Olive salad is a thing of beauty. Often it’s comes in jars as bits and pieces of olives and pickled veg, the very thing to gild a Muffaletta (a large round sandwich piled with ham, provolone, salami, mortadella, and Swiss, topped with chopped olive salad). Recently the Louisiana Restaurant Expo beautifully showcased a lot of local flavors, and among them, Perrone & Son’s line of stellar foods - most notably, the return of “whole olive salad.” Giant whole, pit-free green and Kalamata olives tangle in a sharp, briny oil and vinegar-based dressing with tender-crisp carrot rounds, cauliflower florets, pimento bits, capers, and the ocassional pepperocini…heaven. Sometimes, there’s no need for the sandwich, it’s just me, a bowl of olive salad, an ice-cold Moretti beer and my food mags. Ahhh Sunday.
I usually don’t work on Mondays and love to go out for breakfast or lunch by myself, a good book in hand. Last Monday, I decided to go to my neighborhood Spanish tapas restaurant and take advantage of their happy hour special–$1 oysters from 5-7pm! I cannot think of a better way to spend a Monday afternoon.
Instead of regular old French fries, a small taco stand in my neighborhood serves these–deep fried strips of yucca with chipotle ketchup and jalapeno mayo dipping sauces. Muy delicioso! Washed down with a cold cerveza, this was a really great snack. Although, eating two tacos and half a torta with them, did put me over the edge…
Are you gambler, willing to take risks in the name of food and taste? Well, you just might want to try. These petite, bright green, mostly mild, peppershail from and are named for, the Spanish municipality of Padron. They are also known as “Roulette peppers,” because 1 in 10 is hot. During the months of July and August, the number of hot peppers can increase, but it’s always a gamble with this “Capsicum Annuum.” Prepared simply by pan frying or oven-roasting with olive oil and a generous dusting of salt, the gently smoky flavor is addictive and the small size of the pepper makes them easy to pop, one after the other, like chips. Come on, roll the dice.
I’m a pickle fanatic. Sour, dill, briney, winey, or sweet, I love them all. Traditional pickling is a glorious labor of love, but I simply haven’t been able to make the time, so “quick” pickles call out to me for a multitude of reasons, and they are simply delicious. Earlier this week I quick-pickled baby carrots, baby French beans and cucmbers, in organic brwon-rice vinegar spiced with herbs and peppers from my garden, and good-quality whole spices from Flavorbank. This morning these bright, bold pickles decorated my favorite new eye-opener, a Tres Generaciones Anejo Tequila “Sangrita” created by genius bartender “Bobby G.” The only thing to say is Ole!
Picture 1 from 4: Vietnamese jewelry designers will help you choose a piece of jewelry or custom-design something for you while you wait!
At Bahn Mi Saigon Bakery, you can get great Vietnamese sandwiches and handmade jewelry! While waiting for your sandwich to be made (and if it’s during the lunch hour, that wait might be 30 minutes), you can have one of the women who work in the front of the shop create a one-of-a-kind beaded bracelet or necklace for you.
This shop which is part jewelry store and part sandwich shop is just a tiny, narrow storefront in NYC’s Chinatown neighborhood. Tucked between street vendor stalls selling fresh produce, if you didn’t know there was a bakery in the back, you’d never think to stop in for one of the city’s best bahn mi because the window display offers nothing but jewelry!
Yup, that’s right, dental floss flavored like our favorite breakfast food items. Imagine coffee breath taken to the next level, or explore the latest craze “tartar and waffles.” Me, I’m all about the bacon floss…but that should come as no surprise. Got a sweet tooth? There’s also frosting-flavored cupcake floss. Will the madness ever end? I hope not.
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