hostess with the mostess.

I am an enthusiastic carnivore. I love my meat grilled, broiled, poached and smoked. I will often go the extra mile to work it in to my menu. So, when asked to host my book club that has both vegetarian and vegan members, I had to take a step back and really think about the menu. Don't get me wrong, cooking a complete vegetarian meal can often leave me more satisfied than my meat-eating ways. But it did take some careful consideration and forethought to put my menu together and even more self-restraint to not subconsciously put a pat of butter in the pot.

Here was my all-vegan meal:

ciabatta bread with roasted garlic
lentil stew with kale and sweet potatoes
fresh spinach and baby romaine salad with orange pepper, organic avocado, shallots and a dijon vinigarette

I believe it was a success and I was happy to fill the stomachs of the animal-friendly.

weekend.

48 hours with the Longs:

6 pots of Top Pot brew.
2 bottles of red red wine.
Two grilled salmon.
One grilled turkey breast with roasted peppers, spinach and rustic baguette.
6 homemade cardamom rolls.
One homemade lasagna.
One chicken sandwich with chipotle aioli and organic avocado.

fine dining, pt. II

Tuesday was the day of Katy's dinner party. We decided the theme should obviously be "Mardi Gracias" because we knew we wanted a burrito bar and margaritas. Trader Joe's has finally made it to the East Coast so Corey, Katy and I left the warm cocoon of her apartment for Union Square. Our shopping plan: get everything we could at TJ's and any lingering list item would be picked up at Whole Foods. On our way to the grocery store, we stopped for a light lunch at an old haunt, Zen Palate. This place is perfect for health foodies and suited our needs perfectly; our soy-laden lunches would give us the energy we so desperately needed to survive Trader Joe's.

We hit up the store around 1:00 pm on a random Tuesday afternoon. In any other city in the country, we would've been met with a near-empty store all to ourselves. Not so much in New York. We gathered our groceries and found the end of the line which was unnervingly close to the entrance of the store. We stood in line to check-out for an hour. During this time, I got a massive migraine headache that took hold of me and would not let go. After a frantic trip to Whole Foods, we hopped in a cab and rushed me home. Thankfully, the headache was bad but the recovery short and I woke up in time to have a cup of coffee before starting on our burrito feast.

Baker came over for the cooking portion and helped us make some killer (in flavor and tequila content) margaritas. Before we knew it, the guests had gathered and the fun had started. It was a great night due to Katy's masterful skills as a hostess.

Wednesday:

We began the day with bagels delivered from the nearby deli and strong Top Pot coffee (a Seattle import). After filling our bellies, the three of us headed to Chelsea to see Baker's show. I was so proud of my dear friend for creating these large, colorful, vibrant paintings and getting a gallery in Chelsea to take note. What did we do to celebrate? We got Corey his first piece of NYC pizza. I daresay it lived up to expectations. The sauce had some zest to it, the cheese pulled a mile high, the crust left the bottom of the slice with a little crunch to it. Corey was in heaven and Katy and I's stomach's growling in anticipation for our own lunch.

We traveled uptown to French Roast on the Upper West Side. Katy and I dined on salads and frites while Corey left our waitress convinced he had a alcohol problem because he insisted on "drinking his lunch." Of course, we knew the truth: he was still basking in the glow of his pizza. We walked our lunch off while traveling through Central Park to meet Baker at the Met.

After strolling through some key exhibits, it was obviously time for our afternoon cup of coffee. Katy took us to Le Pain Quotidien, a place that she also took me to in Paris. We all ordered espresso drinks and a sweet treat. Katy got an airy meringue, I ordered a multi-grain blueberry muffin, Corey an apple turnover and Baker indulged himself with an artful creme-filled donut.

The four of us wandered down from the Upper East Side all the way to Katy's apartment. After a very proper cup of Early Grey tea, we bid farewell to Baker and ordered a whole lot of Chinese delivery. It was an amazing thing to have food brought to our door, a luxury I had totally forgotten about. The three of us were exhausted and content, watching a new episode of Lost and letting the busy day roll of our backs.

fine dining, part I

New York City has streets and avenues that run straight up and down, a subway system only comparable to Europe, beautiful people, quaint neighborhoods and delivery options well into the night. Corey and I returned a week ago and have been missing it ever since. We have been looking for hole-in-the-wall pizza places, hiding out by subway stops that serve brick-oven slices. When my stomach growls late into the night, I flip through an imaginary delivery menu in my head. But we won't be returning to the big mythic city for a while so I must relish the memory. I thought I would share with you the day by day menus of our journey to Manhattan with short jaunts to Philadelphia, Poughkeepsie and Brooklyn.

Saturday:

Brunch at Walker's, a small pub in Tribeca. I got an omelette with asparagus and bacon, Corey feasted on his signature huevos rancheros.

Trip to Philadelphia via Chinatown Bus.

Dinner at Abyssinia, an Ethiopian hole-in-the-wall. Awesome food served on a platter that engulfed the entire table. I caught up with old friends, Corey made some new ones. We walked upstairs to the new millenium's speak-easy, a bar called Fiume. After a couple of scotch and ginger ales, Corey was Philadelphia's biggest fan. We drove home listening to Beach House, a Vassar-related band that despite their name, captured the wintry cityscape.

Sunday:

Brunch at the Morning Glory, Philly's answer to Atlanta's original Flying Biscuit. I had a huge plate filled with hashbrowns, scrambled eggs and a square biscuit, a new shape to me! The food was scrumptious and served with homemade ketchup.

Back to New York City via Chinatown Bus.

Dinner at Max, a tiny spot in the East Village known for reasonable prices, dim lighting and really solid Italian food. I had their homemade fettucine and bolognese while Corey and my long-lost friend Carter had the gnocchi. The bowls of pasta were steaming while the temperature outside hovered somewhere around 10 degrees. Cab home!

Monday:

Quick breakfast of bagels and weak NYC coffee from a nearby deli. There was something oddly comforting about the coffee - no pretension, just coffee in logo-less paper cups. It was also nice to know that Seattle has something on New York. The bagels, on the other hand, were just what I've been missing. They were crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside and weighed down in cream cheese.

A massive walk around downtown. We went through Tribeca, Soho, the East Village, the Lower East Side, the West Village and back to Tribeca.

A stopover at Burritoville. It was like coming home again. I had my usual chicken burrito on a whole wheat tortilla with brown rice, cheese, plenty of guacamole and some delicious smoky salsa. I don't know why I love it but I do, I really really do.

The golden meal of our trip: The Orchard on the Lower East Side. Holy mackerel. We started with a homemade flat bread topped with the kitchen's own hummus, roasted seasonal peppers and eggplant. Nothing was overcooked, there was a little heat in the hummus and the flat bread had a satisfying crunch. The second appetizer (or "starter," the hipper term, I suppose) was a tuna tartare served with a luxuriously creamy guacamole. The tuna lacked any hint of a fishy flavor and went perfectly with the avocado. For the main course:

Susan - osso bucco with lemon infused polenta.
Corey - lamb tenderloin with mint and cream orzo.
Katy - seafood paella.

All entrees were stellar. My osso bucco was flaky and savory but so rich I could only eat a quarter of the generous portion.

For dessert:

White chocolate bread pudding with vanilla bean ice cream.
Molten chocolate cake with homemade whipped cream.
If my life depended on it, I could not be pressed to pick a favorite.

The Orchard was an amazing find - a wonderfully solid menu that was not inaccessibly gourmet but still quite special. Attention was payed to the details, the lighting made us all look gosh darn attractive, the wine menu was lengthy and unique. Go there, you must!

The rest of the week to come...