Hurricane Helper

Everyone did something different while Irene passed through the Tri-State area. No matter what was there is one thing we all did the same. Eat. Some of us cracked open our overstock of Spaghetti O’s and others held paella parties. Which ever end of the spectrum you fall we’d love to hear your hurricane dinner choice.

In my neck of the woods I woke up…

Fifth taste burger

Forgive the silence. I’ve been traveling and tasting for the last 10 days. Amongst my travels, without my macbook, (sigh, a nice break from my normal techno strapped reality) I landed in L.A. for one day. Having used all four of the standard tastes at excess in the proceeding travel locations, I thought it was time to explore the fifth, and somewhat new, taste at the aptly named Umami Burger. Ranked number three in the laist list of best gourmet burger in Los Angeles, I figured this would be…

What A Snack Is In Sicily

I recently took an excursion to Mt Etna, an active volcano in Sicily. It has had an eruption as recently as a week or 2 ago. It was amazing to see the left over lava flows from 2001 and 2002 among other lava flows over the years. I had never seen and active volcano let alone the largest in Europe. I was hoping to see some action but we just saw some smoke coming out of the top.

POSTPONED-REEL TASTY: Escape from New York

When we decided to show Escape from New York we didn’t think we’d have to take it literally.

We have rescheduled this dinner for September. By then Irene will have said her goodbye’s. We’ll let you all know if any seats open up due to this change. In the meantime, stay dry and safe.

Starts: 7:00pm (cocktails and appetizers)
Ends: 11pm (really, when the film is over)
Donation: $60 (make a reservation below)
Movie: Escape from New York

It’s been hot in NYC. Hot like a prison. New Yorkers have started to act out. The heat is getting to them. It’s almost as if Manhattan island has become a maximum security prison walled off from civilization and they have left us all for dead. Ok, that’s a bit much. It’s not that hot. But, Brooklyn is typically a few degrees cooler so consider visiting us on the 27th.

Menu

This movie is begging us to design a New York themed menu and we intend fulfill. We have run down the classics; pizza, hot dogs, roasted nuts, cheesecake…the list is long. While we are pairing it down and twisting up some quintessential New York classics, gather your friends and grab a seat. We will update you once we get a few ideas through the test kitchen. Until then try and  stay cool.

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: Cleopatra Jones

photo credit: Kun Kim

We’ve been waiting to execute this dinner for a long time.

Almost as long as you’ve been waiting for this recap. Apologies, it’s been crazy busy. The genre itself has some really fun flicks but we played deep into it not only with the food but right down to the menu design. Details people. Details.

For those who are unfamiliar with our dinners, Reel Tasty is…

REEL TASTY Testing

In preparation for our August dinner I started playing around with some New York classics. Last night I took our city’s name sake steak and tried a new cooking method I recently read about. The cast iron gives a nice even heat without any flare ups which usually cause those burnt, charred ends of meat. Although the single portion was a success, I am not sure this will work for 20 guests. To accompany this I worked up a gorgonzola cream sauce. It rather nicely with the medium rare beef eaten slowly in a perfectly chilled air conditioned room. Although, it may be a little heavy for a mid-summer, outdoor dinner. I am thinking about cutting it with some horseradish. If that doesn’t satisfy I might need to start over with a bearnaise base. Rest assured this preparation has another secret twist that I have purposely left absent. You’ll just have to visit the deck to find out how the testing turns out.

A Double Lunch Day

Forking Tasty – Sedef Bufe – Istanbul from Anthony Anello on Vimeo.

One of the things I just had to do while in Istanbul was to eat a Doner Kabab. I was on the hunt to find one on my way to see some of the sites. Before I left the port I asked one of the local port information guys where he would go and eat. I was not sure if he would send me to his brother, cousins, friend place but I thought it was worth the risk. He told me it was not the cheapest place but the best quality. I don’t think he steered me wrong…