I’m a HUGE fan of Pearl Oyster Bar and usually don’t go to other restaurants for lobster rolls (longtime readers will remember my absolutely terrible experience at Ed’s Lobster Bar). I’d been to Mary’s a couple times before writing this post and thought it was pretty good, but didn’t like certain things about the lobster roll (specifically, the CELERY they put in the roll). I decided to go back to Mary’s Fish Camp another chance, especially because some magazines think Mary’s lobster rolls are the best in New York (and when Lou went to Pearl Oyster Bar, he thought the lobster was rubbery and overcooked).
We started our meal with oysters:
The oysters were small, but very fresh and the sherry vinaigrette was my favorite sauce. We actually ordered another half dozen because they were so good!
I ordered the lobster roll, even though there were a lot of other really good options (I almost ordered the fried cod sandwich, but at the last minute decided against it):
The lobster roll seemed a lot smaller than Pearl’s, but the lobster was really tender (more tender than Pearl’s), and the only thing I didn’t like was the celery (I didn’t like it the first time and I still don’t like it). The fries were really good when they were hot, but as soon as they were lukewarm, they were soggy and inedible.
Lou ordered the Summer Flounder Tacos with Pico De Gallo and Chipotle Aioli:
The fish tacos were probably the best dish of the night; the chipotle aioli was like crack sauce (Calexico Cart claims they have crack sauce for their burritos, but they should probably be taking notes from Mary’s because their sauce is so much better!) The flounder was lightly fried and absolutely amazing!
Lou’s mom ordered Pan Roasted Golden Tile Filet with Italian Farro and Lime Yogurt Vinaigrette:
The tile fish was light and buttery and paired well with the lime yogurt vinaigrette (and I think it almost had a curry taste to it).
The meal was really enjoyable and has made me reconsider going to other places for lobster rolls. Well, maybe I’ll go to Mary’s Fish Camp for their fish tacos and continue to go to Pearl Oyster Bar for their lobster rolls!
Last night, I met up with Faire, Cantor, Dan, Bethany, and Dan’s parents at Stand Burger. I haven’t seen Faire since the Cupcake Cagematch and she’s grown so much! When I arrived, she was busy eating her burger and fries (and dipping them in milk):
She might be the only toddler I know that likes kewpie mayo + ketchup:
She’s such a cutie:
You can follow her Twitter (yes, she has a Twitter) here.
Dell’Anima, the quaint Italian restaurant nestled in its own little world on W4th is a place I’ve been meaning to try for quite some time. I used to walk by during the summer time (usually on my way to Corner Bistro) and would see people leisurely eating outside (I think Rashida Jones is a huge fan of the restaurant because I used to see her outside ALL the time). I finally made my way to Dell’Anima on a packed Tuesday night.
We sat on barstools by the chef’s counter and had bread and olive oil to start our meal:
Lou’s friend, Julie, works at the restaurant, and was nice enough to have the kitchen send over a quail appetizer with mint, basil, tomatoes, and red onions:
The quail might’ve been my favorite dish of the night; seasoned very well, light and fresh flavor combinations, and tender meat that we both really enjoyed. I also loved the use of mint (especially since I’ve been trying to find ways to use the mint I’m growing from my Aerogarden!)
My friend came the week before and said the octopus was definitely worth ordering:
The octopus appetizer comes with rice beans, chicory, and chorizo. Maria warned me that the portion was going to be really small and slightly salty (coming from a girl that uses lots of salt in everything). The rice beans were creamy and added a nice contrast to the charred octopus, but if I were to go back, I don’t think I’d order the octopus again.
We had a great view of the chefs – here’s a picture of a chef preparing pasta (and the pre-measured pasta in the background):
For our main pastas, I ordered TAJARIN “alla carbonara” speck, egg, pecorino:
O.M.G is basically all I can say about the dish; al dente pasta flavored with speck and pecorino and finished with a creamy egg yolk. I know this dish is super easy to make at home, but it’s seriously worth ordering at Dell’Anima because it is definitely done right here.
Our second pasta dish was equally delicious – MALLOREDDUS braised goat, rosemary, pecorino:
The pastas are all hand made and incredibly delicious; the dish was a tad on the salty side (probably because I’m sure the braised goat was seasoned but adding pecorino probably pushed it over the edge), but still very enjoyable.
For good measure, we also ordered POLLO “al diavolo” broccoli rabe, garlic, chilies:
Neither of us could finish because we were so happily stuffed, but we pressed on and ate about half of the dish. The chicken was tender and flavorful and the serving is a lot larger than the other dishes. If I were to visit again (which I definitely will), I’d probably order the quail over the chicken.
I loved the atmosphere and liveliness of Dell’Anima and will definitely be back for more pastas, wine, and quail. Thank you so much for making the reservation and being so nice, Julie!
A little bit ago, my friend Kristen introduced me to the naan bread that is sold in packs at Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. She’s addicted to them and suggested I give them a try, so I picked up a package last night on my late night walk to the Tribeca Whole Foods (by the way – it closes at 11pm now! yay!) I picked up a 4-pack for $3.49 and also bought 4 pomegranates (the pomegranates were promptly eaten). I was originally going to toast the naan at work and eat it with hummus, but the hummus I made was way too garlicky and not work safe (as in, I brushed my teeth twice and still felt like I smelled a bit like garlic).
Tonight, I was in the mood for pizza and the naan from Whole Foods is a dense flatbread, so I decided to use some ingredients from my pantry and the naan make some pizza! I don’t have that many pizza making ingredients right now, but I had some leftover mozzarella, some Trader Joe’s bruschetta, and basil from my Aerogarden!:
First I placed the naan on an aluminum foil covered baking sheet and added some bruschetta and mozzarella:
Then I added some of my freshly picked basil leaves:
And I baked the bread for about 10 minutes in a 400 degree oven (just make sure the mozzarella is hot when you take it out of the oven):
The naan is soft and more like a crust from Patsy’s than Grimaldi’s but it definitely hit the spot, especially with the tangy bruschetta and the creamy mozzarella cheese.
Cost breakdown:
– Bruschetta was about $2.50 at Trader Joe’s and I used about 1/5 of the container, so we’ll say it was about $.50 cents
– Naan was $3.50 at Whole Foods (for 4 pieces) and I used 1 piece, so it comes out to $.88 cents
– Mozzarella is $8.99/pound at Whole Foods and I used about 1/4 pound (I purchased 1/2 pound earlier in the week and used half of it, leaving me with 1/4 pound), so the cheese comes out to $2.25
– Basil comes from the Aerogarden! and the Aerogarden was a gift, so I will say that was free
Total: $4.13
It’s been 2 months since I start my Aerogarden project! I haven’t seen too much progress this week, but luckily, a reader told me to lower my lights because it might be hindering the growth of my smaller plants after last week’s post. I cut off the majority of the basil to lower the lamp:
The thyme is definitely getting messy with the mint, but the thyme actually smells like thyme, which is more than I can say about the mint (sad face). The thyme looks like a big heaping mess, but once I figure out how I’m going to use it, I’m going to trim it down a bit:
The mint is growing all over the place (almost like ivy) but I haven’t tasted it since the previous week because it didn’t taste like mint last week and I’m still a little wary to try it again:
The basil is doing really well, even though I pruned a ton of it over the weekend:
And after I took the commenters advice about lowering the lamp, all of my stragglers have been doing a lot better. Here are the chives:
The oregano:
And the surprising underdog, the dill:
I think by Thanksgiving, I’ll definitely be able to use these herbs. It sounds like a long time away, but having fresh herbs in the middle of November is pretty awesome!
