Insane Brunchy Goodness…
yeeeaaahhh....
This will be short and sweet but I couldn’t go another week without mentioning the brunch at Mode on Elmwood. The menu is not entirely breakfast there are some lunch options but I skip over everything and order the Mode Benedict and ask for the matchstick fries to be substituted for the home fries. This dish is just what I want on a Sunday morning. Two poached eggs, ham, English muffins, hollandaise sauce and piled on top, fresh cut matchstick fries. I can’t say enough, the world just melts away as you eat.
Steve ordered the stuffed French toast, (mascarpone and raspberries with real maple syrup) which was insanely good we switched halfway through because the best breakfast includes savory and sweet, right??
ohhh the butter.....
Two for one Bloody Mary’s and mimosas, fresh cut fries, come on….Go to Mode they open at 11am! Order the Benedict and eat it all!
Mode 520 Elmwood Ave, Buffalo, NY 14222(716) 885-1500
Left Bank, finally..
forgot my camera, so here's the inside..
My sister and her boyfriend Brad came into town on Friday and we went for dinner at Left Bank. I haven’t eaten there in at least a year. I always think of it but I never plan far enough in advance to actually get a reservation before 9:30pm.
We were given a great table by the front window and preceded to order a ton of food. We started out with the Fondue for two which has Portabella fries, flatbread, asparagus, beef tenderloin and Gorganzola cheese, each part of it was perfect. We were literally scraping the cheese out of the ramekin, they definitely don’t give enough. Brad ordered the bruschetta of the night, which had BBQ sauce, chicken, and cheese, simple but so good. Steve ordered the fish special, two pieces of Mahi Mahi which had a huge prawn on top and was finished with a lemon butter sauce and black rice, I had the Panko breaded chicken cutlets with an arugula and avocado and cucumber salad on top. To me this was the highlight, I know, it’s chicken, which I very rarely order when I’m out, but these cutlets rivaled my mothers recipe, seriously… SO DAMN CRISPY with a miso, butter sauce underneath. Garlic and cheese was infused in the crust and there was Gorgonzola in the salad precariously piled on top of the cutlets. Michelle and Brad both had pasta, tortellini with cheese sauce and a seafood linguini with a rich tomato broth, both were huge and delicious. Left Bank is affordable and delectable, the atmosphere makes you feel like you are tucked into a corner of a huge city and I can’t wait to remember to call early, and go back for another meal.
759 Ashland…The Long Goodbye
The Last Irish Feast
When I was 21 years old I moved into a house on Ashland Avenue, I was in the top apartment. It was huge, it had a porch, three bedrooms and three guys that lived downstairs. I was going to be living alone for the first time ever. I immediately made friends with the three guys, friends I have to this day, whom I know as Jay, Paul and Aaron, and you may know as, wine guy, ken, of ken and Barbie, and cranky 40 year old guy. The friendship we forged has lasted nine years and counting and I must say that food has been a grounding force in our communal lives. We would always cook and eat together, whether it was a burger on the grill or a thanksgiving dinner. We connected over food.
When I moved out we still celebrated with weekly dinners, and lunches and brunches and snacks, and binges. The house was a place for eating, and laughing, ill conceived parties and fortitude from the long cold winters. This May, my friend Jay, the last original resident, is moving out. He’s marrying our friend Jessica, they bought a house in the city and for me, and I think many others, a chapter is closing in our lives.
Not to sound to dramatic because I won’t actually shed a tear, his new house it much cooler, but I will think about 759 Ashland Avenue after he’s gone. Even though we will never jump off the roof into five feet of snow again, (the landlord put in concrete planter beds), I will look foreword to stories that we’ll tell and wonder, who the hell would ever move in there now, after ten years of our debauchery…I pity the fool…
Last night our friend Jon, who has cooked many an elaborate meal in the house, cooked his last. It was St. Patrick’s day and he decided to do an Irish based menu that played on dishes from other cultures. He deemed this last meal “Irish Fusion” I can’t list everything so here are the highlights.
He cooked and shredded corned beef, sautéed cabbage he had lightly pickled, and made a mustard sauce from the beef drippings, he also served thin pancakes that we used to wrap all the meat and cabbage in, a play on peaking duck tacos! They were ridiculously good. The salty beef, the tangy meaty mustard and the picked warm cabbage was perfect in the fluffy pancakes. My stomach allowed me to eat one but in my head I ate three. He also made a Sheppard’s pie that used ground bison, turnips, rutabaga, parsnips, and a layer of cheese and phyllo to top it off. He made a cod and scallop casserole and he deep fried a whole leg of lamb he had stuffed with procuitto and mint, and coated in a crispy herb infused crust, it was tender and delicious.
OHHH The Lamb
We all ate like it was a normal dinner and them someone remembered that this was it, Jon was in town visiting and soon after he left Jay was moving out. Last meal, at least by Jon. I’m sure we will have one more bash before Jay goes but it was a little reminder that we were growing up and moving on, which is a good thing, in my opinion.
Cravings Take Over, in the Form of Meat
Hot Meaty Goodness!
I watched a show on the Food network and instantly needed a hot pastrami sandwich. The first place that came to mind was Chris’s Sandwich Company on Delaware Avenue and West Tupper. They make great deli sandwiches’,fresh luscious salads and the best sweet potato fries around. Steve and I went for lunch and we were not disappointed. I used to go to Mastmen’s on Hertal for pastrami and great pickles with my parents when I was a kid but sadly they closed. Chris’s is close to home and really good. They close at 2:30 so it’s strictly a lunch place.
The pastrami was not fatty at all, it was cut to the perfect thickness, served warm on seedless rye, my choice, with yellow mustard and Swiss cheese. We shared it but if I weren’t pregnant I would have wanted it for myself.
Eggplant Parmesan: 0, Baby Goss: 6
A Hot Slice!
Being that this baby is technically due in eight days with an estimated weight of 8lbs. 2 oz. and my level of comfort is closing in on zero, Steve and I have embraced every old wives tale we can get our hands on to help bring on some contractions. I have been drinking teas, eating papaya and popping evening primrose oil capsules, trying to take walks and even trying the ever-recommended sex remedy.
The other night we heard that Eggplant could help encourage contractions so we made Eggplant Parmesan. I’ve made Parmesan dishes before with veal or chicken but never eggplant, I’m more of a meat girl. Steve and I cooked together and it went really quickly, I breaded the eggplant he fried them and we layered it all into a casserole dish with sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. I have to say, I did not feel one tiny contraction but I could have eaten a whole tray of this stuff. I’m sure everyone has a recipe, ours is seriously nothing special except that it’s fabulously scrumptious, but make this while the weather is still a bit chilly, it’s glorious!
This recipe is truly a testament to the beautiful simplicity of Italian cooking; essentially four ingredients and you’ve got a killer meal.
Ingredients
- One large eggplant cut into ½ inch rounds (we didn’t salt and drain our eggplant to rid them of the bitterness as some recipe’s call for, maybe we lucked out but it was fine)
- One ball of fresh mozzarella cheese
- A block of Parmesan
- A jar of marinara sauce (we used Wegman’s brand, it great!) or homemade sauce
- Panko breadcrumbs
- 1 cup flour/seasoned with lots of salt and pepper
- 2 eggs beaten/seasoned with salt and pepper
- Salt and pepper for cooking
Put it together
- Dip the eggplant in the flour, then the egg, then the panko
- Make sure they are really coated
- Sautéed them in batches with oil in a non-stick pan until golden brown, they won’t be fully cooked
- Put a layer of sauce on the bottom of the casserole dish, then a layer of eggplant
- Next slice the mozzarella in thin rounds and put a piece on each eggplant, (my dish fit six on each layer)
- Then grate the Parmesan over the mozzarella, a nice dousing!
- Another layer of sauce then eggplant, then, the rest of the sauce and finish with the cheese on the top, for visual effect!
- Cover and bake for 20 minutes at 400, uncover and bake another 15 or 20 until golden, make sure to watch it after ten minutes so it doesn’t burn
- Let it cool at least 10 minutes and eat it up!
Restaurant Week, My Top Picks!!
This week is restaurant week in Buffalo, which means that participating restaurants are offering up special menus in addition to the regular menus. Usually this means either two courses or three course for $20.10 a person, if you’re lucky this sometimes includes a glass of wine. This really is an amazing deal in most places. I went through the offerings for Buffalo restaurants and these are my top picks!
If you have any other suggestions or comments please feel free!!!
All the restaurants offer great deals I picked the ones with the most selection. Many offer a choice of appetizer, entrée, and dessert off the regular menu, which I think is a great deal, others offer only one preselected appetizer, a choice between two predetermined entrees and a preselected dessert, (kinda boring) those didn’t make the list. Here’s a link to each restaurant I chose so you can have all the information you need to feast!
Faso’s Ristorante (not as much selection but you get four courses plus wine)
Gramma Mora’s Mexican Restaurant (I haven’t been in years, but, 20.10 will get you two entrees plus extras here)
La Dolce Vita Restaurant (offers lunch for two for 20.10, and great dinner selections off their regular menu, plus a drink)
Nektar Martini Bar & Restaurant
Scharf’s Schiller Park Restaurant (simple setting, great German food)
I know this is outside of Buffalo but it’s a beautiful day…
The Roycroft Inn Restaurant (lunch and dinner specials)
This is the main site for restaurant week
Cookies!!!
This is not my recipe, I took it from Giada De Laurentiis, but I must share it because they are INCREDIBLE. Steve swears they are his all time favorite cookie.
As usual, I made some changes, she makes each cookie using a ¼ cup of dough, they are way too big so I made mine using a tablespoon measure, I like to taste the jam in each bite and then you get more cookies, better right?
This is the recipe with my added changes.
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (recommended: Hershey’s)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup sugar, plus 1/4 cup
- 1/2 packed cup light brown sugar
- 1 egg, room temperature, beaten
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup blackberry jam (I used Sarabeth’s sour cherry and cranberry jam because that is what I had, it was really good, I think the sourness and sweetness really perked up the cookie, you can get the jam at Wegmans)
Directions
- Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, sieve together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer, (I used my hand beater and a bowl), beat the butter, peanut butter, 3/4 cup of sugar, and light brown sugar together, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until smooth, about 30 seconds.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until blended.
- Gradually add the flour mixture until incorporated.
- Put the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar in a small bowl.
- Form the dough into tablespoon sized balls and roll in the sugar. Arrange the balls of dough, evenly apart, on each baking sheet.
- Using a round 1/4 teaspoon measure, or the thin end of a wooden spoon, (I used the flat end of two chopsticks) make a hole in the center of each ball of dough, about 1/2 to 3/4-inch deep.
- Spoon ½ teaspoon or so, of jam into each hole. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes until the dough has spread and the surface of the cookies are crackled.
- They will be very soft to the touch when they come out and will harden a bit as they cool.
- Cool for 5 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, about 20 minutes. Arrange the cookies on a serving dish and serve.
- They are really soft and moist and still chewy, they are sooooooooo goood..
This past week my sister and I got involved with this guy in Toronto that runs secret underground dinners. Basically, if you get invited you attend a gourmet dinner with about 14 other people, 5-7 courses paired wine for around $100 bucks a person. Pricey, a bit… fun and exclusive, YES! The thing is, in order to be invited you have to answer some questions which are pretty generic so I am assuming the answers really matter since they will set you apart. These are my answers, just posting them for fun..I have not hear back yet..Maybe I’m totally lame… I will keep you posted.
Here is what they sent me to read and fill out, I didn’t include contact info, find your own damn exclusive-hard-to-get-into-secret-dinner:)
Name (first and last) & email (again)& best number to reach you to reconfirm the day of the event.
Jenevieve Goss
What is your occupation?
Art teacher/doctoral student, eater…
Where did you hear about us?
My sister
What are your 3 favorite restaurants in Toronto?
Oyster Boy…this little Chinese place near the AGO, I couldn’t even fathom a guess on the name, tiny maybe four tables, amazing buns, and…Sushi 1. I come to Toronto a lot, my sister lives downtown, I usually cook or we eat at local joints. Not in Toronto, but a killer meal, Bouchon in Yountville CA, and Buffalo, where I live, has amazing restaurants as well.
What would your last meal on earth be?
This is the trickiest of questions but for the sake of nostalgia and amazing memories…I’m going to take the liberty of factoring in atmosphere as well so, I would be at a table on the beach in Puerto Vallarta eating whole fried, just out of the ocean, red snapper accompanied by a couple of cans of cold Tecate beer with salt and lime swimming on the rim, possibly fries, and maybe, while I’m eating, a cart selling tacos al pastor would slide by and I would order 3 tacos!
Anything else you want to tell us about yourself? Please don’t tell us you like food and cooking. Get creative and don’t be shy
I read, drive around to different places and walk around, paint, plant things, take photographs, and play with our dog, endlessly….
I actually hate eating good food, it makes me angry, and I end up spitting half into my napkin and throwing it down in the street afterword just out of spite…cooking is for suckers….and poor people, I rarely eat….:)
Actually, I really love to write about food (after eating it, of course). I’m about three weeks away from having our first baby, so I’m really missing certain foods, namely raw frickin fish…I love Buffalo but I really love to travel, we went to Tokyo for our honeymoon and all I have to remember some of the best meals of my life are photographs of restaurant fronts with Japanese symbols spelling out their names and me grinning like a lovesick school girl in some foggy saki haze, and it makes me sad, I have begun to better document my exploits and I love meeting new people that aren’t pretentious about food and can have a serious conversation about cheeseburgers and homegrown tomatoes, among other things.
Thanks for the application!
Cold Eggplant and Hot Lamb at The Falafel Bar
The Hot Lamb!!
The other night Steve and I were both tired and didn’t feel like cooking so we went to the Falafel Bar on Allen Street for dinner. There was one other couple in the restaurant and it was warm and bright. The waitress was very sweet she talked to us about her friend who was pregnant and how excited we must be, which we are, and took our order right away.
We used to eat at the Falafel Bar all the time when they were on Elmwood. I really think this new location is killing their business; they had really short winter hours posted on the door (11-3 during the week). I tend to forget about it at its new location.
To start, we all most always order the fried eggplant with tomatoes and feta cheese. Every single time we have ordered it in the past the eggplant was freshly fried and hot. This time they were cold, actually ice cold, they had been previously fried and stored in the cooler. We took one bite and asked the waitress what was up. She said they are always served cold. We said every time previous to this time they were fried fresh. The menu actually says “Thick slices of freshly fried hot eggplant over tomato with feta cheese,” which we pointed out. She still insisted that we were wrong and that it was served cold. She said she would check with the chef, we knew we had lost so we ate it, not nearly as good as it is hot, cold previously fried eggplant, yummm??? She came back and said that the chef was now preparing it this new way, and that was that, okay then.
The rest of the meal was fantastic; I had the mixed grill platter, which had hot freshly grilled lamb, chicken and gyro meat, crispy lemony potato wedges a huge Greek salad and warm pita bread. It was so good and exactly what I wanted. The meat was all cooked perfectly and the lemon sauce they toss the potatoes in, as always, was the best part. Steve had a three sisters wrap, which has hummus, gyro meat, and fried eggplant with tomato and tahini. We shared and I was so uncomfortably stuffed when I got home that I almost cried. You would think 8 ½ months of pregnancy would have taught me when to stop eating, but it was just that good.
Curly’s Lunch, a No-Go…
When Steve and I first started dating I went for dinner with him and his father to Curley’s in Lackawanna. It was delicious, I had the black bean soup, a blue fish entree and we shared calamari, this was over five years ago and I still remember the meal.
The meal I had yesterday will not be in my head five years from now, actually I am planning on removing it from my memory and leaving here on Eatalo instead. It wasn’t that it was that bad, but I’ve had much better lunches for a lot less money so this one can be forgotten.
I was really hoping for a fish sandwich, but despite the fact that Curly’s is known for their seafood, there is no fish sandwich on the menu. I ended up ordering a cheeseburger. They offered one fish dish, but it was a dinner entrée, not lunch sized.
I ordered the cheeseburger medium and they served me a hockey puck. Thankfully they got it right the second time. The burger was decent, but it had a seasoning on it that was very salty, which I didn’t like at all. The fries were hot and crispy so that was good.
Steve started out with the black bean soup, it was so salty that I actually cringed when I tasted it. He also had a salad, which consisted of iceberg lettuce, mushrooms, tons of red peppers, chopped sugar snap peas, and chicken. The chicken was juicy, well marinated and definitely the highlight of this strangely bland salad. For $11.00 we both expected more.
Our other friend had the steamed mussels in a wine sauce amped up with Gorgonzola cheese, the mussels were cooked perfectly and the sauce was a great alternative to the regular broth you usually find mussels cooked in. It was smooth and thin like a broth, but the Gorgonzola flavored it perfectly, not to strong, which is a tendency of Gorgonzola. We were given a free piece of key lime pie because of my burger mishap, I haven’t eaten it yet, but I took a bite and it was very good. Overall, it wasn’t the worst meal, but I felt so sluggish after from the salt that it ruined my day. I haven’t been for dinner in a long time, but my advice to you is definitely skip lunch.
