Café L'Europe - Palm Beach

Café L'Europe - Palm Beach

www.cafeleurope.com/
331 South County Road Palm Beach, FL 33480
(561) 655-4020
$$$$$


I made a group reservation for 16 people weeks in advance as it seems to be pretty hard to get a group reservation in palm beach.

The restaurant is pretty traditional with a Piano player for added ambiance. The waiters and staff are very attentive and the service is impeccable.

The food is bland and over priced. I wouldn't mind paying 30 bucks for a lobster appetizer if it at the very least had salt on it. The lobster and crab tortellini was bland and all I did taste was lemon. There was a hearty portion of chunk lobster in the bowl but it was over cooked and rubbery.

The best part of the meal was the focaccia bread and the frangelico coffee. Certainly not worth the price we paid.

Don't go here.

Thai inspired baked Tempeh

Thai inspired baked Tempeh

1/4 cup of soy sauce
1/4 cup cup apple cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon of grated ginger
1 Teaspoon of sesame oil
1 Teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon of ginger powder
2 teaspoons of honey
1 Tablespoon of peanut butter
Juice of half a lime

Combine the above and mix until all is incorporated. Add sliced tempeh and
Marinate overnight.

Preheat oven to 375. Spray baking pan with Pam. Bake tempeh for 15 minutes then flip and bake 10 minutes more.

Braised Kale in Apple Cider

A delicious and easy way to make kale, which will leave anyone asking for more!

 

Ingredients

One bunch of Kale chopped

1 TBS of vegetable oil
One large shallot chopped
1 -1/2 C of Apple Cider

½ C Apple cider vinegar
Salt to taste

Instructions

Heat your heavy bottomed Dutch oven or cast iron skillet; add your cooking oil to coat, over medium high flame. Add onion, let brown slightly, and add the kale. Sauté for a couple of minutes until the kale just begins to wilt, add the onion,  1 C apple cider and vinegar.

Put on a tight fitting lid and reduce the heat to a simmer about 1 hour cook stirring occasionally.  Don’t let the apple cider liquid boil away, add more if necessary. Cook until tender.

Thanksgiving 2012-- Bouley--Tribeca NY

Bouley Restaurant

www.davidbouley.com

163 Duane Street  New York, NY 10013 (212) 964-2525 $$$$$

I wanted to have a wonderful Thanksgiving experience this year with the man that introduced me to restaurant food, my father.   After my parents’ divorce back in 1991 he would drive 75 minutes from Bridgewater, NJ to Queens, NY and we would spend every other Sunday exploring Manhattan.  We spent most of our days at art galleries, antique stores, auction houses, Sotheby’s and museums of all kinds. We would usually end our day together at a restaurant. 

Thanksgiving was my “fathers” holiday, Christmas belonged to my mom and so we gave up on our traditional home cooked meals and headed to Willow restaurant on Madison Ave for Thanksgiving. 

 Every year for many years we went to the same place until dad of course started dating and we went back to having family Thanksgivings at home.  Willow is no longer in existence and so I wanted to take my father someplace special this year we would go to Bouley in Tribeca. 

 I made a reservation a couple of months in advance on Open Table; Bouley would be offering a six course tasting menu.  Surely, Dad would appreciate having a dinner of a lifetime.  

 

Tribeca was very quiet on Thanksgiving, all the tourists ventured up to midtown for the parade and all the locals escaped the hustle and bustle. Once I entered Bouley I walked into a foyer area which contains shelves from floor to ceiling, covered with fresh apples.  I was suddenly engulfed with the fragrance of apples, it was AMAZING.  The fragrance caused me to smile at the notion of originailty. I entered another door which leads to the hostess station and in that moment, when I thought everyone escaped Tribeca, I suddenly realize that everyone in Tribeca was in this restaurant. 

A man came by with a push cart filled with freshly baked breads.  And told us a story about how David Bouley decided to start baking his own bread during the Atkins craze.  Seems Bouley likes to go against the grain (no pun intended). The Baker would pass our table every few minutes and my father would ask him to stop for another type of bread. My father looked intrigued and appreciative of the exchange. 

For the next two hours I would admire the beautiful, extra large murals on the walls, the large ceiling arches, and the accents of apple green through the restaurant. I felt cozy, at home and relaxed dining at Bouley.  I watched my father, smile with each bite, of each course, enjoying the Porcini Flan with Dungeness crab and black truffle dashi, the New Zealand venison, the butternut squash soup from David Bouley’s home garden, the organic Connecticut farm egg, the pineapple soufflé, the exotic sorbet and the French macaroons.  Oh, and the bottle of Pino Noir and the espresso with sambuvca and lemon peel. The service was impeccable and the ambiance and people watching was incredible.

Bouley is an experience that I will never forget.  A time where I got to spend my Thanksgiving meal with the two most important men in my life, my father and my partner. Isn’t that what life is about, creating memories which happen to be around food.

Total 3 people with wine and tip: $820.00

   

Don's Bogam Korean BBQ---"Wait that's not seaweed!"

Don's BOGAM

www.donsbogam.com 17 East 32nd Street New York, NY 10016 (212) 683-2200

 What will we have for lunch today I asked Denise?  

“I am up for, Mexican, Thai or something I never had before, like Korean!”   

Korean food is an acquired taste, its exotic for anyone that IS adventurous with foods.  I love Korean food, they always present you with a selection of traditional Korean side dishes and condiments and you usually have no idea what they are.  And so, the adventure began at Don’s Bogam BBQ restaurant.

We were seated in a booth where we sat almost in a hole, where your legs are in the floor. It sort of reminded me of a jacuzzi without the water.  I wouldn’t suggest going here if you are unable to bend your knees or have had a hip replacement.  

Once seated we were given a menu to which the most identifiable item was short ribs and bbq.  I usually order the Korean BBQ but decided I would go for a Galbi Bibimap; a clay pot filled with rice, noodles, carrots, mushrooms, miso broth, hot sauce, seaweed and short ribs and Denise ordered the EUI Special; thinly sliced beef with vegetables in broth with stew & rice.  

Within minutes we were presented with the traditional condiments and side dishes.  I sat there explaining what I thought each dish was.  This is Kimchee; a fermented Napa cabbage in a hot sauce, seaweed, fried fish cakes, this is coleslaw, and this is daikon radish in kimchee sauce, some were unrecognizable to me.  

Denise dove right in with no hesitation and said “this seaweed one is pretty good” and then I looked closely and realized,  I misquoted what it actually was!  She described it as salty,  but good and then I said, "Thank God you tried it before I realized what it was, because its fried baby fish, with the head and eyes attached".  I had more of a laugh then she did, but she appreciated her new experience.  

My Galbi Bibimap arrived and it was beautiful.  The vegetables were raw and fresh, I could hear them screaming pour the miso broth on us.  Suddenly the pot sizzled with excitement.  I dipped my short ribs in hot sauce (which wasn’t that hot) it added another dynamic to the dish.  I consumed the bowl to completion.  

Denise seemed to love everything she had too and was intrigued with how many varieties of tofu there are.  Her silken tofu was soft almost cheese like in a red broth.  

Last minute I ordered the serenity cold tea, in which I waiting quite a while for.  The tea had a subtle hint of lemongrass, peppermint and vanilla.  I only wished it was colder but they did press the tea leaves in front of me which added to the experience.  

It was 1:00 and we needed to get back to the office I looked up and realized that  Don’s Bogam BBQ restaurant was packed with a huge lunch crowd.  There are many Korean restaurants on 32^nd street but this one is the one to go to.

Total Bill for 2 with tip: $40.00

Poached Pears in Red Wine--Dinner Party

I recently went to a dinner party and made the most delicious dessert, poached pears in red wine is pretty simple and impressive!

 

Poached Pears in Red Wine

 

 

Ingredients

6 firm Bartlett pears

1 bottle red wine (Merlot is what I used)

1 Madagascar vanilla bean, whole

2 teaspoons of cinnamon 
3 Star Anise

2 bay leaves

2 cups sugar

1 (8 ounce) containers mascarpone cheese, softened

1 (8 ounce) whipped cream cheese

1/2 cup heavy cream

Pinch cinnamon

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Directions

Peel pears and leave stem intact. In a large saucepan, bring wine and an equal amount of cold water to a simmer. Split vanilla bean lengthwise and add to wine and water mixture. Add cinnamon, star anise, bay leaves and sugar, to taste. Add pears to liquid and simmer for about 30 minutes or until tender. Cool pears in wine mixture to room temperature. You can refrigerate them in the poaching liquid until you're ready to fill them. Core pears with an apple corer, leaving pear whole.

Whisk together mascarpone cheese, cream cheese, heavy cream, pinch cinnamon and powdered sugar until smooth. Transfer to a pastry bag, or if you do not have one, use ziplock wrapped into a cone with the corner snipped off. Pipe filling into cored pears.

Bring sauce up to a simmer and reduce by half. Spoon generously over pears. Cool to room temperature before serving. 

My friend Diana made the most delicious Hors d'oeuvre from bacon wrapped scallops to caviar pie!

 

Karrie Myer-Taylor Gluten Free Sweets

Karrie’s Gluten Free Desserts

I love pastries, cookies, cakes, brownies and anything that has at least a cup of sugar in it.  There's something about diving into a sinful goodie that puts a smile on my face. 

I am very lucky to not have any food allergies, I mean I can eat anything but I’ve noticed over the past few years that after eating these delicious goodies I feel sluggish with a complete loss of energy.  I’ve read that maybe consuming items that are Gluten free could change this for me and so I tried Karrie’s Gluten Free Desserts. 

I found Karrie advertised on Zaarly and boy was I SHOCKED, what I once thought gluten free to be, was in fact far from the truth.  My image of gluten free had been one of dry tasting cardboard with little flavor.  Karrie’s gluten free desserts are amazing, full flavor, and exotic.  

Karrie decided to start baking gluten free items after realizing she had a gluten allergy and couldn’t find great desserts that she had once enjoyed.  Sure, there were gluten free bread and gluten free bagels on the market but what about good homemade cookies and homemade brownies?

Karrie’s brownies are moist, rich and decadent.  My favorite of all was the gingerbread cookies filled with a lemon butter cream sooooo Good!!!  The fragrant creamy lemon filling added a perfect balance to crisp ginger cookie.  I also had the most decadent red velvet cupcake that was spit in half and filled with a cinnamon cream.  Who would have thought of putting cinnamon in the middle of a cupcake? The cinnamon cream added a bit of heat to the dense velvet cupcake.   Also consumed were the peanut butter sandwich cookies which had a fudgy chocolate center.  They reminded me of those Stella Dora Swiss fudge cookies in which I’d consume the entire package in one sitting. Not to mention you cannot tell that any of her desserts are gluten free.  

 I am so lucky Karrie’s desserts are 3000 miles from my house otherwise I wouldn’t be able to fit in my clothing.  

You can find Karrie’s Desserts here:

https://www.zaarly.com/karrie?fb_action_ids=10151381616055609&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map={%2210151381616055609%22%3A510464038977487}&action_type_map={%2210151381616055609%22%3A%22og.likes%22}&action_ref_map=[]

Baker and Banker San Francisco, CA --Pacific Heights

Baker & Banker - A Pacific Heights

www.bakerandbanker.com

1701 Octavia Street  San Francisco, CA 94109 (415) 351-2500 $$$

My favorite meal of the day is Brunch.  I have never met an egg I didn’t like.  I like them fried, scrambled poached, in an omelet, baked, sunny side up and upside down.  My only problem with brunch, what egg dish will I order?  I tend never to order anything sweet in the morning, partly because I will no doubt be hungry in an hour.  

We made a reservation far in advance for Baker and Banker.  Its image would be easily described as a modern restaurant with a mature sophistication.  There are no hipsters hanging out here, all patrons are professionals.   You can tell that the restaurant is definitely run by someone that was once a banker,  It’s a bit stiff to be honest, a bit unfriendly, and unapologetic.  The bakery which is attached to the restaurant is completely opposite.  It’s warm, friendly and welcoming and I was glad I made the stop as it swayed me to like this place a bit more.  

I ordered the eggs Benedict with kale, it had a hint of hot sauce (I did however want more hot sauces but I was afraid to ask).  It was yummy, and so was the passion fruit mimosa I ordered.  I especially loved the very last sip as it contained all the sweetness from the passion fruit.  I actually ordered a second mimosa just so I could have the last sip experience again.   

The food was great.  The atmosphere was stiff, I was afraid to smile at the waitress or even ask for hot sauce.  I also noticed how quite this place is, and everyone whispered as if they were in a library.  I’m a loud laughing type of person and I found myself retreating for the sake of not wanting to cause any attention.    

After brunch we ventured off next door to the Bakery to look at what was being offered that day.  I picked up a pecan sticky bun and I am GLAD I did.  I even got a smile from the guy behind the counter, the bakers even laughed!