Literal IceCream Sandwich

As the name implies, somehow, the vision is off. Maybe it’s Americanized. Maybe it’s just not right. Either way the idea of an ice cream sandwich usual includes a top and bottom made of chocolate or, at the very least, two cookies. In a very intriguing twist we have started to see a bunch of ice cream sandwiches on menus that hold true to what we more commonly think of when making a sandwich. In this case, L’Art del Gelato uses a fresh brioche bun. A trip to Italy is planned for December so we’ll attempt to trace this back to it’s roots. In the mean time, we’d suggest you stay away. For us it tasted like really amazing ice cream crammed onto an old bun. The “bread” and the ice cream just didn’t mix right. This left us a bit sad. Sad because the gelato is amazing and we wasted that by commingling it with a lost piece of brioche. Perhaps it is lost in translation and the roman version will blow our minds and tongues. For now stick with the handmade cones unless you feel like switching up your normal lunch sandwich for the unexpected dairy disaster pictured above. Please don’t let this become a trend.

First Take

Forking Tasty – 5 Napkin Burger from Anthony Anello on Vimeo.

My cousin wanted to meet up for some lunch and when my cousin wants to get together I know a burger is not to far away. He mentioned 5 Napkin Burger which I have heard a little bit about. I could not refuse so the southerner, my cousin and I headed to Hells Kitchen. In my head I was thinking a small burger joint. I couldn’t be more wrong.

TABLE FULL-REEL TASTY: Cleopatra Jones

Saturday, July 16th at 7:30pm
Blaxploitation never tasted so good! Here’s the skinny on the fat.

Starts: 7:30pm (cocktails and appetizers)
Ends: 11pm (really, when the film is over)
Donation: $60 (make a reservation below)
Movie: Cleopatra Jones

We have wanted to hit this genre for a while. We struggled a lot with choosing a film that would keep things light but not cliche the genre. Shaft, although fantastic, has been remade and is almost too overexposed to properly re-examine the Blaxploitation era. Others, like “Cornbread, Earl and Me” dive deeper into social issues. Although that’s a strong message for the genre as a whole, we still wanted to keep you entertained while not making that left brain wrestle too hard with the ideas the film forces us to examine. So where did we go? A 6ft tall, ex-model, international female spy who can kick ass, drive like a pro and fire a gun better than Rambo. Cleopatra Jones of course.

Menu

This is where it gets really fun for us. Think of the quintessential soulfood dish and we will probably represent it somehow. Right now we are playing with Kale, pork, cobblers the list goes on. As usual we will present our take on these sinfully delicious classics. This dinner might not be the best for vegetarians as Aimee and I tend to love our pork fat. All that said, we are definitely not trying to compete with anyone’s grandma’s soulfood skills. We wouldn”t even try. To that end we have brought in a secret consultant to keep us focused on what’s important and what’s now.

TABLE FULL-Reservations

Reservations are required. Space is limited to 20 people. In the note section let us know if there are any food restrictions anyone in your party has. Location and directions will be sent to guests one day before the event.

More on Reel Tasty:

Jason and Aimee pair a 5 course gourmet meal for 20 friends, some new and some old on a HUGE deck in Brooklyn. As the name implies, we will be screening a movie during the meal. Don’t worry, there will still be plenty of time pre-entree to mingle, catchup and meet some new friends. Once the sun goes down we will role the film in all its two story high glory. This is an experiment, so we are not sure how much silence or chatting will go on. That’s for you to decide. We hope you will come out and enjoy yourselves with us this summer. See you on the deck.

You can check out pics from our last dinner here.

If you can’t make this dinner but want us to send you an invite to the next one, jump on the list.

RECAP-REEL TASTY: Caddyshack

photo credit: Kun Kim

Our season opener was a hole-in-one but not without it’s series of sandtraps. The boys from Caddyshack graced the screen while Aimee and I did our best to whip up our fanciest country club fare amidst the formidable obstacles namely, mother nature.

For those who are unfamiliar with our dinners, Reel Tasty is Forking Tasty’s summer supper club where Aimee, my co-chef/host, and I screen a movie on a 2 story building while our guests sample some of our latest and tastiest gourmet dishes. This evening we decided to start the evening off with a sort of drunken Arnold Palmer. A little vodka, some Fresca and a few secret ingredients left us with an ice cold pitcher of fizzy, spiked, lemonade-iced tea-ish beverage that went faster than the Caddyshack gopher disappears down his hole. As prepping began inside, those sandtraps I mentioned earlier kept us guessing. The grey clouds overhead let on a sprinkle, then stopped, toying with our emotions as we…

Lobster Roll Anyone??

Forking Tasty – Side Street Cafe – Bar Harbor from Anthony Anello on Vimeo.

The Side Street Café is a nice family restaurant that is just off the main strip in Bar Harbor Maine. They have a rockin Lobster Roll. I found it one day trying to explore around the town. Each week after the discovery, I spent my afternoon munching on one of their Lobster Rolls. Don’t miss out if you are ever in Bar Harbor.

Sunday Standard

You can almost see the strong hand that rung the above lemon dry and tossed it to the cutting board to move onto more important tasks like eating.

The post kitchen disaster is one we all know well but most of us done’t love it like I do. No, I don’t like cleaning but I do like to review the food carnage post any good meal. Sunday suppers are always the best because just 60 minutes prior the kitchen was a buzz with at least 5 people doing multiple tasks readying the food and table for the “BIG” meal. As I walked through the kitchen on this particular evening pockets of simple ingredients, like the lemon and grated parmesan cheese, could be found in every corner of the kitchen. On the stove was a lightly oiled pan containing some remnant garlic, chopped parsley and a few spaghetti strands. In the sink a starchy calendar next to a bowl of sticky breadcrumbs and egg whites. The other counter had several glasses half full with pre-dinner wine abandoned for a proper glass and the better wine of the dinner table.

Aside from the clues around the kitchen reminding me of the meals preparation, the post supper clean up continues the conversation back to the kitchen completing the circle of dinnertime. In our house, when I was a kid, it wasn’t just about the time we were sitting and eating. It was about the before and after just the same. These days we barely have 30 minutes to eat let alone 3 hours to cook, eat and clean. So, Sunday’s make me happy. Happy to cook. Happy to eat. And, happy to clean. Of course the food is always wonderful but to slow down the craziness of life, catch up with my family or friends, hone my work ethic and relax is a mostly unrecognized biproduct of any dinnertime. I believe it should get more conscious press. This weekend take a moment and cook, talk, eat…then clean. It might just be the relaxation you needed.

Wow On A Menu Really Means Wow!

Sometimes Mother Nature causes for a cruise ship to go off the regular itinerary. In this case it had been raining so much that we could not leave Quebec City and sail to Montreal because the water level was way to high and we could not fit the ship under power lines about 10 miles from the port in Montreal. This caused for a double over night in Quebec City. This is the second week in a row that this has happened. Which means dinners out in town….