Panini Night and Happy Christmas!

We were down in Atlanta this year for Christmas and had a great time celebrating with the boys. Holidays are just more fun with little kids around. There were lots of presents to be opened, many of which were food related. Bindu got Suraj a great panini maker from Williams Sonoma, something he's been eyeing for quite sometime. My parents got him a panini cookbook to go along with it, so on Saturday night Suraj, Praveen, Naveen, and Ankur were put in charge of our panini dinner. They made three delicious paninis for all of us - a three cheese and roasted veggie one, a turkey, watercress, and brie one, and a dessert panini with nutella, bananas, and hazelnuts. What I found most striking about this dinner is that it took the boys roughly three hours to make it and created a huge mess.

We were also treated to a lovely cheese tasting of stilton, parmesan, and Bindu's favorite - the aged gouda. I did my best to sound like I knew what I was talking about as I described the cheese (luckily, I recently flipped through Murray's cheese guide - another Christmas gift).

What did I get for Christmas? Something I've been wanting for the longest time! A grown up girl watch - something for those occasions when the Timex Indiglo I've been wearing since age 10 just isn't appropriate. Thanks Creamy!

Woodfire Grill

From Bindu:

So Kavi is going to kill me if I don't blog about this one and of course I forgot to take pictures, but last Saturday, Suraj and I, along with our favorite foodie neighbors Leslie and Andrew, got the chance to experience Woodfire Grill, more recently made famous by head chef Kevin Gillespie who received a third place nod on top chef.

The amuse bouche was a specially prepared slice of beet, which most definitely amused my bouche :). For starters Lesley had a delicious mushroom fricasse, I had the pumpkin risotto, Suraj had the laughing bird shrimp with meyer lemon sauce. Our entrees included two steaks, one pork and I got the sablefish which came with a lovely green puree and some roasted root vegetables which were delicate and perfectly diced just not enough of them. The fish was tender like cod and had a brown butter sauce that could have used more flavor. Suraj's steak came with amazing fingerling potatoes with diced garlic.

For dessert we opted for the carrot cake, the pumpkin flan, the chocolate/pistachio cake and the doughnuts, I won out with the pumpkin flan, it just tasted so pumpkiny and delish. The pluses of this restaraunt were definitely the sustainable local produce which we were informed was picked that morning, everything was just extraordinarily fresh and exquisitely prepared, although some of the items could have used a bit more flavor. The wine pairings that came recommended were really perfect and the service was topnotch. All in all makes my atlanta top five and I would definitely return.

Posto

New York City got it's first taste of snow a little earlier than usual this year. The blizzard that dumped 18 inches of snow on Manhattan and stranded my Dad in NYC for two extra days gave us an excellent opportunity to enjoy dinner close to home. Ankur, my Dad, and I trekked our way to 18th and 2nd for some super thin crust pizza at Posto. We started off with some garlic bread with marinara and then made our own veggie pie. The pizza at Posto is probably not the best in Manhattan, but it is solid. The only downside to the restaurant is that it's extremely small and that the pricetag for pizza seems a bit much at the end of the night. The restaurant does have a great homey feel and it's a much nicer way to enjoy a slice on a cold night than standing on a street corner. I highly recommend the bread pudding for dessert as well!

Alleia

While on my wonderful two week vacation over Thanksgiving, my parents treated me, Ankur, and Suraj to a night out in Chattanooga at a new Italian restaurant called Alleia (poor Bindu had to stay home with the kids - don't worry, she let us know just how tragic this was). I don't know quite what I was expecting, but it was definitely the hippest restaurant I've ever been to in Chattanooga. The steamed mussels and cannelini bruschetta made for excellent starters, but I think we were more satisfied by our entrees - the balsamic pork shoulder, butternut squash tortelli with sage butter, and whole roasted trout. Everything was cooked to perfection in a simple, Northern Italian style. The emphasis was really on the quality of the preparation and ingredients. I don't remember what we had for dessert, but I do remember thinking the food was exceptional and definitely comparable, if not surpassing some of our favoring New York Italian eateries. It's always hard to come back from vacation, particularly when you have a family that treats you like you've just come back from war every time you come home!

Thanksgiving

For as long as I can remember, Thanksgiving has been my favorite holiday. It's the one day of the year that's set aside for the sole purpose of being grateful for your loved ones and eating lots of carbs, what could be better than that??!! When I was younger, we would often go to the Enjeti's house to celebrate Thanksgiving, and it was here that we got our first taste of the traditional American Thanksgiving meal. Over the years, the recipes have changed somewhat, but that great, joyous feeling I get when sitting around a table with the people I love most in the world and eating a meal we cooked together never has and never will. This Thanksgiving was even more special because I hadn't been home for it in five years, and it was the first Thanksgiving I got to celebrate with my boys, Kiran and Kethan (although they refused to eat anything but marshmallows). Notable additions this year were the roasted beat salad and scalloped parmesan potatoes, accompanied by the usual sweet potato casserole covered in marshmallows, turkey, fresh cranberry sauce, and sister schubert roles to name a few.

Kiran wanted to sit next to the marshmallows.


I spent the week after Thanksgiving having a lovely girls week in Atlanta. My mom, Bindu, and I spent four days shopping, lunching, and just generally doing all the things we never have enough time to do together. It ended much to quickly, but it is a week I will never forget!

Chik-fil-A

Growing up, I did not have the type of family that ate fast food on a regular basis. My mom was a stickler about healthy eating and healthy eating habits so we had a well-balanced, home cooked meal almost every night (yup, I have a supermom). Because of this, and I know it sounds strange, I was always the kind of kid that preferred carrots to cookies (you can ask my mom if you don't believe me). However, it was always a special treat, on those rare occasions that my mom was just too tired to worry about our dinner, that we got chik-fil-A nuggets for dinner. This was pretty much the only fast food that I didn't think was disgusting, and anyone who grew up in the South knows how delicious those little nuggets are. To top off the meal, I always ordered a carrot-raisin salad (not the waffle fries). I don't even think most people know about the carrot-raisin salad at chik-fil-A, but it is magic and every bite reminds me of my childhood.
My sister, who raises her kids with the same gusto and supermomness as our mom, has trained her kids with the same weird eating habits, and they too care only for chik-fil A among the fast food joints. So what better food to serve at Kiran's 4th birthday than his one fast food passion - chik-fil-A. I had so much fun in Atlanta with my nephews celebrating Kiran's birthday. I got to spend time with all of his friends and his parents friends, even the rainy day didn't ruin our fun. There really is something magical about getting to watch my nephews live out things I remember from my own childhood.

Lots of friends came to celebrate with our very own Batman and Robin!

Here is Kiran getting his birthday surprise from his Ammama, Thatha, and Pinni - a big boy bike!

Shake Shack

Although there are now 3 locations, the original Shake Shack is situated in Madison Square Park. It is, as its name implies, a burger stand, serving the best milk shakes around. The shack is surrounded by small, rickety tables and that's pretty much all there is to it. I hear the burgers are pretty awesome, but as a non-beef eater I always get either the chicken hot dog or portabella mushroom sandwich. None of the food here is very good for you, but it all tastes pretty darn great. Amazingly, the line here is usually an hour long or more, but somehow I never seem to mind. This place is usually so busy that they have a "shack cam" on their website that lets you preview the line situation before you go. It's a great place to spend a lazy afternoon basking in a sunny day and the food is always solid. I highly recommend the french fries (Ankur votes them as the best he's ever eaten!) and, of course, the milkshakes. Go only when you have time to spare and you are with someone you wouldn't mind spending a few hours with. After lunch at the shack, we wandered around, did a little shopping, and enjoyed the Fall colors in Union Square as you can see above.

If you look really hard at the picture at right, you can see Ankur waving. He's happy because he's almost made it to the front of the line :)

BBQ Chicken and Potato Salad

We finally got a new TV! Our old clunker broke down about two weeks ago. The sound was fine but the picture was a complete blur. At first, Ankur wanted to investigate repair options, but when we found out it would probably cost more to fix our old TV than what it was worth, I, along with our families, were able to convince him it was time to enter the 21st century and get a flat panel. So he, Suraj, and Sridhar picked out a 46" 10 ADP HDTV (I have no idea what any of that means) and it was delivered this past Saturday. Our first thoughts were "It's too big and it's too clear". Everyone thinks we're crazy but the pretty people just aren't pretty anymore on such a crystal clear screen. People say we'll get used to it but the jury's still out on that one. So what does all this have to do with BBQ chicken and potato salad? After spending an obscene amount of money on a new TV, Ankur decided we could no longer afford to go out to eat, AT ALL. So we proceeded to go through all our old recipes and settled on one last summer meal of BBQ chicken and my mom's famous potato salad for our Saturday night in to semi-enjoy watching Hindi film songs on our new TV. Although I rarely cook these days, I'm not half bad!

Clinton Street Baking Co. & Restaurant

My cousin Geeta, Ankur, and I have long been planning (for 2.5 years been planning) a visit to Clinton St. for brunch. Their pancakes have reached the stuff of legend in New York. You can imagine their dismay when I had to break it to them that I went with my sister, Bindu. I hadn't meant for it happen, I don't know how it did, but Bindu can be SO convincing, AND bossy! Well, to be honest, it wasn't that hard to convince me. On any given Sunday, you can see the line winding out of the restaurant down Clinton St. usually indicating a minimum of a one hour wait. On this Sunday, Bindu and I didn't mind at all. We'd been blessed with a gloriously beautiful fall New York day and we took the waiting time as an opportunity to scope out our LES shopping plan for the afternoon and to taste test cannoli's at a new LES shop specializing in them called Stuffed Artisan Cannolis (Imagine a restaurant with 30 different kinds of cannolis and nothing else. It's awesome - go there). We were seated after about an 80 minute wait and I have to say I actually think it might have been worth the wait - and we didn't even get pancakes!). I had the Southern breakfast consisting of 2 eggs over easy, sugar cured bacon, cheese grits, friend green tomatoes, and a biscuit. The fried green tomatoes didn't come anywhere close to the ones my mom makes, and any true Southerner knows that grits should be a little lumpier than that ones at Clinton St., but the rest of the elements were just right, particularly the sugar cured bacon - genius! A highly satisfying savory breakfast well complemented by Bindu's Belgian vanilla waffle with roasted pineapple and toasted coconut. There were so many things on the menu we wanted to try that I didn't even make it to the pancakes on this visit, SO Ankur and Geeta we will go back, I promise!

Po

I first tried this charming West Village Italian spot in 2005 while visiting Bindu and Suraj with my parents and Ankur. The evening always stands out in my mind because it was the last family dinner before the birth of my eldest nephew, Kiran. I remember it as a night filled with laughter, excitement, and anticipation for the arrival of our newest family member. Mario Batali was still chef/owner at that time and while I know I enjoyed the food, it was almost secondary to the vibe of the evening. I returned several months later with a group of my college girlfriends while we were in town to celebrate New Year's Eve and we had an equally boisterous time. I came back on this occasion with Bindu, my oldest friend in the world Laura Conn, and her sister (who has just moved to NYC!!) Katie. Chef Lee McGrath has taken over the reigns at Po, but it can still be counted on for affordable, interesting Italian. The pastas are all homemade and the sauces and accompaniments are never boring. There are always enough dishes promising bacon and spice to keep me happy. While the food is not as sublime as at my favorite Italian eateries - Lupa and Babbo, it definitely hits the spot without breaking the bank. The true standout for me was probably dessert - the panna cotta with amarena cherries. The consistency was perfect and the cherries were sweet yet tangy. The end of this night was made even sweeter by a celebrity sighting that I dare say changed Bindu's life. As I was walking out of the restaurant, I saw Keri Russell (aka Felicity) out of the corner of my eye. Knowing that Bindu had a Felicity obsession for several years, I calmly walked back inside, pulled her aside and said "I think Keri Russell is standing outside, please be cool." Bindu was able to not make a scene but I think she's still pretty disappointed we didn't ask her for a picture. It was a great night for sisters and for old friends.
Sorry I don't have any pictures of Keri Russell, but here's a shot of me and my mom at that "last supper" before baby Kiran changed all of our lives forever! We actually sat at the same table (note the comfy leather booth) on this visit too.

Po revisited - 12/21/09
My dad was in town over the weekend for his annual visit to watch Duke play at MSG. This year, we got to see an awful Duke team kill an even worse Gonzaga and then fortunately for me, and unfortunately for my dad, a blizzard prolonged his stay by two days. He found plenty to do while I was on call, and then treated me to dinner at Po before he headed back home. We decided Alleia has better food but the desserts at Po win out in the end. We shared the porcini crusted cod with sweet pepper sauce and the butternut squash ravioli with brown butter (very similar to Alleia's but a little more doughy).

The panna cotta with amarena cherries...it really is just about the perfect dessert! And a not very good picture of dad enjoying the cod.

Jean Georges

After visiting chef Jean Georges flagship Manhattan restaurant, I can firmly say he deserves every one of those three Michelin stars. Located in Trump Tower on Central Park West, I was expecting the restaurant to be pretentious and stiff. I couldn't have been more wrong. The dining room was actually quite cozy and the waitstaff always pleasant and helpful despite the fact that we were clearly newbies. There are two rooms at Jean-Georges: the front room, which is a separate (less expensive) restaurant, where there seemed to be a lot of regulars hanging around, and the back room which is Jean-Georges proper. The room is a giant rectangle, so every table can be seen and no table is a bad one. What made this dining experience especially memorable was that I got to share it with one of my favorite couples, my original foodies, Bindu and Suraj. Few people relish a good meal the way Suraj does, and watching him have a love affair with his food is highly entertaining. I was a bit apprehensive before the meal because I am usually not a huge fan of fine French dining, but Bindu assured me that the food would have enough Asian inspired flavors to keep my palate satisfied. We started our three course prix fixe with hamachi sashimi, peekytoe crab, caramelized sea scallops, and goat cheese gnocchi. Each dish was so well balanced, it was hard to pick a favorite, but the pillowy, melt in your mouth gnocchi was certainly one of the best I've ever had. For our second course, we shared the charred corn ravioli, arctic char, gulf shrimp with smoked bacon, and chili glazed maine halibut. Everything was cooked to perfection and each dish really did have an extra kick or hidden ingredient to make the flavors stand out. We're not talking your typical French bechamel's and buttery sauces, this was creative, surprising, fantastic food! Many of the sauces had hints of mustard or wasabi or horseradish and they were adventurous with their use of spice and peppers. Our third course (what we thought would be our last) consisted of a black sea bass crusted with nuts, rack of lamb with chili glaze, and maine lobster with basil butter and jalapeno. While lamb is usually my runaway favorite dish, I have to say Ankur ordered best when he picked the black sea bass. The sweet and sour jus combined with the grainy, crunchy crust was out of this world. As we began to debate how much we were willing to spend on our dessert, we were informed it was actually included in the prix fixe. I don't think I have ever seen Bindu or Ankur look happier. Ohhhh dessert. My wish for each and every one of you reading this is: that at some point in your lives, you get to dine at Jean-Georges and then, at the end of your meal, when you are already swimming in ecstasy, you have the experience of a Jean Georges signature dessert platter (four desserts - all for you - based on a category of your choosing), our choices were: chocolate, autumn, strawberry, and harvest. We got one of each, thus creating a sixteen course dessert tasting. At the end of night, I was not only deeply satisfied by the food, but by the entire experience. Jean Georges proved to me that cooking is about so much more than the food, it's an art, and chef Jean Georges is a true master of his art. I felt not even an ounce of guilt at the price (which was actually less than I had anticipated) because, on this night, we ate (and felt) like royalty. Move over Gari, there is a new king of my heart.

Here we are with our amazing desserts (don't we look happy!)


The Arctic Char covered in chili-lime foam (above), Suraj enjoying his lamb (below)And last, but not least, the after dessert desserts including homemade marshmallows, chocolates, and candied fruits.

Saigon Bakery/Chinatown Ice Cream Factory

One thing I know always holds true: when Bindu and Suraj come to town there will be lots of eating. On this particular visit, we weaved our way through the city doing some truly marathon level eating. Having enjoyed a rich meal the night before at Pearl Oyster Bar, I wanted to introduce my sister and brother-in-law to some truly authentic "fast food" in Chinatown. My friend Mabel first told me about Saigon Bakery and I must say I've found no better Banh Mi in the city. The entrance to the restaurant is actually a jewelry store, but if you make your way to the back, you will find a small counter where you can order any of about ten different types of Banh Mi. What makes these sandwiches so excellent is how well all the individual ingredients work together. From the flaky, chewy bread to the sweet glazed pork to the pickled, julienned vegetables all topped off with fresh cilantro and jalapenos. The $3.75 price tag for a sandwich that feeds two only sweetens the deal.
Never one to be satisfied without dessert, Bindu suggested a trip down the street to the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory. This little shop always manages to make it's way on to NYC top ten lists but I've never been overly impressed. We all shared two scoops - lychee and green tea. While I enjoyed the chunks of fresh lychee, I found the green tea a little too creamy for my taste.

Sushi of Gari

There is only one word I can use to describe the delectable, mouthwatering sushi served at Gari's restaurants: heaven. Sushi purists may be turned off by the nontraditional style of his offerings but one taste and they will be convinced. Each piece, which can be ordered "Gari style", comes paired with it's own elegant and creative topping. Fatty tuna with hummus, salmon with roasted tomatoes, snapper with garlic and onion, the list is endless and ever changing. Having grown up in the land locked state of Tennesse, I was never very adventurous with sushi before moving to New York, and now I have been spoiled for life. I have celebrated every birthday at Gari since moving to New York and find simply any excuse I can to enjoy a meal there. I am very ritualistic about my experience though, each piece must be fully appreciated, and yes, I have been brought to near tears by some of their sushi. When anyone asks me my favorite New York spot, I always unhesitatingly reply Gari. While the decor is nothing to be impressed by, it's all about the food here. The price tag is not for the faint of heart, but I can guarantee a life changing experience. Here I am celebrating my latest birthday (28!).

Mercado Central (Fish Market)

Wow, this place was awesome. It had fish and things that lived in the sea which I had never even heard of before, let alone seen. There were literally tentacles sticking out of shells probing the air like cockroach antennae. But, everything looked incredibly fresh and therefore tasty (with the exception of aforementioned tentacle/barnacle hybrids). After a quick tour of the market (I grew tired of everyone asking me to buy stuff), I sat down at a restaurant that was actually inside the market. I ordered a conger eel soup and paella especial. The conger eel soup was so-so, I only got it because it is very famous in Chile. The paella though was amazing with some of the freshest seafood I have ever eaten. Some of this stuff was alive just hours ago. All in all, a great trip, I will definitely go back at some point and try some of the other, more adventurous options they had.

Sugar Cafe/Pommes Frites - August 16, 2009

What are post call days for if not for taking long naps and eating a disgusting amount of food? Last Sunday, I woke up in my usual post call haze and decided I needed some retail therapy to get over the horrible night. We made our way to the LES for some browsing and stopped at a little dessert cafe we had probably passed a dozen times. It's a place called Sugar Cafe on Allen and Houston. The 100 degree heat and humidity had us craving something cool so we got some gelato (cookies and cream and blood orange - i'll let you guess who ordered what). The pies and cakes looked good but we didn't manage to try them on this visit.


One of my favorite things about New York is the plenitude of restaurants/shops that specialize in only one product. You know what I'm talking about - S'mac, Rice to Riches, Dumpling Man, the PB&J Company; the list is endless. Well, after our ice cream, we stopped by Pommes Frites for some Belgian Fries. Yup, all they have is fries and about 100 sauces to choose from and I love it. It's a good thing we did a lot of walking because nothing we ate on Sunday was very good for us. Oh well!

Pearl Oyster Bar - August 14, 2009

When Bindu first came to visit us in New York about two years ago, she introduced us to this amazing thing we had never even heard of before: the lobster roll. Not having grown up in the Northeast, I had totally missed out on this incredible creation. We had our first one at Mary's Fish Camp (an offshoot of Pearl) and since then we've been searching for the best (we've tried Mermaid Inn and some in Newport, RI), but the best I've ever had is at Pearl. It really is a mountain of lobster with just the right amount of sauce and that perfect, buttery roll. Other things we've had at pearl and loved are the clam chowder and fried oysters (with a homemade remoulade - see right). We finished off our meal with the blueberry cobbler (they do it just like in the South - it reminds me of WayCrazy BBQ on Lookout Mountain). On top of having great food, Pearl also happens to be in our favorite neighborhood - the West Village. There it is below! The delicious lobster roll and shoestring fries, well worth the pricetag!
Pearl revisited - 12/18/09
During my dad's annual Decemeber trip to NYC, Ankur, Geeta, and I took him out to Pearl to the try the lobster rolls and seared cod. The bottom line is that Pearl never disappoints. My dad, a very tough critic, declared the food "excellent", and the praline parfait for dessert was so well received that we had to get two!

Carrot Halwa - August 7-9, 2009

A couple of months ago, after Praveen and Neha had decided the date for their engagment party, Ankur approached me with a question. Ever the loving the brother, he wanted to MAKE something in honor of his sister's big day. I racked my brain for something that could be made ahead and time and that would be easy to transport from NYC to Orlando. The answer...carrot halwa! I made the poor guy grate about two dozen carrots and, as you can see from the picture, the remainder of the ingredients were pretty easy to mix in. This; however, is only the tip of all the amazing eating we did this weekend. Friday night, my in laws hosted a lovely dinner for the happy couple and we got to surprise my mom for her 60th birthday as well. Many speeches were made and tears shed about my fantastic mom! On Saturday, we celebrated the official engagement at Pinni's house. Neha hated being the center of attention but she looked absolutely gorgeous. It was a deja vu experience reliving our own engagement. I couldn't pick just a few, so here are several pictures from our memorable weekend.

From the top, (1) the happy couple (2) Naveen speaking about Mom (3) Ankur and I cutting our anniversary cake with Kiran's help (4) Pinni and Babu Mama giving a speech about Mom. Below: (1) Bagaku Forever! (2) The Reddy Women (3) Me, Neha, and Harpreet (Abhi's girlfriend) who my family became oddly obsessed with (4) Sefali Mami with her Falafel feast (5) Me, Ankur, and Geeta after we gave up on the Indian clothes (6) The Vyas Family minus Praveen