Mia Dona’s Prices Are Shockingly Moderate
Posted on 18 February 2008 under Main | No Comments
When’s the last time you were shocked by how reasonable the prices are at a fancypants restaurant? Mia Dona, Michael Psilakis and Donatella Arpeia’s newly opened, more-Italian-than-not restaurant on East 58th Street, has prices so low that I could have sworn New York Magazine’s copy of the menu is filled with misprints. Get this: Half the entrees are under $20! That’s unheard of for a midtown east, white tablecloth restaurant with one of the city’s best chefs in the kitchen. Are these preview prices? Apparently not. And if you go now, before the restaurant’s liquor license comes through, it’s BYOB, making the restaurant almost absurdly cheap at the moment.
A little help, please…
Posted on 18 February 2008 under Main | No Comments
I have to compose a small buffet, for about 40 people. The limits are like this:
-It must feel American. The people eating won’t be American, but the theme of the meeting is the US election.
-It must be served at room temperature - there’s a tiny kitchen and no chance of re-heating anything.
-It’s not a full dinner, more of a filling snack
What I know so far is this:
-bagels with cream cheese, smoked turkey or salmon, sliced red onions and tomatoes
-cole slaw
-pickles (possibly?)
and cheesecake and chocolate chip cookies with coffee.
but I really, really need suggestions for what else I can add - maybe some salad? I’d love to hear your thoughts here, and if you have any favorite recipes, I’ll gladly hear those, too. (Cheesecake and bagels will be ordered - I’m NOT baking this time. Just the cookies.)
Source: A little help, please…
Posted on 18 February 2008 under Main | No Comments
Binondo’s Dao Shao Mian Connection
Posted on 18 February 2008 under Main | No Comments
Posted on 18 February 2008 under Main | No Comments
Red Hook Ball Fields Food Vendors Have Two Competitors
Posted on 17 February 2008 under Main | No Comments
According to the Brooklyn Paper, two other entities have submitted bids/proposals to be the sole food supplier at the Red Hook Soccer Fields. [via Grub Street]. Come in, Chuck Schumer. Your goat taco purveyor needs you.
Making Jiao Zhi (Chinese dumplings)
Posted on 17 February 2008 under Chinese Food | No Comments
It’s still CNY and I wanted to do some festive cooking.. I thought of steamboat, but it’s just a couple of us, I decided to make jiao zi instead. Every year, I’ve read about China chinese cooking jiao zi for their CNY dinners. Looks pretty good; making it from scratch with all the raw materials seems enticing.. Preparing the filling was easy; just mix your choice of meat with veg and seasoning. 
Crayfish Avocado Toast
Posted on 17 February 2008 under Main | No Comments
Green Cauliflower Gratin
Posted on 17 February 2008 under Main | No Comments
Pot Lucky
Posted on 17 February 2008 under Main | No Comments
We had a few of the crew over for dinner, and everyone brought something. We began with the peanut soup, enhanced with cayenne and togarashi, and complemented incredibly with the rest of the Moulin Touchais. It was like peanut butter and jelly all over again. Crazy good when the spice and rich peanut flavors collided with the big tangy-sweet grapey wine. Pure pleasure. Next, John’s poke of gorgeous ‘ahi and Liz’s collard rolls with carrots and tamarind dipping sauce. For these, I opened a 1996 Colin-Deleger Chassagne Montrachet that tastes like a Kistler chardonnay’s unrequited sex dream.
Following this, we actually sat down and had hijiki-saffron fettucine (the dough was in the freezer from last month) with a truffle butter sauce and sliced black truffles. We opened a 1997 Gevrey-Chambertin “Les Cazetiers” by Dominique Laurent that was sadly corked and undrinkable. To our rescue came John, with his 2003 Alion Ribera del Duero (made by the dude from Vega Sicilia, from his own vineyard) that started out good and got better and better, especially with the main course: John’s baked sea bass and tilefish with porcini powder with Chris’ turnips with onion and vanilla, my slow-braised fennel and sautéed pak choi, and John’s salad. Everything went so insanely well together; it was like one giant perfect plate of food. To finish, we had a 2005 White Barn pinot noir and boucheron de chèvre on baguette. We’re so lucky to have such friends, and to have this kind of meal be the standard for a pot luck.