My First Artist's Date

It was during that freak blizzard last month -- well, one of the freak blizzards -- that I decided to start implementing the Artist's Date into my life. I took the day off work to do a daylong creative writing class, and a few tricks to creativity was taken straight from Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way. The idea of the Artist's Date is to go somewhere by yourself to take in the experience through your own personal filter. None of this experience can be influenced by your friends' opinions or undermined by conversation. That afternoon, in an old Chelsea building with a winter scene out the window, I made a promise to myself to go out to eat alone, fixate on flavors, and try not to be self conscious about my lonesome status.

My first Artist's Date happened to take place in Philadelphia, at a cute tapas-style spot by Rittenhouse Square called a.kitchen. As a one-time resident of Philly about ten years ago (yikes), it was the perfect spot to spend time time in an old familiar place, viewing it through my adult-ish eyes. Ten years ago I was happy to escape campus for dinner at Johnny Rockets on South Street. This time I was set on finding a place conducive to solo dining.

a.kitchen was a great choice. I got to sit at the bar overlooking the kitchen, away from the crowded bar with the Center City drinkers. The dishes were small, so I had the opportunity to try a few things. And since i was already going to be judged for sitting alone, and drinking wine alone, being judged for overindulging seemed like an afterthought.

I started with the scallops with butternut squash and apple cider. This was the start of a trend I noticed -- the persistent mix of sweet ingredients in savory dishes. Plus, beautiful plating. Scallops are a favorite of mine, and its fun to order them in creative places. They're such versatile little creatures.

 
It was probably around this time that the chef noticed my enthusiasm and sent over this pork dish with lentils. It was not on the menu. It had some kind of maple flavors and two beautiful sauces. After I gestured that I was grateful and very much enjoying the dish, he came by and started chatting with me about how they bought this pig from New Jersey and how they found it and what they were planning to do with it. It felt a little bit like I was in a scene from Portlandia. But I enjoyed the conversation. I didn't let that hamper anything. I didn't judge myself for it. Hey. Artist's Date.

Then the mother of the sweet/salty dishes -- a duck breast on top a freakin' CIDER DONUT. It sounds weird but it worked. It worked really well. I was excited about the generous portion of warm sliced duck breast, with a spiced syrup that brought the meat and pastry together. The chef came over to explain that he wanted to call it Duck 'n' Donut on the menu but was shot down. The name reminded me of Duck Donuts in the Outer Banks. That's when I knew for sure I really liked this place. And I liked the way this guy thinks.

Being done with my Artist's Dinner but feeling ready for my Artist's Dessert, I called over my new friend and asked if I wanted cheese or something sweet. I already had the donut, so did I really need another dessert? I wasn't sure, but I let him talk me into a perfect compromise, the goat cheesecake with Riesling sorbet. It was lighter than I expected. The sorbet melted as the chef and I talked about how Philly has changed in the past ten years and what the food scene is like now.Which places have closed down and which landmarks remain. I was feeling a strange sort of nostalgia. He asked if I'd consider moving back and I said no, I think I want to leave the city just like it is. Special and mostly untouched save for the occasional visit. 

I slipped out and went for a walk. I circled Rittenhouse Square and remembered how I was hellbent on finding an apartment there one day. I went into a Barnes and Noble and checked out the literary magazines I heard about in my creative writing class. I tried not to laugh out loud when I remembered that I applied for a job at the Starbucks upstairs from there. I headed back north and circled the Franklin Museum, the library, a beautiful church, my mind balanced on memories that may have been real or smushed with other memories. Then I checked back into my hotel suite and took in the air on my borrowed balcony.

Best Artist's Date yet.

a.kitchen

135 South 18th Street
Philadelphia, PA

Smorgasburg & Brooklyn Flea

Lately my weekend mornings have started like this: wake up, stretch, and stroll over to the Williamsburg waterfront to get some grub. On Saturdays, Smorgasburg has dozens of food vendors from all over Brooklyn. On Sundays the space is shared with vendors selling jewelry and antiques and other overpriced junk at the Brooklyn Flea, so the food selection is smaller. Either way, it's a great summer alternative to brunch.

We usually start with a Vietnamese iced coffee made from a blend of Viet style coffee, Cafe du Monde and condensed milk. Sometimes I taste a bit of chocolate in there. Really sweet and refreshing.

Then its onto the food. On super hot days when I need something light and cool, I really like the Cheong Fun noodle from Noodle Lane. It's kind of like a deconstructed summer roll with cucumbers, scallions, sprouts and peanut sauce.

Or if heat's not an issue, a whole pie right out of the oven from Pizza Moto is not a bad choice. Featured here is the pepperoni with basil.

If its meaty sandwiches you crave, there's a Porchetta stand, and we know how I feel about that. But there's also another great choice -- the Smoked Meat sandwich from Mile End. Cured and smoked brisket with just the right amount of mustard. The meat is fall-apart tender.

Speaking of brisket. I'm not a huge hot dog person, but even so I can appreciate a good weiner from Brooklyn Bangers. The brainchild of Saul Bolton, Brooklyn Bangers serves up dogs made with 100% brisket. 

As for the things I wouldn't go out of my way for, the short rib Takumi Taco is a bit overpriced and not so memorable, and the original sandwich from Bombay was a bit carb-heavy with the potatoes. Plus it got a little mushy.

I like to end things on a sweet note. If it's ice cream you crave, Blue Marble is a very respectable choice. 

But I personally cannot leave the waterfront without a donut from Dough. They made fun of me when I got a plain 'ol sugar cinnamon, so today I had the chocolate frosted with cocoa nibs, the bitter chocolate balancing the sweet amazingly. I have no idea how they get these donuts so high and fluffy. They might even be better than Peter Pan, but I think further research is necessary before I make such a crazy statement. I still have to try the dulce de leche, blood orange and cafe au lait flavors... to start, at least.

Smorgasburg and Brooklyn Flea 
East River Waterfront
Entrance at N. 7th and Kent Ave
Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Outer Banks Highlights 2012

Ah, the annual trip to the Outer Banks, where we hit a few tried and true spots and try to find something new. Which can be hard, since we've been going since I was about 11. No trip is complete without a leisurely dinner at Kill Devil Grill, and this year I had an awesome soft shell crab with sweet corn, black beans and polenta. They truly never disappoint.

This year the parents discovered a Jamaican-inspired spot down the road from us in Southern Shores, called Rundown Cafe, which I'm fairly sure also owns Tortugas' Lie down in Nags Head as the menu is pretttt-tay similar. But Rundown differentiates itself with a great coconut milk soup with fish, yams, tomatoes an onions that "run down ya throat sooo good, mon."

But the best discovery of the year was made by Rob and I on our way to the fishing pier one morning. We always drove by Duck Donuts, a mini chain down in the OBX, without giving it a second thought, given the name and its association. But what's in a name; will another donut taste as sweet? Fortunately the donuts here are nothing like the DD's I was expecting. They actually make the donuts fresh here, while you watch, and then dunk them in a glaze while its still hot. We got lemon. And the cakey yet greasy donut was still warm and sticky by the time we got down to Avalon Pier. 

Kill Devil Grill

2008 S Virginia Dare Trl
Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948

(252) 449-8181

 

Rundown Cafe

5218 Virginia Dare Trl N
Kitty Hawk, NC 27949

(252) 255-0026

Tortugas' Lie

3014 S Virginia Dare Trail
Nags Head, NC 27959

(252) 441-7299

Duck Donuts

5230 N Virginia Dare Trail
Kitty Hawk, NC 27949

(252) 261-3312

Cupcakes, Donuts & Gelato

Sweet things I like:

The Pain Perdu (french toast) from Le Gamin on Franklin Street in Greenpoint.

 The macarons from Cookie Road practically next door. They're fun to stack.

Cupcakes with extra sprinkles from (where else) Sprinkles. And who else is excited about their experimental cupcake ATM in LA?

And, speaking of cupcakes, did you know they offered wine pairings for your cupcake choice at Sweet Revenge? This one (from mid-summer) came with something sweet and bubbly.

Love Gelato.

And those irresistible coconut cream donuts from the Donut Plant. Will cause major blood sugar spike.

Donut Ice Cream Sandwiches at Peter Pan Bakery

I know I've been on a burger kick these past few Fridays, but today I decided to one-up myself and eat the unhealthiest thing you could possibly think of: a donut ice cream sandwich. Peter Pan bakery, Greenpoint's best spot for an old-fashioned donut, recently added this insane concoction to the menu to help us cope with a boiling hot summer. Isn't that nice of them?

They have a whole selection of cake donuts and ice cream flavors to choose from. Then they make it fresh: slice the donut, scoop the ice cream and put it back together. I had the red velvet/vanilla ice cream combo.

I speedwalked home as fast as I can to save my little donut friend from getting all melty, but alas, I failed. It ended up tasting like a warm donut dunked in really cold milk. I bet if you eat the thing on premises, it would be much more refreshing. The red velvet donut was a good choice; I don't normally like cake donuts (and prefer my red velvets in cupcake form) but had a great soft texture with just the right amount of chocolatey taste.

Yeah, it's basically a stomachache between two pieces of stomachache. But where will you ever find a better, colder or more unique donut than this? You better get one before autumn gets here!

Peter Pan Bakery

727 Manhattan Ave

Brooklyn, NY 11222

(718) 389-3676

Churning Out Winners at the Doughnut Plant

Sunday was such a gorgeous day that upon stepping outside, Rob and I immediately abandoned our movie theater plans to wander aimlessly around in the (finally) rainless day. Not knowing where we were headed, we followed our feet down Greenpoint, into Williamsburg, and across the Williamsburg bridge. Before we were halfway across, I think we both knew what stop was next. Last time we were on this bridge, it was a Sunday afternoon. We were in a car with Adib and Kelly. And we were headed to the Doughnut Plant.

I'm not a donut connoisseur by any measure of the word, so you can bet I wouldn't know a good donut from a bad one. So I have to wonder that if a place so consistently crowded (like the Donut Plant) is actually good or just clever hype. I've examined my donut statistics and come up with a

few interesting, if meaningless, pieces of info. First, I've noticed a trend: people flock to places where they spell "doughnut" the longhand way. I guess it makes it look more traditional, and therefore more desireable? But these donuts are

anything but traditional. Some of their donuts are even square. Edgy, right? I don't think I'm giving them enough credit. New Yorkers are generally uninterested in gimmicks. I think this place has genuinely earned its true fried dough wings on product alone.

Well, strange marketing speculation (and my inner monologue rambling) aside, these donuts (or doughnuts) are pretty darn good and might be worth the hype. The consistency is different from any donut I've had before because of its chewiness. It resists your bite better than any Krispy Kreme ever did. The dough themselves are not very sweet, but the sticky glaze on top makes up for it and reminds you of what you're eating. It's not so much that it's the best I've ever had. It's just donut, redefined. And the flavors are not typical either. Where else can you get a PB&J filled donut?

On our last visit, we tried the myers lemon glaze (sweet and bitter at the same time), the vanilla bean glaze (my personal favorite), and a chocolate cake donut (I'm not a cake donut fan). This time we tried the cashew. The dough again is what surprises you, I want to call it "extra chewy" but I know that's not right, so I'm going with "slightly springy" and "donut al dente" for lack of a better phrase. The cashew-studded glaze, though, was forgettable. Next time, I'm trying the creme brulee. The only reason we didn't get it this time is because its literally the smallest donut they have, but they sure rave about them on yelp.

Unfortunately, this place is really tiny, so if you don't get a spot on the bench outside you're SOL, that is of course unless you have a friend to drive you back over that bridge.

The next step, obviously, was to make our way down to Chinatown for some pork soup dumplings at Nice Green Bo. Still a great bargain and decent dumpling, but I'm open to suggestions on a new pork bun spot if anyone has any ideas.

Doughnut Plant

379 Grand St

(between Essex St & Norfolk St)

New York, NY 10002

(212) 505-3700