Tag Archives: #good-eats

Sandwich break

York Avenue just north of 73rd

A recent article in The New Yorker lauded the breakfast sandwich. Helen Rosner expounded on the joys of a perfect balance between all its components. While fascinated by her well-expressed argument, I scoffed at the idea. A sandwich is something plus something between two pieces of bread. Breakfast is a plate of sunny eggs plus some toast.

Full disclosure requires I honestly tell you I enjoy the Starbucks 🌟 breakfast treat of an Impossible sausage many a morning. It’s a combo of egg plus cheese with the plant-based meat on a toasty lovely roll.

I appreciated its goodness, but thought it was just a fast food concept.

Enter an egg on a pita from Claire’s. Ta da! Its secret sauce is tahini poured over the scrambled egg plus pickles. All of this is set deep in the pita pocket, the eggs scrambled soft against the crunch of pickle. Talk about balance.

Opening?

Soon! Maybe.

Grubbs on York are being coy about when (maybe even if) they will be opening. This was cute. Originally. After months of seeing the tease, it’s beginning to grate. Open already, I want to shout. Or don’t.

The irony on this corner is that several months ago, the restaurant in question was open. Then it shuttered with this promise of it “coming soon.” I am puzzled.

Crossover cookery

Greeks must have meandered into French kitchens in the last half century. Almost every little bakery seems to feature a small burek alongside the croissants.

Veganism, if it is an ism, seems to be going mainstream. My evidence? Tacos with vegan pastor. Likewise, there’s Impossible gone mainstream in the Starbucks breakfast sandwich.

Smoothie

Green, with Envy

Health benefits are often a draw when foods or drinks seem off-putting.

Green is healthy; you know, like lettuce or broccoli, but in a drink… well, the color can be extreme. That said, a green smoothie can be so delicious. I will attest to the perfection of this satisfying drink.

Beets and berries contribute to the brightness of the smoothie on the right.

Red could be said to be on the other side of the color spectrum. Don’t think stop when you see this beverage in your fridge.

Gratitude

It’s Thanksgiving, a holiday designed for the expression of gratitude. I am happy to join in the festivities.

Thankful, I am thankful for nice days, rainbows, love, and laughter. I am grateful for both adversity and tranquility in the downs and ups of life.

No feast is necessary to celebrate. Don’t get me wrong, I like a nice turkey wing and some pecan-laden stuffing but I don’t need the poultry to underscore my appreciation.

What shall we have?

News from the front lines [WW I] seems to be generously represented in Le Petit Parisien.

Le Petit Parisien looks to be a rather incendiary little publication. Our new Cafe shares its name. The decor is a simple reminder of that connection. Cappuccino, as I mentioned in an earlier post, is very satisfactory.

Missing from next door since the owners posted their “Gone Surfing” notice is the friendly Bar Coastal. Fear not; a pub awaits. Plug-Uglies looks all set for business.

Speaking of bars… these “convenience stores” like High-End Puff [above] appear to be ready to satisfy weed cravings.

This ice cream parlor has chosen to be a self-styled PAC. I would amend this or add to this: Teach Your Children What That 30% Tax Covers; Remind Them They Live Rent-free and Eat.

Miscellaneous photo scenes that are not food related follow below as part of the fro and to of getting to Le Petit Parisien or Plug Uglies or High-End Puff.

Speaking of Croatia

Pierrot and Pierrette. “It is truly unlikely that the occasion for this masquerade had anything to do with Halloween. This holiday has no tradition that I know of in Croatia.”

Just cause a place was a point of your origin, does not mean you haven’t overlooked some of its finer points.

For Instance, I never heard of a dessert called the bayadere which apparently is a specialty from my mother’s neck of the Balkans. I encountered one at Les Gateaux de Marie and have to admit it’s very addictive. I am a huge chocolate mixed with nuts fan.

The coffee at this little French bakery Cafe is far from solid. It’s the bajadera I come back for from time to time.

Speaking of La Bayadere, it’s also the name of a classical dance. While I never fully understood its virtues when I was the audience, it is an elaborate and much admired work. I think my imagination is stymied by the appearance of ghosts.

Marius Petipa conceived this dramatic tale of exotica and eternal love set in ancient India for a large troupe of his dancers. The title refers to the Indian temple dancer, Nikiya, whose ghost returns to seek vengeance and be reunited with her noble lover, Solor.

How the name for an Indian temple dancer came to grace a Croatian sweet, I cannot tell you. I will attest that the pastry is, like an Indian Temple Dancer, an exotic treat.

The ghost or a wraith of some sort is an oft seen character in ballet, from Giselle, Les Sylphides to the apotheosis in Swan Lake.

Thus closes this Halloween-themed episode….

Recovery

Sleep and convalescence are today’s topics. If you feel the exploration of this lulling you into the first aforementioned, perhaps it’s my expository skill at ye olde bedtime story. This staple of the nursery is now recommended for adults!

Speaking of adults, my friend Bill W. (No not 12 step b.w.) shared a Karl Jung YouTube. Pertinent quote for us today: “life truly does begin at 40; everything up until then is research.” On the very plus side, this also makes us all much younger. At 41 you have only been an adult for one year as I see it.

Don’t cry yet but I am also going to have to introduce the onion in this health alert. It appears that it is full of natural antibiotics. Who (besides Nat Geo from whence I was schooled on all 3 subjects) knew?

If the health benefits of that extremely healthful vegetable have not had the full benefit, you may be obliged to recuperate. In the not so distant past, you might have benefited from a long slow recovery period known to all as convalescence. It is coming back in vogue among the medical professionals.

Don’t expect a longer welcome while in hospital. Beds and staff are still in short supply. But do lounge about at home, having spouse and friends do for you while you take the time to get better.

Oh, and have someone prepare a nice salad with clementines, kiwi, avocado and onions- lots of them. Bermuda is a favorite, but I hear tell that the Sunion is designed to not bring you to tears.

Woohoo!

There is something about a burger and fries that elicits hands-waving-in-the-air enthusiasm.

Pizza, as loved as it is, never quite calls for this grand a welcome. Your pepperoni pie is enjoyed more soberly than that.

The question becomes, as the hungry diner claims his prize hamburger platter, is it the meat or the potatoes that get such happy signs of approval?

Let’s face it, it’s a hard call whether the French fry or the American patty is the more popular.