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Meat the Vegetarian

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Category Archives: Restaurant

January 30, 2012 FnB – Go. Now.

FnB is one of the best restaurants I have ever been to.  EVER.  And I have been to some fantastic restaurants.  Let me tell you – it was awesome.

I loved the relaxed atmosphere.  There is an open kitchen in the center of the restaurant with a bar set up around it.  Max and I ate at the “bar”; we loved it so much, we made reservations for the next night too!    Max also is a little mad I am letting this secret out – because with the way the food tastes and the friendly service, I could see this place booking up months in advance.

1) You have to get the Braised Leeks.  This dish has won awards – and may be the best thing I have ever ate.  Braised Leeks, Mozzarella, Mustard Bread Crumbs, and  a Fried Egg.  Max got this as an appetizer the first night, and I got it as my main dish the second night.  (The portions outside of NYC are usually HUGE for me.  I left stuffed even though I ordered two appetizers instead of an appetizer and an entre.)  Long story short – you MUST get this dish.

2)  Fried Green Tomatoes.  I had these as my main dish the first night, and Max had them as an appetizer the second night. They were served with greens and feta.  They knocked my socks off.

3) Falafel… Some of the best I’ve had…

4) Cheese and Nut Bread.  It came with dates and apricot compote.  The apricot compote was fantastic – I don’t even like apricots.  This is the dish I had as an appetizer the second night.  It was really yummy, and probably the smallest (still not small) dish on the menu – which meant I wasn’t too full for the leeks!

5) Roast Jidori Chicken – served with spaetzle.  Max said this was AWESOME.  It looked and smelled yummy.  But, I have no concept.

6) The Steak.  It was really big and it looked good.  But, Max had this the second night, and I was way too into my leeks to remember anything else about it.

7) The first night we were too full for dessert.  The second night we saved room (as best we could), because we kept watching the butterscotch pudding being made and then served.  It looked WAY TOO GOOD to pass up.  Butterscotch pudding, whipped cream, and a little nutmeg sprinkled on top.  Perfect ending to a perfect meal.

We paired all of this with a local wine, called Dos Cabezas.   Umm, FANTASTIC.  The winery is further south than we were, so we couldn’t make it there this time…  Next time, we HAVE to go there.  It was pretty cheap too – especially compared to NYC prices!

Bottom Line:  Get your ass to FnB.  I don’t care if you have to fly there.  If you have no other reason to go to Scottsdale, go just for FnB.

(PS – it TOTALLY makes sense that the Chef had a restaurant in NYC before moving to AZ – just sayin’.)

Interesting Links:

http://fnbrestaurant.com/

http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/10-best-restaurant-dishes-of-2010

http://www.doscabezaswinery.com/tasting-room.html

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January 3, 2012 Tamrind

If you can’t tell, I LOVE Indian food.  Max introduced me to it – I was very hesitant, at first.  As a vegetarian, it is so easy to fall in love with Indian food.  I love that I can go to a restaurant and I have choices.  I can order off the menu!!  I was nervous when I first tried Indian, though.  I was nervous because I have a very sensitive stomach.  Indian cuisine is the only cuisine that has NEVER bothered my stomach!!  Myth Busted.

So, for Max’s parents’ anniversary, he decided to take them to a fancy Indian restaurant, called Tamrind.  Spoiler Alert:  the food blew my mind.  Because it was such an upscale place, I decided to deviate from my normal Paneer Tika Masala (cheese cubes, like tofu almost, in tomato sauce) and I went with Pudine Wala Paneer, which was cheese marinated in yogurt, fresh mint, coriander, garam masala, and green chilies.  I couldn’t even pay attention to what anyone else had (it was all meat, all done perfectly, and everyone loved their’s), mine was so good.  It was a little pricey, though – it as priced like a good Italian restaurant.

Tamrind is easily in my top 5 favorite Indian Restaurants…. it might even be number 1.

http://www.tamarinde22.com/flatiron/home.html

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January 1, 2012 Kati Roll After a Drive to the City

After Christmas, I was lucky enough to have my mom drive me in to the City.  After last year, I wasn’t going to try to take the train, again.  Last year, I decided I was only going to suffer once, and I was going to load up all my crap and bring it in at once on the train.  Well, I suffered.  I had a bazillion bags, and almost immediately, one of the handles broke.  The train was so packed, the conductor had to help me find a seat… which happened to be right across the aisle from a kid who made high school horrible for me.  (I pretended I didn’t see him.) When I got to NYC, it was SNOWING.  I had to wait in a cab line, which I NEVER do.  My bags got so filled with snow, the bottoms blew out.  I got home and I felt like crying.  So, this year, mom felt bad and drove me in.

When we go in to the City, and got all my wonderful presents up stairs, we felt like a snack.  It was too early to call it dinner and too late to call it lunch.  We went to Kati Roll (more formally called “The Kati Roll Company”), and got 3 rolls.  They are pretty small.  Generally, when I go I get two rolls for dinner (each roll is $5.50 or 2 for $10), but for a man appetite I would suggest starting with two, you always have the option of getting a third.  No matter how many rolls you get, it is still a good value for your money.

It was packed.  We were surprised at how many Indian families were in the restaurant.  For me, it is always a good sign when people of that ethnicity are eating at an ethnic restaurant.  I thought Kati Roll was delicious, but I was glad to see my thought validated by the crowd!  I had an Achari Paneer Roll and Mom had a Chana Masala Roll.  We split another paneer roll.  It was so yummy!

Check out their site: http://www.thekatirollcompany.com/

Thank God Mom drove me in and fed me!!  She is the best.

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December 12, 2011 Bethlehem: Chistmas City Market and Christmas City Beer

This weekend, I went to Christkindlmartkt in Bethlehem, PA.  I have gone to this market for years, but this year they moved to a different location within Bethlehem, called The Stacks.  The Stacks are part of the revitalization project of Bethlehem Steel, and I have to say, I was incredibly pleased with the progress of that the Sands and ArtsQuest have made.

The Christmas Market was more spread out this year, which was great.  We were able to see all of the vendors, both old and new favorites, without running into the other meandering patrons.  The cost for 3 people to get into the Market came to $24, but my grandmother had a coupon for $1 off per person.  I think it was worth it.  They had all sorts of artists and artisans with original work for sale, which make really great Christmas presents!  New to the market this year, and perhaps my favorite vendor of all, a woman was making hand rolled, homemade, hot, delicious pretzels.  I have never tasted anything like this!!  The pretzel was so good, I could barely take a picture before it was gone!

After an exhausting morning of shopping, my mom, grandmother, and I all plopped down at Brew Works, on the North Side.  Nan and Mom each got a burger, and I tried their new veggie burger.  Not bad for a veggie burger- it was mostly lentils.  Still, Brew Works is a great choice for a vegetarian in PA, as you are usually limited to Mozzarella Sticks (or “Fried Cheese, as some places call it) and French Fries.  But, the best part about Brew Works is the Beer.  Mom had a pumpkin ale, which was pretty awesome.  I had the Rude Elf, their Holiday Brew.  It is a really STRONG ale with nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove flavors.  I got a growler on the way out… Along with the Beer and Cheese soup for Max- it’s his favorite.

I highly recommend a day in Christmas City!!

http://www.artsquest.org/christkindlmarkt/
http://www.christmascity.org/
http://www.thebrewworks.com/bethlehem-brew-works/
http://www.thebrewworks.com/brews/seasonal-beers/rude-elfs-reserve/

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November 1, 2011 Dovetail: A Very Happy Birthday to Me

I cannot begin to get over the meal that I was treated to at Dovetail.  This 9 course culinary treasure was the best meal I have ever had.  Dovetail is my favorite restaurant in NYC.

As a birthday present to me, a wonderful dude took me to Dovetail.  We had two bottles of fantastic wine, and 9 courses of perfection.  The fact that anyone is daring enough to make a 9 course veggie meal is amazing to begin with.  The idea that it was possibly more amazing than the meat tasting is just unheard of. 

We both started our meals with a brussels sprout salad, followed by roasted brussels sprouts.  While the first two courses were brussels sprout heavy, they were so delicious and perfectly done that I was in love.  These were not your grandma’s brussels sprouts.

Some of the highlights, also known as I have no idea what my favorite was:

-Turnip Ceviche… who would have thought this vegan preparation of turnips would rock my world. There was the perfect amount of citrus to bring out the sweet flavor of the turnips, and the quinoa was super yummy.
-Four Potatoes Done Four Ways… This was an item that was not even on the menu, added in just for my tasting.  I can’t tell you what exactly each potato was and how it was cooked, but I know there was an heirloom potato and a sweet potato; one potato was fried, another boiled, and another baked.  They were laid in a pillow of some sort of creme fresh/sour cream hybrid.  I will dream about these potatoes for a lifetime.
-Gnudi… The Gnudi… they are well-known for this dish and rightfully so.  This were fluffy delights of yummy.  Broccoli, chanterelles, and winter truffles… MWAH! Perfection. 

There were so many delicious courses, including DESSERT: roasted figs and granny smith apple sorbet.  It was the perfect ending to my meal.  I can’t get the taste of the sorbet out of my mind.

Here is Dovetail’s website:
http://dovetailnyc.com/

You can see what Max ate on their tasting menu– he said it was all positively delicious, but some of my courses were the best of the night!!  Who knew a devoted meat-eater would favor veggie dishes.

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