Time for champagne

I'm aching for spring. I want to wear skirts without tights, darnnit! So I'm going to force spring (mentally) and order copious amounts of proscecco and champagne -- and have a party, natch.
Menu TK...

Eat here now

Vintage is a wine shop that has a tasting room. Last year they added a restaurant to their Soho location (Broome & Wooster). I'm a fan for many reasons: Snail approved by the Slow Foods NY Convivia, local food, local wine and an excellent menu.
I went here for brunch with Peg from Social Diva Sunday. We dined for 2 hours.
This is my third brunch there and I simply love the food. Peg had a trio of crepes, concord grape, apple walnut, pear & blue cheese, a side of house smoked thickcut bacon, and a tasting flight of pinot gris. This time I had the egg in a hole (brioche toast!) with house smoked salmon, crème fraiche and a peppery green lightly-dressed salad plus a side of buttery polenta. Yum.
I picked a "design your own taking flight" and sampled the Wolffer Brut, a pinot noir and a meritage. I love Wolffer's sparking wine; I often buy a case in the winter but yesterday, the pinot was perfect. (I'll have to look up the label.)
We were so hungry, I forgot to take a picture but the Vintage site is here.

Why I love NY

One of many reasons I love this city: cheap manicures! I was able to get a $7 manicure (plus $2 tip, natch) Friday.

Beforehand, I picked up a shrimp pad thai from Rice (the one on E 28th St) for a mere $8.50. Great food, good price. They also have a lunch special that I didn't see until I walked out with a hot and moist wrapped pad thai in my palm. I really dig their vegetarian meatballs. Sounds gross but they are de.lish. And you can chose which sauce you want. Most people go for the fiery red pepper sauce that could burn a hole in the ozone. I opt for the sweet & sour because I'm like that.

Authentic Sancocho

Betsy's parents have a mountain getaway the family refers to as Ladera, or the Hill. Wednesday, Feb. 27 was independence day for the Dominican Republic and the whole country had the day off to commemorate and celebrate. We headed up to the mountain retreat and had a wonderful rustic meal on an open fire -- sancocho.



I trimmed the fat off the beef short ribs. Rosemary (pictured) quartered and cut the chicken. Gilda snapped the corn cobs. Rosemary sprinkled lemon juice and thyme vinaigrette in the pot and got the rice started. We also did a version with pork. It took about 3 hours to cook. I think cooking time is shorter with open flame sometimes :)



It was such a treat to eat an authentic dish with the gorgeous backdrop of the Cordillera Central. Of course there was singing and dancing after the meal. And no Dominican gathering would be complete without a smack down game of dominoes!

Oink Oink

I haven't eaten pig (on purpose) since I was 17. It doesn't skeeve me out anymore but when I see things like this, well, frankly, I don't think I'm missing much.

I saw this in a Dominican grocery store adjacent to a restaurant we ate at. I wanted to remove the napkin so there wouldn't be so much glare in the photo but I was uncomfortable touching it. Flies were a-buzzing. Yummy.

Boca Chica, DR

What a way to start a vacation. My roommate, a native of the Dominican Republic, picks me up from the airport outside Santo Domingo and brings me straight to the beach! where her boyfriend has kindly ordered fish a la creole and beer for me.

Boca Chica is pretty touristy with kids and adults pawing at you and hawking every inch of the beach but it's very family-friendly and the view was gorgeous.
They made this with a white fish, probably in the tilapia family. Dominicans are one of the few Caribbean peoples who do NOT eat spicy food. Their food is flavorful and colorful but not spicy.

The fish was crispy but not burnt and the creole sauce was akin to a sweet and sour + barbeque mashup. The onions and peppers were fresh. The fries were good and crispy, not too greasy. And Presidente sealed the deal.
More posts from the DR to come...