I LOVE NY!!!

My adoreballoons big brother recently moved to the Big Apple to begin his orthopedic surgery residency -- a five year long program that will be (you know it!!) jam packed full of visits from moi.

My mom and I were travel buddies this visit, and managed to cram five days worth of clothes into one carry-on bag each and a smallish tote (we're talking miracles here foodie friends...MIRACLES). We arrived at the hotel and set out with our stomachs growling and maps in hand. I can officially say that "I heart NY" because of all of the delicious goodies that we searched out and stumbled across during our trip. Again, apologies for the crappy pictures, they're from my iPhone.

Let me just begin with "YELP" IS YOUR FRIEND!!! The places we enjoyed the most were those that we never would have found without the help of Yelp and the reviews of the Yelp foodie contributors.... Thanks guys! We (and our tummies) love you!

All time favorite place that everyone MUST visit is an idyllic little hole in the wall on the Upper East Side called Alice's Teacup Chapter II. Mom and I were a little late leaving the hotel the second morning and we picked Alice's for breakfast/lunch. Alice's Teacup makes a variety of fresh, homemade scones every day, along with delicious sweet treats and teas. Each diner has a different design on his or her china and drinking tea from a sweet little teacup in a beautiful room creates a truly memorable experience. Mom and I ordered a "Mad Hatter," which is a selection of scones, sandwiches, and treats meant to be shared. For the scones, we ordered a traditional buttermilk (served with fresh strawberry preserves and clotted cream), ham and cheese, and pumpkin. Every scone up to this point that I had eaten was very hard and left me wondering what all of the English fuss was about. Alice's scones had the texture and consistency of homemade biscuits: they were warm, slightly dense but still fluffy, and just MELTED in your mouth.

We each chose a sandwich to share. At the suggestion of our server, Mom chose their curried chicken salad. It was a yummy combination of chicken, a hint of mayo, red onion, celery, granny smith apple, on semolina bread with golden raisins and fennel. I chose chicken breast, granny smith apple, and herbed goat cheese on seven grain bread.

For dessert, we had an assortment of fresh baked cookies and a delicious lemon tart. It was light and the perfect end to a lovely lunch.

 I need to check my camera (HOPEFULLY I didn't delete it...), because I photographed a delicious Italian dinner that Mom and I had on our first night. Terrazza Toscana is Zagat rated and has a snazzy, young atmosphere. They make their pasta fresh, and after you have homemade pasta, you never want anything else! MMMmmm delicious, delicious carbs...

Mom started with a salad of braised pear on a bed of peppery arugula, dressed with a light lemon vinaigrette and shaved pecorino cheese. I'm slightly ashamed to admit this, but I can't remember what salad I had! It was one of the specials and I liked Mom's more (go figure). For our entrees, Mom ordered veal scallopine, which was sauteed with pinot grigio, pine nuts, golden raisins, and spinach. I went the pasta route, and ordered rigatoni with crushed tomatoes, garlic, buffalo mozzarella, and fresh basil. Deep into our food comas, we managed to hail a cab and called it a night after that.

We did experience NY pizza on our trip...how could we not?! Lombardi's is the first (and arguably the best!!!!) pizzeria in New York. Also Zagat rated, be sure to order the meatball pizza if you go. Lombardi's meatballs were so incredibly fantastic, we ordered a side of meatballs to add to those on our pizza. Combine that with Brooklyn Lager on tap, you have a memorable (or not so memorable since in my food craze I forgot to take pictures) meal.

Thomas Keller is a famous and critically acclaimed chef on both the east and west coasts. He has won multiple awards from the James Beard Foundation and his NY restaurant, Per Se, has three Michelin Stars. Did we dine there? ....Nope! However, we did enjoy a tasty lunch at his restaurant, Bouchon Bakery, above the Whole Foods at Columbus Circle. We had a gorgeous view, and noshed on food that was delicious and beautifully presented.

Mom ordered a salad with perfectly poached scallops, crisp asparagus, and greens that I have no clue what they are, all dressed in a delicate and flavorful vinaigrette.

I ordered a sandwich. Yes, a sandwich. Before you start writing rude comments about "how one can go to Bouchon and only order a sandwich?!" I insist on you looking at the picture because this was NOT JUST ANY OLD SANDWICH. THIS WAS AN EXTREMELY DELICIOUS SANDWICH!

Served warm, it contained roasted chicken breast with an aged, sharp chedder spread and spicy mustard....a lightly dressed salad with a nice tangy dressing....freshly baked, toasty bread....this foodie friends, was one hell of a sandwich! Combined with the view, I'd definitely recommend Bouchon Bakery to future NYC touristas looking for a good time.

Things I would GIVE for us to have Pinkberry down here:

*My right arm (I'd still have my left arm to shovel frozen yogurt in my face)

*One gajillion dollars (one sec, I'll write you an IOU)

*Cupcakes (except the ones from Crave because I don't want to hurt their feelings)

*The entire cast of Jersey Shore (I can perform my own fist pumps)

*Anything ELSE that I could POSSIBLY dream up to trade for Pinkberry every day....*sigh* It's so good...

For the summer, Pinkberry is offering watermelon frozen yogurt that you can add fresh watermelon on top of to make it THAT MUCH BETTER!!! Before my first bite, I thought that it would taste like any other old frozen yogurt....Pinkberry IS NOT any old frozen yogurt. Rich, creamy, slightly tangy, and low in calories -- they have an abundance of fresh fruit and other toppings (like chocolate and fruity pebbles!) to make it your own. If something is good, you know I will do my best to snarf it down. After waiting a bit in line, I received my treat and I SAVORED my watermelon Pinkberry cup like it was the last of its kind while walking around Columbus Circle. I <3 Pinkberry!!!

These meals stood out (or because I remembered to take pictures before I dug in), but TRUST ME, we enjoyed many other meals that didn't make it to the blog. New York is such a different place compared to Houston.....it has so much personality and character all crammed into one tiny island. We had a list of things to do but barely made a dent! We saw no Broadway shows, did little to no shopping (I bought shoes because mine broke within the first several hours of walking), took no tours, we didn't make it to Chinatown or Little Italy...

Holy cow...what DID we do?!? Walk, eat, stare up at the buildings, eat, drink water, eat, repair shoes, eat, buy books to read in our sweltering hotel room at the end of the day, visit Frank, EAT!!!

I can't wait to go back!!!

I Heart Breakfast

It's been a little while since I've posted but I promise, I've definitely been eating yummies (the pictures are all stuck on my real camera as opposed to my crappy iPhone camera that I've been using)!

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day by far. Nothing seems to satisfy me (discounting the awesomeness that is cheese *drools*), more than piping hot, perfectly (or not so perfectly) cooked eggs, crispy bacon, and something to soak up the egg yoke with (in the form of toast *drools* or hashbrowns *drools drools*). Sunday mornings are especially great for breakfast at home or brunch out. In this case, I decided to do BOTH!! "Both!?" I'm sure you're asking. Yes - that was not a typo! I'm going to have both!! At this time, try to contain your envy....thanks. ;)

I'm meeting the parentals around noon at this great little brunch place called Cafe Benedict. Having woken up reasonably early, my stomach demanded eggs and toast. How could I say no!? One fresh egg over easy and one toasted English muffin with two pieces of crispy turkey bacon later, I am drinking hot tea and digesting on my couch, updating this blog. No pictures of my breakfast...I could pretend that the reason is because it was pretty basic, but the truth is that I wolfed it down with a smile on my face before I even thought about taking a picture! So instead, I'll post a pic of my cute little teacup set that I'm sipping my hot tea from. I'll update this post later with a picture of the yummy-ness that will be my brunch!

As promised:

Las tapas son tremendas!

Oh. Em. Gee.

Last night, I was invited over to Ryan and Erin's for Spanish wine and tapas. For those of you who are not familiar with "tapas," let me give you the brief (and ever helpful) Wikipedia definition:

Tapas (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈtapas]) is the name of a wide variety of appetizers, or snacks, in Spanish cuisine. They may be cold (such as mixed olives and cheese) or warm (such as chopitos, which are battered, fried baby squid). In North America and the United Kingdom, as well as in select bars in Spain, tapas has evolved into an entire, and sometimes sophisticated, cuisine. In these countries, patrons of tapas restaurants can order many different tapas and combine them to make a full meal. The serving of tapas is designed to encourage conversation because people are not so focused upon eating an entire meal that is set before them.

Oh. Em. Gee. I know right?!

Two days of kitchen labor produced three incredibly delicious dishes and LET ME TELL YOU -- THEY WERE DELICIOUS!!!

I was able to muscle myself into the kitchen (wine in hand) to take some pictures to make all of you foodies out there jealous of my incredibly talented and adventurous friends.

Wine:

Erin stuffed mushrooms with breadcrumbs, goat cheese, scallions, red bell pepper, and fresh cilantro. These little bites melted in your mouth! The creaminess of the goat cheese combined with the bite of fresh cilantro and bell pepper tickeled my tastebuds and I went back for seconds and thirds (and fourths and fifths when their backs were turned muah ahahaha!).

She blended together serrano ham, manchego cheese (mmmmm), tossed a little salt and pepper and then breaded them with panko bread crumbs and fried them to a delicate crunch.

Lastly (but certainly not least), they made piquillo peppers stuffed with shrimp salad. Piquillo peppers are miniature bell peppers from northern Spain and they have a smoky-sweet flavor. This paired perfectly with the shrimp salad (shrimp, garlic, mayonaise (hallelujah!!!), salt and pepper, and a splash of nice medium-dry sherry) to make a yummy addition to our meal.

I have the privilege and the pleasure to be involved (maid of honor WOO HOO!!) in Ryan and Erin's wedding. She and I ended our night holed up in the study discussing wedding details (like bouquet choices, linens, and menus NOM NOM!), and it was the perfect end to a perfect Tuesday night. I suspect Ryan was in a food coma on the couch -- he LOOKED how I FELT when I walked by to get more wine! ;)

What the HECK am I going to make when they come over next for dinner at my house?! Suggestions please!!!

Happy eating foodies! <3

Eggs + Leftovers = OM NOM NOM

I love eggs. We all know this.

What most people DON'T know however, is how much I LOVE making yummy breakfasts/lunches/dinners by combining leftovers from the fridge with eggs!

Sunday morning, I combined leftover spinach (with this yummy bacon vinaigrette dressing), feta cheese, eggs, and salmon (sorry for stealing your lunch Mom!) to make an exciting (I thought) new plate for Maggie to eat for breakfast. If any of you foodies out there follow Top Chef (*swoon* Tom Colicchio), they showed an episode where they highlighted a Top Chef fact: if you want to see what makes a top chef a TOP chef, ask him/her to make you eggs. :)

Mine are still a work in progress but at least I didn't over-heat the salmon!

I -REALLY- need to get a decent camera. These fuzzy iphone pictures just aren't cutting it. :(

Anywho, happy eating! :)

Whirlwind of a weekend!

My big brother graduated from medical school this weekend and holy moly was it fun!!! I baked two batches of cake balls and cake pops for the festivities (destroying my tiny kitchen in the process), and we managed to devour almost all of them (even after stuffing our faces with more goodies from the fridge!).

The devil's food ones were the hands-down faves but the carrot cake put in a good show. Nom nom!

We had family come visit from out of town and it really made the whole occasion THAT much sweeter! We did a lot of gabbing, crying, and laughing this weekend as we gathered together to watch Frank walk across the stage and receive his MD.

We had lunch at McCormicK & Shmidt's, where we gobbled our way through appetizers like portobello mushroom and goat cheese bruschetta, steamed clams, a crab, avocado, and mango tower, tempura shrimp, and more. In my excitement to snap pictures on my iphone to document these yummy treats, similar to a great California redwood falling over, I too fell out of my chair in the restaurant and crashed to the ground -- what a spectacle! Having more family in town also means more people to laugh at you when you make an ASS out of yourself in your nice dress at a nice restaurant. The best part is that ALL of the foodie pictures that I ended up taking were fuzzy and sent to the iphone picture trash can later! Fun times... ;)

It has been a long four years and we are so incredibly proud of Frank's success. Congratulations buddy! <3

Cake Balls/Pops:

• Pillsbury Devil's Food mix, chocolate-fudge frosting, orange (vanilla flavored) and dark cocoa shells.
• Pillsbury Carrot Cake Food mix, cream cheese frosting, vanilla shell.