reviews Archives - Page 7 of 8

On What Grounds Cozy Mystery

Posted on March 3, 2015 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

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With all of the cold and snowy weather we’ve been having, I’ve been spending a lot of time curled up in front of the pellet stove reading. What’s more perfect reading than a cozy mystery on a cold day! Cozy mysteries differ from the regular mystery and thriller type reads in that they often feature an amateur detective who helps solve the mystery and often take place in a small town, where everyone seems to know everyone else. I haven’t read many cozy mysteries, but of course the ones I have been interested in are the ones that revolve around food.

This book, On What Grounds is the first of fourteen in the Coffeehouse Mystery series. The series is written by Cleo Coyle, a pseudonym for Alice Alfonsi and her husband Marc Cerasini. In this first book, Clare Cosi, manages the Village Blend, an historic coffee house that’s been in her ex-husband’s family for years. Clare has been managing the Village Blend for several years and has just moved from the New Jersey suburbs to the apartment above the coffee shop, which is located in Greenwich Village, in New York City. When opening the shop one morning she finds the body of one of her assistant managers, Annabelle, at the bottom of the basement stairs. Of course she has to get involved in trying to help the police figure out who did this to Annabelle and there might be some possible romance rekindling with her ex-husband in future books?!

This was a light, fast read but it’s definitely not a suspenseful page turner, if that’s what you’re looking for. I enjoy my daily morning cup of coffee, but I’m no coffee aficionado. I learned a lot about coffee, different types of coffee beverages and different methods of brewing. At some points, the author may have even gone a little too into detail about the finer points of coffee. Recipes from the story are included in the back. Overall, this was an okay mystery and this is a series that I wouldn’t mind continuing to read.

On What Grounds by Cleo Coyle
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

*I borrowed this book from the library.

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Snack Spotlight: Lesser Evil Super 4

Posted on February 24, 2015 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

We are always on the lookout for new snacks and thought that we would occasionally showcase some recent ones that we have tried. Nowadays, there are an infinite number of snacks in a myriad of different flavors on grocery store shelves. And more are constantly being added! On our quest to find new and interesting snacks we have been frequenting Marshalls of all places. Their specialty and gourmet food selection is surprisingly large and constantly being updated with new and interesting products!

Today we are featuring Lesser Evil brand Super 4 Snacks. The name is a mouthful: White bean, Quinoa, Lentil Chia snacks. We tried the Cheesy Nacho flavor but they also come in two other flavors, Kale & Roasted Garlic and Roasted Red Pepper. Before I told the kids what these were I had them try them. Taking after their mother, neither can say no to salty, crunchy chip-like foods!

I wasn’t surprised when they liked them! I then told them the name and they kind of shrugged. I know if I had told them prior to eating they would tell me that they don’t like those things. The Lesser Evil brand company headquarters is located in Danbury, Connecticut, which is only about an hour away from us. By purchasing these, I feel like we’re supporting a semi-local company. We also like that these snacks contain no GMOs, preservatives, or refined sugars. While we are attempting to eat somewhat healthier, I cannot give up my salty, crunchy snacks. I am always on the lookout for healthier alternatives that will fill my snacking needs and these Lesser Evil Super 4 snacks fit the bill! You can check out the official Lesser Evil site here. I am excited to see that the company also makes other snacks including popcorn and Baked Bean Chia Crisps.

NYC Restaurant Week: David Burke Kitchen

Posted on February 22, 2015 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

With the kids visiting their grandparents over their winter break, the Mr. and I were able to dine out for the first time ever during NYC restaurant week. Running from February 16 through March 6, over 300 restaurants throughout the city are participating. The list of participating restaurants can be found here. Of course many of the restaurants that I’d like to eat at in the city are not participating (I’m talking about you Eleven Madison Park!). And some restaurants were already booked up for Wednesday, the only night that we were available. There were too many restaurants to look through all of their menus. However, I spent some time perusing the menus and felt like a lot of the restaurants only offered about three or four similar choices for appetizers (soup, salad, roasted beets) and main courses (salmon, chicken, braised short rib). I had seen David Burke on Top Chef Masters and was excited to see that reservations were available for Wednesday at his restaurant David Burke Kitchen. The restaurant is located in SoHo at 23 Grand Street. It was a bit of trek from Grand Central but we made it! When you enter the building the restaurant is located on the lower level. Our table was ready when we arrived and after checking our coats we were seated. We were first offered a wine and cocktail menu. I had a glass of winter sangria and the Mr. had a “Rabbit Hunter” cocktail consisting of bourbon, lime juice and mint.

The wait staff were dressed casually in jeans with blue button down collar shirts tucked into their jeans. Our waitress was friendly and explained the menu to us. The menu we received looked a little different than what is published on the website. It was a specially printed Restaurant Week menu. For $35 you choose an appetizer, main and dessert. They also offered some other shareable dishes like mushrooms and homemade ricotta for an additional cost. Each section of the menu had the list of choices and included the original menu prices. The one negative that I noticed on this menu (and many of the other restaurant week menus I looked at) were that several options had a supplemental fee of anywhere from $5 (kale salad) to $39 dollars (ribeye steak).

For appetizers I chose the Crisp Chicken & Tallegio Grilled Cheese and the Mr. started with the Skuna Bay Salmon Tartare (pictured above). I think I was expecting more of a sandwich type dish, but was surprised at what I received. It looked like an egg roll filled with lots of veggies and tender chicken served over a sour cherry sauce and a tarragon jus served with a small frisee salad. The Salmon Tartare was served over carrot puree and topped with strips of radish and cucumber. The corners of the plate had little dollops of tangy pomegranate yogurt. For the entrée, I had a braised short rib over red wine cabbage with a crisp saffron and gruyere risotto cake. The Mr. chose the Grilled Berkshire Pork Chop with crisp potato croutons and honeycrisp apple and mustard glazed carrots and turnips. For dessert we had the Mocha Mousse Bar and the Toasted Coconut Custard Tart. The chocolate dessert was rich and super chocolaty with layers of chocolate, chocolate mousse and chocolate praline crunch with a side of vanilla bean ice cream. The custard tart on the other hand was light and tangy with a lime custard and roasted pineapple. We shared everything but the appetizer. I of course tasted the tartar, but am not a big fan of raw fish. All of the dishes were well plated and delicious! The portion sizes were decent. By the end of the three courses I was on the brink of being uncomfortably full! I apologize for the lack of pictures, but my iPhone does not take good pictures without a flash. The Mr.’s phone usually takes decent pictures without a flash, but for some reason, it kept going off and we decided against attempting anymore photos.

The only criticism I have of the restaurant is that it is a bit noisy. Background music was playing and with the tables so close together and lots of conversations going on, it got pretty loud.

We really enjoyed our meal and, for the price, we thought it was a great deal! We highly recommend the restaurant, if you can still get reservations during Restaurant Week!

The Burger and the Hot Dog

Posted on February 8, 2015 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

The Burger and the Hot Dog by Jim Aylesworth
Illustrated by: Stephen Gammell
Children’s Picture Poetry book
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

From goodreads.com:

So what happened after that? Well, you’ll have to look inside this book to find out. Because, you see, there is a whole world out there in which burgers, hot dogs, sticky buns, ice-cream bars, bologna, popcorn, and all sorts of other food folks exist together and do and go through all the daily stuff we all do. But it’s only folks like Jim Aylesworth, together with artist Stephen Gammell, who can bring to us that world in a collection of hilarious rhymes and pictures. After all, what happens when a bunch of sugar cookies give a bagel a hard time, or an ice-cream bar gets stranded on a beach, or a couple of pickles go out dancing?…Well, come on in and see! And when you’re done, try to invent some food folks of your own.

* This picture book is a collection of food-related poems. Aylesworth has taken everyday food items and creates short, funny poems. All of the poems are told in rhyme and are accompanied by colorful, humorous illustrations. We enjoyed sitting together as a family and taking turns reading the poems. The books ends with a suggestion to the reader to create new poems using “food folk” from their town.

Foodie Read: Plenty

Posted on February 7, 2015 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

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Plenty: One Man, One Woman, and a Raucous Year of Eating Locally
By: Alisa Smith & J.B. Mackinnon
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

From goodreads.com:

Like many great adventures, the 100-mile diet began with a memorable feast. Stranded in their off-the-grid summer cottage in the Canadian wilderness with unexpected guests, Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon turned to the land around them. They caught a trout, picked mushrooms, and mulled apples from an abandoned orchard with rose hips in wine. The meal was truly satisfying; every ingredient had a story, a direct line they could trace from the soil to their forks. The experience raised a question: Was it possible to eat this way in their everyday lives?

Back in the city, they began to research the origins of the items that stocked the shelves of their local supermarket. They were shocked to discover that a typical ingredient in a North American meal travels roughly the distance between Boulder, Colorado, and New York City before it reaches the plate. Like so many people, Smith and MacKinnon were trying to live more lightly on the planet; meanwhile, their “SUV diet” was producing greenhouse gases and smog at an unparalleled rate. So they decided on an experiment: For one year they would eat only food produced within 100 miles of their Vancouver home.

It wouldn’t be easy. Stepping outside the industrial food system, Smith and MacKinnon found themselves relying on World War II–era cookbooks and maverick farmers who refused to play by the rules of a global economy. What began as a struggle slowly transformed into one of the deepest pleasures of their lives. For the first time they felt connected to the people and the places that sustain them.

For Smith and MacKinnon, the 100-mile diet became a journey whose destination was, simply, home. From the satisfaction of pulling their own crop of garlic out of the earth to pitched battles over canning tomatoes, Plenty is about eating locally and thinking globally.

The authors’ food-focused experiment questions globalization, monoculture, the oil economy, environmental collapse, and the tattering threads of community. Thought-provoking and inspiring, Plenty offers more than a way of eating. In the end, it’s a new way of looking at the world.

*** Could you eat only food that was produced within a 100-mile radius from where you live? This is the food experiment that authors Smith and Mackinnon undertook for an entire year. Between their cottage in the Canadian wilderness and their apartment in Vancouver, the reader is taken on a culinary adventure with the authors. The authors alternate writing chapters, which gives the reader both of their perspectives on this food experiment. The book also provide several recipes, none of which I think I’d actually make though.

Through reading this book, I learned more about the history of agriculture and our food distribution system.

While I myself do not think that I could undertake such an experiment, this book did make me more aware of where my food comes from. What this book ended up showcasing is how difficult it can be to eat “locally.”

Additional research discovered that there is a spreading food movement of people partaking in a 100-mile food challenge as people see the importance of eating locally. In Canada in 2009, Food Network Canada aired a reality television series “The 100 Mile Challenge” based on the book. Authors Smith and MacKinnon helped six families eat a 100-mile diet for 100 days. As the popularity of the 100-mile diet grows, we are sure we will be seeing and hearing more about it.

Ty The Pie Guy

Posted on January 29, 2015 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

There’s a new family cooking comedy show on youtube that you have to check out! Ty The Pie Guy premiered January 14 on youtube. I sat with the kids on one of their recent snow days and we checked out the videos. Ty is a quirky, upbeat, and funny host. My kids ages 6 and 8 were laughing aloud at Ty’s antics and kept wanting to see more. We watched all the trailers, challenge, and episodes available. In the first four and a half minute episode, seen pictured above, Sammy loves pizza, but his mom won’t let him eat it cold for breakfast. So, he turns to Ty for help. Ty comes up with a breakfast pizza. When I think of breakfast pizza, I think of pizza dough with eggs, cheese and maybe some bacon or sausage. Ty comes up with a pancake pizza with a raspberry topping. Ty’s brainy little sister, Rose also adds some fun and interesting facts about the history of pizza. The short episode is filled with humor and fun. In another short video seen here, Ty’s sister Rose shows the viewer a magic tip for separating an egg. Let’s just say even I was surprised, having never heard of separating an egg this way before. And of course we will be trying this out the next time we have to separate an egg!

According to the Ty The Pie Guy website, the show’s goal is to inspire families to cook together, try new recipes and explore new cuisines while having fun in the kitchen. This show supports all of the goals that we are trying to pursue with our own kids here at NY Foodie Family.

If you have young children who enjoy food and cooking, I highly recommend that you check out Ty The Pie Guy! You can click here to go directly to the youtube channel. New episodes air every Wednesday!

My Perfect Pantry Cookbook Review

Posted on January 27, 2015 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

My Perfect Pantry by Geoffrey Zakarian
Rating: 3 stars (out of 5)

We recently received My Perfect Pantry by Geoffrey Zakarian to review from Blogging for Books. We are familiar with Chef Zakarian from the Food Network television show Iron Chef and were looking forward to receiving this cookbook. The concept of the cookbook is great. Zakarian takes 50 ingredients that most people already have in their kitchens and then provides three recipes using each ingredient. The only ingredients that we didn’t have in our kitchen out of the 50 were anchovies, dried lima beans, pine nuts, and gelatin. Before the recipes, Zakarian gives a brief introductory description of each ingredient, as well as tips for storing and cooking them. He also provides a variety of recipes using the ingredients including drinks, appetizers, salads, snacks, main dishes, side dishes and desserts. We made the “Sweet and Spicy Popcorn” which we posted here. We made the “Mushroom Soy Turkey Burgers” but found that they lacked flavor and weren’t worth posting. We started to make the Elbow Macaroni with Crispy Bread Crumbs and Broccoli, but were going to substitute cauliflower, and then didn’t feel inspired to make it and ended up making a cauliflower macaroni and cheese instead. There’s a decent amount of family friendly recipes in this cookbook including “Magnificent Meatballs” and “Family Chicken Fingers.” My daughter was browsing through the cookbook and bookmarked the “Cinnamon Cupcakes, “Apple Cider Doughnuts” and the “Maple Candied Apples”…….all treats of course!

We’re not sure who exactly the targeted audience is for this cookbook. While it appears that the goal of the cookbook is to use ingredients from your pantry, we found the majority of the recipes called for other ingredients that one would have to buy. Most of the recipes also called for some type, if not multiple types, of fresh herbs. Overall, we were not impressed with book. Although the recipes seem promising, the concept falls short. Having all of the 50″essential ingredients” doesn’t get you very far toward actually cooking the dishes.

We received this book from Blogging for Books for this review. As always, all opinions are our own.

Prestat Chocolate – Pink Everest: Equatorial Dark Chocolate with Pink Himalayan Sea Salt

Posted on January 23, 2015 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

I received this chocolate bar from my brother-in-law as part of my Christmas gift. I had never heard of Prestat before receiving this. Prestat is a United Kingdom based chocolate company that was established in London in 1902. This bar, named Pink Everest is a dark chocolate bar with pink Himalayan sea salt. Each piece of dark chocolate was engraved with the Prestat logo. Although you can’t tell in the picture below, this bar had pieces of pink Himalyan sea salt throughout. This chocolate was decadent. The dark chocolate was smooth and the pieces of sea salt complemented the flavor.

A quick browse of their website shows that they sell truffles in varieties like red velvet, London gin and dark sea salt caramel. Each chocolate bar has a name. Besides the Pink Everest, some other bars they sell include Tea Time Frolics: Earl grey tea with twists of lemon in milk chocolate and Knickerbocker Glory: Passion fruit, meringue, strawberry and almonds in white chocolate. Whatever your chocolate preference, Prestat has it. While I received this chocolate bar as a gift, the bars are a bit pricey. They retail on the site for 3.95 pounds which roughly equates to about $6 a bar. This chocolate is meant to be savored though and was eaten one square at a time over several days. A list of stores where Prestat chocolate products are sold can be found here. If you have tried Prestat chocolates, please share any recommendations!
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The Popcorn Book

Posted on January 19, 2015 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

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The Popcorn Book by Tomie de Paola
First published in 1978
28 pages

To help celebrate National Popcorn Day we thought we’d share a great children’s book about popcorn. Tomie de Paola is a well-known children’s book author of many books including the classic, Strega Nona. Published in 1978, The Popcorn Book is an informative picture book that explains what popcorn is, how it is cooked, and gives the history of the snack. The illustrations help add a bit of humor to the book. This is a fun book that helps teach kids about a popular snack food!

This book was borrowed from the library.

Republic Restaurant (New York City)

Posted on January 16, 2015 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

On a recent trip to New York City, we had to revise our lunch plan, when eating at Eataly was not a viable option. See this post for details. We were with the Mr.’s brother, who lives in New York City and suggested that we go to Republic. He frequents the place and thought that we would enjoy it. The restaurant is located in Union Square, convenient to the subway. When you enter the restaurant, there are a few tables in the front and a long bar to the left. The majority of the eating area is in the rear of the restaurant space and consists of long picnic style tables and benches. It is likely that you will be sharing your table with another party.

Republic can best be described as an Asian Fusion restaurant. They serve small dishes including dumplings, green papaya-mango salad, and crispy tofu. They serve many different varieties of broth noodles, which many people were eating, including spicy beef, curry chicken, lime chicken, and spicy seafood. These small dishes range in price from $5 to $8. Republic serves a variety of noodle dishes as well including pad thai, glass noodles, and peanut noodle salad. Plus, they serve rice dishes including grilled chicken pesto over black rice, seared marinated salmon over curried rice with raisins, and chicken and mushrooms with broken rice and Asian vegetables. These main dishes range between $12 and $15. We visited on a weekday during lunch time and were able to take advantage of their special lunch bento boxes. The Mr., the Mrs. and the kids each chose a different bento box, so we were able to sample three out of the five that they offer. Each came with three different things so it was great that we got to try a variety of their menu items. The Mr.’s brother ordered the Sauteed Curry Chicken, which he had before and enjoyed. There is a small children’s menu that we didn’t really spend too much time looking at. We figured the kids would get more food and variety by sharing an adult bento box. Overall, we enjoyed everything that we ate. The kids especially loved the sautéed mini dumplings and the peanut noodles. The Mrs. really enjoyed the glass noodles and the Asian chopped veggie salad.

The kids shared this!

The Mrs. had this Vegetarian bento box

They have a large non-alcoholic specialty beverage menu as well as a full bar menu including a selection of sakes and Asian beers. While the Mr. opted for a diet Coke, the Mrs. tried the non-alcoholic Asian Basil Lemonade and the kids had a Coconut Lime Cooler and a Pineapple Coconut Cooler. The drinks weren’t too pricey at $4 each.

Asian Basil Lemonade

Coconut Lime Cooler

We had already eaten gelato before coming here for lunch, so we skipped dessert. The dessert menu didn’t look that interesting with a couple of ice cream flavors (green tea and black sesame) sorbet, coconut tapioca and taro-coconut cake. After lunch we strolled the Union Square farmer’s market, located right across the street from the restaurant.

We were very happy with our lunch at Republic. While we, as a rule, tend not to frequent the same restaurants twice in New York City, we would recommend this for a family-friendly lunch or dinner.