Browsing: Food & Travel

Ess-a Bagel NYC

October6

We were delighted to find this landmark on our second trip to New York.  The original location Ess-a Bagelat 1st and 21st  was a lovely destination for an early morning walk from our “home away from home” near Gramercy Park.

The decor has seen better days but was not even noticed by the line up of people ordering their “to go” items.  The couple of older gentlemen that were seated at the tables looked right at home.

On our first visit to what I call carb heaven,  I would have described the service as “curt” as the counter guy had so many people to take care of but on this occasion he was willing to have his photo taken (or maybe it was because I was with my sister-in-law and not my husband on this visit).  He shouts your order to another staff member who obediently counts and bags the confections.

Now bagels from home are pretty good especially with a smack of Winnipeg cream cheese and I’ve even had the wonderful good fortune to sample bagels in Jerusalem, but Ess-a bagels are another species.  They look like over inflated tires!  The are appropriately chewy on the outside requiring a real good tug to assist your teeth in tearing off a bite.  The inside is tender and yeasty-a perfect platform for the piece de resistance, the schmears: savoury cream cheese with herbs, garlic and spices and smoked fish of course.  And sweet offerings with cinnamon, nuts and  an endless array of fruit and berries.

These were our backyard breakfasts for our extra long New York weekend and the memory of them have me searching out seat sales once again.

Ess-a-Bagel on Urbanspoon

Kath’s quote:  “the first printed mention of bagels…is to be found in the Community Regulations of Kracow, Poland, for the year 1610 which stated that bagels would be given as a gift to any woman in childbirth.”
‘The Joys of Yiddish’ by Leo Rosten

John’s of 12th St. NYC-Pt 2

September22

The menu offerings at John’s of 12th St. are time-tested and as authentic Italian as it gets.  The kitchen still does its own butchering and baking.  The current chef has been there over 30 years and was trained by the chef before him.  Because as I’ve said before, taste is a multi-sensory experience for me, my meal was full of all the joy and all of the sorrows that have been celebrated and observed within the walls.

I could have pictured our young, handsome server in many of the trendier spots in the neighbourhood, but was really endeared to him for choosing this place.  Perhaps he was family. He was attentive, efficient and delightful.

We started with a tomato, basil and Buffalo mozzarella  salad and was duly impressed by the homemade cheese which was creamy and firm at the same time. The home baked bread basket was emptied very quickly, not because it was not well laden but because of the taste treats that it held.

The girls ordered Chicken and Veal Parmesan along side spaghetti and were well pleased.  I was tempted to try the evening’s special which was a pasta with black truffles but opted instead for Eggplant Parmesan which was rolled and stuffed with a full-bodied ricotta cheese-I was in heaven.

Too full for the array of authentic dessert, we strolled home.  Thankfully the walk was a number of blocks as we had extra calories to burn that warm August evening.

John's Restaurant on Urbanspoon

Kath’s quote: “Too much of a good thing can be wonderful.”-Mae West

John’s of 12 Street Restaurant-NYC Pt 1

September21

Our temporary neighbourhood of Gramercy/Flatiron once again yielded another fabulous restaurant find-John’s of 12th St.  Not what one would call trendy, fashionable or even up-to-date but a fascinating walk into urban history.

Not John's-Il Tempio del Gusto at the Segesta, Sicily Train Station

I couldn’t get an interior photo of John’s so I’ve included this one of Il Tempio del Gusto in Suggesta Sicily just for fun.

Original owner John Pucciatti moved from his village in Umbria, Italy to the Manhattan’s Lower East Side in 1908.  At that time this neighbourhood was a classic melting pot of Italians on 1st, Jewish immigrants on 2nd and Germans surrounding Tompkins Square Park.  Butch Cassidy and Sundance were said to have lived in a rooming house down the block.

Mosaic wainscoting was shipped from Belgium and John resourcefully paid a local artist in free meals for the paintings that still hang on the walls.  So too, the mirrors that line the interior are all original.

During prohibition in the 20’s,  drinkers were sent via a hidden staircase to less conspicuous family quarters upstairs.  To John’s delight,  business boomed but he was still thrilled when the repeal was announced and they were legal again. To celebrate,  he ceremoniously lit a candle and continued to do so for years to come; a tradition maintained to this day by a third set of owners.  The wax –laden shrine is in the rear of the dining room.

Kath’s quote:  “It was my Uncle George who discovered that alcohol was a food well in advance of modern medical thought.”-P. G. Wodehouse

Italy Revisited-Part 2

September16

This combination plate of squid and shrimp was served as an entree at Ristorante L’Approdo on the water’s edge in Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily.  And here are the Garlic Prawns and Calamari recipes mentioned in Part 1.

Garlic Prawns

29 large prawns

1/4 c olive oil

3 oz butter

1/2 red chili, finely chopped (red pepper flakes to taste)

10 garlic cloves, crushed-yep I said 10!

1/4 c white wine

3 T chopped parsley

Peel and devein shrimp, leaving the tails intact (if you wish).  Put the olive oil in a large frying pan and add the butter, chili and half the garlic.  Cook, stirring for 3 minutes.  Add the prawns and remaining garlic.  Cook for 3 more minutes or until prawns are pink.  Turn the prawns, add the wine and cook for another 4 minutes.  Add the parsley, season well with salt and pepper and serve with fresh bread to dip into remaining garlic butter.

Calamari in padella con limone e pangrattato (From Jamie’s Italy)

olive oil

1-2 fresh red chiles, pricked (once again I used chili flakes to taste)

6 cloves garlic, lightly crushed

2 large handfuls breadcrumbs

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

1 small package frozen calamari rings (defrosted as per package instructions)

1/2 lemon, very thinly sliced

a handful of flat leaf parsley, sliced

To make pangrattato, put 6 T olive oil into a think-bottomed pan.  Add chili, garlic and breadcrumbs and stir for a couple of minutes, until the breadcrumbs are crisp and golden.  Season with a little salt and pepper.  Remove and set aside.

Wipe the pan with paper towels and put it back on a high heat.  Add another splash of olive oil then season the rings and lay them gently in the hot pan with the lemon slices.  If you can’t fit everything in, do them in 2 batches.-you don’t want them cramped together.  Fry for a minute or so, until golden, then turn over and fry for the same amount of time on the other side.  The lemons will colour and need to be turned more quickly than the calamari, so just remove them from the pan and put to one side.  Take off the heat and divide the calamari and the lemon slices between your plates.  Scatter the pangrattato and the finely sliced parsley over top.  Serve immediately as they cool off quickly.

Kath’s quote:  “Do not overcook this dish. Most seafoods…should be simply threatened with heat and then celebrated with joy.” –Jeff Smith

Italy Revisited-Part 1

September15

It was a year ago today that we arrived Castleammare del Golfo, Sicily to commence our sojourn up the east shore of the boot along the Mediteranean coast, then to the Nice France before heading inland to fly out of Paris.

We’ve always enjoyed Italian food but I would say that since our trip we’re crazy for authentic Italian ingredients and recipes.  These are some of our favouites that we’ve made recently.

Caprese Salad is typically served as antipasta and is named for the Isle of  Capri off the Amalfi Coast (our 2nd stop).

This fresh, clean tasting combination of buffalo mozarella (an unripened cheese) , vine-ripened tomtoes and fresh basil leaves is an absolute delight.

The origin of Spaghetti Carbonara is hotly disputed.  The freshly cracked eggs are cooked only by the heat of the pasta producing a rich and creamy (but not low fat) dish.  So make sure that the eggs are as fresh as possible.

14 oz spaghetti

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

2/3 c parmesan

2 T olive oil

1 oz butter

2 garlic cloves

7 oz pancetta, chopped

Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of boiling, salted water until al dente.  Meanwhile, mix the eggs, egg yolks and cheese together in a bowl and season lightly.  Heat the oil and butter in a large frying pan.  Add garlic and pancetta.  Cook over moderate heat until pancetta is crisp, discard the garlic when it becomes golden.  Drain the spaghetti , add to the frying pan and toss well.  Remove from heat and stir in the egg mixture.  Present immediately with extra parmesan.

We’ve served the above once with garlic shrimp recipe and once with calamari (see Part 2 for recipes).  Both are delicious.

Kath’s quote: “The strands of spaghetti were vital, almost alive in my mouth, and the olive oil was singing with flavor. It was hard to imagine that four simple ingredients [olive oil, pasta, garlic and cheese] could marry so perfectly.”-Ruth Reichl

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