The Eyeful

London is just one of those cities where a great dining experience can be just around the corner. Unfortunately, it is also like every major western city where around the corner you will find a fried chicken shack or a cup of really watered down Ethiopian coffee. In order to avoid such pitfalls of horrifying consumption you really have to keep your eyes and ears on the prowl for new and interesting places. While riding the No. 14 bus up Piccadilly Road, my eyes caught sight of one such place called Napket. After quickly googling their menu and noting their by line of ‘Snob Food’ I instantly Facebooked my friend with an invitation to join me for dinner.

The following week I met my friend on Piccadilly road for our arranged date at Napket. Alas our meeting point was the granddaddy of the macaron, Laduree, and given that I recently classified the macaron as the synthetic cousin of the cupcake my spirits were crackling like the fine underbelly fat of a roasting piglet. Luckily in entering Napket my spirits were lifted by the cool interior contrast of the black panelling and furnishing with the hanging silver chandeliers and exposed brick walls. In researching online I discovered that this eating area is referred to as the ‘living room’ with the ‘library’ room placed further inside the establishment for those intending to only consume beverages.

Having dotted on the unmistakably ‘wow factor’ ambiance I can get to the bread and meat of the matter. The ‘living room’ and the ‘library’ were both being attended to by the same two person waiting staff. Thus it was no surprise to us that we had quite a wait to place our order as well as to actually lay our taste buds upon it. However, the Eastern European staff was pleasant and a bit quirky. When we inquired about their bread (something the pantry by the entrance of Napket makes look very tempting) we were told ‘I’m sorry but the bread is still in the oven, would you mind waiting for when it is out?’ I believe the grimace on my face may have confused the waiter…

Eventually I was served my order of a French Onion soup with a gruyere crouton. It is debatable if this was a soup or rather a dish with an enormous piece of toasted brown bread with cheese submerged in a bit of broth. This visual technicality turned out to be only a nomenclatural technicality as this dish was indeed French Onion soup. It had that unmistakable caramelised onion flavour while the ‘crouton’ had the rich and heavy cream taste that is typical of a gruyere topping. I must admit, this rustic (check out the cast iron dish it was served in) interpretation of one of my all time favourite soups was mentally refreshing but physically far too satisfying. I believe the soup could have done with more broth and a smaller portion of ‘crouton’ as the overall package was a bit heavy. Having said that, if I was Bobby Brown and the soup was Whitney Houston, I would totally hit that bitch again and again.

Helena Maratheftis, my dining companion and photographer (she took the accompanying photos) had placed a far superior order to mine. Whilst I forgot the formal menu name it was a chicken casserole dish which I sampled and subsequently proclaimed divine. The chicken was absolutely perfectly, it was soft and tender with a light meaty after taste that indicated it was cooked lovingly in the ‘just right’ amount of herbs and spices. Having said that, I would like to caution the reader that I do not know the extent to which this review of the chicken dish was biased by the ‘BUT MOMMY I want what she has!’ syndrome.

Napket, it is a place to feast your eyes and share some intimate moments with your plus one or plus more. If you so should choose to go beyond the many cafe-esque beverages on offer in order to dine then be prepared to be spoiled. With home comfort foods gone professional, Napket more than satisfies the stringent demands of proper food snobs like us here at Love Food Love Me and does so at reasonable prices. If you are in London you are always welcome to treat me to a meal here.

Napket (Piccadilly), SnobFood Ltd
www.napket.com
5 Vigo Street, London
(44) 20 7734 4387

ABC Kitchen

Last night, my boyfriend Joe Wickes and I were treated by our friend, event designer Mark Rose, to dinner at the brand new ABC Kitchen (Executive Chef, Dan Kluger), the new Jean-Georges hot spot committed to organic and local meat and produce. It was a total knockout!

We began with interesting and homespun cocktails like ginger margarita and basil daiquirires, while taking in the decor. White square tables with white, round-backed Grandma chairs — occasionally a long wooden farm table for large parties — and antiqued light bulbs suspended from the ceiling. Everything is warm and dim. The back wall of the large space offers a peek into ABC Carpet and Home (that’s where all the furnishings came from) and a great shot into the kitchen. Since a little of this rustic thing goes a long way, the homey feel of the design is balanced by the waitstaff — all in thrift-store plaid shirts and jeans — attending to customers in a formal and very attentive manner.

Appetizers started with an amazing Peekytoe crabtoast, which was basically a crabby bruschetta; hearty toast topped with chunks of crab and a smooth aioli. The ramp toast with goat cheese, a special, makes you think there just has to be more than ramp spread, cheese, and a dandelion on that bread…gold, perhaps? The chicken liver toast, cooked with pancetta, was so subtle and flavorful, that even a pate’ hater (my boyfriend) had to admire it. Pretzel dusted calamari was an irresistible crunchy version of a favorite.

We shared the pea soup, which immediately impressed with an unusually bright color. It was an electric green broth with whole peas, but mint and lime zest gave it an interesting heat. I admit this was one dish that didn’t blow me away; it was a very inventive and economical use of flavors, which is a theme to ABC’s entire menu.

For the entrées, simplicity was the name of the game. A Flying Pigs pork t-bone in an apple-meyer lemon sauce was complimented beautifully with sautéed swiss chard. A side of asparagus with jalapeno and sliced mushrooms was a salty delight. But stealing the show, decidedly, was a special entree, a cavatelli with spring vegetables. This demanded a call to the waiter to explain every detail. As expected, not many: small slices of asparagus, fava beans, cooked together in the pasta water. But the lemon and dill infused in the dish brought it all home. This was the winner, and I wish I could recommend it, but it’s not a part of the regular menu…not yet, that is. Indeed, Jean George said the menu will change frequently.

The desert selection reminded me of the cocktail menu with its country-kitchen tone. A brown butter, chocolate ganache and hazelnut tart took my breath away. But we couldn’t help asking for a favor: we just wanted one scoop of the salted caramel-peanut ice cream from the sundae dish, and you can only imagine…

The surprise of the night was when we were finishing out cookie plate, and a diminutive man in a white chef’s coat appeared right outside the kitchen talking to a staff member. It was, of course, Jean-Georges himself, who gamely stopped at our table so we could babble about how wonderful everything was. He took it in good humor, but didn’t want to steal the glory from our neighboring diner, the woman who designed the handmade bowls and plates. Very gracious, and what a thrill.

Reservations are becoming impossible, so run! This is a lovely date spot, too.

My Meat Sauce

My grandfather use to be very secretative when it came to his sauce, actually when it came to his food in general. Now my meat sauce isn’t really his recipe exactly but it’s close. What’s the key? Pork. Its amazing what pork can do to a red sauce.  The below is not a typical meat sauce nor is it a bolognese (no carrots or celery).

Ingredients

1 can crushed tomatoes

1 can tomato paste

1 cup of red wine

2 pork braccioles (thin pork cutlets wrapped up with parsley, cheese, and prosciutto)

2 minced shallots

1 minced garlic clove

6 links of plain sausage meat (remove casing)

1 cup of sliced mushrooms

3 tbs of extra virgin olive oil

In a pressure cooker saute shallots and garalic in olive oil until translucent. Cook sausage meat in with onions and shallots. When sausage meat is browned, add tomato paste and stir.  Then add the mushrooms, crushed tomatoes, red wine, and braccioles.

Now set your pressure cooker on low and cook for the appropriate times on your pressure cooker (mine is about 15-20 minutes). Let your pressure cooker cool and when it is ready, remove the lid. Bring the sauce to a boil and cook for an additional 30 minutes to thicken the sauce.

Roasted Chicken Zucchini Boats

I love zucchini boats - my father made them all the time growing up. We would generally make them with sausage but this one made with leftover chicken is just fantastic. Never throw leftover chicken away!

2 large zucchinis
1 cup of roasted chicken meat
1/4 cup of finely diced carrots
1/4 cup of finely diced celery
1/4 cup of finely diced onions
1/4 cup of white wine
1/3 cup of parmesean cheese
3 tbs of butter
salt and pepper

Preheat Oven to 350

Dice veggies and saute in pan with butter. After translucent add wine and chicken meat and cheese. Cook until mixed together and some of the wine has evaporated. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cut zucchinis in half and hollow them out. Put zucchini flesh aside (you can cook this with wine and put back in the zucchini if you run out of filling.)

Bake in a for 45-60 minutes (depending on size of zucchinis - make sure foil and/or pan is greased properly)

Diet Desserts I Love

I have always had weight issues  - ever since I was a pudgy 10 year old girl eating almost an entire bucket of KFC in the backseat of my parents car before we got it home for dinner (true story). I love food too much - flavors both sweet and savory. Here a few treats that help me get through the day when I am in serious snack mode.

1 - Weight Watcher’s Smart Ones Chocolate Eclair Frozen Food

These are amazing snacks. 3 points each and they are so tasty. If you love eclairs get these. The only problem is that I STILL haven’t figured out the right microwave temperature. At 25 seconds (recommended on the box) there are cold spots and at 30 seconds you burn your mouth on lava creme. I wish you better luck!

 

 

2 - No Pudge Brownies

Another chocolate item but a huge winner. Even my husband likes these moist brownies (and he is NOT a chocolate fan). The batter is super thick so don’t be alarmed if it seems WAY TOO THICK. I simply puree a pint or less of raspberries/strawberries and mix them into the wet brownie mix. It gives it a delicious berry kick and adds no fat. Want to add a scrumptious antioxidant kick? Mix in a tbs of powdered acai or 1/3 cup of acai juice

Not looking to reduce ALL the fat - add cream cheese instead of yogurt with a little bit of vanilla and soymilk.

3 - Weight Watchers Peanut Butter Cookies

These are a real cookie treat to munch on with a nice cup of lemon tea. I can’t normally stop at just 1 - but at least I feel better about having 2 of them. I also dont follow their expiration dates: there I said it! Only with this product though. I’ve eaten them even 3-4 weeks after the expiration date…don’t judge me!

4 - Orville Redenbacher’s 100 Calorie Smart Pop Mini Bags

These are great salty snack thats not going to break your diet. They aren’t really what I would call ‘jazzy’ but you can make them zippy with a handful of stuff in the house. Wanna make an Italian style popcorn? Mix together some pecorino/parmesean/locatelli (whatever you have in the house), oregano, and garlic powder and add  onto the popcorn. SINFUL!

5 - Frozen Bananas

So simple but this is a great summer treat. Freeze bananas in plastic bags wrapped in parchment (so they dont stick together). If you want to make them extra yummy - dip the bananas in sugar free chocolate sauce and then freeze flat on a parchment covered flat board/pan.

6 - South Beach Living Snack Bar Delights: Whipped BerryI don’t know how ‘New’ these are (at least the box tells me they’re new) but they are delicious!!! As a child I loved the

Dark Chocolate Roman Nougat in the Russell Stovers box (you know, that yummy cherry flavored nougat one with chopped nuts inside??) and this tastes exactly like it! Except this one is 100 calories and has 5 grams of protein. Hooray!

Tomato Tarts

There is nothing simpler than a tomato tart in the summer.  If you grow tomatoes and never know what to do with your leftovers, this is a great way to use them.

4 lbs of tomatoes

4 tbs of Dijon Mustard

2/3 cup of shredded swiss cheese

1 ts. garlic powder

1/4 cup of finely chopped herbs (sage, rosemary, thyme)

1 pie crust (make your own or buy a Pillsbury pre-made)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

- Bake crust for 10 minutes, remove, and let cool

- While pie crust is cooling, slice tomatoes into slices and drain excess juice in a collander

- After crust is cool, then spread the mustard on the bottom. Evenly sprinkle the cheese top of mustard and then arrange the tomato slices in one layer (like dominos)

- Sprinkle garlic powder and herbs ontop of tomatoes and bake for 15-20 minutes

French Onion Soup

I love onions, cheese, and broth - so french onion soup has always been my perfect combination. This recipe is a huge hit in the Minchala House. My husband often goes up for thirds!

Ingredients:

2 beef marrow bones (get from butcher)

3 cups of beef broth

3 cups of white wine

2 bay leaves

7 medium onions

1 cup of sherry

salt and pepper

3 tbs butter

Put bones, broth, wine, and bay leaves in a pressure cooker and cook on high for 20 minutes. After cooked, strain liquid to remove bones/leaves and reserve.

Cut 7 onions into thick slices.  Cook butter in a large pot on medium heat until foamythen add onion slices in layers. After each layer, salt and peppers the onions - DO NOT STIR. If you keep the heat at medium they will not burn. Cook for 1 hour. Check on them every so often to make sure nothing is burning or sticking (although it shouldnt). After onions are cooked - add the beef broth and sherry. Reduce heat and simmer for another 30 minutes.

After soup is done heat broiler and place rack on top 1/3 of oven.

Pour soup into oven safe bowls and top with a slice of country bread/italian bread and slices of gruyere cheese. Place a baking sheet underneath in case of spills and heat for 1 minute (the cheese can burn easily so make sure it is not in there for too long)

Enjoy!

Fulton Stall Market Opens!

Of course I had to go to the opening day of the Fulton Stall Market at the South Street Seaport this year on May 22nd. It was a lovely 80-something degree day and I was parading around NYC with my sis-in-law Marianne. We decided to check out the market around lunch time  - figuring we’d get a bunch of stuff and eat lunch outside. We did the free taste test run throughout all the stands and then made our way backwards to purchase.

The Positives:

Sang Lee Farms had delicious veggies-to-go with ginger dipping sauces and garlic dipping sauces - note to all moms in the area: these are great snacks for young ones. The boys at the Valley Shepherd Creamery were more than generous with their samples (I’m almost positive one of them was hitting on Marianne ) and their cheese was delicious. Try the Manchego if they have it or the cheese with nettles. I had never tried nettle cheese before but it was actually pretty tasty! Bread Alone had excellent baguettes and also produced a yummy and smooth lemon/blueberry pie.

The Negatives:

Its just too small. It hardly feels like a market at all. With all the delicious food in the area, why such a small space? Plus its next to the seaport which I guess is a plus if you are a tourist but I always find it to be a bit of a drag. I’m not in LOVE with the seaport crowd and never have been. I was also a bit disappointed that Yummy Coffee only had beans to purchase. No samples. No drinks available. Its a hot Spring day in Manhattan and you can’t offer me iced coffee drink options? WHY? Maybe I’ll want to buy the beans after tasting how delicious your coffee is?! Heck - even local wineries give out taste samples…C’MON!

All in all it was a nice experience and if you are in the area - you should go….even if it’s just for the cheese boys.

http://www.fultonstallmarket.com/home.html