Museum and Risotteria

Friday, Cheryl and I travelled into the city again. This time to spend the afternoon at the Museum of Natural History and to have dinner at Risotteria, a risotto place that also specializes in gluten-free pizzas and paninis.

After getting lost on the way to the Denville train station, we made it into the city around 4PM. Took the subway uptown and headed to the museum. Immediately upon entering, Cheryl geeked out (which is why we're best friends, because I did it the first time I went too). She's the only person alive who could convince me to pose next to exhibits. So I did, but not without exacting my revenge (see-->). We wandered through a ton of exhibits, took an obscene amount of pictures of gemstones, and a few photos of other cool things, and then got kicked out because the museum was closing.

From there it was downtown to Risotteria. I was in celiac heaven. The menu was risotto and salad on one side and pizza and paninis on the other, separated into gluten-free and regular. Ordering at a restaurant has never been so easy for me. In addition, the bread sticks were gluten-free, there were four gluten-free beers on the menu, and all of the desserts were gluten-free. I had trouble ordering because I was too delighted by my choices to focus on anything for a good 10 minutes. Finally I settled on pizza with mozzarella, sausage, peppers, and olives and Green's gluten-free Dubbel Dark Ale, Endeavour, for dinner and lemon cheesecake for dessert. Cheryl went with risotto with shitake mushrooms, green beans, and corn (the leftovers of which ended up as my lunch, so I can promise it was as delicious as it sounds).

And after dinner, it was time for us to head back to NJ. Cheryl headed out early the next morning for VA. Quick trip, but lots of adventure. There's always fun to be had when my Best is in town and I'm so glad she was able to make the trip.

L'Ecole

Cheryl came up to NJ to see me this week. Yay! To celebrate, I took advantage of my dinner for two on the house at L'Ecole. It's a perk they offer to prospective students for touring the school. The food was, quite simply, some of the most delicious I've had the pleasure of eating. The concept's pretty simple. L'Ecole is the restaurant affiliated with FCI and run by the students. They work in every station of the kitchen, from chopping vegetables, to making sauces, to planning the menu. This is how FCI students become industry-ready, rather than doing an externship at a local restaurant. Pretty cool.

So, Cheryl and I arrive at the restaurant around 8:15 for our reservation. We're shown to our table, which is right in the center of the dining room, which means we get a full view of everything that's happening. Our waiter, the charming Matthew, brings us our menus and asks whether we'd like tap water or bottled. When in NYC, get the tap water. It's some of the best tasting in the country. At this point, I also inform him of my celiac and ask him to direct me to the items on the menu that are safe for my consumption. He disappears to the kitchen and comes back with good news, there's little on the menu that I can't have. That means I require a few extra minutes to make my choices for my appetizer and fish course (I already knew which meat course I wanted). In the meantime we order our wine. A lovely, minerally trebbiano (Masciarelli, Trebbiano d'Abruzzo, Abruzzo, Italy, 2006) for me and a pinot noir (the variety of which, I don't remember since I didn't order it) for Cheryl.


Matthew returns and we order. I go with what they're calling a mojito salmon as my appetizer. It's the special for the night. Salmon cured in curaçao (or rum, Matthew's unsure) and laid over a tomato topped with herbed cream cheese and onions. Cheryl opts for the tomato tart with goat cheese, olive tapenade, and arugula. My favorite part of the mojito salmon was biting into the herbed cheese and getting chunks of sweet onion. Cheryl's tomato tart was a gorgeous display of yellow and red tomato. So far so good.


The fish course is next. Cheryl opts for braised marlin served with chorizo, clams, kale, and saffron potatoes. I decide on seared black bass, basil risotto, confetti tomatoes, and anchovy dressing. To my surprise, when our fish course comes out, it's is also accompanied by a plate of salmon with fennel confit, pickled ramps, and mussel sauce, compliments of Matthew. "This is the other gluten-free fish course on the menu tonight, and I wanted you to have it on me," he explains. The bass was pretty good, and the risotto was, of course, lovely, but I have to admit, Matthew knew what he was doing. I fell head-over-heels-in-love with that salmon. The flavors were layered and clear and comforting. When he came by to see how I liked it, I told him simply, "If I died right now, that salmon would be enough." He left our table looking decidedly pleased with himself, and rightfully so. I was still thinking about the salmon the next day.

After the fish, which I'm convinced was the highlight of the meal, came the meat course. I went with pan roasted lamb loin served with lamb jus, figs and asparagus and a side of goat cheese polenta. Cheryl opted for veal paillard, haricot verts, wild mushrooms, and spinach parmesan puree. My lamb was cooked perfectly to my taste, and there was just the right amount to satisfy me, but not overfill me considering the previous two courses, and the polenta was creamy and tangy from the goat cheese. Cheryl's veal was a little less perfect. While the veal itself was delicious, the dish came covered in some sort of greens that reminded me of an edible jungle on a plate. And she only unearthed two haricot verts. Taste got the dish an A, but execution landed it in a C.

After the meat course, we were given a digestive salad composed of mixed greens and manchego cheese. This course was intended to aid in the digestion of the other three courses and cleanse the palate a bit before dessert, so it was what you'd expect from something like that and nothing more.

Dessert for me was mascarpone parfait with strawberries and a sauce made from aged balsamic vinegar. The original dish included ginger snaps, which the kitchen was kind enough to omit for me. Cheryl went with a warm chocolate tart and caramel ice cream. I was having a hard time deciding between the parfait and the passion fruit baked alaska, but considering how much food I'd already eaten, I went with what I deemed to be the lighter of the two dishes. To go with dessert, I order a glass of tawny Port for both Cheryl and myself (Dow's 10 year tawny). I like that it's both fruity and almost creamy. It has the same mouth feel, to me anyway, as melting chocolate. It sort of coats your mouth and leaves a sweetness that's balanced by the alcohol.


After dinner we headed back to Jersey, very full, a little tipsy, and extremely pleased with our experience. I over-tipped the generous Matthew, left a rave review of the restaurant and the staff (obviously), and promised to return before I became a student myself. Good night, amazing company, and delicious food. What could be better?

EEEE!!

I was just informed by my lovely best friend that she will be travelling north to visit me this week. Celebration and mischief will ensue.

As a kick-off to the festivities, I made reservations for us at L'Ecole, the French Culinary Institute's student-run restaurant. I'm thrilled to be showing her where I'll be learning and working in just a few short months. After that we'll probably head back to the house and relax, but then I plan to show her the city a bit on Friday. As in, get hopelessly lost and not give a damn, because, well, my best friend is in town and that's what we do.

More updates to follow.

Drinks Anyone (NYC adventures pt.2)

After High Tech Cocktails, I hopped a cab over to Union Square for dinner with a girl I met a the event, Grace, and her friends from Amsterdam. Dinner was at a place called Shanghai Square and the thai basil curry is awesome. Well, the gluten-free version of it is anyway. Grace's friends were super sweet and very interesting. Elisa is a 6'2" basketball playing law student who looks like a super model, but is so open and kind that you just can't be jealous of the girl. Jaffar, her boyfriend, is also a law student, and funny as hell. They were in NYC on vacation and it was their last night so we tried to make it special.

After dinner, we headed over to La Quinta for drinks at my suggestion. We met Elisa's undergrad roommate and her friend. I wasn't as impressed with them as I was with Elisa and Jaffar, but they were nice enough. La Quinta was PACKED this time, so after one drink we decided to try and find somewhere else to hang out.

Next stop, Empire Hotel to check out their rooftop bar. The line was stupid long, but Elisa's roommate knew a bouncer, so we got right in. It had potential to be awesome because the rooftop is HUGE, but the outdoor bar was closed and it was so crowded and loud inside that I wasn't feeling it. Much more posh than the places I like to drink at. I think it's a place I'll reserve for special occasions when I know the outdoor bar is open and when I don't have to wait in line to get in.

Said goodbye to Elisa and Jaffar. Elisa kindly offered me a place to stay should I ever be in Amsterdam. Awesome. Now I know where I'll be travelling to for my first trip out of the country.

Grace and I then headed back to Soho for one last drink (coffee for me) and then to her apartment, which she was kind enough to let me stay at for the night. In the morning we trekked down the length of Broome St. in search of Babycakes Bakery so I could have a gluten-free breakfast. Red velvet cupcakes and coffee make an excellent breakfast by the way. I bought a chocolate one to take back to Jersey with me for dessert. Also delicious.

From there, I said goodbye to Grace and headed uptown to Madison Ave to see my uncle at work. Spent a few minutes catching up and making plans, then back to Jersey and the end of my adventures. It was probably one of the most interesting trips into the city I've taken, and I'm looking forward to more that are just as entertaining.

NYC

Friday night I went into the city for dinner and drinks with Lanaé, a friend of mine from high school. Starving, we headed downtown for Japanese food. Found this tiny little place that was absolutely packed, which seemed like a good sign. Once inside, I was in for my first pleasant surprise of the evening. They served a gluten-free buckwheat beer. For the first time in a year, I was able to order a beer with dinner. Naturally, I was thrilled. Delicious food, delicious beer, and good conversation. Phase one of NYC Night was a success.

After dinner, we were going to check out 230 Fifth Rooftop Garden (http://www.230-fifth.com/), but the line was excessively long. Pass on waiting on line when we could be enjoying cocktails. Instead we headed over to La Quinta on 32nd Street. They also have a rooftop bar, Mé, and this one was exactly the place we were hoping for (http://nymag.com/listings/bar/me_bar/ check out the photo slide show). Small, chill, and not crowded. The night was beautiful. Perfect weather for sitting outside with a drink. Then back to Brooklyn to crash for the night.

In the morning, well ok, the afternoon, we headed over to 5th Avenue in Brooklyn to Melt Restaurant for brunch (http://www.meltrestaurant.com/). Lanaé got this GORGEOUS plate of french toast coated with granola and served over fresh fruit with a side of Nutella mousse. Rarely am I tempted to cheat on my diet and eat something I shouldn't, but that plate of toast looked so pretty and smelled so good, I was dying for a piece. I contented myself with a mushroom omelet stuffed with Gruyere and tomatoes and served with home fries and a mixed green salad. I have to say...the omelet was lack-luster. The home fries, though, were something else. The potatoes were cooked with tomatoes, roasted red peppers, and (I think) zucchini. My last meal on earth will include those fries.

I came home Saturday evening and played chef for Rob since the lovely Karen was upstate for the night. Then hanging out with Julia for a bit and enjoying an adult Dreamsicle, then bed.