Welcome to the 3rd Annual NY Beer Craft Week. As you’ve probably guessed, this seven-day festival focuses on beer, those glorious, malty, hoppy, fizzy concoctions from small breweries all over the country. › Continue reading
On Friday, Patricio Sandoval’s Mercadito (all locations) is launching a program called “Tacos For Strength,” where each month they will feature a non-Mexican cooking chef to create a special taco. The first taco is going to be done by Andrew Carmellini of Locanda Verde, and is an Italian style with a shrimp meatball, pasta, and a spicy sauce that ties it all together nicely. A portion of the sales go to support Share Our Strength and their goal to end hunger among children by 2015. So, not only do you get a tasty, unique taco to munch on, but it’s for a good cause.
Recently there has been an influx of Concord grapes in the market. For two weeks in a row I have gotten them in my CSA and at first, had no idea what to do with them. I didn’t want to make jam and they were too difficult to eat on their own, but something about the flavor cried out “baked goods!” So, I made a pie, two actually. The one your see here is the red Concord grape, lemon, and apple pie, and I also whipped up a white Concord grape, lemon, pear pie. The former was way sweeter, but both hit the spot. I especially like the buttery crumble crust, it really soaks up the sweetness of the fruit.
If someone makes me a bacon suit, I will love you forever. Or, if you don’t want to break out your needle and thread, how about these other porcine themed vestments?
Bacon Makes Everything Better T-shirt
And for you vegetarians out there, let us not forget the watermelon shoes (still on my wish list).
It’s been a busy couple months of eating it up for the New York Press, especially in Brooklyn with one trek all the way up to 112th Street in Harlem. Here are the latest and greatest published reviews I have done.
Hot Bird in Fort Greene
“Hot Bird is owned by Frank Moe, the proprietor of Rope, Fort Greene’s popular art-student filled bar. Though Rope never hooked me in, Hot Bird is a different story. The bar gets its name from the famous chicken place that used to shell out roasted birds and ribs until it closed in the early 1990s, and while the restaurant doesn’t remain, the bright yellow signs that still deck a few building walls off of Vanderbilt and Atlantic avenues have become iconic ads. One, which towers over the bar’s spacious front yard, only enhances the new bar’s appeal.” (read the rest here)
I haven’t seen Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World yet, but it’s definitely on my list. 
In preparation for the movie, my roommate and I started reading the comics and were pleasantly surprised by how good they are, and how much food makes the scene. Scott and Ramona eat noodles together, the band meets up at a diner called Sneaky Dee’s, there are burgers after the beach, breakfasts of eggs and bacon, and a drunken tequila night. I can’t wait to see how the movie compares, or, like many campy action films, if they neglect the most basic need, eating. › Continue reading
Fresh Green Chilies at the Hatch Valley Chile Festival
Ever since I left Denver, Colorado in August 2002 and made my way to Brooklyn, there is only one thing I really missed: green chilies. Sorry East coasters, you don’t know what I am talking about unless you happened to spend some time in the Southwest and indulged in the these delicious, hot, and meaty green peppers. This love and constant craving finally drove me to hit up the Hatch Valley Chile Festival in the tiny town of Hatch, New Mexico this year. › Continue reading
It’s a sad day when pizza disappoints, review of Paulie Gee’s in Greenpoint:
“New York feels so saturated with Neapolitan-style pizza restaurants that you can barely throw a wad of dough without hitting a wood-fired pie in any neighborhood. Greenpoint is just the latest area to embrace the trend with Paulie Gee’s, which opened mid-March in the old Paloma space. Run by its namesake, Paul Gianonne, this rustic restaurant is nestled in the hippest part of the neighborhood near staples like The Pencil Factory and The Black Rabbit, and, from the look of the crowd gathered on a recent weekday night, this joint is gearing up to become a permanent fixture.” – New York Press
To kick off my attempt to be better at blogging (ha!) I thought I would share a little juicy tidbit about Tillie’s, my old place of employment. According to a piece from New York Magazine’s Daily Intel, Russian spies were using the Fort Greene coffee shop to do devious spy like things such as: sipping black coffee, wearing berets, gossiping, and passing state secrets. The Wall Street Journal reported:
“The U.S. and Russia have sent spies to each other’s countries for decades, even in the 20 years since the Cold War ended. Still, the latest allegations come at a time when relations between the U.S. and Russia have been warming….They used coffee shops, bookstores and street corners to contact handlers, according to the FBI.”
Um, yum? When I was at the Edible Cocktail event a few weeks ago I met Rick Field of Rick’s Picks. I had to go over and gush at him about his pickles (what’s a girl to do?), and he was flattered enough to send me a T-shirt with my favorite one: Smokra’. Yes, spicy, pickled, okra with a splash of paprika.
The first time I tried Rick’s Picks was at Spuyten Duyvil in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. They have an awesome pickle platter and the okra was on it. Instantly I was hooked. Rarely can I afford to get an $8 jar of the stuff, but when I do, I treasure it all the way to the brine.
