IX

Brunch is my favorite meal. It's the first meal eaten after a great night out and it's the perfect meal to catch up with friends. I know, it's not really a legit meal but I'd go with brunch food any time of the day and I couldn't say that about any other meal.

Brunch on a gorgeous Saturday was at Bar Boulud and having never been to any of Daniel Boulud's restaurants, this was excellent start to working my way through his kingdom. The dishes were quite delicious despite having to hear an incredibly loud jackhammer right outside the door the whole time. I went with my go-to, the eggs benedict, and you'd think that it wouldn't be too hard to produce a poached egg (as in, the yolk should spill out when the egg is cut open) and a nice hollandaise sauce but I've had plenty of bad ones in my lifetime. Luckily, Bar Boulud did not disappoint me. I'm going to attempt to make homemade eggs benedict just to see if it's that difficult to produce eggs that aren't overdone and a hollandaise sauce that isn't bland.

Oeufs Florentine: poached eggs with ham, spinach hollandaise sauce, whole wheat toast

gauffre belge: belgian waffle, pear-quince marmalade and almond butter a la mode

Paté Grand-Mère: fine country pâté, chicken liver, pork and cognac

saumon fume: smoked salmon club with avocado, tomato, lettuce and chive créme fraîche

tarte du jour

ile flottante: floating island, praline rouge, vanilla creme anglaise

I don't smoke cigarettes but there is something so relaxing and enjoyable with smoking cigars. I've smoked cigars once before and that was at a wedding in Charleston so it was a different experience doing it at a cigar lounge in the upper east side. I went with a mini at Club Macanudo and it's tough maximizing a mini.... ;o) Next time, I'll definitely go with a regular sized one.

VIII

Dear Short Ribs:

I love you more than any other cut of beef. Yes, you are a three day process but clearly, some things are worth the wait. Paired with a rosemary white bean puree and a homemade loaf of rosemary bread, you are the ultimate dinner. Thank you for being your luscious, fatty self. I wouldn't want you any other way. Well...perhaps in a grilled cheese, caramelized onion sandwich but that'll be for another day.

Love,
Me

Balthazar's Braised Short Ribs Recipe

Makes 4 servings

2-1/2 lbs. (about 1 kg) beef shortribs – about 2 to 3 large meaty ribs
Salt and pepper
2 Tablespoons neutral oil
1 stalk celery, diced
3 carrots, diced
1 onion, chopped
3 shallots, chopped
3 large garlic cloves, chopped
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
2 Tablespoons flour
1/2 cup port
2 cups red wine
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
8 sprigs fresh thyme
3 cups beef stock

1. 
   Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut each long rib in half and season with salt and fresh ground pepper.
2. 
   In an enameled cast iron pot, heat oil on medium heat. Add the ribs to the pot and brown on all sides. Once browned, remove from pot and set aside.
3. 
   Add carrots, onion, shallot, celery and garlic to the pot and sauté until softened and golden brown, about 7 minutes. Stir often to prevent burning.
4. 
   Stir tomato paste into vegetable mix. Add flour and stir to combine. Cook for another 2 minutes.
5. 
   Add wine, port and herbs. Turn heat to medium-high and simmer for about 10 minutes, until mixture begins to reduce. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking and burning.
6. 
   Add stock and return ribs to pot. Cover tightly and put in the oven. Cook for 3 hours, checking on them each hour to ensure nothing is burning at the bottom of the pot. The meat should be very tender.
7. 
   Once the ribs are done, use tongs to remove the ribs from the sauce. Place meat in a bowl and set aside. With a mesh strainer or cheesecloth-lined colander, strain sauce into a saucepan, pressing on solids to extract all liquid. Discard solids.
8. 
   Bring strained sauce to a boil and reduce for about 10 minutes. Pour sauce over ribs and serve.

VII

Graffiti of the Month


the ideal

embodies the truth

void of any pretension

loves with abandon

VI

What to do on a gorgeous Friday when I don't have work and it's the first nice day of the year? Lunch with Katya in the Meatpacking District. Everyone else clearly had the same idea in mind so the wait at our first dining option, Pastis, was out of the question. I love their food but was entirely too hungry to wait an hour. The Collective was just as good, the wait was only half an hour and the people watching was just as enjoyable.

Apple, walnut, dried cranberries, blue cheese, endive salad

Yummy carby goodness.

Loved the bathroom lobby

Cheesecake and an eclair from Sweet Heart Bakery for dessert

Ended the day in Union Square