean 8 cups of rice.  We also had quite the bounty of vegetables.  Two types of spinach. Creamed and Sauteed.

The Sauteed Spinach was one of the last items to come out so unfortunately no photograph.  Similarly the Broccoli and Cheese was still in the oven when I put my camera down. I did capture the Collard Greens which were slow cooked for about 6 hours.

I'm definitely using that recipe again!  As though those weren't enough greens, Ms. O also fixed a delicious salad!

All that food took a lot more time than I anticipated so I could only offer one homemade dessert.  Pumpkin Ginger Cheesecake! This year, it didn't crack.

Thankfully my guests brought plenty of dessert...

Seriously a lot of dessert...

I'm not kidding when I say a lot...

It really was a lot!

This Friendsgiving day feast was everything I hoped for and more. Ms. O was an amazingly awesome sous chef in so many ways. I am incredibly blessed to have such great people in my life and I hope this Thanksgiving you also Count Your Blessings...

Hungry yet?

Barbounia

A long while ago, I met up with the ladies for a brunch “class.” With our crazy schedules, it had been a while since we got together. We selected Barbounia, a Mediterranean restaurant with lots of fantastic brunch options on the menu.  The restaurant is located on lower Park Ave. close to Union Square.  It has high ceilings and a variety of seating options. We selected the high tables to the right of the entry way.  Our meal started with an incredible loaf of bread.

The bread was steaming hot. The crust was lightly seasoned with salt and herbs.  Although the crust was hard enough to need the knife, the bread melted in my mouth because it was so soft on the inside.  The ladies selected a variety of dishes.  The Sweet Italian Sausage Omelette was a favorite at the table.

Aside from the sausage, it was filled with roasted peppers and goat cheese.  It was definitely delicious because there wasn’t a crumb left on the plate.  Ms. A ordered the Poached Eggs Barbounia.

Quite the presentation of eggs on an English Muffin with spinach, grilled tomato and yogurt sauce.  The Crab Benedict was also pretty popular.

Jumbo lump crabmeat with spinach and truffle oil. I ordered the Spinach Omelette.

It was filled with caramelized onions and fresh mozzarella. I loved it! The spinach was fresh and tasted remarkable with the mozzarella.  The potatoes were well seasoned and slightly spiced.  The salad was well dressed and provided balance to the plate.  We also had a couple of spices added to our table. They helped bring out more of the flavors of each dish.

Overall Barbounia was quite the success.  Put it on your list, especially if you’re looking for an AYCD brunch.

Hungry yet?