Likes petting dogs on the street and eating good sandwiches on a stoop. The glasses are always dirty, the whiskey is always iced.
@CareyJones If you answer this question I think I would do a little chair dance
@KarmaFreeCooking I'm Puerto Rican! So I gotta represent.
Another note: A very easy sauceis mojito suace, which is basically just garlic and warmed oil with cilantro, onion, and a bit of lime juice. A great topping for platanos!
Meister and sarahlizzy:
I MISS the Other Side--loved drinking a beer, eating some vegan grub, and checking out all the beards and tattoos.
You could also improv a fast way to make Sancocho, a Colombian/Venezuelan/Carribean dish.
It's basically just plantain soup, with root vegetables and different meats.
Mofongo--an EASY way to make it that I think the kids could do would be to smash some garlic cloves and olive oil with pork rinds (or bacon will do if that is not available). Set aside and fry up some plantains in oil. Smash plantains and garlic mixture TOGETHER until it makes a sort of thick paste. The traditional way would be to serve it in a pilon, but you can roll it up in a ball or form it around a dish if that's easier. Serve with pretty much any protein: however, shrimp or pulled chicken/pork in a broth-y tomato/garlic sauce could be the easiest for you.
Mighty Quinn's!
I think Smoke and Pickles(trendy new bar name alert!) are the ones to watch, but let's not forget the "tacos that aren't really tacos" trend. Naan tacos! Tacos with chicharrones! Korean Tacos! Oh my!
But what vegetable do you think will trump kale this year? The mighty radish? The underdog, Swiss Chard? Please not frisse?
Come on--part of the fun of making recipes is making them your own. Add breadcrumbs! Don't add them! Live until you die, objectively.
Whenever I go to Trader Joe's, I always buy ONE weirdo item that shows off both my curious culinary palette and my intense lack of judgement.
Let's just say that when you're eating a microwaved Turkey Corn Dog at 2pm on a Thursday in your pajamas because you are unemployed and also maybe start smelling like said corn dog? You have reached something of a "Rock Bottom."
I am employed now and smell much better and must stay away from TJ's until I LEARN.
Where in Westchester? I grew up in the Katonah area, but am very familiar with lots of parts of Westchester. Would love to help you out if you're a bit more specific.
My roommate and I have been trying to create the perfect quinoa salad for years. We finally came up with something close:
- Start boiling the 'oa
-Sautee Kale and a little bit of garlic up whilst roasting broccoli with lemon juice and olive oil in the oven
-When the quinoa's ready, stir in some fresh pesto sauce, black beans (or chickpeas if ya crazy) and some store-bought tabouleh
-add the veggies and eat the whole thing, preferably with a fried egg on top, a spoonful of hummus on the side, and a lite sprinkling of feta
You can store this baby with a week, and sometimes like to fry it up in a pan and drop the egg in directly, which creates fried rice-like goodness.
I'd say if you want to make it more "pizza-y," perhaps add the meat/mozzarella to the top?
If you want to make it more "college-y," just add beer and pay for the ramen with your parents money.
Dirt Candy! And interestingly enough,also meat
Dirt Candy! And interestingly enough,also meat
I have worked the service industry for long enough to know that people can be jerks, and lots of people are jerks to those who work in the service industry.
But I've also worked it long enough to know the disgruntled "server's entitlement" that comes with working a job not many people know the ins and outs of. It's hard work (NOT registered nurse hard) to deal with people who aren't always considerate of our feelings, but sometimes it makes us a little complain-happy. Yes, we see people stay for hours at a table. Yes, people yell at us or complain to our managers even when we try to be friendly. But sometimes we forget that not everybody having an extra drink or two after their dinner is inconsiderate. Or that a happy couple could sit next to each other for dinner without gropes and visible tongues. Or that a vegan girlfriend with a gluten-free boyfriend are not two horsemen of the apocalypse. Or that people are going to a restaurant to generally enjoy themselves with friends. And that is our fault, not theirs.
Basically, you are called a "guest" because we are there to make you feel comfortable, and you are called a "guest" because you can't take your pants off in the dining area. Be nice, be considerate, and that goes for both hosts and customers.
We see the worst in people, and sometimes that brings out the worst in us.
Runny egg yolks + Siracha = love. That and any roasted veggie, mac&cheese, mixed into dressings or marinades, on toast with cream cheese!
oh boy mixed with egg yolk it's heaven
my favorite mac and cheese will always be the ones I attempted to make at 2am after a hearty night out of libations. All you need is one box of Annies, a pot you overboil, half the noodles in the sink, your roommate's butter, and voila. A delicious powder explosion that ends up on the front of your shirt while you text your ex.
I need to learn to cook better mac and cheese.
@droostring You're 100% right. Heating up the pastry really does improve it tenfold.
That being said, the secret to Sbux pastries is mixing sugar with drywall. If you've ever eaten one, there's a 100% chance you're still digesting it.
Does anybody remember the chocolate Goldfish in the purple bag? I'm anti-Goldfish (I know, I know, I just hate how they get stuck in your molars/sides of your back gums and they make people stick their fingers in their mouths to dig it out. Also, I think they look like cat treats). BUT those chocolate NON-Graham Goldfishies they made years ago really improved my elementary school lunchbox. Alas, like crunchy M&Ms I'm sure they have gone and will never return.
Being arguably the most attractive person in the world, (you can't see me but I wear glasses VERY well)--sometimes I wish I could just pay the extra four cents like "the NORMIES" (what I call ugly people). But I can't. I have to get that extra four cents off my veggie bowl. And I have to carry that guilt of almost a whole nickel off my things because I'm ridiculously good-looking and get everything handed to my best butt.
Some other things I get that you guys don't: whole dimes that have fallen to the ground, free ketchup packets, napkins, "have a nice day"s by various salespeople, and unrelenting power.
That being said, I hope this is a discount given out to old people and people looking like they have had a bad day and it's funny and hopefully just a nice way to make people feel better, regardless of how they look.
When I was a kid, before they beat the book's essence with a stick studded with nails in the form of an Anne Hathaway movie, I always wanted to eat the elven feast/the giant feast from the book Ella Enchanted.
The elven feast was a bunch of delicious soups, given that elves had no teeth, and the giant food was just that--giant food. I'm a sucker for novelty, I suppose.
And elves. Definitely elves.
I can't even choose. Late at night, it's me, fridge propped open, three beers in. Staring desperately at what I can possibly eat off of my finger. Most of the time it's just cream cheese. Whipped, not stirred. Some of the time it's Everything Pretzel Crisps I've dipped into Smart Balance because I watch my cholesterol/really it just tastes like salt. Spoonfuls of marinara sauce. Truffle Salt. I'm a condiment junkie. I'm a wild animal with opposable thumbs and an unfortunate love for Cool Whip.
I used to work at ye Ole Siren pit, and it always bothered me that people automatically assumed I was just another Reality Biter who angrily made Frappucinos for the masses. Maybe it's because I look like Janeane Garafolo, I don't know. The real truth, however, is that the dispassionate barista is also partially birthed from the dispassionate CUSTOMER. Starbucks (and any other coffee company) has perpetuated the whole "coffee is DRUG" thing, and people are wholly willing to wait on a line at the door at 5am because they are tired and irritated and just want their fix. Many could barely look me in the eye, made plenty of "just give it to me in an IV" jokes, and didn't consider the quality of the roast at all. Nothing made me happier than somebody who wanted their coffee in a ceramic cup, or a long pull on the espresso machine, or savored their brew. Perked up my four eyes quite a bit.
I mean, I'm still not angel. I could certainly be grumpy. Blame it on the bills!
It's my anniversary in June, and being the sentimental so-and-so I am, I want to take my boo out for a REALLY nice meal.
Eleven Madison Park is like WOWZA prices for me--this is a writer's budget, here--but I'd like to spend around 250 bucks (bottle of wine, too!)
I've thought about Marc Forgione's restaurant and Hearth, but I'm coming up blank mostly.
Any good places to recommend?
P.S. No seafood places!
I lived in the Boston/Cambridge area for almost five years, and as all of us have the city on our mind today, I thought it would be kind of cool to name some of our favorite spots and food memories there. I keep thinking of walking down Boylston with a Boloco burrito on free burrito day, and the feeling is warm and inviting. Food is comforting to me.
However, an actual favorite has gotta be the Clover truck right by South Station. Best vegan sandwiches I've ever had, and I could probably eat a whole pig if you gave me a big enough bib. Their eggplant-and-egg pitas got me through many early morning shifts at the Starbucks I worked in in the Financial District.
Got anything to share?
I was raised on my mama's authentic PR cooking, and when I moved to Bushwick, I was surprised at how most of the restaurants were Mexican... (I live right by Ave of the Puerto Ricans).
The only restaurants I've seen are in Manhattan and are usually twenty bucks a plate. Where can I go to get a real good, real unfussy Puerto Rican dinner?
Am making turkey chili for four very hungry guys this weekend, and am looking for some tips on how to make it extra good. I usually add some dark beer which turns out well, but does anybody have any really great tips to make this chili better than the standard boring recipes I'm finding online?
It's my 24th birthday in a couple of weeks. Old as the day is long!
I've lived in the Bushwick area for around a year and a half, but I still can't choose a place to have my birthday dinner because all I do is eat at the Commodore while I dream of going to Traif.
It's around 9-10 people, needs to be affordable because come on, I'm a 24-year-old living in Brooklyn. None of my friends have a lot of money, and I only the insatiable hunger for burgers....who also has a vegetarian best friend.
Good beer selection would be great, because come on. I like beer.
Heading into Manhattan off the L or J would be okay, too.
Help would be appreciated, you guys!
This week on Ask the Critic, we find a fancy (but not too fancy) restaurant for an anniversary dinner, and put together an eating-and-sightseeing tour with both in equal proportion. More
If fattoush salad is not in your regular culinary vocabulary, add it now. This Mediterranean bread salad is crunchy, fresh, colorful, and, like most good Mediterranean foods, stunningly good in its simplicity. While fattoush almost always has cucumbers, tomatoes, herbs, and pita, there are tons of variations out there that can be easily guided by what's in your fridge. More
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Black tahini offers a sweeter, nuttier flavor than tahini made with white sesame seeds. With such black gold at my finger tips, I decided to add it to a hummus that could stand up to it, pigment-wise. The color alone is sure to turn a few heads at your next gathering. More
This cranberry-studded popcorn is a light enough snack to munch on without being too filling; but its combination of sweet and salty, tangy and boozy is enough to satisfy just until the Thanksgiving feast really starts. More
Got any suggestions on what to add for crunch factor?