GASTRONORMOUS

As I mentioned a few days ago, the Hubs and I ended up at Morrell WIne Bar and Cafe last Saturday for a pre-theater dinner. There is a dearth of good restaurants in this area, especially as we didn’t have the time to go over to Hell’s Kitchen and going to, say, La Grenouille or Le Bernardin was not really in our budget. Unfortunately, Morrell’s proved to be just another mediocre restaurant in the theater discrict.

We sat outside, where I suprised to find the chipped metal tables not covered with table cloths. Sure, it is a semi-casual restaurant, but with pastas all above $20 and entrees going higher, I would think especially tables in this sort of poor shape would be covered. This caused a bit of concern about the quality of the experience we were going to have here, but I stuck it out as we really did not have the time to go looking for someplace else.

We decided on our selections, and had plenty of time to peruse the impressive wine list during our lengthy wait for the waiter to return to take our order. Another long wait ensued before our wine came. It was The Red Brute [sic] sparkling Shiraz by Bleasdale Vineyards, South Australia. I was amused that the waiter described the wine as he poured it (something along the lines of “bubbly and refreshing”), rather than when we ordered it, but perhaps I was become jaded toward him after two over-long waits. The wine, though called a “brute,” was sweeter than a dry Lambrusco, but still rich and enjoyable.

I was heartened by the arrival of the onion tart, which wasn’t the most attractive thing I had seen, but was tasty enough, with a good balance of caramelized onions, gruyère, and puff pastry. It was supposed to be served with crème fraîche, but came it a very watery milky tasting liquid instead. Still, it didn’t harm the dish. The tart was garnished with some oven-roasted tomatoes, which I thought was an unusual accompaniment, but were very flavorful in their own right.

The tomatoes and dressing of the heirloom tomato salad were tasty enough, but as you can see if you look at the left side of the plate in the picture, the lettuce wasn’t very fresh. Mushy lettuce is pretty inexcusable in any restaurant, but especially at this price point.

The mushroom risotto was a huge portion. I am not sure that is a good thing, but it is the only non-negative thing I can say of it. It was too liquidy, not chewy the way true risotto should be (and I suspect this was not made using a true risotto technique), was topped with cheap, pre-shredded parmesan, and worst of all tasted of salt and not the promised truffle oil, or even, indeed, of mushrooms.

The scallops (both sea and bay types) were tasty enough, pan-seared perfectly, and presented in what would have been an elegant arrangement if not for the sloppy bed of cauliflower and spinach. Unfortunately the sauce suffered from the over-salting which apparently plagues this place and kept the dish from being a standout.

We skipped on dessert as Broadway beckoned, but I am not sure I would hazard a return visit to sample their sweet selections. This restaurant had mostly decent reviews on several websites, so I was disappointed and discouraged by our experience at Morrell’s Wine Bar. If anyone knows of good and reasonably priced dinner options in the theater district, please do let us know.

Morrell Wine Bar and Cafe
1 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, NY 10020-2102
(212) 262-7700

I love these martini glasses. They are the perfect combination of old-fashioned looks and new-fangled technology. According to the Sur La Table website, this crystal ware is fortified with titanium and zirconium (rather than lead) to help it resist chips and breaks. Plus! these are dishwasher safe! Betchya can’t say that for grandma’s Waterford. [$78 for a set of 6]

Years ago, after noticing my mom had recipe cards and recipes cut out from magazines and newspapers stuffed into several drawers in her kitchen, I decided to make her a catch-all recipe binder to hold all these fluttering bits of very useful paper. I bought a little 3-ring binder and a bunch of plastic photo sleeves and painstakingly drew pictures and stenciled headings for every page of the binder. It looked cute when it was empty, but the problem came when I noticed after a year or so that a folded-up 8×10 page of a magazine didn’t fit so well in the two 3×4 spaces provided in each page. (I must say I think my Mom loved the book I made, but between you and I, probably more for the thought and effort than the actually usefulness of it–though you’d have to ask her to know for sure.)

In walks TasteBook to resolve the sloppiness that ensues with a truly do-it-yourself recipe book. You can type in your own recipes, download your own photos, or use recipes and photos from a host of cooking websites (including, I was thrilled to see, Epicurious), pick your cover photo and recipe book title, and a beautiful, glossy binder-book full of your favorites is sent to your doorstep! Sure, this is not an effortless proposal, but would be a lot less effort than doing it totally from scratch, and will be a lot more user-friedly besides. Another great feature is that because it is in binder-form, you can add more recipes over time (up to 100).

Unfortunately, gift certificates are not yet available for the service, though you can purchase the book and have it sent to someone, then they can suppliment it with their own recipes. Overall, a neat idea! [$19.95--$34.95]

I took a few days off of work and blogging at the end of last week, partially for the heck of it, and partially because the Hubs was returning from a long trip and we needed time to commune.

Thursday before he returned, I went to my first-ever tailgating party. We barbecued ribs, dogs, and burgers, plus the Predicate made a killer cucumber and radish salad (left).  I had meant to make a potato salad, but I forgot to buy an essential ingredient on Wednesday, and by the time I realized the omission, it was too late. I was, however, able to make my “rustic” white sangria. We also all brought along plenty of chips, sweets, and other thoroughly unhealthy but essential tailgating items, including some Bartles & Jaymes “wine” coolers, which, yes, still exist, and no, are still not good.

To celebrate the Hub’s return, Friday morning I decided to make a special breakfast for him: french toast using some fantastic wheat-cranberry bread from Mazzola’s bakery. Despite the fact I overcooked (ok, charred) it, it was still plenty delicious. Next time I will grill it at a lower heat, but there will definitely be a next time!  Later, I made the unusual potato salad I had meant for the tail-gating (from this recipe at Epicurious), which featured no mayo, but cilantro, jalapeños, garlic, shallots, oil, an vinegar. It was pretty tasty and unusual, though not has flavorful as I thought it would be. The recipe didn’t call for salt, but I added some to up the flavor ante, but to little avail. Next time I might tweak it a bit. Perhaps add some lime juice to the mix.

Saturday the Hubs and I celebrated our wedding anniversary (thank you) by going out to dinner and a play. Finding a decent dinner in midtown is always a challenge, and that certainly was the case on Saturday. We ended up having a mediocre meal at Morrell Wine Bar and Cafe, which I will detail later in the week. The play we saw was The 39 Steps (based on the Hitchcock movie, not the Buchan novel, which is a shame in a way). It was jolly good fun, you know, as they say in The 39 Steps.

Sunday was spent mostly relaxing in Central Park and reading the paper, which was nice. We came home to leftover porato salad accompanied by, I am ashamed to say it, chili cheese dogs! But, boy, were they delicious.

The gods of gastronomy forgive me: I don’t really like Mario Batali. There is something about him–his manner–that makes me uncomfortable. I can’t put my finger on it. But, well, I do like his food. And I like a lot of his recipes. And, it turns out, I like the products that have his name on it. They have style (and not orange clogs sort of style. Please, no. Like actual good design).

Like this enameled cast iron baking dish for instance. It is just plain, well, cute in an old-school sort of way. I may warm up (pun intended) to you yet, Mario. [$39.99, on sale, at Cooking.com]

My two little jalapeños have continued to flourish, and there is now a third little guy developing too! This new growth is despite the continuing white fly assault and now something more insidious: aphids! I didn’t know what these tiny black critters were until I called my Mom the Green Thumb and described them to her. She said they are definitely aphids and suggested I buy some lady bugs to combat the things. In the meantime, she suggested mixing some oil, water, and dishwashing soap in a spray bottle and spraying my plants with it. I have sprayed it. We will see what happens now. (If anyone has any ideas for getting rid of white flies and/or aphids, please say so in the comments!) The battle these poor plants must fight for the privilege of living in the city!

I picked the largest jalapeño and sliced it really thin to go into my quesadilla on Sunday. It was (disappointingly) not very hot and had an unusual earthy flavor. Next time I will try growing some salsa peppers. I had never heard of them before my Mom told me she had a glut of them (she mentioned this after I boasted that I had 3 peppers. slink.)–more than she new what to do with. She made a bunch of delicious sounding hot pepper jam with it. I hoping to get some as a Christmas stocking stuffer (if not before, nudge, nudge).

Here is my little pepper on the chopping block! If this isn’t the platonic ideal of a jalapeño, i don’t know what is. Quite a beaut, yes?

The right way to make macaroni and cheese is: to start with a roux; from that create a bechamel; to which you add cheese and spices; and cooked pasta; which you spread in a casserole; top with cheese and/or breadcrumbs; and bake until brown and bubbly. How you make macaroni and cheese on a Friday night, home alone, suffering mightily from a concussion is: to start with Amy’s deluxe macaroni and cheese (don’t judge! a bechamel is too much for the concussion-addled brain); cook less than package directions (6 minutes, tops); mix with cheese-like goo and some extra pasta water; add some truffle oil (no, I am totally not kidding); spread in a casserole; top with breadcrumbs, microplaned parmesan, and black pepper; put in a super hot oven for a few minutes, just until breadcrumbs are toasted (any more and the pasta will be too dry). High class cuisine? Not exactly. Better than the sum of its parts? Indubitably.

(Someday I will share my special homemade macaroni and cheese recipe.)

Saturday I spent indoors (except for going out to walk the dog), cleaning a bit and resting my head, which was still feeling a bit like it was being done in my a grapefruit reamer. Leftovers and some vegetables for dinner.

On Sunday, I was feeling a bit more with it so I went to visit a friend at her for-kicks gig scooping delicious ice cream at Cafe Cluny in the West Village. They have exactly three house-made flavors at any one time, but the flavors rotate daily. Sunday, it was chocolate, vanilla, and dulce de leche. I tasted all three, and the dulce de leche was my favorite. By the time we were done chatting and I ordered my ice cream, though, the dulce was kaput. Sigh! So I had vanilla instead [$4 for 2 scoops]. The vanilla wasn’t a huge compromise–indeed it was delicious. Creamy, egg-y, and chock full of vanilla bean specks proving its authenticity. The cone (also made in house) was a great complement to the ice cream for the first few bites, but by the end had overwhelmed my palate with sweetness. A little less sugar and a pinch more salt would be preferable for me. They have a good range of ice cream flavors, from chocolate mint chip to peanut-chocolate ripple. Next time you find yourself in the West Village, I would definitely recommend stopping by for a couple scoops.

Cafe Cluny
284 West 12th St. (at West 4th)
212-255-6900

Still not feeling up to real cooking, or, well, grocery shopping, I resorted a cheese quesadilla for dinner. I know, bad me! Not the healthiest, but it did contain a fresh vegetable in the form of a jalapeño from my own window box plant! Tune in later for more on that!

Sorry, Gastronormous is going to be out of commission for a few days while I recover from the concussion I sustained Sunday (see below post for details). I am not feeling up to much eating, let along cooking, which makes for a bad Gastronormous.

Please tune in again soon, I hope to be back online in the next couple days.

Despite the continuing onslaught of white flies, our window box has produced a bounty of two ultra-tiny jalapenos! One inch-long greenie still has a flower attached to its rear end like a diaper. The other is diaperless, though smaller than the first. Too bad we already picked and used the tomatoes [pictured left, dwarfed by a ramekin] as a garnish on our quinoa, because as the Hubs pointed out, we could have made the tiniest salsa ever. The tomatoes, by the way, were tasty enough but the skins were really thick, which made me think that despite the nice color they had, we picked them too soon.

On Saturday I had a mediocre brunch with awful service at Alma. I have had great brunches with good (or at least ok) service there in the past, so this was more than a disappointment. It seems that there was a shift change after we ordered, and we were completely neglected by the new waitresses for the rest of our stay. It got to the point where we actually discussed the possibility of leaving without paying when, after having to collar the waitress to ask for our bill, she never came to pick up the credit card! We ended up just collaring the waitress yet again to pick it up. I hope this was just an anomaly. I might go back, but no time soon.

Saturday night I met Eddie and the Predicate out for drinks at a bar that absolutely lives up the the hype. The Clover Club on Smith Street has great ambiance, friendly service, and fantastic cocktails. I was immediately impressed by how accommodating (and not snobby!) the staff is. Sure, the drinks aren’t cheap ($10-11), but hey we are in the inflationary late Aughts, so why not live it up. I had the Bermuda Swizzle, which was truly the best cocktail I have ever had. It was magic in a highball. The magic must be owed to the one uncommon ingredient: something called Velvet Falernum, which sounds like it might illegal, and as good as this cocktail is, may well should be. Ignore the Negative Nellies who say the decor and menu are contrived. The bottom line is, this is a comfortable place with well-crafted cocktails and peerless service.

Before the Hubs left town yesterday afternoon, we got bagels and went to Fort Greene park to have a little breakfast picnic and enjoy the lovely weather. The bagels came from Bagel World on DeKalb. Afterward we decided that the ridiculously named La Bagel Delight (I mean, really, why “la” when neither “bagel” nor “delight” are French terms?) on Lafayette has the superior bagels and schmears. Lesson learned!

Yesterday a clothes iron fell on my head from a high shelf in the closet. It really hurt. With the Hubs just departed for exotic locales, the Predicate kindly came over to watch over me in case I slipped quietly into a coma. Not in the mood to cook, we decided to order in Chinese food from the only decent place in the general area; it happens to be Vegetarian Palate on Flatbush. The wontons were ok. They tasted more of deep-fry than filling. The orange tangarian [sic] beef was beefy but not orangey (or tangarianey for that matter), though tasty all the same. We sort of got into the Shanghai Spicy Noodles after thinking to add some Siracha sauce to add the spice that the name promised but dish didn’t deliver. Like Alma, not as good as in the past, but unlike Alma, the (delivery) service was speedy and friendly. I have ordered other great food from them, so it will remain in my menu rotation.

Overall, it was an interesting, if uneven, weekend in food. Both outcomes probably due to the fact that I ate out more than I usually do. More home cooking to come this week (though probably not tonight as my head is still aching!).

Serious Eats: New York offers a handy list of food events happening in the area this weekend. If you are into Michael Pollan, chili, or crayfish, it turns out this is your lucky week.

OMG! Cake Wrecks is a hysterical blog that Accidental Hedonist lead me to this week. I laughed and I laughed. There were tears. This post about a co-worker going away cake gone terribly wrong is my favorite.

For the day after the next time I make risotto: Chard-wrapped, mozzarella-stuffed day-old-risotto balls! Thanks, Bittman!

These cocktail recipes from Tabla look summery and refreshing. [via the Kitchn]

I ashamed to say that if someone asked me what burrata was, I wouldn’t have been able to tell them until I read this post by The Amatuer Gourmet. Basically, it is to regular mozzarella what molten chocolate cake is to Duncan Hines. Now I need to stop writing so that I can go buy some.