Hearth

Last night Curtis and I went on a fancy date to Hearth. The creators of Hearth are Marco Canora and Paul Grieco.

Marco used to work with Tom Colicchio at Gramercy Tavern. He left the Tavern to work at La Cucina, but when he returned he was made the night time sous chef. He then worked with Colicchio to create a new restaurant and was under the helm of creating Craft. Paul Grieco was the Assistant GM of Gramercy Tavern. He joined forces with Marco and together they created Hearth.

The Hearth philosophy is a commitment to not only good food, but hospitality.
This is the Hearth Manifesto (above). And their website goes on to explain the difference between hospitality and good service:

"While some may confuse hospitality with good service, they are vitally different. Good service ensures that food arrives on time, that one has the correct flatware with which to eat one's meal, that finished plates are cleared properly and discreetly, that an appropriate glass is offered to enjoy the wine, and finally that the check arrives when asked for and that it is correct. While correct service will be offered, it will not supplant hospitality. Hospitality ensures that ALL the needs of the guest have been met and exceeded."

Curtis and I both agreed that they are very hospitable. Our water glasses never ran empty, our bread plate was never bare. The wait staff was friendly and knowledgeable and on point. We had the tasting menu called "Cucina Povera", which is an Italian phrase referencing humble cooking. It started off with Marco's Ribollita, which is a warm stew with black cabbage, white beans and Parmesan. It was a hearty winter dish. We did the wine pairing with the tasting menu. This course was accompanied by a glass of Asprinio di Aversa, Villa Carafa, 2006,Campania. It was a golden white wine that was crisp and juicy. The aroma of apples were delightful and pleasant on the finish as well. We were both surprised, considering we rarely drink white. Plus, the color was so golden I thought it would be too sweet--but it wasn't. It was just right!

The main course was a braised lamb shank with polenta and gremolata. This was a real pleaser. It was well cooked and super tender. I ate mine with a fork! This came with a glass of Monastrell, M3, Vinos Sin-Ley, 2006, La Mancha. It complimented the smokiness of the meat very well. I can't rave enough about how good this was.

For dessert we had the Hazelnut Budino with real whipped cream and candied hazelnuts. The wine that came with this was Moscatel, Emilin, Emilio Lustau, NV, Jerez. I hated it. LOL! It was like drinking maple syrup with a high alcohol content. I actually didn't drink it at all and instead asked the server for another glass of a medium bodied red. I forgot what she gave me because she gave me her favorite off the menu and at that point I was too distracted by my dessert to care.

Our server Lindsay, told us that these owners also own Terrior (a wine bar in our neighborhood that we've been dying to try). They have happy hour wine from 5 to 6 every day, including Saturday too. Holla! $6 glasses of high end wine? I'm totally down!

Anyways, it was a nice date. Something we haven't done in a long while. I highly recommend.

Healthy Lunch

I made a nice and healthy lunch before I wreak havoc on my arteries later at dinner. I boiled the brussel sprouts in water with a vegetable stock cube for some added flavor first. Then I cut off the bottoms and chopped them in half. They sauteed for a minute in extra virgin olive oil.

I diced my extra firm tofu and sauteed the cubes in a soy sauce mixture.

After tofu is nice and brown, add the brussel sprouts. (I cooked the tofu separate to avoid it breaking up while mixing.)

My secret ingredient: Braggs! Liquid Aminos! (I used to cook with this all the time--I miss it!)

Plated! What a yummy healthy lunch! I even had enough to share with my neighbor and for lunch tomorrow!

Vino time.

Red Diamond. Merlot.

Style: Fruit forward, lush, with some oak spice. Appearance: Deep cranberry ruby with a slight haze, semi-opaque. Aromas: Cherry, black cherry, plum, redcurrant, and sweet pie spice. Medium bodied, lightly tart with plenty of jammy red fruit that is layered over oak spice. It's kinda too jammy for my liking. I personally wasn't a fan. The color was nice, but the taste was too sweet. It kind of was on the verge of a dessert wine. (To me at least) I won't buy again.

La Ferme Julien Cotes Du Ventoux.

Deep, dark color. Deep scents of berries, spice and pepper. Full bodied, big for a fruit-oriented wine. Lots of bright fruit, spice and garrigue (new wine word! Refers to the southern Rhõne Valley and Provence, this is the landscape of small slopes and plateaus.) This one was pretty ok. A steal at TJs for under $10, but if I had my choice I'd get something else. There are so many better choices at TJs.

I'll do it for free, chicken!

I went to Whole Foods today to try to do two things I don't do: 1) Buy meats in bulk to stock up for the week and 2) Buy meats that are organic free-range products. That's right chickens! Go roam the countryside and live the life you get happily. Go climb the mountains and sing the songs that you want to sing! At first I was overwhelmed, but I think I did ok. Here's all the crap I bought:

The cashier (her name was Dana) in Whole Foods (Union Square) was a real piece. I made it a point to tell Curtis that she had an attitude loud enough for her to hear it. It made me miss the up beat friendly staff at Trader Joes. I must really love you, chicken! Hopefully the Whole Foods on Houston doesn't employ rude teenagers. I'll try them next time.

I bagged it all up in freezer bags. This is a lot of food! I got 3 nights of chicken, 2 nights of pork, 2 nights of steak. I also bought ground beef, ground turkey and some Chicken-apple sausages that we are in love with right now.

I ran into TJs on Friday night and I spied their Organic Free Range Chicken, but believe it or not the deal I got at Whole Foods was much better. I spent close to $2 less a pound buying in bulk than I did buying smaller packing. Now if some one can build a Sam's club next to my house and give me a mini-van full of soccer kids, I'll be good to go!
....that last part was a joke by the way. Nothing against you soccer moms, just a very far stretch of where buying in bulk could take me.

Brrrrr....unch!

We went to Dos Caminos for brunch today. I've been wanting to eat here again for months now, so today we finally treated ourselves. This place is hands down one of the top three brunch spots for me and there are four reasons why. One: the drinks. You get a prickly pear margarita with your meal at no extra cost:
This frozen piece of heaven is SO delicious. It's sweet yet tart and all you need is one, trust me. It beats a mimosa ANY DAY! The best part is when your glass freezes up and builds a layer of frost on the outside. :) The second best thing about this place is the food!

I'm a creature of habit and I always order the same thing when I come here. (Probably because I can't compare their Huevos Rancheros to anything else I've ever had). On the bottom of the plate is a layer of violet colored black beans (which you can't see because of the salty and tangy tomato sauce). The eggs (which rest on baked corn tortillas) are always over easy, never under cooked or over cooked. Tiny pieces of cured ham are hidden like gems in this dish. It's sprinkled with manchego cheese and a few slices of avocado top it off. If I eat this for brunch, I'm full ALL day! The next cool part about this place is the ambiance.

The location we went to is on Park Ave South and 27th St. To me, it's cooler than the one in Soho. When you walk in, they have these hollowed tree trunks hanging from the ceiling. They have carved designs in them so when they are lit up they look like unique lanterns. For brunch, they also have a live band and a woman that sings. Peep the video: (Notice it ends when a waiter walks in front of my camera and blocks the view.) Also, I kept telling Curtis that our singer was out of tone when she held her long notes. At first he didn't hear it, but then he did. The music here ranks lower than the musical stylings of our friends at Esperanto. Plus, the vibe at Esperanto is better too. People clap there after each song...not so much here. It's more background noise here than an actual performance.

The last best thing about this place is the price. Brunch was $30 total. In NYC, you can't beat that. I think at dinner time, the drinks alone are $10 a pop. We came here for dinner once a long, long time ago and it was horrible. Waaay over price and not worth the value. Brunch is a complete 180. You must go try!

A new dinner menu...tofu night!

Curtis and I like to mix it up for dinner. Sometimes we do meat, sometimes we do vegetarian. I've been doing this for mainly one real reason: It's obviously healthier. Now I know a lot of vegetarians, and I know they don't eat meat for that reason too. But I also know they don't eat meat because they don't believe something should die for them to have dinner. And I totally get that and I think it's cool. Hey, more power to you! But alas, I could never be vegetarian 100%. So, my compromise up to recently has been: mix it up.
Awhile ago Curtis and I were watching a tv show called 30 days. (Same guy that put out Super Size Me. It's an awesome series btw, you should put it in your Netflicks like right now) Anyways, a meat eater (like die hard meat man) goes to live with this vegan animal rescuer lady for 30 days. Very extreme, I know--but it made for good tv. Anyways, (I swear I have a point here, hold on...) the vegan lady takes the man eater...let's call him Mountain Jack (I forgot his name) to a farm that produces the meat he eats for dinner. It was disturbing to watch how cruel the animals were treated. Now, I won't go into details but the cows that are already dead and rotting...those become ground beef. There was a lot more and it was super sad and I remember thinking I totally support stiff punishment for people who do cruel things to animals. But no one ever knocked on my door asking me to sign a petition and I went on with my merry life.
Then Heidi posted a blog about non-free range animals and the conditions they experience. Well, I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since. I have decided if I am going to eat meat, the very least I can do is support a store that gets its meat from small farms and free range farms. I mean I can be thick headed and stubborn, but I'm not a jerk--especially about something I already agree is wrong.
So, I am going to buy all my meat from now on from Whole Foods. (I asked Heidi and she said go here and trust me, she would know). Whole Foods is expensive as hell. So I am ONLY buying meat from them. I'll still be in Trader Joes for my tortilla chips and artichoke dip!!
Anyways, this was really long. But before I go, check the dinner Curtis made tonight: Tofu and Veggie Stir Fry!

We have eaten this many times, but never cooked it. Step one: Dice into cubes.

Curtis made a soy sauce base marinade. It smelled delish!

Finale: Tofu Veggie Stir Fry with brown rice. Yummy! I scarfed mine down in minutes!