TrelayneNYC

Winter vegetable jardinière, with black truffles




Wild littleneck clams, with fennel, chickpeas and Meyer lemon

I prefer them fresh.





Top: Sardines, mesclun, heirloom potatoes
Bottom: Marinated sardines, semolina bread, tomato and onion salad

Don:  You're not the only one.

You can smell the odor of mediocrity from 50 feet away.  It's appetizing, gets your mouth watering and sets you up for the big reveal ... which is, that the burger doesn't live up to expectations.  (There's one three blocks from my apartment; I've been there a few times -- mostly for the hot dogs and the fries.  The fries are very good and what's more, they travel well.  Always a plus in my book.)

Meanwhile, people will line up from all over.  It's a bit sad.

I have a pic of a Shackburger somewhere in my archives.  I'll have to see if I can find it.

This is still on my "to get" list, along with Plenty.  Thanks for the advance warning on issues folks had with the books.

So now you get to have greasy tasteless salty burgers instead of greasy tasteless overdone food.  How 'bout that!

(it's hard to be simultaneously tasteless and salty (by which I mean the meat isn't very flavorful), but SS manages to do it with regularity.  a neat trick if you can manage it.)

Roasted beet salad, with watercress, fennel and chestnuts




Migas con huevos

Vegan/vegetarian night at Casa Trelayne.



Carrot and parsnip salad, scallion pesto




Mixed olives (Castelvetrano, Kalamata, oil-cured), with quick-pickled fennel and preserved lemon





Pasta with cauliflower, radicchio, shishito peppers and chickpeas

I'm experimenting with a new technique (new to me, anyway), where you prepare pasta as you would a risotto.

I should also mention that while I'm not a vegan or a vegetarian, I cook meatless A LOT.  I would say it's about as often as I have pasta during the week.  One thing that you will not find me doing however, is cooking something that is meatless that reminds someone of meat.  I've never quite gotten the point of that.  Isn't the reason some people go meatless/vegan/vegetarian so that they don't find themselves thinking of, or being reminded about meat?  Why then, would you cook or eat something called vegetarian bacon?  So:  you will not see any fake burgers, fake chicken cutlets, "tofurkey", none of that stuff.

Vegan night at Casa Trelayne.



"Cream" of fennel soup, with parsley-scallion pesto




Beans on toast -- chickpeas (for are not chickpeas a type of bean?) and Rancho Gordo Sangre de Toro beans, with watercress, preserved lemon, Meyer lemon sections, slow-cooked onion and extra-virgin olive oil, on a toasted baguette.

Insalata di funghi e finocchio




Uovo con tartufo nero




Pappa al pomodoro

I had some stale bread that had to get used before it turned, so that was an easy decision.

Roasted shrimp and radicchio salad, with Meyer lemon-scallion vinaigrette




Chana masala, basmati rice, lime pickle

Carrots cooked forever, with ricotta cheese, poached egg and black truffles

I have to apologize in advance for the truffle food pr0n. I've never had black truffles outside of a restaurant setting, and it always seemed to me that any aroma or taste that was present at the time vanished long ago into the ether. You could say I'm hooked, and I am determined to make the thing I bought yesterday last as long as possible. I just have to resist the urge to put it into everything....

Recipe for the carrots: http://food52.com/recipes/19045-carrots-cooked-forever-a-la-roy-finamore

Potato gnocchi, with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, unsalted butter and black truffle




Chickpea clam chowder -- wild littleneck clams, chickpeas, shishito peppers, champignon mushrooms, onion, clam broth and light cream

Ricotta cheese, honey and Meyer lemon crostini




Israeli couscous, with chard, chickpeas and Spanish chorizo

Creamy scrambled eggs (eggs, cow's milk ricotta cheese, sea salt, black pepper, unsalted butter), smoked bacon, champignon mushrooms
Mohua Pinot Noir, 2012 Central Otago, New Zealand

Bacon from Flying Pigs Farm: http://flyingpigsfarm.com/

Cream of cauliflower soup, brioche croutons




Spaghetti with tomato and porcini mushroom sauce

Pasta with cauliflower, anchovy and chickpeas

Homemade hummus and pita chips

Didn't really feel like cooking much

A friend and I are probably going in a month or so.  Will report back, maybe with pix. 

Roasted heirloom carrots and champignon mushrooms









Ricotta gnocchi with Marcella Hazan's tomato sauce

Warm cauliflower salad, with sweet peppers, olives and preserved lemon




Mushrooms on toast -- buttery brioche toast, champignon mushroom ragout, poached egg

I was going to make ricotta gnocchi but didn't get around to it; I seriously underestimated how rich the mushrooms turned out to be.  The gnocchi will have to wait until tomorrow (Wednesday) night's dinner.

Potage Crécy




Lamb liverwurst (lamb liver, Pinot Grigio, pine nuts, sea salt, black pepper), heirloom potato home fries

Chioggia beets, with tangerine, ginger and scallion




Pasta e lenticchie

Carrots are the "in" vegetable these days.

American Cut is a steakhouse and so therefore, an expense-account oriented place.  In that context, a $10 carrot isn't surprising.  It's probably drenched in butter and some of the price might cover the Maldon sea salt it's seasoned with.

Like I said, it depends on who you are.

I have no difficulties whatsoever cooking 3-4 course meals in my kitchen.  It's roughly 6' x 7' and only slightly larger than my bathroom.  You just learn to roll with things.  I eat out maybe once a month, and do takeout once a week.

And the lack of a vehicle is no barrier to shopping.

it depends on who you are.