“…so what now???”

I was asked this tonight, during dinner. What do I want now?….

Let’s first talk about what we ate tonight…. we were at The Local, one of my favorites in my area, which I’m sure you have heard me rage about on my facebook, twitter, and probably even on here (although I don’t do quite as many food posts on here anymore)

We started off with the Salt & Pepper Calamari with pickled peppers, ginger salsa, and cilantro…. which was delicious! I kind of wish they didn’t have the sauce on the bottom of the plate though which makes some of it kind of soggy after awhile.  But the plate was HUGE!  They have really upped their portion sizes since they first opened!

We also had the Roasted Garlic Hummus with “garden vegetables” (today was just carrots and cucumber slices) and grilled pita (which definitely had cardamom in it – which gave it a super “Indian” feel…)  Delicious as usual… just too much EVOO and herbs/garlic in the middle of the hummus, which, I personally stayed clear from.  The hummus was rich, yummy and garlicky enough as it was.

It was quite tasty…. I love hummus myself, so I was enjoying it like a mofo.  Plus I love carrots and recently found a love again for cucumbers…I think it’s the way they sliced it.

Then came our entrees.  My lovely lady date got the Herb-Marinated Half Chicken that came with garlic mashed potatoes and over sautéed spinach – which I have had before, so I highly recommended it.  It was loved.  Everything was perfectly seasoned – but, like I said, a HUGE portion.  Seemed a whole lot larger than the last time I got it.

I was craving beef… and I’ve had the short ribs and the steak tips and the salads with the steak so I noticed they had something new… a Chimichurri Skirt Steak on top of braised kale with steak-cut sweet potato fries.  The steak, while I got it ‘medium rare’ was still cooked medium/medium-well.  Which is why I always ask for things rare to medium rare, or else you’ll just get it well-done and overcooked.

The steak was delicious, as was the chimichurri, though I felt it could’ve been more present – it was pretty…. not “bland” but light. Present, but not really there.  The kale though, tasted overpowering and the salt was just crunching through…. wasn’t my fav.  I stole some spinach from the chicken dish instead.  My dinner date wasn’t too big of a fan of the kale either.  Meh.

[ps. for a nice chimichurri sauce check out Bon Appétit – my fav goto place for inspiration]

I got a nice Californian Cabernet Sauvignon [Red, duh] which took me forever to sip on. Strangely so. [I’ve been cutting down on my alcohol so it doesn’t take much lately]

Delicious.

So  now back to the question…. what am I …. wait what?  I think I’m tipsy now.

Ohhhh so what NOW?!  What now????  After what?  “After taking a chance at love and moving to another country and coming back, so soon after, broken hearted”?  Well, I take that and I continue on. [BTW have you noticed how awesome my hair is? Yay for my new waves/curls]

I can say that I went to another country with full on intentions of nothing but the best… and yes I came home, a bit sad.  I wouldn’t call myself broken.  I’ve been broken so many times, it’s more about who can piece me back together, has the patience to, now, than to say who broke me apart.  How do  you break when you’re already broken?

Am I just damaged goods?

I don’t think so.  I just think that the one who should be with me hasn’t realized it yet.  Or found me yet?! Who knows.  I hope it’s…

…

…

… does it even matter who I say, unless it’s mutual?!

So there it is.  A splendid  dinner and a so-so answer to the question asked.

Buenos Noches mis Amores <3

Vegetarian No Meat Burgers!!!… and other yummies from the past few days!

Today I tried something new… while I had a beef burger…. oh so yummy, I tried out a special recipe for my mom and her vegetarian friend…. no-meat burgers for them using Beyond Meat product! I prefer Yves non-meats but couldn’t find any at Whole Foods today :[ Bummer.

For 2 Burger Patties:
1 bag of Beyond Beef Beefy Crumbles

1/4-1/2 onion
A few cloves of garlic
Paprika
Salt
Black Pepper
Dried Basil (fresh is probably better and if so, minced)
2 eggs
flour

I first sautéed the minced onion and garlic til caramelized and starting to be transparent and browned slightly. I mixed it with the beefy crumbles. Added S&P, paprika, dried basil and perhaps a few more secret ingredients. I added two eggs and a few pinches of flour to help it bind better – I probably should have added more flour since it was a little too wet. And I grilled them.

For toppings I sautéed onions and mushrooms. Topped the patties with cheese as they were about to be done cooking and put a lid on the pan to melt the cheese. I added a few slices of rings of red onion, sliced tomatoes and some avocado. Some other options (which I put on my beef burger) were jalapeños and cilantro.

And to make the dinner even better.. some kale chips… just kale… drizzled in evoo, s&p I added cayenne pepper… or whatever flavorings you want :]

BTW, this was my BEEF burger haha

Sorry, being “healthy”… even tho the burger was rare *MAD COW DISEASE* haha but I ate my in lettuce wrap….”sort of” ok some of it with fork and knife….

More stuff I made this weekend..

Vegetarian Soup… there’s kale, corn, leeks, mushrooms, onion etc etc… topped with some cheese and cilantro and a “garlic bread” croissant

There were more veggies but I don’t remember

And our pre-Masquerade Harvard Ball dinner

Duck Confit with Leek/Mushroom Risotto and Spicy Broccoli

Just used a tiny bit of white truffle butter, topped with parm and scallions in the risotto, had fresh white truffles.. but forgot to top it… duck confit cooked in lots of duck fat for awhile so super crispy… and then just steamed broccoli with hot pepper flakes :]

Greek Food at the Hellenic Festival – Cambridge

This summer… back at the Greek Orthodox Church on Magazine street  in Cambridge I went to the Greek festival for some good eats and fun.

“White wine please.. the whole bottle”
“Just for you?”
“Obviously…”

DUH

Italian Date Night….

I know I know it’s bad when I go on a date. But I did go on one recently… to an Italian place, super hidden away, called Marcellino’s…

Leaving….

He doesn’t even like wine but he ordered a bottle and share it with me… UMMM… kinda really awesome

Carpaccio – Sliced Beef Filet, Arugula, Fennel, Parmesan, Lemon Vinaigrette, Capers

His VEAL Saltimbocca – Prosciutto, Sage, Mozzarella, Demi Glaze which he gave me a taste and it was YUMMMMM apparently it’s his always go – to.

And the waiter recommended to me the
Fruitti Di Mare – Shrimp, Calamari, Mussels & Linguine in a spicy red sauce —- which I asked for to be extra spicy… but it wasn’t :T But it was still super yummy so I had the leftovers the day after… there was SO MUCH FREAKING PASTA

We headed to a bar after… tried this Rebel IPA which was yummy

But we ended up having some Whiskey…FUCK! I got sauce on me…

:[

May 8 – Happy Birthday Kate <3

My beautiful sister/twinnie/wifey/lover and I both took her birthday off this past Wednesday and spent the day together. After I went to my morning dentist appointment I headed straight to Kate‘s with a delicious raspberry profiterole chocolate cake and some Moet pink bubbles!

After thinking about what to do for lunch before our “appointment” at Juli Moon… we ended up at Panera… always a yummy choice

Kate got her Bacon Turkey Bravo Smoked turkey breast, bacon, smoked Gouda, lettuce, tomatoes & signature dressing, on Tomato Basil bread.

Which she was craving… [as did her Hubby M]

And I tried the new Salad…

Spinach Power Salad Fresh baby spinach, roasted mushrooms and onion blend, diced eggs, applewood-smoked bacon, frizzled onions & smoky Vidalia onion vinaigrette

Turns out I’m not a fan of frizzled onions which remind me of just canned fried onions but 10x saltier…

I also had chicken added to it.. which was NOT on the menu, but funnily enough there was an “Add Salmon” so I go:

Me: Can I add Salmon to that?
Cashier: Of course you can…. but we don’t have it.
Me: Oh…..

So chicken it was….

And then off to Lynn, MA — my first time in that town… actually not as far away as I assumed it would be… lol

Us waiting. For once I’m not the most pale. Thank you Miami.

Is it time yet? Whatever O Clock

We are excited

Kate’s readdddyyyyyy to get down and dirty

I went first

“Curiousity often leads to trouble” and two dragonflies

And then this happened

Kate’s turn

Two dragonflies…. the little pink one is me… the bigger purple/orange pink one is her

Even M got in on the action!!!

Feettttsies

Thanks CS for our awesome bestie tatts

And then after going back to Kate and M’s house for a bit with CS we decided we wanted MEAT MEAT MEAT MEAT MEAT.

Sooooo… Texas Roadhouse it was…

The most amazing bread with cinnamon butter… I think we kept asking for refills til they ran out…

PEANUTS.. which I DEVOURED

Kate is excited. The  menu is HUUUGE, what to get what to get?!?!?!?!?

CS and I both got Margaritas [mine is the LESS girly one] with an extra shot of Patron….

CHEERS!!! And good job on our feets

YUMMMYYYY

Fried Pickles!!!!! Since Kate LOOOOVES Pickles

Her first fried pickle!!!

My Salad…. with…

THOUSAND ISLAND DRESSING!!! This is for YOU, KELLY LIN!!!!

Then we all got or food… except Mike, he doesnt get his food…

Kate’s Fried Chicken

Bday girl is super ready

CS’s ribs and steak and sides

Mike’s chicken and ribs…. and sides

And of COURSE I got the bone-in Ribeye…

Although sadly it wasn’t “medium rare on the rare side” like I wanted… but it was tasty nonetheless… I think I was the only one that finished my plate… [ok CS helped a bit]

Another one? I actually thought the tube shot was a fat straw at first…

CHEERS TO KATE THE MOST WONDERFUL LADY I KNOW AND LOVE!!!!

Sisters for life <3

Bloody Finger….. so free meal at Giginos at Wagner Park

Remember this meal?

Just simple minced beef with onion, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil and some  chili pepper if you wanna spice it up.  Baked int he oven at 425 degrees for about 30 minutes and let rest for 5.

That turned into a late night dinner since I sliced almost the whole tip of my ring finger off while prepping in the kitchen? Yep, J and I were happily partying it up with drunk people in the ER for an ill minute.

Thankfully this baby is feeling up quite well now…

Anyways mama felt bad for me and our night being ruined so to cheer me up she offered to treat J and I to a lovely dinner of our choice, anything under $200.

See poor finger? :[ Need yummy food

Besides. J wouldn’t let me go near a knife for awhile….

I found an ear cuff to hide my “alien bump” ahhahaha….

We played around with food ideas but really just wanted to stay in the neighborhood. It was beautiful out so we decided on Italian or Tapas… and we wanted to dine outside. So J immediately suggested Giginos At Wagner Park and we got a beautiful seat outside with a gorgeous view of the Statue of Liberty.

J picked out two wines we could try and I chose the one with a cooler name that I liked.

And he let me pick out the food :] As long as he got his olives!!!!

[ps they have yummie bread which you get to dip in EVOO and Balsamic Vin.]

The olives come in a mezze trio or whatever of also cured meats and other stuff but we only wanted olives. J <3 Olives hehe Olive Monster…. so they let us just order that.

As an appetizer we got the simple Mussels with white wine, garlic, black pepper and…. basil I think it was. DEEEELISH!

There were a ton of mussel dishes to choose from, and just saying, the menu was HUGE… HUUUUGE… intimidatingly so which is why I ended up choosing the simplest items.

Grilled Monkfish with Broccoli Rabe and Baby Bok Choy

This was a special…. it was between this and the branzino but since I had gotten the branzino last time I had Italian, when J’s parents were in town, I wanted some tender juicy Monkfish.  Need to spice things up a bit, y’kno?!

Pappardelle San Marzano – Fresh pappardelle with San Marzano tomato, garlic, olive oil and basil AND a beautiful fresh shavings of parm all over it. YUM.

SUPER SUPER FRESH TENDER AMAZING NOODLES.  Perfectly al dente. OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG.. pasta made so simple and delicious with my favorite type of pasta. HEAVEN.

We opted out of dessert… and I think we ended up back home watching tv and probably having a scotch or whiskey  on the rocks. It was a beautiful walk around FiDi even tho it started to get a bit chilly. MMM MMMM MMMMM I would love to come back during the day and when it’s a tad bit warmer to see the day time view.

The Spotted Pig

So ya’ll know about the book… WHICH IS AMAZING, I got it as soon as it got out. GET IT.

Now let’s talk about her food.. it was a beautiful Saturday so after walking all the way from the edge of FiDi…. all the way to almost Times Sq..

First by the waters… and then we decided to walk on the HighLine since I’ve never been…. We walked all the way to the end… and then went down to Gastro Market for a few beers. Ahhh beergardens.

I don’t remember what they were except they were in caskets and red ales.

We ended up walking to the The Spotted Pig RIGHT before the big dinner rush. Phew. Last two seats at the bar. Booyeah!

I was surprised at how little pork items were actually ON the menu. Come on.. Spotted Pig? We need a full on all out pigged out menu….

Pork Rillette with Pickles & Mustard

What could go wrong with pork topped off with lardo?!.. You don’t even need the grainy mustard on the side….. just a huge scoop of the lardo and pork from the rillette on top of the perfectly grilled crostini… toasty fresh… and you’re good.  The pickled gherkins and pearl onions were a nice touch…

Crispy Pig’s Ear Salad with Lemon Caper Dressing

This was the first thing I saw on the menu and I KNEW I had to get it.  I was surprised that it was a whole pig’s ear… unless it’s connected to the head still, I’m used to eating it cut into thin strips.  The pig’s ear was crispy, not greasy at all, and paired lovely with the refreshing salad of mixed greens, endive and italian parsley underneath.

Grilled Skirt Steak with Roasted Beets & Horseradish Cream

J shared this with me. AMAZING horseradish butter and simple braised beets and beet greens. Delicious. We weren’t asked how we wanted it to be cooked but it was cooked to a beautiful medium rare, on the rare side. YUM. Buttery meat.

Prosciutto & Ricotta Tart with Marjoram

This was an appetizer but I got it as my main to share with J.  A flakey crisp tart topped with prosciutto, risotto, greens and shavings of parm. DELICIOUS.

And of course, a very much needed – and always necessary side dish

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

These literally melted in your mouth.  Most definitely NOT good for you but sooooo delicious.

I kinda wish we got the burger as well, it’s supposed to be awesome and I saw a TON of people order it.

Afterwards we ended up at Proletariat for beers….. and PRETZEL BREAD

The stout cheese dip was meh….. it was all about the curry mustard sauce!!!!

Met up with a few friends and ended up at Dive Bar Lucy’s..

Great times.

Village Yokocho… and more beer…

Friday Night means one thing: NO ALARM CLOCK – hottest words EVA. But that talks for later….. Friday night and J comes home and we decide that Japanese is what’s up.

Time for some yakitori. MMMM St. Marks time.  Which means Village Yokocho.

First thing we did was order a giant pitcher of beer. SO MUCH FOAM.

UMM… I couldn’t resist.

Takoyaki.

Asparagus. Scallions.  Green Pepper.  Mushroom.

Different parts of chicken and beef … and balls :] Oh chicken balls…. ground chicken balls not their “BALLS” durrrr…. that’s at a different place<3

Somehow all the sticks were on my plate. HAHA. Way for J to make me the fattie.

Not enough, we want MORE!!!!!!!!

We need more and more chicken skin…..

MORE chicken skin, alls, shishito peppers and then some…. OH cartiledge

After a delicious dinner.. we headed to the secret yet so known, Angel’s Share but the wait was too long and didn’t seem worth it.  The bathroom was gross and it was freezing in there… So we left….

… and headed to the sure thing: Proletariat

Happy Happy Joy Joy

范家 Fun Time: Restaurant Jun [pictures]

After the fun 范家 Party Bus for the day… we went to a REAL lunch at Jun

Mango Beer..

SASHIMI

Deep Fried Lobster Sandwich

A simple steak dinner tonight…

I’ve been in recovery… and been totally vegetarian and on a liquid diet…

but while I’m supposed to be in bed rest, I craved some meat…. beef… rare beef to be exact.  So simple steak dinner it is.

Filet Mignon [rare for me, medium for mama] sprinkled with salt, pepper, cinnamon and cayenne…

with a reduced red wine, butter, chicken broth, shallots, garlic, mushroom, shallot sauce from the pan drippings….

I steamed some green beans… and poured me some Merlot from bottle and voila!  A delicious dinner tonight for mama and me.

OKAY. More updates from Taiwan, Frisco…… and of course stuff that I’ve cooked and eaten at back in the States, ASAP!!!!