Finale, where dinner is just the prelude

A few weeks ago I finally made it up to Boston to help the bf settle into his new place in Cambridge. His new home is a lovely apartment in a house that’s over a hundred years old – very different from my apartment in a high-rise in Hell’s Kitchen, but also a very refreshing change of scene for me. Cambridge seems to have the right balance of suburban charm with Boston right there to add a bit of urban flavor. What was really nice was to also have the chance to meet up with old and new friends alike, and to get a taste of the Boston food scene! On Sunday night we went out to a fabulous dinner at Finale in Harvard Square. They take dessert very seriously at this restaurant – in fact, the dinner course is considered a prelude to the grand finale (no pun intended ) … lots and lots of decadent dessert!

To start, I had the pizza bianca (with grilled chicken and feta)

…and he had the crab quiche with Gruyère and a tomato mozzarella salad:

And then it was time for dessert … don’t worry – we were eating with 3 other friends, this was not just the two of us!

Molten chocolate cake:

Boston Creme:

Chocolate Mousse:

Tiramisu:

Can you tell that I was very very very satisfied after this meal?

Finale

30 Dunster Street

Cambridge, MA

Julie & Julia inspiration – Bruschetta

Although I didn’t think that I was going to see this movie in theaters, the bf and I were inspired by the good food that we ate at Fiore and decided to go on Saturday night to see Julie & Julia. I had enjoyed the book when it first came out and was iffy about the movie being a let down, but it turned out to be a cute and satisfying movie. One of my favorite scenes is when Julie is making bruschetta for her boyfriend – the food styling in the movie is pretty amazing and this scene made the bruschetta look like the most delicious bruschetta in the world. I was determined to get some as soon as possible. By coincidence, I had just bought some beautiful heirloom tomatoes from the market that I love in Brooklyn (take that tomato blight!) and my basil plant has been basking in the summer sun and growing abundantly. I had also picked up some italian bread at Trader Joe’s to make pressed sandwiches, and the bread also turned out to be perfect for bruschetta. For the topping, I diced the tomato and chopped up a handful of basil. I added a sprinkling of sea salt as well as kosher salt, ground black pepper, some garlic powder, a splash of balsamic, a bit of ground italian herbs, and a bit of cold press olive oil to round it out. I made the bread exactly the way that Amy Adams (as Julie) made it in the movie – pan frying in olive oil. Nothing is quite as satisfying as listening to the sizzle of bread toasting up in hot olive oil and smelling the toasty aroma waft through the kitchen. After I removed the bread slices from the pan, I immediately rubbed both sides of the bread with a cut garlic clove and topped each slice with a heap of the bruschetta topping. Now that makes for a good Monday dinner!

Yum Yum

One of the best things about living in the city (and worst things for my waistline) is how many restaurants are easily accessible by walking. In the mood for Thai, my friend F and I decided to meet on 9th ave to check out the selection. We ended up at Yum Yum – Yum Yum Bangkok, to be exact. I wonder who started Yum Yum and if they had originally worked for Starbucks … similar to the way I can find Starbucks right next to and across the street from each other in the city, there are THREE Yum Yums within a two block stretch on 9th ave! Yep … north from 45th you’ll see Yum Yum … Yum Yum … and Yum Yum Too!

Yum Yum Bangkok lived up to its name – that is, it was indeed yummy Nothing earth shattering or soul shaking, but a good meal to fill the belly.

Yum Yum Bangkok

650 9th Ave

Craving for ramen

It seems like when summer finally starts to settle in the city, I am always in a constant state of flux between being too cold or being too hot. At the office, it seems like we keep the ac set at least 50 degrees or below – I am always freezing! Which is precisely why after a day sitting huddled in my cold cube, I was craving a hot, thick bowl of tasty ramen soup. Ippudo definitely hit the right spot – I got the modern ramen with tonkatsu broth and miso. Absolutely delicious and the perfect thing to warm me up on a July evening My friend A was visiting from DC for the day, and it was a pleasant way to spend a Wednesday evening.

p.s. Their dessert was amazing too! Green tea ice cream with mascarpone cheese – an delicious and unexpected combo of flavors.

Tuesday Dinner: Chicken Marsala

Here is my own version of chicken marsala, adapted from various versions that I found online. It’s simple, quick, and makes enough food to feed me for at least 3 meals!

Chicken Marsala

• 1 to 1.5 c. Cremini (baby bella) mushrooms, sliced
• 1 shallot, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 c. Marsala wine
• 1/4 c. Chicken stock, warmed.
• Butter
• Olive Oil
• Flour
• Corn starch
• salt, pepper
• 4 pieces of chicken breast (each about the size of a deck of cards)
• 1-2 cups cooked pasta (optional)

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper, dredge in flour.
2. Heat 1/2 tbsp. butter + 1 tbsp olive oil in a large pan until butter is melted. Swirl to coat pan.
3. Add chicken to pan, brown on both sides.
4. Remove chicken and set aside.
5. Add garlic and shallot to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Saute until fragrant.
6. Add mushrooms, mix well.
7. Add marsala wine and chicken back to pan.
8. Mix 1 tbsp. corn starch with chicken stock. Add to pan.
9. Cover, and cook until chicken is done (about 20 mins.). If desired, add pasta to pan about 5-6 minutes before everything is finished cooking.

Monday Dinner: Shrimp and Noodle Stir Fry

This is a quick and easy dinner that is a snap to make, and very filling and tasty!

• Flat noodles
• Shrimp – peeled and cleaned
• Garlic
• Add-ins (as shown: tomatoes, shittake mushrooms) suggestions: bok choy, broccoli
• Oil
• Soy sauce

1. Cook noodles in boiling water until slightly underdone. Set aside.
2. Heat a bit of oil in a pan, add garlic and saute until fragrant. Add shrimp and saute until pink.
3. Add vegetables and noodles.
4. Add soy sauce and stir fry until done.

There’s no free lunch, but there is free dinner

So, when Serious Eats: New York publishes something about Chipotle giving away FREE BURRITOS, of course I have to go and personally investigate the situation. Forget about recession specials – what can be better than FREE CHIPOTLE BURRITOS??

Alas, it is true!

Even though the line of customers was all the way to the door, it was surprisingly quick. Within 15 minutes, I was already placing my order: a steak and chicken burrito with pinto beans, tomato and corn salsa. My mantra – why choose when you can have it all? The service was efficient and friendly – the guy putting together my burrito said “of course! no prob” when I asked for TWO meats, and even posed for a picture with my burrito when he saw me take out my camera!

Making my burrito…

Steak AND Chicken? Yes please.

I will definitely be back next Tuesday.

Chipotle - 45th St. Btw 5th and 6th Ave.

Happy Turkey Day!

Firsts

Seconds

The Menu:

Biscuits and Cornbread muffins

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Stuffing with Gravy

Green Bean Casserole

Cranberry Sauce

Pork and Crab Dumplings

Salad

Banana Pudding

Pumpkin Pie

Recipes to come in later posts!!

Birthday, Part 2 – Bianca

Following our quest for takoyaki on St. Mark’s Place, we walked across town and browsed around West Village for a bit. There is a cute (and expensive!) puppy shop called “Le Petit Puppy” right off of Christopher Street, and I got to hold both a shih tzu and a yorkie!! The little darlings were so adorable – especially the shih tzu, who fell asleep in my arms! Puppy shop = instant mood lifter.

After our takoyaki and unagi-don digested, we finally arrived at the restaurant for my romantic birthday dinner with the bf …

BIANCA

Unfortunately, Bianca does not take reservations (even for special occasions like birthdays!), so we were faced with an hour and a half wait for a party of 2, since it was Saturday night. The bf and I headed to the bar next door to stay warm while we waited for a table to open up – the restaurant smelled so delicious and I was very excited for dinner! The wait was actually not too bad because I got a chance to work up a nice appetite for dinner and we were out of the cold night air.

Dinner was definitely worth the wait. We started the meal with an appetizer of Gnocco Fritto, puffy fried dough pockets served with various cold cuts – my favorites were the prosciutto and something that tasted like very high-end baloney! This appetizer is a specialty of Bianca’s that is hard to find in other Italian restaurants in the city.

Gnocco Fritto

Of course, we also went for a fried calamari appetizer (since calamari happens to be one of the bf’s favorite foods). Since there was no fried calamari on the appetizer menu, we decided to share the Fritto Misto, a mixed seafood entree consisting of golden fried calamari, red mullet, and shrimp with eggplant, zucchini, and basil. Absolutely amazing – although considering the size, probably better if it had been split for a party of 5 instead of a party of 2, haha!

Fritto Misto

Even though we were already starting to feel full from the delicious appetizers and the glass of Riesling that we were sharing, the bf and I bravely forged on. The entrees were ridiculously tasty as well. I had the lasagna, 8 layers of pure pasta perfection. The pasta was cooked to just the right firmness, and layered with rich, meaty goodness and finished off with a lovely bechamel. The bf’s Gramigna was also incredible – saucy, al dente pasta with little bits of sausage dispersed throughout.

Lasagna

Gramigna con Salciccia e Peperoni

Last but certainly not least, we turned our attention and our forks to dessert: tiramisu! As the waiter brought out the candlelit dessert, my bf sang “happy birthday” to me … the perfect ending to the perfect birthday dinner! The tiramisu was covered with luscious mascarpone cream, and the espresso laced ladyfingers perfectly completed this light, yet decadent dessert. Ah, la dolce vita.

Tiramisu

Bianca - 5 Bleecker St. (near Bowery)

Homemade Hamburger Helper

So I was in the mood for pasta tonight and decided to make my own homemade version of Hamburger Helper. This dish is very easy to put together and make in large batches – a great way to make enough for dinner and have leftovers for lunch the next day!

• 1 c. dried pasta (makes about 2 cups cooked)
• 1/4 lb. ground beef
• 1 link kielbasa sausage, diced
• 1 1/2 c. marinara sauce
• 2 cloves garlic
• Splash of red wine

1. Cook pasta in boiling water until a little bit undone (before al dente). Drain pasta and remove from heat. Reserve about 1/4 c. pasta water.
2. Brown the ground beef in a saute pan. Drain the grease.
3. Return browned beef to the pan, add garlic and saute until fragrant. Add a splash of red wine and reduce for about a minute.
4. Add diced kielbasa and marinara sauce. Bring sauce to a simmer.
5. Add cooked pasta and pasta water.
6. If desired, mix 1/2 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tbsp of warm water to dissolve and add to sauce and pasta mixture.
7. Simmer until sauce reduces to desired consistency.
8. Serve with steamed broccoli on the side.