Author: cia
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Now that I’ve passed the intermediate certificate course at the International Wine Center for Wines and Spirits: Looking Behind the Label, the next goal is to learn more about cheeses. I jumped at the chance to try Cheese Ambassador’s Mediterranean package just to get me started at home. I remember when I was younger (ahem)…
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My new Microplane Ultra Coarse grater came in very handy when I was making this recipe. It’s not often that I find a giant zucchini on my desk at work, but Lisa brought me one of the bounties from her garden earlier this week. Zucchini bread and stuffed zucchini were both suggested by co-workers. I…
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10 East 60th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues 212/957.5550 $72 each for a group of five, with tip ♥ ♥ I’ve been hearing about Rouge Tomate here and there so I wasn’t surprised when my girlfriends and I ended up there for dinner. The space is massive and perfect for big groups. It’s the…
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Dear, Anna. Believe it or not, the sun-dried tomatoes I used in this recipe are still from the batch you sent me a year ago after your trip to Argentina. I only had a handful left but I felt bad about throwing them away. After a few minutes in hot water, they softened up and…
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I had to ask the Indian developers at work for approval before I tried Darien’s Coromandel. Once I had their okay, I dragged five other co-workers to eat lunch with me (and also to make sure I didn’t have to walk along the highway). For lunch, Coromandel only serves an all-you-can-eat buffet for $12. The…
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The first time I held the new Wave knife from Wusthof, I thought, This isn’t sharp at all. And I don’t mean the blade is dull; I meant that it’s not one of those scary knives that you can’t even comfortably hold. The feel is definitely heavier than I am used to but it also…
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My supermarket in Harlem had these octopus in cans on sale. The idea of a cephalopod in a can sounded odd but the ingredients list didn’t have any weird stuff in it except for octopus and olive oil so I thought it wouldn’t do me any harm to buy a couple for less than $3.…
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I was craving spicy Chinese food on my way home from work, so I picked up two packages of chicken breasts from the grocery store to cook a quick and spicy meal. I knew I had all the Sichuan ingredients that I needed to make the base sauce but I wanted to make the cooking…
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132 West 58th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues 212/957.5550 $120 for two, with drinks, without tip ♥ ♥ ♥ I finished dinner at Seasonal with a smile on my face. Really. I had heard about their wine list and I wanted to check it out to see wine labels I’ve never heard of. I…
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Mangoes are abundant in the Philippines. When I was growing up, we had a mango tree in our backyard. When the mangoes were ripe, they were sweet and supple. Slicing each cheek with a check board pattern allowed you to flip the skin up and push out the mango flesh. When they were still green,…
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308 West 58th Street off Columbus Circle 212/397.0404 $170 for two, with three beers, with tip ♥ ♥ I was so glad to hear when Blue Ribbon opened their new space in the upper west side. I don’t have to go to the east side for sushi! I don’t have to go downtown for Blue…
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I’ve been drowning in pork and beef for the last two weeks so I thought a dose of fish would do me good. Rummaging through the pantry, I found two tins of sardines and some pasta from my last visit to Trader Joe’s. Following a Sicilian recipe I found online, I threw some leftover rye…