Top 10: March

while packing I discovered we have a museum of balsamic vinegar

Between moving and SXSW smack in the middle, this month got away from me. I had to trawl my phone photos to remember just where I went and what I did. I take a lot of photos for this very reason.

Baked: a sacred sunday tradition

First of the month, and also G's birthday, we went to Baked, which is a short walk from our apartment in Red Hook. This biscuit breakfast sandwich is made in extremely limited quantities and is almost always sold out by the time my groggy ass usually walks through the door. Not this time! SO flaky, so decadent. The american cheese slice drooling all over the maple sausage patty! All it really needs is a hit of hot sauce and it's heaven.

G's birthday had two Top 10's in it. For dinner we went to the very fancy La Vara in Cobble Hill. They specialize in Moorish, Jewish cuisine from Spain.  I'd never had ajo blanco, or white gazpacho, before and I was blown away by the amazing flavors in this dish.  The raw shrimp was an amazing pairing to the pinenut and almond broth.  I wrote about our La Vara experience here.

Once I got to Austin for SXSW, my housing plans fell through and I needed to improvise. I got lucky thanks to some kind people who let me stay with them. Their apartment was only a few minutes walk to Zilker, this brewery on 6th I'd been to before. This time I opted for the Spicy Boys food truck in the back and BOY, do they do ma la spice properly. The Sichuan tater tots delivered all the tingles, and were under 5 bucks. Would go again next time.

While I could write about the many delicious tacos I had in Austin, I figure that would be a given. Instead I would like to talk about this butternut squash dish instead. A beautiful combination of sweet and spicy, creamy and tangy. I wrote about my dining out experience at Launderette here.

As soon as I got back to Brooklyn I needed a dish so packed with vegetables, so nutrient dense, that it would repair my taco meat-soaked body. I of course made the preserved lemon and chicken tagine I'm obsessed with.  Everything about this dish hits the spot every time. I will get around to writing down the recipe.

I love you.

It's no secret I'm a martini fan. I don't love sweet things, and that extends to drinks. Martinis are short and the to the point. You can make one at home.  In our search to find the best happy hour between our workplaces in downtown Brooklyn, we tried Oddly Enough and I discovered the marvel that is the pepperoncini martini. Even the name is perfect.

I was inspired by the tex-mex flavors of my SXSW trip and dreamed up a very refreshing tomatillo yuzu koho tsukemen that I have the recipe for here. I'm excited to make this in the summer.

thank you magic mike

I was waiting for the Corolla to pass inspection and had some time to kill in Gowanus so I popped into this coffee shop called Beanmonger to have a cup and check my email. There was this giant blonde magic mike type behind the counter with his back to me, and when he turned around to take my order he was holding a huge pan of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. He told me he'd just made them himself. I don't like sweets but how could I not order one with my mocha? The interior was goo-ey and warm when I pulled it apart. I marveled at the fact that this guy could have easily bench pressed me, seriously he was ripped, but also made a very good grandma cookie. This juxtaposition flustered me so it's in my top 10.

as a photographer I always say hasselblad instead of hasselback

Last but not least, fresh and affordable monkfish suddenly appeared in my local grocery store and I couldn't resist snagging some. I utterly failed at trying to make hasselback potatoes but the curried mussel sauce was a hit with these pan fried medallions of monkfish. They call this very ugly fish the poor man's lobster. Hell, I prefer it to anything with claws you have to crack open. Really weird to look at though.