tasting memories

Marta at Frank. Photo by Scott Bartolomei Edmonds.

From the beginning, New York City has been all about food experiences for this girl. When we first moved here, I was terrified of venturing outside to explore the city. That was until I saw a little blurb in Time Out New York about the best doughnuts in the city at the Doughnut Plant. Finding the place that made the best doughnuts in the city became my target and not too long afterwards, I found the strength to brave the city to find these doughnuts. I got lost, but with the help of a map and sheer determination I found the place.

Today, just like eight years ago, I continue to seek out new food experiences as a way to explore the city. Here are a few of my favorite discoveries.

Fusion

• A romantic dinner of anything served at Five Points
  


• Sunday brunch at Essex
  


• Food taken to an art at wd-50
  


• Inventive and delightful plates in an intimate setting at Graffiti
  


• Gorgeous sushi and oysters at Sumile
  


• Refreshing, well prepared and reasonably priced dishes at Mooncake
  

International

• Belgian - All the fries you could ever eat at Pommes Frites
  


• Burmese - Banana leaf flounder with coconut rice at Café Mingala
  


• Chinese - Sunday morning dim sum at Jing Fong
  


• Ethiopian - Eating with my hands at Ghenet
  


• Indian - Dosas for lunch and anything for dinner at Amma
  


• Italian - Polpettone with mashed potatoes and tomato gravy at Frank
  


• Spanish - A romantic paella to share at La Paella
  


• Spanish - A plate of olives at Oliva
  


• Spanish - Sangria and salpicón at Malaga
  

American

• Supersized french toasts at The Comfort Diner
  


• Outdoor burgers in Madison Square Park at the Shake Shack
  

Latin American

• Brazilian - Humble Brazilian food and awesome pique at Delicia Brazil
  


• Brazilian - The most delicious caipirinhas at Ipanema
  


• Cuban - A cubano prepared right in front of you at Mi Floridita
  


• Cuban - Savory cafeteria style rice and beans with pork at Margón
  


• Dominican - Roasted chicken at El Malecón
  


• Mexican - Killer frozen margaritas and flautas at Zarela
  


• Mexican - Happy hour $3 margaritas and free chips at Tequilas
  


• Mexican - Humble Mexican food at El Maguey y La Tuna
  


• Pan-Latino - Mojitos with raw sugar cane at Paladar
  


• Venezuelan - The most amazing patacones at Cocotero
  

Pubs and Bars

• Outdoor drinking and barbeque at the Frying Pan
  


• Early day drinking and a burger at The Half King
  


• Wine to start a date at Simone
  


• Fish and chips and a pint of Guinness at Thady Cons
  


• Lychee martinis at Verlaine
  


• A sexy night at the Cellar Bar
  

Bakeries

• Starting the morning at La Bergamote
  


• Hot chocolate and pretzel croissants at The City Bakery
  


• Sesame bread at the Sullivan Street Bakery
  


• Valrhona chocolate "Lovelies" at Three Tarts
  


• Beautifully decorated cupcakes at the Cupcake Café
  


• Bread and devil's food chocolate cake at Amy's Bread
  


• Lemon bread and biscuits with homemade preserves at Sarabeth's
  


• Everything bagel with scallion cream cheese at Murray's Bagels
  


• Doughnuts at the Doughnut Plant
  

Whole Foods Market is opening up in Tribeca tomorrow. We took a tour of the store and I was impressed. They have expanded their selection of bulk items including grains, beans, nuts and even exotic salts. Their fifth location in New York City is huge with a large dining area upstairs and plenty of treats to attract food loving people in the area including sushi, middle eastern fare, gelato, crêpes and more.

Money conscious consumers like me will be happy to learn that when you buy by the case, Whole Foods gives you a 5% discount. Visit their bulk bins to save on items like rice, beans and nuts. Bring your own bag and receive a discount of at least 5 cents per bag. They will also be offering delivery service at this location.

What impressed me the most was learning about their environmentally responsible and community conscious values. They partner with local food purveyors, support sustainable practices and donate 5% of their profits to local community organizations. I feel good about supporting companies like Whole Foods.

Thanks, Sunetra for inviting us to this event!

Photo by Marta Bartolomei Edmonds.

Waking up to the smell of fresh baked bran muffins right out of the oven at my grandparents' home jelled my love of baked goods as a young child. My grandfather, Pito, would get up at five in the morning to meditate. He would sometimes follow his ritual by making bran muffins from scratch. The smell would wake me up with a smile and I would walk over to the kitchen where a basket of muffins was waiting for me.

The gesture of making bread from simple, healthy ingredients impresses me even today as a wholesome act of love and care amongst family. These are the things that stay with you as you grow older and I thank my grandfather for sharing them with us.

This bran muffin recipe is wonderfully versatile and easy to make. It makes a moist muffin that is not too sweet. What is great about this recipe is that it makes a rather large batch (24 muffins); you can make the batter ahead of time and it will keep in the refrigerator for up to three days. So you can wake up, scoop the batter into muffin tins and bake for fresh baked muffins every morning.

The recipe was inspired by the Raisin Walnut Bran Muffins served in Bozeman's best coffee bar.

Bran Muffins
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 cup hot water
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup wheat bran
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups unbleached flour
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
handful of raisins (optional)
handful of toasted walnut (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Coat 24 muffin tins with oil and set aside. Combine the hot water and baking soda in a small bowl and set aside.

2. Whisk oats, bran, wheat flour, unbleached flour, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl to blend. In a separate large bowl, mix oil, brown sugar, buttermilk and eggs lightly. Add the hot water mixture and the flour mixture and stir to incorporate.

3. Divide muffins into 24 muffin tins and bake for 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean. Cool in a rack for five minutes. Serve hot with butter or at room temperature.

Makes 24 muffins.

Coconut Lime Smoked Salt from Bali. Plate by Scott Bartolomei Edmonds. Photo by Marta Bartolomei Edmonds.

We were in Boston earlier this week and stumbled upon my personal version of food utopia: an ice cream parlor with an adjacent spice and rare food store. This is Christina's Homemade Ice Cream. With over thirty flavors like Fresh Rose, Bergamot, Mexican Chocolate, Pistachio and Honey Lavender, this place is reason enough to move to Cambridge, MA or at the very least plan regular trips up there.

Next door to the ice cream parlor, Christina's becomes a spice market - a veritable playground for food loving people. They have the best selection of dried peppers that I have ever seen, their salt collection is impressive, and if you are looking for rare ethnic herbs and spices, this would be the place to find them. I got some beautiful coconut lime smoked salt from Bali and a collection of peppers that I am looking forward to experimenting with.

Yes, I dream of returning to Boston to visit Christina's again.

"Western Spaghetti". Video by Pes.

Who ever heard of pixie stick spaghetti, rubik's cube garlic and pin cushion tomatoes? Leave it to Pes to make "Western Spaghetti". This stop motion animation short is great. Check it out and others at Pes.

Gazala Place's Burekas. Photo by Marta Bartolomei Edmonds.

Yesterday our friends Eric and Michael introduced us to Gazala Place and I have not stopped thinking about this restaurant since. In fact, I am pretty sure I am going to convince us to go back there tonight.

Our evening had started with after work drinks at the rooftop of the MET. We stood in line to get drinks and fought off beautiful people trying to get ahead in the line. The line was so long that by the time we ordered, we each had two martinis in our hand to avoid a second wait. A gorgeous sunset unfolded as we overlooked Central Park and the Upper West Side skyline. As the MET closed, Eric suggested we go to this Israeli restaurant they like in their neighborhood.

Sunset at the rooftop of the MET. Photo by Michael Eade.

The first thing I noticed when we got there was a stone countertop at the entrance strewn with flour and a rolling pin. That was a good sign. As we entered, there's a pan full of fresh, plump pastries sprinkled with black and white sesame seeds. Now I was intrigued.

Eric and Michael ordered for us and soon we were presented with waves upon waves of delicious food. Bowls of salad made of crispy lettuce and bright red tomatoes topped with chopped parsley, mint, bulgur wheat and a sesame tahini dressing. This, followed by the impossibly delicious pastries that had greeted us at the door: burekas - crisp, fresh and filled with goat cheese and sundried tomatoes. Then, hummus with a pool of aromatic olive oil and thin sheets of warm sagg pita gathered into a basket. Then, fried kibbe of minced meat and bulgur wheat. Then, a mound of seasoned lamb with pine nuts, served in a bed of hummus. Then, an incredibly light and strongly seasoned falafel with baba ghanouj on the side. Then, a perfectly seasoned kafta kabab of chopped beef with a mound of rice. Yes, we feasted and our bellies were full.

We ended the night with thick Turkish coffee and osh al-saraia, a delightful little mound of sweetness that I can only describe as bread soaked in syrup with a thin layer of light cheese topped with finely ground pistachios.

A lovely evening with good friends and a food experience that will be remembered. Thank you to Eric and Michael for sharing Gazala Place with us.

Learn more about Gazala Place in this New York Times article.