5 Favorite Lunch Spots of Tribeca

TribecaLunch_001

We’ve been living in Tribeca for a year now – not that long, but long enough to sample many of the neighborhood’s restaurants and make habits of where we like to go most often. Here are my current top 5 Favorite Lunch Spots of Tribeca

KAFFE 1668

coffee shop turned lunch spot

I’ve been coming to Kaffe 1668 for coffee and organic juices (the Brazil nut is my hangover cure) for months before I realized they have an extensive and amazing lunch menu with many of the ingredients coming from local farms. Their Alkalizing Salad with Quinoa is a weekly staple of mine but when I’m really feeling like an all-American treat I go for the Turkey Club which is TO DIE FOR. Bonus – your lunch items come with a complimentary tea. Yay.

Kaffe 1668, one of my 5 favorite Tribeca lunch places I'm currently loving

Below, outside Kaffe 1668 in Banana Republic’s recent collaboration with designer Roland Mouret which made the PERFECT high-waisted pant I’ve been living in! The collaboration is mostly sold out online but can still be found in-store.

Kaffe 1668, one of my 5 favorite Tribeca lunch places I'm currently loving

TINY’s

The little space that could…

First off, it’s pink. When you’re a building as old as the one Tiny’s hangs out in, you have to really make a splash to be seen. Even if the facade wasn’t pink though, we’d still know about it because the food is DELISH. Why I love it: Perfect lunch spot for business meetings or casual dates with a very ‘hip’ crowd…. and the burata salad with peach compote is on my list of “last meal” items. SO GOOD.

EH9A7386 Continue reading “5 Favorite Lunch Spots of Tribeca”

Part III: Berlin

In the 1950s, my grandfather Beck was stationed in Berlin. Growing up as a child, I was always so fascinated by the old black & white photos of him from this era in this place unlike anything I knew on the country roads of Texas. I’ve always wanted to go and walk in his footsteps, to think of him as a young man, his family so far away, the devastation of war in front of him. We walked from East to West, we studied the differences from old photographs. We wandered the streets of Scheunenviertel and Kurfürstendamm. We had pretzels and beer, schnitzel and sauerkraut and look back in time of a city that changed so much.

Berlin in black and white film photographsBerlin in black and white film photographs Berlin in black and white film photographs   Berlin in black and white film photographs

Continue reading “Part III: Berlin”

Summer & Wine

Ecco-Domani-Summer-Cinemagraph-615

Recently we enjoyed a dinner party out in the country, drinking wine provided by our friends at Ecco Domani, and spending time catching up with the people we love. As we grilled, chatted, and relaxed in each other’s company, the soft and subtle sounds of the playlist below served as a perfect complement to the meal.

Below is our summer & wine playlist – as we head into the weekend, we hope you  spend it with the ones you love, share a bottle of wine, create new memories & make the most of this glorious season…

Listen to more of our playlists here!

HUSK

Charleston's newest popular resturant HUSK.

Talk about COMFORT FOOD. Husk is Charleston’s perfect combination of modern day sophistication and down-home goodness. The second you walk onto the double-front porch and feel the coziness of being home, it’s like the whole experience has you wrapped in a cashmere blanket. The board on the foyer wall lists all the local farms, fishermen, growers who supply your food. It feels like one big Southern family here with roots that extend for generations. On the drink menu they serve things like cider made from the same recipe as its creation 100 years ago  or house-made soda concoctions and old classics like Cheerwine Soda from Salisbury, NC, the old soft drink company still run by the same family. With a menu that changes twice daily, it’s so hard to decide what to order! As far as the classics on the menu go, I’m always a sucker for southern catfish, which is outstanding here, but word has it they are the best burger in town. So add it to your must-eats list and feel free to take me with you when you go….

PS- the pig ear lettuce wraps are DELICIOUS, the selection of Madeira wine is fantastic, and their pimento cheese crostini haunt my dreams…

Charleston's newest popular resturant HUSK. Charleston's newest popular resturant HUSK. Charleston's newest popular resturant HUSK. Continue reading “HUSK”

A Warm Winter Meal

Light the candles, get out the lace. Enjoy this beautiful simple meal that will warm you on the inside out.

Styling and Art Direction by Jessica Soga. Food Styling & recipe by Molly Shuster. Dipped silverware and homemade placemats and napkins from the DIY article by Christy Pitre. Images and outtakes from our table top collaboration shot in Brooklyn this past Autumn for Working Class Magazine.

Cornbread

1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup polenta (yellow cornmeal)
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup canola oil
1/3 cup crème fraiche
1/3 cup whole milk

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour an 8×8 metal baking tin. In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients until thoroughly combined. In another bowl, mix wet ingredients. Add the wet mixture to the dry, stirring until combined. Pour mixture into greased tin and place in preheated oven. Bake 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Dinner Party for the Holidays

Seared scallops with lemon butter sauce, rye bread and a bottle of red wine on top vintage linens and good conversation.

Styling and Art Direction by Jessica Soga. Food Styling & recipe by Molly Shuster. Dipped antique salt & pepper and homemade napkins from the DIY article by Christy Pitre. Images and outtakes from our table top collaboration shot in Brooklyn this past Autumn for Working Class Magazine.

Seared Scallops with Lemon Butter Sauce (2 servings)

10 large scallops
canola oil
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
6 tablespoons butter (3/4 stick)
salt
pepper

Heat a medium sauté pan over medium high heat. When the pan is hot, add enough oil to just coat the bottom of the pan. Pat the scallops dry with a paper towel, then season with salt and pepper. In batches, place the scallops in the heated pan (they should immediately start to sizzle). Once they have a nice golden color, flip and cook the other side. Each side will take about 2 minutes, depending on the size of the scallop. Set scallops aside and reserve.

In the same sauté pan, make your sauce. First discard any extra oil from the sauté pan. Add the lemon juice and boil until it has reduced to about 1-2 tablespoons. Remove pan from the heat and add two pieces of the chilled butter, stirring to incorporate. Return the pan to the stove and cook over very low heat. Add the remaining butter one piece at a time, stirring to create a thick, creamy sauce. Season with salt and pepper.

To serve, evenly divide the sauce into two shallow bowls. Place the scallops on top of the warm sauce and serve immediately.

Thyme to Celebrate!

When Whole Foods asked on Twitter Thursday “Thanksgiving is often a time of reflection, what are you most thankful for this year? ” I replied “For having the ability to change, grow, and start new traditions with the ones I love while making new friends along the way.” and I won! They sent me a $25 gift card and this is my way of saying Thanks! We picked up some pork chops with apple cherry stuffing, a wonderful Colorado Sunlight cheese, and a growler full of beer. It was a great night in and delicious meal, thank you Whole Foods!!!