Driven to eat

Do you know I like to drive in loops and not just back and forth using the same route?  And that I like to find little joints along the way?  Read about it on Vinoteca!
Driven to eat

Very nice, funny and huggable

image: www.prlog.org

At least that's how my youngest described me in this year's utterly precious Mother's Day card.  Yep, it's a keeper.  This was my 16th Mother's Day and it contained both poignant and annoying moments. Kind of like motherhood,  in general,  I guess.

Quinn gave me a marigold, Griffin gave me a song and dance about the present I was going to receive at some undetermined point in the future, Liam gave me hope that he will one day shave that caterpillar of fuzz from above his top lip and they all gave me a hard time about walking the slightly over a mile distance to the Capital City Gastropub, our chosen brunch spot.  Just another day in paradise, right?

The death march walk on a beautiful late spring day was filled with conversations and complaints, probably in nearly equal measure.  I don't really remember Mother's Day 2011, my first as a separated parent, but I believe that this year was my first public Mother's Day as an unattached mom.  And it was a little weird.

The boys and I sat on the Gastropub's sunny front patio seated next to another unaccompanied by a partner Mom and thoroughly enjoyed our bountiful brunch.  I felt proud of my children for their appetites and their manners, Quinn's requests for a beer, aside.   When it was time to walk home, the older boys went ahead of Quinn and me, moving at a different pace than a 7 year-old with comparatively short legs and a 45 year-old with a belly full of smoked salmon and eggs.  As we approached Albany Academy, I suggested that Quinn hand his glasses over to me and take a tumble down the grassy hill, an idea that he enthusiastically embraced.  After his third spin, he staggered to his feet and remarked that he would have missed the opportunity to have that fun experience had we driven rather than walked.  

Very nice, funny, huggable and, dare I say, sometimes able to teach my boys that taking a walk and roll or two down a hill is a much more enjoyable way to travel through life than merely being a passenger. Hugs for everyone.

It's All Good

I finally had a chance Saturday morning to get to All Good Bakers in their new DelSo location.  The space looks great - tidy, warm and inviting with the awesome aroma of baking bread. I poked around a little and was impressed with the variety of offerings - loaves of different shapes in varying shades of golden brown. I left with a couple of traditional white waxed bakery bags with bialys, cookies, rolls and a 2-day old loaf ($2!) of yummy bread that screamed French toast.  My overall impression was that this is staff of life bread - simple, wholesome, baked with care and quality ingredients, bread.  Not fussy or overwrought, but an essential, basic part of life.  Yeah, it's all good.

wholesome goodness

olive loaves

rolls, bialys, DelSo cookies

$2 deal of the day

French toast with All Good Bakers bread @chez Silvia

Savory Bread Pudding

I'm not a vegetarian, but every once in a while I have a dish that tells me I could be without missing meat at all.  Like this fabulous mushroom dish prepared by Jason Baker, the chef at the Wine Bar and Bistro on Lark - where I am lucky enough to work a couple of nights a week. Damn, that was tasty!

King Oyster Mushroom small plate - by Jason Baker

Thanks to another guy, Jonathan, at the bistro, I experienced my first savory bread pudding recently.  It isn't often that I request a recipe from someone, but this bread pudding was unlike anything I've ever eaten - earthy, cheesy, and a touch squashy sweet - delicious comfort food perfect for a potluck, brunch or Super Bowl party.  I made mine with a molasses sweetened multi-grain bread, which I think added a nice dark richness to the finished product.  Next time I make it (and there most certainly will be a next time), I will be a bit less enthusiastic about the amount of bread I use.  It was a tad drier than I would have liked.  Nonetheless, the kale released a bit of juice which prevented things from being too dry and the 5th period lunch crew really seemed to enjoy my Monday offering.

Bubbly, hot veggies, cheese and bread - oh, my!

There were some leftovers to contend with and, in my opinion, this dish screamed for a fried egg or two to take it to a whole 'nother time of the day - breakfast.  I'm a big fan of getting some fruit and/or veggies servings in early in the day and this recipe does the trick.  Don't be shy - add some ham or smoked salmon, maybe mix things up with spinach or a variety of squashes.  Remember - it's your meal!  Or meals, as the case may be.

The breakfast version.  You know I like me a fried egg.  Or two.

Deconstructed quiche salad

I don't know about you, but I believe that nothing but good can follow butter and onions. Geez, the aroma is practically a meal in itself!  I was running a bit of a caloric deficit after completing the big loop at Muni and, truth  be told, I probably spent the last .5 mile or so imagining the perfect substantial lunch salad.  Here's what I came up with...

Saute a chopped onion in about 2 t of butter,  over medium  low heat.  I went with a chop instead of the more attractive rings because I wanted the carmelization to happen sooner rather than later - greater area, quicker cook, right?  After a quick stir to make sure the onions were all coated in butter, I turned the heat to low and allowed them to get beautifully soft.  At that point, I added a thick slice or 2 of leftover spiral ham that I had cubed.  As the onions and ham became acquainted, I laid out a couple of piles of greens and dressed them with olive oil and fresh lemon juice.  I tossed some roasted beets on the plate and then shaved Parmesan generously all over -  like snowmageddon generous.  The gorgeous onions and ham were distributed around the plate and then I cooked 2 eggs perfectly over easy in the onion/ham pan.  Ah - the crowning glory of the fried egg!  Lavishly salt and pepper - then dip your fork into the yolk and let the mouth party begin.  De-frikkin'-licious!  It was a meal that was like the best of books - sad to conclude, but remaining alive in your memory for long after the inevitable end. 

eggs, cheese, ham, onions = quiche

impossible to convey the deliciousness with just a photo...

Breakfast @Quintessence

looking a little skeptical

You know the phrase "there's no such thing as a free lunch?" Well, I couldn't buy breakfast in this town on New Year's Eve morning.  Our original plan was to walk around the corner and get some grub at the Wine n Diner, but, alas, they weren't open when we approached their door sometime between 9 and 10 a.m.  Plan B was the Miss Albany Diner...also closed.  What's up with that, Albany??  You know I'm not a chain restaurant girl, so that eliminated a number of "options" which may have been acceptable to other folks seeking some breakfast grub, but I was on a mission.  You see, I was entertaining an out-of-town friend and wanted to give her a true Albany experience, not just a driving tour of the south east side of my fair city. I wish I could say that Quintessence was indeed my third choice, but it wasn't actually - it was more a happenstance occurrence as we drove through the park, heading towards Madison's End Cafe, and I realized that there was another ultimate Albany joint to show off.  And, bonus, there was even parking available!



hesitation becomes enthusiasm

Now, I know that Quintessence has always been known as a silver beacon to gloppy green noodles, and I say this with affection, but I was feeling like something a little less dense carbohydrate based for my last breakfast of 2010.  The item which called my name was the smoked salmon and eggs combo - the sister dish to Lisa's smoked trout and eggs.  I went with poached eggs, while she had her usual over easy, and since the fryer wasn't yet up and running, we settled for home fries rather than the crispy fries we both typically gravitate towards.  A note: Lisa is always game for wherever I want to eat and credits me with exposing her to numerous terrific restaurants, particularly in NYC.  The truth of the matter is, I consider myself indebted to her for showing me the way when it comes to home fries and french fries - well done is absolutely the way to go.  Do you see the crispy little fried bits on her plate?  That, my friends, is what it is all about when it comes to potatoes for me.  The home fries were definitely the highlight of the meal for me - not because there was anything wrong with my breakfast, it was simply the potatoes were so damn right. 

My poached eggs were fine - soft the way I like them and hot.  The salmon was a bit dry and kind of salty, but not in a completely off-putting way, just in a way that made conscious of pounding extra water.  The service was friendly, the coffee flowed and the experience was generally positive.  Although I really need to get to the Wine n Diner, Quintessence will not again be lower on my short list of breakfast spots than position #2.  Or, as I like to think of it, the slot I reserve for Daniel Craig on a different, but similar list.  ;)

Black Friday Frittata

Since I had made a commitment to host brunch post-Thanksgiving shopping was not an option Friday.  Particularly since I needed to drive back to NY from CT Friday morning in time to prepare for guests arriving at 10 a.m.

This group of girls is pretty fond of my Eggs Benedict, but we were expecting an additional guest - a  beau was being introduced to the gang...someone perhaps not worthy of my breakfast specialty.  I decided trying something new should be the theme for the day - hello, Frittata.  Now, I've had a frittata before, but I've never made one, so it was off to the cookbook shelf and then to epicurious.com.  From what I was able to gather from all of those sources, a frittata just seemed like a baked omelet, to me.  So, here's what I did:

Using an awesome pan with sloped sides, I melted a teaspoon of bacon fat in a 375 degree oven.  When the fat was melted, I tossed in a bunch of asparagus seasoned with salt and pepper.  While they roasted, I beat 9 eggs (we were 6, If 6 Were 9*) with about 2/3 of a cup of whole milk.  When the asparagus were tender, I removed them from the oven and wiped the pan out with a paper towel.  I melted a teaspoon or 2 of butter in the pan (in the oven) and then poured in my eggs.  I probably baked the frittata for about 8 minutes or so - until the eggs were set and pulling away from the sides of the pan, but not dry.  I topped the eggs with my asparagus and some roasted red pepper Rondele Cheese and then put it back in the oven (with the heat now turned off) for about a minute or 2.  That was it.  I served the eggs with some fantastic rosemary roasted fingerling potatoes and a gorgeous Caesar salad, along with some bagels from the Midtown Tap & Tea Room.  Shopping schmopping -  we got the best deal of the day at my dining room table.

*random Jimi Hendrix reference.

Brunch!

When is comes to hosting brunch, Eggs Benedict is my go to dish. We were expecting a friend for brunch this morning, and I felt like making something a bit lighter and "springier" than my standard brunch specialty. Lying in bed this morning, I considered the contents of my fridge and was inspired by the salad greens, asparagus, roasted red pepper and avocado available, and decided to make a brunch salad. I had a pound of Falvo's thick-cut bacon on hand and I got that going under the broiler along with a bunch of asparagus that I had drizzled with olive oil, sea salt and cracked pepper. While the bacon and asparagus broiled, I tossed my mixed baby greens with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and threw in some herbs de Provence, sea salt and pepper. After the broiling was done, I shifted my attention to poaching the eggs and toasting some sourdough bread. I arranged the greens, chunks of avocado, crumbled bacon, and grilled asparagus on individual plates and then finished the salads with a couple of poached eggs and grated parmesan. I must say, it was delicious! Maybe the olive oil and bacon were no "lighter" than butter and ham, but I certainly felt as if it were a more virtuous brunch entree. And my theory that everything tastes better with an egg on top has been affirmed. What is your favorite brunch item?