Saturday, February 9, 2013
Snowy Brunch
Snowed in? No prahhblem (bk italian accent lol) left over sausage and peppers into an egg scramble. Top with a little sriracha sauce and oat nut bread. Delish!
Friday, February 8, 2013
Home cooking on a snowy eve
A little fam time in the snow. Cooked up a a few traditional Italian eats. Focaccia with fennel dipping oil, pasta salata, sausage and peppers. For those who don't know, pasta salata had a super fresh plum Tomato sauce. Fresh garlic, basil, black pepper tossed with the chopped tomatoes which are warm after par boiling to remove the skin. Top off with freshly grated ricotta salata cheese! Tutti a tavola a mangiare!
Casa Mono
Casa Mono 52 Irving Pl, New York, NY 10003 http://www.casamononyc.com/
First up, Union Square area? Can't go wrong with that for sure. Casa Mono is a super great spot for tapas, definitely no monkeying around here! (Pun absolutely intended, por supuesto). Perhaps a little difficult getting a seat, especially bc the best seats are at the bar overlooking the small yet exciting open kitchen. First come, first serve so the timing must be right. Now on to the menu. While many choices called out to me, me and my food-loving friend took part in a nice selection. To start, a glass of the house Cava to compliment our seafood course. Fried Oysters with Piquillo Sofrito and Black Pepper Crema, Bacalao Croquetas with Orange Alioli, and Pulpo with Fennel and Grapefruit. My fav was the oysters, nestled perfectly with the piquillo and crema. A nice crisp and flavorful crust. We moved on to a Verdejo wine to complete this course. Can't remember the bottle but it was nice, paired nice. After a short break, we went darker, wintery. Ordered a lovely red blend, Nita 2010 Priorat (Garnacha, Cariñena, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah) on the recommendation of our young neighbor dining alone at the bar. He said he was a whiskey drinker and preferred bold, mouthy wines. Whatever his motivation for the choice, he did not steer us wrong. It was the perfect compliment to our bold next course. Even our waiter was shocked at our choices (two sprite young ladies at the bar) and agreed the wine and food would pair excellently. It did. Rabbit with Anticuchos (skewer with liver) and Habanero Cuajada; Morcilla and Tuscan Kale (Kale is stated on the menu but may have been big leaf spinach) with Caramelized Egg and Black Garlic. The rabbit was prepared two ways: a super crispy fried nugget. The crust was a tad salty for my taste but still absolutely worked. There was also a bone in piece that was bathed in a sweet barbecue type sauce. The white sauce (like yogurt) was really delicious, had a nice kick from the habanero, and complimented the fried rabbit well. The morcilla- was my first time having it- Ill admit I was a little unsure if I would like it. But my wise friend, Chloe, insisted! So glad that she did; it was amazing! Slightly sweet and spiced with nutmeg, moist and just YUM. The greens were delicious also and tasted like it had a splash of vinegar in addition to the garlic and oil, which really gave it a punch. Of course the egg, goes without saying, was a perfect accompaniment to this beautiful melody of food! Exquisito!
First up, Union Square area? Can't go wrong with that for sure. Casa Mono is a super great spot for tapas, definitely no monkeying around here! (Pun absolutely intended, por supuesto). Perhaps a little difficult getting a seat, especially bc the best seats are at the bar overlooking the small yet exciting open kitchen. First come, first serve so the timing must be right. Now on to the menu. While many choices called out to me, me and my food-loving friend took part in a nice selection. To start, a glass of the house Cava to compliment our seafood course. Fried Oysters with Piquillo Sofrito and Black Pepper Crema, Bacalao Croquetas with Orange Alioli, and Pulpo with Fennel and Grapefruit. My fav was the oysters, nestled perfectly with the piquillo and crema. A nice crisp and flavorful crust. We moved on to a Verdejo wine to complete this course. Can't remember the bottle but it was nice, paired nice. After a short break, we went darker, wintery. Ordered a lovely red blend, Nita 2010 Priorat (Garnacha, Cariñena, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah) on the recommendation of our young neighbor dining alone at the bar. He said he was a whiskey drinker and preferred bold, mouthy wines. Whatever his motivation for the choice, he did not steer us wrong. It was the perfect compliment to our bold next course. Even our waiter was shocked at our choices (two sprite young ladies at the bar) and agreed the wine and food would pair excellently. It did. Rabbit with Anticuchos (skewer with liver) and Habanero Cuajada; Morcilla and Tuscan Kale (Kale is stated on the menu but may have been big leaf spinach) with Caramelized Egg and Black Garlic. The rabbit was prepared two ways: a super crispy fried nugget. The crust was a tad salty for my taste but still absolutely worked. There was also a bone in piece that was bathed in a sweet barbecue type sauce. The white sauce (like yogurt) was really delicious, had a nice kick from the habanero, and complimented the fried rabbit well. The morcilla- was my first time having it- Ill admit I was a little unsure if I would like it. But my wise friend, Chloe, insisted! So glad that she did; it was amazing! Slightly sweet and spiced with nutmeg, moist and just YUM. The greens were delicious also and tasted like it had a splash of vinegar in addition to the garlic and oil, which really gave it a punch. Of course the egg, goes without saying, was a perfect accompaniment to this beautiful melody of food! Exquisito!
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