Dating a Jersey boy has opened my eyes to the culinary offerings of the garden state.

A couple of Sundays ago we hopped into the Ford and headed to New Brunswick on a lark. Though we were tempted to return to the beloved Evelyn’s, we instead visited Old Man Rafferty’s.

A quick survey of the interior revealed a slew of octogenarians conversing over dry martinis and steak.  Our presence dropped the average diner’s age by at least two decades, but that’s part of the eatery’s jaded charm.

Upon being seated our server greeted us with a wonderful bread basket

For appetizers we selected the mixed Asian platter

and French onion soup

The mixed asian platter contained primarily fried bites and lacked any significant flavor. Kevin reported that the French onion soup was tasty, though essentially any item doused in gruyere would have gustatory appeal.

Upon my gentle remonstrance against red meat, Kevin selected the sea bass. Of course the cod ended up arriving wrapped in prosciutto, nullifying the initial intent to avoid any LDL.

Unfortunately the Cod’s interior contained sundried tomatoes, which Kevin has a strong aversion to. I happily helped him complete the dish, enjoying numerous bites of the tender fish.

For my entree I selected the Greek salad with grilled chicken which, sadly, arrived with the dressing on the side. A major restaurant pet-peeve of mine is when restaurants put the dressing on the side rather than tossing the greens,

The dish was pretty standard, nothing revolutionary there.

Overall Old Man Rafferty’s offers fine, casual fare in a geriatric community-oriented environment. If visiting New Brunswick I would definitely recommend visiting Evelyn’s instead.

No visit to New Brunswick is complete without a stop at Thomas Sweets!

Cookies and cream soft serve mixed with chocolate sprinkles. Incredible.

Hope that everyone is doing well and having a good week! I am thinking of starting a blog post series about life in NYC as a twenty-something year old recent grad figuring out life. One post could be about apartment hunting, another one job searching, another about relationships. Let me know if that’s something you’re interested in!

Last month Kevin and I escaped the frigid New York City weather and visited Puerto Rico for the San Juan Half Ironman.

Upon exiting the airplane we hopped a cab to our hotel, the Caribe Hilton, and were instantly transported to paradise!

Though our time in Puerto Rico was quite limited, and mostly occupied by race preparation, we certainly absorbed the tranquil atmosphere and indulged in major relaxation.

Each morning a breakfast buffet laden with pastries, fresh fruit, and hot items greeted us.

I particularly loved the fresh juice bar, which included exotic flavors, such as passion fruit.

I piled my plate with lots of pre-race carbs and perfectly sweet mango.

Our hotel room featured a lovely patio occupied by some suspicious birds. Each morning they woke us up with loud squawks and attempted to invade our bedroom.

Additional pre-race comestibles included loads of fruit consumed pool-side

mediocre nachos

a huge ice cream cone (which I always must consume before a race)

We had a fabulous pre-race dinner with our friends Jason and Aleks at the trendy Asian Fusion restaurant Dragonfly, but I did not capture any pictures.

I did, however, capture our wacky room-service order:

I’m sure the room service people thought we were crazy in requesting a bowl of bananas alongside our chocolate cake and whipped cream. The bananas, however, served as a component of our race-morning breakfast.

The actual race turned out to be somewhat disastrous. The swim went well, and I managed to beat 9 pro-triathletes in it, but during the bike course I got extremely dehydrated and fainted at the very end of the bike course. Training in the NYC cold made acclimating to the Puerto Rican temperatures extremely difficult.

Though the race officials tried to get me to drop out of the race, I somehow evaded their insistent advice and hobbled over to the bike/run transition. Once I made it to transition I found Kevin waiting for me! At first I thought it was a delirium-induced mirage, but sure enough it was him! He had seen me struggling on the bike course and knew I was in serious trouble.

Kevin made me wait until I could formulate cohesive sentences before resuming the race and starting the run. We began the run together and made a pact to cross the finish line together.

Though our race time was extremely slow, we finished together and survived relatively unscathed. Kevin waiting in transition was one of the sweetest things ever!

The funny part is, despite the disastrous race and super duper slow finish time, I got a trophy for placing third in my age group.  I’m definitely lucky to still be in an age group with limited participants.

After the race we immediately showered, hit the hot tub, and took a (LONG) nap. I can honestly say that I’ve never been in so much pain after a race before, mostly due to sun burn.

Kevin craved a big juicy steak after the race, so I happily obliged and visited Morton’s with him.

Upon sitting down our server brought over an amazing loaf of onion bread that we devoured in seconds.

Kevin began with the French onion soup

while I began with an amazing house salad. Probably the best salad dressing I’ve ever tasted!
My apologies for the terrible quality of photos, I did not want to use flash in such a fancy establishment.

For his entree Kevin selected a huge hunk of meat

while I went with some, disappointing tuna tacos

brussel sprouts on the side:

chocolate mousse for dessert:

The best part of enduring a challenging race in paradise?

Post-race recovery!

Pina Coladas+Ocean/swimming pools= optimal post-race relaxation

Cheers to a wonderful time in paradise!

Last Saturday Keviniski and I headed to Cocina Economica Mexcio, a home-style restaurant that replaced the former inhabitant, Recipe. As sad I was to see Recipe go, I was eager to try the owner’s take on Mexican cuisine.

To drink we shared a traditional margarita that lacked the astringent sweetness of margaritas that I generally dislike. Unfortunately the second margarita lacked the same perfect balance as numero uno, resulting in an overly sweet imbibement.

To begin we shared the Avocado Corn Bread, an interesting twist on a traditional classic. The bread, arriving on a corn husk and possessing the same green hue as Shrek, had a lovely soft texture and subtly sweet taste. I wish the portion had been larger, but can’t complain with the $2.50 price tag.

Kevin and I have a tradition of sampling tacos wherever we go. We kept our Taco Quest alive by ordering two varieties as appetizers.

The requiste taco accoutrements, including a very-chocolatey mole sauce:

First up was the octopus taco:

Though we both loved the actual cephlapod, we agreed that the corn tortilla completely overpowered it. The solution to this would to either serve the taco on one tortilla or increase the octopus content (I vote for option number two!).

Next up was Carne Asada, our standard metric for measuring taco-making talent:

The meat tasted very traditional and comforting, as though it came out of your grandmother’s kitchen.

For an entree I selected the vegetable casserole, arriving with a medley of seasonal vegetables, such as kale and squash. The dish was served with lentils and black beans.

Though I really loved the variety of vegetables, the dish tasted rather one dimensional. The flavor of the black beans completely melded with the vegetable’s sauce, making their distinct flavors undiscernable.

Kevin selected the slow-cooked pork shoulder.

This dish was a real winner with it’s comforting flavor and tender meat. Perfect for a freezing winter night.

For dessert we shared the banana empanada

and butternut squash ice cream:

The thought of butternut squash ice cream intrigued me, but the concept proved more alluring than the actual execution. The ice cream possessed an overly icy texture with an almost-too subtle taste of the squash. The banana empanada, however, proved a perfect conclusion to our great meal.

Hello Everyone, Happy New Year! I plan on posting my annual recap in the coming days, but let’s just say increasing the frequency of blog posts is a major resolution of mine.

A month ago, Kevin and I continued our quest of sampling neighborhood eateries with a visit to Nikko.

Nikko is an Asian-fusion restaurant specializing in Hibachi. I had never sampled Hibachi cuisine before and looked forward to trying it.

The Hibachi meal included a (very watery, tasteless) miso soup

and salad dressed in a fluorescent orange vinaigrette

We supplemented the meal with a tuna sashimi pizza, which arrived nicely presented and flavored with jalapenos and wasabi mayonnaise.

After consuming our pizza, the Habachi theatrics began.

The Habachi experience was, uh, interesting. . . Let’s just say that if having a chef squirt an endless stream of sake from a baby bottle into your mouth while shouting “shots shots shots” isn’t your thing, you should avoid Nikko at all costs.

Needless to say, that isn’t my thing.

I also do not particularly enjoy watching a chef douse my food in a half pound of butter and then further increasing the fat content by dumping a half bottle of oil over the food. The resultant product was a mound of inedibly greasy vegetable and protein completely devoid of any flavor.

Luckily, dessert salvaged our taste buds from defeat. We stopped into the neighboring Kitchenette and picked up a cookie:

and epically delicious chocolate cream pie

the staff also kindly threw in a complimentary cupcake. Lucky us!

Next time we will simply consume the entire meal at Kitchenette, which boasts a delightful sounding dinner menu.

Sunday night Kevin and I headed to the newly-opened Smith in Lincoln Center. Lincoln Center seriously lacks optimal pre-theater dining options, so I hoped The Smith would fill this void.

In addition to standard bread and butter, each table gets presented with a complimentary bottle of sparkling water. A nice and much-appreciated gesture.

To begin we shared the tuna tartare.

The wonderfully fresh tuna arrived with a soy-based sauce and chopped jalapenos. Though this dish was certainly not revelatory, the simplicity permitted the tuna to shine.

For his entree, Kevin selected the Sunday Special of prime rib. Check out the mammoth hunk of meat that arrived:

As you can probably tell by the plate’s pool of juice, the steak was perfectly tender and moist.

A basket of well-crisped fries accompanied the meat:

For my entree I selected the Ahi Tuna Salad.

This was hands down one of the tastiest salads I’ve ever encountered. That statement means a lot, since I’ve consumed many a salad. The ahi tuna glistened with freshness and the capers added a brine to the typically mellow fish. I would repeatedly return to The Smith simply to have this dish again.

For dessert we shared the ice cream sundae.

Another knockout. Peanut butter ice cream. Flourless chocolate cake. Almond chocolate bark. Need I continue?

If you cannot discern from my review, I really enjoyed The Smith and would happily return to sample their other interesting menu items (if I can convince myself to not order the ahi tuna salad again, that is;). Plus, the bathroom has a photo booth! Pretty awesome. Thanks to Kevin for a wonderful holiday meal and fun apres-dinner ice skating session:)

Happy holidays everyone!

For my birthday Kevin kindly took me to Zenkichi, a Japanese brasserie in Williamsburg. Thought I refuse to divulge my current age, let’s just say it’s almost time to call the geriatrician.

Zenkichi features individual booths concealed by beaded curtains, providing a uniquely intimate dining experience. Whenever you wish to attract your server’s attention, you simply press a button on the table.

For our meal we selected the 8-course Omakase, or chef’s tasting menu.

To begin, our server presented us with miso soup. Though the soup did not deviate from the standard broth, tofu croutons elevated the dish to a higher pedigree.

Next came the sashimi platter featuring hamachi, oyster, and an okra-agar salad. Though the okra salad possessed a slimy texture reminiscent of certain bodily fluids, the yellowtail tasted extremely fresh and smooth.Given my mollusk allergy I did not sample the oyster, but Kevin seemed to enjoy the dish. I can also attest to the bivalve’s aphrodisiac effects, as Kevin immediately whipped out a violin and attempted to serenade me.

Next came the (unpictured) salad topped with a silky homemade tofu and sesame vinaigrette.

After appeasing our arteries with fresh greens, we bombarded them with the fried softshell crab course.

This was hands-down one of my favorite courses. The miniature crabs burst with juicy flavor and the accompanying ponzu sauce with roe added an extra element of umami.

From this point on the courses continually improved and surpassed my expectations. Take this black miso cod, for example:

Nobu essentially transformed miso cod into a culinary cliche, making it synonymous with upper class Japanese cuisine. Since the advent of Nobu’s signature dish, black miso cod has appeared on many Japanese menus across the country. Despite the cliche, this dish hit a home run. The delicate, yet meaty, cod balanced the salinity of the miso and delicate sweetness of the mirin.

As though 8-courses was not enough, we additionally ordered the grilled lamb chops as a supplement.

Despite our tightening belts, this addition proved a wise decision. See those grill marks? Yeh, you could taste them too. Perfectly charred and juicy, this dish was another winner.

Migrating back to the tasting menu trajectory, we were presented with Kakuni, or pork belly simmered in a dashi broth.

Oh baby. Tender pork belly. Umami-infused dashi broth. The incredible tastiness of the dish induced silence as we savored every sip and morsel.

The next course sadly deflated our brief revelry from the previous dish.

Though I really wanted to like this salmon and rice bowl, this dish simply tasted bland. Even the accompanying shredded wakame and scallions could not revive the muted flavors. Though I always love ikura, the flaked salmon tasted dry and lifeless.

Next up: Dessert!

Kevin selected the chocolate walnut pudding while I went with the frozen black sesame mousse.

The chocolate walnut pudding constituted everything one seeks in a dessert: richness, the perfect amount of sweetness and a nice array of texture. My mousse tasted more savory than sweet, but provided a wonderful conclusion to a magical meal.

This was truly a very special birthday meal and I thank Kevin for the great experience. I would recommend Zenkichi to anyone seeking a romantic dining locale with interesting Japanese cuisine.I also thank Kevin for taking all of the above photos:)

Last weekend Kevin and I headed to our friends Darbi and Tyler’s home for Friendsgiving. If you bemoan the labor of preparing a Thanksgiving meal, just imagine running a 60k (aka 37.3 miles), and then assembling all the meals’ accouterments in under four hours. That would be Tyler. Pretty impressive.

Just look at the gorgeous bird they prepared:

The turkey was cooked perfectly and retained a nice, moist texture.

Darbi baked some wonderful pumpkin biscuits. Pre-bake:

Fresh out of the oven:

They tasted just as awesome as they appear.

Sweet potatoes:

TRUFFLE mashed potatoes. Yes, these whipped apples-of-the-earth contained truffle oil. Quite the genius idea.

Stuffing

Roasted green beans:

I brought a salad containing arugula, roasted butternut squash, pomegranate arils and goat cheese tossed in a shallot vinaigrette (shallots, red wine vinegar, olive oil, and mustard).

Plate #1:

Everything tasted amazing and I quickly gobbled (hehe) this plate up.

For dessert I brought this pumpkin bundt cake and some (non-pictured) pumpkin pudding.

Such a wonderful evening with such wonderful friends! A big thank you to Darbi and Tyler for providing such an awesome feast. They are available, by the way, to cater any dinner you might be hosting;)

This afternoon Kevin and I headed downtown to Pera Soho, an Eastern Mediterranean restaurant, for brunch.

The entrance features a lovely outdoor seating area

complete with individual cabanas

Upon entering the restaurant we were led to our table and served olive bread with olive oil and a white bean puree

The brininess of the olive bread complimented the mild bean puree nicely

For his entree Kevin selected the Eggs Benedict with Beef Pastirma and Marash Pepper Hollandaise.

I sampled a significant chunk of the dish and loved the smoky beef combined with the bright hollandaise and supple eggs. The dish also contained a generous mound of leafy greens tossed in a flavorful vinaigrette.

Still stuffed from the previous evening’s Friendsgiving feast (post to come on that soon!) I went with the server’s recommendation of the Wild Arugula, Citrus, and Crispy Chickpea Salad with Grilled Shrimp.

The plate arrived with an aesthetically pleasing composition, with each ingredient segregated to alternate segments of the dish. The roasted chickepeas added an earthy element and wonderful texture to the dish. The shrimp tasted extremely fresh and contained a detectable char.

For dessert we shared the chocolate mousse

and Turkish rice pudding

The warm rice pudding was perfect for a blustery fall day and the chocolate pudding achieved the perfect balance between richness and sweetness.

We really enjoyed our brunch at Pera Soho and would definitely return to sample other dishes, such as the white chocolate pancakes with strawberry butter or the marinated sliced lamb. Yum. Pera Soho also offers a pre-fixe brunch with an alcoholic beverage or fruit juice plus entree plus coffee or tea for 21 dollars. Quite the steal for the NYC brunch scene!

P.S- All photo credits go to Kevin.

In accordance with FTC guidelines I must disclose that I was contacted directly by the restaurant and that the meal was complimentary. Any views expressed on my blog, however, are solely my own.

Still displaced from the hospital thanks to Hurricane Sandy, my supervisor (Hot in Hurr) and I headed to a university library to work. For lunch we visited Quantum Leap, a natural foods restaurant in the West Village.

Hot in Hurr selected the soba noodle salad, which contained the alarmingly flourescent green seaweed that prompts you to extract your portable Geiger counter, tofu, assorted veggies, and the aforementioned noodles. The tofu had a lovely sesame/soy flavor, but the dish bordered on overly salty.

I selected the roasted veggie/tofu salad, which had a wonderfully diverse array of vegetables and nicely seasoned tofu. I could eat this salad every day and be a very happy camper.

We had a nice experience and Quantum Leap and would definitely return for another leisurely lunch.

Hello Everyone

Thank you to those who reached out during the storm. Upper Manhattan survived relatively unscathed, but the hospital where I work, very tragically, had to be completely evacuated. Not only did patients, already suffering from illness, have to be manually transported down flights of stairs to other hospitals, but decades worth of biomedical research was destroyed and medical education halted. I don’t know when I’ll get to return to work, but it’s really a devastating situation.

Though I feel silly blogging about food during a situation like this, life must go on. Recently I had two very different sushi encounters, one at the newly opened Beyond Sushi and the other at Haru.

Beyond Sushi offers healthy vegan sushi with wonderfully inventive vegetable content, such as roasted kabocha and charred carrot. The roll is wrapped in a 6-grain rice and served with a sauce of your choice.

Though I really wanted to love the roll, the rice was extremely bland and lacked the bright acidic taste of normal sushi rice. The accompanying mushroom sauce, however, really unified the dish and significantly enhanced the flavor.

Before the storm hit Sunday Kevin and I savored our last moments outside and had an outdoor lunch at Haru sushi. To start I had a salad

and we then split the sushi sashimi combo

Though this was certainly no Tenzan. the fish was fresh and the platter contained the perfect amount to share.

Originally I was supposed to run the NYC  marathon this weekend for the third consecutive year, but I electively deferred. The question of whether or not NYRR should continue to hold the marathon remains a divisive issue within the city. I firmly believe that NYRR should NOT hold the marathon, given the destruction still affecting millions of people across the city. Parts of New York already face food/water/fuel water shortages, hundreds have lost homes, and traffic congestion remains a nightmare. Adding additional people will only further burden the city and The argument that visiters will enhance the economy does not necessary hold in this situation when the goods do no exist for individuals to purchase. Tourists, for example, cannot dine downtown since restaurants lack electricity or visit temporarily shuttered cultural institutions. Hotels are also already at capacity with individuals displaced by the storm. Visiting runners will only displace these storm refugees in these hotels since they have pre-existing reservations.

Look, I’m all for the symbolicism of 50,000 people working together to achieve a grueling athletic goal, but this just seems too soon, too insensitive at the present moment. NYC faces enough of a challenge and resource deficit reconstructing after this unprecedented storm, let alone shutting down the entire city for a road race.

Do you agree with NYRR’s decision to hold the ING NYC Marathon?

I hope that you all weathered the storm safe and sound and suffered minimal damages!