Keep Calm and Carry On: The Diary of Foodie and Gourmet

I recently had the great pleasure of introducing my boyfriend [R] to Korean BBQ. He is very much a steak and spicy food kind of guy, yet he had never had Korean BBQ before. I had to remedy this. I took R to a Korean restaurant that I like called Don's Bogam (17 E 32nd St) and the feasting began. I like Don's Bogom because I think the restaurant's ambience is pleasant, the food is excellent quality and delicious, but most importantly, it has an amazing ventilation system. Ordering dinner was left to me, which I was more than happy to do, but I made sure to pick things that I thought R would like.  Packed house Quite the set up It was my priority to order some galbi and bulgogi , since I find these meats delicious and my family always orders this. As soon as the galbi (short rib) was brought to the table, both our mouths started to water. As soon as our waiter began grilling the galbi, R and I were very eager to dig in. At one point, with the smell of the galbi

In season five of the legendary sitcom Seinfeld , there is an episode called "The Dinner Party." Basically, the gang (Jerry, Elaine, George, and Kramer) are invited to a dinner party and they decide to bring wine and cake. Geroge and Kramer are tasked with buying the wine, whilst Elaine and Jerry go to Schnitzer's Bakery to buy a chocolate babka. While they are there, Jerry gets the urge to buy a black and white cookie. He proceeds to give Elaine a philosophical lesson in the art of enjoying a black and white cookie. (Click here to see a clip of this). In this scene, Jerry's mantra is "look to the cookie." Anyway, the reason I bring this up is because my boyfriend is a MASSIVE Seinfeld  fan and a lover of black and white cookies. A while back, I was telling R that if he ever wants me to bake something, all he has to do is ask. He instantly told me of his love for black and white cookies and showed me the clip that I have posted above. I was recently in

Last week, I ventured to the Union Square green market looking for some culinary inspiration. I strolled from stall to stall, studying the produce and examining various protein, when I decided to try the seafood vendor, Blue Moon Fish.  For as long as I can remember, I've seen Blue Moon Fish at the market and I was always impressed by the long line of customers. I'd never purchased seafood here, but today, I thought I'd try it! Over the past several weeks, I have been wanting to cook mussels, so when I saw them for sale, I knew exactly what I was going to purchase.  R and I both loves mussels, and I've never made them, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity. I chatted with the nice lady at the fish stall regarding the best way to cook mussels and how to properly clean them --- I learned quite a lot! Mussels purchased, I returned home, excited for my culinary experiment.  I searched several recipes and using them as inspiration, I crafted my own. I used

With the weather getting warmer, I've had the distinct pleasure of spending more time outside, enjoying the beauties of spring. This past Sunday, I had a lovely day filled with exploration. My boyfriend (R), his father, and I took the dogs (Kramer and Jake) to Riverside Park for a nice walk and lunch. R broke out his rollerblades and was skating way ahead of me and his dad. This was all fine and dandy, except Kramer kept running after him and since I was walking Kramer, this meant that I too was running after R.  We casually strolled along the Hudson River, which was really beautiful. The scenery was splendid and the cool breezes coming off the water was refreshing. I absolutely loved it! We eventually arrived at the 72nd Street Boat Basin cafe, where the three of us had a very nice lunch and got to relax --- all whilst we basked in the glorious weather. Unbelievably beautiful cherry blossoms After spending time at the Park, we made our way home, stopping by a street fa

To kick off my birthday weekend, this past Friday, I had the great pleasure of cooking dinner with my best friend, H. Since my apartment is rather small, she graciously hosted me at her family apartment, where the kitchen is substantially larger. We were cooking for ourselves, as well as H's parents and H's boyfriend. Our menu consisted of a springtime risotto with peas and asparagus, baked salmon, tossed kale salad, and homemade blueberry pie with vanilla ice cream. It was a really fun evening and I had such a great time cooking with her!  Prepping the risotto Pie filling The egg washed pie, ready for the oven Ta da! Cooking the risotto Such gorgeous and vibrant colors Salmon, marinaded and ready for the oven We were a full house of chefs. I was in charge of the pie and salmon, whilst H was in charge of the risotto. She received assistance from her mother and her boyfriend, whilst her father served us all champagne. What could be better? We wer