Graduation lunch, Del Friscos

My friend graduated, this May.  To celebrate we went to lunch at Del Friscos.  My friend was trying to get there, this was the perfect opportunity.  Once seated the waitress showed us the cocktail of the day.  It was a pineapple martini.  There was a huge glass jar filled with vodka and pineapple on the bar.  She immediately ordered one, I decided to skip alcohol this afternoon.  As I perused the menu I found ‘business lunch’, perfect.  I ordered a caesar salad, salmon and a chocolate mousse for dessert.  My friend ordered lobster bisque, lobster mac and cheese, a signature dish and shrimp scampi.  Our appetizers came out first, the salad was crisp and I enjoyed the shredded cheese on it. The bisque had lobster you could actually see.  We enjoyed both.  The mac came out next, piping hot and the immediately serve it to you.  It was delicious,  the right blend of cheeses and again lobster you can see and taste.   My salmon was cooked perfectly, the edges were crispy and the seasoning was light.  The shrimp were huge, the pasta was tossed just right with sauce.  The sauce was creamy, with a touch of garlic.   They surprised my friend with a free dessert,  to acknowledge her accomplishment.  We ended up with the mousse and cheesecake!  The mousse was chocolatey and airy.  The cheesecake was rich and tasty.  I would definitely go back for dinner and drinks. 

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CRONUT!!!

I wasn’t originally going to write about it but I got a lot of questions about it.  I tried to go one evening after work, it was sold out.  They have other pastries and great looking treats, my quest was for the Cronut.  My relationship is  transitioning and it’s making me feel very sad.  To cheer myself up one morning I hopped off the train at Spring Street and joined the line for the Cronut.   I was going to be at work early had I not made this detour.  I’m calculating I have about forty minutes to get it and get to work.  Ten minutes pass, now twenty at thirty I wonder if it’ll happen. A woman behind me says ‘it’s so worth it, wait a few more minutes’.  Right after she says that an employee comes out and lets us all in, whoop, whoop!  I learned on line that there’s one flavor for the month,  February’s is Raspberry Lychee.   I’m not a fan of the cooked fruit,  I figured it’s a Cronut it’ll be different.  You are only allowed to buy two.  The lady behind me bought my other one.  I got to work with two minutes to spare.  The Cronut looks and smells amazing.  The packaging is super unique.  It was like nothing I’ve ever tasted before.  It was buttery, flaky and layered like a croissant but shaped and flavored like a donut.  Hence the name Cronut, best of both worlds.  It was just enough to bring me a bit of happiness.  I’ll be back next month for another flavor,  I can hardly wait. 

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Last minute birthday dinner, Woodland

I usually write about places relatively quickly, this not usual.  My mother’s birthday is in July, this tells how how long ago I went.  We didn’t have a place in mind, just an area. We parked on Flatbush and walked until we found a menu that peaked my mother’s interest.  She doesn’t eat meat, so there has to be a decent fish or vegetable selection.  This place is woodsy and rustic, floors, tables, chairs and even the bar.  It was hot we all ordered strawberry lemonade, made with fresh puree, makes such a difference.  Only one of us got an appetizer,  butternut squash soup.  It was flavorful and piping hot.  I ordered the charred Cornish hens with apple/fennel slaw. My mother ordered the whole branzino, with spinach. My sister had burger with truffle fries.  We ordered roasted broccoli and duck fat red bliss mash. All the sides were really good. The hens were amazing, you could taste the grill. The fish and burger were okay.  We had a few desserts,  hot apple crumb with vanilla ice cream, red velvet cupcake and beignets. The beignets were divine,  the apple crumb being served warn was a help.  Nothing about this place expect the ambiance would have me go again. My meal all in all was good, there wasn’t anything else that really grabbed me. It maybe good for a beignets and a drink after work. 

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Ice Cream Break

I love cream. I like to try different flavors from different places. Tonight we went to Ample Hills Creamery. I had the Sweet As Honey. Sweet cream ice cream with homemade honey comb candy. The candy is crunchy like a brittle. I also had Salted Crack Caramel.  Sidebar: I love anything with salted caramel. Salted butter caramel ice cream with pieces of crack cookies. They were both heavenly.  Really flavorful and creamy.  My son had the Cotton Candy. I love cotton candy, the thought of it as ice cream had my nose turned up. It tasted sweet, just like the real thing. I tried the Pistachio Squared and Coconut Fudge Sorbet. The pistachio had pistachio brittle in it. The sorbet was rich just like ice cream. It was also dairy free and vegan, wow.

I can’t wait to go back, this week, yum!!

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#foodporn #brooklyn #icecream

Birthday dinner at Buttermilk Channel

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I am always excited about birthdays. Mine and anyone’s, they are truly your day. I was really looking forward the cheddar waffle, it did not disappoint.  The cheese was just enough to taste, not over power. It was light and crispy as a waffle should be. The balsamic maple syrup was the right mix for the waffle. The chicken blew me away. I was so looking forward to waffle the chicken took a back seat in my mind.  It was moist and pipping hot.  The meal started with popovers. They were glazed in honey and they were delicious.  I ordered cornbread with chili lime butter, it was a mini loaf and really good. The butter was the right amount of tang.  I also had the house made pickles. The spears were sour and the slices were sweet and flavorful.  We had Van Leeuwen ice cream, pecan pie sundae, coffee de cream and chocolate tart with pretzel drizzle. All of the dessert were great.

The slaw served with the meal was a little dry and the peas were a little more crisp then we would have preferred.  Other than that the meal was perfect.

The ambiance was simple and created enough space for our party of seven to still be intimate.

I had a great meal, great time and I would go again.  Next time to try brunch 😉

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#foodporn #brooklyn