Jean Georges's Eggs

Let the angels sing from above! The answer to my prayers has been answered all thanks to Jean George Vongerichten. I was browsing through Bon Appetit's website and came across a video instructing egg lovers such as myself how to properly make fluffy, soft scrambled eggs.

Here is the video.

Here is what I had been doing wrong: everything. I had been scrambling the eggs before, I had been putting milk in them, I had poured the mixture into a hot pan and let them sit, I had mixed them around with a wooden spoon and then dumped them on my English muffin.

Here is what I did right: I used completely different tools - a sauce pan and a whisk. I put the three eggs into the sauce pan, turned on the heat, added my butter and whisked my little heart away. My hand got tired so I switched and tried to whisk with my left hand. I am right handed. Let's just say there are remains of eggs splattered on our kitchen wall. I will become an ambi-whisker! When the eggs began to curdle I removed them from the heat, whisked a few more seconds and poured onto my English  muffin. Yes I had breakfast for dinner. And what I got was pure perfection of fluffiness and love.

So all I have to say is thank you Bon Appetit and Jean Georges. You are both egg-cellent.

Mercadito

Hola!
J, D, and I went to see Pat Hull perform last evening. Super amazing. While we watched at the Caffe Vivaldi I snacked on the pecan pie and a glass of red wine. Oh jeeze. When I type it out like that I feel like such a fatty. At least I ran today. 2 whole miles! What up now?

Before the show J and I sat around the area waiting for D to show up so we could eat. Slowly we slipped into the 'hangry zone'. Please note, this is not a safe place to be. Our maturity level dropped to that of a 5th grader as we whined and complained about our hungry bellies. Side affects of being hangry include said drop in maturity, snappiness, delusions of food, shortness of temper, inability to actually pick a genre of food you want and so much more. After D finally arrived we wandered like the hungry fools that we were and came across Mercadito.

AND it was our first meal outside on the sidewalk. Welcome spring time!

I recently read an article in the Wall Street Journal,"How Waiters Read Your Table", and found it so fascinating. I immediately identified myself as the patron who attempts to connect and form a relationship with my waiter. This waiter made that very difficult. So I went to the extreme to make a joke and get a smile from him. When he asked "Does anyone have any allergies?" I replied, "I'm allergic to bad food".  He smiled (YES), and said that we had nothing to worry about. Yup, I'm that patron. The one that servers pull straws for. We'll call me the 'short straw patron'.

Here's the menu!
I had red wine sangria.  Duh.
It was quite tasty, topped off with cinnamon it was a 'multiple sensory experience' as J puts it.

Mango Guacamole with Chips
(note: I am not a chip person, I gravitate toward sweet rather then salty (you're and idiot if you haven't picked that up by now), but these chips were very tasty! Light and crispy they held the guac nicely. It was just impossible to actually get the guac on the chip. We had to help each other with chips in hand to top the chip. First world problems)

Corn Masa Quesadillas: one of each with chihuahua-oaxaca cheeses, mahi mahi, shrimp, wild mushrooms, tomatillo salsa, crema fresca

Pastor: ancho-guajillo rubbed pork, grilled pineapple, chile de árbol salsa

Carne: rosemary marinated skirt steak, potato-poblano rajas, avocado-tomatillo crema, crispy manchego

We all shared but each gravitated toward the one we ordered (me, pastor). Food was delicious. Tapas sizes and easy to share.

3

Salumeria Rosi

Mama and Papa Hippo came to town. So where does one go with their loving parents but Salumeria Rosi.While we sipped on campari's the waiter guided us through the menu. It was a little overwhelming with all of the Italian. Luckily I am fluent in the language of pointing and guessing so we were fine. By the time we finished our aperitifs we moved on to a red wine. It was Italian, that's all I know. Here is the culinary journey we immersed ourselves in:

Selezione del Salumiere - we got a board full of many meats. Salami, mortadella, prosciutto etc. I'll have to check with Papa Hippo on this one. He was very excited for the meats.

Pontormo

Chef Cesare's signature salad of a soft scrambled egg, guanciale, pancetta, and market greens.

Porchetta

Porchetta sandwich with provolone, N.Y. pickles and Calabrese bomba sauce.

Lasagna

Famous lasagna with pork and beef ragu and béchamel sauce.
(do it)

Gnocchi

Hand-rolled fresh sweet potato gnocchi with sage, roasted garlic and Pecorino Romano D.O.P.
(We also got the gnocchi of the day...maybe there was fennel involved? This is why we write things down. Oh well)

Pepolino

Artisanal pasta with Cesare's Mamma's pomarola sauce thyme and fresh Pecorino Romano D.O.P.

Panna Cotta

Seasonal panna cotta with fruit

Budino Di Pane

Bread pudding of the day (yesssssssssss)

Torta Di Ricotta

Italian ricotta cheesecake with whipped cream

The Lasagna and Gnocchi were superb. Everything is served on little dishes or one or to share with your group. We split everything and were quite full at the end of our meal. This is when I'm happy I live in NYC and can walk everywhere rather then get in a car and have a ball of food ruminating in my intestine. Chef Cesare Casella was not in the restaurant but the smell of rosemary was ever present as sprigs were tucked in our napkins upon our arrival. The black, reflective walls provided an intimate ambiance with an odd sculpture of Italy ominously hugging the center of the ceiling and the center wall. I could see returning to get a light pick-me-up dish or two. And the bread pudding.

4

Mug Eggs

SPOTTED. Ok, so it's an ad in my Martha Stewart Everyday Food magazine. Please see previous post to note the relevance of this discovery.

Mug Brownie

At a recent party my roommate and I were engaged in two separate conversations one right after the other about preparing food in mugs. The first conversation consisted of an enthusiastic recommendation to do 'mug brownies'. I, the skeptic, was...skeptical. Then J and I moved over to the snack table where a skulking blond told us she prepares 'mug eggs' sometimes. J politely said, okay as I twisted my face in disgust and exclaimed, how in god's name does that work. I love my eggs to much to subject them to the death rays of the microwave. And she didn't know how it worked, but it worked. Agree to disagree, 'lady who is guarding the snack table'.

Today I visited chowhound.com during lunch and up pops this video about 'mug brownies'. Now after this intense discussion at the party I had to know...does it work? So I grabbed a post-it, scrabbled down the instructions, visited the grocery store on the way home, and made it. Like the video states, it's not a true brownie but definitely an easy and quick chocolate solution. Here is the recipes I followed:

From Chowhound

Difficulty: Easy | Total Time: 3 minutes | Active Time: 2 minutes | Makes: 1 brownie

This makes a delicious brownie for one in about a minute. I used a 1500 watt microwave. 60 seconds makes a molten center brownie. 75 seconds make a uniformly done brownie. Careful not to overcook.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 Tbs vegetable oil
• 2 Tbs water
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• dash salt
• 4 Tbs granulated sugar
• 2 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
• 4 Tbs all purpose flour

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a 12 oz coffee mug, add water, oil and vanilla. Whisk well.
2. Add cocoa powder, whisk well. Add sugar, whisk well. Add flour, whisk well.
3. Microwave for 60 to 90 seconds. Center should be slightly molten. Careful not to overcook.
4. Enjoy with a spoon. Careful brownie will be hot.

I actually only added 3 Tbs of sugar and 2 Tbs of flour and it was fine. And I cheated and used a bowl. As you can see I added my peanut butter ice cream and whipped cream. I like sugar, what can I say? So now friends, when at your next party you can say with much certainty that yes, the mug brownie does work. Mug eggs? I'll get back to you on that one.

Arepas Cafe

I was introduced to the most delicious arepas today. My friend who is a fellow food lover brought me to Arepas Cafe in Astoria. She had been here before and suggested that we each get our own arepa and split a third one. She also recommended the Tajadas con Queso (plantains). So after much deliberating here is what we ordered:

Her: Guayanesa Tropical - Guayanes cheese, fried sweet plantains and avocados

Moi: Arepa Pabellon - Shredded beef, black bean, fried sweet plantains, sprinkled with aged white cheese

Shared: Mi Amor - Venezuelan roast pork with cheddar cheese

After our order was placed our waiter returned to tell us that they were out of plantains and suggested Mini Cachapas ( (5 Bite Size) Sweet Fresh Corn Pancake with Venezuelan Melted Cheese). We said ok and a few minutes later we saw the last plate of plantains pass our table and proceeded to be placed down at the table behind us. It was only embarrassing when the waiter caught us both staring the other customers down for ordering our appetizer. Damn their eyes! But then we received our little plate of cachapas and it was pure heaven. Little disks of corn topped with a soft cheese and yogurt sauce for topping it all off. The waiter subtly waited behind the bar watching us to see our reaction and laughed when we both bit in and giggled with joyous happiness.

Looking at the arepas one may think, sure I can eat 2+. I'm telling you right now, you are wrong. They are filling and pack a mean punch to your belly. I left full. I am excited to return and try other arepas because there are definitely more combinations that sounds tasty. This little cafe is right off of the 36th ave stop on the N/Q right near the Museum of Moving Image and a delightful shop we discovered called SITE. Also my friend pointed out the beer garden at Studio Space which will be visited this summer along with the Astor Room.

3 out of 5