Monthly Archives: August 2013

August 29, 2013 · 1:41 am

Summer Supper at Recette

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I enjoyed the opportunity to dine at Recette, located on a street corner in the West Village. The interior is beautifully elegant, yet cozy and comfortable at the same time. This summer, Recette is serving special Summer Supper which consists of 1 snack (appetizer), 2 plates and 1 dessert for the great price of $40.

I chose salt cod fritters for my snack, which came came with lamb sausage ragu at the bottom and curry aioli. The cod fritters were balls of deliciousness- Crispy, flavorful, with the wonderful taste of cod. The accompanying lamb ragu was also extremely tasty and had perfectly seasoned.

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My next dish was crispy calamari in a salad of snap pea, radish, grape, cashew, and ranch. The calamari was decent, a little salty but I enjoyed the crunchiness and would’ve liked more on my plate. The bed of salad underneath was just okay. There was too much ranch dressing and I couldn’t taste the snap peas or cashews.

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After that came duck breast, which included confit leg, beluga lentils and maitakes (a type of mushroom). I was unimpressed. The duck breast itself didn’t taste much like duck; it was quite meaty and was reminiscent of a lean beef. I wasn’t able to discern the taste of confit leg and I wasn’t a huge fan of the black lentils. The maitakes were good though- Juicy and fresh. I was able to try the Berkshire Pork Belly, which was mouthwatering delicious and what I should’ve gotten.

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Last course was dessert and I was trying to choose between S’Mores and Chocolate Custard. The S’Mores dessert won, and consisted of graham cracker ice cream, toasted marshmallow, and ‘hot’ chocolate ganache. It was a truly delectable delight, bringing into memory the campfire treat. The ice cream melded and complemented the chocolate (with a hint of chili spice) and marshmallow perfectly, to combine sweetness, heat, roasted smoothness…

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The service was spot on and the waiter knew the menu well and answered any questions with expertise, as well as explained the dishes beautifully.

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Location: 328 W 12th St

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August 22, 2013 · 10:54 pm

Shops & Eats in New Delhi, India

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I had the amazing opportunity to travel to New Delhi, India for the past few days. It was generally quite rainy, somewhat dirty, overrun with dogs, but also lively and wonderful in its own way. While I didn’t get a chance to truly explore the area, I was able to get a taste of India at least. We ate at some lovely restaurants: Alfa Spice, A2B Vegetarian, a Vegetarian Gourmet spot at Karol Bagh, Asia’s largest open market shopping area.

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I did quite a bit of shopping at Karol Bagh and the exchange rate was magnificently in my favor. I bought a gorgeous hot pink Indian-style dress. $35.

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A pair of sharp high heel black boots, with grey and brown detailing on the side. $20.

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Beautiful, elegant, classy silver bracelets at half off. $5

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Some wonderfully pretty Indian Rakhi good luck charm/bracelets. $2 (Yes, for all 8)

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I found some awesome makeup: Shimmery glitter eyeshadow in all colors (purple, pink, gold, white, blue, etc), lip gloss palette of pinks, reds, browns; a magical clear lip balm that turns bright pink after brushing over lips; nail polishes: Clear glitter with hearts, greenish teal blue, hot pink with glitter. $10.

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I also picked up some traditional Indian snacks: Chips, dried sweet + sour mango, powder mix to make lassi drink, mouth freshener… $15.
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Later, at the gloriously spacious and beautiful Indira Gandhi International Airport, with statues of elephants, deities; Taj Mahal structure; gorgeous shops, especially Delhi Duty Free which had incredible deals. I purchased a bunch of Luxurious Ayurveda brand items of gorgeously scented butter soaps: Rose & Cardamom, Bengal Tuberose, Neem Basil Honey, Lime Ginger; Essentials for Her set of Delicate Facial Cleanser (Mashobra Honey, Lemon & Rosewater), Sunscreen Lotion (Aloe Vera & Sandalwood), Facial Scrub (Walnut Gel), potted Lip Balm (Sweet Narangi Juice– A delicious, delicate orange scent); Tranquil Sleep spray.

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I also bought a variety of food items: Special Indian chocolates, with the following flavors… Whole almonds, raisins & buttery cashew, Indian coffee, fresh cardamom, cinnamon and chai masala. As well as Besan Caddu, a popular ball shaped South Asian sweet. I even picked up Chicken Tikka Masala and Chicken Korma sauces, as well as instant ready to eat “Moong Dal Halwa” (North Indian dessert of lentils cooked in clarified butter and sugar).

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Of course I also picked out a variety of lovely souvenirs: Glitter adorned pens and mini notebooks, silvery colorful magnets with photos of Taj Mahal and India landmarks on them, sticks with cute little dolls on top and the word INDIA painted on.

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I had such a great experience and time in India and look forward to going back so I can actually explore and do the sight seeing I yearn for, particularly to visit the Taj Mahal.

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August 15, 2013 · 10:53 am

Restaurant Week Dinner at Brasserie

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Brasserie is a gorgeously set up French restaurant, in an oval shape with modern decor and a an elegant, classy feel. I was seated promptly and a baguette was placed on the table with Echire, butter from France. The bread was quite hard and didn’t have much flavor.

For the appetizer, I had the brandade de homard, which is a lobster mash and salt cod mixed into a purée with olive oil and milk. The dish came with half of the empty lobster shell as decoration. It was delicious- Just the right amount of saltiness and strong flavor of lobster. The dish also came with roasted garlic baguette, which was a tasty touch.

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As for the entree, I chose Cassoulet Toulousain, which is a classic French dish of rich, slow-cooked casserole.  This came in a soup of navy beans, with duck confit, braised pork belly and garlic sausage on top. Normally I don’t really enjoy beans, but the beans in the cassoulet were decent- There was a sweet orange colored sauce with the beans so that helped. The duck confit was tender and wonderful. The pork belly was crispy and reminiscent of bacon. And the garlic sausage was cooked to perfection!

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The dessert was Financier aux Figues, which consisted of almond cake, black mission figs and honeyed yogurt “faisselle.” I truly enjoyed the almond cake- It had a chewy consistency and a delicate, sweet taste. Both the figs and yogurt were slightly bland, but worked well with the richly sweet almond cake.

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I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and deliciousness of dining at Brasserie.

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Location: 100 E 53 St

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August 13, 2013 · 10:10 pm

Perseid Meteor Shower Camping

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This past weekend I headed off with some friends to Peekamoose in the Catskills mountains to stay overnight and witness the Perseid Meteor Shower. We arrived at the Peekamoose Trailer Park campsite after it was dark and finally got to grill some dinner. We had delicious, flavorful, and juicy chicken sausage; sweet and tasty corn on the cob; perfectly cooked asparagus and thick well-done hamburger meat. Afterwards, we roasted marshmallows and enjoyed them with chocolate.

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Afterwards, we settled in our respective chairs to start watching the night sky. The Trailer Park Campsite had a spectacular open space view of the sky, so that we could easily see the stars, constellations, Milky Way. It also turned out to be a beautiful clear night, so the meteor showers were not too difficult to spot. The Perseid Meteor Shower show seemed to be well underway around midnight, and I was able to see shooting stars every few minutes, though there were longer gaps in between some. Most of the shooting stars were small streaks that came and went quickly, but those were still amazing to witness. There were a couple that blazed across the sky, sparkling, glittering, and dazzling the eye with its magnificent beauty. I was able to see quite a few, but would’ve loved it if the meteor showers came one after another in succession like I remember from meteor shower nights in California… (*Photo Credit: Patrick Miao*)

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The next morning I got to explore the campsite a little more. I was shown where the spring was, where fresh cold water was pouring out from the little stream that was tucked into the woods a little. We then headed to the Blue Hole, or the swimming hole which was really lovely.

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After that we stopped by to check out a couple of waterfalls, which were wonderful to see.

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Next, we drove into the nearby town of Phoenicia, which was charming and cute. We decided to have lunch at Sweet Sue’s Restaurant that had nice home style cooking. I had the chorizo hash with potato, peppers, corn and cheddar cheese and fried egg on top, with a thick slice of whole wheat toast. The chorizo sausage was on the spicy side, but all the ingredients combined together well to form a delightful savory piquant flavor. The bread was well toasted and had a great multi-grain taste. As for dessert, I stopped by Ice Cream station, where I heartily enjoyed the Peanut Butter S’mores ice cream flavor, as well as Java Chocolate Chip.

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Even though it was a short camping trip, I really enjoyed my time at Peekamoose, Catskills campsite and savored the opportunity to see the Perseid Meteor Shower in the clear night sky and open space that the campsite provided.

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August 8, 2013 · 10:23 pm

New York Renaissance Faire

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I had the pleasure of being transported back to Medieval Times at the New York Renaissance Faire in Tuxedo, NY. We entered through a castle like entrance, stopped to take a photo at Village Pillory (beheading!) then came across The Queen’s Landing, overlooking an idyllic scene of a beautiful lake and lovely greenery.

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There was the jousting field with a castle, where we watched the archery competition for a bit.

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After that, we headed more into the little town, visiting various fun shops, watching minstrels sing and play guitar, getting food, then walked across a bridge to a theater, where we got to see the end of the magician’s show and the knife throwing performance by a father and son team. They were hilarious with each other and their skill in throwing knifes was quite impressive. They were able to throw the knives in various different angles, at specific targets on the wall and around any human standing against the wall.

Next up was the jousting match, my favorite! Horses, handsome knights, a Queen and action- What more could you want? The games started off with the knights trying to catch the rings with a pole, then fighting two by two, until one falls off his horse. It was exciting and exhilarating to watch.

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Next, we checked out the Royal Birds of Prey exhibit, then headed into the Forest and discovered more shows and merriment going on.

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We found the Tudor Rose Theater, where  Vixens en Garde were performing– 3 sassy and feisty vixens sword fighting and acting out the major scenes of Shakespeare’s “Romeo & Juliet.” It was both hilarious and entertaining.

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After that, we checked out a variety show, where this performer climbed up a ladder to balance on his tall unicycle and juggled knives! Then, we got to see his two beautiful dogs do some fun tricks. The dogs were so adorable!

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We went into a few different shops before we called it a day and I found a cute and delicious smelling moisturizing lotion candle, with the scent of Black Raspberry Vanilla. The way it works is: Light the candle, take the hot wax and use it as a lotion… How great of an idea is that!

It was an enjoyable day filled with wonder, music, food, costumes and shows!

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