Foodie Friday

 The temperature hit 90 degrees this week, and when it's that hot, all I want to do is sit around and eat ice cream.  So I indulged with this dish of froyo from 16 Handles.

Like these pics?  Follow me on Instagram here.

Happy Holiday Weekend!

Pin It Now!

Manzo

On a sunny and hot day a few summers ago, I had the best meal of my life.  I was traveling through Tuscany with my sister and my brother-in-law, and we took a day tour that stopped for lunch at a family farm that ran their own restaurant, cooking the food that they had produced with their own hands on their own land.  They served us plate after colorful plate of fresh fruits, veggies, meats and cheese, and I don't know if it was the Tuscan soil, the Tuscan wine that they served, or the intoxicating view of the hills and valleys before us, but I have never tasted anything so delicious and satisfying in my life.  I may never do so again, but I recently had a meal in the good 'ole US of A that came pretty darn close.

As I mentioned before, S was visiting and she, her brother M, and his friend C met me after work at Eataly.  I know that I've written about Eataly before, and if you haven't yet visited, it is well worth the trip.  A huge Italian food emporium, it also has seven restaurants on site.  We decided to go big or go home, and went to Manzo, its fine dining option.

We had our own little corner to ourselves, and we began with a round of bubbly, which, if you ask me, is always a very good place to start.  

We slowly perused the menu and decided to order at least one thing from each course and share a bit of everything.  We started with the mozzarella with heirloom tomatoes, basil and pancetta. 

If you dine at any of Eataly's restaurants and the mozzarella is on offer, DO NOT pass it up.  They make it fresh in-house and it tastes better than you can even imagine.  As S said, it was like eating a cloud.  

 

After fighting over the last bite, we moved on to our primi pasta course, opting for the gnocchi with spicy tomato sauce and fresh ricotta....
and the parpardelle with braised pork and radicchio (sorry, this one got blurry!).

 

We tried to choose our favorite of the two, but it was too hard, so we gave up and ordered more wine instead.

Next we moved on to secondi. M and S plumped for the ribeye for two with cannellini beans and broccoli rabe...

I'm not usually much of a steak person but this made me reconsider my stance.  It was easily the tastiest cow I've ever encountered.  Tender and juicy and almost painfully good.  And speaking of tasty cows, for his second course, C went for the slow roasted beef rib with spina rossa polenta and barolo vinaigrette...

while I bucked the beef trend and went for the pan seared scallops with pickled ramps and cherry agrodolce.

The scallops were buttery and melted in your mouth and the agrodolce was a delicious complement to the vegetables.  

And since we clearly didn't have enough food on the table at this point, we also ordered a side of the Yukon gold crocchè to share.  

Can you really blame us for not passing up what were basically fried mashed potato fritters?  

At this point, S and I were convinced that we had died and gone to foodie heaven.

Now, I'm sure you're thinking that, after eating all of that amazing food, there was no way that we'd have room for dessert.  If that's the case, you've seriously underestimated us and our ability to just keep eating.  

Don't try this at home kids.   Leave it up to the professionals.  

We started with coffee.  S opted for a classic cappuccino which arrived with a tiny, adorable bucket of sugar cubes....

while the boys and I needed a nightcap and sprung for the Finale Perfetto:  Amaretto, Grey Goose, Café Moka, and Cream.  It was strong, warming despite the fact that it was a cold drink, and tasted like Christmas.  

 Once we had settled into our coffees, the sweets arrived.  First up:   the bomboloni (Italian doughnut holes) with vanilla gelato....

and then:  the cioccolato with hazelnut gelato.  A rich, dense chocolate cake with a crisp chocolate shell and a layer of hazelnut praline at the bottom.

I loved everything about this dessert right down to the presentation.  It looks like the cake is skidding away from the ice cream.  But I don't know why it was in such a hurry to get away; they made a beautiful couple.

After polishing off dessert, we had finally reached the end of our appetites and called it a night, all agreeing that it was one of the best meals we had ever had.  Stop by Eataly and go to Manzo if you get the chance. It's definitely a pricier option but the quality of the food makes it well worth it.  And don't be intimated by the fact that it's called "fine dining"  if you're usually into more casual places.  There is no dress code and the staff is very friendly and unpretentious.  You can make a reservation here, or stop by the Manzo entrance, put your name down, and then wander around the market with a glass of wine in hand, ogling the Italian delicacies while you wait.  There are worse ways to kill time.  

Pin It Now!

Foodie Friday

 One of my favorite things about summer is all the fresh, local produce that's available.  Last weekend, I had this meal of corn on the cob, sliced yellow tomatoes, and yellow, orange, and red peppers with mustard, ranch dressing, and a healthy dose of salt and pepper.  So full of flavor that I didn't even feel the need for any meat.

 

Why don't you hit up your local farmer's market or produce stand this weekend and make dinner all about the fruits and veggies of the season?  It doesn't have to be fancy.  That's another great thing about summer:  no fussiness allowed.

Happy Weekend!

Pin It Now!

Foodie Friday

The Very Berry Mojito from Re:Vive at JFK airport.  Waiting to board a plane is always much more enjoyable with a cocktail in hand.  Here, have a sip...

Happy Weekend!  I hope that it's filled with lots of fruity drinks....

Pin It Now!

Tacombi at Fonda Nolita

S, my ex-work-wife from Boston, recently came to New York for the weekend.  She arrived in the city around 3pm on Friday, and we decided that a late lunch of tacos would be just the thing to wash away the remnants of the long bus trip and hopefully give us some of that being-on-a-Mexican-beach feeling.  We hit up Tacombi at Fonda Nolita, and immediately marveled at the interesting space.  Tables are set up in a colorful, concrete garage that's been strung with fairy lights.

Chefs prepare dishes in an old VW van that has been parked in the middle, a nod to Tacombi's origins as a food truck that sold tacos in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

It was just the sort of casual but unique place that S and I were looking for.  After not seeing each other for a few months, we had so much to catch up on.  It took us forever to actually get around to looking at the menu, but when we finally did, we decided to start with a pitcher of red sangria and guacamole con totopos.

S and I both agreed that the sangria was just average (I usually prefer it to be a bit sweeter and fuller-bodied), but the chips and guac were addicting.  The guacamole was thick and creamy with a little bit of a kick.  After eating way too many of the totopos, we moved on to the tacos.  We often think alike when it comes to food, and we both went for the pork belly taco and the seared Veracruzana fish taco...

and some ceviche with more totopos to share.

For me, the clear winner among the bunch was the ceviche.  The fish tasted so fresh and the lime flavor was very intense and refreshing.  Plus I'm always on board with something when I can dip tortilla chips into it.

As for the tacos, with my love of pork belly, I expected to like that one the best, but I didn't find it all that exciting.  The seared fish version, though, provided the flavor fiesta that I was looking for.

As we ate, S filled me in on all the gossip that's been happening at work as well as her eventful love life.  

At one point, I snuck away to the restroom and discovered that even this space had been decorated in a visually interesting way.  I want one of these sinks in my next apartment.....

and you'll be glad to hear that la Virgen de Guadalupe watched over me to make sure that I washed my hands.

 

I appreciate when restaurants and bars pay attention to the small details, even in restrooms.

As we were finishing our sangria, S's brother joined us and we decided to move on, but not before the requisite photo op outside.

We then set off through the streets of Noho in search of cocktails.  The good thing about going out for a late lunch is that you can just roll right on into Happy Hour without missing a beat.

Pin It Now!

Foodie Friday

I've had a crazy busy work week this week, so I unfortunately didn't get to post what I wanted to, but to make up for it, here's a sneak peak of what's coming up next week.  Hint:  It involves tacos.

Happy Weekend!

Pin It Now!

Foodie Friday

Le Verdure's Malfatti with Barbabietole Rosse (Spinach and Ricotta Dumplings with Roasted Red Beets and Pine Nuts)

This is the way to eat your vegetables.

Happy Weekend!

Pin It Now!