Dinner: My Kitchen Can Smell Like This Any Night

Lemon juice, E.V.O.O., white wine, a pair of bay leaves, all simmering away on my stove earlier tonight smelled so good that I wanted to pick up the pot and slurp it. (Exercised restraint, sampled just a couple of spoonfuls.)

This basic stock was loosely inspired by this Tyler Florence recipe from the Food Network, which I picked for the excuse to cook with / aka purchase / a bottle of Elsa Bianchi Torrontes (2008), a recent favorite discovery. And of course eat delicious artichokes. I deviated where I didn’t have the necessary ingredients on hand, i.e. fresh parsley and garlic cloves — desperately need to go grocery shopping. 

As a dipping sauce, I made a fancy faux aioli: organic mayonnaise, lemon juice, splash of white wine, pinch of salt, all whipped with a fork until the texture evened out.

It was pretty decadent: Sitting at home, peeling off leaves, sipping wine and scooping sauce, I was perfectly content to just be. (And maybe lick my fingers a little bit.)

Lunch: Shorty’s Roast Pork Special Packs a Mean Punch

“Thinly sliced, seasoned pork served with a homemade, spicy au jus on the side.”

That sounds like comfort food, yes? In no way was I prepared for the in-your-face, garlic-y, pungent, cheesy taste sensation that threw my delicate tastebuds into serious sensory overload, so much so that for a few minutes I contemplated giving up and trying again, in search of something a little more … balanced. How could I have gone so wrong in my menu ordering? In not specifying my preference of cheese (provolone, sharp or mild), the sharp cheese was added by default, which only compounded the intensity of flavor: garlic-y broccoli rabe, spicy au jus, sharp provolone. Wow.

I think Shorty’s claim to be “NYC’s only authentic cheesesteak” is a little audacious, but the ingredients are done right, the goods are quality and the venue comfortable — I’ll definitely be back for the evening special — $8 for a cheesesteak and a pint, weekdays between 4-7p and 11p until closing. That’s a damn good deal — just make mine with mild.

Missed: Breakfast, Due to Technical Difficulties

I spent the morning at a site in the city that had absolutely zero connectivity — and I was in the middle of Times Square. So bizarre how cell phone dead zones work. Breakfast was but an Apple Pie Lara Bar; if you’re interested, you can find more on my Lara Bar adventures here.