Guests from far away

5-29-2016 Sun. warm, sun and clouds. 


WEEKEND BREAKFAST --- coffee | bread and cheese | water melon | strawberries  
AFTERNOON-TEATIME ---mojito | guacamole with crackers
DINNER ---( at Jaleo) Spanish tapas | seafood paella 
 

• guests from far far away, distance in time. 

sushi and tapas in Boorklyn

12-27-2012 Thu. cold, windy.  


BREAKFAST --- (at Kos Kaffe, Brooklyn) cappuccino | croissant  
LUNCH --- ( at Mitoushi, Brooklyn)  sushi: yellow tail, Spanish mackerel, saba, eel
DINNER --- ( at La Vara, Brooklyn) cocktails | sherry | Anchoas En Aceite imported anchovies with sesame and hazelnuts | Alcachofa fried artichokes, anchovy alioli | Berenjena Con Miel crispy eggplant with honey, melted cheese, nigella seed | Croquetas Del Jamon ham croquettes | Coca De Cebes mallorcan flatbread, roasted onions, blue cheese | Escalivada charred peppers, leeks and okra, romesco | Cordero Al Ajo Cabañil cumin roasted lamb breast, scallion, preserved lemon-date condiment | Gurullos handmade murcian pasta, goat butter, ground goat, sumac | Garbanzo Rinconcillo chickpea and spinach stew  | Salted cod stuffed peppers | fried bread with chorizo and concord grapes | Torta Santiago galician almond cake | Egipcio orange blossom scented date walnut tart, lemon curd, sweet cream | Quesos imported spanish goats milk cheeses, candied squash | wine

 Brooklyn Heights 

 Dumbo

 Brooklyn downtown

• on-site survey of Brooklyn, landscape and food

Village, SoHo, Chinatown

10-30-2011 Sun. cold, sunny.


WEEKEND BREAKFAST --- (at Patisserie Claude in the Village) coffee | croissant
EARLY-LUNCH --- (tapas sampling at Despana SoHo) a collection of choizos | jamon | cured pork loin | pickled pearl onion | Spanish cheese
EARLY DINNER --- (at XO Kithcen in Chinatown ) shrimp and yuzu dumplings in broth | congee with fried twist bread | Thai style sauteed greens (tong cai) | stone snails with black bean sauce | fried chicken wings
LATE DIM-SUM --- Shangdong dumplings

best croissant in G. Village

crab specimen in Evolution Store SoHo


Eyescream SoHo

hand-carving jamon at Despana SoHo

snails in black bean sauce XO Chinatown

Thai style greens at XO Chinatown

• sun is back, took a long walk from Village to SoHo to Chinatown, sampling food and fun stuff along the way
  

olives

10-04-2011 Tue. mild, sunny.


BREAKFAST ---
WORK-LUNCH --- ( at C.B. ) stir-fried green beans | chicken skewer | fried rice noddles | Chinese donuts | tea
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- coffee
WORK-DINNER --- ( at Jaleo ) fried chroizo wrapped in crispy potato | stuffed green olives | Canary Island style rabbit confit with apricot puree | fried baby artichokes with black olive and anchovy sauce | wine

• a guest at the table never ate olives. Another story about green olives: a guy at the dinner table of potential in-laws mistook green olives as giant green grapes, and had to spat it out when he put one in mouth, because he never had green olives before.
  

Tapas and Empanadas

9-24-2011 Sat. warm, cloudy.


WEEKEND BREAKFAST --- coffee | concord grapes | honeydew
LUNCH --- ( at Panas ) platter of empanadas of grilled chicken, chipolle steak, roasted pork, samba shrimp, smoked eggplant, sauteed spinach, corn, with sauce verde, Aji, chimi and pimenton
DINNER --- tapas at home: sauteed baby squid with ginger and pimenton, served with roasted red pepper sauce and concord grapes | bread with spicy eggplant and sun-dried tomato relish| bread with roasted red pepper and almond spread | green olives with smoked mussels | sauteed spinach | fennel,cherry tomato and radish salad | wine

Panas Gourmet Empanadas

homemade tapas spread

squid platter

• finger food mostly, fun to make and fun to eat.
• empanadas at Panas, shells are thin, crispy but not deep dried, the fillings are moist and tender.
  

tapas in Valencia

9-02-2011 Fri. warm, sun, storm.


BREAKFAST --- (at Constanza, Barcelona) coffee | croissant | watermelon
EARLY-TAPAS-TIME --- ( homemade tapas at Apt. Palomar, Valencia ) plums | chorizo and roma beans | cured ham | bread | cheese | wine
LATE-TAPAS-TIME --- ( at Casa la Pepa, old town Valencia) grilled mushroom | fried whole tiny squid | grilled stuffed eggplant with cheese | fried Camembert | pepito (a house special, deep fried stuffed bread) | beer

old town Valencia

food from local market for homemade tapas

tapas scene after sundown

tapas at Casa la Pepa

• tapas go-around after 9pm in Valencia, mostly deep fried or grilled. it is hard to find vegetable dishes in restaurants in Spain. we got fresh Roma beans and little green peppers at local market making our own vegetable tapas in the apartment.
  

into the crowds in Barcelona

8-30-2011 Tue. hot, sunny.


BREAKFAST --- ( at Chateau Saissac ) coffee | croissant | bread and butter | yogurt | orange juice
LATE-LUNCH --- (at a tapas bar in Eixample Esquera, Barcelona) vegetable and potato hash | tomato and clam soup | potato and cod with tomato sauce| croquetas de jamon | beer
DINNER ---( at ZentOnce, Le Meridien Barcelona) cava ( Spanish sparking wine )| bread , olive spread, butter | toast with anchovy cream | octopus with potato | tapas plate ( anchovy, marinated cheese, croquetas de jamon, tuna and potato salad ) | slow-cooked lamb shoulder with potatoes |tortellini with spinach and ricotta filling and creamy green sauce | espresso

all things twisted and curved


random pick tapas, very cheap and very bad


the restaurant is called 111, food is like modern cuisine 101

• cross boarder again to Spain, Barcelona is full of tourists and tourist-traps, in a happy no-worry way. The average level of restaurant food is sub-bar, which means if you do not do your homework ahead, it is likely you will have bad food.
  

Valencia fizz before going to Clybourne Park

7-28-2011 Thur. hot, hazy.


BREAKFAST --- coffee
LUNCH --- stew of new potato and chorizo
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- nectarine
BEFORE-THEATER-DINNER --- (at Jaleo 7th) Valencia fizz | Selection of all cheeses (six kinds of sheep and goat cheese ) | Ajo blanco con cangrejo (Chilled almond and garlic soup with crabmeat and green grapes ) | Lomo Ibérico de bellota con manzanas (Fresh loin from the legendary, acorn-fed,black-footed Ibérico pigs of Spain served with roasted apples) |Espinacas a la catalana (Sautéed spinach, pine nuts,raisins and apples) | Croquetas de Jamón Serrano (Traditional Serrano ham fritters) | Bacalao con salsa verde (Slow cooked cod loin with a parsley sauce and black garlic) | Alcachofas salteadas con ‘Tapenade’ ( Fried baby artichokes with a black olive and anchovy sauce ) | Papas arrugas (Canary Island-style wrinkled baby potatoes served with mojo verde (cilantro, cumin, garlic,Sherry vinegar and olive oil sauce) | Chistorra envuelta en patata frita (Slightly spicy chorizo wrapped in a crispy potato) | white wine

• Valencia fizz, a creamy nutty cocktail : Plymouth Gin, Benedictine, Chufra Horchata , bitters, lemon and egg white
• "Fresh loin from the legendary, acorn-fed,black-footed Ibérico pig" does not taste anything special and it is pretty tough in texture.
  
• outstanding sauces: the green sauce for baby potatoes ( cilantro, cumin,garlic, sherry vinegar and olive oil) , the black sauce for artichokes: ( black olive and anchovy )
  

Summer delights

7-10-2011 Sun. hot, sunny.


WEEKEND BREAKFAST --- watermelon

AFTER-CONCERT-RECEPTION --- baguette and French cheese | fois gras | Persian flat bread and hummus | Persian sweets | wheatberry salad ( by Marilu) | grapes | chips | wine | beer
(special reception in the tea house) shallot marmalade with cucumber and pearl onion petals | mojito | crunchy gazpacho | morcilla sausage with potato crisp | spellbinder | sweet corn takoyaki | watermelon & tomato fillet |

Concert: Quartet for the End of Time

Reception : Summer delights in the Tea House

• fantastic concert, fabulous reception, happy crowd of friends.