Mo Pitkin's

Swimster got his first choice/dream job offer and we wanted to celebrate with good friends. The job will take him to London for the summer and I'm trying to find a way, a means, any reason for me to go with him. (If you're in London and reading this...got job? Mona will do it for fish and chips!)

I keep going to Eater to try and pick a fun new restaurant that few have tried or written about, but I'm always led astray by a good review of a not-so-new place. When I read that my favorite restaurant Kitchen and Cocktails (R.I.P.) closed, I shed a few tears and made it my mission to find a substitute for its comfort food and atmosphere. After reading "deep fried macaroni" on the Mo Pitkin's menu, I hoped I found the place.

Fashionista, Swimster, Architetto, and our new friend in New York BigBlueBabe all met at Mo Pitkin's and had a few drinks while I scrambled to leave work. I called the restaurant earlier that day to make a reservation, and the hostess really went out of her way to accommodate us; despite not having a spot for us at the time I wanted, or being able to sit a party that wasn't all there (I hoped my friends could sit and get started while I left work but that wasn't possible). Instead, she just told me to send my friends there, have them put their names in, and by the time a table opened up, I'd probably be there. Voila! This plan worked and we were seated shortly after I arrived. Thank you Caitlin!!

Mo Pitkin's full name is "Mo Pitkin's House of Satisfaction" and satisfy it does.... Mo's takes up two stories and they have four different rooms to please every patron: the dining room and bar downstairs, topped with the 65-seat cabaret room and Sadie's Hideaway for private parties on the second floor. We stuck to downstairs, but the word on the street is Mo's has great performers of all shapes and sizes that visit upstairs. The cooking is Judeo-Latino, and you'll just have to read on (or go there) to understand what this means.

The bar is long and lean and there are lots of stools and space for people to linger around. Beyond the bar is the simple dining room. There is nothing really remarkable about the space. Tables in the middle seem to be for bigger parties and surrounding them are the big leather booths where we sat. The booths are 3/4 circles and very cozy for a group of five or six people. Circle tables = happy customers and conversation. Don't worry, Mo's makes up for its no-frills atmosphere with ball-busting and over-the-top food.

Since this was a celebration, Swimster didn't waste any time in ordering cocktails for the table. We tried a red sangria pitcher and a white sangria pitcher. I had never tried white sangria before and was pleasantly surprised. Both sangrias were excellent and not too sweet (or stingy on the alcohol).

For our appetizers we went with crispy artichoke with lemon and fennel and a romesco dipping sauce, potato latkes with apple sauce and sour cream, and chiccarones de pollo with avocado salsa. (aside: I'm drooling rethinking this meal and I might have to go get lunch in the middle of writing this post, if I don't eat my arm first.) The artichokes were very lightly fried, like they sprinkled some frying dust on them without actually dipping them in batter. And the romesco sauce was so sweet I ended up eating the remains of the sauce with my fork. The potato latkes were thick patties of potato: hot and crispy on the outside and warm and soft on the inside. Sour cream and apple sauce are to latkes as ketchup is to fries, and I now know why. The chiccarones de pollo were mini drumsticks right out of a cartoon: they were big and round and meaty on top. The skin was crispy and tasted good on its own, especially with a dollop of the avocado salsa.

For the entrees I tried the chicken club with apple-smoked bacon. Architetto went with the famous rotisserie chicken, BigBlueBabe tried the starving artist special, which was basically a burger, fries and a draft beer-a great idea for a meal. Every restaurant in New York should adopt something like this in their menus. Swimster tried the grilled skirt steak with chimichurri and fries. No, I didn't forget about Fashionista, she chose wisely, and snacked off everyone else's plates. In addition, we all shared the sides: deep fried mac and cheese (yes you did not mis-read this) and manchego garlic fries. I will begin with my club. It was no club in the ordinary diner sort of sense. Instead it was two long narrow slices of warm grilled challah with long strips of bacon and lettuce and tomato, and this amazing chicken "salad". It was shredded chicken with herbs, little to no mayo and could go down as one of my favorite sandwiches of all time. Their rotisserie chicken is one to reckon with. BigBlueBabe's hamburger was the size of her head and looked excellent. Swimster's strip steak was tender and moist with flare. The chimichurri added a nice kick to it, something different for a change. Finally, last but not least, the deep fried macaroni and cheese. I'm sure you're all on the edge of your seats wondering what in the world this was like. Well, it came to the table in the shape of a brick, a real brick of fried something. When we sliced open the fried brick with our steak knives the mac and cheese came oozing out. I would have to say off all the things we ate that night, this was the only slight disappointment. I think I prefer the baked mac and cheese with the fresh breaded topping, instead of the fried layer that surrounded the mac and cheese, it was more like frozen food fried instead of freshly fried. No worries, the garlic fries were incredible and we were all fighting to get the last fry. Mo's fries are thick and crinkly, and cooked to medium well. Shreds of manchego cheese were sprinkled and lightly melted on the fries, and garlic was tossed in the mix as well. Mmmmmm-o Pitkin's!

Mo Pitkin's was an excellent place to take good friends and have a truly fun dining experience. Its casual atmosphere makes it a comfortable spot to eat and have fun any time of the week no matter what you're wearing (a real anomaly in New York City). I felt we were all little kids in big kids' clothing that night. Every time something came out we were clicking our heels together and clapping and bouncing off our seats, the way I felt at birthday parties at Bullwinkle's when I was a wee little girl.

34 Ave. A, between 2nd and 3rd Sts
212-777-5660

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Rocky, bark hello!

Yay! I finally get to participate in Sweetnick's Weekend Dog Blogging.
Friends, I introduce you to Rocky.
Rocky is my friend who lives across the street from us in Carmel.
He's half German shepard and half malamute, hence his size.
Rocky may seem like he'd be one to reckon with, but he's gentle and loving. I picture him as an elderly gentleman, at the end of his long fulfilling life, who still likes the outdoors and enjoys watching the world peacefully go by.
His owners left for a ski trip and my brother and I got to walk him around the neighborhood a few times a day.
I grew attached to Rocky in the span of five days, so much I made Dad take a picture of me and Lil' Bro sitting next to him, and even cried saying goodbye to him. I wish I could have stayed to take care of him. He's old and tired and his best days are behind him. He always seems so lonely outside on his front stoop (his owners just had a baby and a la "Lady and the Tramp" they don't really pay much attention to him anymore).
Hi Rocky in Carmel, I miss you and promise to send treats soon!!

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4x8 Meme

The king of the barbecue, the master of all things pulled and charred, Mr. Hampton Smoker himself tagged me for this meme. And I'm just gettin' round to gettin' it done!

Four Jobs I've Had in My Life:

1. Ski Boot Chick at Aspen Sports, CO
2. Sales assistant at The New Yorker
3. Assistant Coach of the swim team at Georgetown University
4. Waitress at La Playa Hotel's restaurant Terrace Grill

Four Movies I Could (and I do) Watch Over and Over

1. The Last of the Mohicans
2. Bill Cosby: Himself
3. Pride and Prejudice from 1940 with Laurence Olivier
4. Excess Baggage (or anything with Benicio del Toro in it)

Four Places I've Lived

1. Chatou, France ('91-'94)
2. Snowmass, Colorado ('01-'02)
3. Charlottesville, Virginia ('97-'01)
4. Carmel, CA ('02-'03)

Four TV Shows I Love to Watch

1. Grey's Anatomy, a friend of mine growing up in CT plays Izzy
2. The Bachelorette, a guilty pleasure
3. The Ellen DeGeneres Show, I just love this woman
4. Queer Eye for the Straight Guy

Four Places I Have Been on Vacation

1. New Zealand for a Christmas holiday
2. Zermatt for a family ski adventure
3. Maui for several family sun-worshipping holidays
4. the Italian Riviera

Four Websites I Visit Daily
(I went with non-blogs so I didn't cause any heartache)

1. The Huffington Post
2. CNN
3. MediaBistro
4. TVNewser

Four of My Favorite Foods

1. fries
2. filet mignon
3. pasta
4. avocados

Four Places I Would Rather Be Right Now

1. on the set of my own movie
2. Disneyworld
3. sipping Mai Tais on the beach in Wailea at a sort of "Mona's Reunion," with all friends and family I've ever had and known (sounds kind of like my own heaven)
4. tailgating with friends and family at a UVA football game (or Foxfield)

Four Tags

1. A Year in Food
2. Sweetnicks
3. Coodence
4. Food is Good

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Pair of 8's

Winette belongs to a writers' guild where she gets free movie tickets from time to time. It's not uncommon for me to get an email message at work, "X movie is finally free, are we going?" I never have to think twice about it. A free movie with a friend is hard to pass up when the going rate for movie tickets in the city is $10.50. The movie that night was "The Squid and the Whale," a sort of dramatic comedy, poking fun at the disfunctionality of a newly "separated" family. It's the kind of movie you find yourself laughing at and wondering if your laughter means you're a bad person.
After the movie, we decided to head uptown in search of some wine. Winette had heard of Pair of 8's recent opening. I couldn't pass it up since it was on my way home.
We walked in and were a little worried by the absence of people. Maybe they had stopped serving. We asked the hostess and she claimed everything was fine, and open. It was 10:00p.m. on a school night, so the quiet was understood.
Pair of 8's is simple in its "dressings." The space is an all-in-one room. The bar is immediately in front of you to your right when you walk in, and to your left, with no divider or separation, are the dining room tables. I imagine it getting pretty loud and boisterous during dinner time. Its simplicity is refreshing, when so many NY restaurateurs seem to pay more attention to decor and hip-ness than the food.

Winette and I love to sit at the bars in places. It's more casual and we don't feel the pressure to eat a full dinner. At the bar things are more relaxed, wine (or cocktail, if you prefer) service is immediate, and we can usually enjoy appetizers without feeling the guilt of stiffing the servers.
As soon as I saw fried artichoke hearts on the menu I was content. After having my first real taste of them in Big Sur I couldn't pass them up. We tried these and the sweet potato puree. I was disappointed in the artichoke hearts, and explained to Winette what they're supposed to taste like. Their artichokes were undercooked and not soft enough. It's never good when you can still taste some of the artichoke heart's rough edges. Ick. But the sweet potato puree was excellent, almost like a very thick apple sauce, but with sweet potatoes. Mmm.
The bartender was extremely friendly and helped us with our wine picks. We tried a couple different varietals, and settled with our favorites. If you like a good Cab, the Washington Fort Rock Red was a hit: just enough oak, well-rounded flavor, and kickin' tannins.
The highlight of the meal, besides several glasses of red, was learning about their special Mondays. They offer a $25 2-course-and-a-drink meal on Mondays, or as they call it, "Neighborhood Night." They also have a generous dessert list that was very tempting.
Pair of 8's entrees range from $18-$33.
If you'd like to read more (until I go back to give it a proper review), check out Bruni's piece from The Times here.
Until then, I hope my New York neighbors will be taking advantage of their steal-of-a-deal Mondays. And let me know about it!

568 Amsterdam Ave., between 87th and 88th Sts
212-874-2742

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Aurora

Swimster and his friends had just finished their first week of stressful job interviews, and as a sort of celebration, a big group of us decided to eat out Friday night. I threw a few names out there but quickly read between the lines- I would not be the one making the decision- so I opted to keep my trap shut.
One of Swimster's friends from Spain Guapo picked a place called Aurora in Brooklyn. I asked some friends at work and no one had heard of it. Swimster insisted Guapo is a real foodie and we could trust anywhere he picked. Sounded good to me, though I found it amusing I helplessly tried to encourage Swimster to cross the pond in search of Brooklyn joints, and in the end it took one of his buddies to rally him. Whatever it takes, right?
We met up with a few people right off the subway, then walked a few blocks to the restaurant (their adorable website had directions a five year old could follow so we were in business).
When we walked in I was pleasantly surprised by the space. I was quite taken by the dimly lit dining room, the really high ceilings, and the table we sat at. Our long wooden table felt like a picnic table, only we had chairs instead of benches. Off of the main dining room is their outdoor area, which during the winter, is covered and appeared like a kind of greenhouse, with glass windows around and overhead. If you choose to go to Aurora, you might ask to be seated out there, I'm sure there's a great view of the stars. The darkness and simplicity of the place gave it a very rustic feel, as though we were eating in the farmhouse of some Italian aficionado, not like we had just stepped off the noisy sidewalks of Brooklyn.

When I looked at the menu, I was very curious about their offerings. It wasn't split up in the appetizer, entree, dessert format. Instead it was appetizers, more appetizers, primi, and secondi, the way real Italians eat. I remember during a class trip to Italy all of us kids were so baffled the Italians ate spaghetti as an "appetizer," while we Italian-Americans made our pasta dishes so enormous there was no way we'd be eating a meat dish afterwards. Aurora's menu challenged me to re-think the way I ordered Italian food.
For my first dish I chose from the "more appetizers" the soft polenta with braised oxtail ragu. The polenta was soft, but not mushy, and had a few chunks, which I liked. And the plain polenta went very well with the more complicated oxtail, served in a very rich, thick sauce. Swimster ordered three dishes all together, and started with the risotto con aragosta , or creamy truffle scented risotto with poached half lobster and truffle foam. He was very generous with his tastes and I got to try it twice. The risotto was cooked just right and oozing in the lobster and truffle juices. For my second and final dish I chose off the specials the tagliatelle verdi con vitello e funghi, or homemade parsley tagliatelle with braised veal breast and mixed mushrooms (which Swimster ordered as his other primi). I really liked the way their pasta was cut. It was as if someone at the "box o' spaghetti" company had gotten drunk on the job and just cut pasta however he felt like. But at Aurora, the lax pasta cuts went very well with their "rustic" Italian edge. This pasta was cooked to perfection and the veal was tender and added a softness and salty kick to the pasta. Swimster had room for one more dish and his finale? The 10 hour slow roasted pork belly with white bean puree, sauteed broccoli rabe and caramelized apple. Just as good as it sounds. The lovely girl sitting next to me chose the maltagliati al ragu-roughly cut pasta with meat ragu and shaved parmesan, which was one of the dishes Guapo highly recommended. Apparently he had eaten at Aurora before and it pleased him so much he frequents the place. The roughly cut pasta is something Aurora does, and does well. All these dishes were exceptional and I couldn't put down my fork, which leads me to this dilemma...
The day, rather, morning after we ate at Aurora I was suffering from the worst case of - I had ever had in my life. I was in the fetal position in bed, in and out of the bathroom, for hours. I had to go so far as to call out sick for work, which I rarely ever do, on account of being... food poisoned? Food poisoning is something I have never really encountered, which is surprising with the frequency I eat out. It's a wonder this doesn't happen to me more often. But I have never been so miserable as I was that Saturday after eating at Aurora. Dr. Swimster said it was because I ate too many soft meats, and nothing of real substance. I didn't even know you could get food poisoning from beef, I always assumed you just got it from fishy seafood. Well I was wrong, dead wrong.
So I was going to give Aurora three apples, hands down, for the lovely dinner I had with friends. However, on account of the food that made me writhe with pain the next day (it lasted until 10pm), I can only bring myself to give it two. This is the first time I've run into this problem, of liking the food but getting - the next day. Should you go and try Aurora for yourself? Absolutely. Should you get exactly what I had and risk your own stomach being so sensitive? Absolutely not. Please, try Aurora, but even it out, will ya? Have a vegetarian dish, a pasta, then maybe some meat, not the double whammy meat combo like stupid Mona...



70 grand street (L train to Bedford Avenue), between Wythe and Kent Ave
718-388-5100
Brooklyn

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Aix-cellent

My cousin TarBabe came to visit me in New York over New Year's Eve. It was so great to see her and catch up on years of not seeing each other. We had a blast, to say the least.
Since she doesn't get up here very often (I think this is the first time I saw her in about five years), we scheduled a fun dinner with Uncle Butzy, better known as the Gravy King from Thanksgiving weekend.
Uncle B has a few favorite restaurants up his sleeve but he knows I live on the west side, so he picked a place accordingly.
Aix marks the spot.
I met TarBabe and Uncle B after work around 8:30ish. Aix is on Broadway and its sleek lettered sign jumped out at me, reminding me of the "King Kong" font of the '30s.
When you walk in, the bar is immediately to your right. Aix's bar area was surprisingly sleek- chic. The bar is 3/4 of a square around, with plenty of countertop, a rarity among most restaurant bars. In addition there are tables around each side and some even kiss the windows. I could definitely see myself returning for a fancy cocktail.
Uncle B and TarBabe were sipping their wine glasses while I decided to wait to sit down, which was a short two minutes after I arrived.
Didier Virot is the executive chef of Aix. And he has quite an an impressive history: he was the sous-chef of a Michelin 3-star restaurant Michel Bras and was the executive chef of Jean Georges at its opening. One of my appetizers actually reminded me of something I had tried previously at Jean Georges...great minds must think alike.
The hostess walked us up the small staircase and into the main dining room. Aix, like its sign and entrance suggest, is very angular. Tall sleek walls and dividers contrast with warm dark wooden blinds; and sharp corners and bright lights give off a very geometric feel. I think Howard Roark of The Fountainhead would have been very comfortable in this space.
The server came to our table a few times, but it took us until the third or fourth time to decide on our dinner. Aix's forte is seafood. There were a few other options besides seafood, but we all decided to go with what they seemed to be good at.
Uncle B and TarBabe tried a mesclun salad with endive in a shallot vinaigrette. I went with the peekytoe crab and hass avocado Napoléon with a roasted baby carrot salad in a red chili pepper sauce. The mesclun salad was simple in appearance but not so simple in flavor. The dressing brought a light sweetness to the bitter mesclun. My appetizer was an elegant display of layered crab and avocado resting on the pepper sauce. Julienned carrots sat atop the fishy Napoleon. The crab was light and tender, almost like a crab tartare.
For the entrees, Uncle B chose the steamed wild bass, Basmati risotto with black trumpet, littleneck clam and English pea in a fresh herb broth. I only snagged one fork of this and made sure to pack in some risotto with a bass bite. It felt I had bit into a soft warm cloud. I chose the crispy daurade, which was one of the best fish entrees I'd ever had. I would go back to Aix and order nothing else. Daurade (doh-RAHD) is the French word for Red Snapper. Where have I been? I can't think of ever trying this delicious fish before. Boy, have I missed out. It was served with a fine herb parmesan crust, a zucchini Tian and tomato-anchovy compote in a broken rosemary sauce. I should have asked our quirky server what "broken" sauce meant but I hesitated to make him stay at the table any longer than he needed to (I should really ask Kitchen Savvy). The soft fish went superbly with its crispy coating. And the coating did not suffer from sogginess from the oils of the fish-it was crispy all around.
And last but not least, TarBabe chose the Atlantic salmon with French lentils and a brunoise of vegetables and frisée salad in a smoked salmon sauce. TarBabe didn't say much from the moment the salmon landed in front of her. It must have been pretty good.
The service at Aix was excellent. Our waters were filled consistently and dishes were brought out and removed in a timely fashion. I wouldn't call our server to hang out on an off night- he seemed slightly awkward for someone working in customer service-but he got the job done.
Aix was a pleasant surprise. I haven't found another restaurant comparable to its quality on the Upper West Side. I seem to be consistently disappointed up here.
I'm sad to realize someone already coined the phrase "Aix marks the spot." After I wrote that at the top of my post I found it in fine print on their website. Bob Lape of Crain's New York Business proclaimed "Aix marks the spot" first.
Alas, I am forced to come up with my own catchphrase...
The restaurant is rated-Aix, for Aix-cellent.



2398 Broadway at 88th St.
212-874-7400

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Scone Time

"Sweet baby lemon scones"

I was home in CT on a wet misty day and decided to finally attempt one of my favorite cafe snacks. Scones. It's always so hard to find a good scone in coffee shops. All too often the bakers think the bigger and more gargantuan the better. Yes, I'll admit, when I see a big scone I'm often mislead down the road of "must try me." And am usually disappointed. Scones seem to suffer identity crises too. Or rather their bakers do. Sometimes I buy scones and think had I wanted a blueberry muffin I would have purchased one.

These scones I made were awesome, right up there with Sarabeth's, Kitchenette, and Balthazar scones.

Give them a try, and you can add whatever you'd like to these to make them yours. Lemon zest, dried cherries, cranberries, or blueberries, coarsely chopped that is.



Taken from the cookbook "Sweet Gratitude: bake a thank you for the really important people in your life" by Judith Sutton.

Ingredients:

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbl baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbl grated lemon zest, or fruit of your choice
8 tbl (1 stick) of unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes and chilled
3/4 cup heavy cream, plus about 1-2 tbl for brushing over scones on baking sheet (before you put in the oven).

Scones:

Put the racks in upper and lower thirds of the oven and pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees. Grease a baking sheet. (the recipe says you need two and that this makes 26 scones. It only made about a dozen so you'll probably only need one sheet, unless you feel like doubling the ingredients).
Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Whisk in the lemon zest. Using a pastry blender (or forks and knives) cut in the butter until it is in pieces the size of peas. Using a fork stir in the cream just until a shaggy dough forms.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly, just until it comes together; do not overwork.
Pat the dough into a 3/4 inch-thick disk. With a 1 1/2 inch round biscuit cutter, cut out as many rounds as possible from the dough and place them 1 1/2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
Gather the leftover dough pieces and eat some, it's so good! HA!
Then use what you have left to cut out more scones.
Lightly brush the scones with cream.
Bake for 12-14 minutes. Make sure you bake the scones for half the time on the lower rack, and half the time on the upper rack.

Serve warm (my favorite) or let cool and place in an air-tight container, until your loved one gets home. I'm sittin' here waiting for Dad.

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Pommes Frites

Go to Pommes Frites and go there now.

Swimster and I braved the chilling temperatures last night in ski pants and ski hats, as if we were going out to make snow angels, and grabbed ourselves a large cone of fries from Pommes Frites.

My mom had been mentioning the place to me for about a year now and last night, for some reason, nothing sounded more perfect than a quick brisk walk to the home of some Belgian fries.
There was a short line of other great minds, and we didn't have to wait long at all.

The young kid behind the counter was friendly and helpful and served us up a large cone of fries as thick as your fingers. Swimster ordered the poutine (more Canadian than Belgian), served in a styrofoam cup with fries swimming in gravy and curd cheddar cheese. This is apparently one of their specialties and I'm certain a hit among the boys. I don't like soggy fries so I stayed away from this for the most part, though I was caught dipping some crispy critters into the cheesy abyss.

The highlight of PF is the plethora of sauces you can choose from. We tried the sampler of three: parmesan peppercorn, roasted garlic mayo, and "especial" which is onions on top of ketchup on top of mayo. You can't go wrong with either of these. Swimster went up to our friend behind the counter and scored a couple more samples. One of pesto mayo and one of sweet chili sauce. I surprisingly did enjoy the combo of pesto and fry, though I wasn't as fond of the chili sauce. It was like dipping a fry into a Chinese sauce for fried wontons. Not my thing.

I am still stuffed from the fries, but there was nothing better on a cold wintry night.

*I was hoping to include a picture I took from my cell phone but it isn't sending to my email address. I found a site that has pictures of exactly what we ate so click here and thank Holly for having pictures.*

123 2nd Ave. (2nd Ave. between 7 & 8 St.)
212-674-1234

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Belle of the Ball? or New York City restaurants?

For your amusement, and mine...

The scene: at work, finishing up the show, co-worker calls me into a room to look at this blog and a NY Post article.
The who: girl's picture on page is apparently someone who used to work at our company and co-worker cracking up because he trained her.
The why: said girl is also the alleged "dinner whore." No wonder the theme this morning on the Z-100 talk show was the art of being a "dinner whore," and if it's moral or giving us nice girls a bad rap.
Brooke Parkhurst is the Southern belle and current resident of New York who says she's accrued a tab of eating out close to $30,000, and does she promise anything? No. Does she dine and ditch (the guys)? It would appear so.

Here's her blog address.

Here's the NY Post article.

Let me know what you think.

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Mona Does Red Velvet

At home in Carmel-by-the-Sea for Christmas, we had one big dinner at home.
Mom let dessert be up to me, with one condition: I had to try something from her "More From Magnolia Cookbook."
It took me no time at all to decide what I would make.
I would try their Red Velvet Cake recipe but in the form of cupcakes.
One of my closest friends from school grew up in New Orleans, and she turned me onto this amazing cake one day after she got home from work on the Hill. Apparently someone sent a tried and true red velvet cake from Louisiana and I am still deeply in love. Besides the cake being my favorite color red, it also surprised me with its richness.

Have fun with this recipe...I know I did.

Ingredients:
3 1/3 cups cake flour (NOT unbleached all-purpose flour). You have to buy specifically cake flour.
3/4 cup (or one and a half sticks) of butter, softened. So get this out of the fridge a half day or so before you plan on making the cake.
2 1/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
6 tbs red food coloring
3 tbs unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp cider vinegar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda

If you're making the cake, grease and lightly flour three 9x2in round pans. Line with wax paper.
If you're making cupcakes, put cupcake liners in cupcake tin (will make 2 dozen).

Red Velvet here we come:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
In bowl #1 : sift cake flour and set aside.
In bowl #2: cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Cream for about five minutes until very light and fluffy.
Add eggs one at a time and continue to beat well.
In bowl #3: whisk food coloring, cocoa, and vanilla. Then combine with bowl #2.
In a measuring cup, stir salt into buttermilk. Add to bowl #2 in three parts, alternating with the cake flour. Beat until ingredients are incorporated, but do not over beat.
In bowl #4: mix the cider vinegar with the baking soda. This step makes you feel like a wacky scientist. Don't be surprised when the two start to pop pop and fizz fizz on you. Then add to bowl #2.
With a rubber spatula mix the dough well, scraping the sides making sure every part of batter is well-blended.
Divide into pans, or cupcake tin, and bake.
Cake will take 30-40 minutes.
The cupcakes should take about 12-15 minutes.
Use a cake-tester to test if you're not sure.

After they're made, let your velvety creation cool completely on a wire rack.
Only then can you go to town with the frosting.

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Too Much Information Meme

Amy of California Eating tagged me for this fun meme "a long, long time ago...I can still remember..."

Simple rules: post ten weird and random facts about yourself. At the end, list the names of the five people you tagged. It doesn't have to be food related.


In no particular order:

10- I Wendy's chili.

9-I pack water bottles filled with wine when going to movie theaters with friends.

8-If I buy popcorn or bring food to a theater, I won't eat it until the movie starts (as in, I won't eat during previews. I wait until the credits start).

7-I've lived in California, Connecticut, France, Virginia, Colorado, and New York. And would move back to any of these places in a heartbeat.

6-Fall is my favorite season.

5-I hope to write a novel someday.

4-I have a steel plate and screws in my left arm. I broke it snowboarding in Snowmass, CO (where I lived in CO). I used to have a card to show to airport security, telling them I had metal under my skin. That went with the stolen wallet New Year's Eve '05 :(

3-I ran the Big Sur Marathon in April '03. I was supposed to be in a relay but ended up doing the entire thing in 4 hrs 28 minutes. I hope to run the NYC Marathon this November, which reminds me, I have to check out the website.

2-I sang the "National Anthem" at the MCI Center. And I've sung in three friends' weddings.

1-Someday I want a house big enough to hold the following: an Old English bulldog and a St. Bernard. I would also like a farm to go with that house for pigs, sheep, and horses.

I tag...

Paz, CookieCrumb, Rose, S'kat, and Janice.

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The Modern

But first, Happy Happy New Year to all!! I've been recovering from post-Holiday syndrome, but I am alive and kicking:)

Swimster and I wanted a good dinner before he left for the long Christmas break (he gets back today-yippee!). He also wanted to celebrate his exams being over (and believe me, I wanted to celebrate too). We tossed around a few names and looked up some restaurant picks on the internet: Esca, Babbo, Del Friscos, and finally decided on MoMa's The Modern (if you can figure out if there's anything more to this website besides the beautiful pictures and a direct link to Opentable.com please let me know).

The Modern is conveniently a five minute walk from my offices so we headed there straight after work. We were a little bit confused where the entrance was. There seemed to be a different MoMa doorway every twenty yards along the 53rd Street block between Fifth and Sixth Avenues.

When we walked in to what promised to be the restaurant entrance, I was immediately sucked in to the all-white serpentine hallway with its elegant slender green plants. I felt like I was walking onto the set of "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory", and half expected an Oompa Loompa to walk us to our table. But was jolted from my reverie when a pretty hostess stopped us at her podium and I glimpsed the bar room. A long sleek bar with shelves, shelves, and more shelves of liquor, probably the size of a 25-yard swimming pool. The shining ceiling was spotless and reflecting all the light in the room.

We were brought to our table on a sort of wooden platform that made up the bar room eating area. At some point into the dinner, I heard music I knew but couldn't put a finger on the artist. Naturally, I spoke up and asked the waitress what CD was playing. When I heard her say, "Oh, I think it's Moby," it was confirmed. I knew I felt we were eating on a dance floor. No wonder. The floor, the music, it all started to make sense. I'd never eaten dinner to the tune of a trance-like Moby song before, and I quite enjoyed it.

The Modern is a creation of Danny Meyer (of 11 Madison Park, Gramercy Tavern, Union Square Cafe, and Tabla fame). I have really enjoyed two of his other restaurants and was hoping to enjoy this one equally. The Menu boasts French-American cuisine of Chef Gabriel Kreuther and is split up into three sections. You're recommended to choose one dish from each section, as a kind of build-your-own meal. But unlike what you would assume, it's not simply appetizer, entree, and dessert. It's actually appetizer, a sort of mid-appetizer (for lack of a better term), and entree.

I chose the arctic char tartare with pesto from dishes under "One". It came on a square glass plate with air bubbles. The plate was curved so only the left and right edges touched the table. The char tartare was sitting in the center, in a neatly flattened cube. It was chilled to Arctic temperatures, thank goodness, and the little chunks of char tasted sweet with the pesto trimming. Swimster chose the grilled shrimp with gruyere served on an equally eye-catching dish. The only problem with Swimster's shrimp was they forgot to add the gruyere. There was no inkling of the flavorful cheese anywhere. We tried playing a small game of hide and seek, hoping we'd find a small shred of it hidden somewhere, but no luck. For dish "Two" as noted on the menu, we shared a cassolette of fingerling potato, smoked tongue, and raclette cheese. I went out on a limb here for Swimster, because I know he likes the more exotic meat dishes. And I surprised myself. The tongue bites were chewy and had a real salty kick to them. I recommend this to the carnivores out there. For dish "Three" I chose the steak au poivre with spinach and spaetzle. (By now you could have guessed that, right?) The steak was a little on the miniature side and not oozing with warmth and softness like I hoped. It was slightly tough. The highlight of this dish was the spaetzle. It was cooked perfect with crispy, lightly-charred edges. I would go back for this in a second. Swimster went with the roast quail with chestnut-sage stuffing on spaghetti squash. The quail reminded me of Disney's animated Christmas Carol. You know why? Because it looked like it shrank, like the bird the Cratchit family eats for Christmas Eve dinner. I remember the bird being a pitiful miniature turkey, like the quail Swimster ate. Swimster liked the flavor but was not so impressed by the quantity he was paying for.

We weren't sure what to choose for dessert, and after small portions, we certainly had room. Thanks to a recommendation by our friendly server we chose the beignets (ben-YAYS and French for a French market donut) as they sounded warm and luxurious. And boy were they ever! The beignets were one of the best desserts I have ever had, and one of the more fun to eat too. They were warm doughy pieces... the Ferrari of donuts...and served with maple ice cream, caramel, and citrus mango marmelade. The beignets matched the shape of dough used to make the baguette seen here, that resembles wheat grain. I would go back to the Modern just for drinks and this dessert, and maybe a side of spaetzle.

Overall, I'd say we were slightly disappointed by The Modern. Swimster was really disappointed. I wouldn't go that far. It's always tough to decide on apples once we leave. I always ask for his advice, and while I certainly appreciate and want his suggestions, sometimes I may not agree. And since I am the reviewer. In the case of the Modern, we both agreed.

Two apples to the Modern, or the Upset.

*Click here for reservations to try it out for yourself *
9 West 53rd Street, b/t 5th and 6th Avenues
(212) 333-1220

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