Cheers to Signature Drinks!

Hi friends,

Welcome to This Needs Hot Sauce (And Other Food Thoughts), a newsletter sharing something to cook, somewhere to eat out, and something to read. I'm a native New Yorker who spends far too much time thinking and reading about food. I love helping people find better things to eat and solving problems, so let me know how I can help. Let's dive in.

I was in Boston this weekend and had a rough week last week so keeping things brief and springy. Hope some sunny days are in our future (and gun control). 

Something to make:
Passover is coming up which requires a bit of creativity in the kitchen.

I personally eat rice and corn and legumes during Passover but avoiding flour and oats (my favorite breakfast) can be a challenge and all the best foods (pizza, pasta, bread) are sadly off limits. For breakfast, I'll mostly be disappointed and usually make chia pudding or yogurt with fruit (I don't really like yogurt for breakfast) and eggs or matza brei on the weekends, but the other meals are easier. Also if you have Passover breakfast ideas, lmk. Clearly, I need help. 

For other meals, my strategy is to embrace foods that are naturally K4P, have lots of snacks, and remember that it will pass. This means lots of Asian food with rice, corn tortillas, quinoa salads (gonna make this for lunch next week), bean or lentil salads, dips with crudites instead of crackers (cucumber slices work pretty well), nuts, etc. Shakshuka would also be a good breakfast for dinner, with the bread for dipping. As always, follow the golden rule: if you're still hungry, eat half an avocado with salt and lime. And avoid all the fake matza cereals and stuff like that.

The reason I always keep Passover, even when I'm in another country around very few Jews, is that it makes me feel connected with Jews around the world and across millennia, no matter what else is going on. There's something cool about knowing that people have been following a ritual for so long, in so many situations. I'd love to know any Passavor/Eater/Springtime traditions you have, reply to this email and share!

In moments of deprivation, dessert helps too. My family always makes Matza crackand if you've never given this a try, your Passover is about to get an upgrade. It's a chocolate covered matza with salted caramel and walnuts and it's so good. You can make it any time of year even if you've never observed Passover. We once made it for my dad's birthday in August and substitute saltine crackers for the matza. Just use less salt on top. I'm not going to type out the whole recipe because the step by step photos are really helpful. Making caramel is scary but this is a good one to start with because you don't need a candy thermometer.
This recipe is one that requires attention though, so do it when you can watch that sugar boil and make sure to prep your sheet pan beforehand because once things start bubbling, you have to move fast. It keeps well in the fridge and has a roughly 0% of surviving Passover.

Julia gives 2 thumbs up to this salmon marinade and you probably already have the ingredients in your fridge. 

I really want to try this turmeric omelet recipe.

We had a snow day last week which was the perfect excuse to make breakfast tacos! I got a few questions on Instagram about them and always char the tortillas directly on the burner. Flip carefully or use tongs; it makes all the difference. I also reheat the black beans with sauteed onion and cumin in a skillet for extra flavor. 

Something to order:

The best group dinners are ones where everyone's pleasantly surprised with how low the bill is. This happened last week at 12 Chairs, a great Israeli restaurant with locations in Soho and Williamsburg (they filmed the first episode of season 2 of High Maintenance there). I love their hummus, shakshuka, and housemade harissa (it's spicy), and the sweet potato fries are some of the best I've tried. Sharing is definitely the move to try lots of things. They have a great affordable wine selection too and it's never too crowded. 

Bunna in Bushwick is a great Ethiopian spot that's also very Bushwick. Lots of cool haircuts and aggressive sweaters here and it seems like a popular (though extremely messy) date spot. The move here: get the katenga appetizer (injera toasted with berbere spices) and order for one fewer person than you have in your party. You'll still have plenty of food. It's hard to get a reservation but you can put your name down and grab a drink at the Narrows or Brooklyn Cider House while you wait. It's cash only but they have an atm. 

Sweetgreen has a new salad with Nancy Silverton and I made a custom vegetarian version to try pickled celery and Italian dressing. It's really good and I need to go to one of her restaurants next time I'm in LA.

Boston #EEEEEATS
I spent part of Friday in Cambridge where we had lunch at Tatte Bakery. This place is gorgeous inside and insanely crowded. They have salads, sandwiches, a coffee bar, tons of pastries, breakfast and brunch on the weekends and it's top notch. I had a great salad and would go back, ideally at an off time because eating is less relaxing when someone's hovering over your table. Panera owns a majority stake so there could be more locations very soon. 
A bit further from Harvard's campus is a location of Flour Bakery + Cafe which I loved. My parents and I split three desserts and I regret nothing. I liked the cookies best (basically my favorite dessert is always a cookie) and the coffee was good too. Get whichever calls to you but the chocolate rye and chunky Lola, a "customer favorite with oats, chocolate, coconut, and toasted pecans" were great.
It was great to catch up with friends and see family but Boston bagels don't win any awards.

One thing I loved was the bar mitzvah's signature cocktail: The Aid-an Tonic. Such a clever way to give options without having a full bar. Of course, the bar mitzvah boy was busy dominating the dance floor and doing a little slow dancing but the adults appreciated the options. 

Something to read:

Gabrielle Hamilton is writing a second book!! Read her first one and her New York Times Magazine columns and get hype.

It's official: Google bought Chelsea Market, and they promise little to no change for vendors. But there might be more Chelsea Markets all over the world.

Can a supper club help with eating disorder recovery? 

I'm not a huge fan of vegan restaurants usually but I had a great meal at Avant Garden almost 2 years and am excited that the chef is opening one in Williamsburg 

Helen Rosner on how cookbook authors helped debunk some shoddy obesity research. 

Plastic bans mean Boba shops need to find a biodegradable solution, and fast: 

Love reading about Passover traditions in France.

Jada Yuan's dispatch from Puerto Rico is beautiful, and a must read 6 months after the storm. 

How the founder of my favorite Kombucha starts her day:  Learn more about Health Ade's origin on this podcast. 

Over 300,000 domestic workers live in Hong Kong – 4 percent of the 1,000-square-mile city's 7.3 million population — mainly women from the Philippines and Indonesia, and on Sundays, many of them eat in a park

Professional Athletes need comfort food too.

A little food history for you (h/t Julia) 101 dishes that changed America 

This q+a about healthy eating has been making the rounds and I find the tone so smug. Mostly because it feels like belittling people for asking questions instead of trying to get at why so much health and nutrition information is misleading/sponsored/based on shoddy research. 

When some of Queens' best restaurants leave for other boroughs (one negative effect of endless cheap eats roundups).

An obituary for Ruth Wakefield, inventor of the Toll House Chocolate chip cookie.

Finally my comment on the egg spoon debate: If I had an open fire over which to cook, I would definitely get one. They're adorable and women's spending/consumption is too heavily policed (h/t Emma). 

Now, in honor of cocktails at Bar Mitzvahs and the 21st edition of This Needs Hot Sauce, I want to know: what's your signature drink? What do you always order or make at the end of a long day? 
I'm very much on a gin & sonic train (it's a gin and tonic with half soda half tonic, please join the movement) and also love anything with mezcal and tequila...or a Negroni if it's cold out. And I'm always down for a glass of wine. So it's hard to pick just one. Share your libation(s) (what a weird word) of choice by replying to this email.
Cheers to Monday, and to you, for sharing 21 newsletters with me (and counting). It means a whole lot. 

Happy eating and thanks for reading.
xo,
Abigail