Home Style Con Carne

There's nothing more comforting than pasta and homemade meat sauce on a snowy wintery day. This recipe comes from my family in Italy and was passed on to me by my dad. We have been making this meat sauce for my entire life so it's nostalgic to make it here in New York. I'm using a really nice fresh egg pasta from the Italian shop inside Chelsea Market and paired it with a decent Grenache (that my wine guy recommended). I enjoy making this dish for friends so I'm finally buying a dinning table so that I can share the love before the winter is over. Amici, mangiamo!

Weather Up

Weather Up, a cute bar inTribeca, is cozy and perfect on a cold New York night. The chef from No.7 restaurant in Fort Greene is behind this little gem. It's a nice little spot to stop in to have a few unusual bites and great cocktails. I was there for a holiday party and was really impressed with both their bar snacks and cocktails. I might have just gotten lucky with a great bartender but he was very sensitive to my likes and dislikes and concocted me some wonderful drinks that sent me happily floating home...

Weather Up
159 Duane St (nr. West Broadway)
New York, NY

Post Holiday Detox

The Christmas holidays chez moi in Vancouver is full of food. From the amazing home cooked Italian meals to the endless amount of amazing asian food, it's a foodie paradise. I can't even imagine how much Italian salami and prosciutto I must have consumed in these last two weeks, never mind all the pasta... and my dad's special homemade pizza... and all the wine to go with it! It was great but also heavy on the body.

I returned to New York feeling like a detox was in order. A 2-day juice cleanse from Juice Press seems the friendliest on the bank and I've always loved their juices and appreciated their overall style. Although the packaging is hideous, lacking even the simplest sense of design, their product is solid. I'm on the last leg on my 2 days and it's Friday night which is dangerous because I'm feeling hungry and thirsty for a cocktail. Hopefully I can restrain until tomorrow morning when I plan to indulge gently in a very satisfying Morrocan brunch at the usual spot, Café Mogador.

Whistler Special: Life in The Village

One of my favourite spots in Whistler is Sushi Village. It's a kind of tradition to go there year after year. It's good sushi at a good price, which is actually the norm for sushi in Vancouver. We actually ate both nights there after waiting over an hour each time. It's always worth it though. I miss it already...

Vancouver Special: This Is Pho Real

When I fly into Vancouver, I usually head straight to Au Petit Café to eat my favourite soup in the city. The lemongrass chicken soup is to die for. My parents are even super into it.. here they are devouring their pho. They always find it funny that we're the only non-asian people in there :) Also their spring rolls are amazing!

Go West

This was one of the best brunches I've had in a while. You normally have to twist my arm to get me to go over the West Village but lately I've been pleasantly surprised. The last few restos I've been to over there have been more than okay, they've been great. And I didn't even mind the crowd this time either! It was Federico's birthday and we hadn't seen each other in a while... we had the loveliest time. We ordered our own dish and also shared the waffles. Everything was fantastic. The portions were perfect. Both eggs dishes, one with tomato sauce and the other over asparagus, were both amazing. The waffles were simple yet devine. I was really impressed. The vibe was casual but carefully considered. It was good. It really set the tone for the wonderful Sunday I was about to have. They have some great looking omelettes on the menu that I look forward to trying next time. I could definitely get used to brunching in the West Village, maybe even live there... shh, don't tell anyone.

Sant Ambroeus
259 W. 4th St. (nr. Perry St.)
New York, NY 10014

That's the Jam

A few months ago my girl (aka our Icelandic Princess) gifted me some wonderful homemade organic jam. I've been devouring it ever since so I thought I should blog about it before it was all gone! Please make me some more, I will never buy jam again I swear! The texture is so amazing, big plump blueberries with the fresh lemon taste. I've been putting it on everything... besides toast and bread, its fantastic on ice cream and plain greek yogurt. Homemade is where its at! Let's start selling it in NYC!

This Little Piggy

I finally made it try Maialino, Danny Meyers restaurant at the Gramercy Hotel. The name, which means "little piggy" in italian is good. Good enough for a simple Sunday brunch. We enjoyed a few mimosa's before hand which always helps and the service was quite good overall. The food was nice. I enjoyed my poached eggs over some winter vegetables, nice a light and quite flavourful. I need to go back and try the pasta. I'm curious because the overall brunch experience isn't very italian at all.

Maialino
2 Lexington Avenue (Gramery Hotel)
New York, NY
maialinonyc.com

Oh, Monsieur!

I finally went to Bubby's for the first time about 2 months ago. I've been wanting to go for years and just never made it around to going. Then in one week, I went three times. It's great! It has been a Tribeca staple for years. The menu is tight, the vibe is good and most importantly the food is fantastic. This was the Croque Monsieur that we ordered along with the Sour Cream Pancakes which also blew my mind. I had the most fantastic fresh grape juice that was served cold in a glass jar. Loved it.

Bubby's
120 Hudson Street
New York, NY
(212) 219-0666

Real Gelato, Non E Vero!

This is the most authentic gelato I've tasted in New York. But hey who I am? I'm not the biggest gelato connessieur in the city. I usually don't even risk it. I save myself for my yearly trips to the Italian Riviera to eat the real deal... every single night. But last weekend all that changed when my friends wanted ice cream after one of our typical epic dim sum Sundays. At first I just watched as they all happily devoured their ice creams... then I decided to treat myself to my favourite combo, limone and cioccolato together. I know it sounds weird but it's that sweet creamy mixed with the tartness of the lemon that I love. It was fantastic! The woman working the shop explained to me that they make the ice cream from scratch every morning and that their other location is in Capri. There is only this one location in New York and the other in Italy. Although I hate their branding and overall design, legit is the word.

La Cremeria
178 Mulberry St
New York, NY
(212) 226-6758