A great way to ring in the Memorial Day weekend last week: the Maine-style lobster roll from Red Hook Lobster Pound.
Happy Weekend!
Friday, May 29, 2015
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Spring in New York
I hope that you all had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. While I realize that many consider it to be the unofficial start of summer, let's hold off on 90 degree days and trips to the beach until I tell you about spring in New York. Spring often feels like a rushed and underappreciated season, so let's take a moment to enjoy it.
Like many places in the Northeast, the city is a dreary place in the winter. All greyness, dirty slush, howling wind, and bitter cold. However, in the last month, with the arrival of warmer temperatures, it feels like New York has finally awakened after a long slumber. There's a palpable energy in the air that definitely wasn't present in January.
The warm sunlight makes the buildings sparkle, the avenues seem more full of adventure, and you can't help but fall more in love with this place.
And then there are the blossoms.
A welcome reminder that nature can still thrive amid all that concrete and steel.
Summer's all well and good, but Spring, please don't feel like you have to rush away so soon.
Like many places in the Northeast, the city is a dreary place in the winter. All greyness, dirty slush, howling wind, and bitter cold. However, in the last month, with the arrival of warmer temperatures, it feels like New York has finally awakened after a long slumber. There's a palpable energy in the air that definitely wasn't present in January.
Friday, May 15, 2015
Thursday, May 14, 2015
Otto
On a recent, warm Wednesday evening, the other Rebecca and I made an after-work trip to Otto, an enoteca and pizzeria owned by Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich. Upon arrival, you enter the restaurant through the enoteca portion, where you can grab a place at the bar or stand at tables and enjoy antipasti and wine.
Bottles of vino encircle the columns that stand around the room, giving the effect that the place is literally held up by wine (an idea that I can get behind).
R and I were more in the mood for a leisurely dinner though, so we proceeded through to the main dining room. Its red and black walls are eye-catching and unexpected, and along with the gleaming wooden tables, they give Otto a vibrant atmosphere that is sophisticated but still friendly.
We had the place largely to ourselves when we first sat down, but, as the evening went on, it filled up quickly and bustled with life. Since R and I were celebrating a few things (the end of a particularly stressful time at work and my one-year anniversary of living in New York), we started things off by ordering a bottle of wine.
We went for the Flor Rosé Spumante, which turned out to be a great choice for the warm day that it was. Dry, crisp, and bubbly.
It also paired really well with the food. We began on a virtuous note, with the baby spinach, ricotta, and truffle honey salad...
and the cauliflower alla siciliana.
The cauliflower, which was flavored with herbs, lemon juice, olives, capers and olive oil, was very good, but for me, the real standout was the salad. The combination of ricotta and truffle honey gave the greens some depth and an almost nutty taste that made them much more satisfying than your usual run-of-the-mill spinach salad.
Up next was the pizza, of course. We decided to keep it classic and split the Margherita D.O.P.--tomato sauce, bufala mozzarella, and basil.
The thin crust kept things light while the tangy basil provided a burst of flavor that perfectly complemented the mozzarella.
We made quick work of the pizza, but there was still wine to be had and stories to share, so we clearly had to order dessert. I had checked out the menu earlier in the day, and the Black & White had caught my eye. I wouldn't shut up about it for the rest of the afternoon so R kindly agreed to share it with me.
I don't think that either one of us regretted that decision.
Behold: perfection in dessert form:
A layer of milk chocolate chip gelato topped with a layer of creme fraiche gelato, topped with hazelnut croccante (brittle), chocolate sauce and caramel crema.
This was the best part of an already delicious meal for me, and honestly, I think it may have been one of my top 5 desserts...ever. It was that good. I'm getting all hot and bothered just thinking about it again.
If you're in the mood for delicious Italian food (there's pasta on the menu too), I'd highly recommend a trip to Otto, and it would be a good idea to make a reservation, since it definitely got very busy as the night went on. Round up some friends, order plenty of wine and a bit of everything on the food menu, and share!
Buon appetito!
Bottles of vino encircle the columns that stand around the room, giving the effect that the place is literally held up by wine (an idea that I can get behind).
We had the place largely to ourselves when we first sat down, but, as the evening went on, it filled up quickly and bustled with life. Since R and I were celebrating a few things (the end of a particularly stressful time at work and my one-year anniversary of living in New York), we started things off by ordering a bottle of wine.
and the cauliflower alla siciliana. 
Up next was the pizza, of course. We decided to keep it classic and split the Margherita D.O.P.--tomato sauce, bufala mozzarella, and basil.
The thin crust kept things light while the tangy basil provided a burst of flavor that perfectly complemented the mozzarella. 
I don't think that either one of us regretted that decision.
Behold: perfection in dessert form:
This was the best part of an already delicious meal for me, and honestly, I think it may have been one of my top 5 desserts...ever. It was that good. I'm getting all hot and bothered just thinking about it again.
If you're in the mood for delicious Italian food (there's pasta on the menu too), I'd highly recommend a trip to Otto, and it would be a good idea to make a reservation, since it definitely got very busy as the night went on. Round up some friends, order plenty of wine and a bit of everything on the food menu, and share!
Buon appetito!
Friday, May 8, 2015
Friday, May 1, 2015
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