Thoughts, inspiration and stories from an Australian foodie in California

Friday, December 10, 2010

Fall in New York


We escaped the monotonous grey-ness of Bakersfield, and spent Thanksgiving weekend in New York. Even though it was cold, grey and there was a little sprinkling of rain - there is something uplifting about winter in New York. Wandering around Union Square, I loved the Union Square Farmer's Market - we enjoyed crispy apples with so many varieties to choose from, and delicious, smooth and tangy yogurt drinks. Just enjoying the variety, diversity and freshness of the market was incredible.

The thing I love about New York is the little places you stumble upon that are so unique and interesting. While we were freezing near Union Square - we searched for a place to get coffee - and came upon Joe The Art of Coffee. They had smooth, divine coffee and fantastic rugelah - definitely somewhere I'd seek out again. Nothing beats the cold like a fresh cup of hot coffee!

The highlight of the trip was - Mario Batali! We had dinner at Babbo - which was incredible as always. The most surprising dish was the lamb's brain ravioli - not much choice, but definitely something I would choose again. The ravioli was very subtle, smooth and creamy - almost melt in your mouth. It was served in butter and sage - and transported me to another place! At Babbo we read about Batali's other establishments - including the Italian marketplace 'Eataly'. Wow - this market is huge, with an amazing array of Italian products, but also a lot of fresh food, such as a cheese counter, bakery, patisserie, seafood counter, fruit and vegetable array and meat counter. The unique aspect was the array of food that was served as small tables, or high bar styles tables at various areas in the market. We stopped at the cheese counter and enjoyed Prosecco and a cheese board on a Saturday evening - it was a great way to top off a day's shopping in Manhattan. What I found interesting on the cheese board, was the accompaniment of preserved orange slices which was recommended with the ricotta - served together on bread slices - it was smooth and creamy, with the sweet/sour combination of the orange cutting through the creaminess of the ricotta - mmmm.

The other highlight was Balaboosta, a Moroccan restaurant in Soho. We stopped there for lunch on Saturday, and it wasn't crowded, a very warm and inviting wood decorated restaurant. The menu was interesting - we enjoyed the Shakshouka - spicy tomato sauce, with lamb sausage and swiss chard, baked in a clay dish with two poached eggs on top - it was warm, with a spicy aroma - the ultimate in comfort food. I'm going to seek out a recipe and try my own version of Shakshouka at home.