summer fun.

Today marks the beginning of Summer Restaurant Week. I'm hitting up only 3 restaurants this year:

• Le Perigord
• Gordon Ramsey's Maze
• August

$24.07 for lunch
$35.00 for dinner
(excludes tax and tip)

Make reservations now if you haven't already!

Updates later for how they all went.

heat wave.

Summer is in full attack as the typical New York heat has unfortunately hit the crowded streets of NYC. The horrid humidity permeates the city (especially the subways), making me sticky and sexy after walking two blocks. I'm surprised no one has fainted yet from heat stroke. There's nothing I like better than rubbing against sweaty people on my daily commute. It really keeps me connected to the city, you know?

Luckily, I have discovered my new drink for the summer: -drum roll-
Small Iced Coffee with a shot of Mocha, ice on the side
(impt to capitalize on volume)

Not that exciting, I know.
But, it's the little things that make life fun, right? =D

Cafe hopping anyone? Or, if anyone has a fav cafe in the East Village that they'd like to share, I'm very open to suggestions. =)

BBQ baby.

Last weekend was the long awaited Big Apple BBQ Fest @ Madison Square Park. Though overpriced for the amount of food they give, it's fun to spend a relaxing day in the park with BBQ enthusiasts galore! I've gone every year since finding out about it (that is, starting from last year), despite the $7 price tag on every BBQ platter. Coupled with ridiculously long lines, I have to wonder, is it worth it?

I'd have to say no, but for some reason I still end up going. Maybe it's that heavenly smell in the air, the allure of a roasting rack of ribs cooking right next to you, specialty of a pit master from out of town.

Mm, fun times were had, as usual. And thankfully I didn't drop a precious piece of meat on the concrete this year =)

homemade.

Home sweet home. I've taken a slight hiatus from Manhattan since the semester ended. In my spare time (ah, busy days filled with 1000 piece puzzles and Heroes), I get around to cooking and baking some goodies. It's nice to have a full service kitchen with actual ingredients and equipment to work with.

Hot dog, Kathy style

Penne with Veggies & Curry Sauce

Frittata with Mushrooms, Onions, Green Beans, & Mozzarella

Curry Chicken with Potatoes & Carrots

Ground Pork with Chives & Red Bell Peppers

Veggies sauteed with Garlic and Peppers

Derrick & Paige's Bday BrowniesPeanut Butter CookiesChocolate Covered Strawberries

Banana Nut Muffins

Yummy yummy =)

THE 5 second rule.

The 5 second rule. We've all heard of this golden rule since childhood. But, in case you haven't, picture the following scenario: you are absolutely famished, so hungry that durian is starting to look yummy. You make your absolute favorite dish ever, (and i mean, ever) but alas, you're a clumsy idiot and it falls on the floor right as you're about to take a bite. What do you do?

Thankfully, your friends told you about the 5 second rule: food that has fallen on the floor is safe for ingestion if and only if it is picked up within 5 seconds of being dropped.

I'm sure that at some time in our lives, we've all lost sleep, sanity, and (possibly a healthy stomach) over the validity of the rule. In a recent article in the NYTimes, researchers at Clemson University put the age-old rule to the test. And its findings? Well, if you're a brave trooper, often if food is picked up within the allotted period, it is relatively safe for ingestion; Bacteria still attaches to the food, but it isn't enough to make you sick. So the question then arises, can we still follow the 5 second rule?

"Of course we can never know for sure how many harmful microbes there are on any surface. But we know enough now to formulate the five-second rule, version 2.0: If you drop a piece of food, pick it up quickly, take five seconds to recall that just a few bacteria can make you sick, then take a few more to think about where you dropped it and whether or not it’s worth eating."

late night fun.

Eric: great Kathy
Eric: just great
Eric: you’re a jerk
Eric: i’m tired and i can’t sleep cause i have my head full of thoughts
Eric: and then i read your blog
Eric: so now i’m
Eric: tired and i can’t sleep AND hungry
Eric: GREATTT

Silly Eric, Trix are for kids.

AHM potluck!

Yummy yummy.

This past weekend we had an AHM Rooftop Potluck pahtay at Tiff/Lily/Serena's apartment. Though I was cradling a slight hangover, it was oodles of fun and the food was deeeelicious! I love AHM because our e-board is always cool and supah ka-wa-iiii. We actually like each other and everyone is fun to hang out with, outside of club activities =P Hard to imagine, but yes, we do have lives outside of AHM.

After a delicious lunch of baked ziti, chicken, a bunch of junk food, and more, we played an intense game of Cranium! I've actually never played before. You guys gotta give me a little credit for the "quadruple bypass." Haha. We rock.

Couple some beautiful weather with some slightly hung over kids (well, at least two of us), it was a good time with great people.

benihana.

Though group projects have been quite a bugger this year, my FSA group took a trip to Benihana, the company we're researching, for some "due diligence."

I've never really been a fan of Benihana, and this trip did not change my opinion. To start with service, it was below par at this branch. There weren't enough staff on duty, with our waitress often leaving mid-sentence to attend to other customers, and the chef was uncharasmatic, under-wowing, and quite awkward. It is really loud in the restaurant, because of the many birthday celebrations and drunk corporate folk, and therefore hard to have a pleasant conversation.

And the food. Oye the food - so mediocre and overpriced. The premium for the "theatrics" wasn't even justified as our chef did his mandatory two tricks and moved on. The "Japanese" meat is just flavored with "Japanese" soy sauce and "Japanese" salt/pepper (our chef kept saying that for some reason). Throw in some grilled veggies here and there (also flavored with the Japanese soy sauce) and you've got a $40 dollar dent in your wallet.

pommes frites.

One of my top guilty pleasures of all time are fries. The delicious, crisp, greesy, and starchy goodness always tickles my tongue in the most delectable of ways. Add some sauces to the mix and you've got quite a fulfilling, artery-clogging snack.

One of the better and relatively inexpensive Belgium fry places I've been to is Pommes Frites. Now, I've only been there once, to save my health and heart, and it was quite a while ago. But, if things haven't changed in the past year, this is a perfect place to indulge in a late night food rampage or after a drunken adventure on Saint Marks. The fries are fried to perfection, with a balance of a solid crunch and a meaty potato wedge (I like my fries thick). And, the best part is, the wide variety of sauces they offer! Ketchup, mustard, onion, tabasco, malt vinegar, and jalapeno are free. The ones I tried were: Curry Ketchup, Sweet Mango Chutney Mayo, and I think the Especial and the Vietnamese Pineapple Mayo. I wasn't too fond of the curry ketchup because the texture was like tomato paste, but the others were really good.

Overall, a fun hole-in-the-wall place with great fries and sauces. Definitely worth a try!

dim sum.

More likely than not, if I'm going out for a relaxing Sunday brunch, you can find me in Chinatown (or Little Neck/Flushing if I'm back home) for some dim sum! Dim Sum (a.k.a. yum cha) is best enjoyed in large groups, as you can order more dishes and taste more variety (and not feel like a fatty, though I tend to order the same amount in small groups =P). In Hong Kong, there was an awesome tradition of 4AM dim sum, since there was nothing better to do around campus. Though I can't say I had amazing dim sum in Hong Kong, it was always accessable and delicious.

The greesy, oily goodness on the right is wu gok, made with a mashed taro and meat/mushroom filling and fried in a crispy batter. Obviously, with my love of carbs, I am drawn to all the bao's and gao's - carbbbbbssss ::droool:: Some of my other favorites include: shrimp dumplings (ha gao), pork dumplings (siu mai), shrimp rice noodle rolls (ha cheong), pork buns (cha siu bao), phoenix talons (fung zau), intestines (niu du), Chinese sponge cake (ma lai gao), glutinous rice in a lotus leaf (no mai gai), sweet milk buns (nai wong bao), and egg tarts (dan tat)! Ha, and that's just the start of what I order.

You have the freedom to try anything and everything you want (and practice your Cantonese skills...or lack thereof).

Mm goiii!!

-----
Oh yea. Before I forget.
So, who's cuisine reigns supreme??

Iron Chef John BF!

And luckily, Derrick took it well.

and another one!

A full day of delicious ice cream goodness.
My Personal Record: Five cones
Can you top that?

irrrrron chef-u

Looking through some old pictures yesterday (further perpetuating my procrastination for a good hour), I came across my pictures of the Iron Chef contest months ago between Iron Chef Derrick Huang and Iron Chef John Belliveau-Flores (a.k.a. John BF, John BoyFriend...and many other names).

Iron Chef is my second favorite show on Food Network (second to A Cook's Tour, though it is no longer on the air). Chen Kenichi was always my favorite chef; He's so cute and goofy and always gets the job done. Hiroyuki Sakai had that weird pimple between his eyebrows and Morimoto was pretty cool but not nearly as talented as Chen-san. It's a shame that Food Network no longer airs the Japanese original, as it is so much better than Iron Chef America. Bobby Flay and Mario Batali are way too pompous, cocky, and ANNOYING! The judges are too whiny and picky and always seem to get into arguments with each other. And, I've never seen a fight with Morimoto in it! Why does everyone want to challenge Flay??

Iron Chef captured a passion for food competition in a way only the Japanese could do right: sensuously descriptive, honorably talented, and dramatically over-the-top! Common, Chairman Kaga vs. Chairman Decascos, one's the man and one's a little bitch (oops, did I just say that?). But, we make due with what we can get and watch on as Flay's head gets even bigger, though I love that he always loses at Throwdown - HA!

Back to our little rendition:
If I remember correctly, I believe this was the third year in the making, both chefs having one win under their belt. Our battle? Battle Apple! (Good idea right? Guess who came up with it) Though I showed up a bit late, the cooking was pretty intense, with both chefs almost falling on top of each other given the limited kitchen space. But, all worked out and, without further adieu, here are their dishes:

Iron Chef John's Dishes

Apple Sauce with Kumquat and Red Courants
and Apple slice with Brie

Lamp Chop with Apple, Raisin, & Onion Chutney
and Apple & Apricot Risotto

Baked Apple with Brown Sugar, Cinnamon, Raisins, & Walnuts
and Vanilla Ice Cream

Iron Chef Derrick's Dishes

Sea Scallops with Apple, Lime, & Cilantro
paired with Honey

Pan Seared Duck with Sauteed Apples in an Egg Wrap
paired with Hoisin Sauce

I wasn't on the judging panel but I did get to taste their creations. They were all quite delicious and some very inventive (like the apple risotto). I think Derrick had a slight handicap since fruit generally isn't used in Chinese cuisine for savory dishes.

The verdict? I might wait till next post to reveal. Consider it, a commercial break =P

mmm, spice-ay.

After another delicious meal in K-Town this past weekend with the boys, I was thinking, korean food is one of my top favorite cuisines (probably a close tie with Taiwanese night market food - drool). The spicy goodness with the delicate balance of a very light, not-too-oily body is the perfect combination of making Kathy oh-so-happy.

I loveeee the pan chan (side dishes) - tasty snacks to enjoy before and during the meal. Horicha (barley tea) is sooo refreshing. I used to go over my friends' houses just for tea. As for BBQ, bulgogi is my preferred meat, with a nice play of sweet and savory. Being an avid fan of spicy foods, korean food is definitely up my alley.

As for the restaurants in K-Town, I can't really place my finger on an absolute favorite. Every time I've gone to Shila (where the soon dubu pictured above and the bulgogi on the left is from), it's always been a really solid meal. Wonjo is a favorite of some of my friends, most likely because it is one of the cheaper options on the block (though I was never really fond of it). Kum Gan San is probably the most well known chain and has the coolest decor. Woorijip is one of the best pit stops for a cheap and quick meal (that's open late too!). To be honest, to me, most of the restaurants kind of mesh together and it's hard for me to differentiate between them. Any one else have a favorite?

Ah, this is making me so hungry.

park avenue cafe

In another of my birthday dinners, I went with Chris, Kim, and Elaine to Park Avenue Cafe to catch the pay-your-age special. Basically, you get a three course meal with the freedom to choose any item on the menu for the price of your age (but you pay $25 if you're under 25 and $65 for those over 65). It basically started as a marketing scheme to attract a younger crowd to the restaurant.

With regards to the food, it had some pretty solid selections, though I wasn't too fond of the ones I chose. Pictured above is I believe a Filet Mignon of Beef paired with a Veal Shank - regardless, it was very decadent and cooked very nicely; the meat was moist and juicy. I had the Salmon, which was filled with chives and a salty sauce, but didn't wow me at all. From the choices of the table, I'd have to say they prepare their meat dishes better than their fish. But the star of the night was definitely dessert. Presentation was unique and polished, and taste was out of this world. I highly recommend The Chocolate Cube. It is like candy for your eyes and your mouth. Deeeericious.

I'd say it's worth the trip if you're into gourmet dessert or want a fine dining experience that isn't too rough on the wallet. Menus change seasonally so there's always a reason to go back!

momofuku noodle bar

For my official birthday dinner with the family, I wanted some xiao long bao but unfortunately there was absolutely no parking anywhere in Chinatown. =( Instead, we ended up at Momofuku Noodle Bar, a place I've been meaning to try out for a while after reading about it in the Times. We lucked out since we arrived right when they were reopening from their afternoon break and there were just the right amount of seats to fit everyone that pushed their way in. ^_^

The cool thing about this place is how it models its layout after a typical Japanese ramen shop (only a bit more East Village-y). The noodle bar set up is conducive to a quick meal and keeps turnover high. Unfortunately, prices aren't reflective of their Japanese counterpart; the Momofuku Ramen pictured above put a $14 dent in my wallet (or better said, my brother's wallet, haha). For a very salty broth and mushy noodles, I can't say it's really worth the deal. Well, with my dad bickering away in the background every couple bites, complaining about the hipster feel and outrageous prices for about the entire duration of dinner, it probably took away from the overall experience.

Would I go back? Eh, probably not. I've had better bowls of ramen (though they were actually soba noodles) than this place. But it still looks pretty cool.

pinkberry.

Pinkberry, a hip, new non-fat yogurt shop in K-Town. The line pours out of the store at all hours of the day, especially late night and weekends. It's pretty ridiculous considering it's so expensive (a little less than 6 dollars for a medium with three toppings). But, the taste is quite delicious in my opinion. It is very light and refreshing, and the best part, not too creamy; it really is just like frozen yogurt, frozen and fluffy with a tart taste.

I'm not sure exactly how health conscious it is, but I like it more than Tasty D-Lite. I'd go again, but I wouldn't go out of my way for it. I say, it's a nice dessert after a heavy meal in K-Town.

mussel mania!

In an impromptu pre-birthday celebration dinner, YuShin, Matt, and I headed downtown to a great little bar/restaurant called Essex. They have a couple of specials, most noteable is the Tuesday all-you-can-eat mussel and fries special for $14. Oh man, did we do it up. The mussels were cooked in a tasty and well-seasoned sauce, the fries are crisp and de-li-cious (i loveee fries). We all went through three rounds before declaring K-O. It really hit the spot since I've been craving mussels for about half a year now =P Yummy.

The restaurant also had a bar area, though it was rather cumbersome since it blocked the entrance and path to the bathroom. But, for a Tuesday night, it was pretty packed (probably due to the half off all drinks special). I'd really want to try this place for a Sunday brunch.

Sammy's Halal?

Street food has always been a neglected culinary art in my book. Many people prefer the sit-down experience, but there's nothing I love more than to pick up some food from a sketchy street cart and enjoy the inexpensive goodness. I'm all about variety, not quantity, which is why I love Taiwan night markets so much. Though the nature of American street carts is different, especially when it comes to quantity given, there are still many jewels on the streets of Manhattan.

Other than my journey for the perfect burger, another fun adventure I'm embarking on is: the quest for the most drool-worthy chicken and rice. Though the city is littered with many many halal stands, quality among stands definitely varies tremendously. Whether it's the chicken, rice, sauce, condiments, etc., every chicken and rice is different. Since it's close to campus, I usually go to Sammy's Halal, on Broadway and West 4th Street. Now, apparently, this cart was the winner of the 2006 Vendy Award. But, after checking the website, the Sammy's Halal that won is actually located in Queens, on 73rd Street and Broadway. Unless they've moved from Queens, it makes me wonder, is this stand a fraud?? o_O! I mean, this is the "best" chicken and rice in the walkable area that I've tried so far. But, it definitely does not beat the well-known late night chicken and rice joint on 53rd Street and 6th Ave. The chicken just kind of falls apart in your mouth, lacking texture or impact. The rice is, mushy. Meh.

It seems like most of the good carts are midtown. Hmmmmm, I feel a late night adventure coming along.

S'Mac That.

Now, I'm not that big a fan of cheese, but it's slowly growing on me. After a rather lazy Friday some time ago, Matt and I finally decided to get off our lazy butts and get some fresh air. What better destination then S'Mac, a little place in the East Village specializing in mac and cheese. I've been meaning to go for quite some time, especially after reading about it in the Times.

Naturally, looking at the expansive menu, we had to do at least three "nosh" orders (mind you, one order is more than enough for a single serving). Hey, we were hungry for some mac n' cheese. We ordered the Mozzarella, Cajun, and Gruyere. My personal favorite was the Cajun - spicy, meaty, with just the right kick of Pepper Jack. I only think adding the breadcrumbs made it a bit too salty. But it was still oh so cheeeeese-ily yummy.A cute little shop that hits the spot on a cold winter's day (or a late night...excursion). Hehehe.

I'm itching for some Chicken and Rice. Any takers?

Stand Up!

I had a life changing revelation today. I am going to embark on a grand quest for -drumroll- the perfect burger.

Today, Matt and I finally went to Stand, a new burger joint on 12th Street between University and 5th Ave. I haven't had many "gourmet" or specialty burgers in my day - I usually hit up diner burgers - but this was a delicious popping my gourmet burger cherry first time kind of burger (try to say that three times fast). The meat was moist and juicy; the fat oozing from each bite managed to dribble down my hands or spatter onto the plate (great image, I know). The sauces were homemade and complemented the burger well. They even have Japanese mayo (ooooo). Fries weren't anything unique but at least well made. Overall, a pretty tasty experience.

With Shake Shack opened again for the season, I think the next few weeks will be filled with many more adventures.

guten tag!

After a week in Berrrrr-lin (which thankfully wasn't too brrrr), I don't know if I can touch another sausage for a long long while. Overall, it was a chillax trip with all my favorite people. Though, for many, our days consisted of: mandatory event, nap, dinner, drinking, repeat. Haha.

Currywurst is everywhere. It tastes like hot dogs with ketchup and a bit of curry powder, which I'm pretty sure is how you make it. Not bad not bad.

Ah, the bratwurst was really really good. The casing is crisp and has a good snap. The filling is a little salty but works well with the bread. And, the mustard is nicely tart and completes the package. Oh so yummy.

But I still can't eat another for a long time.

Given the large amount of Italian and Turkish immigrants in Berlin, mini pizzas and doner kebobs are really popular street food. The doner kebobs are seriously to die for. To die for. Sooo delicious.

XII Apostle Pizza

Hasir Lamb Dish

Doner Kebob

Europe is definitely my kind of place. I love love love cafe culture.
Next big trip: backpacking through Europe!