ok everyone. been off line for some time now. my partner and i have gone our separate ways. still friends, don’t you worry. downside is, she took her digital camera and all her computer savvy with her.
i have been very busy and have not made the time to keep up with my blog. i plan to change that in the coming weeks. there are exciting projects on the horizon.
Toronto: I was here (mid-July).
DALLAS, Late July
My partner Elaine visited me in Dallas for a week where I was staying at the W Hotel. While I slaved away at work, she relaxed in luxury. Her most important job that week was to find a great place for us to eat on my night off. Knowing I am big on Vietnamese, mad for dumplings, and always curious about eclectic fusions, she nailed it with this restaurant pick. Lumi Empanada and Dumpling Kitchen is located on McKinney Ave. in the heart of Uptown Dallas.
The prices were very friendly and the menu was covered with enticing options. Some of the highlights were Hearty Beef & Yukon Potato Empanadas, Chinese 5 Spice Duck & Leek Dumplings, Blue Crab & Cream Cheese Wonton, Portabello Fries with Duo Dipping Sauce, Classic Pork and Chives Dumplings, and best of all, Chocolate Empanada with Ice Cream. The food was so good we went back with friends a second night. If you are ever in Dallas, you would be crazy not to check this place out.
NEW YORK CITY in July
hotel room view
brownstones
Times Square
Monday, 7/5, pre-rig-1/2 day off
It was great to be in New York. The noise, the hustle, the bustle, the smells, even the funky ones that blew up from the subway; well, not the hot garbage smell that assaulted my nostrils now and again. New York was in heat wave mode. 100 degree weather with a lot of humidity. My mission on this day was to find a skateshop. I brought the trucks and wheels off my deck in LA. and needed a board to use for exploring different cities with on my days off. I hopped a cab to Shut Skates on the lower East side, bought a new deck, and wandered around the east village for a while before meeting up with some friends at Tompkins Square Park. Lou and Vanda took me out to dinner. Vanda is a chef and Lou is a food blogger so we had a lot to talk about over a lovely Malaysian meal at Laut. (Malaysian food…imagine Thai with some Indian flavors mixed in.) We munched on numerous appetizers while swapping stories and sharing our love of all things edible. Sadly, it was too dark for photos in the restaurant. I got back to my room about 11pm thoroughly satisfied and grateful. I fell asleep thinking to myself, I Love New York.
Thursday, 7/8, Day Off with Mom & Alex
I got up early, drank coffee, bought a couple t-shirts at an army/navy store and went to the post office to mail a few things home. My mom and my son found me on the street walking back to my hotel. An old friend of my mom’s was also in town with her daughter so they joined us for the day. We had a fantastic lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant called Bao Noodles in the Gramercy district. I could eat their lemongrass short rib appetizer all day. After lunch we went to High Line Park, a series of wild gardens built on old train tracks above the street. I loved the juxtaposition of nature and industry.
After that we drove around and ended up at the Fulton Market. There was a Puma promotion going on so my son and I got to play some dodgeball.
I figured, why not, will be fun and over quickly. Turned out our team kept winning and we played for an hour. My son and I are both gym class heroes and we like to win. Even if it means hitting kids with balls. In the end, we won free watches and had our pictures taken. I also gained a semi-dislocated arm and a surprisingly sore leg.
We went to Harlem for dinner that night. (When I recall the name of this restaurant, I’ll update blog and mention it on my facebook page as well.) I had skirt steak with house fries; it was good. My son had fried chicken sliders; they were better. Mom had a lobster salad that was nicely presented and fresh tasting. The other 3 plates at the table all had crab cakes served over a bed of fresh corn with almonds and apples. Unusual I thought, but very good. We all had a great time. After a long drive back to my hotel we said good night to one another. My mom left me with some potato pancakes she cooked the night before. I ate them before I went to bed.
BOSTON
Wednesday, 6/30 Day Off/Pre-rig
A colleague and I searched for decent chowder. We got a solid recommendation, the Olde Oyster House, and we are not let down – the chowder is excellent.
We later walked into the North End and arrived at the Mercato del Mare on Salem Street where we picked up lobster rolls for 15$. (They were 23$ at the Oyster House.) The sandwich was overflowing with huge, fresh cooked lobster pieces piled into a hot dog bun; this is exactly what I was looking for. For dessert we stopped into an Italian bakery and grabbed eclairs and cannolis. Sorry no photos of food but here’s a random pea plant I passed:
Sorry for the delay in blogging. I got a job touring the US & Canada for the next few months and since early June I have been busy with all sorts of last minute planning and preparation. Work/Travel began July 22nd. I will be blogging briefly from the cities I get to see during my down time, starting with Montreal, QC Canada. I hope everyone is having a happy, healthful summer.
Saturday, 6/26 MONTREAL
My new home for the next 3 days. I unpack a few things and repack a few things into my day bag and I’m off. I have the day to myself in Montreal. I grab lunch at a Lebanese take away and exchange a little US currency for Canadian; it is not worth as much as it used to be. I sit down for a coffee at starbucks and open up my macbook.
After drinking coffee and journaling, I go exploring, wandering, people watching. There are impressive old cathedrals in Montreal and cute streets lined with restaurants and patio seating.
Montreal is a bike-friendly city. They have separate bicycle lanes cutting through town and bike rental stations throughout downtown where with a credit card, someone can put down a 250$ deposit and ride off for a reasonable hourly rate. The bikes can be returned at any of the stations throughout the city. Healthy, earth friendly, economical and efficient. I love it.
Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to experience much of Montreal’s food. I sat and had French Onion Soup at an attractive outdoor cafe, but the soup was not as great as the scene. The gyro I had earlier at Kojacks, a chain restaurant, was actually one of the best I’d ever eaten.
Last but not least, urban strawberries…always a pleasant sight.
Next stop, Boston.
Cheers!
I want to use this week’s blog to thank everyone for helping make this Memorial Day’s celebration a great party. According to our dear neighbor Doris, who has lived in our apartment complex since 1953, it was the largest gathering Ambrose Gardens has witnessed in 56 years…a whopping 70 people in attendance! My partner, Elaine, and I are blessed to have so many fantastic friends.
Our good friend Julie brought along her camera, but couldn’t put her knives down long enough to shoot any pix. Many friends pitched in to make this event sensational. Because everyone was so involved helping out, socializing, eating, and being merry, we have nothing to show you here visually except for the menu, some photos of the fish we happened to take the day prior, and one lovely thank you card from Doris.
Having recently read Michael Pollan’s book, In Defense of Food, I was inspired to create a menu of organic, whole foods, mostly plants. We shopped at the Hollywood Farmers’ Market on Sunday for most of our produce. Last minute items were picked up at Nature Mart on Memorial Day. The organic chicken was from Whole Foods. We purchased the red meat and fish from McCall’s Meat & Fish Co. in Los Feliz because they only offer product from humane farms. Their house ground beef, is a mixure of Ribeye, NY, & Chuck – all natural, Certified Angus Beef - no antibiotics, no hormones, grass-fed. The lamb was from a Colorado farm where no hormones are used, and antibiotics are administered only if the animal is in poor health. The fish was a wild caught Mahi-mahi from the Fiji Islands.
Dear Adam & Elaine,
Thank you two from the bottom of my heart for your long hours of planning A LONG REMEMBERED festive Memorial Day, May 31, 2010.
In my soon to be 56 years of happiness at Ambrose Gardens, there has never been a celebration with so many people in attendance (that shows what kind of people you are!) to partake of the fun and tasty food.
It’s people like you two that make Ambrose Gardens Apartment a Special Place.
Again…many thanks.
God Bless,
Love, Doris
P.S. Isador and I also connected.
Picked up some artichokes at Nature Mart in Los Feliz; they were grown at Ocean Mist Farm in NoCal, north of the Monterey Peninsula.
First I peeled all of the outer leaves to get to the heart.
I used a paring knife to cut out the choke and trim the base of the heart dipping in acidulated (lemon) water to prevent oxidation.
I am wearing gloves because artichokes are pointy and they will impart a horrible bitterness on your fingers.
I cook the artichoke hearts in a poaching liquid known as barigoule. My version contains carrot, onion, fennel, fresh thyme, chili flake, garlic, lemon, and olive oil.
The sauce for the stuffed artichoke is made from roasted peppers and tomatoes. These are peppers and tomatoes I reserved for the final salad.
I decided to put a little roasted pepper inside the stuffed artichoke before topping it with fresh mozzarella. For this I used a fresh ovaline (egg-shaped) ball cut in half.
Standard breading procedure. I double-dipped the egg and bread crumb to ensure a thick coating.
I carefully placed breaded choke in 350 degree oil until golden brown and gooey cheese.
I served the artichoke heart over arugula with roasted pepper-tomato-balsamic vinaigrette and shaved pecorino.
Click on each menu to read great summer menu ideas!
And now to put those Spice Station spices to work:
Tadka – cumin, black mustard seeds, chopped garlic and ginger – the foundation to many Indian dishes. To learn more about Indian cooking, check out Julie Sahni’s books.
Once the spices had released their aroma and the seeds began to pop, I added yellow split peas and sauteed till toasty before adding my homemade veggie stock. I used a technique similar to cooking risotto, adding the stock as need until the peas are al dente.
I love roasted cauliflower. To get the color I wanted, I pre-heated sheet pans in a 500 degree oven. While sheet pans were heating, I cut the cauliflower into large florets and tossed them with garlic oil and Vadouvan spice from the Spice Station in Silver Lake. I then poured the cauliflower onto sizzling sheet pans and quickly turned the florets flat side down. I roasted them til tender not mushy.
I then combined the yellow split peas, chopped, caramelized cauliflower and yukon potatoes that were simply boiled and mashed. This is the knish filling. Btw, I love my one-piece, baby blue, Martha Stewart, silicone spatula purchased at Macy’s.
This is my version of an Indian-inspired knish. I also made another variety stuffed with truffled potato. Yummy.
