Imperial Koi

While David and I were in Greensboro, we met up with lots of my mom’s friends and colleagues. It was really fun to meet the people that hang out with my mom (her social calendar is more packed than mine!) On the day after Christmas, we went to one of her favorite restaurants in Greensboro, Imperial Koi, for an afternoon filled with good food and good conversation. Imperial Koi is located on New Garden Road in Greensboro in a new development area (I know that it’s on the way to the airport):

My mom has been to the restaurant a lot since it opened earlier this year (there are literally 5 good restaurants in Greensboro and my mom goes to them on a rotation) so the owner/chef knows her very well. As soon as we walked into the restaurant, the chef came to greet us and said he would take care of our party so everyone was well fed.

Before we get to the awesome food, let me show you who I sat across from:

Chloe and Ryan are really cute and well behaved kids. Ryan really dotes on Chloe and gives her lots of kisses – it is so cute and makes me want to have lots of babies (some day!). Another cute shot:

Everyone at the table started off with a cup of miso soup:

And then the hugest plate of sushi I have EVER seen came out:

The Imperial Koi love boat boasts 16 pieces of assorted sashimi (yellowtail is my favorite, tuna or salmon is my mom’s favorite, and David likes everything), 8 pieces of sushi, and a dynamite roll, which sounds awesome BECAUSE IT IS. The Dynamite roll is spicy crabmeat, avocado, lobster salad, spicy mayo, and tempura. It was my favorite roll of the day (which is saying a lot because all of the rolls were AMAZING).

The next roll that came out was the angry dragon roll:

The angry dragon roll came with shrimp tempura, spicy tuna, papaya, and spicy king crab all wrapped in pink soy bean nori. I haven’t seen different color nori being used since I was working in Connecticut (backstory: there were some great sushi places in Connecticut by GE and the manager I worked with loved sushi, so we’d go to different Japanese restaurants that served sushi every day. Best internship ever.) The angry dragon roll was protein packed and the shrimp tempura stayed delicately crisp even though I spent more time than necessary trying to get a good picture of the dish.

The ultimate roll came out shortly after:

The ultimate roll came with tempura lobster, romaine lettuce, avocado, mango, kiwi eel sauce, and strawberry sauce in a white soy crepe. I love the way Imperial Koi used different types of wraps (regular seaweed gets old after a while!) My lobster was a little soggy, but my mom had an end piece and she said the lobster was perfectly tender and still had a crispy exterior.

The New Garden roll came next:

The New Garden roll comes with deep fried soft shell crab, spicy king crab, black caviar, lettuce, Parmesan cheese, jalapeno, sweet basil, eel, and white soybean paper. The table really liked this roll because it had deep fried soft shell crab and was slightly spicy.

This was my second favorite roll of the day:

Since David and Ryan both have allergies, the chef brought out some udon noodles for Ryan (sautéed with vegetables) and brought out some lamb chops as well (Ryan has been to the restaurant previously and the lamb chops are one of his favorites):

The lamb chops come with fingerling potatoes and are done surprisingly well for an Asian restaurant. The lamb chops are a good choice for someone that doesn’t want to eat raw fish, but seriously, the rolls at Imperial Koi are so delicious that you’d really be missing out if you didn’t try one of their rolls.

As the steak came out, everyone at the table was unbuttoning their pants or loosening up a belt notch. It was quite a lot of food, even for 7 adults. The steak:

The steak was prepared with a sauce (I always prefer sauce on the side) with a side of rice and broccoli (if you take out the sauce, it’s the way David and I used to eat steak when we were kids).

Everyone before we started filling up on the delicious rolls and meat:

Me and David with Peter, the chef and owner:

And after we ate a TON of food, the chef sent out two molten chocolate cakes with vanilla ice cream:

I love the combination of warm chocolate cake and cold vanilla ice cream. Heck, I love any mixture of chocolate and vanilla!

The meal at Imperial Koi was one of the best meals I’ve had in Greensboro: delicious and inventive rolls, a wonderful atmosphere, and it’s definitely worth a visit. I know I always say that I like unadulterated sashimi, but the rolls at Imperial Koi are definitely worth a visit. In case you’re wondering, the other restaurants in Greensboro that are worth visiting are: Cookout, Ganache (only for their cakes – their food is way too greasy), Green Valley Grille, Lucky 32, Promixity’s Print Works Bistro, and Saffron.

New Years Day Party

Okay, one more day of party pics (in case you hadn’t had enough yet!) This party was at a professor’s house and was very fun. Since they’re both vegetarians, we had a lot of vegetable and tofu dishes, but some people brought meat since the guests weren’t all vegetarians.

Me with the hosts:

Vegetarian steamed buns:

Vegetarian egg rolls:

A spread of some of the appetizers/cold dishes:

Cucumbers in soy sauce, garlic, and sesame oil:

Vegetables with dried tofu:

Seaweed:

Marinated beef, very thinly sliced:

Meatballs:

Chicken (made from tofu):

Fried rice with ham:

Daikon with vinegar and sesame oil:

Wood ear mushroom with tofu gluten:

Napa cabbage with wood ear mushrooms:

Japanese Eggplant:

Nian gao with fried tofu:

Daikon with vegetables and fried vegetable balls:

Shrimp:

Tofu with green peppers and hot peppers:

A tofu dish:

My first plate:

For dessert, we had fermented rice wine with egg and cooked rice:

The hostess also made some chewy balls to put in the soup:

A delicious party and I managed to eat lots of vegetables (and other foods!) Now I’m back in New York and ready to start 2010!

Happy New Year!

Last night, we attended a dinner party to ring in the new year. I thought I’d share some photographs to show you how much food we ate!

The hosts with their adorable two daughters:

Starting to set up:

Ribs:

Mung bean noodles with spicy black bean sauce:

Shredded carrots and daikon with sesame seeds:

Peanuts with dehydrated tofu and anchovies:

Seaweed with sesame:

Roasted chicken:

Pork tenderloin:

Cucumber, wood ear mushrooms, and pork:

Steamed fish:

Beef bourguignon:

Ham:

Handmade steamed buns:

Interior shot:

Mini tee-pong (pork shin):

Three layer pork with tofu skin:

Everyone getting ready to eat:

There were more dishes I didn’t even get a chance to take individual photographs of:

My first plate:

Pumpkin shaped sticky rice flour wraps with mashed red bean filling:

Pecan cheesecake:

Nian-gao (sticky rice cake):

Me, David, and my mom with the hosts (and her little sister and niece):

Me, David, and my mom (yet another outfit that my mom and I both have! David said he felt left out when he saw us walk to the car with matching skirts and requested that the next time my mom buys us coordinating outfits, please pick him up something as well!):

Happy 2010 – I hope you had a safe and fun New Year’s Eve and I can’t wait to see what 2010 has in store for us!

Favorites of 2009

Can you believe 2009 is almost over? I love writing my “favorites of the year” post (links for 2008 and 2007) because it’s a great way for me to reflect on my year of dining out. This year, I found a couple of restaurants that have become favorites (new openings as well as NYC staples). Next year, I have given myself quite the task: dining at every Michelin-starred restaurant in New York City. Instead of writing only about restaurant favorites, I’m also including some favorite recipes that I created this year. I hope you have a wonderful New Year’s Eve and see you in 2010!

Gracenotes NYC’s Favorites of 2009

Favorite breakfast dish:

I love frittatas because you can make them with any vegetables you have in the fridge – I love using leeks, peppers, onions, mushrooms, and bacon! This is a super fast brunch dish, fills up you and all of your guests, and only requires one pan. Definitely a favorite – you don’t even need a shopping list to make the dish – just shop your fridge!

Favorite Sandwich: ‘wichcraft’s Pole caught tuna sandwich (my version):

After shopping near Rockefeller center, I stopped by the ‘wichcraft in the basement of 30 Rock and was drawn to the pole caught tuna sandwich. The saltiness from the olives and the crunch from the fennel was too amazingly delicious that I went home and immediately recreated the simple sandwich. The sandwich is packed with protein and veggies and a great meal (or snack). You should definitely try to recreate the sandwich (especially if you don’t want to pay $9 for the sandwich at ‘wichcraft!)

Favorite Salad: Rao’s Seafood Salad:

Okay, so it is very difficult to get reservations at Rao’s and I will probably never dine there again, but I still have dreams about their seafood salad (a huge thank you to Sara for getting us a table for the evening!) A combination of lobster, shrimp, and squid tossed with some lemon, olive oil, salt, and vinegar. Simple to recreate at home (I have yet to do so) and definitely the best (and probably most expensive) salad I ate in 2009.

Favorite Burger of 2009 (and possibly ever): Minetta Tavern’s Black Label Burger:

It’s difficult for non-celebrities to get a reservation at a decent hour now, but I snuck my family in for a reservation before it was a celebrity hub and had the opportunity to sample their black label burger. The burger is juicy, flavorful, and absolutely sublime. Lou’s new apartment is around the block, so I will definitely be making more visits to Lou AND Minetta Tavern’s bar (which serves food and doesn’t accept reservations).

Favorite Chicken of 2009: Sakagura’s free range chicken with sea salt:

Chicken isn’t a dish I usually order when I go out to eat, but the free range chicken at Sakagura is a dish that MUST be ordered. The chicken is juicy, tender, and has a slightly crispy skin that is very delicious with a pinch of salt. I love it, my mom loves it, and my friend Angie loves it, too!

Favorite Pasta of 2009: Dell’Anima’s TAJARIN alla carbonara:

Dell’Anima hand makes all of their pasta and the pasta alla carbonara is my favorite. When I dined there, I sat at the chef’s counter and watched them prepare my dish carefully and deliberately. The pasta is quickly cooked and topped with freshly shaved pecorino. Extra points for Dell’Anima for weighing all of the pasta portions beforehand to make sure everyone gets an equal serving.

Favorite Preparation of Fish: Jean-Georges’ Skate with chateau chalon sauce:

I love skate (especially the way Jean-Georges prepares the fish). The use of chateau chalon sauce adds a great acidity to the fish that makes it very memorable and delicious. I wanted to use a post from Le Bernardin, but sadly, it was a meal I enjoyed in 2008.

Favorite Momofuku Group Dinner: Bo Ssam:

My first bo ssam:

Everyone at dinner:

When I first moved here in 2006, I didn’t understand why people would stand on 1st Ave in the freezing cold for a seat in Momofuku Noodle Bar (especially since their ramen was overcooked and VERY expensive!) I’m glad David Chang has branched out to other types of meals and found myself particularly enjoying the bo ssam meal. It was tough to decide, especially since I’m a big fan of his Southern style fried chicken at Momofuku Noodle Bar. I decided bo ssam won out for 2009 because I’ve had some experiences with undercooked chicken during the fried chicken dinners AND because I only like half of his preparation of fried chicken (Southern fried chicken = awesome, Korean style = not so awesome).

Favorite holiday party of 2009: Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite holiday; everyone celebrates it and there is ALWAYS good food at the table. This year, at our 2nd annual Thanksgiving dinner, we made it potluck style and David and I spatchcocked the turkey for moister results. This was also the most fun meal to photograph – I mean, if this image doesn’t say Thanksgiving to you, I don’t know what does:

The post on spatchcocking a turkey can be found here.

And David and I showing off our results:

Favorite Food Event of 2009: Cupcake Cagematch:

Remember that time I thought it would be a good idea to make people eat so many cupcakes that they refused to ever eat cupcakes again? Good times. The cupcake cagematch was just an idea that my friends helped me bring to life – a huge thank you to everyone that participated, especially Dan and Lou for helping me with the data results.

Favorite Dinner Party of 2009: Dumpling wrapping party:

Not only did the post come with lots of pictures of us making dumplings, but it also comes with a recipe for EXTREMELY delicious dumplings (and two ways to cook them!) I love dumpling parties because they require so little prep work but the results are always amazing.

So, what were some of your favorite meals of 2009? Any new restaurants you discovered that you think are worth mentioning? I hope you had a wonderful year and I can’t wait for what 2010 will bring!

Beef Bourguignon

After having the beef bourguignon at Joseph Leonard and watching Julia and Julie, I decided to give Beef Bourguignon a try. Except, I didn’t have any herbs because I finished with my Aerogarden. And, it was blizzarding outside so I didn’t want to go outside…although with my new jacket, I probably would’ve been safe. I also didn’t have any cognac or brandy that the recipe called for, so I substituted it with more wine. Overall, I changed the recipe quite a bit, but it turned out well.

Beef Bourguignon
Adapted from epicurious.com

8 ounces bacon, coarsely chopped
3 pounds well-trimmed boneless beef chuck, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes (from 7-bone chuck roast)
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 1/4 pounds boiling onions, peeled (I used one bag of pearl onions)
3/4 pound large carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
12 large garlic cloves, peeled (left whole)

3 cups canned beef broth
1/2 cup Cognac or brandy (I used more wine instead of cognac or brandy)
2 750-ml bottles red Burgundy wine (I only used 1 bottle)
1 1/4 pounds mushrooms – omitted
1/3 cup chopped fresh thyme or 2 tablespoons dried – omitted
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar – omitted
1 tablespoon tomato paste
10 fingerling potatoes

Coursely chop up the 8 ounces of bacon:

Sauté bacon in heavy large Dutch oven over high heat until brown and crisp, about 8 minutes:

Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels:

Season beef generously with salt and pepper:

Coat with 1/3 cup flour, using all of flour:

Working in 3 batches, brown beef in same pot over high heat, about 5 minutes per batch:

Batch 3:

Transfer meat to large bowl. Prepare the pearl onions by removing the tips and the outer layer of skin:

Add onions and carrots to same pot and sauté until light brown, about 6 minutes:

I also added potatoes:

Add garlic and sauté 1 minute. Transfer vegetables to bowl with beef:

Add 1 cup broth and Cognac to pot; boil until reduced to glaze, scraping up browned bits, about 8 minutes:

Return meat and vegetables and their juices to pot:

Add wine:

Tomato paste and 2 cups broth:

Bring to boil, stirring occasionally:

Cover pot and place in a preheated 325 degree oven. Cook until beef is tender, about 1 hour 20 minutes:

Before you serve the dish, cook up some egg noodles. The stew is very comforting on a very cold day and tastes great the day after:

Cost Breakdown

8 ounces bacon, coarsely chopped – $3.39
3 pounds well-trimmed boneless beef chuck, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes (from 7-bone chuck roast) – $12.10
1/3 cup all purpose flour – $0.50
1 1/4 pounds boiling onions, peeled (I used one bag of pearl onions) – $2.29
3/4 pound large carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces – $1.19
12 large garlic cloves, peeled (left whole) – $0.35

3 cups canned beef broth – $2.29
1/2 cup Cognac or brandy (I used more wine instead of cognac or brandy) – $0.75
2 750-ml bottles red Burgundy wine (I only used 1 bottle) – $9.95
1 1/4 pounds mushrooms – omitted
1/3 cup chopped fresh thyme or 2 tablespoons dried – omitted
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar – omitted
1 tablespoon tomato paste – $0.30
10 fingerling potatoes – $3.00

Total: $36.11 – enough for 6 servings