As summer winds to an end, the clock continuing to tick (I hope this and what I ate explains the title of this post), I find myself eating out a lot more than usual, whether it be with friends or with my parents. I am just trying to pack in all the good NYC food before I head back to school. But this is actually an old post. My memory is not the greatest, but I assure you that when it comes to food, I remember. About a month ago, my parents and I went to Cascabel Taqueria for lunch.
The flavors were very bright and light (oh my, I’m rhyming!), and overall, I enjoyed the food very much. To start with, my parents and I shared a cobb salad with romaine, grilled corn, avocado, tomato, cheese, and shallots. What is not to like?
I then continued with the reason I came to Cascabel – the tacos. I ordered carnitas which had slow-cooked succulent pork, pickled red onion, and crispy rice. My dad ordered the chicken tacos and my mom ordered the carne asada. Though I didn’t try those tacos, they looked very good, and my parents liked them.
And a pleasant surprise after our tacos – the waitress brought us complimentary churros for dessert. Yum!
I know this post is long overdue. For my mother’s birthday two weeks ago, my family and I went to Jeans Georges. My dining experience was definitely one of the best I’ve ever experienced. All of the food was so exquisite, and there sure was plenty of food.
My dinner started off with a delicious amuse-bouche – a pickled cucumber with some sort of gelée on top, watermelon with cheese, and my favorite, miso soup with popcorn.
My first course came out – hamachi sashimi with avocado, radish, and yuzu – a true work of art to say the least.
Following my delicious sashimi, I continued my food adventure with sea scallops accompanied by sweet caramelized cauliflower and a caper and raisin emulsion.
For my main course, I ordered a rack of lamb which the server carved in front of me! The rack of lamb was prepared in a sweet chili glaze and came with a nice mix of veggies.
I was already full by this point, but how could I forget about my beloved dessert? My eyes widened when I read the dessert menu. I saw a dessert dedicated to chocolate – a tasting of four chocolate desserts. I just knew I had to pick that dessert. The four mini desserts are as follows (as shown in the picture below starting with the lower right quadrant and working my way clockwise):
1) Mexican chocolate beignet
2) Lemon ice with cinnamon and white chocolate meringue (my least favorite of the four just because I dislike white chocolate. But trust me, this quadrant was good too).
3) Warm chocolate cake with vanilla bean ice cream (definitely my favorite!)
4) Bitter chocolate candy bar
As if this wasn’t enough dessert, the server brought us some scrumptious petits fours: blackberry macarons, assorted chocolates, orange jellies, and ever-so-fluffy vanilla marshmallows. These marshmallows tasted like clouds. I wish I could have a pillow this soft.
They even brought my mom a chocolate mousse cake for her birthday.
Definitely a dinner I will remember for years and years.
Growing up, most of my summertime meals, whether it be chicken kabobs or grilled swordfish, included corn on the cob. I remember using cute little corn-shaped corn holders while munching on my corn. But now I digress. Getting back to my point – I admit corn on the cob is still my favorite way to eat corn. Nevertheless, I also love this corn salad and find myself appreciating every kernel of corn more once it’s off the cob.
What You’ll Need
Directions
Combine all ingredients into a small bowl and stir to combine.
This salad would taste great if you grilled the corn before you take it off the cob.
Enjoy!
I have a friend who loves honey roasted cashews and raves about them to me, so I decided to try and make them at home. Simply cashews coated in honey, roasted in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. Slightly sticky but sweet and crunchy, these are a perfect snack for munching on throughout the day. My dad couldn’t stop eating them even before I took these pictures!
I love eating couscous warm or cold, but as it’s summer, I decided to make a couscous salad. Pearl couscous is larger than regular couscous and reminds me of orzo. The grapefruit juice in the salad gives the couscous a little zing and brightens the overall dish.
What You’ll Need
2 cups pearl (Israeli) couscous
2 1/2 cups water
2 vine tomatoes chopped into small pieces
1/2 cucumber cut into small pieces (similar in size to the tomatoes)
6 mint leaves finely minced
1 large handful of golden raisins
1 large handful of chopped walnuts or pecans
the juice of 1 grapefruit
2 tbsp pomegranate vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
Directions
1) Put water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, pour in couscous and cook for 8-10 minutes stirring occasionally.
2) Let couscous cool for 15-20 minutes.
3) Stir in the remaining ingredients.
4) Cool in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. Serve cold.
Enjoy!
Inspired by Elizabeth Bard’s recipe for tabouleh
I love fennel’s licorice flavor combined with the citrus flavor from an orange. This salad is light, refreshing, and so easy to prepare. It’s perfect for a summer lunch or as an appetizer for dinner.
What You’ll Need
1 fennel bulb sliced thinly
6 ounces of baby spinach
the juice from one naval orange
2-3 tbsp pomegranate vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
2-3 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
Directions
1) In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, orange juice, salt, and pepper.
2) Put spinach and fennel in a large bowl. Pour in vinaigrette and toss to combine.
Servings: 3 for lunch; 6 as an appetizer
Slices of melon wrapped in prosciutto – simple yet oh so delicious!
Chicken curry salad is one of my favorites – I love it plain or in a sandwich. However, I feel a certain kind of guilt while I eat chicken curry salad because I know there is mayonnaise (and I don’t even like mayonnaise). It’s the same type of guilt I feel after devouring 6 large chocolate chip cookies in one sitting.
So yesterday I made chicken curry salad for the first time and substituted nonfat yogurt for mayonnaise. I was surprised how good the chicken still tasted, and I was guilt-free! Well, I may have had an extra slice of cake for dessert, but that is another story.
What You’ll Need
Directions
1) Mix together olive oil, honey, curry powder, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Brush mixture onto chicken. You should have some of the olive oil, honey, and curry powder mixture left over.
2) Cook chicken in a large skillet under medium heat 6-8 minutes on each side.
3) Once chicen is cooked, cool on a board or plate for 10 minutes. Then, cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and put into a large bowl.
4) Add celery, grapes, and raisins.
5) Combine yogurt and leftover curry powder mixture and pour over chicken, celery, and grapes. Stir to combine.
6) Chill in the refrigerator for a couple of hours in an airtight container. Serve cold.
Enjoy!
My mom and I decided to walk around the village this morning and early afternoon. Obviously our trip included lunch. There are a myriad of cute (often overpriced) restaurants in that neighborhood, so I often find myself in a pickle. I want to find the best bang for my buck making sure to not sacrifice flavor for price.
So I woke up early today to do my homework meaning, looking for a place to eat. I first performed a google search: “good restaurants in the village nyc,” however, I was not satisfied with any results. Now onto plan b which proved to be very successful – Menupages. I came across a German café called Landbrot which caught my eye. At this point, I had been on the internet for a good 30 minutes and was growing impatient, so I stopped my research and concluded this just had to be the place.
I was very happy with my choice. Landbrot had a very nice, well-lit, welcoming atmosphere. Best of all, the food was delicious! I started with a sesame seed pretzel which was so much better than the pretzels sold on the street. The pretzel was warmed and served with butter on the side. Let’s just say I was already smiling.
I then ordered a sandwich with black forest ham, smoked gouda, pear, and mustard on grain bread. The sandwich was absolutely delicious, and it came with a side of German potato salad, mixed greens, and cornichons (the only type of pickle I like).
I was plenty satisfied, but my mom convinced me to order a Berliner which is a German jelly doughnut. Ok, I guess “convince” is a strong word. How can I say “no” to dessert? The doughnut was very delicious and the strawberry jelly inside was delightful. My one complaint is I wish there was more of it – I hate biting into a jelly doughnut and getting no jelly whatsoever.
But I must say, this meal makes me want to move to Germany, especially the delicious pretzel!
This was the perfect afternoon pick me up. The pecan crumb cake was moist and crunchy- delicious coffee cake topped with a mixture of cinnamon, brown sugar, and pecans. A chocolate cappuccino rounded out my snack.
Food Follower 