duck confit cassoulet is an extreme example of slow-cooking, a whole process of several days of patient reduction of ingredients into concentrated flavors and tender creamy but not mushy textures
the desserts ( recipes from Del Posto) play salt, olive oil, balsamic vinegar with honey, fruit, and sweetened goat cheese and cultured cream.
BREAKFAST --- coffee with baileys | popover | apple LUNCH --- pasta with porcini sauce AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- green tea DINNER --- Tom Yum Talay :Thai-style hot & sour seafood soup with squid, shrimp and broth of lemongrass, Kaffir lime leaves, leek, ginger,Thai chili, lime juice, and fish sauce | stir-fried winter bamboo shoot, carrot and black mushroom | rice | wine
popover
lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, mushrooms
Tom Yum Talay
popover is so dramatically popped over... one egg for all and in the oven for 45 minutes at 375 degrees
Tom Yum Talay is Thai-style hot & sour soup with seafood, rather different flavor from its Chinese counterpart, lighter and more fresh ingredients to provide the hot and sour taste.
BREAKFAST --- coffee with baileys | Norwegian pancake with apple AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- tea | clementine DINNER --- pasta with Apulian-style porcini sauce, served with hot pepper sauce and grated sheep ricotta cheese | stir-fried green beans with black pepper sauce | wine
deep colored and strong flavored porcini sauce
additional hot pepper sauce
Rigatoni ai Porcini alla Pugliese
it takes hours to reduce the sauce, a key element to intensify the flavors from tomato, procini and onion.
WEEKEND BREAKFAST --- coffee with baileys | bread and cheese | apple LUNCH --- ( at Petits Plats french restaurant ) onion soup | escargots with garlic parsley butter | ratatouille | potato fries AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- tea | roasted seeds DINNER --- grape fruit salad with greens and cheery tomatoes | Orecchiette ai Porcini alla Pugliese( handmade orecchiette with traditional Apulian porcini tomato sauce ) | baked bronzini with garlic parsley sauce | wine | ice cream and chocolate crepes
tea snacks
grape fruit salad
making "little ears"
Orecchiette ai Porcini alla Pugliese
it took a couple of hours to make the intense flavored tomato porcini sauce, another hour to kneed and knife-roll those little ear-shaped pasta. the recipe is from Oreste and the excellent dish is accomplished by D.D.
BREAKFAST --- coffee LUNCH --- soup dumplings with fillings of scallop and watercress AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- tea DINNER --- ( at Kushi Izakaya )monk fish patte with ponzu sauce | seared and simmered scallop | robata wood grilled miso black cod | grilled skewer of duck breast & scallion | grilled eringi mushroom | seared and simmered beef | beer || (at Kotobuki Kamameshi) shumai dumplings | sunomono salad ( seaweed, cucumber, salmon, flounder ) | clam miso soup | kamameshi ( seasoned rice , eel and vegetables in traditional iron kettle ) | sashimi of tuna and flounder | pickled vegetables | simmered greens with bonito flake | beer
small plates at Kushi
wagyu beef
****
at Kotobuki
shumai, miso soup, sunomono salad
sashimi, pickled vegetables
kamameshi , a special traditional iron kettle rice dish (the right-side picture is from a Kyoto restaurant)
seasoned rice with eel and vegetables
a two-stop dinner of Japanese cuisine.
Kushi Izakayaserves small plates mostly grilled, ingredients pretty authentic, but the restaurant does not feel like an izakaya.
Kotobuki Kamameshi is very cozy and warm neighborhood place with great traditional food with no pretension. It probably is the only place in the US to serve kamameshi iron kettle rice, the flavors and the rice crust at the bottom resemble the best paella in Spain, at Restraunt L'Alter.
BREAKFAST --- coffee LUNCH --- ( at C. B. restaurant )stir-fried string beans | scallion beef | Singapore noodles | Chinese doughnut AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- apple DINNER --- broiled vegetables with rosemary ( red pepper, onion, garlic and potato ) | pasta with ragu sauce ( chorizo, onion, tomato and radicchio ) | wine
a ragu sauce with strong smoky flavor from chorizo
table for the New Year Eve 
layering and baking cassoulet 
caviar and smoked salmon
duck confit and sausage cassoulet 
goat-cheese mousse, tangerine granita 
