Mmmm... Christmas dinner

Merry Christmas, everyone!

The classics are classic for a reason - they're awesome and you never get tired of them. We made pretty much the same stuff for Christmas dinner this year as last year. Recipes can be found here.

A few notes from this year's feast:

1) My sister made some rumblings about deposing Head Chef..... just before she realized she'd put salt instead of sugar in the cranberry sauce. HA! You might get rid of me someday, Sous Chef, but not today.

2) Turkey: Building on the success of brined, grilled chicken in the summer, I decided to brine our turkey this year. The day before you're to cook it, make the brine in a vessel large enough to submerge the turkey. Tip: Don't stick the turkey in first and make the brine around the turkey, because then you won't be able to taste it. Same goes as with the chicken - salt so it tastes like seawater, then add a touch of sugar so you can barely just taste it, and any aromatics you see fit (peppercorns, herb, garlics, etc.). Cover and stick it in the fridge overnight if it will fit, or anywhere else that cool - including the great outdoors - as long as your vessel is well-sealed and secured. Don't forget to take the turkey out of the brine and let it come fully to room temperature before you cook it.

3) Gravy - I usually use the grocery store powdered packets. I don't know what possessed me, but this year I decided to try a newfangled organic brand. Big mistake not getting my usual as a backup - the organic stuff had a seriously funky aftertaste. No worries - gravy is easy enough to make. Melt about two tbsp of butter and toast 2 tbsp of flour in it. You've just made a roux, which can be used to thicken the pan drippings. Milk and/or store-bought chicken stock can help you stretch the gravy to a few more portions, as well as dilute it if the drippings are too salty. I tend not to like apple cider or brandy in my gravy, but feel free to embellish as you please.

Some suggestions for the leftovers:

Christmas Shepherd's Pie - layer turkey, stuffing and brussels sprouts in a microwaveable container. Pour in a little gravy and top with mashed potatoes. Will keep in the fridge for about 3 days. Nuke it for 3-5 minutes to revive.

Turkey Chop Suey Noodles - Sauté some sliced onion until browned. Throw in some shredded turkey meat (and possibly some leftover veggies as well). Toss in some cooked noodles and splash in a little gravy for sauce.

Turkey Broth - Throw the bones into a stock pot with enough water to cover it. Simmer for at least 2 hours and salt to taste. Turkey broth is amazingly flavorful - you'd swear there was MSG in it. It's good straight up, or for making turkey pho. Once you finish the first pot, boil the bones up in a fresh pot of water for stock to freeze. It'll be too watery to drink as soup, but will still give depth to any soup recipe in the place of water. Freeze it in ice cube trays and it'll keep pretty much forever.

Afternoon tea at Hotel Vancouver

Occasion: My Christmas present to my mother - a girls' catch-up over tea (my sister was an extra beneficiary)
Location: Hotel Vancouver on West Georgia St in Vancouver
Edibles: chicken salad on toast; smoked salmon and caviar on toast; a ham, blue cheese and pear croissant; cucumber sandwiches; cinnamon scones; mincemeat pies; gingerbread stars with M&Ms; strawberries and clotted cream; Yule log chocolate cake

(pictured borrowed from Jess Q until I can upload my own)

Musings: It's been more than 10 years since we've had tea together, just the girls. The last time was at the Savoy in London; it was my mom's first time in Europe. Fond memories - we munched on sandwiches and sipped tea for almost four hours, chatting and soaking up the wonderful Englishness of it all.

The Hotel Vancouver's no Savoy, but they put on a nice tea. The room was very festively decorated, and they hired a live harpist to play Christmas carols.

The food was pretty good. I liked most of the savory choices, particularly the ham. The least successful was the cucumber - the bread was pretty dessicated, like they'd made them the day before and failed to keep them properly covered. My sister, a more forgiving soul, suggested they might have done it on purpose to better accompany the tea. My mom's favorite was the salmon. (Incidentally, I discovered that Allie has an absolutely dreadful palate, after she mistook the chicken salad for tuna, and the pear in the ham sandwich for a pickle.)

They provide one extra plate free of charge, so we got an extra of each of those four to share. I think that's a bit stingy as refills go, considering the tea costs some $50 per person. (At the Savoy, you can ask for as many extras as you like. It's not very classy but you can - as we did - skip breakfast and lunch and really tuck in.)

They gave a generous two scones per person, but I could only choke down half of one as they were cinnamon scones and that spice makes me gag. I liked the gingerbread cookie, but found the cake was cloyingly sweet. I was, in general, less enchanted by the sweets than the savories. But then again, I don't have much of a sweet tooth; you might feel differently.

As for the tea, we got two pots of a strawberry tea and it turned out to be a good primary choice - it was very delicate and did not interfere with the flavors of the food. Towards the end, we got a third pot of maple black. The maple was very interesting - it was smelled syrupy, but had no sweetness at all when tasted. Instead, it was dark and smoky.

Merry Christmas, and I hope you're all getting to spend some quality time with your family in the holiday rush!

The Redhead

Occasion: Dinner with Gabrielle and Winnie
Location: The Redhead on 13th St between 1st and 2nd (theredheadnyc.com)
Edibles: sausage flatbread; shrimp and grits; buttermilk fried chicken; homemade tater tots; bacon brussel sprouts; dessert - sticky toffee pudding, apple cobbler, beignets

Musings: Knowledge is power. Or, as G.I. Joe used to say, "Knowing is half the battle." (I always wondered what the other half was. And then I realized: winning.) Gabrielle used to live in this neighborhood, and so knows this place pretty well. She pointed us toward a few things that I wouldn't necessarily have ordered going in blind, and her advice was flawless.

We started with the sausage flatbread. Sounds unremarkable, but it was really crisp and the sausage was really quality stuff. Yum. The shrimp and grits were lovely - the sofrito in the sauce really made this dish, I thought. The tater tots and the brussel sprouts were nice, but didn't really blow me away. I'd skip these on future visits; there's really enough food without having to order extra sides.

That buttermilk fried chicken - in a word, spectacular. I think they brined the chicken. It was really moist and savory. Great crunchy crust. And perfect sides. The spinach and apple salad on the side was particularly addictive, and just the thing to refresh the palate.

I also had a great cocktail (the Ginger Snap - ginger syrup, rum and citrus) and a great dessert (sticky toffee pudding). Thumbs up! Thanks to Winnie and Gabrielle for squeezing this visit in before the end of the year.

Landmarc

Occasion: Catch-up dinner with Jill and Amy
Location: Landmark, on the third floor of the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle
Edibles: I had the pork chop with spinach and roasted apples and onions; Jill and Amy, possessing more self-restraint, had salads

Musings: Landmarc straddles the fine line between being appealing to tourists and still acceptable to locals. The décor is a sort of a generic sleek-modern. It's a gigantic space and the benefit is that you rarely have to wait for a table. The view over the renovated Columbus Circle is pretty nice, particularly so at this time of year with all the twinkly lights.

One small minus - it's very expensive to drink here. They don't have any wine by the glass; the smallest unit is the half bottle (so if you normally get two glasses, you will not really be affected). Cocktails are $10-15 and even a draft beer is $8.

Food is similarly priced. I was a little hesitant because it was so expensive, but I was ultimately more than pleased with my main dish. I asked for the chop to be cooked just under medium, and it was perfectly done. Really tender and juicy, with just the hint of blush. Kind of blew my mind, actually. Sigh - bliss is a perfectly-cooked slab of meat.....

The sides were well-chosen, and balanced the richness of the meat and the sauce nicely.

We didn't get it tonight, but their little dessert samplers are fun and tasty. You can also get cotton candy - whimsical! Even if you don't order dessert, you can still have a sweet bite because they give you some homemade caramels with the bill - a classy touch.

Mmmm... Thanksgiving feast

Yining and Summer Brother joined Real Brother and me for Thanksgiving this year. I decided to forego turkey for the second year in a row, and chose rack of lamb as our protein. Entertainment activities included a marathon Rock Band session during prep, and mahjong for beginners after dinner, before dessert. I had a ball; I hope everyone else did too!

Rosemary Roast Rack of Lamb

I cooked three racks of lamb (about eight chops per rack) for four people and we finished them all. Meat-tastic!

Pretty simple to cook, actually. As with all roasted meats, the trick is to let it fully come to room temperature before you apply any heat. Give the lamb a quick rub with salt, pepper, and finely chopped fresh rosemary. After a good sear in a hot skillet, pop it into a 400° oven for about 15 minutes. The meat should still have lots of give to the touch. If you have a meat thermometer, La Martha's meat temperatures chart calls for 145° for medium rare, before resting.

Something delicate like lamb is very sensitive to cooking time and the smallest variation in temperature. Our first rack rested the shortest amount of time, and came out the slightest bit underdone in terms of texture. I think it had the best flavor of the three racks, though. The second rack (in the turned-off oven an extra 5 min) was a touch overdone. I think if I had kept it under foil on the countertop, it would have been perfect. The last rack (in the turned-off oven an extra 5 min and rested 5-7 minutes more than the others) was plainly overdone. It was still pink in the middle, but had lost the pliant texture of the first two. The flavor was also much more pungent - it was quite gamey and tasted almost like liver, inexplicably.

(In the interest of full disclosure: I actually stuck the lamb in the oven without searing, as the recipe called for, saw that it looked pretty anemic and unappetizing, and then seared it on the stovetop ex post facto. Worked fine.)

Buttered Green Beans

Wash and trim the green beans. Sauté in butter until cooked but still crisp. Salt and pepper to season. (How easy is that?)

Roasted Butternut Squash, Carrots and Potatoes

Peel and cut up the squash and carrots. I used fingerling potatoes and they didn't need to be peeled. Make sure everything is in about same-sized chunks for even cooking. Toss with salt, pepper and a glug of olive oil. Into a 375° oven for 20-30 minutes.

Balsamic Mushrooms

Mushrooms shrink A LOT! Buy way more than you think you'll need. I used baby portobellos this time around, but you can also use regular white button mushrooms.

Sauté the mushrooms in olive oil; season with salt and pepper. You want to really sweat out most of the moisture in the mushrooms. If your pan is a bit crowded and you can't evaporate the liquid quickly enough, you can just pour it out carefully.

When the mushrooms are mostly cooked and shrunken, add a few tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and heat a few minutes to reduce. Done! The balsamic gives the mushrooms some pizzazz. This side was a real hit with Summer Brother. Also good at room temperature and out of the fridge, in the summer.

Sweet Potato Pie

I'm not going to write out the whole recipe, since it wasn't particularly successful. You can get the source recipe here.

Here's the rundown:
- I couldn't be bothered to mess with my own piecrust, so I used a Whole Foods frozen pie crust, baked blind. Worked out great. It's a pretty salty crust, but I like it that way.
- Since I could only find white sweet potatoes, I used half sweet potatoes and half yams to get that orange-y color.
- I put in just the smallest pinch of cinnamon since it makes me gag. I replaced it with a dash of vanilla extract (maybe ¼ tsp?). I couldn't taste the vanilla at all, so think maybe ½ to 1 full tsp next time.
- I used half the amount of allspice in the recipe, and it was still WAY too strong. It was a new jar and pretty fresh, but I'd still use caution next time.
- It tasted too eggy - more like a sweet potato quiche than a sweet potato pie. Fewer eggs next time. (3 eggs in this particular recipe. The Alton recipe my sister used called for 5 eggs!!)

Popover Cafe

Occasion: Post-movie (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Pt. 1) brunch with Robert
Location: Popover Cafe on Amsterdam at 87th (popovercafe.com)
Edibles: I had the Kobe corned beef hash; Robert had the smoked salmon scramble

Musings: I've heard some rave reviews about this place and have been wanting to come for a while. How did it measure up to expectations? Well, let's just say that my old UWS favorites Kitchenette and Good Enough to Eat should not be too worried.

We had a 45-minute wait, but that's pretty much the case for any half decent brunch place on the weekend.

I must say I was disappointed with the food. Their eponymous popover was stone cold and kind of rubbery. I'm not a popover connoisseur or anything, but I think BLT Steak's are better. The fancy $15 Kobe corned beef hash wasn't even as good as the stuff they service in my office canteen, and I'm pretty sure that stuff comes frozen in giant sacks from Costco. The eggs were dry. My hot cider had a ton of cinnamon sprinkled on top and all over the rim of the glass, giving you a mouthful of dust every sip.

Which is all a pity, because Popover Cafe's a cute place - homey and unpretentious. Anyone out there want to talk me into a second visit?

Endless Summer

Location: Bedford and N 6th St in Williamsburg (endlesssummertacos.com)

Winnie and I passed this truck on our way to The Yarn Tree for craft supplies. I noticed: 1) a delicious meaty scent in the air; 2) lots of people waiting in line. Both promising signs of good eats. On the way back, I campaigned hard for a snack break.

I tried a beef taco and a pork taco, and both were lovely. They're garnished with a white sauce and a green sauce (thinned-out sour cream and tomatillo, respectively, I think), a few slices of radish and a wedge of lime. Winnie thought the beef was a smidge dry, but I hardly noticed it under all the sauce and lime juice. The corn tortillas were wonderfully fragrant and pliable. You get two per taco, and you could conceivably refashion two smaller tacos for daintier eating if you were not standing at a streetcorner, as we were. Or you can just stuff them in your face as-is - I can say from personal experience that it works just fine.

$2.50 for the pork, $3.00 for the beef. Another reason to venture out into the hinterlands...

Mmmm... my mom's meatballs

Mom's Meatballs

1 lb of ground pork
1 egg
sesame oil
soy sauce
rice wine (I've substituted vodka in a pinch)
scallions, finely chopped
ginger, grated (I use a rasp)
salt and pepper
1 tbsp cornstarch for the meat + 1 tsp for the cornstarch slurry
water
cooking oil (not olive)

As you can see, there are a lot of ingredients in common with the dumpling filling recipe. In fact, you can season 3 lbs of pork and split off 1 lb to make meatballs to save some work. The difference between the two recipes: NO shrimp or napa cabbage in the meatballs; NO cornstarch in the dumpling filling. They have all the other ingredients in common.

Once you've marinated the meat for a while with the seasonings, add 1 tbsp of cornstarch and enough water so that the meat mixture is almost soupy, but still firm enough to hold a shape. Start with ¼ cup of water, then add more if it's still dry-looking.

To make the meatballs: First, heat a skillet with about half an inch of cooking oil on medium heat. (I like canola but you can use something else. Just don't use olive oil - the smoking point is too low.)

Make some cornstarch slurry - just 1 tsp of cornstarch dissolved in 3-4 tbsp of water. Dip a metal soup spoon in the slurry, then scoop out a spoonful of the meat mixture. Using the spoon and the palm of your opposite hand, form a nice smooth meatball. No harm if it's not perfectly spherical - in fact, if you've got the texture right, it'll flatten out slightly when you put it in the pan.

Gently place the meatballs in the hot oil. Fry until brown on one side, then carefully turn over and repeat on the other side. This step is just for developing some flavor from the browning - don't expect to cook the meatball through. When browned, remove to a cookie sheet to cool.

At this point, you can put the meatballs in plastic containers and freeze them. I drizzle in a little of the oil they cooked in, along with any browned bits - it gives extra flavor to whatever dish you use the meatballs in. They'll keep about six months in the deep freeze.

Otherwise, you can go ahead and finish cooking them in a number of recipes. In my family, we usually have them in a soup made of chicken stock, napa cabbage, tofu and shiitake mushrooms. You can throw together a makeshift pho with wide rice noodles, chicken stock and cilantro. These meatballs will also work in a marinara sauce, over spaghetti. They're generally a good resource to have on hand.

Alternative preparation: We do a few "crunchies" at the end, as a sort of cook's treat. These are about a third the size of the regular meatballs, only about 1 tbsp each. Fry them until they're very brown and crisp on the outside, and cooked all the way through.

Mmmm... "red-cooked" tilapia

"Red-Cooked" Tilapia

a fresh tilapia, about a pound and a half
⅓ cup soy sauce
⅓ cup water
4 scallions, cut into 2-inch pieces
3-4 slices of ginger
2-3 cloves of garlic, cracked with the flat of your knife but not chopped
1 tbsp sugar
a splash of cooking wine
3 tbsp oil

I'm so happy to have found several sources for fresh tilapia in New York. In the city, there's the Chinese supermarket on Elizabeth (near Hester). Both of the big stores on Main Street in Flushing have it as well. I emphatically cannot guarantee any worthwhile results with frozen fish - my mom attempted to make this dish with a frozen tilapia from Whole Foods once, and it tasted terrible and stunk up my apartment to boot.

The fishmonger should have cleaned and scaled the fish for you. Give it a quick rinse and blot, and go over it with an angled paring knife to catch any scales they might have missed.

In a large skillet or wok, heat up a few tablespoons of cooking oil. When it's nice and hot, give the scallions, garlic and ginger a quick toast. Slide the fish in. Dissolve the sugar in the soy sauce, and add it, the water and a splash of cooking wine to the pan.

It takes about 10 min per side on medium heat (so the liquid's bubbling gently). Use two spatulas to turn it - very carefully, so it doesn't fall apart - halfway through cooking. Decant the whole thing onto a large platter, deep enough to hold all the sauce. You can't eat the ginger but the scallions and garlic are quite tasty so pile them on top.

If you have any leftovers, cover and refrigerate. The next day, you will notice the sauce is jellied - that's the natural gelatin from the bones in the fish. To revive it, pour some Chinese black vinegar (or balsamic is a fair substitute) over the whole thing and eat at room temperature. I actually like it this way so much that I usually try to talk my mom into cooking an extra fish to set aside for this express purpose.

Enjoy!

Mmmm... homemade dumplings (jiaozi / gyoza)

Mom's Dumplings

2 lbs of ground pork
½ lb of shrimp, shelled, de-veined and chopped
1 - 2 napa cabbages (a.k.a. Chinese cabbage or bok choi), finely chopped
2 eggs
sesame oil
soy sauce
rice wine (I've substituted vodka in a pinch)
scallions, finely chopped
ginger, grated (I use a rasp)
salt and pepper
~300 dumpling wrappers

The flavoring is highly, highly subjective. I personally like a lot of ginger, sesame oil and pepper. My mom likes it more delicately seasoned. One thing to consider is that you'll want to salt it on the heavy side, as salt leaches out during the boiling, and what tastes a bit salty when freshly made will end up just right.

Pork: Season with some splashes of sesame oil, soy sauce, rice wine, the ginger and scallions, and some salt and pepper. (If you're not comfortable seasoning without measurements, take it easy - you can always add more after testing it.) Add the chopped shrimp. Crack in two eggs as a binding agent. Let the pork mixture marinate a bit while you deal with the napa cabbage.

Napa cabbage: Fair warning, if you chop the cabbage by hand, it will take a bleeping long time. We discovered that the cross-cut blade on a mandoline works great - you just hold the whole cabbage by the base and grate the whole head. Don't try to do this step in a food processor - it will pulp your vegetable too badly.

When it's all chopped, salt it generously to draw out some of the water (regular table salt will do here - no point in wasting your nice kosher or sea salts). Give it a bit of a massage to work in the salt, and after 5-10 minutes, squeeze out as much water as you can, one small lump at a time in your hands. If you have a potato ricer, it's perfect for this task. Mix the dehydrated cabbage with the pork.

Testing: Make a small patty out of the filling and fry it in a small skillet until fully cooked. Taste for seasoning - correct as needed. Make another test patty if you were pretty far off the first time; no need if you just did a little tweaking.

Wrappers: For our semi-annual dumpling-making enterprise, my mom brings fresh wrappers from Vancouver. (There's a shop under the Granville Bridge that makes fresh noodles that makes them.) They're fantastic: just the right thickness and really resilient and elastic.

You can get frozen wrappers from any Chinese grocer. Be sure to get the round, white wrappers. (The square, yellowish ones are for wontons.) We've experimented with a few brands, but found them all to be somewhat substandard - on the thin side, very dry and brittle. But you can make do with them.

As a final option, you can make your own wrappers. The dough is just flour and hot water. You want to knead it a fair amount to develop the gluten. It'll be a hard, dense texture, far stiffer than bread or pasta dough. The tricky part is to find someone who's handy with a rolling pin to roll out small rounds about 4 inches in diameter. This option has a fairly high degree of difficulty and I wouldn't recommend it for beginners. You would definitely have a head start if you're an experienced baker with a good "touch" for doughs.

The amount of filling in the recipe above will make about 300 dumplings. (It's not as much as it sounds! They go quick!)

Assembly: Place about a tablespoon of filling in the middle of the wrapper, wet the edges of the wrapper with water, fold over and seal. The clumsiest seal is just to press the edges together, flat. My dad starts at one end and makes little pinch-pleats until he gets to the other. My mom pinches the wrapper together in the middle, then seals up the two open ends in a gentle crescent shape.

Place line them up on a cookie sheet (in a single layer) and freeze for one to five hours. Then you can put them in plastic freezer bags for long-term storage. Make sure they're pretty solidly frozen before you move them into bags or they will smush and fuse together under their own weight and be very hard to separate later. The dumplings will last about six months in the deep freeze.

Cooking: Bring a big pot of water to the boil. You want plenty of water for them to swim around in, or they'll stick horribly to each other. You want to stir the water gently and continuously from the moment they go in until they start to float on their own. If they sink to the bottom of the pot and stay there, they will also stick horribly and you will rip the wrapper and boil all the flavor out of the filling. Suboptimal, after all the work you went through to make them. They're done a couple of minutes after they're all floating on the surface.

It obviously takes less time too cook a fresh dumpling the day you make them than one that's been frozen solid. If you're unsure how long to boil something of this size so it's definitely cooked all the way through, best give it a few extra minutes just to be sure.

To eat, I like a simple dipping sauce of either sesame oil and soy sauce, or Chinese black rice vinegar and soy sauce. My mom adds a good squirt of sriracha. If it's for a meal, I'd say portion about 15 per person (though it can be up to 30 or 40 if you're feeding a bottomless pit of a teenager).

There's a Chinese custom to pour some of the cooking water into whatever sauce you have left over, and drink it as a soup. I do it once in a while myself, but this part is most definitely optional.

Cooked leftovers: Keep them on a plate, so that they're not touching. Cover with cling film and refrigerate. The next day, you can put them in a skillet with a little oil and make potstickers. (Note that you can't make potsickers directly from frozen so you might want to boil some extras on purpose.)

Antibes Bistro

Occasion: Abby's birthday dinner
Location: Antibes Bistro on Suffolk between Rivington and Delancey (antibesbistro.com)
Edibles: we got the roasted asparagus and some parmesan risotto for the table to start; I had two apps for my main course - the goat cheese and beet salad, and the marinated scallops; Jill also let me have a taste of her roast chicken

Musings: Happy birthday, Miss Abby! It was so nice to have all the girls together to celebrate!

Antibes Bistro has a charmingly rustic dining room that made me feel like I was in a farmhouse in the French countryside. The mismatched furniture, the soft amber lighting - it all added up to a great atmosphere for a relaxing, low-key dinner. As a bonus, there was a jazz trio playing live music! (I think the singer sang at Atticus and Kathy's wedding. Sadly, the cute clarinet player from that event was nowhere to be seen.)

The food. Generally good, but I had lots of little niggles. The asparagus was ho-hum. The risotto was overcooked. My scallops had an unpleasant bitter aftertaste. The goat cheese and beet salad dish was inexplicably served warm. I don't know why - it didn't enhance either of the ingredients and just came across as odd....

Ultimately, I think the chef falls a little short in the "attention to detail" department. However, I'd be willing to give this place another try. The space is great and the prices are very budget-friendly (apps $6-9, mains $13-18). I bet there's a great meal to be had off their menu - you just have to find it.

Ninh's Vietnamese Sandwich

Occasion: Lazy take-out dinner
Location: Ninh's Vietnamese Sandwich & Bubble Tea on 2nd between 31st and 32nd
Edibles: I had the chicken sandwich; Edward had the beef sandwich and a bubble tea

Musings: The bubble tea was terrible. Tapioca doesn't keep well and a place needs to either have enough business that they go through their batches quickly, or be committed enough to quality to throw them out when they begin to harden, and start over fresh. This place is neither.

The chicken sandwich was okay but they were a bit stingy with the chicken - Baoguette gives you a lot more per sandwich. And there was too much mayo. The beef was pretty tasty.

Because it's so insidiously close to my apartment, Ninh's will probably get some repeat business from me.

Sapporo

Occasion: Lunch with Kathy and Gerald
Location: Sapporo on 49th between 6th and 7th
Edibles: pork katsu and miso ramen

Musings: The pork katsu is actually a meal in itself, but I ordered it as an appetizer / side dish. It's two enormous pork chops, breaded in panko and fried to crispy perfection, conveniently sliced for easy sharing. Yum.

The ramen was okay, but not particularly memorable. (It certainly didn't help that I had already inhaled an entire pork chop and half a bowl of rice by the time it arrived.) Is Sapporo as good as my go-to, Minca? Sadly, no. It is, however, a decent midtown lunch option.

Note: If you only have an hour for lunch, get there early. We arrived just before noon and there were already people waiting; by the time we left, the line was out the door and down the block.

Momofuku Milk Bar

Location: Momofuku Milk Bar on 2nd Ave at 13th - there's a pass-through from the rear of the restaurant, but it also has a separate entrance (momofuku.com/milkbar/)

Musings: The compost cookie. Contains all sorts of alarming ingredients like coffee grounds, pretzels and potato chips. Interesting concept, but I thought they overdid it on the coffee grounds - it was all I could taste.

The blueberry and cream cookie is Robert's favorite. I found the unrelieved sweetness a bit cloying, but the chewy texture was nice.

Our third cookie was my favorite - cornflake, choco chip and marshmallow. The cornflakes gave it a great crunch and the slightest touch of savoriness without you having to taste actual grains of salt (like from the potato chips and pretzels in the compost cookie). I. Loved. It.

I bet you can make a reasonable facsimile of this cookie by taking the basic Nestlé Toll House recipe and adding a handful of cornflakes and mini marshmallows. Stay tuned for recipe-testing results in the not-too-distant future.

And finally, the crack pie. It's got a dense, sugary filling that reminded me of a pecan pie without the pecans. I looked at the ingredients and it's basically got the same things as a standard custard - sugar, eggs, dairy, etc. And yet there's some sort of magic (or witchcraft) involved because every time I finished a bite, I found myself wanting another. Aptly named, Momofuku.

Momofuku Ssäm Bar, part II

Occasion: Pre-movie (The Social Network) dinner with Robert, Ingrid and Judy
Location: Momofuku Ssäm Bar on 2nd Ave at 13th (momofuku.com)
Edibles: steamed pork belly buns; blackened bluefish sandwich; spicy pork sausage and rice cakes; tilefish with chai masala, squash curry and pumpkin seeds; amberjack with pearl barley, smoked marrow and chestnut

Musings: First, the good stuff. As before, the pork buns were magnificent (and not so fatty this time). The bluefish sandwich was another standout. Crispy, plump fillets of fish, creamy sauce, and a nice soft bread that didn't cause the all the fillings to squirt out when you bite into it. I hope they keep this on their menu - I liked it a lot.

The fish was likewise fresh and well-cooked in the two other dishes we ordered.

The Cons: The sides on both fish mains were terrible. Strange flavors, poorly matched to the protein, and parsimoniously portioned. At $27 and $23, I expected better and more. By comparison, the bluefish sandwich is a steal at $14.

The rice cakes I thought were too spicy and Ingrid thought were too salty. Which was a pity since it was the biggest plate of all the things we ordered. We had tons left over.

We considered but decided against ordering the clam chowder raviolo when we discovered that the $15 dish consisted of a single raviolo. Highway robbery! This, I think is the major failing of Momofuku - it's kind of overpriced. (Though it hasn't stopped my fellow New Yorkers from keeping this place packed day in and day out.)

Massive Top Chef DC Catch-up

Every remaining episode in this season. Dedicated to faithful readers Karen and Josie.

Ep. 9 - Restaurant Wars

Original Air Date: August 11, 2010

1) "EVOO" makes any Food Network viewer think of Rachael Ray. Maybe not the association you want for your fine dining restaurant? (Off-topic, but it's a real food peeve of mine that Rachael Ray's budget cooking show encourages people to cook with extra-virgin olive oil ALL the time. Heat higher than about 250° - namely, the temperatures at which you cook on a stovetop or in the oven - will damage and deteriorate extra-virgin olive oil. Use canola or lower grade olive as your regular cooking oil and save the expensive extra-virgin for cold dishes and salads, or for drizzling over stuff that's already cooked.)

2) Alex is total crap at butchering proteins. *I* could have done a better job. Why did they leave him at it for so long?
3) Alex is also rubbish at front of the house. I know you wanted him out of the kitchen, Red Team, but you also want to make a good impression on the judges and he is the only one they will see.

4) Classic fake-out ending by the editors. I think Blue Team was lulled into a false sense of security by the chaos on Red Team. Attacking Alex on the winning team was an inexplicable strategy to take at Judges' Table.
5) Shocker elimination. I thought for sure Kenny would make it to the finals. I bet it chaps his ass that Alex and Amanda are still around.

Ep. 10 - Covert Cuisine
Original Air Date: August 18, 2010

1) Loved this Quickfire. Those were some crazy ingredients they threw together. I mean, hominy and squid and passionfruit? Diabolical! I wish they'd taken the time to detail how everything was used in the dishes. I also wish Wylie had taken a minute to tell us what he would have cooked. Inquiring minds want to know!
2) Weird to hear "CIA" on a cooking show and have it mean the spy people, not the Culinary Institute of America.
3) Maybe Ed could have pushed his inside-out idea further and disguised the dish as sushi? You could use spinach to simulate the seaweed and both chicken and Swiss are pale enough to look kind of like rice. Beef Wellington - that's tough, there are only two main ingredients. Maybe a savory Napoleon? French onion soup has a lot of elements to play with. Maybe a kind of French dip sandwich with onion rings?
4) Annoying Amanda escapes to cook another day! Argh! Her dish looked like a stool sample and also failed to meet the basic requirements of the challenge. Though to be fair, Ed and Kevin biffed the disguise as well.

Ep. 11 - Making Concessions
Original Air Date: August 25, 2010

1) Loved this Quickfire too. I can't believe no one picked "Hide the salami." I though it would have been fun for Amanda play off her phrase and use rigatoni, so it looked like mac and cheese for giants. But I'm also okay with continuing to hate her for being boring.
2) Angelo was dumb to volunteer for orders - it's all downside, no upside. Maybe they could have rotated on orders? Or just cooked lots of food and set it out, since it was all free?
3) Annoying Amanda finally gets the axe! Tartare at a baseball concessions stand? Total wack-a-doo decision. Any knowledge of basic food safety would lead you to NOT chop the stuff the night before. The more surface area there is, the faster bacteria multiplies. (That's why hamburger doesn't last as long and is a greater food poisoning risk than steak.) Not knowing how to stave off oxidation was another huge blunder. Good riddance!

Ep. 12 - Gastronauts
Original Air Date: September 1, 2010

1) I saw Buzz Aldrin, and immediately pictured him dating Liz Lemon's mom. Love that show!
2) OK, this challenge made no sense. It should have happened earlier in the season, and the cheftestants should have had to actually freeze-dry and reconstitute their dishes. (Like the Season 3 folks, who actually had to serve their airplane food reheated on a plane.) As is, they just ended up with a bunch of nonsensical
"suggestions" like don't use too much sugar and astronauts like spicy foods.
3) Speaking of which... no sugar? I used to volunteer at Science World, and one of the most popular items in the gift shop was freeze-dried ice-cream.
4) Angelo really needs to stop talking about "making love" to his food. I mean, food and cooking can be sensual but I want to feel it in the dish, not hear it from the chef.
5) Ripert was hard to please this ep. I actually really like it when the judges disagree - food is so subjective, after all.

Ep. 13 - Finale, Part I
Original Air Date: September 8, 2010

1) Singapore? Pretty random.
2) I want a culinary tour of the city led by Seetoh. Incidentally, I think the Singaporean accent is very charming (unlike the majority of Asian accents).
3) Nice obstacle on the Quickfire with the Chinese labels. I'm actually kind of surprised that Angelo can't read a little, especially the food words - he seems to have quite the Asian fetish. (Which makes his Russian mail-order bride all the more inexplicable.)
4) Wow, toxic atmosphere in that kitchen. Doesn't take much success for Ed's Mr. Hyde to come out, does it?
5) Given the hot weather, why so many soups and no salads?
6) Kevin's egg and tapioca dish sounded like a slimy, goopy disaster. And yet the judges loved it. Where did the flavor come from? If he'd never cooked it before, I'm impressed Kevin aced the tapioca. A friend of our family has a bubble tea shop in Vancouver and, according to her, it's a very finicky thing to cook - they have to do a batch every few hours because the centers start to seize up if the tapioca sits too long.

Ep. 14 - Finale, Part II
Original Air Date: September 15, 2010

1) Michael Volt!! His presence reminds me that last season was out-of-the-park with talent, whereas this season was characterized by annoying people and mediocrity.
2) Slipper lobsters look like giant roaches. The first person to try to eat that must have been pretty damn hungry.
3) What exactly was wrong with Angelo? Migraine? Food poisoning? The latter seems most likely, but why would he get food poisoning when it looks like they all ate the same things?
4) Breakdown by course: 1st, veg - Ed's corn velouté was the clear winner; 2nd, rouget - Angelo/Kevin split; 3rd, duck - Kevin's was the favorite (though the skin looked hardly rendered at all in the glamour shot); 4th, dessert - another Angelo/Kevin split.
5) Congrats to Kevin and all - but I think he won through process of elimination. To me, Angelo's fatal flaw was his weird flavor combinations. Watermelon and mushroom and pork? Duck and cinnamon marshmallow? Ed's fatal flaw was clearly to let Ilan do the dessert himself.

Mmmm... Oktoberfest, Part Deux

Same deal as last year. Lots of booze, lots of würsts from Schaller & Weber.

Two new salads this year. They went pretty quick - always a good sign for a debut recipe.

Potato and Macaroni Salad
(based on a Martha recipe)

boiled and halved fingerling potatoes
cooked and drained macaroni
sliced raw sugar snaps
lots of bacon bits

Dressing: Greek yogurt, olive oil, S&P

A slight tweak for this one: I wasn't crazy about the sugar snaps - the pea husks were a bit fibrous. I did like the color and the crunch, so I'll probably try snow peas next time.

Cucumber and Avocado Salad

cucumber
avocado
yellow and orange bell peppers
(all roughly chopped)

Dressing: red wine vinaigrette with lots of mustard

Nothing could be simpler. I'd never put these three things together but I think it worked out well. I think it'd be tasty with some toasted nuts sprinkled on top - maybe walnuts or pecans.

Otto

Occasion: Dinner with Alfred, in from Toronto for the long weekend.
Location: Otto on 5th Ave at 8th (ottopizzeria.com)
Edibles: three veggies to start (I think it was the beets, the mushrooms and the summer squash); a prosciutto pizza; rigatoni with sausage

Musings: My love for all things Batali continues. I can't believe I haven't been here in over a year!

Otto is an old faithful. The food is reliably tasty and the prices are reasonable. It's casual, dim, loud. And I'm always tickled when they've got the train station schedule board (pictured above) going, that lets you know when your table is ready.

As I've mentioned before, the veg guy at a Batali restaurant is always top-notch. For $4, you get a nice ramekin of the vegetable antipasto of your choice. I recommend that you get several, and don't be shy about asking for more bread. It's always my favorite part of an Otto meal.

For the main course, we considered - but ultimately chickened out of - getting the lardo pizza. We were told by our waiter that it has no sauce or cheese; it's just a crust draped with lardo. Now, I like me some pork fat but it's quite a commitment for two people to split one of these babies. I'd definitely like to try a slice some other time. If you feel the same way, call me. Maybe we can get a group together.

[Note: I also recommend the pizza with the egg - it's simple, but intriguing and yummy. For dessert, the olive oil ice-cream sundae is a good choice. It's got lots of weird toppings but, somehow, it all works together.]

Happy Beef Noodle House

Occasion: Post-US Open (Sharapova def Benesova; Djokovic def Petzschner) snack with Yining
Location: Happy Beef Noodle House on Prince between 38th and 39th Ave in Flushing, Queens
Edibles: noodles with stewed beef and tendon

Musings: Generally speaking, a very good effort and hard to beat for the price. The highlight for me was the stewed beef. My mom couldn't have done it better, and that's saying something. Really flavorful and falling-apart tender.

Some minor critiques: 1) the tendon could have had a bit more bite to it, i.e. not been cooked quite so soft; 2) the noodles aren't as good as Lanzhou - if only they could combine their powers; 3) the broth was a little thin for my taste, though Yining liked it fine.

On the way out, we also discovered an interesting-looking food truck. There was a yummy-looking chop I thought was pork, though their menu only listed lamb chops. A mystery. We were both stuffed and sadly unable to sample the goods. Next time, next time....

La Pizza Fresca

Occasion: Dinner with Abby and Elizabeth
Location: La Pizza Fresca Ristorante on 20th between Broadway and Park (lapizzafrescaristorante.com)
Edibles: I had a half-portion of the orechiette with sausage and broccoli rabe; we also shared two pizzas, one margherita and one prosciutto

Musings: Thumbs down on this place. First, they need to get an AC. Or stop being so cheap about turning it on. It was sweltering inside.

Second, the chef really needs to get off his high horse. Elizabeth wanted the prosciutto baked into the pizza. The waiter returned and reported that the chef didn't think it would taste good that way. We maintained that that's how we wanted it. The waiter returned a second time and said the chef refused to prepare the pizza as we'd asked. (Let me clarify - the waiter was in no way at fault. In fact, the poor guy looked pretty miserable and apologetic.)

I was ready to march into the kitchen and give the chef a talking-to, but Abby and Elizabeth convinced me to wait until after dinner. I mean, when a diner wants his steak cooked to kingdom come, the kitchen is obliged to prepare it that way!

Ultimately, the pizza arrived with the prosciutto baked in. But what a hassle. Not like we don't have PLENTY of other choices for pizza in the city.

Mmmm... bingsu

Bingsu is a Korean hybrid consisting of Asian-style frozen yogurt (Pinkberry, Red Mango, etc. that you can get stateside) on top of shaved ice, with toppings. Shown below: strawberry, mixed fruit, and chocolate cereal versions.

Bingsu is actually quite genius because it's more refreshing than just fro-yo alone, and has fewer calories. I think US fro-yo places should look into this.

Seoul Wrap-up: My knowledge of Korean cuisine has been expanded dramatically. Thank you SO SO SO much to Kathy and Ron, for showing me your Seoul and being such thoughtful and unstintingly generous hosts! You guys are the best! Shack burgers on me next time you're in the City.

[unidentified Korean bbq place in Seoul]

Occasion: My last dinner in Seoul with Kathy and Ron.
Location: a Korean bbq place in Shinchon
Edibles: beef, more beef and all the fixins'

Musings: We went to this place on my insistence. As good as tofu and mandoo are, the meat-tooth must be satisfied!

Goes to show - even a seasoned foodie can be led astray by preconceived notions. The beef had a nice marinade and was generally tasty, but nothing you can't get in the US. Definitely not worth wasting a meal in Korea. Lesson learned: listen to your local hosts when you travel.

[unidentified noodle shop in Seoul]

Occasion: Lunch with Kathy
Location: this place

Edibles: Non-spicy noodles for me; spicy noodles for Kathy

Musings: This dish really is the perfect summer lunch - cool, tart and light. Cold soba vermicelli (an opaque grey-green color and chewier than regular Chinese vermicelli made with mung beans) in an iced broth, with a hardboiled egg. I gave it a generous squirt of white vinegar, a substance I had previously dismissed as only fit for glass-cleaning, but which provided the perfect unobtrustive acidity. Outstanding.

(There was some barbequed pork on the side but I barely paid any attention to it, so occupied was I by the noodles. Considering what a meat-tooth I am, that's saying something.)

I think I can replicate this at home.

Kathy had the spicy version. (Note: If you're not a spicy foods wimp like me, you will LOVE Korea. They appreciate a pepper here. And possibly also Red Dye #40.)

Tofu House

Occasion: Dinner with some of Kathy and Ron's friends
Location: Tofu House, somewhere in Shinchon (again, I can always appeal to Kathy and Ron if you're looking for an exact location)
Edibles: non-spicy tofu stew with red bean rice

Musings: I love this sort of peasant food (matter-of-fact, hearty, loaded with lots of carbs and cheap proteins). I ordered the only non-spicy tofu stew on the menu. It was lovely and mild, with a slight peanut-y taste. I can totally see why Kathy and Ron are regulars here. It was a yummy meal even in the steamy summer heat - I can only imagine how wonderful it is in the deep of winter.

For those of you who recoil at the thought of eating tofu, I ask you to reconsider your prejudices. I like tofu not because it's healthy, but because it's awesome and delicious. The silky wobble of it on your tongue can be almost sort of... sexy.

It's bland, you say? So are many other wonderful foods like eggplant, rice, polenta and even bread. They're usually meant to absorb the characteristics of the foods you cook them with, or provide a respite from other intensely flavored things you're eating in the meal.

Yes, some ungodly things have been done to tofu. Tofurkey, for example, just gives me the creeps. I personally think preparations that substitute tofu for meat don't do it justice. It's perfectly tasty in its natural state. We Asians know how to cook it right - give it a chance!

Old Tea Shop

Location: Old Tea Shop, 2F 2-2 Kwan Hun-dong, Chong Ro-gu in the Insadong neighborhood of Seoul (e-mail oldteashop@hanmail.net)

We stopped here for a spot of afternoon tea. The Old Tea Shop has a very charming décor. I don't know enough to say whether it was authentic, but I loved the colors and textures. There was also a strong natural element - we sat at a "table" that was a giant urn fishbowl covered with glass top.

The tea shop also had finches (or some other little cheeping birds) flying around freely.

I had a refreshing and unusual citrus-y iced tea. Our beverages came with these oblong sticky rice pastries.

For first-time visitors to Seoul, I highly recommend Insadong and the Old Tea Shop. The little artists' shops along the main street were perfect for gift shopping - I picked up a nice pieced linen wall hanging for myself, and some little condiment dishes with a leaf design. And when you're shopped out, the Old Tea Shop provides the perfect zen oasis.

Sinpo Mandoo

Occasion: Pre-shopping lunch with Kathy
Location: Sinpo Mandoo (sinpomandoo.co.kr)
Edibles: fried mandoo; steamed black rice mandoo; kimchi mandoo

Musings: Sinpo's seating area was the epitome of bland mass-market eateries but I didn't have to worry that it was some shoddy Korean fast-food chain. One, I trusted that Kathy would never lead me astray like that. Two, on the way in we passed a window into the kitchen showing a little old man making mandoo by hand. (There's nothing worse than a chain restaurant where all the food is delivered pre-made and frozen, in bags. This is why I find Olive Garden and its ilk so offensive.)

The fried mandoo were my favorite of the three kinds we got. Unlike Chinese potstickers, which are generally pan-fried, these guys were breaded and deep-fried to create the great crunchy crust. The perfect combination of flavor and texture.

The black rice ones were novel and the flavor was good, but they were a touch soggy.

The kimchi mandoo were bold and spicy.... alas, a touch too spicy for me. I had two of these and my mouth started to go numb. I had beat an ignominious retreat but Kathy was able to finish them off.

If I were to come back, I'd probably be boring and get a double order of the fried mandoo. All in all, an excellent lunch - cheap, fast, fresh and tasty.

[unidentified bar in Seoul]

Occasion: My first adventure in Seoul!
Location: a bar in Shinchon - location upon request (my hosts Kathy and Ron will know exactly where it is)
Edibles: big plate o' fried things; Korean fried chicken

Musings: The big plate o' fried things included such diverse items as zucchini, fake crab, spam, sausage and tofu, with a zippy dipping sauce.

The chicken wings were excellent, as I've come to expect from the Korean + fried chicken combination. It was somewhat saucier than the New York version, but with that characteristic batter-less crust. Yum...

There was also a jug of some sort of murky rice wine. It was sweet and innocuous-tasting. I tried to watch my refills, as I was dealing with a bit of travel fatigue. Also, I've known some innocuous-tasting Asian liquors that will knock you flat on your ass without any warning signs. Drinker beware.

From my quick stroll around, I already love my friends' neighborhood. I understand it's close to a university and that probably explains the active nightlife and proliferation of cheap, casual eateries. I'm excited for the next few days. Kathy and Ron have been in town long enough to develop a restaurant repertoire and I get the benefit of their experience!

Shanghai Expo 2010 - France

French food can be incredibly fussy and artistic, or it can be good, hearty peasant food. I love both for what they are. The restaurant in the French Pavilion featured neither, instead taking a middle-of-the-road approach with the sort of food you'd expect at a nice wedding, or on a business class flight (trust me, I'm not fancy - Cathay occasionally bumps me up on crowded flights).

I had the shrimp starter....

....the steak main....

... and the peach cobbler dessert.

Does that look like a French dinner to you?

Expo Wrap-up: It's a pity we ended up spending so much time in the European pavilions. New York boasts stunning representatives of all the national cuisines we sampled, and I've traveled to most of the countries to boot. The timid, indifferent efforts on display at the pavilions couldn't hope to compare.

Nonetheless, it was fun to wander around the grounds and gawk at the fanciful architecture of the various pavilions. It was also nice to see so many people gathered together to broaden their cultural horizons. Heartfelt thanks go out to the Lee family and entourage for their incredible organization and hospitality.