A couple weekends ago, I went to Boston to attend a wedding (my first!) I arrived in Boston late Friday night and walked around Newbury Street to find something to eat. The only restaurants open were Capital Grill (nothing new or interesting and definitely available in NYC) and Sonsie:
The hotel concierge recommended Sonsie because it was one of the only restaurants open past 10pm on a Friday night (where are we, Champaign, Illinois?!) Sonsie is part bar, part restaurant (especially after 10pm). The restaurant area was pretty empty, except for a few parties that were finishing up. We started off with some white bean puree and a bread basket:
The white bean puree was flavorless and could’ve used a lot more salt and pepper, but the bread kept us occupied while we waited for our main courses to arrive. I ordered the Wagyu beef burger, cheddar cheese, brioche, cornichons, pommes frites:
My medium rare burger:
The burger was actually fantastic; juicy and well seasoned meat, a perfectly bouncy brioche bun (not too dense and not too airy), and very tasty cheese. The fries were too greasy, but I was very pleased (and surprised) with the good quality of the burger.
Lou ordered the short ribs with Irish colcannon and parsnips:
The short ribs were not that great (very stringy and tough) but I was plesantly surprised with the colcannon. Colcannon is a traditional Irish dish (made with potatoes, kale or cabbage) with leeks, milk, cream, or bacon (kind of like a spruced up mashed potatoes). The colcannon was slightly chunky and very flavorful – much more satisfying than the short ribs.
The biggest problem I had with the restaurant was the waiter; he was so chipper and in your face about the meal that I felt like I was at TGI Fridays, counting his mandatory flair. When Lou and I switched plates halfway through the meal, the waiter felt that it was necessary to come over to comment (‘the ole switch-a-roo – it’s the ONLY way to eat’) but when my water glass AND Lou’s water glass were empty, it was okay for him to play tag with his coworkers (okay, I’ve never been a waiter and I’m sure it’s hard work, but shouldn’t you be professional, even if it is the end of the night?)
After dinner, we tried walking around Newbury Street, but the area we were (downtown) is definitely better suited for driving!
After playing skeeball at Full Circle Bar in Brooklyn, I was on my way home and somehow found the Brooklyn Taco Truck:
I have no idea how I found it (more like Lou found it and I was very happy and suddenly VERY hungry). We ordered two tacos – one chicken and one pork:
Their tacos are $2.50 each, which is relatively cheap and super super super delicious. The tortillas that hold the chicken/pork/fish are really great; they’re made from a family in Brooklyn and they taste fresh, have a bite to them, and are really amazing with the chicken tacos. The green sauce was also great – kind of like an avocado cream, but much lighter and very tangy. We got there right before the line formed (I’m sure the line is crazy on weekends) – I’m tempted to go out in Brooklyn more just so I can go to this taco truck!
Some pictures from our Thanksgiving party. Hope you are enjoying the parade, the beautiful weather, and your friends and family. A round up of all of the Thanksgiving recipes, in case you still need ideas: Roasted Butternut Squash Soup, Stuffed Mushrooms, Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon, Cornbread Dressing, Spatchcocked Turkey, Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake. Happy Thanksgiving!
Four of the five desserts:
Koyel and Sumon:
Starting to pass plates down the table for food:
Already taking a breather:
Going in for seconds:
Hoping for scraps:
Holding her new friend, Mr. Bear:
Trying to walk around:
After spatchcocking our turkey and feeding 14 people at our 2nd Annual NYC Thanksgiving, we had lots of leftovers. Not as many turkey leftovers as I’d hoped, but still enough for me to make a quick and SUPER simple chili the next day. Pace sent me some salsas to play around with and this recipe is easy, delicious, and great with any kind of meat (or even vegetarian style!)
Leftover Thanksgiving Chili
Ingredients
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
2 cans of black beans, not drained
1 can of yellow corn, drained
1 container of chicken stock
1 container of Pace Picante Salsa
Any turkey leftovers you have
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 Avocado
Greek Yogurt/Sour Cream (Optional)
Crumbled tortilla chips (Optional)
Pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a pot:
Turn the stove onto medium and pour in the onions:
Then the celery:
Then the red pepper:
Cook the veggies until they are slightly translucent:
And then add the chicken stock:
Add the two jars of black beans (with their juices and all):
And one jar of corn:
Next, add your turkey:
And finally, add your Pace salsa:
Simmer for about 5 minutes, until the mixture starts to thicken:
And serve the chili with avocado slices and plain yogurt (or sour cream) and crumbled tortilla chips:
I used spicy Pace salsa and the chili was SUPER spicy – I’d recommend using a more mild version since you’re using the entire can of salsa for the chili. The soup serves about 6 people and is great for the day after Thanksgiving (or any day!)
Cost Breakdown
1 yellow onion, chopped – $0.40
3 celery stalks, chopped – $0.25
1 red pepper, chopped – $1.00
2 cans of black beans, not drained – $1.80
1 can of yellow corn, drained – $0.80
1 container of chicken stock – $1.99
1 container of Pace Picante Salsa – free
Any turkey leftovers you have – free
1 tablespoon olive oil – free
1 Avocado – $1.25
Greek Yogurt/Sour Cream (Optional) – free
Crumbled tortilla chips (Optional) – free
Total: $7.49 – definitely makes enough for lunch the next day!
I’ve been reading a lot of great feedback about my spatchcock, brine, and herb butter turkey post and have also been getting a LOT of questions – the most frequently asked question was what kind of materials should I purchase to spatchcock the turkey? If you’re headed to the grocery store to buy other ingredients for your turkey tonight, add these to your shopping list (if you don’t own them already).
1. To spatchcock your turkey, you will need sharp kitchen scissors or poultry shears. If I had the money to purchase poultry shears, I’d go with Henckels ($29.99 at Bed, Bath, and Beyond):
Be sure to thoroughly clean the poultry shears or scissors after cutting up the turkey – you’ve been dealing with a lot of bacteria! My cheap alternative: very sharp kitchen scissors and strong forearms!
2. To brine your turkey, you’ll need a durable brining bag ($4.99 at Bed, Bath, and Beyond):
I purchased a brining bag last year but thought they were super expensive for a one time use. The benefit of having a brining bag is that it closes (it’s essentially a large Ziploc bag), the downside: it’ll cost you $5 and you’ll have to throw it out after. My Cheap Alternative: clean grocery bags and a roasting pan/pot to support the turkey.
3. To keep track of your turkey’s cooking temperature, you’ll need a reliable meat thermometer ($19.99 at Bed, Bath, and Beyond):
I bought this Oneida digital thermometer last year and it’s been very reliable – you poke the stick in the turkey thigh and can set the thermometer to beep when it reaches a certain temperature (I was looking for 165). No cheap alternative – I recommend investing in a good thermometer because you don’t want your guests getting sick from undercooked meat!
4. To roast your spatchcocked turkey, you can use either a roasting pan or a large cookie sheet:
I used the roaster ($19.99 at BBB) to hold the turkey while it was brining, but you could use the roaster for the turkey if you’d like to place some vegetables under the turkey while it’s roasting. Last year, when my turkey wasn’t spatchcocked, I used the roaster for actually baking the turkey, this year, it was too small to fit my 16 pounder.
I used the largest cookie sheet from the Wilton three cookie sheet set for my turkey this year (I purchased at BBB a while back and have used the cookie sheets MANY times). The downside of the cookie sheet is that it’s not large enough to place vegetables underneath the turkey, but, at least you can keep the drippings (place some aluminum foil between the turkey and the cookie sheet).
Any other questions about spatchcocking your turkey? If you need help on Thursday, you can e-mail me (gracenotesnyc@gmail.com) or send me a message on twitter (gracenotesnyc) – I’ll be around all day and will be able to walk you through spatchcocking if you need the help!
