Lunch: Tuesday, March 31, 2009

No better cure for a case of the Tuesdays than to slog off work early to spend some QT outdoors in this mild, sunny, you might even call it a lamb-like Spring day.

No, that’s no reference to the succulent medallions buried under a smokey, chipotle curry sauce — the sausage in Wechler’s currywurst with fries (small, $6) is a pork-veal number.

Lamb is on the menu, but I’m referring to, wait for it, that old adage “in like a lion, out like a lamb.”

And seriously, if you can think back that far for just a moment, March began a mean one …

Breakfast: Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Sweet and sour, tangy even.

That’s about how I feel this morning after a night that devolved from wine and cheese to shots of some Polish vodka at KGB Bar that puts the sweet back into vodka like it hasn’t been for years.

Here’s hoping the ying-yang of Fage 2% Greek yogurt and clover blossom honey achieves the seemingly-impossible feat of returning my body to a state of normalcy.

COST: $1.99
PREP TIME: seconds

Dinner: Monday, March 30, 2009

“Come, hither.” 

Every meal of every day begins with such a sign — we make our choices based on preferences, whims, little bells and whistles that sound off on a primal level. 

Tonight’s impromptu deliciousness began with a package of Trois Petits Cochons “Bloc de Foie Gras de Canard” (made with Foie Gras and Satuernes wine) burning a hole in the fridge, which led to an expedition through the West Village, which wound up with a visit to the pilot pig (left), pusedo mascot of Sea Grapes, one of my favorite wine shops in the city, before retiring to feast.

 In between, we foraged at Murray’s Cheese Shop, opting for a wedge of Persille Du Malizu, which, the cheesemonger said: “Here’s where our cheese-tasting ends; this is the strongest cheese we have.” (Ed. Note: Okay, that’s a parahrase.)

The signage, if it’s hard to see, reads: “Ohh spicy! Made with the same high-quality, raw Lacaune sheep milk as Rocquefort, but less salty, sweeter and more balanced than its famous cousin. …”

(pictorial essay continues after the jump.)

 

Lunch: Monday, March 30, 2009

Lunch today is all about vibrant, bright green.

… In part because I missed the mark on my 5-a-day fruit and vegetable count over the weekend,

… Which happened in part because I was enjoying such fine fare a the aforementioned bacon-wrapped Crif dog (see Sunday), and a not-yet-mentioned Aussie-style burger at 8 Mile Creek — order it with the “Lot” and it turns up sandwiched stacked with bacon, a pineapple ring, a beet slice and fried egg, in addition to standard lettuce, tomato, onion,

… And also potentially because I was out late and up late back-to-back nights, which always throws a kink in fresh vegetable consumption. Funny how that works.

COST: $5.95 for four add-ins plus one protein
PREP TIME: 5 minutes

Breakfast: Monday, March 30, 2009

Sometimes there’s just no time to eat a full breakfast, let alone make one.

One grab-and-go food that does the trick in a pinch is a Larabar. These tasty, all-natural, no sugar added, raw fruit and nut bars include a whole serving of fruit (get me going toward my daily 5) and a refreshingly short list of immediately-recognizable ingredients. The ingredients for Apple Pie, my favorite, reads like this: Dates, Almonds, Unsweetened Apples, Walnuts, Raisins, Cinnamon. That’s it.

COST: $1.39 – $1.99 per bar
PREP TIME: N/A

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Grey, mist-shrouded Sunday afternoons are just so conducive to laziness and $4 beer-and-whiskey specials.

Like the one we discovered today about 5 p.m. at International Bar, where $4 gets you a 12 oz. can of Schaefer beer and shot of seriously sweet clear-bottle whiskey (read, not Jameson’s).

I couldn’t have picked a better accompliment for my bacon-wrapped Crif Dog (not pictured). Ahh the weekend … 

COST: >$10
PREP TIME: N/A 

Saturday, March 28, 2009

How to make soup from a can taste better than soup from a can (also known as a riff on classic combination of tomato soup and grilled cheese):

Pick a good soup base to begin with. In this case, Trader Joe’s Organic Tomato Bisque. 

Plate in beautiful bowl. 

Re-add salt (if low sodium).

Drizzle with olive oil — I’m working my way through a fantastic bottle of Fairway Market’s Novello Olive Oil (1L, $19.95) at the moment. 

Add fresh herbs. I’ve got flat-leaf parsley in the fridge; basil is beautiful for tomato soup. 

For tomato soup, accompany with cheese. Cheese toast, grilled cheese, even blue cheese on water crackers will do. 

COST: >$5
PREP TIME: 10 minutes

Dinner: Friday, March 27, 2009

Fried bar snacks.

After a painless injection of some culture — MOMA Target free Fridays to be exact, duration 4 exhibits, 65 minutes — we retreated to the the nearest bar for pints, good, friends-catching-up sort of conversation … and afore-mentioned snacks. (Connolly’s sign glows beacon-like from the north entrance of MOMA.)

Pub potatoe skins (topped with bacon and broccoli bits, cheddar cheese), a side of onion rings, a pair of Boddington’s pints. Such a pleasant wind-down to such a big week. So what if the setting was one of NYCs ubiquitous Irish pubs?

COST: $25
PREP TIME: one month planning in the making

Lunch: Friday, March 27, 2009

Pizza bust.

I never remember that I generally don’t like a Sicilian slice until I order one again and I’m disappointed — again. It’s like pizza on a breadstick; the sauce-and-topping-to-crust ratio is just all wrong.

[Pause.] I’m putting something together here: This bias against thick bread also explains why I’m generally anti-focaccia and pro-panini, anti-bagel and pro-toast — which isn’t to say that there aren’t worthwile exceptions to all of the above, including the Sicilian slice …

The Sicilian slice I had at Danny’s Pizzaria in Bushwick recently, one of those suddenly-famished-where’s-food moments, was amazing and cheap ($2.25), and it wasn’t just my state of mind.

… It’s not that the good ones aren’t out there. They’re just harder to come by.

COST: $4.25 for slice and pepperoni roll (brought salad & gratuitously-placed Dr. Pepper)
PREP TIME: N/A

Breakfast: Friday, March 27, 2009

What is it about the sweet, doughy smell of the Penn Station LIRR corridor in the 7 o’clock hour that makes me helpless the coy, “come hither” beckon of the pastry cases? Today I succumbed to the chocolate croissant from a Hot & Crusty outpost (top).

Au Bon Pain, Hot & Crusty, Krispy Kreme … I’m sure there’s others I’ve yet to fully register. Ordinarily savory is my weakness — cheeses, French fries and such – and I wouldn’t give a muffin the time of day.

What is this place? Have I happened upon some parallel, inverted universe?

COST: $1.95, plus OJ from home.
PREP TIME: N/A