Hi readers,
After a year on WordPress, I’ve moved addresses to http://www.eatallgoodthings.com/. Please follow this new site to stay updated on my journey through the restaurants of New York City, young adulthood and my Brooklyn kitchen. Always thanksgiving to my friends and supportive readers.
Xoxo,
Jana
I stumbled across Sweetgreen on Instagram a few weeks ago and immediately wanted to try it. Trip and I went to their Nomad location for dinner. I really liked the aesthetic, the friendly staff and most importantly the tasty greens.
Since I’m a lover of all things chickpea, I obviously ordered their chick p salad. You can’t go wrong with a toss of organic mesclun and organic baby spinach with baked falafel (nothing like my falafel adventure), chickpeas, cucumbers, green and red peppers and pita chips and topped with a lemon tahini dressing.
Trip tried their seasonal September salad with organic arugula and shredded kale with local watermelon, heirloom tomatoes, cucumbers, organic mint, local feta, spicy sunflower seeds and champagne vinaigrette.
They were both delicious and filling which helped justify the cost. A $10 salad, but hey, this is New York, right? I’ll definitely be back. Hopefully soon they will have their sweetflow frozen yogurt in NY like they offer at their DC, MD, VA and Philly locations.
September is a time of goodbye. Goodbye to summer and goodbye to the August Roll and Piece of the Month here at Beyond Sushi. The August ROTM became one of my favorites. How could you go wrong with sundried tomatoes, braised fennel, avocado, butternut squash puree and a cashew pesto sauce? You couldn’t. Fortunately, September is also a time of hellos. Hello to autumn and hello to the September special which is sure to ease the transition. Both the roll and piece have three ingredients in common: sweet peaches, celery and whiskey marinated mustard seeds.
The September Roll of the Month will include: black rice, dijon-crusted roasted celery root, sweet peach, English cucumber, topped with a blend of red cabbage, cilantro and celery and finished with celery root puree and whiskey marinated mustard seeds.
The September Piece of the Month will include: black rice, sweet peach with celery root puree and whiskey marinated mustard seeds.
Be sure to stop in at one of our two locations within the next 30 days to get a taste of our monthly specials. If you can’t make it into the store, no worries. We recently launched our website’s online ordering. Don’t miss this promo!
One week ago, I had a week and a half under my Brooklyn belt and no source of income. Within this short time, I had ventured to IKEA twice, had applied to about 25 jobs and had interviewed for two positions. One of those interviews was at Beyond Sushi in the city. At the interview, I was assigned a bit of menu homework – the sauce list. I memorized it, but I wanted some sushi-making experience instead of going into training the next day with zero knowledge of the process. Oh, it wasn’t a sushi chef position, but I still wanted an idea of how it worked.
On Friday, I walked to Whole Foods in search of nori, rice vinegar, sugar, rice and vegetables. Katie and I gave it a go that night, and it was delicious and pretty. I didn’t have a sushi mat to roll it, so I used this hand towel technique instead. The roll wasn’t as tight as it would have been with the mat – it definitely wasn’t as neat as the sushi chef pros at Beyond Sushi – but it worked.
This recipe was helpful when making the sushi rice. On the inside of the roll, I used cucumber, carrots, avocado and red bell pepper. I topped with sliced avocado which was my poor attempt to resemble the restaurant’s Pickle Me roll.
I woke up the next morning with a bit more sushi experience and an eagerness for the training. If it went well, the job would be mine. Apparently, it didn’t go too terribly because I walked out of there a member of the Beyond Sushi team as a sales associate! I take orders, process payments and delivery orders, sauce the rolls, pack or plate the orders, serve and bus tables along with a thousand other little details and tasks that must get done for the ship to sail smoothly. Yesterday was my first full day on my own. I’m still learning. The pic below are two rolls that I sauced to eat while on break. So, as you can see, the sauce dots aren’t top notch. Again, I’m learning. Good thing the dot mishaps didn’t change the flavor though.
I absolutely love this job and atmosphere. Everything I’ve tasted so far is seriously mind blowing. All of the senses are engaged. It looks beautiful, the textures from the various veggies are nice and ultimately the flavors are incredible. The sauces on top give it a lovely touch as well.
Below is the snapchat I took as I walked out of the restaurant as a hired gal. Tears of joy soon followed as I called my parents to tell them the glorious news. Thank the Good Lord.
If you’re in the city anytime soon, seriously come visit me at Beyond Sushi. YAY.
I’ve officially been in Brooklyn for 3.5 days. Yesterday was the first day that I felt like I officially live here. There are a handful of people that I know living in the city, and a few of us planned a welcome-to-the-city/college-reunion brunch at the Clover Club in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. It turned into a delightful time with friends Drew and Kaitlyn involving baked eggs, toast, arugula and fried chicken.
Kaitlyn ordered the fried chicken. It wasn’t like Kentucky fried chicken, but that was for the better. With dark brown buttermilk breading, it had a nice sweet/savory flavor as it was served with honey and hot sauce.
Drew and I were craving eggs, so we both ordered the baked eggs with chorizo and manchego. I may be a foodie in development, but I’m not ashamed to admit that I wasn’t quite sure what chorizo and manchego were. Well, chorizo is a pork sausage originating in Spain and Portugal. Manchego is a cheese made of sheep’s milk from Don Quioxte‘s land of La Mancha in Spain. The eggs had just a slight kick of heat. Drew and I cleaned our entire plates.
After brunch, we walked through Prospect Park and settled onto a blanket next to the lake. Now, I’m snuggled into the sofa at a dear friend’s home on Long Island. It has been the best first weekend as an official New York resident. I am thankful for the yummy times with sweet souls and looking forward to more to come.
One of our friends while we were in China would frequently open her heart, home and fridge for us.
One Saturday, we helped her make yummy homemade LÄRABARs. By helped, I mean that we watched and tasted. She regularly makes these for quick breakfasts on the go and healthy snacks. I miss that girl xoxo.
Ingredients:
1 c cashews
1/2 c dates
1/2 c prunes
1 c dried blueberries
1 vanilla bean
Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients in the food processor, and pulse until they begin to stick together
2. Empty onto plastic wrap long enough to wrap around all sides of the ingredients
3. Use a rolling pin to roll the ingredients into a large rectangle (this may take some adjusting an re shaping to form a rectangle)
4. Cut into individual bar sizes
5. Wrap individually with the plastic wrap
6. Store in fridge
Also try this fudge bar recipe. It was my favorite and were nice airport snacks for Logan and I. Follow the same directions above.
Ingredients:
1/2 c walnuts
1/2 c prunes
1/2 c dates
1/2 c almonds
1/4 c cocoa powder
Going along with healthy snacks, check out this recipe for nut butter energy bites. Nom.
So, I just wanted to post an update on my life.
In one short week, I will board a plane to New York City where I will spend the next year of my life, and that’s really all I know for sure. I’m looking for any jobs in the food world. Preferably food writing in an atmosphere that values farm to table cooking. But I’ll take almost anything to start out.
So, if you know people, let a girl know. Please. I have a couple of interviews lined up. Well, by a couple I mean one. At The Brooklyn Kitchen and I hope hope hopeeeee it works out. If it doesn’t, something else will. I might have to go door-to-door in every cafe, coffee shop, bakery, etc. in all of NYC and beg for employment. Whatever it takes.
So, I get there next week. I get settled in my Brooklyn apartment. I let the internet guy in the door to set up our glorious wifi. Then the job hunt begins. Oh, and not to mention meeting up with some pals that are currently in Brooklyn and Manhattan. Yay.
What do I have so far? Um, a mattress. It arrived at our apartment yesterday. Who else is included in the word our? My friend, roommate and fellow cat lovin’ crazy named Katie. She’s great. I’m excited. We’re all excited. Including her kitty, Margot.
What do I plan on taking? A couple of suitcases and a backpack. One bag will be full of cookware.
What are my emotions? Sheer excitement. Like jumping on my bed excited. But I don’t actually do that. I would break the twin bed in my room at my parents’, but the emotions are real. Also, I’m looking forward to upgrading to a big girl bed. Yes, I’m an adult… Also, there’s a bit of anxiety surrounding the job search, but I’m confident it will work out. Hire me people. It’ll be good for both us; I promise. Also, of course, I’ll miss my family and friends, but I’m so thankful for all of their love and support during this adventure. I’m just soooo excited to see what is in store. It will no doubt be a wild ride, I’m sure.
Leave a comment if you want my new address! I’d love letters. Oh, and stay tuned for many more Manhattan posts to come!
These photos are from Joanna Goddard‘s blog A Cup of Jo. I’ve told you about how much I love this blog before. It’s wonderful. She seems wonderful. They are all good things. Check out her Guide to NYC.
This is a quick and super easy lunch idea that I saw on The Mama Circle via my all time favorite blog A Cup of Jo. And yes, a circle for mamas. And no, I’m not a mama, but this is still a really cool site ran by a woman who is a doula, lactation counselor and chef. So, clearly there’s something for everyone. Her avocado toast post determined what I would be having for lunch today.
As always, I mixed it up a bit. Mine became an almond and garlic roasted avocado treat.
Steps:
1. Mash half an avocado with a fork and add salt, pepper and horseradish if you want a kick like I always do
2. Chop and crush almonds and garlic and roast in olive oil til golden – mine were just a smidge too golden but still yummy
3. Assemble the toast and nom with a side of cherry tomatoes
Oh, and Joanna from A Cup of Jo just posted that she is moving to Carroll Gardens in Brooklyn, NY which happens to be about a mile and a half from the apartment I’ll be moving into in two very short weeks. So, hey Joanna, let’s be friends. Seriously.
I have to admit that I still kind of feel like a Chinese dumpling myself due to the catastrophic number of actual dumplings I consumed during my month adventure. They. Are. Just. So. Good.
Thankfully, we discovered a couple of northern Chinese style restaurants that we frequented. The northern dishes were hands down some of my favorites. Jiaozi is the Chinese name, and we had the chance to help make a homemade batch with the help of some of our friends. A girl we met whose Chinese name is Lucy is originally from the north, and so she was a dumpling making genie. It took some practice getting a hang of the dough craftsmanship, but I soon realized that a dumpling tastes just as good with a few misplaced corners and wrinkles.
Notice Logan‘s pinch technique:
As I continue recovering from my dumpling overdose, check out this recipe on how to make your own authentic Jiaozi.
All I can say is that my heart is so full. I spent a month in a city with a girl who was a great friend and is now a sister to my soul. I spent a month meeting female college students that have expanded my heart with joy, wisdom and laughter. I spent a month getting to know a woman, a mother and a family that have forever imprinted my heart with discernment, truth and again, laughter. Also, I spent a month eating – eating some of the best, most interesting and at times spiciest food I’ve ever experienced.
Let’s take a look:
I was introduced to the community lazy Susan style of rotating dishes plus the ever present bucket of rice. I really enjoyed this style of serving. We would eat out of tiny bowls, but unfortunately, portion control was not easier to implement…
I was introduced to a series of the best homemade noodles. The following was at a middle eastern restaurant, and the egg and tomato noodle dish was my favorite.
Magical hand stretching and finger weaving of the dough resulted in a magnificence in noodle form.
This purple fruit is called shan zhu and was so tasty despite the force required to crack into these suckers.
Fish hot pot was not my favorite. It was difficult to maneuver around the tiny bones especially while using chopsticks. The dish continued to cook on the table in front of us throughout our meal.
Meet fish heads and don’t overlook the eyeballs…
However, at this meal, I discovered my absolute favorite dish – the Cantonese style dish called water spinach.
And this tofu dish was excellent as well. I occupied my chopsticks with these two dishes and left the majority of the fish hot pot to the enjoyment of my friend.
Logan‘s favorite: potatoes in red sauce on a hot plate.
More noodles at our favorite middle eastern meat sticks restaurant:
This was also another favorite dish. It consists of garlic stems, garlic cloves, pork and onions all on a skillet.
More noodles! Except this one is in a broth plus veggies. Really yummy.
These are dishes our Chinese friends made for us on a couple different nights. So many fun memories and yummy foods followed by card games.
More posts on my Chinese food adventures to follow! I can’t express how grateful to God I am for the month adventure in China. Thank you to everyone who helped make it happen and sent up light and love for me while I was abroad.
eat all good things. 