rovingfoodie's Profile
What to do with too dry cake?
+1 - I know you already re-purposed this particular cake, but one of my favorite dishes at the (old) Silk City Diner in Philly was the chocolate bread pudding. As far as I could figure out, it was actually "stale cake" pudding, with big hunks of dark chocolate mixed in before baking. (My guess would be that you would use less sugar in the milk-egg mix than for normal sweet bread pudding.) Delicious, and I bet it would work really well with Bailey's Irish Cream cake!
Where to go in Prospect Lefferts Gardens?
Thanks so much - this is very helpful! Too bad about Mama Louisa's - I was looking forward to having them as a take-out option on my way home from work, but I'm sure we'll figure out a way to check them out regularly anyway. And yes, I'll definitely post some updates about any local finds!
Where to go in Prospect Lefferts Gardens?
We're about to move from Park Slope to Prospect Lefferts Gardens and would love advice from locals about where to shop and eat. We'll be on the northeast side of the neighborhood (near New York Ave and Midwood) and are planning on keeping our membership at the Park Slope Co-op, but other than that we want to stay local (ie within about a mile) whenever possible.
Based on some browsing of maps it looks like either the Associated Market at Sullivan Place or the Key Food at Nostrand and Winthrop could be our go-to places for basic affordable groceries - any preferences? Ideas for where to pick up fresh seafood would also be great.
Restaurant-wise, we've eaten at Culpepper's (and liked it) and are looking forward to comparing it with the many other West Indian places in the area. Based on online reviews, I'm also looking forward to trying out Mama Louisa's, Blue Roost, Bay Leaf, and Ramagi - any other suggestions? Thanks in advance!
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Culpepper's
1082 Nostrand Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11225
The Blue Roost
539 Flatbush Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11225
Bay Leaf
561 Flatbush Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11225
Ramagi
594 Rogers Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11225
Vegetarian sausage?
Another +1 for the Gimme Lean Sausage (the tube, not links). We just had it for breakfast this morning - slice 1/2 inch thick, fry in olive oil until well-browned on both sides. My husband and I are non-vegetarians and actually prefer this to "real" breakfast sausage patties.
Where can I get a Reese's Pieces sundae in Brooklyn?
Glad to hear from another fan! I grew up in South Jersey and there were quite a few Friendly's down there - and actually, I did have a habit for a bit of picking up the sundaes in a cup, which I agree were not quite the same but still tasty.
I'll put Eddie's on my road-trip list - I love those kinds of places! If you're ever in Philly, sounds like you'd like The Franklin Fountain - very fun place and right in Center City: http://www.franklinfountain.com/
In the short term, though, the Cold Stone suggestion is probably my best bet - still a corporate chain, but so was Friendly's :)
Where can I get a Reese's Pieces sundae in Brooklyn?
The unseasonably warm weather and the news of Friendly's bankruptcy have me craving their Reese's Pieces sundae, one of the favorite treats of my childhood. (Vanilla ice cream, peanut butter sauce, hot fudge sauce, Reese's pieces, whipped cream and a cherry.) So far my options around where I live (in Park Slope) seem to be pretty limited/corporate - I think my best bet for that particular mix of toppings is probably going to be Cheeburger Cheeburger, though maybe Uncle Louie's would work as well. Am I missing something? You would think there would be a bunch of places catering to the semi-fancy ice cream sundae crowd around here - why doesn't someone open a proper small batch ice cream store/small chain (like Boston's J.P. Lick's)?
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Cheeburger Cheeburger
222 7th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215
My assistant says my "impressive" gift ISN'T. Help, please?
Great - hope they (and you) love them!
My assistant says my "impressive" gift ISN'T. Help, please?
+1 on the champagne-chocolate combo and on John and Kira's - unique and delicious, with lovely packaging and a nice focus on local ingredients. I love Burdick's as well...
Who here drinks non-alcoholic beer?
I agree with the posters who suggest you're missing the appeal to recovery folks - my husband's been sober for 7 years now and drinks NA beer because he misses the flavor. Sorry to say that that means O'Doul's is among his least favorite brands, though - too bland. You might find this thread helpful in pinpointing why people drink the various NA brands - O'Doul's Amber does get some recommendations!
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/641030
Salted Caramel Frozen Yogurt is way too salty!
I had a very sadly failed homemade ice cream experiment this week - my DH requested some salted caramel ice cream (but is on WW), so I tried out this recipe (substituting 2.5 tbps cornstarch for the arrowroot):
http://cauldronsandcrockpots.wordpress.com/2010/03/22/when-life-gives-you-failed-yogurt/
It actually turned out great in every way other than one very important one - it's way too salty, even though I used 1/2 tbsp of sea salt vs. the full tbsp it lists. (Even my husband thought so, and we joke that he should have a salt lick at his desk.)
So I have two questions about salvaging this - first, I made/froze about a quart of it that I hate to waste. We're thinking that softening it and mixing it with an equal part of vanilla ice cream would probably cut the saltiness enough to make it tasty (perhaps in a milkshake or five) - any other suggestions?
Also, I have some of the unfrozen mix left, and was thinking of adding an equal part of dairy (yogurt, milk, half-and-half) to dilute it and then making a new batch. Any other suggestions? I don't mind a lighter consistency - do I need to re-do the eggs and cornstarch step as well?
Thanks in advance - I'll post updates as we experiment!
Looking for good eats in Estes Park Area
My husband and I have had some terrific meals at the Cascades Restaurant at the Stanley Hotel - we tend to especially enjoy the wild game options they offer. The service and ambiance are perfect for a nice dinner, and the hotel itself is a fascinating place to explore. We also enjoyed our dinner at Mary's Lake Lodge - though we chose the more casual tavern area (which featured live music the night we went) vs. the chalet room, which I understand is a bit more formal.
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Mary's Lake Lodge
2625 Marys Lake Rd, Estes Park, CO 80517
New Orleans Reportback - Deanies, Big Fisherman, Cochon
Just got back from a short but tasty trip to New Orleans - only my second one ever! A few highlights, of which there were many since I was staying with foodie locals (my sister and BIL):
Lunch at Deanie's Cafe - went to the Warehouse District location with my BIL, which is right across the street from Cochon (1016 Annunciation - it's unclear if it's related to the other Deanie's - he said yes, other sites say no). They had just started serving lunch, so the crawfish etouffee wasn't quite ready yet, but my oyster poboy was a great replacement and a great deal - 6-8 fried to order oysters on a fresh crispy roll plus lettuce, tomato, mayo, for about $7! He had the stuffed mirlitons, which I had never heard of but loved - baked chayote squash with a seafood and veggie stuffing.
Fried Bar food: We went out quite a bit, and my favorite snacks were the "tachos" (tater tot nachos) at 13 Monaghan on Frenchman, the fried alligator at Huck Finn in the FQ (touristy place but surprisingly decent food - I actually preferred these to the version we got at Cochon!), and the "To Die for Fries" at The Avenue Pub on St Charles, which also has a fantastic beer selection (the name is accurate - according to the menu, these are "waffle fries smothered in a cheddar garlic béchamel.")
I also enjoyed my first New Orleans snoball from the Plum St booth at the French Quarter Festival - I got the coffee and my sister got the coconut, both with a generous serving of condensed milk - so yummy.
Picnic in the park: We celebrated Sunday's gorgeous weather with a big box of oysters, a bag of boiled crawfish, and a sixpack of Abita at a park by the Mississippi - my BIL picked up the seafood from Big Fisherman Seafood on Magazine St. It was $40 for over 100 huge, fresh oysters, which he shucked for us and we ate with a dab of hot sauce while watching the ships go by and listening to the live radio broadcast from the French Quarter Festival - amazing.
Cochon: This was my thank you/happy birthday treat for my sister and BIL - they had been meaning to stop by and I got inspired when we passed by on our way to lunch at Deanie's. I got there before they did and had a drink at the bar - I asked for a smoky, not too sweet bourbon and the bartender nicely recommended the cheapest thing on the menu (I forget the name, but it was a $7 10-year-old and was fantastic.) Once they arrived, we were seated immediately and had a great meal - boucherie plate with housemade rillette, bologna, and creole mustard, fried alligator with chili aioli, cochon with turnips, cabbage, and cracklins, rabbit and dumplings, oyster and bacon sandwich with a side of creamy grits - all with a very reasonably priced pitcher of NOLA Brewing's Flambeau red ale
and followed by the black bottom banana cream pie. Everything was fantastic, though I have to say those cracklins and creamy grits were highlights - maybe I have simple tastes.
In any case, it was a fantastic trip and I'm looking forward to the next one!
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Avenue Pub
1732 St Charles Ave, New Orleans, LA 70130
Big Fisherman Seafood
3301 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70115
Cochon
930 Tchoupitoulas St., New Orleans, LA 70130
Deanie's Restaurant
1016 Annunciation St, New Orleans, LA 70130
Best non-alcoholic beer???
My husband's been drinking NA beer for 7 years, and as an non-NA beer drinker, Cheers Preta (a dark NA beer imported from Portugal) has been my favorite of the ones he's tried:
http://www.alcoholfree.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=200
We used to be able to get it very inexpensively in the Portuguese-Spanish-Brazilian grocery store in our neighborhood in Newark NJ, hut I haven't seen it there for a while and have never seen it anywhere else (sadly enough...)
what's the best northeast corridor city for food (outside of NY)?
Over the past 15 years, I've lived in Baltimore, Trenton, Philly, Newark, Boston/Cambridge, and now New York, and spent a good bit of time in DC (my screen-name isn't rovingfoodie for nothing), and I also give a big thumbs up to Philly. I especially like how affordable many of the great restaurants in Philly are - the liquor laws are a pain, but the terrific BYOBs and gastropubs make up for it. Philly's also great in that it's an easy place to get around in terms of eating and grocery shopping - parking and traffic are nothing compared to NYC, and while Septa isn't great (their slogan for a while was "Serious about change"), the buses, trains, and trolleys can get you to most of the neighborhoods (including nearby suburbs) pretty easily and cheaply. The thriving South Philly Asian and Mexican grocery and restaurant options, the African stores/restaurants in West Philly (my old neighborhood), the Italian Market, the new-ish farmer's market at Headhouse, the growing food co-op scene, and of course Reading Terminal are all within walking distance or a short trolley/train/bus ride from Center City - can't beat that, in my experience!
Looking for Chicago-style Thin Crust
Have you tried Sicilian-style pizza? The crust may be thicker than you're looking for, but it's all over the place in South Jersey and has the square-cut slices in your second picture (though in this case it's because the pizza itself is a square). It's definitely not a cracker crust, or a deep dish, if you're trying to avoid both of those!
New to Park Slope (PPW and 13th)
You could check out my post from last summer - lots of good advice that we're still working through!
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/711554
Just moved to Park Slope - where to eat and buy food?
Thanks for the recommendations - I've enjoyed Prospect Wine Shop, Almondine, and Sweet Melissa (they have a very cute backyard!) and am looking forward to stopping into Blue Apron and Trois Pomme soon.
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Trois Pommes
260 5th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Almondine
85 Water St, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Sweet Melissa
276 Court St, Brooklyn, NY 11231
Prospect Wine Shop
322 7th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Just moved to Park Slope - where to eat and buy food?
Well, we joined the co-op and love it - I even got a weeknight shift my first try! It's become our go-to spot for fruits, veggies, cereal, dried goods, eggs, chicken, hummus, beer, and fancy cheese, though I have to admit I keep an eye on the beer sales at the 7th Ave Key Foods - they have amazing deals sometimes. We still go to the farmer's market for fish, though, and to Sunset Park for Asian groceries.
Just moved to Park Slope - where to eat and buy food?
Finally got to Bonnie's a few weeks back - yum! I liked the regular-level spicy, though maybe I should have tried the medium. We've also enjoyed the burger at Dram Shop, though they're very different. Will have to check out Bar Toto and Johnny Macks soon!
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Bar Toto
475 6th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Johnny Mack's
1114 8th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Help me decide bw short rib recipes!
Just made the Boulud short ribs recipe this weekend - loved it, but agree that you can use less wine/liquid (and don't need to flame it!) I used about 1 1/4 bottles of wine and 2 cups of beef stock, which more than covered 2.5 lbs of short ribs. I would strongly suggest following the recipe's instructions to use no-salt (or at least low-salt) broth - my DH loves salt, and even he felt the final sauce was a bit much (I didn't add any additional salt in the rest of the recipe, other than a bit on the meat before searing). It was fine when mixed with the leek mashed potatoes we had with it, though. I also found that it needed to cook for 3 hours vs. 2, and that some additional time in a 200 degree oven the next day (after taking the fat off the top in the morning) improved the tenderness even more - I was using grass-fed beef, so that may have made a difference. I also followed the suggestion of posters on Epicurious to puree the veggies into the sauce after the reduction vs. straining it - makes it more like a gravy consistency than a sauce, but great flavor!
Uses for Carmelized onions
Nothing too special, i'm afraid - just stirred some thin slices of provolone into the polenta once it was done!
Uses for Carmelized onions
Just made a batch for dinner tonight - I added some chopped tomatoes towards the end of the cooking process and served it all over provolone polenta with some seared scallops on top.
16th Street Mall lunch choice in Denver Colorado
I haven't tried their lunch menu, but the Happy Hour menu at Baur's (half a block off the Mall on Curtis St) starts at 3 and is one of the best deals in the city ($5 for a mini-filet mignon with salad and fries!). The restaurant itself is lovely, too...
http://www.baursdenver.com/menu
Just moved to Park Slope - where to eat and buy food?
My husband and I just moved to Park Slope, and are eager to explore the amazing food options in our new hood. Recommendations for our best options for dining and shopping are much appreciated - from browsing the boards, I know we'll be checking out al di la, franny's, and blue ribbon sushi at some point, and we've already enjoyed amazing food from the Saturday and Sunday farmer's markets (we LOVE the fish stands at both!) and eaten several tasty sandwiches from Mr. Falafel.
Any suggestions would be great, though ideas for the following would be especially helpful, since we're on a budget and can't eat at the fancy places very often:
1) Best reasonably priced takeout - especially chinese, japanese, thai, indian, and pizza
2) Best bar for food (especially burgers!) and/or excellent draft beer
3) Best specialty food shopping (eg good and reasonably priced cheese, wine, Asian/Latin American groceries)
4) Best Ice cream, pastries, and other sweets
5) Best reasons to join the Food Co-op
We're at 3rd and the park and willing to walk, but places relatively close to 3rd St are a plus! Thanks in advance!
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Mr. Falafel
226 7th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215
"Food souvenirs" requested
Another "food souvenir" to consider would be Taza chocolates - unusual Oaxacan-style bars and discs made (from roasting to molding) in Somerville, MA and much easier to bring on the plane. I know they're at the Savenor's and Wine and Cheese Cask in Somerville, and you can probably track them down elsewhere as well.
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Wine and Cheese Cask
407 Washington St, Somerville, MA
Uses for ground chicken (or turkey)
Here's my adaptation of a great turkey burger recipe I found here: http://www.tampabay.com/features/fitness/recipe-miso-ginger-turkey-burger/1007278 - very moist and flavorful!
MISO-GINGER TURKEY BURGER
Start to finish: 20 minutes
Servings: 4
1 tablespoon miso or miso/mustard sauce
1 tbsp yogurt
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 pound 93 percent lean ground turkey
1/2 cup chopped scallions
1/3 cup panko (Japanese-style) breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Vegetable oil
4 whole-wheat hamburger buns
Salt, to taste
In a large bowl, whisk together the miso, soy sauce and ginger. Add the ground turkey, yogurt, scallions, breadcrumbs and black pepper. Gently but thoroughly mix together. Shape into 4 patties, each about 3/4 inch thick.
In non stick pan with ½ tbsp oil, sear the burgers until well browned on the underside, about 4 to 5 minutes. With a spatula, turn the burgers over carefully. Cover pan and sear for another 4 to 6 minutes.
Season the burgers with salt. Dress the burgers with condiments and vegetables as desired.
April openings and closings
Uno's in Porter Square closed too - site's for sale/rent already.
Teresa's for weekend brunch - yum!
Not that I want this place to get any more crowded, but we had such a good brunch there last weekend. Table of 7, a half-hour wait at 1 on a Sunday (not too bad!), and service was good considering how busy it was. We started with a "small" apple fritters for the table to share - these are basically funnel cake with apples in the batter, and a small order (for about $4) brings you three 4"-5" wide fritters; they're amazing. They have a very good brunch deal - $14 for coffee/tea, a choice of 4 cocktails (mimosa, bloody mary, etc), an app (soup, fruit cup, etc) and a choice of about 6 entrees. i had the fruit cup (fresh cut strawberries, melon, pineapple), a very good (and good-sized) bloody mary, and the spinach blintzes, which were about 8 inches long and 2.5 inches wide, filled with creamed spinach and mozz, and deep fried (!) - not healthy, but tasty. Others got the white borscht (terrific and unusual - vinegary white broth with a whole potato and sliced kielbasa), mushroom soup, eggs and kielbasa with kasha on the side (a giant order), the mixed polish plate (another giant serving - pierogies, stuffed cabbage, more kielbasa), eggs benedict florentine, more pierogies - everything was excellent, and very reasonably priced. They're usually much easier to get into on weekdays, so it's probably better to go then if you don't want to wait - almost all of what we got is on the regular menu.
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Teresa's
80 Montague St, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Making Valentine's dinner - local delicacies to include?
I'm starting to plan my menu for a quiet Valentine's dinner at home, and I'd love to include some things I can only get around Somerville/Cambridge/Boston or that are especially New England-y (since we're probably moving away later this year.) Any suggestions? I was thinking of something from Burdick's and/or Christina's, maybe some sea scallops (ideally at a good price/quality ratio) - what am I missing and where should i get it?
Your favourite recipe for eggplant
Eggplant parm is a favorite, but for something a bit lighter I like eggplant with peanut sauce; I have some in the fridge right now! Here's a recipe I adapted from Moosewood's Groundnut Stew: Saute a few cloves of garlic and a couple tbs of diced ginger in olive oil, add 2.5 tbs coriander and 1/2 tbs five spice powder, then 4 c chopped onions til soft; add 2 chopped tomatoes (or a 14 oz can of diced) and 4 c diced eggplant, stir and cook until very soft (about 30 min); add 3 c pre-cooked (roasted or steamed) diced sweet potatoes or winter squash. While that's cooking, mix 3/4 c chunky peanut butter with 1.5 tbs soy sauce, 1 tbs rice vinegar, 1 tbs water, and 1 tsp sriracha (or to taste). Pour the sauce into the eggplant mixture, stir, and serve over soba noodles - yum yum yum!
