Diabetic Blood Sugar Count
Pre-meal: 115 | Post-meal (1 hour): 117 | Insulin: 5 Units

When I was down in South Carolina Kelsey and her parents wanted to take me to eat some southern barbeque. That was definitely on my agenda while I was down for my visit. They decided to bring me to Carolina Wings & Ale. We ordered slightly family style. I made sure we all ordered something different because I wanted to try everything. We ordered fried mushroom, chicken wings, pulled pork, ribs with a carolina dry rub, baby back ribs and five different sauces to dip in. It was a lot of fun and it was really good. Love a place with a lot of sauces.

Kelsey has told me all about the barbeque in South Carolina. There is something about barbeque that I didn’t know. Did you know that there are three types of barbeque, ketchup based, mustard based and vinegar based? At Carolina Wings & Ale we only had Ketchup based which is the only BBQ I have ever had. Kelsey’s favorite BBQ is vinegar based. One of these days I’m going to try the other two types.

Here is how it all went down:

Fried Mushrooms

Chicken wings

Pulled Pork

Carolina Dry Rub

Five Sauces

I have known John as long as I have been alive. Over the last 35 years he has been many things to me. In precise order here is the list.

1. The first barrier of defense when my other cousin Joe would use me as a barbell
2. The person with the most number of comic books I have ever seen
3. A rock star DJ who apparently knows every single person on campus
4. Technical wizard on all things video
5. Super fun, caring father

Over that time we have ate hundreds of meals together. Many of them large. Like, Thanksgiving large. During the earlier meals I usually was wearing his retired clothing. Quick side note, for a long time i thought they were called Ham-y-downs. I never can get food off the brain. This meal was no exception in size. Although, I was NOT wearing any of his clothes.

What we ate:
beef ribs, pork ribs, pork chop, hot link, cole slaw, deviled eggs, corn bread mash

Home Cookin at the Johnson’s from Anthony Anello on Vimeo.

Diabetic Blood Sugar Count
Pre-meal: 136 | Post-meal (1 hour): 154 | Insulin: 5 Units

I had a great week down south with my girlfriend Kelsey. On our last night before heading home to New York, Kelsey’s parents, Mark and Karen, wanted to cook us dinner, Southern Style. Mark and Karen are such great and kind people. They really made me feel welcome in their home. As much as I wanted to help out in the kitchen there was no need to. Karen had taken care of everything the night before and the only thing left was to heat it up. As for Mark, he already had the Pork Loin on the grill on a low temp already cooking by the time Kelsey and I got to the house. Dinner and dessert was delicious. Thanks so much for everything Mark and Karen.

Pecan Cheese Spread

1# Cheese, shredded
½ sm Red onion, small diced
1 tsp Parsley
2 cloves Garlic
1c. (to taste) Mayonnaise
¾ c. Pecan pieces
½ tsp. Pepper
1/4c (as topping-optional) Strawberry Jam

Mix all together, Chill for 8 hours or overnight. (except strawberry jam)
Serve with crackers. Can be molded.

All other receipts are a family secret.

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…

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.

On the first day I got to South Carolina it was Kelsey and my anniversary so I am going to have to keep those meals private. The second day I got a tour of the neighboring towns and city where Kelsey and her family live. Some towns are small and some towns are really REALLY small. If you close your eyes for about 10 seconds while driving through you may miss the town. Columbia is the near by city where the University of South Carolina is. It’s a big school and there are lots of restaurants and bars all over the place. After checking out the city for a while we got thirsty and a little hungry. We stopped off at The Flying Saucer.

This place has a ridiculous beer menu. They had a wall about 50 feet long with beer taps. There were plaques all over the walls of people who have tried over 200 different beers that they offer. We all got a beer and sat outside to enjoy the weather. Yes, outside for all you northerners reading this. Kelsey’s brother came and met us at the bar for a drink and suggested we get an appetizer, a Saucer Bratzel. This is a big pretzel with Swiss cheese and sliced beer brat with spicy mustard. It was really good with the cold beers we were drinking. I’ve never had a pretzel like that before and I don’t think the pretzel guy on the streets of NY will be cooking up something like this

I had a really good time hanging out with the family and finally meeting Kelsey’s brother. They are all fun to be around and definitely know where to go for a beer. They have all taken me in and will be having many meals together while I am in South Carolina for the week. Look for the next few posts to have a lot of southern hospitality in them.

Ya’ll come back now…

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 eat BIG.

As we dried off and suited back up we started throwing out local food options. Quickly the word “Hearth” rang out through the porcelain, tiled chamber and the decision was made. Just a few blocks away was one of my favorite East Village spots and thankfully Danny suggested it without a second blink. I say this because Hearth is not cheap or fast in any way. It is an experience in fine food, great wine and comfortable space. None of which the EV is known for. I go sometimes just to read the stories the sommelier writes about his wine choices.

When we arrived, without a reservation, we were told the wait would be about 20 minutes. Instead of doing the restaurant dance where you walk the streets getting denied a seat from over capacity restaurants for the time it would have taken to wait at the first one, we took a seat in the window, ordered some drinks and waited. The friendly and highly aware staff updated us periodically on the progress of the table situation. Soon enough we were seated. Besides our shrinking stomachs we were all very comfortable. Immediately we ordered the two fastest appetizers on the menu. The calamari salad had a tasty smokey flavor that made it very distinct. The charcuterie board, our second app, had a myriad of pate, head cheese and dried meat on it. The head cheese smeared on the garlic brioche almost made me weep. Instead, I ordered more brioche and used it to wipe every single plate clean that would come to the table for the rest of this meal.

Before we had even seen our appetizers we ordered our main dishes. For this post I would like to focus on these three choices. Actually there is four. Danny decided to throw a price fix tasting menu on top of the whole order. His entree was a slow cooked veal served on polenta. It was very tasty, super tender and fell apart in your mouth just like what you wanted to expect. (I missed the pic on that one sorry). Before Danny’s over zealous, but smart addition to our order we had asked the waiter for the meatballs, the lasagna and the special.

The lasagna was bolognase sauce based. Those of you that know me know I make a killer lasagna. For me to order it in a restaurant is unusual. When the above came to the table I could see the distinct layers. It was not buried in melted cheese. Two good signs. As I cut the noodles with the side of my fork I new they had used fresh pasta. That is the only way to make lasagna in my opinion. Raising the bite to my lips I could see the meat sauce trying its best to stay hidden in between the soft green blankets of pasta. The taste was simple but bold. The flavors were not overwhelming but they fired many pleasure neurons in my brain. My friends consensus was that a bechemel sauce was also used in the lasagna’s construction. Not an uncommon addition to lasagna unless you are analyzing mine. I disagreed but the majority won this one.

Next up were the meatballs. A must have if you are dining with a well know Canadian woman mentioned often on this blog. Since she was sitting to my right, the waiter quickly jotted down MB’s on his antiquated but standard waiter pad. When they arrived to the table three small cheese filled ravioli’s accompanied them (pic at top). The meatballs were filled with ricotta and fresh mozzarella. Both of these ingredients were untraceable to the eye. The chef had mixed these dairy superstars into the grind so well that you felt like you were eating a cheese infused meatball. This also made the meatballs feel light and sit well in the stomach. This unique trait left room for the overindulgent, unnecessary final entree of the evening.

When the waiter recited that the special of the night would be an off the bone, pan seared, 20 oz. sirloin we all almost fell off our chairs. You see, after sweating it out in the baths, waiting 30 minutes for a table and downing a cocktail or two, you are not really thinking strait. He had us at “off the bone”. When it arrived, pre-sliced, the aroma made you want to spear a piece with your fork before it was even placed on the table. Blood ran down the long plate and pooled at one end. Then it started begging to be sopped up by that brioche. The rosemary spring added even more aromatics cuing the salivary glands to shift into a higher gear. We each placed a piece of the rare steak on our plates and grabbed for our knives, although not needed to cut this supple and glorious piece of bovine. The outer edge of the meat was crisped to perfection and salted post pan. Not a black char to be seen on the steak it was fascinating how they created such a thin, perfectly cooked outer layer and maintained a beautiful, gradated, red tone as you worked towards the center. Picking up on a conversation started a few weeks back it became apparent that the meat had some unique quality to it. Immediately the meatball loving Canadian shouted that the cow must have been grass fed. Agreeing, I took another bite and confirmed that the softer and less dense texture could certainly have come from this more natural and human process.

This topic has been heavily debated for years. Most recently it flamed up in my personal life when I debated the taste merits of grass fed beef over corn fed beef with a top-chef winner during a game of celebrity. The conversation ended in a stale mate but did start a challenge to try both types side by side. To settle tonight’s conundrum we simple asked the waiter. Upon his return, we were informed the cow was raised on grass and finished on grain. This is a agricultural way of saying they fed her what she biologically was supposed to eat for most of her life. Then they fattened her up with corn three months before they served her. This process is a bit the rage these days because it nods to the humane and organic food peoples desires but still adds a bit of marbleization to the meat which American’s seem to love. Regardless of what it was fed, it was tasty. We knocked back every bit of this plate right down to the last drop of juice.

All that was accompanied by a great bottle of gravello wine. Dessert followed as well as a few lemon verbena teas and an espresso. Satiated, buzzed and steam cleaned the four of us managed our way back on to the street to hail cabs. If this is the kind of meal I’ll get after every visit to the baths I might just go for that $200 membership ticket after all.

Hearth Restaurant
www.restauranthearth.com
403 East 12th Street
New York, NY 10009
(646) 602-1300

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 an advanced copy of her book arrived at my door. Her blog, Not Eating Out In New York, had been translated into a memoir/cookbook of her two years not eating in restaurants. How she did this I am still not sure. Even as an avid reader of her blog and 7 chapters into her book, The Art of Eating In, I still can’t believe her discipline.

With inspiration from chapter 7, (Not ordering in: less haste, less waste) I attempted a recipe from the end of the chapter. In this chapter Cathy mentions the 45 billion disposable chopsticks used once and discarded every year. This is a gross travesty and the same forest raping, landfill filling disaster the pizza box produces. Because of that I decided to make her kale, radicchio and sausage pizza and do my part to keep one more used pizza box off of Staten Island.

My trepidation of buying the dough from my local pizza shop and attempting to recreate that famous NY slice was a little less than Cathy’s. I thank the vowel at the end of my name for that.

Although I had made pizza many times before I had never thought to top it with kale or radicchio. I opted for mini pies since I have not used my mini-pizza pans in over a year. Usually, a single use item like this would find its way out of my kitchen and into the salvation army box but for some reason these pizza pans I have always hung onto. After digging deep into the seldom-used-kitchen-tool drawer and extracting the pans, I got to the fun stuff, stretching the dough. I love the throwing, spinning and stretching part of making pizza. My mother would argue this is because I LOVE to make a mess in the kitchen. Secretly she is right. It shows accomplishment and good work ethic.

On went the toppings that I prepped before stretching the dough and into the pre-heated 400 degree oven slide my pies. In the 20 minutes it took for these bad boys to bake I chose a delicious meritage from my wine storage and cracked it open to breath. The alarm on my kitchen timer rang and I pulled the fragrant and crispy pies from the oven. The pizza cutter sliced through the pies releasing echos of breaking crust and smells of Italian sausage and greens through my apartment. A quick drizzle of extremely good olive oil was my final touch. With my pizza hot and wine opened up, I sat down at the table and started into chapter 8. Both the pizza and the book were outstanding. Thanks Cathy.

For the full recipe and the rest of Cathy’s story of not eating out in New York pick up her book.

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.

I had never been to Rice and Beans before but it was a small place, about 10 tables. I ordered a prawn dish with coconut milk.

Any time you add coconut to a dish it immediately gets better. I love coconut milk. There I said it and I’ll say it again. I love coconut milk! Everyone’s dish was good, you know I had a little taste of each of them but mine was the champion of the dinner.

We left Rice and Beans and it started to snow. This was the first time in 2 years my girlfriend Kelsey has seen it snowing. We all decided to celebrate the snow by going a few doors down to ColdStone Creamery. Kelsey and I shared a small cup or Berry Berry Berry Good. ColdStone was not packed, probably because it is the dead of winter here in New York, and Kelsey and I decided to show off our dancing for Jay and Preethi. We tend to do that in random places. By the way, I’m a mean dipper!

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.

We ended up at Gourmet Burger Bistro. The burger menu was intense but they also had a lot of different specialty chicken burgers, different fries and a build your own burger section. One of the things that stood out for me was the selection of different sauces and types of breads you could have with your burger. With these burgers being gourmet I got a glass of Cabernet with my burger.

The burger I got was the Napa Valley Burger that had been marinated in a Cabernet. I did my own paring and it really was delicious. You could really taste the flavor of the Cabernet along with their pesto mayo. Wine and Burgers was an idea I had a while ago and have always wanted to try it to see if it would work. We ordered a couple different fries also. These fries rocked. The Sweet Potato fries came with a Maple dip.

The Truffle Parmesan Fries had great taste but it still needed some sort of sauce. I had the waitress ask the chief what he recommended for a sauce and they brought out 3 for us to try. My favorite was the Spicy Tarragon Aioli. Check out there menu for all the different delicious sauces.

I could see why GBB was my cousin’s favorite. It was great seeing them and sharing burgers for lunch. However, I need to cool it with all the burgers or my numbers and waistline will grow to a place I don’t want.

For all the burger we devoured click here.

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.

You guys are the best, you crack me up.

Ok, back to the food. We did have a bunch of beers and lots of laughs to go along with those burgers and fries. There was some burger sharing and fry tasting going on. We also had a round of fried pickles. One of the things I really like about BLT Burger is they cook their burgers medium unless asked otherwise. That shows me that BLT cooks a mean burger when they automatically cook their burgers at medium. Burger night was a success and I think that this may turn into a monthly ritual.

Burgers…

…More burgers…
Can you guess whose hands those are?

…and more burgers…

…and it is all washed down with a pint.