Eating out adventure: Silver Star Restaurant, Upper East Side, Manhattan, NYC

Silver Star Restaurant

We visited this homey joint after Trinity Grace's morning church service on the upper east side of Manhattan. I was on call so we were looking for a quick place to eat. We enjoyed a cozy table by the window with lots of families with small children all around. It was a nice change of pace from our neighborhood which is mostly inhabited by young singles. 

The menu was fairly typical, diner fair with too many options for any of them to be that great. I got the eggs benedict above and TJ got an open faced monte cristo sandwich below.

Neither dish was anything that special to the taste buds. We enjoyed the meal but I don't see us re-visiting any time soon. 

Good Friday

BLACK IS THE NIGHT

the only way

I AM

I WILL REDEEM

my people have forsaken me

I AM FAITHFUL

for the remnant

for the few

for the narrow path

I WILL MAKE A WAY

there is only one way

THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY

take this cup from me

redemptive blood

MY BLOOD

the renewal of all things

a new kingdom

Eating out adventure: Momokawa, Murray Hill, Manhattan, NYC

Shortly after moving to Manhattan TJ had a discussion with a medical student he worked with about "Shabu Shabu".   The student was from Japan and explained that the name is an onomatopoeia  in japanese. It is the sound the food makes while cooking. She said she loved it and was going out of her way to eat some before leaving the city. 

 For the next few months TJ and I were in search of this intriguing meal. We couldn't actually remember the name and kept looking for "Shoba Shoba" which is something different (shoba noodles are also japanese but made out of buckwheat and eaten in soups.) 

This cozy restaurant is just a few blocks from our home on the second story with inviting window seats. We decided to try it out thinking it served sushi. When we got there the elusive "Shabu Shabu" was one of the main items on the menu. We had no idea what it was but had to try it. 

It turns out that this meal is somewhat like a Japanese version of fondu. You get a pan of water set in the middle of the table that simmers continually during the meal.

You order meat, veggies and noodles and cook them for a few minutes in the simmering water.

You then dip then in some yummy side sauces

Although this was very fun experience I don't see it as something we would crave. Of the japanese dishes we have tried since coming to Manhattan I like ramen soup, udon and shoba noodle soups better.

Supernatural Cooking: Espresso Banana Muffins

Espresso Banana Muffins

I made these when my family was in town.  Every body seemed to like them. They were very dense. I used greek yogurt which has less water. I am not sure if that had anything to do with it. If I make then again I think I will try regular yogurt to see if it makes a difference.

2 cups white- whole wheat flour ( or one cup white, one cup wheat)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/14 cups toasted walnut pieces
1 tablespoon coffee, very finely ground
6 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temp
3/4 cup natural cane sugar (I found this at the local grocery store)
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup plain yogurt
3 large overripe bananas

Heat oven to 375

Combine dry ingredients and 3/4 cup nuts in a bowl and mix

In a separate bowl cream the butter then add in the sugar and eggs.  Stir in the vanilla, yogurt and mashed bananas.

Gentle mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, take care not to over mix (may make muffins tough).

Use an ice cream scoop to divide the mixture into muffin tin, preferably with muffin papers (should make 12). Top with remaining nuts and bake for 25 min. 

Eating out adventure: Pio Pio, Murray Hill, Manhattan, NYC

PioPio

Pio pio is the sound that little chicks make in latin america as opposed to our English version "cheep cheep".   This latin american chain has figured out how to make a few things really well and get by with a very simple menu. TJ and I visited a location just a few blocks from where we live and found it to be a real treat. The restaurant was a cozy nook with brightly colored walls and familiar Latin American tunes from my childhood in Venezuela. We indulged in a family size sampler platter ending up with enough left overs for a couple of meals. 

Chicken "a la brasa"

 the meal would not be complete without sausage and fries :)

Avocado makes everything taste better

patacones

Supernatural Cooking- Broccoli with Lemon and Flaxseeds

Broccoli with Lemon and Flaxseeds

Broccoli

olive oil

Kosher or sea salt

Lemon wedges

Ground Flaxseeds

This recipe was easy and really yummy! It is supposed to be made on a grill but as we live in the middle of manhattan and it is the middle of winter I cooked it on the stove in a sort of stir fry fashion which turned out great. The flaxseeds added a really nice twist :)

1. One of the keys is to cut the broccoli into pencil thick cross sections for a good floret to stalk ratio

2. Toss broccoli with olive oil and salt

3. Grill or stir fry for 4-5 minutes, toss or stir and cook another 1-2 min

3. Squeeze lemon juice over broccoli, drizzle more olive oil if it seems to need it and top with a sprinkling of the freshly ground flax seeds