Chicken and Artichoke Fricassée with Mushrooms
After a weekend of bar food and stadium fare, I wanted to make something healthier and more homey. And I wanted leftovers for lunch. I started perusing recipes on epicurious, and stumbled upon this one, which originated from a 2007 issue of Bon Appétit and appealed to me. The original recipe calls for morels, which … Continue reading
White Boiled Shrimp 白灼虾 and Chinese Broccoli 芥蘭
白灼虾 pronounced bok chur ha which literally translates to “white boiled shrimp”, is a popular Cantonese dish that is very quick to prepare. When served in upscale restaurants, typically they will use very large coral shrimp (very $$$) that they boil live so it is the freshest possible and at the peak of its natural … Continue reading
Ivo & Lulu, NYC
Ivo & Lulu Cuisine: French-Caribbean Neighborhood: SoHo Price: $40 for food, wine is BYOB Attire: Casual Phone: (212) 226-4399 Address: 558 Broome St # D, NYC 10013 I actually discovered Ivo & Lulu for the first time when my friend had a birthday celebration there three years ago. It is a cute BYO French Bistro, … Continue reading
Egg Salad BLT
Everyone has their own hangover cure — and usually, eggs are the popular choice. Apparently, there is a scientific reason behind this: egg yolks contain a large amount of cysteine, which breaks down acetaldehyde, one of the culprits behind a hangover. But enough of a nerdy babble talk, eggs are awesome. However, fried eggs tend … Continue reading
Eleven Madison Park, NYC
Eleven Madison Park Chef: Daniel Humm Cuisine: American Nouveau Neighborhood: Flatiron Price: Lunch- Three courses for $56, Four Courses for $74. Dinner- Four Courses for $125, Tasting Menu for $195. Wine list prices vary. Phone: 212-889-0905 Address: 11 Madison Ave., NYC 10010 It is difficult to find an elegant après-work restaurant in New York City’s … Continue reading
Beauty & Essex, NYC
Beauty & Essex Chef: Chris Santos Cuisine: American Nouveau, Tapas/Small Plates Neighborhood: Lower East Side Price: $30-50 per person Phone: 212-614-0146 Address: 146 Essex St., NYC 10002 From the team behind The Stanton Social comes another posh Lower East Side restaurant complete with all the glitz and gorgeous details that could only be designed by … Continue reading
Bar Boulud, NYC
Bar Boulud Chef: Daniel Boulud Cuisine: French Neighborhood: Lincoln Center, Upper West Side Price: $70 per person, includes a drink or a glass of wine Phone: 212-595-0303 Address: 1900 Broadway, NYC 10023 Jen and I discovered Bar Boulud when we used to live near Columbus Circle. It became our brunch alternative to Bouchon at the … Continue reading
Zucchini Blossoms Stuffed with Tomatoes and Parmesan
I first came across zucchini blossoms at Alta, a cute Tapas place in West Village. I honestly didn’t know what we would get when we ordered zucchini blossoms, but were pleasantly surprised with a beautiful vegetable dish. Although the dish was fried, the delicate nature of the blossom made it lighter and added a bit … Continue reading
Garlic Bread
As I was cooking the Leek Tops Mac & Cheese, I wanted to try making my own garlic bread to serve with it. Natalya has made garlic bread in the past, usually just combining crushed garlic with olive oil on bread. I decided to fatten it up a bit with some butter and herbs because, … Continue reading
Leek Tops Mac and Cheese
One of my new favorite vegetables are leeks, which we started picking up after seeing them at the farmers’ market (in season September to December). Leeks look a bit like scallions on steroids, but the taste is a lot milder than its pungent onion relatives, with a hint of sweetness. Most recipes only call for … Continue reading






















