Little NYC

Fresh, FRESH Seafood at Wild Edibles 

Fish market by day, restaurant by night, Wild Edibles does seafood right. This Oyster Bar & Restaurant, located on Third Ave (between 35th and 36th Street) is always packed and with such a laid back setting and fresh from the sea - food, I understand why. 

We sat down at the little bar top along the window and right in front of the rows of fresh oysters all packed perfectly in their ice. Naturally, with a seat like that we haaaad to begin our meal with a dozen oysters, a mix of East Coast and West Coast all with distinct flavor. 

For my main course, I ordered the Skillet Seared Skate (my new favorite fish ever since Colicchio’s Tap Room). The skate is served with haricot verts and a dijon dressing that really enhances the flavor of the fish. What I’ve learned about this lovely skate is that aside from it being a flakey, white fish, it is also an extremely rich flavor (and not at all fishy tasting). Each bite had a buttery-creamy texture to it which allows the fish to balance a heavier more hearty sauce or accompaniment like this Dijon Dressing or the Cauliflower puree at Tap Room. 

My enthusiasm for this restaurant is unparalleled— it’s a place to go again and again for guaranteed good fish, a simple atmosphere and a wait staff that really knows their stuff about seafood. 

Key Lime Pie

I adapted this recipe from Emeril Lagasse’s Key Lime Pie; however, not to knock the great Lagasse, I think his recipe needed just a tad-bit tweaking. I followed the measurements exactly, but below I changed the recipe to the way I believe this Key Lime will succeed. Emeril’s had just a little bit too much key lime juice, it was pucker your mouth tart. Additionally, the crust had too much sugar and not enough butter creating a little too much crumble for my liking. Anyway, the overall result was a pretty successful and classic Key Lime if you ask me. Which you didn’t but I’ll tell you anyway.

Key Lime Pie

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 stick butter melted
2 (14-ounce) cans condensed milk
1/2 cup key lime or regular lime juice
2 whole eggs
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 tablespoon lime zest

—Preheat oven to 375 F.
—Mix together the crushed graham cracker, sugar, and melted butter. Press the mixture firmly into a 9-inch pie pan, and bake until brown, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven let cool before filling.
—Now, lower the oven temperature to 325 F.
— Combine the condensed milk, lime juice, and eggs. Whisk until completely blended, then pour into cooled pie shell. Bake for about 15 minutes and allow to chill in the refrigerator. 
— For best results, serve one day after to allow the filling to really set. 

Auntie’s Zeppole Happy Mother’s day!

De Santos

Every once in a while the roomie and I get together with our moms for a little Girl’s Night Out, after all we’ve known each other since we were three (err.. that is the roomie and I have, not our moms). Last night, we ventured to De Santos, an adorable restaurant situated in a beautiful townhouse in the West Village. What makes this restaurant so aesthetically pleasing is the general flow of the dining room. The main room has dark cherry wood and a bright white and grey marbled granite bar which provides some brightness to the dimly lit room. Step into the next room and suddenly it’s as if you’ve entered an English Greenhouse with slate flouring and plants hanging from the ceiling. And for those hot summer nights, De Santos even has an outdoor patio, secluded from the hustle and bustle of NYC. 

We started our meal with an incredible Truffled Mac & Cheese which was baked in the oven with a nice breadcrumb crust and large truffle chunks scattered throughout. For my main course, I chose the Rack of Lamb with Potato Gratin served with a Goat Cheese Salad and Red Wine Sauce. While the lamb was cooked perfectly, extremely tender and flavorful, I felt the red wine reduction was simply too sweet and there was nothing special about the potatoes, which were not gratin as the menu said, but rather mashed. 

Despite the less than outrageous food, the service, atmosphere and company made this restaurant shine. 

Delicious Clam Chowder also from Roy Moore Lobster Co., possibly the best I’ve ever had, with big chunks of clam and just the right amount of clam to veggie ratio. 

Fresh steamed lobster just caught that morning from Roy Moore Lobster Co. in Rockport, MA 

Russian Bliny, Berries and Nutella

Yum! Bliny are one of my favorites. Basically, a crepe, served at breakfast. We ate it with Nutella (mixing the Russian and Italian worlds together!) and Berries. Breakfast of champions.

Adrienne’s Pizzabar 

It’s finally Spring in NYC, and what better way to celebrate than with a little trip to Stone Street in the Financial District! Get a feel of old world New York with some of the original colonial buildings. Walk through the windy hap-hazard cobble stone streets and enter Stone Street, a street lined with restaurants and outdoor picnic tables. Now, park yourself in front of Adrienne’s Pizzabar  for some of the best pizza in New York City. Forget Lombardi’s, Adrienne’s does it better. The mozzarella is milky and fresh, the sauce is sweet and homemade, the pepperoni are those little guys that get nice and crispy in the oven and the pizza is square! Buy yourself a bucket of beer, order some Old Fashioned Pizza, kick back and bask in the glory of NYC. 

Peanut-Butter Chocolate Chip Brownies with a Pretzel Crust 

This brownie is the quintessential treat for those who always want a little bit of savory after they have their little bit of sweet. Do you know what I’m saying? I know some of you do.

I’ve had my eye on this recipe for quite some time on Love From the Oven’s blog, which is exactly what this mass of brownie-chocolate-peanut chip-pretzel is: love, straight from the oven. The taste this brownie produces has a bit of everything— saltiness and a crunch from the pretzel, peanut buttery goodness and dark ooey-gooey chocolate brownie. And despite decadent qualities, the brownie somehow isn’t too sweet. 

Peanut-Butter Chocolate Chip Brownies with a Pretzel Crust (Yields about 2 dozen)
Dark Chocolate Betty Crocker Brownie mix 
3 cups Pretzels
Butter
Sugar
Peanut Butter Chips or Caramel Chips
Chocolate Chips

— Preheat oven to 350 F
— In a food processor, pulse your pretzels until they are finely chopped but not completely turned to dust (note: the sound of pretzels grinding in a food processor is possibly worse than nails on a chalkboard)
— Mix together 3 cups crushed pretzels, 3/4 cup butter (I used light butter) and 4-5tbsps of sugar
— Spread evenly on the bottom of a lightly greased 13x9inch baking pan 
— Follow directions of brownie box mix, then add desired chips into the mix
— Spread the brownie mix on top of the pretzel crust
— Bake in oven for about 28 minutes.