The List: #8 and #7

#8 ESS-A-BAGEL

Before I endure any crap about having a bagel place on my top ten list, let me remind you that we are talking about New York here. When in New York, you must have their bagels. They are the best. So, using my well-honed research skills, I plucked Ess-a-Bagel from the "best of" lists . . . having already tried H & H Bagels on a previous trip and being pretty unimpressed. I must also mention that I had lunch here after a two and a half hour exhausting walking tour of The Met (amazing, by the way). So by lunchtime, my feet were aching, my stomach was twisting into knots, and I was craving something quick, fast, and loaded with carbs. So bagels it was.



Before I even got there, I already knew what I wanted to order: an everything bagel with lox cream cheese. I mean, is there anything better than an everything bagel? You got sesame seeds, poppy seeds, garlic, onion . . . enough said. Perhaps a peanut butter chocolate bagel can come close to rivaling it, but I don't think they had those. Since it was a warm day (in the 70s! in October!), I wanted to take my bagel to go. But, after hearing my intentions, the kind man making my bagel replied, "Why you take it to go? Why not you eat it here? No one will bother you." So with those words of assurance, I took my tray and had a seat by the window.



And entered into warm, crunchy, pillowy doughy, salty, tangy, creamy heaven. I like to make up rules when I eat certain foods, and with this bagel, my rule was to take one bite of the sandwich as it is. Then, disassemble the sandwich into four separate pieces . . . the longer to enjoy such simple perfection. I sat in that bagel place for quite a while, watching the passersby getting on with their New York days. And when I had eaten the last sesame seed off that white paper, I was re-fueled, completely satiated, and happy to get on with things as well.

#7 CHA-AN



My dear, sweet friend Ayumi wanted to introduce me to this adorable little tea place, and since I love little tea places, I was happy to oblige. So we made plans to meet up with our college friend, Laura, and my sister. Since Laura was coming from way uptown and would be late, and since my sister was coming from work and was starving, the three of us got things started. Ayumi and I planned to just get dessert and tea (and have a $1 pizza afterwards), but Steph needed some real food.



She ordered a chicken and kabocha pumpkin with broth dish and rice. We all had a sample of it, and although it looks simple, the dish was so delicious and complex. The only negative about it was that there wasn't enough! Ayumi and I ordered a dessert trio and two teas, a green (Genmaicha if I remember correctly) and a Darjeerling. We all admired the lovely and authentic presentation:









The standout of the dessert trio was the black sesame creme brulee. The top of the dessert was properly caramelized so that you got the nice contrast of the crunchy sweet top and creamy interior. The black sesame added an unusual touch, but I couldn't stop eating it!

Cha-an may not have delivered portions of the standard American meal, but it earned a nice spot at #7 for its quaint and cozy atmosphere, perfectly done dishes and teas, and its creativity.

It's all about the food . . . the Top Ten List (#10 and #9)

No matter where I go, it's always about the food. I could be in the middle of lunch, enjoying a perfectly pressed panini, and still be contemplating what's for dinner. So I have diligently reviewed the pictures, replayed each experience in my head, tallied up the scores . . . and now I present Patty's list of top ten culinary adventures in New York. Let the countdown begin!

#10 JOE'S SHANGHAI
Oh Joe's. Had I been making this list last year, this well-known Chinatown establishment would have easily been in the top two. Last year's memory of snagging a coveted table in the back of the restaurant, filling it up with our gang much to the chagrin of the parties of two waiting outside in the cold, and being introduced to the world of soup dumplings is such a happy one for me. Our New York locals explained that you bite a tiny hole in the soup dumpling so you can slurp all the delicious broth inside. And you must do this over your spoon so as to catch all that precious soup. Amazing!

But this is not last year. Just me and my sister this year, so we shared a big 10-seater table with another family. The waiter didn't even have to ask what we wanted. It was just, "How many you want?"

"One order of regular soup dumplings and green onion pancakes," we chirped, stomachs rumbling with great expectations.



But these were not the soup dumplings of my last year's memory. The dumplings got stuck to the cabbage leaves so by the time they made it to my plate, all the soup had fallen out. Also, the "famous" dumplings we ordered had pork (fine) and crab roe (I was trying to be adventurous). I think last time we may have ordered just the pork ones. Crab roe is not for everyone. Oh well.



Being that we were famished, when our order arrived, Steph and I decided we needed one more dish. Rather than go through the menu another time and delay gratification, we eyed the dishes our table mates were enjoying . . . lots of veggies, fish, beef broccoli (bleh!), shrimp and scallops -- ooh that's the one! We'll have one of those!



That's the last time I'm ordering from the table. When the check came, we found out that last dish was a "special" and cost $20. Lesson learned. Joe's Shanghai, you just squeezed your way into my top ten on a memory and because I like green onion pancakes so much! And that seafood dish was good . . . just not $20 good.

#9 EMPANADA MAMA



This is another one coming from last year's memories that I was looking forward to reliving. Last year's experience was so good that I scoured the internet for empanada recipes for days. I dreamed of empanadas, my mouth watered at the thought of them. So I had to go back.

I was alone on this day, so my one task of the afternoon was to conquer the mystery that is the New York subway and make my way to Hell's Kitchen, to a small but cheery little restaurant. When I got there, it was busy, so I felt a little awkward having a table of two for myself. To compensate, I ordered way too much:

Began with cassava and guacamole,


and went on to devour two Brasil empanadas filled with meat, onions, olives, and who knows what else.


Everything was really tasty, but I think eating alone put a damper on things. Being able to share the experience with someone makes all the difference in the world. So I ordered my dessert empanada (chocolate & banana) to go and enjoyed it in the comfort of Steph's apartment.





As in life, better things are still to come!

New York City Reflections

Tonight I sit in front of my computer wondering what to write about my New York trip. There were many moments that I wanted to freeze and capture and share. Lots of food and shopping, catching up with wonderful friends, wandering around the city alone and with my sister, figuring out the subway system, reading, strolling through parks, walking through the Frick, the Met, and the Museum of Natural History, watching movies, sitting in cafes. But despite all the excitement, amazing cultural attractions, and culinary diversity of New York City, the most valuable was time with my sister and friends. I guess traveling alone makes you appreciate good company.



Steph is also the sweetest big sister ever . . . one who gets up early to make you breakfast and pack you a lunch so you can save a little money. A sister that leaves home way before she needs to in order to ride the subway with you so you don't get lost. And one that lets you borrow all her clothes, gives you nice hand-me-downs, doesn't yell at you for making holes in her tights, buys your drinks and coffees and food, cooks dinner for you, and packs your suitcase willingly. That last one really amazes me. Even though we always seem to fight, I still love her to bits!

Here she is cooking up a healthy and scrumptious meal on my first night.

Eat cake!

Last month we celebrated grandma's birthday. A sweet cake for my sweet granny.

Home Sweet Home

Due to popular demand of one person -- I'm back! I think I'll try to re-cap some of the events from last month. My sister was here, so I took advantage of her amazing decorating skills. Her idea of decorating includes foraging in the dense forest of dusty and unused items dating back to the 1980s that have accumulated in my parents' home. My mom does not throw anything away! Even tonight, when I brought home a broken suitcase and dad said "throw it away," mom immediately and definitively stated, "NO! We don't throw anything away!" Her exact words. So being as that is, we were able to salvage a few things from the attic and keep costs down. Steph was all about re-using and finding everyday items to decorate with. One night of gathering and working on projects and one power shopping day (we hit Ross, Savers, Pier One, and Home Depot) later, my place finally looked all dressed up.

Here's some peeks . . .


Finally I have a place to sit and eat! The picture is from a popular Hawaii artist and was a gift from my mom one Christmas.


I love my kitchen! The Japanese lantern over the window was my idea. Pretty innovative, right?! ;)


I love my new plants, too!


A clean, well-organized, well-lighted place.

More pics on the home to come! So now that it's all nice and inviting and homey guess what?! I'm probably -- hopefully -- going to move out! I may soon own my own little piece of Hawaii real estate!

Garden fresh

So last month brought me another year closer to thirty -- yikes! I got several awesome presents to mark the occasion this year, and today I'm highlighting one of them. My tita Malou (tita is Tagalog for auntie) planted me a wonderful mini herb garden with Manoa lettuce, parsley, dill, green onions, and rosemary. Tita Malou is a gardening genius . . . she has enough herbs in her homegrown garden to start a little farmers market. But I am happy to report that my mini garden is doing quite well a month later. I'm very proud of it! Let's take a closer look . . .

You can't miss the flourishing Manoa lettuce and parsley. They grow very nicely in the hot, humid, sunny environment.



And here you can see the hardy rosemary, delicate dill, and lovely green onions. The dill seems to agree the least with the sunny environment and has scorched in some places. I'm thinking it might be better off in its own pot in some shadier area.



I've been snipping pieces here and there to use in my cooking, but hadn't gotten around to trying the dill. Although I was excited to use it, I wasn't very familiar with what to use it for. With the current frazzled state it's in, I thought it best to use as soon as possible. Looking at what I had in the fridge, I decided on a BLT sandwich with herb mayonnaise. Here goes . . .

1. Toast bread and wash herbs thoroughly.
2. Take out and prepare other ingredients. I had cherry tomatoes on hand, but regular tomatoes probably would have been easier to eat on a sandwich.



3. Cut up the herbs (I used dill and green onion) and toss into the mayo. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and some pepper to taste.



4. Assemble sandwich and dig in!



Very yummy and fresh. There is something so satisfying about eating food that was just plucked from the earth. The addition of herbs adds so much flavor to a simple, everyday sandwich. I feel satisfied, but not overly full . . . the perfect disposition to finish with some Ben & Jerry's peanut butter cup ice cream!

Dinner and a Movie: Mostly Martha

On the recommendation of a friend, I rented Mostly Martha, a German movie about food and love. My kind of movie! Mostly Martha was very sweet and beautiful, but I didn't expect it to be so educational! I learned a few things from watching it. First, in Italy, basil is called basilico. I think it sounds so much nicer like that. And second, boiling a lobster is the worst way to kill it. I am truly sorry for the torture my friends and I inflicted on that tasty crustacean back in the college days. We didn't know! Apparently, you're supposed to deliver a precisely-placed stab to its neck. Now I know, but I think I'll leave the preparation of lobster to the professionals in the future.



There's a scene in it where the Italian chef Mario is eating a simple pasta dish, which served as my inspiration. It basically looked like noodles in a thin layer of tomato sauce and parmesan cheese. But the idea behind it is to use only a handful of quality ingredients, and really let them sing and shine together. So, I present this Roman dish, Pomodoro E Basilico.



If you find yourself with a healthy arsenal of basil as I did this weekend, this would be a good dish to unload it on. The use of such few ingredients really made me stop and savor their combination together . . . the acidic, tangy tomato . . . the nutty, pungent, earthy parmesan . . . and the star of it all, sweet basilico! I had to restrain myself from adding even pepper and garlic to the dish. It struck me as a bit odd that there was no garlic in the recipe. I will have to add it next time, because garlic makes everything better! For tonight, however, I did as the Romans do (well, as Fabrizzio Favale of Mediterraneo does, that is).

Result? Delizioso!