Feels Like Home

How dining out should feel, plus dinner ideas for late February

Hi friends,

Welcome to This Needs Hot Sauce, a weekly newsletter about cooking, dining out, and making the most of it. We also host events every month.

Let’s dive in.

Something to cook:

To close out the sort of long weekend, I made mushroom risotto with Dale. My dad doesn’t like mushrooms so I didn’t grow up eating them a ton, but now I’m a big fan. My dad does love risotto so I grew up making that with him and didn’t really follow a recipe. This one is a good guide, I skipped the mascarpone and definitely used more stock (which I kept warm in a saucepan) to make sure the rice was fully cooked and starchy.

Frida and I made these miso glazed eggplant bowls during that lil snow day and they were so good. It’s a really low maintenance way to cook eggplant without having to fry it and the leftovers keep really well. Don’t skip the basil, it’s super refreshing.

I did some weekday lunch prep yesterday inspired by this broccoli lentil salad. I had 1/4 cup of farro sitting in the cabinet so I made that too. All the components (lentils, roasted veggies, greens, dressing) are in separate containers in the fridge so I can mix and match. I’ll definitely add some egg or avocado depending on the day.

Julia and I had “nothing in the house” on Saturday night so I made pasta with the random scraps inspired by this. It actually turned out pretty good: I sauteed garlic with some chickpeas till they were crispy, added some tomato paste and frozen spinach and then tossed with cooked elbow pasta, frozen peas, and Rao’s marinara. Flakey salt topped it off cause we had no cheese, but overall very satisfying.

Julianne’s parents made the butternut squash pasta bake from my shabbat dinner and they loved it! If you’re having people over and want to try something new, this is the recipe for you. If you make this, use 3 cups of stock instead of 4 and add some extra parmesan cheese (a handful or so, nothing crazy) to the filling. Taste the filling before you assemble, of course. I would also make less of the topping in the future, since 1/2 cup of hazelnuts is a lot. 

Something to order:

I was talking with a friend this weekend about how it takes work to find restaurants where you feel comfortable. This Eater piece touches on this, but the fact is that most writing about restaurants (and the world in general, tbh) is done from a white male lens. I’ve 100% had the experience of going somewhere and feeling like I had to be dressed a certain way, spend a certain amount of money, or just be a different person in order to be treated well, and I’m conscious that judgement is more intense for people of color. When that happens, I don’t go back, and I also don’t include that here, because I really want to steer you guys to places that are special and kind. There’s also the issue of constant change, as restaurants and routines keep evolving. A new apartment, a new job, a new relationship, a new dietary restriction, all of that affects how you’re going to experience eating out. I don’t have any grand recommendation besides being good to yourself and following your instincts. If you hate a place everyone says is cool, you never have to return. You’re not wrong about your own experiences. You deserve to feel good and taken care of as you dine out (and should, of course, be considerate and tip well) and you shouldn’t settle for less.

Now, some very good spots I ate at this week:

We hosted our February happy hour at Grimm Ales and it was so much fun! The beer is so good (especially the sours and the Today’s Special pale ale) and their menu is set up for sampling, with 2-3 size options. The food from Samesa is light and delicious. We had dips (labneh and muhammara) and some party nuts. Thanks so much to everyone who attended! You can see more from the happy hour in the highlight on Instagram.

Turns out the best time to go to Roberta’s is Oscar Sunday. Five of us got a table with only about 20 minutes of waiting. Roberta’s has some misses but they make great pizza and salad and their bar is really good (and heated even though it’s a tent). I love the bee sting without the meat (and top it with chili oil) and also tried their version of a clam pie, which has all the requisite lemon and garlic.

Emma and I grabbed dinner at the Westville in FiDi and while it’s a great spot to meet (lots of vegetables on the menu and happy hour goes till 8), the service was not so great.

I was invited to have lunch at the newly opened Mint Kitchen near Union Square. It’s Israeli fast casual in a beautiful setting and everything is really fresh. I enjoyed the hummus, which is blended to order and topped with mushrooms, and their version of Israeli salad with baked falafel. They’re open till 10 and dim the lights in the evening for atmosphere.

You know how I feel about Instagram for networking, so I was really happy to attend a class hosted by Christine, a cheese expert and Instagram friend of mine. It was at the Bedford Cheese Shop and focused on volcanic wines. The teacher was a sommelier at Terroir and Christine got us some great snacks (pro tip: a mild cheddar pairs well with almost anything and fancy butter + honey + baguette = perfection). You should follow her for cheese tips and I know she’s planning to run more classes.

Coffeeshop of the Week:

Lincoln Station in Prospect Heights is the perfect place to debrief after a visit to the Brooklyn Museum (thanks Isa for finding it!). They have a full food menu, kombucha on tap, coffee, beer, and wine, plus lots of seating. There’s wifi and laptops are allowed at most of the tables.

Something to read:

How New York restaurants are adjusting to the $15 minimum wage

A fun Q+A with the new LA Times food critics

A night out with the Win Son team (thank goodness they went to duckduck)

On the other end of the spectrum: My Restaurant Was the Greatest Show of Excess You’d Ever Seen, and It Almost Killed Me

An upgraded pizza experience from the guys behind the dollar slice.

A longread about oatmeal is my version of clickbait (there’s a Scottish tournament of oatmeal, did you know?)

This headline is bad (wouldn’t call pan dulce “little known”), but the article is good, all about Mexico City’s bread culture.

Ladies, find yourself a sauce man.

Love this Nigella Lawson profile and her candor.

Lactose intolerance is something Cardi B and I have in common, and Frida is correct to recommend oat milk.

There are some omissions on this list of the best restaurants in Forest Hills and Rego Park, but I’m glad Nick’s is there.

One more time, linking to Korsha Wilson’s incredible story on restaurant criticism and whose experiences it takes as the default.

Now, let’s talk about beer.

Julianne and Ian are beer making pros: We have made our own beer three times in NYC. All I'll say is our apartment gets really hot and humid during the brewing process (and we have a ginormous pot we use from Chinatown for this). It's pretty cool and Ian is so committed to it in true Hipster Dad fashion. 

Also I used to hate beer until I was in Prague and beer was cheaper than water (how to be broke in Prague?) and tried Ian's Belgian beer out of desperation. It was so good. An unfiltered hefeweizen with an orange on the side really did it for me. It's still my favorite beer. So gimme all the wheat/wit/hefes plz!!!

Anna is a beer specialist: I get w.a.y. too excited when someone asks me what my favorite beer is because then I get to talk about gueuze, then they ask if it's the same as gose, and I say not really, and they ask where they can have some, and I say very few places because it is only produced from lambics, which are only produced in the Senne Valley in Belgium (aka primarily Brussels), so you're probably paying $14-20 for a bottle in the US if you can find it. I lived in Brussels for a bit and am obsessed with its weirdness, and gueuze is no exception: take two lambics, one older and one younger, combine them, and you get this sour concoction that some Belgians joke tastes more like throwing up a beer than drinking it. Whatever! I love it! Why? Who knows! Brussels Beer Project, Cantillon, and Brasserie de la Senne are my favorite breweries in Brussels -- you can find some or all of their products at particular speciality beer stores. I went to college in Vermont, and obviously incredible beers abound there -- Hill Farmstead's whole range is probably my favorite, as they tend to have a clarity of flavor that I miss about Belgian beers. Easy to find at The Mule Bar in Winooski, VT, just outside of Burlington. 

An anonymous college student had this to share: I love beer! Though it's significantly less classy than wine, it's carbonated and much more readily available in a typical college environment. The ideal brands to buy are either Natty Light (what the kids these days call Natural Light) or Bud Light. As far as beer goes, the cheaper the better. These brands are particularly appealing from 11pm-2am in an overcrowded room covered in a mysterious dirty sludgy liquid with people awkwardly dancing, playing pong, making out, snap chatting friends at parties next door (aka, a frat). However, they can also be enjoyed during a quiet night in with friends. 

This week, I really want to know: what’s the best thing you’ve cooked or baked recently? It’s the end of winter (right?) and even fancy citrus is not super inspiring. I’m definitely in the mood to try something new so please reply with your recent triumphs!

One more thing: if you’re in New York, make sure you vote for public advocate tomorrow! Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Happy eating and thanks for reading.

xo, Abigail