A Meal Made With 100% Organic Love

So... tonight was the last night that my cousin and Dad are here in NY. Sad... but we definitely celebrated!

Last night, and before leaving for the Yankee game today, I prepared all the dishes so that when we got home, I would just have to stick it in the oven.

Item #1:
Spinach and Feta Meatloaf(Click for recipe from teamsugar.com)

The layering process was SO fun!

The rolling part was not...

But the final product was a success! (Note: I was too impatient to "let stand until firm up" so I cut it while it was still piping hot. I DO NOT recommend this as it was quite messy. After I let it sit for a while, the cuts were MUCH prettier!)

Item #2:
Potato Gratin
This is a dish that my mom makes all the time. She changes is up slightly with the kinda cheese she uses but basically its just thinly sliced potatoes, layered with milk and grated romano cheese, and the top is finished off with more romano cheese and mozzarella cheese.

Ohhhh.... good color!

Item #3:
Peas and Prosciutto (Click for recipe from Giada De Laurentiis)
First of all:

How beautiful are the colors?!
This was actually my favorite dish tonight. It was sweet from the peas and just salty enough from the proscuitto! The parsley did wonders also! Such a simple recipe (and quick!), but it was such a sophisticated side dish!


"Dinner is served"- Mrs. Doubtfire


The table set up.

And finally...

family <33

Bronx Bombers

First of all, I am NOT a baseball fan. Actually I'm just not a fan of watching any sport on television. However, I LOVE playing sports and I LOVE going to games.
But seriously, how badass is the name the "BRONX BOMBERS"!?

Me, Ed, my dad, and my cousin, Naoki went to the game today and it was pretty awesome!
1. Grand Slam!

2. Derek Jeter tied the record for the most hits in Yankee Stadium!

Plus:
I GOT A SAVAGE TAN!


(My cousin looks so badass)

Our seats were like in the way top section but we still had a great view!

Since none of us were really big baseball fans, our biggest focus was:

NATHAN'S HOT DOGS!... my cousin had to have a NY hot dog before leaving :-)

Yummmmmmm...

And of course, Cracker Jacks... what happened to the stick on tattoos that they snuck in there as "prizes"?

The Yankees won! I think... we left after the 8th inning...

BarCar Eatery

I L-O-V-E eating out with my whole family. Why? Because we can order every item on the menu!
This is basically what happened tonight at our dinner at the new BarCar in Fleetwood (Mount Vernon) N.Y. It is apparently owned by the same people as Pizza Pizza which is right next door. And they even share a kitchen!

Overall, this place was awesome! Really casual but still pretty chic. Overall, really good, unique dishes, and very good service!

(Note: Please excuse my obnoxiously "flash"-y pictures... the place was really dark!)

First of all, I really liked that they served soft, fluffy, cheesy breadsticks in a paper cone:


We literally ordered each one of the appetizers on the menu, plus the house salad:

BarCar House Salad- Green & Red Oak Salad, Baby Beets, Fried Shallots, Mint Leaves & Shallot Emulsion

Short Rib- Tender-Braised Short Rib, Pineapple & Sage Sauce, Smoked Black Beans

Grilled Asparagus & Portobello Mushroom- Wild Mushroom Cream & Fresh Chives

Shrimp & Crabmeat Cannoli- Shrimp and Crabmeat Ceviche, Parmesan Cannoli Shell, & Goat Cheese Chevre

Curried Chicken Quesadilla- Pineapple Pico De Gallo, Cilantro Creme Fraiche

House Cured Salmon Napolean- Marinated Tomatoes, Sliced Avocado, Romano Cracker

Buffalo Chicken Spring Roll- Poached Chicken, Julienne Carrots, Celery, Crispy Fried Noodles & Gorgonzola

PHEW! End of appetizers... We enjoyed everything but if we had to narrow our selection next time, I would HAVE to get the Buffalo Chicken Spring Rolls (tangy, super crunchy, nice touch of gorgonzola inside!), Curried Chicken Quesadilla (lots of flavors, the cilantro creme fraiche was the perfect accompaniment), and the Short Rib (super tender, perfect flavor as in NOT TOO SALTY! and the black beans and pineapple were the perfect flavors to go with the meat).

Now, onto entrées!

Grilled Tender Pork Loin- Zucchini Flower Sautée, Whipped Potato, Crisp Salsify & Shallot Jus

Roasted Half Chicken- Stuffed with Fontina Cheese, Whipped Potato, Haricot Verts, Lemon Rosemary Vin Blanc

Pan Seared Day Boat Scallops- Tabbule Salad, Endive & Reduced Herb Balsamic

Open-Faced Black Angus Burger- Poached Egg, Mushroom Sauté, Marinated Red Onions, Garlic & Sage Relish, Herbed House Fries

Pan Fried Sea Bass (Tonight's Special)- Bed of Yuca, Grilled Tomatoes

Garganelli Meat Ragu Trio- Slowly Cooked Lamb, Veal & Beef with Porcini Mushrooms

Risotto of the Day- Sausage and Broccoli Raab

In short, BarCar is definitely, without a doubt, a MEAT restaurant. They do meat really well. Unfortunately, they are weak on the seafood... the scallops were pretty bland, the sea bass was, again, good but bland, and the appetizer of the smoked salmon was boring and uninspired. HOWEVER... the highlight entrées of the night were the Grilled Pork Loin (so, so, so tender.... and the sauce was incredible!) and the Garganelli Meat Ragu Trio (this meat sauce was so flavorful and it had like whole chunks of tomato!)

Now, finally... my favorite part:
DESSERT!

Olive Oil Cake- Fig Ice Cream, Fresh Figs, Greek Yogurt Cream

Warm Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream and Cookie

Sugar Crusted Sponge Cake- Whipped Cream with Peach Chunks, Vanilla Ice Cream (In the shape of a peach, F.Y.I!)

Dessert was good but not OUTSTANDING. My favorite would probably be the Fig Ice Cream and Olive Oil Cake or the Peach Cream (I didn't care for the spongecake... cute presentation though!)

I would definitely go back because I just really liked the atmosphere, the waiters, the food, and the location (FLEETWOOD!? Random but convenient!). It has a general foundation in American food but they definitely throw a lot of twists in their with the use of fruit and spices.

Try it for yourself...
P.S.- They serve lunch and they deliver!

BarCar Eatery
706 Locust Street
Fleetwood, NY 10552
Phone: 914-668-1100

My Dad and Cousin from Japan

The lack of updates is due to my being busy with school and a special visit from my dad and my cousin from JAPAN!

We had a super fun weekend! The night they arrived, we had a nice Indian meal at Royal Palace in Greenburgh, NY.

On Saturday, we decided it would be smart to have an indoor day because of the massive rainstorm, so we spent the day at the Palisades! I swear I could spend a whole day there... actually, I could spend a whole day at Target alone!
We started off with lunch at Johnny Rockets!

The whole fam, ready to go! (From the front left corner clockwise: My cousin Naoki, me, my brother's girlfriend Amanda, my brother Kyuta, and my dad!)

Me loving the Johnny Rockets hat!

And my dad enjoying his Smokehouse Burger!---> He doesn't smile... but I swear he was enjoying it!

A group shot of the post-Johnny Rockets cigarette! (Note: The only smokers are me, Ed, and Kyuta)

On Sunday, we spent the day in the city! Thank god it was a gorgeous day!

The guys at the meeting spot before getting on the bus... look at my cousin; Asians always have the craziest poses!

First Stop: Empire State Building (we didn't go to the top though... we just looked up haha)

We then took the 6 Train to Union Square and walked to Astor Place... the Cube!

Lunch at Pomme Frites! I hadn't eaten here in approximately 6 years!

They weren't as crispy as I like... but the sauces made up for it!

Everyone was silent while we ate because we were all busy trying different sauces! We tried like 11 different sauces!

Then... walking around, we came across 16 Handles! What a coincidence since the first time I heard about this new Fro-Yo place was at my school orientation last Tuesday! They have 16 different flavors every day, it's self-serve, and the topping bar is self-serve also... so be careful because they charge by the ounce!

For me, I got the Mango Tango, Strawberry Kiwi, Banana, and Original flavors. For toppings, I added blueberries, pineapple, and papaya (I was careful with the fruit though because I was advised by the girl that introduced me to this place that the fruit toppings weigh the most!) My favorite was the original flavor... I just LOVE tangy Fro-Yo... the only flavor that really wasn't doin' it for me was banana, but it's probably because I'm so specific about banana-flavored things (I can't stand that artificial banana flavor! EW!)

We continued to walk around the East Village, Nolita, and Soho where I was able to do some awesome shopping YAY!


Johnny Rockets
621 Palisades Center Dr.
West Nyack, NY 10994
Phone: 845-348-9343

Pommes Frites
123 2nd Ave.
New York, NY 10003
Phone: 212-674-1234

16 Handles
153 2nd Ave
New York, NY 10003

The End of Summer

So here it is... the end of summer :-(
It really makes me sad because summer is so fun!
BUT... guess what started today?

My first day as a graduate student at FERKAUF GRADUATE SCHOOL OF PSYCHOLOGY at Yeshiva University!!!
Actually today was only orientation and tomorrow is the first day of classes... I am in the School-Clinical Child Psychology Psy. D. Prgram. 5 more years of school.... good thing I actually like school! (Yes, I know I am a nerd...)

So of course, every year, Labor Day marks the end of summer and what did I do?

Dinner at Mom's!!!---> The most delicious restaurant on earth in my opinion <3

The menu was brand spankin' new stuff that she had never made before... YAY MOM!!!

1. Mushrooms and Mizuna Marinated in Fish Stock


2. Vegetable Sticks Marinated in Yogurt and Miso


3. Pork and Chicken Meatballs with Mizuna and Mushrooms in a Chinese Style Sauce


4. Mashed Potato Casserole with Ground Beef and Hard Boiled Egg topped with Mozzarella


5. Salmon Katsu


6. Tonkatsu with Shiso Leaf


7. Eel Rice with Shiso, Scallions, Ginger, and Myoga



My FAV was definitely the Eel Rice... it was so simple. It's really just an Una-Don (Unagi over rice) but my mom jazzed it up by cooking the rice with the eel sauce, and then once the rice is cooked, she tops it with nori (dried seaweed), eel, chopped shiso leaves, fresh ginger, chopped scallions, and myoga.

And here is the gorgeous chef!


The night ended with a super competitive game of Nintendo Wii Tennis and Golf!! But that will be in another post!