st. anselm

st. anselm

love, love, love! we checked out this tucked away little steak house last night and i can't say enough good things about it.  the vibe was laid back and casual but the guys in the kitchen could seriously throw down! everything we ordered was steeped in deep flavor and had an earthiness that only comes from the freshest ingredients.  

don't expect white linens and fancy china at st. anselm, that's not what they're about. you'll be eating on humble wood top tables and it may be a little too warm because the open kitchen is just a few feet away from where you're sitting.  it's all a part of the ambiance though and i assure you, you'll fall in love with it.  

we started with a grilled haloumi salad. i loved the brininess of the cheese combined with the pungent tang of fresh greens.  it was simple and they really celebrated the natural flavor of each of the components in the dish. for our mains, we did one of the signature steaks and bobo's chicken. i wouldn't normally do chicken at a steak place but this was seriously the best chicken i've tasted. the full body was served and it kind of looked like it was staring at me... slightly odd but i got over that very quickly after my first bite. it was moist, succulent and had a crispy skin to top it off. i don't know how they cooked this thing but kudos to the guys in the kitchen, it was top notch! as if we didn't have enough in front of us, we decided an order of the pan fried truffle mashed potatoes would be nice. wow, were they! crispy outside with a velvety smooth mash in the middle, ohh, do yourself a favor and give them a try.

last but not least, we finished up with a salted caramel pot de creme. ah-mazing.  

thank you st. anselm, we thoroughly enjoyed our meal last night!

bozu

bozu

sushi bombs and sake, anyone? yes? i've got a spot for you.  bozu is a cozy little japanese restaurant known for their extensive sake selection and infusions but just as popular for their creative take on a traditional roll; the sushi bomb.  

we were meeting our neighbor's new boyfriend for the first time this past weekend and wanted a spot that wasn't too stuffy and had an interesting menu.  bozu was a great choice! you know you're off to a good start when your sake's served in a square glass. the other 'ah-hah,' thing they do is serve you three choices of pre-wasabied soy sauce. genius, right? each had a little different intensity so everyone's happy- 

the sushi is of course very tasty but what sets bozu apart is the chef's original take on traditional japanese dishes. pork belly, mexican or spicy bombs and green tea thai flan are just a few things you may consider.  definitely do your taste buds a favor and treat your pocket book (it's not too expensive) and check out bozu for a fun night out~

good morning, sunshine

baked eggs & toast

we spent last weekend in new paltz and stayed at a cute little bed & breakfast called the arbor. nancy, the owner, was incredibly accommodating and was pretty impressive in the kitchen! i took a cue from her and made my own version of her baked eggs and served it with brooklyn's own blueberry preserves. 

fresh pico de gallo

pico de gallo

in the past month, i've been back and forth across the country, stopped in the middle a couple times, popped over to london and now finally landed myself back in sweet brooklyn.  it's monday night and without a ton of energy to whip up something fabulous, i went for simple and flavorful in my version of pico de gallo. i like mine spicy and chunky but you can play with the flavors and the dice sizes to suit your taste. this is great atop a bed of fresh spinach, fish tacos or served with a side of crispy tortilla chips.

london 2012!

wow, such an incredible experience to get to see the olympians in london this year (amongst other silly things)! the brits were lovely, travel to and from the events was seamless and we even got to sneak a peak of william and kate at the tennis match in wimbledon. of course we snuck in a few tasty bites along the way as well : ) we did one upscale, fancy lunch in mayfair and our other favorite meal was at a proper english pub with friends near hampton court palace. details on the travel page~