matzel toff! the nosh the chosen people choose

a very special lady-friend tipped me off to this tasty treat.



it's kosher for passover, so your bubbe will approve. mine have gone the way of the polaroid camera, but my taste buds give this dessert a big thumbs up.

http://www.matzeltoff.com/

available in milk chocolate and, my personal pick, dark chocolate with sea salt. the perfect gift to bring to a seder or swag for your next party.

NOM!

Bienvenido a Miami: Michael's Genuine

There's been a sad dearth of food porn in my life lately, due largely to the even sadder (albeit temporary) absence of a certain photographer. I'm not telling you this because I want you to feel sorry for me; although, don't let that stop you! Rather, I am sharing this information with you by way of an explanation for why I have no digital, high-def. proof of the dessert that I am about to describe.

The best dessert ever.

Did I mention I'm in Miami? Yeah, you should probably stop pitying me now. I'm not gonna lie, it feels pretty good to be here, where everyone is attractive and the temperature doesn't fall below 70 degrees in the daytime hours. It's been a luxuriously long weekend, a merciful post-inauguration, pre-springtime thaw. 

Change is in the air, even in South Beach. In a shocking departure from the status quo and family tradition, food has not been the focus of this trip. As a result, up until tonight, our meals here had been good, but not memorable. Michael's Genuine turned that around for us. Actually, it wasn't so much Michael who did it. It was Hedy. 

That would be Hedy Goldsmith: Pastry Chef, or as I have come to know her, Hedy Goldsmith: Lady Who Is Much Smarter and Better At Her Job Than I Am or Will Ever Be.

Her brainchild: Tangerine "Cremesicle" Pot de Creme with blackberry basil marmalade and hot donuts.

I drew this for you, because sometimes, words fail. This picture also falls short (like, shortbus-short), but hopefully it will provide at least a bare bones sketch of her colorful, complex composition. 

The donuts were piping hot, light as air, sprinkled with sugar crystals and, praise the lord, just a little bit salty. The fresh taste of the basil cut the sweetness of the tangy marmalade. The texture was also perfectly balanced: beautifully plump blackberries were preserved in sticky, herb-infused syrup and topped with slender, delicate strips of candied orange peel.

The pot de creme was, in contrast, incredibly mild, although the rich, creamy tangerine flavor stood up nicely to the boldness of the marmalade. It reminded me of a story I read and re-read as a kid. In it, a boy and his brother help their father make a very special pudding for their mother. The father promises, "It will taste like a whole raft of lemons, it will taste like a night on the sea." 

Lemons, tangerines; apples, oranges; whatev. It was magical.

nava thai: epilogue

i may not be cool enough to enjoy a bowl of blood, but you can't say i'm not persistent! and maybe a little brave. i went back to nava thai, scrupulously avoiding all things porcine, and had the best thai meal of my life. this place is way ahead of the curve. if you know what to order! so let me give you a leg up:

drunken noodles
pad thai
duck kaprao
chinese broccoli with black bean sauce

go now.

nava thai: yahweh's revenge

to quote the ever-relevant john michael montgomery, "life's a dance you learn as you go." well, i just got schooled!

to preface this sad tale, i will tell you that i have been wanting to try nava thai for months now. bangkok 54 is generally my go-to for thai food, but the reviews of this place have been pretty tantalizing. it would not be an overstatement, i think, to say that it has developed a cult following.

wheaton's a schlep, though, so we didn't make it out there until last night. it was a long day at work and spicy street food has curative powers.

the restaurant had just reopened, after a brief hiatus due to an expired lease, at a new location (formerly taverna kefi). it's really an awesome space; lots of richly colored wood, warm lighting, and fireplaces. none of the austerity of your average asian restaurant. anyway, the place was busy for a monday night during a recession! the atmo was promising, as were the delicious smells emanating from the kitchen and from our neighbors' plates.

back it up! on the way there, pearl was doing a little recon, skimming some reviews so we would know what to order. one of these reviews mentioned that the floating market noodle soup, a house specialty, was not to be missed. what made it so special? pig's blood.

TP: no WAY am i eating that.

me: oh come on.

TP: no.

me (paraphrased): seriously? could you be any less adventurous? why are you ruining my life? etc?

TP: absolutely not.

well, i ordered it anyway! and let me just say, it might be the worst thing i have ever had. this has nothing to do with squeamishness on my part. i actually liked that it was pig's blood! so good for my street cred!

in theory.

in reality, it tasted like a bowl of metal. not a metal bowl. no, a bowl of really amazing, delicious soup into which someone has thrown a quarter-pound or so of iron shavings. it was one of the yuckiest things i have eaten in a really, really long time. so much about it was right: strong tangy lime flavor, serious heat, refreshing cilantro...so much more was wrong.

don't judge a book by it's really attractive cover:

anyway, the lesson here is twofold. one: i am a pain in the ass. two: to quote TP, "just because something is gross, doesn't make it delicious."

that said, there were bright spots. they would have been really, really bright, were i not on the verge of retching up a little floating market of my own.

but i want to end this on a positive note, so let me give a nod to some exceptional pad thai:



unless i'm emotional eating, i don't generally order this stuff. it tends to be a little too sweet, too greasy, and too bland for my taste. this was totally different. there was more intensity to the peanut and tamarind flavors than usual; but mostly, it was the technique that made this dish a standout. rather than looking pale and anemic (ha! not me!), the noodles had a deep caramel color and a nice char. this guy is not afraid of a little flame. all this tempered the sweetness of the dish, as did a generous squeeze of fresh lime. plus, the shrimp were not even a little bit rubbery. scoreboard.

anyway, if i can ever escape the wave of nausea i experience when i remember this meal, i will go back for the drunken noodles, which i am guessing are equally kick-ass, for similar reasons. the crispy pork and chinese broccoli with black bean sauce was also off the chain--legitimately crispy and way better than bangkok 54's.



for now, though, i kind of just want to call up the really nice lady who takes orders at B54 and beg her to take me back. because i know she never, ever would have let this happen. not on her watch.

new year, new NOM: amsterdam falafel

2008 brought us sarah palin, frozen yogurt wars, and the promise of an obama presidency. i don't know which was most delicious! what does 2009 have in store?

well, considering the state of the economy and, as a corollary, the state of your wallet...it just might be falafel.

head to adams morgan, where for just $4.50 (tax included!), you can get one of the best deals in town. provided that you know how to work the system.



the small pita, which is not, comes with three piping hot, crunchy, moist and very flavorful balls of garbanzo beans, bulgur, garlic, coriander, cumin, and parsley. unlike some of its mushier incarnations, this falafel has a bite.

i go for the whole wheat pocket, but really, they would be killer with anything.

prelapsarian pita:



anyway, hard fiscal times call for drastic measures! two words: condiment. bar.



yes. your purchase of this tasty sandwich grants you access to upwards of twenty toppings. for realsies! in fact, topping is probably a misnomer. these are actually a meal (or two) in themselves.

highlights include the spicy green relish (hello, jalapenos!), garlicky herb blend (like a gremolata, on speed), pickled beets, hummus, baba ghanoush, cucumber salad, some crazy chickpea thing, roasted cauliflower, and some of the yummiest eggplant around.

best eggplant ever!


what makes it so special? well, it's roasted to a smoky, caramelized oblivion and drizzled with that deliciously tangy, garlic/herb concoction. it's rich, but not greasy. sweet, but not cloying. also, it's free. shazam!

so where's the catch? there really isn't one, as long as you know how to play the game. there are no plates here, which makes it a messy meal (bonus!), but also makes loading up on the garnishes something of a challenge. props to the management for having half a brain!

some tips:

1. go back for more. and more. your instinct might be to put a lot of everything on your pita all at once, but the sad truth is, not everything goes together. your sandwich could end up looking more like an abandoned archeological dig than a meal.

this kind of leads to my next point which is:

2. have a plan. like i said, not everything goes together. tomato, tomahhhto. when in rome. something! try to imagine what will taste good. i know, duh, but the choices can be overwhelming. example: mix the green garlic stuff with the tahini. best. sauce. ever. this would be good with the beets.

3. when you're almost done with your pita, stop--that little piece of bread is your passport to the condiment bar, where you should cover it with lots and lots of eggplant for dessert. or maybe there's no shame in your game, in which case, just bring your own plate!

4. if you get fries, don't dip them in the peanut sauce. also, don't let that stop you from taking it home. it would be so good with satay.

finally, if you're uncomfortable with the idea of an entirely vegetarian meal, just remember: it's not rabbit food if it's deep fried.

clandestine swine

did anyone else read this as pancetta?