Chicken Wontons with Garlic Soy Sauce (not pictured)

So, a few weeks ago I mentioned my love of wonton wrappers and trying new recipes with them. Last time, it was a dessert recipe. This time, we’re going savory. Looking for something to make with the green vegetable wrappers I had in my fridge, I decided to make chicken wontons with the ground chicken I also had on hand and serve them in a garlic soy sauce. I also choose to boil them rather than fry them. So much healthier, don’t you think? Anyway, I was pretty impressed with myself. I think these tasted great, almost like having them at a restaurant. Don’t be thrown off by the bright green color, the taste was great! Next time I’ll use pork and switch up the sauce, so look out for that in the near future.

Chicken Wontons with Garlic Soy Sauce

1/2 package of vegetable wonton wrappers

Filling:

1 pound of ground chicken

1 egg, beaten

1/2 onion, diced

1/2 green pepper, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup of soy sauce

1 tbsp of black pepper

1 tsp of salt

Garlic Soy Sauce:

1/4 cup of soy sauce

2 tbsp of oyster sauce

1/2 cup of water

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp of chili oil

2 scallions, chopped

Directions

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.
2. Sauté onion, pepper and garlic until the onion and pepper have softened and the garlic has turned slightly brown.
3. Mix onion, pepper and garlic with ground chicken, egg, soy sauce, black pepper and salt.
4. Going one by one, lay each wonton wrapper on a flat surface. Place a tsp of filling in the center, brush the edges with water and fold the wrapper in half diagonally. Once the wonton is in a triangle, fold the outside corners inwards (it should look like the wonton is hugging itself).
5. Drop several prepared wontons in the boiling water and stir once to prevent sticking.
6. Allow the wontons to float to the top and then boil for an addition 5-7 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and place aside.
7. While the wontons are boiling, mix soy sauce, oyster sauce, water, minced garlic, chili oil and scallions in a separate container.
8. Once all of the wontons are boiled, serve warm alongside the garlic soy sauce.

Menu at the Tabard Inn

Foodie friends, I have a declaration to make:

Brunch is the best meal of the day.

Yeah, I said it. Not dinner or lunch or afternoon tea (although I do love a good afternoon tea). Brunch is the best of everything AND you can enjoy a mimosa without any suspicious looks (unless this mimosa is being enjoyed at, say, 10 am). This past weekend, I ventured to a restaurant that confirmed my belief that brunch is superior to all: The Tabard Inn. Located near the popular Dupont Circle in Washington D.C., the Tabard Inn is a restaurant housed in one of D.C.’s oldest hotels. It also happens to be one of the coziest places EVER. When you walk in, you are greeted with this:

Interior of Tabard Inn

Imagine walking in from harsh winter weather to this bit of loveliness. It’s not where you actually have your meals but it is where you can sit while you wait for your table or just hang out in general, cupping a warm mug of coffee or hot chocolate. During the summer, I imagine those mugs are replaced with glasses of wine. As you can tell, I’m quite obsessed with this room.

Now on to the food… We were a pretty large group and had the fortune of having a wonderful, super efficient waitress who gave very honest appraisals of dishes on the menu. I have to say, I like when waiters and waitresses can truthfully tell you the best items available instead of declaring they are all amazing. I know they are not all amazing so don’t lie to me. Just sayin’. Anywho…to start, we received two baskets of bread and mini muffins. I may have inhaled the mini muffin. It was pretty good. Next, we each ordered a donut with fresh cream. I’m not usually a donut person but we had heard that the donuts at the Tabard Inn were worth trying, and so we did. I liked it. Not the most amazing thing ever but then again, I never think donuts are absolutely amazing. I will say, of the donuts I have had, this ranked pretty high. Warm, soft and lightly enveloped in fresh cream.

Donuts with Fresh Cream

For my entree, I went with an egg dish, as I always do. This one was a shrimp, scallion and brie cheese omelet served alongside home fries and a biscuit. Oh my goodness. Who knew that shrimp, scallion and brie cheese all rolled into egg would be so delicious? I was really into this combination. I’ve put shrimp with eggs before but never shrimp with eggs AND scallion and brie cheese. It was a really good combination that I look forward to imitating soon. As for the home fries and biscuit: DELISH.

Shrimp, Scallion and Brie Cheese Omelet with Home Fries and a Biscuit

This is a brunch must in D.C.! And don’t forget your reservations. This place is popular, and with good reason.

Rating: Love

http://www.tabardinn.com/restaurant

Coming to you from NYMag.com, an article on how to order a drink anywhere. Yes, ANYWHERE. As the article states:

There are a zillion different kinds of bars that specialize in a zillion different ways to drink — you’ve got your pre-Prohibition places, your tiki places, your high-end science-y places, your ironic pseudo-dive bars, your non-ironic actual-dive bars, your hotel bars, your bar-bars that have been around forever, etc. And while you can always order something from a drink menu, there comes a time in every drinker’s life when he or she needs to place a drink order unchaperoned. Here’s how to do it correctly.

Read more about the art of ordering a drink here.

First up: drinks. It’s not a happy hour without a drink. I love lychees so I went with a lychee martini, although this was different from the usual lychee martini. This one had a splash of cranberry juice that I enjoyed, although I wouldn’t say it was better than your standard lychee martini. Anyway, it was good. No complaints over here.

Lychee Martini with a Splash of Cranberry Juice

To start, my sister and I split the “Crying Tiger” sushi, followed by shrimp basil udon for me and crispy basil half chicken tempura for my sister. The sushi, which consisted of grilled flank steak on sticky rice alongside a rice grain chili sauce, was pretty good. The sticky rice was a consistency that I did not love but I wouldn’t say I hated it. It was fine. As for the steak and the chili sauce, I loved both of them, particularly together. Overall, we were off to a good start.

"Cying Tiger" Sushi

As for my shrimp basil udon, I loved it. Loved. It. I fell in love with udon noodles while living in London (thanks, Wagamama!) and this dish did not disappoint. Packed with shrimp, eggs, chili, onion, peppers and spicy basil sauce, it was pretty darn delicious. My only disappointment came from the fact that I had never tried this dish before but better late than never, I suppose. As for my sister’s dish, it was good but not as good as mine (we both agreed on this). The chicken tempura was pretty good albeit a tad dry, and the rice that came with it was tasty and flavorful. A solid B, I would say.

Shrimp Basil Udon

Crispy Basil Half Chicken Tempura

Lastly, dessert. One word: chocolate. Okay, three words: warm chocolate souffle. More words: chocolately, velvetty, goodness. Served with ice cream.

Warm Chocolate Souffle with Ice Cream

Rating: Like

www.cafetasia.com/greenwich/

Mulled Wine

Another recipe comin’ your way! Who’s excited?! This one has a bit of nostalgia tied to it. First, I should say that I love New York around Christmastime. There is something about the city that is really magical, despite the cold. That being said, one thing I missed this Christmas was the European Christmas markets! Goodness, I love those markets. I went to some in Cologne, Brussels and London. One of my favorite parts of the European Christmas markets is the mulled wine, or Glühwein as it’s called in Germany. Strolling through the markets in the chilly air, there are tons of people gathered together with a warm mug of mulled wine in their gloved hands. Unfortunately, there is a lack of that atmosphere in New York, despite our own holiday markets. I blame the whole no drinking alcohol in public thing… just sayin’. Anyway, the point is that the holidays means mulled wine, and I believe everyone should enjoy some mulled wine indoors. It’s only right! So here’s a recipe that I found pretty straightforward. Enjoy!

Mulled Wine

1 bottle of red wine (I used Merlot)

1 cup of water

1/4 cup of granulated sugar

Juice from 1/2 of a lemon

10 cloves

4 whole cinnamon sticks

Directions

1. Pour the wine into a medium saucepan
2. Add the water
3. Add the fresh lemon juice, sugar and spices
4. Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 10-15 minutes (make sure the mixture is not boiling, as this would cause the alcohol to evaporate)
5. Remove from heat and take out the spices
6. Serve warm

Banana Chocolate Honey Wontons

I currently have this love of wonton wrappers. I’m not sure when or how this love was born but I do know that I now excitedly buy wonton wrappers when I’m at the grocery store, so much so that my fridge has three packs of wonton wrappers (one of which is the vegetable kind). Obsessed much? Anyway, we’re just going to ride this wave while we can.

So, along with my love of wonton wrappers is my desire to make new things with wonton wrappers. I found a few savory recipes that I intend to try in the future but first on my list was dessert because why not? I came across a chocolate and banana wonton recipe and knew I had to test it, with some of my own revisions. The result: banana chocolate honey wontons that were so good. So, so, so good. Instead of frying them like the original recipe suggested, I decided to be somewhat healthy and bake them. They still came out great, and you can eat them by themselves or (and I highly recommend this second option) top them with ice cream. I promise you, you too will come to love wonton wrappers after making these.

Banana Chocolate Honey Wontons

1/2 package of wonton wrappers

2 ripe bananas, mashed together

100 grams of good quality chocolate, chopped into small pieces

2 tbsp of honey

1 egg, beaten

3/4 cup of EVOO

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Mix together bananas, chocolate and honey. Meanwhile, keep wonton wrappers under a moist towel to prevent them from drying out.
3. Working one-by-one, place a large teaspoon of the banana/chocolate/honey mixture into the center of the wrapper.
4. Brush beaten egg along the sides, then fold into a triangle and squeeze edges together to release as much air as possible without breaking the wrapper.
5. Line finished wontons on a greased baking sheet until ready to bake.
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until wontons are crispy.
7. Serve warm with ice cream.

Ricotta Gnocchi with Sage and Butter from Rubino

First of all, happy new year, foodies! 2011 was an absolute adventure and food happened to play a large role in that adventure. Like I did at the end of 2010 (I’m a few days late this time), I decided to round up my 10 favorite meals of 2011. This was really hard because I had some fantastic meals. In fact, I almost considered doing a top 20 but, to be honest, I don’t have the attention span for that. Anyway, buckle up and get ready for some of my faves, beginning with #10:

10. MexiQ- They had me at “guacamole with crispy pork.” Years ago, a friend and I put crispy bacon in some homemade guacamole and found it to be a truly harmonious combination. I was pleasantly happy to see that MexiQ thought the same thing. Beyond the guacamole, the tacos were great and the jalapeno goat cheese cornbread was on another level. The meal also made me realize the possibilities when you pair Mexican cuisine with some good ole barbecue.

9. La Tagliata- This meal was in my top 10 for multiple reasons. First, while not every course was excellent, parts of it were really excellent, and those parts were mostly unexpected. I’m talking unexpectedly amazing green peas, chickpeas and beans. I don’t think I’ve had such great green peas, chickpeas and beans since. Beyond the food, the ambiance was so lovely, with terrace seating perched way up on top of the hills of Positano, Italy. Lastly, the people. La Tagliata is a family-owned restaurant and it has that feeling, with the brothers coming to your table to greet you, to my friend and me taking a picture with their mama. This definitely scored high marks for overall experience.

8. Restaurant Sekaya- This pick is an interesting choice because, looking back at my review, I give this meal a “Like” instead of a “Love,” but I am sticking with this addition because the meal really stuck out to me. I think mostly because it was my first meal in Morocco and I happened to have one of the most intriguing dishes that I would have the entire trip: pastilla, a sweet and savory concoction that is part pastry, part meat pie. Paired with fantastic mint tea, I am happy Restaurant Sekaya introduced me to some of Morocco’s treats.

7. Cafe en Seine- I have to be honest. I did not think I would like the food in Ireland. Not really. I think of all the places I traveled this year — France, Italy, Spain, Greece, etc. — all places known for their cuisines. So imagine my surprise when my Irish friend took me to a favorite restaurant from her college days and I had a really fantastic meal. At the end of the day, I think meat and potatoes always does the trick. And this dish of braised lamb shank, roast carrot and parsnip puree and champ mash certainly did the trick.

6. Kenzo Grill House- This restaurant happens to be situated along the stunning Perissa beach on the unbelievably beautiful island of Santorini, Greece. Kenzo Grill House also happens to have amazing souvlaki and gyros! My parents and I stumbled upon it after walking up and down the main strip in Perissa and choosing the place with several people and lounge chair availability. Glad we had that plan because Kenzo started something that has not gone away: my love of grilled, fresh pita bread filled with juicy meat, tomatoes, onions and crispy fries. In fact, there is a Greek place in Queens, New York where I go to buy souvlaki and gyros but it’s a poor substitute. What I really need to do is revisit my old neighborhood of Astoria, which houses some of NYC’s best Greek food. I’ll keep you posted on this one.

5. Wahaca- I love Mexican food but more than that I love trying new things. Luckily, Wahaca pleases me in both ways by featuring Mexican food via unique, original dishes. Of all the smaller street food fare, I love the ceviche tostadas with shrimp and scallops and new potato taquitos with feta cheese. Since my first visit to Wahaca, I have visited several times, and every time I become a little bit more attached to this restaurant and their reinvention of Mexican cuisine.

4. Rubino- Rubino feels somewhat like being invited into someone’s home: the warmth, the intimacy and the heartiness of the food. My visit to the restaurant was also the first time I tried rabbit (which tasted very similar to chicken). Beyond the rabbit, every dish was flavorful and very, very satisfying, from the basket of bread, crackers and spreads to the RIDICULOUS dessert.

3. Exfaris- Ah Greek food. I really do love you. Especially after my summer trip to Greece. This restaurant in particular was a surprise because it was located not too far from the Acropolis in a very touristy part of Athens. I thought the food would be mediocre at best but it ended up being so good, in particular the spinach pie and moussaka. Not to mention Exfaris had one of the best bread baskets I’ve ever tried. In fact, I should create a top 10 bread basket list. Exfaris would surely be on it.

2. Chéri Bibi- In addition to my love of Greek food, I also happen to love French food, like really really love French food. I chalk it up to weeks of nibbling on baguettes, cheese, steak tartare, escargot and steak frites during my time studying abroad in Paris. Regardless, I was ecstatic to be back in Paris after five years and to have a restaurant recommendation from a Parisian friend. The rec turned out to be a good one. Chéri Bibi was excellent, tucked away in Montmartre and packed with young, bohemian Parisians. I most certainly will be back to this place soon.

1. Chez Palmyre- And here it is, my favorite meal of 2011. I cannot quite explain why this was my favorite meal. Yes, the food was great, but it was more than the food. It was a combination of things: classic French cuisine, presented in unique ways; the quaint atmosphere of the bistro and the familiarity of the place, mostly because of the diners who came in groups, pairs and alone (like myself). The whole experience felt so French, in a completely different way than Chéri Bibi. Not to mention I ended my three course meal with pot de chocolat and you really CANNOT go wrong there. The end.

Thank you, 2011, for the memorable meals. I look forward to 2012 with open arms and a hungry stomach. Stay tuned!

Happy New Year!

Also something to remember: New York City’s Best Restaurants according to Adam Platt. Check it out here.

This meal happened to be brunch, which I love. Seriously, what is better than Sunday brunch? Saturday brunch is nice, Sunday dinner is great, and I love me some Friday/Saturday night cocktails, but Sunday brunch is just…bliss. And whenever I am at brunch, I have to get eggs, so I got the omelette with peppers, onions, andouille sausage and piquant sauce with bacon and a bowl of fruit on the side. The omelette was…okay. I was so excited about it because I love all of the ingredients but it tasted a little bit flat to me. The fruit was fruit. I liked it. The bacon…well, bacon always wins.

Omelette with Peppers, Onions, Andouille Sausage and Piquante Sauce with Bacon and Fruit

My dad decided to bypass breakfast food and went with the roasted corn and crabmeat chowder followed by the grilled cheese, tomato and bacon sandwich with fries. The chowder was really great, better than I thought it would be. It’s a hearty start to a meal, that’s for sure. As for the sandwich, I tried a piece of it and it was good, mostly because of the bacon. The cheese was not very good, though. I think it may have been Kraft singles. Yes, KRAFT SINGLES! This is not cheese, FYI.

Roasted Corn and Crabmeat Chowder

Grilled Cheese, Tomato and Bacon Sandwich with Fries

And now onto the last part, which most definitely was the best. I admit, the main reason I go to Old Calypso is for the dessert, and not just any dessert, the bananas foster. It’s the guiltiest of guilty pleasures, and one that I highly recommend. The combination of bananas, rum, vanilla ice cream and whipped cream is amazing, to put it simply. But don’t eat this one by yourself, you may end up going overboard.

Bananas Foster

Without dessert, the meal at Old Calypso was just okay. With dessert, it became an overall enjoyable experience. Head to Calypso for Sunday brunch, and by Sunday brunch I might mean the bananas foster.

Rating: Like (thanks to the bananas foster)

http://www.oldcalypso.com/

Greek Pizza (Sans Mint)

Someone’s been a little absentee with the posts. Sorry, friends. I’m back! And it’s the holidays! A great reason to be excited, yes? Another great reason to be excited is a new recipe post! Lately, I have been really into homemade pizzas (sometimes I make the dough, sometimes I don’t). It all started with Giada. Yes, one day I saw Giada De Laurentiis in an episode of Giada in Paradise, where she made food based on her trip to Santorini. As soon as she said Santorini, I knew I had to tune in, after my own amazing trip to the Greek island. In the episode, Giada made a few dishes, one of which was a Greek pizza topped with spinach, leeks, feta cheese and mint.  With three out of the four ingredients on hand (sorry, mint), I knew I had to attempt this pizza. Next time I will get some mint on hand but it was still great without it. Try it. I promise you’ll agree.

Greek Pizza

Crust:

Cornmeal, for dusting

Flour, for dusting

1 ball store-bought pizza dough (Or you can make your own! Also feel free to use whole wheat dough like I did)

Topping:

3 tbsp of EVOO

2 leeks, pale green and white parts only, thinly sliced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

12 oz of fresh spinach leaves

4 oz of crumbled feta cheese

2 tbsp of unsalted butter

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. For the crust: Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Dust a heavy baking sheet with cornmeal. Set aside.
2. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into a 1/4-inch thick rectangle about 16 inches long and 8 inches wide. Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet.
3. For the topping: In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the leeks and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until aromatic. In batches, add the spinach and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and add the feta cheese. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
4. Using the tines of a fork, prick the surface of the dough all over. Spread the spinach mixture on top and dot with butter.
5. Bake until the dough is golden and crunchy, 15 to 18 minutes. Cut into squares and serve.