Author: eatwellslivewells

Having a pollo asado taco at Dos Tacos Taqueria on 4th Avenue.

January 2, 2010

Having first pizza of 2010 at Co. We started with a few bowls of Ribolita – a soup of tomato, savoy cabbage, cavolo nero, cannellini beans, parmesan, mirepoix and chili powder – perfect for the cold day. Next was the main event – we ordered 5 pizzas – Rosa – tomato, garlic, fresh oregano and chili; stracciatella – tomato, black pepper, stracciatella and arugula,; margherita – tomato, buffalo mozzarella and basil; cauliflower – roasted cauliflower, buffalo mozzarella, caramelized onions and lardons; and finally brussels sprouts pizza- brussels sprouts, béchamel, buffalo mozzarella, chestnuts, lardons and onions. All were delicious and absolutely worth a return visit. but go early, the wait was long by the time we left after 1 pm.

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Paname, December 29, 2009.

My last meal was comforting. This time I needed something more
challenging!
A couple of weeks ago my girlfriend Dayana and I took advantage of the
snow storm in New York to go to Peter Luger in Brooklyn. We called the
restaurant that night expecting a few cancellations and booked a table
at the last minute. We walked to the restaurant under the snow defying
the freezing wind. We shared a dry aged Porterhouse steak. To be
honest it was not what I was expecting but it was very good anyhow.
I couldn’t let my last meal be so comforting! I wanted to challenge
myself, leave my comfort zone. The other night my parents, my sister,
and I went to La Tour de Montlhery Chez Denise in Paris. Chez Denise
is a relic from an era long gone. It is located near
Chatelet-les-Halles where the wholesale market (les Halles) used to
be.

At that time Paris had a belly (ventre) as Emile Zola puts it in
his book Le ventre de Paris referring to les Halles. Nowadays – I
quote food writer Francois Simon – Paris only has a belly button! So
Chez Denise is allegedly the only restaurant left from that time. It
is meant for people with appetite like the one of Gargantua.
My father, following my advice, ordered the tripes au calvados
(chitterlings). This is what I usually order when I go there. They are
served in a copper saucepan. It’s not peppermint, it’s not chocolate
but it’s delicious! My mom chose the civet de cerf sauce grand veneur
(deer). Actually I chose for her, as she couldn’t make up her mind as
usual. My sister had the steak tartare. A classic of French cuisine.
It was the size of a camember! Last but not least, I chose … the tete
de veau sauce ravigote (veal’s head)! First time ever. To go with the
dinner we ordered a bottle of Brouilly, a red wine from the Beaujolais
area, light and fruity.
When my dish arrived on the table I was very excited. I inspected it
carefully. There was obviously the brain, the cheeks, the tongue, and
… the rest! I couldn’t even identify most of the pieces.
I decided to start with the brain. The sight of it had not deterred me
from eating it. I courageously cut a piece of this white creamy offal
and put it into my mouth. It’s surprisingly good.
The taste is good, the texture is soft. So why is it so hard to
swallow!? My palate finds it quite good, my mind as open-minded
food-wise as it can be is revulsed, I have a knot in my stomach. Each
mouthful is psychologically a challenge. I need to breath profoundly.
But so far so good. The most difficult is behind me. Then I tried the
different pieces. Some were meaty, some were chewy, others were
crunchy. Overall the taste is fine and delicate, the smell reminds me
the one in a butcher shop.
The tete de veau is well known to be the favorite dish of Jacques
Chirac. A lot of people love it. Although I won’t crave for it –
hopefully because that would be another challenge to find it in New
York – I like it. Actually I tried it at the restaurant because Dayana
had already warned me not to bring home a pig’s head to make
headcheese or anything like it.
Even thought the tete de veau was more than fulfilling, I ended the
dinner with a baba au rhum, a spongy cake soaked in rum.
Now it’s time to think about what my first meal of 2010 should be.

Guillaume P Delpech

Deputy Correspondent

Musica maxima

Siroc Restaurant, 915 15th Steet in Washington, DC. Lunch with Lurker W’s older brother… the tax masta of K Street. We had the 4 appetizers – octopus ‘salami’; beef rolls; potato torte and scallops with artichokes. For the main plates, we had capellini with clams and tagliatelle with scallops. A good time was had by and well worth a return trip.

Bistro Bis, Washington, DC. After a great brunch a few months ago, I decided to return to this restaurant located close to Capitol Hill. For starters I had venison sausage followed by cassoulet. While not the rich, creamy one I had at Christian Constant’s restaurant in Paris, it was pretty good. Made all the better, with a few glasses of gamay.

December 5, 2009

After a cold and wet soccer game we were in need of some food and warmth so we found ourselves at Gennaro’s, at the corner of Hyland and New Dorp Lane on Staten Island. We had a large plain pie and one with garlic and anchovies. While I can’t say it was the best pizza, it was fresh and hot and a perfect stop after a game at Miller’s Field.

December 4, 2009

I had a surprising decent lunch at Opia Restaurant. I had eaten there a few times before and was quite disappointed. Today was a pleasant surprise, particularly the beef, which in the past had been cooked to a tough, chewy, gray hunk of meat.

Crepe Farci (crepe stuffed with Chanterelle mushrooms)
Tournedos Rossini (filet mignon, fois gras and truffles)
Tarte tatin with vanilla ice cream

Bon Appetit!

#4030.

If you want to buy Italian Kiwi Fruit, that’s Price Look-Up code, or PLU, you’ll need. Otherwise, you might be charged for homli fruit (#4300)!

Conventionally grown products will have a 4 digit PLU code.
Organic products will have a 5 digit code starting with the number 9.
Genetically engineered (GE or GMO) products will have a 5 digit code starting with the number 8.

My kiwi fruit was not organic.

For a complete list, look here International Federation for Produce Coding

October 2009

Last month brothers Bob and Lurker W traveled to Providence
RI, for a weekend of eating before a big Pats game in
Foxborough.

The eating started right in at Twins Pizza in North
Providence, a local landmark that just celebrated its 50
anniversary. We feasted on RI favorites snail salad, sauteed
peppers, and grapenut custard pudding. The main event of
course was Twins’s famous pizza. We got one with black
olives and mushrooms, and one with linguica and banana
peppers — both ordered “well done” as opposed to medium (a
Twins peculiarity). The crust was excellent on both pizzas,
but I liked the traditional olives and mushrooms a little
more. (see pictures)

Saturday morning we had an excellent breakfast at Nick’s on
Broadway, a very popular spot with the hip West Side crowd.
Somewhat of a wait even though it was early on a rainy
Saturday, but it was worth it. Breakfast sandwich with
prosciutto and a bowl of yogurt, granola, and fruit for me,
omelet for Lurker W that was devoured in mere seconds. Great
coffee too. (see pictures)

Lunch on Saturday was just leftover pizza that held up very
well, and a muffaletta that Lurker transported from Central
Grocery in New Orleans.

For dinner we drove over to the Back Eddy in Westport MA.
Because it was rainy we didn’t get to experience the Back
Eddy’s legendary sunsets, but we got the usual fresh, well
prepared local seafood (oysters, swordfish, cod). (see
pictures)

Pregame breakfast on Sunday was once again at the Modern
Diner in our hometown of Pawtucket. We each got one of the
Modern’s weekend French toast specials, and made short work
of them. Tip: go early on Sunday to avoid the waits, which
can be very long. (see pictures)

Finally, a trip to RI would not be complete without some
greasy pizza strips. We picked up some at DeFusco’s in
Cranston. Delicious as usual.

Another great eating trip to RI!