That's what I have been doing with this blog. I admit my laziness. It's summer. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.
We've been out to eat tons: Lobster Joint in Greenpoint, Sunswick in Astoria, Sato in Forest Hills, Agora Taverna in Forest Hills, Keuka Kafe, a wine bar, in Forest Hills, Don Peppe on Lefferts, Dirty Pierre's in Forest Hills, El Quijote in the city, Gypsy Wolf Cantina in Woodstock, Cafe Ole in Astoria.
Especially liked Keuka Kafe, it's on Queens Boulevard past Ascan Avenue towards Union Turnpike. Nick, the bartender/host/waiter was great. Jill and I sat at the bar, had wine and appetizers and loved it. Salmon carpaccio with mango salsa was totally yummy. I must have more. So much on the menu I want to go back and try.
Grilled octopus at Agora Taverna is still my favorite. Went to dinner with Jesse and he loved it also. I had shrimp saganaki appetizer and he had seared scallops. We shared octopus, salad and soup too. Fun!
Tonight I am going with Jennie and Barbara to Barosa, then we are going to the casino at Aqueduct. Never been and hope to strike it rich at the penny slots :) :)
Showing posts with label El Quijote. Show all posts
Showing posts with label El Quijote. Show all posts
Friday, July 12, 2013
Monday, February 11, 2013
Since Jan. 24
Obviously home from Ithaca, actually been there and back again. Anyway...
Michael's mom had surgery (and she is doing really well, home from Beth Israel in one day).
We've been to El Quijote, Dani's, Bonfire, Artichoke Basile's, 5 Burro, Dirty Pierre's, Exo Cafe and Canterbury Ales.
I've made chili, pork roast, mushroom soup, chicken soup, and assorted minor dinners.
Tomorrow we are going for our annual Valentine's Day dinner (but never on Valentine's Day) to Bistro Sk on City Island. Friday night is pizza night at the Creutz' and we have no plans for the weekend. I think we need a rest.
xo
PS: Sorry for the minimal details. Maybe I will get a second wind...
Michael's mom had surgery (and she is doing really well, home from Beth Israel in one day).
We've been to El Quijote, Dani's, Bonfire, Artichoke Basile's, 5 Burro, Dirty Pierre's, Exo Cafe and Canterbury Ales.
I've made chili, pork roast, mushroom soup, chicken soup, and assorted minor dinners.
Tomorrow we are going for our annual Valentine's Day dinner (but never on Valentine's Day) to Bistro Sk on City Island. Friday night is pizza night at the Creutz' and we have no plans for the weekend. I think we need a rest.
xo
PS: Sorry for the minimal details. Maybe I will get a second wind...
Friday, January 11, 2013
OMG
I have been royally slacking off! Sorry.
Since December 18 (ouch) we have had many a gastronomic event. Details aside, we have had dinner and holiday parties at the Creutz', the Carbones and the Figliolias. We have had dinner and holidays with the Wisners and Brennans too.
We have been to El Quijote, Pio Pio, Dani's, Barosa, Artichoke Basille's, Blackwater Inn, Dee's and Katz' Deli. Whew.....
I have made chicken soup, pasta fagioli, gazpacho (summer I know, but Michael made a special request), lamb chops with rosemary, sweet potatoes, linguine with langostines, pork roast with sauerkraut, a pot of sauce, cookies, stuffed cabbage and other things I just can't remember now.
I have also received the first 2 of my vegetable shares. I joined a food cooperative out of the Forest Hills Jewish Center. Every 3 weeks organic veggies come from upstate to the center. I go pick up our share. So far we've gotten sweet potatoes, creamer potatoes, rutabaga, beets, carrots, parsnips, watermelon radish, leeks, white and green cabbage. I also bought an organic bean share and so far I have black beans and pinto beans. It's really too much food for me to use so I have been parceling out to Sue, Jill and my mother in law. I love the idea and the freshness, etc...but I think I will not do this again next year. Maybe I will try the summer share instead.
Anywho....Happy New Year to all and to all good health and happiness!
Since December 18 (ouch) we have had many a gastronomic event. Details aside, we have had dinner and holiday parties at the Creutz', the Carbones and the Figliolias. We have had dinner and holidays with the Wisners and Brennans too.
We have been to El Quijote, Pio Pio, Dani's, Barosa, Artichoke Basille's, Blackwater Inn, Dee's and Katz' Deli. Whew.....
I have made chicken soup, pasta fagioli, gazpacho (summer I know, but Michael made a special request), lamb chops with rosemary, sweet potatoes, linguine with langostines, pork roast with sauerkraut, a pot of sauce, cookies, stuffed cabbage and other things I just can't remember now.
I have also received the first 2 of my vegetable shares. I joined a food cooperative out of the Forest Hills Jewish Center. Every 3 weeks organic veggies come from upstate to the center. I go pick up our share. So far we've gotten sweet potatoes, creamer potatoes, rutabaga, beets, carrots, parsnips, watermelon radish, leeks, white and green cabbage. I also bought an organic bean share and so far I have black beans and pinto beans. It's really too much food for me to use so I have been parceling out to Sue, Jill and my mother in law. I love the idea and the freshness, etc...but I think I will not do this again next year. Maybe I will try the summer share instead.
Anywho....Happy New Year to all and to all good health and happiness!
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
23rd Anniversary
Our 23rd wedding anniversary was Monday :)
We spent the day at the beach with Jill, Judy & Isa and Lenny. There was fishing, netting, kite flying, boogie boarding, shell collecting, swimming, sun and surf (the surf was what I call salad water-it was full of seaweed). But we spent most of the day on the bay side, where there was no seaweed. Isa is 11, she is Judy's daughter. She is great! I don't know who had a better day, Isa or Michael?
After the beach Michael and I went home, showered, changed and drove into the city to El Quijote for dinner. We had our usual: 1/2 carafe of red sangria, garlic soup, salad with blue cheese and vinaigrette, arroz con pollo (white meat only) with garlic sauce on the side and a 1 1/4 pound lobster. Cafe con leche, iced espresso and flan and we were happy and stuffed. It was a great day!
Last night I met my friend Joy from camp and her husband Jay at a restaurant called Bianca at 5 Bleeker Street (http://biancanyc.com/). It's a very cute place with wood floors and Grandma's kitchen decorations, along with wine bottles and dish towels for napkins. The bathroom is WAY TOO HOT. And the restaurant is WAY TOO LOUD, however, it was all good.
We had: Carciofini-thin artichoke slices with parmigiano in a lemon dressing; Pomodori-tomatoes with red onions and anchovies and a salad of endive, radicchio, frisee. Dinner was: Lasagnette di Verdure-eggplant, tomato and zucchini tart with grated parmigiano; Spaghettini al Pomodoro-with tomato and basil and Tagliolini ai frutti di mare-clams, mussels, calamari, shrimp in garlic and light tomato sauce. Two glasses of wine, a bottle of Pellegrino and the check was $75. Wow. They have great prices and good food and good service. I will go back with Michael and friends!
Afterwards, and the reason we were in the city, was to go to Von Bar next door for a Towanda get-together. It was great fun to see my camp friends again (away from camp). The bar, hoever, has huge prices. A glass of cabernet and a gin and tonic was $24! Holy crap. The downstairs bartender was nice, the upstairs bartender not so much. One review on Yelp called her a "c". Other than that, it was another great night.
I seem to be having a bunch of those lately :)
I am waiting for the shoe to drop...or maybe not :)
We spent the day at the beach with Jill, Judy & Isa and Lenny. There was fishing, netting, kite flying, boogie boarding, shell collecting, swimming, sun and surf (the surf was what I call salad water-it was full of seaweed). But we spent most of the day on the bay side, where there was no seaweed. Isa is 11, she is Judy's daughter. She is great! I don't know who had a better day, Isa or Michael?
After the beach Michael and I went home, showered, changed and drove into the city to El Quijote for dinner. We had our usual: 1/2 carafe of red sangria, garlic soup, salad with blue cheese and vinaigrette, arroz con pollo (white meat only) with garlic sauce on the side and a 1 1/4 pound lobster. Cafe con leche, iced espresso and flan and we were happy and stuffed. It was a great day!
Last night I met my friend Joy from camp and her husband Jay at a restaurant called Bianca at 5 Bleeker Street (http://biancanyc.com/). It's a very cute place with wood floors and Grandma's kitchen decorations, along with wine bottles and dish towels for napkins. The bathroom is WAY TOO HOT. And the restaurant is WAY TOO LOUD, however, it was all good.
We had: Carciofini-thin artichoke slices with parmigiano in a lemon dressing; Pomodori-tomatoes with red onions and anchovies and a salad of endive, radicchio, frisee. Dinner was: Lasagnette di Verdure-eggplant, tomato and zucchini tart with grated parmigiano; Spaghettini al Pomodoro-with tomato and basil and Tagliolini ai frutti di mare-clams, mussels, calamari, shrimp in garlic and light tomato sauce. Two glasses of wine, a bottle of Pellegrino and the check was $75. Wow. They have great prices and good food and good service. I will go back with Michael and friends!
Afterwards, and the reason we were in the city, was to go to Von Bar next door for a Towanda get-together. It was great fun to see my camp friends again (away from camp). The bar, hoever, has huge prices. A glass of cabernet and a gin and tonic was $24! Holy crap. The downstairs bartender was nice, the upstairs bartender not so much. One review on Yelp called her a "c". Other than that, it was another great night.
I seem to be having a bunch of those lately :)
I am waiting for the shoe to drop...or maybe not :)
Monday, April 23, 2012
After Wednesday
Thursday night I went to El Quijote on 23rd Street with my friend Christian from Jury Duty. It was as good as always. He'd never been there and he liked it a lot. A large pitcher of red sangria to share :) Garlic soup, salad and lobster for me :) salad and arroz con pollo for him. Two cafe con leches and we were done. Yum!
Friday night Michael and I went to Dirty Pierre's with Jill and Lenny. We tried to get into 5 Burro (again) but the wait was too long so we wandered to Dirty Pierre's and waited 15 minutes while having beer and margaritas. We had: clams with chorizo (never had before, they were yummy); portobello mushrooms topped with roasted peppers and fresh mozzarella and white cheese empanadas. More beer, more margaritas and even a cosmo! Then we had goat cheese salad, jerk chicken and a burger. All good and we had a great time!
Saturday night Michael and I went to Ovelia Psistaria in Astoria with Dina and Dmitry. None of us had been there before but we would all go back. Out waitress was Erica and she was terrific! We had: Tzatsiki; grilled kalamata; saganaki and village salad (typical Greek). Everything was really good. We shared a bottle of Greek Syrah (very good) and Michael had two frozen mojitos that were amazing! For dinner we had: Garides ovelia which was sauteed shrimp wrapped in roasted eggplant baked in tomato sauce and broiled with feta and rice on the side; stuffed chicken breast with kafteri cheese and creamy tomato ouzo sauce; and grilled octopus with lemon potatoes. All yummy, all around. Dessert was: Yogurt with sour cherries and fried dough balls (similar to zeppoles) but with honey drizzled over the top. So sweet! I had Greek coffee too. Loved the whole evening, food and friends!
Sunday was Louis' 20th Birthday party and as always, good food, good friends and good times! Thanks Leslie! Always our pleasure to share your special occasions.
Friday night Michael and I went to Dirty Pierre's with Jill and Lenny. We tried to get into 5 Burro (again) but the wait was too long so we wandered to Dirty Pierre's and waited 15 minutes while having beer and margaritas. We had: clams with chorizo (never had before, they were yummy); portobello mushrooms topped with roasted peppers and fresh mozzarella and white cheese empanadas. More beer, more margaritas and even a cosmo! Then we had goat cheese salad, jerk chicken and a burger. All good and we had a great time!
Saturday night Michael and I went to Ovelia Psistaria in Astoria with Dina and Dmitry. None of us had been there before but we would all go back. Out waitress was Erica and she was terrific! We had: Tzatsiki; grilled kalamata; saganaki and village salad (typical Greek). Everything was really good. We shared a bottle of Greek Syrah (very good) and Michael had two frozen mojitos that were amazing! For dinner we had: Garides ovelia which was sauteed shrimp wrapped in roasted eggplant baked in tomato sauce and broiled with feta and rice on the side; stuffed chicken breast with kafteri cheese and creamy tomato ouzo sauce; and grilled octopus with lemon potatoes. All yummy, all around. Dessert was: Yogurt with sour cherries and fried dough balls (similar to zeppoles) but with honey drizzled over the top. So sweet! I had Greek coffee too. Loved the whole evening, food and friends!
Sunday was Louis' 20th Birthday party and as always, good food, good friends and good times! Thanks Leslie! Always our pleasure to share your special occasions.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Summer on My Mind
May 1st is the day that we can open up our cabana. No services at the club except for open bathrooms (quite the necessity). So naturally I've got summer on my mind and that includes grilling and drinking :)
The new thing at our cabana this summer will be vodka infused with fresh fruit. I've been reading up on it. We had pineapple vodka at Agora on Austin Street last week and it was GREAT! Just cut up pineapple in a glass jar, covered with vodka and left to steep. Ice in the glass and voila! Just got a recipe for strawberry vodka too. (http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2011/06/strawberry-vodka-recipe-infusion/). Totally do-able.
Speaking of Agora, we were there last Friday night with Jill and Lenny. Their grilled octopus is really good! We had a great time.
Prior to that on Wednesday, Michael and I had haircuts and then stopped at Don Peppe's on Leffert's for the obligatory salad, baked clams and linguine with white clam sauce. So...if you were never there before you wouldn't notice the difference and it would be fine, however, since we have been going to Don Peppe's for over 20 years (had Michael's 30th birthday dinner there) we noticed. Here goes: The salad had exactly 4 olives in it and was mostly iceberg lettuce (tasted great however); the baked clams were good but had too much bread crumbs in the sauce and not enough garlic (Carmine's are better) and the plate for the full order of linguine is smaller than it used to be. Wine still comes in blank bottles, but no more juice/water glasses, now served in small, cheap wine glasses. All in all, would go back with a crowd, but no rush.
I am going to El Quijote (yeah) tomorrow night with my new friend Christian whom I met during jury duty and Michael is going bar hopping with Joe. Friday night we will be at Blacksmith's tavern in Smithtown for a happy hour (s) in memory of Tracy (Glenn's sister); Saturday night we are trying a new Greek place in Astoria (Ovelia Psistaria Bar) with Dina and Dmitry-review to follow and Sunday is Louis' 20th birthday party out at Leslie's. Looking forward to a great weekend with friends!!
The new thing at our cabana this summer will be vodka infused with fresh fruit. I've been reading up on it. We had pineapple vodka at Agora on Austin Street last week and it was GREAT! Just cut up pineapple in a glass jar, covered with vodka and left to steep. Ice in the glass and voila! Just got a recipe for strawberry vodka too. (http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2011/06/strawberry-vodka-recipe-infusion/). Totally do-able.
Speaking of Agora, we were there last Friday night with Jill and Lenny. Their grilled octopus is really good! We had a great time.
Prior to that on Wednesday, Michael and I had haircuts and then stopped at Don Peppe's on Leffert's for the obligatory salad, baked clams and linguine with white clam sauce. So...if you were never there before you wouldn't notice the difference and it would be fine, however, since we have been going to Don Peppe's for over 20 years (had Michael's 30th birthday dinner there) we noticed. Here goes: The salad had exactly 4 olives in it and was mostly iceberg lettuce (tasted great however); the baked clams were good but had too much bread crumbs in the sauce and not enough garlic (Carmine's are better) and the plate for the full order of linguine is smaller than it used to be. Wine still comes in blank bottles, but no more juice/water glasses, now served in small, cheap wine glasses. All in all, would go back with a crowd, but no rush.
I am going to El Quijote (yeah) tomorrow night with my new friend Christian whom I met during jury duty and Michael is going bar hopping with Joe. Friday night we will be at Blacksmith's tavern in Smithtown for a happy hour (s) in memory of Tracy (Glenn's sister); Saturday night we are trying a new Greek place in Astoria (Ovelia Psistaria Bar) with Dina and Dmitry-review to follow and Sunday is Louis' 20th birthday party out at Leslie's. Looking forward to a great weekend with friends!!
Monday, February 27, 2012
Bamboo Ya, El Quijote and Brouwerij Lane
How's that for eclectic varied ethnic eating and drinking?
Friday night Barbara and I took Jennie out for her "29th" birthday. We went to a new Japanese restaurant on Queens Boulevard called Bamboo Ya. They have a cool bar area, four tatami tables (take off your shoes and climb in) and regular tables in the back. Hot sake all around...then vegetable gyoza, cajun salmon carpaccio (seared in chipotle spice rub, sliced thin with wasabi mayo on a bed of greens), roast duck nachos (roasted duck meat on crispy wonton skins with wasabi creme fraiche), garden salad, sexy salmon roll (spicy salmon and cucumber with crunchies on the inside and fresh salmon and mango on the outside topped with spicy mayo, sweet wasabi and eel sauce), chicken teriyaki and hamachi kama (grilled yellowtail collar). Everything was really good. Service was consistent, water glasses filled, sake replenished and the company was great! Thanks ladies!
Saturday night, Michael and I went to El Quijote on 23rd Street. Of course we started with a small pitcher of red sangria at the bar, then we moved to our table (a booth up front-my favorite) and had garlic soup (holy crap-it's fabulous) and salad (with their blue cheese and vinaigrette dressings). Michael had arroz con pollo and I had a 1 1/4 pound broiled lobster. String beans and broccoli and we were stuffed. Such a favorite place of ours and never a disappointment.
Michael was looking for coffee stout and so after dinner we drove to Greenpoint to Brouwerij Lane (probably pronounced like brewery). It's a small slightly hipster (sorry) joint which specializes in beer. On tap and by the bottle. Very cool, very beery.
Sunday we ate take out tex-mex.
This week is another week of Wisners :) We are having: turkey lasagna with string beans and garlic bread; arroz con pollo with chorizo and peas (planned before Saturday) with mesclun salad; rigatoni marinara with broccoli and Greek salad; balsamic chicken breasts roasted with peppers and olives with a side of spinach. I also made brownies for tonight, just for Brett :)
Friday night Barbara and I took Jennie out for her "29th" birthday. We went to a new Japanese restaurant on Queens Boulevard called Bamboo Ya. They have a cool bar area, four tatami tables (take off your shoes and climb in) and regular tables in the back. Hot sake all around...then vegetable gyoza, cajun salmon carpaccio (seared in chipotle spice rub, sliced thin with wasabi mayo on a bed of greens), roast duck nachos (roasted duck meat on crispy wonton skins with wasabi creme fraiche), garden salad, sexy salmon roll (spicy salmon and cucumber with crunchies on the inside and fresh salmon and mango on the outside topped with spicy mayo, sweet wasabi and eel sauce), chicken teriyaki and hamachi kama (grilled yellowtail collar). Everything was really good. Service was consistent, water glasses filled, sake replenished and the company was great! Thanks ladies!
Saturday night, Michael and I went to El Quijote on 23rd Street. Of course we started with a small pitcher of red sangria at the bar, then we moved to our table (a booth up front-my favorite) and had garlic soup (holy crap-it's fabulous) and salad (with their blue cheese and vinaigrette dressings). Michael had arroz con pollo and I had a 1 1/4 pound broiled lobster. String beans and broccoli and we were stuffed. Such a favorite place of ours and never a disappointment.
Michael was looking for coffee stout and so after dinner we drove to Greenpoint to Brouwerij Lane (probably pronounced like brewery). It's a small slightly hipster (sorry) joint which specializes in beer. On tap and by the bottle. Very cool, very beery.
Sunday we ate take out tex-mex.
This week is another week of Wisners :) We are having: turkey lasagna with string beans and garlic bread; arroz con pollo with chorizo and peas (planned before Saturday) with mesclun salad; rigatoni marinara with broccoli and Greek salad; balsamic chicken breasts roasted with peppers and olives with a side of spinach. I also made brownies for tonight, just for Brett :)
Monday, September 19, 2011
The Birthday Weekend
In our home it always seems that birthdays do not last one day, a mere 24 hours, or even a part thereof; they last for an entire weekend. I believe this happens for several reasons: (1) We have so many friends that we can't spend time with all of them at once, so we stretch it out to see them all (2) We like to keep giving to the ones we love so they know how special they are (in case they've forgotten) and (3) Why not celebrate happy times as much as possible because the sad times creep in too often.
This past weekend was my 48th birthday weekend:
Friday night September 16th Michael and I invited Joe and Denise, Jill and Lenny and Steve and Lori to meet us at Brooklyn Bowl (http://www.brooklynbowl.com/). It is THE coolest bowling alley ever, with bars and low lights and blaring rock music, and bands and really good food. We shared: Rock and Roll fries with gravy, Cajun spice, provolone and cheddar cheese on top; Fried calamari with lemon and cayenne mayo and chillies; three French bread pizzas-Classic with tomato, mozzarella and basil; Greek with tomato, red onion, Feta, olives and iceberg lettuce; and Theresa with butternut squash, mushrooms and roasted garlic. We also had: A mixture of dark and white meat fried chicken (for which they are famous) and two types of mac and cheese: Smoked chicken and peas and artichokes and black olives. All the food was really good, but (and you are not going to believe that I am saying this, but, all a bit too salty). I know, salt is one of my food groups, but if I thought is was salty, it was way too salty for most. In any case, as I continually digress, we had a great time and it was a great birthday celebration for me!
Saturday, September 17th (which is my actual birthday) Michael and I ordered breakfast from Tower Diner. I had Eggs Florentine (think Benedict with spinach instead of ham) and Michael had an egg white omelet with onions, peppers and ham. Yum! Then I went back to sleep (because napping is my very favorite thing to do). Later in the afternoon we stopped at Cheese of the World on Austin Street to pick up 1/2 a pound of Parmiggiano Reggiano and 1/2 a pound of Ciao Angelo (THE best aged Gouda) to bring to Glenn and Eileen's. They hosted a birthday dinner for me and Leslie (her b-day is the 16th). Good food, good friends! We had: Cheese (no kidding) and pizza from Emilio's (my favorite) for appetizers. Then Glenn grilled fish just for me that he had caught previously in the day and everyone else had lamb marinated in garlic and lemon. Roasted potatoes, vegetables and salad rounded out the meal. Everyone sang Happy Birthday and we blew out the candles!
Sunday, September 18th, I did a load of white laundry (do not think for one moment that Birthday weekends absolve me from cleaning), then took a nap (really, you say). Later that evening, Michael and I went to El Quijote on 23rd Street for the obligatory: Garlic soup, salad, lobster and arroz con pollo. This time we added cafe con leche, espresso on ice and flan. We even got a parking space RIGHT IN FRONT. Holy Shit! Great dinner!
But wait, there's more: Wednesday night, September 21st, Barbara and Jennie are taking me out to dinner for my birthday. So the weekend has meandered into the week. Who is luckier than I?
This past weekend was my 48th birthday weekend:
Friday night September 16th Michael and I invited Joe and Denise, Jill and Lenny and Steve and Lori to meet us at Brooklyn Bowl (http://www.brooklynbowl.com/). It is THE coolest bowling alley ever, with bars and low lights and blaring rock music, and bands and really good food. We shared: Rock and Roll fries with gravy, Cajun spice, provolone and cheddar cheese on top; Fried calamari with lemon and cayenne mayo and chillies; three French bread pizzas-Classic with tomato, mozzarella and basil; Greek with tomato, red onion, Feta, olives and iceberg lettuce; and Theresa with butternut squash, mushrooms and roasted garlic. We also had: A mixture of dark and white meat fried chicken (for which they are famous) and two types of mac and cheese: Smoked chicken and peas and artichokes and black olives. All the food was really good, but (and you are not going to believe that I am saying this, but, all a bit too salty). I know, salt is one of my food groups, but if I thought is was salty, it was way too salty for most. In any case, as I continually digress, we had a great time and it was a great birthday celebration for me!
Saturday, September 17th (which is my actual birthday) Michael and I ordered breakfast from Tower Diner. I had Eggs Florentine (think Benedict with spinach instead of ham) and Michael had an egg white omelet with onions, peppers and ham. Yum! Then I went back to sleep (because napping is my very favorite thing to do). Later in the afternoon we stopped at Cheese of the World on Austin Street to pick up 1/2 a pound of Parmiggiano Reggiano and 1/2 a pound of Ciao Angelo (THE best aged Gouda) to bring to Glenn and Eileen's. They hosted a birthday dinner for me and Leslie (her b-day is the 16th). Good food, good friends! We had: Cheese (no kidding) and pizza from Emilio's (my favorite) for appetizers. Then Glenn grilled fish just for me that he had caught previously in the day and everyone else had lamb marinated in garlic and lemon. Roasted potatoes, vegetables and salad rounded out the meal. Everyone sang Happy Birthday and we blew out the candles!
Sunday, September 18th, I did a load of white laundry (do not think for one moment that Birthday weekends absolve me from cleaning), then took a nap (really, you say). Later that evening, Michael and I went to El Quijote on 23rd Street for the obligatory: Garlic soup, salad, lobster and arroz con pollo. This time we added cafe con leche, espresso on ice and flan. We even got a parking space RIGHT IN FRONT. Holy Shit! Great dinner!
But wait, there's more: Wednesday night, September 21st, Barbara and Jennie are taking me out to dinner for my birthday. So the weekend has meandered into the week. Who is luckier than I?
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Barosa with Friends
Michael and I were joined by Joe and Denise and Jill and Lenny for a 50th birthday celebration dinner for Michael at Barosa on Saturday night August 6.
Joe chose good wine for us to share. We also had: Seafood stuffed avocados, Fried calamari Arrabiata (with yummy cherry peppers) and Barosa chopped salad. Dinners were: Sea bass Oreganata; Spinach risotto; Chicken Scarpariello; Rigatoni Barosa (with sausage and broccoli rabe) and Chicken cutlet Milanese (covered in chopped tomatoes and mozzarella chesse). Dessert was my homemade Tiramisu (which was really good-if I do say so myself). Some cappucino and sambuca and we all had a good time.
Tonight Michael and I with Jesse, Michael's mom Chris and our nephew Ryan are going to El Quijote for...you guessed it...garlic soup, arroz con pollo and lobster. Wait, I forgot the pitchers of red sangria. Can't forget that :)
And, as usual, we will peruse Eataly afterwards because we are 1) creatures of habit and 2) love that place.
Jesse's 19th birthday is tomorrow! Happy day Jesse!
Joe chose good wine for us to share. We also had: Seafood stuffed avocados, Fried calamari Arrabiata (with yummy cherry peppers) and Barosa chopped salad. Dinners were: Sea bass Oreganata; Spinach risotto; Chicken Scarpariello; Rigatoni Barosa (with sausage and broccoli rabe) and Chicken cutlet Milanese (covered in chopped tomatoes and mozzarella chesse). Dessert was my homemade Tiramisu (which was really good-if I do say so myself). Some cappucino and sambuca and we all had a good time.
Tonight Michael and I with Jesse, Michael's mom Chris and our nephew Ryan are going to El Quijote for...you guessed it...garlic soup, arroz con pollo and lobster. Wait, I forgot the pitchers of red sangria. Can't forget that :)
And, as usual, we will peruse Eataly afterwards because we are 1) creatures of habit and 2) love that place.
Jesse's 19th birthday is tomorrow! Happy day Jesse!
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Our 22nd Anniversary
On Saturday for our 22nd Wedding Anniversary, Michael and I along with Jesse and Chrysalis went to El Quijote (one of my absolute favorites). Not so much for all the food, but for the staff in their tuxedos, the statuary of Don Quijote over the bar, the decor which has not changed since they opened their doors 80 years ago! The front room is my favorite, but on occasion, I will settle for another room. I love the bar also (surprise).
We got a spot on the street (which included the obligatory u-turn by Michael on 23rd Street) and didn't even wait for a table. We ordered: A pitcher of red sangria (yum), grilled baby squid (yum), garlic soup (yum), prosciutto and melon, Arroz con polo, shrimp with garlic sauce, 1 1/4 pound broiled lobster, lobster meat out of the shell with white garlic sauce on the side (all yummy). It was just perfect!
Then we walked to Eataly and once again I loved it. So did the rest of our crew. Jesse has offered to drive back to the city anytime just to buy the prosciutto (aged 24 months) again! Chrysalis made a gift bag for her friends and Michael bought me a $15 chocolate bar filled with whole hazelnuts. More perfect!
We got a spot on the street (which included the obligatory u-turn by Michael on 23rd Street) and didn't even wait for a table. We ordered: A pitcher of red sangria (yum), grilled baby squid (yum), garlic soup (yum), prosciutto and melon, Arroz con polo, shrimp with garlic sauce, 1 1/4 pound broiled lobster, lobster meat out of the shell with white garlic sauce on the side (all yummy). It was just perfect!
Then we walked to Eataly and once again I loved it. So did the rest of our crew. Jesse has offered to drive back to the city anytime just to buy the prosciutto (aged 24 months) again! Chrysalis made a gift bag for her friends and Michael bought me a $15 chocolate bar filled with whole hazelnuts. More perfect!
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Last Weekend through This Weekend
Last weekend was The Weekend of the Wisners. Could be a movie title :) Friday night we joined Lenny and Jill at Sato, a regular haunt of ours for Japanese. We had some of our usuals: Salmon sashimi, shrimp coated with crunchy garlic, naruto roll (no rice or seaweed-fish rolled in cucumber) and WAY too many large hot sakes. Fun, Fun, Fun!
Saturday night, once again, we went out with Jill and Lenny to one of our favorite places in the City: El Quijote on 23rd Street: Garlic soup (of course), salad with blue cheese and their house vinaigrette; lobster-broiled and out of the shell in green sauce, mariscos in green sauce (mixed seafood) and Michael's favorite: Arroz con Pollo. We took a walk through Eataly and all was well.
Sunday was Mother's Day and Michael and I went to the cabana to finish opening, and lo and behold: Jill and Lenny showed up! We spent an hour or so with them and they left for their cousin's house and we went to Dani's.
I made a new recipe from a new cookbook this week: The book is: Food and Wine Quick from Scratch Chicken and the recipe is: Chicken thighs over lentils with chorizo. Yummy!
This Friday night we met Jill and Lenny :) and Sue and Steve Boyle and Lisa and Evan Spilke at Dirty Pierre's on Continental Avenue. I know what you're thinking...yes we've been advised of mice BUT it's been so long since we've been there that we felt it was safe to try it again. The mussels are amazing (so everyone says, I don't eat them) but the broth they are in is really good. I had goat cheese salad which is terrific with bacon and onions, Michael had Jerk Chicken. Others had burgers, chicken breast and fajitas. They all enjoyed margaritas (several), vodka with club soda, vodka with a splash of 7-Up and I had two Red Stripes. Yippee! Afterwards we walked to a pasticceria nearby for dessert and coffee, said our goodbyes and Michael and I stopped at Joe and Denise's new house to wish them congratulations on moving and also to wish Joe a happy birthday!
Tonight Michael and I are going to Leslie's daughter Isabelle's birthday party! We are bringing the usual Kendall Jackson Chardonnay, Cantina Zaccagnini Montepulciano, Ciao Angelo cheese and bread. It will be a fun evening with good friends!!
Saturday night, once again, we went out with Jill and Lenny to one of our favorite places in the City: El Quijote on 23rd Street: Garlic soup (of course), salad with blue cheese and their house vinaigrette; lobster-broiled and out of the shell in green sauce, mariscos in green sauce (mixed seafood) and Michael's favorite: Arroz con Pollo. We took a walk through Eataly and all was well.
Sunday was Mother's Day and Michael and I went to the cabana to finish opening, and lo and behold: Jill and Lenny showed up! We spent an hour or so with them and they left for their cousin's house and we went to Dani's.
I made a new recipe from a new cookbook this week: The book is: Food and Wine Quick from Scratch Chicken and the recipe is: Chicken thighs over lentils with chorizo. Yummy!
This Friday night we met Jill and Lenny :) and Sue and Steve Boyle and Lisa and Evan Spilke at Dirty Pierre's on Continental Avenue. I know what you're thinking...yes we've been advised of mice BUT it's been so long since we've been there that we felt it was safe to try it again. The mussels are amazing (so everyone says, I don't eat them) but the broth they are in is really good. I had goat cheese salad which is terrific with bacon and onions, Michael had Jerk Chicken. Others had burgers, chicken breast and fajitas. They all enjoyed margaritas (several), vodka with club soda, vodka with a splash of 7-Up and I had two Red Stripes. Yippee! Afterwards we walked to a pasticceria nearby for dessert and coffee, said our goodbyes and Michael and I stopped at Joe and Denise's new house to wish them congratulations on moving and also to wish Joe a happy birthday!
Tonight Michael and I are going to Leslie's daughter Isabelle's birthday party! We are bringing the usual Kendall Jackson Chardonnay, Cantina Zaccagnini Montepulciano, Ciao Angelo cheese and bread. It will be a fun evening with good friends!!
Sunday, April 3, 2011
El Quijote
Saturday night Michael and I went to one of our favorite spots in the city...El Quijote on 23rd Street. We are CRAZY about their garlic soup. We also shared a salad. Nothing to talk about as far as lettuce goes, but they give you a plate with 3 small containers of different dressings and we LOVE to mix the blue cheese with the vinaigrette-it has chopped onions and stuff in in it (yum). Michael ordered arroz con pollo which comes in a metal pot, quite a nice size portion, way too much for one sitting and I had a 1 1/4 pound broiled lobster. It was sweet and delicious and just what I wanted. We began at the bar with a 1/2 pitcher of red sangria (it's REALLY good) and finished it at our table.
Afterwards we passed Eataly (Mario Barali's homage to Italy) (http://eatalyny.com/) so Michael made a u-turn to park (2nd u-turn of the evening on 23rd Street). It's a HUGE place with several different seating/ eating areas/styles. One is stand up bar height tables where you can order wine by the glass and antipasti, etc. Another is a fancier white table cloth area, also a cafeteria style area, coffee bars, wine bars, chocolate, cheese, meats, pasta, eating and cooking paraphernalia, bread, desserts, and anything else you can think of that might come from Italy. Expensive, but so fun to walk around and look. I bought flour for pizza. I am still trying to perfect my pizza crust :)
Afterwards we passed Eataly (Mario Barali's homage to Italy) (http://eatalyny.com/) so Michael made a u-turn to park (2nd u-turn of the evening on 23rd Street). It's a HUGE place with several different seating/ eating areas/styles. One is stand up bar height tables where you can order wine by the glass and antipasti, etc. Another is a fancier white table cloth area, also a cafeteria style area, coffee bars, wine bars, chocolate, cheese, meats, pasta, eating and cooking paraphernalia, bread, desserts, and anything else you can think of that might come from Italy. Expensive, but so fun to walk around and look. I bought flour for pizza. I am still trying to perfect my pizza crust :)
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Saturday Afternoon
Since I last wrote, I made chicken cacciatore for dinner one night and breakfast of eggs, bacon and toast this morning.
Last night we went to dinner with Joe and Denise at El Quijote on 23rd Street. Yummy! garlic soup, clams quijote, manchego cheese with olives, salad, arroz con pollo, lobster paella, cafe con leche and yucky apple pie :(
Company was totally worthwhile!
Today was a wash out of sorts, weather wise. Later this afternoon we are going to Leslie's for a BBQ and bringing wine (what else?). That will be fun!
Tomorrow Barbara and Paul are having a graduation party for Jackie, Joey and Katie at Dee's. I am looking forward to good food, good wine and mostly good friends! Congratulations to all the graduates!
Last night we went to dinner with Joe and Denise at El Quijote on 23rd Street. Yummy! garlic soup, clams quijote, manchego cheese with olives, salad, arroz con pollo, lobster paella, cafe con leche and yucky apple pie :(
Company was totally worthwhile!
Today was a wash out of sorts, weather wise. Later this afternoon we are going to Leslie's for a BBQ and bringing wine (what else?). That will be fun!
Tomorrow Barbara and Paul are having a graduation party for Jackie, Joey and Katie at Dee's. I am looking forward to good food, good wine and mostly good friends! Congratulations to all the graduates!
Monday, March 1, 2010
Date with Michael
Michael and I had a lovely child-less day on Saturday.
We shopped until we dropped in Westbury.
Then talked about where to go for dinner. I mentioned garlic soup, and 1,2,3 we were in the city, parking on 23rd Street and at the bar at El Quijote with a full pitcher of sangria (best in the city) waiting for a table for 2.
Ten minutes later: garlic soup, salad, baked clams and shrimp with garlic sauce. Heaven!
(Their lobster and steaks are great too, for your reference).
Of course, RUB is on the same block. So we had to go for take out (chili, burnt ends, wings, corn bread and cole slaw (2 kinds) to save for Sunday!
Jesse came home from his senior trip today and I am back to food shopping, laundry and making dinner: Turkey burgers with onion, garlic and bbq sauce seared in a pan, then finished in the oven, smothered with sauteed onions on sweet Portuguese rolls with salad on the side.
Have a nice night!
We shopped until we dropped in Westbury.
Then talked about where to go for dinner. I mentioned garlic soup, and 1,2,3 we were in the city, parking on 23rd Street and at the bar at El Quijote with a full pitcher of sangria (best in the city) waiting for a table for 2.
Ten minutes later: garlic soup, salad, baked clams and shrimp with garlic sauce. Heaven!
(Their lobster and steaks are great too, for your reference).
Of course, RUB is on the same block. So we had to go for take out (chili, burnt ends, wings, corn bread and cole slaw (2 kinds) to save for Sunday!
Jesse came home from his senior trip today and I am back to food shopping, laundry and making dinner: Turkey burgers with onion, garlic and bbq sauce seared in a pan, then finished in the oven, smothered with sauteed onions on sweet Portuguese rolls with salad on the side.
Have a nice night!
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