Friday, March 30, 2007

Second flavor: Suzie's sweet caramelized garlic chicken

Aunt Suzie restaurant
Park Slope, Brooklyn
247 5th Ave
(718) 788-2868

So recently for St Patrick's Day, my husband and I wandered up 5th Ave in Brooklyn to a few fun bars we hadn't been to before, one of which was the Lighthouse. When I looked it up online, it said something about "all you Park Slopers will know Aunt Suzie's; we're right next door..." which made me say, hmmm, take mental note to check out Aunt Suzie's! I looked it up online later, and sure enough it got rave reviews as an Italian home-cooking, affordable Brooklyn establishment.

As it is still restaurant week (see my previous post), actually, last night was the FINAL night of restaurant week, we wanted to be sure and take part one more time. 3 courses for less than $22, at tons of Brooklyn restaurants, you can't go wrong! So we again wandered up 5th avenue. We passed Blue Ribbon, which had people pouring out onto the streets waiting, and went up to Aunt Suzie to check it out. We walked in and right away I said "ooh, this is very cute. Why haven't we come here yet?". It's not a huge place, not that many Brooklyn OR NY restaurants are, but it felt very comfortable. There were tables in a variety of different shapes, some square, some round, some rectangular, with different types of chairs and antique-looking benches. There actually were a lot of bigger tables, so I'd say it's a good place to bring 4 or more. Unique chandeliers, and walls covered with old black and white pictures of things such as "Coney Island in the 30's".

We waited only about 5 minutes or so and then were seated at a round table that would seat 4, even though there were just 2 of us. As we sat down, I had a flashback of staying at a cute B&B in Warwick, NY, where there are antiques and cozy grandmother-style elements all around. There were paper doilies under each place-setting and crystal-style glasses that looked like they were from an older time period, plus different cloth napkins that looked like they were from someone's home instead of a 5th Ave restaurant.

We checked out the menu, and were excited by the different Italian options with many flavors included, and at the very reasonable prices. I proclaimed that this was "my new favorite restaurant", despite the fact that we hadn't eaten anything yet! We definitely planned to come back again sometime to sample different things. The menu includes appetizers such as mussels, pasta fagioli, seafood salad, and egglplant caponata. The salads sound fabulous, such as one with "honey roasted pear, goat cheese, & walnuts over mixed greens." There is a HUGE pasta list, and all the pasta dishes are 10.90. Like literally over 20 different options. The entree list is where the sweet-spot is, with things like Chicken Vagabond (with mozzarella, onions, mushrooms, & prosciutto in a marsala sauce) and shrimp fortunata (with fresh tomatoes, prosciutto, and mozzarella in a white wine sauce). They have pork, veal, duck and steak options, plus shrimp, mussels, salmon and tuna. They over a few pizzas, as well as a "really cheap menu" with things like chicken parm if you like.

Well last night was the restaurant week as I said, so for $22 each, we got a decent sized salad to share, a pasta dish each, a main dish each, and a dessert and coffee each. Pretty great value. The salad was amazing, topped with roasted red peppers, a mixture of beans and chickpeas, some carrots and salami, it was a virtual antipasti platter atop a salad, with a great olive oil dressing.

OH-- almost forgot, before the salad, they bring everyone a bread basket AND a plate of red pepper pesto and bruschetta toppings....divine! The pesto was amazing, we definitely wanted to lick the plate. Aunt Suzie, you should sell that stuff in bottles!

Back to the meal. The pasta was well-prepared, and the feature of the evening was my main course--- Chicken Garlissimo. I've never had anything like it--- caramelized garlic atop butterflied boneless chicken breast. The caramelized garlic was prepared in a rich, sweet sauce, and there literally must have been a whole HEAD of garlic on my plate. Each clove of garlic was dark, sweet, soft, and succulent. It literally melted in your mouth. I had basically one clove with every bite of my chicken. I've never eaten whole cloves of garlic like that before, definitely never had caramalized garlic, and never eaten so MUCH at one sitting! I believe I am still reeking of garlic today. ;) Apparently garlic is great for you cholesterol and blood pressure, not to mention immune system, though, so hey rock on. The dish was excellent, I highly recommend it.

My husband had the grilled tuna, which was fresh and well-cooked, with a nice subtle flavor, if a bit plain. For dessert with the set menu I had a hot fudge sundae with EXCELLENT fudge (mmmm), and the husband got the chocolate mousse which was good if you like mousse (I'm more of an ice cream chick myself!). We had a bottle of Montepulciano de Abruzzo wine which was excellent and only $15 a bottle, as well as coffee.

We will be back at Aunt Suzie's I'm sure! AND they deliver in Park Slope, come on!
My parents are coming to town this weekend coming up, for Easter, and I think they'd really enjoy the character of it and the food, so we'll try and take them. They're actually staying on our floor (!) for 5 (yes 5) nights, it will be an adventure! But it is also an excuse to go on a culinary tour of NYC (not like I wasn't already doing that), so I'll keep you posted on our food delights.

June, 2007 addendum-- we have since gone to Aunt Suzie's for brunch, and it was great-- about $16 each, includes champagne mimosas and breakfast buffet-- they had 3 different kinds of sausages, bacon, eggs, omelettes made-to-order, crepes, waffles & pancakes, several kinds of pasta and salads, chicken piccata, and a whole dessert spread including rice puddings, chocolate mousse, peach cobbler & brownies. All felt very home-made and delicious, and the group we were with enjoyed the atmosphere.

Aunt Suzie's Restaurant on Urbanspoon

Saturday, March 24, 2007

The First Flavor... Magnolia, our local favorite

I decided to start my 52 flavor experience with the restaurant nearest and dearest to my heart (and to my apartment-- it's right around the corner!), in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Yes I've been there before, and most of my 52 flavors will be new ones for me, but it's always nice to start off with something special, and Magnolia is definitely that.

Magnolia is located on the corner of 12th Street and 6th Aveneue in Park Slope, in a residential area not too far from Prospect Park. When we first moved to the neighborhood, we spotted it quickly when taking a walk, and noticed that its candlelight and white lights outside at night just seemed to emanate the word "cozy." However we first tried it for their Sunday brunch that they advertise on chalkboard signs when you walk by the outside (not for the candlelit dinners) . For a set price of $8.95 (or $11.95 including a brunch cocktail-- mimosa or bloody mary), you get one of their brunch or lunch specials, their signature "breakfast bread" that I can never get enough of, juice and coffee. We thought that was a great deal for NYC brunch, and became regulars for Sunday brunch here, especially when guests came to town. I particularly enjoy the eggs florentine, and my husband adores their french toast. One day I got "crazy" and DIDN'T order breakfast food but chose a lunch option, the chicken sandwich, and it was DIVINE, with a pesto dressing and delicious focacia... so we decided to try it out for dinner as well!

Once we tried one dinner at Magnolia, we were hooked. And given the proximity to our house, it becomes the standard delicious option to stumble over to time and again! Who needs to go up 5th avenue when you've got Magnolia nearby. They do have a prix fixe weekdays which is a great value, $22 for 3 awesome courses! Whether we do prix fixe or not, we've found that we love almost every dish we try there. For appetizers, their mozzerella and tomato tastes extra fresh and with just the right touch of basil. The cornmeal-crusted calamari, served with "slow-roasted marinara" and "buttermilk tziki" (how can you not order it when you read that) is great, and tastes nice and lighter than other fried calamari. Even the spinach dip is excellent. And the magnolia salad, with the candied pecans, apple and ranch dressing is hard to resist.

How many of their dishes am I allowed to rave about before you get tired of reading??
They have great pizzas, very thin-crusted so a little lighter but great flavor (and pizza and pint specials on Monday nights). Their steaks are extremely memorable, love the hanger steak and the cowboy steak. They often have fabulous specials as well as special occasions. We were there for a great New Year's eve dinner as well as an autumn 7-course dinner and wine tasting that was out of this world. It is the restaurant we ate at the night my husband proposed to me (later on that night), and we decided to pay our respects again last night on our 1-month wedding anniversary.

This is actually restaurant week in Brooklyn, so there was a special prix-fixe last night which I partook in. I had the calamari, which as I said above, was great (I gave my husband the tentacle pieces though I admit.) For my main I had the Penne Romano, which amazed me with its simplicity yet wow-factor! It is what I picture true italian cooking to be like-- simple fresh flavors coming together to make memorable meals. Penne pasta with just a light olive oil sauce tossed with chopped tomatoes, chunks of fresh mozzerella, basil leaves, and toasted pine nuts, with some shredded parmesan on top-- yum!! My husband had a pasta special with shrimp that he enjoyed. For dessert the lemon cake, which was almost more reminiscent of french toast than cake, very good with rich berry sauce. (Next time-- the famous warm chocolate mocha cake!! Had it on our engagement night ages ago, it was amazing.)

Magnolia will always have a special place in our hearts (and tummys!), and I'm sure we'll continue to go there often. In the summer they set tables outside for a nice Sunday brunch along 6th Ave. I still like it best at night with the candlelight going, it strikes the right balance between charming and cozy but not over-the-top or cheesy. The staff are very friendly and most important, the flavors are fresh and fabulous!!! Check out their website at www.magnoliabrooklyn.com.

Magnolia on Urbanspoon

The 52 Flavors...

No, it's not all about ice cream, I promise.

This collection of food essays is my aim to dive deeply into the delicious variety of flavors on offer in New York City over the next year (that would be the next 52 weeks). In recent years, I've developed a strong affinity and passion for good food and fabulous flavors, which is expressed both through my improving attempts at cooking and through visiting restaurants which serve up fresh flavors that make me swoon, a la Rachel Ray style (see a collection of her swooning clips at: http://naomileibowitz.com/projects/rray/index.html). Living in Europe for nearly four years afforded me the pleasure of weekend trips to Paris and Florence and Rome, where my passion for flavors (or flavours for my European friends) increased exponentially. I still daydream about a particular bruschetta heaping with fresh tomatoes in Cinque Terre, Italy; my first tartufo in Rome; chocolate souffle at L'Epicerie in Paris; onion soup on a cold winter's day..... I could go on and on but I'll pause those thoughts, since this is meant to be about New York City!

So moving to New York is very exciting of course, and there is so much going on that I can't complain about spending a few years here, but I admit that I sometimes miss European life with the emphasis on enjoyment and the ancient architecture and romance of the older cities and languages. So I decided to focus on what I WOULD love most about New York, and I'm not sure any European city (including London, I must now admit!) can compete with NYC in terms of the enormous volume and variety of delicious food and restaurants.

If New York City were a restaurant, it would undoubtedly be an international tapas restaurant, featuring endless different flavors and decadent dishes. Tapas restaurants are my favorite type, I admit, due to their opportunity to sample so many different flavors in one meal. So, this blog is my version of sampling the tapas or flavor collection that is New York City! I propose to try and sample as many restaurants as I can while in New York for a short time. Of course, anyone who has been to New York would agree that you can in NO WAY begin to make a dent in truly "knowing" or tasting ALL the great food of NYC, and I in no way claim that will be possible. But in my own way I hope to try a good mix of flavors and have some fun along the way, both in Manhattan and in Brooklyn (my current place of residence, with many places in walking distance to my apartment, I can't neglect that!).

Good food is memorable, it is flavorful and makes me take note and say wow (or "mmmm" like RRay). It is the utmost celebration of the senses and what life is all about-- soaking up the flavors, experiences, feelings and tastes while we are in this world. I will try to seek out those places and dishes that capture those feelings, whether they be at more upscale or more casual restaurants, and share the experiences with you along the way. I welcome feedback and suggestions. Time to begin the tasting...