Uncom-pear-able

8am. Awake early on a Sunday morning. A beautiful rarity for me. The city was sweepingly serene and quiet. As I pretended to still be asleep, I heard the usual sounds of rummaging in the kitchen. The master was prepping her instruments...

10am. Sara's family arrived and warmth suddenly filled the apartment. Théo's big blue eyes lit up the room. Everyone's laughter filled the air. Sunrays flooded our windows that day.

11am. Breakfast was finally ready! It was perhaps the best french toast all of us have ever had. Thinly sliced bosc pears, caramelized in sugar, tucked inside bread dipped in a pear-liqueur-spiked egg batter... then crisped to a golden brown, and topped with powdered sugar. As if it couldn't get any better, out came the crispy applewood bacon. The result was all smiles and a lot of "mm-mmming". A wonderful day for Rachel, Fabien and Théo to visit, for Sara's pear-ents to be there, enjoying the delicious pear-ing that was so ap-pear-ant (sorry had to to do it!).

Green Day

Friday afternoon at the Union Square Farmer's Market.

The Beat

To me, life's best relationships have always carried a rhythm. The hum of your favorite teacher. The sound of your mother fiddling around the house. Flipping the pages of an exciting book. Well, the rhythm of our relationship has always been food... and on this special night, we were enchanted by the BEAT of the Tabla. (Tabla is the word for Indian drum)

Tabla is a Danny Meyer-owned restaurant just a block from our apartment, with the brilliant Floyd Cardoz as chef. The waitress characterized the meal as seasonal ingredients using Indian spices and French cooking techniques. A perfect fit for me and Sara.

This was a truly notable meal. We shared everything, starting with the Five Onion Soup, a tangy broth with a delicious light spice to whet the palate. For the main course, we had the Fawa Crispy Skate with Peekytoe Crab Biryani (!!) and the Goan Beet Salad. The skate was perfectly prepared with a Fawa breading that gave it great texture and glimmer. The beet salad had crispy bacalao chips (salted cod) with an intense saltiness that heightened all the flavors. For dessert, we ordered the Mango Ice Cream Sundae, which is something I will never forget. Topped with mascarpone, meringue 'kisses', hazelnuts and crumble, the mango ice cream was perfectly creamy and not too sweet.

As we were leaving the the restaurant, we noted that the 80's decor seemed a bit out of place. It was then that Sara noticed a bin full of huge pomegranates and joked about swiping one... when the busboy told us "its all yours, go ahead and take it! We are closing in a month anyway."

.... and so we left this amazing meal with a bittersweet ending. Another new favorite soon to be gone... yet, we are so glad we had our chance to experience it and will try to go one more time before its gone, even if just for dessert.

Trader Jacques

Thanks to Trader Joe's, we don't need to go to a patisserie in Paris, or even leave the house to have freshly baked croissants.

JULiETTE

This past Sunday we went to Williamsburg to see Kristen run in the NYC Marathon. We cheered her on from Bedford Avenue, and spotting her among the thousands of runners felt like an accomplishment in and of itself. As she approached us there were mutual squeals of excitement, and even after she continued on, we couldn't shake the pride we felt from her amazing achievement.


All that cheering made us hungry so we decided to eat lunch in the neighborhood. We happened upon JULiETTE, a quintessential french bistro filled with red flea market chairs, vintage metal signs and Ricard Pernod bottles. How could we resist? There was a bit of a wait, but after one sip of their deliciously spicy Bloody Mary we were pacified. We ordered the Banana Stuffed French toast, and while it was good, it just couldn't stand up to our favorite recipe. We also had the Omelette of the Day, filled with kale & jack cheese. The crispy potatoes cooked in extra virgin olive oil were the highlight of that dish... Oh and another highlight, they served Stumptown coffee.

Our New Stumping Ground

As an alternative to the numerous Starbucks in the city we decided to check out Stumptown Coffee last weekend. It's located in the Ace Hotel just a short stroll from our apartment. Originating in Portland, the Stumptown brand has thankfully made it's way to NYC, bringing along its charm and its beans.

It was particularly brisk last Saturday, so even though the line was long we were happy to step into this cozy cafe just to escape the cold. Stumptown has a 1940's vibe, with baristas wearing vests and newsies-style caps. Once we realized that we could be served from the hotel lobby we parked ourselves there, shed our coats, and absorbed the mid-century atmosphere. The coffee was rich and smooth and we agreed that once we're out of Peet's, Stumptown will become our new home staple.