3 on Thursday

Last weekend I blinked and it was time to go back to work.  I was just getting into full relaxation mode when I realized the weekend was coming to a close.  If you're planning a low key weekend soon, I highly suggest checking out The Grand Budapest Hotel.  For Wes Anderson fans, it's a goodie.

Background: graffiti in Spanish Harlem 

1. That's an ice cream sandwich on macarons, which is how all ice cream sandwiches should be served.
2. Someone sent me this most amazing mug so I can proudly display my obsession  healthy love for teacup pigs.
3. Albert planned a great date night on Friday.  I met up with him as he was finishing happy hour and then we walked down to the East Village for a flight at Good Beer followed by dinner at whatever place we wandered into (which happened to be Veselka - yum).  I really liked one of the beers in my flight, the Canton Brewing Company's Regular Coffee.  They don't distribute bottles of it, so I took a mini growler home with me.  

Citrus

Sarah was always my ultimate Broadway buddy so we take in a show every time she's back in town.  After seeing Aladdin (fun for the whole family!) we wanted to grab a bite to eat but didn't want to be hemmed into the overpriced and underflavored restaurants of Times Square.  We hopped the 2 one stop to 72nd Street and suddenly had tons of UWS restaurants to choose from.

We settled on Citrus, sister to nearby standby Josies for some Asian/Mexican fusion.  Though it's billed as fusion, the menu items were either Mexican or Asian, with a few continental classics like roast chicken thrown in for good measure.  I got my Mexican fill with the complimentary chips and salsa.  The salsa was creamy and addictive.  I veered Asian for my entrée of mesclun salad with seaweed, avocado, edamame, seared tuna, and miso carrot sesame vinaigrette.  My salad was filling with ample amounts of the ingredients you really care about (avocado and seared tuna, obvi).  I made sure to mix in the wasabi mayo garnish and thought it worked well to spice up the sweetness of the dressing.  

I know those Times Square restaurants try to lure you in with prix fixe theater menus that guarantee you'll get in and out in time for the show, but I highly recommend dining in the Upper West pre or post theater.  You'll have a larger variety of cuisines to choose from and won't be bombarded by tourists.

Pasta with Smoked Salmon

I recently wrote about making pasta with crème fraîche, just like I learned in France.  If you read that post, you may recall that my first crème fraîche pasta experience was when my French Mom served it with smoked salmon.  This time, I decided to take advantage of the beautiful Spring weather we had on Saturday and walk myself to Eataly where I could purchase high quality smoked salmon and fresh made pasta.  Inspired half by my study abroad experiences and half by Martha Stewart, the finished pasta was a perfect combination of European and American tastes.

After I found this recipe for farfalle with smoked salmon from Martha Stewart, I renewed my quest to recreate the French dish I had years ago.  I used the dill, capers, and red onion from the martha recipe but substituted crème fraîche for cream cheese and used a long pasta instead of a short one.  I'm not a fan of raw red onion, even when sliced super thin on a mandolin like it was here.  It's just not my thing and I can't be someone that I'm not.  If you like it, go for it; if you don't, there's no shame in leaving it out.  In the words of Beyonce, you're a grown woman you can do whatever you want.

This should basically be called the everything bagel pasta.  It has all the flavors you love from Sunday brunch, but the crème fraîche and fresh salmon make it feel distinctly European.  Quality salmon is key here.  You want it to be salty but not overwhelmingly so, and it shouldn't be so thick that you need a knife to cut through it.  This dish, especially if you use fresh pasta, is super light for a pasta meal so it is ideal for springtime.

Book Review: Man Up! Tales of My Delusional Self-Confidence

I will always refer to Ross Matthews as Ross the Intern.  That was his title when he was introduced to me on The Tonight Show and that will forever be his title in my eyes.  That's because even though he's grown up to have a talk show of his very own, he still approaches life with wide eyed exuberance. 

Though his high pitched voice could be a turnoff, everyone loves Ross the Intern.  You can't help it.  He is as a pop culture junkie who absolutely freaks out about celebs.  That makes him completely relate-able, despite the voice that threatened to make him an outcast when he was younger.  But Ross knows who he is and loves it, which is why everyone else loves him, too.

3 out of 5 stars. 

3 on Thursday

Last weekend went by way too quickly so I'm hoping this one last just a bit longer.

Background: steps inside the Ace Hotel

1. I recently remarked that I wanted to see more live music and got my chance on Saturday night.  I didn't care about seeing anyone particularly famous, but it was nice to go to a bar and do more than just sit at the actual bar.  It's always fun to sway your hips a bit.
2. The most adorable mini tabasco bottles for my oysters.
3. Rosé colored sweats to match my rosé wine.  That right there was my Friday night and I loved it.

Beet and Sweet Potato Chips with Curried Yogurt

I've been in a snack rut lately. Every time I reach for something to munch on between meals I've ended up with popcorn or hummus. I wanted something new so I did some googling and found a list of quick and healthy snacks on realsimple.com and found this winner. 

Just mix fat free Greek yogurt with curry powder and salt.  That night be the easiest dip you'll ever prepare, FYI. If you're not into curry just use a spice you prefer, like smoked paprika. You could also use fresh herbs, like dill. Anything goes here, as long as it takes less than one minute to stir into the yogurt. Anything longer than that would have me going back to my old old standby, popcorn. I used Terra sweet potato and beet chips as my dippers. The crunch satisfied my snack craving but the slightly sweet flavor was completely different from what it been snacking on lately. 

Consider my rut over. 

Tiny Fork

We ended up at Tiny Fork when the wait at our original restaurant choice was too long but the discovery ended up saving us money in addition to time.  The LES spot has all the food you want from a seafood shack (oysters, fish and chips, corn on the cob) but in the low-lit, Odeon type of bar where you want to start your more sophisticated drinking for the night.  Thankfully, the prices skewed slightly more toward the oceanside shack levels.  True, the portions were not huge, but getting a kale caesar salad with jumbo shrimp for only $14 is a great deal.