Tag Archives: american

Waffle & Wolf – Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NYC

I stopped by Waffle & Wolf recently. They do these really cool waffle sandwiches with very creative ingredients, both sweet and savory. The owners are an American guy from the south and a turkish guy from, well…Turkey. I especially loved the avocado yogurt sauce on the #12. And the housemade mascarpone on the newest special.

I had a very little taste of both of these as I am no longer eating dairy, sugar or most grains. It’s been a week and things are already changing. I’m feeling a lot better than before. Less lethargic and more lasting energy through the day. I’ll be posting later about this, once I figure out what it is I’m doing. In the meantime, here’s some pictures from Waffle & Wolf. Also, I’ll be in LA for the next several days so there should be some great LA restaurant coverage coming up, since I’ll be eating every meal out.

Waffle & Wolf
413 GRAHAM AVENUE
BROOKLYN, NY, 11211
Between Withers St & Jackson St

#12 – Bacon (Baked in), Tomato, Cheddar, Arugula, Avocado Yogurt

Special – Housemade Mascarpone, Blueberry, gluten free crumble, on a buckwheat waffle

Vanilla Ice Cream Waffle Sandwich

Meatless Mondays: Vegetarian Cabbage Rolls

Yeah two days late, but you can still make it next monday. Its a vegetarian cabbage roll dish that I put together using barley, zucchini, spring onions and tomatoes. Recipe after the pictures.

Vegetarian Cabbage Rolls w/ Barley, Zucchini, and Green Onion

From a food styling perspective, its best not to make things too saucy. From an eating perspective, especially my girlfriends, the saucier the better. This next photo is for those who like it saucy.

Vegetarian Cabbage Rolls (adapted from The Vegetarian Bible)
1 head of Green Cabbage – 12 leaves, hard stems removed
7 cups of water
1 cup of barley
4 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
6 cups of chopped tomatoes, (canned or fresh will work)
4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar
2 tablespoons Safflower or sunflower oil
3 small to medium zucchini, diced
6 spring onions, sliced
salt & pepper to taste

Boil a large pot of water for blanching. Blanch the cabbage leaves for 2 minutes, remove from water and pat dry

In a medium pot filled with 7 cups of water, bring 2 tbsp parsley and the barley to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes, until the water is absorbed and the barley is soft.

In a blender, puree the tomatoes,vinegar, the remainder of the parsley and garlic, and salt and pepper to taste until smooth

In a large saucepan, saute the zucchini for 4 minutes, then add spring onions and saute for a minute, season with salt and pepper. Add half of the tomato puree and cook for 10 minutes until sauce becomes thick. Add the barley and stir to combine. Let cool for a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper, if needed.

Preheat oven to 375F. Lightly brush safflower oil on a large casserole dish. Begin the wrapping process by laying a leaf flat on a table or cutting board, rib side down. Place about 1/4 cup of the mixture onto the bottom of the leaf, towards the stem end. Fold in the corners and roll tightly to the end (see photo above). Repeat for each leaf, placing each roll into the casserole dish. Cover with the remainder of the tomato mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 1/2 hour. Remove from oven, remove foil and let cool for a few minutes then serve with freshly grated salt and pepper. Enjoy

Grand Gourmet – The Flavor of Midtown – Grand Central Terminal, NYC

Grand Central, one of the most iconic places in NYC and the quickest way out of Manhattan. For many it’s the landing spot for commuters from Upstate New York, New Jersey and Connecticut who work in Manhattan. It provides easy access to a quick breakfast before heading into work or a business lunch. The last time I was there was on a job on one of the tracks. It was unbelievable hot – about 120 degrees and I spent the entire day on those tracks, sweating and trying to keep cool. After the job was over, I headed home, exhausted, eventually passing out on the couch for several hours. This time it was a much more pleasurable experience. Every year The Grand Central Partnership hosts their annual neighborhood restaurant showcase, Grand Gourmet – The Flavor of Midtown in Vanderbilt Hall. There were a total of 37 restaurants sampling dishes from their menu, beer and wine makers, and other locally made foods – and I tried nearly all of them.

Before I move on, I just want to point out that it is called Grand Central Terminal, NOT Grand Central Station. Seems that TV shows and movies and tourists still haven’t figured that out. OK? Great. Now the pictures. You’ll note that my favorites of the evening are listed at the bottom.

Mini Cupcakes from Magnolia Cupcakes

Cheese from Murray’s Cheese Shop

Beans with Quail Egg Dish from Lexington Brass

Lobster “BLT” from Triomphe

Smoked Applewood Bacon Potato Cake with Filet of Beef and Red Onion Jam from St. Andrews

Octopus Dish from Barclay Bar & Grill at The Intercontinental Barclay

Thai on the Go at Dee Daa.

I have no idea what it was, but it was pretty tasty – The Wheeltapper Pub

Beer from Beer Table

BBQ Pork Slider from Pershing Square Cafe

Blue Point Oysters from Grand Central Oyster Bar

Oysters from Grand Central Oyster Bar

Again not sure what it is, but it was quite pretty – New York Central at The Grand Hyatt New York

And now the highlights…

Duck Taquitos from Silverleaf Tavern

Puffed Rice from Tulsi

Avocado Jal Moori from Tulsi

Corned Beef and Goat Cheese Katafi Cakes with Shaved Fennel, Red Pepper Spice and Saffron Mayo from O’Caseys

Mile End – Boerum Hill, Brooklyn, NYC

Mile End is one of those unique spots that are rare to find outside of New York City. The interior hosts a modest and modern diner without the mediocre food usually accompanies them. The smoked meat sandwich and the homemade hot dog are the stars here and are both terrific. It’s located on a beautiful street in Boerum Hill just off of Atlantic Avenue.

Mile End
97 Hoyt Street
Brooklyn, NY 11217
(718) 852-7510

SMOKED MEATS

smoked meat sandwich | cured & smoked beef brisket, mustard, rye

hoyt dog | house beef frank, kraut , split top roll

Caprese Burger

I’m all for a relatively effortless meal. Especially since I find myself dividing my time between the kitchen and the studio. It makes me long for the days when I just shot my meals at restaurants (I’ll be heading back into that next week, btw). This Caprese Burger, by Spike Mendelsohn, is pretty simple, save for the pesto sauce, but if you want it effortless you can just buy store bought. But store bought is rarely better thank making it yourself. As a forewarning, these things are messy. I would highly recommend reducing the cooking time on the tomatoes so they don’t get mushy. The recipe calls for 45min to 1hr. I would say maybe 35-38 minutes, at the most. Using a good room temperature mozzarella will ensure that you get some gooeyness out of your cheese, however if you want it real gooey, put it on in the last few minutes of your bake cycle. Recipe after the pictures.

Tomatos roasted with olive oil, garlic, salt, and basil

Pesto made of basil, pine nuts, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, garlic and olive oil

Bun

Tomato

Cheese

Melted Cheese

Pesto

Balsamic Vinegar

Finished Burger

Caprese Burger
3 beefsteak tomatoes, cored and cut in half
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 garlic clove, minced
6 basil leaves, julienned
6 potato buns, cut in half
1 pound fresh mozzarella, cut into 6 thick slices
3 tablespoons store-bought balsamic vinaigrette
1/2 basil pesto, recipe below

Directions

Preheat the oven to 300°F.
Put the 6 tomato halves, flesh side up, on a baking sheet. Drizzle each with some of the olive oil, 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper, some minced garlic, and some basil. Cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until tomatoes are soft when a fork is inserted.
Toast the buns under a broiler, so the inside is crisp, but the outside is still soft.
To assemble the burgers, place a tomato half on the bottom bun. Top with 1 mozzarella slice on the tomato, 1 1/2 teaspoons vinaigrette, and season with salt and black pepper. Spread the pesto on the bun top and cover. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Let rest for 2 to 3 minutes and serve.
Serves 6.

Basil Pesto
1/2 cup packed fresh basil
2 or 3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Pinch crushed red pepper
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Add the basil, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil, crushed red pepper, and salt and pepper to a taste to a food processor or blender. Puree until smooth. This can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Makes about 1 cup.

Home/sick: Chicken Soup with Matzo Balls

I’m usually really horrible at being sick and I typically just wallow in my own misery. Since I avoided being sick for the entire winter, it only makes sense that I would get sick at the onset of spring. So here I am, with a head and chest cold that is slowly running its course and I am hopping myself up on vitamins and painkillers and comfort food. Chicken soup, as we’ve always known, contains some key ingredients that probably help you fight the cold. Now if I didn’t already have a kick ass mother back home, I think I would choose Ina Garten to be my mother, if only for her amazing chicken soup recipe which is super simple to make and amazingly good. I cut the recipe in half, using only one 7 pound chicken. Recipe below the pictures. Please note it takes 4 hours to cook this soup, but its well worth it!

Chicken Soup (courtesy of Ina Garten, Food Network)
3 (5-pound) roasting chickens
3 large yellow onions, unpeeled and quartered
6 carrots, unpeeled and halved
4 stalks celery with leaves, cut into thirds
4 parsnips, unpeeled and cut in half (optional)
20 sprigs fresh parsley
15 sprigs fresh thyme
20 sprigs fresh dill
1 head garlic, unpeeled and cut in half crosswise
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
To serve:
4 cups 1/4-inch-diced carrots
4 cups 1/4-inch-diced celery
1/4 cup minced fresh dill
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
Matzo Balls, (see recipe)

Directions

Place the chickens, onions, carrots, celery, parsnips, parsley, thyme, dill, garlic, and seasonings in a 16- to 20-quart stockpot. Add 7 quarts of water and bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour. Remove 2 of the chickens and allow to cool slightly. Remove the breast meat from both chickens and set aside. Return the remaining chicken and carcasses to the pot and continue simmering, uncovered, for 3 more hours. Strain the entire contents of the pot through a colander and chill. Remove the surface fat, then reheat the stock as follows, or pack in containers and freeze.

To serve the soup, return the stock to the pot and reheat, adding the diced carrots, celery, dill, and parsley. Shred the reserved chicken breast meat into large pieces and add to the stock. Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes to cook the vegetables and reheat the chicken. Season, to taste, and serve as is, or ladle each serving over 2 warm Matzo Balls.

Matzo Balls (courtesy Ina Garten, Food Network)
4 extra-large eggs, separated
1/2 cup good chicken stock
1/4 cup rendered chicken fat, melted
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for egg whites
1 cup matzo meal

Directions
Whisk together the egg yolks, chicken stock, chicken fat, parsley, and salt. Stir in the matzo meal. In the bowl of an electric mixer with a whisk attachment, whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they are stiff. Whisk them into the matzo mixture until it is smooth. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes, or until the mixture is thick.

Form balls the size of golf balls by shaping them with 2 spoons, rolling them with your hands, or scooping them with a small ice cream scoop. Drop them into simmering chicken stock and cook for 30 minutes, or until fully cooked and puffed, turning once. Remove and serve hot in chicken soup

Smorgasburg: Savory – Brooklyn, NY

editors note: this is part 2 of a 2 part series on Smorgasburg, for part 1 click here

Sorry you had to wait an additional day for the rest of the Smorgasburg stuff, but I like to start things out with dessert first. Here is a sampling of some of the wonderful things going on at Smorgasburg in Brooklyn. This event will be ever-changing so I will be going back and updating new things going on with additional blog posts, so check it out later. Big rec’s on checking out the fresh mozzarella from Speedy Romeo, the mayo’s at Empire Mayonnaise, and the amazing anchovies at Bon Chovie, who get extra props for having the most amazing web address ever – jonbonchovie.com …

Bon Chovie – Deep Fried Anchovies with Aioli and Lemon

Liza Queen of Queen’s Dahn Tu making Banh Xeo (a Vietnamese crepe-style omelette)

Banh Xeo (a Vietnamese crepe-style omelette)

banh trang tron (a shredded rice paper, green mango, and hard-boiled quail egg salad

Landhaus BLT’s

The Meat Hook cook’s “rapture dogs” on the grill

Brat’s on the grill from The Meat Hook

Fresh vegetables from Speedy Romeo

Fresh handmade Mozzarella with fresh vegetables from Speedy Romeo

Fresh handmade Mozzarella from Speedy Romeo

Cold Sesame Noodles from Shorty Tang & Sons

Empire Mayonnaise

Radish serves a seasonal salad in a bamboo paper cone

Lobster Roll from Red Hook Lobster Pound

Mimi & Coco

Organic and Eco-Friendly Burger Joint: BareBurger, Murray Hill, NYC

This is the anti-fast food restaurant. The food at BareBurger is not super-fast but it is fast and they specialize in all-natural and organic meats, including, beef, turkey, lamb, bison, ostrich and elk! They sell an assortment of Maine Root soda’s and Wolaver Organic Beer from Vermont. But it isn’t just the organic meats that set them apart from your run-of-the-mill burger joints – their restaurant is made from recycled materials (bark for the walls, repurposed wood for tables and other decor) and they use compostable and biodegradable cutlery and takeout cartons. Extra points for having an awesome website!

BareBurger
514 3rd Avenue
NY, NY 10016
212.679.2273

Wolaver Organic Beer served on Tap

Elk Supreme Burger – colby jack, gourmet battered onion rings, applewood smoked bacon, lettuce, chopped french fries and bareburger special sauce

Lamb Burger – lamb, cucumber, lettuce, tomato, grilled onions and cucumber mint yogurt

BareBurger Sliders – colby jack cheese, dill pickle relish, grilled onions, grape tomato and bareburger special sauce

Great Neighborhood Dive: Tucker’s Restaurant: Cincinnati, Ohio

Just about every town across America has a special place with good food where they know the owner on a first name basis and call a close second to mom’s kitchen. In many way’s Tuckers is like this. I walk in and sit down and Joe, the owner and the cook starts up a conversation. He talks about how his wife was shot recently. Never in the decades that he has been at that location has the place been robbed. But a few weeks ago, something happened and his wife was in the crossfire. She’s doing ok, but it came as a big surprise. You’d think that this would affect business. But this place is wildly popular and can definitely withstand the problems of this troubled neighborhood known as Over-The-Rhine. Around the corner from this place is the Findlay Market which is hopping on the weekends and also keeps helps to keep the traffic moving in the area. Joe, is a bit of a rock star in the neighborhood. And you can direct any complaints about the food or the service to his mother, who is 90 and can be seen slowly busing tables during the rush hour. She’ll be sure to set him straight.

Tucker’s is the quintessential, family-owned slop-house, which serves up an amazing breakfast and lunch. He also claims to be the first to put tartar sauce on a double-decker burger, long before the local chains started doing the same. The biscuits and gravy are good, but the star here is the Goetta (prounounced get-uh), which is a dish of oats and pork that was invented by the Germans to help increase the life of the meat. In fact, Cincinnati seems to be the only real place where this dish is popular or even heard of. So in many ways, its pretty indigenous to the area and its really good.

This place is a real treat. Definitely a must visit if you are in the area. Now photos!

Red Flannel Hash – Potato, sweet potato, beets and onion hash

The Tucker Burger – a Double Decker Burger with Tartar Sauce

Biscuits and Gravy – Homemade from scratch biscuits topped with Sausage Gravy

The Infamous Goetta – Sausage and steel-cut oats sliced thin and fried crispy.

Melt Bar and Grilled – Cleveland, Ohio

Melt Bar and Grilled has been serving gourmet grilled cheese since 2006 in Cleveland, Ohio and boasts The Melt Challenge – 3 different cheeses, 3 slices of grilled bread and a pile of hand-cut fries & slaw which adds up to over 5 pounds of food and was featured on the Travel Channel’s Man Vs. Food. There are over 25 sandwiches to choose from, some of which sound incredibly strange, particularly The Parmageddon – 2 potato & cheese pierogi, fresh napa vodka kraut, grilled onions, and sharp cheddar.

Melt Bar and Grilled
14718 Detroit Avenue
Lakewood, Ohio 44107
216.226.3699

The Godfather – 3 cheese lasagna, fresh fennel-oregano pasta sheets, spicy red sauce, provolone, garlic spiked bread

The Parmageddon – 2 potato & cheese pierogi, fresh napa vodka kraut, grilled onions, sharp cheddar

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