Culinary Explorations: On the Road Again to Connecticut and New York City

On the way to New York City, we stopped off at this diner for lunch. A relative had mentioned this place and said it was good. The place was busy and bustling with many ready and waiting to dig in with the vegetarian and multifaceted entrees. The menu had breakfast items, waffles, pancakes, bagels, omelets, clubs, vegan delights, burgers, eclectic entrees from all over the world as well as wraps and salad, starters, pasta, roasts , seafood and sauteed entrees all at reasonable prices. Desserts, ice creams, rounded out the menu.

I did not want to eat a lot so my mother and I shared the interesting huge offering of Twin Towers, vegetable strudel with seasoned vegetables rolled in a phyllo dough. Crispy, delicious and tasty, it was perfectly baked.

My sister had the protein cake like seductive tempeh reuben. I had heard of tempeh before but never had it.http://www.tempeh.info/
I took a bite of her sandwich. It was sliced and fried crisp and golden brown



It tasted very much like fried eggplant. This entree came with a wild rice cake, sauerkraut and maple mustard to give it a different intermingling flavor on grilled rye. It also came with a nice dark bean chili which has a nice smoky taste.

Then on to New York City where we stayed in a Bed & Breakfast near Natural History Museum and Central Park.
We hit fantastic Zabar's twice for savory knishes, crunchy olive bread, and more to snack in the Bed and breakfast near Central Park. Offerings include foi groi the gooseliver pate ($100) to other itemshttp://www.zabars.com/
http://www.yelp.com/biz/zabars-new-york










Then in the morning we hit this well known establishment. Supposedly mobbed at breakfast, we were able to find a nice table for brunch. Once again my son and daughter have good taste!
Supposedly this remarkable nice looking eatery, started out as a catering business and selling their remarkable apricot jam marmalades.

Sarabeth branched out and the result is a very nice restaurant with a remarkable list of delicious offerings for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

We settled down to decide what to eat. While the rest of my family zoned in on breakfast items, I had my on an innovative looking, sounding and hopefully delicious warm berry bread pudding (which I love and heard was good).


Now I am not much about plating, but wasn't this gorgeous looking! I let everyone sample some and then I dug in.

The bread pudding was sublime. The berry bread pudding was very creamy, The little "sprits" of strawberry puree amidst the vanilla bean sauce was divine. At $8.50, it was not cheap but this heavenly desert hit the spot for me and carried me through the rest of of the day. I was looking for something extra special and this was it. I don't usually go for dessert, let alone brunch but this was a winner as well as the other dishes.
The rest of my family had Spinach and Goat Cheese omelette and the Gruyere Cheese White Cheese Omelettes. They were savory and cooked perfectly. We could also then try some of the excellent marmalade signature jam.
After that we bought more from Zabar's to snack on the way and stopped off at a Dairy Queen on the way back before returning to Providence. I will be back in New York City May 21. More then. (if you have reactions, ideas etc to any of these or other posts or you have ideas about where to head to when we come back to NYC, post a comment! I want to try an ethnic restaurant if we can.

The pies and coffee are the best -forget the rest

We have been to Perkins in Lawrence and Olathe. Mostly for pies, desserts and coffee. I am mystified however when the couple of times we have eaten at this place, everything and I mean everything literally has no flavor and tastes like cardboard. Frankly I don't know how they do this.

What's a frappe anyway?

I grew up with this Creamery which used to be on Wayland Square. The long counter and more made for a great place to stop for ice cream or more at any time. The coffee shakes were and still are fantastic. The Awful frappes (I always let the people know they are called this moniker and not shakes).are great. Think, creamy they are something else. I didn’t remember ordering anything but that .Want to find out more about these dessert/drinks- here you go. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milkshake

Wendy's frosty are thee thing to get

Many years ago this place had a salad bar I believe. I've been here several times of the years not for the salad but sometimes burgers but mostly those luscious Frostys. There was a show about it once and it was explained how they have a special way of mixing it up to give these delectable drink/ desserts/ ice cream (it's all for me) their characteristically different shake like consistency. It's just different and it is my favorite. We have had the salads BTW in Wichita, from different conferences that catered Wendy's and they have been pretty good. But when I think of Wendy's it's the Frosty I think about.
Actually the Chili (all you can eat ) is pretty good and taste and meaty t00.
Seems like there are other ways to make a Frosty
http://www.smoothieweb.com/tag/wendys-frosty/
Here is the copy cat recipe
http://recipes.wikia.com/wiki/Wendy's_Frosty_(copycat_version)

I am surprised . It can ‘t be this easy to make , can it?
Copycat Wendy's Frosty
Recipe #18839 | 1 hour | 1 hour prep | add private note

(9)
RATE IT NOW
Print Recipe

By: Lennie
Feb 4, 2002
Found this copycat recipe and HAD to post it for all the Frosties lovers! Note that the recipe does not specify what flavour ice cream to use, but I'm guessing vanilla, or perhaps chocolate. Try both! Prep time includes softening time of ice cream.
SERVES 6 (change servings and units)

Ingredients
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup Nestles Quik
• 3 cups ice cream, softened in fridge for one hour
Directions
1. 1
Put all ingredients in blender; blend until Quik is incorporated; serve immediately.

I thouight the salad and breadsticks included soup?

We have been here for dinner and lunch several times. This time, dinner with all you can eat breadsticks and salad. Advertising says it includes soup but that is probably only for lunch possibly. We decided to add a tomato and veggie pizza and test out how the pizzas are compared to others. The salad is not bad with a spicy Italian dressing. (My preference is for caesar salad but that is not one of the AYCE options. We noshed on several helping of salad. Breadsticks are long, chewy but not particularly enticing but we ate a few anyway. The pizza was nicely baked, had tomatoes on it and with the olives we wanted. Definitely not thin crust pizza, not chicago style but chewy and good. The waiter was attentive and "talked us into" ordering a dessert. There were several choices and we narrowed it down to the gelato and a chocolate cake (which we took).
It was dark chocolaty, creamy with different types of chocolate. We finished every little shread of it as it was so good. After thinking it over, I would not get this bread sticks and salad thing deal again. For just a few dollars more, a meal comes with an entree and the salad and bread comes with it. So this might be the last time we do the salad and breadsticks ploy with/out a pizza. Still we had a nice time. But OG is not my favorite Italian place (Cinzetti's is) but this restaurant is closer. But if they throw in the soup for lunch I might come again.

Arby's recipes: the anti burger sandwhich and more

Known for its roast beef, like many others I have been to Arby's for a little bite. But for some reason, I can't quite get it out of my mind that the roast beef should not be pink but but have a "light shade of brown" like regular roast beef. Am I wrong?

Once in a while I like to pop into Arby's location for their fabulous Jamoca shakes, especially when there is a coupon. They are very creamy, chocolaty and almost as good as Wendy's. (They are not quite as creamy thick and have a little different consistency). I wish they had a $1 menu. Well they sort of do but you can pick from a wide array 5 for $5. But when I just interested in one this what I get for $1. I have eaten the salads once and they are not bad.

The curly fries are "to die for" and have just right crispness. I also love the sauces like horsey sauce (horseradish sauce) which is not too hot but gives a sandwich a mild extra zing of heat. But the 3 pepper sauce is to die for an is very, very addictive for me. This three pepper sauce which is absolutely awesome and is a good blend of different peppers, heat, flavor and goes well along on a sandwich , with fries etc (I wish they would bottle it as I would buy it!). That reminds me maybe I can find a recipe for it. But before that, I found an interesting article on horseradish and more at ( under culinary uses)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horseradish

The recipe

Arby's Horsey Sauce

By: Cookinn'Lovinit
Nov 17, 2007
From Top Secret Recipes
SERVES 4 -6 , 1 cup (change servings and units)
Ingredients
1 tablespoon white vinegar
4 teaspoons granulated sugar or sugar substitute
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup mayonnaise
2 1/2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
Directions
1In a small bowl, mix the sugar and salt in vinegar until dissolved.
2Add mayonnaine, horseradish and vinegar mix into a blender. Set on medium until pureed. (About 10 seconds).
3Chill in covered container until smooth and creamy (about 2 to 3 hours).

The BBQ sauce recipe is

Arbys Barbecue Sauce Recipe
Mrtnzangel8 / All my dishes
11 months, 2 weeks ago
Arby's sauce is one of my favs on their roast beef sandwiches or whatever..I've been known to put it on a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit... I got this recipe in an e-mail earlier. I am trying it right now.....

Ingredients
1 cup ketchup
2 teaspoons water
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco pepper sauce

Directions
Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sauce begins to boil, 5 to 10 minutes.
Remove the sauce from the heat. Cover and allow to cool.
Pour into a covered container for storage in your refrigerator.
Keeps for a month or two.
Makes 1 cup.

Tasty pickles, awesome chocolate cake, good fish and huge menu

This place has family and "regular" food fare. That and the fact that it is mini chain with 4 places around RI, is another one of reasons why I don't normally frequent a place like this, while traveling the country. But my brother and his family are regulars here so when I came into town, I went for a ride. Supposedly it's a mainstay has it had wholesome food, good prices and a variety of dishes of all sorts. As a gastronomic explorer, I wanted to get an idea of how the food tasted and whether it was better then regular fare.
They have the signature yellow green chip like pickles which were dished out when we arrived. Crisp, tangy and different. There's lots to choose from and that is a good problem as I have hard time making up my mind looking for something new or unusual to try (soups, appetizers, salads, burgers, sandwiches, dinner favorites, Gregg's favorites, sandwiches, RI traditions, clubs, pastries/cakes, deli , pasta dinners, cakes and homestyle pies and cheesecakes, and even low fat entrees). Since it's RI and New England and I remember when I used to eat baked scrod in Providence restaurants, i chose that. It was moist, with flakey crust nicely baked with the sweet potato and rice. We share the huge piece of their premier chocolate cake and it was amazingly moist and chocolate laden. There is much to like about this place, the menu, the variety of fare and the prices. I have vote this place thumbs up because of this. However it's not my type of place to come again as I look for fare that takes food to other levels. But if my brother wants us to come I will. There is enough variety to find regular food again.

Korma Sutra: Excellent food- how is basmati rice different?

We have been here many times since it first opened. Always excellent. This time, the Caribbean place El Caribe seems to have gone out of business so we headed to one of favorite Indian places Korma Sutra (Overland Park, KS). We usually go during Sunday buffet but we thought to spend some time after Valentina day since we could not go that night.
The head owner waiter (I should get his name) is so funny and is always making the place "hop". He is always gracious and a "real Hoot!". There were few people in the place when we arrived. But the place quickly filled up and he and the other waiters and waitresses were always buzzing around.
We had a coupon for $$ off but I immediately used that up. When he asked if I wanted some Indian beer (Taj Mahal) I thought why not? It was a big bottle and it was good and even my wife sipped a little. But at $7 I won't do it again but hey it was a valentines date.
My wife ordered the Lamb Saag as she loves the spinach and wanted to try this version. I had seen a special that they make here for our friends. It is a variation of Vegetarian Kofta (meat patty) with seasoned onions, tomatoes and more. My wife ordered the chi tea which loves while I worked on the beer. Meanwhile they asked if we wanted garlic naan bread and we said yes (comes with buffet so this was extra) as well as the cracker wafer Roti (unleavened wheat bread). Poured on some of the condiment tray sides of spicy mint relish, tamarind liquid (lemony- lime dark), mango chutney (which I always love and use at home -except don't buy the hot variety) and another one or two.
She loved the lamb saag. I tested it and it was great and very creamy.
My lamb kofti came extra spicy that I wanted (looked like more cayenne, turmeric or red spice). The way they make it here is in the shape of little cigar shaped patties called kofti. She tried one piece and she thought it was real spicy. Maybe when I make it I won't make it that spicy and order the regular. Still both were great and as we normally do, we eat part and take part of it home to eat the next night or day. That way we get to share the meal, see whether the spices die out over night or taste differently. Also the portions are quite generous so it's a way to cut the calories for that meal and try to keep my waist trim (yeah right?) and take some home to savor again later (like getting 2 meals for 1 price).
Dessert came in the way of creamy rice pudding (which I love) with orange stuff on top. I thought it was like a candies carrot tiny pieces and I was right.
Last but not least and an interesting touch is that the waitress poured warm water over our hands. We massages the lime on our hands to clean ourselves of the meal. Nice touch literally!
Of course the Basmati rice came with the dishes. I new this rice is an Indian specialty and wondered whether we should try it at home and how special or what other information I could found about it. What I found most interested was the scent for the rice. I thought it came from the spices themselves made in the kitchen but is actually part of the process. More information said
" Like jasmine rice, it has its own unique smell. In the case of basmati, this smell is due to the presence of a chemical called 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline, which is found in basmati rice at about 90 parts per billion. That's about 12 times more than other rice giving basmati its special aroma. Brown basmati rice is comparable to other types of brown rice in nutrient content, and white basmati rice is comparable to other types of white rice."

It turned out to be an expensive night with the extra beer, sides etc. Sweet time, sweet place , sweet date. But we get to taste it all again the next night:) We'll be back again but next time for the buffets you can bet , soon.

Pumpkin-Chocolate bread pudding - yummmy

I love bread pudding - all types and kinds. When I opened up the Kansas City Star Food section on 11/23/08, I saw this recipe and knew I had to try to make it. It called for two parts: making the pumpkin-chocolate load first and then the Pumpkin-chocolate bread pudding. I tried to jump the recipe and take some time and actually make the pudding part with cubes of Italian bread. I drizzled the custard like pudding mixture over the bread cubes. It came out great, very chocolate laden and with whip cream even my wife loved it.
I tried to find the recipe to display here but it would not show. I don't have time now to reenter the recipe by hand but if anyone would like to try it, email me and I will put it other and send it you and also display in this section later. (contact me at dreric1kansas@aol.com).
Oh by the way I rated this 9.6/10. Not bad for half a recipe so to speak.

Spin! Neapolitan Pizza is so good the 3 S's

 I heard about this place awhile back as it was mentioned in the Kansas City Star for its excellence. Enough said. I had to find and try this place. We have been here several times at the location on 119th street but down south in Overland Park. Either location the place is great. We don't go out to eat pizza often but I thought that the "overtures" from the Kansas City star deserved a visit.
The inside of the Overland Park is a little more rustic but the Olathe location is fine. They both have those cool looking roundish Italian stove type pizza ovens. They have a good deal on Mondays where there is 3 for the price of two. They were all just excellent. Superlative crust, superb topping, super reasonable prices. The garlic tomato once was our favorite. But the other two were close behind. And they also have amazing gelato dessert. The got the pumpkin gelato which was just amazing. In fact after I tasted some of it, I got a pint of it! Those little spoons make it go a long way. And those pizzas went a long way throughout the week. Try a pie and/ or gelato near you. You will be glad you did.

Singing the blues at Jardine's

It was our friends 35 wedding anniversary. They picked Jardine's for the Jazz and music, a place we have never been. It was very, very cold but we braved the cold and traveled to the Plaza. We hoped the music would warm us up. It did.
The place is really cozy, small but big enough to hold a small stage, music area, a bar and enough chairs and tables for music lovers. But this is a place where you can drink and eat as well. There all kinds of drinks, beer, cocktails, teas and more. One of the women chose the chocolate martini which went for $10 and she thought it was good. My wife had tea and I went for H2O. I wanted to use my money for something to eat.
It was a weekday so maybe that is why there was not cover charge. No matter. The menu has entrees (ranging from $12 to #30) with pork, fish, pasta,, sandwiches and more as well as appetizers ( hummus, dips, brochettes), burgers, salads and desserts. It was 9:15 and the music was about to play, so we had to chose quickly and get served quickly. My wife wanted the chocolate mousse and drink tea. I decided to get the salsa and chips for $6.
Before ours arrived, other quests got theirs. The appetizer with a multiberry ( blueberry, raspberry etc) sauce that you dip the triangle. The fruity dip was indeed berry like, not too sweet with a hint of sourness. Not too shabby. Now on to the salsa where I wasn't as happy.
The salsa was probably the worst I have ever had (besides Pace Picante - which I call salsa). It did not have a real "tomatoey" taste. It had no distinct flavor let alone any spiciness. But I wanted something to nibble on while waiting for the music. So I used the chips which were unremarkable to say the least. We had more luck with the music and my wife's dessert.
Her mousse was tall and thin. So much so we could not get a normal spoon down into it. We got some skinnier spoons and the chocolate met our taste buds. Thick, smooth, my wife loves its pudding like consistency and I thought (what I could get) it was great too!
The company was great, the music was jazzy and the inside were cozy. Nice place. I could see coming back again. My wife might go for the Mousse again but I would definitely skip the salsa and chips and try something else. But it is the music that will keep me coming here. Give this intimate and interesting place a shot.

Barumba - nice place on Plaza for gelato and more perhaps

We were on the Plaza near the Canal area and spotted this place's big line mainly at this time for dessert. As we waited in line to get gelatto, I could see that this place had sandwiches, soups and much more ( I could not see any prices on the menu board so I can't discuss pricing). Still it seemed a nice little place as I looked over the flavors. More gelato places are sprouting up and many more people are discovering gelato which has less calories and great flavor. This place has quite a variety of flavors which are very good. I should have tried some of the flavors first but the line was long. I focused on which ones we wanted at this time. I chose two to try. I tried the pumpkin one to test it from another place and it good but not as good as the other place. The pistachio (I had this in one cup) was very nutty and hint of that particular flavor. My wife also thought the gelato good but not as fruity as we had earlier in the day elsewhere. I like the look and feel of this place. I would like to come here when we are the Plaza again and try out some of the entrees to see how good the rest of the food is.

Halloweens coming : which candy is your favorite poison and how many calories and fat?

I love Reeses Peanut butter cup and Butterfingers. I don't eat them often but no here is more food for thought why and information about other candies which you might want to check out.

This candied source of protein (ahem, peanut-butter indulgence) is higher in calories:

* Butterfinger (whole bar) 230 calories 13 grams fat
* Reese’s (two peanut butter cups) 270 claories 11 grams fat

http://www.aolhealth.com/diet/basics/candy-calories?icid=100214839x1212407503x1200727396

Are You a Connoisseur About Calories in Candy? by
Eating this pack of candy will pack on the most post-Halloween chub:

* Starburst (whole pack)
* Sweet Tarts (whole pack)

Which of these caramel-chocolate candy combos is higher in calories?

* Riesen (four pieces)
* Milky Way (whole bar)

During Halloween, every kid's favorite house on the block is the one that invests in full-size candy bars. If your kid scores a full-size Nestlé Crunch bar, they won't be consuming any more calories than if they were scarfing down three mini-Crunch bars.

* True
* False

Which has more calories, 10 grotesquely festive gummy body parts or two mini-packs of Lifesavers Gummies?

* Frankford Gummy Body Parts
* Lifesavers Gummies

Which chocolate bar has more calories?

* Snickers
* KitKat
* Neither -- they contain the same number

When debating which candy to swipe from your kids' Halloween booty, you choose one serving of the marshmallow pumpkins, because the serving of candy corn has more calories:

* True
* False

One serving of this chocolate-covered treat has more calories:

* Raisinets
* Flipz Milk Chocolate Covered Pretzels

This nutty treat is more caloric:

* Peanut Brittle (one 1.4 oz serving)
* PayDay (whole bar)

Good & Plenty, the sweet, cylindrical licorice candies, look so similar to the fruity Mike and Ike that they must have the same number of calories per serving:

* True
* False

Which of these after-dinner breath fresheners has more calories?

* One York Peppermint Patty
* Junior Mints (16 pieces)
* Neither -- they contain the same

When you're faced with the dilemma of whether to "taste the rainbow" or nibble on bite-sized licorice, which path will lead to consuming more calories?

* Skittles (whole package)
* Twizzlers Nibs (whole package)

If you're craving a lower-calorie cocoa treat, don't choose this chewy candy:

* Tootsie Rolls (six pieces)
* Milk Duds (13 pieces)

Which gummy treat has more calories?

* Swedish Fish (seven pieces)
* Gummy Bears (17 pieces)

Can you guess which of these candies (balls of sugar) has more calories?

* Smarties (3 rolls)
* Jelly Bellies (35 Pieces)



If you're going to give in to your chocolate craving, this is the selection to avoid if you're counting calories:

* Hershey's bar
* 3 Musketeers bar

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Gelato: Barumba on the Kansas City PLaza

We were on the Plaza near the Canal area after watching the Water Fire show (I previously had watched it a few years ago in Providence my home town). and spotted this place's big line mainly at this time for dessert. But as we waited in line to get gelato, I could see that this place had sandwiches, soups and much more ( I could not see any prices on the menu board so I can't discuss pricings). Still it seemed a nice little place as I looked over the flavors. More gelato places are sprouting up or many more people are discovering gelato which has less calories and great flavor. This place has a quite a variety of flavors which is very good. I should have tried a little bit of flavors but the line was long and you just have to focus on which you want at this time. I chose two to try. I tried the pumpkin one to test it from another place and it good but not as good as the other place. The pistachio (I had this in one cup) was very nutty and flavorful. My wife also thought the gelato good but not as fruity as we had earlier in the day elsewhere.

If you come to Cici's Pizza you really come for this not the pizza

Who doesn't like pizza? There are so many places to get pizza when you want a pie but where do you go? Once in awhile when we really get a craving try a chain pizza place which is usually not what we do. (the real reason coming up). If we want to try several types, at a cheap prize plus salad bar and drink for free we go to Cici's for the 2 special for $10. There is pastas for sauces ( tomato and alfredo type) too, passable but edible salad with croutons and salad dressings. The best pizza is the margherita and some other ones are okay. The buffalo chicken pizza is okay but it would be better with larger chicken pieces (which are are so miniscule you hardly taste the chicken. You get free pop. lemonade etc with refills . You can even ask the pizza makers to order up you own pizza if the types have not come out in a while. But the thing that we really come for and you should be too, is the "to die for " warm stick buns. They are rich, gooey and if you get them right when they come out of the oven, they are even better. The chocolate pizza and fruity one are not bad for dessert either but these buns are the best ( I mean some bakeries you have to pay $5 just for a good dessert bun). So I like I say want real good pizza try some other place. Want cheap passable pizza but gooey buns try cici's