Monday, March 26, 2012

BENEFITS OF LIVING BY THE BEACH

Walks on the boards at night, hanging out on an empty beach in the middle of the afternoon, and dinner at a Shore Legend- Pete & Elda's...it's thin-crust perfection, pure and simple (even Richie loved it).  Nowadays, "Life's a Beach," and that's awesome!!!

Friday, March 23, 2012

COVO TRATTORIA E PIZZERIA- HARLEM

A bunch of you have been asking how we celebrated Rich's birthday, so I thought I'd tell you about the great restaurant we went to with his family in Harlem last week- Covo Trattoria E Pizzeria.  (It's almost where we had Richie's Baptism Party- so we were happy to finally check it out and to taste the food).  This is a great place tucked underneath the West Side Highway just north of Fairway.
 The restaurant is located inside of a former commercial space, but the inside Tuscan decor will make you forget about that the second you walk in the door.
 This is good Italian comfort food at reasonable prices.  Their pizzas are fabulous- made in their brick oven.  We started with their Margherita (tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella and basil) and fell in love!!!  The crust was sweet, crunchy and nice and thin- just the way I like it.
 Next we had their Rucola Salad (baby arugula, pear, gorgonzola cheese and walnuts with balsamic vinaigrette)- it was excellent!  The dressing was sweet which worked well with the tanginess of the gorgonzola- it was perfect.  Their pastas are great too and all homemade.  We ordered the Penne Alla Bolognese (an original Italian recipe made with ground beef, celery, carrots and onions), the Barese (mini shell pasta with spicy sausage, light tomato sauce, rosemary and sage), and Spaghetti Positano (with clams, cherry tomatoes, garlic and extra virgin olive oil)- all were so good that I wouldn't know which one to order the next time I go back.  The one dish I was disappointed with was the one I ordered (go figure)- it was the Baccala' Alla Livornese (Pan-seared cod fish with capers, black olives and tomato sauce with a side of sautéed spinach and carrots).  The sauce was great, but I wasn't a fan of the fish- I would have preferred something thinner and more flaky- this was meaty, but not in a good way.  Who knows, maybe they were having an off-day with their fish, but bottom line- it was not good and I only ate the side of spinach which was very good I have to say.  We wanted to have dessert, but there was only one waiter manning the entire restaurant that night, and so we figured we would have dessert at home (didn't want to push our luck with a baby who did sleep through dinner...sweet little boy!)

All in all, I would recommend Covo if you are in Harlem, or the Upper West Side, or just looking to try a new Italian spot in the city.  Bon Appetito!  Happy Weekend to you and you and you!

Covo Trattoria
701 West 135th Street New York, NY 10031
(212) 234-9573

Thursday, March 22, 2012

WHERE CELEBRITY CHEFS GOT THEIR GRUB ON IN AUSTIN

I've been working on my list of places where I want to eat when I visit Austin, Texas.  In my search of where to go, I stumbled upon a blog that highlighted some of the places where Food Network Celebrity Chefs have eaten in Austin, and I just had to add the restaurants to my list too.  Those of you who know me, know I love Giada De Laurentiis and have the loved the places I've tried that she's been to, so Austin is no different.  So, here's where Celebrity Chefs got their grub on in Austin, and where I'll be getting my grub on too!
1- Amy's Ice Cream
1012 W. 6th Street Austin, TX 78703
(512) 480-0673
These ice cream stands are all over Austin, and they're supposed to be famous!  Their ice creams are made fresh and are super creamy according to what I've read.  They feature more than 300 rotating flavors.  When Giada went to one she tried the Texas Dirt Cake which is chocolate cheesecake ice cream filled with oreo cookie chunks.  Sounds good to me!
2- South Congress Cafe
1600 South Congress Avenue Austin, TX 78704
(512) 447-3905
This place is fun and young, sleek and modern and is supposed to be good for either brunch or lunch.  Giada also checked this place out.  The menu is full of yummy things like Carrot Cake French Toast made with homemade carrot cake.
3- Jeffrey's of Austin
1204 West Lynn Street Austin, TX 78703
(512) 477-5584
This is an upscale restaurant with equally upscale food.  Jeffrey's has become an institution since it opened in 1976, and is one of the first fine dining establishments in Austin.  Their signature dish is Crispy Oysters. They've been on the menu for over 30 years.  Giada had them and said they are fabulous!
4- Casino El Camino
517 East 6th Street Austin, TX 78701
(512) 469-9330
Guy Fieri headed to this spot for some of the best burgers in town, which weigh in at 12 ounces each.  He had the buffalo burger which is coated in wing sauce and topped with blue cheese.  If you like heat, I've heard you should try the Amarillo burger which comes with fresh roasted serrano chiles and cilantro mayo.

5- Green Mesquite
1400 Barton Springs Road, Austin TX 78704
(512) 479-0485
Guy Fieri checks out this barbecue joint which uses only green mesquite wood or young wood for cooking.  The owner swears by it for giving the meat the best and most consistent flavor.  They've got everything from brisket and beef to pork ribs and pulled pork and even smoked turkey and tacos on the menu.

6- Flip Happy Crepes
400 Jessie Street Austin, TX 78704
(512) 552-9034
On The Best Things I Ever Ate, Beau MacMillan shares his sweet-tooth favorite: Nutella Strawberry Banana Crepes from this trailer, where every crepe is cooked to order.

7- Magnolia Cafe
(512) 478-8645
2304 Lake Austin Boulevard Austin, TX 78703
Guy Fieri tries this spot which is open 24/7.  They have everything on the menu from pancakes to omelets to jambalaya to quesadillas to anything else you could possibly be craving.

8- Maria's Taco Express
2529 South Lamar Boulevard Austin, TX 78704
(512) 444-0261
This taco place has been around for 12+ years.  He orders the Pollo Guisado, which is like barbecue chicken in an enchilada.
9- TRIO at Four Seasons Hotel
98 San Jacinto Boulevard Austin, TX 78701
(512) 685-8300
Giada heads here for the best bat-watching in the city (it's supposed to be one of the things you must do in Austin- watch a million bats emerge from under the South Congress Bridge at dusk).  She has a Batini Black cocktail which is a mix of Texas' Tito Vodka, blue curaçao, blackberries, grapefruit juice and champagne.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

AUSTIN HERE WE COME!

Between having a baby, buying our first house and moving...jet setting has been far from our minds.  But, that all changed today when we booked a springtime trip to Austin, Texas.  It will be a first for all of us and we are so excited!  I wrote about a good restaurant to check out in the Austin airport here and had a guest blogger post about his Austin favorites here.  So, now I'll be re-reading those posts and spending my free time planning our to-do list.  I can't wait!  If you have any good Austin recommendations, please let us know.