Diancecht

hubby being from ohio and texas decided to whip up a batch of chili. this version has homemade chili powder from some dried chilies we bought from tierra vegetables, and is topped with scallions, cilantro, sour cream and cheddar. there’s salad and ranch dressing (1:1:1 ratio of buttermilk, mayonnaise and sour cream) on the side.

we didn’t fly economy this trip. i have heard that united now offers premium economy plus with the possibility of hot meals. that’s really what i’m after, instead of buying food from the concourse and taking it onboard with us.

as for the food on the airplanes, aa was the clear winner (which is not saying much). i know that cheap airfare is desirable with everything that entails but it just seems to me that the airlines are denying a good source of revenue by not providing the possibility of good or “better than average” food to customers who would like to pay. the salad had a bottle of dressing (olive oil, balsamic) that you could add as desired. the pasta was less offensive than the other entrées.

these are photos at jfk in the american airlines lounge and you can immediately see the difference between aa and ua. oh, and there’s a menu too. in case you haven’t figured it out by now, i collect restaurant menus because they’re a record of where we’ve eaten. the crab cake was 90% crab and very little filler. the pasta was a bit “thick” (not really eataly quality but not bad either). this lounge features showers in the back if you need a few moments before your flight to freshen up.

hubby and i are dealing with a cold which is why no new food posts have occurred for the past week or so. i thought i’d share my experience flying first class to/from nyc. this is going to be the last time i will bother with those modes of domestic air travel. a friend on facebook said they’re “glorified busses” and she’s not wrong. i didn’t take a photo of the united airlines lounge at sfo but it’s ok. the food was average buffet. the only good thing amongst all these pictures turned out to be some baked beans.

i’m glad they are still around and serving what must easily be the biggest blintzes to grace a plate in nyc. they’re not too sweet, always something we appreciate when eating pancake-like things for brunch or breakfast. the borscht was ok. this version featured red kidney beans for some reason. i opted for sausage and vegetables instead of carbs.

i didn’t know about the housewares on the second floor 🤔 when we approached the ramekins, i remarked to hubby, “this section is dangerous because i am a white dish freak.” unfortunately, we didn’t have enough room in our luggage. i would have totally gotten a few pieces.

technically this was brunch: bagels (sesame, everything, onion, plain) sable, cured scottish salmon, whitefish salad, smoked whitefish, cream cheeses (vegetable, scallion, plain); herring salad; coleslaw; tomatoes, onion, cucumber, capers tea; coffee; juices

that was the price charged at our hotel

i can’t believe i lived in nyc for close to 30 years and not once did i ever set foot inside. well, we’re making up for lost time. apparently zabar’s offers insulated bags for travelers like us. we’re buying a lot of appetizing for brunch tomorrow. i wish we could include some pickles as well, but the no liquids requirement is a stumbling block due to tsa regulations.

the room is loud. lots of hard edges, square tables, glass and wood. the chairs are metallic. there is very little sound absorption. i could barely hear some of my tablemates even leaning in close. the pounding disco music doesn’t help.

we had dinner at spanish diner at little mercado tonight. as you may know, it’s one of josé andrés’ projects in nyc. 2019 interactive article by pete wells 2019 blurb at eater june 2019 review at grubstreet the menu reads well and everything sounds enticing. unfortunately, i am here to tell you that for some dishes, we have had better at certain places in sf like esperpento and bellota. of course, there’s no accounting for taste, so just take the below with a grain of salt. i leave it to you to judge. kalimotxo cocktail - a classic spanish cocktail consisting of red wine mixed with coca-cola, this was slightly sweet and tart with neither element being overwhelming. i can see myself drinking this all night. patatas bravas - awesome fried potatoes with a spicy tomato sauce and aioli. there was a “bite” that sneaked up on you, sharpened by the garlicky aioli. gazpacho andaluz - smooth, vegetal, unctuous, slightly peppery. summer in a glass. pan con tomate - a celebration of tomatoes, this is practically a must order. jamón serrano - it’s great stuff. ‘nuff said. unfortunately, that’s where the good times end. albóndigas con sepia y patatas fritas - these were bland and needed something of interest. calamares en su tinta - on the other hand, someone was too liberal with the salt. pollo guisado con arroz - $23 for two chicken drumsticks stewed with onions and sherry, served over rice. something is wrong with that picture. goat cheese cake - this was light and fluffy, with a deep, creamy tang and i do not even like cheesecake. i could not stop inhaling this. churros y chocolate olive oil ice cream with tomato jam - reminiscent of the olive oil gelato at otto. the jam seemed like an afterthought.

yeah probably not i forgot to mention viennese apple strudel, rum raisins, toasted hazelnuts, frozen buttermilk - hubby is hungarian (so you know there was that comparison thing going on) and said, “the pastry was flaky and one thing i appreciated was that overall, this dessert was not too sweet.” i didn’t have a bite as i was too busy focusing on the creme brûlée (caramelized pineapple, mint).

it’s ok 🙂 thank you, it was great seeing you and sivan too. we loved everything. we’ll be back soon, for sure.

i forgot to mention this was earlier this week

we ultimately didn’t end up going to chi, although thanks to @Sneakeater for the suggestion in the micromanage thread. most of the food on chi’s menu was spicy (which would be a turnoff to hubby), so i had to look for something else. the nyt gave tabata ramen a recommendation back in 2011, and it’s within walking distance of our hotel. ildako kara-age - deep-fried baby octopus. very chewy with a slightly marine flavor. there was chicken kara-age on the menu but i wanted something different. and now i don’t have to eat it again. hiyahi chuka - cold noodles topped with pork and pickled vegetables (cucumber, ginger), crab stick and egg in a sesame soy vinegar broth. very nice and exactly what i needed to stave off the humidity. tonkatsu ramen - ramen noodles with pork bone broth, chashu, black fungus, nori, scallions and bean sprouts. this is your typical ramen style that you have probably had before. nothing worth noting unless it’s something you like. with two japanese sodas (peach and yuzu), the bill came out to $64 excluding a 20% tip.

it was ok for dim sum. we wanted something light because tonight’s dinner will be a several hours affair. the new places in brooklyn and queens are likely a better bet. hubby and i haven’t left manhattan this trip, so maybe that’s for next time.

hubby said, “we need a break from all the gourmet food”, and i said, “uh, only one of the meals we’ve had so far can truly be called gourmet while all the rest are just food that has been excellent in their own way”. but i guess that’s a difference of pov. so we decided to have dim sum at ping’s (22 mott (pell)). it has been ages since i knew which place was recommended for dim sum in nyc. i chose this based on the listing on eater’s site.

i think they always have it. but we didn’t think to ask. menus are below.

it’s the new and improved mff i hadn’t truly appreciated this board until it was offline for several days.

this was a prix fixe menu: three courses for $55. everything was wonderful. i didn’t describe every dish because all of you would be bored and i would run out of synonyms for “delicious”.

it’s too bad we can’t take this restaurant back to san francisco with us. berkshire pork schnitzel, lemon, potato salad, lingonberries - someone in the kitchen knows how to fry, as this was crisp and greaseless all throughout. loved the cucumbers on the side: tart with a hint of garlic that helped lend a counterpoint to the meat.

my husband was skeptical and i’ll admit that i shared in that sentiment. we needn’t have worried though. we were blown away. sea scallops - buttermilk, cucumber, coral on toast - super-fresh seafood, and the coral tasted like a dream. kangaroo tartare - warm spices, charred eggplant, sardinian flatbread - hubby thought it was pretty good. we loved that it was chunky and had texture and that it was not a smooth paste. the flatbread overpowered the tartare though, and we concluded that eating the meat by itself was the way to go. cucumber and melon salad - this was just ok; it didn’t really grab us. but i did appreciate the combination. boer goat - the other superstar was the goat which was cooked low and slow and served with a tomato saffron sauce, new potatoes and cilantro. we thought this was awesome; that the smoking process lent a nice char on the exterior and moisture on the inside, and that it was not stringy as goat can oftentimes be. there are lots of seriously interesting potables on their list, especially the sherries and orange wines.

😞

we stopped in for lunch today. they’re just as i remember, albeit with a few more things on the menu. heirloom tomatoes, spring onion, cucumber, basil - the only real clunker of the bunch, and surprising. the preparation was fabulous but the tomatoes were tasteless. 🤔 little gem lettuce, anchovies, egg, walnuts, pecorino - maybe one too many ingredients here, but otherwise was satisfying grilled artichokes, aioli, lemon, red onion sardines, escarole, chilies roasted peaches, zabaglione chocolate and almond biscotti we drank the rosato you see here and i surprised myself by finishing off a bottle of moscato d’asti.