happiest hour: The Cuban

RER 4.20.15

They were spontaneous for his birthday. It was a Monday and they decided they would not be quiet. They would step out of the box and sit at the bar.

This time the dark red walls of The Cuban were not suffocating and the low hanging lights felt brighter. Even the bar felt welcoming and open, not just high stools and slick counters. It was different. Better. They were celebrating a birthday.

They were ready to take on the menu. Both menus.

Their happiest hour involved a rainbow of mojitos and caipirinhas: blush with guava, golden with passion fruit, electric with apples and winter white with coconut. Each was distinct and flavorful, and strong enough to keep her giggling.

But the bites held an intensity of feelings and flavors, satiating hungry eyes and insides. Fatty and delightful pork pieces blending with slinky onions and garlic green mojo were hardly forgotten in the tumult of their mirth.

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Warm moments of sticky sweet plantains wrapped with thin salty bacon and showered with farmer’s cheese made them tongue-tied, when their mouths knew no bounds.  

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Mussels and chorizo sinking in wet broth and encaged by soft aioli-drizzled and smoky paprika-dusted fries made messes like wet kisses.

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They gulped down the drinks and the atmosphere, laughed too loudly, and showed their affection, through delicious bites and wide smiles. Of course they did, because it was his birthday...

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4.20.15

RER 4.20.15

everything has its reason: the FINCH

RER 4.9.15

Stepping into The Finch is kind of like walking into your own kitchen, only it’s cooler. The lines are cleaner, the painted white brick is brighter—it’s just better.

And then passing the very open bar and the even more open kitchen, you step through a doorway, and you are transported to somewhere else. Wherever it is, it’s just as cool, just not as clean. This dining room has a formula, just as the front space does, it’s just not the same equation. Its exposed brick brings Brooklyn in and the classic furniture ties it to the front.

You sit down, and you want to explore. Your eyes wander, catching the mortar between the bricks, the different textures on display, the changing light coming in, and the many shades of green of plants. It’s intimate back here too, but it feels airy and open, almost outdoors.

The different spaces echo the streamlined menu and beautiful dishes; it’s apparent each is created, tested and perfected, but here too, there’s a formula. Everything’s there for a reason, even if you don’t want to believe it—like that unfinished back wall. Ingredients seem a little haphazard and unconnected at first, but you want to try everything, you want to see how it all works out.

And somehow, it does.

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Your appetizer is split gracefully into two large shallow dishes, one for each of you. Its arrangement is artful, crafted like sculpture, elements hidden and exposed. The sweet beets are roasted and red, soft and perfect, while the toasted traviso is bitter and smoky, cooled by creamy salted burrata. A savory brittle made with pine nuts crunches and plays to the sweet strengths of the beets and the mature savory moments of the traviso, while all unites with the mild and sensuous cheese. 

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Pork two ways makes for a whimsical dish, imaginative and sensible, hearty and delicate. A crunchy pork croquette, perfect and stringy, rests on a bed of soft cabbage and sunchokes studded with large pearls of mustard seeds. Every element melds to combat the delicious fattiness of the fried item, while a smooth apple puree marries pink centered slices of pork. There is no redundancy and yet a brilliant continuity is achieved.

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Your scallop entrée is a sexy surf and turf, bringing together sea and land seamlessly. The dish is a texture playground, where multiple feelings are playing tug of war. Stalemate. The soft, succulent scallops counter the rubbery, meaty snails that, too, have its own tenderness. There is heat and wonder written in slinky slender mushrooms and kernels of chewy Einkorn. Green things and grains bring in earthy tones and brilliant color, but you can swim in the richness and the decadence without getting lost…

Each bite and memory is meticulously constructed, precise and crafted, but also delectable and indulgent. You almost forget where you are and that your kitchen is nowhere as cool.

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4.9.15

RER 4.9.15

photo op: WEEKEND fun

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I totally love the weekend! I tend to say to people that everyday is like the weekend for me because I am a freelancer with a loose schedule and what appears to be a ton of free time. But there is something particularly magical about the actual weekend, when people with busy 9 to 5’s (or 6 to 4’s, like my boyfriend) are free and doing things other than working. Weekends mean relaxation, experimentation, adventure or lazy abandon. French toast, Hard Grove in Jersey City, tons of home popped popcorn (and The Following … obsessed P.S.), and turkey chili… sounds like the perfect weekend to me.

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Follow on facebook, instagram, twitter, yelp and pintrest to keep up with all the food adventures!

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1.12.14

RER 1.11.14

SOUTH of the border: TACO trouble

RER 2.8.13

There was no way I could go to Mexico without having tacos. Not only did I have tacos, but I gorged on so many tacos it was amazing. We had meat tacos, and fish tacos, with flour, corn and even cheese tortillas (I know, sounds as awesome as they tasted), gringas with cheese, or just good ol’ meat layered until infinity. I had the wildest array of deliciousness stuffed into a tortilla. It truly was vacation.

Not that the meat ones were not very exciting, because that would be a lie, but they were just pretty traditional. All the meats were perfectly cooked, tender and a great mouthful, but they were straightforward. I had tacos al pastor, heavily spiced and colored pork, bedded with cheesey greatness on a flour tortilla. Delicious, but straight forward and mildly predictable. Then there were pork chop tacos, with cubes of perfect pork chop meat and a loud dose of cheese, or even tacos de costilla (rib) with great texture and chew.

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My favorite meat taco was the taco I was most afraid to try, barbacoa lamb. I could honestly say, I am not a giant fan of lamb. Even though I look forward to the traditional (well in my house) Easter meal every year, it is more about the holiday and the family, than the lamb. We were initially going to have pork carnitas for breakfast, but that first choice was closed, and luck was on our side when El Corral Del Carnero was open on the off chance and we were to have barbacoa.  I was skeptical at first, not looking forward to the gamy meaty feeling of lamb in the morning. But I was severely pleasantly surprised. It was the most, tender, delicious meat I have ever tasted, on either side of the border. There was not a single shred of the dreaded heaviness, but instead it was juicy, moist, and light. It was not fatty or dry, but perfectly addictive (I ended up ordering another taco, and paying the restaurant another visit before I left). Throw some chopped onions and a little guacamole on there, and I was set to eat like six.

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Now the more vibrant and exciting tacos, were less traditional and less red meat. We went to a hot spot in Merida, called El Pez Gordo, home of the fish tacos and delicious seafood snacks. My friend and host knew the menu inside and out, so that made the daunting choice much much easier. And can I say, everything was so good? I wanted more even when I thought my stomach was going to explode (which was probably the whole trip, but in a good way).

We had four different kinds of amazing fish tacos. The place has carefully chosen toppings and arrangements, but opens up options, like tortilla (flour, corn or cheese!) and protein (fish or shrimp). And somehow, no matter which way you swing it, it was always amazing (went there twice too!).

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El grande

The el grande fish taco was a spicy riot of color, violent red from the breading coating the fish, and intense purple radiating from the red cabbage, and a cool green from a dab of guacamole. The fish was coated in a crunchy red spicy delicious breading based and inspired by hot corn chips. It was an extremely creative way to draw different flavors and memories to form the experience of this one taco. It was spicy but both the cabbage and guacamole cooled the mouth to pleasantness, inspiring a great balance.

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Gordilocas

This taco was a weird mixture of spicy, and cool, cheesy and smooth. This was more like what we would think of as a quesadilla, meaning there were two tortillas, and all the goodness filled the inside. The bottom tortilla was flour whereas the top was one of the crispy cheese varieties. The inside was smeared with chipotle chilies and their smooth juices, as well as plump shrimp, and a heavy handful of chewy cheese. This, was not my favorite, maybe because it was the last one we tried, but the smokiness of the chipotle and the burned edges of the cheese tortilla created a nice harmony, making the shrimp more meaty rather than sweet.

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Crunchi

Like the el grande, crunchi was another colorful taco, boasting the same purple hue, with the addition of specked creamy white colors and perfectly crunchy browns. We chose to get the crunchi with shrimp instead of the tender fish, on top of a cheese tortilla. This was the best decision (ever), three different crunchy textures; cooked cheese of tortilla, coating on the shrimp and the fresh cabbage, which married perfectly. Somehow every flavor was present, the sweet shrimp, the burned resilience of the cheese, and the tempura like crust. The creamy garlic sauce added a mature flavor and dimension.

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Choritaco

This of all the tacos probably was the simplest, lacking the spattering of sauces and was more straightforward. It featured a healthy dose of pretty shrimp, and crumbled dark red chorizo (a frequent ingredient on our adventure, appearing here and here). The flour tortilla was also striking with a beautiful thick slice of ripe avocado on top. Its simplicity was refreshing, and the avocado cooled the fatty spiciness of the crisp chorizo, all mellowed by the sweet shrimp.

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If I could chose any of the tacos I tried to devour again, it would be a difficult decision (extremely, difficult). With all the different fillings, flavors, twists and techniques, it would prove nearly impossible, because I would eat them all again, and would love to try even more varieties. But if I had to (and I mean absolutely had to, or I would get shot kind of thing…aaand I was allowed more than one) I would pick either (or both, depending on the life or death circumstances) the barbacoa lamb taco, or the crunchi fish taco on that delightful cheese tortilla. Oh wait. I already did eat those twice… 

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3.3.13

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