FOOD - "The Delicious"
Eataly: A slice of Italy in NYC
Eataly
When a friend of a friend’s Oklahoma-born-and-bred boyfriend suggested that my bestie Tina and I have dinner at Eataly in Gramercy, I thought that was his Midwestern accent getting the best of him. Turns out, the place is actually called Eataly, as in “eat” meets “Italy” equals “Eataly,” which is also a really cute way of getting Americans to pruh-nunce stuff right.
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Walking into Eataly is like turning up at the most incredible birthday party where there’s a pinata and a pony and a pool and a water slide and a high-dive and a bounce house…and everything is edible. Eataly is a seriously intense celebration of food and you can feel the pulse of grown-up excitement against the hum of noise that is laughter and conversation. The place is essentially every food lover’s dream. It’s a massive indoor market, which sells high-quality products purchased from local farmers, fishermen, buthers, bakers and cheesemakers with more than a handful of restaurants you can eat at. And the most incredible part is that all the food served in its many restaurants is made from ingredients sold in the store so you can actually try your hand at the stuff you just ate. It’s basically the original “Fashion Star” but of food, and way less frustrating than when you’re watching “Barefoot Contessa” and Ina’s all, “Now rub a little Le Saunier De Camargue Fleur de Sel into the steak,” and you have no idea what she just said so you Google “flour de salt” and find out that your steak rub is going to cost $11 plus shipping and handling because you don’t live in The Hamptons…or Bordeaux.
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Can we talk about Nordstrom’s Cafe?
This is pretty sad, but I only recently learned Nordstrom even had a cafe (thanks to Safia…she’s a reservoir of random facts I always benefit from). When I went back to Chicago recently to visit my family, I truthfully only ate out twice. The first day I touched down, I went shopping with my brother, sister-in-law and nephew at Woodfield Mall and we took a short break at Nordstrom’s Cafe Bistro. The food was so fresh and delicious…which in turn, makes it worth blogging about. Behold:
Nicoise salad with salmon
Grilled chicken with candied pecans, strawberries and feta
Creamy pasta
And seriously, those candied pecans were un-REAL. All shopping breaks should be so delicious.
Restaurant Info:
Nordstrom Cafe Bistro
Woodfield Mall
5 Woodfield Mall
Schaumburg, IL 60173
(847) 605-2121
Upper Level
Momofuku Milk Bar & Má Pêche in Midtown
Really, I don’t know what took me so long to visit my neighbor, Momofuku Milk Bar/Má Pêche in midtown. I’ve been waiting ages for a reason to stop by and try their popular menu. SO after an event next door at the Townhouse Spa with Chrissy Teigen (ironically, Teigen wrote a whole post on Momofuku and duck fat shortly after), I realized proximity was the perfect excuse to grab some dessert there with my friend Sabrina visiting from DC.
Momofuku Milk Bar
The funny thing is, I thought the front Milk Bar (with all their desserts galore in a neat window display) and some hot drinks was all there was to this place:
Momofuku
Milk Bar
Cake
5 ideas on what to do with stale bread (instead of throwing it away)
I’m a total carb-aholic, and there are few things I love more than fresh, super crusty bread. Yes, I’ve been that girl who orders a second breadbasket, and I’m a total “scarpettaro” – one who uses scarpetta (“little shoe” in Italian), but in this case, refers to a piece of bread you use to sop up every last delicious bite of a saucy dish.
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What I would do for a bowl of pasta pomodoro RIGHT NOW….anyway, back to the topic: What do you do with your stale bread? I host dinner and brunch parties pretty regularly, and true to character, I usually have some type of amazing, fresh bread on hand – brioche, baguette, ciabatta, etc. There are always leftovers (bread is still “taboo” for some of my friends), so rather than toss it, I give the bread a second chance!
Waste not, want not! Here are some of my favorite ways to use stale bread:
1. Bruschetta or crostinis – this is the perfect recipe for a leftover baguette! Slice the bread into ¾ inch pieces and arrange on a baking sheet. Use a pastry brush to lightly coat the baguette slices with extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then bake at 400 degrees until lightly toasted. Here is a great recipe for a traditional bruschetta topping from Mario Batali. And crostini toppings…well, you can put just about anything on top of a crostini – Giada De Laurentiis has an amazing Artichoke and Bean Crostini recipe, which I love.
2. Homemade croutons – making homemade croutons is really easy! Combine olive oil, salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese into a mixing bowl (you can also add fresh herbs, like rosemary or thyme if you’d like.) Roughly cut the leftover bread into cubes and toss in the olive oil mixture. Arrange on a rimmed cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees until browned.
Making bread crumbs
3. Homemade bread crumbs – tear the bread into smaller pieces and toss in a food processor. Process until coarse crumbs form – you don’t want the bread to be like sand, so be sure not to over process. Spread the fresh crumbs evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until dry and browned at 350 degrees. When cooled, toss breadcrumbs with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Store in an airtight container. The bread crumbs will keep for about 3 weeks to one month, and even longer if you store them in the fridge or freezer. The uses for breadcrumbs are endless! Some of my favs: Tuscan Kale Salad, Bucatini with Toasted Bread Crumbs, Macaroni and Cheese. You can even customize your breadcrumbs by adding spices, citrus zests, and fresh herbs.
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4. Grilled cheese or french toast – ‘nuf said
5. Bread pudding – I am a huge fan of bread pudding, and if you love sweets, this is the ‘stale bread recipe’ for you! Here are some of my favorites: Chunky Apple-Apricot Bread Pudding from Lidia Bastianich, Ina Garten’s French Toast Bread Pudding (great for brunch), Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding, Bread and Butter Pudding from Anne Burrell, who also has a savory Herbed Bread Pudding recipe that is really delicious.
Couldn’t help myself.
Check your drink personality with ClubW.com
Most of us are not true wine snobs. Sure, when we’re offered the sample at a restaurant, we act informed and give the server an authoritative nod of approval. But what we’re really thinking is, “Tastes like wine to me!” We just want the server to pour the drink so we can get the party started.
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That’s the beautiful thing about Clubw.com, a new retail wine club and website to help you establish your wine personality. It’s educational, but not snobby, and it doesn’t presume you’re already an expert. It’s acknowledging that most of us are not wine snobs, just casual wine drinkers who, while we may know that we prefer malbecs over cabernets, don’t know much beyond that. “This club is the brainchild of a trio of knowledgeable, friendly…sommeliers (or “Wine Addicts” as they like to be called),” they say, which provides “access to a whole bunch of impressive and uncommon juice.
