L & B Spumoni Garden
2725 86th Street
Gravesend, Brooklyn
718-372-8400/spumonigardens.com

I went to Spumoni Garden for what everyone in their right mind goes there for, the Sicilian pizza and the spumoni.  I had heard about Spumoni Garden from many reliable sources, all with the same verdict: delicious.  Despite the one hour subway ride on the N train to the 86th Street stop, I was excited to try out what my boyfriend and best friend grew up on and what super foodie (and fellow New Yorker) Adam Richmond from Man vs. Food raved about.

L& B Spumoni Garden's Sicilian Pie.

The first pleasant day of the year spelled lines upon lines at the outdoor seating window at Spumoni Garden, where you order your food and then take it to your seat at one of the red picnic tables, fast food style.  The outdoor tables were probably the more authentic way of enjoying a Spumoni Garden Sicilian pie, but we opted for a seat in the dining room where we were greeted by a basket of fresh Italian bread complete with cheese and pancetta baked right in.

While waiting for our pizza, I couldn’t help but to notice the strong sense of family and tradition all around me.  It was clear that generations of Italian families had been gathering here for classic, homestyle Italian American favorites such as Chicken Parmesan, Veal Marsala, and an array of pasta dishes for years on occasions  much like the birthday party next to us and for Sunday afternoon dinners.

Our small 12 slice Sicilian pie at $19.00 was delivered to the four of us, piping hot and screaming to be eaten.  The first bite into the airy dough was even better than I had expected.  The tangy, garlicy crushed tomato sauce paired with the salty parmesan cheese and the slightly charred crust worked in perfect harmony with the airy dough, the thin layer of crunch on the bottom and edges, and the mozzarella cheese which clung to the roof of my mouth, only making it water more.

Could this be the best Sicilian slice of pizza I have ever had the pleasure of eating?  I would venture to say, yes!

With pizza left over to boot, we all ordered the second thing we came for, the famous homemade spumoni ($4.95).  The tri-colored, green, brown, and white spumoni came served in an old fashioned glass ice cream dish in flavors pistachio, chocolate, and vanilla with a hint of the almond flavor you find in classic Italian cookies.  The spumoni was lighter than ice cream, but creamier and packed with flavor.

Leaving L & B Spumoni Garden, I couldn’t help but feel like I too, had taken part in some, if minuscule, piece of history.  A truly great experience in which I would gladly re-encounter every Sunday afternoon, if only it weren’t for the seemingly endless trek down to Brooklyn.

call or click here for ticket information

Kalamansi lime and dark chocolate confections, chocolate-inspired cocktails, single origin chocolate gelato, equi-trade chocolate bars from Madagascar, and fine Dominican chocolate. All this and so much more will be available at the 92nd Street Y’s fifth annual chocolate event on Sunday, March 14 at 7:30 pm.

“This evening is designed for chocolate-lovers to meet with chocolatiers and talk shop. It’s also a celebration of chocolate in general with chocolate-based martinis, a chocolate fountain, an Italian sparkling wine that seems to have been made to pair with chocolate, chocolate gelato and chocolate cupcakes – all artisanal. There’s not an ounce of “candy” at this show,” says event producer Alexandra Leaf.

Chocolatiers and others from these companies will be on hand to chat and answer questions:

Guittard; Divalicious Chocolate; Madecasse; Pralus; MP Frederick, Confectioner; Chocolat Moderne; Sweet Revenge; GROM; LA Burdick; Taza; Gotham Wines; Rosa Regale Brachetto; Tumbador; Baking for Good; Michel Cluizel

Paradis To-Go
114 4th Ave
(between 11th St & 12th St)
East Village
(646) 416-6709 /paradistogo.com/index.html

Paradis To-Go. Photo by Sarah Ip.

Fresh fall tulips and gerbera daisies.  Hot cup of coffee.  Hugs and smiles.  This is a perfect Saturday afternoon lunch with my bestie.

After months of separation, my friend K and I finally made plans to meet up for some quality bonding time.  Where better to catch up than at a cozy little café off of Union Square?  Paradis To-Go is barely the width of a Pinkberry, complete with a pretty scalloped awning and green bench.  Scribbles of pastel-colored chalk covered the menu boards, highlighting the Daily Specials. The two counter attendants reminded me of the lead pair in 500 Days of Summer – but more ‘hippie’ than ‘hipster.’  They were gushingly friendly and seemed genuinely interested in catering to us and making our experience a positive one.

Herb Turkey Gruyere. Photo by Sarah Ip.

Croque Monsieur. Photo by Sarah Ip.

I had the Herb Turkey Gruyere sandwich on oat, pecan and raisin bread, while K picked the Croque Monsieur with French bread, ham and béchamel ($7.75 each).  The sandwich prices are a bit steeper than I’m used to paying, but for the quality and creativity, worth the occasional splurge.  Two small coffees ($1.75 each) rounded out our order.  Soups on display included broccoli-cheddar-cauliflower-bacon and butternut squash.  $4 for a small, $5 for a large.

Sweetie Pie. Photo by Sarah Ip.

Sweetie Pie Layers. Photo by Sarah Ip.

We took a heart-shaped chocolate cake, aptly entitled ‘Sweetie Pie,’ to-go.  The Sweetie Pie resembled a big whoopee pie with three dense layers separated by marshmallow frosting, topped with luscious strawberries and sugar.  Even though K and I were quite full from our meal, this cake was too cute to pass up.  We split it.

Paradis To-Go is also known for its fist-sized, gooey chocolate chip cookies.  Come for the cute soups, sandwiches and cookies!  Other sandwich options include Spiced Rub Pork, Goat Cheese with Avocado, Pastrami Reuben and Chipotle Tuna.  Free Wi-Fi is available; I spotted a young woman in the corner typing away on her laptop while she sipped her coffee.  Next to us, another woman dug into a hearty bowl of soup, with a roll on the side.

I’m not sure why this place has ‘To-Go’ in its name because I could stay here for hours.  Make yourself at home on one of the comfy chairs with a good read, for some chill time or to people-watch.  Time slows down when you’re in paradise, and this is about as close to it as you can get.

Pies-n-Thighs
166 S. 4^th St. at Driggs Ave.
Southside Williamsburg
347-529-6090/ piesnthighs.com

As my knife sank in, I could hear the juice flowing inside. The meat was perfectly tender, moist and flavorful, and the coating had the ideal crispy, slightly salty bite. Yes, this is the fried chicken from Pies-n-Thighs, which opened its new 60-seat location this week in Williamsburg.

Fried Chicken and Creamy Mac and Cheese - Photo by Beth Kaiserman

I paid $11.98 for a plate piled with three huge hunks of juicy fried chicken and a heap of creamy mac and cheese with a shot of hot sauce on top. Hard-earned dollars were well-spent on this truly amazing  Southern-style fare (so Southern that the operation was shut down in January 2008 for having a pork smoker that’s illegal in New York.)

This chicken is crispy fried heaven. Succulent free-range chicken coated in yummy, sublimely crispy fried goodness makes for a delightful experience – and one of my top three favorite meals.

Eating the biscuit was like biting into a cloud. A fresh batch was brought out while I was waiting for my meal, and the biscuit needed no butter, jam or honey to make it delicious. It was perfect on its own.

A short hallway at Pies-n-Thighs leads you to the back room: an old garage filled with elementary school-style chairs and tables with red and white checkered tablecloths. The room will eventually have a TV in the corner, making it a great hangout for sporting events. There will also be outdoor seating when the warmer weather hits.

There were some other interesting menu options, like horchata, a beverage which apparently tastes like an orange creamsicle. I’m not one for sugary drinks so I didn’t try it. As the name signifies, the “pies” here are fresh-made, but I didn’t room to try one. That would have to be a separate trip, though I can’t imagine walking in there and not ordering a plate of chicken. The cookies were tempting, too.

Hit up Pies-n-Thighs for an informal, food coma-inducing experience. This place should not be missed.

BY CAROLYN ONOFREY

Cowgirl Hall of Fame
519 Hudson Street
West Village
212-633-1133/cowgirlnyc.com

It had been a while since I’d been to Cowgirl, the first time being in 2005 when I first moved to the city. Walking in, it was just as I remembered. The bar to the left, always playing a great selection of classic rock hits, and a pint-sized General Store filled with candies, Native American themed accessories and Cowgirl apparel to the right along with the dining room, filled with all the Mid-Western, Tex-Mex kitsch you could ever want to the right.

Black Bean Burrito at Cowgirl

Sitting down with a group of my coworkers, we were greeted by our friendly waitress who was so personable, I could have sworn I had known her my entire life. We started off with a round of Cowgirl’s scrumptious margaritas ($8-$9 each), all engineered to our own specifications, salt and no salt, frozen and on the rocks, along with any one of the flavors they offered including blood orange, mango, and melon.

We also started off with a heaping plate of sweet potato fries ($7.95). The frozen margarita I had was a wonderful blend of Tequila and lime, neither too tart, nor too sweet, and even though I could have done without the brain freeze after the initial taste, it was all but unavoidable. The sweet potato fries were mushy, but enjoyable with the sweetness of sweet potato and the slight bitterness of the fried oil. How crispy do you really want a sweet potato fry anyway?

Due to the time of night, I played it safe in order to save my stomach and went with the black bean and cheese quesadilla ($9.75). While playing it safe usually isn’t the best idea, I walked away happy and confident that I made the right choice. Complete with sides of salsa, sour cream, and guacamole, the quesadilla as a whole was complete and executed perfectly. A nicely toasted tortilla with the perfect cheese to bean ratio rounded out the simple dish.

I once again walked out of Cowgirl satisfied. Whether for dinner or brunch, Cowgirl is a great neighborhood restaurant where the staff knows their customers by name and families can go to relax in a great child-friendly environment.

Although I did not have the pleasure of enjoying it this time around, the Frito pie is a Midwestern favorite and a favorite of mine at Cowgirl with Frito chips topped with chili, cheese, sour cream and onions. It may be an artery-clogging treat, but it is well worth it. Another Midwestern treat that Cowgirl features is the black-eyed pea salsa. The first bowl with chips is on them!

706 Amsterdam Avenue
(between 94th St & 95th St)
Upper West Side
(212) 932-2400
AyurvedaCafeNYC.com

Interior of Ayurveda Cafe'

The vegetarian Ayurveda Restaurant and Cafe is justly called one of the hidden treasures of the Upper West Side. From the beginning the customer recognizes s/he is walking into a very different world.  The place is painted *orange* on the exterior– with happy although slightly dilapidated gilt decorations. And you must traverse a maze of little orange doors before you arrive at the center of the restaurant.  Inside, the great benign elephant headed god Ganesha greets you.

The air is scented with herbs and fragrant oils. The ceiling or sky is aquamarine surrounded by violet, curling clouds.  Gentle young servers come forth to greet you and take you to a table. Ragas serenade you. The fixtures are not elaborate, resembling cafeteria style, but the atmosphere is very soothing.

No debates over the menu are necessary.  It is prix fixe (ca. $10.95), a set lunch or dinner. There are no choices except for the type of rice you prefer, (brown or white) and which type of iced or hot tea or lassi you would like to accompany your meal. The meal arrives on a large circular serving platter and features the mix of flavors mandated by Ayurvedic thought– sweet, sour, hot, salty.

The platter is crowded with tiny little circular pots each holding yogurt with tiny lentil dumplings; or dal soup; or a sweet pumpkin stew; or a mix of spinach and potato; or cauliflower samosas.

The meals are mildly spiced but you can request a hotter flavor. Pots of green cilantro or spiced date accompany the meal, as does a basket of hot buttery flat bread. It is a formidable array, almost more than one can eat, for approximately $10.95.

The meal concludes with a sweet in a very tiny bowl– hot carrot halva, say, or spiced rice pudding. It is intensely sweet but since you are eating out of a minute bowl with very small spoons, somehow you manage it!

At the end of your meal you are directed to a table on which sits many bowls of fragrant, spiced seeds which aid digestion and flavor the breath. And there is a large cabinet containing strips of paper with thoughts for the day. Don’t confuse them with giant sized fortune cookies– many have a calm, koan-like quality which encourage reflection as you re-enter the maze of little orange doors and emerge to the street.

Alhough they do not advertise this service with much fanfare in the Cafe, for those who are interested in the medicinal oils and services of the Ayurveda Center,  just around the corner on 96th St.  There is a special arrangement available if you make a major purchase at the Ayurveda Center, undergo a netra basti treatment or a facial or massage, lunch or dinner at the Ayurveda Cafe are on the house. A significant deal!

And so, whether or not you are an affiliate of Ayurveda. Stop on by.

While it was cold and slushy outside, movie clips, trivia and delightful Italian sweets warmed the audience of Francine Segan’s Food in Film lecture last week at 92nd St. Y.

John Belushi in Animal House - courtesy of Flickr

Segan told some weird and interesting tidbits – like Charlie Chaplin, a diabetic, once went into shock after eating a shoe made of licorice for one of his films.

Food can be used in films to underscore a point, highlight a character’s personality, or set the mood for a time period, Segan said. Who doesn’t fall a little in love with Bluto (John Belushi) as he gorges through the dining hall line in Animal House?

Segan showed a couple of the most disgusting food scenes, such as Rocky chugging raw eggs to boost his protein intake and the enormously obese Mr. Creosote causing a chain reaction of vomiting after exploding at a French restaurant in Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life.

I was most interested in Segan’s discussion of movies that used cookbooks to copy details for dining scenes, such as Brian Helgeland’s A Knight’s Tale and Martin Scorcese’s The Age of Innocence. These moviemakers researched period cookbooks, and turned exact pictures from the books into historically accurate movie magic.

In some cities where Segan gives this lecture, audiences haven’t seen any of the movies she discusses, she said. But last night, most of the trivia answers were shouted out before Segan even finished the question.

The lecture was lighthearted and fun – a treat for a lover of food, film, or both. And I now have a list of a few foodie films I have to see – in perfect timing for a snow day. I think I’ll start with Kramer vs. Kramer, which uses the main character’s skill at cooking breakfast to move the narrative, and Eat Drink Man Woman, the critically acclaimed 1994 film about a chef living with his daughters in Taipei, Taiwan. I also want to see Ratatouille again and maybe even take a shot at making the title dish.

Image courtesy of tastingtable.com

Visit top bars  as they offer $10 martini cocktails, featuring premium vodka and gin, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. nightly.

Click on the image above for a list of participating venues.

ACQUA
718 Amsterdam Avenue @95^th Street
Upper West Side
212-222-2752 /acquanyc.com

Image courtesy of acquanyc.com

An exterior of cerulean blue,  very appealing on an otherwise somewhat dreary block, “sails” hanging in swags from the ceilings, so that you are meant to feel you’re on a ship under full sail; undulating  walls at the entryway with teak and brass portholes; mellow sconce lights; wooden ceiling fan and walls of a warm cinnabar—it’s clear from the outset that Acqua ‘s décor is meant to evoke the sea and the Italian islands of Sicily and Sardinia.  It is very attractive and calming, setting the diner at rest.  As they say themselves, it’s a comfortable neighborhood setting.

Servers are warm and friendly, and just as attentive as you might want them to be. They are ready to deal with small groups, large groups, or parties.  We were two for lunch, but a large family group was having a riotous time of it  just a few feet away. There is a very full bar.

The restaurant has a huge red brick chimney oven in which they bake their own bread and pizzas. The air is fragrant.    The home-baked bread is wonderful—it s is difficult to refrain from devouring the equivalent of a loaf with rosemary olive oil, before the main menu arrives.   We ordered the Penne alla Siciliana, a smoky and delicious mixture of braised eggplant, tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella which melted in the mouth; and an amazingly voluminous chicken panini with spinach, tomatoes, and a spicy sauce which was so hearty that we had half of it wrapped for tomorrow’s lunch.  Thereby making the already reasonable prices even more so.

Local reviews echo our opinion—this place is a find!  We’ll be back for dinner.

Friend of a Farmer
77 Irving Place
Gramercy
212-477-2188/Friendofafarmernyc.com

Warm apple pie with vanilla ice cream at Friend of a Farmer

After being told there was no room (when there clearly was), at our first choice for dinner.  My dinner mate and I luckily stumbled upon Friend of a Farmer a few doors down.  Walking into a cottage-like place, we were greeted by a fireplace, baskets full of apples and butternut squash, and flowery wall paper reminiscent of an old bed and breakfast nestled in the Catskills.  Immediately I loved the place.

We sat down and were greeted by an attentive waiter who suggested  many things on the menu.  His enthusiasm for the food was refreshing and we decided to start off with a bottle of the highly recommended Arrogant Frog Pinot Nior and a cheese plate.  The cheese plate, complete with a blue cheese and warm fig jam and a slice of mild parmesan, along with two other cheeses was nothing adventurous, but an excellent start to the meal.

After drooling over the entire menu, comprised of comfort food ranging from braised lamb shanks to chicken pot pie to mac and cheese, we decided to keep it light and share a couple of appetizers.  We settled on the turkey meatballs with a fig chutney ($12) and the crab cakes with corn salsa and chipotle aioli ($13).  The turkey meatballs came out hot and were surprisingly light, with the fig chutney and a bite of meatball I was transported to Thanksgiving day in the country.  A slightly different take on your traditional roast turkey and cranberry sauce, this plate was a welcome taste of something familiar and comforting.  Three meatballs were plenty to share between the two of us, but I wished that this dish was priced a little differently.  Ten dollars perhaps?  The crab cakes, or ‘cake’ if you will, was a nicely sized patty drizzled with chipotle aioli set top a bed of roasted corn salsa.  The cake was what every crab cake should be.  Chunks of lump crab meat, very little filler, and a lightly crisped outside.  The flavors were light with the aioli accenting, not over powering.

Crab Cake at Friend of a Farmer

For dessert we couldn’t pass up the homemade warm apple pie with vanilla ice cream.  Although not the right time of year for apples, the pie was simple and executed to perfection, bringing me back to Autumn in New England.

Warm apple pie with vanilla ice cream at Friend of a Farmer

Despite not so great reviews that I have read of Friend of a Farmer, I had a delightful experience.  Perhaps because it reminded me of my childhood, bringing me back to family car trips to upstate  New York to visit my grandparents as the leaves turned from green to gold.  I could almost taste the memories with every bite.  Most importantly though, I took Friend of a Farmer for what it is.  With its tacky music selection and worn décor, it reflects where the owners come from, what makes them feel at home and what, I suppose it does for me also.