Restaurant Week: Yerba Buena Perry

NYC Restaurant Week is here again! To celebrate, Sd and I went out to Yerba Buena Perry in the West Village for dinner. To be honest, I had no idea what this place was going to be about... but those situations often make some of the best dining experiences. Sure enough, I returned home happy, satiated, and glowing (mostly due to the two generous pours of chilled Malbec Rose). More amazing pics on the next page!

The Maine Event: Lobster Quest

While B and I had many reasons to visit Acadia National Park in Maine—to be one with nature, enjoy the seaside villages, relax without fuss—our first and foremost intention was to eat fresh, succulent, affordable lobster... and plenty of it! So we set out on our little road trip during the long Fourth of July weekend and happily accomplished our mission: seven lobsters total in three days. Not only did we manage to make a little dent in the lobster population at Bar Harbor, we also came away with some excellent lobster fishing and local eating know-how. More pics, tips and bits of our adventure on the next page!

Lobster Rolls

One of my favorite foods of all time is lobster. Chunky, perfectly intact, unadulterated pieces of claw or tail meat. Dipped in butter or nothing at all—the flavor and texture just can't be beat. It wasn't until a couple years ago that I discovered a new way to enjoy this delicious crustacean: meet the lobster roll. Earlier this month I had the honor of participating in the TastingTable Lobster Roll Claw-Off, which made all of my friends supremely jealous (whether they admitted it or not.) My verdict and more pics on the next page. 

Catch of the Day (Literally)

What is better than steamed sea bass? Homemade steamed sea bass. What's better than homemade steamed sea bass? Catching it after a beautiful day of fishing! For B and my two year anniversary, we put on our sea legs and sailed out for a 5-hour sunset-enhanced fishing trip on the Brooklyn VI. Four and a half hours into our Lower Bay excursion, B finally caught a handsome black sea bass. The next evening, we steamed the fish using a variation on the traditional Chinese steamed fish recipe that I learned from Cooking Channel star Ching-He Huang during the LUCKYRICE Talk & Taste cooking demos. More pics, the recipe, and comprehensive food adventure on the next page!

The Mermaid Inn UWS

Happy New Year everyone! On New Year's Eve, B and I went to dinner at The Mermaid Inn on the Upper West Side. They had a $45 prix fixe menu that included an amuse-bouche, choice of appetizer, choice of entree, and dessert. Although the intimate lighting was a bit too low for my camera, I tried my best to capture my meal. The Canon G10 is generally awesome, but it's not so great at taking low-light shots without a lot of noise.

Striped Bass in Salt Dome

My cooking-a-holic friend R decided to treat a group of us to a three-course meal on Sunday. The main course was an adventurous Striped Bass in Salt Dome. If you were like me, you must be thinking "salt dome?" I had originally pictured a fish igloo. So what did this thing really look like?

Surf and Turf

On Saturday evening in DC, D and W didn't seem to mind the additional cooks in their kitchen. Scallops were breaded, beets were roasted, and shallots were diced (without too many tears). The aroma of lemon zest, crisp Wiemer riesling, and sizzling meat filled the cozy apartment. The end result was perfect- an experience that would rival (and most likely triumph over) any dinner at a nice restaurant.

Landmarc Mussels and Beer Tasting

B and I attended an exclusive Circle of Taste event at Landmarc in Columbus Circle on Thursday evening. I had won the tickets from Wined & Dined via Twitter (it pays to follow them in many ways). "Taste a Holiday by the Sea," hosted by Chef Marc Murphy, served five different possible mussel preparations and your choice of dark or light Belgian beer. Not only did B and I have a great time (essentially counting this as part two of his birthday celebration), but we also left with a sweet goodie bag.

Hot N Juicy Crawfish

After getting lucky at the casinos, B and I took our hard earned cash to Hot N Juicy Crawfish in Chinatown, Las Vegas. We chowed down on 2lb of crawfish and crab legs that were smothered in their special Hot'n'Juicy sauce. We smelled like garlic for the rest of that night.

Yabbie's Coastal Kitchen

This is exactly how a Warm Octopus Salad should be made. With LOTS of octopus! Dinner at Yabbie's Coastal Kitchen, which is a few blocks away from Maggie's apartment in Russian Hill, San Francisco.

Self-Prepared Seafood

It's not really a big deal, but I feel quite proud of myself for being able to clean, gut and grill the calamari that you see at the top. And then at the bottom, B and I scrubbed these clams for nearly 2 hours before we quickly steamed them. I'm not sure why all of the scrubbing was necessary, but they came out very tasty!