village voice choice eats: tonight!

I was honored and beyond shocked when my good friend alerted me that the Village Voice had listed me (well, my blog) as one of their press clippings for the Choice Eats Event tonight. Me? Press?! An amazing feeling to be listed among the food sites I turn to countless times a day. I don't think they realize how meaningful that was to me.

Anyways, the Choice Eats Event is TONIGHT! I've been trying extra hard to be extra good (think egg whites and lettuce leaves) today before trying oh, 50+ restaurants food samplings. Ok, there's no way (or is there...?) that I'm going to be able to try them all so I've widdled down my list to six places I'm not allowing myself to miss: Baoguette, Fatty Crab, Momofuku Milk Bar & Bakery, Motorino, Nicky's Vietnamese Sandwiches, and Porchetta. We'll see how I'm feeling after six generously sized samples before I indulge in more.

Either way, you know I'll have lots to dish on tomorrow after I'm rolled to work.

Can't wait to binge.

casa havana

Finding the "perfect" restaurant for a large Birthday dinner is always an ordeal. It has to be the right balance of affordability (mostly on the drinks end) and, well, yumminess. So when my beautiful friend and blogger of Kiss and Type, Arax, had a 24th birthday rapidly approaching, she enlisted me in her search for the dinner destination.

Hmmm.

What's a reasonably-priced restaurant that could seat 15 on a Saturday night that's below midtown?

I started to rack my brain. Where could we go?! With four days to go, this was going to be a challenge.

Then, it occurred to me: Casa Havana. An inexpensive little Cuban restaurant/diner located right in Chelsea. With dishes at around $10 and under and $5 mojitos...Bingo. And what was even better was that the birthday girl and I had already had lunch here the week before! And my pernil sandwich (shredded roasted pork, onions, mayo on cuban bread, lightly pressed) and her avocado salad with black beans and rice had really kinda thrilled us. We kept looking back at each other and saying, "Wait, this is like really, really good."

Now, I warn you, if your birthday boy or girl is ambiance-crazy, this is probably not the place for you. However, the crowd we were rolling with (well, most of them anyways) were not this type. It's kitschy in a good way and we may or may not have been the only "gringos" in the joint but it only added to our experience. Festive, fun, and fantastic food...

After drooling with envy while watching Arax eat her avocado salad and rice and beans (believe me, I'm the last person to order all vegetarian), I knew that I had to have a taste for myself this time around (read: I love Arax but she's no food-sharer). So that's exactly what I did. Along with an octopus salad/ceviche. And what a spread it was! The black beans were exploding with flavor and cooked to the perfect doneness. The white rice too, which I know sounds mundane, was done to an ideal fluffiness and when mixed with the thick, starchy, and aromatic beans was pure and simple done right. The avocado salad was a chunk of iceberg lettuce with half an avocado sliced on top, fresh tomato, and sliced white onion. Served along with red wine vinegar and some olive oil. While this sounds like nothing special, when eaten along with the rice and beans and the octopus salad, it all just melded into one, I'll say it again, perfect bite. The octopus salad was more of a ceviche: extraordinarily tender pieces of octopus (not at all chewy) were tossed in lime juice, olive oil, garlic, GARLIC, diced white onion, chili peppers, and green olives. Really clean flavors yet really complex at the same time. I absolutely ended up mixing it all up on one plate so that I could enjoy all three of them on my fork and into my mouth at once.

My fellow celebrators ordered a mix of different things as well and there were very few complaints, if any, heard round the table. The rounds of margaritas, mojitos, and buckets of Coronitas only added to the experience (Though, I should note, don't come here for the cocktails. Stick with Cervezas.) Oh, and lots 'o laughter added up to a fabulous evening with fabulous friends.

I've never really been one for Cuban food, never been something I've ever gravitated towards, but I couldn't be happier I've been indulging in it as of late. Perhaps it's my yearning for warmer weather because the flavors, sentiments, and sounds of Cuban cuisine really do take you away to a warmer place. It's an instant get-away any day of the week.

So, Happy Birthday again to my sweet Arax (24 is most definitely sexy) and as for the rest of you, hop on the plane, err subway, for a midweek vacation of your own. You won't be sorry you did.

Casa Havana
180 8th Ave. (nr. 20th St.)

obama-psilakis sandwich

Just one more reason why Michael Psilakis rocks my world.

best.lunch.ever

Ok, so I know I've been preaching (actually, I hope I haven't been preaching) about how important it is to BYOL but I'm slightly embarrassed to say that I have been breaking my own rule lately. But before you write me off as a hypocritical liar, hear me out. I am amidst a move. Most of my kitchen has been packed up in boxes. This means my life (pots, pans, knives, microplanes), literally, is in boxes.

I digress.

Today has been an odd day. I rolled out of bed and did not allow myself to properly wake up before I left for work. All day I've felt off. Still in REM mode or something. Not really sure where I am. And three different people on three different occasions have asked me if I'm alright. I don't have an answer to that question.

So I decided to throw all caution to the wind and let myself order whatever the H I wanted for lunch. And what I wanted was something slightly greasy, cheesy, and warm. The answer? The best Cuban sandwich EVER.

I ran -- no, at a sloth-like pace I walked -- downstairs to Ruthy's Bakery (located in Chelsea Market). A deli I typically brush off as, well, bad. Never been satisfied with anything I've ever ordered there. But for whatever reason, I decided to give their Cuban sandwich a try. The menu promised me a hot sandwich with ham, pickles, and mojo sauce. Interesting. I think I must have blacked out at the counter because before I knew it, I was unwrapping a hot sandwich that was soon going to make me yell, "AYE PAPI!"

AYE PAPI.

Let me walk you through this. A long, soft, hoagie roll (but more of a cross between a baguette and a hoagie roll) filled with fresh, REAL ham, gooey, melted American cheese, homemade pickles, pickled jalapenos, and a mojo sauce (garlic, herbs, olive oil, damn). With each bite, I kept looking around, making sure no one was about to swoop in and steal my heavenly discovery. I was hoarding.

Authentic Cuban? Well, heck no. Pork? No. Swiss Cheese? Nada. Mustard? Not a drop. But delicious, decadent, and divine? Si! Si! Si! I'm almost upset for unearthing this sandwich because I fear it will become an awfully bad and convenient habit.

My name is Kiira and I already have a problem.

sunday dinner at boqueria

Boqueria is now serving up $35 Sunday dinners. Starting this Sunday, anchovy frisee salad, Ben Eggleston's suckling pig, dessert, and wine or sangria will be the spread. Not a bad deal. Not a bad deal at all.

Boqueria Soho
171 Spring St.

Boqueria Flatiron
53 W19th St.

hands off my food

These are hilarious and depressingly necessary all at the same time. I am sad to say that I have been the victim (more than once, I might add) of the old lunch time thief. I really, truly cannot understand the gall it must take for one to swipe a fellow coworkers lunch and not even flinch at the possibility of getting caught. Yet, it happens nonetheless. That said, enter anti-theft lunch bags.

game ON

I love this! Who's going to be the brave soul to go up against me?? Let's do this dance.

venetian spaghetti with sardines

I want this now, please.

anthos upstairs

"KIIRA!!!!!" shrieked my roommate Meghan this morning at around 7:30AM. Startled and about to step in the shower, I wrapped myself back up in my towel as Meghan continued to shout.

"What happened?!" I asked, groggily.

I couldn't understand most of the words coming out of her mouth as she rambled, Blackberry in hand, but I was able to pick-up "Anthos Upstairs" and "15 dollar gyro."

What my dear Meghan, bless her heart, was trying to alert me of was the upstairs dining area of Anthos has become a drastically less expensive eatery called Anthos Upstairs. Clever and oh so welcomed. And the menu? Well it looks perfectly divine. I'll take one of everything, thank you.

After Meghan had eagerly delivered her news, I couldn't help but say, "Wow, I thought something bad had happened. You were like freaking out."

Meghan simply replied, "You should be freakin' out too!! 15 dollar gyros!!"

So go on, freak out. For the gyros, for Michael Psilakis, or...just for Meghan.

baja fish tacos

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know I can easily make these lovely little fish tacos at home but what about the days where I just want to pop into a nearby Mexican restaurant and have them prepared FOR me all while sipping on an icy margarita on the rocks? Since these particular days are all too often, I know the answer. In NYC, it's actually not as easy as you'd think. Fish tacos (err, good fish tacos) are extremely hard to come by for whatever reason. So I suppose, for the time being (or until I have my quarter-life and decide to abruptly relocate to the West Coast), I will be making my own at home.

Tyler Florence, of course, also has a killer version as well.

lunch à la martha

This week on Martha, it's Pack Your Own Lunch Week. And today's show is The Sandwich Show! Check out her recipe ideas and make one or some to stuff into your brown bag this week. Her Sloppy Bao looks like an especially good thing.

boqueria

For the last 14+ months I've been living in the city, I have been incessantly reminding myself that I need to go to Boqueria. It's true. Seamus Mullen's tapas restaurant has been at the top of my "To Eat" list for THAT long and just this past Saturday afternoon, I was able to finally check it off.

Strolling down Thompson Street with my sister Hanna and her boyfriend, we tried popping our heads into Snack, a tiny little Greek restaurant, for lunch but were unable to immediately sit. So we decided to walk around the corner and see if anything else sparked our interest. Hanna looked up and innocently said, "What's Boqueria?" My eyes widened. I stopped dead in my tracks.

"Oh my God. Boqueria."

And with that, we were in, being whisked to a table in the back, facing the open kitchen, me ranting all the way about how long I've been waiting to come here, how talented the chef was, blah, blah, blah. My lunch companions most likely rolling their eyes. But, alas. I had arrived. I was to eat at Boqueria. I was to eat at Boqueria today. Finally.

The decor in this restaurant is fantastic. Wood paneling all over the walls make the interior incredibly warm and inviting. The light fixtures were fabulous too. And the open kitchen in the back, sealed the deal. High tables with cream colored leather booth seating made for an intimate environment. A really, really great looking place.

After being walked through the menu by our devastatingly adorable Spanish waiter, we decided to split five or six tapas. And a fruit-laden (read: blood orange) red sangria to sip my way through them.

First came the complimentary grilled bread, Pan con Tomate. A classic Spanish style bruschetta of grilled bread, rubbed with garlic and tomato and finished with some salt. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this. Simple, rustic, crunchy goodness. Next was fried quail eggs with chorizo on toast (Cojonudo). Two tiny little sunny side up eggs sitting pretty on petite rounds of toast, sneakily hiding the gems of sautéed chorizo. This, is truly the breakfast of champions. A glorious translation of sausage and eggs. Thinly sliced melt-in-your-mouth Serrano ham was served on more pieces of the Pan con Tomate followed by a trio of perfectly fried croquettes: mushroom, salt cod, and suckling pig. The mushroom croquettes were studded with truffles and each bite was explosive with the earthy, concentrated mushroom flavor. The suckling pig was served a top a purée of dried fruit (what tasted like prune perhaps?) and the salt cod was joined by a bright, lemony aioli. Smoky brussels sprouts pan roasted with salty little chorizo lardons were served still sizzling (Hanna's favorite). And the final wooden cutting board that was ushered to our table was grilled lamb marinated in lemon and cumin with a salsa verde generously spooned on top. It was this last little morsel that shot me straight to the moon. The most tender, juicy and slightly smokey piece of meat I think that I have ever had. And the salsa verde of thyme, rosemary, garlic, citrus, and olive oil just put it over the top. Lamb just owns me. And has for quite some time. (My mother loves to tell the story of how I would shake, literally shake, in my high chair when she'd put lamb in front of me. Looks like I still do now.)

All three of us were smiling the entire way through this wonderful little meal; our stomachs perfectly and comfortably full. The food was nothing shy of delicious and absolutely appropriately priced. Lunch for three came out to about $50. And while we could have easily gotten a slice of Ben's Famous Pizza and munched on benches in front of Vesuvio Park, don't you always secretly want to impress your family? Or at least prove to the Bostoners that NYC is, in fact, the superior city.

Love you, Hans.

Boqueria Soho

171 Spring Street

http://www.boquerianyc.com/

scanwiches

I know this is old news to many, but as a sandwich freak, I find this blog to be, well, beautiful. The images are practically perfect: crisp, clear, de-freaking-licious. So I don't know about you, but if I don't get to experience a sandwich from Parisi Bakery within the next week or two, I may or may not sponateously combust or just flat out, lose my cool.

kefi

So Frank Bruni just gave Michael Psilakis's Kefi a one-star review. Hmph. Psilkais is, of course, the mastermind behind Anthos and Mia Dona and Kefi was his more approachable, less expensive version of Greek cuisine that was relocated to a new home on the Upper West Side. We all know my love, adoration, and respect towards Anthos (which Bruni has also shared) which is why I am slightly saddened and selfishly appreciative of his review (read: no long post review waits).

I do not doubt nor question Bruni's authority and opinion on the place but I will undoubtedly be critiquing Kefi on my own. Not only is it the kind of food I love and often crave but it's created and imagined by a chef I have a huge amount of respect (ahem, crush) for.

The Flat Pasta with Pulled Braised Rabbit and Graviera Cheese ($11.95), the Braised Lamb Shank with Orzo ($15.95), and the Pork Souvlaki with Tzatziki and Pita Bread ($13.95) all spark my interest for obvious reasons. Straightforward? Yes. But there's always something to be said about classic dishes done impeccably well by a reliable, well-seasoned, and inventive Chef Psilakis.

Kefi might be a bit of trek uptown but it's one I'll gladly take. One star, no star, or five.

Kefi
505 Columbus Ave. (b/w 84th and 85th streets)

kiira night

So here's the deal. Antarctica Bar (287 Hudson St.) has a "Name Night" every night of the week (except Sunday's) in which one name is chosen a day. Whoever's name is chosen on that given day, drinks for free!

And since it's St. Patrick's Day and Signed Lease Celebration Day it just so happens to also be Kiira Night. Three reasons to have a celebratory cocktail.

So come watch me drink for free (along with the other Kiira's with two i's). Or simply for the admittedly fabulous company. Toot toot.

Antarctica Bar
287 Hudson St.