Vedge Restaurant in Philly, PA

Last Friday, Gary and I went to Philly for an early Valentine's Day dinner.

The last time we went into Philly, we had a wonderful meal at Barbuzzo Mediterranean Kitchen and Bar, followed by an amazing concert (Owen) at North Star Bar and Restaurant. When we came out of the bar, however, we found that our car had become part of a crime scene - and we ended up waiting hours before the detectives released it.  

Our car is the silver Mazada; the black car with the bullet holes in the windshield belongs to a drug dealer involved in the shoot-out that we thankfully missed

Luckily for us, Friday's trip into Philly was all about the action packed flavors of Vedge, a new vegan restaurant, instead of the action packed streets of the "City of Brotherly Love".

Opened in Fall 2011, Vedge is an modern vegetable restaurant
by Philadelphia Chefs Richard Landau and Kate Jacoby

The dishes at Vedge are "globally inspired" but feature locally grown produce. The restaurant is tapas style and recommends 3 plates per person, which allows you to venture out and try interesting items you may otherwise pass up in favor of a "safe" entree. And trust me, you'll be grateful for the culinary freedom since Vedge has so many interesting sounding combinations, you're not sure where to start.

Vegan (no animal products at all including milk, egg, cheese, butter etc) sounds scary, and tasteless - but forget the tofu... Vedge focuses on flavorful vegetable  concoctions, which are so wonderful that you don't even miss the usual hunk of meat that comes with most upscale dinners. We ordered two dishes off of their regular menu, and four dishes off of their "dirt list" - which is a daily rotation of dishes using only organic vegetables from nearby Lancaster farms:

- portabella cappacio, salsa rustica, arugula crema, olive oil, capers, crostini
- grilled seitan, black lentils and mushrooms, creamy horseradish, kohlrabi
- brussels sprouts, shaved and grilled smoked mustard (dirt list)
- crispy cauliflower, black vinegar, kimchee mayo (dirt list)
- grilled shittake mushrooms, soba noodle salad, menma, cucumber, cilantro, scallion (dirt list)
- black kale, grilled garlic, preserved lemon aioli, balsamic hazlenuts (dirt list)

brussels sprouts

Our favorite dishes were the portabella cappacio, brussels sprouts, and grilled sietan.

The portabella slices were firm in texture and tasted like soft, velvety veal - with a nice salty kick from the salsa and capers. The brussels sprouts were chopped rather than left whole, and slathered in a savory, smoky mustered sauce. The seitan (derived from the protein portion of wheat) was well seasoned and worked perfectly with the rich mushroom and lentil stew. (Why people eat tofu instead of seitan is beyond me; seitan is denser, "meatier", and more flavorful than tofu.)

If the main courses were a harmony of flavors - the desserts were Vedge's opus. (Note: the dessert small plates aren't as "small" as the entree versions - we ordered four dishes, but three is probably the magic number.) For dessert, we had:

- cheesecake, meyer lemon marmalade, clementine juice, blood orange supreme
- sticky toffee pudding, salted carmel, vanilla-bourbon ice cream
- apple cake fritters, waldorf salad, cider caramel
- ice cream trio: peanut butter and jelly - popcorn - strawberry cheesecake

The "best dessert award" was a tie between the sticky toffee pudding and the ice cream trio.

The sticky toffee pudding was reminiscent of a fluffy cinnabun, and the vanilla-bourbon ice cream on top gave it just the right hint of punchy flavor.

The ice cream trio (peanut butter and jelly, popcorn, strawberry cheesecake) was just plain wacky... and delicious. The creamy consistency not only tasted like the real thing - but delighted our taste buds in a way that usually only the best artisan ice cream can.

Vedge is definitely worth the drive to Philly, and one great romantic epicurean adventure.

Octreotide Scan Recap

August 16, 2011
On the way up to Boston (for my Octreotide scans), we stopped in Mystic, Conn. for my "meet and greet" with a beluga whale. Afterward, we ate at Sea Swirl, a seafood and ice cream stand which is housed in an old, converted Carvel Ice Cream storefront.

Mystic Sea Port (where Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall spent their honeymoon)

I Love Sea Swirl's Logo: a Fish Eating an Ice Cream Cone

Sea Swirl's clam strips are simultaneously flaky and chewy - in a good way.

Sea Swirl has both soft serve and hard ice cream (including black raspberry); I was especially excited to see watermelon soft serve - but discovered it was vanilla ice cream with a "flavor blast" of watermelon... still delicious.

After we left Mystic, Connecticut, we went to my aunt's place in Wakefield, Massachusetts - where we stayed for a few days in preparation for my Dana-Farber appointments.

August 17, 2011
We arrived at Dana-Farber at 8:00am, and after we wandered around the wrong building and the wrong floor for a while, Gary and I finally found the nuclear medicine department. Perhaps the coolest thing about the entire experience was the crazy-looking metal container that my radioactive iv shot came in - the nurse explained "this container is to protect me, not you." Ok, that's comforting I guess.

After four hours, the scans started. I hated it. I thought I'd be fine after conquering the MRI, but I was wrong. While the Oscan machine is open on both sides, a massive, flat camera gets lowered down until it's right above your nose (for much of the time). Even with a blindfold, meditation music, and deep breathing - I spent nearly every moment fighting panic.

At first, I couldn't figure out why I was having such a problem with the tests (which are a couple of hours long) until I remembered that in my early 20s I went through a phase of having really vivid nightmares of being buried alive. Worse than the nightmares themselves, however, was the fact that somehow I'd manage to crawl UNDER the bed during my sleep... so I'd actually be touching the underneath of my mattress while dreaming that I was feeling the inside of a coffin. I would scream and scream until someone in the house would pull me out from underneath the bed and wake me up. I think having a large flat surface over my face triggered those memories. Hopefully, I won't need to get another Oscan for a long, long time.

My Radioactive "Non-Warning" Label


Octreoscan Machine (the flat screen lowers down once you slide into that doughnut looking hole)


Gene Display at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Post Oscan Activities
Since my first Oscan was an all-day event, Gary took in an afternoon Red Sox game at Fenway. I had some time to kill in between my testing and the end of the ballgame, so I went to the Gardner Museum, which is one of the most eclectic, fascinating, beautiful museums I've ever been to. (Travel note: Fenway Park and the Gardner Museum are both within walking distance of Dana-Farber, and totally worth a visit.)

August 18, 2011
After my second day of testing, Gary and I headed home - and hit Frank Pepe Pizzeria in New Haven, Conn. for a clam pie. Gary thought it was absolutely pizza hall-of-fame material; I thought it was solid, but not mind-blowing.

We finally got our clam pie (See previous blog post: Not So Clamtastic aka Shell Shocked)

The Return Home aka the Best Sausage Pizza Anywhere

We packed a lot into our little two-day road trip up to Dana-Farber; and I was completely bed-bound for a day and a half following our return, but it was worth it. In particular, our final stop on the way home was one of the best: Colony Grill in CT.

At home, Gary and I eat vegetarian and organic (as evidenced by our monthly Whole Foods bill)... but when we travel, we eat whatever is the local specialty. The best way to understand the culture of a new place - whether it be a new country or a new state, is to eat whatever the locals eat. Luckily for us, the locals in Stamford, CT eat sweet sausage pizza.

We left Kennebunkport, ME in the afternoon and reached CT around 8 pm... we once again turned to our book Road Food to see if there was a place to stop for dinner; its suggestion was Colony Grill - right off of route 95:

"Pizza is the only food on the menu, available in one size, about a foot-and-a-half in diameter with crust as thin as a saltine...Aside from the wild crunch of their crust, Colony pizzas are known for sweet sausage made across the street at another neighborhood survivor, DeYulio's Sausage Co,, and for the optional topping called 'hot oil': peppery olive oil that imbues them with zest and lusciousness unlike any other." - Roadfood

We ordered a mushroom, sausage, and hot oil pizza. When it came, it looked amazing - Gary took one bite and waived furiously at me to stop... don't eat. His eyes started watering as he mouthed "hot" - I asked "temperature or spice" and he choked out "spice."

Uh oh.

I took a bite and assured him it wasn't too spicy at all... which is weird since he can stand spice more than I can. It turns out that (unbeknownst to us) a "stinger" had made its way onto our pie, which is what Gary had bitten into. We later searched the internet, but couldn't find just what exactly a stinger was... other than ridiculously hot! (I tried a small "stinger" bite and it singed my taste buds). We did come to learn, however, that every hot-oil pie has one to two stingers placed in the middle to indicate that the hot-oil had already been applied to the pie. I guess accidental stinger consumption is part of the "rookie" Colony experience... we won't make that mistake again when we return. And yes, we will drive to CT to have another pie - it may have been one of the best pizzas I've ever had. (That's saying something coming from an Italian-Jersey girl!)

Kennebunkport, ME

We stayed overnight at my Aunt's house in Wakefield, Mass on Monday night, in order to make my appointment with Dr. Kulke Tuesday morning at 8:15 am. We were done at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute around 11 am, and did the only thing we could following a disappointing doctor's appointment that basically left us with no answers and no plan of action - we drove to Maine for lobster rolls.



We were a bit apprehensive given that Road Food's "best clams" suggestion was a big flop; but the book assured us that The Clam Shack in Kennebunkport Maine was THE place for lobster rolls. It was a split decision - I loved them while Gary was so - so on them. They were no frills - just one lb of fresh lobster drenched in butter on freshly baked bread. The lobster meat was delicate and fresh - the lobster claws in particular were sweet and the perfect firmness.


After lunch, we did some strolling around - Kennebunkport is a fishing town on the coast, with a lot of amazing houses overlooking the ocean. We decided to get some blueberry pie at Mabel's Lobster Claw Restaurant. Gary was tempted to try another lobster roll - but opted for "Yankee style" clam chowder instead, which was outstanding: creamy and filled with fresh hunks of clams and roasted potatoes. My blueberry pie was equally good... I guess Maine wild blueberries are a regional specialty, and the locally grown ones are much smaller than the ones in the supermarket, with a tangy flavor punch.

Political Note:

George W. and Laura Bush have their vacation "compound" in Kennebunkport. They too love Mabel's blueberry desserts ... but trust me, the pie transcends politics.

Not So Clamtastic aka Shell Shocked

Monday, August 8TH (on the way to MA)



For lunch, we went to Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana in CT - to sample some of their famous "clam pie," which is basically a white pizza with fresh clams on top. So imagine our disappointment when we arrived only to be met with this sign:



What bad luck!

We ended up ordering their "summer pizza" which was amazing: it's served on a rectangular baking sheet, and the crust is thin yet doughy, with the perfect amount of cheese, topped with basil and slightly caramelized marinated fresh tomatoes.




While the pizza was out of this world, we just had to ask our waitress: "why no clam pies today?" As soon as we uttered the question, the couple in the next booth piped up: "They never have clams on Mondays."

The waitress expanded on this by explaining that apparently "Eric" is the only one who shucks the clams, and he works 6 days a week... Monday is his only day free from his high-pressured, fast-paced mollusk responsibilities. In fact, (she announced somewhat tauntingly) there was presently a huge pile of clams in the back - patiently waiting for Eric's magic touch. Drats.

So, with clams in mind, we continued our journey north to The Clam Box in MA, which according to Road Food has some of the best fried clams in the country.




Road Food was wrong; dead wrong.

We ordered their two types of clams: strips and native... both were fried, and both were big letdowns.




The clam strips were tasteless, and the batter severely under seasoned. The native clams had little balls of briny flesh attached, which tasted watery and bitter instead of sweet. Even the fries were non-noteworthy.

I used to think anything fried was delicious... I guess I have The Clam Box to thank for setting me straight on that one. Looks like we will just have to get some good old fashioned New Jersey steamers this weekend, to finally satiate our clam craving.

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

On The Road Again

Today, Gary and I packed up the car for an overnight trip to Boston in preparation for my appointment tomorrow with Dr. Kulke, a carcinoid expert, at the Dana-Farber Cancer Center.

Three years ago, Gary and I drove my car (and stuff) cross country from CA to NJ, and made a pact to only eat at local places -- NO FAST FOOD period. It was a fun challenge; one we met with the help of this book:




So last night we dusted off this old friend of ours, and picked out three places (and seafood specialties) to work into our trip:

Pepe's Pizzeria Napoletana (New Haven, CT) - clam pizza
The Clam Shack (Kennebunkport, ME) - fried clams
Clam Box (Ipswich, MA) - lobster rolls

Should be an interesting 48 hours.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Santa Fe Recipes

Santa Fe is known for its architecture and food, which are both heavily influenced by its Anglo, Spanish and Native American tri-cultural heritage.

The New Mexican desert is dotted with pinkish-beige adobes, which are made by pouring a mixture of mud in between wooden frames. "Recipes" for adobe "mud" differ between Pueblo tribes, and are passed down from mother to daughter. Nearly all of the buildings in Santa Fe are adobes, and recently there has been a push to interview women elders of Pueblo tribes in order to record and preserve this uniquely "green" building method.


In addition to architectural recipes, New Mexico's distinctive culture is reflected in its cuisine, which may be some of the best food this country has to offer. Below are a few of our most memorable epicurean moments...

Breakfast: Luminaria

The locally grown green chile is an absolute staple of New Mexican cuisine (even for breakfast) and has more of a flavor-packed punch than a tabasco-like heat. I love NM green chile, and was anxious for Diana to try some as soon as possible. So, for our first breakfast in Santa Fe, we ate at our hotel's restaurant, Luminaria, which turned out to be wonderful. Diana and I both had eggs scrambled with green chile, tomatoes and avocado, with a side of hash browns, homemade warm tortillas, and fresh pear / ginger juice. It was the perfect start to a delicious trip.

Lunch: Tomasita's

In addition to the green chile, I could not leave Santa Fe without introducing Diana to my beloved sopaipillas, which are puffy, deep fried squares of dough, made in the same tradition as Navajo fry bread. Locals and tourists alike agree - the place for these tasty-pillow-treats is Tomasita's. While people have strong opinions on how to best enjoy their sopaipillas (savory or sweet), I subscribe to the local three-step process:

Step One: break off a large piece of the sopaipilla and smother it in honey-butter.

Step Two: squirt a little local honey over the honey-butter (and no, it's not too much honey).

Step Three: dredge your sticky, golden, buttery bread through a mixture of spicy chile - preferably "Christmas style" (1/2 green and 1/2 red chile).

Diana and I perfected this ritual with a main course of Huevos Rancheros, (corn tortillas layered in chile, beans and cheese with two fried eggs on top) - another Tomasita's classic.

Afternoon Snack: Mangiamo Pronto!

Santa Fe is at 7,000 feet, and the altitude does get to you. One afternoon I took a short nap as Diana tooled around. When I woke up, I got a text from her: "I'm at the gelato place across the street" - leave it to Diana to hunt down an Italian pit-stop in NM. This little cafe turned out to be a winner- with good coffee, creamy salted caramel gelato, and high quality prosciutto wrapped melon.

Dinner: The Shed and The Pink Adobe

We had two outstanding dinners: chicken enchiladas at The Shed and pork tomalles at The Pink Adobe. At both places, we were giddy with the explosion of flavors - and thanked the food gods for leading us to the promise land.

If you look closely at the picture above, you will see some posole on the left hand side of my dinner plate. Posole is a little like a dry popcorn soup, and is made with lime, hominy, pork, chiles, garlic & spices. There is an expression in NM: "rice is nice but posole is holy" - and an argument can be made that you aren't really eating a traditional New Mexican meal unless posole is a part of it. It's sort of bland on its own, but takes on the heat and flavor of whatever it compliments, which makes it a perfect side to any chile-smothered dish.

They say "if you can't stand the heat, stay out of New Mexico: Here chile is king"; I say - long live his majesty's reign.

Some Santa Fe Food Links:

Hatch Chile Festival: Sept 3-4
Santa Fe School of Cooking
Gil's Thrilling (and Filling) Blog

Atlantic City Spring Break Kick-Off

Last Thursday was the first day of my spring break, and Gary and I celebrated by going to Atlantic City for some pampering. After checking into our room at Harrah's Resort, we went to White House for Italian subs.

White House Sub Shop, AC

White House subs are legendary, and the real deal. In fact, Frank Sinatra loved the subs so much - he once had them shipped from NJ to a movie location. But for "all its stardust, the White House remains a humble naugahyde-and-neon sandwich shop with a row of booths along the wall and a counter up front. The lighting is harsh, the napkins are paper, and the service is lightning fast: it would be a sin to sell subs any other way." (from roadfood.com)

Now some of you may be scratching your head, saying "I thought Gary was a vegetarian. What is he doing with that giant meat filled sub?" Well, you're right - he is a vegetarian...with rules. He will in fact eat meat if it falls into one of three exceptions: 1) if we are traveling to an exotic location, 2) if he knows the farm where the animal was raised and slaughtered, or 3) if it is a dish that a famous restaurant is known for. White House Italian subs fall into exception #3.

After White House, we wandered around the AC outlets, and I picked up an 8$ t-shirt at H&M. Next, it was over to the Tropicana for some tasty treats at Cuba Libre Restaurant and Rum Bar.

Cuba Libre

We started out with cocktails: a watermelon mojito for me and a pineapple mojito for Gary, while snacking on some Tostones (twice fried green plantains with garlic mojo dipping sauce). Then, we indulged in the siren song of the coffee world - cafe cuba libre, which is dark Cuban coffee made with steamed coconut milk.

After we finished our coffee (and practically licked our mugs) we headed over to the Borgata because we wanted to try N.O.W. Noodle Bar. I don't gamble, but we had some time to kill so Gary taught me how to play the one-armed bandits - and I had a good time trying my luck at an "Airplane" themed slot machine ... I even scored a couple bonus rounds.


Even though it was 11:30 pm by the time we got over to the noodle bar, we still had a 45 min wait for a very disappointing, bland dinner of well... you guessed it... noodles. (And I LOVE noodles, so for me not to like a noodle bar - it has to be pretty terrible.)

Then it was back to Harrah's for some sleep before our "couples massage" at Elizabeth Arden's Red Door Spa. Luckily, our spa appointment wasn't until 9 am, so we had enough time to sleep off our noodle haze.

After our blissful massages, we checked out of Harrah's and headed to the Chelsea Hotel for possibly the best thing to ever come out of an oven: sweet monkey bread.

Monkey Bread at Teplitzky's in the Chelsea Hotel

Let me explain the genius of this monkey bread. First, the bread itself is a loaf of warm, twisty knobs of delicate pastry, layered with butter and cinnamon. If that wasn't enough to knock your socks off, there are two dipping sauces to dunk your bread in: homemade strawberry jam and a rich cream anglaise. I should also mention that the monkey bread was followed by perfectly cooked eggs, fresh squeezed juice, and a pot of strong coffee ... but that monkey bread made us go ... well, bananas! (too easy of a pun?)

What a great 48-hours with the guy of my dreams.

Hudson Valley Restaurant Weekend

iphone picture of Hudson Valley: March 19, 2011

Hudson Valley Restaurant Week
March 14 - 27 2011
Three courses, lunch $20 + dinner $28

Now that it's spring break, I can catch up on some blogging. A few weeks ago, Gary and I celebrated his birthday by spending a weekend in the Hudson Valley, and taking advantage of their restaurant week.

Day 1

Blue Hill at Stone Barns

The restaurant that Gary had his heart set on for his birthday dinner, Blue Hill, was unfortunately not participating in the Hudson Valley Restaurant Week - but the meal was so good that it was worth every outrageous penny.



The grounds are rustically beautiful, and the inside of the restaurant is designed to look like a modern, airy barn - complete with iron beams and white linens.



Blue Hill only has two dinner options: either a five-course tasting menu for $108, or an eight-course tasting menu for $148 (both menus provide the same amount of food - the eight courses are just smaller portions).

What perhaps is the most unique thing about the menu is that other than the number of courses, diners have no choices at all. The chef constructs the menu every night depending on what is fresh from the farm that day; and with each course, the servers explain the "local" ingredients. For example, before an amazing poached egg in pesto course, our server showed us this "nest" of eggs and explained how many egg-laying hens were on the grounds, and how the eggs were gathered that morning for our meal. Now that is fresh!



Gary and I both chose the eight course tasting menu, and with each delicacy, we ascended higher and higher into culinary heaven. One of our favorite small bites were these "beet burgers" - mini burgers made with beets and goat cheese on a micro-bun (pictured below).


After we left Blue Hill, with goofy smiles on our faces - trying to recall every epicurean detail of our wonderful meal, we headed over to our B&B: the Kittle House Inn.

Kittle House Inn

11 Kittle Road, Chappaqua, NY 10514

After getting our room keys from the "hotel reception" area (which doubles as the restaurant hostess station) we climbed a set of wooden stairs to a clean, comfortable room -- above the restaurant's kitchen. Surprisingly, it wasn't too noisy, and we were able to get a good night's sleep for the second day of our adventure.

Day 2

Luckily for our bank accounts - our culinary adventures on day 2 revolved around restaurants actually participating in Restaurant Week.

We started the day with lunch at Union Restaurant and Bar Latino, which was not only festively decorated, but featured beautifully prepared traditional Latin dishes with a modern flare. Another wonderful layer to our lunching experience at Union Restaurant was the "local" wine and beer offerings, meant to compliment the prix fixe menu.

Union Restaurant Lunch Prix Fixe ($20)

Gary's Menu
Guacamole Tomatillo Salsa (chimol, hard egg, and smoked paprika tortilla chips)
Pan Roasted Hake Habichuela (zucchini, white beans ragout, and kale sauteed in citrus)
Conklin-Farm Apple Fritters (vanilla ice cream and Phillip & John honey NYC)
Mother's Milk Keegan Ale, Kingston NY

My Menu
BBQ Pork Quesadilla (jack cheese, cucumber, and cabbage coleslaw)
Pan Roasted Hake Habichuela (zucchini, white beans ragout, and kale sauteed in citrus)
Coconut Arroz Brlee (coconut rice pudding and caramel crust)
Millbrook Chardonnay, Hudson Valley, NY 2008

CIA

After lunch, we drove over to the CIA (Culinary Institute of America) to stroll their grounds and pick up a "class list" for Gary. The campus itself was lovely, and inspiring.

We even got to see the pastry class's "final projects" - themed cakes.... I really loved the detail on this one (especially the cute, muddy pig)


Valley at the Garrison - Dinner Prix Fixe ($28)

After we left the CIA, we were ready for our final meal of the weekend, dinner at Valley at the Garrison.

Gary's Menu
Garrison Farms Leek Veloute (speck, potato)
Wild Hive Grits (local egg, winter vegetables, black olive, caper berries)
Warm Brownie Pudding (coffee crunch ice cream, roasted almonds)

My Menu
Tuna Crudo (honey, chives, grapefruit)
Wild Hive Grits (local egg, winter vegetables, black olive, caper berries)
"Chunky Monkey" Bites (chocolate chip doughnuts, coconut cream glaze) - pictured below



The best part of the dinner at Valley was the creamy grits, which were served in a black iron skillet, with a perfectly poached farm egg nestled on top, and soft chunks of vegetable nestled underneath. The appetizers were clunky and had very single-note flavors; in particular, the thick chunks of tuna were just "ok", and lacked any real sweetness or acidity that the honey and grapefruit promised to provide. The deserts were also a bit disappointing. For example, although the doughnuts looked pretty, they were dry, despite sitting on top of a thin layer of cream. However, for the price and beautiful atmosphere - the grits alone were were worth it.

Trip Links:

Hudson Valley Restaurant Week

Friday March 18, 2011
Gary's Birthday Dinner: Blue Hill at Stone Barns
Bed and Breakfast: Crabtree's Kittle House Inn

Saturday March 19, 2011
Lunch: Union Restaurant and Bar Latino (participating restaurant)
Day Trip: American Culinary Institute of America (CIA)
Dinner: Valley at the Garrison (participating restaurant)

Mac 'n' Cheese Pancakes at Shopsins

Last weekend, Gary, Christine, Chaya and I went to brunch at Shopsins in the Essex St Market on the Lower East Side. Shopsins is owned and run by Kenny Shopsin - whose food philosophy and awkwardly callous demeanor landed him a staring role in the 2004 documentary: "I Like Killing Flies" (available on Netflix).

Kenny Shopsin

There are only 20 seats in the restaurant, and there are rules one must follow in order to eat here, including: no cell phones, no ordering things not on the menu, no parties larger than four... break any of these rules and you're gone. Another one of the rules is: know what you want before you come in. Why? There are nearly 900 combinations Kenny's tiny kitchen turns out (click here for the menu), and patience isn't exactly what this restaurant is known for.

A word of caution: don't even think about coming in as a party of 5 and pretending to be a party of 3 casually meeting up with a party of 2 - you math-sly tricksters aren't fooling anyone...certainly not Kenny. (For more on the "rules" see "Don't Mention It" in The New Yorker or "Flipping the Bird" in The New York Times).

So why is there a cult following for this tiny place, in the middle of a small market, where it's highly probable that you'll be cursed-out by the unpredictably cantankerous chef-owner? Simple - for the same reason Jerry, George, Kramer, and Elaine (from the show Seinfeld) fearfully followed the the Soup Nazi's outrageous demands ... the food is that darn good.

After reviewing the menu, watching the documentary, and going over the rules during the car ride into the city - the four of us felt somewhat prepared to face Kenny on Sunday morning. We made sure to arrive before the market opened, so we only had to wait for about an hour before getting seated in the "bar area" - right next to Kenny himself, who sat perched on a lone chair where he could simultaneously watch and comment on the kitchen and his patrons. Needless to say, we were nervous. Luckily, Kenny seemed to be in a good mood, and only lobbed a few f-bombs here and there at his staff.

Any trepidation about the Shopsins experience, however, melted away with my first bite of mac 'n' cheese pancakes. Let me repeat that: MAC 'N' CHEESE PANCAKES. Brilliant. To learn how Kenny cooks up these little fluffy, cheesy disks of perfection (and to get a taste of Kenny's character) watch: BATTER UP.

Q: What's Good for a Sore Throat? A: Bent Spoon

My pre-Valentine's Day masterpiece from The Bent Spoon: chocolate port ice cream on the bottom and chocolate-covered-strawberry sorbet on top.

To celebrate Valentine's Day, Gary and I were supposed to go to Avenue last night - a beautiful French restaurant in Long Branch with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the ocean. Unfortunately, I've been plagued by flu-like symptoms for the last few days: sore throat, runny nose, aches, sneezing, ear infection ... the works. Gary was such a good sport though; he just canceled our reservations and instead took me -sniffles and all- for a steaming bowl of noodle soup at Rai Rai Ramen followed by ice cream at The Bent Spoon in Princeton.

TripAdvisor ranked The Bent Spoon #2 out of 68 restaurants in Princeton, and it's probably one of the few ice cream places in the world that has a line out the door in the middle of winter (with only three indoor tables). If waiting in a long line to eat ice cream outside in the freezing cold seems like a ridiculous notion - it's obvious that you have never eaten at The Bent Spoon before. Publication after publication (NY Times, NJ Best, Time Out NY, NY Post) have touted the glories of The Bent Spoon's crazy delicious treats, and I too have been known to blabber on incessantly about their legendary flavors to anyone who will listen.


Above is a picture of The Bent Spoon menu from Serious NY Eats. The flavors change all the time depending on what they can get locally, so you never know what flavors will show up on those little brown paper bags. The owners (a husband and wife team) estimate that they have about 380 flavors in their rotation - every single one using only organic, locally grown ingredients like "honey culled from Jersey bees or chocolate laced with mint grown by student farmers at a nearby Riverside Elementary School" (NY Times). Probably two of my all time favorite flavors are blueberry mascarpone (only in summer) and Guinness - Baileys cream (only around St. Patrick's Day), but the chocolate-covered-strawberry sorbet that I had yesterday is definitely in my top 10.

The sweetest thing about the afternoon, however, wasn't the velvety perfection in that little black plastic cup... it was the fact that I was with Gary, and thanks to my doctors I hopefully will get to spend many more Valentine's Days with the love of my life.