Papillon

I labeled this "Eating in NYC" but I didn't technically eat here - we had drinks. I wouldn't normally blog about this, but I have a quota to hit so in it goes!

We met up with some family friends last night for a drink. They were in NYC for the day and had reservations for dinner in Midtown, but before they dined - we had a drink and chatted about everything from how unseasonably warm it was to social faux pas. It was a lovely visit, but I digress... This place was blindly chosen by me off Goggle Maps because of it's location. Afterwards, I checked Yelp and it only had 3 stars. I figured if we showed up and it looked bad, we'd leave; however, the decor inside wasn't that bad actually. All dark hard wood - a typical Midtown after work crowd - it wasn't that bad. The drinks were good but nothing to write home about - mostly typical wines and top shelf liquors, but no fancy twists (like blue cheese in your martini). If you're looking for a place to catch up over a glass of wine in Midtown this place will suffice.

Latin-Spiced Chicken in Lettuce Cups

I got my new edition of Food and Wine magazine the other day and I saw this recipe in there and decided to make it! Thank you Bill Telepan for the recipe.

Guys - this isn't hard to do. Just mix everything up in the morning and let it sit for 4 hours. The only hard work you end up doing is chopping up all the ingredients, which isn't that hard!

Ingredients:

1. Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2. 1 tablespoon chile powder
3. 1 tablespoon dried oregano
4. 3 garlic cloves, minced
5. 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
6. 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
7. 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
8. 6 whole chicken legs (about 4 1/2 pounds)—excess fat trimmed, skin scored
9. 1 pound Savoy cabbage, finely shredded (8 cups)
10. 1/2 small red onion, very thinly sliced
11. 2 jalapeños, seeded and minced
12. 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
13. 16 large Boston lettuce leaves

1. In a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon each of salt and pepper with the chile powder, oregano, garlic, orange juice and 2 tablespoons each of the lime juice and olive oil. Put the chicken legs on a large rimmed baking sheet and coat all over with the spiced oil. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the remaining 1/4 cup each of lime juice and olive oil. Add the cabbage, onion, jalapeños and cilantro. Season the slaw with salt and pepper and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 5 hours, tossing occasionally.
3. Preheat the oven to 400°. Roast the chicken legs skin side up for about 40 minutes, until browned and cooked through. When cool enough to handle, discard the skin and bones and shred the chicken.
4. Arrange the lettuce on a platter and fill with the chicken; top with the slaw and serve.

It's a French thing...

My friend, Kurt, introduced me to a new drink last night called Kir. Traditionally it is white wine mixed with a splash of creme de cassis; however, in North America the trend of using Chambord instead of creme de cassis is on the rise. I also learned that a Kir Royale is with Champagne and Chambord. Sounds awesome, right? Well, they are! Better get on that with a quickness!

Cafecito

We hung out with friends last night and decided to order in some grub from Cafecito. They have a solid 4 stars on Yelp, and I've eaten from there several times before and was always happy with my masitas de puerco. This time I ordered the Cubano (Cuban sandwich): roast pork, fresh ham, swiss cheese, mayonnaise, mustard and dill pickles pressed on crusty cuban bread. For $9, you couldn't complain. The sandwich tasted yummy and clean - it wasn't a greasy mess. The pork was the best part - it was obviously slow cooked all day. Delish!

Eileen's Cheesecake

(photo from LunchStudio)

Eileen's Cheesecake is New York's number one spot for cheesecake. At least, according to their website it is. I mean, they are good. Eileen has been baking her cheesecakes for over 35 years so she's probably mastered it by now.

I remember bringing my parent's here on one of their first visits to NYC. I thought my dad would be stoked since he loves cheesecake so we scooped up a few of the individual sized treats and brought them home to have with coffee. If you are expecting a real cheesecake taste, the individual ones are not what you want. I think you have to spend the extra money and buy a whole cheesecake - the bigger ones might be different but I can't be sure. (I've always bought the individual sized ones). The small ones are more airy - lighter in texture, not dense like a baked cheesecake. Personally, I like these better because I don't feel like I have a pound of cake in my belly afterwards. I'm not sure if my parents thought they were the #1 NY cheesecake, but they were delicious nonetheless.

Oh, I ordered my cheesecake on impulse last night from MaxDelivery. Convenience never tasted so good. Diet? What diet? Oops.

Schiller's Liquor Bar

Met my gals for brunch the other day at Schiller's and it did not disappoint. The first time I ate here with my husband we ate dinner. I'm not sure what our entrees were but I remembered we had the garlic shrimp as an app and a few years later that dish was featured on the hit TV series "The Best Thing I Ever Ate". That's right - I ate it BEFORE it was on TV! If you haven't had it yet and you like garlic, shrimp and olive oil you need to go get it. Anyways, I didn't get the shrimp this time - I got the Croque Madame. And yes, it's just as good as the one I ate in Paris. The bread is a nice hearty slice topped with salty thin sliced ham, that creamy sauce and then it's topped with gooey cheese and a fried egg. Schiller's pairs it with a simple salad of greens. With a hot coffee, it's easily one of my perfect meals.

Slow Cooker: Turkey and Bean Beer Chili

Left over Coors Light, you DO serve a purpose!

• vegetable oil spray
• 1 package of lean ground turkey (about 1.5 lbs.)
• 1 tbsp minced onion
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 large can tomatoes in puree
• 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce
• 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup of beer
• 1/2 c stalks celery, chopped
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 dash liquid smoke flavoring, or to taste
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 envelope commercial chili mix

Directions:

Spray cooking spray in a large kettle or Dutch oven. Brown ground turkey. While turkey is cooking add minced onion, cumin, garlic, brown sugar, salt, pepper and paprika. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 2 1/2 hours or more on very low heat. Can also be cooked in the crock pot, after the ground turkey has been browned. Top with grated cheese (Mozzarella, cheddar, or Monterrey Jack), sour cream, chopped scallions, etc.