Bar marche

When SFS' buddies were in town a few weekends ago, we visited Bar marché.
It's this really intimate restaurant in SoHo, which tin roofs and chandeliers encased in Lucite boxes.
Yeah, I'm not sure why that is, either... but there you have it! First we ordered some cocktails, I had a glass of sangria.
Then the waiter brought this over: a dish full of hummus and veggies, instead of the traditional basket of rolls/bread. Isn't that a nice alternative? And since I LOVE hummus, I was stoked. (NOTE: I know you can't really tell WHAT that is... but those green things are the ends of the celery sticks...)
To start, SFS ordered some Tortilla Soup.
And his roommate had Almond Stuffed Dates, with crisp bacon, blue cheese & herbal greens.
And his buddy had Bruschetta Du Jour, which was toasted country bread topped with arugula & balsamic reduction.
For an entree, I ordered the Classic Cheeseburger & Frites (grass-fed beef with cheddar). I know- I came all the way to a fancy restaurant for a cheeseburger, but it sure was good!
And SFS' buddy got Steak Frites (Creekstone Farm hanger steak, sautéed mushrooms, caramelized onions & chimichurri sauce).
While SFS ordered Seared Sea Scallops over blue cheese polenta & a demi-glaze sauce.
We had an amazing night, and were definitely a riotous crowd at our corner table. If you ever have a hankering to check this place out, you can find it on the Corner of Spring Street and Elizabeth Street.
Thanks for stopping by- I hope you have an amazing weekend!!

They say its your birthday...

I would like to interrupt my regularly scheduled posts about NYC, the last thing I made in my kitchen, and any number of craft projects to tell you a little story:

Twenty three years ago, I became a big sister. (Don't worry- I didn't suffer from pediatric acne or anything... I had chickenpox after my brother was born... don't you have a lot of sympathy for my parents?)

From the first time I saw my brother at the hospital, I thought he was the greatest little guy. (Who loves my dad's muscle tank?)

He was funny... And I loved hanging out with him!
(Please ignore my sweatshirt- you can blame that on my grandparents. And that chair? It's sitting in my kitchen right now- only its red!)

And while he might have been an imp once in a while... (As for my brother's hair? It was like that for years! No matter how many products or brushes my poor mom tried, his spiky 'do' was always out of control!)

He was also one of the sweetest little kids ever! And you know what? Not much has changed... except that the little kid I once knew has become a GROWN UP! And he's funny, smart, and the best brother I could ever ask for! So....
Happy Birthday SBV, from the best big sister you'll ever have!

Cherry Salad/ Dessert

As its been a while since I posted a recipe from the apron, here's a quick recap: for Christmas, my folks made my brother and I the coolest present. They asked some of our family members to write up some of our favorite recipes, and they ironed the recipes onto the apron. Over the past few weeks I've been sharing various dishes from the apron... and today, I'd like to show you Grandma G's Cherry Salad/Dessert!
NOTE: Though she's my cousins' grandma (and not mine), I still call her Grandma G. She's known me since I was born, and I have so many wonderful memories with her.

And without further adieu, here is Grandma G's Cherry Salad/Dessert. It begins with this cast of characters: I started by crushing the pecans. I was being lazy, so instead of using a knife, I just put them into a Ziploc and rolled them with my marble rolling pin a few times!
After I set those aside, I got down to the business of the salad. First, I poured a can of crushed pineapple into a mixing bowl.
Then I added a can of cherry pie filling. (I couldn't find the right brand, Grandma G, so I went with the generic version my grocery store carried.)
Then I added a can of condensed milk.
Next came the "chopped" pecans.
And finally, the Cool Whip! (Are you dying over these ingredients? So yummy!)
Once all the ingredients were in the bowl, I got to stirring!
After things were homogeneous, I poured everything into this adorable Jadite dish.
It's not required that you use a dish like this, but it sure makes things look extra scrumptious!
And after a few hours in the freezer, look what I got:
Doesn't this look cute and tasty?
Let me tell you- after I bit into this tangy yet sweet treat, I was instantly transported to Grandma G's house: I think the first time I tried this was at a party in her backyard!
If you'd like to try this delish dessert, here's the recipe:

Cherry Salad/ Dessert
1 regular size can of Crushed Pineapple in own juice
1 can Thank You cherry pie filling
1 8 oz. container of Cool Whip
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1 regular size can of condensed milk

Instructions: Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate for at least 6 hours. Keeps for days- also can freeze!

There you have it- thanks for recipe Grandma G!!
Thanks for stopping by- I hope you have a great Wednesday!

Urban art

This weekend, SFS and I walked by this interesting building. From this view, it looks pretty average, right?
Now, see it out at street level... check out all that GRAFFITI!
There was so much to look at along the side of the building. From big symbols...
To artwork glued to the facade...
(Coney Island anyone?)...
Or even a tiny, little heart!
As we checked out the tags, I realized I had no idea what most of them said!
Which makes me nervous that I'm inadvertently advertising gang symbols on my blog... so if that's the case, I'm sorry!
Check out this face:
Or this cute cloud!
But of all the neat things painted on that building, this was my favorite...
Maybe I've been living in NYC too long... but this looks like an amazing piece of art to me!
Thanks for stopping by- I hope you have a great Tuesday!

Cupid on the corner of Mott and Spring

For Valentine's Day yesterday, SFS and I headed to Little Italy.
And we spent a wonderful afternoon at Lombardi's.
As their website explains: In 1897 an Italian immigrant reinvented a Napoletana staple food into one of the worlds most eaten foods. New York City was the birth place of New York style pizza. During the year of 1905, Lombardi's was licensed by the City of New York, becoming America's First Pizzeria.
The restaurant is quite large, and we were seated in the wine cellar...
Kinda cool, right?
We started our meal with a Ceasar salad- complete with homemade dressing and croutons.
And then our pizza came! For our toppings we decided upon wild mushrooms and sauteed garlic spinach.
It looked delish, so we were pretty excited to dig in!
And I must tell you- the pizza was heavenly! The sauce was sweet, the toppings were flavorful, and the crust was perfect!
If you ever want to check out these pies for yourself, you can find this lovely restaurant on the corner of Mott Street and Spring Street.
I hope you had a wonderful Valentine's Day- thanks for stopping by!