New York Eats

I recently took a trip to New York City.  I lived there from 2003-2008 and was able to revisit some old favorite  places while discovering more.  I've heard people say that one could dine out every night of the week and still never experience all that the NYC food world has to offer.  It's ever changing and I know I've barely even scratched the surface.  Here are some places I recently enjoyed again or for the first time on my trip...

The City Bakery...  A famous Union Square/Flat Iron bakery. I used to work there and eat their $3 dollar cookies for free every day.  I stumbled upon one of their smaller Birdbath branches and I had to get a giant chocolate chip cookie!

We explored the new High Line park and found this open market with all kinds of food stalls from local artisan food shops.  We tried rice balls, empanadas and mini canoli from 3 different places.  There were many more to chose from including gourmet hot dogs, chocolates, ice creams, homemade sodas.... wow.  I was impressed by this new edition.  I would love to see something like this in DSM!  Many of these vendors were also found at a flea/food market in Williamsburg.

When in New York, if you want an authentic cultural experience on so many levels try Golden Unicorn for Dim Sum.  The endless pots of green tea and carts of steaming dumplings that usually contain pork or shrimp, being wheeled around you is an amazing and delicious experience.

Rubirosa is a modern Italian and Pizza restaurant with delicious cocktails!!!  Split a pizza with your friends, if they are kind enough to share.  :)  And a gluten-free menu for your GF friends.

I am only mentioning the Hungarian Pastry Shop because of the neighborhood it's in.  My old 'hood!  Their food is nothing to write home about as far as I'm concerned, standard NY bakery cookies (Am I missing the Hungarian pastries?), but the ambiance is dark and noisy and interesting.  The coffee shop is across from one of the most amazing cathedrals I have ever seen. It sits across the street from St. John the Divine and is worth the trip up town... have a coffee, a cookie and use the bathroom (full of pseudo-intellectual graffiti) at the Pastry Shop.  Gawk at the Columbia students reading.

I've mentioned this before, but this place is not to be missed...  Bombay Frankie Roti Roll.  Best described as an Indian burrito, it's the best thing ever.

And another old favorite... Market Cafe.  Your friends will find you so savvy when you take them to this gem that still seems to be a best kept secret.  Jordan and I recreated the scallops, potato flatbread and deserts this summer that were favorites of ours when she worked there and got free food (you have to love that early 20's free food situation that comes with restaurant jobs!!)  The fries are also good.  They've added some new cocktails to their menu ad I highly recommend the cucumber gimlet.

I ended my vacation with a trip to a new Queens establishment owned by a former co-worker.  The Queens Kickshaw is conveniently located about a $12 cab ride from La Guardia so I camped out there for a few hours before hailing a taxi on my last day in the City.  Jen gave us the royal treatment with a complimentary basket of knishes.. and a couple of deserts.  (THANKS JEN!) And I had some delicious homemade tomato soup while Ryan tried the grilled gouda sandwich.  Everything there is homemade and real... the decor is repurposed modern.  It's a dreamy little spot for a DIY lover like me.  I enjoyed my time there, enjoyment increased 200% by reunions with old friends.  I would love to go back ASAP.

Oh and there are so many places I didn't even get to!

One of my favorite things to do on vacation is eat and New York is the best place to do it!

Weekly Menu with recipes and a story!

I'm writing this week's menu while drinking the chai that Cara posted as her farewell before her trip to India.

This weekend, I took a trip to our local spice shop here in Des Moines, Allspice,  to invest in the star anise, whole nutmeg and green cardamom pods.  If you like chai try this homemade version, it's delicious.  The recipe allows you to add your own sweetener to taste, it's much less sweet than the kind you'd get from Starbucks (I think they use Oregon Chai-- which is good, it's just SUPER sweet) and you can really enjoy the spices in this mix.

In honor of Cara's trip to India, you'll see some exciting menu items this week.  When Ryan and I lived in NYC, we became very fond of Indian cuisine.  From the string of cheap prix fix Indian joints on 6th street in the East Village, to our beloved Roti Roll Bombay Frankie, we were never wanting for perfect naan, spicy curries and khormas, or  those little fennel seed candies. When people ask me if I miss New York, I usually say "What I really miss are my friends. And the FOOD."

This guy is making a roti roll. It's an Indian flatbread filled with spicy potato and pea mixture and some kind of magic green sauce. It's the best thing ever.  We will recreate it someday.

YUM! We need to get back to NYC again soon....

When we moved back to Iowa, I was legitimately worried about how we'd get our Indian food fix.  In the early days of our Des Moines residency, we tried all of the Indian restaurants in Des Moines and Ames (I think at the time was a total of 4 or 5).  Unfortunately, and I am still mourning this, Taste of India/India Grill was the clear favorite and it closed last year in spite of our regular patronage.  Sob!

Our resolve was to start experimenting with Indian recipes ourselves.  This is where it gets tricky.  The tricky part isn't going to the Indian grocery and searching for spices you'd not heard of until cracking open an Indian cookbook, that is the fun part!  The hard part for Ryan and I was that it's damn hard to replicate a restaurant dish. When you get used to something, it's disappointing when it can't be recreated. I don't know about you, but it can be really disappointing to prep, cook, use every pot in the house, and then take an unsatisfying first bite.  Because of that we don't make Indian food very often.  However, we are getting better at finding recipes that work for us. We got a new cookbook and this one has led us to some tasty dishes... you'll see some below. 

I can't wait to hear about Cara's adventures in India and the real deal Indian food.

Here's what we'll be making this week in Des Moines, Iowa...

Dum Alu (fried whole potatoes in tomato sauce) with Sabut Masoor Dal Amti (sweet and sour lentils) and naan.  All recipes from From Mom With Love by Pushpa Bhargava.

Fish Tacos from Food Network Magazine.

The Black Bean and Sweet Potato Burrito will make a reappearance. Man, that was good! Did anyone else try it?

Ravioli with Veggie Sausage and Tomato Sauce.
Iowans: Hy-Vee has a good frozen cheese ravioli.

Chicken, Pasta and Squash Bake.