NYC Tastes

Mother's Day is this Sunday which is always the perfect excuse to officially kick off Rose season. Soon the sun will be shining bright, people will start getting Hampton ready and that pretty pink drink will be in glasses everywhere.  With the liquor stores stocking so many roses this time of year finding the perfect one can be tough.  I could suggest you just join the masses and bring Whispering Angel to every party but why do that when there’s so many great local rose producers right here in New York.   Here are my picks for a few delicious, local summer suppers sure to please Mom: Wolffer Estate- Summer in a Bottle Nothing sends out summer vibes more than Wolffer Estate's Summer in a Bottle.  This incredible wine is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay and Gewurztraminer giving it juicy, ripe flavors of peaches, pear and melon with a long elegant finish.  This wine is absolutely bursting with fruity goodness and the bottle design is s...

I was super sad when one of my favorite couples moved from their apartment one block away all the way out to Rockville Centre.  I mean who freaking leaves Manhattan!  The apartments are huge, public transportation is awesome; it's the perfect place to raise a bunch of kids. (sigh) Of course I love the city but there is something to be said about Long Island life.  People actually own houses...with things called basements and attics.  There are big yards with grills for BBQing and some classic old school clam bars churning out AMAZING seafood like Bigelows. This circular lunch counter has been serving up two types of clams since 1939; plump Ipswich clam bellies or clam strips which happen to be Mr. T's favorite.  It's impossible to find strips in the city and these were perfect- light on the batter, fried a perfect golden brown with no grease- delicious! I highly suggest adding on the rich chunky Clam Chowder studded with a TON of clams along with the deli...

There's little in life I enjoy more than a long leisurely lunch with friends and my favorite one yet just occurred at Maroni's in Northport Long Island. This cozy little restaurant pretty much defines the term "quirky".  The 20 seat space felt like both a smoky cafe in Paris and an Italian mothers kitchen with a smattering of rock band memorabilia adorning the walls to confuse patrons even more.  I still don't understand the idea behind the decor but somehow during the meal I learned to love the eclectic setting. Maroni's serves strictly a chef's tasting menu, no a la carte.  Simply state any allergies or special requests and sit back for about 25 small courses to be brought to the table one by one.  Our meal began with thick slices of bacon topped with Peter Luger sauce, a Brussels Sprout Cesar Salad, Shrimp Scampi and an incredible Sea Bass Scallopini tossed with breadcrumbs and lemon. A delicious array of Tuna Tartare & Spicy ...

We took the train to Northport last week for an amazing visit with friends that included lunch at Maroni's (pictures to come next week) and drinks at brand new Sand City Brewery.  This cozy little spot hidden right off the Main Street is churning out some excellent beers. We tried just about everything on the list that day including the Close Talker IPA, South Down Breakfast Stout, Red Sound Amber and the Sonder Pale Ale. The South Down tasted incredibly similar to a Founders Breakfast Stout with an amazing coffee nose and deep silky body with lots of coffee and chocolate.  The Sonder was a solid juicy pale ale and the Close Talker was so fresh and citrusy we grabbed a growler for the train ride home.  Even the tasting flight vessel was well done with deep wooden holes for keeping the beer from spilling and small goblets for catching the best aroma from each brew.  The tasting room room was jam packed when we visited with a nice mix of family and friends creati...

If I had to pick my two favorite places from the Shelter Island it would easily be Croteaux and the Ram's Head.   This sprawling Inn was absolutely gorgeous with an elegant yet rustic interior and a big spacious lawn outside perfect for playing croquet, sipping some wine or simply relaxing. We came for dinner one evening and I began with the Tuna Cocktail; a fruity blend of mango salsa and avocado dressed with a fresh ginger-coconut marinade. Onto entrees I choose the Blackened Swordfish with mashed plantains.  Both of these seafood dishes were exquisite.  I loved the tropical ingredients chef used with each dish.  It truly made me feel like I was on an island far away, much less New York State... ...with that gorgeous back patio overlooking the harbor it was way too easy to pretend :) The Ram's Head Inn 108 Ram's Island Drive Shelter Island, NY 11965

I'm skipping New Brew Friday this week in honer of my summertime favorite Rose.  Mr. T and I spent a weekend with friends out in Shelter Island this summer and we kicked things off with a trip to Croteaux Vineyards in the Southold; the only vineyard in the United States dedicated to producing exclusively Rose wines. I find most winery's to be beautiful but this place was absolutely stunning.  The tasting room was located in a 1800's Carriage House that opened onto a small courtyard filled with bright orange umbrellas, lush green plants and a large Cedar tree in the center.  All of the wait staff wore these long flowing dresses that just evoked an intense feeling of relaxation.  Croteaux is also one of the few wineries that don't allow any buses or limos so no need to worry about those loud bachelorette parties either. Croteaux offers tastings of six still roses or three sparkling.  We ended up doing both and they all fit their motto of "Rose on Purpose"; ...

We spent a long weekend in Long Island last month, celebrating the marriage of two of our close friends in Greenport.  The first night we toured the town stopping first at  Greenport Brewing Company  for a flight of beers, then over to  The Frisky Oyster  for a cocktail or two before finally settling down for dinner at Noah's.  Being that it was the height of scallop season we started with the special that day, crispy Scallop Croquettes studded with sea salt and pickled veggies... ...followed by an incredible Scallop Ceviche tossed in a bright citrus yuzu with spicy chilies. And it just wouldn't be a trip to the North Fork without having at least a few local oysters like the big, creamy Bluepoint and rich Widow's Hole. We rounded out the meal with the Local Seafood Bouillabaisse filled with shrimp, clams, scallops and mussels in a fragrant saffron fennel broth. It was an incredible seafood feast perfect for kicking off the weekend festiv...

My friends were out in Rockville Centre so I requested some regional specialties from the island- Front Street Bakery delights! This box had everything  I wanted and more.  Thick, fudgy Rainbow Cookies with layers of raspberry jam, creamy Black and Whites with just the right icing to cookie ratio and mini Dot cookies that reminded me exactly of the sugar cookies my Uncle Walter used to make at his bakery growing up.  Even more famous than the cookies at Front Street Bakery is their Crumb Cake. Look at the fluffy layers of dough in this thing... ...it was soft and eggy with more crumb topping than I've seen on a coffee cake in my life.  Is you're a crumble fan this cake is for you.  Delicious regional delights from Long Island! Front Street Bakery

Our Greenport weekend continued with a full day of wine tasting.  We started out at Shinn Estate where we had a great table right inside the winery. Then it was onto Lenz for a tasting outside among the trees.  We brought along some great cheese and meat for snacking but a proper lunch was much in need for all the wine tasting.  Luckily the North Fork Food Truck was right along our route. The truck looks more like a mini bus with painted wheels and a colorful chalkboard menu out front.  Everything sounded so good I wish I could have tried one of each item.  Finally Mr. T and I decided to split two of the specials.  The first a sliced McCall Ranch Grass Fed Steak Sandwich with crispy shallots, arugula and roasted garlic-herb vinaigrette. They must have soaked the meat in a little au jus before serving because it was incredibly moist and the ciabatta was surprisingly fresh ba...

Man October has been a whirlwind of activity already!  It began with a great weekend of friends and food out in Greenport. We arrived Friday evening and made our first stop at Greenport Brewery for a delicious flight of beers.  Then it was onto dinner at the North Fork Oyster Company. The place was almost empty inside since tourist season is over but perfect for us because oyster season was in full swing. We ordered an array of Montauk, Port Jeff and Virginia Oysters.  These were so crisp and sweet I almost asked for another dozen just for myself.  For the non-oysters lovers Flash Fried Local Calamari with a delicious smoked paprika aioli. And we continued the local trend with a Beet Salad.  Obviously the Greenport beets were incredibly fresh but the toasted pistachio and feta topping really made this dish stand out.  I can't wait to hit up the green-market and recreate this dish at home. ...

My parents were visiting for a few days and we tried to jam pack as much as we could into the short trip. The first day we drove out to Long Island and visited a few of the wineries out in Southampton. Our first stop was Duckwalk where most of the wines we tired were on the sweeter side but everything was quite enjoyable. Our next stop was at Channing Daughters- a winery I was very excited about since I’ve enjoyed their wines in multiple restaurants in NYC. The wines were definitely still tasty and the wood carvings throughout the store were beautiful but our wine pourer was absolutely awful. We happened to be the only customers at the time and she made it quite obvious that she wasn’t happy we were there. She didn’t smile once and hardly even gave us a description of the wines until I prompted her to do so. Her attitude made the whole tasting very uncomfortable and I was so angry and put off I decided against buying any bottles. Too bad since I was planning on stocking up t...