Bar Veloce

Bar Veloce, an Italian wine bar in the East Village, recently underwent a renovation.  When I stopped by for a drink recently, I was so surprised at how the space has changed!  Still located in the same spot on 2nd ave between 11th and 12th street, Bar Veloce has redecorated as well as expanded into what used to be Bar Carrera next door.

When you walk in, you'll see its a much bigger space than it used to be.  It has a  modern yet cozy feel with interesting wine racks that go up to the ceiling.  There is seating around the middle bar area as well as long high tables along the sides.  I especially loved the lamps with aviators as the lampshade!

Lamp with aviator shades!

Vino Compadre and I snagged a seat at the bar as that's where it looked like all the action was.  We got a great view of the food prep station - loved watching them make everything fresh!

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!]

Rosemary's

On my third try, I finally made it off the wait list and managed to have dinner at Rosemary's.  And it did not disappoint!  This new Italian hotspot in the West Village sadly does not take reservations so if you are hoping to snag a spot, come early (before 6pm) or late (after 9pm).  Otherwise, you'll be very VERY far down the waitlist (if you can even make it on to the waitlist that is).

So just what is it about this place that makes it so popular?  First thing that caught my eye was the restaurant itself.  I loved the feel of the space - rustic and relaxed.  Take a look!

Gorgeous dining room

Bar area is located in the back of the restaurant, but there are
lots of tables for you to enjoy a glass of wine while waiting for your table

Another shot of the dining room

Beaujolais, France - Unique Tour and Fabulous Dinner

Our one full day in the Beaujolais region was spent with Madame Francoise Barbet, coordinated through Jack at Trufflepig.  A lady who emanates boundless knowledge and love for the Beaujolais region, she truly made our day spectacular.  Heck, I think we fell in love with the region just because of Francoise!

Not only did she give us a history lesson of Beaujolais, but we saw with our own eyes how the region is changing, in a sad way.  As Beaujolais wines are becoming less in demand in the market, wine makers are closing shop, and in turn pulling up their vines.  It's a sad thing to see - vacant lots with roots all torn up.  It is a beautiful part of the countryside nonetheless, and we had such a wonderful learning experience getting to taste various types of Beaujolais wines.  It's opened up my eyes to see past the stereotype that Beaujolais wines are 'weaker'.  So. Not. True.  There is a subtle balance to be appreciated, and a blend of delicacy and strength that I imagine must take generations to master.

We had the opportunity to meet one of these families who have been growing grapes and making wine for many generations.  I've learned what a special breed these wine makers are - their profession full of very hard work, and a lot of joy.  On our day with Francoise, she took us to meet the Romy family.  They are such nice people - we met Monsieur and Madame Romy and their son Nicholas.  One of my favorite memories of the trip is tasting their wine with them over an assortment of cheeses. 

Beaujolais, France - Even More Wine and Food

Next up after our journey around Beaune was the Beaujolais region, about a 3 hour drive South.  We stopped along little towns along the way, some of which were really teeny tiny.  Each town has its own distinct character, and I'm pleased to say some of my good memories of the trip were just from wandering around and soaking in the beauty of the region.

Putt, putt, putting along the way in our round European car...

We started our morning off making a detour to the town Chagny, where there was a lovely market in the middle of town.  It was here where we saw rows of chacuterie, fresh bread, flowers, cheeses, and vibrant fresh vegetables and fruits.  Locals were milling around carrying baskets or tote bags full of goods.

Impressive assortment of cured meats

Beaune, France - Endless Food and Wine (Part II)

Bonjour mes amis! Picking up from where we left off on Tuesday, let's get through the rest of the delicious local food I had in Beaune, as well as a fabulous wine tour around the Côte d'Or where some of the most expensive wine-producing grapes are grown.

One of our favorite meals of the trip was had at Le Bistro de L'Hôtel, a restaurant attached to L’Hôtel de Beaune in the center of the village.  The service was warm, friendly and attentive.  Even the kitchen staff were waving hello to us while we were sitting at our table! The quality of the food was evident, and flavors were not too heavy or overdone. 

We started off with an amuse-bouche of tuna rolled in poppy seeds with citrus juice, followed by appetizers: seared tuna with poppy and chives, and a fresh tomato salad.  They were all light yet balanced in flavors.  The tomatoes were surprisingly delicious - they were cooked and served chilled.  Sprinkled with basil and crisps, and with a light coating of olive oil, it was like eating bursts of very fresh tomato sauce.

Amuse-bouche: tuna rolled in poppy seeds with citrus juice

Appetizer: Tuna

Appetizer: Tomato salad, so fresh!

Beaune, France - Endless Food and Wine (Part I)

Us Piggys have sure been busy circling the globe lately.  Piggy KK is in Asia and I recently returned from my trip to France.  I have so much to share with you! I spent some time soaking in the local culture (wine!) in the French countryside region of Burgundy. We visited some local winemakers, drank wine with them in their cold dark cellars over cheese or potato chips, whatever was their fancy. We drove through lovely villages with rolling fields, soft hills and farms. We walked through a weekend market, and oh the arrays of chacuterie and cheese were to die for! I had some delicious traditional French meals, and go figure, fell in love with snails. After four days, we made our way to Paris. The empty roads, silent nights, and random cows were fun, but I was looking forward to getting back to the hustle and bustle of a city.  I'm definitely a city girl at heart! Paris needs no introduction - a truly beautiful city with magnificent food. It'll take me a couple of posts to get through all of this, so let's start at the beginning!

Set on doing France right this time, we enlisted the help of a trip planning service. Their name itself, Trufflepig, sent our imagination fluttering with what kind of experience they could help us arrange, and they totally lived up to everything we hoped for and more! And seriously, all thanks goes to Jack at Trufflepig, who really knows what he's talking about and has an awesome accent to boot.

Street view in Beaune

Birthday Steak and Creamed Spinach!

It's hubby JL's birthday today! Happy happy Birthday :)

Hubby JL is pretty easy to please - good food, good wine, good bourbon, and he's a happy man.  We have 10 bottles of really really nice red wine that we collected along our trip to Napa Valley last year.  They have stayed safely nestled in our wine fridge, waiting for special occasions to break them open for.  Well, unfortunately there weren't many blockbuster events this year to commemorate, so there they have stayed. 

Hubby's home-cooked birthday meal

I definitely wanted to open a bottle for hubby JL's birthday, and figured a nice, juicy, rib eye steak would make a perfect pairing for the Frank Family Vineyards 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon.

Frank Family Vineyards 2008 Cabernet Saugignon

Smith & Wollensky

Even though I've been living in NYC for over 8 years, it's actually taken me this long to try one of our city's staples - Smith & Wollensky!  Admittedly not a fan of big steak dinners (I like variety in my entree!), this was a pleasant surprise.

Compared to other steak houses in the city, it's not as modern as places like Del Friscos or BLT Prime.  It feels like an old school steakhouse, but at the same time doesn't exude the same old-time bare bones feel as Keane's does. 

The service was pleasant and our server was attentive.  My only qualm was when he cringed his nose and shook his head when I ordered the Filet Mignon instead of the Rib Steak.  He can cringe all he wants, but I really enjoyed the Filet!!

Appetizers: we ordered the Fried Calamari and the Tomato with Bufala Mozzarella.  Basic choices, they were good but nothing special to note.

Fried Calamari

Tomato & Bufala Mozzarella

And now for the main event - our steaks!  We had the Cajun Spiced Filet Mignon and the New York Cut Sirloin (On the Bone).  The Filet was tender and the cajun sauce was flavorful but not overpowering.  Thumbs up!  The New York Cut Sirloin also got stellar reviews from my fellow diners.

Cajun Spiced Filet Mignon

New York Cut Sirloin (On the Bone)

For sides we had the creamed spinach and onion rings.  Both were good, and before I remembered to grab a picture, there were only bits of food left on the plate! Oops :)

Last but especially not least, what steak dinner is complete without a bottle of red wine?? We loved the Sequoia Grove 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley.  Before even tasting it, I knew I would love love love this bottle.  2007 was a stellar year for California Cabernets.  To top that, this wine hails from the Rutherford region in Napa, which I have a biiig soft spot for!

Fun fact: That region yields wines made from grapes which have a distinct character referred to as "Rutherford Dust".  Don't worry, it doesn't actually taste dusty!  In my opinion it does taste earthy, mineral-y and you pick up the tannins that are in the wine.  My favorite wines are from this region, and Sequoia Grove's 2007 Cabernet was no exception.  It was so good that we got another bottle!

Sequoia Grove Cabernet Sauvignon 2007, Napa Valley

Smith & Wollensky is a traditional steakhouse and the food was done well.  The service was spot on.  Also good wine puts me in a very good mood, so I'll give this a...

Piggy says yes!

Piggy KL