Astoria Culinary Walking Tour: Stops 2-3

      The next stop was Omonia Next Door, Omonia's bakery where they sell more sweets, and freshly baked breads. I wanted to pick up a fresh loaf of bread, but I wasn't going to carry (or "shelp" for the New Yorkers) a giant loaf of fresh bread around the city...I'm no peasant. The bakery had a tiny kitchen where 2 chefs made chocolate treats, trippy ceiling decor, and outdoor stadium seating for the summer months. 

      Our 3rd stop was down the street a Mediterranean cafe where my group and I devoured these savory filo dough thingys, stuffed with spinach and cheese, a meat-lovers one, and a pepperoni one. Sorry, don't remember the place or what the food was called.

Astoria Culinary Walking Tour: Stop 1

      "Hi I'm peter!" I say to a couple sitting next to me (after I dab off the sweat from my forehead with a napkin after doing wind sprints). Funny story, the guy is in UB's grad program, and another girl across from us grew up 5 minutes from where I live off campus...I'm not in The Truman Show am I? Our first stop: Omonia is a Greek pastry and cafe where our group got to know each other (I was from the furthest away) over fresh made Baklava, Kadaifi, and Kourabiedes...so good. Our guide told us to "pace ourselves" because we would be eating at almost every stop along the way. Pace myself? I believe my favorite comedian Louis C.K. said it best: "I'm not done eating when I'm full...I'm done eating when I HATE MYSELF!"

"Mellomakarona"--Orange blossom and honey-soaked cookie

"Bougata"--Custard and filo dough based

Saturday In New York

      After an excellent and much needed sleep on my grandma's pull out couch I was ready for my walking tour in Astoria, Queens! I was baffled by how well I slept because that pull out couch is a TORTURE RACK! (they're doing wonderful things w/ memory foam these days) If you want severe scoliosis, sleep on my grandma's pull out couch...seriously.
    I will try to break my tour up into all the stops I had along the way but before I do that let me explain to you how my day began. The goal was to get on the subway 2 blocks from my grandma's and get off 2 stops later a block from our first stop--a Greek pastry shop, Omonia. My mom told me to get on the N or Q train and take it from there. The problem was that when I got to the subway (already running late), THERE WAS NO N OR Q TRAIN! After a few moments of slight panic, I hopped on the R train and hoped for the best. Frantically checking the time, I knew I was not making this tour. None of the stops were where I needed to go, so I hopped off to head up to the street and see where I was. The idea was to get to Broadway and 33rd, and I was at Broadway and 46th...with 5 minutes before the tour leaves without me. I full out sprinted 13 long blocks in jeans, windbreaker, and backpack hoping I would see them along the way. Side note: New York may be the only city where I can run 13 blocks in jeans, windbreaker, and backpack and be virtually invisible to everyone on the street.
      I get to Omonia half expecting the group to be gone, only to arrive and have a lady say: "Are you hear for the walking tour? Go on in, we will be here for the first 45 minutes" I sit down at a table sweaty and clearly the youngest person there...great 1st impression.

Friday In New York Part Deux

      I couldn't fit my dessert into the last post, well I could but I wasn't gonna make you read the longest post ever...what is this an Ayn Rand novel?? Anyway, the three of us saved room for dessert (that never happens), so my mom ordered a chocolate cake of sorts and Dottie and I both ordered the pear sorbet (she was copying me all night).

Just so you know, this sorbet tasted exactly like a pear. And I don't mean the "It has a nutty taste, with the slightest hints of...vanilla...and...cinnamon? Ohhh and...berries..yeah berries" kinda thing. No, you taste it and go, "Okay, yeah that's a pear!" That's not a shot at pretentious individuals by the way, thats just usually what I say every time I drink wine...

Friday In New York

      My mom and I arrived in the afternoon and began our epic journey throughout the city at some Irish pub. It was a nice day to start, but the food wasn't anything worth writing home about...That last sentence seems odd because no one has crafted a handwritten letter since the Peloponnesian War. My last handwritten letter was done in red crayola crayon, addressed to the president (Clinton at the time) calling for peace throughout the world...Mr. Clinton if you ever read this blog, you owe me a response buddy! So I guess the updated version would have to be: "it wasn't anything worth tweeting about"? I don't know about that one...

      Oh yeah this is a food blog, right. Well Friday night before a show, my mom and I met her old friend Dottie (she's getting married in the fall, congrats Dottie!) at Tom Colicchio's restaurant, Kraft Bar--a tasty and expensive but less formal version of his regular Kraft restaurant. The dim lighting (but not cave dark), casual atmosphere and cool/attentive waitstaff perfectly complemented the exceptional food. I can't even imagine what the food at the actual Kraft restaurant tastes like. Maybe one day Mr. Colicchio will be dining at my restaurant? ("In your dreams kid!" should be your response, but don't worry I'll prove you wrong.) I had oysters to start (not on my bill), before my arctic char w/ celery root, beet, horseradish, and dill.The fish was cooked to perfection, nice and flakey and fell apart when I cut into it with a fork (yeah a knife isn't needed here, and that is a good thing). I remember the first bite just melting in my mouth before I mixed it in with the beet, and horseradish. While I am on the subject, I usually despise beets (don't we all), but god damn it was superb in this dish! DO YOU REALIZE WHAT YOU'VE DONE! That's from Dumb & Dumber if you didn't realize. Colicchio, you sly dog you...

Before

                                                                                  

Aftermath!

Touche New York...

      Wow its been a while since I posted anything, so I apologize if any of you were on the brink of insanity...who are the gentle guys in white with the weird jackets, right? (I know how you feel, no matter what you do just don't swallow those mysterious "pills" they try to give you...) I began my spring break trip to NYC with my mom via double-decker bus. The ride up was fine, I slept mostly while my mom listened to a conversation six rows back. Moms hear all...just ask her about a story involving my hair, bubblegum, and a pair of scissors. We had more things planned in a weekend than most New Yorkers have planned for the year (she's also a notorious down-to-the-last-minute schedule planner, just ask my dad) so naturally we were all over the place.
      How do I put this delicately...I must admit in the past I never really had a thing for NYC (are they outside with torches and pitchforks yet?) I mean I don't hate New York, New York but lots of the things that makes the city so iconic are the very same things that I didn't really care for. For me, every time I visited, the city was too large, too overwhelming. It seemed like there was a sort of disconnect between the people, the "city where nobody looks each other in the eye" as someone I know once put it. I will leave the identity of that person unknown for safety purposes. I don't know, maybe all cities are like that once you visit enough, maybe not. Now that I'm older, and wiser though (Jess, I know you'll make a comment about that), my perceptions of the city have changed dramatically. My guess is that I was too young to fully understand the city of New York, and all the fantastic things it has to offer. I still don't think its the city where I'll rest my head one day, but after the weekend I had I could dabble from time to time. With that being said, these next few posts will be dedicated to my New York weekend extravaganza; enjoy!

Pork Tenderloin W/ Blue Moon-Infused Blackberry Sauce And Asparagus Salad

      Okay so this is the dish I was planning to do with the Sam Adams blackberry witbier but Price Chopper did NOT have blackberry witbier, so I was forced to use blue moon instead. The blue moon beer worked well with the blackberries and orange jest but the sauce still lacked something...I added a serrano chili for some heat but still something was off. Shit, the pork was off too..salt and pepper as the only seasoning wasn't gonna save this tenderloin. The asparagus salad was tasty but needed some work also. I don't know, I wasn't happy with this dish overall...
      I am very passionate about food and the things that I make. This dish has been an idea in my head for a while, and although I am glad I finally got to try it out, its just not there yet. I want it to be perfect because this dish is my baby. So if you think your getting a recipe for this, my dog Merlin will maul your hands off. No he won't, hes afraid of squeaky toys...but still.
      I will keep working on this one until its just right. Maybe I'll add a rub to the tenderloin to add some flavor. See pork tenderloin is such a lean cut making it a prime candidate for marinades, spice rubs, etc. As for the sauce, I don't know exactly what it needs, but I'll figure it out.