Tag Archive for "New York City"
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:
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!
The weather today has been pretty much perfect. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, there wasn’t much wind and the temperature was about 60 degrees. Unfortunately by tomorrow the temperature is supposed to drop about 20 degrees and there is expectation of rain. But we had to get out and enjoy what today’s weather had to offer. My cousin and I went for a walk and took a bunch of pictures. These are my favorites from 90+ photographs that were taken.
Every summer at the Graffiti Hall of Fame (located at 106th Street and Park Avenue) they put up some new artwork. So it was time to go take some pictures.
Last time I went over there, I didn’t take so many.
This morning the local newspaper headlines announced that the New York City Health Board has banned trans-fats. This doesn’t mean trans-fats will disappear immediately, but a deadline has been set so that these ingredients will be taken out of restaurant foods by 2007 or 2008 (I’ve seen different dates).
Trans-fats (see the wikipedia entry) are condemned for contributing to bad cholesterol, clogging arteries and increasing the risk of heart disease. They have been favored in the past because they add flavor (people like the taste) and aid preservation of the food. They are used in the food industry to create fried foods, snacks and baked goods.
Of course, there has been some debate about whether this is an appropriate long-overdue step or whether this signifies too much government intrusion. Supporters people point to obesity trends, heart-disease statistics, etc. Opponents rail against a local government that is too anxious to regulate consumer decisions. In an article at CNN.com, an opponent is quoted as arguing: “If I want to eat trans fats, that’s my inalienable right.”
I’m kind of curious how Mormons would weigh in on this issue. We believe in a principle that we call “free agency.” On the other hand, we adhere to the Word of Wisdom (religious prohibitions in regards to tobacco products, alcoholic beverages, coffee and tea). Is this regulation something we should support? Should we hope that this becomes a country-wide food standard? Or is this infringing on the rights of food-producers and consumers to make their own choices?