October 2010
16 posts
1 tag
Thank you and Goodbye Tumblr
Tumblr was great for a while, but there were too many technical problems and too many limitations, so I have migrated my blog onto Wordpress. I hope that anyone who followed me on Tumblr will continue to follow me on my URL: http://www.nycnomnom.com
Thanks for everything Tumblr. It’s been real.
8 tags
Proud to "Blog with Substance"
I was honored when Amy (from Amy Shops the Web) gave me “A Blog With Substance” award. I think it’s a fantastic way to honor the incredible blogging that goes on around the web. I’m sure there are a lot of bloggers just like me who do this entirely for fun, but secretly wish for a bit of notoriety for all the hard work. Then there are those very popular and...
8 tags
Father's Office - LA
When I asked my coworkers where I should be sure to eat lunch, a few questions later (mainly… do you like burgers? and do you like craft beer?) we were told that Father’s Office was a MUST! My coworker recommended the Santa Monica version rather than the larger LA location. We were fine with that since we wanted to check out the pier anyway.
The inside was VERY small and...
9 tags
The Original Farmers Market - Los Angeles
One thing I really enjoyed when I was last in LA was the Farmers Market. It’s a bustling set of stands in an enclosed building that is filled with energy and food. Last time I was there, I had some crazy meat from a place that I think was Brazilian… and it was AMAZING. I found that place again, however, it had a line around the corner and I was short on time. I took a quick jaunt...
3 tags
Room Service Pizza
I was fortunate to be invited out to our LA offices to meet the rest of my new work team. I had only been to LA once before, and I was at a conference and then got a great inside tour by my aunt that time, however, I was never on my own schedule. This time, I spent a week working and then extended through the holiday weekend, and Mike got to join me for his first time in LA.
One night, I was...
5 tags
(Semi)-Super Sonic
There are a number of food chains that I have seen advertised over the year but have never lived close enough to one to try it out. Falling into this category are the following: CiCi’s, Joe’s Crab Shack, and Sonic. Woo! Officially crossed off the crazy list.
Now I was totally confused. I’m a rather smart, educated, city girl and I seriously couldn’t figure out how to...
5 tags
IHOP
A trip to visit my good friend Debbie in Jersey would be incomplete without a visit to some large chain restaurant for a meal. This trip, it was IHOP.
I haven’t been to an IHOP in years… and what I remember liking most was their flavored syrups. Seeing as though I was about 14… I think my tastes have changed some. But… I was up for trying it. I also forgot that IHOP...
6 tags
Pop-Tarts World Pop-In
I heard some buzz about Pop-Tarts World opening up in Times Square, so when Mike and I had some time to kill on my birthday before seeing Million Dollar Quartet on Broadway (which was AMAZING btw), we decided to take a peak.
It’s their one and only location and it’s on 42nd street between 6th Ave and Broadway.
They had some cute features, including an on-site t-shirt maker.
...
7 tags
Market Cafe- Bumped Up
I wrote about Market Cafe previously, however, I have to update the review because I found a dish that is SO good that it makes me need to bump up the Nom Nom points.
To start, however, I must mention that while they say they open at noon, we literally stood outside the empty restaurant staring at them until about 5 after when they finally seated us.
So onto the food… The Seared Sea...
4 tags
Easy as Key Lime Pie
Another birthday… another baked good. This time it was a new adventure with Key Lime Pie.
I wanted to make sure I had a good graham cracker crust, and after much searching, I opted for one that sounded a bit different on my favorite recipe site, AllRecipes.com.
I happen to love that they sell Graham Cracker Crumbs already all crumbled in a box. I never can get the consistency exactly...
7 tags
Stone Street Tavern
Mike and I love to dine on Stone Street. It’s a (closed) cobble stone street Downtown near Wall Street that has a few restaurants with outdoor seating lined up.
We try a new place each time we are there, and this time, it was Stone Street Tavern.
Unfortunately, this experience did not start off well. There were some very rude tourists who were chain smoking at the table next to us....
5 tags
Eggplant Parm
I was hearing this kitchen “fact” about how it’s important to brine eggplant before cooking it. Some say it brings out the flavor, some say it removes the bitterness, some say it makes them sweat less (so they are less watery and… have less BO… I guess), and some say they just do it because it’s what their mama taught them.
Well… my mama taught me...
3 tags
Bonus post: Corn Salad + Sesame Blue Fin Tuna
In my quest to post every day this week to make up for my major slacking this past month, I even have a bonus post for you!
Mainly it’s bonus because Mike made it and I don’t have recipes, so you just get to “oo” and “ahh” at the pictures.
What I can tell you is that the corn salad was made a few times after this and was based on a recipe on the cover of a...
8 tags
Glass House Tavern
It will be hard to blog about this without a twinge of bitterness. I suggested a few restaurants to a friend and was unceremoniously SHOT DOWN by his boyfriend (and I believe my choice of Becco was called “pretentious.” BECCO!) Now I will try to forgive as I was warned that the boyfriend was picky, and thankfully he’s nice enough to make up for it… but BECCO?!?! ...
1 tag
Project Food Blog... No More
After Round 3 I was eliminated. I am beyond bummed, but it was fun while it lasted.
I have also been completely slacking on updating this blog, so I’m going to work on remedying that right now.
In the meantime, however, I’ll tease some pictures:
And did I mention that I made my first video blog?
Stay tuned!
17 tags
Project Food Blog #3: "Luxury Dinner Party"
I made it to Round 3! I made it to Round 3!
What a week! It was amazing to be on TV (but I didn’t plug my blog… DAMN!) and honestly, I am beyond exhausted from a weekend of perfecting the recipe and then getting up early to serve it all on live TV. It was SUCH an honor to serve my dessert to Gail Simmons (who is even nicerand down to earth than she appears!) and Johnny Iuzzini (who...
September 2010
12 posts
11 tags
1 tag
Round 2! Please vote
Thank you to everyone who voted for me in Round 1. Votes still count! So please vote me through Round 2 on Project Food Blog! Here is the link: http://www.foodbuzz.com/project_food_blog/challenges/2/view/916
And don’t forget to tune in tomorrow morning to the Wendy Williams Show to see me compete in a dessert challenge! Set your DVRs now!
15 tags
Project Food Blog #2: "The Classics"
It has been a big week for NYC Nom Nom. First, I found out that my recipe was selected to appear (with me, of course) on the Wendy Williams Show LIVE this Tuesday! I will be up against 2 other audience members in a dessert competition that will be judged by Gail Simons and Johnny Iuzzini for a Top Chef: Just Desserts segment. I am making a Double Trouble Peanut Butter Cup that was inspired by a...
3 tags
Vote for NYC Nom Nom!
If you love my blog… or just love me… or just love food… or just want to do something nice for today… VOTE FOR ME! (You have to login, but you can just use Facebook connect and then put a little red heart on my profile to vote)
If you want to know why I deserve this and why I’m awesome, my answer to challenge #1 can be found here.
Happy Nomming!
PS- If you...
3 tags
Project Food Blog #1 - "Ready, Set, Blog!"
Being a FoodBuzz Featured Publisher, it’s has been a fun ride. I really like what they do and how they support us bloggers (including a great tasting I won!) They are now embarking on a big competition to select a blogger who will be featured on the site for a year and win a $10K prize. (I was shocked when I realized I got more excited about the potential of being featured than the cash...
8 tags
Origin Thai (2) in Morristown, NJ
My sister became my hero when she donated 10 inches of her hair to Locks of Love. When we were in the area, we stopped by Origin Thai for lunch. There are two more locations in Somerville and Basking Ridge, NJ and they bill themselves as being a French/Thai fusion. I have only previously been to the Somerville location, and it was actually the first place I ever tried (and liked) Thai. It...
11 tags
Luke's Lobster- East Village
After hearing about Luke’s Lobster (we went to the one on 7th Street near 1st Ave, however, one just opened up on 81st Street near 2nd Ave) for a long time, I finally made my way there as a “last meal” at my old job.
Staring at the menu, I was really stuck. I wanted to try as much as possible, so I eventually decided on “A Taste of Maine” which included a small...
9 tags
The New Montenapo
I was completely blown away last time I went to Montenapo (in the NY Times building on 41st between 7th and 8th). So much so, that I nominated it for the #4 meal of all of 2009.
They closed down for a few months when a new owner came on board. I’m not sure what they changed, however, I was so excited that it opened back up that I ordered take out. Very expensive take out to be exact.
I...
2 tags
People's Pops on The Highline
I think that the Highline Parkis an excellent addition to NYC. I love the story… I’m sure it’s romanticized, however, from what I understand it was an abandoned railroad track that was going to be demolished before someone went up there and saw a beautiful wildflower garden and went on a crusade to turn it into a public park. It is now open from Gansevoort Street to 20th Street...
Technical Difficulties
It appears there is some bug that I have run into on Tumblr. The individual links to my latest posts are not working. If you run into any problems, my apologies. Tumblr has forwarded me onto their development team so, hopefully, it will be repaired very soon. In the meantime, you can still read all the posts, but you just can’t click on them individually.
Thanks Nommers!
18 tags
Birthday Dinner at Le Bernadin
Continuing the amazing tradition of treating each other to fantastic birthday dinners, Mike surprised me this year with a meal at Le Bernadin(on 51st Street near 7th Ave). Le Bernadin is famous for having 3 Michelin Stars and a famous chef, Eric Ripert, who did not disappoint (and was also present that night!)
It is designed simply yet elegantly, with beautiful tall flowers that filled the...
9 tags
Tuity Fruity Chicken and Corn Fritters
It is no secret that I love fruit paired with chicken/turkey/pork/scallops. We happened to have a lot of fruit that needed to be used, so we made up a Tuity Fruity Chicken and paired it with a great Weight Watchers recipe for corn fritters.
We cut up some plums, peaches, and sections of clementines and combined it with some Diet Sunkist, garlic, apricot preserves, salt, and pepper.
I...
August 2010
7 posts
7 tags
Chocolate Salty Balls
I had read about cake balls in just about every food blog I touched for a few months, so when a co-worker’s birthday came up, I had to try to make them.
The idea is that you bake a regular cake, break it up and combine it with cake frosting so it becomes a fudgy texture, roll it into balls, then dip it in melted chocolate and let them harden. What could be bad about that? I actually...
11 tags
Tir Na Nog
We met up with some family friends who were in the city from Upstate New York before a Yankees Game. We had very little time and they were coming to Penn Station. There aren’t a ton of great options near Penn Station, but Tir Na Nog (on 8th Ave at 33rd Street) has offered up some decent meals for me in the past.
First up was the quiche du jour. I can’t recall what it was, but I...
9 tags
Weight Watchers Recipe- Rosemary-Grilled Pork...
Usually dinner is planned based upon what is in the fridge that day. This day we had pork chops, yellow zucchini (not summer squash… I wonder what the difference is), and potatoes. What luck that Weight Watchers has a recipe entitled “Rosemary-Grilled Pork Chops with Potatoes and Zucchini.”
Unfortunately, NYC living does not provide us with a grill, however, our apartment...
7 tags
La Masseria - Theater District
So after the miss at Scarmella’s, Mike’s family redeemed themselves in my foodie heart when they chose La Masseria. I wasn’t expecting much as they are in the theater district (on 48th near 8th Ave), however, we walked in to a lovely setting and then it just kept getting better.
I can honestly say that I have NO idea what I ordered. I know I enjoyed it and lopped up every...
3 tags
Scaramellas - Dobbs Ferry, NY
So there are complications with writing a blog and people knowing about it. Mainly, when a review isn’t so good and it’s your boyfriend’s family that chose the location. So, in advance, I’m sorry Mike’s family!
For fathers day, we took the train to Dobbs Ferry to eat at Scaramella’s. They have a nice menu and we ordered some items that sounded quite good. ...
9 tags
Just Desserts
The one prized possession I received in what I inherited from my Grandmother (beyond the awesome furniture, jewelry, and art) is her recipe folder. There are recipes in here torn out from newspapers from decades ago and scribbled notes from friends (and friends of friends). Some of them are so stained by butter that they are nearly translucent and the ink is almost impossible to read.
I...
NYC Nom Nom is on Vacation (again)
Fear not loyal readers… I will be returning at the end of the week.
I am currently back in Maine, this time with the family. Expect more fun Maine posts soon!
July 2010
13 posts
7 tags
Chicken in Blackberry Ginger Balsamic
Our trip through Maine brought us to Fiore, a specialty shop for balsamic vinegars and olive oils. One vinegar we bought was the Blackberry Ginger variety that seemed to just scream “cook with me!” So our first meal back, that’s just what we did.
We paired it with a boxed cous cous. DELICIOUS! And sooooo easy. One reason I love balsamic is that it packs a lot of flavor, is...
26 tags
Summer 2010 NYC Restaurant Week Round-Up
I have a tenuous relationship with Restaurant Week. I’ve reviewed a few places before, and still believe that Restaurant Week in NYC is a great opportunity to fill seats in a restaurant and allow people to try the food at places they ordinarily wouldn’t want to “risk” at full price. For me, it’s great. I do a lot of client entertaining at restaurants, and I’d...
8 tags
Ajisai
Mike mentioned that a pretty new Japanese place opened up close to our apartment on 9th Avenue (at 44th Street). Upon first entering Ajisai, I fell in love with the ceiling (what is my obsession with ceiling decorations?)
We opted for a hot app: Chicken Lettuce wraps. I’m used to assembling my own, but the wedge was quite different. It didn’t work so well as a wrap, but the...
15 tags
Nom Nom Nom... All the Way Home (Portsmouth, NH &...
On our roadtrip back from Maine, we made a lunch stop in Portsmouth, NH and then did an overnight in Providence, RI. I have always loved Portsmouth, however, it started to rain heavily midway through lunch, so we didn’t have much time for sight seeing. And then Providence, RI seemed like a good idea… about midway home, in RI, known for being a lovely town… but I just....
18 tags
Nomming Thru Maine: Mid-Coast (Lincolnville,...
After Acadia, we drove back down the coast a bit to the “Midcoast” region (we were in Lincolnville, Camden, and Rockland). This is the area I was most familiar with from family vacations growing up.
There is one main street through Camden right next to the beautiful harbor (where we later took a great kayak tour). A must-stop in Camden is Cappy’s Chowder House.
...
14 tags
Nomming Thru Maine: The Stops Along the Way...
We made two stops on our Maine Roadtrip that don’t exactly fit into any of the town posts. They are the stops in the middle that make driving OH SO worth it!
A “must stop” is Moody’s Dinerin Waldoboro on Rt. 1 (you have to take the coastal route from Portland to Acadia, but it’s good enough to add a bit of travel time). Moody’s Diner began in 1927 when they...
9 tags
The Coach Stop Inn - Bar Harbor, ME
When I went up to Acadia with my best friend, Esther, about 5 years ago, we randomly found this little Bed and Breakfast on the main road before you enter the park. It was called the Coach Stop Inn and we just fell in love with this simple, quaint little Bed and Breakfast.
I knew I wanted to go back here when Mike and I were in town and had heard it was under new ownership. I was nervous that...
23 tags
Nomming thru Maine: Acadia National Park/Bar...
After planning so well for our restaurant stops in Portland, I really didn’t have many foodie plans for Bar Harbor. We mostly stumbled upon places through the week.
One night we were looking for an early bite, however, most places didn’t open up until after 5:30. One place we did find that was open was Rupununi.
We started with the “empanadas” which were unlike any...
17 tags
Nomming Thru Maine: Acadia National Park/Bar...
One of my absolute favoritist parts of my favoritist place is Acadia National Park. It’s on Mount Desert Island and it contains some of the most beautiful, serene vistas you can imagine. On the island is a little town called Bar Harbor. It is as quaint as New England towns come and is right on the beautiful harbor. At low tide, there is a sand bar that connects it to an island, and at...
24 tags
Nomming thru Maine: Portland Day 2
Our day 2 in Portland was planned to be our foodie day. We booked at 2 restaurants that were well acclaimed across the food world. Our first stop was for lunch at Five Fifty Five.
They obviously know their audience…
The first thing on the menu that struck my eye was their cinnamon bun. I think there are few things so indulgent as a stick, cinnamony, fluffy cinnamon bun. And since...
10 tags
Nomming thru Maine: Portland Day 1
I have a nostalgia for the state of Maine that is unmatched by any other place. As a family, we came up almost every other summer for many years. It is probably my favorite place on earth to visit. It holds so much history for me and I just love the beauty and whole feeling of being up there. I was very excited to finally be able to take Mike to Maine and show him my favorite vacation...
8 tags
Nomming thru Maine: Cracker Barrel
The first stop of any good road trip should always be Cracker Barrel. It’s really hard to beat the kitschy grace and cheap good food you get at these road side stops. I once famously made my dad drive about 3 hours past the starving mark just to find one. I guess I have a secret love for the good ol’ CB.
On our way up to Maine from NJ (where we rented a car) we stopped somewhere...
5 tags
Ninth Avenue International Food Festival 2010
A few weeks ago, the Ninth Avenue International Food Festival came to the neighborhood. I had heard good things, especially that they offered food that wasn’t part of the everyday street fair (they get quite repetitive). We wound up going on both Saturday and Sunday (since it was right next door) and ate our way up and down.
The fair was CROWDED and quite long (34th Street to 57th...
June 2010
12 posts
4 tags
Molten Chocolate Cakes... baked in a toaster oven
I always try to bake for my co-worker’s birthdays. I think too often we get caught up so much with work that we don’t remember that we have lives on the outside of the office. Birthdays are a damn good excuse to have something to celebrate and bring a little joy to the office. I also love any excuse to bake. When my coworker mentioned how much she LOVES molten chocolate cakes, I...
8 tags
Market Cafe
Right around the corner is a brightly lit place called Market Cafe (9th Ave between 37th and 38th) that looks slightly out of place below the Port Authority area. Hopefully, for those of us in the neighborhood, places like this will continue to pop up and take over some of the abandoned and not-so-desirable store fronts in the neighborhood. Don’t get me wrong, I love authentic, old New...