A breath of fresh air

It’s no coincidence that my lack of blogging coincides with New Year's resolution season.  For the past few weeks I’ve been trying to put down the pizza and try some lighter options.

I don’t like fruit, I only like vegetables if they are swimming with ranch dressing and I think that nuts and granola are straight up garbage. The following true scenarios basically sum up my affinity for crap food.

1) When “Fast Food Nation” came out a few years ago it disgusted all who saw it, made most swear off fast food for months and created an entire anti-McDonald’s culture. I’m not ashamed to say it, but it just made me hungry. In fact, I paused it half way through and went on a Mickey D’s run so I could finish the movie while throwin’ down a Big Mac.


2) The Double Down. Don’t pretend you think it’s disgusting, ‘cause it’s not. It’s delicious, actually, it’s freaking delicious. Two crispy chicken patties create a bun-like atmosphere for the bacon, cheese and special sauce filling. Who needs a bun when you have chicken patties to hold on to? I’ve received a lot of ridicule over the years for my adamant stance that the Double Down is the best thing to happen to KFC since the invention of the extra-crispy recipe.

I think it goes without saying that eating healthy is a challenge for me. So, when my jeans became a little tighter around the holidays, I decided it was time to chill-out on the lard for awhile. However, I can only eat so many ranch dressing-free salads and cans of Progresso Light soup for lunch before I feel like bingeing on a mammoth-sized chili cheese dog.

If there is one person in the world that hates healthy food more than me, it would be my darling husband. In fact, I once confessed that I made spaghetti with gluten-free pasta. The next day, he calls me in a panic telling me he was having hot flashes and feeling nauseous. To this day he claims he has a violent intolerance for anything gluten-free. He’s a real prize. 

But, finally, I have found a relatively healthy dining option that we both really, truly like.

The Hummus Place

We only stumbled across this place due to a daily Groupon deal which scored us 50% off of our dining experience. I’m so glad we tried it out, because we’ll definitely be back for more.

 

We felt a little out of place in the tiny, earthy atmosphere situated in the NYU neighborhood. It felt like the kind of place where I shouldn’t admit that I use a PC and not a Mac or that I make a point to co-mingle glass, cardboard and plastic. Now that I think about it, it felt similar to going out to dinner with my in-laws in any number of restaurants in Eugene, OR. 

 

Considering that we didn’t know what a solid 99% of the menu items were, we tried a bit of everything. Troy is still searching for any mention of meat on the menu, but we managed to make it work. 

Dolmas

They were surprisingly amazing! I am a big fan of stuffed grape leaves and pretty particular about what I consider to be a good one. They have to be super tangy, be served cold, and no have any currants in the mix. I was a little emotional when these were brought to our table warm and covered in a green sauce. However, they were among the top three best dolmas I have ever had, and by far the best warm ones. (The best ones ever are served in bulk at the Co-Op in Corvallis...whenever I felt like having my character questioned and made to feel like an inconsiderate human being with no regard for the earth, I would swing into this friendly joint for my dolma fix.) Oh, and that green sauce was a totally delicious and lemony mint sauce. So very good. 

Dolmas

Falafel

Of course we liked these; they were fried. These were the first falafel I've had that were green on the inside. I'm not going to question the ingredients because I wouldn't want to not like them anymore. Troy was really into these nuggets of chickpea heaven. Crunchy and light and really good in that yummy green sauce.

Falafel

Hummus
Appropriately enough, The Hummus Place offers a wide selection of chickpea concoctions. We stayed close to the edge of the pool and ordered the classic version. It was super creamy and cold, which made it the perfect accompaniment to a side of hot pitas. My only complaint was the whole wheat pitas. I can only be pushed so far. That's entirely too healthy. Again, served with more of that addictive damn green sauce. Must find out what that is.

Hummus

Lebane
Saving the best for last. The lebane was so thick, creamy and salty. It was total heaven with hummus on a pita. Lebane is a basically greek yogurt strained to remove excess moisture and seasoned with garlic and lemon juice.

Lebane

We had quite the spread for the two of us. And for eating healthy, I was definitely impressed. I've already asked Troy to go back with me, especially during brunch, at which time they serve liquor. While I wouldn't be down for eating this every day, this is definitely our new go-to place on days when we are trying to cure a grease hangover.

Our big fat kosher Christmas

Problem: We didn't properly plan to ahead to make a nice Christmas dinner and therefore didn't have anything in the freezer except for 5 lbs of bacon and a frozen lasagna.

Solution: What restaurants are open on Christmas day when everything else is closed? Jewish Delis.

We decided to have a late lunch and head over to Ben's Kosher Delicatessen for some solid comfort food.  We decided to celebrate and try a little of everything, you know, a smorgasbord.

When we sat down our table had a bowl of giant pickles and a side of coleslaw waiting for us. We didn’t really know what to do with these generous gifts, so we looked around and did as everyone else did. Eat the pickles and ignore the coleslaw.

Delicious pickles

I started with chicken soup with a giant kreplach, which is a ground beef filled dumpling. I am a sucker for chicken soup and this met all my requirements.

We both ordered half of a corned beef sandwich, which was giant. I’m a self-proclaimed sandwich snob, and this sandwich didn’t really do the trick for me. I know a corned beef sandwich at a Jewish deli by nature is supposed to be served dry on rye with a thick schmear of mustard. I just really needed some mayo.  This thing was a little dry. I am not a fan of rye, so I ordered mine on wheat bread. Apparently that is a big faux pas and a bit insulting in a Jewish Deli. Just be lucky I didn't ask for it with American cheese, mayo and a handful of potato chips on top, as I normally would. I guess it’s just not my thing. 

While the soup and sandwich are a standard deli item, we ordered a truly unique appetizer.  The Hush Puppy. I thought a hush puppy was a southern food of fried cornbread balls. Apparently not at Ben's. Picture it: a giant kosher hot dog, which is amazing on it's own, rolled in mashed potatoes and then...deep fried. Similar to the American Pig in a Blanket, but replace that pig with a more kosher animal-- like a puppy.

Is this real life?

As far as great Jewish deli food goes, I think we can find better in New York. But, this was fun way to spend our Christmas and the Hush Puppy scored a 10 in my book.  All in all, we liked it a latke. 

Ivy league eats

Ever since we moved to the East Coast Troy’s been trying to drag me to Princeton, NJ for a weekend trip. New Jersey? We live in New. York. City…I don’t need to go to guido-ville to find something to do, there is plenty to do on the weekends. When Troy was coaching at Yale, he spent a lot of time in Princeton for work. He’s been telling me for years what a charming, historic little town it is, in his words, “It’s a haven inside a crap-hole of a state.” My response? Not interested. 

So, how did I finally let him convince me to take a two-hour, each way, train ride just to walk around a pretty campus? He told me about the best Philly cheese steak he’s ever had.

Should’ve mentioned that one earlier, sucka.  

I’ll admit it, I’m a total judger. I’ll judge what you’re wearing, your tattoos, and I’ll disown you if I see you wearing leggings as pants. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t base my entire initial feelings of you according to my first glance. That being said, I judged the hell out of this “amazing sandwich shop” that was owned by a Greek man with a restaurant named “George’s Roasters and Ribs.” What business does he have making a Philly cheese steak? He’s neither an Italian nor a Philadelphian. And secondly, what’s a roaster? And I didn’t even see ribs on the menu. In fact, I tried to convince Troy that his 31-year old  memory had failed him, and he in fact meant to take me to “Hoagie Haven” next door. You know, the one with the line down the sidewalk…

I’ve been surprised with the lack of Philly cheese steak in NY. We’re 96 miles from Philadelphia and I can’t get my grubby mitts on a decent steak, cheese and onion sandy?  Lame. 

George’s was a total hodge-podge of random food. Hot wings, sweet potatoes fries, chicken parmesan and a killer cheese steak. Totally random, and a little off-putting.

But all my concerns faded the second I took a bite of my 16-inch long, $8 ‘which. The cheese was so creamy I honestly thought it might have been processes squeezy cheese. I wouldn’t have minded. I love cheese in a can. But, I was more delighted to learn it was a solid piece of provolone melted to perfection. The thinly sliced rib-eye was super juicy and flavorful. Most importantly, the bread was still moist and fresh, not like the dry, flakey loaf I usually get with a grilled sandwich. If there is one food I hate most in the world it is green bell peppers, so I skipped those but kept the sweet grilled onions. The best thing about this sandwich is that it was an entire French loaf of bread and was given to me in the original bakery paper sleeve.  I felt pretty proud walking down the street with my new prize. I didn’t even feel awkward sitting in the middle of the beautiful, preppy, Princeton campus downing a sandwich that not even a 400-lb man should be able to thrown down.

Alright, Troy, you’re right. Best cheese steak outside of The City of Brotherly Love. Not sure why this place was totally empty at lunch time on a Saturday. My professional advertising expertise? Ditch the stupid name and call yourself something legit like, “Hands-down, best freaking cheese steak within a 95-mile radius of Manhattan, served on a big-ass loaf of fresh and toasty French bread, sold by a Greek guy who cooks like my pretend Italian grandmother.” Yeah, go with that one.