Now Eating: Jennifer’s Way Bakery

After I heard that there was a new gluten-free, dairy-free bakery in town I had to know what it was all about. Actress Jennifer Esposito opened Jennifer's Way about 5 weeks ago and already I've made 2 trips there in 2 weeks, even though it's not exactly on my way home. Fortunately the weather is getting warmer and the walk over to 10th Street between 1st Ave and Avenue A is worth the hike. Truth be told, I love to eat. I love baked goods and most importantly I love taste. Until now, my gluten-free baked goods options were limited by what I actually made myself, Babycakes and Lael Cakes (only when they participate in the Vegan Shop Ups).

Since I don't often have the time or patience to bake gluten-free, dairy-free goodies I often end up at Babycakes, since it's on my subway ride home. I love their frosting, but when it comes to the baked goods, they aren't a bad way to satisfy my sweet tooth but they always tasted dense and gluten-free to me. I personally am not a fan of garbanzo bean flour and the flavor often comes through in a lot of the baked goods. Bean-y baked good never sat well with me, but since my options were limited I made do.

Lael Cakes makes gorgeous custom cakes that are on the gourmet side of the spectrum. But since they don't sell to the public on a regular basis, it's not an option I can indulge in often unless I want to order 30 slices of cake (which is the minimum order).

My first visit to the bakery I arrived late on a Sunday afternoon and a lot of the choices had been sold out. I was hoping to try some of the bread options in addition to some of the baked goods but unfortunately the breads were sold out. Fortunately I lucked out on my second visit.

New Food, New Life: Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free

So at the end of last year I noticed that little by little my quality of life had started deteriorating over the last couple years.  At first my allergies went out of control manifesting themselves in strange new ways that made me feel hopelessly out of energy and on the verge of narcoleptic. I would sleep for hours on end and still wake up feeling exhausted.  On the rare occasion I had energy an activity as little as doing the dishes caused me to seek my bed again.  After I learned of my allergies I spent a fortune on allergy medication, encasements for all my bedding, an air purifier and HEPA vacuum and vigilantly washed my bedding in hot water once a week in hopes that my allergies would improve.  The allergy medication helped immediately.  I felt functional again but not good.  On my best days my energy level was an 8/10 but I always felt like I had a fog over my mind and my quality of life.

Since my body was so occupied fighting my allergies my immune system became weaker and my ability to fight off viruses and infection became way below normal.  And again I added more medication to the routine but I often felt like I was fighting a war against my body.  Arcade Fire's song title "My Body is a Cage" felt all too real to me.

Eat: Family Recipe NY

Family Recipe is one of those adorable NYC restaurants that is far too good to stay a secret for long.  Located in the Lower East Side the gem of a restaurant was opened this past summer by Tokyo raised chef, Akiko Thurnauer, as a tribute to her food obsessed parents who introduced her to flavors from all over the world at an early age.  I was invited to a party to commemorate the launch of the Brunch Menu a couple weeks ago.

The wood paneling with slightly curved ceiling creates a warm cozy feeling of intimacy while the immaculate open kitchen at the long bar invites you to see the chefs busy at work carefully constructing dishes that are not by any means traditional Japanese but food that envelops you with a sense of familiarity and comfort.

I really had a chance to admire all of the intricacies that go into work in creating each dish and marvel at how effortlessly the chefs worked around each other.

I got to sample a bite of delicate skate on toast, home style curry rice, soft fluffy bao sandwiches and the signature drink the Bloody Geisha that is sure to wake you up with a hefty shot of wasabi flavor in a Bloody Mary-ish concoction.  It all left me wanting a bit more and curious for what else was on the menu.  Everything tasted incredibly fresh and a bit like home.  Or at least what home would taste like if your well travelled, hospitable, Japanese friend invited you over for dinner.  Think a future trip during regular hours is in order.  If you are stuck in a brunch rut, consider shaking up your routine and try out Family Recipe next weekend.

Family Recipe, 231 Eldridge Street, 212-529-3133

Varli Food Festival

Last week Erin and I had the chance to attend the Varli Food Festival. The event was the first-of-its-kind Indian foodie event which showcased 35+ local restaurants promoting awareness for Indian food and culture. Participating restaurants included Tamarind, Devi, Junoon, Tulsi and Chola just to name a few. It was an amazing experience trying and comparing cuisine from different regions of India side by side as well as modern interpretations.

We arrived close to seven - just in time to spot the massive line growing outside and got a quick peek of Varli Singh (founder of the event and magazine Varli) on the red carpet before heading inside.

We were greeted at the entrance with a booth set up serving these fantabulous looking drinks - I was starving and decided to pass on the booze and grab some food! Ever since I moved to NY, I haven't had Indian food so I was uber excited to try out an wide assortment of food fromnrestaurants around the city.

The venue was set up in a large room with different food vendor stations encircling the borders of the room. At first it was a bit overwhelming seeing everything so Erin and I did the most logical thing we could do and sequencially made our way around the room one station at a time. The first thing we came across was beet and spinach naan. The flavors were very subtle which makes sense since the naan is meant to be a vehicle for whatever you eat with it - much like pasta or rice.

Next up was some Chinese Indian food. The chicken drummette had a nice kick and the lollipop-like presentation definitely made for easy finger food! While not bad, I prefer this type of food from my hometown of Toronto.

Our fave food vendor of the night was Moghul which was ah-MAZING. There was a lengthy line to get to this vendor but man it was worth it. Erin's fave was a triple layered paneer while mine was a chicken tandori roulade which was to die for - it was amazingly moist and packed with flavor. Both were served with a trio of dipping sauces/chutneys which complimented the food without overpowering it. I ended up making three rounds at this station - it was so freakin good! I thought the chicken was especially interesting since roulades are typically French in origin - so while the cooking technique was European, the flavor was all Indian. Too bad this joint is in Edison, New Jersey =/

Of course there was plenty of standard fair including curries and biryanis to taste along the way!

Midway through our eating rampage, Tina Sugandh took center stage and performed some traditional music including drumming (scroll to the end to see video) and a few contemporary songs which was pretty neat.

After catching most of the show and perusing through the sea of food-goers, we made our way back to the food stands and grabbed some more grub.

A couple of the more unconventional things we tried included a cilantro flavored puffed rice salad and Indian style sushi. Personally I wasn't a big fan of either but the concepts were interesting.

This sprouted bean salad was one of the healthier choices we tasted (minus the accompanying fried potato puff!) and near the end, I grabbed a couple of these amazing crab cake/potato things with aioli and lotus root chips. I could have seriously eaten a plateful of just the lotus root chips on their own they were that good!

Closer to the exit, there were a few silent auctions for various prizes including home cooked meals and private dinners at restaurants. Some of the bidders didn't know exactly how it worked since their bids were lower than the preceding ones =p

Before we took off, we grabbed a couple pics at the photo booth/red carpet that were set up to remember this amazingly tasty night!

Tina Sugandh performance:

Travel Diary: London Day 2

Day 2 started early and after only 6 hours of sleep, I was wide awake and ready to go.  After sleeping in a plane, to sleep in a bed felt so sweet, but with plenty to see I didn’t want to waste time.

I started the day grabbing a Pasty, which is sort of like the British equivalent of a Jamaican Beef Patty.  Hot potato, onion and beef in a warm flakey pastry shell.  Satisfying, affordable and easy to take on the go.  Pasty stands are at every major train station I’ve seen thus far.

 

After checking out a Sunday morning service, I headed towards the South Kensington area to try a crepe that my friend informs me is better than Paris.  I’ve never been to Paris, but I have to say that I’m not sure that I can imagine a better crepe. I split with my friend and tried both a sweet and savory version.

I passed some delightful street scenes as I headed towards the V&A (Victoria & Albert Museum) to catch the Diaghilev and the Golden Age of the Ballets Russes exhibit.  I wasn’t sure what to expect from an exhibit about a dance company, but it was something I was told would definitely be influencing designers in upcoming seasons.

While photography was forbidden, here are a few images from the V&A website of what I saw. It was interesting to note that amongst the contributors to costume and set design over the years were greats in their respective fields like Picasso and Yves Saint Laurent.  I learned that it was a dance company that influenced and was influenced by art, music and fashion in it’s own time.

After the exhibit, I didn’t have time to see much else in the V&A because I wanted to have a look at luxe, traditional British retailer Harrod’s before dinner.I have a bit of a weakness for great window displays but could only snap a few scenes as I was afraid my camera was losing batteries.  The window’s in Harrod’s this year were inspired by Peter Pan.  My favorite scene was the one of models floating in clouds above a peaceful London night.

It was also my first time seeing all the food dedicated areas of Harrod’s.  It seemed like endless rooms dedicated to Chocolate, Seafood, Candy, Jams & cookies alongside areas for eating various prepared foods like sushi.  I must go back later on in this trip to check out French macaron shop La Duree.

I finished the night off in Angel (apparently a hip area with lots of resto & bars) for some ultra affordable cuisine at Le Mercury.  Le Mercury had a very cozy, casual feel that would be perfect for dates. The range of options was fairly broad and the portion sizes were quite generous.  I didn’t realize it was a French restaurant until after dinner, otherwise I might not have ordered my very Brit menu selections but it was Sunday and Sunday Roast called me.  I also had wine poached pear with blue cheese and walnuts in Balsamic and finished with some Banoffee pie. By the time I finished dinner I was done for the day.