There'll be Parties for Hosting...

Every year I have a holiday party and celebrate the season with good friends, delicious food, and tasty libations. Here's some of the food highlights of this year's party...

Cheese and Crackers

Sausage, Peppers, and Onions

Gorgonzola-Stuffed Dates Wrapped in Bacon

Clementines

Hot Peppers Stuffed with Meat

Feta and Olives

Veggies and Dip

Skanky Vodka Martini with Blue-Cheese Stuffed Olives

 

Candy Cane Cocktail

Baked Brie

 

Tate's Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies

I saved the best for last. I just started referring to this dish as "The Creation" since I don't know what else to call it. Look at these photos--don't you just want to eat it up? Everything about it is sexy--baguette, butter, brie, proscuitto, and fig and walnut butter. If you want to know how to make this decadent, delicious, and indulgent treat, check out my friend Eric's blog, Open Wide, for the recipe. Everyone needs to experience a taste of this heavenly creation at some point in their lives.

Happy holidays everyone! Hope you are all eating well...

Put Some South in Yo’ Mouth

On Saturday I celebrated the end of my first semester as a doctoral student by dressing up like Santa and running around New York City spreading holiday cheer. It was amazing, and I hope it was the first of many times that I’ll participate in Santacon.

We started off the day by heading to Union Square to meet up with other Santas at Brother Jimmy’s. Brother Jimmy’s is a North Carolina BBQ joint with seven locations throughout the city. My friend Santa had lost her wallet on our way into the city, so she didn’t have an ID. Fortunately Brother Jimmy’s let her in but insisted that she sit at a table and couldn’t go up to the bar. So what else was there to do but eat? My other friend Santa told us to order anything we wanted, and we got some appetizers to snack on while downing our first drinks of the day.

We ordered hush puppies and nachos. I’d never had hush puppies before but I loved them. Essentially hush puppies are just cornbread batter fried up in little spheres. We split open the warm little fried cornbread balls and slathered them with creamy maple butter. Delicious.

The nachos consisted of a massive amount of chips covered in BBQ beans, chili, cheese, sour cream, salsa, and guacamole. They were the perfect appetizer to share, and we had enough to offer some to the other Santas that had congregated at Brother Jimmy’s.

I was tempted by the array of BBQ sauces on the table, so I decided to try each one. The sauces were labeled as Original, Carolina, Mustard, Chipotle, and Blazin’. My favorites were Original, which had a nice smoky and sweet flavor, and Blazin’, which was the hottest of all the sauces. I also tested out the Habanero Hot Sauce. Despite my elitist standards for what constitutes “hot,” I was pretty impressed. It had a nice heat that continued to build after the initial taste.

 

So the food was pretty good—nothing spectacular but still tasty and satisfying. I’d probably go back to try some of the other items on the menu, but the real star of the experience was the Battle of Antietam Bloody Mary. Having just finished a class on the Civil War, I thought this drink was appropriate (for all of you who don’t know, the Battle of Antietam was the first major battle of the Civil War to take place on Northern territory). It was described as “a classic spicy bloody with a festive array of garnishes and a taste of the ol’ bay.” It was flavorful, delicious, and loaded with vodka. The garnishes consisted of celery, green olives, green beans, lemon, and lime. I loved that they lined the mason jar it was served in with a combination of spices to give the drink a little extra kick.

Brother Jimmy’s was a great place to start our day of Santa debauchery. If you’re looking to “Put Some South in Yo’ Mouth,” you really can’t go wrong with their hush puppies and Civil-War themed bloody marys. 

Thanksgiving Eve at New World

The night before Thanksgiving the fam got together and we all headed to New World Bistro Bar for a delicious dinner. New World is probably my favorite restaurant in Albany. I've reviewed it before, so I'll just give you the highlights of the meal and entertain you with some photographs to titillate your visual taste buds.

I finally got to try an Italian Greyhound--a drink composed of grapefruit vodka, grapefruit juice, soda, campari, and a sprig of fresh rosemary--which I'd read about on the New World Web site weeks ago and have been dying to try. It was a fantastic cocktail--light, refreshing, and loaded with liquor. 

I also ventured into the Forbidden Pleasures section of the menu and tasted roasted beef marrowbones with apple butter, sel gris de mer, and rye toast for the first time. They were phenomenal. The luscious marrow spread beautifully on the toast and the apple butter added just enough of a light sweetness to complement the fatty, savory marrow. It definitely qualifies as a forbidden pleasure.

For an entree I ordered the Thai-Italian Love--paparedelle with panang bolognese made with local, free-range beef, panang curry, tomato, lime leaves, and coconut. This dish had tempted me since I first saw it on the menu, but I had resisted and always ordered something else. I'm so glad I gave in and tried it this time. The fusion between Thai and Italian cuisines was done absolutely perfectly. It had the heartiness of a rich bolognese with the refreshing spiciness of a Thai curry. And those noodles! They were thick, beautiful, and cooked just right. 

If you live in the Capital Region and haven't treated yourself to a dinner at New World Bistro Bar yet, I highly recommend you get your ass there pronto. I promise it will be worth it.

 

Italian Greyhound:

Grapefruit Vodka, Grapefruit Juice, Soda, Campari, 

and a Sprig of Fresh Rosemary

 

Luscious Olive Oil with Balsamic Vinegar and Tasty Bread

 

A Festive Casuela of Warm Olives

Saigon Street Style Fried Calamari with Cuke Noodles, Peanut-Tamarind, and Chile Sauce

Korean BBQ Pork Belly with Daikon Kim Chee

Roasted Beef Marrowbones with Apple Butter, Sel Gris de Mer, 

and Rye Toast

New World Jerk Chicken:

Free Bird Half Bird (Marinated, Grilled, and Finished in the Oven), Plated with Coconut Peas and Rice, Island Yams, Greens, and Plaintains

Yellow Curry Shrimp and Fat Noodles 

with Crisp Veggies and Fresh Basil

Thai-Italian Love:

Papardelle with Panang Bolognese, made with Local, Free-Range Beef, Aromatic Panang Curry, Tomato, Lime Leaves, and Coconut

Thai BBQ Ahi Steak Glazed with a Lime and Garlic Dressing, with Peanut Slaw, Organic Brown Rice, and Greens

Arugula Salad with Local Pears, Beets, Slivered Almonds, Manchego, and Truffle-Moscato Vinaigrette

Espresso

Cardamom Creme Brulee

Dessert Tapas Trio

Nutella and Mascarpone Mousse

Chocolate Chevre Truffle Rolled in Chile and Cinnamon

A Shot of Yates Street Lemon Curd with Berry Compote

Be sure to check out my other posts on New World Bistro Bar:
New World Bistro Bar
New World Oysters
Thalamus Anyone?