cheese+beer=LOVE

HOW have I never heard of this place before? A fabulously oozy, buttery grilled cheese and creamy tomato soup with just a little bit of a kick, together for just 6 freakin' dollars? Accompanied by pretty much ANY beer you could ever wish for (they literally have over 30 beers ON TAP, plus hundreds of bottles)? And instead of being impatient with my crippling brew indecision, our bartender offered me tastes of the two I was deciding between – a rich, dark stout with hints of raspberry and chocolate, and a totally bitch-drink version of beer, a Woodchuck pear cider (guess which one I went with.... duhhh – it was just so light and crisp, and had such a nice hint of sweetness.. I couldn't resist, OKAY??)


Tonight was basically the (unofficial) commencement of our summer of bar-hopping, and I really don't think we could have found a better place than Blind Tiger – GREAT music (which nonetheless got drowned out by the steady roar of jovial voices), even better prices, and just such a great low-key, unpretentious vibe all around. After a few more rounds we got hungry again (I mean who doesn't?) and were very happy to get to order another (dirt cheap) delicacy off the chalkboard menu behind us – this time we got a chipotle chicken quesadilla full of roasted serranos and oozy cheese (this place is big on their cheese – also on the menu is a cheese plate featuring weekly selections from the famed Murray's Cheese Shop down the street) that easily sated all 5 of us, for a cool $9. I'm looking forward to many more nights like these...

once upon 8th St...

After a joyous evening of curried tofu, scallion pancakes and mojitos at Gobo in the village with one of my best (vegan) friends from LA, Lizzie and her boyfriend Dave, Danny and I took the long way home, strolling across 8th street back to his house on the OTHER St. Marks Place (what are the odds that we would BOTH live on St. Marks Place, but in different boroughs??).

And to our greatest delight, there on the corner of 8th St. and University Pl. sat the glorious, the fabled... The Dessert Truck. I've never been but have always wanted to, and since D and I had eaten little vegan nothingnesses for dinner, we felt fully justified in ordering a little cup of goat cheese cheesecake topped with sea salt caramel and wild blackberries... which was pretty much one of the most complex, delicious desserts that I've had in a long, LONG time... and from a truck, no less. The goat cheese gave it an unexpected tang, which complemented the tart-sweet blackberries, and the caramel simultaneously mellowed and intensified the whole experience. Our restraint in holding off until we had found ourselves a cozy streetlit bench in Washington Square Park was admirable, and totally worth it, as the moment we sat down, a little group of hippie-folk started playing the Beatles' "Yesterday" on their acoustic guitar - and we tucked into our creamy delight under the stars.

Va. Bene.

So all my neighbors and even my mom keep raving about this little Italian restaurant down the block called Peperoncino... I've walked past it regularly for a couple of years now but have never gone in - to be honest it seemed pretty indistinguishable from the hundreds of other "rustic, cozy" pizza-and-pasta joints that line 5th Ave. However, there was one key difference - it's about 30 yards from my front door. And ever since they started writing up their daily specials on a little chalkboard out front, I've been going out of my way to pass it every day, often dragging my poor dog past the wafting scent of grilled meat and hot pizza, to see what's cooking - fried artichokes, stuffed portabellos, risottos of every style and flavor, and many items featuring seafood and shellfish, a delicacy I was deprived of during my time in Tuscany (it's rather inland, you know) and thus have a special spot in my heart for.... So finally, one lazy evening, Danny and I caved and decided to give it a go....

And damn, had we sold it short. Right away they sat us down with a basket of warm bread and a scrumptious sun dried tomato-roasted chili olive oil dipping sauce, which was so delicious we felt like we were stealing. We didn't even get the chance to look over the menu before the waiter arrived and listed special after mouthwatering special... we took a look over the actual menu, which sounded equally delicious, but we were already sold, and ordered the two pasta specials that had us drooling from the start - I obviously went for my old standby, linguini con frutti di mare, but this one set the standard, as they used fresh linguini neri (pasta infused with squid ink, giving it a deep, almost black color and rich, salty flavor), topped with some sweet crushed tomatoes and fruity olive oil, and lots of plump, juicy clams, mussels, calamari, and even a few halved langoustines... and for the boy, the proportionally heartier, house-made shredded beef tortelli (a.k.a. bigass tortellini) with prosciutto and spring peas in a light cream sauce (I can't lie, I definitely pulled a little order-management with this one.. "Ooh, the linguini neri and tortelli both sound so good... why don't we just get both and share them?"... classic. You know you love me...).

After enjoying every glorious second of it, we could have easily stopped there... but of course, they had to bring over the dessert menu. Those bastards. We tried to order the night's special, torta di mela, or apple cake, which we ate all the time in Italy and were so excited to have found in the states, but alas - the couple before us ordered the last slice of the night. THOSE bastards. So we settled (HAH. Settled. Yeah right) for a delicious tiramisu... which was gone in about .2 seconds. Fat and happy, we hobbled home (all .5 blocks of it) and collapsed onto the couch. I see this becoming a habit veery very soon...

And so it begins...

Well, well, well... it has only taken me a mere TWO MONTHS to start my SUMMER food blog... guess i was just too busy doing things to actually get to writing about them... but really, it's rather fitting, is it not?

But ANYWAY, we're finally in business. I missed writing about my trials and tribulations (and bouts of culinary euphoria) last fall in Italy, and figured there was no better place to start it up again than good ol' NYC - land of endless good times (and good meals!) to be had. Forgive me for inconsistencies with dates, etc... I may be simultaneously filling in holes from May while keeping you posted on what's going on right now, so bear with me.

Enough disclaimers - onward, in my quest to live richly... on the cheap....!