Bring it to the table
Why it's worth it to set the table, plus some tortilla talk
Hi friends,
Welcome to This Needs Hot Sauce, a weekly newsletter about cooking, dining out, and making the most of it. Our next happy hour is July 23rd at 6 p.m. and we’re having drinks at Linen Hall and then going to get ice cream at Van Leeuwen! (Full details here, bring whomever you want).
And if you’re in town on August 4th, stop by She Spends’ bake sale to protect abortion rights or donate right here.
Now, let’s dive in.
Something to cook:
I made a lot of simple meals last week, including a quick spaghetti with asparagus and lemon (similar to this but with some caramelized onions thrown in).
Today for lunch, I made a batch of roasted broccoli with white beans and served it over romaine with a fried egg on top. I’ll eat the leftovers throughout the week in different iterations. This is a before picture.
I am a die hard oatmeal for breakfast girl, but the hot weather has me opting for yogurt. I eat it with strawberries, toasted nuts or coconut flakes (almonds or pecans), chia seeds, flakey salt, and a drizzle of tahini. I heard this tip from an interview with the founders of Soom Tahini and absolutely love the combination.
Natalie celebrated her birthday with a fabulous party and treats. She put together a great cheese plate with the help of Trader Joe’s and made Aperol grapefruit margaritas, deviled eggs and this super refreshing salad. I normally eat around the cantaloupe in anything and actually liked it here.
Speaking of Trader Joe’s, we talked a lot about it on Instagram so go check out the highlight for product recs and cauliflower gnnochi tips. I bought two packs and will report back when I make them.
I spent most of yesterday in Queens and Leah and I kicked things off with a big breakfast. We made fruit salad, scrambled eggs with red onion and cheese, and toast with jam. One of my favorite things is setting up a table with everything you’ll need: a water carafe, hot sauce, salsa and avocado for the eggs, butter for your toast, an extra napkin, etc. Then you can sit down and enjoy the meal without getting up for more water or wishing you had brought that one extra thing to the table. It’s a real weekend treat. Do you set the table when you’re eating? Would love to hear.
I went to a family friend’s birthday party yesterday and had the best Guatemalan food I’ve had since leaving Guatemala. It was all homemade, including the handmade tortillas hidden in foil to stay warm (literally the best things ever) and really took me back to my time there.
Something to order:
Brittney was in town and we got drinks and oysters at the Mermaid Inn in the East Village. That part of town really reminds me of being 22, but it’s still a great happy hour spot (they have three locations) with specials on drinks and a big list of appetizers.
Frida and I got drinks (and yes, more oysters) at Super Power, which is mostly a tiki bar with a backyard. I don’t love tiki drinks, but the space is cool and the oysters were really good. Afterwards, we got quesadillas at Taqueria Melear, a casual byo spot that also does a lot of delivery. They have flor de calabaza and huitlacoche, which are my two favorite quesadilla fillings, so I was very happy.
Dale and I got a late brunch at Lighthouse and I went from hangry to happy within seconds of eating their burrata with grilled bread. I got their chilaquiles, which are really good, and want to try their shakshuka next.
The neighborhood crew (plus Hillary who came all the way from Manhattan) did a little bar crawl in honor of Tyler’s move down the street. We hit up favorites like Duck Duck and a new to me spot called Reclamation, that’s built from salvaged materials. The real reason to go is the indoor version of shuffleboard. I love a bar activity and the vibes and drinks are also great.
Finally, a reader tip from Alex, who was visiting from San Francisco. He found a great beer and cheese flight for $18 at Milk & Hops. It includes, “four 4 oz beers, four cheese, bread, and date cake - all really good and interesting for a lot less than getting any of those individually.” Don’t walk, run. (And I always love hearing your suggestions via email or DM).
Something to read:
Now on tap…almond milk and bone broth
Pairing cheese with mole by my friend Christine.
I loved frappucinos in middle school and looked forward to buying myself coffee as a defining ritual of adulthood (wow, my teen self would be proud of my current coffee habits). This Eater piece really gets at that nostalgia and the frappucino’s moment.
Not totally food related, but I use digit for my travel savings, which is basically a food in other places fund.
Sad to hear Arcade Bakery in Tribeca is closing
Libby Willis lives upstairs from the restaurant she owns, Meme’s. I really need to go.
Why Win Son’s dessert with cilantro works
Fascinating look at how cooking websites can do a better job being accessible for disabled readers
I really want to see Farewell and loved this interview with Awkwafina (Forest Hills’ finest) about her childhood foods
How Erica Chidi Cohen, doula and founder of Loom, eats.
Blueberry muffin recipes go head to head and I’m not surprised at the winner.
Dean and DeLuca, one of my favorite places to kill time in Soho, is struggling big time
The best new restaurants in America (agree about Adda for sure)
An interview with Ligaya Mishan, who writes the New York Times Hungry City column.
A good Grub Street diet featuring Dale’s colleague and lots of Staten Island spots
Excited to see Nicole Taylor heading up food coverage at Thrillist.
A new wave of rainbow cookies in New York (this skipped the very good one from Barano)
I had one of Melissa Weller’s bagels at an event this spring and need to visit High Street on Hudson for more.
Planning to watch Melissa Clark make black and white cookies once I press send on this baby
For my friend Brielle’s blog, I rounded up the best places to eat in Midtown. It’s a tough spot, but this list should help.
I love Cafe Esencia and wrote about their new dinner service for Bushwick Daily. Tapas and $6 glasses of natural wine, how bad can that be?
Now, let’s wrap things up with your thoughts on celery! Things got heated…
Julia says: Celery is a trash vegetable. I will accept it in a Bloody Mary and pretty much nowhere else.
Julianne says: UGH, CELERY. There are THREE AND ONLY THREE ways it's good: 1) with ranch/blue cheese to complement very good wings, 2) cooked in a nice hot soup, or 3) with peanut butter. Otherwise, it's irritating. Tasteless and crunchy, like a water chestnut, it really gets under my skin.
Ian took me to Kings County Imperial for a lovely date on Saturday, and me, a 25 year old child, kept separating the mini celery pieces from our Kung Po Chicken entree and tossing them onto his plate. He has also tried encouraging me to embrace the crunch of celery in salads: there is celery in the Thai Crunch Salad at Just Salad that I decided to try, but I definitely had to do the obnoxious close-eyes-pinch-your-nose immature chew to get over my distrust of celery.
Hillary likes it: Re: celery, it's my preferred dipping vegetable over baby carrots. One of my fave work snacks is celery and baba ghanoush.
That was fun! This week, let’s talk about tortillas, because I can’t stop thinking about them. Are you a corn tortilla person? Or flour? Or alternative flours? Where do you get them and what’s your favorite thing to put inside a tortilla? Corn tortillas are my #1, but I love a quesadilla with a flour tortilla. Reply to this email with your thoughts!
Happy eating and thanks for reading. See you on the 23rd!
xo, Abigail