Max

 Holy meatballs, Batman! We treated our friend that was visiting from out of town to dinner last night and I am STILL full from the meal. We went to Max's in the East Village. This place is straight up legit - 100% authentic. We started with the softest meatballs I have ever eaten in my life. (I devoured half of them before it dawned on me to take a photo).

 Again - I started eating before I snapped a photo. Oops. This was homemade fettuccine with duck ragu. I couldn't finish it. By this point I was already beyond full and the food coma was beginning to settle in. 

 My sous chef opted for the lasagna. In comes in it's own vessel, which keeps it piping hot, but the real magic of the dish is the noodles. They aren't the same texture of noodles that you get here in typical restaurants. I've only had the texture of this noodle in one other place in the world and it was under a bridge at a restaurant in Venice. It's really hard for me to articulate - but it's a softer texture and thicker too. Kind of like a noodle made out of mashed potatoes. I know - sounds crazy. 

 Dessert just sent me right over the edge. This was creme brulee and it was amazing. It was kind of warm still (which is my favorite way to have it).

This in front of me was chocolate souffle and behind that is a tiramisu. Oh good gracious - I only took like 2 bites. I needed to be carried home after this, but that didn't happen. I did; however, lay in bed at 9 pm and fall asleep for the entire evening. Sleep or food coma? You decide...

Brindle Room

 Went to the Brindle Room on 10th St (close to the corner of Ave A) for brunch. Mmm - this was the Parmesan grits with shrimp and a poached egg. It was unbelievable and very filling. The grits were creamy and buttery and the egg with cooked perfectly! The yolk was runny but the whites were firm.

 My sous chef got biscuits and gravy with poached eggs and little chunks of pork. He said it was pretty good - he ate it in 5 minutes.

 I washed mine down with a spicy Michelada.

Curtis and Justin washed their meals down with donuts: salted caramel and almond hazelnut.

Juicy Lucy's

I worked out with some girls and afterwords I wanted a really good pressed juiced. There's a place up on Ave A that makes their own - I didn't want one with celery or wheat grass - I wanted one that tasted more fruity so I opted for pineapple, cucumber and apple. Turns out, it's a good combo for the skin. It was delish! They have a ton of flavors - apple, beet with ginger or orange, carrot and ginger. You name it. They even have their own cute bottles. $6.50 per serving.

His and Hers Omelet

 

 This is my yummy Saturday breakfast. Doesn't it look all healthy and delicious? I think I could call this a power breakfast before a good gym workout, right? Crap. Does that mean I have to go to the gym now?

 

Start with about 1/3 cup finely chopped yellow onion and saute with 2 tsp vegetable oil. Once onions are looking a little browned add one little box of raisins (about a handful). Raisins will not need long - about a minute. When done, remove from pan and set aside on a separate plate. This is going to be a topping on our side salad.

 For two servings I used 3 large eggs and added a splash of milk, salt and pepper. Whisk it. Whisk it good.

 Now the fun part - pour it into your pan. Make sure you clean your pan out first and spray the bottom. (I was out of cooking spray so I used about a tablespoon of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Light...man, that's a lot to type out. Okay, people - from now on - I'm just saying fake butter. Take note. I digress...) Add your eggs to a hot pan on medium to low heat. Can you guess which side is mine? You can put anything in your omelet but I just used what we had already in the house: American cheese, spinach, cherry tomatoes, scallions. My sous chef was a little less adventurous with his eggs today. The tricky part is flipping this guy. Make sure to fold one side over onto the other but only do it when the egg mixture is looking firm - it will fall apart if it's still runny. Hell, this takes a lot of practice - I won't lie. If you screw it up just make it scrambled eggs. No one will know. :) Pair with a small side salad of baby arugula, fried onions and raisins and cherry tomatoes. I put fat-free balsamic on mine but put whatever you like.

If this post wasn't that interesting for you, I'm sorry. Maybe you need to see this instead.

Thai-Style Tilapia with Coconut-Curry Broth

 Winner, winner - Tilapia dinner. I think was my first attempt at curry. I know, right? Where the hell have I been? This came out AWESOME! I would highly recommend for you first time curry folks - it was very mild! Plus, with brown rice and spinach - it was pretty healthy!

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 4 shallots, finely chopped (about 3/4 cup)
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup light coconut milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus 1/4 teaspoon, plus more for seasoning
• 4 (6-ounce) pieces tilapia fillet, skin removed
• Steamed spinach*
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 2 scallions, green part only, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups cooked brown rice, for serving

Directions

*Steam or microwave 5 cups of washed baby spinach for 2 minutes

In a large saute pan, heat the oil over moderate heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the curry paste and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the chicken broth, coconut milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt and simmer until reduced to 2 cups, about 5 minutes.

Season the fish with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Arrange the fish in the pan and gently shake the pan so the fish is coated with the sauce. Cover and cook until the fish flakes easily with a fork, about 7 minutes.

Arrange a pile of steamed spinach in the bottom of 4 soup plates. Top with the fish fillets. Stir the cilantro, scallions, and lime juice into the sauce and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Ladle the sauce over the fish and serve with rice.

2009 Tres Palacios Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, Maipo Valley

Down the street from us is a sweet little wine shop called, "Discovery Wines". They used to be located further away but had to move - even better for us. They have awesome deals and a huge selection. Last night we hit up this Cabernet from Chile. The photo I took was sideways and my computer froze when I tried to rotate it, so here is a stock photo from the interwebs. Note: we had the 2009, not the 2007. Anyways, it's ruby red in color and a dry cherry, licorice and dark chocolate on the nose. It's juicy and fruity and drinks well - not too sweet at all. Want to know what the best part of this wine was? It was $10! HOLLA!

Chipotle Burgers

So, I got on FB tonight and seriously read two of my friends raving about KFC and Popeye's. We literally walked right past a Popeye's on the way home and my sous chef said, "Mmm...I want Popeye's!" But this ain't a fried chicken post - it's a burger post. The next best thing in the world of fast food. Except, I made my burgers so kudos to me!  These burgers can't be found in no Burger King or Wack Arnolds. These are Chipotle Burgers (and not like Chipotle the fast food chain) - chipotle like the pepper. The recipe was discovered by me on Epicurious and now, it's yours:

Here we go:

2 tablespoons canned chipotle chiles in adobo, including sauce

1 lb ground beef chuck

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1 teaspoon salt

4 hamburger buns

Do it:
Open any whole chipotles and discard seeds, then mince chipotles.

Mix chipotles (with sauce), beef, onion, and salt with your hands, then form mixture into 4 (3/4-inch-thick) patties.

Grill burgers on lightly oiled grill rack, turning over once, 4 minutes total for medium-rare.

 

I made mine with shredded Monterey cheese and a teeny tiny bit of ketchup on the bun. Perfection!