Olivino to Open Wine Bar

Olivino, the great wine shop on Fulton, is apparently set to open a wine bar a couple of doors down. Courtesy of Brownstoner:

According to founder Katrine Pollari, the bar will serve beer, olives and charcuterie in addition to a purposefully affordable list of by-the-glass wines. Barring unforeseen delays, the Olivino wine bar, which Pollari hopes will be a real neighborhood gathering place, could be open within the next four or five weeks.

I'm all for it, and will be there as soon as it opens. Picture also courtesy of Brownstoner.

All Quiet on the Foodie Front

Things have been pretty quiet 'round the homestead when it comes to foodstuffs and related activities. I popped into Gnarly Vines a few days back while they were having a kosher wine tasting, which was interesting. I didn't try anything I was particularly excited about, although the manischewitz-like wine made from concord grapes was certainly something new. There was also a moscat that would make a decent dessert wine.

I did pick up a half-dozen bottles of a few different things, including a surprising pinot noir (from France, which I found interesting since it was sold as a varietal) and a couple of Bordeauxs that I'll definitely be trying again. Unfortunately because I'm lazy I don't have any pictures at the moment, which I know pains all of you.

It should be a food and booze-filled weekend, however, so plan on something fun popping up in the next few days.

Clinton Hill Foodie's protip of the day: Don't leave chocolate-covered raisins around where a dog can get to them. Riley's fine, but I'm hoping we don't have to go through that again.

Famous Ray's Pizza

My father took up making his own pizza a year or so back, and has gotten pretty good at it. When we showed up last weekend, he had a batch of dough ready to go and proceeded to make a couple of really amazing pies. As you can see, the results were pretty great, and now I present you his recipe.

Famous Ray's Pizza

Ingredients

2 and 1/4 teaspoons of active yeast which is equal to 1/4 ounce packet yeast.I usually use a little more.
1 and 1/2 cup warm water
3 and 3/4 cups all purpose or pizza flour.(1.5 cups all purpose, 1.5 cups 00 farina, and the last 3/4 cups of either one in a separate measuring cup)

1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil pus some for greasing bowl
2 teaspoons salt

Making the Dough

1. Using a large mixing bowl, combine the yeast and water and let stand for 3 or 4 minutes. The water should be warm but not too hot so as not to kill the yeast.

2. Add the 3/4 cup of flour and sugar and mix well.

3. Add the olive oil, salt and the remaining 3 cups of flour gradually, mixing in a mixer, by hand or using a wooden spoon. The dough hook for your mixer works fine.

4. Transfer the sticky dough even if not totally combined, to a flour dusted board and have a small amount of flour readily available to prevent the dough from sticking to the board as you knead. You might use up to another 1/4 cup of flour for this

5. The dough will become smooth after about five minutes of kneading but knead for a minimum of 20 minutes.

6. Place the dough in a large clean bowl, lightly greased with olive oil. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise for four hours. It should more than double in size

7. Remove from bowl, punch it down and briefly knead again before again placing it in the bowl sealing it with plastic wrap and let it rise again for another hour or two.

8. Again punch it down and form into a ball or log. This quantity of dough makes four pizzas, with the size depending on how thin you roll out the dough. I typically first divide the dough in half and refrigerate one half for future use and then divide the other half to be rolled out for two pizzas. I also have found making the dough the day before and refrigerating overnight seems to improve the texture but you can experiment with that.


The Pizza

Start heating the oven to at least 400 degrees or even 450 degrees. Professional pizza ovens go to 900 degrees

9. Rolling out the dough takes some patience because it behaves like a rubber band shrinking back to its original size. I like to shape it more like a rectangle than a circle because it better matches my pizza stones and paddle. I start by working it with my palm and fingers, again making sure the board is always floured or it will stick. As it begins to stretch out, I then use the rolling pin, working it consistently in all direction. The dough is not delicate so it's easy to turn over to continue rolling. I try to get it the size of the pizza peel or about 12 inches even though the recipe states it is for four 10 inch pizzas.

10 I roll out two pizzas before I begin to assemble them both so I can cook two at the same time. However If you can cook only one at a time in your oven, then don't assemble the second one until you are ready to put it in the oven. As soon as you assemble the sauce begins to soak into the dough and it can get messy if you allow it to sit too long.

11 Once you have the pizza rolled out, you can crimp the edge slightly if you want but there is no need to fuss over it. I then place the rolled out pizza on the pizza peel sprinkled with corn meal or coarse semolina flour to prevent from sticking when you transfer it to the oven. After much experimentation and disaster, I have found it very difficult to get the pizza on the peel after it is assembled.

12. Spread 4 or five table spoons of a basic marinara sauce. I go light on the sauce, just enough to coat the dough and give it taste. Then spread grated mozzarella ( about an inch thick square is enough for two pizzas but I usually go heavier) [ed. note - my father used a mixture of mozzarella, parmiggiano reggiano, and other cheeses, and the sauce was homemade]. Then add whatever other toppings you like. We usually make one all cheese and the other with pepperoni.

13 Now you are ready to transfer the pizza onto the baking stone heated to 450 degrees. Wearing protective gloves is a good idea. Position the paddle so that with a slight jerk forward and back the pizza slides off onto the stone.

14. After about 3 minutes I lower the temperature to 400 degrees. The cooking time is about 10 minutes but I just check the bottom of the pizza. It should be well browned even with some darker spots.

15. Removing the pizza with the pizza peel is fairly easy unless some cheese has boiled over an adhered to the stone. Prying it away with a large spatula or knife is all that is needed.

We had it with an inexpensive Zinfandel that was perfect for "homemade pizza on a Friday afternoon after getting off a plane in Detroit." It's a situation I know most of you face regularly, so I suggest you pick up a case.

Easter Dinner

I spent the weekend in Michigan with my dad and stepmom, and there was quite a bit of great eating and drinking. I'll have another post or two up later, but I present for now our Easter dinner, which was a spectacular prime rib.

To start, we had some arancini - fried risotto balls with cheese filling and marinara sauce along with some champagne. Life's tough, I know. We also enoyed a Nero D'avola from Sicily that I schlepped from NY along with a Thomas Hyland Cab.

For the main course we had a perfectly prepared prime rib that was large enough to basically kill us. Preparation was nothing more than a little seasoning and roasting it in the oven. It was acocmpanied by asparagus roasted with balsamic vinegar and fingerling potatoes.

We wanted a big red to accompany dinner, so we drank a bottle of the biggest Italian, a Barolo.

Also pictured is this salt which my father is very proud of. I admit, it's good salt.

Brooklyn Restaurant Week

Restaurant Weeks are one of the really exceptional things about living in New York City. I always try to take part in the Manhattan ones, although this year I was sadly unable to find the time. Brooklyn has its own, however, and this year I plan on trying out at least a couple of different places.

"Dine in Brooklyn" week this year takes place from March 24-31, and our friends at Gnarly Vines want to help kick things off this Thursday with a wine tasting event.

Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership

and

Gnarly Vines

invite you to Kick-Off

"Dine in Brooklyn" on Myrtle Avenue

Thursday, March 20, 2008
6:30 PM to 11:00 PM

Event starts at 6:30 / Music sets begin at 7:30 and 9:30

RSVP at NYC Charities - Dine in Brooklyn on Myrtle Ave

Music by:

Legendary bassist Bill Lee - long-time Fort Greene resident - and his amazing jazz quintet - bass, drums, trombone, alto sax and tenor sax.

Wines by Superstar Aussie Wine Importer, The Grateful Palate:

2007 Marquis Phillips Holly's Blend Verdelho - $12

2005 Pure Evil Chardonnay - $14

2004 Marquis Phillips Roogle Red Shiraz/Cab Blend - $12

2006 R Wines Evil Cabernet - $14

2005 R Wines Boarding Pass Shiraz - $20
2005 R Wines First Class Shiraz - $34

10% off wines poured during the event!!!

Food provided by Myrtle Avenue's participating "Dine in Brooklyn" restaurants.

For a complete list click here.

There are a number of Clinton Hill/Fort Greene restaurants participating this year, including some of our favorites, Loulou, Maggie Brown, Olea, and Mullane's.

L = Serving Lunch
D= Serving Dinner
* = Accepts the American Express ® Card

Clinton Hill

Autour du Monde (D)*
860 Fulton Street
718-398-3500

Five Spot Restaurant (D)*
459 Myrtle Avenue
718-852-0202

Maggie Brown Restaurant (D)
455 Myrtle Avenue
718-643-7001

Mojito Cuban Cuisine (L/D)*
82 Washington Avenue
718-797-3100

Fort Greene

Caffe e Vino (L/D)*
112 Dekalb Avenue
718-855-6222

Chez Lola (D)*
387 Myrtle Avenue
718-858-1484

Chez Oskar (D)*
211 DeKalb Avenue
718-852-6250

Epoca Ristorante (L/D)
773 Fulton Street
718-596-9070

iCi (L/D)*
246 Dekalb Avenue
718-789-2778

June Restaurant (D)*
229 Dekalb Avenue
718-222-1510

Los Pollitos III (L/D)
499 Myrtle Avenue
718-636-6125

Loulou Restaurant (D)*
222 DeKalb Avenue
718-246-0633

Luz Restaurant (L/D)*
177 Vanderbilt Avenue
718-246-4000

Madiba Restaurant (L/D)*
195 Dekalb Avenue
718-855-9190

Mullanes Bar and Grill (D)*
71 Lafayette Avenue
718-797-7606

Olea Mediterranean Taverna (D)*
171 Lafayette Avenue
718-643-7003

Scopello Ristorante & Bar (D)*
63 Lafayette Avenue
718-852-1100

Thomas Beisl (L)*
25 Lafayette Avenue
718-222-5800

Applewood Winery

It's been more than a week since my last post, and I'd love to say that there's been too much food and wine-related happenings to write about, that I've literally been burdened with so much material that I simply didn't know where to begin. The truth is far less interesting, sadly. Work and other priorities have meant little time to do anything in my free time save sleep. I did hit up St. Patrick's Day in Hoboken last week, but that offered little of culinary interest beyond a keg of Miller Lite and Guitar Hero, neither of which is really appropriate for these fair pages.

We did get out latest delivery from the Applewood Winery Wino's Club. Last October we decided on a whim that we wanted to go apple picking somewhere in the area. We ended up at an orchard near Sugarloaf win Warwick, NY called Applewood Farms. It was a rousing good time, and we ended up with few dozen apples that lasted for weeks.

They also sport a vineyard with a little wine shop where you could taste the local fare. We tried a few glasses of various wines, and ended up signing up for the Wino's Club, which means you give them your credit card number and they send you two bottles four times a year. I thought it would be fun to get some random wine delivered a few times a year, and the wines weren't expensive, so I signed up.

None of the wines we tried were very good, mind you. There are much, much better wines to be had for the price, but I liked the novelty of it in addition to supporting local producers. We'll definitely be back there this fall, and I'll probably pick up some more awful wine.

A commenter reminded me that the cider is of course very, very good. One of the bottles we got as part of the club a few months ago was a bottle of hard cider, and it was fantastic. The apple-based wines are also ok if you're looking to drink alcoholic apple juice. Be prepared for a massive hangover because of all the sugar. Thanks, Julia.

Information:

Applewood Orchard and Winery
82 Four Corners Rd.
Warwick, NY 10990
845.986.1684
http://www.applewoodorchards.com/

Google Map

Ted Allen's Uncorked: Wine Made Simple

A few weeks ago I got an interesting email asking me if I'd consider reviewing the DVD box set of a miniseries about wine, Uncorked: Wine Made Simple. The series was hosted by Ted Allen of Queer Eye fame, who also happens to be a Clinton Hill resident. A TV show with a Clinton Hillite talking about wine? Sign me up!

A few days later we got the DVDs along with a fun little branded corkscrew. We couldn't rightly watch the show without suitable refreshment, so we opened a Sinksey pinot that my brother got me for my birthday this year. The wine was fantastic, and the show turned out to be just as good.

It's divided into six episodes, each covering wine from a different region. Each episode is 30 minutes, so you're not getting a ton of depth here, but that's not really the idea. It's a very broad, relatively simple introduction to wine and the world of wine drinking, and it's just informative enough to be entertaining for both the novice and the afficionado.

The first episode is a general introduction to the world of wine, and would make a great setpiece on its own. It's a brief overview of wine drinkers and producers, and is a fitting gateway into the rest of the series. Later episodes cover the Napa Valley, Sonoma, the Central Coast (of California), and France. I would have liked to see less California and more exploration of old-world wine regions, but that's just personal preference. Spending three hours with Ted talking about California and France is pretty great as it is.

It's not without its pretentious side, but let's be honest, it's a show about wine. Of course it's going to be somewhat pretentious. While most things are explained well, there are sometimes terms or concepts that are tossed about that might seem a little obtuse to the novice oenophile. This was most apparent in the first episode, owing I think to how little time it has to cover so much ground. Later episodes have more room to breathe. The second episode in particular is a lot of fun, giving a great history of the Paris wine tasting that put California on the map.

There's a lot of beautiful imagery and a lot of really great information. If you want an easy way to start learning about wine, or if you already love wine and want to bask in an undemanding journey through California and France, consider picking this up. I guarantee that you'll be anxious to head down to one of our great local wine shops and pick up a few bottles.

Information:

Uncorked: Wine Made Simple
Hosted by Ted Allen
DVD Box Set: 3 discs, 6 episodes
Running Time: 180 minutes

Neighborhood Valentine's Day Eats

Shamelessly lifted from the great Myrtle Minutes, some great deals on food, wine, and sweets in the neighborhood today.

The Bakery, 154 Vanderbilt, (718) 596-5999 Special Valentine’s Day pastries: Shortbread heart cookies, available in red or chocolate, $1.50 - $2.00 Heart shaped cakes, red velvet and chocolate available, $32.00 each Round assorted 6” cakes covered in edible buttercream roses, $20.00 each Chocolate éclairs, cream puffs and brownies.

abistro, 154 Carlton, (718) 855-9455 $70/ per person special prix fix dinner at 6pm, 8pm or 10pm Menu includes (appetizers) warm octupus salad, Senegalese pastel, or roasted cauliflower soup; (entrees) braised curry palm short ribs, wild mushroom asparagus crusted salmon or roasted vegetable medley; (dessert) chocolate cake or bread pudding or poached pomegranate pear; and what else, champagne...but of course. And if that weren't all, be tantalized by the sounds of cellist Monica Entyre as you dine.

Luz, 177 Vanderbilt, (718) 246-4000 $52/ per person special five course tasting menu plus one drink. The special menu is still in the works. Please call Luz for the delectable details. Mojito Cuban Cuisine, 82 Washington, (718) 797-3100 $45/ per person special prix fix dinner includes appetizer sampler, Romeo & Juliet entrée, passion porkchop, chocolate temptation dessert and passion mimosa amongst the delicious offerings.

Chez Lola, 387 Myrtle, (718) 858-1484 $32/ per person special prix fix dinner: (amuse bouche) grostini w/calamari & vegetable escabache; (appetizer) seasonal soup, baby spinach salad, serrano ham w/shaved manchego cheese, pear, herbed flat bread or salmon terrine w/dill sour cream and herbed croutons; (main course) free range chicken, oven roasted hake fillet, mint pesto crusted leg of lamb or guitarra pasta; (dessert) molten chocolate cake, sweet crepes w/mixed berry compote or chocolate truffles. DJ Toxy Lady will be spinning (or whatever verb is most fitting when we're talking 8-track tapes...lol)the sweet soul music.

Maggie Brown, 455 Myrtle, (718) 643-7001 (offering choices from entire menu, or prix fix) $35/ per person special prix fix dinner: (appetizer) bacon wrapped scallops over greens with mango and avocado in an orange vinaigrette; (entree) lobster served with sautéed artichokes in a pea and sage puree (dessert)chocolate fondue with berries.

Tamboril Restaurant, 527 Myrtle, (718) 622-5130 Three fabulous prix fix choices at $40, $35 or $30/ per person (appetizer)coconut shrimp dipped in a coconut beer batter fried and served with a mango ginger sauce, bacalao and tostones platter: bacalao salad served on golden tostones topped with avocado, portabella lentil soup topped with fresh chives or Boston cup salad boston lettuce filled with avocado, corn salsa, cherry tomato and shredded carrots served with a citrus vinaigrette (entrees) ($40): pan seared red snapper in a Caribbean wine sauce, served with vegetables & seasoned white rice, ($35): seafood Paella: yellow rice mixed with shrimp, scallops, salmon and muscles sauté in white wine; or ($30) cilantro mango chicken: grilled chicken breast served with a demi glace and topped with a cilantro mango salsa served with vegetables & yellow rice; (dessert) coconut flan, bread pudding, mango cheesecake, carrot cake or flourless chocolate cake.

Gnarly Vines, 350 Myrtle, (718) 797-3183 Special three-night long Valentine’s Day tasting. Schramsberg Brut Rose, North Coast, CA — $40 Mon, Tues & Wed, February 11-13 6pm-9pm. Paired with some decadent dark chocolate! Too late to snag a reservation for a prix-fixe dinner...might as well stay home and pop open a bottle of Schrammie Rose. Feel free to check out the other roses while you’re at it: *Bodegas Llopart Reserva Rose Cava, Penedes, Spain — $20 *Le Grand Cros, La Maitresse, Provence, France — $24 *Varnier-Fannier, Brut Rose-Avize, Champagne, France — $55 (10% off any wines poured during the tastings!)

Winter Dinner Party

We had some friends over for dinner last night, so I got a chance to try some new recipes. When I started planning the menu this week, I knew I wanted to try something from the fantastic food blog, Last Night's Dinner. Jen does an amazing job both cooking and photographing her food - it's incredibly inspirational, and even more humbling.

To start, we had a basic antipasto platter with olives, some salami and dry sausage, and a few cheeses, including parmigiano reggiano and some fresh mozzarella.

The main course consisted of:

• Hunter's-Style Chicken
• Twice Baked Potatoes with garlic and duck fat
• Green beans with garlic and pancetta
• Italian-style Broccoli Rabe

The main course for my dinner was this Hunter's-Style Chicken I found on Jen's blog. I changed it up a little bit, using red pearl onions instead of cipollinis, which I couldn't find. In place of the polenta, I made some large croutons that were coated in duck fat and rosemary and then baked for about ten minutes.

Hunter’s-Style Chicken

1 chicken (about 3 lbs.), cut into quarters, or an equivalent amount of skin-on parts of your choice
3 large garlic peeled garlic cloves
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1-2 tablespoons fresh rosemary
Olive oil
1 cup dried porcini
1 cup hot tap water
12 small cipollini onions, peeled and trimmed
2 thick slices pancetta
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup white wine
1 28 oz. can whole peeled tomatoes
1 tablespoon dried oregano or marjoram
Several sprigs fresh thyme
Red chile flakes to taste

Arrange the chicken pieces on a platter and pat them dry. In a food processor or mini chopper, pulse the garlic, salt, pepper and rosemary, then add enough olive oil to form a thick paste. Rub the paste all over the chicken pieces and let them sit in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes.

Place porcini in a bowl, cover with hot tap water and let them sit until the mushrooms are soft. Remove the mushrooms from the liquid and set aside. Strain the liquid to remove any grit and reserve.

Warm the olive oil in a heavy bottomed pot over medium heat and add the chicken pieces in batches, allowing them to brown on all sides. When the last chicken pieces have been browned, remove them to a platter, discard the oil and any burnt garlic from the pot and return it to the heat. Add the pancetta and let it render and brown for a few minutes. Add the onions and porcini and a pinch of salt. Make a hot spot on the side of the pan and add the tomato paste, allowing it to cook for a minute or two before stirring it through.

Add the wine and let it come to a boil, then reduce the heat and add the reserved porcini liquid, the tomatoes with their juice, the oregano or marjoram, the thyme sprigs and the chile flakes. Stir well, crushing the tomatoes with the back of a spoon, then return the chicken pieces to the pan along with any juices that have accumulated on the platter. Cover the pan and cook over low heat for 30 minutes or more, until the chicken is cooked through and very tender and the sauce is slightly thickened.

Serve chicken and sauce over soft polenta, garnishing with additional fresh rosemary or thyme if desired.

To go along with the chicken, I whipped up these amazing twice-baked potatoes. This was another idea from Last Night's Dinner, one that was made known to me when Jen commented on my steak night post and mentioned them. The key is the duck fat, which can be hard to find unless you've got a local butcher (something Clinton Hill really needs). I found mine at the Park Slope key food, after striking out at the Union Market on 6th.

What a Baked Potato
From Fergus Henderson’s “Beyond Nose to Tail”
Serves 4

4 large jacket potatoes
20 cloves of garlic, peeled and left whole
enough duck fat to cover the garlic
sea salt and black pepper

Bake the potatoes in a medium oven until soft to the squeeze. Meanwhile, put the garlic cloves into an ovenproof dish and cover with the duck fat. Cover the dish and put into a gentle to medium oven. Cook until the garlic is totally squishy, then remove from the oven and whiz the garlic and enough of the duck fat in a food processor to give a very loose paste.

Let the potatoes cool enough to handle, then cut them in half lengthways. Scoop out the flesh into a bowl and add the garlic and duck fat paste. Stir thoroughly. When they have combined forces, season and return to the hollow potato skins. Pop into a hot oven until golden brown.

The two vegetables were pretty simple recipes, the only really interesting bit being the pancetta in with the green beans.

Pancetta Green Beans

12 ounces green beans, trimmed

3 ounces pancetta,* coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon butter

Cook beans in large pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Drain. Transfer to bowl of ice water; cool 5 minutes. Drain. Transfer beans to paper towels and pat dry.

Heat large skillet over medium heat. Add pancetta and sauté until crisp, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Increase heat to medium-high. Add butter to same skillet. Add beans and stir until heated through, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in pancetta.

Sautéed Broccoli Rabe with Garlic & Olive Oil

2 bunches broccoli rabe
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 medium garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
freshly ground black pepper (optional)
sea salt, to taste

Boil several quarts of water to boiling. Remove any tough or damaged outer leaves of broccoli rabe. Peel the thick, lower stems from the broccoli rabe. Tear the broccoli rabe into large pieces. Clean the broccoli rabe in a large amount of cold water until all dirt is removed.

When water is boiling, place broccoli rabe pieces in colander and pour boiling water over them to scald. Drain the broccoli rabe well and set aside. Meanwhile, heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper. Sauté the garlic until browned. Be careful not to burn the garlic! Add the broccoli rabe to the pan and toss to coat with the garlic/pepper mixture and heat through, around 2–3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper, if desired.

For wine, Mick made a run to Gnarly Vines and asked them to pick out a few bottles for us. With the antipasto, we had a Les Grandes Vignes Cotes Du Rhone 2006.

With the main course we alternated two bottles, a Palmina Dolcetto 2005 and a Tenuta delle Terre Nere Etna Rosso 2006. Both were very good, the dolcetto especially.

The chicken was probably my favorite part of the meal, and it's a recipe I'll definitely be making again. There was plenty of sauce left over as well, and I'll be using it on some pasta very soon.

Loopy For Loulou

Last night we felt like eating something good but not actually cooking anything. After reading this post on Couch Cubicle, I wanted to give Loulou a try. I've lived here for two and a half years now, and I didn't even know this place existed. It's tucked away right next to the much larger Black Iris, so it's easy to miss - I've walked that block dozens of times and never seemed to notice it. Turns out, that was a big mistake on my part.

Loulou's a charming little French place, with tables tucked inside a pretty small space. It's relatively dark, but very cozy - we were at the table in the front corner, and we didn't feel cramped at all. Mick liked the cute table settings and wall lanterns in particular. We got there a little early, around 7:30 or so, and the place was completely empty. By the time we left, it was packed, so it seems like everyone else already knows about it.

On to the food! On Couch Cubicle's recommendation, we ordered a bottle of Chateau Pontet-Barrail - a reasonably-priced Bordeaux from Medoc that we ended up really enjoying. I'm a big Bordeaux drinker, so I couldn't pass one up while eating French food. Sorry for the poor picture.

The menu had a lot that we were interested in, most notably the crepes. We wanted to order them all, but settled on only two. To start, I had the sea scallops and mushroom crepe, and Mick had the special soup - carrot with creme fraiche. The picture makes it look like the bowl was two feet wide - it was a healthy portion, but not that big. The soup was very good - not too rich and it had a hint of mint that was really good. The crepe was amazing - the scallops and mushrooms and cheese all combined really well.

Next, Mick had her crepe - blue cheese, lamb sausage, roasted peppers, and spinach. I personally find lamb sausage to be a little too rich for me, but Mick loves it and she loved this. If you like the Green Eggs and Lamb at Olea, you'll love this. I had the Tilapia, served on yet another crepe. The fish was cooked perfectly - seared but not over cooked and a little bit spicy. It's served on a crepe filled with ratatouille, a roasted red pepper sauce, and the ubiquitous greens that come with all of the crepes. I'd considered ordering the roasted half chicken, but our waitress talked me out of it, rightfully guessing I'd have trouble finishing even the fish. I'm getting the chicken next time, though.

While dinner was good, dessert was even better. We were stuffed, but when we saw the dessert menu, we couldn't resist. Mick stepped up to the plate with another crepe - this time banana and chocolate. It was even better than she'd hoped - warm and sweet and rich. The kind of dessert you want to keep going forever. I felt like something simple, so I ordered the Warm Chocolate Cake. I expected a nice, traditional slice of chocolate cake. What I got almost made me pass out with delight - a crispy, tender, warm, rich chocolate brownie-like cake server in a mug with a dollop of ice cream and a sliced strawberry. It was like the best thing ever. I beseech you: If you eat at Loulou, save room for dessert.

After one meal, Loulou's become one of my favorite spots in the neighborhood. I really can't wait to go back.

Information:

Loulou
222 Dekalb Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11205
718.246.0633
www.louloubrooklyn.com

Google map

Meatloaf!

Meatloaf can be awfully terrible. I know many people whose only real exposure to this staple is from cheap diners and bad home recipes that their mothers used. It's one of those dishes that's relatively easy to make poorly - not because it's tricky or anything, but because a basic meatloaf recipe can be bland and lifeless. If you think a meatloaf needs ketchup or A1 to be good, you've never had a good meatloaf.

My meatloaf recipe is, unsurprisingly, a bit on the spicy side, and uses a few traditional Italian ingredients like hot sausage and parmiggiano reggiano. I also use a lot of spices that would be right at home on a steak or prime rib. Worcestershire sauce, kosher salt, cayenne pepper, parsley - all minor goodies that make for a fantastic loaf. This is one of those recipes, like risotto, that you can really easily play around and be creative with.

Last night I made a pretty fantastic loaf, along with some steamed broccoli and mashed potatoes.

Recipe:

Preheat oven to 425

1.5 lbs ground round (better than ground chuck because it's less fatty; there's enough fat already and you don't want the breadcrumbs to soak up too much of it. I tend to go leaner rather than more fatty for this reason - so if you have a choice between sirloin and chuck, go with the sirloin)
3 hot Italian sausages with the casing cut off
1/3 c freshly grated parmiggiano reggiano
1 c bread crumbs
2 tsp kosher salt
4 minced garlic cloves
1 c minced onion (about half a medium onion)
2 tbsp minced parsley (fresh works best)
1 tsp crushed rosemary
2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
...basically add whatever spices you like. I like steak and prime rib seasoning, sometimes some Cajun, etc.
1/4 c Worcestershire sauce
3-4 eggs, lightly beaten (I use 3 if they're large or jumbo eggs, 4 if they're smaller)

Combine everything in a big bowl and mash it up with your hands until it's all combined. It takes a couple of minutes and is delightfully slimy.

Put the meat in to a loaf pan lined with aluminum foil that's been greased with olive oil or Pam.

Bake for 30 minutes and then turn down the temperature to 350 and cook for 30 minutes more. Sometimes I end up with a larger loaf that needs more time - just use a meet thermometer and cook until the center reads 160 or so.

...and that's it. It's really simple and absolutely fantastic. This same recipe can be used to make some killer burger patties. Amaze your friends at your next BBQ!

I steamed up some broccoli and made mashed potatoes and brown gravy as well.

We paired it with a wonderful suggestion from Brian at Gnarly Vines, a Vina Borgia Campo de Borja 2006. It's a super-inexpensive wine that after one bottle is one of my new favorite table wines. Rather simple and easy, but spicy enough to be interesting.

To Il Torchio Once More!

I'm finally getting around to posting about all the eating out I did while I had family in town last weekend. I was unable to join them the first night they were here, but Mick took them to Tamboril and everyone agreed it was pretty great. No pictures, though, because apparently if I'm not there, there's no reason to document it. One nice thing about that night was what they brought home for me. I got a text from them at the restaurant asking if I'd like them to bring anything back, and if so, what. I said just bring me something spicy! The chef ended up making me a shrimp, spinach, and rice dish that was off the menu that turned out to be exactly what I needed. Spicy as hell and not too heavy. So that was Thursday.

On Friday we debated between Il Torchio and Graziella's. Actually, that's a lie, since we initially debated between Graziella's and the Stonehome Wine Bar. We decided on the latter, only to drive down there and discover a fourty-five minute to an hour wait for a table. That certainly wouldn't do, so we went with plan C: Il Torchio.

This was my third time there, and I've yet to have anything but a great meal. We went through three or four bottles of wine, a few different tapas, a cheese plate, and an entrée for each of us.

I had the Saffron Linguine, which has clams, calamari, and pepperoncini in a white wine sauce. Out of everything I've ever had here, this was the most disappointing. Not because it wasn't good - it was - but because there was so little of it. It seemed like there was only half a portion of pasta, especially when compared to the giant heaping bowls every other dish seems to consist of.

Among other things we ordered were the Penne "Il Torchio," penne pasta in a plum tomato sauce with bufala mozarella, the Taglioni, and the Risotto Del Giorno. Not a bad dish in the bunch, there.

One last quick note: our waitress accidentally spilled some water during the meal, and the staff was not only quick to clean everything up, but offered us free desserts for our trouble. Among other things, we tried the Cantuccini Con Vinsanto, a biscotti-like almond cookie (the cantuccini) served with Vinsanto, a sweet, muscat-like dessert wine. It came highly recommended, and with good reason.

Information:

Il Torchio
458 Myrtle Ave
Brooklyn, NY
718.422.1122

Google Map

I'm Still Alive!

Due to some crazy Life™ happenings over the last week or so, I've been unable to post. I did get an email or three from a few of you out there, and that was really sweet. I actually have three posts I have to make about dining at Il Torchio last Friday, the amazing River Cafe on Saturday, and another brunch at Olea on Sunday. Lots and lots of pics of very yummy food.

One quick thing worth noting - I received this gift pack (there's no way to link to it directly that i can find, but I'm referring to the 12-bottle gift pack) from Sherry Lehman as a Christmas gift, and it's pretty fantastic. I'm not going to do a rundown of each bottle, but so far we've really liked every one we've tried. We're going to pick out a few that we really liked and get a case or two of each, I think. It's a pretty great value and makes a good gift for any wine lovers you know.

I'm hoping to bang out the late weekend posts today or tomorrow. Thanks for checking in, even though there's nothign worthwhile to see.

Here's a preview of the River Cafe post: Go.

Wines of the Night

Pretty good


Less good

Both were bought from our good friends at Gnarly Vines. I was a little disappointed in the Bordeaux, as the 2005's are supposed to be transcendent. This one in particular wasn't that great, but we'll definitely try more.

Thanksgiving For Real

Sorry for the tardiness on this post, but I was too busy enjoying Thanksgiving and then performing other holiday-related activities to get around to making it. My apologies. I ope everyone had a happy and food-filled holiday.

The turkey, stuffed and ready to go

So our Thanksgiving was broken up in to two separate-yet-equal parts. Mick and I had explored having dinner with family and friends, but in the end we decided to stay home and make dinner for just the two of us, although we made enough food for eight. Mick was adamant about doing most of the cooking, which was fine with me since it gave me more time for wine and football. I did make the mashed potatoes and gravy, so I wasn't totally useless.

The first bottle we opened - a Beaujolais Nouveau from Thirst

Here was our menu:

1 10 lb. turkey stuffed with oyster stuffing.
Mashed potatoes
Sunshine carrots
Broccoli and cheese casserole
Wilted greens
Cranberry sauce
Fruit salad
Deviled eggs - these got mostly devoured as appetizers
Biscuits
French bread
Wine - lots of it

I'm not going to post recipes for everything - Mick can post a couple of them if she likes. I think she should definitely post the broccoli cheese casserole.

Without further ado, here are pictures from our first Thanksgiving dinner.

Potatoes, pre-mashing


Potatoes, mid-mash


Potatoes, mashed


Wilted greens