Rye

Hello Fellow Piggys!  It's been a while hasn't it?  So much has happened since I last posted, but the biggest of all is that it's now 2013!  Happy New Year!

I took some time to reflect on my 2012 and it was definitely quite a year for me:
- there was a break-up, a make-up, and a break-up again
- a best friend moved away, a best friend moved back
- I took plane rides to Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Las Vegas, Arkansas, Los Angeles and San Diego
- Sandy reminded us of our vulnerability
- I parted ways with my crackberry and finally got a fully functional smartphone (luuuuurv my S3!)
- and most importantly, I realized I almost let go of a dream

That realization was a hard one for me to swallow.  And so I didn't swallow it.  I decided to pursue it and here we are folks - its happening!  I know I'm being vague, but I will have explanations later.  For now, I'm only looking forward to what 2013 will be.  And what better way to kick it off on this blog than with a post!

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Rye in Williamsburg.  This restaurant has been on Piggy KL's and my list for a while now and we finally had the chance to scope it out!  A quick ride on the L train and a dark yet brisk walk from the Bedford station transported us to the Rye dining room.

We arrived around 6:30pm on a weekday and there were plenty of tables available, but by the time we left around 8pm it was definitely a scene!  They don't take reservations, but I believe you can call ahead and put your name down on the wait list on busy nights.

The menu was a simple one but it still offered something for everyone:

Park Avenue Tavern

I've worked in Midtown East near Grand Central for many many many years now, so it's pretty embarrassing for me to admit that I actually don't know many good places for lunch in the area!  Lucky for me, a former coworker who relocated to LA last year (VL come backkkkkk!) stopped by the office for a quick visit.  No better excuse than this to go out for lunch!  It was raining cats and dogs out so we went right across the street to Park Avenue Tavern!

When you walk in, you'll see a big bar in the middle of the room and booths/tables throughout.  There is also a room in the back so the place is pretty big and can accommodate a decent crowd for lunch. 

Big square bar area in the middle of the space

Booths!  It may be the Jersey girl in me,but I looooove booths!!

Looking at the menu, I love that there is a pretty big menu available for lunch. While I love all the Japanese options in the Midtown East area, its great to find a place with classic American offerings at reasonable prices.  Sometimes you just get a hankering for a great salad, burger, chicken...

Fedora

Hello Piggy Friends!  I hope you all managed to weather Hurricane Sandy!  Turns out, I should have invested more into my Hurricane stockpile (cheese doesn't do too well when you loose power and a working fridge).  Alas...I do not look forward to tossing everything out from my freezer and fridge.  With power not expected to be restored for another couple days, Piggy KL and I have walked up to her place in midtown and now I have hot showers, hot food, and power! 

For now, here's an entry from calmer days...

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I've been exploring the West Village a bit more recently and on one of my walks I passed by Fedora. Located on a cute street in the heart of the West Village, I couldn't resist coming in and giving this place a try!

Fedora in the West Village

It's a small restaurant, so I definitely recommend calling to make a reservation before making the walk over for dinner.  There is a long wooden bar on the left and a row of tables on the right.  Space was definitely tight, and my two dining compadres and I had to squeeze into a two person table (which they just turning sideways to make wider).  TIGHT.

Dining area, before the rush

In an attempt to loosen up, I of course perused the cocktail list and went with the Songbird (there's St. Germain in it how can I resist?!). 

Cocktail menu

I love drinks that come in this classic glass

Looking at the menu, it has a pretty limited selection so make sure to take a look before you commit to coming. 

Whitehall

Hurricane Irene Sandy is rolling through NYC right about now...what did you do to prepare for Frankenstorm?  Since I couldn't even get into any of the three grocery stores in the Union Square area yesterday, I'm making do with some popcorn and diet ginger ale from Duane Reade and a huge ball of fresh mozzarella cheese from East Village Cheese Shop.

My rations for the hurricane: popcorn, ginger ale, and a big ball of fresh mozz

I couldn't resist having one last meal, though, so last night I stopped by Whitehall in the West Village for a Hurricane Welcome dinner!

Front of Whitehall - look for "No. 19" on the awning

The name is not prominently displayed in the front of the restaurant so if you are a bit lost, look for "No. 19" on the awning.  The front room has a long bar area on the left and tables on the right side of the room.  If you keep walking to the back, there is another dining area with exposed brick walls.  Both areas are warmly lit and feature chalkboards detailing the specials of the day.

Front area of Whitehall

Back dining area

Love the large chalkboards listing the day's spec

As I take my seat, first order of business is the take a look at the cocktail list.  I looooove a great cocktail!  And when they come, they are served in huge glasses!

Institute of Culinary Education: Techniques of Fine Cooking I

If you've noticed I've been quiet on the blogosphere lately, it's because I've got my learning cap on and have been busy with school (the cooking kind, as well as the more serious kind)!  The Hubby had the brilliant idea to enroll me in the Institute of Culinary Education's Techniques of Fine Cooking 1 as an Anniversary gift.  Smart, isn't he?  It's the gift that keeps on giving! He sure has been enjoying the new kitchen skills I've picked up lately.

The Institute of Culinary Education ('ICE') is located on West 23rd Street and offers career training for real chefs-to-be, and also holds a lot of recreational classes for people like you and me.  It's pretty fun walking by the real chefs in class and watching them in action.  There are recreational classes which range from just a few hours, to others that span several days like the one I took.  Check out their website, it's hard not to find one that doesn't pique your interest!  You can sign up for classes online so the whole process is pretty easy.

Photos from Techniques of Fine Cooking I

Techniques in Fine Cooking is a program which focuses more on teaching technique rather than recipes.  (Though admittedly, I've been loving practicing the recipes at home).  It is a 5 day course, with 5 hours each day.  ICE offers sessions which are either 5 days consecutively, or 1 day a week over 5 weeks.  

I learned how to truss a chicken, poach eggs, make mousse (hello, arm workout), wet and dry braise and work with mussels.  The list goes on and on!

The class introduced me to working with foods that I'm unfamiliar with, or had been intimidated of.  The techniques taught are not actually that complex, but I think the class gives you the confidence that you can do it!  There's also no better way to learn how to make something than to actually do it yourself. 

Though class sizes vary, my session of Level 1 Techniques had 16 students, along with a Chef instructor and a kitchen assistant.  Chef Anita was an energetic lady who sure kept us on our toes each day!  She has been teaching at ICE for many years so she's a true veteran and knows how to keep the class moving.  

We were in a nice sized kitchen and split into groups of 4.  Each group works together to prepare dishes.  I loved that Chef Anita structured the class so that for the most part, each group made everything in the curriculum - i.e., granted each group may make a different type of vegetable, we all learned how to blanch.  

Here are a few pictures of my group's accomplishments:

Blue Ribbon at Brooklyn Bowl

My friends know if you want to get me to bowl, entice me with food.  Yup, I'm that kind of piggy:  *Gutterball Queen*Will bowl for food*.  Fortunately they can kill two birds with one stone at Brooklyn Bowl, where they serve up food by the esteemed Blue Ribbon!  Blue Ribbon has various restaurants in NYC and Brooklyn, but this truly unique location allows you to bowl, booze, stuff your face, and listen to live music all at the same time.  I was shocked that bowling alley food could be this good; where have you been all my life??

@Brooklyn Bowl

If you're going to bowl it tends to gets crowded at night, especially on Friday and Saturday, so be sure to get there on the earlier side.  Even if you have to wait a bit for a lane, hang out at the bar where they have a nice assortment of beers on tap.  There is a small dining area with a few tables separate from the bowling lanes, but you can also pump it up a notch and order off the full menu while bowling!

Since I have zero bowling knowledge to impart on you (unless you'd like to hear how I rock out the granny bowl-style!), let's dive right into the food.  Here are a few dishes I've ordered during my visits:

The Roasted Adobo Corn is deliciously loaded with queso fresco, chipotle butter and served with lime wedges on the side.  I found myself rolling the corn in the cheese and butter left on the plate.  

Roasted Adobo Corn

Haven's Kitchen: Lobster Roll Class

This summer I cooked my first lobster! And I'm so glad I had supervision while doing it.  You know, just in case the crustacean went buckwild on me.  I can now cross this off my bucket list thanks to the 'Montauk Lobster Rolls and Long Island Wines' class at Haven's Kitchen.

Located conveniently near Union Square, Haven's Kitchen is a fairly new establishment that focuses on educating people and promoting local and sustainable foods.  It's an adorable space!  The front part is a store where they carry cute tabletop items, local artisinal pantry foods, and fresh brewed coffees and teas.  It opens up to the classroom with a large communal table and workstations.  They offer a nice variety of classes each month, viewable in their calendar on their website.  

'Montauk Lobster Rolls & Long Island Wines' class at Haven's Kitchen

'Montauk Lobster Rolls & Long Island Wines' class at Haven's Kitchen

We had (I think) ~12 people in class, in addition to one instructor and two assistants.  After donning aprons and sipping some wine, we jumped right in and they brought out a whole tub full of lobsters resting on ice and seaweed.  The lobsters came from the Lobster Place located just blocks away in Chelsea Market (love that Haven's Kitchen used a local and accessible source)!  As the instructor started doing demos and showing us the differences between male and female lobsters, they started waking up and moving around the tub.  [Queue the beginning of my squealing!]

Gwynnett St.

This past summer I found myself venturing into Brooklyn more and more.  Surprisingly, it's not as far as I thought!  

Located in Williamsburg, Gwynnett St. offers some great modern American food.  The food (and drinks!) were delicious and the atmosphere was lovely.  When I first walked in, I was struck by the warm and welcoming ambiance - dark wood, brick walls, candles, and delicate flowers on the tables.  

Gwynnett St. [photo courtesy of Gwynnett St.]

You can order a la carte or they also offer a Chef's Selection Tasting Menu for $85.  We ordered a la carte, but the table next to us had the tasting menu and I was surprised that the portions were pretty sizable.  I guess I'm so jaded by Manhattan tasting menu portions!  

One must-get staple on their menu is the Whiskey bread with cultured butter.  And yes, it tastes like whiskey!  Order it while you're settling down with cocktails while perusing the menu.  Maybe you'll forget you're consuming alcoholic bread, but then again, what's wrong with that?  It's delicious!  

Whiskey bread with cultured butter [photo courtesy of Bloomberg]

For an appetizer I started out with a fresh pea shoot salad.  It was delightfully summery.  I loved that it paired so well with the warm weather and it looked beautiful.  Though I'm a serious veggie-lover, I did feel that the ingredients all together tasted too 'green'/raw for my liking.  That didn't stop me from eating it all up though!  It was very creative. 

Pea shoot salad

NJ: Ninety Acres

My mother and I are huge fans of Blue Hill at Stone Barns.  As we were getting ready to plan our annual mother-daughter excursion to Blue Hill this year, Piggy KL mentioned that there was a place in New Jersey called Ninety Acres that was suppose to be similar to Blue Hill.  With my curiosity peaked, I looked it up and saw that it was only 20 minutes away from my mom's place.  How can it be that its so close yet we never knew???  So my mom and I decided to push Blue Hill to next year and give Ninety Acres a try!  

Ninety Acres Culinary Center

Located on a 400+ acre park named Natirar (thats Raritan spelled backwards!), Ninety Acres is just a stone's throw away from the  Bridgewater/Basking Ridge area.  The whole 400+ acre space was sold by the King of Morocco in 2003 to Somerset County, who then leased approximately 90 acres to Sir Richard Branson of Virgin Group fame (thanks wiki for the history lesson!).  He has developed the main mansion into an event space and the stable/carriage area into the restaurant and culinary school.

Natirar logo (source here) - follow signs for this as you drive on the property

As you drive into the park, you are greeted with rolling green hills and a really beautiful scene.  It's a pretty windy road and takes about 10 min to get from the entrance of the park to the site of the Ninety Acres restaurant.  So make sure to arrive with some cushion time and enjoy the scenery!  I even spotted deer! (Note that while the park is open to the public, the farm area of the restaurant is not open for diners to walk through.)

View as you enter the park

I spot deer!!!

There are three seating options at Ninety Acres: main dining room/bar seating, "Bring Me Food" seating, and the Cognac room/outdoor seating.

Apiary (revisited)

I first wrote about Apiary a couple months ago here and I liked it so much that I went back for dinner again last night.  I'm so glad we went because it was just as good as my first visit - all my dining buddies and I had such a great time!

This time around, my favorite dishes were the Grilled Octopus appetizer (devoured before I could snap a pic) and the Rock Shrimp Chittara which was a complete stunner!!!  This pasta was packed with tons of rock shrimp and manila clams and served in a simple yet super flavorful garlic tomato white wine sauce.  Heavennnnn...

Amazing Rock Shrimp Chittara

Also not to be missed - the Flourless Chocolate Cake for dessert!  Served warm and still gooey it was a decadent end to a fabulous meal. 

Looking at the pictures from my first visit (blogged about here) and my picture above make me super excited for a third visit, which I'm sure will come again soon.  In the meantime, go and scope it out yourself!  I promise you you'll love it too.

Piggy says Yes (again)!

Apiary 
60 3rd Ave (btwn 10th and 11th St)
212-254-0888

Thanks for reading - Piggy KK

Brunch: Cornelia Street Cafe

Some Sundays, I just don't want to deal with crazy lines or crowded/loud spaces.  No more panicking about having no reservations and no extra pressure to wake up at 10am just to be first in line.  Sometimes, I just want a nice relaxing brunch.  Do you feel like that too?

If so, then I think you'll really enjoy Cornelia Street Cafe!

Located on a quiet street (Cornelia St if you haven't guessed) in the West Village, this cafe is perfect for a casual brunch on a lazy Sat/Sun morning.  There's great outdoor seating and the inside is inviting, bright, and relaxing.  Even bigger plus - no crazy wait or reservations needed!  Walked right in around 12:30pm on a Sunday with no problem.  Score!!

Bar seating area right when you walk in

Dining room to the side

As you peruse the menu, you'll see that they have all the usual brunch suspects.  And of course, they offer a fantastic prix fixe that I just couldn't resist - for $20 you get a choice of entree, baked goodie, brunch cocktail/juice, and coffee/tea. 

The House

This place serves the best Truffled Mac and Cheese - hands down. 

Outside of The House (sad there is a scaffolding blocking part of the front!)

What used to be a carriage house in its previous life, The House has been beautifully restored and now serves as a great spot for a wonderful meal!  The main floor features a little bar area with a fireplace and big windows - you feel like you are dining in someone's (super elegant) dining room.

Big windows in the dining room

Gorgeous fireplace

Cask Bar + Kitchen

Lately, I've been drawn to Cask Bar + Kitchen for Happy Hour, for dinner, for snacktime, for everything.

Located on 33rd Street and 3rd Ave, it's great for after work Happy Hours (well, for those who work
in Midtown East).  There's a bar area in the front with lots of seating, but during happy hour (4-8pm Mon-Fri) space may get a little tight.  For dinner (or drinks that roll into dinner) there's a decently sized dining area in the back.  There's lots of wood everywhere and the whole place is softly lit - great to take a load off after work or relax with a nice dinner!

Great wooden bar area in the front

Dining room in the back (pic from yelp)

There's a great selection of beers, wines, and cocktails.  My personal favorites would be the white sangria and the St Murray cocktail (both of which happen to be on the happy hour menu!).  The St Murray is especially excellent - at my last dinner here I converted the whole table and we all ended up with St Murray's by the end of the night!

Blood Orange Jalapeno Margarita and the White Sangria

St Murray cocktails for the table!

Brunch: David Burke Kitchen

Fellow Piggys...can you believe it's already July??? As Piggy KL said in an earlier post, we've been on a bit of a summer break the last couple weeks. And during those last couple weeks, I've eaten A LOT and can't wait to share with you where I've been!

Summer break or not, the one thing I'm always on a hunt for is a great brunch spot without the crazy crowds. I'm an anxious person and last minute brunch plans without any reservations always send me into a tizzy.  However, my recent discovery of David Burke Kitchen have laid the anxiety aside - I've found a fantastic brunch spot with no crazy line! 

Located right above Tribeca, David Burke Kitchen may not be the easiest place to get to but I promise you will love it!  Its a decently large space with an outdoor patio dining area upstairs (if you watch Bethenny, she had lunch on the patio in one of her episodes!).

Inside of David Burke Kitchen

Looking at the menu, there are a lot of items and options to choose from.  Being the Piggy that I am, I decided (along with my other brunching buddies) went with the $29 brunch Prix Fixe which comes with either a starter and entree, or entree and dessert. 

Jack's Wife Freda

So many great new spots popping up and I can barely keep up!  I stopped by Jack's Wife Freda in SoHo recently and was pleasantly surprised at how much I ended up loving this simple eatery!  Known primarily for its brunch, I decided to give it a go during dinner and I wasn't disappointed.

Cute storefront of the restaurant!

When you first walk in, you'll notice how laid-back and simple it is inside.  Its not fussy nor stuffy and all the staff are super friendly - definitely refreshing find in NYC!

Simple and laid-back setting

The menu is pretty simple but it offers enough to cover all tastes:

Del Frisco's Grille

One of my favorite steakhouses is definitely Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steak House.  When they opened a more casual spot right in Rockefeller Plaza called Del Frisco's Grille I couldn't wait to give it a try! 

Located right in the middle of Rockefeller Plaza (overlooks the ice skating rink), this restaurant is a welcome choice amongst a see of tourist traps in the area.  Dining campadre and I walked in without a reservation on a Saturday night around 8pm and had no problem snagging a table.  Score!

We were immediately greeted by extremely friendly waiters and presented with our menu.  You can get anything from salads and sandwiches to a classic Del Frisco's steak dinner.  While I wouldn't categorize the Grille as 'cheap eats', its definitely more affordable than Del Frisco's (the steakhouse) and is on par with other restaurants in the area (minus the touristy factor thank goodness). 

Menu at Del Frisco's Grille

If you plan on getting cocktails here, they were served strong and in generous glasses.  You'll definitely get your money's worth should you order a drink!

Saxon + Parole

I'll admit it - I judge a restaurant by its cover.  If I pass by and it looks totally cute, I'm pretty much interested in trying.  Its not a guarantee that I'll like it, but it does get me in the door.  Walking home from SoHo one day, I passed by Saxon + Parole, sister restaurant to PUBLIC, and immediately put it on my list of "to-try's".

When you walk into Saxon + Parole, it's just as cute on the inside as the outside!  Think shabby chic French chateau meets farmhouse.  There's a decent size bar area in the front which feeds into beautiful dining rooms.

Bar area (pic from http://saxonandparole.com/)

Dining room (pic from http://saxonandparole.com/)

 Dining compadre and I really lucked out with these awesome seats next to the fire candle-place.  Check it out: