Super Bowl XLIII

Super Bowl XLIII feast at Erik, Rebecca and Sean's. Per custom, regional foods from the teams' cities are represented. Primanti Bros. style sandwiches were made to order by Chef Mooney.

Pittsburgh should be in the Super Bowl every year! DMR and I shared a pastrami and provolone, with the usual fixins: fries, cole slaw, lettuce and tomato. Yummmmmm.

Teriyaki wings by Jen and my pigs in the blanket to the right. Neither have anything to do with Pittsburgh or Arizona, but who doesn't like to eat them? I made a batch with cheddar, but most of the cheddar oozed out during the cooking. That did make for some tasty crispy bits to snack on during the baking.

Representing Arizona was Erza's Barry Goldwater's chili from and "mediocre" Mexican that Erik cooked up. Middle of the road is put in quotes because I think that's how it was originally described, but I thought Erik's tacos were tasty!

Sandwiches in Central Park

I had a lunch date with Margo and her brood at the park. She picked up sandwiches from Bouchon Bakery. I had told her to surprise me and she did it right with wagyu brisket sandwich with arugula, ricotta salata, parsley pesto and aioli from Bouchon Bakery. The cheese was especially delicious. Sometimes I find ricotta salatas too salty, but this was much milder and also not as crumbly in texture.

miscellaneous photos from france relating to food

Room service breakfast. That there's a glass of jus de pamplemousse. The Europeans really do their juice right. I also liked the way my fruit was cut in a uniform dice.


I would like to spotlight the yogurt from my breakfast, which in addition to being delicious as it was not overly sweet, came in an adorable glass container.


Jambon and gruyere on a baguette from a boulangerie in the old town. A perfect sandwich.


I went to the Monoprix to buy some snacks to go along with my ham and cheese sandwich. I love going to markets in other countries to see what is offered on their shelves. Here we have some hermetically sealed headcheese and a ready-to-go choucroute platter. These did not make the cut. I got some chips and cookies instead.



Picked up some macarons from L'atelier Jean Luc Pele. The guy behind the counter was not very friendly and I was too scared to take photos inside the store. He also shortchanged me 10 Euros. I was 10 steps outside the door when I realized so I was able to get my money back. He handed me my money a little too quickly, which made me wonder if he did it on purpose. Anyway, the jerkiness is worth enduring as these things are delicious and addictive with the most wonderful chewy-crisp texture. They are also expensive as hell and do not travel well. The ones I had purchased totally shrunk overnight or on the plane or a combination of both and the colors lost their vibrancy. Still they made for a nice gift for my parents and nieces.


My last meal in Cannes was via room service as I was too tired to go out. Got a cheese plate and a nicoise salad, which were washed down with a beer I got a stand in the festival hall earlier in the day. The butter they gave me is apparently fancy-schmancy. It's an A.O.C. product and served at places like Le Bernardin. Ooh la la.

Soup and Sandwich at Wichcraft

Potato cheddar soup with parsley oil and half a chicken salad with walnuts, roasted tomatoes, pickled red onions and frisée on multigrain bread studded with lots and lots of seeds from 'Wichcraft on 46th St between 5th and Madison.

I can't help but feel really healthy when I eat multigrain bread.

Day trip to Carluccio's aka Oda's Birthday Part IPlus, a Cheese Plate

For part one of Oda's birthday day of eating, we visited Carluccio's in Bensonhurst for some heroes. This sandwich shop is located on a block mostly occupied by specialty food shops. There's a Lioni meat store, a Lioni's latticini and then Carluccio's. I have no idea where that name comes from because their eight page menu reads Lioni Brooklyn Italian Hero's [sic]. The tiny shop is filled with Italian food staples - from dried pasta to a variety of olives, fresh mozzarella from their latticini next door and breads, as well as, of course, the neighborhood locals.

Though I studied the menu in the car, I still had no idea what I wanted to order. Moments after we walked in, I was further thrown off by all the signboards and the Frankie Valli that began flowing from the store's speakers. Dave and Jen, being old pros, didn't need much time to put in their orders. Dan and I hemmed and hawed before deciding on two sandwiches to split:

#16 - The Phil Rizzuto "Holy Cow It's Good"
Roast beef, Lioni fresh mozzarella, lettuce, mayo, salt and black pepper

#139 - Doo Wopper Hero "Your 1950's Early 60's Doo Wop"
Prosciutto di Parma, cappicolla, sopressata, fresh mozzarella, provolone, bruschetta and balsamic vinegar.

Yes, all sandwiches (all 150 of them) are named after someone from Brooklyn or who has something to due with Italian culture and come with their own tag line. Our #139 was one of a handful not named after a person. So in addition to the Scooter, you can order the #132 Paul LoDuca (featuring banana peppers and the house basil mix), the #61 Tony Danza (Sicilian salami, cappy, fresh mozz and dressing) or the #95 Ann Bancroft which features of all things, olive loaf! The menu is definitely required reading, just don't do it in the car or you'll get nauseous like I did.

While we waited for our heroes to be created, I noshed on a piece of Italian bread with some of the aforementioned bruschetta topping from a platter that was put out at the register. The topping, featuring tomatoes, fresh herbs, bits of Parmigiano-Reggiano and pine nuts, made for an excellent sandwich condiment. I imagine the basic mix is made from the same blend of ingredients, minus the tomatoes.

Though it was a little nippy outside, we decided to eat at the picnic table in front of the store instead of inside the car.


Moments before the unwrapping:


Close-up of the Phil Rizzuto:


Extreme close-up of the Doo Wopper after I took a bite:


Little Henry eyes the prize:


And once again, it's a near miss as Dave pulls the deliciousness away at the last second:


The Doo Wopper was the winner of the afternoon, with its two types of cheeses and bruschetta mix. I found the roast beef to be underseasoned. A drizzle of balsamic and maybe some of that basil mix would have done wonders for it. I was stuffed and I still had 1/3 of my Doo Wopper plus 1/2 minus three bites of the roast beef left over. Dan had his half of the roast beef left over as well. We ate those leftovers for the course of the next two days! The next morning, I polished off the rest of the Doo Wopper. For lunch I panini pressed the roast beef after adding Maldon salt (which I've recently become obsessed with and need to sprinkle on everything, black pepper, sweet red peppers and balsamic vinegar. The following evening, I did the same with Dan's half of the roast beef and made an antipasto plate to accompany it and we had a dinner for two!


Clockwise from 1 o'clock: Parmigiano-Reggiano, Jasper Hill Bayley Hazen Blue, Pecorino Pepato, dry cured sausage, Peppadew peppers, cornichons and in the middle a round of soft Italian cheese.

Brunch at Le Pain Quotidien

Le Pain Quotidien is a chain that touts organic products and a homey vibe. The tables are rustic and many of them communal. All this comes at a premium. DMR and I ate at the one on Madison Avenue, on the Upper East Side, a section of town we are hardly ever in. Dan actually worked in this neighborhood for a few years when he first moved to New York. I don't know how he remained sane riding an overcrowded 4/5 train and dodging the uppity masses on a daily basis. Sorry if you live on the UES, but damn if it isn't one of the ickiest parts of New York.

Sometimes on my way to work, I'll pop into the Le Pain Quotidien near Bryant Park that recently opened up and grab a cheese danish or organic blueberry muffin to go. Prior to this meal, I had eaten at an LPQ just once. It wasn't a meal, but breakfast, actually a breakfast meeting/interview that went pretty terribly for me. In retrospect, I'm glad I wasn't hired and got a nice laugh a few months later when I found out they were trying to get me back in for another interview.

I ordered a single soft boiled egg and Dan got the grilled chicken and smoked mozzarella tartine. We both got individual pots of coffee as well, into which we stirred in organic sugar and drank out of latte bowls. My lone egg was served with rectangles of house breads and expensive as hell - $4, I think. Dan's sandwich came as a surprise to both of us. Neither of us expected it to be cold or open-faced, much less both.




The tartine was good, but not really the type of sandwich you'd want to eat cold. It came with some cucumber and radish slices, and cornichons, all three of which are excellent sandwich accompaniments. A big plus for them there. We shared a large order of fruit salad, which in the photo looks pretty handsome. Unfortunately, two-thirds of the bowl was mostly melon.



Dan got an underwhelming chocolate croissant for dessert. For $3.50 we expected more than a nib of chocolate. We also didn't expect our request to have it heated up be met with a reply of, "We can't do that here."

Introducing for the first time: DeCoursy's Sidecar

Before delving into the monumental caloric intake from the trip down South, a little post to tip our hat to DeCoursy's Sidecar (560 5th Ave between 15th and 16th).

We've been waiting for this bar/restaurant to open for a while now and it's finally time! Run by our friend Bart (ex-O'Connor's) and his brother Johnny (who I believe used to man the raw bar at Blue Ribbon Brooklyn), Sidecar is making us regret our move to Clinton Hill. Ok, not really, but it'd be great to still live within a 10 minute walk of this place.

Over the weekend the DeCoursy brothers opened the doors to friends and family for a little soft pre-launch. There may not be a classier joint around.

Exterior shot with their fantastic hanging signage.

I started with a few malpeques, which were served with this delicious cucumber mignonette that I wanted to slurp down like a shot of vinegary gazpacho. Don't mind the large ice cubes - I heard the ice crusher was down.

DMR and I then tackled a BLT soup - greens, tomato and bacon in a chicken based stock topped with crouton with a dollop of aioli. Incredibly, Johnny said he had only one order for it the previous night! WTF? I wish we had each ordered one!

DMR went with a burger and I was about to order the Vietnamese pork sandwich, but then my mouth opened and "fried chicken" came out. The meat was tender and juicy and the crust nicely seasoned and crunchy. I was a big fan of the "succotash" served on the side, and not just because of the pieces of bacon that were sauteed along with the vegetables. That's root mash as the other side.

I obviously liked my chicken. It was a hearty portion of drumstick, thigh and breast and I ate it all (with a little help from DMR on the thigh which I had saved for last).
The diet starts tomorrow!!!

Dessert was peach cobbler and despite my allergy to stone fruit, I dug in. I had to stop once my mouth started getting super itchy, but those few bites were totally worth it! I imagine desserts will be changed up regularly.

Although they are still awaiting their liquor license (very soon is the word), Sidecar is officially opening its doors tomorrow. Their house cocktails, which we'll write about once the bar starts rolling, will include old-timey standards like the Moscow Mule, Pimm's Cup and of course the Sidecar, as well as some new ones concocted by Bart. Until then, it's still certainly worth it to stop by for the food and to plug some quarters into one of the finest jukeboxes around (or an original Spy Hunter arcade game if that's your speed). The DeCoursys have poured a lot of love and soul into the place and the thoughtful little touches mean a lot to a nitpicker like me! I knew it was a good sign when we sat down at "Johnny's Bar" (aka the bar in front of the kitchen) to eat and there was a hook for my bag. Oh, and the bathrooms boast the XLERATOR, the greatest hand dryer ever known to man.

DeCoursy's Sidecar
560 5th Ave between 15th and 16th
Brooklyn, USA

Today's Lunch: Homefront Deli

The office where I work is in this weird food zone. Lots of mega-delis making sandwiches with pre-sliced meat, overpriced (but tasty) chains (I'm looking at you Pret-A-Manger)and high-end go-with-an-expense-account or a-friend-with-an-expense-account restaurants. Not a lot of other options. I frequently get some sort of Japanese on the strip of 41st St, between Madison and 5th, but I think I've overdone it because lately all I'm craving are sandwiches of the non-Asian persuasion. My favorite place to get such sandwiches is the Homefront Deli.

I finally pulled the trigger on the Homefront Deli a few weeks ago. The neon oaktag squares taped onto the front window, on which the specials and specialties were hand written have always intrigued me but I stayed away without any sort of reasonable explanation. I started with an egg sandwich one morning. It was exactly what I wanted - which is one egg with bacon on a squishy roll with black pepper and hot sauce. I feel like most delis really overdo it with the egg. When I order one egg, I just want one egg. Even better, give me a fried egg! I eventually made the leap to lunch, where I started with a cheeseburger and onion rings. The burger was a fine deli/diner burger and the onion rings were awesome in that Burger King onion ring sort of way, which is totally a compliment in my book.

I've also had the grilled chicken over feta salad, which is what I wanted today, only the cold line was four times as long as the hot line, so I opted for something from the grill instead. I got the grilled chicken with lettuce, tomato and steak sauce on a roll. They also threw in some super thinly sliced onions, which normally would have offended me and also given me a headache. I took most of them off, but left a couple rings on for extra flavor. Usually when onions are sliced really thin, they don't bother me. The sandwich was solid, but the fries I ordered to accompany were not. They were disappointingly undercooked and soggy. I picked out about 6 fries that had some sort of crispness to them and threw out the rest. Next time I'll ask for them well done.

Todaya's Lunch: Delices de Paris

While I do love my fair share of sandwiches overstuffed with cured, poly-syllabic meats or completely drenched in red sauce, I'm also a fan of simpler fare like a jambon baguette. I love the combination of soft, creamy butter and thinly sliced ham on a crusty baguette. I used to get these regularly at Balthazar when I worked one of my myriad jobs in the Soho area. Recently I found a place in my neighborhood that serves a pretty formidable jambon baguette - Delicies de Paris. The sandwiches run a little on the small side, since their baguettes are skinnier than I'm accustomed to, but that's probably all for the better. Both sides of bread are spread with butter. Then they lay on a couple slices of ham and Gruyere. A few halved grape tomatoes and chopped romaine lettuce are placed atop and dressed with an olive oil based vinaigrette. Tasty.

I never really noticed this place until I ran into a neighbor on 5th Avenue with a baguette tucked under his arm and inquired about its origins. 9th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues is just one of those blocks I don't traffic much. There are three gyms in the vicinity (NYSC, Curves and the Y). That's probably why I stay away.

Cornichons on Sandwiches

I've had a couple sandwiches in the past week that have contained (is that the right word) cornichons. Why has it take me 30 years to try this? Two Saturdays ago, prior to a bocce match (once again, our opponents failed to show up), DMR and I picked up a couple sandwiches at Tazza. I wish this place existed on our block. The menu features reasonably priced rusticy sandwiches, a half dozen or so salads and a variety of dolci. DMR went with turkey and cranberry on a baguette, while I opted for ham, swiss and cornichons. They were generous with the ham and cheese, and the mini pickles provided a tartness with each bite. The coffee wasn't so bad either!

A few days later, I found myself at 5th Avenue and Union Street after an appointment with Gentle Dental. I was headed to game one of the NLCS and considering my options for food to bring to the game. I passed by Bierkraft and was lured in by a sign on their southern door which offered a free bag of Zapps chips with a made-to-order sandwich. I wasn't even aware that Bierkraft made sandwiches, but I guess I hadn't been by in some time because the layout of the store had been rearranged as well. You can pick a meat and cheese, along with a variety of spreads and toppings. I went with some hot salami and a soft cheese called Torta Ambrose (the latter being the proprietoress' recommendation). The horseradish cream they spread on both halves of soft Portuguese roll was full of big shreds of the root which provided a nice bit of heat. Instead of lettuce, tomato or even roasted red peppers, I went with some cornichons, which were sliced into tiny discs by the dude behind the counter. The chips turned out to be a dud (Sour Cream and Creole Onion - too salty), but the sandwich hit the spot.

Yesterday and Today's Breakfast: 'wichcraft / Our Daily Bread

Has it been over a week since we've written? It's been a little tough between computers dying, avoiding being laid off and apartment hunting. The good news is that yours truly still has her job and the CLC signed a lease on a new apartment yesterday. The news is that I'm on an IBM at work now, which I'm really not a fan of, especially since the H key sticks.

So yesterday I was craving an egg sandwich, but not a run of the mill one from the corner deli. I had recently ordered from 'wichcraft (see the previous entry) and was tantalized by a couple of their breakfast offerings, most prominently, the egg, frisee, bleu cheese and bacon on ciabatta. Holy cow, what a wonderful mix of deliciousness! It was a fantastic sandwich, though I could have maybe done without the frisee as I'm not much of a fan of warm lettuces since the heat causes them to wilt. I loved that the egg must have been cooked in a ringmold and though the yolks were hard, there was that spot of darker yellow in the center which I just love. It's the moment right before the yolks completely solidify which leaves them a bit moist and not as crumbly. Along with my breakfast, I ordered a lentil soup to eat later for lunch. I wasn't expecting a mostly pureed soup, but man, was it tasty. The broth was rich and tangy and there were bits of lentils and their outer skins. Unlike most people, I like the texture of legume and vegetable skins (chickpeas, tomatos, etc...). I don't know why.

For breakfast this morning, I hit the wonderful greenmarket in Union Square Park and picked up a cheddar and green onion scone at the Our Daily Bread stand. I've been eyeing this scone for some time since it's among the few savory breakfast options at the market. At $1.25, it's a great bargain and alternative to sweet breads. The dough is studded with cheddar shreds that have retained their shape in the heat, as well as finely cut rings of scallion. It took me two and a half hours to finish the scone, and that was even with my coworker taking a piece of it!

Today's Lunch: 'wichcraft

I like Tom Colicchio even though sometimes he came off rather assy on Top Chef. I've never eaten at any of his culinary ventures which is surprising considering I love sandwiches. Not that he's all about sandwiches, but sandwiches are what I'm all about! The ordering system is a little too techy for little ol' fashioned-me. It's all automated via the interweb and a co-worker who dared to order via the phone once never got his food!

Today was definitely a soup kind of day, but just soup is never enough for me, unless it's something hearty like an Asian noodle soup. So I went with a ham, butter and avocado baguette to go along with my potato soup. The website insisted it was potato-cheddar, but I didn't really taste any cheese at all. Didn't matter cause it was super tasty and I loved the pair of rosemary breadsticks it came with. My sandwich was lightly toasted on a panini grill so that the bread was crusty but not too sharp as to cut te roof of your mouth. I am a very big fan of rusticy Frenchie sandwiches like this as long as the ingredients are of good quality, as they were here. I would have been fine with just ham on a buttered baguette but the avocado was in nice creamy contrast with the saltiness of the ham.

Today's Lunch: Eisenberg's

Voxtrot's "Raised by Wolves" is playing on the iTunes as I'm eating my lunch right now. It is a perfect eating at your desk song. I'm totally stressed out but I'm also totally happy right now. My ears are delighted and so is my stomach. I'm making my way through a chicken salad sandwich with bacon on toasted white, a side of french fries and an egg cream. The fries at first glance don't look too appetizing because they look overcooked. But beneath the golden brown outer layer of potato is a creamy and warm inner tuber layer. The edges are crisped to perfection. I also got 3 full sour dill halves with my sandwich and I am savoring them. I'm 1 2/3 of the way through the pickle supply with 1/4th of the sandwich and many many fries still left. A bunch of my coworkers have been helping me with the fries and there's still too many.

God bless this feast!

Last Night's Dinner: Maria's, I mean Press 195

You've probably caught on by now that we don't cook much at home. Occasionally, I'll try to make something on the weekend where there will be enough leftovers for Listmaker's lunch for a couple days. Last night I planned on picking up Mexican from Maria's on the way home from work. Most of the Mexican places in our neighborhood serve what I refer to as Mall Mexican. You know, lots of shredded lettuce and bad refried beans from a can. Maria's is actually really good, but when they are on top of their game. Unfortunately the service is most always sloppy and the food sometimes is lazy. When I got to Maria's, I said hi to no less than 4 people who worked there. All but 1 ignored me and walked practically through me. Finally after what seemed like 10 minutes, the one woman who acknowledged my presence came over and I let her know I was picking up an order. Only then does the sour owner of the place who was serving as bartender pipe in with "take out is running 30 minutes." Oh. Thanks for letting me know after only standing around for ten. I reach for my phone and there are two messages from the husband letting me know what I had just found out at the restaurant and that he had ordered instead from Press 195 up the block.

It's a shame Maria's has to suck more often then not. When on, their plaintains are the best in the area, but it's always a crapshoot. There could be no one else in the restaurant and your food is still going to take nearly an hour to be served. What is up with this place? And now they've expanded and the atmosphere is frantic. There are a handful of people at Maria's who are pleasant, sure, but overall, this place needs to get its act together.

So yeah, we got take out from Press, a pressed sandwich shop, and it was an off night for them too. The normally tasty #9 (homemade roast pork, jack cheese, pickled jalapenos, cilantro, onions and roasted garlic spread) didn't do it for me. The pork was dried out and assembly of rest of the fillings was uneven. We also got a citrus chicken salad (mixed greens with grilled lemon chicken, goat cheese, fresh orange supremes, caramelized walnuts, cranberry citrus dressing). Again, the meat was super dried out. We decided that it would be a great salad, if it was just a Citrus salad, no chicken.

Another Tonight's Dinner (But Really Last Night's): Geido

I worked up a huge appetite playing soft ball in Red Hook last night. This was my first time playing with this team (Magnetic Field) and I was a little nervous. I didn't hit a lick (in fact each at bat, the ball would travel a lesser distance) wound up playing a pretty good first base and got named MVP! We went back to the bar and had a beer and celebratory shot of Powers and then it was off to Geido with Listmaker, BonitoJack and the People's Cortney.

I become loco at Geido. It's a wonderful little Japanese place that's like half izakaya / half sushi bar. Everything is so reasonably priced, I always over-order and wind up busting my belly. A small bamboo tray of steaming hot towels was placed on our table as we sat down and I just had to sink my face into it. It felt good. Our friends ordered first, getting a bottle of cold sake, shumai, an EOP roll, Dynamite roll and like 100 pieces of tuna and Spanish mackerel. And then it was our turn to order, well my turn since I have to order for my husband at restaurants like these. A sudden bought of ADD took over and I totally ordered all over the place. We started off with some miso and shared a small green salad. Then we got a plate of ika rings. Panko covered squid which looked like a plate of onion rings. For our rolls, we also got an order of EOP and Dynamite, basically because I couldn't think and I had just heard Bonito order them and it was fresh in my mind. Listmaker loves his unagi so we got some eel battera, which is nigiri sushi pressed in a wooden box. I trade one of our eel batteras for a Spanish mackerel. TASTY! We definitely had enough food there, but then Jack had to go and reminisce about this cheese katsu dish on the menu and so I had to order one. Basically it was 3 layers: panko, pork, melted cheese. Holy moly it was good. I'm glad I got some exercising in earlier. For dessert, we got Listmaker's favorite: green tea ice cream with crushed red bean sauce. Before we started eating he said there was no way he would share dessert, but he began to lose steam around the cheese katsu and definitely needed help to tackle the ice cream.