Lowcountry, EATAly, home cookin'

The weekend was chock full of yummy eats. I finally checked out Lowcountry, a new comfort food spot in the West Village that was too crowded the first time I tried to eat there. Luckily, they take reservations. The food was good, but not fantastic. Not sure I'd go back.

The Jonah crab dip was so delicious. My favorite dish of the night.

Mac and cheese with bacon and jalapeno was underwhelming. The jalapeno was overpowering and basically all I could taste.

Bourbon cider glazed pork chop was flavorful but a tad overcooked for my taste. Nothing worse than dry pork.

Fried chicken biscuit with Benton's country ham gravy and onion jam--had such potential if only everything was salted enough.

Shrimp and grits with Andouille sausage, Anson Mills cheddar grits and tomato gravy. I'm not the biggest fan of grits so this dish just so-so for me.

Cornbread with maple butter was delicious. Moist with sweet creamy butter. I never thought to mix maple with butter but will have to try it from now on. 

I made my weekly trip to EATaly on Saturday and have decided the best time to go is 11:45-noon. There is no line to enter and no wait at any of the restaurants. The only way to eat anywhere popular on weekends in NYC is to go before most of the city wakes up. I tried the vegetable restaurant for the first time was happy with what I ordered.

Bruschetta with caramelized onions and mushroom medley. YUM.

Bruschetta with spaghetti squash, parmesean and balsamic vinegar. YUM x2.

Root vegetable salad. I was disappointed with this dish. The salad was overdressed and soggy and the vegetables were overcooked to the point of mush.

Wrapped up the weekend with some simple and comforting home cooking. I headed to Chelsea Market for my ingredients this time--didn't feel like dealing with EATaly's madness on Sunday evenings.

Fresh pasta with sundried tomatoes, pancetta, spaghetti squash and zucchini. It was so fresh and delicious--didn't feel the least bit unhealthy. :)

Restaurants mentioned:
Lowcountry
142 W. 10th St.
New York, NY 10014

Birthday Dinner

I made a very special birthday dinner last night. I had been planning the menu for some time now and couldn't have been happier with how everything turned out. I picked up all my ingredients in Chelsea Market right after work. I honestly love that place--everything is so cheap! I stopped by Amy's Bread for some rolls, Lobster Place for tuna and lobster, Manhattan Fruit Exchange for all my produce and dry goods and Ronnybrook for some delicious Hudson Valley ice cream. Having made a pit stop by home before heading to Chelsea Market put me way behind schedule. I had absolutely no prep done. Usually when I am cooking at home, I take my time. To me, cooking with no time pressure is such a privilege. However, once I had my arsenal of supplies, I turned on some Soft Rock, picked up the pace and made it happen in 1.5 hours time--just in time for the birthday boy's arrival.






Paired with my favorite cabernet from Alexander Valley and some Spanish cava, it was the perfect birthday meal.

Blueberry Scones with Lemon Glaze

My blog has just been born and I've already been neglecting it. I eat and cook wayyy too much to be current! Will try my best to play catch up. Last Thursday I decided to make blueberry scones using the blueberries I bought at Chelsea Market earlier in the week. I really love scones and wanted to use all the blueberries before they went bad. It was my first attempt to bake in my tiny kitchen with a broken oven knob (temperature dial is broken and I can't tell what degree the oven is). I figured scones didn't need to bake under an exact temperature the way cookies or cupcakes would.

I used a recipe from Food Network's Tyler Florence that seemed relatively quick and easy. I followed the recipe exactly, but the dough was too crumbly to form into clumps for baking. I added extra heavy cream and that seemed to make the dough moist enough for me to work with.

The estimated cooking time was suppose to be 20 minutes, but it took me closer to 1.5 hours. I had to keep tasting the scones to check for doneness and had my fill of scones by the time the third batch was finished. The scones tasted pretty good-- slightly doughy and not too sweet with a nice homemade quality. The super simple lemon glaze that I drizzled on top definitely upped it from good to really yummy!

I had a few friends taste test and they all claimed to like them. Overall, I would recommend the recipe to anyone who wants to try making homemade scones. See below for the recipe link.

Blueberry Scones with Lemon Glaze