A Very Important Date

Thoughts on dating, delicata squash, and a Netflix show you need to watch

Hi friends,

Welcome to This Needs Hot Sauce, a newsletter about cooking, dining out, and making the most of it. It’s an exciting week and I hope we’re all ready for it.

Let’s dive in.

Something to Cook:

I made this broccoli salad for lunches last week and it held up like a champ. It does have raisins, which are polarizing, but you could swap them for craisins or skip them entirely. I often add avocado and shared the cooking process on Instagram stories in the broccoli salad highlight.

This week, I’m eating this very quick and flavorful carrot, lentil, and feta salad. I like serving it over greens, either kale or spinach and it comes together in the time it takes to cook the lentils. If you don’t have za’atar, you can do a DIY blend but it’s really good so buy a small jar and throw it on all the veggies you roast.

Squash season is one of my favorite times of year and I made an absolutely delicious delicata squash last week. It’s the perfect squash because you don’t have to peel it and it cooks in 20 minutes. I slice the squash in half, remove the seeds with a spoon and then slice it. Toss the slices with a little bit of maple syrup, olive oil, cinnamon, cayenne, and cumin. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes. It’s delicious. Here’s a formal recipe, if you prefer.

Isa and Noah made homemade harissa and then they made harissa dressing! Truly inspiring. The dressing combined homemade harissa with maybe a tablespoon of honey, some olive oil, some lemon juice, rice vinegar, salt and pepper.

If you’re in a baking mood, my grandma made this blueberry crumb cake and says it’s a keeper.

I whipped up a batch of these pumpkin chocolate chip muffins and if you show up on Thursday maybe you’ll get to try one.

Something to Order:

Dig Inn has transitioned their menu for the fall and I really like the harissa carrots and maple cauliflower. The Williamsburg one also serves booze now.

I went back to the Topaz because it’s between the subway and my apartment and Julianne and I needed a drink. Huge fan of that $6 happy hour old fashioned.

Allison celebrated her birthday at Ops and preordered multiple magnums, like a true wine professional. The square pizza is really a masterpiece. If you go, read this first.

I stopped at Interboro Beer Company for Dale’s friend’s birthday and pretty much all they make are IPAs. If you want a spot right near there with more variety, I recommend Grimm Ales.

I couldn’t go a week without Brooklyn Cider House so we went for dinner on Saturday. Their bar menu has lots of choices, from tacos to Korean food to burgers. I got the spicy kimchi rice bowl and Dale loves the wings. They’re also serving cider donuts at brunch (just like the ones at the orchard and wow, they are good).

Coffeeshop of the Week:

Think Coffee is there when you need it, with locations all over the city that tend to have lots of seating. I particularly like the original on Mercer Street off of Washington Square Park and the 4th Avenue one is nice, too. Their new Tribeca location is really cool as well. The coffee is good and they have lots of food options but my favorite thing about Think Coffee is how chill everyone is—the staff won’t care if you discretely eat some outside food, you can linger, the space feels casual and they tend to choose buildings with cool layouts and keep historic details. They have a really great social and environmental ethos with regards to their coffee and the disposable products they use. So don’t forget about Think Coffee. It’s popular with college students so you know the people watching is prime and the prices are right.

Something to Read:

I watched Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat and I love it. I have one episode left and it’s hard to pick a favorite. Samin Nosrat is a great host and teacher and the show very intentionally features mostly women and mostly older women as the authorities in each place they visit. The salt episode takes place in Japan and is the first time I can remember seeing a show shot in Japan that isn’t just two guys moaning over sushi and comparing it to sex. I also loved the acid episode shot in Mexico and the tortilla making scene. There is no comparison of food to sex on this show, thank god!

Watch the show and then read all the things about it: The Cut made BLTs with Samin at her home in Berkeley. BuzzFeedNews calls it a food show for real people and The Atlantic talked with Samin about the choices she made in creating this show. The recipes are here if you’re inspired to cook!

Hidden Restaurants in New York City. Emma showed me the Swedish Church a few years back and it’s really cool (and quiet).

From Julia Turshen: How a diabetes diagnosis changes the foods you share together.

A #longread on the history of the New York Slice plus a list of the best slices in the city, right now. Adam Kuban and Ed Levine are serious pizza authorities so this list trumps others I’ve seen.

Priya Krishna, BA Contributing Writer and author of upcoming cookbook Indian-ish, made Dahi Toast, which she calls India’s version of a grilled cheese. It looks so good!

Now on to the juicy stuff,

Dating!

Consider this an update to my previous dispatch (scroll to the bottom) on dating. After months of dating a lot and months of not dating at all, I’m in a very different place, aka a relationship. Dating and food are perennially ripe topics because the experience can range from anxiety provoking and horrific to extremely fun. Did I miss a core tenet of dating or a favorite spot? Reply to this email and let me know!

For first dates, flexibility is key. Especially with app people, it’s good to start with drinks at a bar that has a food option. Julia broke it down, “The perfect first date spot is a place where it’s not weird if you just drink, but there’s also some kind of apps/small plates sitch if it’s going well (or if you’re just hungry). Four Horsemen, Tuffet, and Topaz in Williamsburg are perfect for these circumstances, as is The Winslow in the East Village.” If you’re coming straight from work and are super hungry, having a small snack before a date is always good and saves you from getting too drunk.

Things that don’t work on a first date: high commitment long activities like a museum, a movie, a show, etc. If you already know the person, this might be different, but in general, go somewhere where you can sit down and talk and have the option of a quick exit.

One of the hardest things about first dates and meeting people in general is staying open to possibility (I’m paraphrasing my therapist here). The other person can 100% tell if you’re judging them (on everything from their drink order to their age to their neighborhood to where they went to college) and nothing is less sexy than that. There are some big deal breaker things like if someone is super rude or doesn’t tip, etc, but most of the time someone is mostly fine but still not right for you. I’m also a big food sharer and a vegetarian but most people I date are not, so splitting appetizers is always a good way to do something together/make sure someone isn’t too picky of an eater and then eat what you want.

For early in the game date spots when you’re still getting to know each other, it’s really about finding places that you think the other person would like or that show something cool about your neighborhood/city. Discovery is fun. I also think a good early date spot is democratic, not a speciality beer/wine/whiskey bar where you have to know all this lingo to feel good (unless of course you both are obsessed with one of those things).

Jolie shared a great date spot that’s all about being authentic: One time a date took me to Katz Deli and it was the best date I have ever been on! It was very cool to let loose and stuff my face with meat, I felt like I was true to myself from our first date! Not sure if I’d categorize it as a great first date spot, but if you’re looking for a unique spot, I’d recommend this frisky firster!

I’m also a big fan of revisiting date spots. Dale and I went to Lighthouse for one of our first real dates and had a great time. We went back a few months later and it was a chance to see how far we’d come in that time and reminisce a little. Another thing we did early on was try to only go to places neither of us had been in the neighborhood (we both live in Williamsburg). This was a challenge, mostly because of how many places I’d already been, but a fun excuse to look for new places.

Now for some more ideas from you:

Alicia, a relationship queen: Okay so I have no dating advice because Dan and I have been together since my senior year of high school. GROSS. But! We have a great date spot in Bushwick: Chimu Express. It's so good! There's a meal where you can share a chicken between two people, plus a number of sides, for $25. If you don't want to share, I recommend the ceviche or the parihuela! 

Julianne and Ian, Brooklyn dating royalty, say: Our go-to spot is Testo. I have befriended the staff there and really appreciate how they have a table ready for us when we arrive. The food is always so fresh and delicious, the carafe of their house red wine pairs well with every meal, and both the inside and outdoor seating areas feel cozy and romantic (although we also consider good food to be romantic). Even though Ian isn't that big into sharing, we usually end up ordering two meals and splitting them. That's the point of dates, right? To find a good food sharing partner? It's worked for us!

Jeffrey recommends sushi for a first date: I like to eat sushi on dates especially a first date... It minimize the chance to look like as you would if you had wings, pasta or a burger for example. (Ed note:Yes, messy foods are risky but I also love pasta.) If the person can’t use chopsticks, you can explain that sushi was originally meant to be eaten with hands as opposed to chopsticks and hopefully they wouldn't feel too bad after that.

Some bonus favorite date spots:

In LA, Sunset Beer Company has tons of different beers in a bodega style fridge and an area full of board games. Julia wants one in New York so you could spend a while picking out fun beers together and then play board games and such.

In Brooklyn, I love Lighthouse, St. Mazie’s Supper Club, Pearl’s, Roberta’s during off times (late lunch is best), Win Son (for special people only because you cannot bring bad vibes into your favorite restaurant). If you want a getaway, do a Rockaway Beach day and get rum filled coconuts and tacos at Tacoway Beach. Ice cream dates (like to Davey’s or Van Leeuwan) are also fun during warmer months.

Next week, we are talking about something way lighter: What’s your favorite Halloween candy? I’m a Reese’s girl but curious to see what you used to trade for after a night of trick or treating.

I’ll see you Thursday at Duck Duck for This Needs Hot Sauce’s Very Spicy Birthday and seriously can’t believe I’ve been writing to you all for almost a year. It’s an honor. If you're attending, please consider donating the cost of a drink to RAINN, the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization. They run the National Sexual Assault Hotline and a 24/7 secure chat. 

Happy eating and thanks for reading.

xo, Abigail