Saturday, July 18, 2009

Dinner in Lower Manhattan

I had a great romantic dinner recently, and it could not have been more delicious. There is nothing like great company, wonderful service and a satisfying and reasonably priced food. When ever New York Restaurant week comes around, I love to take advantage of the great $35.00 dinner menu. The $35.00 covers a delicious appetizer, entree, and dessert. Restaurant Week this year is from July 12-31, and I strongly suggest anyone near New York take advantage of this great deal. Some may not have an opportunity to dine at many of these restaurants any other time during the year, with our economic conditions.

I decided to dine in Lower Manhattan this time, and after reviewing a few of the Restaurant Week menus, I decided to try out, The Harrison. After getting a parking spot on the street only a block away, we arrived for our 7:45pm reservations, and were immediately seated. Though the seating places you a bit close to the next tables, the atmosphere is great, and the staff was eager to answer any questions about the menu or wine menu.

We decided on the Crispy Skate Fingers on napa cabbage slaw and lemon creme fraiche, and Summer Baby Lettuce with and apple-fennel vinaigrette as our appetizers. The appetizers were the perfect amount and the Skate was cooked to perfection with the crisp coating on the skate and the crunch of the slaw, with a bit of the creme fraiche, I could have made that the meal. And the salad had just the right amount of vinaigrette dressing.

As our entrees we decided to have Bacon Crusted Bluefish on top of a grilled beefsteak tomato and poblano cream, as well as the Grilled Hanger Steak with warm red potato salad and sweet red onions, the steak was perfect and practically melted in our mouths, and the bluefish with the cream was wonderful, although it was bacon crusted it still seamed very light, and had so much flavor.

Finally my favorite course......dessert. For dessert on the Restaurant Week menu was summer Berry Shortcake with a housemade biscuit and fresh whipped cream. With my current plan of running a half marathon, this was a perfect sized dessert. The biscuit had a shortbread and cornmeal flavor, and there was nothing about the dessert that we could change. After completing the meal the server delivers small squares of a very rich chocolaty brownie to send you on your way. The end to a perfect meal.

The location of The Harrison is perfect for the folks coming from the Holland Tunnel, if they don't live in the city. You will find The Harrison at 355 Greenwich St (between Franklin St & Harrison St) New York, NY 10013. Just one block from the famous Tribeca Grill and 1 block from the West Side Highway.

After dinner we were able to walk along the Hudson and take in the city. I will return to The Harrison, and I think they might have convinced me to return after Restaurant Week. www.theharrison.com

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Sweet Thang

In focused preparation mode for my half marathon, I am getting my eating habits in check as well. I watched the new television show on Lifetime "Cook Yourself Thin". The television show is hosted by 3 women that share recipes with an overweight woman that has lost her way in the kitchen, and is not making the appropriate choices in her everyday eating. The 3 women, select 3 of the favorite foods that are high in fat and calories, and give the overweight woman the 3 equivalent alternative that literally cut their caloric intake by at least half in a day.

Yesterday I decided to go grocery shopping with a "Cook Yourself Thin" mindset. So after my morning run, I prepared a breakfast of Stuffed French Toast Sundaes.

The recipe was so simple, it began by mixing an egg and an egg white, cinnamon, a teaspoon of honey and 2 tablespoons of skim milk. The next step was to dip 4 slices of crust-less wholewheat bread into the egg and milk mixture. And finally you line cupcake tins with the four slices of bread. After cooking the toast in the oven for 12min at 375 degrees, you top the toasted cups with ricotta cheese and fresh berries. The recipe was so easy but it was twice as delicious. I served it topped with maple syrup, 2 sundaes for just 353 calories. YUM!!

I suggest you visit the site and see if you can "Cook Yourself Thin"
http://www.mylifetime.com/on-tv/shows/cook-yourself-thin


Taste big, and dream bigger : )
Foodieengineer

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Old Cuevas Bistro

Isn't it funny when you think that you will not find a simply divine meal, you stumble upon one without even looking.

I am concluding my stint on the Gulf Coast, and wouldn't you know we decide to take a long lunch, and the locals led me to a little "bistro" called The Old Cuevas Bistro. This little gem is hidden in a little white house off the beaten path just miles from the beach in the Pineville Community in Pass Christian, Mississippi. Though damaged in Katrina the restaurant reopened in 2007, and reclaimed its home in the old post office and trading post. The building has such character, you can only expect that the food that comes out of the kitchen is nothing but superb.

I happened to visit the local restaurant last week for the first time, and ordered the blue chip encrusted chicken, though it didn't wow me, I did enjoy it, It came topped with melted cheddar cheese, sour cream and fresh salsa, with a side of saffron rice. Today I went back and tried the Philly Cheese steak on ciabatta. This sandwich was nothing like the real thing but it was a gourmet version of the sandwich. The meat was cooked perfectly, with mushrooms just enough provolone cheese, and grilled onions. Oh, and instead of fries, the sandwich came with home made potato chips, that were amazing. I know they were just potato chips but, they were delicious, slightly thicker than your average chip but cooked to the perfect crispness. Well, with my time limited now, I decided to get another item that I was torn between, the first time I visited the bistro, and this time, so I ordered the Granny Smith Salad to go. This amazing salad, had slices of crisp granny smith apples, walnuts, blue cheese, red onion, all on a bed of baby spinach. The dressing that comes with the salad is a homemade maple vinaigrette. I think this was the best salad that I have ever had. I am aware, it is just a salad, but man, it was my dinner today. And after a 2 mile run, that salad was right on time, only wish I bought 2 salads.

If you are ever in south Mississippi, and staying at the Beau Rivage, Hard Rock, Island View Casino where one of Emeril's restaurants is, make sure that you take a special quick trip over to Old Cuevas Bistro. Two words, "sophisticated" and "casual", it describes the food and the ambiance.

Taste big, and dream bigger : )
Foodieengineer

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Radegast Biergarten

Let's talk about stepping out of your comfort zone. A friend of mine was celebrating his birthday and decided to be a bit different, and celebrate at a somewhat authentic biergarten....... in Brooklyn. I know, I know, I wasn't too sure about that myself but, when I we pulled up, we only had to park, not even a block away. And when we walked up it was just as noisy and exciting as I remember the biergartens in Munich. As you walk in it is somewhat dark with heavy wooden tables and benches set up through the beer hall. We immediately found our party and decided to order right away. Me not being a beer fan I stuck with the water as the responsible Designated Driver that I am. But they have a very extensive beer list as well as an impressive wine list. I was not surprised that they had heifer weisen, Pilsner, and Kolsch that is a popular beer that all of my friends loved in Germany.

I decided to order a fairly healthy meal of Chicken Breast w/ Couscous & Goat Cheese Stuffing, served w/ Spaghetti Squash, Swiss Chard & Green Beans. This was a great choice, it was not the typical heavy German fair. The chicken was perfectly cooked, very moist and had just enough stuffing. The chicken was also covered with a delicious sauce that seemed to be the pan jus with other flavors. The spaghetti squash was magnificent, you know it is easy to over cook spaghetti squash, but this was seasoned wonderfully and cooked to perfection. I was able to sample the Bratwurst, and sauerkraut. The sauerkraut was flavored nicely with some extra spices, that gave it some excitement. I was also able to sample the turkey burger which was certainly fresh and moist, and thick, I mean hard to take a bite thick, but of course no complaints from me. Finally we ordered the Angus Hanger Steak Salad w/Arugula, Watercress, Roasted Beets, Haricot Verts, Grape Tomatoes, and Balsamic Vinaigrette. Unfortunately, our eyes were bigger than our stomachs so I will have to eat that the day after, but it was plated beautifully, and I know would have been delicious fresh. I would certainly tell people to visit this restaurant/experience, the beer flows until 4am, and the food until 2:00am for the grill and 11:00pm for regular entrees. Until next time.


Taste big, and dream bigger : )
Foodieengineer

Saturday, April 11, 2009

I'm Back

Well.....Its been a long time, not at all because I haven't been eating great food. I have traveled to the Gulf Shores every week since November, and have had delicious food that represents the area.

Where do we begin, after getting the casino buffets out of my system, which don't need to be mentioned, I finally was able to get into the local foods. I had a fried catfish poboy at this cute little family owned poboy shop, that was wonderfully filling. During Mardi Gras, I enjoyed a great dish at a restaurant called Lookout 49 http://www.lookout49restaurant.com/ in Gulfport Mississippi. The catfish was cooked perfectly and covered in blackening seasoning and stuffed with seafood stuffing. served over rice with delicious mixed vegetables. Oh but before that we ate an appetizer of Sesame Soy Seared Tuna with wasabi and an Asian sauce, the tuna was cooked perfectly and was the perfect color. We finished dinner with a huge piece of bread pudding. The Sweet Potato Bread Pudding (Courtesy of Creole Chef Leon Courney), and the Jack Daniel's Whiskey cream sauce couldn't have tasted better. I usually would try to imagine any dessert with vanilla ice cream but we decided ice cream wasn't even a thought with the perfection of the cream.

The next great meal was the delicious barbecued shrimp and Paschal Manale's in New Orleans. When I was told about this historical restaurant, famous for the barbecued shrimp, I thought of the thick barbecue sauce. To my surprise, in the gulf barbecued shrimp means seasoned with all sorts of goodness like, creole seasoning, garlic, and the most important ingredient is the Worcestershire sauce. I highly recommend both of these great establishments, and recipes.

I have recently registered to run a half marathon at Walt Disney World and so my new updates will be my healthy selections at restaurants, as well as my healthy recipes that I will enjoy making and especially eating.

Taste big, and dream bigger : )
Foodieengineer