Balon Time No See
Balon Winebar & Bistro | 245 East 81st St. (off 2nd Ave.) | 646.641.2282 | balonwinebar.com
Mom's Restaurant
...This was a surprising success in flavors and textures; the brightened, slightly fruity pearls of molasses balanced out the slight minerality of the gizzards, parboiled to a pliable firmness and coated in crunchy cormeal breading, while still toothsome kernels of sweet corn popped among some creamy grits, accentuated by just a hint of white cheddar cheese.... [Full Post]
Star-Struck
...What I wound up with was a very tasty dish layered with the flavors of sweet, earthy butternut squash, salty, porky, pancetta, a bit of citrus to elevate the squash, some sauteed garlic for smoky sweetness, and the bitter, herbal leaves of mesclun countered nicely by the acidity of the balsamic vinegar.... [Full post]
Fruitful Options
...We cleaned our plates—no small feat since these were not small portions—and I eventually convinced Danny that he couldn't really leave without having a dessert crepe, especially with the many options for fillings, from fruit to Nutella to nuts to whipped cream to Oreos to brownies to ice cream to granola and Graham crackers. We, again, customized our own dessert crepe stuffed with fresh bananas and strawberries, and cornflakes, and topped it with drizzles of dark and white chocolate.... [Full post]
A Day in the Life of Hamburger Buns
....Two were of a kind of steak burger prep, with steak sauce, raw and fried onions, and bacon. The other two had the addition of sweet and spicy elements, making a pineapple mustard from scratch, pickling raw onions in balsamic vinegar, and two slices of crispy bacon, and kicking the whole burger up with sweet relish and hot jalapeños. All four burgers sat very nicely on four toasted hamburger buns.... [Full post]
Five Four Sixty Six, One
... Having little client work today—and not even by design—I looked forward to making it as much as a PHUDE-related day as possible, firstly affording myself a home cooked meal. I whisked some dried tarragon leaves, fresh cracked pepper, and a little salt into some eggs, and in a separate small skillet, heated some "back bacon" which are thin, rounder strips that boast a line of fat from what is the pork belly section of the pig with the much leaner oval of the loin part.... [Full post]
24/7 Food Heaven, Dude!
...Stirring two cups of heavy cream into six whisked eggs, adding a little spicy brown mustard (eff you, Dijon...!), worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, chili powder, tobasco sauce, garlic powder, salt, fresh cracked pepper, a pinch of nutmeg, stirring in two cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese and a cup of baked ham, separating the liquid base into two frozen pie shells, sprinkling another cup of shredded cheese and a few shakes of paprika and chili powder on top of each pie, and placing the pies on the middle rack of a 375°-preheated oven.... [cont.]
Quick Post | He's Got Legs
...Later, I placed the legs in a large casserole, spooning the remaining sauce on top, and placed them in a preheated oven. Meanwhile, I emptied a can of black beans into a small pot, adding some liquid smoke (available in most supermarkets), worchestshire sauce, soy sauce, sriracha sauce, brown sugar, salt and pepper, stirring them on low heat while preparing white rice.... [cont.]
First Friday Spring Morning
...Most often you'll find a sharp and/or spicy cheese accompanying roast beef; I find that it sometimes overwhelms the taste of everything else, most criminally, the beef. The brie was nice, smooth, and all "melty", with its milder flavor, which let the red peppers and scallions showcase its natural robustness, and allowing the roast beef to be the star of the sandwich with both its flavors and texture. The only seasoning throughout was salt and fresh-cracked pepper.... [cont.]
A Self-Serving Meal
...I then threw the sausage back in and deglazed the bottom of the pan with 3/4 cup of balsamic vinegar, then poured in 3 cups of chicken broth. I tossed in some chopped tomatoes, chopped scallions, and some basil, tarragon, and rosemary, first bringing the liquid to a boil, then reducing the heat to a medium low.... [Full post]
