Showing posts with label Brunch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brunch. Show all posts
Monday, December 5, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
New World Birthday Brunch
On a recent visit to Albany, brunch with one of my friends quickly turned into brunch with eight of my friends. The more the merrier! We met up on a Sunday afternoon to enjoy a birthday brunch at New World Bistro Bar. Their brunch is phenomenal. If you hit it up then you definitely need to try their bloody mary's. Amazing.
We ordered a variety of dishes, including Cage Salmon Bennies, DelawaTalian Eggs, and Lardon and Eggs Salad. As per usual, everything tasted great. Of course we couldn't pass up on dessert, and I enjoyed a ridiculously delicious orange and chamomile creme brulee complete with a birthday candle.
If you haven't indulged in a New World brunch yet, do it. Do it now. Or Sunday, rather.
We ordered a variety of dishes, including Cage Salmon Bennies, DelawaTalian Eggs, and Lardon and Eggs Salad. As per usual, everything tasted great. Of course we couldn't pass up on dessert, and I enjoyed a ridiculously delicious orange and chamomile creme brulee complete with a birthday candle.
If you haven't indulged in a New World brunch yet, do it. Do it now. Or Sunday, rather.
Kickass Bloody Mary:
NWBB House Recipe with Olives, Cucumber, and Lemon
Cage Salmon Bennie:
Blackened Organic Salmon with Green Onions and Bernaise
Lardon and Eggs Salad:
Frisse, Crispy Bacon Chunks, Apples, and Two Poached Eggs
This salad is definitely saying, "Don't hate me because I'm beautiful...and tasty."
Vegan Tofu Scramble with
Sundried Tomatoes, Pesto, and Olive Tapenade
Jerk Chicken Waffle
Pulled and Spicy Chicken
with a Poached Egg, Pineapple, and Scallions
with a Poached Egg, Pineapple, and Scallions
Randy loves her Basque Case pizza pie!
Chorizo, Manchego, Roasted Peppers, and Herbs.
Spaghetti for breakfast? Yes, please.
DelawaTalian Eggs:
Sausage, Peppers, Onions, Mushrooms, Chunky Tomato Sauce, and Spaghetti, Topped with Two Fried Eggs and Asiago
Seriously contemplating my birthday wish.
Orange and Chamomile Creme Brulee
Ice-Cream Sandwich
Be sure to check out my other posts on New World Bistro Bar:
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Mary Queen of Scots
When the Rooks recently converged in NYC we decided to try out brunch at the restaurant where our amazing pastry-chef cousin, Heather, has been working. So on a Sunday afternoon we headed to Mary Queen of Scots on the Lower East Side for a tasty meal and delicious desserts.
First we delved into a tray of various baked goods—scones and muffins galore. And they were served with clotted cream. Oh, clotted cream! How I love thee. It was perfect to spread on the lovely scones and muffins. These treats were gone within minutes, and we were primed for the rest of the meal.
We also indulged in some cocktails and coffee throughout the meal. We ordered bloody mary’s, which were off the hook with just the right blend of tomato juice, spices, and fresh grated horseradish. What a great way to start off a lazy, winter's Sunday.
I opted for the Black Pudding Benedict with Meyer lemon hollandaise and arugula salad. I had never tried black pudding before, and I was intrigued. Basically the black pudding (also called blood pudding) is a type of sausage made from cooking blood, spices, and oats. The flavor was reminiscent of regular sausage but had a different kick to it, and the texture was more crumbly. There was also something in the flavor that just popped in a way I’ve never experienced before. The initial taste is great on it's own, but then after a moment it builds in complexity and there’s just a Pow! on your taste buds. I don’t know if it’s the blood or some kind of spice, but either way it is awesome. And the eggs were perfectly poached, oozing luscious yellow yolk over the black pudding and accompanying bread.
All the other plates were scrumptious as well. My mom opted for the House Smoked Scottish Salmon with a potato bap bun, horseradish crème fraiche, and caper berries. Sonya ordered the Corn Crumpets with Peekytoe crab, apple piccalilli, and shaved radish. And my dad opted for the French Toast au Fromage Blanc with chipolata sausage, maple syrup, and fruit.
Patrick (our resident Scotsman...well, kind of. I mean, he likes scotch but he's not actually from Scotland) of course ordered the Full Scotch Breakfast with Ayrshire bacon, chipolata sausage, grilled tomato, great northern beans, free range eggs, and a potato scone. Lucky for us Pat likes to share, so we all got to try the phenomenal Scottish bacon that came with his breakfast. It was amazing, and every mouth got to savor a little bit of the thick, hearty meat.
After our fabulous meal it was time for dessert. Heather’s desserts were seriously out of this world. I mean, I always knew that I had an awesome cousin, but I had no idea that she could kill it like that in the kitchen. We tried four amazingly scrumdiddlyumptious desserts, and even though were already stuffed from brunch we still devoured every bite. These desserts were not only visually stunning (as you can see) but also decadent, delicious, and perfectly executed. You’ll need to hit up Mary Queen of Scots if you want to experience these exceptional treats yourself.
These peanut butter sandwiches were probably my favorite of the desserts. The soft chocolate cookies are filled with milk-chocolate-and-peanut-butter cream and served with caramelized bananas that are flambéed with Wild Turkey American Honey Bourbon, caramelized honey ice cream, and chocolate cookie crumble. What? Can you say "amazing"? I was very impressed with all the desserts, but this one definitely stands out for me as I recollect our fabulous meal.
Mary Queen of Scots was a great place to grab brunch and devour some delicious desserts. I can't wait to go back and check out their dinner menu sometime. It's definitely worth a visit to the Lower East Side, so enjoy and don't forget dessert!
First we delved into a tray of various baked goods—scones and muffins galore. And they were served with clotted cream. Oh, clotted cream! How I love thee. It was perfect to spread on the lovely scones and muffins. These treats were gone within minutes, and we were primed for the rest of the meal.
We also indulged in some cocktails and coffee throughout the meal. We ordered bloody mary’s, which were off the hook with just the right blend of tomato juice, spices, and fresh grated horseradish. What a great way to start off a lazy, winter's Sunday.
I opted for the Black Pudding Benedict with Meyer lemon hollandaise and arugula salad. I had never tried black pudding before, and I was intrigued. Basically the black pudding (also called blood pudding) is a type of sausage made from cooking blood, spices, and oats. The flavor was reminiscent of regular sausage but had a different kick to it, and the texture was more crumbly. There was also something in the flavor that just popped in a way I’ve never experienced before. The initial taste is great on it's own, but then after a moment it builds in complexity and there’s just a Pow! on your taste buds. I don’t know if it’s the blood or some kind of spice, but either way it is awesome. And the eggs were perfectly poached, oozing luscious yellow yolk over the black pudding and accompanying bread.
All the other plates were scrumptious as well. My mom opted for the House Smoked Scottish Salmon with a potato bap bun, horseradish crème fraiche, and caper berries. Sonya ordered the Corn Crumpets with Peekytoe crab, apple piccalilli, and shaved radish. And my dad opted for the French Toast au Fromage Blanc with chipolata sausage, maple syrup, and fruit.
Patrick (our resident Scotsman...well, kind of. I mean, he likes scotch but he's not actually from Scotland) of course ordered the Full Scotch Breakfast with Ayrshire bacon, chipolata sausage, grilled tomato, great northern beans, free range eggs, and a potato scone. Lucky for us Pat likes to share, so we all got to try the phenomenal Scottish bacon that came with his breakfast. It was amazing, and every mouth got to savor a little bit of the thick, hearty meat.
After our fabulous meal it was time for dessert. Heather’s desserts were seriously out of this world. I mean, I always knew that I had an awesome cousin, but I had no idea that she could kill it like that in the kitchen. We tried four amazingly scrumdiddlyumptious desserts, and even though were already stuffed from brunch we still devoured every bite. These desserts were not only visually stunning (as you can see) but also decadent, delicious, and perfectly executed. You’ll need to hit up Mary Queen of Scots if you want to experience these exceptional treats yourself.
Chocolate Stout Tres Leches Cake
with stout foam, chocolate pretzels, dulce de leche, and malt ice cream
Cranberry Upside-Down Cake
served with sweet potato curd, poached cranberries, and topped with orange sherbet
Acorn Squash Cheese Cake
with a maple emulsion, walnut brittle crumble, acorn squash seed tuile, walnut sorbet, and toasted acorn squash seeds
Peanut Butter Sandwiches
These peanut butter sandwiches were probably my favorite of the desserts. The soft chocolate cookies are filled with milk-chocolate-and-peanut-butter cream and served with caramelized bananas that are flambéed with Wild Turkey American Honey Bourbon, caramelized honey ice cream, and chocolate cookie crumble. What? Can you say "amazing"? I was very impressed with all the desserts, but this one definitely stands out for me as I recollect our fabulous meal.
Mary Queen of Scots was a great place to grab brunch and devour some delicious desserts. I can't wait to go back and check out their dinner menu sometime. It's definitely worth a visit to the Lower East Side, so enjoy and don't forget dessert!
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
'ino
The other week I had a true Sunday Funday in New York City, eating amazing food and enjoying the company of some of my favorite people. First up on the list for delicious cuisine was ’ino. Sonya and Pat (my older sister and her boyfriend) had lured me to ’ino for brunch with promises of phenomenal truffled egg toast, and they certainly delivered. There’s a few different variations of ’ino restaurants, but we hit up the the cafe/bar on 21 Bedford Street in Greenwich Village.
We started off the meal by ordering a bottle of 2006 Domenico Clerico Barbera d'Alba Trevigne. Barbera wines are usually fruity with high acidity and low tannins and are known for paring well with a variety of foods. This bottle was the perfect accompaniment for the culinary adventure we were about to embark on with brunch.
We started off the meal by ordering a bottle of 2006 Domenico Clerico Barbera d'Alba Trevigne. Barbera wines are usually fruity with high acidity and low tannins and are known for paring well with a variety of foods. This bottle was the perfect accompaniment for the culinary adventure we were about to embark on with brunch.
First up was the long-awaited truffled egg toast. If there is a heaven I’m certain they serve truffled egg toast every morning for breakfast. And probably for lunch and dinner as well.
The truffled egg toast is basically a thick slice of white bread (I’m guessing it’s brioche but another reviewer claims it’s ciabatta—either way it’s amazing), the center is hollowed out and filled with luscious raw egg yolks, and the bread is covered with fontina cheese. It’s beautiful. When it arrives the cheese only covers the bread, not the yolk, so that vibrant, golden ray of sunshine peeks out from the center of the toast, tempting you to dig right in. But that’s not it. Drizzled on top of this heavenly creation is decadent and aromatic truffle oil, and the plate is also adorned with asparagus tips. I have to say it—the truffled egg toast is orgasmic. Truly. And when you cut into it and take that first bite, the egg yolk just oozes out sensually over the plate. It's a thing of beauty and pleasure—a culinary work of art for the tastebuds.
The truffled egg toast is basically a thick slice of white bread (I’m guessing it’s brioche but another reviewer claims it’s ciabatta—either way it’s amazing), the center is hollowed out and filled with luscious raw egg yolks, and the bread is covered with fontina cheese. It’s beautiful. When it arrives the cheese only covers the bread, not the yolk, so that vibrant, golden ray of sunshine peeks out from the center of the toast, tempting you to dig right in. But that’s not it. Drizzled on top of this heavenly creation is decadent and aromatic truffle oil, and the plate is also adorned with asparagus tips. I have to say it—the truffled egg toast is orgasmic. Truly. And when you cut into it and take that first bite, the egg yolk just oozes out sensually over the plate. It's a thing of beauty and pleasure—a culinary work of art for the tastebuds.
Next we delved into the 'ino antipasti. The antipasti came with a variety of delicious options to be spread on grilled pieces of bread, including sweet onions, pate, fennel, goat cheese with fennel fronds, tapenade, soppressata, cacciatorini, roasted garlic with rucola oil, olives, asparagus, and red peppers. What a way to start a meal. The plate abounded with an array of flavors, and every little bite was fantastic.
After the antipasti we sampled a bruschette plate. Ours came with butternut squash, asiago, and walnuts; white bean, tomato, and basil; spaghetti squash, currants, and pine-nuts; and goat cheese with fennel fronds. As with the antipasti, the bruschette plate is perfect for sharing. We each sampled little bites of all the perfectly crafted bruschette, savoring the different yet complementary flavors of each variation. My favorite was probably the butternut squash, which seemed apropos of the chilly November day.
For the rest of the meal we each ordered a dish and shared bites with one another. I opted for the prosciutto toast, which was very basic—just thin slices of prosciutto over grilled ciabatta. I was really in the mood for some quality cured meat, and this simple prosciutto toast definitely hit the spot. The meat was sliced nice and thin and was flavorful without being overly salty. The ciabatta was grilled perfectly. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect combination of meat and bread.
I loved my prosciutto toast, but Sonya’s tramezzeni was pretty sumblime as well. A tramezzeni is a small sandwich made of white bread with the crusts cut off. ’ino offers a variety of tasty fillings for these sandwiches, but I think Sonya picked the best option—pancetta, oven-roasted tomato, rucola, and lemon mayo. The bread was light and soft and the filling, while flavorful, was not overpowering or heavy. The flavors were delicate and yet so satisfying.
Pat ordered the special salad with arugula, pomegranate seeds, brussel sprouts, and heirloom pork. Before I had even dived into my own prosciutto toast I had to try a bite of the heirloom pork, so I snagged a piece off of Pat’s plate and popped it in my mouth. Oh. My. God. It was perfect. Each piece was crispy, fatty, and tender. Just the pork was amazing, but when it was combined with the other ingredients it was even better, especially as those tiny pomegranate seeds exploded with their quintessential flavors of sweet and tart. Best salad ever.
I was promised an amazing brunch at ’ino and that’s what I got. I now make you the same promise—go to ’ino and you will leave satisfied and smiling. There’s just one condition, you absolutely must order the truffled egg toast. If you walk through those doors without tasting the truffled egg toast you’re definitely missing out on a little slice of earthly delight that could only have been sent by the gods. Enjoy!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Vesta
Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoy where I moved to in New Jersey, but living in Jersey in general makes me crave the New York experience like nothing else. After settling in at my new digs, I knew I had to make a trip into the city. It was time. On a recent Saturday night I headed out to Bayside, Queens, for a fabulous night of celebrating the birth of my friend Eric and reuniting with many old college friends I hadn’t seen in years.
But Sunday means brunch, and after stumbling around for a couple of hours after I woke up I ventured in to Astoria to celebrate yet another birthday—this time for a fabulous lady named Cassi. This celebration, however, revolved primarily around eggs and hashbrowns rather than the previous nights’ debauchery of drinks, food, a DJ, hot tub, pool, and bottle of Jim Beam.
Brunch was at Vesta. I stumbled out of the cab, still half in the bag, and into a nice, small restaurant located at 21-02 30th Avenue in Astoria, Queens, NY.
The lovely ladies who greeted me were my sister’s friends, and I was so happy to be able to celebrate with them. I sat. We chatted. We laughed. We waited for the other girls to show up. Unfortunately there was not a Bloody Mary in sight. I’d been craving hair of the dog since I woke up, so I settled for a mimosa, which was still quite delightful.
We were all so hungry as we waited for the last lady to join us that we decided to order a Hangover Pizza in the meantime. The pizza was out of this world. It was ultra-thin crust with potatoes, pancetta, sausage, fried eggs, and spicy tomato sauce. We dove in with gusto and devoured this culinary gift to those who partied too hard the night before. The yolk of the eggs oozed out over the hearty pizza and it was a short time before we’d finished the whole thing. This pizza was what everyone hopes to get out of brunch but too often has to settle for simple eggs and toast. Not that there’s anything wrong with eggs and toast, but when you know that a Hangover Pizza exists, nothing else will ever suffice.
I really wanted a Warm Bankie (fried eggs with polenta, asparagus, mushrooms, and truffle oil), but when I ordered it the server informed us that they were out of polenta and not making the dish that day. I contemplated asking them if they could just substitute bacon for the polenta, but instead I opted for the L’Italiano, which consisted of poached eggs, grilled Italian bread, hot sopressata, and ricotta. Damn. It was good. The yellow yolk oozed out over the sopressata and ricotta, which was spread thin on the grilled Italian bread. Every bite was hearty and satisfying with that rustic quality that meats like sopressata embody. The hashbrowns that accompanied it were also delicious.
As our breakfast plates were pulled away the server presented us with dessert menus. We groaned in our inability to eat anything more, but Kathleen looked at us all with a devilish smile and sparkle in her eye and suggested the chocolate ganache. We couldn’t resist, and I’m so glad we couldn’t. The chocolate gananche was decadent and rich, with a drizzle of caramel, and that nice element of salt with a sprinkling of peanuts. This is exactly what a candy bar should taste like. Luscious chocolate, sticky caramel, and salty peanuts. It was like a Snickers, but so much better. It also came with fresh whipped cream, which just makes everything in life seem more bright.
The menu at Vesta changes with the season so don’t expect to be able to get these exact dishes when you go there. Just be prepared for a fantastic meal based on exceptional, local ingredients paired with a nice selection of wine and wine-based drinks. Enjoy!
But Sunday means brunch, and after stumbling around for a couple of hours after I woke up I ventured in to Astoria to celebrate yet another birthday—this time for a fabulous lady named Cassi. This celebration, however, revolved primarily around eggs and hashbrowns rather than the previous nights’ debauchery of drinks, food, a DJ, hot tub, pool, and bottle of Jim Beam.
Brunch was at Vesta. I stumbled out of the cab, still half in the bag, and into a nice, small restaurant located at 21-02 30th Avenue in Astoria, Queens, NY.
The lovely ladies who greeted me were my sister’s friends, and I was so happy to be able to celebrate with them. I sat. We chatted. We laughed. We waited for the other girls to show up. Unfortunately there was not a Bloody Mary in sight. I’d been craving hair of the dog since I woke up, so I settled for a mimosa, which was still quite delightful.
We were all so hungry as we waited for the last lady to join us that we decided to order a Hangover Pizza in the meantime. The pizza was out of this world. It was ultra-thin crust with potatoes, pancetta, sausage, fried eggs, and spicy tomato sauce. We dove in with gusto and devoured this culinary gift to those who partied too hard the night before. The yolk of the eggs oozed out over the hearty pizza and it was a short time before we’d finished the whole thing. This pizza was what everyone hopes to get out of brunch but too often has to settle for simple eggs and toast. Not that there’s anything wrong with eggs and toast, but when you know that a Hangover Pizza exists, nothing else will ever suffice.
I really wanted a Warm Bankie (fried eggs with polenta, asparagus, mushrooms, and truffle oil), but when I ordered it the server informed us that they were out of polenta and not making the dish that day. I contemplated asking them if they could just substitute bacon for the polenta, but instead I opted for the L’Italiano, which consisted of poached eggs, grilled Italian bread, hot sopressata, and ricotta. Damn. It was good. The yellow yolk oozed out over the sopressata and ricotta, which was spread thin on the grilled Italian bread. Every bite was hearty and satisfying with that rustic quality that meats like sopressata embody. The hashbrowns that accompanied it were also delicious.
As our breakfast plates were pulled away the server presented us with dessert menus. We groaned in our inability to eat anything more, but Kathleen looked at us all with a devilish smile and sparkle in her eye and suggested the chocolate ganache. We couldn’t resist, and I’m so glad we couldn’t. The chocolate gananche was decadent and rich, with a drizzle of caramel, and that nice element of salt with a sprinkling of peanuts. This is exactly what a candy bar should taste like. Luscious chocolate, sticky caramel, and salty peanuts. It was like a Snickers, but so much better. It also came with fresh whipped cream, which just makes everything in life seem more bright.
The menu at Vesta changes with the season so don’t expect to be able to get these exact dishes when you go there. Just be prepared for a fantastic meal based on exceptional, local ingredients paired with a nice selection of wine and wine-based drinks. Enjoy!
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