So THAT'S What a Sunday Feels Like!

As many of you know, most Sundays you can find me at the host stand at Clinton St. Baking Co. greeting New York City and beyond's finest brunch patrons. They're ready for pancakes, buttermilk biscuit sandwiches, house smoked salmon eggs benedict, and my personal favorite: sugar cured bacon.

My spiel usually goes somewhat like this: "Hey guys, how many? What's the name? Great, we're looking at about a two hour wait. Come back in an hour and check in with me so I know you're still waiting. Thanks!"

And Sunday after Sunday, they wait. And as they leave, they say it was well worth it. Check out our feature on NY1 that ran this weekend.

But today, I took the day off. I holed up in bed this morning and took a brisk walk through Long Island City to Astoria's American Museum of the Moving Image.

It is an amazing museum. Not only is the building and the technology in it new and impressive, the exhibits are fun. I found it extremely rare and surprising to smile the ENTIRE way through it. How often does that happen at a museum? To me, never. I'm usually yawning uncontrollably after a while. My favorite exhibits included an ode to video games (where I played Sonic the Hedgehog on Sega Genesis) and Jim Henderson's Muppet exhibit which included an original Ms. Piggy puppet and more. Oh yeah, and I met Mrs. Doubtfire in her three mask phases.

Mrs. Doubtfire: [as the Meringue mask is "melting" off Daniel's face] As you can see, I can't stay with you, dear. I'm melting like a snow cone in Phoenix.

Alright, alright, now on to the food. I decided to surpass the 5 Napkin Burger across the street and try out something local. I found a nearby spot with a little help from my friend Yelp. Here's my arepa from Arepas Cafe in three phases.

Shredded beef, black beans, sweet plantains and shredded white cheese in a crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside arepa.

Phase 1: Just pick it up and bite phase.

Phase 2: It's falling apart and dripping deliciously down my wrist phase.

Phase 3: "Umm, permiso, me puedes traer un tenedor por favor?"

(translation: "Umm, excuse me, can I have a fork please?")

It was savory, sweet, cheesy with a perfect arepa enveloping it.

And I washed it all down with an icy cold glass of passion fruit juice.

The service was friendly and the girl behind the bar recommended the house-made tres leches for dessert. And so I went on to phase 4...

Arepas Cafe

33-07 36th Avenue

Astoria, NY 11106

It was moist, smooth and incredibly sweet. Just how an authentic Latin American dessert should be. I ate the whole thing--except the maraschino cherry--my mom says they give you cancer.

It was a spectacular Sunday and I'm glad I get to share it with you all.

YourMoodyFoody

A Perfect Loaf Story

(Cue sappy romance music)

Two loafs, who were brought together by chance--or perhaps fate--shared a trip they would never forget. Although their paths were distinct, one from Boudin, the other from Acme, (rival families in the old city of San Francisco) their love for each other as equals could not be denied. They escaped, driving over the Golden Gate Bridge and down Highway 1, leaving their divided city in the rear-view mist...

But soon enough, things went sour. They were lost, their GPS was constantly recalculating and they were tearing each other apart (see tear above on right). Too much time spent together in their upgraded Volkswagon Jetta was causing their tempers to rise. They kneaded a serious change.

Driving past a Safeway grocery store, a light went on in the oven!

They needed more ingredients to make each other better carbohydrates. They wanted to give back to the community by feeding two young, insatiable and almost completely broke friends.

So they turned themselves into delicious sandwiches. Accompanying the loaves were sweet California tomatoes, creamy avocados, crunchy romaine, Dijon mustard, fresh sliced turkey and Gruyere. Somehow, with all the company, they both felt fresh again.

Hope that buttered you up,

YourMoodyFoody

Only Tourists Wait in Line

Ask any New Yorker--we don't wait in line. When we do, we tap our feet, check our phones every two seconds, sip our extra hot lattes, and finally after six and half minutes say, "Fuck it, I'm not waiting in line".

But like magic--poof! As soon as I get to another city where strangers wish me "good morning",  I'm immediately transported to a land where mom jeans and running sneakers don't make me nauseous and massive crowds of slow walking people don't make me want to kill myself. I start asking other people holding maps, "where you guys from?" and after swapping cameras with other couplets in front of various city landmarks, find myself saying things like "us tourists have to stick together". And even though my overly cynical New Yorker-self is cringing while writing this, I've embraced it. And that's why I said, "Fuck it, I'll wait in line in San Francisco".

So after a late night of drinking designer North Beach cocktails it was difficult to wake up at seven in the morning for breakfast. But the 1,502 Yelp reviews of the breakfast joint conveniently located just steps from our hotel got me in the mood. And even though my best friend Gaby and I woke up looking like members of Good Charlotte, black smeared around our bloodshot eyes, we arrived at Dottie's True Blue Cafe to find a line out the door. A wait on a Thursday at 7:41am? When they opened at 7:30? Yup.

So we stood in line, asked the people in front of us where they were from (Austin, TX, where they just broke the record for the most summer days over 100 degrees) and the people behind us (New Haven, CT, worried about the hurricane and how they were going to get home) and had a pleasant touristy time.

An hour later we were sitting, drinking coffee out of old school diner mugs, singing along to Ella Fitzgerald's "At Last".

The food was homey, simple, and delicious. The smoked salmon scramble was cooked perfectly; fluffy eggs, capers, onions, tomatoes, and farm fresh cream cheese. The over easy eggs with black bean cakes, pico de gallo, sour cream, and corn bread toast were ridiculously flavorful. The rich creamy yolk and the smooth spicy bean cake was a perfect flavor combination. The home fries and bacon were crispy, the chorizo spicy and flavorful, and the home-made bread incredibly impressive. What
restaurant actually bakes their own bread? It was an old-world no-frills breakfast.

The portions were hefty and we even had some left overs to munch on during our drive up North. It was the perfect meal to help soak up all that Sonoma wine.

More to follow--but you might have to wait.

YourMoodyFoody

Location:San Francisco, CA

The Thirty Day Sweat

I'm usually not THAT dedicated. I'm usually not THAT committed. Whether it's diet, exercise, writing, tweeting, blogging, reading, dating, or whatever, I go through phases and am consistently inconsistent.

So I've decided to challenge myself by working on a thirty day program that I've been told will "change my life". It's a fitness program, strongly focused on changing your body and allowing you to perform faster, stronger, and all of that good stuff. It involves the craziest workouts I've ever done and the sweat does not stop. It gets in my eyes, my mouth, soaks through my clothes, and falls off of me in large drops that audibly splatter on the gym floor. Disgusting? Totally. But I always used to think, "I must not be a sweater" but now I know, I just wasn't working hard enough.

Now I know you're thinking, "Isn't this a food blog?" You're right--TheMoodyFoody has never been about exercise and nutrition--you want to hear about the decadent ice-cream sundae I'm eating or the whole pig roast happening nearby. Unfortunately for me, there's been no pork belly or dairy in my mouth for almost a month. I can only eat what is given to me in my to-go cooler by 5Squares, a Westchester based company that makes "Delicious Recipes for Fast, Healthy Weight Loss and High Energy". Five meals a day: breakfast, lunch, dinner, and two snacks in between.

Photo credit: Taryn Darr

From left to right: Breakfast scramble of onion and basil with potatoes, Bison burger with tomato and mustard, "Seasoned" grilled chicken with snap peas, Mesclun greens with hearts of palm, artichokes and hummus, Blackened fish with broccoli and pineapple chutney.

Delicious? Not so much. Healthy--yes. No oil, no dairy, low salt, and very few carbs led to serious results.

How serious? Went down from 34% to 28% body fat, lost a total of 15 inches and 7 1/2 lbs. And more important than any of these statistics--I feel amazing.

If there's one thing I've taken away from this experience it's that if I really dedicate myself, I can do anything. I feel stronger, look better, and most importantly, I now know that I can maintain a healthy lifestyle while simultaneously enjoying the rare yet frickin' delicious indulgences that all of my foody followers love to read about.

To healthier living (most of the time)!

YourMoodyFoody

Home-Sweet, Sour, Savory-Home

I found my spot. Yes, it's been reviewed 294 times on Yelp. Yes, everyone in Greenpoint knows about it. Yes, the wait is usually long for weekend brunch. But it's popular for a reason. I'ts worth it.

Five Leaves, Greenpoint. I got there on a Sunday afternoon after spending too much money on hand crafted necklaces (an antique silver fork!) at the Renegade Craft Fair in McCarren Park.

There was a constant hustle and bustle going on around me as I waited for a table. Not the bad kind of bustle, the good Sunday afternoon kind where people are walking their dogs, finding a bite to eat, or stretching their hamstrings at the corner getting ready for an afternoon run. After twenty minutes, I got lucky and snagged a table outside.

I caught Five Leaves during their "in-between" hours (4-6pm). The women next to me seemed disappointed that the beet ravioli wasn't yet on the menu but opted to stay because they were parched and starving to death. Yes, our tables were pretty close. I could also tell you about their relationship issues but I'll save you the pain and torture my alcoholic beverage was helping me get through.

The service was great. But then again, my server was tan, handsome, and Australian. I asked him what he recommended to drink and he said, in his adorable accent, "If I had one of those beer helmets with the straws, I'd fill it with our grapefruit margarita and sip on it all day long". I was sold.

It was tangy, salty, refreshing and beautiful to boot. Kind of like my Australian (I'm secretly hoping he follows my blog).

I ordered the Five Leaves' burger, medium rare, with truffle fries. Decadence to the max. The burger (grass-fed) is topped with pickled red beets, a round of fried pineapple, and a sunny-side-up egg. Weird combo? Maybe. Did it work? Hell, yeah. Sweet, sour, savory deliciousness. And the fries were crispy, salty, and not over powered by truffle oil. Just a light, yet flavorful, toss.

Five Leaves

18 BEDFORD AVENUE

GREENPOINT, BROOKLYN 11222

Now you should come to Greenpoint, find me, and invite me out for a burger. Especially if you're cute and Australian.

Flirtacious Wink,

YourMoodyFoody

From Doughnut to Grownup

Hello, new chapter of my life! I am slowly becoming a grownup (yet completely refuse to call myself an adult). I've found an apartment in a beautiful neighborhood soon to be called home: Greenpoint, Brooklyn. To celebrate, we ate doughnuts. Not just any doughnuts--the best frickin' doughnuts ever laid mouth on. And yes, the man staring into the store-front window drooling is my father (you know that saying about the apple? ).

727 Manhattan Avenue

Brooklyn, NY 11222

We walked into the bakery and were immediately enveloped by what I hope heaven will smell like. As we approached the counter, a batch of still warm, freshly filled jelly doughnuts was set in front of us and of course we couldn't resist.

The most amazing part about these doughnuts is the dough itself. The rise on these babies is incredible and it's like biting into pillowy clouds of perfection. Surprisingly, the dough is more savory than it is sweet, however the sweetness really comes through in the filling, both the old fashioned grape jelly and the silky smooth bavarian cream.

Check out that rise!

And the powdered sugar on top? They're a dollar a doughnut until you get to five and then they just get cheaper. It's like someone up there knows I'll be living on a budget.

Peter Pan Donut and Pastry Shop is a no frills, old school bakery in the best way possible. Maybe I'll take Peter Pan's advice and never grow up, even if I do have my own apartment.

Love,

YourMoodyFoody

Asking the Big Question

I don't think I've ever gotten political about food thus far into my blogging career but when I watched a gruesome, explicit, disturbing video (be seriously warned) about animals and the US farming industry, it really affected me. I didn't eat meat for a week and actually went vegan for a day. Yup, you read that correctly. Vegan. Below is the account.

For breakfast I had Fruit, which was pretty easy. For lunch, I went out because there wasn't anything in my fridge that didn't contain dairy. So after a restorative yoga class (talk about aligning my chakras) I strolled to a vegan restaurant on the Upper West Side called Peacefood Cafe. It was my first encounter with tempeh, a fermented soybean product that looks like a darker more solid version of tofu with a non-silky texture. The sandwich as a whole was good for the first two or three bites. The avocado added creaminess and the carrots added crunch, but it got boring real quick and I tore the sandwich apart to try the tempeh on its own. It is definitely a soy protein that takes some getting used to because of the heavy, compact bean texture. As for taste, it's nutty yet mild and would probably absorb an asian style sauce nicely. However, I don't think I would eat it if I had other options. What I most enjoyed about my lunch was a refreshingly spicy ginger-lemonade.

Dinner wasn't easy. As my family enjoyed a juicy roasted pork-loin and buttery mashed potatoes, I sat eating salad and grilled zucchini with a slice of seven grain toast. The bread didn't list ingredients on the packaging so I assumed it had no dairy and ate it anyway. I actually found that to be the most difficult part of this vegan experiment. Reading ingredients and making sure foods contain no meat bi-products (gelatin in Altoids?) or dairy is a pain in the asparagus. Because of course, most things do.

For dessert I had a coconut ice-pop. I found that coconut milk is a great alternative for satisfying dairy cravings because it's creamy and fattening but doesn't have anything to do with cows.

Overall, it was hard. It is hard. I love bacon. I love butter. I love the feeling of a medium-rare bacon-cheddar burger juicing down the side of my hand. But it has made me think, over and over, every single time before I eat a piece of meat:

Where is it coming from?

So now, as a college graduate living in New York City with access and disposal to everything and anything, I am going to be much more conscious of what I put into my body. I am going to try to not eat meat everyday and make sure that the meat I am eating is locally sourced and grass/grain fed, free roaming/cage free, antibiotic free, and humanely treated. This also means paying close attention to where dairy products come from and maybe switching over to soy, rice or almond milk in daily lattes.

After going through this experience, the most important thing I've learned is to not be ashamed to ask. I now ask where meat comes from in restaurants and if that question can't be easily answered (or I don't like the answer), I opt for pasta, seafood, salad, or tofu. So if you're not willing to give up bacon or butter completely, do yourself a favor and ask. Putting hormone and anti-biotic laden meat into your body can't be good for you, right? Afterall, we are what we eat.

Just ask.

YourMoodyFoody