Good Eats

So, what does "good food" mean? Something that tastes good, obviously, but what about presentation? What about after taste? What about the mixture of flavors and consistency? Or just something that makes you really, really happy while you're eating? All those aspects, and more, or what I want to enjoy while eating food. My sister always taught me, why eat food if you can't enjoy it? I live in a city of amazing food, and if i'm not in the city, I can still always find good food. So why do people always settle for decent food, even if it's cheap? Why do I do that too? Yes, money is important, but what's the point of buying lunch at McDonalds when I can buy a meal for maybe a dollar or two more at an amazing little Mexican restaurant in Washington Heights? Yes, it's further away, but absolutely worth the $2.25 train ride and extra 20 minutes. 

         Well, now I'll digress. I'm currently working in East Hampton, a town on the East end of Long Island filled with rich people and celebrities. The streets are lined with brand name stores, and restaurants where you'll most likely dish out about $30 per meal. As mentioning before, sometimes I won't mind spending a little extra money if I ate something really tasty, but some of the places here have only decent food that costs twice as much as I earn an hour. Because of this, and the fact that I'm working out here by myself with no friends and family, I don't go out to eat much. I really will only go out to eat when a family member or friend comes to visit me. So last week when my aunt came out to visit me, I took the opportunity to go out to a nice restaurant with her. Making a reservation two days before, my aunt and I walked into the East Hampton Grill  with high expectations and empty stomachs. I had been there the year before with my sister for dinner, and my sister and I left the restaurant extremely happy and bragging for weeks about the food to anyone who would listen. So when my aunt stepped into the crowded and intimate looking restaurant, we were excited for something good. The crushing part of my night was when the waiter informed us that they were out of artichokes, so they couldn't serve their most popular dish the Steamed Artichokes. Last year when I had dinner with my sister at the restaurant, my boss had convinced us to make sure to order the steamed artichokes. I didn't even like artichokes that much (that's what I liked to say, I had actually never tried one before except for in my spinach and artichoke dip), but I decided to try it. And that might be one of the best (food) decisions in my life. I wish I could have had it this year so I could describe it better, but it was fantastic. Working my way to the heart (the best part of the vegetable) was at first tedious, and then delicious, and then absolutely worth it. The heart was amazing; it was so flavorful and the perfect texture. Of course my sister and I asked how it was made, it sounded simple if only we had the special salt spices they used.... If I had just eaten the artichoke dish, and a mediocre dish, I would have still been happy with my meal. But of course, the entree was delicious as well. 

        But now I could describe my dinner with my aunt. We started with deviled eggs as an appetizer, very yummy but not what I want to focus on. So in lots of "fancy" restaurants, there are no vegetarian dishes because meat is expensive and luxurious, so they're in every dish a restaurant offers. It is the same for the East Hampton Grill, but they have many side dishes that are vegetarian. They must have figured out that many people don't eat meat, so, when I asked, they said I could choose 5 side dishes and they would make it meal. So I ordered the sauteed spinach, tabouleh, mashed potatoes, grilled corn and the summer succotash. And I just want to start out by saying, it was absolutely FANTASTIC.

Here is the fabulous dish!! I'm also going to say, before I continue, that my phone died right before we left for dinner, so I had to take a picture with my aunt's blackberry which has a shitty camera. I was so angry when I realized; I wish I could have taken a picture to give this dish the justice it deserves. 

Starting from the right: tabouleh. To me, and I love tabouleh, I don't really know if there is a way to make truly spectacular tabouleh (unless you're in Israel or the Middle East in general). So as much as I loved tabouleh, this certain part of the meal did not astound me. It was delicious and fresh, but nothing unusual to make me have ordered it on it's own. Next, the grilled corn. Oh, my, god. Not only was the corn fresh, the sauce was amazing. The corn was grilled to perfection and coated with a mustard-y olive oil sauce. I tried asking the waitress what the sauce was made of, but she forgot to tell me. I mostly enjoyed it because I had never tried corn with that sauce before. I wouldn't change anything about the corn. Next, the succotash: it was a perfect combination of ingredients. The ingredients in succotash can vary depending on where you get it, but this one had kidney beans, corn, zucchini, lima beans, onions and tomatoes. It's such a great mix of soft and crunchy ingredients, that it's like a party in your mouth every time you take a bite ( I can't believe I just used that phrase, but it was deserving). A simple succotash has corn, kidney beans and lima beans, but what you ADD to it is what makes or breaks the dish. The EHG did a great job here. The dish all the way on the left was the sauteed spinach. Last year when I ordered the spinach, it was good but a little chalky. This year, they seemed to have changed the recipe. The spinach was a good consistency (not too soft like sometimes it can get), and there was PARMESAN ON THE TOP! I loved that addition because it gave a burst of flavor, and it all worked really well together. Last but not least THE MASHED POTATOES! It sounds weird, but it was my favorite part of this dish. I don't even know why, but it was fantastic. I guess I never have mashed potatoes, and I love them, so this was great to me. It was great because it was really creamy, and had like a lemon flavor? It was so delicious!!!

        So, to sum it all up, I had a very tasty and delicious dinner. Honestly, I wish I could eat that food once a week. The best part about it? It was only 17 DOLLARS FOR THOSE 5 THINGS! My aunt's prime rib was $35! So I technically made my own dish, and it cost half of what my aunt's did, but the quality was still just as amazing! 

        And one of the best parts, was that walking away from my meal to the ice cream shop (heh), there was a great aftertaste in my mouth. Not too strong, it wasn't gross or smelly, but just a little bit to assure me that my mouth was very happy!!!

        This is absolutely a must go to restaurant in East Hampton, it is one of the most popular (it's either ranked first or second), and I haven't heard anyone complain about it. Seriously, eat here, you will not regret it.

My next post, which will hopefully be up soon, is about my favorite cuisine, Indian food!

-E

The beginning

     I like food. A lot. I like to cook and bake food, but my favorite thing is to eat food. I also eat a LOT of food. This, I'm able to blame on my baby sitter I had when I was younger who wouldn't let me get up from the dinner table until I finished my plate. Now, 12 or so years later, I feel weird and unsatisfied if I do not finish my meal. 

     I was born and raised in the great city of New York; the city that never sleeps, the fashion capital, the city with the the most intricate, diverse, and, may I add, delicious foods. I can admit that I'm spoiled, I eat a different type of food everyday. Going out to eat can be expensive, but sometimes the money seems insignificant compared to the the idea that my mom and I would have to "slave" over our dinner by cooking and cleaning. So I'm treated to food from all over the world, from Latin America, to the Eastern part of Asia (I've actually never had Australian food). 

     Five years ago, I became a vegetarian. This cut down on the different types of food I ate, but not how much I enjoyed food. I still like extremely rich meals, as well as healthy meals, so I eat pretty much everything. Okay, I'm actually really picky. Here's a list of things I don't like: mushrooms, whole tomatoes, raw onions,  more but I'm forgetting. I like to say that I'm the pickiest vegetarian when it comes to eating vegetables. I do love a lot of vegetables, though, such as: broccoli, kale, bok choy, corn, asparagus, EGGPLANT, carrots, celery, beets, cucumbers, and a lot more.

     A big thing about me, is that sometimes I order what I'm familiar with. I love trying new things, but since I don't go to the same restaurant or cuisine as often as I'd like, I tend to order the same thing I normally do because I know I'd like it. So since I love food, I hate wasting a meal on something that tastes terrible. This would be a good time to mention the fact that I'm a quarter Italian; it sounds like a small fraction, but it means a lot to my family. We eat a lot of Italian food; a dish of pasta and tomato sauce is a staple in my household.           When I was younger, I used to get pasta and butter and my parents would always be ashamed of my order until the day I finally gave up the greasy goodness.

     So this leads to why I chose the title I did, I LOVE eggplant parmigiana. It mixes 3 things I love: eggplants, cheese and tomato sauce. The reason for my existence (and the reason for this blog) is my grandma's eggplant parmigiana. It is the dish that I can't even try to put into words, it's so amazing. My goal has been to imitate her recipe; I think that I make a pretty mean eggplant parmigiana, but nothing compares with my grandma's. Here's a picture of it, although it hardly does it justice.

     It's fucking delicious, I could eat a whole pan of it. Although I always share food and drinks (not dessert), I won't share my eggplant parmigiana. Call me rude, call me selfish, but this is my food so you better not touch it. 

     So this is my little blog, it's going to be about what I eat, cook, drink, etc. I'll be spending the next 5 or so weeks in East Hampton because I'm working at the Mill House Inn. They have great food, but it's all be extremely pricey so I'll mostly be cooking for myself, or eating what my co-workers cook for me. Then I go off to the glamorous, and swanky Williamsburg, VA where the nearest restaurants to me will be McDonalds and Dominoes. This might (but hopefully won't) limit the exciting meals I eat. I got the Freedom meal plan, which means as much food as I'd like from the Caf! I'm crossing my fingers for good food, and to not gain the freshman 15. 

     Look forward to more yummy meals, I want to write as often as I can!!

-E