Grilled Lobster du Jour

We hit the grill tonight, adding a sweet, smokey flavor to the meat.

South Edison, Montauk

Hit the beach, and bring your polka dots!

Swordfish and Shrimp Kabomb!

With a lemon and lime juice cilantro marinade.

Finally a Summer Lobster Boil

Sweet Baby Ray's Sweet 'n Spicy BBQ Chicken

SBT (salmon, basil, tomato) Bagel

An herbaceous breakfast, thanks to the local farm stand,
LKL, in East Hampton.

S'more please!

Jon and Lara, and Charlie!, have been up visiting us for the 4th holiday weekend at 18 Ely Brook.  Yesterday was a great day, though Jon had to head back to the city for work.  We enjoyed the day by the pool, I spent the entire time on calls for work, and then we made it out for yappy hour at the Maidstone.  After ordering in sushi from ShoWin in East Hampton, having a little wine and sake, we cracked open a fun gift from Jon and Lara... a s'more maker!  As you can see here, this ingenious invention keeps everything together for the perfect S'more.

Happy 4th of July

A blue cheese stuffed burger, please.

The Skate Turned out Great

I'm back.  The creative juices are flowing in the kitchen on the first weekend my family is spending together at a new house in East Hampton.  That's right... my family.  Nicole and I welcomed a blessed little boy into our lives on May 18, 2012... Alec.  He's a gem.  Anyways... this is about the hot sauce, which hit our dinner tonight.  After putting the little guy to bed for the night (he's only 6 weeks old!), I started with an appetizer.  A dozen littleneck clams, steamed.  All they needed was a squeeze of lemon and we definitely had Louisiana hot sauce on the side.  I also prepped some skate for the grill... olive oil, capers, parsley and cracked pepper.  Time to go grill the skate.  And it's good to be back. Ciao.

The Best Dog-ter in the World

As we have been enjoying our anniversary and Valentine's vacation, we left our little one Layla behind. But not just anywhere. Since we visited Buffalo for my sister Kate's birthday the weekend before we left, Layla has had the privilege of being spoiled at my parents and having a sister of her own in my parent's dog Petunia. Well, before heading out to dinner tonight, we got an awesome little message from our perfect puppy. Here it is...

Besame Mucho

On Saturday afternoon, we left Puerto Morelos and headed up the coast to Cancun. While Nicole was somewhat familiar with the Zona Hotelera from prior visits for spring break some years ago, I had only been thru the airport and never the city. We drove up the coast and then headed thru the hotel zone. Massive hotel property after hotel property canvassed the coastline, presumably with beachfront on the opposite side of their impenetrable wall to non-guests. The storm we were driving thru was the worst weather yet on our trip, with half of the two lane street flooded. We charged on and then passed thru the club area, with DadyO's, Senior Frogs, Hooters, Katsuya and other big venues. As it was only 7pm, most were closed but after circling a few times we figured out how to approach and valet park at Senor Frogs... the only open place other than Hooters. It was a noisy hot mess, with a handful of tables of people eating. We went up to the empty bar and each had a margarita, which were (a) crappy and (b) a rip off. So we left there quickly and continued on to dinner.

We decided to go to a place called Labna, a traditional Yucatean restaurant in the center of Cancun, well away from the tourist trappings of the hotel zone. This was a place Nicole found and appealed to us because it would offer some more traditional food preparations from the area, rather than the typical Mexican dishes served with soft shell tacos and salsas. But what we found is that without a Garmin, navigating the poorly marked streets of central Cancun was more difficult than imagined. We were driving in a general vicinity of the restaurant, which I knew only because of the main avenues we circled around. But we couldn't find our side streets. Finally we got the blackberry GPS to get us to a nearby place, Roots, a jazz club that we would go to after dinner. We found parking right across from Labna, which I considered a great success after the growing sense we were getting terribly lost.

The storm was still very severe, which I consider a main reason Labna had only one other table when we entered. Our waiter Girardo was very nice, seating us in the middle of the restaurant, and also with a clear view of the stage and three musicians playing guitars and an upright bass. We started with beers, then decided on a couple appetizers and entrees. I started with the Longaniza de Valladolid, the Yucatecan smoked pork sausage, seasoned with mayan spices, and Nicole ordered the seafood stuffed avocado, seasoned with onions, tomato, coriander and radishes. Both were very good, the sausage with nice chorizo-like spice and texture, balancing well with the light shredded seafood salad stuffed in the avocado. For my entree, I had the pibil pork, seasoned with achiote and other local spices, wrapped in banana leaves and baked in a slow oven. The slow cooked pork melted in my mouth, seemed very lean and had great rich flavors. Nicole had the maculam, a tin foiled fish fillet seasoned and baked with hoja santa and spices, a delicacy. Steaming in the natural juices of the fish and vegetables in the tin foil, this opened up a hot, steamy and smooth white fish. The flavors were balanced and subtle, making this a savory but light dish.

Somehow the waiter and musicians caught wind that our anniversary was this weekend (the next day to be exact), and approached our table to serenade us. After playing a couple songs, they played a song that was written in 1940 by a man named Consuelo Velazquez. Called Besame Mucho, or Kiss Me Much, Consuelo herself, she wrote this song even though she had never been kissed yet at the time, and kissing as she heard was considered a sin. For us, the song was a very romantic welcoming to our first anniversary, which we have definitely enjoyed.

Puerto Morelos - A Quick Stop

Saturday equals rain. No sun for us. No beach to lay out on. No diving because the harbor was closed with such severe wind and rain (usually I like diving on rainy days, because the light is still sufficient 70 feet underwater, and if it's going to be wet out, we might as well be underwater). Anyway, after a great morning workout at the gym, we decided to make the most of our day and drive up the peninsula; first having lunch in a small port town called Puerto Morelos, and then continuing up to Cancun for dinner at Labna and live jazz at a local hot venue called Roots.

We left the Fairmont Mayakoba and easily made our way up Highway 307 about 22 km to Puerto Morelos. Our destination was supposed to be a covered but open air Mexican bbq-pit, but upon arrival we discovered it was closed. Apparently, the weather gave many people an excuse for a vacation day. But across the street, there was another place ranked #1 on Trip Advisor, an ex-patriot stop called Cantina Habanero. Simple chicken fajitas and quesadillas, with a margarita for a midday light and fruity beverage. All in all an ok lunch, but nothing to call home about. We spoke to a guy named Kevin, who moved down from the US about 8 months ago, and he said things have changed since the owner died a few weeks ago. While his wife now continues to run the place alone, maybe it will be in the doldrums for a little while. But I here it's a great late night watering hole with live bands playing (whether latin jams or ex-pats wailing some classic rock). So maybe lunch, and heavy rains, tempered our experience.

We parked by the town square and walked down to the pier, passing by a Mexican national guard station with a soldier holding an ancient looking machine gun. At the pier, the stone structures clearly stood the test of time, definitely worse for the wear. Fisherman's boats were buoyed up and down the cost, but because of the weather none were out at sea. While the waves were rough and the rain continued to fall significantly, I managed to get the timer set on my smaller camera to capture a fun photo of me and Nicole. We then dashed to the car and made our way up to Cancun.

Local fare at Carboncitos

After a nice morning at the beach and an incredible cooking class, we motivated to get off property for dinner. While it was running later and we wouldn't get into Playa del Carmen until around 9pm, we wanted to make the drive to enjoy a walk in town rather than spend a ton of money in the hotels again. And while we would need to get up around 6:20am the next day to get ready for diving, we thought a local style dinner at Carboncitos would be a quick dining hit we would enjoy. So we headed into Playa and found a 24 hour parking lot, parked the car and walked into town. The city has developed incredibly since we were last here about 6 or 7 years ago. "5th Avenue" has taken over as a major tourist stretch of stores, restaurants and bars, extending from the main pier up to around 20th Street. But there is well rounded quality to it compared to the behemoth clubs in Cancun for example. Many bars have live bands playing latin music or rock covers from the 70s, 80s and 90s.

Carboncitos is located on 4th Street between 5th and 10th Aves. It is a small and unassuming place that makes dressed down, fantastic flavored Mexican entrees, focused around pastor, or marinated pork. We ended up getting una mesa para dos right in the front, just on the street, which was great for watching people passing by. We started with a salsa wheel (orden de totopos y salsas), an assortment of 6 different freshly made salsas, of varying degrees of heat. I also couldn't resist ordering the cheese crisp (chicharron de queso), which was more than I expected upon arrival! It was a fried piece of cheese, but is wasn't really greasy/ oily at all. It was a nice mild cheese, which I used to alternate scooping up salsa instead of the taco chips.

At this point, I could tell we were settling into being away on vacation. We laughed about silly things Layla has been doing around the house, entertaining my parents coming into town the weekend after we return, enjoying our time with friends watching the Superbowl and discussing the various things we wanted to do for the rest of our trip and afterward.

For dinner, I had chilanguito tacos, which were made of the pastor pork, poblano peppers and melted cheese and sauteed onions throughout. With the soft tortillas, this made for a great taco dinner that hit the spot with me. Nicole had the special alambre de camaron, fresh grilled shrimp with crispy bacon, onion, pepper and cheese with Mexican style rice. These were relatively heavy dishes we were dealing with here, but the flavors were off the charts. Finishing up a couple margaritas, we were ready to head back to the car and get some shut-eye before our big day of diving in Cozumel.

A Great Day

While any travel day can be a long day, and sometimes a very long day, if the purpose is beginning a vacation, then it is a great day. Nicole and I were up around 4am, to motivate and take a car service to LaGuardia Airport. We were heading off to the Riviera Maya, Mexico, specifically the Fairmont Mayakoba just north of Playa del Carmen. The occasion? Celebrating our first anniversary, escaping one of the snowiest winters in New York City history, recharging our batteries and having a fun filled week together.

When we arrived, we dealt with the typical international travel items... waiting in long lines for immigration, luggage, hitting the green/red button to pass easily through customs or get searched, finding our rental car company, and then navigating our way to the hotel. We finally checked in around 2pm Playa time (1 hr behind NYT), and went for a bite to eat at the hotel restaurant - La Laguna Grill & Bar (grilled fish tacos and ceviche) - which overlooks the mangroves and fresh water canals that stretch throughout the property. Finally we stole an hour or two by the pool, as the sun gave way to clouds and then dusk. While tired from a day that began very early, we motivated to go to the gym. On our walk back from the gym, we realized that the forecasted rain would come true, and that it was possible our next couple days could be marred with overcast and dreary skies.

For dinner, we stayed close to home and went to the Rosewood Mayakoba, one of the three hotels in this Mayakoba region, a unique coastal stretch of a carefully maintained ecosystem of dunes, mangroves and freshwater lagoons. While staying at the Fairmont for four nights, we would be transferring to the Banyan Tree Mayakoba resort for our final three nights. So we went to Rosewood to see this third spectacular hotel in this Mayakoba complex. And as we arrived in the Agave Azul Raw Bar & Tequila Library, the winds picked up and rain came in sideways flowing sheets. We took cover just inside an open air balcony stretching lengthwise in the bar/ restaurant, enjoying a margarita and a little tequila for sipping. We tried the Milagro Select Blanco and Resposado Select Barrel Reserves, each served with a spiced tomato juice back, to balance the strong tequila flavors between sips. It actually was some of the best "bloody mary" mix we've ever had. The waiter told us it included tomato juice, worchester sauce, lime, salt, pepper, hot sauce, soy sauce (really?) and cilantro. It had great kick. Anyway, after enjoying tuna tartar, some sushi rolls (including an interesting thai spiced roll), we trekked thru the rain by golf cart then car to return to our signature casita at the Fairmont to end a great first day of vacation with a good night's rest.

Short Rib & Flank Steak Chili with Beans

While the fall season in NYC has been unbelievable, sunny and unseasonably warm in the mid-50s, I have had a fall craving for a meaty, chunky, flavorful chili. With the Bills out of town, I motivated today to prepare my first chili ever. And with either the Creuset pot or crock pot received as wedding gifts, I had two perfect vessels to prepare the meal, with the expectation it will be perfect for afternoon football tomorrow. I went with the crock pot because it's easy to leave behind in the kitchen without worrying about burning the building down.

Walking around Manhattan with Nicole and Layla, I stepped into the East Village Meat Market at 2nd Ave, just south of 9th Street. Sure enough the butcher selected 2 pounds of perfect, red fleshy beef short ribs. Later, I went to the Food Emporium - Bridgemarket, under the Queensborough Bridge, to pick up more ingredients (including a pound of flank steak to make a rib and steak chili with beans).

I reviewed a handful of chili recipes online, picked elements that met my preferences and called a few audibles along the way. I took careful note of portions, and the steps I took to cook. I won't fully know how it tastes until tomorrow, but it looks and smells outstanding. Here it is for you to try if you'd like...

Ingredients:

• 1 whole garlic bulb
• 2 jalapeños (fresh)
• 2 chile de arbols (fresh)
• 1 chili pepper de anaheim (dried)
• 1 habanero pepper (dried)
• 1 red bell pepper (fresh)
• 1 medium white onion
• 2 15oz cans mixed kidney, pinto and black beans
• 1 19oz can red kidney beans
• 2 15oz cans fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 6 oz Guinness beer
• olive oil
• Spices/Herbs: 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp dried parsley, 1 tbsp ground cumin, 1 tbsp ancho chili powder, 1/2 tbsp hungarian paprika, 1/2 tbsp garlic powder, 1/2 tbsp onion powder. Extra chili powder and cumin to season meat.

Directions:

1. Remove bone from the short ribs, and trim fat off meat as desired. Rub ribs and steak with chili powder and cumin and set to side.
2. Chop garlic bulb horizontally one-quarter from the top to reveal the cloves. Place on sheet of tin foil, drizzle exposed cloves with olive oil, securely wrap bulb with foil and place in oven to roast at 350ºF for 30 minutes.
3. While garlic is roasting, de-vein and de-seed the the fresh jalapeños and chile de arbols, and the dry habenero and chile pepper de anaheim. If possible, wear disposable gloves when handling the peppers, because the capsicum (oil inside pepper) will be extremely hot and cause potentially extreme discomfort if touching the face, eyes, etc. Place cleaned peppers in a bowl and soak in 1 to 2 cups of boiled water for approximately 30 minutes, to soften.
4. Roast the red pepper directly over open flame on stove top, to char the skin. Remove from stove, cut off top, de-seed and quarter. Remove garlic from stove and squeeze out cloves (they should slip out). Place garlic cloves, charred red pepper and soaked hot peppers with water in blender and process until smooth. Strain pepper mixture, pressing pulp to extract as much fluid as possible. Set 2 cups of strained pepper sauce to side. Save portion of pulp to later add to chili to increase the heat as preferred.
5. In porcelain enamel cast iron pot (e.g. Creuset) or slow cooker (e.g., a crock pot), place beans, fire roasted diced tomatoes, beer and 2 cups of pepper sauce. Bring to a simmer. Then add the spices and herbs. Keep covered.
6. In cast iron skillet, lightly coat with olive oil. Brown all sides of the short ribs and flank steak, cooking medium rare. Cut the meat into bite size chunks and immediately mix into chili. Then place minced onion into skillet and soften until golden brown. Add to chili. Taste, and if desired, add blended pepper pulp to increase the heat.
7. Simmer overnight.
8. To serve, consider chopped avocado, diced green onion, crumbled whole grain tortilla chips and/or shredded Wisconsin sharp cheddar cheese.

Enjoy. And if you use this recipe, make any changes or have any suggestions, let me know by leaving a comment.

Wedge and Sledge with Pops

I helped my father today with a 250 lbs steel staircase frame he built to extend stairs from the upper level of my parent's backyard down to the water line of Lake Ontario. The plan is to build a deck up top overlooking the water, but to have stairs lead down to a concrete barrier he set at the water line for fishing, walking on the stones when the water level is down, etc.

So we brought the frame to a nearby steel worker's shop, where a guy works on heavy machinery (transl., farm equipt.), to keep it up against the wear and tear from battling crops and turning cattle turf from season to season. My father discussed having the guy turn a side job... to sand blast and coat to weather proof the stairs, considering they will confront the Buffalo winters at the edge of the lake. A typical Saturday when visiting the family (including space for Layla to run free outside of NYC). So on the way back to the house, we see a cord of firewood for sale, stop and buy half. We're having a big family party today, Wii bowling tourney, taco bar, the whole 9s, and having sparking embers will contribute to our party burning brighter.

It's unseasonably warm (50s by day, 30s by night), so it's drawing a lot of moisture and fog off Lake Ontario during the last few days. A pretty cool scene. Without prompting, as we're unloading the cord from the minivan, I turn around and my father is taking wood in the backyard to wedge and sledge. I couldn't believe it, especially after discussing it earlier this week with friends. While he was using the ax as the wedge, it worked fine since we were paring down the already chopped wood. I snapped a couple picks with the blackberry and here you go. Good times with the man.

Wild Boar and Massoferrato

Nicole and I went to Il Trulli last night with Jon and Lara for a great feature dinner and wine tasting. The two co-stars of the night included a whole roasted wild boar and the first production of a sangiovese wine from the restaurant owner's property in Tuscany.

The meal was extensive with an assortment of appetizers (assaggino), mild but remarkably tasty pan seared red mullet fillets, an incredible chestnut gnocchi with a variety of assorted mushrooms, and then the boar. Roasted for nearly the entire day, the succulent wild pig was incredibly moist, tender and full of flavor. The 120-pound beast was shipped in from Texas and weighed approximately 90 pounds after cooking. It was served in traditional Tuscan style with a simple portion of red and white beans, kale and cardoons.

Nicola, the owner, then provided some history on the acquisition of 40 acres of land in Tuscany some 15 years ago, the beginning of a process leading to the 2008 vintage of Massoferrato. The first wine produced on the property, just over 400 cases total. With little time spent in either the Scandanavian oak barrels or the bottle, this wine had rich flavor, reasonable tannins and a full spice and mineral palate expected of a wine from the old country. It paired well with the entree, continued to drink well after dinner, and contributed to a great night together with our great friends.

My Baptism

On November 8, 2009, I finally presented myself before God - and the Christian family I grew up with at Cheektowaga Community Baptist Church - to be baptized. Nicole was great to bring my flip video and capture it on camera. Unfortunately, it didn't pick up the sound, but Pastor Crossno provided a great introduction about baptism in the Christian faith and even kidded around a bit too. He joked that he was very pleased to have the rare opportunity to stand in the water to baptize a lawyer. See the video below!

Puerto Rico is a perfect spot.

Had a great time with Nicole a couple weeks ago visiting Puerto Rico and the various sites for our wedding. Beach and poolside was incredible and hot, and the casinos took a little of our money.

We had dinner in town at a couple different restaurants owned by our caterers and enjoyed everything, including this flash fried local red snapper.

In between visiting the hotel, the church and the reception site, we also hit up a local food stand that served up good machete chopped ribs, roasted chicken and mofongo with chicken and pork. It was definitely a lot of food to get before going to our tasting with the caterers, but grabbing a local beer and grub was a fun little interlude in between our jam packed wedding planning day.