Tomatoes

For a few weeks now, Mark has wanted to make tomato pie. He got the idea from leftovers that Bill, his brother, brought home from a party while we were in Atlanta for the fourth of July. I had never heard of tomato pie, but when I tasted it it was super delicious! I was joking to Bill when I texted him while he was at the party to "bring home some food they are serving" because it's kind of ghetto, right? I mean he was at a complete stranger's house so the thought of even asking is embarrassing, but he did anyway and they even gave him nice tupperware to put food in to take home. I suppose that's southern hospitality. We did mail the tupperware back so Bill would be invited back to future parties and bring back more tomato pie! Yippy!

We went up to our New Milford, Connecticut house over the weekend and Mark thought it would be an opportune time to make tomato pie. I suggested to do it after our long training run on Sunday so the cheese and whatever else won't upset our stomachs and cut our long run into a very short one because who knows? We are in our 3rd week of a 16-week marathon training plan for the NYC Marathon the first Sunday in November. This is the first time we've legitimately trained; however, it will be my 3rd and his 2nd NYC Marathon. Had the marathon not been cancelled last year due to Sandy, and rightfully so, this year would've been my 4th and Mark's 3rd. Training has been going well so far and we both want to set a PR.

While in New Milford, the annual Village Fair Days was being held (it's always the last weekend in July) on the Town Green. It's a 2-day fair with lots of community booths, local food, entertainment and a way for the locals to socialize and have a great time. We walked through the fair and later had dinner at Lucia, a cute but small Italian restaurant in historic downtown New Milford. The food was pretty good. I wasn't able to take pictures of the food or collect the menu. I know-booooo!

After our long run on Sunday, Mark not only made tomato pie, but also made tomato basil bisque. I was a little leery about the bisque because the last time he made it it was not enjoyable at all. It was tart, too thick and the tomato skins were bothersome. This time around I was very delighted and impressed with the results. The bisque was the right thickness, flavored with adequate spices and with each spoonful it made me want to lick the bowl until it was completely clean.

Mark's tomato pie was a modified version of the one Bill brought back from his party. Apparently that recipe was a version of Paula Deen's Tomato Pie. Upon watching the video of her recipe, Mark's recipe wasn't all that different. Since it was his first time making it and without following her recipe or even any knowledge of it or any kind of recipe, I think he did very well in creating his first ever tomato pie. He did a few things different: made his own pie crust, used bread crumbs as part of the dressing, used greek yogurt and less cheese. The one thing he could've done that would have made this perfect was drain the tomatoes.

Because dough was left over from the tomato pie, Mark decided to experiment and create a small side dish using the extra dough. Using a ramekin, he filled the bottom and sides with the dough and left some extra hanging off the sides to cover the ingredients used to fill the middle. He combined greek yogurt and 2 eggs, poured it into the ramekin along with some seasonings and used the dough hanging off the sides to cover the filling. He baked it for half hour at 350F. What came out was a light, fluffy egg souffle that reminded me of quiche. I suggested that it would be magnificent with ham in it. He decided on the name "Morning Glory." Can't wait to have it again.

You say tomato, I say let's it eat!

Selamlique Istanbul

I am spoiled. When my honey travels he always brings me back exotic treats and souvenirs from the places he visits whether it's international or domestic. Before he leaves, I always remind him to bring back items we can't necessarily eat/get here in the U.S. It's more interesting that way, right? And when he returns, I always look forward to the unpacking and the presentation of the treats and souvenirs.

In May, he traveled to Istanbul, Turkey with his Cali BFF, who he travels with at least once a year. Thankfully, they returned back in time because the following week, riots and protests began in the streets of Istanbul right where they were staying. God was looking out. They've traveled to Buenos Aires, Argentina, Vancouver, Canada, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and countless other places.

He brought back a small box which had the words "Selamlique Istanbul" on the top and "Lavender - Lavanta" on the side. I assumed it was some kind of lavender candy, so I put it in the fridge. Sometimes we don't usually get to all the edibles right away, and if it clearly states, "must be eaten/used by expiration date" then we will eat them as soon as possible. With candies, I usually store them in the fridge and we eat them over time.

I don't know what in the world possessed me to wait a few months until opening the box. Imagine my surprise when I ate one of these delicious lavender treats. According to the website, it's a "delicate croquant stick covered in a variety of flavored chocolates", and in this case, lavender. Other flavors listed on the website include: rose, orange, mastic (I have no idea what flavor this is), cinnamon, blueberry and bergamot. I so want to try bergamot, rose and possibly mastic. Upon Googling "mastic", it is also known as Arabic gum, and I have no idea what that means or what that would even taste like. I also found out that "Selamlique" refers to men's living quarters in the Sultan's place, which I have no idea what that means either, but you know what? The candy is fabulous, and that I definitely do know.

The candy reminds me of a Heath toffee bar, but lavender flavored. You can see/taste traces of nuts embedded in the toffee covered in lavender chocolate. I've decided to take my time eating this delicious treat as I don't know if/when I'll ever get this again unless you are headed to Istanbul and will get it for me. Seriously! The website says it doesn't ship to the U.S. Phooey!

Lavender! I can't get enough of it. Lavender lotion, lavender bath salts, lavender mists, candles, tea and even lavender sorbet, which Mark has made a few times. I love the smell, the color, the taste and how therapeutic and soothing it can be. Just say the word "lavender" and my eyes open wider and I get curious and excited all at the same time.

Selamlique Istanbul: Website 

Hana Sushi

There is never a shortage of Japanese, Thai and Chinese restaurants in NYC. You can pretty much find one on any city block in Manhattan, and in my opinion, they're all basically the same. Well... except for the high end restaurants, but that's a whole different category.

Hana Sushi is our neighborhood go-to for sushi and Japanese food. It's not a small chain like Monster Sushi, which is also nearby, but it's a small restaurant with good lunch specials, great rolls and a newly renovated space. It's definitely busy during lunch, so if you are looking to spend quiet time with a friend(s) or dine alone to catch up on some reading, dinner would be the best time to go to Hana.

We came here for lunch right before Chris headed off to the airport. Mark and I always order the same items. Do you often find yourself ordering the same thing at the same restaurants you frequent? I often struggle with that. While I'd like to try everything on the menu for recommendations sometimes it's just best to stick with the tried and true. I suppose it really comes down to my mood.

Mark was running a little late to meet Chris and I, so I ordered our appetizers and entrees. For appetizers I ordered: harumaki (deep fried egg roll) and yasai gyoza (steamed vegetable dumpling). Sometimes I'll also order agedashi tofu (grilled tofu) and chicken karaage (Japanese style fried chicken, but not this time. Depending on what lunch special you order you receive different sides, but you basically get a choice of miso soup or salad. For him, I ordered the sushi lunch special: 1 cucumber plum paste roll, 1 avocado roll and 1 cucumber roll. For myself, I ordered the chicken katsu bento lunch special which comes with miso soup, salad, steamed dumpling, rice and seaweed. It's very filling. Chris ordered a plate full of sushi.

One of my favorite dishes here is the salad that comes with this amazing carrot ginger dressing. It's thick, creamy and you can taste the fresh ginger and pureed carrot chunks. I think it works well with thinner greens and not thick lettuce pieces and not a whole lot of different salad fixings either. The more simple, the better. I would even add chow mein noodles and mandarin oranges to garnish. However, it always tastes great at Hana. If you'd like to make it, I found a good online recipe (I haven't tried this particular one, so don't blame me if it's not good. Experiment until you find it suitable for you): Carrot Ginger Recipe.

My entree always leaves me stuffed. I've had both the chicken and beef katsu and they are both breaded in Panko (Japanese bread crumbs) and fried perfectly. It's not overdone or too thin, where you don't taste any meet at all. I also love the Japanese mayo as a dipping sauce. Yes, Japanese mayo is slightly different from American mayo in that they don't add water and use apple or rice wine vinegar instead of distilled. They also use egg yolks vs. the whole egg.

You can usually find Japanese mayo at an Asian super market or Japanese grocery store. Our favorite place to get Japanese mayo is Mitsuwa, a Japanese mega store in Edgewater, New Jersey, only a 15-25 minute drive from NYC. I'm dedicating a separate post about Mitsuwa so I won't go into too much detail about this amazing store. If you don't want to travel too far outside of NYC, there's also Sun Rise Mart, a smaller Japanese store in the East Village. This place is located on the second floor and there's not a lot of room to move around, but it definitely has a lot of Japanese specialty items. However, Mitsuwa is the only place I've found green tea kit kat-- FYI!

I'm always skeptical about collecting menus when someone is sitting right beside me. However, that's never stopped me from ever collecting one. I wonder if they'll say something, and if they did, what would they say? How would I respond back? I suppose I should come up with some creative answers just in case, but thankfully, and in all my years, it's never happened. Quite frankly, I don't think people care if they saw me do it. They just want to enjoy their meal, pay and go on about their lives.

I had my bag with me and placed it next to me. I moved the table closer to me so it would hide my lower half and people wouldn't be able to see or notice just how slick I am (or not). I put the menu on my lap and put my bag over it. I figured as soon as the guy next to me paid and left, I'd simply slip it in my bag. It worked!

Collecting this menu was a joyous occasion for me! I have a Hana menu from around 2005-2007 and it is quite unique. The menu looks like it could be a place mat or a sushi rolling mat. It's really one of a kind. Too bad they weren't able to keep this design throughout the years because it is truly unique, but this is one of those instances where I have a menu from the same restaurant way back when to present. The food didn't change a whole lot, but the prices most certainly did (obviously). If you compare the menus (see below pic), edamame went from $3.95 to $5, while yaki tori went from $5.25 to $9. Ouch! I love being able to see how much the design of the menu changes over time and this is one of the many reasons I ♥ collecting restaurant menus.

(L) 2005-07 (R) 2013 

Hana Sushi: 211 7th Ave between 22nd & 23rd St.
Chelsea, NYC
Website

Hana Sushi

Tello

It's been 4-5 years since I've been back to Tello, and at its new location. It didn't move very far, literally right next door from its current spot. The only difference is it's much larger, can accommodate more guests and the menu has changed. The food and the ambiance is pretty much the same except it did feel like Christmas with all the glowing Christmas lights and the walls were completely covered with posters. I kind of enjoyed it.

It was Sunday night and our friend Chris is staying with us because he had an overnight layover before heading off to Germany the next day to meet his partner. We decided on dining in the neighborhood and eating something simple. Tello is a great Italian restaurant for just that. It's low-key, casual and the food is decent.

I ordered a passion fruit bellini, which was delicious. At first glance, it looked like a mojito in a wine glass, but tasted nothing like a mojito. I would definitely come here just to sit at the bar and order this drink. Someone else ordered the caipirinha, which was super strong. We also ordered fried calamari and the antipasto plate complete with Italian cold cuts, cheeses, artichokes, pepperoncini, chickpeas, grilled zucchini, asparagus spears, roasted peppers and olives-- literally everything listed on the menu. It was beautifully presented.

                         

For my entree, I ordered the chicken tello, boneless pieces of chicken, sausage, mushroom, olives, garlic and white wine sauce. It also came with mashed potatoes and veggies. Mark ordered pesto linguine, Bill ordered tortellini in red sauce and I forgot what my friend Chris (visitor) ordered. There was a lot going on in my dish and it was a bit salty. I don't know if it was because of the sausages, olives, and white wine sauce, but I feel like it could have used a dash of sweetness or less sauce. Mark's dish was delicious and fairly simple, of course. I feel like it's hard to mess up linguine with pesto.

 

While we were anxious for dessert, the waiter was no where to be found, so we paid and left. As we were walking down the street, someone from the restaurant came running up from behind us and tapped Mark on the shoulder. Chris yelled at me, "Johnny you better run", and I was a little perplexed by his statement but apparently, I left my camera on my seat. Yes, can you believe it? Thank you so much to the restaurant staffer for running to us and returning my camera. Needless to say, I got the 3rd degree.

Aside from being disappointed in myself for almost losing my camera, I also wasn't able to collect the drink or main menu. I thought I had a menu from the old location, but upon looking through my menu collection, I did not find it. The new location menu was humungous! I brought my bag thinking it was going to be a breeze, but the menu was at least 24 x 12, and I thought about folding it in half but it didn't feel right and it would've ruined the menu with the crease down the middle. I did, however, collect the dessert menu and I still had to fold that one in half and slip it in my bag to make it fit. I actually like the art on the dessert menu. It reminds me of the saying, "It ain't over until the fat lady sings" or in this case, "eats all the desserts!"

Tello: 198 8th Ave. @ 20th St.
Chelsea, NYC
Website

Tello