Bowl Game + Bowls of Food

While UGA did not play in what would be considered by most standards to be an important bowl game, we did manage to seriously damage the Texas A&M Aggies in the Independence Bowl with a record 44 points.  That would be the 13th consecutive bowl game appearance and 45th overall, in case you weren't counting. The Konter/Sand fam gathered to celebrate the occasion with a very yummy tailgating spread:

• Matt and Jen prepared brisket sliders.  Kinda spicy, kinda sweet, all delish.  
• Matt also came to the table with some kick-ass guac.  There was a definite bite to it, but not so much that a beer didn't wash it down perfectly.
• Allison prepared a serious tuna ceviche dish, tossed with avocado, peppers, and an amazing sauce.
• My mommy made her highly addictive artichoke heart dip.  She made a double recipe since I single handedly ate the regular portion.
• I made a portobello mushroom and goat cheese crustini - tasty and easy
• 2 kinds of chicken wings, courtesy of Fresh Market
• We finished it all off with brownies from Matt and Allison's grandma, who happens to be a baker extraordinaire - her mandel bread was even featured in the paper...ok it was in the Savannah Jewish News, but that is technically a paper even if it is only two pages long and pretty much consists of articles about people related to me since my family comprises just about the entire Jewish population of Savannah.

NYC: Great Place, Missing 2 Great Restaurants

There are many things NYC lacks, but the two I find most significant are Chick-fil-A and Heiwa's.


Yes, I have heard there is a Chick-fil-A in the NYU dorms, but I think it's an urban myth and even if it's not, I don't feel like bribing a student.  I made it three days before taking control of my mother's car and heading to Truett Cathy's phenomenal establishment while I was home for the holidays.  Please note, I did not take my Daddy's car because he recently signed a lease on a new Z4 convertible.  While this on its own is neither new nor significant, the fact that he got this automobile in black with red interior is.  He claims he wound up with that color palette because it was the only one available in a stick shift.  I maintain he's going through a midlife crisis.  What's next?  Leaving my Mom for a cocktail waitress à la Tiger Woods?  Or worse - heaven forbid he loses the 'stache!  So anyhoo, I commandeered my Mom's more suitable vehicle and headed to the drive thru for the truest breakfast of champions there ever was: the chicken biscuit.  Now, I know that "drive thru" connotes fast food, but it is much, much more.  A perfectly seasoned piece of fried chicken sandwiched between a buttery biscuit is, hands down, the best way to start the day.  I happen to know there is a Chick-fil-A in the dirty Jerz and a couple in Maryland.  I know this because Dave and I stopped there on the way to and from a family trip to DC and consumed more food than I previously thought humanly possible.


On the other side of the spectrum, Heiwa's is speedy hibachi.  There are several restaurants in GA that do this (Heiwa's being my fave), but I have yet to find one in the Northeast.  It's like one of those cook-in-front-of-you places, but they cook off to the side, resulting in the same amazing food for a fraction of the price.  All I should really have to say about this place is "shrimp sauce".  I'm not sure what's in it, but I'm most certain it's bad for you, which is probably why I love it so much.  Don't let the name fool you, you don't need shrimp to enjoy this sauce.  It tastes good when smothering every item on the plate.  


So there you have it NYC.  I have made your mission perfectly clear.  I don't care how you do it, but get these restaurants up here PRONTO.  Thanks.

Merry Movies

To me, Christmas break is primarily about sitting around in pjs and going through my list of must-see movies.  While I was home I had to take advantage of the low movie ticket prices ($7.50 compared to $12.50 in NYC).

First stop: Sherlock Holmes with the rents for some good old family bonding.  The story was a tad slow to develop, but Guy Ritchie the former Mr. Madonna did a great job directing.  The blue/gray color scheme and slow-mo moments were perfectly timed and executed.  The film exhibited a good mix of humor and mystery and while there was a small romantic storyline, cheesiness was kept to a minimum and it didn't water down the plot.

The second movie I saw while home in the SAV was Up In The Air.  Great movie.  Last year, Dave and I began a tradition to jam in all Oscar noms pre-awards.  This one was definitely on the list this year due to recent buzz.  Unfortunately for Mr. Smiles, I had to see this one with Mark, Allison, Matt, and Jen as he did not make the trip to the South.  No worries, I still have to cross Precious and Brothers off my list before heading back to work.  The movie was incredibly realistic.  I will refrain from much further discussion as I do not want to give anything away, but I think it was very well done.  The film exposes insecurities we don't even know we have.  You won't leave happy.  You won't leave sad.  You leave going "Ok, there ya go."  Congrats to American Airlines and Hilton Hotels for the prominent and frequent product placement.  As someone in the advertising field, I recognize and respect that you either got incredibly lucky or sold your soul to achieve this.  Either way, well done.  On the advertising subject, I must say I love the HSBC ads that show the same picture and 3 different interpretations of value.  Like the one showing the back of a bald head where one picture says style, the other soldier, the third, survivor.  Genius.  It actually makes the walk to the plane more enjoyable since they're always in the jetway.  Can't wait to see the next one.

Back to movies.  While home, I also caught up on some movies from the comfort of my couch.  First up was Obsessed.  Somehow it was the only film my whole family could agree on from the On Demand menu.  Beyonce surprised me as being not bad, particularly during the fight scene when she yells "come here bitch" and drags a half-clothed Ali Larter through the house by her leg.  While home, I also used my Best Buy gift card to purchase The Hangover and Mystic River.  It had been a long time since I'd seen the latter flick and forgot how great it was.  If you haven't seen it, put it on your list now, it's worthy.

Egg-celent Idea

I am not what you would call skilled with eggs...yet.  Sure, I can scramble with the best of 'em, but when it comes to more advanced techniques like poaching or flipping to the perfect over-easy without breaking the yolk, I tend to flounder a bit.  I had pretty much given up and decided I would stick to comfortably scrambling at home and heading to the diner next door for any other egg dish I may desire.  But then last night I had a dinner interesting enough to renew my inspiration for preparing those trickier egg meals. 

Let me backtrack.  I went to dinner at Bocca di Bacco last night with some co-workers.  I enjoyed the dinner, but must admit my favorite part was the warm and cozy atmosphere (exposed brick, rustic wooden tables, and likely-gay but oh-so-cute waiter walking around in a santa hat and super tight jeans) that felt perfect on a frigid NYC evening.  We orderd an antipasti meat platter and a cheese plate (usually my fave, but I've had better) for the table, and then I had a ceasar salad to start.  The salad was quite tasty, but hey, it's a ceasar salad, I'm sure I could find it elsewhere. 

What I would be hard-pressed to find would be a replication of my entrée.  The plate was lined with prosciutto, which was then topped with white asparagus and brown butter, and then - wait for it - a poached egg.  Never before have I seen such a combination and loved slicing open the egg and allowing it to mix with the brown butter to create a unique sauce for the dish. 

There are tons of wonderful Italian restaurants in New York City, and while this one was very good it didn't stand out overall.  However, that one dish was enough to inspire my imagination and renew my drive to properly execute multiple egg preparations.  Whoever happens to be the next dinner guest chez moi will be one eggs-tremely lucky person.

WOWshi

My friend Big Brad has been campaigning for a shout-out on this blog for quite some time, but thankfully he understands this sort of thing must be organic.  I'm not gonna holla just for the hell of it; it has to make sense.  Well, the day has arrived.

Just before disappearing from Gchat, Big Brad mentioned having an "unreal" meal this weekend in LA (his current city of residence).  After reading his description of a Wowshi, I realized I had to find the menu for this Bella Pita place.  The website was not super informative, but I managed to learn the following:

• Wowshi: a stuffed pita (filled with chicken/herbs or beef/cheese/onions, among other choices).  The pita is then folded over like a pie, baked, cut in half, and then you just pile in whatever you want.  Big Brad prefers the chick wowshi stuffed with yogurt sauce, hot sauce, tomatoes, red onion, cabbage, and peppercini.
• Best part: it's only $5.25
• The bonus: it's open til 2 AM
• I wasn't quite sure this was as amazing as Bradley said it was...until I saw the picture

A big thanks to Big Brad for bringing this Cali find to my attention.  Though I have not tried it myself and, therefore, can not provide my official stamp of approval, it is definitely on my list next time I hit up the West Coast.

As if that wasn't enough of a blog contribution, Brad sent me to this sorta food related site.  I like both bacon and beer, so I enjoyed it.  Big Brad, I am proud to say you've earned your blog shout-out.  Congrats.

Oh and ladies, he's single.

An Engaging Experience

Many of you may know I am ridiculously close with some of my cousins.  My first cousin, Matt, also happens to be my very best friend in the world.  His brother, Greg, was the best man at my brother's wedding, and now it's his turn.  Just before Thanksgiving, Greg proposed to the amazing Susan Silbert future Mrs. Greenberg in an incredibly adorable manner (just ask if you want the full story).  An equally adorable engagement party was befitting such a fab couple.  Which brings us to Jackson Heights, Queens on Sunday, after the Blizzard of 2009 for an intimate gathering of friends and food.

The spread:

• Bunuellos - huge balls of sweet fried dough.  Like an oversided Puerto Rican version of my treasured Southern hush puppies.
• Empanadas - beef, chicken, and cheese varieties
• Churros - some of them were filled with dulce de leche.  A revelation.  Why are all churros not made this way?  I now think the people who make them the regular way are stupid.
• A cheese plate.  4 types.  Served fancy-like with grapes and melba toast.  Booyakasha.
• And now for my contributions:
• Stuffed cremini mushrooms - some with sausage, some with spinach and cheese.  I can't take credit and must thank the phenomenal Stew Leonard for his help when the snow forced a change in menu.
• Panzanella salad - this is a bread salad.  Yes I know, bread in a salad instead of lettuce - I must be crazy.  Maybe so, but not because I prepared this dish.  It's an Italian specialty, but I made it with Greek flavors (chopped kalmatta olives, bell pepper, tomato, feta).  Greek ingredients in a traditionally Italian dish?  I'm such a rebel.
• Proscuitto-wrapped cornichons - cornichons are miniature, salty, French pickles.  Next time I'll add roasted bell pepper but it was still tasty, as evidenced by the empty serving dish.
• Spicy shrimp and avocado on cucumber

Sadly, I remembered to take pictures after all the food was gone, so you'll just have to use your imagination.

Burgers on B

After watching Invictus, we decided it was time to refuel with some burgers.  There are so many amazing burgers in the city, and I am set on determining which one is best.  I am happy to participate in all necessary research.  The latest burger joint to make it on my list, thanks to Jen's suggestion, was Black Iron Burger at 5th and Ave B.  My first thought was this: their monogram is BIB, and that's about as perfect as you can get for a restaurant.  Keep reading for the rest of my review:

• A downside may be the location.  5th and B is pretty far over so the subway's not a great choice and I'm not happy about taking a cab to get a burger.  However, it's right across from Ace Bar and all their fun games (ie: skee ball).  This one's a wash.
• The bun was not great (a tad stale), but the burger itself was good.  I got mine topped with horseradish cheddar and grilled onions.  I would have been happier if there were more onions, but the cheese was great.
• Best part of dinner: the appetizer of fried pickled tomatoes.  This combines two of my favorite apps, fried pickles and fried tomatoes.  The resulting hybrid is incredibly tasty when dipped in the accompanying tangy sauce.
• Overall, Black Iron Burger was tasty but doesn't hold a candle to burger stars like J.G. Melon or Shake Shack.  I'd be very happy to return if I happen to be in the area, but probably won't be making a special trip in the near future.