Greenpoint Coffee House turns over a new leaf

It's almost too good to be true. There is a new chef at Greenpoint Coffee House and I'm pretty crazy excited about it. The new menu is small, simple, thoughtful, with oft-changing seasonal specials, and even includes farm names for the grass-fed beef and artisinal cheeses. After a tiny bit of sleuthing, I discovered that the chef is Jonathan Meyer. He lives across the street and has cooked in the kitchens at Diner and Fatty Crab. The Coffee House has always had a place in my heart and now it has a serious place in my stomach! This is a recent lunch with Gareth - the corn beef up there in his reuben is house-made. And my mushroom quiche was a velvety delicious special. I've also tried the burger, the fried chicken, the chicken liver, and the special garganelli pasta with a sage and pistachio pesto and romanesco florets. So far nothing has disappointed.

Birthday Huevos

Deborah's birthday started with homemade huevos rancheros (after a brief shop at The Garden, of course). Marisa prepared the quesadillas; Deborah simmered the beans with onion and cumin; and I scrambled the Garden of Eve farm fresh eggs with some Milk Thistle milk. No better way to start the day! Wait until you see how we ended it...

Cozy Dinner

Deborah and Chris came over on Monday night for a cozy (and simple but delicious) dinner. I had some very special garlic sausage left over and looked to Marcella Hazan for inspiration. She really delivered. From Marcella's Italian Kitchen, we made her Ruote di Carro col Sugo di Salsicce, Passa e Pomodoro, or Cartwheels with Sausages, Cream, and Tomato. Hard to go wrong with this wonderful combination. I substituted cellentani for cartwheels.

Manhattan

My Saturday morning felt like a scene from a Woody Allen movie and I loved it. First, a trip to the Guggenheim to see the Kandinsky show. His emotive and saturated colors stand impressively out against the Guggenheim's curving white walls. Also, not to be missed is the Paired, Gold: Felix Gonzalez-Torres and Roni Horn show on the top floor. A stop at Yura on Madison, my favorite place to snack on the Upper East Side, followed for a mini-sandwich and a small cup of soup.

Rooftop Farm Market Report

I know it's a little late, but I have to report on Rooftop Farm's Thanksgiving Market. It was a glorious day. Volunteers were bundling greens and herbs and radishes. Annie Novak was selling the ends of the harvest. And everything was gorgeous, from the pickled peppers to the freshly picked carrots.

Lunch at Motorino

Started with cauliflower soup


And ended with one half margherita and one half brussel sprout/panchetta


You can find Motorino here!

Megan Witmarsh makes Recursive Objects

A great surprise in Miami this year was a show at The Wolfsonian called, New Voices. New Works, "a series of site-specific pieces inspired by the museum's collection and curated by designer Todd Oldham."

Part of the exhibition, the best part, was artist Megan Witmarsh's hand-crafted contribution, Recursive Objects. As the press release describes, it is "a series of sculptures made in response to The Wolfsonian’s collection. The backgrounds of the items in The Wolfsonian’s vast collection are varied ranging from high design to humble utilitarian items. Whitmarsh has made facsimiles of some of these objects (to replace the originals typically on view), and has also added her own inventions, all of which are covertly interspersed throughout the museum ..."

LA SANDWICHERIE

I go to Miami once a year for art and sandwiches. The best sandwiches ever come from La Sandwicherie, an unassuming sandwich shop, consisting only of this counter, in Miami Beach. The options are limited, and for good reason, the sandwiches are perfect. I always get turkey and camembert with everything on a croissant with extra dressing. "Everything" is onions, lettuce, tomato, black olives, hot and sweet peppers, and cornichons. Of course it helps that the counter is just blocks from the beach.

Home alone for lunch with some butternut squash and pretty new napkins

This...


Turns into this...


Then you add these...


And these...


Et voila!

Butternut squash soup with shallots and rosemary based on Mark Bittman's genius 101 Headstarts on the Day (the "Day" was Thanksgiving). Napkins (I've been coveting for a while) from Le Grenier. Parmesan crispies made by grating parm directly onto parchment paper, into the oven on 350-400 until melted and brown around the edges.

Lunching

On a recent trip through Connecticut, we stopped for a late dinner at Louis Lunch in New Haven. Established in 1895, it is one of the oldest restaurants in the United States, just a tiny unassuming shack in the middle of a college town. They also claim to have invented the hamburger sandwich! The guys behind the counter were amazing, the potato salad (a special for the day) was some of the best I've ever had, and the burgers are cooked in a very cool, very old vertical broiler. There are no condiments, only onions, tomatoes, cheese spread, and ham to top your burger which is served on toasted white bread. Well worth the trip, but definitely call ahead as they can close for holidays, vacations, construction, etc. (We've tried to go before...) And if you are ever looking for food along the road in any part of the country, go to roadfood.com. I love them.

Stewing Lentils

Over the summer, I visited Hawthorne Valley Farm and, after watching the cow parade, I purchased these beautiful French lentils from their extensive market. The lentils are beautiful and delicious and called for in many a lentil recipe, but can be hard to find. On Monday night, I made Ina Garten's Stewed Lentils and Tomatoes (recipe below), served it over rice, and topped it with feta. On the side - roasted cauliflower over wilted tat soi. Whoa.


multi-colored carrots from the farmer's market


red onions in olive oil


lentils have been stewed


rice is ready, i love those crispy edges


tatsoi wilts under just-roasted cauliflower


dinner is served...

Stewed Lentils & Tomatoes
adapted from Barefoot Contessa at Home

2 teaspoons good olive oil
2 cups large-diced yellow and/or red onions (2 onions)
2 cups large-diced carrots (3-4 carrots)
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
1 (28-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes
1 cup French green lentils (7 ounces)
2 cups chicken stock and/or water
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon good balsamic vinegar

Heat the oil in a large saucepab. Add the onions and carrots and cook over medium-low heat for 8-10 minutes, until the onions start to brown. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon. Add the garlic and cook 1 more minute.

Meanwhile, place the canned plum tomatoes, including the juice, in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse several times until the tomatoes are coarsely chopped. (You can also leave the tomatoes in the can, and with a pair of kitchen scissors, cut the tomatoes into coarse chunks.) Pour lentils into a sheet pan and pick over to make sure there are no stones, then rinse.

Add tomatoes, lentils, broth/water, cumin, coriander, chili powder, thyme, salt, and pepper to the pan. Raise the heat to bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer covered for about 40 minutes, until the lentils are tender. Check occasionally to be sure the liquid is still simmering. Remove from the heat and allow the lentils to sit covered for another 10 minutes. Add the vinegar, season to taste, and serve hot.