Caroline's Kitchen Table

When I go to New York City, I feel like I am in a movie. Not like in L.A. where you actually feel like you are on a movie set and are uneasy because everyone looks plastic. But the type of feeling that is very real, very funny, and very familiar—I love it.

Brian and I headed out east a couple of weeks back for our friend’s wedding. While on the “island” we enlisted my friend Greta as our tour guide through the Apple. Greta is a serious nomad who has called London, Florence, and Santiago in Barrio Bellavista her home. Greta moved to NYC a measly two weeks ago with just two suitcases. She flew us around that city as though she had the New York brogue.

As we walked the streets, we were constantly reminded of all that has been filmed in the city. We went to Bobby Flay’s favorite falafel joint, Liz Lemon’s cupcake shop, Kramer’s bagel employer, and of course we encountered some Sex and the City references as well. But this was supposed to be my piece of New York pop culture, not theirs.

If my trip to NYC was filmed it would have consisted of walking, eating, subway riding, and then eating again. We did not do anything particularly fabulous, we did not go to fancy restaurants, or any hot boutiques. We did a lot of people watching, catching up with old friends, and taking pictures of food.

East Coast Food highlights:

-Falafel at Taim – Bobby Flay was right, one of the best!
-Abby and Adam’s wedding appetizers – Killer lamb chops (perfect rosemary marinade)
-Magnolia’s Hummingbird cupcake – the ideal mixture of sustenance and sweet
-A hot H & H bagel – not to be missed if you are on the island
-Red Snapper Fish Tacos at Mama Mexico

The trip was not complete without a brief comedic interlude. The last meal in NYC was tough to finish, but it was worth skipping TGI Friday’s fried onion blossom at the Newark airport. Greta had a large seafood salad and asked if I wanted a nibble. I told her that I was about to bust. She did not take no for an answer and hand-fed me the scallop. She inadvertently splashed a dollop of red sauce on my dress. I did not notice, and she considered not telling me until she realized that our friend, Joe, had seen the entire exchange. She fessed up and I thought, eh, no big deal it will match my cupcake stain from earlier. No need to burst my bubble, I realize my NYC “movie” would not have attracted the masses, but I guess the movies/shows that I like best are the ones that deal with the ordinary and the flawed anyways.

Time to cook; I am going to leave the falafel up to Taim, but I am going to give those lamb chops a try…

Lamb Chops
meat marinade inspired by Chef Bubula | Kendall College

equal parts: rosemary and thyme – chopped
2 large cloves of garlic – minced
s and p
olive oil
2 pounds lamb chops

Prepare the rosemary, thyme and garlic. Once each of the marinade ingredients are chopped separately, chop together to create a cohesive mixture. Season the lamb chops with salt and fresh ground pepper. In a large ziplock bag combine the chops and garlic/herb mixture, finally drizzle in the olive oil in the bag until the meat is just coated. Shake the bag so that each piece of meat is covered. Place the bag in the refrigerator for at least a half an hour. Prepare grill. Cook the chops over medium to high heat for 5-6 minutes on either side or until it feels somewhat tender and somewhat firm (medium rare).

I served my chops with pesto pasta and salted fresh tomatoes.

This entry was posted on Saturday, August 15th, 2009 at 2:13 pm and is filed under Lamb Chops, Meat Marinade, NYC. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.