Monday Reads

1. If you're a girl/woman/lady/female you have some sort of handbag with you at all times, but do you know the history of the thing that holds all of your most important items? 
2. I've always been a fan of hearing it like it is from my friends and I try to do them the same "courtesy" by not sugarcoating things.  But if I am humiliating them in the process, I may be doing more harm than good.
3. Last week a ton of inmates managed to escape a juvenile detention center.  How is this possible?!
4. For the first time, NYC is allowing a gay group to march in the St. Patrick's Day parade.  True, it's because the group is from NBC, the network televising the event, but progress is progress.

Delta

Not all Southern food is created equal.  While I may know just about all there is to know about Lowcountry cuisine, creole food is a whole different story.  Of course I enjoy it.  Of course I will eat all the cajun food in sight, if possible.  Of COURSE I want to boogie to Hank Williams' "Jambalya (On the Bayou)" while I'm eating it.  But liking creole food is not the same as being an expert.  Basically, even though I'm Southern, I can't tell you how authentic The Delta Grill is, but I can tell you I really liked it and am happy to have it in NYC.

I was there with a group of eight, three of whom were college linebackers, so we ordered a lot of food.  The portions were large, even for 6'4" former football players.  So if you like creole food, you'll certainly get your fill here.  We started with the alligator and pork sausage.  My only experience with gator is on the football field, where we CRUSH those jorts wearing Floridians every year.  Just kidding - I've eaten gator plenty.  There's a place at home that serves fried alligator tail and I love it.  Seeing alligator in sausage form, however, was new to me but still delicious...though I mostly tasted pork.  My favorite app of the night was the popcorn crawfish.  I was worried they would skimp on the meat here, but this was big hunks of crawfish that are fried and served with a remoulade sauce (though this was more like ranch dressing).  It was chewy without being rubbery and the batter was nicely seasoned.  I could have eaten the entire basket on my own and was a little disappointed I had to share.

As for the entrees...I tried a bite of Albert's muffaletta and thought it was a very good version, almost as good as the one I had in New Orleans (it's all about the olive spread).  If you consider ordering the large version, I suggest you do so with two buddies because it's massive.  I ordered the chicken fried steak and loved it.  It was as good as any I've had.  Since chicken fried steak is a Southern thing and not strictly cajun, I can say with confidence I know what I'm talking about here.  The steak was still tender (a lot of people can mess up on that part) and the peppery breading stayed put.  I'm used to a thicker gravy at home, but this wasn't too shabby.  The jalapeno cheddar mashed potatoes was a nice spicy side.

Now, can a Louisiana native pleast go to this place and tell me if it's authentic?  Or do I just love it and have zero idea what I'm talking about.  Please don't put my "foodie" identity into question.

Tuna Artichoke Melts

I had such success with my Grown Up Tuna Melt that I decided to try a new variation.  This one is a bit less quirky, but the artichokes give it a Mediterranean taste that sets it apart from other tuna salads.  I diverged from the recipe a bit by using lemon zest with pepper (vs. lemon pepper) and by using gouda instead of the pre-grated Mexican blend.  It's the lemon zest that really made a big difference.  Anytime a sandwich is heated, it suddenly takes on a heavier quality to me.  I don't hate it (in fact, I almost always prefer panini style), but I still feel overly stuffed after eating a heated sandwich vs. a cold one.  It doesn't matter that the ingredients are exactly the same.  Calories haven't changed a bit, it's just served warm.  What can I say, it messes with my head a bit.  But the adjectives people always use to describe lemon are "bright" and "zingy".  Those adjectives are the opposite of heavy so adding the zest makes this tuna melt feel a bit lighter.  The open faced nature of the sandwich doesn't hurt, either.

3 on Thursday

I hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day weekend!  Though I planned to go on a grand adventure on Labor Day itself, the weather was too up in the air to commit.  I still enjoyed a wonderful weekend roaming my beautiful city so there are no complaints here.

1. I am always drawn to these teeny tiny yogurts when I see them at fancy food markets because I remember them from my time in France.  I have always resisted purchase, though, because they're pretty expensive.  I finally gave in as a treat and think I'll be continuing.  Though it's shelved next to the yogurt, Le Petit Suisse is actually cheese, a creamy cheese with a texure that is thicker than Greek yogurt.  It seems expensive because it's so much tinier than yogurt, but because it's thicker, you need less to get satisfied.  For me it's also perfect because I get sick of the yogurt consistency after any more than this so the puny packaging is the perfect sized breakfast for me.
2. I hate seeing summer come to an end.  I'm just not one of those people who says "sure summer is nice but don't you just love fall and the crisp sweater weather?"  The upside to fall, however, is football season.  I love cheering on my Dawgs and I was so happy to see them pull out a W in the season opener against Clemson on Saturday night.
3. Tea for two.  I loved the girly setup of pastels against white marble at Ladurée Soho.  

Quinoa with Nectarine and Basil

I had not had a single nectarine all summer and they were calling my name in the grocery store, looking all big, juicy, and summery.  But for some reason I knew that even if purchased with the best of intentions I would never end up sitting on my couch, eating the nectarine all on its own as a snack.  Incorporating the nectarine into a recipe would need to be the way to go for me and since this one required little effort, it was the winner.  It wasn't until I started cooking that I realized I was out of couscous so I substituted quinoa.  Guess what?  I think I made it better.  Take that, fancy magazine recipe makers!

The sweet flavor of the nectarine and orange juice is unexpected in a side dish.  It's citrus, though, which is a different kind of sweet so it doesn't feel out of place at suppertime.  I think because the flavors of the citrus and stone fruit are light and bright it helped to use quinoa, which is not as starchy [aka heavy] as the pearled couscous.  This one is great at room temp and since there's no dairy/mayo, it will keep all day so I would recommend it as a picnic/potluck dish.

Tomato Toast with Garlic Basil Cream Cheese

In the summertime I find myself dreaming about caprese salad literally every week.  I can't get enough.  Summer is when tomatoes are at their best and the simple salad is a perfect way to show off how delicious they can be.  Because I can't eat a caprese every week (I mean I could...I shouldn't) I was hoping to find other ways to highlight how great a fresh summer tomato is.  Simplicity is best in these situations because the point is to showcase, not distract.  This recipe for tomato toast with garlic basil cream cheese is a great way to get some fresh 'maters in your belly and to do so at breakfast time, the one part of the day that seems a tad innappropriate for caprese (again, I could eat caprese at 8 am...I just shouldn't).

This is the kind of breakfast that only takes 5-10 minutes to make; however, I recommend you take 20.  The extra 10 minutes should be reserved for salting your tomato slices and letting them sit to draw out the water.  I didn't do this because I was in a rush, but it would have made the dish mush better.  Do it while you're drying your hair or something; it's not like you have to stare at them while they're salting.  Another tip: the garlic isn't getting cooked so a little goes a long way.  You WILL taste and breathe the garlic so be prepared.  I used just under half a clove for about 3 oz of cream cheese and it was strong.  Not overpowering, but it was certainly detectable.  If you're planning to make a larger batch of the cream cheese to use throughout the week, just remember that as the garlic sits the flavor will become stronger so adjust accordingly.

If you're a bagel and cream cheese person, this is a great alternative that will will satisfy you without weighing you down.  Bagels are usually too heavy for me during the week.  If you're a big fan of Italian food, the main flavors here are tomato, basil, and garlic so I guarantee you'll be happy.    

  

E's Bar

It's good to have friends in different neighborhoods.  It makes you feel worldly.  It's even better when those friends make a point to explore their own neighborhoods and let you know of new, fun places.  That's how we learned about E's Bar, a spot that just opened about 3 months ago in the UWS.

With stickers on the ceiling, red pintuck cushions, and neon signs they are clearly going for a grungy, East Village vibe.  They're almost there, but it's still a little too new and clean to feel truly dive-y.  The food menu looked good with some well priced specials but we had already eaten so we focused on two far more important things: drinks and games.

Drinking is fun.  Games are fun.  Put them together and you're bound to have a blast.  They have Sorry and Connect 4, but my favorites are Cards Against Humanity and Jenga.  Cards Against Humanity is an obvious choice because it gets hilarious and obscene, especially when you're imbibing.  Jenga, however, may sound like an odd choice.  What makes Jenga here particularly fun is that it's dirty Jenga.  Someone has written tasks on the blocks that must be completed before the blocks are replaced on the tower.  It's kind of like Jenga: Truth or Dare Edition.  I am a big fan of day drinking, but sitting around for hours on end can get a tad boring.  Throwing games into the mix keeps it lively.  It also means I'm likely to stick around longer - nice thinking, E's Bar.