finally inspired

the daily news got me in the mood to blog again. go figure. september was one big blur. once the us open was over, i was sucked into the tightest end to a regular season in recent mlb history. there was a visit from cousin, hec, which means fun times and good eats, and then a quick trip to martha's vineyard, and then, a temp job.

as food highlights go, there was the awesome pochero that joe and hec made-- one of the best meals i've ever had. (my cousins' recent culinary adventures have solidified themselves at the top of my "best meals" list, which is surprising because i never would have thought that any filipino dishes would make it. but boy oh boy. ollie's caldereta made everyone swoon. in my case, for weeks. and the pochero that joey and hec made, it's a perfect meal any time of year, but i imagine in the winter, it really warms the bones.) pochero has been oft mentioned in family conversations since then, and we've looked into it, and it would seem joe and hec's version was definitely modified from the traditional. (no plantains in theirs, and this seems to be a big deal.) but i hardly care! oxtail stew, with chorizo and cabbage--that's pochero to me! there's something about having oxtail at someone's home that strikes me as wildly exotic...so i took a photo.

not that i'm above photographing the unexotic. like this amazing 40 clove chicken recipe that i tried. i've heard a lot about the garlic festival and the stinking rose restaurant in california (and hope i make it out there sometime soon) and last week, when i suddenly discovered that the gigantic plastic jar of peeled garlic that i had was about to "expire," i found a recipe for their 40 clove chicken. it was amazing. even better after a couple of days. reheated, it gets salty and more flavorful. i had so much of it, that in later iterations, it became a creamy garlic (and chicken) pasta sauce.

i haven't been eating out much, except during the day. what can you say about the lunch hour. eh. hit or miss, even within the same franchise. case in point. pret a manger. i took a stroll through rock center's sublevel last week (and i haven't really been through those bowels in years) and was amazed to find lots of great lunchtime options...two boots, hale and hearty...but i settled on a crayfish and avocado sandwich from pret. wow. rich and creamy, it seemed completely indulgent (but it's not overstuffed so you're not left with that woeful rock- in- your- belly-for -the- rest- of- the- afternoon feeling). and to make you feel even better about the experience, pret donates a dollar for every crayfish and avocado sandwich to a hurricane katrina relief fund. woo hoo.
anyway, yesterday i went to the pret on 55th between 5th and 6th, ordered the same thing because i couldn't resist, and my excitement was crushed by a poorly constructed sandwich (a crayfish mound in the middle, bread that was too soft) that was hard to get a grip on. once you did, the stuffing just kept falling out of it. what good's a sandwich in a cute little compact box, if you need a fork to eat it? needless to say, i'm hesitant to visit that location again.

but the good thing is pret generously offers the recipe on its website. so, if you've got access to crayfish (or crawfish) you can have at it!

yes, so the daily news got me missing the 'hood. you know how you can live somewhere, but miss it? it happens to me, anyway. between work and going away on the weekends, you just miss a place. and since the LES is still so new to me, i feel like unless i'm there on the weekends, on a sunday morning, buying the paper and a scone, or strolling on a saturday afternoon, skim latte in hand, or hanging out there at night (and whiling the night away in my apartment doesn't really count), i'm just passing through. anyway, all the talk of grilled cheese nyc (been there, enjoyed the "phoenix" and the tasty sweet potato fries) and the creperie (my first meal in the 'hood. it made me realize that overstuffed chicken crepes are much too much of a good thing) made me want to eat out on the LES. but the next time i go out in the 'hood it will be to tides.

the daily news also has a little feature on the owner of fluff, john dempsey. i consider this a coincidence, since just last week, i had made my way over to ninth ave to pay fluff a first-time visit. i was thrilled at the prospect of homemade twinkies and hohos and other childhood "faves." i had also read about the the funky interior design (by design wizards, ltl architects) and was looking forward to checking it out in person. sadly, very sadly, they were closed for renovation. no twinkies for me--i had wonderful napoleon bars from ceci-cela instead. (not exactly slumming it! i'm not complaining. in fact, one of my friends called it the best he's ever had!) but i still plan to visit fluff when it reopens (end of the month?). the daily news article is noteworthy for tracking the onward, upward movements that dempsey is making with his other restaurants (including the wonderful Hell's Kitchen).