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Everything posted by Megan Blocker
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A bit of coverage/opinion on Gawker as well.
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eG Foodblog: Megan Blocker - Trading Pumas for Uggs
Megan Blocker replied to a topic in Food Traditions & Culture
Chinatown was supposed to be today, but I just didn't have time (or stomach capacity - this week has been a lot more food than I eat on a regular basis)...we'll see what happens tomorrow, since tonight is already planned (Degustation)! -
eG Foodblog: Megan Blocker - Trading Pumas for Uggs
Megan Blocker replied to a topic in Food Traditions & Culture
I KNEW we could get you to post! Mmmmm...porky pork pork. Swine, indeed. -
eG Foodblog: Megan Blocker - Trading Pumas for Uggs
Megan Blocker replied to a topic in Food Traditions & Culture
This is actually a cocktail that Johnder has been working on. He had brought in the jam earlier last night to get feed back form the bartenders and try it with the Los Amates Mescals. ← Go John! Sorry, I thought they'd been developing it for John...it has inspired me, I want to work on it too...though I may have to add cinnamon, since I love love love cinnamon with blueberry. -
Visiting London - Restaurant Recs Please
Megan Blocker replied to a topic in United Kingdom & Ireland: Dining
that can't be right can it? ← Septic tank = Yank ← Of course: I'd forgotten the legendary warmth of our welcome given to our transatlantic cousins. ← Dirty Yank, septic tank - my Australian friend often calls me a Seppo...I'm over it. -
eG Foodblog: Megan Blocker - Trading Pumas for Uggs
Megan Blocker replied to a topic in Food Traditions & Culture
Yeah!!!! ETA: Oops that was me (Henry). Someone keeps logging in from my computer ← I did it for you, Henry. -
eG Foodblog: Megan Blocker - Trading Pumas for Uggs
Megan Blocker replied to a topic in Food Traditions & Culture
Pommery is fabulous...we had a very interesting tour of their caves, and we learned that, after France, the UK is their biggest market. For some reason, they haven't had that kind of popularity in the U.S., but hopefully that will change... Yup, February in New York can be pretty brutal, kind of like the other side of Fortune's wheel from August, which is brutal in its own sweaty, smelly ways. But it's worth it. -
eG Foodblog: Megan Blocker - Trading Pumas for Uggs
Megan Blocker replied to a topic in Food Traditions & Culture
My goal was to get to Cafe Sabarsky early this morning for a Viennese breakfast. However, I didn't climb into bed until about 2 AM last night, and why on earth would I take a day off work and then not get any sleep??!?! So I decided to go for an early lunch instead. I took the bus across a very cold, windy East 86th Street, and arrived at the Neue Galerie, in which Cafe Sabarsky is housed. It's right on the corner of 5th and 86th; you look out on Central Park from the Cafe's dining room. I was seated at a table right next to the dessert display (evil, evil people!), and ordered the spaetzle with corn, peas and tarragon for my lunch. While I waited, I made a grocery list (I know some of you love seeing handwriting, so...this one's for you!). The atmosphere at Cafe Sabarsky is uncannily European. It smells like a cafe - that smell of food overtaken by the smell of strong coffee. It sounds like a cafe - scraping chairs, dishes and cups clanging on the marble tables, people talking and flipping through newspapers. And it looks like a cafe - waiters in long aprons and black waistcoats bustling here, there and everywhere, single diners reading at their tables in between sips of espresso. It really transported me back to my week in Prague. The spaetzle arrived and was perfect - creamy and bright, warm and satisfying - I didn't want soup, but this was a great, weather-appropriate substitute. Then, of course, I HAD to get dessert! I decided to go with the Klimttorte, a hazelnut and chocolate cake. I also ordered a Kaiser melange, fresh brewed coffee with whipped cream on top. The cake was delicious - very rich, and slightly drier and crumblier in the typical fashion of Viennese pastries. Sometimes I find that texture off-putting, but in this case, it worked really well. I walked home and am now snuggled in a blanket, where I shall remain until it's time to leave for my hair appointment at 3:00! Sigh. -
eG Foodblog: Megan Blocker - Trading Pumas for Uggs
Megan Blocker replied to a topic in Food Traditions & Culture
OMG you are going to make me wait all day for the D&Co photos!!!! mean, mean blogger ← Wendy, I decided I just couldn't do that to you! Well, really, it's just too freaking cold to wander around window-shopping till my 3 PM appointment in SoHo, so I came home after an early lunch at Cafe Sabarsky. First off, I should tell you that dinner at Momofuku was really, really good...I wanted to get the report up this morning and didn't spend a huge amount of time on commentary, but you should know that the food and the service were both top-notch, and it's a really good deal (had we eaten like human beings, rather than food-happy bloggers, dinner probably would have been around $60/person). We walked the eight blocks or so over to Death and Company...eight cooooold blocks, and, remember - I'm a native New Englander. I have cred. We were really lucky at D&Co - it was crowded when we arrived, but one of the booth/alcoves was available. It was a tight squeeze, but thanks to a little stool under the coat rack, we managed to fit all six of us around the table. And we got our own chandelier for our trouble! We ordered quite a round of drinks...of course, it was dark, so these are a little fuzzy. However, I'm sure you'll get the idea of how fabulous they were... For me, a Fancy Free: For Don, a blueberry creation (made with my favorite - Bonne Maman jam) that the bartenders have been playing with. I can't remember is Eunice or Connie ordered this - it's one of the virgin cocktails, the pineapple daiquiri! Either Eunice or Connie again, this time with the hot buttered rum...so rich and creamy. Doug had a glass of Scotch, and Gerald, the sazerac! All in all, not a bad run! -
eG Foodblog: Megan Blocker - Trading Pumas for Uggs
Megan Blocker replied to a topic in Food Traditions & Culture
All right, kids. I'm off to grab some breakfast at Cafe Sabarsky and then downtown to do some shopping. I'll see you back here in the early evening, armed with D&Co photos and a full Degustation report! -
eG Foodblog: Megan Blocker - Trading Pumas for Uggs
Megan Blocker replied to a topic in Food Traditions & Culture
So nosy, Miss Emma! I shall oblige tonight, I promise. Dinner last night was quite an event. I met up with fellow foodies (most also food bloggers) Robyn, Eunice, Don (donbert), Gerald, Connie, Doug, and Janet at Momofuku Ssam Bar for some Bo Ssam, a whole, slow-roasted pork butt served with oysters, rice, condiments, and lettuce to wrap it all up with. But first! We started with some small plates, some that we ordered and some that were very generously comped by the lovely staff. In no particular order... My beer, a red rice ale...I shamelessly copied donbert and ordered one for myself. Sea urchin with whipped tofu...Don can enlighten us a bit about this one and what's in it (my notes aren't that great, and this isn't on the online menu!). Seasonal pickles...brussels sprouts, root veggies, kimchi, and all sorts of other goodness. Mushroom salad...really, really tasty. Some radishes and mache, too! The first of the pork...Benton's ham with baguette and some smoky coffee sauce. The ham melted in your mouth... These next two were my favorites...an egg custard with black truffle, braised snails, and edamame on the bottom...such a great mix of flavors and textures. Don and BryanZ apparently have some theories about how they get it so darn smooth. Crispy brussels sprouts with chiles and fish sauce, topped with crispy rice. So good it made me want to cry. The three-terrine banh mi...even though I picked my cilantro off (I know, I know...) I really enjoyed it. Finally, the main event. Bo Ssam. Rubbed with spices, roasted to the point of falling apart...it arrived, glistening, to the table, along with pureed and whole kimchi, a ginger-scallion sauce, oysters and lettuce. We had to hold back while the NYT photographer who was there last night (apparently a review is coming out next week) snapped away for a moment. A bite, before condiments...lettuce, rice, pork, oyster. Finally, dessert...the mochi ice cream sampler with, from left to right, pistachio, guava, coconut, chocolate mint. Served with apples topped with a little grey salt. Before we left, Doug gave us all his latest obsession...jars of Sunflower Seed Butter from Trader Joe's! (Momofuku sounds dirty, but it just means "Lucky Peach.") Then it was onward...downtown to Death & Company... -
eG Foodblog: Megan Blocker - Trading Pumas for Uggs
Megan Blocker replied to a topic in Food Traditions & Culture
OK, more on tonight's dinner in the morning...today was a crazy day, what with my PC upgrade and all. Lunch was light, an avocado, tomato and cucumber sandwich and some tomato soup from Europa Cafe... Some really icky weather... Sandwich...very tasty, though premade and a little bit soggy. And, soup! Tomato with pearl pasta...warming and rich. ETA: I promise to post first thing in the AM, but must go do some work emailing now and head to bed. See you all soon! -
eG Foodblog: Megan Blocker - Trading Pumas for Uggs
Megan Blocker replied to a topic in Food Traditions & Culture
Hey, all! Just back from a pretty darn excellent evening on the town. While I work on the photos, chew on this - Grub Street mentioned Daniel and Alicia's Bite Club!!! -
eG Foodblog: Megan Blocker - Trading Pumas for Uggs
Megan Blocker replied to a topic in Food Traditions & Culture
So, I just got a phone call telling my that my laptop upgrade has been approved (yay, new computer!), and that I can have it done today. So, I'll be unavailable on the computer till late this afternoon... Tawk amongst yourselves, I'll be back! -
Visiting London - Restaurant Recs Please
Megan Blocker replied to a topic in United Kingdom & Ireland: Dining
Good point - afternoon tea! And what's cream tea? Tea focused on puddings? -
Visiting London - Restaurant Recs Please
Megan Blocker replied to a topic in United Kingdom & Ireland: Dining
You guys are so great - thanks for all this info (keep it coming!). I'm pretty open...I'd love to try some offal and/or game, so St. John's definitely appeals...will it be hard to get in? I've also heard that Asian food in London is quite good...while I'd like to avoid Indian, I'd love to try pretty much anything else. I also like the idea of doing some London-y things, like a gastropub and, obviously, fish and chips...someone on FFB's topic mentioned a fish and chips spot on Russell Square, so I figured I'd check that out. Any other suggestions? I love the idea of exploring the markets, whether I eat from there or not. Besides Borough Market, any other recommendations? Market/food hall shopping is the only kind I plan to do - I'm not going to be hitting the department stores with my wimpy little dollar-based salary. ETA: I probably need a reservation for high tea, right? -
eG Foodblog: Megan Blocker - Trading Pumas for Uggs
Megan Blocker replied to a topic in Food Traditions & Culture
Megan, you're a class act. Valentine's Day with Miss Austen is the way to go. (I spent mine with Jeeves and Wooster, which was actually a lot of fun). Have you ever read The Jane Austen Cookbook? It's collected from authentic recipes, and is quite interesting, not only in reading about the foods they served, but in its discussion of the type of service used at meals (several sequences called "removes," in which there were displays of food from which people served themselves). Interesting reading. I'll have to take a look at it again tonight, but I remember being surprised at the variety of foods therein - I think that the kitchen gardens and hothouses of the great estates provided a lot more than we'd think nowadays. Keep on blogging! I'm enjoying this very much. ← That sounds fascinating! I think I'll have to check that out of the library... Thanks! I really hated cheese as a kid (picked it off the pizza, never had it in the pasta, would gag if I had it on my burger), but I've gotten better at it. I actually seem to like the stinkier cheeses better than the milder ones - which also gels with my love of all things tangy and spicy. There's something about the weird, flat aftertaste of milder cheeses that doesn't sit well with me. I still don't like cheese by itself - I had a cheese plate in France (and enjoyed it), but I would never order one in lieu of dessert. I don't like cheese and crackers, and I REALLY don't like cheese on my sandwiches or hamburgers. My friends Miles and Hall made me come over for a cheese tasting last year...Miles is a HUGE cheese person, and they made me eat all kinds, but bribed me with tomato basil soup and a green salad. -
eG Foodblog: Megan Blocker - Trading Pumas for Uggs
Megan Blocker replied to a topic in Food Traditions & Culture
oh we know some very good nice cocktail bars in London! and this place that makes an amazing lip gloss- I know, I know but it is fab!! I'll get over to your other post soon! Happy valentine's day!! Dayne and I served mini bottles of regular POP at our wedding! it was fun to see everyone sipping out of straws and we buy them whenever we are going to travel to the beach or something now your dinner looks so good- i really wish we could have gone there when we were in town! and that is the tiniest! cognac I have ever seen ← I know, I know...I have a 10:00 AM presentation...have to be impossibly fresh. -
eG Foodblog: Megan Blocker - Trading Pumas for Uggs
Megan Blocker replied to a topic in Food Traditions & Culture
Persuasion is one of my all-time favorites...took a class in Jane Austen in college and have been devoted ever since. She's an incredible wit, completly without cheese or treacly sentiment, but still romantic. My literary soulmate, Miss Austen is. Try Pride and Prejudice....not as mature or bittersweet a book as Persuasion, but Mr. Darcy is quite dashing. Also, the movie version of Persuasion, with Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds, is excellent - you'll love it. Also fun are her depictions of food - it seems British food of the time, excepting fresh fruits/berries, were quite heavy and a bit bland. Perhaps that explains the constant berry-picking and picknicking - food enhanced by other distractions. -
eG Foodblog: Megan Blocker - Trading Pumas for Uggs
Megan Blocker replied to a topic in Food Traditions & Culture
Tomorrow promises to be an excellent day...lunch will be light, thanks to tonight's meal and also to tomorrow night's. I'm meeting a few other foodie types for the Bo Ssam at Momofuku Ssam Bar! So don't go too far if you want details... -
eG Foodblog: Megan Blocker - Trading Pumas for Uggs
Megan Blocker replied to a topic in Food Traditions & Culture
OMG, Genny is my Valentine, because she called me fascinating!!!! She wins my gold star, hands down. Thank you, Genny. I am still in the same job, essentially, though my responsibilities have grown and changed over the last year and my seniority has increased somewhat. Essentially, I work in management consulting. We have a large practice that tells people how to outsource/offshore their technology work, and about four years ago, we realized we didn't do the same - not the best way to sell your knowledge/expertise. I am part of the small team, therefore, that manages the outsourcing of our IT function. It's not at all technical (I actually got into it via recruitment for investment banking), but involves a lot of management, negotiation, finance, and legal knowledge/skills. Parts of it are really interesting, and parts make you want to cry they're so dull. Whew, enough about that! Tonight I got home, watched the episode of How I Met Your Mother from Monday night (I am marrying Ted - he is adorable), and then headed out around 7:00 for dinner down the street at Bar Etats-Unis, which is a wine bar attached to the pricier bistro. Both spaces are small and minimalist, with the focus on the food, the wine, and the cocktails. The bartender, Kate, started me off with a 175 ml bottle of Pommery's Pop Rose - I was at Pommery in October, and really enjoyed their cellar tour. You don't see their wines enough here in the States, in my opinion. I decided on a salad and the mac and cheese. Basic comfort food, elevated. The salad was the Texas wedge, with iceberg lettuce, bacon, tomatoes, ranch, and crumbled Stilton. In between courses, I chatted with the couple to my left and eavesdropped on the idiot to my right (He talked over his date and described leaving his most recent relationship as getting out of a "paradigm" - I'm a big word abuser, no doubt about it - but paradigm? To your date? Who you don't know well? Oy. Sorry, b*tchfest over.) I also read a bit of my selected literature for the evening... On Kate's recommendation, I ordered a glass of 2004 Valpolicella to go with the mac and cheese. One of the coolest things about sitting at the bar is that the kitchen is essentially right there - one prep cook makes everything, and I got to watch him combine the bechamel, parm and cheddar for my mac, and watched him whip cream by hand for my dessert. The mac and cheese was delicious - piping hot and rich. As a non-cheese person, I was very proud of ordering two cheese dishes in one sitting. I think I have to email this post to my mom. Finally, dessert. I went for the date pudding, which is served with a caramelized, boozy rum sauce and whipped cream. It reminds me of sticky toffee pudding... Before I left, Kate handed me a single white rose, which is now sitting in a bud vase on my dresser. Very sweet. A wonderful Valentine's Day. I came home and poured myself a teeny-tiny cognac, just to make sure the evening was complete... OH! And look what was on my doorstep in a DHL delivery box when I got home from work! -
eG Foodblog: Megan Blocker - Trading Pumas for Uggs
Megan Blocker replied to a topic in Food Traditions & Culture
There are egulleteers in London, you know... ← All right, just posted a topic about my trip to London - post away!!! -
Visiting London - Restaurant Recs Please
Megan Blocker replied to a topic in United Kingdom & Ireland: Dining
Hey, all! I'm headed to London (on my way back from Mumbai) for three nights (March 8, 9 and 10). I'd like to eat at some fun places...am thinking maybe one or two posher dinners, and some good lunch spots. I'm planning on doing one high tea, at either The Ritz or The Stafford (where I used to stay with my mom), and during the days will be focusing mainly on museums and churches (I was a religion major and wrote my thesis on an English mystic, but haven't been back since and would like to revel in my geek-dom a bit), while my companions will be doing a lot of shopping. Any recommendations/can't miss places? I'd rather stay away from places that have brother/sister establishments here in New York (Nobu, Gordon Ramsey, etc.). I don't want to spend more than, say, 75 GBP per person on the "fancier" meals, but I'd go up to 100 for the right place. No Indian food, please (given that I'll have been in India for a week at this point). Basically, I'm looking for a mix of high and low, and all good. We're staying at Hotel Russell (link), on Russell Square. Any recommendations? Thanks! -
eG Foodblog: Megan Blocker - Trading Pumas for Uggs
Megan Blocker replied to a topic in Food Traditions & Culture
You LUSH! I totally should have added some bourbon... -
eG Foodblog: Megan Blocker - Trading Pumas for Uggs
Megan Blocker replied to a topic in Food Traditions & Culture
I tried to order in Wu Liang Ye for lunch today, but the wait was an hour and a half (no doubt everyone else had the same idea), so I decided to venture around the corner to Fresco on the Go. The scene outside is even nastier than it was this morning...note the icy slush... Fresco is just around the corner on 52nd Street...Today Show viewers will recognize the Scottos from their appearances - they were just on the other day talking about sexy Italian food (ah, Valentine's Day and the hard news items it produces). I personally don't care for the actual restaurant, but the on-the-go place has some good sandwiches. It's a bit pricey, though - you never spend less than $10.50. Today it was packed inside, so I just got the special sandwich, which was all ready to go. Barbecued chicken and coleslaw... I also got some olive oil potato chips, half of which I handed off to an office pal. People are heading out already...apparently the roads are getting really bad. I'll probably stick around till about 5:00, then go home and get ready for single gal's (as in me, singular, not a group of us) dinner out!