I was reading an article about the French and stumbled across a description of a food called “andouillette” that somehow caught my attention. So I checked out the wikipedia entry, which begins by saying:

Traditional andouillette is made from the colon and the stomach of pig. In modern times, contents vary and normally contain intestines of pig, cow and/or calf. It is not to be confused with andouille sausage, which is much spicier, but more mild in animal-derived smells …

The phrase “animal-derived smells” is troubling, especially when it follows hard after a words such as “colon” and “stomach” … but if one is only uneasy at this point - prepare for horror. The description of this food goes straight downhill after that. In fact, it walks right off a cliff. We continue reading:

French andouillette … is an acquired taste and can be an interesting challenge even for adventurous eaters who don’t object to the taste or aroma of feces.

At the end of that sentence, in my mind, all the romance of France just died. RIP.

Last night, Diane and I went to Mamajuana Cafe. I’ve been to this place three times now and if I had to pick a favorite restaurant, this would probably be it. They make great food. As a side note, the restaurant is a half a block away from the Mormon chapel in Inwood and close to The Cloisters/Fort Tryon Park as well.

Besides the fact that it was Valentine’s Day, we were going because Diane hadn’t been there yet and I wanted her to experience the seafood paella they offer, which is nothing short of incredible.

When we arrived, we realized Mamajuana Cafe was preparing a special Valentine’s Day 4-course meal for its customers. Each course offered a variety of options. We were glad to see paella was on the list for the third course. Here was the menu with its choices (the choices we decided on are in red):

First Course (choose one)

• Lobster & Roasted Red Pepper Corn Chowder
• Edible Flower Salad W/ A Honey Champagne Vinaigrette
• Crab Meat & Cheese Fondue W/ Flatbread
• Spanish Tapas For Two (artisanal cheeses, cured meats & assorted condiments)

Second Course (choose one)

• Shrimp 3 Ways (a) plaintain crushed w/ guava BBQ Sauce; (b) Grilled Spicy w/ Passion fruit sauce; (c) Chilled w/ Rose cocktail sauce)
• Filet Mignon & Cabrales cheese empanadas
• Viagra Ceviche for him (raw oyster, clams, octopus, shrimp & lobster in squid ink latin mojo)
• Mamajuana ceviche for her (crabmeat, scallops & lobster in a vanilla safron mandarin mojo & mamajuana liquor)
• Stuffed Crepes (w/ smoked chicken & melted leeks in a walnuts & asparagus champagne cream)

Third Course (choose one)

• Paella Valenciana for two (saffron rice, chorizo, calamari, shrim, clams, mussels & 1/2 lobster)
• Whole Crispy Red Snapper (stuffed w/ seafood & served w/ coconut rice in enchilado sauce)
• Mar y Tierra (grilled filet mignon & langoustine w/ truffle mashed potato & grilled asparagus in a wild mushroom red whine au jus)
• Lobster Ravioli (ravioli w/ lobster inside in saffron, piquillo & lobster cream sauce)
• Grilled quails (w/ dominican rum ginger glaze & sweet potato mash w/ haricot vert)
• Roasted Chicken Breast (w/ Foie gras & portobello mushroom in a porcini cream sauce, fingerling potatoes & sauteed spinach)

Dessert (assorted desserts for two)

This is a picture of us with the dessert presentation, which consisted of cheesecake strips (with edible flower on top), flan and chocolate mousse.

Champagne was supposed to be included with the meal - they didn’t seem to mind that we asked for fruit juice instead.

It made for a very memorable and romantic meal and for my part, I couldn’t have been with better company.

[A special thanks to my good friend Jeff Hedberg and his father, who introduced me to this restaurant some months ago]

Some more pictures of the restaurant, from the outside:

For about three weeks now, on weekdays, I’ve been making a change in what I eat. Instead of getting my breakfast and lunch foods at local eateries I’ve been bringing oatmeal (sweetened only with raisins) and Progresso soup. Progresso offers a nice variety of low-calory soups (100 calories per serving, two servings per can) and I’ve found it doesn’t feel so much like dieting to go this route for my lunches.

For the most part I’ve dropped fruit juices from my diet. Instead I try to eat fresh fruit. When it comes to beverages, now I’m mostly drinking water and sometimes milk.

I’ve basically dropped red meat or meat that has been fried. So I’m eating chicken or fish that is boiled, broiled or baked.

On the weekend or when we go out to eat with friends I allow myself to splurge a little on something that is forbidden.

So far I haven’t actually missed the red meat all that much. I am sure at some point I’m going to want a hamburger or some ribs … but it’s been surprisingly easy to say no to these things. I haven’t had them for awhile now. I have craved fried chicken or General Tzo’s chicken.

The hard part for me is that I have a wicked sweet tooth, and that’s where I like to cheat a little when I can. A glass of cranberry juice really hits the spot with me. I also have a thing for peanut butter and honey sandwiches. It’s probably better NOT to buy icecream - because if it’s in the freezer I’m going to indulge.

One thing I have so far refused to give up is bread. I like bread and was kind of annoyed at the whole South Beach diet craze that hit some years ago. However, I haven’t had a slice of pizza in three weeks. That’s really saying something. For awhile, pizza was what I had for lunch every day.

Close to the beginning of making these changes I weighed myself and figured out how much weight I’d like to lose. Since the initial weigh-in, I haven’t weighed myself at all. I figure once a month has passed I’ll check my weight, just to see if what I’m doing is making any difference in that area. The point of my efforts right now is to make some significant lifestyle changes in a way that works for me. Previously I was very spontaneous about what I ate and all of these changes are calculated to get some control over certain aspects of what I eat.  Weight-loss is important but I have to believe that will happen naturally if I’m eating the right things and mostly avoiding the wrong things.

One other area that I want to change … I tend to eat my meals from late morning to late evening. I need to start eating breakfast early in the day and try not to eat too much in the hours just before I go to bed. That’s not something I’ve managed to alter yet - but I will get around to it. Probably sooner rather than later.

If you live in New York City and want fresh pasta, go to Raffetto’s at 144 West Houston Street. This is a store, not a restaurant - so you pick up what you want and then take it home to prepare it. When ordering you choose the pasta width you desire and watch them cut it. Since it is so fresh they suggest you prepare it in the next three days after purchase.

Last night for dinner we tried lobster ravioli with some sauces (tomato basil and alfredo) that we picked up at the same store. Yum!

Here’s a link to a New York Times article about Raffetto’s.