The pro's and con's of living with a vegetarian.

           I will be the first to say, for years I have been somewhat of a veggiephobe. Yes, I'll admit it, brussel sprouts and broccoli freaked me out when I was a kid. However, as I move forward in life vegetables have become a neccessary component to maintain my health, and to some degree my tastebuds. Be that as it may, in the past few weeks I've found myself (gulp,) living with my vegetarian boyfriend.
          The idea of being a vegetarian has never interested me, I love dining on steak every now and then, and I like the notion of trying strange foods too much to rule any particular one out. So here we are, all shacked up with no place to go but the vegtable aisle, kind of. Luckily, he's not a strict vegetarian, he's more of a pescatarian. He eats fish, he's a little picky about the bottom feeders, but with a little bit of jazz I get away with cooking dinner for both of us.
           One of my biggest issues has been that a lot of vegetarians are not eating meat and overeatting carbs. Vegetarianism on it's own is great if you are balancing your diet and getting enough nutrients, but where is the sense in not eating meat, and downing a bottle of soda along with that bag of chips? I give credit to those of you that can be a successful vegetarian because I certainly couldn't.
            In the beginning of our relationship, I tried to use a lot of meat subsitutes, because I craved the taste and he obviously didn't. However every product I tried either tasted too fake, or the texture was just downright awful. So I began to dive into the world of experimentation. Luckily where we live, (a block from the beach) there is a lovely grocery store called Wegmans. The fish section is great, not too overpriced, always fresh and they definitely have some great meal options. I buy a lot of their already packaged fish because they put it in a disposable pan that you can throw away when youre done cooking.
           The road started off kind of bumpy, with all that fake meat, but since we've found our food compromise things sure are great when meal time comes. I've definitely opened my palate to more different vegetables and fish. I've even come up with a few recipes myself that are certainly crowd pleasers.
          The days of cooking two meals are over as Tom and I have found healthy compromises that keep our tummies full and our dietary needs satisfied. With summer right on our heels it's time to break out the grill, and cook up some lobsters, and continue to enjoy our life on the beach. So ladies, if you ever thought it couldn't be done, I'm living proof that living with a vegetarian is possible, and fun.


cheers!
abby

The meal I will eat before I die.

          This past thursday I hopped the train in to the city to visit my mom at work, and take a look at Bloomingdale's celebration of 20 years of Vera Wang. Vera Wang has been a favorite of mine long since I ws a little girl. My mother who has been planning my wedding since I was just a thought in conception,shares the same adoration.But of course, in our family, nothing is complete without a good meal.
         My mom and I made our way through the bustling streets of NYC to Bloomingdales, a haven for people like us, otherwise known as shopaholics. We headed up to the fifth floor only to be greeted by 11 of the most stunning bridal gowns I have ever set eyes on. I got lost amongst the clouds of chantilly lace, and tulle. It truly was a sight to appreciate. After I indulged my mom's fantasies of my perfect wedding we headed off to dinner, a place we've been going for years that we simply cannot get away from.
         There are thousands of restaurants in Manhattan. My mother and I have been to quite a few, but for some reason Nocello always seems to win our hearts. Located at 257 W 55th St, Nocello is all but lost amongst the slew of restaurants it is surrounded by. Since the first time we went there I've always described this as the last meal I would ever want to eat. The waiters are always the same, and even though the location has expanded, the service remains top quality and the food surpasses excellence.
          This particular meal, my mom and I changed up our ordering patterns a little bit. For an appetizer I had the carpacio, a thin slice of raw filet mignon over a bed of arugla with shaved parmagiano cheese.  The filet mignon pairs perfectly with the saltiness of the cheese and the rich, peppery taste of the arugala. This appetizer is a must if you visit this restaurant. For my entree I decided to go with one of the specials; fresh fettucine with lobster tails and shrimp in a vodka sauce. Vodka sauces are dramatically different from restaurant to restaurant but this one was just perfect. The homeade pasta really sets itself apart from all the others. There is nothing like fresh pasta if you ask me. It's just a bit more tender then all the rest and almost has a bit of a nutty taste. The lobster tails were cooked perfectly, as over cooking lobster tends to make it tough. Nocello has onced again reached perfection. But undoubtedly no meal is complete without dessert and just like many times before this one, tortoni it is. Tortoni is an almond ice cream topped with toasted coconut or crushed almonds and a maraschino cherry.I think one of the reasons I like it best is it tastes like frozen amaretto.
          I give Nocello 5 forks, definitely going back for seconds,maybe even thirds. The service and quality of the food are always excellent, they never miss a beat. The waiters (who this past visit, brought me a plate with a heart made out of cinnamon) are always on point. Never once have I had a bad meal here. So, if you are ever in Manhattan, looking to dine on some of the finest Italian food I have ever eaten, be sure to try Nocello, and make sure you ask for a table in the back. I promise you won't be disappointed.


Ciao,
Abby

She's done it again!

            This past weekend my boyfriend and I attended Marilyn Schlossbach's new restaurant endeavor, Trinity and the Pope in Asbury Park, NJ. Ladies and gentlemen she has done it again. Being that we are the biggest fans of Schlossbach's oober successful, Langosta Lounge it was a must that we dine at her new restaurant located at 649 Mattison Ave. The eclectic cajun-creole menu takes your tastebuds on a joyride that surely is not to be missed.
            Cocktails were in order as we were celebrating some good news so I ordered the big, pink and easy. The lightness of the sparkling wine, and Ketel one vodka complimented to St. Germaine Elderflower liqour. Truly a girly drink, but definitely strong enough for a man. Tom ordered a hurricane, a cocktail that definitely packed a punch with dark and light spiced rums and one of my favorite cocktail ingredients, grenadine. In my world, grenadine makes everything  better!Cocktails can make or break a meal, so if you have any questions about a wine to pair with dinner don't be afraid to ask your server.
            The way the menu is broken up at Trinity and the Pope offers up a family style dining option with small, medium and large plates. We decided to choose a few from each section to really get a feel for the menu. We started off with the jalapeno bengets and crawfish cream sauce as well as the mac and cheese with  braised collard greens. The bengets were delicious, the heavy dough had a very distinct jalapeno taste that had just enough heat. Over the years I've become quite the mac and cheese connoisseur,tasting mac and cheese where ever I go, and insisting my mother not stop until she come up with the perfect recipe. Trinity and the Pope offers up the perfect blend of four cheeses topped with braised collard greens. I have never had collard greens before and I must say they were very tasty. I wasn't sure what kind of taste to expect but they were a little bit sweet which went along very well with the saltiness of the cheese.
            The next round of food was the oyster po boy sliders with pickled cucumber and chive remoulade, and the shrimp and crawfish gumbo. The sliders were absolutely out of this world. They were probably the spiciest thing we ordered. The pickled cucumber was definitely neccessary to ease the heat of the oysters. The gumbo came with rice and the most amazing cornbread I have ever eaten. The smokiness of the gumbo hit just the right tastebuds leaving us wanting to eat more but filled to the brim.
          For dessert I ordered a glass of amaretto on the rocks and we shared the bourbon bread pudding. Afterall, there's a little section of my stomach that is always ready for dessert. I could eat bread pudding for days!! It was so delicious it was the perfect end to a perfect meal.The dessert menu was rather small but if the other options were as good as the bread pudding you can't go wrong.
            For this being our first meal at this restaurant ,which was barely two weeks old, I'd have to give a rating of 4 forks,definitely something to blog about. I'll absolutely be a repeat customer as the ambiance of the restaurant made me feel as if I were in New Orleans and the food left me feeling full and happy. The restaurant brought southern charm to Mattison Ave. As usual Marilyn has done it again, definitely holding a new spot in my top favorite restaurants in Asbury Park.

Cheers,
Abby

I love my mother, and I love my lox.

              It's that time of year again. The time where we all take a day out to celebrate our mothers, grandmothers and all the women in our lives who we have been touched by. My boyfriend and I drove to Lambertville, a quaint little town in New Jersey to celebrate Mother's Day with his mom. At breakfast I was finally inclined to try something I've been scared of for years...Lox. I remember being a little kid and at the breakfast table,my dad would put lox on his bagel. I couldn't figure out why this man who seemed sane enough to me was putting uncooked fish on his breakfast!
            Of course later in life I learned that lox actually is cooked, sort of. Generally,lox is cured in some sort of brining solution which usually includes a combination of salt, sugars and spices and then in some cases it's smoked. The food itself was introduced to the US by Eastern European Jewish immigrants.
            So here I was, in the kitchen with a plate in my hand going in for something I had been intimidated by since breakfasts past. I took half a toasted bagel and spread some vegetable cream cheese on it, I then topped it with tomato,red onion and (gulp) lox. I took my plate and sat down on the table ready to face my fears. I took my first bite, and then my second. It may sound crazy but as ate my breakfast I started to become overwhelmed by my new found love of lox. I definitely wanted to go in for a second helping but decided to stop there. After all you don't wanna look like a pig on mothers day, you want to make your momma proud! So, I wiped my mouth with a napkin, politely sipped my pomegranate cranberry juice and thanked goodness for mothers everywhere, without which I may never have gotten to know my new breakfast friend.

Welcome to Edible Adventures!

             It all started a little while ago while I was out to eat with my boyfriend. He turned to me as we were discussing the menu and said, "Have you ever thought about becoming a food critic?" The thought had occured to me before as eating and writing have been two of my favorite pastimes, so I thought to myself, if  I'm going to do this I have to do it the fun way! So here we are, you've come to visit my blog. I'm sure you're asking yourself , what does a 22 year old from New Jersey know about food? So, I'll tell you a little bit about myself and how my passion for food and my love of writing has brought me to the blogosphere.
             I was born in Brooklyn, NY. My mother is Sicilian and my father is Polish. Being born into these two cultures has definitely contributed to my obsession with food. I can clearly recall sundays at my cousin's house sitting around a cramped dining room table eating "gravy" at 2 o'clock in the afternoon, gravy that has become a legend in my household since no one ever wrote down the recipe and it has been lost in time. I was always the little girl standing around in the kitchen watching all the old ladies chop garlic and onions and create smells that were as intoxicating then as they are now.
            In 1993 we moved to New Jersey along with most of my family, who started to relocate after things in Brooklyn started to change and most of the old timers either passed on or moved out. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter were always at our house, and I became my dad's little helper, standing tall (but short) at the side of the stove and watching all the family secrets. Luckily both my mom and dad have written down most of the recipes I admire most. One day I hope to share them with my son or daughter and carry on the traditions that my family has passed on to me.
            In the upcoming sections of my blog I plan on reviewing 1 restaurant a week, whether it be a local hotspot, a longtime favorite, or a new eatery. I plan on handling most of the writing (and eating!) but sometimes I will feature a contribution from someone just as interested in food as I am. I'll be rating the restaurants on a scale of 1 to 5 forks. 1 fork means stay  home and cook your own dinner, and 5 forks means I can't wait to go back, so tell all your friends! I'll also be writing an editorial centered around food and things going on in my life or around the world. I'm sure you'll find these insights interesting and helpful. So if you ever come around Jersey or travel far and wide,look to me to guide you on your Edible Adventure!

Sincerely yours,
Abby