mission: gramercy tavern

there are many great restaurants in new york city to appeal to one's particular taste. top chefs from around the globe find a home here and make tourists and locals mouth's water. one can find a place that shows off french techniques like eric ripert's le bernadin or if it's cucian classica that you desire, mario batali's del posto offers fine italian cuisine. i have yet to visit these places, and i am sure i will blog about them when i finally do, but i have found my foodie niche in the new american style.

what is new american food, you may ask? well, allow me to explain! we all know and love comfort foods that we have grown up with: mac and cheese, meat loaf with a side of mashed potatoes, chicken and dumplings with peas. the flavors we all recognize and makes us feel at home. well new american, essentially takes the concept of these types of foods and reinvents them constantly. new american is also reliant upon the "farm to table" idea, which means that all fresh ingredients are locally farmed and then used to prepare the meal you see in front of you. that way, everything is ripened and ready to eat pretty much all in one day! finally, new american takes the classical techniques of french and italian cooking, combined with new techniques that are ever emerging to make your farm fresh comfort foods taste like something you never have before, and yet you have. it is a paradox for the culinary world, and i love it.

so, now that you have a brief idea of what new american food, let me explain why i share this with you, readers. i have written about some great places in the past such as blue hill and craft. these are new american restaurants, with the great chefs of dan barber and tom colicchio. but it all began at gramercy tavern. in fact! tom and danny meyers began the beloved tavern as a way to introduce new american food to new yorkers. it was their brain child, and it has succeeded immensely since it's inception. since then, colicchio has moved on to his "craft" enterprise and has done well for himself. the food he presents has his own flair to it, with a precision of flavors that only a discerning palate can produce. so bravo to him. but gramercy, i must say, has that comfort level that makes one feel at home, and meyers has maintained that beautifully at his restaurant. as i ate my food there, i looked over at my husband and said, "i feel so special here because the food is so wonderful, but there is something about it, too, that makes me feel that i belong here." that is what is important to me about a place that will keep me coming back for more!

ok, enough with my soliloquy on food. let me tell you about what i ate!

patrick and i opted for the three course menu this time around instead of the tasting menu. our waiter, steven was so wonderful (ask for him and tell them bigapplebeth sent you), and also added to the homey atmosphere of the tavern. he welcomed us with a complimentary glass of sparkling white wine, as we were celebrating our anniversary. it was lovely.

it did not take me long to peruse the menu, because i already knew what i wanted! i had been studying the menu online for days, and i was ready to make my decision. so, i ended up with a soft-shell crab as my first course. it was so buttery and full of flavor. it was complimented with fingering potatoes cooked and seasoned to perfection. i was in heaven already.

the main course was a filet of halibut (my favorite fish) doused in a green garlic broth that contained fresh snap peas and leeks. the fish was so tender that i practically melted in my mouth. by far, this is the best piece of halibut i have ever consumed. ever. the broth added to the flavor of the fish, and the fresh peas were sweet and crisp. there was nothing wrong about this dish, only that i wanted more!

for dessert, i had the mango cheesecake. gramercy's cheesecake is actually what lured me to them. a couple of years ago, i went to the food and wine festival's sweets event where i sampled some of the most tempting desserts this city has to offer. but one stood out it my mind: gramercy tavern's pumpkin cheesecake with a lime infused whipped cream topped by a candied cranberry. yes, i have never forgotten it. so i just had to have the mango cheesecake to see if it was comparable to the pumpkin one...and it was. their cheesecake is very creamy and not too sweet. the mango takes care of the sweetness and balances out the tartness of the velvety dessert. it was paired with a fruity mango mint sorbet. it was the perfect ending. patrick and i had received a "happy anniversary" chocolate message on each of our plates, and then we were given a strawberry tart with almond ice cream as another anniversary gift from the restaurant. that dessert was also amazing!

patrick's meal was very different from mine. he had for his three courses: spinach salad with an orange vinaigrette, pork tenderloin with fresh peas, and chocolate bread pudding with cacao nib ice cream. his food also tasted yummy.

so, please check out this restaurant if you are celebrating a special event or just because. they also offer a less expensive tavern menu rather than the main dining menu, which is what we had. also, if you want to experience the tasting menu there, steven the waiter said to come at lunch. it is a better value for your money, but you still get to eat the quality food you should expect.

this is beth signing off.

mission: foodie worthy.

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mission: arizona adventures!

patrick and i visited his family a couple of weeks ago out in tucson. our reason? emily, my sister-in-law, graduated from high school on the 26th of may!!!! congrats to her and all of her catalina foothills friends. graduation is a time of celebration and accomplishment for those who are planning on the next phase in their lives. so go gettem emily! you are going to do well at the university of arizona and we are all so proud of you!

so, while we were out there, the activities proved to be a plenty! mostly it involved hanging out in the pool, eating lots of good food with a cook out and s'mores, and spending quality time with each other. patrick and his dad went golfing twice on the trip, and emily, her boyfriend chris, and my sister-in-law amanda's boyfriend jeff each took in one round with them. i am glad i didn't have to receive the pressure of sitting in the golf cart waiting around for four hours in the sun. no thanks! i was able to get the chance to keep up with my running, and ran a four mile loop around the neighborhood instead. and let me add that running at about 3,000 feet above sea level is a lot different than what i am used to (which is sea level) and i thought my lungs would burst trying to take in more oxygen than the air was actually giving me.

there were lots of moments where the whole group of us (me, patrick, mom, emily, amanda, chris, jeff, dad, and his wife judy) got to enjoy each other's company. we had the chance to go to the sabino canyon where we took a lovely tram ride to take in the sights. although it reached 100 degrees, we took a hike up a trail for a bit to get some photos of the beautiful scenery. this was my first time, so everything was new and exciting, except for our lack luster tour guide who put an extra syllable before most of his words. for example: "welcome to the ah sabino a-canyon!" yes, this is what we had to deal with the whole 25 minute tour. i sat next to chris and emily, and clearly it was not their first, second, or third time they have been on the tram ride. they could practically quote everything the tour guide was saying. it was funny, and we all joked about the guide's interesting talking technique, possibly imitating him the entire time.

after the canyon tour, we came home hot (it got up to 100 degrees yesterday) and ready for a dip in the pool. so for the next several hours we swam and ate snacks, enjoying the sunshine and the company. for dinner we ordered pizza and then hung around the house until 8 p.m. dad and judy said goodnight to us, and so what was left of the group went to the fred astaire dance studio to celebrate emily's graduation with a night of dancing. we even received a dance lesson for the rhumba, swing, and the two-step! the instructors, who are professional competitors and know many of the dancers we see on our favorite shows, showed off their stuff with several demonstrations! it was fantastic, and we all had so much fun. it makes me want to take more...maybe i will when we return home :)

more arizona adventures to come soon!

this is beth signing off.

mission: accomplished.

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mission: jersey shore and half marathon pics

first thing my family does on the ocean city, nj boardwalk?

eat pizza at mack and manco's!!!

tori and dylan

celebrating mother's day with my mom and mimom

the beloved and most delicious pizza at the shore

oh yeah, i devoured my slice...or two!

fudge sample man outside of the fudge kitchen...he kind of looks like christian soriano to me

dylan, kirk, and patrick hanging out on the boards

the iconic 9th street music pier...it's where you can go hear music or use a restroom

there is nothing like an overflowing bucket of warm, caramel corn

big apple beth eating a big apple before the brooklyn half marathon

my bib...i was all the way in the back

the now retired shoes...they have served me well

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mission: brooklyn half marathon

this morning i woke up to the sound of my alarm at 4:30, and yes it was still dark. the phrase, 5 more minutes, was in my head hoping i would return to my slumber, and therefore miss my half marathon. however, i sluggishly forced my body to sit up, slip out of bed, and feet hit the floor to begin my day.

i began to wonder, how did i get myself into this mess? can i really run 13.1 miles? let's go back a couple of months. many of you may remember my quest to find new and interesting things to do in nyc, things you would like me to write about on my blog. a few suggestions were given to me, but only one challenge was placed before my life that would test my physical abilities of running. seth baruffi told me he wanted me to participate in the nyc half marathon. may i inform you, reader, that i only started to really run last summer. sure, i had a few bouts of it here and there, but i became more serious about it due to my sister getting married, and i wanted to be in shape for her wedding. anyway, i took on the challenge, but realized that the nyc half had already closed it's registration, and i thought it was too soon anyway to really train for it. so then i saw that the brooklyn half was beginning the registration process, and so i signed up along with patrick and my friends sarah and michael weissman.

thus, my training began. i had a new gym membership and spring was beginning to show it's face so that i could take long runs outside on the weekends. it was a tough 8 weeks, but it proved to do it's job. i could say, if only i had another month i could have done better. and be that as it may, i was still running the half marathon today four weeks shy of a more prepared body.

and that leads me up to this morning. patrick and i had planned out how to get to prospect park, which is located in the middle of brooklyn and was the start of our race. we were to meet up with sarah and michael at the baggage area to drop off our stuff, get our racing numbers that michael had picked up for us, and just wait in our corral until the race began. this became somewhat of a difficult task because there were no signs for the baggage area at the place where we entered the park. patrick asked one of the volunteers where it was, and she pointed us in the general direction. once we got to the supposed place, they said it was a mile away. this was only 10 minutes before the race began, and i began to freak! another mile? i can't go another mile out of my way when i have 13 in front of me. patrick suggested we jog over to the corrals and forget baggage to find our friends, and so i started to do so, even though i didn't want to. but then i stopped and began hyperventilating and was on the verge of tears. i was pissed and felt like i really couldn't do this thing. finally, we caught up with the weissmans, and as michael went his way (he is a MUCH faster runner than the rest of us, so he went to catch up with his group) we walked and talked until the starting line.

patrick went ahead of us ladies, but sarah and i were committed to being with each other the entire time, no matter how fast or slow we needed to go. so our first 7 miles were in the park, and we had to loop around twice before leaving. the two of us were feeling pretty good the entire time we ran this section of the race. there was one killer hill we had to attempt to run up, and we did quite well the first time, but the second time we ended up walking a section of it. it was just too much and we didn't want to over exert ourselves at mile 4! after leaving the park, feeling good and feeling strong, we then had to run along ocean parkway. they shut down the highway just for us runners, and it was pretty cool! especially running down the exit ramp.

around mile 9, sarah and i had to begin walking frequently. it was getting hard and our bodies were really feeling it. i kept encouraging sarah to keep going, and so we set up our pace again until mile 10. this continued, the walking/somewhat jogging through mile 11. we kept seeing that our pace was still pretty good according to the race clocks, and we listened to our bodies' need for a little rest until about 3/4 of the way through mile 11. i kept pushing sarah saying that we only had about 11 minutes left of the race, and we had to finish this thing strong. so at the over pass right before the curve to run along the boardwalk, we picked up our pace through mile 12. i was feeling good again, and in my mind i told myself that i had to end this thing running, no matter what. once the two of us got onto the boardwalk, the adrenaline kicked in again, giving us the momentum to run the rest of the race. people were cheering us on and music was blaring inspirational tunes. that soon faded, until i saw the 13 mile marker. i was speeding up, smiling my way to the finish line. sarah and i decided to hold our hands high in the air as we finished our race. we heard our names being announced, i let out a wooooooot, and i never felt better about myself for being able to do this!

bagels and gatorade were given at to us as a way to keep the runners from passing out. i ate it with joy in my heart and pain in my knees. thank you to seth for this challenge! he is overseas serving our country, and so i dedicate my run to him, his family, and all of our troops out there who have to run in the heat of the desert just to keep us safe back home. thanks to sarah for being my running buddy, i could not have done this without you! and thanks to patrick and michael who supported us through this every step of the way.

this is beth signing off.

mission: accomplishment above all others!

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mission: jersey shore

last weekend patrick and i hit up the good ol' jersey shore to celebrate mother's day with my mom and grandmom (aka...mimom). now for those of you who did not grow up with me, i don't want you to begin imagining this trip like some MTV reality show version of what the jersey shore is. i can state that there were no fake tans, boobs, or nails involved in our "situation." there were no brawls or drunken make-out sessions in a nasty hot tub. it was merely a good time hittin' up the boards and partaking is some good eats, delicious treats, and a round or 6 of skee ball!

before i reveal my top favorite things to do on the boards of ocean city, nj, let me take you down my memory lane, so that you can picture this wholesome family resort. my very first memories of the oc go way back to the time when i could ride on my dad's shoulders. every summer, my parents took us to the favorite destination for some fun in the sun and surf during the day and to ride the rides and eat funnel cake at night. the drive to the beach was always boring, until we could smell the salty air and we knew we were getting close. as soon as we crossed over the 34th street bridge, our excitement really began to mount, especially when the "big wheel" was lit up in all of its rainbow glowing glory! as little kids, our inside happiness would well over and we would shout, "i can see it!!! i can see the ferris wheel!!!!" once we found an almost impossibly located parking spot and climbed the ramp onto the boardwalk, it was as if summer had officially begun. and as we know, summer is the best time of the year as a kid.

we would then proceed to buy tickets for our selected rides, usually including the blue choo-choo train that encircled "wonderland" pier and the carousel. this particular carousel is super fun because when i was about 8 or 9 they began to have the game where you sit on the outer circle of horses and try to grab a ring from the long wooden ring holder. if you got the golden one, you received a free ride. it was such victory when one of us got the golden ring. from there we would peruse the restaurants, usually ending up at mack and manco's for the best pizza in town, followed by a kohr brother's custard, and a take home bucket of johnson's popcorn.

if we could convince our parents, we also got in a round of mini golf or an extra ride on the choo-choo train down at "playland" pier.

the older we got, the bigger the rides became. soon wonderland had a log flume and the "twister." we also were allowed to go on the boards by ourselves, which was always the cool thing to do had we spent a week or two in a rental beach property. yes those were good times.

my favorite memory of all, though, is the time we spent a couple of weeks in this little third floor rental. i was fourteen, my grandparents from florida stayed with us, and of course we had friends in and out for that time. i had to share a room with my sister, which was fine, until i realized that i could fall asleep on the super comfortable couch located on the front deck. it was nice falling asleep while reading the "chronicles of narnia" to the sound of the surf hitting the shore line and feeling the cool breeze that did not enter my shared room. i felt safe and woke up with the sun every morning. to this day, if i am staying near a beach, i have to have the windows or doors open so that i can hear that same sound from my youth.

ok, so that is ocean city in my mind. now this past weekend, of course we ate mack and manco's, licked up a cone of custard, and wandered around the amusements, only to play skee ball. i would like to say that i rock at skee ball! i earned patrick and i 2 free games! i decided to skip the popcorn this time around, but i did sample my free piece of fudge outside of the fudge kitchen! i even got a second free piece when i entered the store to watch my sister purchase the melt in your mouth goodness. my mom had requested this shore adventure for mother's day, and i was a one well spent. we were all happy to celebrate the women in our lives who have provided so many good times for us...down at the shore or anywhere else we have been!

so those of you who want to avoid the perversion of the "jersey shore" mentality, check out the real shore and have a great time reliving or making new memories.

this is beth signing off.

mission: accomplished

i will post pictures of the ocean city, nj boardwalk as soon as i can!!!

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mission: asian food invasion!!!

i have returned to do some blogging, since i have been lacking in this area for a couple of weeks. whenever i am under a lot of stress, and i have the 10 new wrinkles on my forehead to prove it, i tend to have serious writer's block! but now i am stress free and ready to talk about my amazing birthday dinner at morimoto in philly (nyc also has a location as well...check it out new yorkers if you haven't already)!

so last weekend, i went to visit my mom and step-dad, kirk, because they wanted to do something special for patrick's and my birthdays. kirk said he really wanted us to go to morimoto together and thought we would enjoy it. well, anytime a good restaurant is mentioned, there is never a second thought in my mind whether or not we should go...so we did. tori and dylan also joined our foodie ranks and so her birthday was also celebrated that night as well. it was the trifecta of birthday celebrates!

upon entering the restaurant, my excitement began to mount (or was that the 2 vodka shots i had at mom's before we left...maybe both). the place was chic and modern, with funky lighting and a structural architecture that made you feel like you were beneath a wave of bamboo planks with swirly dry walled foam. the booths changed colors from green to blue to purple adding to the marine like ambiance. the staff added to the uber coolness to the atmosphere, having the right amount of pretentiousness and friendliness, giving you that feeling that you, as the consumer, were privileged and yet a pal.

so patrick and i indulged in the omasake, which is their 7 course tasting menu. everyone else got sushi. oh, tori had the kobe beef fried rice, it was melt in your mouth tasty!

first course: i am trying to remember what fish it was...tuna (i think) tartare with a crispy onion, doused in a fish broth and accompanied by wasabi. it was sweet, salty, and spicy. it definitely had the food feng shui going on! to cleanse the palate, the dish had a japanese peach, which is the size of a raspberry. it was very tasty.

second course: black cod, seared and drenched in an olive oil sauce. it had an asian flare to it, of course, and it tasted like fishy heaven.

third course: more fish!!! i can't remember what it was, i guess it wasn't too memorable.

in between our beginning courses and the entree like ones, we had a palate cleanser, which was a fizzy sweet drink that tasted a lot like sprite. i thought it was pretty good, but not very impressive.

fourth course: my favorite of the night, was the chilean sea bass with a black bean puree, shaved ginger, and hot oil. this particular item is found on the regular menu (the rest weren't) and i highly recommend it. it was perfectly cooked and the flavors were very balanced, once again.

fifth course: duck with foi gras and pickled ginger. the duck was very tender and had a lovely asian flavor to it. the foi gras was the most flavorful i have had to this date, but i had a difficult time eating it again due to the too velvety texture (which is a good thing if you love it).

sixth course: 5 pieces of sushi that began with the most mild fish and ended with the most fishy. i was so full at this point that i had a difficult time finishing this plate. i did manage to take a bite out of each piece so that i could covey how wonderful their sushi is to all my readers. i have to say that tuna is my favorite kind to eat.

seventh course: a chocolate cake topped with a strawberry gelled mousse. it had honey and bee pollen on the plate as well, making the dish look very pretty. there was also a spoonful of white chocolate mousse that was simply divine, sweet and smooth that complemented the cake very nicely.

for those of you who go there to order from the menu try these recommended items: ramen noodle soup (a favorite of the restaurant and my mom), any of the sushi or sashimi, and the chocolate pot de creme. that dessert will make you forget every other course and just have that to eat. it is decadent, not overly chocolately, creamy, and unforgettable. oh man is it perfection!

my other asian food invasion experience is the rickshaw dumpling bar food cart that travels around the city for lunch and early dinner. the flagship restaurant is located in flatiron, but you can follow them on twitter, @rickshawbar, to find their whereabouts throughout the week.

patrick and i had the chicken thai basil and the pork dumplings. each type of dumpling comes with its own dipping sauce, and you can get other things like edamame or salad to go with them. they were so freakin yummy that i wish i could them every day! rickshaw also has some vegetarian options for those who don't eat meat, and i am sure those a some pretty tasty dumplings as well. check out their website for menus and locations.

this is beth signing off.

mission: accomplished.

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mission: nice day in nyc

i am taking a small break from writing about my trip to greece in order to blog about this beautiful day. just to let you know, spring is my favorite season. life has once again returned after the cold dark days of winter, showing its face in the colors of the tulips, the buds blooming on the trees, and the care-free attitude breaking free in every child holding onto the hope that summer is right around the corner! yes, it is a grand time indeed.

i also love the spring because it means my birthday is almost here (two days as a matter of fact). i have been a little more blue than usual about my b-day because i am now entering my late 20's and i feel that life is flying me by! but after a good cry on patrick's shoulder, i have bucked up and am excited about all that is life for me. so bring it late 20's! i will show you what i am capable of.

to celebrate the day of my birth, i am going to take a couple of days and have some fun. patrick always makes fun of the fact that i like to drag out my birthday events for several days. i have now gotten him liking this treatment as well! so friday night we are going to my favorite (and cheap) thai restaurant, thai basil and then maybe followed by a crumbs cupcake (i mean definitely). afterward, we are going to see kristin chenoweth and sean hayes in the revival of the so nice they named it twice "promises, promises!" i can't believe i am going to witness firsthand both of those actors on stage, but to hear kristin sing...oh man is it going to be great!

on my actual birthday, i am going to have some friends over to play games. i am going to force my faves on them (balderdash and maybe some beatles rockband for the wii) and have a grand ol' time. i also ordered a lemon mousseline cake from amy's bread! it is going to be a fun-filled night.

until then, i get to enjoy my day today, filled with sunshine and warmth. i also get to see my friends alison and laura tonight to enjoy our fave burritos from chipotle while cheering on patrick at his very first softball game for his work. hope everyone enjoy's their tax day. and if you are having a difficult time with that, go grab a free coffee from starbucks when you bring in your own reusable cup!

this is beth signing off.

mission: takin it ease today...takin it ease.

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