Dine In Brooklyn is just around the corner, which means a tasty excuse to emerge from culinary hibernation and reacquaint yourself with this excellent foodie borough. From Williamsburg to Fort Greene, Coney Island to DUMBO, Park Slope and beyond, almost 200 restaurants are participating in this year's festivities. And the message is simple: "Quality food, no attitude on the side!"
The deal? Lunches for $20.10 and three-course dinners for $25.00 (not including beverages, tax or tip). Tip: Be sure to make a reservation in advance because tables fill up fast. You can choose from gems as varied and tempting as Alma, Madiba, Blue Ribbon, Junior's, Applewood, and my delicious favorite, al di la Trattoria. A full list of participating restaurants organized by neighborhood is available at www.visitbrooklyn.org. Or, you can download the complete list as a PDF.
But wait culinary friends, there's more! Thirty-plus restaurants—including Park Slope's Sette Enoteca e Cucina, Carroll Garden's Jake's Bar B Que, and Williamsburg's PT Restaurant—are even offering brunch and lunch for 2 people for $20.10, and/or dinner for 2 for $25.00. Check the list for details.
Dine In Brooklyn runs through March 25th. So get crackin'!
Music and food have shared a long and resplendent history: slaves played whimsical beats during Roman feasts, lutes were strummed in the dining halls of Henry VIII and jukeboxes in diners merrily shook with the effort of blasting that new fangled "rock and roll". Now, Toronto based deli Sky Blue Sky Sandwich Company has taken the correlation of music and food to a whole new level; all of their sandwiches are named after songs by the band Wilco. Trailing only slightly behind is Greensboro, NC pizza joint Sticks and Stones, who baptized their sandwiches in the name of Ryan Adams', with each pizza titled the same as an Adams song.
So why the musical food love? Food and music are two combining elements that cheer us up and keep us smiling when the world is on our backs. In the case of Sky Blue Sky, they're just huge fans and think the music has a message that can be spread far and wide through sandwiches. Same goes for Sticks and Stones, who thought it might be a good idea at the time. There are plenty of restaurants named after performers and songs, such as Chez Josephine for Josephine Baker and Toby Keith's "I Love This Bar and Grill". And then there's the "Baby Got Back Ribs" at the wildly popular Asia SF, inspired by emcee and Grammy Award winner Sir Mix-a-Lot. We can do side bends or sit ups, but after too many of these baby-back pork ribs with a honey-tamarind glaze, we definitely won't lose that butt.
This is a great week to be in New York. The sun is back! Bulky winter coats begone! Pale legs are reappearing under dresses. Sunglasses are on. The parks are packed. If lovely weather weren't treat enough, this week is also Martini Week. Brought to you by Tasting Table and Thrillist, 23 top bars and restaurants are participating in what just might replace Restaurant Week as my favorite New York tradition. Locations including West Village hotspot Highlands and the Plaza Hotel's Oak Room are offering special $10 concoctions nightly from 5:30pm-8:30pm through the 14th. Our team will be getting its drink on throughout the week so check back here for martini reviews and recipes!
For more information and to make reservations, click here. Tip: You can filter your search by participating neighborhoods so you can easily find a premium martini near you.
At Magnolia, when life hands them lemons, they start baking and what better reason to break out the Kitchen Aid mixer than March Lemon Month? That's right, the third month of the year not only marks the end of winter and ample St. Patty's shenanigans, but also an homage to the beloved, vitamin C packed citrus fruit. To celebrate "lemon month", Magnolia will be featuring all-things-lemon and we are talking more than mediocre cupcakes: lemon vanilla bundt cake, lemon bars, lemon iced molasses cookies, lemon cornmeal shortbread cookies and, of course, fresh-squeezed lemonade. Tip: For you cupcake junkies, their limited edition lemon cupcakes are made with sweet lemon cream filling (not tart) and topped with a generous swirl of lemon buttercream icing. Warning, this creamy treat will likely spoil your dinner.
If haven't given up sweets for Lent, get thee down to one of Magnolia's four locations pronto. The newest spot just opened at Grand Central Terminal and the bakery accepts pre-orders for commuters on-the-go.
Magnolia Downtown
401 Bleecker Street
New York, NY 10014
212.462.2572
Magnolia Rockefeller Center
1240 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10016
212.767.1123
Magnolia Uptown
200 Columbus Avenue
New York, NY 10023
212.724.8101
Magnolia Grand Central
Lower-level Dining Concourse
212.682.3588
Unless you're living under an enormous tree that fell on your house last weekend, you probably heard about the insane snowstorm that hit New York state and pretty much blitzed northern Westchester. (Funny, how fickle the weather can be...this weekend has been unseasonably warm and almost spring-like). After getting stuck in the city after work, I finally headed north that Friday morning only to find my car buried by snow and my parents stuck in the house—and the driveway impassably blocked by trees. Fortunately, my friend and her father from a few towns over saved the day and picked me up from their nearby train station. After navigating the tundra and finally making it to another friend's house, it was time to eat! What are a bunch of ravenous people to do when there's no electricity, power, heat, internet or running water? Tip: Raid the fridge and make use of all ingredients that would otherwise spoil. Tuna, flat pretzels and hummus, fresh chopped cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, onions and these delicious hot peppers made this smorgasbord that much more special.
The purpose of this blog is not only to thank Mr. and Mrs. Tuna for saving the day but for spoiling me with perfectly chopped, delicately seasoned fish. Being the foodie that I am, I had to inquire and find out how they made this canned creation taste so fresh and the answer: the double strain. Mr. Tuna said that people are lazy and don't thoroughly drain the liquid from the can—the real trick is straining the tuna twice. First, remove all the water from the can, then run the tuna under water a second time and once again, drain. He went on to chop the tuna, mix in some mayo and season with the perfect amount of salt and pepper. I helped myself to a hearty serving along with the other veggies. I was one happy girl, cold and tired, but happy.
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