JennS

Dean and Deluca prepared foods

I work near the Dean and Deluca in Soho and grab lunch there about once a week, mostly because it's so convenient. In the past year or so, I've noticed that the quality of their prepared foods has really decreased.

Last fall and winter they had a butternut squash/apple soup that was quite good. I've been stopping in frequently awaiting its return (they don't post their specials anyplace so you have to call customer service or just go there -- then they tend to run out of soups pretty quickly) and yesterday they finally had butternut squash soup but it wasn't what I was expecting. My soup was too creamy, had a weird flour taste/texture, and had small bits of something that didn't get cooked or pureed properly. They've stopped listing all the ingredients of their soups so I had no idea what it was. I also got a 1/2 tomato/mozzarella sandwich and it was one of the saddest tomatoes I've ever seen. Do they use the same ingredients for their prepared foods that they stock to sell? Doesn't seem like it to me.

on Oct 20, 2011

JennS in Manhattan

Cost of Fresh Sweet Corn at Farmers Markets

75 cents an ear at the greenmarket I frequent in Brooklyn.

on Aug 30, 2011

Vineapple in Brooklyn Heights

Has anyone been to the new coffee place on Pineapple between Henry and Hicks?

-----
Vineapple
71 Pineapple St, Brooklyn, NY 11201

on Jun 12, 2011

Kenmare, Stuzzicheria or SD26 for dinner?

Thanks for the feedback. I've been reading some good things about Kenmare on this board and agree that it's a great area. I should mention that it's my 35th bday and the group will be couples, so while we definitely want to have a lively, good time, we're not looking for a loud/party place.

-----
Kenmare
98 Kenmare St, New York, NY 10012

on Dec 08, 2010

JennS in Manhattan

Kenmare, Stuzzicheria or SD26 for dinner?

A friend is organizing a birthday celebration dinner for me and she gave me the choice between Kenmare, Stuzzicheria, and SD26. We're a group of 10 so I'd prefer something on the more laid-back, informal side, and I also don't want it to be a fortune. I know large group dinners can get quite pricey -- I would like to keep cost to about $125 pp including drinks, tax and tip. Last year we went to Locanda Verde which was fine.

Any feedback on any of these choices?

Thanks very much!

-----
Locanda Verde
377 Greenwich St, New York, NY 10013

SD26
19 East 26th Street, New York, NY 10010

Kenmare
98 Kenmare St, New York, NY 10012

Pane Panelle
305 Church St, New York, NY 10013

on Dec 08, 2010

JennS in Manhattan

Where to Get Christmas Dinner Catered in Brooklyn

We used Naturally Delicious for Thanksgiving last year and were totally pleased with everything -- so much so that they are catering our meal again this year. Their Thanksgiving menu is very traditional and they've been totally accommodating with ingredients (we have a peanut allergy and some other issues). They are definitely a step up from Lassen & Hennigs, IMHO.

on Nov 21, 2010

Walking distance to the Brooklyn Bridge?

Five Front is now called Brooklyn Bridge Gardens. The menu is pretty limited and the food--beet salad, crab cakes, 1/2 chicken over polenta, burgers, etc--is mediocre. The outdoor area is still nice.

on Jul 08, 2010

Cold Brewing Coffee Without the Toddy?

I know this thread is from 2006 but it just popped back up. I cold-brew iced coffee using a French press also. Mix cold water with grounds and leave in fridge overnight. Press in the morning. Pour over ice. Easiest and tastiest iced coffee ever, as long as you use good quality beans.

Why would you "reheat" it???

on May 14, 2010

JennS in Home Cooking

Why is All-Inclusive Resort food so awful?

We stayed at the Excellence in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic almost two years ago. Beautiful beach and lovely resort, but the food was subpar. The only place we enjoyed was the Asian restaurant and the pizzas delivered to the pool and beach most days, There were many different options for food, including a huge full breakfast buffet, but the quality of everything was really poor. I agree with the OP and wold have preferred simple local cuisine.

on Dec 14, 2009

Knife skills class?

I know this is an old thread but I wanted to report that I recently took Norman Weinstein's Knife Skills 1 class and thoroughly enjoyed it. He was an excellent instructor -- very perceptive, on task, yet it was a relaxed atmosphere. I would definitely recommend him and hope to take more classes at ICE myself.

on Nov 16, 2009

JennS in Not About Food

Bagels and lox in Rockland?

Every six months or so, my mom and I meet in Rockland for brunch. We used to go to the Hudson House in Nyack for brunch, but they changed their menu and now only offer a smoked salmon sandwich. My mom lives in South Carolina so she craves the traditional toasted bagel, cream cheese and lox platter. Any suggestions of where we should go? Nyack or Piermont is ideal but we can go anyplace else in Rockland -- New City, Orangeburg, etc etc. Would rather not go to a diner but we'd do that as a last resort.

Thanks for your help!!!

-----
Piermont Restaurant
72 Piermont Rd, Tenafly, NJ 07670

on Nov 11, 2009

JennS in General Tristate Archive

Butternut squash soup

My absolute favorite butternut squash soup recipe is from Cooking Light: Golden Winter Soup. http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1696601

It includes a potato, leeks and chicken broth and it's hearty, earthy and delicious.

on Oct 28, 2009

JennS in Home Cooking

Dinner in downtown Detroit

How far is the MGM from where we're staying? I'm leaning toward the Detroit Fish Market over Angelina or Oslo because I like the menu options best.

She's totally my cool aunt -- we just went to all five Bruce Springsteen shows at Giants Stadium together :-)

Thanks again for all the help. I'll be sure to report back about our meal.

on Oct 27, 2009

Dinner in downtown Detroit

Thanks again for all the suggestions -- I love Chowhound!! Detroit Fish Market is looking like our best bet for dinner at the moment but I'm going to do some research and will definitely report back. We're only in town for one night, so our Detroit meals are limited to Saturday dinner and Sunday breakfast and lunch.

on Oct 25, 2009

Dinner in downtown Detroit

We are at the Hilton. Thanks for the two suggestions. I looked at the menus and while both look great to me, my aunt tends to be a lighter/healthier eater -- more seafood, chicken, etc. No roasted beasts for us. Any other options nearby?

on Oct 25, 2009

Dinner in downtown Detroit

Hi,

A small group of us New Yorkers will be celebrating my aunt's 60th birthday in downtown Detroit on Halloween night. None of us are from Detroit, we won't have a car, and we are staying on Gratiot Avenue downtown. I'd love to find a great restaurant within walking distance, but a short cab ride would be fine too. Looking for someplace interesting and fun with excellent seasonal/local food, but nothing too fancy or stuffy. My cousin has a peanut allergy so no Chinese or Thai. American, French, Italian, or Japanese would be best. We are willing to splurge.

All suggestions are welcome!

Thanks so much!

on Oct 24, 2009

Cooking class for couples?

I'm looking for a one-time cooking class for couples to give to my husband as a bday gift. We took one couples' class at ICE and enjoyed it but none of their current class offerings (sushi for couples, garlic for couples, superbowl party, etc) are particularly appealing to us. Any suggestions of where else I should look? Thanks!

on Aug 22, 2009

JennS in Manhattan

Cold Brew Coffee - Anyone Tried This?

Interesting. I haven't experienced any bitterness with using a French press at all. The quality of the beans and water are both very important though -- I find that the coffee has a weird taste if I just use tap water (which is quite tasty in NYC) instead of purified or bottled water.

As for ratio, I do mine by sight now, so can't tell you the exact ratio. This NYTimes recipe recommends 1/3 of a cup of grounds for each 1.5 cups of water which sounds about right -- possibly not strong enough. They also dilute this "concentrate" with water, but I found that made for REALLY weak coffee. I'd start with the 1/3 cup grounds to 1.5 cups water and adjust from there.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/27/dining/276drex.html

on Jul 29, 2009

Cold Brew Coffee - Anyone Tried This?

I cold-brew using my French press. Easiest method EVER, no special equipment, cheesecloths, strainers, etc necessary. I grind beans coarsely, dump in French press, fill with cold water, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 10 hours. In the morning simply plunge the press and you have iced coffee.

Excellent beans and filtered water are both important.

on Jul 27, 2009

Brooklyn Bridge

The 2 and 3 trains stop at Clark St. The first stop in Brooklyn Heights on the 4 or 5 would be Court St/Borough Hall.

Noodle Pudding is an excellent choice for dinner but they do not serve lunch.

on Jul 01, 2009

Brooklyn Bridge

Neither Henry's End nor Noodle Pudding are open for lunch. Le Petit Marche may be open, and the new Brooklyn Heights Wine Bar serves food. Clark's is a far better diner than Park Plaza.

on Jun 27, 2009

outdoor bar in BK heights/waterfront?

Yes, it was part of the Brooklyn Bridge Park/pier project thing. Picnic tables, sandboxes, etc. It was a Rice outpost. I haven't been down there yet this year so don't know if it's the same or not.

on Jun 24, 2009

Weekday breakfast between Bklyn Hgts and Boerum Hill?

Thanks for the suggestions. We went to Cafe LULUc and it was fine. Not crowded but not completely empty, and they had no problem with us sitting and chatting for 2 hours over breakfast. My friend had a mushroom omelet which she enjoyed and I ordered the pancakes with fruit. The pancakes were delicious and fluffy, although the fruit was sort of sad and past its prime.

Next time we will try Marquet or maybe Ted and Honey (which I hadn't heard of before -- love these boards!).

I actually haven't been to Tazza on Henry in a long time, but I have been avoiding their Clark St. location because their coffee sucks (it was fine when it opened but has gone steadily downjill) and service is usually surly.

I also have issues with F. Martinella -- I stopped in there for cold cuts a couple of months ago and the service was excruciatingly slow and horrible, not to mention the deli meats were overpriced.

Anyway, Cafe LULUc was great yesterday. When my friend meets me closer to the Heights, we'll probably go to Clark's.

on Jun 05, 2009

Weekday breakfast between Bklyn Hgts and Boerum Hill?

Looking for a good place to meet a friend for breakfast on a weekday around 9am. I'm in the north Heights and she's on Douglass St so anyplace in between would be great. We thought about Apt. 138 on Smith St but they don't open until 11. Now the only place I can think of (aside from coffee shops) is Tazza on Henry. Any other ideas? Thanks!

on Jun 03, 2009

brunch/lunch near promenade

I second the Petit Marche recommendation.

Another option is to get bagels ("Hot Bagels" on Montague between Henry and Hicks is your best best) and coffee and eat them on the benches on the Promenade.

on Jun 01, 2009

Vinegar Hill House

We went last night. Friends are regulars so they called to put their name on the list. At 9pm we were told to come over. We waited at the bar for about 20 minutes and were seated in the lovely back garden area (but in uncomfortable chairs). Loved the food and thought the portions and prices were fine, but service was pretty awful. Our waiter looked really annoyed to have to deal with us, and we were not high maintenance at all. We had to ask for bread and water multiple times and there was a serious lag in the time between appetizers and entrees. Our friend (the regular) talked to the manager to speed up our meal and our desserts were comped, which was appreciated.

Between 6 of us we had:
Bread with olive oil (very good)
2 orders of grilled octopus -- a special
2 cheese/salami plates
1 zucchini ribbons
1 tart with ramps, cheese and something else -- this was the best of the apps

Entrees:
1 chicken -- delicious
2 orders of chops
2 rabbit papardelle specials
1 trout

Desserts were guinness chocolate cake (AMAZING) and butterscotch pudding. We also had a lot of wine. It ended up being about $65 p/p with tip and tax and drinks.

All in all it was a very good meal and a very nice setting. I'd go back but would definitely steer clear of that waiter.

on May 17, 2009