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| FoodMayhem |
| Written from New York City (mostly), FoodMayhem.com is all about... food! We love food: talking about food, writing about food, looking at food, taking pictures of food, making a blog about food, and, of course, eating food. |
| Language: English |
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| Total Unique Visitors: 0 |
| Visitors Out: 5548 |
| Total Visitors Out: 5562 |
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| Lamarca |
| 2008-07-08 12:45:00 |
Lamarca Lamarca is my friend Hilary's favorite restaurant. She wanted us, her running buddies, to try the place she goes to for her carb-loading dinners. Aside from a couple of eccentricities, Lamarca has a certain charm. The tip cannot be paid on credit card. They're not open on the weekends and on working days, the restaurant closes at 10PM. The decor is simply unnoticeable, yet still feels clean, and thank goodness for restaurants with enough light so you can actually see your food.They have a simple formula here. Most of the menu is pasta, in two price groups, $15.50 and $17. (Some of the $17 dishes are only available on certain days.) That comes with a perfect roll, hard and crusty on the outside, dense and chewy on the inside, and a nice salad. The dressing is unique, almost like a ...
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| Inside the Despana Basket: Spanish Peanut Butter Cups? |
| 2008-07-08 09:22:00 |
Our Despana basket included two chocolates wrapped in gold foil. It was something like a peanut butter cup, except it probably was a different nut butter, but we couldn't tell which. We both found that the milk chocolate was so over-powering, you couldn't taste the inside. The cloying chocolate was too much for me so I passed the other half of mine to Lon. I thought of trying the inside alone just moments later, but Lon had eaten his and the rest of mine already....
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| Banana Crumb Muffins with Cranberries |
| 2008-07-07 17:08:00 |
I decided to make banana muffins for the same reason as most, because I had extra bananas that now had brown spots on them. (I actually like eating bananas slightly under-ripe when eating them raw.) My first thoughts were banana blueberry muffins. Doesn't that sound good? Yes, but there had been a forecast of thunderstorms coming and I was afraid to go out. I am very afraid of rain, as if the wicked witch of the West, I apparently think I'm going to perish every time it more than drizzles.Enough about me, the muffins became an experiment on Banana Crumb Muffins with Cranberries instead, which turned out to be a real keeper!! These are the most delicate of muffins, and taste so grandmother-made (ok, I don't even have kids yet). These could never be mistaken for store bought treats and will ...
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| Olive Oil: Ta Mylelia |
| 2008-07-07 08:32:00 |
Here's one of the bottles of olive oil we bought at Mandarini (gourmet food shop) in Mykonos: Ta Mylelia. I regret not buying more since it's a beautiful bottle and would make a great gift, but we had no way of knowing which ones would be good.We like this one very much, so we're 2 out of 3 so far. The flavor is quite unique, tasting more like olives than any other olive oil I've ever tasted. The viscosity is perfect and watching it pour and pool on the dish is very sensual.I've gone through a bit too much bread in the last few days because of this olive oil, but the good news is, it is available on-line (although way more expensive). I do recommend buying it!...
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| Lollyphile Maple-Bacon Lollipops |
| 2008-07-06 08:50:00 |
As a sort-of joke gift, Kasi and Stephen got me some maple-bacon lollipops from Lollyphile. As a concept I totally approve of this type of gift. First, it's food. Second, it's got bacon. Third, it's something I haven't seen or tasted before!Darren, Nikola and most of the other folks at the dim sum table (where the gift was given) were pretty impressed at the unique gift. Now, several weeks later, I cracked into the box and started licking away.Interesting? Maybe. Unique? Definitely. Good? Um, no. Can you tell from the image above that there are little bits of bacon in the lollipop? Well as the subtle, maple-flavored candy melts away (unusually quickly, actually), the tips of those bacon bits begin to say "hello" to your tongue by scraping at it. It's a bit like licking a tongue...
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| Butterfish, Bringing Back an Old Favorite |
| 2008-07-05 17:10:00 |
Good things come in small packages, like Butterfish. I ate these a lot as a kid. My mom would deep fry them and serve them with sweet and sour sauce. It's been years though since I've eaten Butterfish and I had forgotten them till I saw these cute fishes in the Chinese market on Thursday.I drizzled a bit of olive oil on them, sprinkled some kosher salt, and threw them on the grill for about 2 minutes on each side. They were delicious and became permanently implanted in our memory. We must have these again!The one down side is that there are little bones to watch for, so not ideal for small children, but wow are there lots of upsides:These little fish pack in a lot of flavor. We were both amazed by how concentrated the flavor was in the tender and compact meat, definitely a taste winner.Qui...
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| Chimichurri Flank Steak |
| 2008-07-05 08:57:00 |
Chimichurri is one of my favorite flavors. I have made it with different types of vinegars and gone back and forth between cilantro and parsley, but all versions come out wonderful. If you have extra sauce left-over, save-it. It goes well on chicken, fish, almost anything. I wrote down the recipe we used for our July 4th barbecue yesterday. Hope you had a fun and yummy one!Chimichurri Flank SteakMarinade and Sauce2 cups fresh cilantro1 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sherry wine vinegar1/4 cup dried oregano4 teaspoons ground cumin2 teaspoons kosher salt4 large cloves garlic, chopped1 tablespoon cayenne pepper sauce (I used Red Hot.)2 1/2 pound flank steak1. Put all the marinade/sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse for about 10 seconds.2. Reserv...
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| Hua Rong |
| 2008-07-04 13:52:00 |
At least once a month, I go to Queens to stock up on food. We usually hit BJ's or Costco, and a Chinese supermarket. On top of saving loads of money, it also means I get to have lunch with my mom. She's always got ideas for where to take me and Queens is where Chinese food is at these days.Yesterday, my mom took me to Hua Rong Hua Rong, a Foochow style restaurant, to try all these dishes I've never had. We started with two traditional breakfast items: the House Special Ho Fun with clam and Fried Oyster Cake. The ho fun (gua bien) here is not your standard noodle. "Gua" means pot and "bien" means rim and these noodles are made by skimming the top layer off over and over to get sheets of noodles. The soup is a nice clear broth.The Fried Oyster Cake is a deep fried fritter filled with oysters...
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| Steve & Yael's Rehearsal Dinner at Friedman's |
| 2008-07-03 18:30:00 |
Steve, Lon's best friend, is getting married tonight. The rehearsal dinner was held last night at Friedman's Delicatessen Friedman's Delicatessen. I absolutely loved the idea. Rehearsal dinners are predominately for out-of-town guests and what better way to greet out-of-towners than with a real NYC-style meal: kosher-style deli!Lon enjoyed the potato latkes, although neither of us loved them, because they weren't really traditional latkes. They were deep fried, which can do no wrong, but they were more like fritters than latkes.I don't like hot dogs, but these were pretty good! Of course the fatty flaky pastry surrounding it helped. Lon polished off a bit too many.The matzoh ball soup was prettier than most, a really smooth and big ball, but it didn't have...
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| Inside the Despana Basket: Paella de Mariscos |
| 2008-07-03 07:00:00 |
Most foodies would never go near boxed paella, but for the good of the world, I went in fast and furious. It was a box of Marinesca's Paella de Mariscos (Seafood Paella), included in The Despana Basket.Because Jessica is allergic to artificial coloring and this product had artificial yellow in it, I waited for a night when Jessica wasn't going to be home. The other night she went out with friends, so out came the box o' paella. The concept of seafood in a box is scary, but when I opened the package, I was pleased to find that at least the seafood was in a can, inside the box and later discovered it was cured seafood. Also in the box was a small bag of short grain, white rice.The instructions were incredibly simple: pour the contents of the can into a f...
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| Lesina Olive Oil from Croatia |
| 2008-07-02 19:41:00 |
We picked up Lesina Olive Oil in Dubrovnik, Croatia. While it is more flavorful than most olive oils here, it has a bitterness to it that I find unpleasant. I should have stuck to buying olive oils from Greece and Italy....
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| Inside the Despana Basket: Campofrio Lomo and Chorizo, Manchego, and Morcilla |
| 2008-07-02 08:54:00 |
Last night, we sampled quite a few items from our Despana basket. With some bread and olive oil, nibbling on meats and cheese is my idea of a fun evening. The Campofrio Chorizo Espanol was amazing. You could really taste and smell the smoky paprika in the perfect balance of not too salty and not too sweet. The texture was like a fabulous soft salami, chewy but easy to bite through. I ate some pieces alone and some between bread, loving both methods.The Campofrio Lomo Espanol had the flavor of a nicely cured pork, but it was a bit hard. (It was rested room temperature before eating.)The Don Alonso Manchego had a fairly standard flavor, but a little gritty in texture. (It was rested room temperature before eating.)I served the Morcilla (which we've had befor...
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| Spicy Baba Ganouj |
| 2008-07-01 22:20:00 |
I decided to make Baba Ganouj today and a light bulb went off - I should add harissa (that I bought at SOS Chefs) to it. It just made sense in my head so I was hoping the result would be as good. For me, the harissa was a hit! It brought out a smokiness and added a tang, and of course some heat. Unfortunately, Lon didn't like it. We do occasionally differ on taste. Oh well.I think it's important to note that the tahini I used, is the one we brought back from Greece. It is earthier and has more roasted flavor than the tahini's I've bought here. You may need to use more tahini to get as much flavor.Spicy Baba Ganouj1 1/4 pound eggplant2 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped3 tablespoons tahini1/4 teaspoon cumin2 teaspoons Harissa1. Preheat oven to 400 ...
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| Taiwanese Sun Pastries - Tai Yang Bing |
| 2008-07-01 10:47:00 |
My cousin Olivia brought some Tai Yang Bing (Taiwanese Sun Pastry) back from Houston. Oddly, I had never tried these before, probably because my parents aren't into sweet stuff and I fear things that are in the same family as moon cakes. The sun pastries are pretty good. The layered pastry (made with lard) is flakier towards the outside, doughier towards the inside, and filled with some kind of gooey honey paste. I enjoyed it, especially because it wasn't too sweet, but I won't be seeking it out. I would eat it again though if it appeared in front of me....
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| Hunan Tea Garden |
| 2008-06-30 21:24:00 |
My mom has been wanting to take us to her friend's sister's restaurant, Hunan Tea Garden Hunan Tea Garden, for a while now, but it's in New Jersey and we rarely get out there. To be more efficient, we planned a day of tax-saving shopping (poor Lon) to work up an appetite for the massive meal to come. My mom had pre-ordered all her favorites, several in double portions, and then some complimentary dishes were added, culminating in one of the largest meals Lon and I have ever eaten!We started with complimentary bowls of Hot & Sour Soup, more sour and more peppery than standard, but not better or worse than standard.Shortly after our soups were done, two giant platters of Ginger and Scallion Sauteed Crabs arrived. We only had 7 people, less then the stand...
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| Grand Harmony |
| 2008-06-30 09:52:00 |
I am pretty much against eating dim sum in Chinatown/Manhattan these days but it was the convenient thing to do for 7 people on our way to New Jersey. We tried Grand Harmony Grand Harmony and the short version of it is, it's not very good. We forgot the camera in the car but nothing looked that appealing anyway. Several plates were cold or room temperature. The fish balls (according to Lon and my mom cause I don't like them) were more starch than fish. The shrimp wrapped in rice noodles had good chewy dough but the shrimp were pretty small. The duck feet were acceptable. There was some dumpling we got with very hard, dry skin. The beef ribs were clumpy and fatty (much more than the usual), pretty gross. None of us were too satisfied so we headed to a bake...
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| Sweet Home Blogger Award |
| 2008-06-30 08:31:00 |
Thank you to Julia at Backcounter Buffet for passing on the Sweet Home Blogger Award to us. Your blog has really improved since we first read and really shows the life of a busy mom that accomplishes work and feeding her family healthy, affordable meals. Congratulations to you too!I now have the honor of passing on this award and since I awarded some of my favorite food blogs last time (the E award), I have decided to award two new blogs I have grown fond of since then.And the awards go to.....Dr. Food - a blog about food, gardening, and sustainable living. If you live in an apartment like I do, you can taste vicariously the home-grown fruits and vegetables, and pick up some recipes on the way.Asianmommy - a blog written for by an Asian mom, sharing lots...
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| Nirvana Cafe |
| 2008-06-29 08:20:00 |
Yesterday was one of those uncomfortably humid days. My clothing was getting stuck to me as I walked with Xiu to Nirvana Cafe Nirvana Cafe, where we met with Sarah, for a fun dinner of Sri Lankan cuisine.Inside, the air conditioning was on so low, it was barely noticeable. I was sticking to the chair and trying to fan myself for most of dinner until the AC was turned up towards the very end. I really liked our waiter though, who was welcoming, almost as if he was inviting us into his home, and helped us pick out our menu.Similar to Indian restaurants, a plate of Pappadum was offered. It wasn't crisp though, soft and bendable, possibly from the insane humidity.Our first dish arrived and we were all excited to see that Lampra...
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| Tzatziki |
| 2008-06-28 21:17:00 |
I love Tzatziki and make it pretty often in the summer. It's so refreshing, a perfect way to balance spicy dishes or meats coming off a barbecue grill. After making it in many different ways, I've decided on a recipe: I chose to use kirby cucumbers because the regular or garden cucumbers can be watery and flavorless (at least in NY). I specified Fage yogurt because it is my favorite yogurt and I would not use any other yogurt to make Tzatziki. If you want to try other yogurts, use a strained yogurt or ones as thick as Fage. American yogurts are too loose and will not work.Jessica's Tzatziki~serves 2-3 as appetizer or side2 kirby cucumbers, thinly sliced with a mandolin (yields a bit more than 1 cup)1 clove garlic, minced1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill1 (7 oz) container Fage 2% yogurtSalt a...
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| Chio Paprika Potato Chips |
| 2008-06-28 10:43:00 |
We brought back some chips from our honeymoon in the Mediterranean. We decided to try the Chio Paprika Chips last night, which we purchased from Greece but then realized that they're actually from Germany, oh well...The chips were reminiscent of the New York Deli Kettle Cooked Jalapeno Chips, a thinner and non-spicy version. We liked them and finished the bag but won't miss them....
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| Sushi Yasuda # 14 |
| 2008-06-27 19:47:00 |
I think this is visit #14 to Sushi Yasuda. (I forgot to number it last time.) I can't believe I still always have new fish to write about. Tonight, we had Tarpon, the red colored one on the left. Depending on the part of the fish, the flesh ranges from deep red to almost purple, a very striking piece. It tastes very much like non-fatty tuna but the meat is more loosely packed together. Blackfish, on the right, is actually a pinkish colored flesh inside and tastes much like other white fish.Octopus eggs is one of the most unique pieces I've ever had. The tiny eggs are packed so tightly together that it tastes like one piece. The eggs don't have much flavor on their own, but it is paired with a shiso leaf and sweetened with s...
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| Inside the Despana Basket: Afuega'l Pitu |
| 2008-06-27 09:29:00 |
I was so excited to try the big ball of cheese in the basket, the Afuega'l Pitu. This one was the red variety made with paprika and/or cayenne. The texture looked great, similar to fresh goat cheese. I was planning on spreading it everywhere.I noticed a little blue spot on top but it was small so I just cut it off and proceeded with my tasting. Alas, it tasted off, overly pungent, reminiscent of cleaning solution, and then there was a tingle on my tongue like when apple cider goes bad and starts tasting carbonated. So I waited for Lon to come home to see if he thought it went bad and after a taste or two, we decided to call Despana.The gentlemen answering the phone at Despana didn't seem to think it had gone bad. I described the blue spot and the tingling ...
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| The Price of Food |
| 2008-06-27 06:37:00 |
Have you been feeling like the price of food is much higher all of the sudden? If so, you'd be right. A recent agricultural post from the Cattle Network compares the price of various food stuffs between May 2007 and May 2008.I've mostly heard dairy prices rising, and while eggs and milk are up, it seems the field crops are getting slammed the most. We shouldn't be surprised there have been constant articles about the wheat prices rising and the whole world is still looking for rice.p.s. Who knew there was a Cattle Network: The Source for Cattle News? Wow, I love it. I'm making it my browser default homepage!...
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| Ippudo |
| 2008-06-26 10:28:00 |
I'm generally bored of the modern look these days but Ippudo Ippudo manages to have that clean modern look, without feeling stale. $13 and up seems steep for a bowl of noodles, but I figured I would just try it once.My assumptions were all wrong. I was expecting a glorified version of the ramen packets you get at Asian markets...you know, those 75 cents dry ramen bags (which I admit I like), jazzed up with some pork and vegetables, served in a fancy bowl. Forget that image completely. This was a bowl of fresh chewy noodles in a rich and robust stock, richer than any Japanese soup I've ever had. I ordered the "Modern" version which has the addition of a garlic paste and Ippudo's special sauce. It seemed like the perfect winter comfort food, a bit heavy for the current weather, but I was sti...
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| Olive Oil from Greece |
| 2008-06-25 19:25:00 |
We brought back several different bottles of olive oil from our honeymoon. This bottle of Kolimvari Extra Virgin Olive Oil was recommended to us by a store employee who seemed confident that this one was better than all the rest. It was made in Iraklio, Crete, Greece, where he believes the best olive oil comes from.We were ecstatic upon tasting it. It was indeed full and fruity, smooth, and could make your eyes roll back into your head. For the last three nights, we've been eating way too much bread because of this incredible olive oil. I seriously crave it all day long. It's insane. I was never the type to dip my bread in olive oil, probably because the olive oil here is just not worth the calories. I usually opt to ju...
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| Inside the Despana Basket: Jamon Iberico |
| 2008-06-25 06:55:00 |
Drum roll please.....The Despana basket included the famous Jamon Iberico. Lon and I have been talking about getting this special, imported cured ham, but with busy wedding plans, it had slipped our minds. Lucky us, who finally got to try this delicious meat. The flavor is like a combination of Serrano and Prosciutto, really good ones, with very even flavor throughout. The texture is closer to prosciutto but seems to have a stronger elasticity. It's amazing how it seems to melt in your mouth, yet gives a bit of resistance to the bite. Needless to say, we really enjoyed it.You could just sit there, eating the thin slices with your head dipped back. That's how some of the slices disappeared. Last night, I decided to serve it with thinly sliced honey dew and ...
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| Inside the Despana Basket: Almond Torta |
| 2008-06-24 11:12:00 |
Here's the first installment of "Inside the Despana Basket": an almond torta, kind of like an almond brittle, wrapped in a nice box, perfect for a gift.The almonds from Spain seem to be rounder than what we get here and desserts from other countries are usually less sweet than they are here too. That's why I love foreign desserts. This one has the air of being a sophisticated adult dessert, there's even edible paper on both sides, which keeps your hands from getting sticky. It's a perfect treat to have with coffee....
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| The Despana Basket |
| 2008-06-24 06:04:00 |
When Lon and Justin K. had first discovered Despana, Lon said that he wanted one of everything. Having grown up with Lon, Justin K. and his brother Steve, knew that Lon really meant it. Over the weekend, Steve and Justin came over with a big surprise, a giant basket with one of everything from Despana! Best wedding present ever!Here's some closer looks into the basket.The pictures are a little deceiving since you can only see the top layer of stuff. There's tons of different chorizo, chocolate, and miscellaneous underneath. We'll be doing Despana updates for months........
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| Homemade Peanut Butter Cups |
| 2008-06-23 18:15:00 |
Our niece Sabrina had a fabulous backyard first birthday party yesterday. Bonnie, Sabrina's grandma, made burgers, hot dogs, cedar plank salmon, potato and pasta salads, fruit, and desserts, the works! Of course, I had to make something. Sabrina doesn't eat much solid food yet but she'll see these pictures in the future and I am just ensuring my spot as favorite aunt.I have been waiting till after the wedding to make peanut butter cups because they are pretty decadent.Homemade Peanut Butter Cups~makes 24 minis14 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips. divided1 cup natural creamy peanut butter1/4 teaspoon salt1/2 cup confectioner's sugar1. Line mini muffin...
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| Curried Crab over Rice |
| 2008-06-23 06:29:00 |
There used to be a wonderful Indian restaurant on 58th Street, where from time to time I'd enjoy their Curried Crab appetizer. For $12, one could have a pint of curry-flavored crab. Every bite was amazing. Unfortunately they went out of business and I haven't had the dish in a while.This weekend Jessica's mom dropped off four medium-sized, steamed blue crabs, shipped in a bushel from Maryland (the crabs we talked about from Harbor House). Jessica ate two of them straight (they are seasoned with Old Bay) and left two for me. So last night I spent well over an hour picking all the meat out of them so I could recreate the curry dish. I think the results were worth the (extreme) effort.Ingredients3.5oz crab meat (two medium blue crabs)2 large garlic cloves...
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| ABC Chinese Restaurant |
| 2008-06-21 15:36:00 |
We missed Father's Day while we were on honeymoon so we made sure to celebrate soon after our return. We had planned to go for Peking duck but the restaurant was booked for the night, a second choice had a long wait, and we ended up at ABC Chinese Restaurant ABC Chinese Restaurant. All because most of Chinatown doesn't take reservations. There's always a down side right.It ended up being a pretty average Cantonese style restaurant, with a standard menu, nothing exciting but nothing bad either. We started with a Beef and Egg Drop Soup, which was a tad too salty, but everyone was so hungry, we devoured it.Beef with Chinese Broccoli was tasty but oily, common of Cantonese food.Salt and Pepper Shrimp is a bit different he...
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| One Fish, Two Fish |
| 2008-06-20 18:33:00 |
We missed Stephen's birthday during our honeymoon so we had to celebrate as soon as we got back. We ended up in my old high school neighborhood, at One Fish Two Fish One Fish Two Fish. Wow, does the area look different. The restaurant feels spacious, which is a rare pleasure in Manhattan when you're back is usually up against a strangers. Unlimited salad, 1 basket of garlic bread per table, and one side dish is included. They started out with a good impression.Sadly, the food did not impress but I'm not complaining to loudly because it was cheap and you get what you pay for. There was a wonderful aroma of garlic that we assume was coming from the garlic bread. Oddly, the bread tasted buttered, but not garlicky at all.Kasi ordered the Cheesy Garlic Bread too,...
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| What's Up With Sammy's Noodle Shop? |
| 2008-06-20 07:04:00 |
On the last day of our honeymoon, we had to eat breakfast (same buffet) at 5am in the morning because Princess Cruise Lines forced us to meet at 5:30am in the lobby, to have us arrive at the airport at 7am, for a flight that was at 11:55am. We couldn't even check in till 9am so we had to sit by the entrance of the airport for two hours, before our 3 hour wait. I did pack up a bunch of stuff (croissant, danish, muffin, apple, small box of raisin bran) to munch on in the airport, more out of boredom than hunger.I decided not to get into the airplane food because it's not that interesting. Let's just say, the food on British Airways was slightly better than the food on Lufthansa (on our way there), but it was still recognizably airplane food.We landed in New York a bit passed 6pm and got home...
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| Naples, Italy |
| 2008-06-19 08:21:00 |
BreakfastAnother quick breakfast and we were off to see the city of Naples.Too Much SnackingShortly after getting off the boat, we spotted a cafe, which are all over the place. In Italy, it seems that cafes look a little like small bars, but people are standing around drinking cafes (what we think of as espresso). I wanted to try one so we took it to go since we don't speak Italian. Everyone standing at the bar was chatting away.I was afraid I wouldn't like it since I don't like espresso. It's usually too bitter for me. Surprisingly, this cafe was smooth, only slightly bitter, and I really enjoyed it. My heart did start racing though -way too much caffeine for me.A little later, Lon popped into another cafe to get Pizette. All of them had these fluffy focac...
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| Another Day at Sea |
| 2008-06-18 11:41:00 |
BreakfastIt's a long way between Santorini and Naples so it's a whole day at sea. It's great cause we can relax and sun bathe but bad cause we'll be eating a lot without the walking a lot. We slept in and it was too late to eat in the dining room so we had to join the crowded buffet for the same old food that I'm sick of.DemoChef Alfredo Marzi is the head chef for all 18 fleets of the Princess line. We, along with a surprisingly large crowd, watched him demo a few dishes and promote his cookbook. Honestly, it put Lon and I to sleep but we waited around because we wanted the tour of the kitchen. It did look very clean, except for the raw chicken left out, with no one tending to it.LunchLunch started with a very sad Thai Hot & Sour Soup. It tasted like I was drinking packets of sauce.Lo...
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| Santorini, Greece |
| 2008-06-17 20:51:00 |
BreakfastBreakfast was standard. Lon ate another one of those chocolate almond pastries but I resisted the platter of donuts.Getting LostSantorini was by far my favorite stop, which is no surprise. Everyone raves about it and it is truly wonderful. Our boat anchored out in the water. We boarded tenders to get to shore, where we road the cable cars up the steep mountain side (while watching others ride donkeys up the mountain), arriving right in Fira, another touristy town. We decided to rent a Go Cart-like four wheeler to see more of the island in the few hours we had. First stop would be the famous black beach, Perissa. We got a little lost even though there's only a handful of roads on Santorini. The good thing is that we found an area free of tourists where we stopped at a bakery. As ...
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| Rhodes, Greece |
| 2008-06-16 02:20:00 |
| Breakfast Nothing interesting about the buffet breakfast today.LunchRhodes is also very touristy, but at least there's more to see than just stores. We walked through the Palace of the Grand Masters, which exhibits ancient jugs, bowls, jewelry, etc. within beautiful stone and marble walls. We took plenty of great photos before looking for lunch, where we were at a loss. Every place looked the same: full of tourists, expensive, with back garden, sidewalk, or roof top seating. We chose one a little bit away from the rest, but it didn't help. I was hoping to have a great Greek Salad like the one at Alefkandra (in Mykonos), but this one was like any you could get in New York, with one exception: the onions were sweet. I had no idea onions were so great in Greece
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| Kusadasi, Greece |
| 2008-06-13 02:53:00 |
BreakfastI was excited to see an interesting variety of quiches at the buffet this morning. Unfortunately, they were ice cold, just pulled from the fridge. I couldn't eat it and I really wanted to. There were flavors like mushroom leek, artichoke goat cheese, sausage and potato, etc. Too bad...Shopping and Apple TeaKusadasi is known for shopping. It is the 2nd largest bazaar in Turkey and Lon calls it Disney World for women. Leather (clothing and handbags), jewelry, carpet, and souvenir stores are repeated street after street where all the vendors are eager to make sales. Most sales people will offer you Turkish Apple Tea, which most of them are drinking themselves and bringing to each other. I enjoyed the hospitable culture. The apple tea is quite good, tasting more like a lightly sweeten...
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| Mykonos, Greece |
| 2008-06-12 04:19:00 |
BreakfastWe're about half way through the cruise and we're starting to feel full just about 24 hours a day. We actually wake up still full from the day before so we managed to avoid the donuts at the buffet this morning.LunchMykonos was really cute, although again very touristy. I loved the white buildings, the famous Pelican (who I took a photo with), the incredibly blue water, and most importantly, the delicious lunch we had. We ate at Alefkandra, an outdoor cafe (like most here), where we ate the best salad ever. It looks like a simple Greek salad but the tomatoes were extra flavorful and beefy, the raw red onions were sweet, the feta was creamy and tangy (the best either of us have ever had), even the cucumbers were special. No dressing needed!We splurged on the Mixed Seafood for Two, ...
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| Athens, Greece |
| 2008-06-11 07:55:00 |
BreakfastWe went to the buffet for breakfast again, mostly the same old stuff so I didn't bother taking pictures. We had the lemon almond pastry today (they do seem to serve different flavors daily) which was very good.LunchThe ship parks in Piraeus so we had to take the train into Athens, where we walked around Plaka, an area known for shopping and flea markets, and looked up at the Acropolis. We were too lazy to walk to the top, which was under construction anyway. We tried to wander a bit away from the main tourist area to find food, which did end up being at least 30% cheaper than restaurants closer to Acropolis, but the food wasn't that great. The host at Ioakh Barbeque recommended the Leftiko, a braised lamb shank, which had little flavor and was une...
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