#50 Mmm...Rolls...

My second foodie blogroll is for Is My Blog Burning? It's sort of like a central meeting spot for food bloggers, like a bulletin board. The fun thing is that they have lots of food "events," like "make bruscetta" or "wine blogging" which you make and post onto your own blog. I haven't done any events yet, as my life is in a state of chaos until we move, but I'm looking forward to it.

Chefs say you're either a burner or a cutter. I'm definitely a burner.

#49 Ring Pops

I know everyone remembers these with childlike fondness. I do too. Which is why, whilst at a family BBQ today, I reached into that giant bin and pulled out a blue raspberry one. But believe me when I tell you, this is a lot of candy for one person. I was having a contest with an 11-year old to see who could finish their's first and by the time we'd whittled away 2/3, we were both like "You know, I don't want to do this anymore." An ELEVEN-YEAR OLD said, "No more candy"! The only good to come of it was my acid blue lips and tongue (to which my aunt, upon seeing it, said "Oh my God! What happened to your lips? You've been in the pool too long!"

#48 SOS

I have one more banana recipe to post, but that will have to wait until Monday, when I'm back at work (9 days left!). Today, I'd like to, once again, profess my love and astonishment at the SOS scouring pad. I can hear those dirty pots and pans clinking and clanging out their Morse Code cry for help now...remember that commercial from the 80s?

At any rate, I was cleaning the frying pan I had made the plantains in and there was a little grease spot in the corner that did not want to come out no matter how much I soaked or scrubbed. Part of me (the lazy part) thought, o-well, guess I'll just have a grease spot. Who cares? But another part of me (the part writing this post) thought, let's bust out the SOS. With a regular dish pad, I must have scrubbed for 10 minutes, to no avail. With the SOS, I scrubbed for thirty seconds and it came right off.

All hail steel wool!

PS-If you live in New York, it's also a good thing to put in wall holes to prevent insects and vermin from infesting.

#47 Fruit Pizza

Well, some people loved this, but I didn't. The combo of sugar cookies, cream cheese, and fruit just didn't do it for me (although I love all of those things separately). Girl Ray mentioned that her family used whipped cream instead of cream cheese, and I do believe, should I make this again, I will follow suit. I used strawberries, blueberries, bananas, and apriums (the pluots' cousin). It sure is pretty, huh? The recipe comes from Paula Deen.

Pizza Dough:
1 package store-bought sugar cookie dough

Toppings:
8 ounces softened cream cheese
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 large peach, sliced
1 large green apple, sliced
1 large orange, sectioned
1/2 pint fresh strawberries, sliced
6 ounces fresh blueberries
6 ounces fresh raspberries
1/2 cup white chocolate chips, melted
1/2 cup chocolate syrup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Flatten cookie dough onto a 6-inch pizza pan. Bake until firm to touch, about 11 to 15 minutes. Cool. In a medium bowl, blend cream cheese and sugar. Spread the baked cookie with the cream cheese mixture and decorate with sliced fruit. In a small bowl, combine melted white chocolate with chocolate syrup. Top the pizza with remaining berries and chocolate mixture. Slice and serve immediately.

Grade: C+

#46 Banana Rum Coconut Cookies

Originally, I made these as a take home gift for the party-goers, but after I made them, I realized I didn't really have enough, so I just put them out with everything else and gave people skillets and nail polish and old CDs to take home instead. I think these tasted good, but the texture was very cakey. The online comments for this recipe warned me of such, so I wasn't surprised, but after like two days, they became very chewy. Not sure I'd make them again as I feel there are better uses of banana, rum, coconut than this. The recipe comes from Cooking Light.

2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup ripe mashed banana (about 1 medium)
1/2 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise (a reader suggested using 1/2 cup applesauce and 1 tbsp oil, which is what I did cause mayo don't belong in cookies!)
1 teaspoon rum (I used 1 tbsp)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup flaked sweetened coconut
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (I think I omitted these)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Dash of ground ginger

Preheat oven to 350°.

Place first 4 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until blended. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and remaining ingredients, stirring with a whisk. Stir flour mixture into banana mixture. Drop dough by 2 tablespoonfuls onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 19 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from pan; cool completely on a wire rack. (Again, because of their cakey consistency, you may want to spread them out a little before you bake them, so they cook evenly.)

Grade: B-

#45 Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Okay, so this didn't have any bananas in it, but, as I said, I owed it to Cos. This was my first time ever making one and I think it turned out pretty good. There wasn't enough caramel topping (and I don't know why I didn't think to make some more), so it was a little dry, but otherwise, I thought it was a valiant effort on my part.

Alas, I cannot post the recipe, because, as I have also mentioned, my computer is broken, and that where I keep the recipes, and I can't remember where this one came from to look it up online. But if anyone's dying for it, let me know, and I'll email it once I have access to my recipes again.

Grade: B

#44 Double-Fried Plantain Rounds

I think these were the hit of the party. I've never fried anything before (we saute a lot at my house), so I was excited to use a new technique. I'd also never used plantains before. This was a pretty simple process, although it did take awhile to pound them all out. I served them with a sweet and spicy chili jam (bought at Whole Foods after I had the truly amazing jalapeno jam at Mesa Grill, which is, alas, not available outside of that restaurant...I shall miss you, jalapeno jam, when I leave). This recipe comes from Michael Chiarello.


4 green plantains
2 cups vegetable oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Peel plantains and cut into 1-inch thick rounds.

Heat the oil in a small saucepan until hot but not smoking. Drop the plantain rounds into the hot oil 3 or 4 at a time and cook until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels. (I crowded the pan and it didn't seem to have any effect on the frying time.)

Set each fried plantain on a flat side, and using a rolling pin, frying pan, or whatever else you think will work, squash it as flat as you can. It should have a circular shape.

Return the flattened plantain sections to the hot oil 3 or 4 at a time and cook until the entire surface is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Remove the plantains from the oil, drain, and season liberally with salt and pepper. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Grade: A

#43 Banana Split Cake

The first of several recipes from the Bananarama party. This was a hit with the guests, but I didn't love it. It was overly sweet for me. Next time I might skip the pudding. But it looks gooey and delicious and you know what Rachel Ray says: You eat with your eyes first. Isn't that gorgeous?

Recipe comes from Martha Stewart.

For the Pudding: (for the record, I used instant pudding)
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 cup granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
2 large eggs
2 cups whole milk
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the Whipped Cream: (I made fresh whipped...you can use Cool Whip, but, honestly, anything that keeps in the fridge for six months, scares me)
2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar

For the Assembly:
Yellow Cake, baked in two 8-inch round cake pans (I bought an Entenmann's loaf cake)
4 large bananas, peeled and halved crosswise then lengthwise (I diced them for easier eating)
1/2 cup store-bought chocolate sauce, warmed
1 maraschino cherry, for decorating
Yellow sprinkles, for decorating
1/4 cup toasted walnuts, chopped (optional)

1. Make the pudding: Prepare an ice-water bath; set aside. Whisk together cornstarch, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, and salt in a small bowl. Whisk eggs in another bowl until smooth; whisk into cornstarch mixture. Set aside.

2. Whisk together milk and remaining 6 tablespoons sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Slowly pour milk mixture into egg mixture, whisking constantly.

3. Pour mixture back into saucepan. Cook, whisking constantly, over medium-high heat until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and pour through a sieve into a medium bowl. Whisk in butter and vanilla. Set bowl in ice-water bath, and let cool, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes. Pudding can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 3 days. (Again, I used instant, so I skipped these three steps.)

4. Make the whipped cream: Put cream into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; beat on medium speed until soft peaks form. Add confectioners' sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form. (I was out of confectioners', so I used superfine. I would stay away from granulated sugar though.)

5. Assemble the cake: Using a serrated knife, trim tops of cakes level, then cut each in half horizontally, making 4 layers. Place 1 cake layer into the bottom of a straight-sided 4-quart bowl (about 8 inches in diameter and 6 inches high). Spread with 1/2 cup pudding, then with 3/4 cup whipped cream. Arrange 4 banana quarters on top; top with another cake layer. Repeat 3 times, decorating final banana layer with a dollop of whipped cream. Drizzle with chocolate; top with a cherry. Sprinkle with sprinkles and nuts, if desired. Using a large spoon, divide portions among serving bowls. Serve immediately.

Grade: B-

#42 Bananarama

Sorry for the short posts this weekend, but we're having computer issues (the issue being that our computer doesn't work), so I'm posting on a substitute computer. Posts will be better during the week when I'm at work.

This Saturday, I had a Bananarama party (my second one, no less), where we celebrated this humble fruit. I made frozen bananas with Reese's Pieces, banana split cake, banana coconut rum cookies, fruit pizza, double-fried plantains, and pineapple upside down cake (no bananas in that one, but I owed it to Cos). Delia and I also concocted a not entirely successful banana ice cream drink. I'll post the recipes throughout the week. I love any chance to celebrate my favorite fruit!

Go Bananas!

#41 Ho Hum

I'm tired of mangos now. Bananas, that's where it's at!

#40 Pho 32

2 West 32nd Street
NY, NY 10001
212-695-0888

Smalls and I were meeting at the Dosa Hut for lunch on Monday (please not the title of this post is not "Dosa Hut," which should be the reader's first clue that things did not go according to plan). If you live in New York, you may remember Monday as being a God-awful hot day. I can't find the Dosa Hut, mostly because that's not the real name of the restaurant. It's real name is some authentic-sounding Indian name, the dosa bit is a mere parenthetical. In fact, when I call 411 for the address (of course they don't give you the address, they give you the phone number), they send me to a clothing store in SoHo called Dosa Hut.

So we're there, we're drinking water, we're mopping our shiny foreheads...we're waiting for service...come to find out, they're only doing a buffet and the dosa look rather sad indeed. Smalls does not want limp dosa and promises he knows of a place just around the bend.

He does not. We walk and walk and sweat and sweat and I wore wedge sandals so my feet are starting to hurt...

We end up at Pho 32, eating hot bowls of noodles. Mine had meatballs in it. I threw in some kimchi for good measure. It was pretty darn tasty.

Grade: B

#39 Spinach and Tofu Dumplings

These are a little time consuming to make, but I liked doing it. Once you get into the rhythm of fill, moisten, fold it gets meditative and you can breeze through the assembly. They only take a few minutes to cook, and I froze the leftovers for another night (freeze them uncooked). Snowman thought they were a little bland, but he's a carnivore at heart. I, on the other hand, thought they were really scrumptious. We each ate about 10 as a meal. You decide for yourself. Recipe comes from the good folks at Food & Wine.

DUMPLINGS
5 ounces baby spinach (5 cups packed) (I used regular spinach to no ill effect)
5 ounces firm tofu, 1/4-in dice
2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 sm. jalapeno chiles seed, mince (I used one and it was plenty spicy)
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil
Salt and pepper
45 wonton wrappers (I pretty much doubled this recipe and still didn't get 45 dumplings, so I think their estimation is way off)

DIP
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tablespoons unseason rice vinegar
1 teaspoon honey

MAKE THE DUMPLINGS:
Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add the spinach and cook for 20 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the spinach to a colander. When the spinach is cool enough to handle, squeeze it dry, then coarsely chop it. Keep the water hot.

Transfer the spinach to a medium bowl and stir in the tofu, cornstarch, jalapeños, soy sauce and sesame oil and season with salt and pepper.

Working with 4 wonton wrappers at a time, dampen the edges and mound 1 1/2 teaspoons of filling in the center of each wrapper. Fold 1 corner of each up over the filling and seal to make triangles. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.

MAKE THE DIPPING SAUCE:
In a small serving bowl, stir the soy sauce with the vinegar and honey.

Return the water to a boil. Add the dumplings and simmer over moderate heat, stirring gently, until the edges are al dente, about 3 minutes. Carefully drain in a colander and transfer to a platter. Serve with the dipping sauce.

Grade: A

#38 Just Wondering...

How can a girl who has a blog about food be engaged to a man who doesn't know what Go-gurt is?

#37 Freezer Burn

I think everyone gets it: I like food. As such, I really enjoy a well-stocked fridge and pantry. However, now that Snowman and I are moving in a month, we are in the process of eating as much stuff out of said well-stocked food containment devices as possible.

This is our freezer. In it we have: fries, gin, frozen fruits, Philly Swirls, ravioli, broccoli pot pies, pizza, chicken tenders, taco meat, ice cream sandwiches, Lean Cuisines, a loaf of bread, acai, shrimp skewers, chicken breasts, and stir fry.

The question is: Can we eat all this?

The answer: Watch this space.

#36 You Down With BPP?

I'm a fan of frozen dinners. I mean, sometimes you just don't want to cook and even takeout seems like too much effort. I don't go overboard with these, and I only eat certain kinds. I'm a big fan of Lean Cuisine (especially ones without a whole chicken breast...I never find that those reheat that well). Since I went alternate-day vegetarian (almost six months ago!), I needed to stock the freezer with some veggie dishes, so I turned to Amy's Organic.

This is where I discovered her Broccoli Pot Pies and I am in love--and this from a girl who doesn't even dig broccoli. There are broccoli, carrots and potatoes in a cheese sauce, all wrapped up in a wheat crust. I eat a couple every week and they are sooooo good.

#35 Undertranch a What?

From Schott's Food & Drink Miscellany...

According to the Booke of Kervinge (c. 1508), in which were tabulated the different carving terms to be employed for different animals:

carving term.............................................................animal
spoil.........................................................hen
disfigure...........................................peacock
wing.......................................................quail
barb....................................................lobster
undertranch.....................................porpoise

So, let's try that in a sentence...

"Hang it all, Jeeves, I'm famished! Spoil the hen!"

#34 New Food: Acai

Pronounced ah-SIGH-ee, and otherwise known as the palmberry, this fruit is harvested in the Amazon. It's full of antioxidants, amino acids, and omega fats and is truly delicious. I buy the frozen smoothie packs (sweetened with cane juice) and combine with a handful of strawberries, a banana, and 1/4 cup of apple juice. It is truly the most delicious smoothie I've ever had. Smooth, thick, ice cold...easily as good as anything I've had at Jamba Juice (no offense--I still love you, Jamba).

Don't fear the acai! Embrace it! And live longer.

#33 Brasserie

100 E 53rd St.
NY, NY 10022
212-751-4840

A very sleek, mod layout--and you'd expect no less from a restaurant located inside the Mies Van der Rohe Seagram Building. But be warned: the airy, open space makes for very noisy eating.

My boss and I went to lunch here during Restaurant Week, so we had the $24.07 prix fixe (not that they give you that menu...you have to ask for it...and it comes on a thin whisp of paper...so everyone can tell)

I had an heirloom tomato appetizer with balsamic glaze and grilled onions. Very sweet and tart and lovely. For the entree I had skate Grenobloise, which was pan-fried and served with a lemon-caper sauce and some delightful haricots verts. The skate was fine...a little bland, and turns out I'm not a huge fan of lemon-caper sauce. Dessert was a superb creme brulee. The iced tea was faintly raspberry-flavored, and as a person who likes her tea strictly black, I have to say, this was really mellow and delicious.

Grade: B+

PS-I gave my boss notice at lunch too. That was free of charge!

#32 Free Fish!

FreshDirect recently had a promotion (in conjunction with POM) for free cedar plant salmon with pomegranate glaze. The cedar plank came with very clear instructions that it was for outdoor grilling only, but this is NYC, and I don't have an outdoor. Instead, I soaked the plank in water for about seven hours, then warmed it up in a 400 oven for about ten minutes. I covered the plank with a little olive oil, threw on the salmons (which I dusted with salt and pepper) and turned the oven down to 375. After about eight minutes, I brushed on some glaze, cooked it about eight minutes more and plated up. I put some extra glaze on the plate for dipping. I'm not sure how much cedar flavor was imparted, but the salmon was delicious and the glaze was perfect with it.

I also cooked up some wild rice, which is, well, wildly different than white rice. It takes an hour to cook and it's very nutty, chewy and, quite honestly, bland. I threw in some parmesan cheese, which helped, but not enough. I ended up having to eat it with a mouthful of salmon to enjoy it at all.

This week, FD is giving away free steak! FREE STEAK!

#31 Apple Juice: The Real Deal

We all grew up on the same kind of apple juice...you know, the dark brown stuff that looks like urine after a hard night of drinking and tastes like a sugar cube, with only the faintest whiff of anything apple-like.

That's not really apple juice! I was on FreshDirect, looking for apple juice for my smoothies, and I saw Red Jacket Orchards juice. It was only the palest yellow and I thought, "That's the color of an apple! I'll try it."

I must tell you, it's simply the best. It tastes like beautiful apple lovin'. Not too sweet, nothing artificial, and hey, it only lasts for a few weeks, so no preservatives either!

Nutritionists and chefs alike tell you to buy produce that grows as close to home as possible. This is my part and it's tastes so good!

#30 Spice Girl

I stole this idea from SweetNick's. Since I missed the submission deadline, I figured I'd just throw it up on my own blog.

This is my spice cabinet:


I probably have four types of sugar: granular; brown; superfine; confectioner's (five if you count the Splenda, but that's going to my aunt's house soon); thirty spices (the Penzy's were a birthday present); and copious bags and paper: Ziplocs, sandwich bags, brown bags, freezer bags, saran wrap, aluminum foil, wax paper, parchment paper (I hated how we never had Ziploc bags growing up...I really wanted the yellow + blue = green!). Also note the Texamati rice on the lower left. Best rice on earth.

#29 Chat n' Chew

10 East 16th Street
NY, NY 10003
212-243-1616

My sister (who asked that her code name be changed from "Angry Dolphin" to "13" to which I can only half-comply: "Angry 13") and I went here for brunch before a movie. I'd been here numerous times in the past, but I think that was all pre-blogging.

I had the green acres on a bun (essentially an egg sandwich), my sister had the mac n' cheese, and we split a plate of fries. My sandwich was quite delicious. The egg yolk was runny, the cheese was super melty, and the tomatoes were fresh. It came with a side of home fries, which were totally bland. The French fries were decent, but a little over done and limp for my taste. My sister's mac n cheese was creamy and delicious, though I wouldn't go so far as to call it fantastic, as I usually prefer a blend of cheese in my homemade mac instead of just American or cheddar, as this was.

Our waitress was super cute and adorable and our bill was low.

Grade: B

#28 Worst Friend...Ever.

Cos turned 29 yesterday. I had promised so many months ago to make him a pineapple upside down cake for his birthday. I was looking forward to it as well since I had never made one before.

I totally forgot.

And we're not talking like it was 5PM yesterday and I think "Crap, I was supposed to make that cake!" We're talking TOTALLY forgot. As in Cos says, at the bar, "Where's my cake?" and that is literally the first time I thought about the cake in about two weeks.

I suck.

So, lovely Cos, here is the cake I never made you:

#27 Aliada

29-19 Broadway
Astoria, NY 11106
718-932-2240

Snowman and I have lived in Astoria for over seven months now and have yet to visit a Greek restaurant. I told him they would revoke our Astoria membership card if we didn't go to one soon, so we decided to check out Aliada.

There's not much to talk about here, but what there was was good. We both had small, fresh starter salads, which come undressed, so you can slather them in oil and vinegar or eat them naked. I had the gyro platter. I haven't eaten a gyro in many, many years (it was hard to overcome the trauma of actually seeing the spit of pressed meat for the first time), but I was glad I revisited. The meat here was spicy and sweet and a little crispy. And they give you A LOT. Wrapped up in the fluffy pitas with a healthy dollop of tzatziki, this was truly a delicious meal. It also came with potatoes and rice, but I barely touched either as I wanted to leave as much room as possible for the superb meat. Service was pleasant and the prices were just right.

Grade: B+

#26 R & Arrrgh

I can't decide about Rachael Ray. I don't really like her, but my favorite thing is to come home from work and watch 30-Minute Meals. Sometimes it unwinds me; sometimes it puts me to sleep. I never, ever want to make anything she cooks.

I think what bothers me most is that I always feel like I'm watching the same episode. She has about ten stock phrases that she pulls out all the time such as:

• evoo--that's extra virgin olive oil [really, if you tell us what the abbreviation means every time you use it, stop using it]


• It smells insane in here.


• You can totally entertain with this meal.


• Wash your greens when you get home from the market so they're ready to go when you're cooking.


• Isn't that gorgeous?


• I'm just gonna run my knife through this.

Let's not even go into her really awful wardrobe. Do people really still wear shirts tucked into high-wasted jeans? And has she heard of a support bra? I think not.

The funny thing is, one day I found myself browsing the cookbooks in Barnes & Noble and I came across her book No Repeats: A Year of Deliciously Different Dinners. I flipped through it and I actually liked most of the recipes I saw.

So I came to this conclusion: the whole reason I don't want to make any of her meals is actually because of her. If she could be replaced by, say, Data from Star Trek: Next Generation, I really think this show could sing.

#25 Happy Happy Hippo

Cos bought me a tasty treat called "Happy Hippo" by Kinder. It's wafer on the outside and hazelnut cream on the inside. I was in a robot shop when he gave it to me. At the time, our friend, VE, was contemplating an online fundraiser so he could buy himself 100 1-ft. tall storm troopers. Anyway, new food! Yeah!



This is what he looked like when he was still in his plastic "cage." As you'll notice, one of his eyeballs went a little wonky, probably from a tumultuous night spent in my purse.



Now he is free and roaming around my apartment! I've shot him from his good side as he was quite self-conscious about the wandering eye.



I have bitten off his crunchy head to reveal his sweet, gooey insides. This was indeed a delicious treat! I may have even scooped up some crumbs he left behind on the stool and shoveled them into my mouth. MAY HAVE.

Shit, I feel a little bit bad about eating him. He was a good pet.

#24 Mmm...rolls...

My first foodie blogroll is for the lovely and charming Amanda and Tyler at What We're Eating. I found it quite by accident, but it was love at first sight. Amanda makes amazing, inventive dishes (sockeye salmon with zucchini pancakes and egg, anyone?) and her main squeeze Tyler takes the most amazing photos of it all. You will want to lick your computer screen, trust me. Enjoy!

#23 The Language Barrier

Snowman and I went to our local diner for lunch today. I got my usual multi-grain pancakes, but here's what happened when Snowman tried to order his meal:

SM: I'll have the tuna nicoise wrap.
Waitress: Oh, I'm so sorry, we are out of salmon. [English is not her first language, so she does in fact pronounce it sal-mon.]
SM: The tuna nicoise wrap.
W: Yes, we are out of salmon.
Me: But it's tuna.
W: Okay, let me check.

Of course, since the tuna nicoise wrap contained no salmon, he got exactly what he ordered.

#22 Pluot-cracy

Yes, we have science to thank for the delightful pluot, a hybrid of 3/4 plum and 1/4 apricot. I'm not in love with either of those fruits as they are, but I love a good pluot (also known as a dinosaur plum). The skin is much sweeter than a standard plum and the flesh is much sweeter and moister than an apricot. The best of both worlds! I had my first of the season from Whole Foods last week (at an astounding $1.83 each!) and it was lovely.

#21 We Are America

Yesterday I spent the afternoon at Delia's playing video games and eating all my favorite junk foods (they are such good hosts, they actually checked out my Top 100 Junk Foods list via D's Treo, whilst at the sto'): Oreos, Cool Ranch Doritos, and Munchies. I ate way too much, skipped dinner, and woke up in the middle of the night with a mild tummy ache. We played Katamari Damacy, Donkey Konga, Burnout, and Animal Crossing. Okay, so most of those games are Japanese...

#20 Red

19 Fulton Street
New York, NY 10038
212-571-5900

Are we crazy? Maybe. But Cos wanted an adventure and we agreed. We started at 207th Street and Broadway, and proceeded to walk south. ALL THE WAY south (my poor throbbing feet!). 5 1/2 hours and 15 miles later, our reward was a meal at Red.

We pretty much picked this restaurant because we were all insanely tired, moderately cranky, and it was the first thing we saw. Our waitress was a little odd, but in a charming way (and, boy, did she loooove Jake). Jane, full of excitement, told her about our just completed adventure, to which our waitress said, "Cool. I used to walk from Hunter to Brooklyn all the time." So she wasn't THAT impressed, but she did bring us a giant pitcher of water and individual salsa cups for our chips in case anyone wanted to "double dip."

I ordered a banana strawberry smoothie. What I got was no banana and what was essentially a strawberry daiquiri, hold the likker. Not so good. However, my medium-cooked cheeseburger was almost perfect. It was loaded with fresh red onion, which I love on burgers. The "red" fries were also good (though Snowman remarked "I thought they'd be redder"). It was a huge lunch, which I couldn't totally finish.

It was really hard to get up after we ate. Our fatigue hit us like a skillet over our heads. I may or may not have lied down on the banquette for a little while.

Grade: B