reviews Archives - Page 3 of 8

Korilla BBQ inspired Korean Barbeque Potato Chips

Posted on March 15, 2017 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

I was super excited when I found these Wise Korean Barbeque flavored chips on a recent shopping trip at Shoprite. These potato chips were inspired by NYC’s Korilla BBQ food truck. The Korilla BBQ food truck was started in 2010 serving items like burritos, rice bowls and salads topped with bulgogi, Korean BBQ pork, chicken or organic tofu. The Korilla BBQ truck was even a contestant on Food Network’s The Great Food Truck Race. Owner Edward Song created such a popular following that he is about to open his second brick-and-mortar restaurant in downtown Brooklyn later this spring. The new Brooklyn eatery will differ from his East Village restaurant in that it will also serve breakfast dishes like breakfast burritos and congee. Unfortunately, I’ve never had the opportunity to try Korilla BBQ. However, “a burrito with bulgogi and bacon kimchi fried rice” has my mouth watering just thinking about it.

Wise Korean Barbeque flavored potato chips combine two of my favorite foods, Korean BBQ and potato chips. So, I had high hopes for these chips! These chips are tangy and sweet with a hint of smokiness and a bit of spice. However, if you tried one of these chips without looking at the bag, “Korean Barbeque” is not what would come to mind.We all enjoyed these chips but the spiciness may be a bit too much for some children.

These Korean Barbeque chips are part of Wise’s Food Truck Favorites line. The Food Truck Favorite line of chips was introduced in April 2016, creating chip flavors inspired by actual food trucks. Other chips in this line include Beef Barbacoa Tacos inspired by Boston’s North East of the Border truck and Loaded Chili Cheese Dog which is inspired by NYC’s Papaya King Truck.

Verdict: Give these chips a try!

Dinner Thyme Meal Delivery Service {Review}

Posted on February 22, 2017 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

I received product samples to facilitate this review. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was very excited when Dinner Thyme reached out to me and asked if I’d like to try their meal delivery service. As a reader of the blog, you know that cooking dinner for my family every night is important to me. When searching for recipes to make, quick and easy are my top priorities. If you’ve tried other meal delivery services before, you know that although all the ingredients are delivered to you, you still end up cooking the recipe, which often takes at least 30-45 minutes to do. Dinner Thyme is different from most other meal delivery services in that each meal can be cooked in approximately 10-15 minutes!

Most entrees cost $11.95 – $12.95 per serving. One of the benefits of Dinner Thyme is that you can choose exactly which menu items you’d like and select the number of portions of each item that you want. This is great for example if you want a home cooked meal but you know your spouse is going to be away. You can peruse the menu and pick one portion of a meal that you’d like that maybe he or she probably wouldn’t enjoy. Then you can pick two portions of another dish that you both like that you can cook another evening. Or, if you are inexperienced in the kitchen but want to impress your significant other with a home-cooked meal, Dinner Thyme is perfect! Easy to follow directions are provided with quick cooking times!

If you’re looking for something sweet to end your meal with, Dinner Thyme also has dessert add-on options each week. From cookies for $1.65 to a cheesecake for $3.95 a slice, there are four dessert offerings.

So how exactly does the Dinner Thyme meal delivery work?

Each Monday, the upcoming week’s menu is e-mailed to you. There are nine menu choices each week, including at least one chicken dish, a fish and/or seafood choice, a pork selection, a pasta, and a vegetarian dish. Each choice lists the price and the estimated cooking time. You can decide if you’d like to order any of the meals and in what quantities.

If you don’t want to order anything that week you can choose the “skip this week” option. Depending on where you live, you may also have the option to choose a delivery day. Approximately five days before your order is shipped you will receive an e-mail receipt confirming the meals ordered. The e-mail also notes any ingredients that you may have to have on hand (olive oil, for example).

The order is shipped via FedEx and you receive an e-mail with the tracking number. You do not need to be home when the package is delivered. Insulation and ice packs are used to keep the ingredients cold.

A letter is attached to your recipe cards noting the meals you ordered. It also notes within how many days each recipe should be prepared as well as general recipe tips. For example, shaking the sauces before using and non-stick pans are usually recommended for cooking.

The ingredients in the box are labeled with letters to indicate which items go with the corresponding recipe. Everything is pre-portioned so you have the exact amounts to cook the recipe. Recipe cards include nutritional information as well as easy to follow, step-by-step instructions.

Dinner Thyme is currently available in the eastern region of the United States. The delivery area includes Maine down to parts of Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi and as far west as parts of Wisconsin, Illinois, Arkansas and Missouri!

For you lucky readers, Dinner Thyme is offering $20 off your first order with coupon code: READYSETCOOK!

Now, on to my review!

Review:

I tested out two Dinner Thyme meals. I chose four portions of Pineapple Salmon Tacos with a Sour Cream Sauce priced at $11.95 for each portion. I also chose four portions of Chicken and Waffles with Braised Kale and Butter Syrup priced at $12.95 per portion.

For my zip code delivery is available only on Tuesdays. Last week, this happened to be Valentine’s Day. My recipe card noted that the salmon tacos were best prepared within 3 days of delivery and the chicken and waffles best within 4 days, so I decided to make the salmon tacos first.

Pineapple Salmon Tacos with a Sour Cream Sauce:
My kids wanted to help cook me dinner so I had them make the Pineapple Salmon Tacos.

With supervision, the kids were able to put this meal together on their own. My daughter cut the salmon into strips and cooked them in the pan while my son coated the salmon in the pineapple glaze and prepped the tortillas. They both helped drain the pineapple pico and put the arugula and sour cream in bowls. While the “time to table” for this recipe was estimated at 9 minutes, with the kids cooking, it took almost 25 minutes. This was with several pauses to reread instructions, find proper dishes, etc. The directions and execution of the dish was super easy, even for an almost 11 and 8 1/2-year-old. If I made this dish on my own, I think I could have had it made in the estimated 9 minutes.

A serving size for this meal was three tacos a person. I was a bit skeptical that just the tacos would be enough food to make a meal. When I make tacos I usually serve a salad or rice as a side dish. I was surprised to find that three tacos was perfect for my husband and I. Taste-wise, this meal was a winner! Both kids loved the tacos. I set out all the ingredients separately so they could add what they wanted, but they both put everything on their tacos. The kids each had two tacos each, which left some ingredients left over. There was actually a lot of arugula left over, but my husband made a salad for lunch the next day. He topped the arugula with the leftover salmon and pineapple pico. I used the leftover tortillas the next morning to make myself scrambled egg breakfast tacos. So, nothing was wasted.

Chicken and Waffles with Braised Kale and Buttered Syrup:
We love chicken and waffles! It’s a perfect comfort food, especially with this cold weather. It’s definitely not a dish that I think of as a quick, weeknight meal though. I decided to test this recipe out on my own, without the assistance from the kids to get a more accurate idea of timing. This dish required a bit more in the prep department, since the chicken had to be floured, dipped in the buttermilk mixture and then covered in the corn flake mixture. It then had to be cooked in a pan for 1-2 minutes per side. Unfortunately, I could not fit all four chicken breasts in my skillet, so this prolonged the overall “time to table.” I also found that the 8-10 minutes that I had while the chicken was cooking in the oven was not enough time to get the bacon crispy. So, I cooked it for a bit longer and still did not get the bacon crispy in that extra time.

Although the “Time To Table” for this recipe says 15 minutes, for the reasons I mentioned above, it actually took me closer to 25 minutes. For a weeknight meal, I don’t think that’s bad at all.

The chicken breasts were decently sized. The kids ended up splitting one and then my daughter came back for a second half. This was plenty of food for both my husband and I. Taste-wise, this meal was another winner. Everyone enjoyed it…..especially the kids! Braised kale and all!

I recommend making sure you have a pair of sharp kitchen scissors handy. As seen in the above pictures, almost all the ingredients are sent in vacuum-sealed packages.

Overall, I enjoyed and would recommend this meal delivery service. The stand-out benefits were definitely the speed in cooking and having the exact amount of ingredients needed to make the dishes. Not having to measure out ingredients and not having all the prep work cut down on clean up as well, with fewer dirty dishes! As an experienced home cook, I found most of the weekly recipe selections to be dishes that I have made or can easily make on my own. Having a family of four, paying $11.95-$12.95 per serving can quickly add up. My kids loved the recipes (and cooking the meal!) and have already asked when we are getting it again! While I wouldn’t rule out using Dinner Thyme meal service again, at this point, it’s more of a use if/when needed type of service for us. However, for couples, especially those who would like to cook more at home, this is a great service!

Remember to use coupon code READYSETCOOK for $20 off your first order! I’d love to hear your experience with Dinner Thyme meal delivery service!

Amazonia: A Journey into the Amazon

Posted on February 8, 2017 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

Amazonia
DVD release date: October 4, 2016, Lionsgate
Rating: G
Genre: Family
Run time: 83 minutes
Source: borrowed from the library

Synopsis from Lionsgate:
Amazonia seamlessly blends thrilling storytelling with breathtaking wildlife photography. As Saï, a tiny capuchin monkey, departs the big city for a new life, his plane is forced to land in the Brazilian rain forest. Abandoned and alone, he forages for food while observing the jungle’s endless varieties of wildlife. As predators approach, Saï’s incredible instincts rescue him from danger at the last minute. One fateful day, he learns he’s not the only capuchin in the Amazon…

Review: This film follows Sai, a capuchin (a monkey that lives in Central and South America) who is a domesticated monkey, working in a circus. He’s being transported on a plane when it crashes in the Brazilian rain forest. The viewer follows Sai as he acclimates to his new environment and learns to survive in the wild.

The film is narrated by Martin Sheen. Although the film is fictional, lots of factual information about the flora and fauna of the rain forest is presented. Although this is a fictional movie, it provides lot of useful information about the rain forest. The scenery is breathtaking with lots of close ups of the various insects and animals that Sai encounters, as well as the Amazon River.

As much as I’d love to visit the Amazon rain forest, it is unlikely that a trip there will happen anytime soon! So, I was happy that my kids got to see beautiful video images of the rain forest in this movie. While watching this, my son ask what the difference between a jungle and a rain forest is, or if they are the same thing. After a little research we discovered that the Amazon rain forest is also referred to as Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle. Merriam-Webster defines a jungle as, “an impenetrable thicket or tangled mass of tropical vegetation.” So, it appears parts of the rain forest can be considered jungle-like.

The DVD has special features including “The Making of Amazonia” and “Minuscule Bonus Episodes.” They are filmed in French with English subtitles.

I watched this DVD with my 8 and almost 11-year-old children. The kids thought it was “cute” and they both were engrossed watching it. As a huge lover of monkeys, I too enjoyed watching this movie. To be honest, I’m not sure that this movie will hold the interest of all children. I recommend this movie for older elementary kids, age 7+. This is not a fast-moving, action-packed movie, but dependent on the child’s interest level, younger children may enjoy watching this movie.

Rating: Recommend for children 7+

Nowhere Girl {Multicultural Children’s Book Day Review}

Posted on January 25, 2017 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2017 (1/27/17) is in its fourth year and was founded by Valarie Budayr from Jump Into A Book and Mia Wenjen from PragmaticMom. Our mission is to raise awareness of the ongoing need to include kids’ books that celebrate diversity in home and school bookshelves while also working diligently to get more of these types of books into the hands of young readers, parents and educators.

Despite census data that shows 37% of the US population consists of people of color, only 10% of children’s books published have diversity content. Using the Multicultural Children’s Book Day holiday, the MCBD Team is on a mission to change all of that.

Current Sponsors: MCBD 2017 is honored to have some amazing Sponsors on board. Platinum Sponsors include Scholastic, Barefoot Books and Broccoli. Other Medallion Level Sponsors include heavy-hitters like Author Carole P. Roman, Audrey Press, Candlewick Press, Fathers Incorporated, KidLitTV, Capstone Young Readers, ChildsPlayUsa, Author Gayle Swift, Wisdom Tales Press, Lee& Low Books, The Pack-n-Go Girls, Live Oak Media, Author Charlotte Riggle,Chronicle Books and Pomelo Books

Author Sponsor include: Karen Leggett Abouraya, Veronica Appleton, Susan Bernardo , Kathleen Burkinshaw, Delores Connors, Maria Dismondy, D.G. Driver, Geoff Griffin, Savannah Hendricks, Stephen Hodges, Carmen Bernier-Grand,Vahid Imani, Gwen Jackson, Hena, Kahn, David Kelly, Mariana Llanos, Natasha Moulton-Levy, Teddy O’Malley, Stacy McAnulty, Cerece Murphy, Miranda Paul, Annette Pimentel, Greg Ransom, Sandra Richards, Elsa Takaoka, Graciela Tiscareño-Sato, Sarah Stevenson, Monica Mathis-Stowe SmartChoiceNation,Andrea Y. Wang

We’d like to also give a shout-out to MCBD’s impressive CoHost Team who not only hosts the book review link-up on celebration day, but who also works tirelessly to spread the word of this event. View our CoHosts HERE.

MCBD Links to remember:

MCBD site: http://multiculturalchildrensbookday.com/

Free Multicultural Books for Teachers: http://bit.ly/1kGZrta

Free Kindness Classroom Kit for Homeschoolers, Organizations, Librarians and Educators: http://multiculturalchildrensbookday.com/teachers-classroom-kindness-kit/

Free Diversity Book Lists and Activities for Teachers and Parents: http://bit.ly/1sZ5s8i

Hashtag: Don’t forget to connect with us on social media and be sure and look for/use their official hashtag#ReadYourWorld.

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Nowhere Girl by A.J. Paquette
Published by: Walker & Company (imprint of Bloomsbury), September 13, 2011
Genre: Children’s Middle Grade Fiction, Asian culture
Pages: 256
Price: $16.99
Source: Provided by the author/publisher for a review for Multicultural Children’s Book Day

From Bloomsbury:

Luchi Ann only knows a few things about herself: she was born in a prison in Thailand. Her American mother was an inmate there. And now that her mother has died, Luchi must leave the only place she’s ever known and set out into the world. Neither at home as a Thai, because of her fair skin and blond hair, nor as a foreigner, because of her knowledge of Thai life and traditions, Luchi feels as though she belongs nowhere. But as she embarks on an amazing adventure-a journey spanning continents and customs, harrowing danger and exhilarating experiences-she will find the family, and the home, she’s always dreamed of. Weaving intricate elements of traditional Thailand into a modern-day fairy tale unique unto itself, Nowhere Girl is a beautifully rendered story of courage, resilience, and finding the one place where you truly belong.

My Review: 13 year-old Luchi was born in a prison in northern Thailand, where her American mother was imprisoned. This prison is the only life Luchi has known. When her mother passes away, Luchi decides that she needs to leave the prison. With her mother’s ashes sitting in a small canister tied to her back and an old list of names of people in Bangkok, Luchi is escorted to the city by the Chief warden’s nephew. Luchi with her blond hair and gray eyes looks American but has only known Thailand as her home. She’s always, “felt like a monkey in the middle” but feels it even more so, as she discovers the world around her for the first time. When she sees Thailand for the first time she is amazed by all the sights and sounds. We as the reader, get to experience Thai culture along with Luchi as she tries new foods and sees the sights of Bangkok.

As Luchi’s journey unfolds, we learn secrets about her mother’s past and her family back in America. Luchi realizes that she can reinvent herself and be anyone she wants. We accompany her as she heads to America to find her grandmother, the only family that she has. Will Luchi be successful in finding her mother’s family?

Having never been to Thailand before, (but hoping one day to visit!), I thought that Paquette captured the Thai culture well. I also liked how Thai words are interspersed throughout the text but are understandable in context.

Luchi is such a likable character who shows such resilience and perseverance on her journey. While I thoroughly enjoyed the story, I found it to be a little rushed at the end to tie up all the loose ends. (**Possible spoiler alert ahead!) And I’m still left wondering what happened to Helena when she went missing for four days.

This book is such a great read and I highly recommend it. It is unfortunate that this book has been published for over five years now and this is the first time that I have heard of it. I really appreciate the efforts of Multicultural Children’s Book Day to bring awareness to diversity in children’s literature. I am happy to be passing this book along to my ten-year-old daughter to read.

Overall Rating: Recommended Read.

Dig Inn Rye Brook Opens Today!

Posted on January 12, 2017 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

*I was invited to a preview lunch experience at Dig Inn. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

This past Tuesday I was invited to a preview lunch at Dig Inn in Rye Brook. Adam Eskin, Founder & CEO of Dig Inn, opened his first restaurant in 2011. This is Dig Inn’s fourteenth restaurant and first Westchester County location. Located at 112 S. Ridge Street, Dig Inn offers a new dining option to the Rye Ridge Shopping Center. And it officially opens today!

When you enter the restaurant there is a large, casual dining area with communal tables. They have a deli counter in the front where you can order containers of their sides, proteins, or even family meals to go. As you make your way towards the back of the restaurant there is the ordering area, where you can customize your Marketbowl or Melting Broth, the restaurant’s main lunch and dinner dining options.

At the end of the counter is the Chef’s table. Here you can sit and dine while watching the chefs prepare a variety of toasts and vegetable charcuterie.

And finally at the back of the restaurant is dining area. There are several seating areas with marble table tops adorned with tiny succulents. When designing this Rye Brook restaurant, creative director Melanie Masarin and founder Adam Eskin were all about cutting open the ceiling to place a giant, elevated sky light. They also added a giant window in the back of the restaurant, to allow for lots of natural light into the space. The result, is a bright and beautiful dining room.

I was able to sample the three different toasts that they offer, including this one topped with roasted pumpkin with pepitas and pickled chiles. I also tried the lemon ricotta with truffle, black pepper and honey and the smoked whitefish with red grapes and soft herbs. I can honestly say they were all delicious.

Vegetable charcuterie offerings from the chef’s table include this Yukon Gold potato terrine topped with smoked salmon, creme fraiche and Mutsu apple.

I also tried Celery Root Pastrami as well as this Parsnip Marrow Bone with celery leaf and black truffle. It was interesting to see a vegetarian take on what would normally be a meat dish.

I got to meet Chef Matt Weingarten, Dig Inn’s culinary director. He spoke with us about Dig Inn’s mission, which is to build community through food. He noted that their menu is mostly vegetables and all dishes are cooked fresh. He enjoys the open kitchen design (pictured above) which allows the chefs to engage with diners.

The Dig Inn menu is seasonal and they are currently featuring their Winter menu, which as I mentioned features the Marketbowls and Melting Broth.

My friend and I shared Marketbowls that had a base of toasted farro, sides of Brussels sprouts and kale, apple and blue cheese salad and were topped with Herb Roasted Chicken and Grilled Organic Tofu. These bowls were hearty and delicious and I love that they are customized. The combinations are endless!

I also got to sample a side of the Seasonal Upstate Mac and Cheese. It was creamy and cheesy. Honestly though, I would choose one of the amazing veggie sides over mac and cheese!

And to end the meal, I sampled the Kitchen Sink Cookie and Organic Dark Hot Chocolate!

Dig Inn serves a variety of drinks including wine, beer and hard cider. I tried unsweetened raspberry iced tea and an Iced Matcha Latte. While the matcha latte was good, it needed sugar to sweeten it up.

Dig Inn Rye Brook is open seven days a week and serves breakfast as well as lunch and dinner. Check the website for specific times. The breakfast menu includes a variety of bowls as well as an egg sandwich, frittata, avocado toast, a quinoa waffle and more!

And for those families with young children, have no fear. Dig Inn offers a Little Digs menu with a variety of dining options sure to please. While there’s no age specifications on the children’s menu, my eight and ten year-old would love the Old Macdonald. Otherwise, they could easily share a regular Marketbowl.

Everything I ate at Dig Inn was delicious. For those of us who live in Northern Westchester, getting to Rye Brook is a bit of a drive. However, if you are in the White Plains area (and really, who doesn’t travel down to there frequently?!) Rye Brook is close by. Be sure to stop by and give the newest Dig Inn a try!

Warwick Valley Bed and Breakfast

Posted on November 30, 2016 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

Located in Warwick, New York, only about an hour’s drive from New York City is the Warwick Valley Bed and Breakfast. Conveniently located in the historic district at 24 Maple Avenue, this bed and breakfast is housed in a restored Colonial that was built in the early 1900’s.

I recently visited this bed and breakfast with my husband, as a surprise weekend getaway to celebrate his 40th birthday.

The bed and breakfast has seven different rooms to choose from. Each room has a name and unique decor, with varying bed sizes and arrangements. All rooms have a small seating area, a desk and a private bathroom. Rates range from $144 to $229 a night, depending on the day and season. Children are welcome at this bed and breakfast at an additional cost.

Reservations can be requested online and a confirmation e-mail will be sent to confirm your selected dates and price. In our confirmation e-mail, Loretta, the Innkeeper also noted that she could help arrange appointments for massages or facials and make dinner reservations as well.

When you pull into the driveway of the bed and breakfast there is ample parking around back. You then enter through the back entrance. The bed and breakfast has a no shoes policy. Upon entering, there are shelves to store your shoes. Slippers are available to wear.

I booked the Paisley Room, which as you can see is named for the Paisley bedding. This room has a Queen-sized bed and overlooks the back driveway. It’s on the second floor, that is shared with two other rooms.

I took Loretta up on her offer and had her arrange for an in-room massage for my husband as part of his birthday present. While he had his massage, I went down to the sitting area and read a book.

A benefit of staying at a bed and breakfast is that a homemade breakfast is included in the cost of your stay. There are two dining areas in the bed and breakfast. We ate in the main dining room, pictured below.

We only stayed one night, so I’m unsure if the breakfast menu changes daily.

Loretta cooks everything herself in the kitchen adjacent to the dining room. During our stay, breakfast began with a bowl of cinnamon-spiced fruit and nut mix. We then had a choice of french toast, an omelet, or eggs cooked in any style of our choosing. Sides included roasted butternut squash and bacon. You could have any combination (or all!) of these breakfast options. I ordered the french toast with a side of bacon and butternut squash. It was delicious!

I love that the Warwick Valley Bed and Breakfast is conveniently located in the historic district. It is within reasonable walking distance to the nearby shops and restaurants. The day of our arrival, the weather was beautiful and on our walk into town we discovered the Craft Beer Cellar and Taco Hombre. The next morning we woke up to snow but still trekked back into town to check out the last weekend of the outdoor, local farmer’s market.

Saturday evening we had dinner at the nearby Iron Forge Inn. This is a farm-to-table restaurant located in a revolutionary era home built in 1760. Chef/owner Erik Johansen is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and provides a menu of Modern American cuisine that changes seasonally. We had an amazing dinner and I highly recommend dining here!

On our way home we stopped at Woodbury Common Premium Outlets to enjoy some child-free shopping! Other nearby attractions include Mountain Creek and the Warwick Drive-in Theater. Several wineries including the Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery and Applewood Winery are nearby as well.

My husband and I enjoyed our stay at the Warwick Valley Bed and Breakfast. It was great to get away to celebrate his birthday and we loved the town of Warwick. This was a perfect parents only get-away, as we decided our children wouldn’t appreciate the history and architecture of the village, that we found so charming. There is enough that we didn’t get to see and do that we’d like to make a return trip soon!

Hudson House River Inn {HVRW Review}

Posted on November 9, 2016 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

I am a Hudson Valley Restaurant Week Grazer. In exchange for posts about my HVRW experience, part of this meal may have been compensated. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

This past Saturday my husband and I dined at Hudson House River Inn, with two other couples, for Hudson Valley Restaurant Week (HVRW). This historic inn is located at 2 Main Street on the waterfront in the picturesque town of Cold Spring.

The inn was built in 1832 and in 1982 was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. It has 11 guest rooms and 2 suites for overnight stays. There are two dining areas, the Tavern, for more casual dining, and the main dining room, the River Room, which is where we dined. The River Room has a veranda that offers outdoor seating with amazing views of the Hudson River. While a bit chilly for November, this would make for a great dining experience in warmer weather!

Executive chef John Guererro leads the culinary team at the Hudson House River Inn. The restaurant normally specializes in steak and seafood, with poultry, pork and vegetarian options as well.

For HVRW Hudson House River Inn serves both lunch and dinner, with different menus for each.

The restaurant had an extensive cocktail menu, which our group sampled. My husband had a Maker’s Old Fashioned while I had a Watermelon Margarita. Before we even ordered, bread baskets were placed on the table with dishes of tomato and bean bruschetta.

For starters I had the Homemade Maryland Crab Cakes and my husband had the Lobster Bisque. Three crab cake balls were served with a dijon mustard sauce for dipping. The crab cakes were crispy on the outside and sweet and flavorful on the inside. The bisque was smooth and creamy. These starters turned out to be our favorite parts of the meal.

For our main dishes I ordered the Chianti Braised Short Ribs and my husband had the Coriander Seared Sashimi Tuna. The short rib was tender and flavorful, topped with caramelized onions and Maytag bleu cheese. I enjoyed the mushroom risotto that accompanied the short ribs as well. However, I found the carrots and string beans to be unexciting.

My husband ordered his tuna rare and was surprised to get a piece of fish that was well done around the edges and pink in the middle. It’s possible that his dish had a stop at the heat lamp as the kitchen looked quite busy. His tuna was topped with crab meat accompanied by wasabi mashed potatoes. His dish also came with the same uninspired vegetables.

There are only two dessert options, Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Pie and New York Style Pumpkin Cheesecake. We of course had to try them both! The cheesecake, topped with fresh whipped cream, was good but not memorable. I preferred my husband’s chocolate pecan pie that was served with Maple Walnut Ice Cream. It was much more unique and flavorful.

The dining room was full throughout our entire dinner. My husband and I were part of a group of six diners. Unfortunately, the extra-long rectangular table set up, paired with the poor acoustics of the room, made for difficult conversation. Our server Tara was friendly and attentive. Dessert service was slow, which Tara apologized for, but fortunately, our group wasn’t in a rush.

Overall, we had a nice dining experience at the Hudson House River Inn for HVRW. I’d love to come back in the spring or summer when it’s hopefully not as busy and I can eat out on the veranda.

Boy & The World: A Review

Posted on September 20, 2016 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

Length: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Rating: PG
Animated Family Movie

Boy & The World is a Brazilian movie that had a limited USA release in December 2015. It came out on DVD this past July. The movie is told through bursts of colors and sounds, with no dialogue. It opens with Cuca, a stick figured drawn boy, watching his father go off on a train to the city to find work. Cuca embarks on an adventure to look for his father and reunite his family. As his journey progresses, the film gets darker. Through music and animation the movie shows the detrimental effects of industrialization and urbanization.

I borrowed this movie from the library, not knowing much about it. When the movie opened with a kaleidoscope of colors and sounds and simple, child-like figures, I wasn’t sure how well it would go over with my eight and ten-year-old children. Would it be too childish for them? No, in fact, it wasn’t. It was actually a very abstract film in which I voiced a running commentary to explain what was going on. Despite my reservations, both children were enthralled with the movie. Even if they don’t understand everything that’s going on, younger children will enjoy the bright colors and beautiful music!

The bonus material on the DVD was enlightening as we got to see how the movie was created. My son loves to draw and he was impressed to see how the original artwork was created and then made into the movie. Music and sounds played a pivotal role in the movie and it was fun to see how different materials were used to get the targeted sound effects.

This movie has won over 40 film festival awards and after viewing, it is understandable why. My children and I highly recommend this movie.

We borrowed this movie from our local library. The movie is out on DVD and available for purchase. It is also available (at a cost) to stream from Amazon Video.

The Tween Reads June 2016 Part 2

Posted on July 19, 2016 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

My 10 year old daughter is an avid reader. She wanted to write posts for the blog and thought she could share book reviews of some of her summer reads. This is the second part of The Tween Reads June 2016 book review post. You can read part one here.

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Ava and Taco Cat by Carol Weston – Ava Elle Wren is a girl into palindromes. She first hears about an injured cat from her mother who works at a vet. She really wants the cat and gets it for her birthday. She names her new cat, Taco Cat. Get it? Taco Cat is a palindrome! For a school assignment Ava has to write a haiku on anything she wishes. She chooses Taco Cat! In the meantime, Ava and her sister Pip are making a fish picture book. They try to send it to a reporter who is coming to Ava’s school, but he says no because they don’t want picture books. He says that Ava should make a book on something she would want to write about, something that she is passionate about. Ava really wants to write a book about Taco Cat, so she does! I give this book about 3 and a half stars because I think that this book is a good sequel to Ava and Pip and the love between Ava and her cat.