Forking Tasty

It’s More Than A Huge House

Biltmore Estate from Anthony Anello on Vimeo.

Diabetic Blood Sugar Count

Pre-meal: 96 | Post-meal (1 hour): 136 | Insulin: 5 Units

Kelsey and I went on a little road trip to Asheville North Carolina. The main attraction we went to go see was the Biltmore Estate, which is the biggest house in the U.S. There are almost 300 rooms in the house including a bowling ally and indoor swimming pool. However, that is not all to see on the estate. Here is what went down…

I’m In South Carolina Ya’ll

Diabetic Blood Sugar Count
Pre-meal: 94 | Post-meal (1 hour): 107 | Insulin: 4 Units

I am down in South Carolina to visit my girlfriend Kelsey. I have never been down in the Carolina’s before. I like it down here. It’s quiet, about 15 – 20 degrees warmer than New York, and there is a lot of great southern foods for me to try. Kelsey’s family are big fans of Forking Tasty and know I am going to be looking for some typical southern food that I am not used to up north…

Bathing and Eating

That headline may leave some of you a bit grossed out. Let me clear this up quickly. These two activities were not done simultaneously. Last Friday night started out with my first trip to the Russian and Turkish baths in the east village. It seems ridiculous that I had not visited this ancient neighborhood hot spot for the for six years I lived just four blocks away. Never-the-less, I was being taken by a veteran so I had little worry other than; “How hungry do you get during this ritual?

I will forgo the full description of what took place in the bowels of this dank, decrepit, building and get straight to the food. For those who have never gone, let’s just say it is an attraction. Communal steam baths, ice plunge pools and really tiny towels make for a sweaty, medieval, journey into a masochistic, voyeuristic and narcissistic land of multi, age, shade and gender new yorkers. The point here is when you are done bathing you are really hungry. Like, eat a horse hungry. We didn’t do that but we did…

Freshipes: Cathy Erway

I met Cathy last year at SXSW in Austin. She was speaking on a panel about how to be a successful food blogger. Interestingly enough, this was before Forking Tasty had launched. After the session I went up to introduce myself because I loved her blog, we had a mutual friend and we called the same borough home. Since that moment last March I have competed against her, cooked with her and ate next to her on various occasions.

Last week…

A Double Date With The Brothers Tasty

Diabetic Blood Sugar Count
Pre-meal: 84 | Post-meal (1 hour): 95 | Insulin: 5 Units

It was an impromptu double date. Jay and I took our women to a Brazilian restaurant called Rice and Beans. This may be the first time in years that this has happened. We both have to great girlfriends and lucky for us they love food and trying new things. It’s always a good time when you eat with the Brothers Tasty and you know a good meal is about to be eaten…

Finally… A Burger With Wine

Diabetic Blood Sugar Count
Pre-meal: 83 | Post-meal (1 hour): 131 | Insulin: 5 Units

I am home for only a few months and I like to see as many of my friends and family as I can before I ship off. I went to go visit my cousins out in Long Island with my mom. It’s been about a year and a half since I had been there and was really excited to see them, meet their chocolate lab (Bella) and see what they have done to their house.

Mom was treating for lunch that day so we were thinking of where to eat before we left the house. There were a lot of choices but my cousin mentioned her favorite burger place in Port Jefferson. Even though I had a burger the night before at BLT Burger my mind was set. If it’s my cousin’s favorite then I had to try it.

Burgers With The Boys

Diabetic Blood Sugar Count
Pre-meal: 95 | Post-meal (1 hour): 149 | Insulin: 5 Units

It was man night and the men wanted to eat burgers! There are hundreds of places to go and eat a good burger in New York City. Jay couldn’t make dinner so the boys left it up to one of the Brothers Tasty to decide on a Burger. One of my personal favorite burgers in the city is at BLT Burger. They just do it right.

Now…, when we were trying to get everyone together lots of emails were going around on who can make it and who can’t make it. For those who could not make it were hazed a bit. It was a very manly night and I was prepared for a lot of testosterone that night. However, somehow the conversation turned to talking about Farmville over milkshakes. WHAT!, where was all the man talk??? We did bounce back to our man hoods eventually and start to talk about old and future bachelor parties. Way better guy talk.

What’s All The Hub Bub

Diabetic Blood Sugar Count
Pre-meal: 73 | Post-meal (1 hour): 222 | Insulin: 4 Units

There is a place down the street from me called Wine:30 that has a lot of different Bruschetta’s. Bruschetta is one of Kelsey’s favorite things to eat with a meal and I wanted to bring her there on Valentines Day before our dinner for some Bruschetta and wine. However, we didn’t have time, I kind of over packed the day. A couple days later we wanted to go to for lunch and we invited my roommate Laura along as well. We were all so excited for some wine and Bruschetta but when we arrived it was closed. We were all very disappointed and hungry. Look for the Wine on 30 post in a few weeks.
We needed to find an alternative lunch spot. Laura and I had talked about this pizza place down on 14th street called Artichoke. It has been around for a while now and it always has a line down the street of people waiting for pizza. We decide to headed down and see what all the hype was about.

I Hate Recipes

But they are good for something. That something is new ideas. Recipes help me create new dishes, learn how to use new ingredients and find new cooking methods. As much as I say I never cook from a recipe I do still own several strategic cookbooks that help me get through a stumbling block when cooking. More on that in a future post.

Lately I have been given a few cookbooks because of this blog and my obvious love of food. I’ve decided that a nice way to say “Thank You” as well as learn some new methods is to try a recipe from the books I receive. Now this is not an open invite to start sending us books. My apartment, although spacious, still resides in NYC and space is at a premium. And, Ant lives on a ship. Even less room there. If you really must send us something, send a note and we will get you the address.

Of course a ‘lil series on this blog isn’t a series without a kitschy name. Just like “P.I.E. WITH” or “Forking Nasty” this series needs some playful nomenclature. I will start the series a little later today under the title; Freshipes. Get it? Fresh Recipes.

Meet The Parents

Cheesecake Factory from Anthony Anello on Vimeo.

Diabetic Blood Sugar Count
Pre-meal: 74 | Post-meal (1 hour): 104 | Insulin: 5 Units

My girlfriend Kelsey made it in town for a long weekend. I was super excited to see her and for her to meet my family and friends. We jumped on a train in the morning headed to Long Island to meet the parents. This was the first time Kelsey was meeting my parents so I thought why not meet over lunch at one of my favorite spots in Long Island, Cheesecake Factory. I have never had a bad meal at Cheesecake Factory. I had a couple of my usual staples and I nibbled on a little cheesecake. That cheesecake is hard to resist but half of it went home in a doggy bag as did half my burger. It was a great afternoon having Kelsey meet my parents and whacking down a great lunch in the process.