40 carrots

I ate lunch at the bar of Gramercy Tavern yesterday. A pinot noir from Oregon. A delicate vegetable stew of young ramps and perky asparagus tips. Parmesan crisps. Parsley puree. Garlic bread. It was so flavorful, salty without ever being described as much, that I wanted to rush home and replicate it. Perfectly aldente turnips (totally underrated). Petite carrots, tender but still in need of a knife, not the edge of a fork, to manage them. It kinda makes a girl long for a cooking day with a fancy Artisan Publishing book. French Laundry. Bouchon. Tough call. I’m working on soup stocks when I return home.

For now though, I’m off to Bloomingdale’s for a blowout nearby followed by their plain yogurt. It’s a stop I never miss when I’m in NY. I leave later today for LA and wonder how well a Lady M cake will travel this time. Too bad 40 carrots yogurt melts. OMG, you know what would be so good? Making large-pearl tapioca with the melted plain yogurt from Bloomies! Stir in some passionfruit puree. Done and done. I’ve totally eaten my way through NY. I mean, a girl has to get in a white slice of pizza before she goes, right?

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COMMENTS:

  1. From ALL of the places I have eaten in NYC you have officially named a treat I have not had….AND I happen to LOVE plain yogurt which means I need to go to Bloomies ASAP. I always love your NYC posts they remind me often why I love it here.

  2. This 4-months pregnant girl is willing to eat her way through anywhere but that sounds especially amazing. (Except the yogurt b/c ew- baby doesn't seem to like that.)
    Please share what you find to eat in L A – will be there next month and would love some tips. I am dying for an In-n-Out burger and their amazing fries.
    Now I'm off to look for a sorry substitute before I drive myself crazy.
    Have a good trip.

  3. Stephanie – I work for a division of Johnson & Johnson and saw today that another division just launched a website specifically for kids with hydrocephalus and thought of you guys. http://www.hydro-kids.com
    I have no idea about the content on this site but wanted to pass it on.

  4. Stephanie, if you manage to get the recipe for the vegetable stew, would you please e-mail it to me? I'd make that in a heartbeat.

  5. I love your NYC posts-there's something magical about them. Look forward to hearing more about your foodie adventures, as well as a recap of the whole Hamptons trip (and pictures, natch!)

  6. Much as I love Colorado, I would give my left nipple to be where you are right now (Nordy sells fake, stick on nips…all good).

  7. Have you ever thought about writing a cookbook? I love how you experiment with food. I always try to change things up when I'm making something. I think that's a sign of a fantastic chef/cook.

  8. Oooh, you were right near my old apartment on 20th and 3rd. Did you say hi?

    Also, when you get to LA, if you're into cakes and sweets, you should try Sweet Lady Jane on Melrose near LaCienega. Their three berry shortcake is "to die".

  9. Ugghhh!!! Do you know how lucky you are??? I am so jealous…I would give just about anything to be in NY right now. Enjoy! I know you will.

  10. Well, I don't know about anybody else, but I'm going to run out for lunch and get an In-and-Out burger & fries! Thanks, Christina!

  11. Okay, this post was like porn for me. I could talk about food and taste and wines until peoples eye glaze over. I am from New Orleans and learned stocks from a master. If you are interested in any of the recipes for KILLER stocks that I have picked up, let me know and I will email them to you. From summer soups to seafooddelights to fruity soups, I got your stock. Do you freeze yours when you make them? I bought one of those vacuum sealing deals and it really keeps the flavor from being comprimised by the nasty freezer frost demon. Does wonders for fresh herbs also. Now to further obsess, one of my best friends lives in Portland and has been tempting me to come for a visit with near dirty talk about how fabulous and "fresh" some of the OR coastline vinters are.
    Totally different vibe to their wine then Nappa, NO? Incidentally, Mario Bartoli does some wicked, sinful things with turnips, check it out. Ahem right back at ya…..loved this post.

  12. Bee….If you have a side by side refrigerator/freezer you'll get that nasty frost demon, but if you have a stand-alone freezer (I have an extra one in the garage) that you have to defrost….I know, it's a pain but only has to be done a couple times a year…I use my hair dryer & just stand there & aim it on the frost….it makes all the difference in the world. Stocks remain fresh as does everything else. I keep sorbet bases, chicken stock, fish stock, all the basics in that freezer at all times. The side by side one in the kitchen has very little in it.

  13. Bee, please share maybe one of each kind of stock for us? (me) I could eat soup all day and would like something new. Thanks

  14. Speaking of your book … or not … I finally broke down and bought it on Sunday (in the new biographies section, and only one copy left!) I didn't care too much for SUAD (probably because I'm older and more boring and couldn't really relate to your NYC escapades.) ANYWAY. I'm glad I reconsidered and read Moose. This one I could understand, as I have battled my weight (mainly unsuccessfully) my entire life. Even though I read your blog, and I know you still struggle, I was wishing for a happy ending. You know, that you grew up and never had food issues again. If only. I have to say, though, a big takeaway from your book — and not about being fat — was to make a mental note to myself that I will NEVER allow my son, now 11, to attend coed sleepaway camps. Never, ever, ever!

  15. I'm going home this weekend (I'm a Brooklyn girl in DC) and can't wait to eat my way through the city! My slice will be cheese, not white. But still…yum.

  16. I was going to leave another comment about the mini turnips at central market in Austin for SK when I noticed Carole's comment. I can't agree with you on your tip, Carole. I have stored stock in stand alone, commerical and my apalling rich and hideously obnoxious ex-boyfriend's Siemens verticool. Trust and believe, Vacuum packed is the way to go for anything stored over two months. I swear I am not as much of a pretentious asshole as this comment makes me sound. I just have a deep pathological hatred of freezer frost. I know, Dr. Phil would have a field day with me.

  17. For the fro-yo addicts among us, the tasty Frogurt brand frozen yogurt served at Bloomingdale's 40 Carrots is sold elsewhere in the city! You're especially in luck if you spend time in the upper east side b/c Sedutto on 78th & 1st carries at least 5 flavors at any given time as does the one on 87th & 1st. What else sets them apart from 40 Carrots? No need to fight the crowds ascending to the 7th floor (that wait for the elevator or the ride up 7 floors on an escalator can drive you mad when you have a fro-yo hankering) — both Sedutto locations are on the ground level and there's NO LINE!

  18. My boss wanted to buy me a small gift today so I took her to B&N and she bought me your first book. I can't wait to read it.

  19. I just moved to California from New York City, and people ask me what it's like there, and all I can tell them about is the food. I think they're a little disappointed, but honestly, I think New Yorkers spend most of their time in search of the next great meal.

  20. Nicki, I forgot to add that I do unplug the freezer & then speed things up by using the hair dryer. The whole thing takes less than 15 min.

  21. When my good friend visited from Boston, I spent the whole weekend taking her from place to place to eat and eat – when we weren't eating, we were walking around and I was showing her the good restaurants, specialty stores, etc. She made some comment like, "We've eaten so much this weekend" as she was leaving (though she did love it all). I hadn't even noticed. To me it's just second nature – eating my way through a city is just how I explore!

  22. Second the comment on Sweet Lady Jane. Or Sprinkles cupcakes, if you haven't already tried it!

    You're not speaking any more times in LA, are you? Is that pure wishful thinking? ;)

  23. I love your posts about NYC, too. Especially since I just ate my way through there a few weeks ago. What surprised me this time is I'm from Portland, Oregon and I noticed a lot of the food at the better restaurants was from the Pacific NW. It's really hard not to feel spoiled here. Even Momofuku, the restaurant I was most excited to try, was like reading a menu back home. Just curious, what was the pinot noir you had?

  24. Boucheron? Did you mean Bouchon? I LOVE Bouchon. I have to dissent though about the Sweet Lady Jane recommendations. I think it is overrated. The cakes are gorgeous, but the cake itself is not very moist. I agree though that turnips are underrated. I have been buying baby turnips at the farmer's market and roasting them with olive oil and salt and pepper. Yum!

    FROM SK: I didn't say Sweet Lady Jane, though you're right about Bouchon. I have the cookbook and had the best peach of my life there. I said "Lady M" cake… which is my fav. http://www.ladymconfections.com/

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