My Not So Secret Obsession with the Food Network

So there it is. I’m putting it on the table for everyone to see. I love/live for the Food Network. From the comforting home of Ina Garten (that I envision living in and cooking for my future husband) or the intense throwdowns between Bobby Flay and his unknown conquest to Michael Chiarello’s laid-back dinner parties in the gorgeous Napa Valley or the rigorous battles between the best-of-the-best on Iron Chef, I just can't get enough. In fact, part of my Saturday morning routine is a good cup of homemade coffee, the Sunday Styles, and Jaime Oliver’s garden. The most ironic part of all? My oven is currently used as extra storage room for my embarrassing amount of handbags. More of my obsession to come…

-awill

The Weekend Dish

This is The Weekend Dish, a weekly Friday post that provides you with weekend meal suggestions. Share your weekend picks with us.

Friday Dinner: Salmon tartar with fresh herbs and steak frites at Felix (340 Broadway at Grand St.).

Saturday Lunch: Mussels with cava and chorizo and patatas bravas at Casa Mono (52 Irving Place between 17th and 18th St.).

Saturday Dinner: Beef carpaccio with baby arugula, parmesan and truffle oil, and grilled branzino with lemon, thyme, and rosemary at Fig & Olive (808 Lexington Ave between 62nd and 63rd St.).

Sunday Brunch: One pumpkin, one pistachio, one powered maple sugar donuts at Doughnut Plant (379 Grand St. between Essex and Norfolk St.).

Sunday Dinner: Pancetta, onions, and olives pizza from Lombardi's (delivery Soho, Tribecca, Greenwich Village, East Village)

Do You Have What It Takes!

Bravo has announced that they are casting for the Fifth Season of Top Chef. Are you a foul mouthed amateur chef, an aspiring gastrome, worked the fryolater at your college wing joint and think you have what it takes to be one of the cheftestants? If so, click the link below for casting call locations, times, and applications.

http://www.bravotv.com/Casting/top_chef/index.php

The Weekend Dish

This is The Weekend Dish, a weekly Friday post that provides you with weekend meal suggestions. Share your weekend picks with us.

Friday Dinner: Insalata polpi (octopus and potato salad) and Lasangna Treviso with smoked mozzarella and radicchio at Bacaro (136 Division St near Ludlow St.).

Saturday Lunch: Crispy blue corn calamari and a Herradura margarita at Cilantro (1321 1st Ave at 71st., 1712 2nd Ave at 88th St., 485 Columbus Ave. at 83rd St.).

Saturday Dinner: Matzah ball soup and brisket at your Moms house (wherever home is).

Sunday Brunch: Matzah brie at EJ's Luncheonette (1271 3rd Ave between 73rd and 74th St. and 447 Amsterdam Ave at 79th St.).

Sunday Dinner: Sugarcane marinated beef salad and chicken cashew nut with onion, broccoli, green peppers and chili paste at Spice (Delivery East & West Village)

Your Moring Pastry Done Right

The scene inside Patisserie Claude every morning is a generous mix of French expats and locals who flock to this West Village institution for their delectable offerings of French breakfast pastries. Mousier Claude who has owned and run the bakery for the last 15 years has the appearance of a grumpy man, but he turns out some of the most delicious croissants, brioches, and quiches in this downtown neighborhood. All of the goods are baked fresh daily and are piping hot when the store opens at 7:00 am. If you want to secure yourself one of the four small round tables, a $2.00 minimum is required. With all its offerings, our favorite pastry in the shop is the croissants.
The croissants are warm, flaky, buttery, and crisp on the outside and continue to be warm, moist, and soft on the inside. When the croissants are fresh you can sit there and peal away each flaky layer off the other and see the true craftsmanship that goes into each one.

Patisserie Claude is located at 187 W. 4th St. between Barrow and Jones St.

The Weekend Dish

This is The Weekend Dish, a weekly Friday post that provides you with weekend meal suggestions. Share your weekend picks with us.

Friday Dinner: Chile Rellenos (lightly egg battered roasted pablano pepper stuffed with cheese) and carnitas (shredded pork slowly cooked in a citrus marinade) at Mexican Radio (19 Cleveland Pl. between Spring and Kenmare St.).

Saturday Lunch: Spaghetti Limone (spaghetti with lemon, butter and parmigiano reggiano) at Lil' Frankies (19 1St Ave near 1st St.).

Saturday Dinner: Sauteed baby bok choy and gari's sushi omakase at Gari (370 Columbus Ave between 77th and 78th St.).

Sunday Brunch: Fried oyster omelette with remoulade sauce at Prune (54 East 1st St. between 1st and 2nd ave.).

Sunday Dinner: Meat samosa and Chicken tikka at Curry In A Hurry (Delivery Murray Hill and Gramercy, 212-683-0900).

An Ode to Ko

Roses are Red

Violets are Blue

According to Ko

There is no room for you!