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Liz Johnson

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    Restaurant recommendations for White Plains?

    in New York: Dining

    Posted

    My thanks to all for the feedback.

    Liz, thanks for the link on Tango Grill -- it looks interesting.  You mention that you didn't order correctly when you were there.  May I ask details (what you ordered, the problems with it)?

    Also, curious about more info on Trotters -- what cuisine, etc.  Assuming that it has nothing to do with the erstwhile Charlie Trotter??

    I can't remember exactly about Tango Grill. I wasn't working (for once) so I didn't take notes. I think I had a pasta and it wasn't as good as my husband's steak. The best dish at our table was a chicken piccata-type dish... breaded chicken pounded and pan fried — something I never, ever order. But it was delicious. There's a fancy flambeed dessert there but I don't remember it being special. I guess my advice would be to stick with old fashioned classics instead of modern-sounding dishes.

    Trotters is named for the owner's interest in horse racing. It's hard to describe the food there except to say that it's very well thought out and executed. It just works. There's some Portuguese and Italian influence on the menu, but saying that doesn't do the food justice. I highly recommend the pork dish. I think it's served with chorizo and cockles.

    Here's a link to my paper's review.

    They also have an ambitious wine program, and they offer a cool deal where you they group four wines by the glass for a set price and you can have unlimited amounts of any of the four, ie: one glass filled twice and three other glasses; one glass of each; two glasses of two... whatever.

    If you're in the mood for some real "Momma" style Italion tratoria, you can't beat La Mandas (on Mamaroneck Ave). I'll stick to my claim that they have THE best pizza pie in NY, and an unbeatable Chicken Scarapielo to boot.

    I like this place for the nostalgia. It's been open since the '40s.

    Blue - White Plains

    in New York: Dining

    Posted

    Was it just chopped or pureed like pesto?

    No, it was just like a regular mojito, but with basil. It was muddled in the bottom of the glass with lime juice and then the rest of the drink was built on top.

    I was/am a sucker for the blackcurrant Cosmo.

    MMM those were good. I recently had the rhubarb cosmo, too, and it was great.

    Blue - White Plains

    in New York: Dining

    Posted

    Hmm. Because Blue was on my mind, I went there for a drink with a colleague. No mint, so no mojito. I asked if they could make it with basil instead, but no go. Then they said they didn't have the NZ sauvignon blanc that was on the menu, so I chose the pinot noir. They brought me the sauv. Weird. Thank goodness my friend was drinking whiskey. Sorry I can't report on the food.

    Blue - White Plains

    in New York: Dining

    Posted

    True. They may not be getting their produce locally. But their supplier is probably getting asparagus a little further south where it is in season. Nyack's first farmers market is Thursday so I'll let you know!

    Blue - White Plains

    in New York: Dining

    Posted

    I'd heard that was good, too, but didn't order it because of the season.

    I'm sorry... what do you mean?

    I'm just guessing, and wouldn't want to speak for anyone else, since I haven't been in White Plains recently, but there is a school of thought that fresh foods that were once seasonal such as asparagus, might actually be better if they were still seasonal, and not shipped in from Mexico, Chile, or California. If you wait a few weeks, you could order it and ask whether they have a local supplier.

    asparagus are currently in season around here..

    Yes, that was my point. They are in season.

    eG Foodblog: Monica Bhide - Thoughts without a thinker

    in Food Traditions & Culture

    Posted

    I love champagne mangoes -- they are long and slender, with a yellow skin like bananas.  They are fragrant and always sweet, and never tart , even close to the seed.  I can't always suck on the seed with other types of mangoes.

    I love the champagne mangoes, too. As sweet as I've ever found here.

    I used to hold events at Whole Foods and here is how we served it -

    What kind of events did you hold?

    This is fun reading. And your photos of St. John's are amazing. I'm so envious! When were you there? For how long?

    The proliferation of the Fauxtini

    in Spirits & Cocktails

    Posted · Edited by Liz Johnson (log)

    I used to "politely correct" people — as drinkboy puts it — that the proper name is "cocktail" when I was writing a weekly cocktail column. And when people made the effort to invent names for their creations instead of adding 'tini' to the end of a flavor — I always lavished praise.

    But after while, I decided drinking sweet drinks out of cocktail glasses and calling them something-tinis is really no different of an introdcution to the world of cocktails than white zinfandel is to the world of wine. It's an starting-point, and it gets people curious.

    We should encourage curiousity, not squash it with snootiness.

    Make and Take

    in Cooking

    Posted · Edited by Liz Johnson (log)

    Great piece, Liz. 

    Thank you!

    and I hate having to make appointments.

    I neglected to mention in the article that they do "walk-in Wednesdays" from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

    I'm very interested in where the food is coming from that is being used, 

    I think people in Westchester are aware of such things. After all, it's right near an organic grocer.

      The quality is much better than frozen dinners from the grocery, and so is the selection, since the menu changes from month to month.

    This is key. IMO, this is why these places will work. It's better than the frozen food from the grocery.

      And I came away with ideas about how to do my own make-ahead dishes with my own recipes. 

    :wink:

    but I accomplish this by making things ahead.  I do desserts and breads on the weekend, along with soups, stews, sauces...anything that benefits by keeping for a day or two.  Lots of things, I take to the almost done stage and then store it.  I just raise the dough, prep the veg and simmer the sauces in between other weekend chores.  ...  I like to use my own recipes and kitchen. 

    Catherine

    :wink: :wink:

    Make and Take

    in Cooking

    Posted

    Hi Angela,

    Thanks for reading!

    Yes, you make it up there and then take it home to freeze, then cook. (You could also cook one that night without freezing it.) And it's only an entree. You stick a little label on top of the carton that has cooking instructions, and this label also offers advice for sides: ie, salad, green beans, potatoes, etc.

    Liz

    Make and Take

    in Cooking

    Posted

    Laundromats caught on.

    :laugh:

    I hadn't thought about that. My editor compared it to the build-a-bear stores... it's *like* you're making it yourself, but you're really not.

    Make and Take

    in Cooking

    Posted

    I can't say I fully get the concept... is the prepwork for cooking that much a pain?  When you add in the time it would take to drive out to this place, or stop off on your way home from work, I can't see it saving much if any time over dropping by the grocery store and doing the prep yourself. 

    I think what SK says below is the key to this. People are afraid of cooking.

    I think you're underestimating the fear and dread that noncooks hold for the prepping process. Their knife skills suck, they don't understand how to weigh and measure - heck, they sometimes can't even decide what to make in the first place.

    A friend of mine sent me the link to dream dinners because she thought it would be a perfect for me to start something like this where I live.

    I think its a fab idea, although I wouldnt like it because I love to cook.  However, I could totally see people who really didnt enjoy cooking going for something like that.    I believe they also push the "social aspect" of it too.  Bring a bunch of girlfriends and gab away while making take and bake dinners.

    This is right on. It's not for people who like to cook. And for the first time, people go together either because they're nervous or because they want to make it social. But afterward, they realize that they can get in-and-out a lot faster without gabbing with their friends, and they start to do it alone.

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