Thanksgiving: no joke in the Renery household

I have missed Thanksgiving at my house for the past 3 years.  This year I was home and took advantage of having access to EVERY ingredient necessary for an over-indulgent feast.  My family had a 25 pound turkey for 8 people.  We had an average of 4 sides and desserts per person.  It was NO JOKE, but soooooo delicious that I can't wait to wake up tomorrow and eat all the leftovers!!  Sadly, we were all so hungry that I couldn't get pics of the ham, creamed corn, stuffing, or cabbage.

I'm very thankful to be home this year and with my family and friends.  Happy holidays everyone!!

Pre-meal prep

Mozzarella, sundried tomato, and basil bread

Recipe

Pumpkin, feta, sunflower seed muffins

Recipe

Banana bread

 Recipe

Green beans, cherry tomatoes, almond, pancetta

TURKEY

Roasted veggies

Cranberry sauce with Meyer lemons

Anna's plate #1

Food coma

Unnecessary addition of cupcakes

Cherry Pie

Ice cream and coffee

Anna's dessert plate #1

Ed's Chowder House

I stumbled upon Ed's Chowder House at the Empire hotel in my quest for a pre-theater snack before seeing War Horse at Lincoln center.  And by snack I mean pisco sour and full-on meal.  The restaurant is absolutely stunning, but as the description I linked to above mentions, it does not match a typical chowder house conception.  It's far too elegant.  Taken in another setting, however, the decor is breathtaking.

The meal started off well with a twist on a pisco sour and a too-die-for bread basket.  For those of you who know me, if I could order bread for dinner, I'd probably do so.  Biscuits and cornbread equals heaven.  We followed that with a nice salmon cooked rare on top of a ratatouille, a tuna tartare with crispy wontons, and a side of asparagus.  All quite tasty and an overall perfect meal before catching a show.  FYI there is also a $39 pre-fix for theater goers, but we opted for ala carte.

Heavenly

Salmon and ratatouille

Tuna tartare, seaweed salad, and wontons

Asparagus with melted cheese

Lansky's Jewish Deli

I knew I was in for a good meal at Lansky's when they brought out the warm LOAF of banana bread with housemade strawberry butter to start the meal.  So good in fact that my mom and I ate a half the loaf and I snuck the rest in my purse for later.  For the rest of our meal, I ordered the crab cake eggs benedict (hold the sauce because I hate hollandaise sauce) and my mom ordered matzo ball soup and a half sandwich.  Everything was awesome!  It may have been my favorite meal I had in NYC.  The crab to cake ratio was ideal, the poached eggs were cooked perfectly so I got all the runny yolk to act as a sauce.  The soup was the best we tried all week.  AND for brunch on the weekend you get bottomless mimosas or bloodymary's for free.  We didn't partake, but I liked the option and could see a time in the future where I compliment my eggs with a little champagne and OJ.  If you're a New Yorker and haven't gone to Lansky's, get there ASAP!!

Delicious Banana Bread

Eggs benedict.  Increible son!

Matzo ball soup

Meat topped with sandwich

I heart NYC! A sampling of photos and food.

New York is the best city in the world.  Most of us love it or hate it, but we somehow keep finding our way back.  My relationship with New York (minus times square) is one of pure love.  I'd like to think it's the fast pace, incredible central park, culture, and wonderful people, but it's mainly for the food.  New York has EVERYTHING and is the mecca for trying new things and starting culinary trends.  From food trucks to cupcakes, to dim sum and arepas, New York houses the masterminds and always blows me away every time I visit.  Stay posted for some of my favorite spots from the trip.

Magnolia's - the birthplace of the cupcake

MMMMM

Mama at Rockefeller Center

Birthday dinner with my besties!

Fritto Misto: Pasta in Santa Monica

As evident from the following photos, my recent stint at Fritto Misto with an old friend from college was by no means a light meal.  Fritto Misto is famous for it's homemade pastas and for good reason.  The menu has 2 pages of suggested pasta combos or you can design your own.  I'm not usually a pasta person, but there is literally nothing else on the menu so I went for the pesto, chicken pasta.  There is an option for a "lighter" version strictly underscored with a comment that you will be compromising flavor if choosing this option. I, however, will most certainly choose this option in the future because there was a little too much fat, I mean "flavor", on my regular plate.  A great choice for pasta lovers, but I would have liked to see a fish or pizza on the menu as well. 

Pesto pasta with chicken and more pesto

Spicy chicken pasta

Spago: A Los Angeles Favorite

 Spago, one of Wolfgang Puck's staple restaurants, does not disappoint.  Everything is rich and indulgent from the wine to the tempura fried fig in the appetizer below.  It's simply spot-on and you get what you pay for.  The restaurant itself is big with a large open kitchen and the sweet, sweet smell of, well, everything permiating through the dinning room.  Spago was once a 2 Michelin star restaurant in 2008 and has been outshined lately by some of the restuarant scene newcomers, but it's still a classic and perfect place. 

We ordered the fig and burrata cheese appetizer which was melt in your mouth delicious.  The cheese was so soft and rich.  The salty ham and sweet figs balanced out nicely.  Loved it!  Next came the fish and veal courses.  I ordered the veal because anything that says "caramelized" in it is just irresistible to me.  It was medium rare, hearty and awesome.  The fish was good, but not as flavor-packing as my sugar encrusted monstrously large veal chop.  We were so done by the end that dessert was not an option this time.  Not the world's best restaurant, but up there.

TENERELLI FARM’S ADRIATIC FIG AND BURRATA “MOZZARELLA”
PROSCIUTTO DI PARMA, AGED BALSAMIC AND MICRO GREENS

CARAMELIZED “NATURAL” VEAL CHOP
Bacon Confit, Pearl Onions, Ragout and Puree of Summer Shelling Beans, Natural Jus with Caramelized Garlic

PAN-ROASTED ALASKAN HALIBUT
Maine Lobster, Sautéed Sweet Corn, Young Onions, Puree of Sweet Corn and Sauce Américaine

Commis Michelin Star Restaurant Preview

This post is long overdue considering that Commis was the first place I ate upon my return to the US.  I had to do my first official meal justice by eating at this highly praised restaurant in Oakland.  Commis has a seasonal, prefix menu that changes weekly.  It's $68 per person, so save it for a splurge-night.  The menu, which claims to be 5 courses, but ends up being 7 from all the little touches, is worth at least $68.  Definitely one of the best restaurants I've been too. 

The photos are of the first two courses right before my camera died.  Genia, I know...  Anyhow, I didn't want to ruin the surprise by posting all the courses.  If you have a chance to explore this Oakland hotspot, you will not be disappointed.

Egg yolk in amazing sauce and quinoa brittle

Squash soup that I could eat daily for the rest of my life