I'm Going on a Picnic

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.

Before we dive in this week can you I ask a favor? Could you forward This Needs Hot sauce to a friend? Help them discover new recipes, new restaurants, and new reads. If they'd like, they can subscribe through the link in the bottom or by signing up here. 

Now, let's dive in.

Something to cook: 
If you're looking for a hearty lunch bowl or an easy dinner, give this Farro Asparagus Salad with feta and peas a try. I cooked all of the asparagus at the beginning and it made absolutely no difference. You only need one pot and it's excellent topped with a fried egg. The ingredient list looks long but you can chop everything up while the farro cooks and substitute other nuts or pumpkin seeds for the almonds. Pistachios would be really good and green.  Recommended accompaniments: Prosecco and season 2 of Sex and the City.
The lemon-mustard dressing would be good on any combination of veggies and grains, so make a jar and stick it in your fridge for the week.

Lemon Mustard Dressing 
This is so simple but great.
Whisk 4 tablespoons of olive oil with the juice of one lemon and one tablespoon of dijon mustard. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Done. Make a double batch for all of your lunch needs. 

Tilden was an excellent dinner guest and brought a batch of this grain freegranola which is basically breakfast trail mix. It's so good on top of yogurt or oatmeal. 

I want to try this recipe for kimchi pancakes.

For a picnic in the park this weekend (ah, remember the sunshine?), I made roasted chickpeas with curry powder.
No recipe required:
Drain and a rinse a can of chickpeas and arrange in a single layer on a lined baking sheet. Drizzle generously with olive oil and lots of spices that you enjoy: I use paprika, curry powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Make sure they're nice and seasoned and mix them with your fingers to make sure each one is coated. Roast in a 425-degree oven for about 40 minutes. You can let them go a little longer to get super crispy or take them out if you still want a slightly soft center. Eat hot or cold.

Something to order:
I've been spending lots of time in coffeeshops this past week and have found some new wifi zones.

In the Lower East Side, Spreadhouse is a great workspace. The cheapest thing they sell is $4 so consider that your rent for a few hours of fast internet in a cool space near the Williamsburg Bridge. I didn't try the food but they do have a large menu and wine if it's that time of day.

Cafe Jax on the Upper East Side has a basement perfect for laptops that's not depressing, thanks to windows. They have 3 wifi connections and lots of seating. Not much food but still a good spot to spend the afternoon.

Isa was in town from SF (yay!) and we kicked off the week with breakfast at Clinton Street Baking Company. Turns out there's no wait on Mondays at 8:30 and the blueberry pancakes with maple butter are still some of the best in town. It's cash only and a great spot to catch up with a friend if you can play hooky one morning.
My dad and I went to a really cool wine tasting at Terroir, a wine bar in Tribeca that prides itself on being weird. The biggest takeaways: oysters, popcorn, and stuffed mushroom caps pair well with most wines.

Ate my first outdoor meal of 2018 (very important milestone) at Evelina in Fort Greene. Fellow guests included Ted Allen and lots of very stylish babies. The best thing we ate was a mafaldine with clams and I also loved a super bitter salad covered in cheese. One complaint: my chair broke in the middle of dinner (it was their first day of outdoor service) and we got nary a free dessert. I didn't fall or anything but had to suddenly leap up when the side started falling off. 

Prospect Park Picnic #1 is in the books and as we know, sandwiches are perfect picnic food. If you get off at the 15th Street G, there are two great sandwich shops right nearby. The United Meat Market has huge Italian subs with high-quality bread. Station 209 also has good options, including a tofu bahn mi and lots of fun craft beers. The beverage pairing: wine in a large swell bottle, always. What are yourpicnic go-tos? Let me know what's hiding in your tote bag. 


Visited my old high school to see their production of In The Heights and ended the night in a basement in Flushing eating dumplings thanks to Sophia. Queens and old friends really are the best. Plus 12 veggie dumplings for $5!! 

Tried a new brunch option in the neighborhood and it's a steal. Harefield Road's$14 cash only brunch includes unlimited coffee, a cocktail, and an entree. I enjoyed the huevos rancheros and the whole place feels like a cozy pub with zero pretention. Thanks to Julianne and Ian for sharing. 

Here's an idea: if you see a blondie in the next week, order it. I had one at Think Coffee yesterday with walnuts and chocolate and butterscotch chips and felt like a happy child after a bake sale. 

Sure signs of spring

Something to read:
Andrew Knowlton explores Philly in this fun video series. 

A pastry chef attempts to make Cheetos and other famous processed snacks in this Bon Appetit video series. (Thanks Hayley for sending)

The Superiority Burger Chef is pivoting to focaccia and it's not even for sale. 

David Lebovitz's Edinburgh recap is making me want to visit (plus I learned a ton about scotch). 

A fascinating deep dive on Arroz con Pollo or ACP in the American South 

Deb uses the word stan and shares a recipe for fig newtons. We stan. 

Health core, or why all the salad chains look like sweetgreen

Shake Shack is working on veggie burgers

Hawa Hassan is a Somali model turned hot sauce entrepreneur. She's awesome and v stylish.

Nice for What could very well be the song of the summer. Celebrate with some Drake on Cake. 

"Dessert was put on this planet in order to surprise us. When did it become so numbingly predictable?" The Ice Cream Sundae must be stopped, according to Pete Wells 

Pete Wells is also asking big questions about cold white wine. Namely, why do we chill whites?

Are after work drinks a conspiracy against women? 

Joe Holder was a football star at Penn and now is a Performance Specialist and Health Consultant (he’s casually in Nike commercials). He eats mostly vegan (#plantbasedgang) and published this useful guide to food shopping. 

Can a robot make a grain bowl? Come for the innovation stay for the spot on descriptions of the founders of this concept.

I can't believe The Infatuation is having its first NY food festival in the neighborhood where I grew up.

Last week, I asked you about plans for summer travel and you guys have big things in store.

I’ll be in Austin celebrating Cinco de Mayo and turning 25 with my two best friends. We cannot wait to stuff our faces with tacos and BBQ. - Rachel

Heading to Philly and the Finger Lakes this summer, and home to Pittsburgh in May. My friend has been nagging me about Choolaah, a fast-casual Indian spot in Pittsburgh, so I'll definitely make my way there. I'm just really looking forward to a lot of weekend beach trips. The best beach snack is Pringles because they somehow GO with sand. It's gross but delicious at the same time. (ed note: inspired idea!) - Alicia

I'm going to SE Asia this summer! Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. Do you watch Anthony Bourdain? I've watched the Singapore episode on "Parts Unknown" and can't wait. The cost of food in Singapore has remained the same since the 70s while the cost of living has skyrocketed. There's a shared cultural belief that food can't get more expensive...which means I'll be eating some of the best food in the world for about $3. Ready. - Julianne

This week, I have two questions. First, I'm at the stage in my life (more details below) where I need a lunchbox. Any suggestions for lunchbox options that are neither ugly nor enormous? Second, what's a restaurant you've been dying to try, in New York or not? Reply to this email and let me know. I'm planning the third This Needs Hot Sauce Supper Club and would love your ideas.

Speaking of, The Second This Needs Hot Sauce Supper Club dined at Win Son last week. We loved sitting at the round table, complete with a lazy susan that made sharing easy. Having 6 guests let us try most of the menu, which was a treat. Favorites included: the lou rou fan, the clams with a scallion pancake, the summer street salad, which I want to recreate at home, and the eggplant with kefir. We drank a Spanish orange wine and everyone agreed the place lived up to the hype (it was just added to the Eater 38). In addition to meeting new people over a great meal, this dinner raised money for the Equal Justice Initiative, which Oprah recently featured on 60 Minutes. Thanks to everyone who joined and I can't wait for round three.


Want to join the Supper Club? Stay tuned for next week's newsletter to claim your spot for May.

Finally, an announcement of sorts.

Earlier this month, I left my job at a nonprofit and am now pursuing food writing! 
In addition to this newsletter, I'll soon have more pieces to share and am on the lookout for jobs, assignments, and any introductions this community can offer. I have experience writing about cooking, restaurants, and travel, with focuses on vegetarian food, Latin America, and New York. If you have anyone I should talk to or any ideas for this new chapter, please reply to this email. And thanks to all of you for being a part of This Needs Hot Sauce so far. I'm so grateful and I know there's lots more to come. 

Let's hope for sunny skies and blondies for everyone.

Happy eating and thanks for reading.
xo,
Abigail

P.S. Watch your inbox for a special surprise later this week. Here’s a Hint