Burgers and wine, and gossip, at Gossip

It was the week before Christmas, and JR, my good friend from college, was back in town on holiday break from Penn Law. Since I had a light day at work, I hastily seized the opportunity to schedule catch-up drinks. With a little food thrown in for good measure.

We met up at Gossip Bar and Restaurant on Ninth Avenue in Hell's Kitchen. The place is about a year old, and I've been there a couple of times before; their food is better than it has to be, and there's always a lot of space to spread out, perfect for a chilly winter evening. Notable props to Gossip as well for having the heat blasting-- as someone who is perpetually freezing cold, I was actually comfortable in there. Which means everyone else was likely sweating bullets. But I was happy! Extra spatulas all around!

We started with drinks. JR got a beer, a Killian's, if I remember correctly. And I ordered a glass of Pinot Noir from their short wine list-- three reds, three whites, no nonsense. Unfortunately, our friendly server returned a few minutes later to inform us that they were out of Pinot Noir. Choosing between the Cabernet Sauvignon or the Merlot, I went with Merlot. And it was actually pretty good-- fruity, not too tannic, smooth drinking. The glassware wasn't much to look at, but it got the job done.

Wine, makin' it happen

From the comprehensive menu, JR chose the turkey burger with pepper jack cheese. The verdict? Again, better than it had to be. The ingredients were fresh and the cheese well-melted; JR noted that the bun didn't quite do it for him, but the patty itself was moist and flavorful. Pressed for a spatula rating, JR vascillated between three and four before settling on three, noting "how good can a turkey burger really be?" Of course, the fries must be mentioned: I tried one, and it was piping hot, but I generally prefer mine in the shoestring style rather than this skin-on, chubby rendition.

T-burg

So once again Gossip retains its three Offset Spatula rating. It's a slightly better-than-standard Irish pub, comfortable, a little upscale, with reasonably priced drinks and food that will exceed most low expectations. I hope it remains in the neighborhood for a while, since it certainly fills a useful niche.

Gossip Bar & Restaurant
733 Ninth Avenue, between 49th and 50th Streets
212-265-2720

Holey Cream rocks Hell's Kitchen

After a few days at home, I boarded the Acela from Boston to New York, ready to head back to my awesome city. I was ravenous once I finally reached my apartment, and after a highly unsatisfying dinner of soup (I don't like soup. But every now and then I have to eat some to re-confirm the fact that I don't like it), I was ready for some dessert. Out I went; I passed Kyotofu, which had some tempting vanilla bean soft serve... but I had a mission. A few blocks up, I reached my destination: Holey Cream.

Boisterous awning

Now, despite the somewhat sketchy name (get your mind out of the gutter!), I had high hopes for this place. Rumors had been flying that they'd carry Sedutto ice cream (YUM) and homemade donuts made according to some crazy recipe from a place out on Long Island. Well, these were some rumors I needed to verify.

And verify I did. The place is narrow and utilitarian, though still inviting; there are enticing baked goods in display cases and soft-serve machines lining the back wall. The woman working behind the counter, who I found out was actually the pastry chef, was incredibly friendly and upbeat, offering huge tastes of ice cream eagerly (and yes, it is Sedutto ice cream... score!... and I think the gelato is Ciao Bella, but that is unverified). I got a small cup of malt ball gelato, which was creamy and not overwhelmingly malt-y, with appealing chocolate bits providing textural contrast.

Donuts!

Cupcakes! I will be back for you, my pretties...

Ice cream menu

Super sundaes

Pastries... Donuts for $1.25

My ice cream

I inquired about the baked goods-- made in-house or sourced?-- at which point I found out this lovely lady was the pastry chef who made them all herself, and did I perhaps want a donut? On the house? Uh, yes please. She handed me a small, frosted confection about the size of a deck of cards, enrobed in icing and chocolate crumbs, noting that she had made the donut about two hours ago so it was super fresh. I took a bite. I think I mumbled something along the lines of "this is crazy good," but I don't really remember, because my brain was overwhelmed by the sweet, rich icing and the tender, cakey-yet-stretchy insides that carried that slight tinge of appealing friedness that makes donuts so irresistable. When she started describing a donut ice cream sandwich she sometimes makes by cutting a donut in half and stuffing it with ice cream, I think I may have gone into a dessert-induced catatonic state. Note to self: access donut ice cream sandwich, stat, by any means necessary.

Oh it's just so beautiful...

With my donut and cup of ice cream in tow, I tumbled out onto Ninth Avenue, a happy and sugar-sated camper. It probably goes without saying, but Holey Cream rocks my world. The prices are surprisingly reasonable-- my small ice cream was well under $4, and of course the donut was free-- and the goods are delicious. And gosh darn it, it feels good to support a local mom-and-pop shop rather than a huge conglomerate like the Cold Stone/Tim Horton's a block away. I really hope HC stays for a long, long time, and while I will certainly do my best to keep it in business single-handedly, experience shows I may need help. Dear readers, stop in and sample the goodies. You won't be sorry.

Holey Cream
Ninth Avenue and 53rd Street
212-247-8400

Merry Christmas!

To all readers out there, I wish you a very happy holiday filled with family, fun, and (of course) great food. Merry Christmas!

Janine

Curious.

Up in AV's neighborhood this past weekend, I noticed something curious: a new Thai restaurant. Now, in a city with more Thai joints than Starbucks, that in itself is not notable. However, this new establishment caught my eye because of its name, Tiny Thai, and logo, a big stylized T. Curiously, there used to be a Tiny Thai right near me in Hell's Kitchen, a place that slowly and unclearly morphed into Tai Thai, AV's and my preferred local Thai restaurant. This was obviously the very same Tiny Thai, and a glimpse at the takeout menu confirmed that the menu was very similar to the Tai Thai restaurant (which has recently been revamped slightly). I'm itching to know what the deal is here-- are they owned by the same people? Is it a chain? Why did the HK Tiny Thai become Tai Thai? What is the DEAL, yo?

Same, same, same

Anyway, I'm a bit out on Thai food for the moment since getting food poisoning after a recent dinner at a Thai restaurant, but as soon as I feel I can stomach the sight of peanut sauce once again, rest assured we will check out the new Tiny Thai and report back fully.

LWF&D makes yummy treats. And eats them.

On Tuesday afternoon, I made delicious, delicious cupcakes. They went a little something like this:

First, a thorough search of the internet for the perfect recipe. Chocolate cupcakes? Maybe. Buttermilk vanilla? Perhaps. Banana? Aha! Yes! After my love affair with Billy's banana cupcakes was sadly truncated by a return to my "real" job, I haven't had that blissful taste in months. Well, it was time to rock 'n' roll.

Following Martha Stewart's recipe (yes, cringe. I'm not a Martha fan, but I am man--well, woman--enough to recognize a good recipe when I see one), I conjured up a big bowl of cupcake batter. It was an interesting batter-- more of a muffin mixture than a traditional cake batter, using melted butter and mashed bananas. And then before I baked the little delights, I hid a secret surprise in each, my little editorial addition to the recipe. You'll see.

They came out of the oven looking beautiful:

Tiny golden beauties

The corner cupcake

And then I frosted them. Martha's recommendation is a honey-cinnamon frosting, basically a traditional American buttercream with a bit of honey and a dash of cinnamon. But, in my quest to replicate Billy's masterpiece, I wanted cream cheese all the way. So I whipped up a batch using, yes, another Martha recipe. And once my beautiful cupcake stumps were cool, I slathered those pupplies with the frosting. They looked like this:

Crowned with snow

Finally, after dinner, I chose the perfect one to be my tester cupcake. Yup:

THE one

As always, I cut it in half... revealing the surprise!

Hidden Hershey kiss!!

And then I dug in. Dear readers, forgive me for tooting my own horn, but these cupcakes were damn good. I'll admit the frosting wasn't as good as Billy's cream cheese frosting, which I suspect has a higher ratio of sugar to cream cheese (my version was tangier and softer). But the cake was delicious, and the bit of chocolate hidden inside put it absolutely over the edge. I gobbled this down in the blink of an eye.

And then I licked the frosting bowl. Oops?

Give it a try yourself. Recipes are available here:

Banana cupcakes
Cream cheese frosting

It was cold out, so we ate ice cream

After our light dinner at Cavatappo, we burst out onto the frigid sidewalks of First Avenue and had one thought: ice cream! Communicating in puffs of frozen breath, we agreed that clearly the best course of action would be to stroll down the 8 blocks to Emack and Bolio's for some delicious ice cream.

And stroll-- well, sprint-- we did. I like E&B's because they have incredible lowfat hard frozen yogurt, especially an Oreo flavor that's sublime and definitely doesn't taste lowfat. This time around, though, I went with a small cup of half low-fat Oreo and half full-fat Buttercrunch Swiss Chip. This flavor had a mild toffee kick, a hint of caramel, and a few bits of chocolate here and there. Yum.

Oreo on top; Swiss Chip underneath

AV went for a cup of Cosmic Crunch, which was vanilla ice cream with caramel, chocolate chips, nuts, and toffee cookie pieces. Now, I really do like my ice cream, but this flavor was almost-- dare I say it?-- too rich for me. I had a taste and it was almost as though the flavor expanded to fill my stomach. It was delicious, but perhaps too delicious.

Intensity!

We polished off our ice cream sitting on the bench inside the tiny shop, as the friendly employee went into the back room and played guitar. It was surprisingly nice, sitting there eating ice cream and listening to some acoustic stylings. And then we were done, tossing our cups in the trash and, with a preemptive shiver, heading back out into the frozen night.

Vegetarian delights at Cavatappo

Saturday night, and we were back at Cavatappo. It has quickly become our go-to restaurant near AV's place-- delicious Italian food, reasonably priced, and relatively easy to get into. This time around, we nabbed a 7PM reservation about an hour before and tumbled in right on time to a bustling dining room.

Before I get to the food, I will say this: there is never a shortage of complete characters at Cavatappo. This time around we were seated next to four middle-aged diners, one of whom spent the evening regaling the others about her Xanax-and-three-martini flight habits, another of whom interrupted-- literally interrupted-- our waiter mid-discussion with us to demand the check. Ahhh, the Upper East Side.

First the bread. The picture is blurry, but the bread is reliable, and the olive oil was delicious. One piece dispatched quickly quieted my hungry stomach.

Hunks o' carbs

And then the entrees. AV went for a dish he has enjoyed thoroughly in the past, the rigatoni with eggplant, tomato sauce, and ricotta. This is one of those dishes that is hearty and warm and comforting all at once. A hefty portion of such is also only $15 (it's also available in an appetizer portion for $9).

AND it's vegetarian!

My choice was two veggie sides, a sauteed spinach and a sauteed broccoli. I asked for "easy on the oil" for both, as these types of veggies in restaurants can often just become oil bombs, and the kitchen complied. Both were well-cooked and fresh; the broccoli retained its al dente bite, which added some much-needed texture to the soft spinach. The two portions combined were huge-- I ate half of each and had the remainder for dinner the next day.

Forest of green

Broccoli trees

So for under $25 for the two of us, we were in and out with happy hearts and full bellies. I'll also add that the service at Cavatappo is always a delight-- we've had a number of different servers there, and they're always warm and friendly with a much-needed sense of humor. So once again, Cavatappo retains its four Offset Spatula status as our familiar neighborhood joint. I'd encourage you to check it out. Just don't take our table!

Cavatappo Grill
1712 First Avenue, between 88th and 89th Streets
212-987-9260