peels: breakfast

who wouldn’t want to kick the day off with some breakfast treats from peels? how about some sticky cinnamon pecan buns, egg and cheddar on a biscuit or a butternut squash savory scone? and guess what! they carry stumptown coffee, too!

on a breezy fall morning (early, i might add), we planned on visiting peels (the new fried chicken/biscuits/pies spot from the freeman’s crew) for brunch, but the crowds had already jam packed the lobby, so we decided to pick up a few things to go. the biscuit with egg and cheddar was superb; the biscuit itself was buttery, flaky and baked to perfect done-ness, while the scone was a little dry.

the sticky cinnamon pecan bun was absolutely divine, and although very cinnamony sweet, not too sugary. the pecans were glazed in a cinnamon sugar syrup that formed on top of the buns when baked, and they were still warm when i tasted them. my dad tried the 3-cream pie (banana, chocolate and coconut cream pie all in one, with a very crisp, buttery crust on the bottom and a mound of whipped cream on top) and it was one of the best pies i have ever tasted! it was gone too quickly to take a picture. i am not exaggerating.

i cannot wait to try the dinner menu at peels. and hopefully take home some cinnamon buns for the morning.

peels: 325 bowery (corner of 2nd st.), new york, ny

cafe cluny: the benefits of being late

in 2006, frank bruni, offered his view of the then-new cafe cluny in the west village, titled “the benefits of being french and familiar.” it wasn’t a fully negative critique –he liked the roasted cod, the monkfish, the “supple” scallops and the profiteroles–but to his mind, the young cafe cluny could have tried harder to be better, with a more imaginative menu. it could have been more disciplined in the kitchen and on the floor. it seemed, though, to be coasting on the success and popularity of its forbears (the restaurant is partly owned by keith mcnally’s ex). tennis player/legend john mcenroe once remarked that his kids might have suffered from a bit from “affluenza,” suggesting his success might have allowed their ambitions to lie fallow, at least in their youth. bruni seemed to suggest the same thing about cluny, being in the cafe luxembourg-odeon-mcnally (by marriage) brood.

but cafe cluny was five years old when my friend z and i made a visit last week (my first time) and it seemed to have found good balance after its initial growth spurt.

the charming corner of west 12th and 4th street went though a tumult that night,  a full on hail storm, and cluny was the big, warm blanket we peeked out from under. we marveled from our window-side table at the wind, the big drops of ice and the helpless people caught with and without umbrellas. and then, we marveled at all the food things…

oh, i know i shouldn’t rely on a server’s opinion when trying to decide between a standard menu item and a daily special–aren’t they programmed to push the special? fried zucchini blossoms stuffed with ricotta are a “regular” starter–it didn’t take more than a second for me to start dreaming about those delicate petals, plumped with fresh cheese and quick fried to a perfect crisp. i was certain that would be my first course until i heard three magic words: potato cod fritter. i asked our server her preference–she said, unhaltingly, fritter. they are so nice… and she was right. this was a potato bon bon, with a taste of cod to ground it. it was crisp on the outside, melty on the inside. (a reminder that i really must invest in a potato ricer.)

my friend z ordered the pancetta-wrapped pork tenderloin. her review? it was so good, she was “really sad when it was over” and she would have licked the plate if she could. ah, but she’s too much the lady.

i opted for “homemade handkerchief pasta and roasted autumn forest mushrooms with black truffle mushroom robiolina cheese.”  that sounds rather lady-like, too, yes? but midway through the meal, i had the feeling of breathlessly foraging my way through a glorious shroom forest–i think i was popping them a bit too fast. did i put my fork down even once? the lady in me sure hopes so. they were just so salty and woodsy and good, it was hard to slow down.

i wouldn’t have minded a few more homemade “handkerchiefs” for the journey, i think there were a mere four pockets of pasta.

the robiolina was unlike any cheese i’d had before–it could be mistaken for a dollop of whipped cream or the finest butter. it was a touch salty and delicately cheese-y, with a lasting truffle essence. i felt guilty for leaving even a drop of it behind, but i was just so full…i wasn’t even going to have room for dessert, only coffee.

but then the storm really hit…i took a gander outside, remembered that i’d forgotten my umbrella.
once of a sudden (as my adorable, bulgarian-born high school biology teacher used to say), i had room for dessert.

caramelized banana trifle…

i suppose it’s hard to screw up a pudding? though i haven’t actually tried to make one myself.
this was exactly what i wanted: layers of sweet thick pudding, the crumble of a vanilla biscuit and the crunch of a caramelized banana.

it made me happy to stay under the cafe’s cozy blanket a little while longer.

***
cafe cluny isn’t priced for me to dine there nightly, but i still wish for a cluny clone in my neighborhood, for when i want a night out that is both homey and a bit special. but it’s never bad to be “forced” into visiting the west village.

cafe cluny is at 284 west 12th street, new york, ny 10014. you may reserve a table by calling 212.255.6900.

mesa grill: brunch

i had only been to mesa grill for dinner, but boy, now that i’ve been for brunch, i realize i’ve been missing out. one of the rare places to take brunch reservations, we came in at 11:30 on a saturday, were promptly seated at our table and were greeted with the world’s best bread basket that alone could be a brunch (similar to the one they have at dinner, but BETTER!). the breads in the basket were a raspberry crumble coffee cake (my favorite), small jalepeno cheddar biscuits, oatmeal raisin mini scones, and a corn muffin.

for our entrees, we ordered the blue corn buttermilk waffle and the sweet potato hash. the blue corn buttermilk waffle was served with blackberry bourbon syrup, and vanilla creme fraiche. the blue corn gave the waffle a unique texture and color, and the bourbon syrup was excellent.

next came the spicy chicken and sweet potato hash, topped with poached eggs, and  green chile hollandaise. this was the hit of the morning and the perfect salute to fall. the sweet potato hash was piping hot and cooked perfectly, not too mushy with still a little bit of bite, mixed with smokey and not-too spicy chicken pieces. the hollandaise sauce was also an interesting take on the classic; you could definitely take the green chile essence and there wasn’t too much of it (sometimes hollandaise sauces are poured on in sickening quantities, and then just become goopy and cold when the dish is halfway done).

mesa grill for brunch, a total do-again. i am ready to try the scrambled eggs chilaquiles and the smoked salmon quesadilla. mmm. time for breakfast.

turkey lasagna

i love love love ina garten (the barefoot contessa). i love every recipe she creates, partly because they taste so delicious, and partly because it always seems like you spent hours making a dish that took about 25 minutes.

i’ve been on a recent red sauce/cheese/pasta kick, so on my search to find a new lasagna recipe, ina garten’s turkey lasagna immediately seemed like the best option. it’s a slight twist on something classic; turkey sausage instead of ground beef or turkey, goat cheese mixed with the normal ricotta, and a homemade sauce that was ready in less than five minutes. the actual recipe was incredibly quick to assemble, and it baked for only 30 minutes. i used whole wheat lasagna noodles instead of white pasta , and i added a little more salt and pepper than the recipe suggested. this is definitely a make again! 

turkey lasagna (recipe fromina garten, barefoot contessa family meals, or foodnetwork.com)

serves 6. (with some leftovers)

ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 onion)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 pounds sweet italian turkey sausage, casings removed
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes in tomato puree
• 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 pound lasagna noodles
• 15 ounces ricotta cheese
• 3 to 4 ounces creamy goat cheese, crumbled
• 1 cup grated Parmesan, plus 1/4 cup for sprinkling
• 1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

directions:

preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. heat the olive oil in a large (10 to 12-inch) skillet. add the onion and cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat, until translucent. add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. add the sausage and cook over medium-low heat, breaking it up with a fork, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until no longer pink. add the tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, the basil, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat, for 15 to 20 minutes, until thickened.

meanwhile, fill a large bowl with the hottest tap water. add the noodles and allow them to sit in the water for 20 minutes. Drain.

in a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, goat cheese, 1 cup of parmesan, the egg, the remaining 2 tablespoons of parsley, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. set aside.

ladle 1/3 of the sauce into a 9 by 12 by 2-inch rectangular baking dish, spreading the sauce over the bottom of the dish. then add the layers as follows: half the pasta, half the mozzarella, half the ricotta, and one 1/3 of the sauce. add the rest of the pasta, mozzarella, ricotta, and finally, sauce. sprinkle with 1/4 cup of parmesan. bake for 30 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling. dig in. (i did right away and burned my mouth….)

buttercup bake shop: i double dog dare you

to resist this “devil dog” cupcake…@ buttercup bake shop, east side, nyc.

oct 10, 2010.

photo © anita aguilar

the best burger i ever ate…

is not easy  to choose… but leaping to mind is the frenchie, at dbgb kitchen bar: a beef burger with pork belly confit and morbier (or as i like to call it “more better”) cheese. and the burger at resto.

but someone mentioned to me that buffalo style burger, at the paramus nj location, is a food network celebrity’s favorite burger.

i know paramus. and i’ve been to the bobby’s burger palace at the bergen town center a few times in the past year. i like the concept of it: part fast-food (place your order when you walk in), part diner (seat yourself at any counter or table). they save the frills for the burgers. while every meal i’ve had there has been solid, from sweet potato fries to soda,  i never considered the palace would be home to a “best thing” anyone ever ate.  the buffalo style burger had to be my next meal there…

the real genius of this palace might be that all of the good and clever toppings–including the potato chips that make the burgers “crunchified” –mitigate occasional missteps from the kitchen. receive a well-done burger, instead of the  medium rare you ordered? dip the fully cooked bits into the pool of hot sauce and blue cheese dressing and all will be surprisingly good (though, not great).

even if they’d prepared that burger for me the way that i asked, i couldn’t make this my favorite–in my dream burger, the beef isn’t secondary to the accoutrement.

and: the buffalo style burger isn’t even my favorite burger at the palace.

i much prefer the “dallas burger” : the cole slaw is a crunchy and refreshing foil to the hefty monterey jack cheese burger.

it is definitively the best burger i ever ate (in paramus, new jersey).

***

bobby’s burger palace (in paramus, nj) is located at 610 bergen town center, off route 4 east.

check out the menu there and other locations, at bobbysburgerpalace.com.

financier

nutella napoleon. pumpkin torte. mango macaron. coffee macaron. my heaven. and the cute green and white striped packaging doesn’t hurt, either.

as delicious as they are beautiful, the pastries from financier are unique in both taste and composition. the nutella napoleon, glazed with a chocolate ganache, some crunchy hazelnuts and stuffed with a light nutella flavored cream, was one of the best napoleons i’ve ever tasted. the mini pumpkin torte was loaded with a creamy pumpkin pie filling and a dollop of spiced whipped cream on top. its only downfall was the uncrispy torte shell. the two macarons were equally amazing; both light and fluffy, not too sweet, and slightly larger than the normal small-cookie size macaron. i particularly loved the mango (the mango flavor was faint, but for some reason, i couldn’t stop thinking about it).

i cannot wait to try some of the other pastries from financier, namely the marjolaine (coffee buttercream and chocolate ganache layered with almond meringue and covered in toasted almonds) and the chocolate caramel dome (chocolate cream, caramel mousse and vanilla biscuit). i’m definitely ready for round two.

food seen: market fresh

green and purple tomatillos

ground husk cherry tomatoes

do you see what i see? a man, grimacing?

all produce from oak grove plantation/ the blew family, pittstown, nj.
seen at union square, nyc october 6, 2010.
photos © anita aguilar

upside down apple cake

i love apple picking. granted, i probably only get around to going about once every five years, but when i do, i love collecting huge baskets of all different kinds of apples and figuring out what to do with them. this year i was a little stumped. i had made so many crisps and pies, and i wanted to try something new. this upside down apple cake was the best solution! almost like a tarte tatin sans the labor-intensive crust. the cake is made with a layer of apples in a circle with brown sugar on the bottom of the pan, and then covered with a light cake batter. after cooling, it easily flips out, and voila! (this recipe was altered from martha stewart’s upside down apple cake recipe.)

now what to do with the rest of the apples?

ingredients:

serves 8

• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 2 apples, of any kind (about 1 1/2 pounds), each peeled, cored, and sliced into thin wedges
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup whole milk

directions:

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees. coat bottom and side of a 9-inch round cake pan with 2 tablespoons butter; sprinkle bottom with brown sugar. in a medium bowl, toss apples with lemon juice; arrange in prepared pan in two concentric circles.
2. in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg; set aside.
3. with an electric mixer, beat remaining 8 tablespoons butter with granulated sugar until light and fluffy. add eggs and vanilla; beat until incorporated. with mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture in three parts and the milk in two, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
4. spoon batter over apples in pan; smooth top. bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes. cool cake in pan on a wire rack, at least 30 minutes and up to 6 hours (if cake has risen above rim of pan, simply push back inside rim).
5. to serve, run a knife around edge of pan, and invert cake onto a rimmed platter. eat within two-three days. (mine got a little soggy after the third day.)