spoiled rotten

Last night I was treated to the most magnificent birthday dinner, ever. Here is what I had- at least, what I remember of it. A ten-course food extravaganza!!!

Ko menu, 4/20/10:

Octopus salad, xo sauce (amuse)

Seared diver scallop, meyer lemon curd, fennel (amuse)

pepper biscuit and chicharrones

Carpaccio, __cheese,

Brioche w/ marrow, lemon confit, sorrel in gruyere and comte broth

Soft boiled egg, caviar, potato chips, onion confit

Hand torn pasta, chicken and snail sausage

Almond crusted skate wing

Lychee, riesling gelee, peanut brittle, SHAVED FOIE

Duck breast, mustard greens, honey braised turnips, pumpernickel

Spiced wine sorbet, asian pear

Pretzel flan, mustard gummies, root beer sorbet, caraway

I'm on my way out the door to have dinner at Blue Hill. Il Buco on Saturday, Ko on Tuesday, and Blue Hill on Wednesday? My stomach is never going to be the same again.

ko tonight!

I am going to Ko tonight. Will tell you all about it tomorrow; if I talk any more about it today I will spontaenoulsy combust with anticipation.

Thanks, DC, for the best bday dinner invite EVER!

(excuse the ghetto graphic. it's the only image of ko that i could find/steal)

JF and Son

I pass by the JF & Son storefront everyday as I'm walking home from the gym. (And when I say everyday, I mean every day that I decide to get my arse to the gym...) NoLita is side-by-side packed with cute little boutiques, so many that my head spins with an exhilarating consumer glee. But this little boutique, slightly out of the way on the border of Chinatown on the corner of Elizabeth and Kenmare, always stands out to me. Their menswear-inspired cuts and abundance of blues, whites, and stripes are super hip right now, and it's those are two trends I'm hoping will last.

Those bucket totes would make cute summer packs, no? Check out the JF & Son blog, here!

Bario-Neal

This is yet another swooning entry about beautiful gold ring. I found Philly-based Bario-Neal's work via a post on Snippet & Ink (yes, another wedding blog. doh!) They do a load of one-of-a-kind pieces (almost all their stuff, in fact, looks to be custom) that is not only blingin'-gorgeous, but ethically and environmentally sound. How awesome is that?

Check out their blog, here.

How to get on The Selby

Remember me talking about the Selby awhile back? As I was doing my blog-browsing (for which I, once again, wistfully dream to get paid for) I came across this fun, quirky, Selb-ish illustration for a 'how to' guide on how to get on the Selby. I love things that poke fun at itself and are uber-ironic, and this is perfectly those two things.

ok. I know this image is totally lame, but I'm unable to figure out how to enlarge it- so click on the link below to actually see it.

via Refinery 29

Baja style

I am craving a good fish taco. A perfectly battered, wonderfully dressed Baja style fish taco. Only perfect with some sort of tangy tartar-ish sauce, shredded cabbage and lime. I haven't had a good one in YEARS! Maybe this recipe from Saveur is worth a try? Anyone know where I can get a good one in NY?

{update! 4/14/10: I heard last night that the taco truck at Union pool serves up the best tacos in the city! Can't wait to try them!}

Justin Anderson

Justin makes beautiful work- he can do things with polaroids that I've never seen anyone do before. His stuff is exquisite in scale, subject matter, and simplicity- and that description ain't just for alliterative purposes, it's the truth. Going tomorrow night to check out his show in the 'burg, won't you come with! There's music too (although, DC and I might skip out on go to Diner instead, why does that not surprise you?)

Cameo Gallery

93 N. 6th Street

Art opening 6-8

Music performance @ 9

The Baker's Dozen

I'm back, and for my not-quite-inaugural post, I'm offering a link to the James Beard Foundation's top thirteen baking cookbooks. I've recently come into acquisition of a few new books, and though have none of these, would like all of these.

1. “Baking: From My Home to Yours,” by Dorie Greenspan (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2006).
2. “Beard on Bread,” by James Beard (originally published 1973; reprinted by Knopf, 1995).
3. “The Book of Great Desserts,” by Maida Heatter (Andrews McMeel, 1999).
4. “The Bread Baker’s Apprentice,” by Peter Reinhart (Ten Speed, 2001).
5. “The Cake Bible,” by Rose Levy Beranbaum (William Morrow, 1988).
6. “Classic Home Desserts,” by Richard Sax (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2000).
7. “Cocolat,” by Alice Medrich (Warner Books, 1990).
8. “The Fannie Farmer Baking Book,” by Marion Cunningham (Gramercy, 1996).
9. “Great Pies and Tarts,” by Carole Walter (Clarkson Potter, 1998).
10. “The Italian Baker,” by Carol Field (William Morrow, 1985).
11. “Martha Stewart’s Cookies,” by Martha Stewart (Clarkson Potter, 2008).
12. “My Bread,” by Jim Lahey (W.W. Norton, 2009).

13. “The Simple Art of Perfect Baking,” by Flo Braker (Chronicle, 2003).

via NY Mag.

Spring

Spring has officially sprung inside my home. It's amazing how April affects even the poorest-lit, least-watered life forms.

And, for all you green-thumbs out there with a decent amount of window-sill space, check this tutorial out on how to start your own seedlings!