BCD takes NYC: "Fabulous in Fall" Edition -- Day 1

by Erin and Xani



While a normal report of one's vacation would include highlights, including culinary ones, we do it a little differently around BCD. You see, when we go on vacation, especially our trips to NYC, we put in literally months of research to determine where we should eat. Thus, everywhere we go is a highlight :) That's why it takes us 3 posts to write about one weekend, because every restaurant was hand-picked and highly anticipated.


So, let's start with Day 1 (of 3)! Actually, we should start with day -1 (??) because before we got to NYC, we spent some time in Philadelphia. Xani had been in Philly for work for the week, and then EP and friends Matt and Smulson drove up from Baltimore on Thursday night to see the much-awaited It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia LIVE show! For those who don't know, It's Always Sunny is a TV show on FX that recently went on tour, so to speak. We are huge fans of this television show and our friend Andy not only hooked us up with great tickets, but also was one of the driving forces behind the show's existence! Thanks Andy - we love you! The show was, in a word: awesome.





"Are you chewing gum??" (And yes, that's Danny DeVito!)



"Day Man!"

Of course, while we were in the City of Brotherly Love, we had to have cheesesteaks! We went to Jim's before the show and got a classic cheesesteak with provolone (not cheez wiz - can't bring ourselves to eat that!) and an Italian cold cut sub. Both were good, neither blew our minds. I hope we don't get threatening emails over that last sentence like the Magnolia Cupcake incident of '08.





The following morning, we took the trusty Bolt Bus to NYC!! Two hours later we arrived at Madison Square Garden and got a cab to BFF Lauren's place of work, where we dropped our bags. Thanks LP! Then, excitingly, Xani and I were off on our own in NYC. We had a game plan, and it had alliteration: Prune, Porchetta, Pinkberry.

We took a cab down to the Lower East Side and started at Prune. We'd been to Prune before in February for Xani's birthday, and were eager to get back for some snacks and cocktails. Daytime drinking is classy when you do it at Prune ;)

For our drinks, we got their famous Bloody Mary and also a Ghost of Mary, which Xani had the last time we were there. The Bloody Mary was very fresh-tasting and definitely homemade, with a good amount of fresh horseradish. The Ghost of Mary was much lighter and very refreshing, due in part to their using tomato water (they strain their Bloody Mary mix to make a consumme of tomato, of sorts) and lemon vodka. Yum!



While drinking our drinks, we were noshing on the various garnishes (house-pickled, of course) and we ate what appeared to be a pickled green grape and it was so delicious! We asked the waitress for more of them (greedy for garnishes, we are) and she informed us that they were pickled, unripe (green) grape tomatoes! Called "tom-olives" in the biz. She told us we could buy them at Zabars, so we did!



She brought us extra tomolives!

Then we got two little snackers to go with our cocktails and garnishes. Again, one was a repeat and one was new. The repeat was "Cold Spicy Eggplant, Fried Salt Cod, Hard Boiled Egg" which was just as delicious and interesting as we remembered. As described, it was spicy, smoky, salty and a wee bit fishy from the cod, but then it had a beautifully cooked egg and some creme fraiche on top. These were served with grilled bread with black and white sesame seeds, and the whole thing was very satisfying.



We also got the Sous Chef Salad, which had lovely greens, boiled potato, cheddar cheese, radishes, fresh corn, walnuts, and a vinaigrette made with walnut oil. Yum!



After our visit at Prune, we headed to our next stop just a few blocks away: Porchetta (pronounced por-KET-ah). (And on our way we saw a MOVIE STAR!! Bryan Greenberg! Swoon!) We've had our eye on Porchetta since we strolled by it on our way to Butter Lane last February, and were almost carried away by the scent of roasted pork, like in the cartoons.



Porchetta has approximately 2 things on its menu: roasted pork, and potatoes cooked in the pork fat with the "burnt ends" of the pork (crispy pieces of porky goodness). We got both, natch. We ordered the pork in sandwich form and it was SO. GOOD. It was super-flavorful from the herbs rubbed on it, and it had a contrast in texture between the meat and the crispy skin - when's the last time you got delicious crispy pork skin in the US, much less on a sandwich in the middle of NYC?! The potatoes were, as predicted, incredible. Potatoes + pork fat + burnt ends = magic.





Last stop of the afternoon was Pinkberry, the frozen yogurt craze that is sweeping the nation. Xani had had Pinkberry before but EP had only had one of the knock-offs in Baltimore, so we were excited to get a sweet treat at the original yogurt shop. The verdict? Pinkberry actually IS better than the knock-offs! Xani insisted there was a difference but EP wasn't convinced until that moment. We got the regular "tangy" flavor with kiwi and strawberry, and then a coconut-flavored yogurt plus chocolate-covered crisps on top. It was sweet but not too sweet, and a great (light) dessert after our multi-stop lunch in the East Village.





We then walked all the way back to Lauren's office in Tribeca (and worked off approximately one bite of pork), and changed for dinner. (I swear, there were many hours between Pinkberry and dinner!!) For dinner we gathered cousins Ann and Steven, cousin Brian, friend Melody, and of course BFF Lauren at a wonderful Peruvian place called Yerba Buena. Since we had a large group, we ordered MANY things to share. Some of the highlights were the taquitos (so tiny!), the fish tacos, both ceviches (one was flounder and one was ribeye with sea urchin!), the guacamole, the empanadas, the croquetes, and of course, the cocktails! As is often the case when we get this crew together, much of our energy is focused on catching up with our dining companions, so the food is (for once) not our main focus.



Awesomely spicy guacamole



Empanadas with Peruvian corn (it was gigantic!)



Croquetes of manchego cheese - TDF!



Rib-eye ceviche with sea urchin (uni) and more Peruvian corn



Taquitos - so tiny; see lime for scale!



Churros - a great end to the meal

Whew - what a day! A couple more NYC posts comin' atcha in the coming days!

We'd like to send a big THANK YOU to everyone who has been voting for us as the best Foodie blog in Maryland on the Baltimore Sun's Outstanding Blog awards, the Mobbies! Keep up the great work! Remember you can vote once a day, every day, until October 9th!

Happy voting,

EP & X

National Coffee Day

by Xani
I just found out it's National Coffee Day! Since coffee is half of the reason we exist (maybe even more than half), I couldn't let it go without mention. To celebrate, check out our previous posts about COFFEE.

Don't forget to enjoy a delicious donut with your coffee to make the experience complete-- and don't forget to vote for BCD in the Baltimore Sun's Mobbie awards!

It's about time to get a cup myself...

X

We’re Nom-Nom-NOMINATED!!

by Xani and Erin

Here’s the big news you’ve been waiting for! Black Coffee and a Donut has been nominated for a Mobbie—the Baltimore Sun’s awards for Maryland’s Outstanding Blogs—in the Foodie Blogs category, natch.

“Vote for the blogs. Take the cannolis.”

So here’s the deal: you vote by clicking HERE. (Note that you have to create a username and password for the Baltimore Sun but it's no biggie. We're worth it, right??) You can vote once a day, everyday, starting Monday, September 28, at 8am, until October 9 at 5pm. So vote, vote often, and TELL YOUR FRIENDS! We have no shame and will be launching a massive campaign to gather votes. We’ll be hitting up our friends and family, utilizing all our social networking skillz, and activating our Wonder Twin powers!

We're so excited to be nominated and hope you will support BCD and help us win our first ever award. We've got some stiff competition, but we know our fans will come through for us. You'll be handsomely rewarded with more great content and, possibly, cookies (we better read the fine print first though- cookie bribes might be expressly prohibited).

Let the voting begin!

X & EP

Hello, Blog, My Old Friend

by Xani

Hey! Blogging! I remember this! Been a while, but it's just like riding a bike, right? Life has been a whirlwind lately, and rather than bore you with excuses about why I haven't been blogging, I'll get right to the action...

Item the first: BCD Goes Gutenberg.

That's right, we're in print! Starting this month, we will have a monthly column in our neighborhood newsletter, the Federal Hill South Free News-- hoorah! Lovely Editor Michelle, an old colleague of mine, is a fan of the blog and asked us to be her regular food columnists-- SCORE. The newsletters should be posted on the website regularly, but until then, you can check out our column here (and the second page here).

Item the second: BCD needs your help!

Very soon we will be asking for your help in winning a local blogging award. We'll keep you posted on how to vote and show your support for BCD. STAY TUNED!!

Item the third: FOOD. That's what you're here for, right?

While I was too busy to blog, I did find a leeeetle time to have fun, cook, eat and entertain. We had one small bbq when my friend Hayley and her husband came to visit from Cleveland, and another, more elaborate one the weekend right after the Blackacre Blowout, at which point I almost died from over-entertaining. Here's a rundown of the eats:

BBQ #1

• Gazpacho
• BBQ chicken
• grilled corn
• yellow watermelon and feta salad
• nectarine and blueberry gallette

Sounds simple, right? And in reality, we did try to keep everything light, easy, casual-- and it worked! But more importantly, everything was SO delicious. We used almost all local farmer's market produce, which made all the sides especially yummy. The gazpacho, which I had been talking about making all summer but didn't get around to until August was absolutely summer at its best, especially with the homemade croûtons and other garnishes to sprinkle on top.

The watermelon and feta salad was a test-run for the dish we wanted to make at the Blackacre Blowout, and this version was so fresh and interesting that it secured a spot on the menu for the big party. The chicken, however, was really the star of the show. I have to give FULL CREDIT to my wonderful boyfriend, D, who proved at this party, and the next, that he is a true bbq master. (That's right, boyfriend. (!!) Who cooks. Really well. Didn't I mention life has been crazy lately? But in a good way, sometimes :) ) I'm not even really sure what he did with this chicken-- it involved a new piece of a equipment which has taken up residence in my backyard-- a smoker. D+ smoker+magic= amazingly delicious bbq chicken! It was so moist, with perfectly crispy skin and wonderful smoky flavor. A triumph. We also grilled up some fresh local corn, which was just as sweet as any I had all summer.

Dinner wouldn't be complete without dessert, specifically my new obsession, random fruit gallete. I threw together the dough early in the day, mixed some sliced local nectarines and blueberries with a touch of sugar, some flour, and lemon juice and voila!

uncooked

cooked!

So all that was just bbq #1! Bbq # 2 was for a few more people and was just a touch more elaborate...

For our starter, we made a fantastic chilled zucchini soup. Unlike the vegan recipe we used for the Blackacre party, this one was chock full of homemade chicken stock, milk, and sour cream (of course, it's James Beard, after all). Lots of hot pepper flakes, too! It was a great first bite to warm up the palette- cold, rich, spicy.

D was on meat-duty again, and he pulled out all the stops by smoking some fantastic St. Louis style ribs, as well as a brisket that cooked OVERNIGHT. In my backyard. Let me rephrase: something in my backyard was on fire all night. I was certain the fire department was going to be called-- the whole neighborhood smelled like a campfire... oops! But the payoff was totally worth it. We were in serious meat-heaven...

rib-a-rama

massive piles of meats

the elusive smoke ring!

Along with the meat we served a bunch of sides-- again focusing on using the last of the local summer fruits and veggies. We made this recipe for Ina Garten's Sagaponack Corn Pudding that I have been lusting after for, literally, years. It did NOT disappoint. Fresh corn, cream, ricotta, basil, cheddar cheese- what could be bad? (There are somehow no pics of the finished pudding-- probably we were in too much of a rush to devour it. Here are some of us putting it together, thanks to our personal paparazzo, Max!)

While D was slaving over a hot grill and many pounds of meat, he also made this grilled potato and scallion salad, which was good but could have been better if not for an inherent recipe flaw-- everyone knows that vinaigrette should be pured over WARM potatoes, to allow them to soak up the dressing. This recipe, however, said the potatoes and scallions could be grilled ahead of time and tossed with the dressing the day of the party. Also, it said the bacon in the recipe was "optional." BACON IS NEVER OPTIONAL!

We also made a simple Israeli salad with tomatoes, cukes, red onion, and simple lemon-y dressing. Aaaah refreshing!

All of of guests seemed to enjoy the various offerings, along with LOTS of beer. There were several sauces to accompany the meat, and lots of napkins used to wipe fingers and faces. What a meal!

We finished up with great conversation and dueling peach desserts. OK, not really dueling, as I would never dessert-duel with our friend Joy, who is a professional pastry chef! I made a rustic peach-pecan crumble and she brought a gorgeous lemon-verbena tart topped with fresh peaches. Two desserts= we're all winners!

It seems like it will be awhile before we have another bbq. A taligate, maybe. A pumpkin-carving party, possibly. But summer is over and fall is in the air-- bring on the coziness!

So Long Summer,

X

P.S. We're hoping to get back to more regularly blogging, including the special announcement, philly and nyc trips, and more super-jumbo lobsters, coming soon!

Blackacre Blowout!

by Erin and Xani



Last weekend we finally had our long-awaited Housewarming for Blackacre! Disguised as a Labor Day party, we were able to get lots of our friends and a few family (and near-family) members out to the shore to eat, drink, swim, and bask in the sun.

As is typical for the BCD family, we started planning this shindig weeks - nay, months? - before the big day. Of course the party had to be elaborately themed, and BCD Dad thought a South of France them would be most appropriate considering the surroundings. We did a lot of menu research and had several family conference calls (yes, seriously) to plan the party.

Finally, we decided on a menu:

• Chilled zucchini soup with arugula oil


• Gruyere and caramelized onion tart


• Mediterranean relish with pita chips


• Open faced ratatouille sandwiches


• Ham, gruyere, and apple sandwiches


• Watermelon and feta salad


• Green bean and tomato salad with herbs
  
• Fresh fruit


• Olives and cornichons
  

We had a great time putting this menu together and cooking everything throughout the weekend. Some of the recipes are old favorites (e.g., mediterranean relish, ham/gruyere/apple sandwich) while others were new for us. In either case, we did many, MANY calculations to determine how much of each dish we should make. We were expecting around 80 people for a lunchtime party, so we knew people were going to eat and drink a lot, we just weren't sure how much. Let's just say we spent a decent amount of time calculating how many ounces of watermelon we would get out of a 10lb watermelon for the watermelon/feta salad, and calculators and pi were involved. Mmm pi....

Once we had finally determined how much of each dish to make, we got to cookin'. Xani was in charge of the Gruyere and Caramelized Onion Tart. She is a master at making pie dough (just like our Grandma Irma!) and uses a special rolling out technique that gives the dough a puff pastry-like quality when baked. When paired with uber-caramelized onions, shredded gruyere, and a bit of dijon mustard, the tart was one of the major hits of the party! SO delicious with wonderfully strong flavors.

BCD Dad had the task of cararmelizing the onions until they were practically onion jam. Here is a photo montage:

Ta da!

Erin made the mediterranean relish (we calculated that we should make SEVEN times the recipe - we were a little conservative, meaning we ended up with mucho leftovers), a classic in our hors d'oeuvres arsenal. It was a hit, as usual!

BCD Mom was in charge of the chilled zucchini soup, which was surprisingly good considering it was VEGAN. We served the soup in little dixie cups so people could have a 1-2 sip serving, as opposed to serving the soup in bowls, and we kept the soup cold by putting the tray of cups in a hotel pan filled with ice. The system worked beautifully! We wanted to add a no-fuss garnish to the soup (meaning easy to be eaten in one sip), so we made an arugula oil to put on top via squeeze bottle. Normal! In addition, we made some delicious homemade croutons that guests could add if they wanted.

Zo much zucchini

The two sandwiches were hits as well. We wanted to serve a vegetarian "main dish" and ratatouille seemed like the perfect dish. Instead of making ratatouille sandwiches, which we feared would get soggy over time, we opted for an "open-face" format where we served toasted slices of baguette that had been drizzled with olive oil and salt and pepper, and guests could compose their own sandwiches. We were told that it was some of the best ratatouille our guests had ever had!

The ham and gruyere sandwich was a repeat from our Bastille Day party back in '05 (pre-blog!). The sandwich includes ham, sliced gruyere, and sliced golden delicious apples on baguette, with a sour cream-bleu cheese spread. A-mazing. Xani had the cute idea to leave the butcher paper on the outside of each sandwich, so it was like the sandwich was from a bistro!

Our two salads were delicious and refreshing. The green bean-tomato salad used lots of fresh herbs and a simple vinaigrette.

Xani made up the recipe for the watermelon-feta salad, which includes only 4 ingredients: watermelon, feta cheese, mint, and black pepper. Yum!

In addition to everything, we served a bowl of fresh stone fruit from Emily's, the farmstand down the road (and by "down the road," I mean 20 minutes away), a plate of olives and cornichon, and peanuts in the shell.

As for booze, we served a chilled Rosé (Costiére de Nimes), and we got a keg of Stella Artois. We also had the fixings for a campari cocktail (campari, soda, twist of lemon). Many drinks were drank :)

We did not do a dessert (except the fresh fruit) because we told our friends if they wanted to bring something, bring a dessert - and they did! We had many yummy desserts on hand from friends including Emily, who made raspberry and chocolate macarons from scratch!



As you can tell from the pictures, in addition to all the cooking we did, we also had red, white, and blue decorations, French music (including but not limited to Edith Piaf, Maurice Chevalier, Carla Bruni, Charles Trenet, and Brigitte Bardot) and we OF COURSE made signs for the party. Dad bought some plastic menu holders for us so we printed out the signs (in French and English) and then decorated with red and blue stickers of all shapes and sizes. We may or may not have spent half an hour looking for appropriate stickers in the craft store (esp. the sale bins - only one dollar!).

In addition to lots of eating and drinking, our friends and family enjoyed the pool, the kayak, a few friendly games of petanque (bocce ball), and many hours sitting by the Bay and enjoying the sunshine. What a great way to say goodbye to the summer! We're so glad so many of our friends could make it all the way out to Blackacre (and sorry to our guests who got caught in the Bridge traffic!) - thanks everyone!

Special thanks to Michael, Cookie, and Lynn, our helpers for the day - we couldn't have had such a successful, organized party without you! And of course, a million thanks to our wonderful parents who let us throw parties at their gorgeous home. Thanks Mom and Dad! We love you!!



So long summer,

E & X