Since I posted my mom’s recipe for Za Jiang Mein (a Chinese staple I could not live without), I’ve promised to post my mom’s vegetarian version. I know it took forever (four months), but all good things come to those that wait, right? Well, this is a good thing, a very good thing. Plus, you will not get this anywhere else. Though every Chinese family has a recipe for Za Jiang Mein (always made with pork), this Vegetarian Za Jiang Mein is my mom’s own recipe that she developed herself. I guess the apple doesn’t fall from the tree. She’s often creating new dishes or figuring out a restaurant dish. She doesn’t write her own blog though, so this is the only place you’ll get a Kelly Lee recipe.
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posted by jessica at 09:12 AM
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Finally! We moved, but it’s not all smooth sailing yet. We’re living out of boxes and we don’t have a kitchen yet. While our perfect kitchen is being built (which we will be talking about soon), I’m going to have to get crafty. I do have many plug-in appliances (rice cooker, toaster oven, panini press, waffle maker, microwave, etc.) so we’re still going to have a ball here. I think we’re going to be pleasantly surprised with how much I (or you) can do without a kitchen. (Gulp) Determined to eat well every single day without exceptions, here goes…
I’m so happy we’ve hit perfect walk-around weather, ideal for my first few days of neighborhood exploring. I’m disappointed by the dark and dreary C-town by me, but on another ugly block, I found
Breadbox Cafe 47-11 11th Street, Long Island City, NY 11101. It was right next to a Getty gas station, an unexpected cafe, clean and new with the Grand Opening sign up. I felt a connection like I wanted to go in and high-five them, and say, “Hey, I’m new here too.” ( I didn’t of course.)
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posted by jessica at 11:32 AM
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Like our last meal in Union Square, our first in Long Island City was destined to be less climactic than we had hoped. Exhausted, Lon came home from work before lunch. We had the Verizon guys hooking us up (FIOS!) and a delivery of Elfa shelves arriving. We had to settle for ordering in and
Gaw Gai Thai Express 23-06 Jackson Avenue, Long Island City, NY 11101 was one of two menus we had. With “express” in the name, you never go in with high hopes, but there was a teeny part of me hoping that this was going to be a secret diamond in the rough, just a short skip away from us.
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posted by jessica at 04:03 PM
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For the last couple of weeks, I’ve been dreaming about what our last dinner in the neighborhood would be. Yet, when the time came, we were both exhausted from the final leg of packing. Winded, aching, and ready to collapse into a dust pile, we just couldn’t go far, or get dressed up, or wait on a line, or put in any effort at all. We decided on
The Loop 173 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10003, the kind of place that you could go to before the shower, even when you really need a shower.
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posted by jessica at 10:45 PM
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St. Patrick’s Day is coming up and I’m not Irish, but I love Irish Soda Bread. I can’t claim to do much pub crawling, but I did just post about potatoes. I never got into Lucky Charms, but through some twisted and fortunate miscalculation of the leprechauns, I got the luck of the Irish. Yup, I’m the luckiest gal around. I’ve got the most supportive husband, the smartest dog (she does at least 30 tricks), the most non-overbearing mom, and another reservation for Brooklyn Fare.
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posted by jessica at 02:21 PM
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Raines Law Room 48 West 17th Street, New York, NY 10011 is for those who value personal space. Here, you don’t crowd around a bar. There is no bar in the traditional sense. They have a “kitchen” where mixologists make your drinks. (No food is made.) You must be seated by a host, in either the front area with couches lining either side, or middle area where small sets of couches are sectioned off by drapes. First, you’ll have to find this unmarked basement of a small building.
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posted by jessica at 04:50 PM
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I bought a colorful mix of baby potatoes from the Union Square Green Market and had nothing particular in mind. When it was time to think about dinner, I decided on fish so I started thinking up a complimentary potato side. Roasted, mashed, and fried all seemed wrong, too heavy and too country to share a plate with a delicate filet, perhaps Sole or Turbot? For some reason, I was thinking about an elegant dinner with all the place settings, napkin holders, wine glasses, and all. I guess I was just day-dreaming about what would be impossible at the moment. We’re covered in cardboard boxes here, mostly partially packed ones. If you haven’t heard yet, we’re moving in 5 days!
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posted by jessica at 10:25 AM
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Kyotofu 705 Ninth Avenue, New York, NY 10019 is a cute Japanese dessert bar (though savory meals are served) with a young feel. They specialize in a Soft Tofu dessert, which is very similar to a Chinese favorite of mine: Do Fu Hwa. It is silky soft with a creme caramel-like effect, but made with soy milk instead of dairy, perfect for lactard’s. The subtle tofu flavor is accented by the Kuromitsu black sugar syrup on top, resulting in a cool tongue feel that lands between custard and jello. I’ve tried the black sesame version (at an off-site event) as well, and it is equally pure, simple, and balanced. Plus, it’s dessert with some nutritional value.
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posted by jessica at 11:11 AM
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Since I posted that incredibly easy method for making Dulce de Leche, I’m sure you’ve been wondering what I was going to do with it. Yeah, me too. Ideas have been tumbling around, but each one gets pushed to the back of my mind. I’ve been distracted with all the details of moving. Normally, I wake up and think about breakfast. Eat breakfast, and then think about lunch. Eat lunch, and then think about dinner. These days, I’ve been thinking about boxes, how to wrap fragile stuff, where is that book I can’t find? (of course Lon packed it), and what if I get there and hate it? Yea, I’m panicking.
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posted by jessica at 12:16 PM
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I went to
Employees Only 510 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014 in that snow storm Thursday night, thinking it would be empty. It was not. The long bar is packed with people and I was a little jealous of those that got to watch and interact with the mixologists. They were all in chef whites, smiling and chatting, filling glasses with beautiful looking cocktails. Still, I was glad I made a reservation for the restaurant section (in the back) because that guaranteed me and Mary a spot. Plus, our waitress was wonderful as well.
I’ve often heard of Employees Only being the place for wonderful cocktails, and it is. Mary had the Amelia (Luksusowa Potato Vodka & St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur shaken with pureed Blackberries & Fresh Lemon Juice), which was thickened and sweetened just-so by the fruit puree. So impressed, she tried another, the West Side (Charbay Meyer Lemon Vodka and Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice shaken with Fresh Mint, served straight up), an adults lemonade.
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posted by jessica at 09:53 AM
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