What are your tried and true favorites from Epicurious.com

The quinoa, bulgur, feta, and radish salad is a perfect main course in summer. Tangy, delicious, and filling!

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Quinoa-and-Bulgur-Salad-with-Feta-232810

perstephanie in Home Cooking

Calzones near courts downtown?

I work near the Federal Plaza and the courthouses downtown (kind of close to the northern part of Tribeca and Little Italy) and just got hit by a lunchtime craving for calzones. Anyone have a recommendation?

perstephanie in Manhattan

Great Lunch Place on a Budget in tribeca?

I think Worth Cafe, between Broadway and Lafayette, is a big step up from the other delis in the area. They have a really nice, fresh-tasting food bar of cold prepared foods with a middle eastern slant (tabbouleh, hummous and pita, chickpea salad, grape leaves as well as less region-specific dishes like orzo, barley salad, brussels sprouts). The rest of the fare (panini, hot food bar, etc) looks like pretty standard NY deli-fare, but I can't say for sure because I can never get past that delicious cold food bar! I recommend it for when you're in a hurry and just want to grab something light and flavorful. Their lentil soup is decent as well.

perstephanie in Manhattan

Relatively Inexpensive Italian for a Triple Date

Second Barbone. I went in a group of four couples for New Year's Eve and had a fantastic time. They seated us out back with some heat lamps, which gives you a little more privacy to be boisterous with each other. My boyfriend and I are still talking about our meal there. Try the asparagus fries and the chestnut ravioli.

perstephanie in Manhattan

Korhogo 126

A third in favor of Korhogo. Went last night and sat in the covered "greenhouse" in the back. It was a little chilly, but after a large party left they were able to reseat us closer to the heat lamps. My dining companion and I split the goat cheese terrine appetizer. It tasted very good but it was a little more goat cheese than I was prepared for -- they gave us some beets and toasted bread to go with it, but I still felt like I was just spooning goat cheese into my mouth. For entrees, I got the Vegetable Mafe au Soumbala and he got a vegan entree (not on the website menu) consisting of vegetables (okra, carrots, etc) with lentils and a very nicely done phyllo dough crust. I really enjoyed the peanut stew (with I think a tomato or carrot base?) which was ladled over a nicely-textured quinoa pilaf that was similar to couscous (in fact I forgot that it was quinoa until I was 3/4 done with my meal). Plenty of food for the both of us, even without the clafoutis for dessert.

The atmosphere is very cozy. It definitely feels like a neighborhood restaurant, yet the lighting and seating were comfortable enough for a date. It was not noisy, even with a birthday party next to us.

And the waitress was indeed incredibly friendly -- she seemed a little harried running back and forth between the greenhouse and the main room, but to make up for it she comped our dessert (a completely unnecessary gesture in my opinion, but it was very kind).

They also have an abridged delivery menu with lower prices ($15 delivery minimum), which I am planning to try out soon. We'll definitely also be back to eat in.

perstephanie in Outer Boroughs

Best gnocchi (no meat)?

What is the best, most pillowy and flavorful gnocchi for a vegetarian in NYC? I live in south Brooklyn but spend time in Manhattan and Astoria. What do you think?

perstephanie in The Best

Vegetarian Tasting Menu

I went to Blue Hill last night. They did a vegetarian tasting menu for me and a pescatarian tasting menu for my boyfriend. The entree, a cauliflower "steak" over cracked wheat, was delicious. And the vegetables are so fresh, since they get them from the Blue Hills Stone Barn farm in Westchester.

perstephanie in The Best

Need help choosing casual elegant B-day restaurant

We ended up going to Blue Hill last night and had a fantastic meal. At 9, the dining room was mostly full but it never felt crowded. I was pleasantly surprised with the mix of young, casually dressed couples, families, and solo diners. The service was excellent -- we had to wait a little while for the corner table to open up, so they thoughtfully comped our drinks while we were waiting at the bar.

I had called ahead to let them know that one of us was vegetarian, and the server was prepared to explain to us which items on the menu could be made vegetarian. Almost every appetizer on the current menu can be prepared without meat. She also said that they always have a vegetarian entree as well (I'm not sure why they don't just put it on the regular menu -- maybe they wait to see what vegetable looks best that day at the market and then create an entree around that.)

We ordered the tasting menu -- he got a pescatarian version and I got the vegetarian version. The tab came out to $180 with drinks, before tip.

I'm so sorry that I can't remember all the different courses in detail (it seemed unromantic to keep jotting down notes after the presentation of each dish!), but here is what I remember:

Amuses:
homemade potato chips and beet chips -- thinly sliced, very elegant
mini beet burger with ricotta -- loved the biscuit bun that the beets came on
toasted bread with a salty green powder and fresh butter -- I think I overdid it with the green powder, not expecting it to be as salty as it was

Appetizers:
beet salad with walnuts and goat cheese -- the beets were on the crisp side. Great flavor, if not the most innovative dish
poached egg with sweet potato tortellini and lady apples - maybe my favorite course. I just loved the blend of salty and sweet.

Entree:
cauliflower "steak" served over bulgur - they cooked the cauliflower until it was pretty soft. The texture went nicely with the risotto-esque bulgur.

Dessert Amuse:
grapefruit salad with candied citrus, custard (?) and spiced bread - delicious, I would have preferred more of this for the dessert dessert.

Dessert:
rice pudding with a dollop of ice cream - the only dish I didn't love, but maybe I'm just not a rice pudding fan. For me at the end of the night, it seemed a little heavy.

I don't remember all the dishes my boyfriend got, but he loved his entree (grilled hamachi) and the lentils in one of his appetizers. I wish I could remember more -- next time I definitely will bring my notebook.

Thanks to everyone for your advice! Now I want to check out Stone Barns as soon as it gets warm!

perstephanie in Manhattan