Is that a salami in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?

As anyone who has traveled recently knows, the attempted terrorist attack on Christmas has increased airport security measures world-wide. The aftermath has spurred a flurry of news articles including the debate on full body scanners, the ramifications to senior citizens who unknowingly have hidden swords in their canes, and now to chefs who are forced to think outside the box when smuggling in contraband delicacies from Europe.

Today's Wall Street Journal profiles salumier (chef of cured meats) Rey Knight who is now tasked with finding even more creative ways to bring in charcuterie from small European towns. While he was once able to bring in pork shoulder and fennel-pollen salami (which he previously packed in a stainless-steel water bottle) and a goose-liver torchon (hidden inside the belly of a salmon) he now fears that his days of bringing in cured meat treasures that inspire his own meat creations may, for the time being, be over.

Next time you are in San Diego, check out his shop, Knight Salumi, and see if his meat is good enough to persuade the USDA and the Department of Defense to bend the rules for chefs who want to further America's culinary tradition. I'm planning on going back out there in May, but I may make my brother do some investigative reporting before then.

Trader Joe’s is coming to Chelsea

http://curbed.com/archives/2009/11/1...to_chelsea.php

FINALLY!

According to the New York Observer, Trader Joe’s has rented the former Barnes and Noble space on 22nd and 6th Ave in addition to the Upper West side location it plans on opening this spring.

While the lines will no doubt be as bad as those in the Union Square location, this one is a mere 6 blocks from my apartment.

But the question remains, will they carry 2 Buck Chuck?

Dessert to kick off (ok, continue…) holiday weight gain in style

Deep in the throes of last-minute holiday shopping, my family and I stopped for lunch at Gullifty’s, a sports bar and all-American eatery in the Main Line outside of Philadelphia.

As the waiter came over to clear our lunch plates, I saw the look in my dad’s eyes. He wanted dessert.

Now you have to understand that a long, leisurely lunch with coffee and dessert doesn’t happen all that often in the Pappas family household, but when it does, it is usually a decadent experience—think pecan pie and ice cream, or chocolate molten cake. So I wasn’t surprised when my dad asks for the cookie Sunday: a fresh-baked chocolate chip walnut cookie topped with mocha oreo ice cream, chocolate sauce, bananas and whipped cream. The description said “made for 2” but even with four of us we all felt a little sick/overly gluttonous afterwards, even though we clearly didn’t have any trouble finishing it.

(the before shot)

(and after...)

But hey, isn’t that why the holidays were invented … to provide incentives for New Years resolutions? I think so.

1977 Chateau Latour

Thanksgiving and Christmas are usually holidays during which my dad likes to play the game “guess which wine comes from the box”. Every year he puts the $15 boxed wine that we drink every night (holidays included) to the test of whatever nice wine some unsuspecting guest has brought over. The expensive wines always seem to lose.

Needless to say, fine wines are not a part of the Pappas family repertoire.

Tonight, my dad came out of the basement with a grin and hands me a bottle of 1977 Chateau Latour (one of the 5 grand crus). It was a wine that was given to my parents received as a house warming present 25 or so years ago.

Unfortunately, as the image below shows, this wine was about 10 years past its prime and the cork had rotted almost all the way through. Additionally, the wine had thinned to the point that it didn’t even have any legs anymore.


Still a treat none-the-less and I look forward to having the opportunity of tasting a properly aged Latour sometime later in life.

SOYJOY

One of the perks of going to school in Greenwich Village (besides the daily live jazz in Washington Square) is the free samples marketers give out to try to tap into the buying power of New York students—they clearly didn’t get the memo that we are poor and as such are not buying much these days…

Today the giveaway was a bar of raisin almond SOYJOY Now, I am a big fan of meal replacement bars. Luna, Lara, ThinkThin, Cliff, Odwalla, Zone—you name it, I’m their target demographic. But the aforementioned bars all have something that SOYJOY lacks: they actually taste good! SOYJOY was so gross I spit out the first bite, decided that I was being unfair, choked down the second bite and then threw the rest of it away. It was what I imagine badly flavored cardboard tastes like. While it did not have the fake sugar chemical taste of some of the bars (admittedly a refreshing change), it was chalky, bland and even a little bitter. Yuck. I’m sorry SOYJOY, but it was. Really, really yuck.

Now, here’s my question. Was the raisin almond their best tasting product or did the marketing manager choose to give it out for different reasons? I would have imagined that SOYJOY was trying to put their best foot forward and attract new customers—which would argue that the other flavors are even worse! But on the other hand, if they are targeting poor students who will likely not go out and buy their products anyway, were they just trying to get rid of the gross-tasting inventory and in the process fortuitously give a sample away to someone who was born without tastebuds who would then become their new brand ambassador? Only time will tell I guess.

Business School and the move Downtown

It’s been a while since my last post, and during the past few months, a lot has happened… The short version is I moved from the Upper East Side down to Chelsea and started grad school at NYU’s Stern School of Business. The long version involves apartment hunting horror stories, a whirlwind of 2 weeks of b-school orientation, tears and a little drama just to keep things interesting.

Now that I am sans income, and the cushion of my parent’s house and endless supply of wine, my food budget has shrunk to never-before-seen lows. On the plus side, as a student it is now completely socially acceptable to frequent dive bars in Greenwich Village with $7 pitchers of carbonated water posing as beer. My review of the best places to drink on the cheap (as long as you don’t mind getting hit on by undergrads with fake ids, will be coming soon).

Until then, one of my new favorite cheap eateries is Café Habana.


My former colleague introduced me to this hole-in-the-wall Cuban restaurant in NoLita. It’s cheap, incredibly delicious, and always packed (be prepared to wait at least 45 minutes). They are known for their grilled corn appetizer—grilled corn topped with cheese, lime juice and cayenne pepper—for only $3! They also serve a mean Michelada, a cocktail made with beer, hot sauce, lime and a salt rim.

Details:
Location: Prince & Elizabeth
Price: Entrees around $12
Website: www.cafehabana.com

Baked By Melissa

Officially my new favorite place in the city is the little pick up window in Soho known as Baked By Melissa. Here you will find the most delicious, bite sized cupcakes that just make you smile.

I have never been one to buy into the whole cupcake craze, but let me tell you...these cupcakes ROCK. Baked By Melissa allows you to treat yourself with a tiny, quarter sized mouth full of goodness without feeling like your breaking your diet or your budget. Plus because they are SO small, you can sample of few of the different flavors at once and not feel gross. In fact, I think that 3 is the ideal amount for your first visit so that you can get a sense of which flavors you really love.

The other day I tried the red velvet, the cookies and cream and the chocolate peanut butter (personal favorite). I am already planning my next visit back to sample some more. And don't think I won't be taking advantage of the special ordering they offer on their website. That's right, you can order them by the hundreds!



Baked By Melissa
Location: 529 Broadway NY, NY 10012
(Pick Up window on Spring St. between B'way & Mercer)

www.bakedbymelissa.com

Di Bruno Bros.

(Danny and Joe Di Bruno)

I’m back in Philadelphia (I opted to fly home…) and car and brother-less. Luckily, I have places like Di Bruno Bros., a gourmet Italian grocer, in Center City to keep me entertained.

Di Bruno Bros was founded in the 1940s when Danny and Joe Di Bruno opened a small grocery in the Italian Market of Philadelphia a couple years after arriving from Italy. Since, it has evolved from an everyday market to a gourmet food store specializing in imported cheeses, cured meats, oils, vinegars and sweets.

After walking through center city the other day, I stopped in for lunch. I had a Mediterranean vegetable panini with tuna aioli. The vegetables (eggplant, squash and zucchini) were nicely seasoned and grilled, while the tuna aioli was a gourmet version of a tuna salad. While the sandwich could have easily fed 3 people and was a splurge at $8.99 now that I no longer have a job, the atmosphere alone made it worth the trip and the expense.

Photos from the Rittenhouse Square location are below (courtesy of Di Bruno Bros).

On The Road: Day 5 (part 2) and Day 6

Yes, we made it there alive. I apologize for the lack of posting (I blame Vegas) but also we got so wrapped up in completing the trip and then getting Will situated in San Diego that our adventures fell by the way side. Here, however, is a brief wrap up of the last days on the road…

Day 5 (part 2)
We spent the night in Vegas at the Sahara--one of the first hotels on the strip that was impressive in its heyday and has since declined pretty dramatically. However, it was cheap.

Dinner was at Strip Burger, which was running a $2 beer and $2 slider happy hour special. And I know what you're thinking, but no, all of the staff was fully clad.

From there, we proceeded to give away our money and decided that it's probably best to do Vegas at the beginning of a trip, not after 5 days of heavy driving. We went to bed embarrassingly early and neither one of us woke up married or tattooed. A poor showing indeed.

Day 6
We had brunch in Paris and had perhaps the best crepes I've had (even better than those from the real Paris I'm a little ashamed to admit). We split one with mozzarella, prosciutto and basil and another with mixed vegetables, boursin cheese, mozzarella and basil. Both were topped with a béchamel sauce that was rich but surprisingly light. Then it was off to San Diego and the end of our journey.

San Diego
All I can say, is that I now officially hate my brother. Here are select images from his new house (a 4 bedroom, 4 bath that overlooks Pacific Beach with an infinite pool, outdoor bar and kitchen and rent that makes me nauseous it's so cheap).

(The entrance)

(The indoor kitchen)

(The outdoor kitchen and pool area)

(The view from the infinite pool)

Oh, and did I mention that he's only 10 minutes from the beach and that the convertible's staying out there with him? Life is so unfair.

On The Road: Day 5 (part 1)

We woke up this morning at 3:30 to get to the Grand Canyon by sunrise. Not only did we have the park almost entirely to ourselves, we were able to hike down (illegally I’m sure) to a cliff overhang and sit suspended over the vast expanse while the birds played in the morning gusts. These pictures can’t do the experience justice, but I tried. To see them larger click on the image.


We left the park at 7 tired and hungry and had our best breakfast yet at the Route 66 Diner back in Williams. This classic diner wasn’t over-the-top (despite the name). The food was hot and hit the spot after a cold canyon morning. While we both expected that they would do a mean breakfast, we were pleasantly surprised when our omelets came out and we took our first bites. I ordered the Spanish made with roasted tomatoes, tomatillos, caramelized onions and cheddar cheese. The roasted and caramelized vegetables were fresh and rich and made for the best omelet I’ve had to date.

Next stop today, Vegas baby!