Felicia's Atomic Lounge

One of my favorite things is an innovative, perfectly crafted cocktail, and Felicia’s Atomic Lounge in Ithaca, New York, is a prime spot to get such creative concoctions. Located at 508 West State Street, Felicia’s offers a plethora of interesting cocktails and a variety of tasty beers and microbrews. After our fabulous dinner at Just a Taste, Lara and I headed over to Felicia’s to indulge in some of their delicious libations.

The atmosphere at Felicia’s is welcoming, the bartenders are friendly, and they clearly take their cocktails seriously. It’s a great place to meet up with friends, enjoy good conversation, and throw back a few. I wish I could have tried all their creations, but a girl can only drink so much!

Here’s a sampling of what they serve at Felicia’s, but you’ll have to make the trip yourself to get the real experience:

Horny NinjaRita:

Fresh grated ginger, lime juice elixir, and Hornitos tequila

The Beet Down

State Street '75:

Citrus vodka, champagne, lemon juice, with an orange twist

Hot Toddy

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

Jones

The night after Buddakan and M.I.A., Lara and I woke up relatively bright and early on Monday and headed out in search of a good Philadelphia breakfast. We just had two things on our minds—mimosas (or some variety of brunch cocktail) and eggs. We wandered around for a while and were just starting to think we needed to ask for advice when Lara pointed to Lush across the street. Lush, which deals in all natural bath and body products, is one of my favorite places in the world, and luckily they have locations in many major cities. Score. After getting a decadent hand treatment and picking out the many luscious goods that we couldn’t resist, one of the salespeople suggested trying Jones for breakfast. We took her advice and headed over to 700 Chestnut Street to check it out.

When we arrived we discovered that they only served breakfast on weekends, but the lunch looked great and they did have the brunchy cocktails we were in search of. Perfect. And it became even more perfect when we realized they had a huge offering of grilled cheese sandwiches. But which to try?

While we weighed the options of the different grilled cheeses we each ordered a Morning Glory, which consisted of Danzka Grapefruit Vodka, grapefruit juice, and champagne. I do believe I prefer this drink to a traditional mimosa. Lara summed it up nicely as she said, "It's like a mimosa with a punch." It was more light and refreshing and less sweet than a mimosa. The grapefruit juice also offered a little more of a bite, although that could have been the vodka as well. In any case, it was the perfect way to start the day and pregame for grilled cheese.


We came up with the brilliant idea to each order the grilled cheese that appealed to us most and then swap a half a sandwich with one another. We also opted for the fries with the sandwiches rather than the other option of a side salad because, really, who actually prefers a salad to fries?

I ordered the Brie grilled cheese, which came with black forest ham, granny smith apples, and honey dijon on raisin nut bread. The Brie was lovely and creamy and there was just the right amount of ham. The granny smith apples were sliced nice and thin, offering just a hint of sweetness and crunch. But the raisin nut bread was incredible. Who makes a grilled cheese on raisin nut bread? Jones does, that’s who. And they are brilliant. The combination of salty and sweet was absolutely perfect. It was the most decadent grilled cheese I’ve ever consumed.


Lara ordered the cheddar grilled cheese with roast turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce on pullman white bread. Wow. “It’s like Thanksgiving in a grilled cheese sandwich,” she remarked. And she was absolutely right. Just imagine the best parts of Thanksgiving on delicious, thick bread all held together with gooey, melted cheese. I’m salivating just thinking about it.


Jones was a great place for an accidental lunch even though we’d had out hearts set on breakfast. As soon as we saw the lunch menu we forgot all about our craving for eggs and hash browns. Jones is definitely worth a visit if you’re in Philadelphia and in the mood for the most tasty grilled cheeses on the planet! I was sad to say goodbye to Philly and to Lara, but at least my stomach was satisfied.

Buddakan

I recently reunited with one of my good friends from college—Lara (aka Nimbo Stratus)—in Philly, where we caught up, balled out, and hit up an M.I.A. concert. We met up at the hotey on a Sunday and made plans for the night, which of course included dinner.

“So,” asked Lara, “where do you want to go? I assumed you would have already figured out all the best places to eat around here.”

Her question caught me by surprise. Yes, I normally would have something all planned and ready to go if it involved food, but I had nothing. Nothing at all. So while Lara jumped in the shower to get ready to go out I went to the Internet. Urbanspoon, a Web site I link my restaurant reviews to, is usually a good bet so I went there first. On the list of the top ten restaurants in Philly was Morimoto. Now that was pretty tempting. He’s my favorite Iron Chef, and I’d salivated over the menu at Morimoto a year ago when I scoped it out online. But then I noticed Buddakan on the top of the list. I was intrigued.

Lara and I looked at the menu together and determined that Buddakan looked absolutely amazing. So we made reservations, drank a bottle of Veuve Clicquot to pass the time, and headed out into the night.

When we arrived at Buddakan the restaurant was beautiful. We walked in and were greeted a waterfall, a glowing red dining room, and a radiant, gold Buddha. Nice.

We were in a little bit of a time constraint because we had to head out to the concert afterward, so we decided to just order a couple of appetizers and split an entree. But first came drinks. The Dream was phenomenal: Bombay gin, elderflower cordial, thyme, and fresh lime juice. Simply delicious. I love a good creative cocktail, and all the ones on the Buddakan menu looked incredible.



For an appetizer we decided to split crispy shrimp and scallop spring rolls served with plum and spicy mustard sauces. We also opted to try the edamame ravioli in a truffle scented Sauternes-shallot broth. The spring rolls were wonderful, but the edamame ravioli was out of this world. I’ve never heard of such a thing before, and I hope it catches on because the filling was creamy and satisfying while the broth burst with a delicate layering of flavors. Just to try the edamame ravioli is a worth a visit to Buddakan.



For an entrée we shared the lobster fried rice with crispy scallops and Chinese celery. I have high standards for fried rice having lived in China for a summer, but Buddakan delivered. The lobster and scallops were perfect and the rice was had that quintessential fried-rice tastiness without being overly greasy.


Everything was loaded with incredible flavors, and we definitely picked the right dishes to share. The portion sizes were perfect for the two of us, and when we finished we were both satisfied and yet not too full. The last thing you want before a concert is the itis, and Buddakan left us with plenty of energy.

The service was also great. All the dishes came out quickly, which was fabulous since we needed to make it to the Electric Factory for the concert. Unfortunately, M.I.A. was weak sauce on our tasty Buddakan dinner, but it was still a great night.

If you find yourself in Philadelphia and want to treat yourself to a lovely dinner then you should definitely check out Buddakan. They have locations in New York City and Atlantic City as well, which are apt to be just as delicious.

Dare * Risk * Dream

As I've mentioned before, I've been on a trend the last couple of years towards drinking wine rather than beer, but being in Portland it was hard to resist the plethora of microbrews. One of my favorite (actually, perhaps my most favorite) microbreweries is Rogue, and I just happened to be in the heart of Rogue country. I knew my trip to Portland wouldn't be complete without a few pints of tasty Rogue beer.

After spending three hours in Powell's Books, which is heaven to a bibliophilia like myself, and a little thrift-store shopping, I headed over to the Rogue Distillery and Public House in the Pearl District. It was a lovely day, and I managed to snag a table outside. As I glanced at the menu of various beers, as well as the food menu, I made the decision to ball out and get whatever I wanted regardless of the price. In fact, I didn't even look at the prices for anything. This was a theme I'd carried throughout my whole trip to Portland--my bank account suffered, but my soul and stomach were very satisfied. It was all worth it.

I began with a pint of Juniper Pale Ale. It was nice and light with uplifting and lingering flavors of Juniper. It is definitely one of my favorite Rouge ales, and to enjoy it at a real Rogue location was simply…awesome.


In addition to the Juniper Pale Ale I ordered the Spruce Gin Oyster Shooter appetizer. It was a shot of two northwestern oysters with a cocktail sauce made of Rogue Spruce Gin, tangerine, lemon, grains of paradise, horseradish, and coriander with fresh lemon. The oysters were soft, slippery, and buttery. The cocktail sauce was exquisite, and it all paired beautifully with the Juniper Pale Ale.


Next I opted for the Dry Hopped Saint Rogue Red, which I had never tried before. It was not overly hoppy but instead had just the right amount. It was a lovely light reddish-amber color. Delightful.



I wanted a burger. Bad. Wandering around Powell's on an empty stomach made me ridiculously hungry, but I knew if I got what was sure to the phenomenal half-pound Kobe burger on the menu I would be super sleepy with the itis, and it was still fairly early in the afternoon. I also wanted to leave as much room for beer as possible, so instead I went for the Kobe slider. It was so cute and tiny and was served on a teeny bun with wasabi mayonnaise.


When I bit into the slider I could literally taste the massages that the cows had received. It was tasty and certainly satisfied my burger craving. I also grabbed a plate of salty and crispy fries with ranch dipping sauce to snack on since I figured I'd be there for a while.

I sat. I wrote. I drank. I ate. I drank more. Next up was the Morimoto Soba Ale. This ale may be my absolute favorite Rogue ale, though it's just so hard to choose a fav. It was very light and refreshing and was perfect for a sunny, warm day (yes, Portland does have sunny days!).


As I sipped on my brews I heard the server at the next table over telling the customers they could become Rogue Nation Citizens. My curiosity was piqued. When my own server came over I asked her about it, and she told me I could get 10% off my pints if I became a citizen. There are other perks as well, such as a free beer and t-shirt on your birthday (Note to self: Go back to the West Coast and get to a Rogue pub on birthday). I was sold and filled out the paperwork. When she showed up with a camera I was surprised but simply grabbed my beer, posed, and smiled pretty for the camera. It's official. I actually have an ID card for Rogue. Score.


I had planned on getting one more pint, but my stomach was getting full, the sun was starting to set, and I had to get back to Southeast Portland. So naturally I grabbed a bottle of Somer Orange Honey Ale to go so I could drink it later. I also couldn't resist the Rogue Spruce Gin. I'm a gin girl. It's been my liquor of choice for a while, and the description sounded simply amazing. I hadn't known before that Rogue made spirits, but I'm so happy to have made the discovery. The fourteen ingredients in this gin included spruce, cucumber, angelica root, orange peel, coriander, lemon peel, ginger, orris root, grains of paradise, tangerine, juniper berries, champagne yeast, grain neutral spirit, and "free range" coastal water.

That night we made some of the most phenomenal gin and tonics I've ever had. Now if I can only find out where to buy Rogue Spruce Gin in northern New Jersey…


If you love good beer, do yourself a favor and check out Rogue. You can pick it up at most beer distributors, even if you're on the East Coast. The cost is a little higher than other varieties, but it's worth it…every time.

Dare * Risk * Dream!

Camping

Going camping is a great way to spend time in the summer, but just because you’re roughing it in the wilderness doesn’t mean you can’t eat well. I recently went camping with my sister in the beautiful Shawangunk Mountains of New Paltz, New York, and we cooked ourselves some fabulous meals over the campfire.

When cooking food while camping tin foil is your best friend. You can wrap almost anything in tinfoil, throw it in the fire, and soon have a meal. We wrapped up everything the night before, stuck it in a fridge, then transferred it into the cooler before we hit the road, and when Friday night came after a day of hiking and waterfalls, we were ready to cook and eat.

On the menu was barbecue chicken, potatoes, and corn on the cob. For the chicken I opted for pre-cut wings. I wanted to use the small pieces to help speed up the cooking process, and since all the pre-cut wings are close in size it would ensure they all cooked at the same speed. In a bowl we tossed the wings with barbecue sauce. Now usually I try to avoid pre-made sauces that are loaded with high fructose corn syrup, but I have to admit that something about Jack Daniel’s barbecue sauce has a hold on me. We mixed together two different kinds—original spicy and hickory brown sugar, coating each wing in the sweet and spicy sauce. Then we piled the chicken into the tinfoil and stuck it the fridge so all the flavors could melt into the meat overnight.

Similarly, we tossed baby red potatoes (again opting for a small size to help speed up the cooking process) in olive oil, salt, and pepper and wrapped them in foil. For the corn we set out squares of foil and rubbed a stick of butter on one side of the foil and sprinkled it with salt and pepper. Then we carefully wrapped up each cob so it would be coated in the butter when it cooked.

When it was time to eat we built the fire and let some coals form, I moved the sticks out of one section of the fire and placed the chicken and potatoes in the heat. I knew the corn would take less time to cook, so I simply placed them on a rock by the fire and moved them closer when the other food was nearly done. Because I couldn’t tell how hot the temperature of the fire actually was, I simply had to guess on the cooking time. After twenty minutes I rearranged the chicken and potatoes, hoping to ensure an even cooking process. After another twenty minutes had gone by I decided to check to see if they were done, and voila, they were perfect! The meat was just cooking through and fell delightfully off the bone. The potatoes were nice and soft on the inside and crispy on the outside where some cinders and found their way into the foil packet. And the corn was perfect—sweet and buttery and perfectly cooked.



We swallowed it all down with some Sailor Jerry’s dark rum mixed with just a splash of home-made lemonade, appropriately sipped in Dollar Store Christmas mugs. The dinner was a success, followed by a dessert of toasted marshmallows and a late-night snack of Jiffy Pop.



For breakfast I woke up and stirred the still-hot ashes, placing just a few sticks and twigs to get the fire going again. After we got some hot coals we threw in the remaining potatoes so they would heat up again. Then we placed a small pan on the coals with just a bit of olive oil. I cracked in four farm-fresh eggs and stirred them up. They fluffed up beautifully with rich white and yellow colors. After a little salt and pepper they were done.

Breakfast requires coffee, even when you’re in the woods, so we made cowboy coffee. In a small pot we added coffee grounds and water and set it on the hot coals. It took a very long time, but eventually the water began to bubble and the grounds sunk to the bottom of the pot. Although it’s best to use a ladle to scoop out the hot coffee, we didn’t have one, so instead we just poured in out of the pot right into our mugs. Despite a few grounds in the coffee, it was dark, rich, and tasty. After a hearty, campfire breakfast we were ready for more hiking and swimming and the general awe-inspiring beauty of the Shawangunk Mountains.

So foodies, don’t fret! Even in the woods you’ll be okay without your caviar, shaved truffles, and extra virgin olive oil. Some of the best food is cooked simply over an old-fashioned campfire, so pack up your tents, sleeping bags, hiking boots, and a cooler full of fresh ingredients and tinfoil, and get cooking!

If You Could Have a ____ with Anyone, Who Would it Be?

Last night while I neared the end of Anthony Bourdain’s The Nasty Bits I began to ponder what it would be like to meet him. I would be walking down the streets of New York City with no particular destination in mind, and then he would appear—just standing on the sidewalk. “Tony!” I would call out as though we were old friends, running up to him to introduce himself. He would look to me and smile. After becoming enamored by my charming personality he would of course accept my offer to grab a pint at some local dive. I would select something like Guinness—rich, dark and smooth, savoring every sip as we chatted about life, traveling, and food. Because if there’s anyone I’d like to have a beer with, it’s Anthony Bourdain.

So this whole fantasy got me thinking—well, yes, I’d like to sit down and have a beer with Bourdain, but what if it was a cup of tea? a glass of wine? a mug of coffee? a taste of sake? a classic cocktail? And that got my mind and stomach rolling in a whole new direction.

Let’s start with tea. First, I think I need to break this down into two varieties—green and black. Both types of tea evoke different experiences and hence different ideal companions. 

Green tea I associate with Asia and Buddhism, and therefore my childhood. When I was in third grade my teacher had the class select the three people, alive or dead, who we wanted to meet—Buddha was definitely on my list, so let’s leave him there with our beverage of choice as green tea. Or if he’s not available I’ll go with Isabella Stewart Gardener, so long as we drink the tea during one her wacky Japanese tea ceremonies in Boston during the Gilded Age.

For black tea it’s George Orwell all the way. Ever since I read his essay “A Nice Cup of Tea” I’ve always associated Orwell with this drink. We would sit in and English garden and follow his eleven points for making the perfect cup, carrying on a nice chat about whatever someone like Orwell likes to talk about.

Wine is also an easy choice—Ernest Hemingway. Hem and me would sit in the heat of a Spanish summer and quaff red wine from wine skins with abandon. It would be very The Sun Also Rises, sans the whole impotency thing.

F. Scott Fitzgerald should be on this list somewhere, but what would we drink? Probably anything.

My cocktail of choice is a martini made with Bombay Sapphire gin served slightly dry, straight up, and with olives. There’s only one companion for a drink like that—Humphrey Bogart. Well, either Bogie or Blair Waldorf, depending on the topic of conversation and whether or not fictional characters are allowed.

For sake I’d like to be in beautiful Kyoto with Iron Chef Morimoto. We might not be able to communicate much, but we would sip on our Japanese rice wine as he prepared clean and fresh traditional sushi.

Then there’s coffee, but I just can’t seem to decide…There’s no individual who particularly screams coffee for me right now, so I’ll have to keep pondering that one.

We’ve all got those people in the world we’d like to meet, but under what circumstances and over what drinks? The people on the list don’t have to be ones you admire the most or even find particularly interesting—they should just be the people you feel most suited to consume a particular beverage with. So, if you could sit down and have a ____ with anyone, who would it be?

Song of the Week: Tequila!

Song of the Week: Whiskey in the Jar

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Song of the Week: Pina Colada Song

A New Years Tradition

Over the last three years it has become a tradition for my boyfriend and me to go to the restaurant Provence in Albany to indulge in escargot and a martini every New Years. Provence is one of my favorite restaurants and will receive a proper review one of these days, but our New Years tradition is always one of the most pleasant ways to say goodbye to the old year and welcome in the new.

One of the dishes that Provence does best is their escargots à la bourguignonne. When I first tried escargot I didn’t know what to expect. I assumed it was an overrated delicacy—how good could snails be? I soon found out—so good. Of all the places I’ve tried escargot, Provence is definitely my favorite. They are Burgundy region snails cooked in a traditional style in a cast-iron dish with garlic butter and topped with a slice of brioche. The result is delicious, moist snails that have absorbed the flavorful garlicky sauce and are complemented by the lightly toasted, yet soaked in butter, bread on top. Each order of escargot comes with six snails, so it’s perfect for sharing—especially when your boyfriend always lets you eat four out of six!

Provence also makes a perfect martini, which is my cocktail of choice—Bombay Sapphire gin, straight up, on the dry side, with olives. It’s the perfect drink for the winter time with clean flavors like freshly fallen snow and hints of juniper berries. Like Frederic described in Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms, martinis are “so cool and clean” and make one “feel civilized,” especially when sitting at a classy restaurant like Provence.

As the holidays wind down and the new year begins, a trip to Provence is a great opportunity to sit down for an hour, relax, and indulge in a beverage and some of the best cuisine in Albany. If you’ve wanted to try Provence but don’t quite have the monetary means for a full-fledged meal, I highly recommend sitting at the lovely bar and just ordering a cocktail or glass of wine and an appetizer. If snails aren’t your thing, they have plenty of other tasty starters to try.

Bon appétit and happy New Year!

http://provence-restaurant.net/provence.html

Zoraida's Coquito

When Zoraida is in the house, it’s not Christmas until everyone have a glass of coquito in their hands! Zoraida is one of those amazing people that everyone should have in their lives—kind hearted, caring, fun, joyful, curious, and not afraid to say anything. I’m lucky enough be able to call Zoraida a friend and spend some time with her this holiday season. Zoraida has got that magic touch when it comes to cooking, especially with delicious and savory dishes like roasted pork or holiday concoctions like coquito.

So what is coquito? It could be described as Puerto Rican eggnog, but that doesn’t quite do it justice. It’s smooth and creamy with flavors of coconut and loaded with lots of Bacardi. If you’ve never tasted it, then you really need to try it.

Zoraida was nice enough to share her recipe with me to post here, but I have to warn you that even when people use her recipe it never quite comes out like when she makes it! She somehow gives it that little extra splash of love that shines through when you take a sip. This recipe will make one gallon’s worth of coquito.

Zoraida’s Coquito
4 15 oz. cans of cream of coconut
4 12 oz. cans of evaporated milk
6 egg yolks
Bacardi light rum
vanilla extract
ground cinnamon

1. In a blender combine one can of cream of coconut (make sure you scoop out anything left in the can when you pour it out), one can of evaporated milk, two egg yolks, Bacardi, a dash of vanilla extract, and a dash of cinnamon.

2. Blend the ingredients together and pour into an empty gallon container.

3. Repeat until the rest of the ingredients are used up.

4. Serve over ice.

The result is such a delicious treat that you’ll never want to celebrate the holidays again without it. As the concoction gets colder it will get thicker and creamier, and you’ll want to shake up the gallon container before serving it. You can add as much Bacardi as suits you—there’s no specific amount in Zoraida’s recipe, so you’ll just have to add that ingredient by feeling, or rather, by tasting.

Thanks so much to Zoraida for sharing this special treat with us!