Salty Cream

This is one of my new favorite things, and I don't even like sweets that much. 

One scoop of Talenti Belgian milk chocolate gelato, one scoop of Talenti Tahitian vanilla gelato, blood orange olive oil, and a sprinkle of Hawaiian Alaea sea salt. I've also tried this with their double-dark chocolate gelato and it's just as amazing.

It's cliche but words cannot describe this salty, sweet, creamy concoction. "Heavenly" comes close. You just have to experience it.

Song of the Week: Ice Cream

Garlic Rose

Earlier this year my parents visited me in Jersey and we hit up Garlic Rose, a restaurant I'd been dying to try for far too long. Located at 41 Main Street in Madison, New Jersey, Garlic Rose is BYOB, so we brought along a nice bottle of French malbec (my favorite type of wine). This cute bistro was packed to the brim on this Friday night and the scent of garlic filled the dining room, whetting our appetites for dinner.

First off, I just have to say that lots of restaurants bring out bread and oil or butter before your dinner begins, but at Garlic Rose this simple snack is taken to a new level. The bread was soft and warm and the dipping sauce was exceptional. It’s basically a super garlicky pesto sauce, and it tastes phenomenal when drizzled over the bread. I could have been happy just eating this standard fare.

But of course there were many more dishes to try! For one of our appetizers we ordered the Garlicious Escargots—snails served out of shell and sautéed with onions, shitake mushrooms, and basil in a red wine garlic veloute sauce. The snails were cooked perfectly and melted in the mouth with the delightful flavors of the accompanying sauce. 

We also tried the Artichoke Hearts Del Destino, which are egg-battered hearts sautéed with capers and red peppers in a roasted garlic lemon and veloute sauce. These were thankfully not battered too heavily and were perfect for sharing between us although I did prefer the escargot.

From the specials menu my mom ordered Shrimp Oreganato. This entrée consisted of shrimp topped with garlic orgenanato breadcrumbs that were broiled in a white wine, lemon, and butter sauce and was served with seasoned yellow rice. Also from the specials menu my dad ordered St. Peter’s Fish Fra Diablo, which consisted of Tilapia topped with a spicy garlic tomato sauce with hot cherry peppers, roasted red peppers, onions, fresh basil, and oregano. It was also served with seasoned yellow rice. This dish had a really nice level of intense heat and spiciness.

I opted for the Center Cut Frenched Rib Pork Chop. This 12 oz. center cut frenched rib pork chop was broiled to medium doneness in a garlic marinade, topped with a red wine demiglaze, and accompanied with caramelized Fuji apples and Gilroy potatoes. I thoroughly enjoyed this entrée. The pork chop was cooked just right, but the real gem of this dish was the caramelized apples. They added a slightly sweet delightful accompaniment to the pork that was all tied together with the red wine demiglaze. In fact, the sauces on all the dishes we tried were phenomenal—Garlic Rose must have a superb saucier.

Although we were full and satisfied after these appetizers and entrees we couldn’t resist trying the Garlic Ice Cream from the dessert menu. I’ve heard that such a thing exists but had yet to try it. This ice cream was exploding with garlic flavor. There was a very interesting play between the heat and intensity of the garlic juxtaposed with the cool sweetness of the ice cream that made this dessert particularly addictive. It was surprising that the most garlicky item we tasted was the dessert, but it was delicious and any garlic lover should definitely try it out at some point.

I’d been waiting quite a while to eat at Garlic Rose and it definitely lived up to my expectations. If you find yourself in the town of Madison then it’s well worth it to try out this garlicious bistro.  

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.

 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

  

 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:

New World Bistro Bar

New World Oysters

Thanksgiving Eve at New World

Thalamus Anyone?

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.

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!

Ice-Cream Cone with a Cherry on Top

Get ready to pump your fist and check out the new single from Jersey Shore's Angelina--"I'm Hot"--with slammin' lyrics like "I'm hot, so hot, like an ice-cream cone with a cherry on top." It's sure to be the new hit at the club...

Quote of the Week: Vanilla Ice Cream and Sloe Gin

"Sometimes now I listen to Louis [Armstrong] while I have my favorite dessert of vanilla ice cream and sloe gin. I pour the red liquid over the white mound, watching it glisten and the vapor rising as Louis bends that military instrument into a beam of lyrical sound."

--The nameless protagonist of Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man

Sundae Girl

Sunday Girl or Sundae Girl? Cold as ice-cream but still as sweet...

I Shall Remember that Sundae

"I shall remember that sundae all my life. In a sumptuous confectioner's shop, light, airy, full of fragrance, we were served with a mountain of coffee ice cream, sprinkled with cream and scattered with walnuts, honey, peanuts, and various fruits. When I carried the first spoonful to my mouth…my taste buds experienced a violent ecstasy. A whole opera of sensation rolled off my tongue…"

--Henri Troyat