Wish Upon A Chef

It is with a heavy heart that I blog tonight. Just last week, as I was preparing to leave New York, I received the news about the passing of my grandfather. It was devastating news and even a week later, I still find myself unable to sleep, not eating well and moody. I've had no desire to return to the kitchen just yet, so I appreciate your patience during my absence.

Food and family....the two were always a huge presence in my life. The two went together like milk and cookies and peanut butter and jelly. When I thumb through photographs of family events, a lot of times we were gathered around the table. In my bio on the website, I speak of my deep rooted appreciation of food and of my family. They are synonymous. Our family table will never be the same. We will never celebrate with food without missing the presence of our beloved family member.

I am so fortunate to have fond memories of my grandfather. The time we all went to New York and had bagels for breakfast. He didn't eat his but instead felt it was more suitable to be used as lawnmower tire. When I was little, my great-grandmother would treat me with fig newton cookies each time I visited her. I didn't have the heart to tell her that I didn't like them, so instead I gave them to my grandfather to eat. My last meal with him was not so long ago. I went home for a much needed visit and he and I enjoyed a nice lunch with my mother and grandmother at the Olive Garden. I often wonder if I had known at the time that it would be the last time that I did something, would I do anything differently? Had I known that it would be my last meal with him, I would have stretched it out to last an eternity.

I love and miss you, Papaw and I will return to the kitchen soon and continue to make you proud with my accomplishments.

Some years ago, I received as a gift, a cookbook called Barefoot Contessa Parties! written by Ina Garten. It sat on my over burdened cookbook shelf for a very long time gathering dust along with numerous other books that I just hadn't found my way to yet. One day while suffering from severe boredom at work, I logged onto FoodNetwork's website and found my way to their now non-existent food forums. I logged on to several of the message boards and finally settled upon the one created for Ina Garten's cooking show, The Barefoot Contessa. I didn't really know much about Ina, her show, or her recipes but quickly became a follower. I made several virtual friendships on that board and they carried over to the Contessa's Kitchen board that was created in honor of Ina after the Foodnetwork boards went belly-up.

Ina's recipes range from dishes that you would prepare for casual or elegant entertaining to good, home-cooked comfort foods and even wonderful desserts. I became inspired by her - her easy-going personality seemed to resonate through the TV and even into her recipes. I decided it was time to dust off the forgotten copy of Barefoot Contessa Parties! and crack it open. The first recipe that I chose was the Orzo with Roasted Vegetables. It quickly became a favorite and so I plugged along to her oh-so-good Lemon Bars and the next thing you know, Ina's Spinach Gratin had became a staple on our Thanksgiving table. Soon a second book, Barefoot in Paris, joined the ranks as one of the most used book on the overburdened shelf.

Yesterday as I'm strolling along one of the many aisle of food products at the Fancy Food Show, I come upon a booth for Stonewall Kitchen. I kept walking past the booth thinking that I don't need to spend alot of time with them as they are already one of my vendors and I'm pretty familiar with their products. I'm walking on past and there she was...Ina Garten herself, sitting in a director's chair next to a display of her Barefoot Contessa line of baking mixes, preserves, and marinades. I couldn't believe it! Were my eyes deceiving me? Was it REALLY her? Yep, it surely was. There wasn't a large crowd around, so I stepped up to the table and shook her hand. I shook Ina Garten's hand!!! She was so pretty - so natural and "girl-next-door" looking. She was very pleasant and happily signed her autograph on a postcard for me. It was so totally worth the price of the entire trip to New York. It was like Christmas in July....

Put your walking shoes on bloggers because we have one heck of a gastromonical experience going on today! Since I'll be attending the Fancy Food Show for the next three days, it was my turn to lead the city exploration today. With map in hand, we headed out. Figuring we needed sustenance for our long journey, we grabbed a quick breakfast across the street at PAX Wholesome Foods. Yogurt with granola and fresh fruit, fresh squeezed OJ, biscotti, and bagels. I've never really been one to partake in the most important meal of the day, mainly because (a) I don't have time, and (b) I don't enjoy most breakfast foods. There was something about breakfast today, though, even simple as it was. Just the fact that I was sitting in a sidewalk cafe in NYC, ready to embark on my long awaited culinary tour made it one fantastic breakfast.

A quick ride on the subway landed us at Ground Zero where we paid our respects to those lost on September 11. We milled around the financial district for awhile but since it was Saturday, Captain Sturm wasn't very interested. Neither was Miss A. Nothing compares to the glitz and glamour of neon in Times Square, according to her, least of all the fish markets in China Town - the first must see place on my list.

It's amazing how much time passes when your strolling along the never-ending blocks of the city. I could tell that my traveling companions were growing tired and weary. Lunch was in order, and I thought there would be no better place than the second must see stop, Once Upon A Tart in the trendy SoHo district.
Is it a sin to go to a place such as OUAT, whose entire existence is based upon tarts and not order a tart? If so, I guess I just guaranteed myself a nice little retirement place south of the equator. My lunch order was a salad combination with couscous, roasted veggies, and a slice of veggie frittata. Captain Sturm opted for the sandwich of the day - the chicken and roasted asparagus on rosemary focaccia. Miss A. chose the roasted turkey sandwich and unbeknownst to her it also had cranberry chutney and brie on it. She probably would have added these things to her Things I Never Knew I Ate list, but she couldn't make it past the crusty bread. I'm not sure what I expected to see at OUAT, but it was most definitely different that I thought it would be. A very teeny, tiny place indeed with good lunch fare but the ambiance just wasn't what I expected. I will, however, have renewed enthusiasm when pulling my OUAT cookbook off the shelf simply because I can say that I've been there.
Just as our lunch begins to settle, we round the corner and there it is....the famed Magnolia Bakery, the third and last must see place on my list today. I read mixed reviews about MB on the internet - about how the long lines didn't justify the end result, but I didn't care. I wanted to go anyway and form my own opinion. We stood in line for about 7 minutes and once we made it inside the teeny storefront, the smell of confections was intoxicating. I stuffed my box with 3 cupcakes and out the door I went, guarding my treasure. We caught the subway back to the hotel and I knew that my troops were secretly glad that my stint as tour guide was over. We devoured our buttercream laddened treats and while I will admit that there was nothing totally spectacular about the cupcake itself, it was the meer fact that it came from Magnolia Bakery that made it so wonderful. I'm mentally counting the recipes that will be tested from the More From Magnolia cookbook.

Now, at this point I should thank you blog readers for sticking with the story when it's only half over. I should also be upfront and honest and tell you that I am now consuming Pepto Bismol tablets every hour on the hour. Dinner, theater, and dessert are looming before me and nothing will stop me now! Our concierge had once again made an excellent recommendation for dinner at the Blue Fin restaurant in Times Square.
With a fabulous menu abundant with raw bar specialties and fresh seafood, I had no problem selecting my entree. How could I pass up a dish that combined my two most favorite food groups - goat cheese and chilean sea bass! Yes, I am aware that it is politically incorrect to eat a fish that is over-fished but since I've sinned once today I figure I had nothing to lose. My meal was excellent and evidenced by the fact that I made "Mmmmm" noises during the entire meal.
The three of us headed off to the Miskoff Theater to see The Lion King and afterwards Captain Sturm and I devoured a slice of New York cheesecake and Miss A. indulged in a chocolate milkshake. Back at the hotel, I popped yet another Pepto tablet and lulled myself to sleep with visions of cupcakes, cheesecake, sea bass and the hopes that my jeans would fit tomorrow!

There has been no one in the kitchen for a few days now, but again with good reason. Captain Sturm, Miss A, and myself hopped a plane early Friday morning to New York City. I am here to attend the Fancy Food Show and of course we had to add a few extra days for sightseeing. It is Miss A's first time to the Big Apple and I think she is thoroughly impressed.

I've lost count as to how many trips this makes to the city for me, but each time I come I always relive the feeling of being an excited, anxious kid on Christmas morning ready to rip open all the gifts that lay before me. This city holds so many gifts! For first timers (and maybe even second timers), the gifts are certainly the must-see things such as the Statue of Liberty, Times Square, the Empire State Building, shopping, a Broadway play, and a respectful visit to Ground Zero. For seasoned visitors like myself, the gifts have become more culinary related. I only had a few must-sees on my wish list this year. Maybe if I'd done a little more research on the too-numerous-to-count culinary treats that are available I would have had a list a mile long. Maybe if I'd been visiting alone, my list would have been two miles long, but do keep in mind that the rest of my traveling companions do not feel the same way that I do about walking many, many blocks only to round a corner and discover the perfect bistro for lunch. I have to pick my battles....

We arrived in the city early yesterday and since our hotel room wasn't ready just yet, we headed out in search of lunch. Now here again, I would have been happy to scour the streets for just the perfect place but the natives were getting restless and we settled on a little sidewalk cafe called AppleJack Diner.

The food was very good and the scenery was excellent because we scored a corner sidewalk table. Captain Sturm and I feasted on a wrap and a side salad and I was very pleased that Miss A bypassed the chicken finger platter on the menu. Fettuccine Alfredo was her choice. While our meal was simple and delicious, it was far from inexpensive. Captain Sturm soon learned that he was no longer in the land of free drink refills when the check arrived. $45 later, we walked away with full stomachs and a lighter back pocket.

No afternoon of trekking through the Big Apple would be complete without a snack. Even though the line at the Stone Cold Creamery was winding it's way through the small shop like the lines that you wait in at Disney World, we decided to hang tough. We were rewarded with heaping cups of cold, sweet cream with our choice of creative "mix ins."

Feeling the mood for Asian fusion coming on, I asked for a recommendation from the concierge for dinner. After many more miles of exploring and photo shooting, our tired dogs brought us to Ruby Foo's Dim Sum and Sushi Palace.
While looking over the menu posted outside, I was fearful that Miss A would go hungry until she matter-of-factly stated that she would order the crispy calamari. At the point, I start to wonder how, on one hand she can get excited over eating fried fish bait that, in my opinion, has the texture of a Goodyear retread tire and, on the other hand, be grossed out by anything that resembles a fruit or vegetable. I'll never claim to understand....

Captain Sturm ordered the lettuce wraps and I tackled a mound of pad Thai with chicken and shrimp. The ambiance was wonderful. I so much miss the dining experience that comes complete with ambiance. After a much needed night of rest, we will wake up wide-eyed and anxious once again for the gifts of tomorrow.