To end the week’s post of my very fun weekend with Angie and Brooke, today’s post will be mostly pictures of their visit. On Friday, we went to the Museum of Modern Art with Angie’s friend Arthur to see the Tim Burton exhibit. Initially, we waited in the cold for the Free Friday exhibit, but then we got out of line because it was so cold. Luckily, Arthur got us free tickets to the museum AND the Tim Burton exhibit because of his corporate membership!
Tim Burton art work from his early days was showcased and there were some really amazing illustrations, pictures, and sculptures on display. I recommend going to see the exhibit (or just visiting the MoMA – it’s my favorite museum in New York!) Below are pictures from the museum – only the first one is a Tim Burton because photographs weren’t allowed! I’m also included some pictures of Angie and Brooke’s visit in case you’re interested!
Just a glimpse of the art at the Tim Burton exhibit:
Interesting sculptures and their stands:
Some of Jackson Pollock’s work:
Monet’s water lillies:
Me, Angie, and Brooke in a cab on our way to 3rd Floor:
Angie, Kris, and me at The Gansevoort Hotel:
Audrey, me, Brooke, and Angie at B Bar:
Me, Angie, and Brooke on Valentine’s day (before our dinner at Ed’s Lobster Bar):
Me, Angie, and Brooke at Tenjune:
Me, Bubbles, and Angie (backstory behind meeting Andre Royo: we were dancing at Tenjune but Andre was standing by himself. He looked REALLY familiar…because I’ve seen him on episodes of Law and Order…and he hit it off with Brooke and ended up hanging out with us until we left!):
Me and Angie:
We had an amazing (but VERY TIRING) weekend. I’m visiting these girls in May on my trip back from Taiwan and China and will be having dinner with them at Alinea for my birthday!
So, remember how I said I’d never go back to Ed’s Lobster Bar? Well, things changed on Sunday night (Valentine’s Day) because Brooke and Angie were in the mood for lobster rolls and I couldn’t take them to my usual spots (Pearl Oyster Bar or my backup Mary’s Fish Camp) because they’re both closed on Sunday’s. I also didn’t want to go to Lure because I went the previous week with my college roommate (post coming up next week). Another thing to consider: we were going out in the meatpacking district after dinner and did not want to go to The Mermaid Inn because it was out of the way and they serve their lobster rolls on an actual brioche roll. I suggested going to Ed’s and Brooke and Angie were both excited about the idea, so I didn’t tell them about the terrible experience I had the first (and last) time I visited.
We arrived at Ed’s around 9pm (they closed at 10pm on Sunday, an hour later than usual) and we sat down in the back. So far, so good. However, Angie or Brooke overheard the waitress say that they only had one lobster roll left. The waitress WOULD NOT come over to take our order even though we were all making eye contact with her and trying to get her attention. While we waited, we discussed our order: skate (a special), a lobster roll, and the lobster pot pie. As soon as the words lobster roll came out of my mouth, the waitress snapped back and said they were completely out. We asked if they could use the lobster from the 1.5 pound steamed lobster that was also on the menu and the waitress said that they had been doing it all night, but there was just not enough time for them to recreate the lobster roll in enough time. Brooke said that we were willing to wait since we were in absolutely no rush and the waitress STILL said there wasn’t enough time for them to make the lobster roll. We were really bummed, especially since the waitress had a list of things that were unavailable (not just the lobster roll); we almost decided to walk out, but magically, the waitress came back and said there was only ONE lobster roll left – if we wanted it, we had to order it immediately. We ordered the lobster roll, the skate, and the lobster pot pie (as originally planned).
As we were waiting for our dishes, I told Brooke and Angie that this experience was similar to my previous experience; they ran out of a lot of the food that was on the menu and the service was not attentive at all. I didn’t want to ruin the evening (especially since it was just us 3 girls) so we waited patiently for our food. Luckily, we didn’t have to wait too long and the waitress brought along our lobster roll:
The lobster roll was a huge upgrade from last time – more meat, less stringy (although still lots of little pieces instead of big chunks), and just enough mayo (and a splash of lemon). The fries were also freshy fried and not soggy like the last time I went. Enjoyable, but definitely below Pearl Oyster Bar and Mary’s Fish Camp. Even Angie said she enjoyed Pearl’s more than Ed’s (we went to Pearl Oyster Bar a couple of months back with John and they still talk about the amazing lobster rolls!) The lobster roll was also $27 (only $1 more than it was 3 years ago) HOWEVER, lobster prices were at an all time low in recent months so I don’t understand why restaurants still charge so much for the tasty crustacean.
Brooke started with the lobster pot pie:
The lobster pot pie was more of a lobster bisque with some puffed pastry on top than a pot pie. The bisque was very creamy and was more soupy than chunky; you definitely had to dig and pray for a small piece of lobster to reach your spoon. The pot pie was good, but I think it was misleading; it should be relabeled as a lobster bisque (and as an appetizer).
Angie started with the skate:
I’m a huge fan of skate and I think it was Angie and Brooke’s first time trying it. The fish was pan fried and very moist (although I would’ve preferred a little more flavor…or even salt!) The veggies, almost like a cole slaw, was slightly crunchy and flavored with bacon. We all enjoyed the dish and I think Angie and Brooke liked the texture/taste of skate.
When the bill came, we also got little chocolate lobsters:
Our meal at Ed’s Lobster Bar was a lot more enjoyable than the previous visit – I can no longer say that the restaurant is absolutely terrible, but I don’t know if I’d put it on a list of “must visits” for people coming from out of town (however, I have no problem putting Pearl Oyster Bar and Mary’s Fish Camp on my “favorites” list). Ed came out of the kitchen as the restaurant was closing, which we took as a good sign; the chef still cares enough about his restaurant to show up and cook…even on Valentine’s Day!
On Saturday, Angie, Brooke, and I were pretty tired from walking around the city all day. We didn’t want to go out for dinner so we walked over to Whole Foods and picked up the ingredients for ground turkey chili. The best part of this chili is that you don’t need for it to simmer all day; since you use salsa, as soon as everything is in the pot, it’s basically ready! I always keep the ingredients on hand just in case I have some last minute guests.
Ground Turkey Chili
Ingredients
1 can corn (no salt added)
1 can black beans
1 can Cannellini beans
1 can whole peeled tomatoes
1 can chicken broth (optional – it’s also really good – and chunkier – without the broth)
1 medium onion, diced
2 portobello mushrooms, diced
1 pound ground turkey (can also substitute with sausage, beef, chicken, or you don’t have to add it at all!)
1 can salsa (Pace salsas actually work really well, but Whole Foods also has some good options)
First, cook your ground turkey in the pot you’re using to cook the rest of the soup. While you cook the ground turkey, start dicing the onions and portobello mushrooms:
Angie helped me through the entire process and diced up the onions and mushrooms like a pro – look at how everything is the same size!
After the turkey is thoroughly cooked, add the onions:
Then add the portobello mushrooms:
Saute the three ingredients together so the mushrooms and onions can brown a bit. After, add in the can of corn (I like to drain the corn from the water, but that is optional):
Then add the cannellini beans (no need to drain these):
The black beans (no need to drain these, either):
Add the chicken broth and the salsa:
And finally, the tomatoes (you can break them up beforehand or if you’re lazy, just add them all in and break them up with a spoon):
Stir the soup and let it come to a boil and you are DONE! The soup really does taste great even though it took less than 20 minutes to make. Angie and Brooke (and Brooke’s sister!) all liked the soup topped with a little Fage Greek yogurt (a very healthy alternative to sour cream):
Perfect for a cold winter night!
Cost Breakdown
1 can corn (no salt added) – $0.89
1 can black beans – $0.89
1 can Cannellini beans- $0.89
1 can whole peeled tomatoes $2.19
1 can chicken broth (optional – it’s also really good – and chunkier – without the broth) – $0.75
1 medium onion, diced – $0.50
2 portobello mushrooms, diced – $1.99
1 pound ground turkey (can also substitute with sausage, beef, chicken, or you don’t have to add it at all!) – $5.99
1 can salsa (Pace salsas actually work really well, but Whole Foods also has some good options) – $3.99
Total: $17.19 – about 8 servings ($2.15/serving!)
My friends Angie and Brooke came to visit me over the weekend. Since they stayed with me, they wanted to treat me out to a nice meal and wanted it to be blog-worthy; I told them that I really wanted to try Del Posto because it was on the Michelin list for NYC and that they had a great deal for lunch. They were both excited to try it out; we all watch Mario Batali on Iron Chef and were excited that I would be able to cross off a restaurant from my Michelin list for 2010. We headed there on Friday for lunch (after a quick stop at the Barney’s Warehouse sale):
In 2008 and 2009, Del Posto was a two-star Michelin restaurant:
However, in 2010, it was downgraded to only one Michelin star (still an accomplishment, but definitely not as prestigious). We arrived at the restaurant and there was a line to check our coats so we decided against it and walked right to the host. The host was really pushy for us to check our coats, but we decided against it and he even asked us again if we were absolutely POSITIVE that we didn’t want to check our coats. None of us understood why he wanted us to check our coats, but decided to not let that get our lunch off to a bad start. There’s a piano player that plays classical music while we dined, but it made Del Posto seem like a hotel lobby (or a Nordstrom). The decor is already a little on the heavy side (it reminded me of something you’d see in a higher end hotel) but was a little busy.
We started with some a couple complimentary dishes from the kitchen:
An Italian Miso soup, cheese rolled in puff rice, and little sandwiches with a ham pate. The ham pate was definitely the best with a delicate balance of fat and salt that tasted delicious with the choux pastry.
We also received a bread basket with baguettes, rosemary ciabatta, and olive bread:
With a side of butter and lard:
The bread was freshly baked (or warmed) in the oven so even though the butter was room temperature, it melted on the bread. The olive bread was delicious and came with very large pieces of black olives, but the baguette was a little too chewy. The lard spread tasted very similar to the butter, but I thought it had less taste and was a little too fibrous looking to be appreciated.
We decided to share everything and started with the Roasted Autumn vegetables with Robiola Sformato & Truffled Hazelnuts:
The roasted beets were my favorite (although the beets were smaller than any beet I’ve ever had) and had a very sweet and earthy taste. Everything else had flavors that were muted and I don’t think they took advantage of the natural sweetness and flavors of the vegetables.
We also ordered two warm cotechino with Umbrian Lentil Vinaigrette & Dried Fruit Mostarda:
When the dish arrived, Angie said that she could’ve made the same dish – just give her a cookie cutter and a container of spam! We were cracking up, but the sausage really did look like it was fried spam. It was flavored with a little heat (from the mustard) but the dish was slightly sweet from a jam or date that really added a strange texture to the cotechino.
For the lunch menu, you order one antipasti and then choose either a primi or a secondi, and a dessert. The primi had a list of pastas but none of them really interested us, so we went with three secondis. I ordered seared duck breast, Apician Spices, Savor alla Francescana & Lovage:
The duck breast was my favorite dish of the afternoon; the duck skin was very crispy and well salted and the meat of the duck was still moist and not overcooked.
Angie ordered the Grilled pork ode to Emilia-Romagna with Sunchoke Crema & Lambrusco:
The Berkshire pork was a tad overcooked and by the time the dish got to me, it was very tough and chewy. The bone was wrapped in prosciutto and added some necessary salt to the dish. The pork actually reminded me of the Berkshire pork from Blue Hill, but I preferred the pork at Blue Hill (even though I said it was super salted at the time).
Brooke ordered Roasted lamb rack with Tail Ragu alla Puttanesca & Sauteed Basil:
The roasted lamb rack was my least favorite dish of the proteins; it didn’t have enough flavor and was definitely overcooked.
We ordered our desserts after we finished our entrees (which is what you usually do in restarants, right?) but it took another 45 minutes for our desserts to come out. We decided to share the desserts as well and ordered three based off the waiter’s recommendations. I ordered the Chocolate Ricotta tortino with Sicilian Pistachios & Extra Virgin Olive Oil Gelato:
I actually only wanted the olive oil gelato (after having it at Otto, I became a little obsessed) but the chocolate cake was very dense and delicious as well.
Angie ordered the tartufo al Caffe with Dark Chocolate, Sant Eustachio Coffe & Candied Lemon:
Tartufo translates to “truffle” in Italian, and we all said the chocolate covered coffee ice cream reminded us of truffles. The shell of dark chocolate was slightly bitter and complemented the sweet coffee ice cream well.
Brooke ordered the Butterscotch semifreddo Melon Agrumata, Crumbled Sbrisolona & Milk Jam:
My favorite part of the dish was actually the agrumata, which tasted like a grown-up fruit roll up. The rest of the dish was okay, but I didn’t really taste the butterscotch in any of the dessert.
The three of us before we devoured our desserts:
The waiter brought over some more desserts when we finished our first round:
There was olive oil gelato covered in chocolate, little bombolinos filled with custard, chocolate with almonds and dried cherries, and more agrumata.
Our lunch was good, but I definitely thought some of the flavors were muddled and the chef really didn’t let the ingredients speak for themselves. The duck is definitely worth trying, but I’m surprised Del Posto is still a Michelin starred restaurant.
This post is for my friend, Cliff because he is a huge fan of Metromint Water. Last week, I met the creator of the awesome product, Rio Miura, at an event in New York:
Rio is really sweet and let me sample all of the drink flavors – my favorite was peppermint (very refreshing) and the weirdest one I tasted was chocolate mint (but it was weird and refreshing and also kind of sweet in a natural way). My least favorite, however, was Cherry Mint (I’m a big fan of cherry seltzer and there was the same flavor, but no carbonation and a little mint, which threw off my taste buds).
Metromint just launched electrolyte water called Metroelectro. It’s a really refreshing post workout drink and I just purchased a bunch at Whole Foods for me and David!
