San Fran Food Trucks

While in San Fransisco we had the grand opportunity to eat lunch at some of the famous food trucks that prowl the city. They happened to be parked right outside City Hall after the wedding ceremony we were attending. Everything from cupcakes to coffee!

I tried the "Little Green Cyclo" which served a funky variation of Vietnamese. My favorite were their sweet potato tater tots. Yes, you read that right... SWEET POTATO. Why doesn't everyone do that?! I had the spicy mango ketchup to dip them in. They were pretty much divine.

See Little Green Cyclo's menu here.

Roma, Cherry, Heirloom... OH MY!

We at tons and tons of great food while in San Fransisco and Sonoma. There is one thing that stuck out however... their tomatoes are unbelievable! We had some of the most amazing and delicious tomatoes while we were there. So far, nothing compares at home. I am going to need to search some farmers markets in order to find something similar!

Bad Horse Pizza

On the corner of 120th and Frederick Douglass Boulevard is Harlem's newest addition, Bad Horse Pizza. We've been able to grab pizza there a few times since it opened a few weeks ago. The pizza is reliably good, super thin crust, tasty and so close to home! The menu is fairly limited, but they are brand new and still figuring things out. This area needed a place to get a quick pizza, and this more than exceeds the necessity. The staff is down to Earth and the atmosphere is family friendly and hip. The barn doors that make up the one part of the side wall gives the pizza place a rustic feel. Did I mention the pizza was good? The prices are a bit higher than I had hoped for, especially for thin crust pizza in this neighborhood, I don't think these guys will have a hard time staying afloat. So far, the place has been full each time we've gone by. If you are a Harlemite... go grab a pizza and support local business!!

Visit their website at: http://www.badhorsepizza.com/

Kaia Wine Bar

Most people wouldn't know how to explain what South African food is. Since our trip to SA a year ago, we are slightly addicted- Beautiful country, great wine, and delicious food. We find the South African food draws influence from many surrounding countries, bringing together the best flavors of several different worlds. With that said, we jumped at the opportunity to try Kaia Wine Bar on the Upper East Side.

We went to Kaia on Saturday night. The rough cut high top tables that face the windows were welcoming from the outside. The place is small, like many NYC eateries. The decor cute, leaning towards rustic modern, but sparse. The steel gray walls need some artwork to cozy-up the place, it felt a tiny bit sterile.

The menu was pretty small, as were the plates. I had the Kaia salad and it was delish. A very interesting combination of flavors between fresh ginger, goat cheese and dried cranberries- a salad I will definitely attempt to re-create at home.

Our overall experience at Kaia seemed a bit rushed, the atmosphere was pleasant but not 100% comforting. The staff was plenty nice and our whole meal was good. I wasn't fully satisfied with our experience however. You get very little food for the price. Kaia has more of the "let's grab something to eat" feel, rather than a "let's go out on a dinner date" feel. This is not a negative so much as just an opinion. If you want a cozy, sexy atmosphere and stellar South African food and wine, my first suggestion is Tolani Wine Bar on the Upper West Side. (see earlier post). Kaia was still very good and I would recommend it for a quick meal, but Tolani wines the award for the Best South African inspired meal in the city.

Visit Kaia's website for more information: www.kaiawinebar.com

Lido- New to Harlem

We are always excited when new things pop up in our neighborhood. The space that was left by the short lived Frizzante is now occupied by Lido. Still an Italian restaurant, Lido is a bit more upscale both in food and in price. There were not only changes made to the menu but also to interior decor. It is now cozier and more friendly. The bar is larger and more accessible. It still has a tiny bit of that "stark" feeling, but the friendly staff makes the experience more comforting.

We have yet to eat a bad meal and have eaten there a few times. We love the ricotta ravioli with eggplant, mint and pine nuts. The proportions are not overwhelming, but give you enough to be full.

We are looking forward to eating outside in the spring! If you are local go check it out and support the neighborhood!

www.lidoharlem.com

Red LuLu

A new restaurant moved in to the main strip in South Norwalk this winter called Red LuLu Cocina & Tequila Bar. It is sort of a seductive take on a mexican restaurant.

The decor is dark and gothic with heavy red velvet curtains, mirrored tables and fancy chandeliers. It is actually very cool and brings a different vibe to "downtown SoNo." While it is slightly on the pricey side, there are some free perks such as ample chips and salsa and a few other complementary perks like free cotton candy at the end of the meal. (random yes, but still fun.) The margaritas were pretty delish, could have had a few. Their tequila selection is substantial, their menu not as much. The food was more than good enough to make a return trip. It would definitely be a great place to go for a later dinner on Friday night and stay for a while enjoying some tequila cocktails.

It will be interested to see what it does when it starts to get warmer out. It is definitely more of a dark winter restaurant than an airy spring/summer place.

To check out Red Lulu, find them at http://www.redlulumexican.com/.

Walnut Crusted Chicken

One of our favorite recipes is walnut covered chicken. We make it at least 3 times a month, often to throw the chicken on top of a salad for some protein boost. This recipe can me varied in many ways, traditionally I use the recipe below, with Pistachios. It is also delicious with almonds and cashews. You will need a food processor of some kind to finely chop/grind the nuts. I prefer to use chicken “tenders” or strips. But can be used for chicken breasts, thinly sliced chicken etc.

• 1 bag chopped walnuts


• ½ cup Panko (Japanese bread crumbs, can use regular breadcrumbs too, or none at all)


• ¼ cup Parmesan cheese


• 1 tsp garlic powder ½ tsp salt


• ½ tsp pepper Olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with tin foil, spray tin foil with cooking spray. In food processor, grind the walnuts. Add Panko, cheese, garlic powder, salt and pepper and pulse a few times to mix. Pour ¼ cup olive oil in a shallow bowl. In a second shallow bowl, pour walnut mixture. Dip chicken pieces in olive oil, and then roll them around in the walnut mixture. You may need additional olive oil. Place an inch apart on the cookie tray. Cook for appropriate time. 25- 45 minutes depending on size of chicken pieces.