eat and greet: madcrush

Thursday, September 17, 2009

MADCrush: Tonight, 9/17

Who wants to go?!? Tonight's food will be catered by none other than Daniel Boulud's Bar Boulud. So I'm thinking this is a not-to-be-missed sort of occasion. French food on the cheap + French wines on the cheap = must appoint a partner in crime (on the cheap?).

Thursday, August 20, 2009

MADCrush

So my boss totally gets all the credit for tipping me off on this thing (Thank you, Tom) but I'm all about it. MADCrush is a Thursday night cocktail hour at the Museum of Arts and Design which features an affordable menu of wine and nibbles that changes each week with a different guest chef. Last week, Scott Conant of Scarpetta showed off his cooking chops with an offering of creamy polenta with a fricassee of truffled mushrooms for a cool $6. The space overlooks Central Park and Columbus Circle and is decorated with seating made entirely from the corrugated cardboard of wine boxes. Pretty neat, if you ask me, and the perfect opportunity to meet and mingle with some new, interesting people who appreciate both good food, good wine, and a good deal. Because I don't know about you, but I'm all up in that kinda scenario.

who i am

When faced with the question of what food means to me, conversation inevitably shifts to my Mor-Mor (Swedish for Grandmother): A phenomenal cook who refused help in the kitchen and didn't believe in recipes. The real deal, if you will.

Mor-Mor had a seriously strong hand with garlic (surprisingly for a Swede) and an innate knack for making anything taste implausibly delicious. There was always a jar of homemade garlic oil in her fridge which found its way drizzled on top of almost everything. Like one of her breakfast treats: homemade bread slathered with garlic oil, a few slices of granny smith apple, and topped with extra sharp cheddar. Into her beloved toaster oven they'd go until the cheese had just melted, lovingly, over the apples. The salty-sweet combination could make your head spin—a beautiful cohesion of flavors and textures from such an unexpected pairing.

And then there were her meatballs. With her homemade tomato sauce made from tomatoes grown in her garden, picked when perfectly plump and warm from the summer sun, a ladle of garlic oil, and tons of parsley (Mor-Mor may or may not have been secretly Italian), they sent eyeballs rolling to the backs of people’s heads. The thought alone of her in that kitchen makes my heart long, once again, for her cooking. For her.

Now when I'm cooking, I finally understand her insistence on navigating the kitchen alone. There's something about getting in there and winding down and having your own personal space to create that’s beyond therapeutic—it’s wholly fulfilling and soul-satisfying.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

MADCrush: Tonight, 9/17

Thursday, August 20, 2009

MADCrush

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