The Little Door Next Door, A Review

My what a beautiful little place that sits there on 3rd street next to Doughboys. My dining companion and I were annoyed that we couldn't find parking close, so we nearly passed up this opportunity to go for a quick visit. But alas, I claimed New York legs, so I was happy to walk a few blocks (besides Satine was on the way and I have some credit on file). We arrived at Little Door and Little Door Next Door and stepped through the doorway into another world. I'm a fan of fantasy dining, anything that makes me feel like I've taken a little vacation outside of my big, dirty city is alright by me.

The Little Door is a full scale restaurant, while the Little Door Next Door is a more casual version of itself. Sort of like Friday Jeans versus Business Attire. Or lunch versus dinner.

The first person I ran into was Suzanne Goin. She looks amazing (she recently had twins). She asked me what I was going to order and I admitted that I was visiting for the first time. She also had not been before.

Unfortunately I had consumed some yogurt (really good yogurt) and chicken salad three hours before, so I wasn't up for much more than Prosecco.

My dining companion had the smoked salmon sandwich and a glass of iced coffee. We were thrilled with the service and the people watching. It is clear that people come to sit for hours while enjoying the French/Mediterannean influenced menu.

It is not an inexpensive place to dine, but it is very good food. The sandwich was full of flavor and the side salad, though quite boring looking, was outstanding.

I'll go back for a more full review. In the meantime, you will not be wasting anything to try it yourself.

.:tt:.

Happy Venereal Disease Day!

...or is that not what he meant when he said, "Happy VD"?

I hate Valentines Day, but I love, Love. So for Valentines Day I'm having my single friends to dinner--well not all of them, because I can't cook for that many people.

Here is the menu:

First
Curried Cauliflower, Potato and Sprout Salad

Main
Miso Cured White Fish in Carrot and Ginger Broth

Third
Asparagus Risotto

Dessert
Cucumber Sorbet with Strawberries and Balsamic Sauce

Vegan Truffle

From this book:

From this bookstore

Love,

.:tt:.

Sweet Nothings: Obligatory V-Day Post

Valentine's Day may be a load of rubbish pressed upon us by greeting-card companies exploiting the legend of what was really just a crotchety old saint, but here it still is, almost upon us. Personally, I'm just looking forward to the day after (when all the heart-shaped chocolates go on major sale)--but I've assembled a little fantasy-land timeline of how Valentine's Day should be best exploited, in turn, by us:

Noon: Awake. Open your long-lashed doe eyes to the sight of breakfast in bed. He doesn't even need to know no cookin' skillz if he grabs TJ's new frozen french toast. Believe me: yum.



1:00: Open valentines (I sent Curious George ones to my nearest & dearest. Elementary school ruled.). Also open gift of new skivvies (simply the best. No contest.).

1:10 - 7:00: Lounge around in said skivvies, read pink books (e.g. Valley of the Dolls), play on the internet, listen to new records by The Blow (makeout break!) and The Pity Party (dance break!).

7:00: Even hardcore loungers need to eat. Make yourselves some heart-shaped brownie sandwiches--chocolate for you, spinach and cheese for him (seriously--my aunt's going to send me her recipe). Play games involving whipped cream (or spray cheese to go with his). No, don't, actually. That's just gross.

9:00: Spritz yourself with Demeter's Sugar Cookie eau de toilette for dessert (unless you're like me and would thus risk eating your arm because it smells so amazing. Try the Gin and Tonic scent instead.). Venture out of doors and go find yourselves some free fruity drinks.


lovvvvvve
> r r <

Cop Out or Date Night #4

Two glasses of wine, two beers, and a cute sweater vest. Believe me, it works.

tt

Me, Myself, and I or Date Night Menu #3

I was saying to mySelf, “self, why did you commit to writing a date night menu once a week?” Well, myself said back to me, “Self, why it is so hard to commit to a date night menu for you?” Next I heard mySelf saying, “I have a hard time committing in general—and since myself and mySelf are single, date night actually happens to be the busiest night of the week.”

Myself conceded and so we (as in the queen's proverbial “we”) decided that “date night menu” will follow date night and not precede date night. Myself apologizes; mySelf cannot seem to manage.

This recipe is from my new favorite cookbook, The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook. They are very talented food writers from the little news paper known modestly as The New York Times. They also happen to be Amanda Hesser’s favorite—I like Amanda, so I like them. If you like southern food, this book is well planned and intelligently written.

Texas Red-Braised Beef Short Ribs with Grits

Serving for 6 (umm…I’m gonna say that you might need two rounds in the event of a long night…)

Short Ribs

3 ½ pounds Beef Short Ribs
1 ½ tablespoons Kosher Salt, plus more for taste
3 large Yellow Onions, trimmed, peeled and quartered
8 Garlic cloves, husks removed
3 tablespoons plus 4 teaspoons Oil
1 ½ teaspoons freshly ground Black Pepper
2 cups Sunday Beef Broth (recipe to follow) or one 14 ½ ounce can beef broth
3 Ancho Chilies, torn in half, stemmed, and seeded
3 Pasilla Chilies, torn in half, stemmed, and seeded
One 28-ounce can Crushed Tomatoes
¼ cup semisweet Chocolate Chips


Season ribs with salt and pepper
Toss onions and garlic with oil and salt and pepper in a 9-x-13-inch roasting pan and broil three inches from flame
for 8-10 minutes until the veggies are charred slightly
Preheat oven to 325
Bring broth to a boil over high heat. Once it boils turn it off.
Heat 3 T oil in a cast iron skillet and toast all the chilies
until they are soft (about 30 seconds) and then transfer to the broth
Add more oil to the cast iron skillet and turn on high and add the shortribs and sear until the surfaces are brown.
Blend the charred garlic and onions in a food processor. Add the tomatoes and process into a smooth puree and reserve into a bowl.
Add the chilies and broth and puree until smooth.
Add the chili puree to the tomatoes to the degree of heat that you desire.
Once that is achieved stir in the chocolate.
Place short ribs in the roasting pan you used for the onions and garlic and spoon over the “red sauce”.
Cover and bake for two hours or until they are falling off of the bone.
Serve on a plate with simple grits (recipe to follow)


Simple Grits

2 cups Whole Milk
2 cups Water
1 cup Stone-Ground Grits
¾ teaspoon Kosher salt, plus more to taste
½ teaspoon freshly Ground Black Pepper, plus more to taste
1 tablespoon Butter


Bring Milk and Water up to a boil. Add the Grits and Salt and reduce the heat to medium. Stir until the grits are thick and soupy and fragrant, about 8 minutes. Bring to a simmer and stir every couple of minutes for another twenty minutes.
Cook for 15 minutes more stirring constantly.
When the grits are done turn off heat and season and add butter. Serve immediately.


Sunday Beef Broth

1 tablespoon Canola Oil
1 pound Oxtails
½ diced Yellow Onion
½ cup diced Carrot
3 large Bay Leaves
¼ cup full-bodied Red Wine
6 cups cold Water
Salt and Pepper to taste


Heat oil in stockpot until it shimmers. Add Oxtails and sear. Remove and reserve to a bowl.
Add onion and carrot and bay leaves to the pot and cook until softened. Add the wine and stir with a wooden spoon.
Simmer in wine for 3 minutes.
Return oxtails to the stockpot and add water.
Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low and simmer gently for an hour, skimming the surface intermittently.
Strain with a fine mesh strainer and throw away solids. Store stock in a container with a tight fitting lid in the refrigerator for two days or freezer for a few months.

If the date goes well, then you can use the left over grits for breakfast; just add bacon and cheddar.

tt

Date Night #2

Okay, so I had a date (well, sort of) with my friend Bill and his two houseguests, affectionately known as “The Swedes”. The truth is that one is Norwegian and the other is Swedish—but that’s a mouthful—so we stick to our very American way of speaking and we disregard the importance of the facts and regard the importance of time and thus I continue to call them, “The Swedes”.

So because I had a date with three men, I was too busy getting my hair done to write date night menu on Friday. Well, I doubt there was much loss of sleep out there amongst the twelve of you reading this—and if there was, I apologize and I will personally come to your house and cook you date night dinner to make up for it. The thing is that I was able to pick up a couple of extra recipes for this week’s date night. So there--I was doing RESEARCH. Yeah…that’s right. Research.

South East Asian Beef Salad and Trader Joes Molten Chocolate Cakes with Cardamom Chantilly

• Marinate Flank Steak in a mixture of Sambal Red Chili Sauce,
Lime Juice, Garlic, Brown Sugar and Salt and Pepper—let marinate for half an
hour at room temperature.
• Make quick pickles of any various vegetables (I like to use; radishes, red onion, carrots and cauliflower) by heating a bowl of the veggies in homemade pickling juice (red wine vinegar, sugar, pickling spice). Once the veggies have adopted the vinegar flavor—place bowl in refrigerator to chill.
• Make salad dressing with Lime Juice, chopped
Shallots, Greek Yogurt, Olive Oil and Salt and Pepper. Blend well.
• Take Beef out of marinade, sprinkle with Sesame Seeds and grill
• Cut Beef into strips and let cool slightly
• Toss Greens with Dressing and Pickles and Beef and serve
• Follow directions for Molten Chocolate Cake
• Whip Cream with a little Sugar and ground Cardamom and serve.
• Rub whipped cream on your date and serve.

tt

Kickoff Date Night Menu

Friday is date night. I don’t actually have a date, but I assume that the other 51% of women in the world must be going on a date with the leftovers out there and that is why I’m single this evening. I’m not a jealous girl, so I will offer a date night menu for you…that is until I’m busy.

Salmon with Dill and Cilantro Aioli
Cous Cous with Currants and Toasted Pine Nuts
Broccoli Rabe with Roasted Garlic

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
Cut off the bad ends of the Rabe and cut into bite sized pieces
Toast the Pine nuts on the stove
Juice two Lemons
Clean 4 Garlic Cloves and slice two
Clean the Salmon with a paper towel and Salt and Pepper
Heat a sauce pan and throw the two whole cloves in
and after 20-25 seconds pour the lemon juice, cilantro and dill in and turn off
the heat.
For 1 C of cous cous you’ll need 1 C of liquid. The mixture
is ½ OJ and ½ chicken stock. Heat the liquid to a slow boil on the stove.
Once cooled put this mixture in a blender with some prepared
mayo and olive oil. Blend until thick, and season until it tastes good to you.
Pour boiling liquid from the stove over the 1C of cous cous and add some
currants. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
Place fish in the oven and bake until it is cooked to your liking; I like 10 minutes.
Meanwhile sauté garlic slices hot oil. Add broccoli rabe and hot pepper
flakes. Season and serve.
Add pine nuts and fluff the cous cous with a fork.
Plate all dishes, pour aioli over fish, pour a glass of wine and
don’t do anything I wouldn’t do…

tt.