Shortbread, Supper Clubs, and Hopefully Spring
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 sound like a broken record but it's still cold. In the words of the wifi password at this coffeeshop I'm writing at: COMEONSPRING. 
Something to make:
Chocolate Olive Oil Shortbread via Smitten Kitchen Everyday (also on Food52)
Making shortbread from scratch sounds pretty scary so when I saw this recipe required no mixer, no butter, and no rolling pin (I used a wine bottle), I was intrigued. I brought them to a shiva and even with lots of dessert competition, they were eaten quickly and three people asked if they had butter in them (nope!). This recipe comes together easily and will make you feel fancy and accomplished.
(Sidenote: If you own this cookbook, the Food52 cookbook club facebook group is featuring it this month. Lots of home cooks post pictures of the recipes they try and share suggestions/favorites/issues. It's really fun).
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar (I used regular sugar that I put in the blender for a little bit)
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon turbinado sugar (this is roughly 5 packets of sugar in the raw to grab next time you're in a coffee shop)
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon minced rosemary
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate, chopped into chunks (I used a little extra)
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1. Preheat the oven to 325.
2. In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, 2 tablespoons of the raw sugar, and salt. Add the olive oil and rosemary and mix until combined. Then add the chocolate and use your hands to bring the dough together. It will be very crumbly. If you can't get it to come together, add a little extra olive oil or water but as long as you can scoop it into a pile, you're good.
3. Roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment paper (a wine bottle works for this). I did this on the cookie sheet to minimize transfers. You want it to be a circle or oval shape. Take off the top sheet of parchment paper. Beat the egg white in a bowl and brush it on top. Sprinkle the cookie with the remaining sugar in the raw (1 packet works).
4. Bake for 20-23 minutes. They won't be totally golden but overcooked shortbread will fall apart. When they come out of the oven, transfer the cookie on the parchment to a cutting board and cut into pieces (about 24) using a sharp knife. Let them cool completely then separate. You may have to eat any messy edges :)
You don't need an avocado toast recipe but I love this idea of adding miso to your next slice.
If you make this shortbread, which you should, you'll have some leftover rosemary which is perfect for two of my favorite recipes: bar nuts and pasta with chickpeas (add spinach). Is 2018 the year of rosemary? Please discuss.
This sweet potato taco recipe combines so many of my favorite things.
Have you ever roasted a whole squash?
Julia bought soba noodles and now I'm dying to make some with this great looking peanut sauce.
My friend Noor made roasted grapes (a la my favorite salad) and served them with brie! Need to try this. 
Something to Order:
I went back to Lelabar, this time with a friend, and once again enjoyed their happy hour wine and a happy hour cheese plate: 3 cheese with bread and condiments for $12 until 7:30. It gets crowded so go solo or with a very small group.
The Tacombi in Flatiron is really good and I found out you can order any of their agua frescas with jalapeño infused tequila. Try the watermelon one and a black bean avocado tostada.
Had a great evening in Union Square with my dad. We went to a free wine tasting at Union Square Wines. Check their schedule and go try something new and learn about wine. Bonus: the bottles they offer for tasting are always on sale. Then we grabbed a quick dinner at Taboonette. Their kruveet platter has spaghetti squash, eggplant, hummus, and tahini over brown rice. It's such a good combo and if you're reading this Taboonette, please open near my office.
If you need a spot to do work in Tribeca, visit a car dealership. No, seriously. There's a Joe Coffee inside the Cadillac House with free wifi and lots of seating that's open till 7. There are tables and couches and some fancy cars. Experiential marketing is weird.
I tried Oat Milk in a latte at Sweatshop and have to admit that I liked it. A little richer tasting than almond milk versions.
Had a great This Needs Hot Sauce Supper Club (more details below) at Rubirosa. The pizza is so good. Order a large tie-dye with pesto, vodka sauce, and mozzarella. They bring a little dish of red pepper flakes, parmesan, and oregano to top it off. We also tried the clams with garlic lemon breadcrumbs and I'm a huge fan of the Rubirosa Salad with little mozzarella balls. They have lots of reasonably priced wines by the bottle and basically, you should make a reservation soon. 
I finally had brunch at Win Son and while we maybe overordered, the food is great. You can get the regular sesame noodles with a fried egg on top and some special breakfast dishes like chicken and waffles and an egg bomb which is a basically a giant fried scallion pancake with a runny egg inside (you'll want to share this one). The cocktails are great, as usual (the bloody mary is quite spicy) and unlike at night, there's no wait. Thanks Jesse for the iPhone 10 photos #quality.
For something new, here are some non-New York suggestions from a very skilled writer and eater (lmk if you want to share eats in your city).
Hey pals! For those of you who don't know me already (IRL or from my frequent guest appearances in the newsletter), I'm Julia, Abigail's roommate. This week, I spent 24 hours in Wichita for work which was just long enough to explore a smidge of the dining scene. If you ever find yourself in the ol' Doodah (that's what people call it), here's my extremely brief dining guide. Delano Barbecue Company: If you have one meal in Wichita, make it barbecue. An Uber driver who told me he's a CERTIFIED BBQ JUDGE recommended Delano, so yeah, I went. Get a few ribs, and order the baked beans, which are a mix of a bunch of different beans. Don't skip their famous onion rings, which are fried with Tabasco. And try every sauce, obviously.
Milkfloat: If you still have room after Delano, walk down the street and stop by Milkfloat, a ridiculously cute dessert shop that I could only describe as the Momofuku Milk Bar of the Midwest. The desserts were really creative - think earl grey blackberry pie, fruity pebbles cheesecake, and their most popular offering, homemade pop-tarts. 
Thanks, Julia!
Something to read:
This bookstore sounds amazing (h/t) Frida
A newsletter devoted to three of my favorite ingredients: sweet potatoes, broccoli, and chickpeas.
Something's rotten in the state of pie instagrams
I've noticed this rise in pineapple drinks at the Topaz and Little Octopus. Have you had a pineapple cocktail recently?
An interview all about pizza with Adam Kuban, who founded Slice, one of the OG pizza blogs and now runs a pizza pop up (sidenote: he has a great instagramaccount)
Really interesting dispatch from Ningxia, a rural part of China that's winning awards for winemaking.
Glossier opened a fried chicken pop up in San Francisco and yes, it's pink.
The dirty secrets of family recipes
One adventurous eater tries to make raw scallops at home.
I really like steamed broccoli and apparently am not alone
This self-published essay was just nominated for a James Beard award and I can see why.
Food budget diaries are the new money diaries, you heard it here first.
Great headline: Caul Me by Your Name and great article about the rice lobby's panic over cauliflower rice
There's so much to unpack in this package on tipping and harassment, namely "A significant portion of my income is how men feel about me that day." Not okay.
Over 70 places to get a slice of pizza, in all five boroughs
Last week, I asked you about your favorite snacks and got some good ideas for that mid-afternoon hunger/boredom pang:
I feel like an ~instagram influencer~ recommending these but I really love RX Barsas a snack, particularly the chocolate peanut butter ones. They are super filling and get me through nights when I work late. - Hillary
I really like the Graze subscription boxes for snacking! They were kind the OG Snack box and you can customize your flavor palette and your restrictions and they customize healthy combinations for you. Worth a shot to try (get a free box with code "HLFRTJVDP." - Julianne
I keep chicken noodle soup packets at my desk for mid-afternoon snacks. I also recently began bringing pudding cups and they are an AWESOME work snack. If there are free office cookies, you can smash them into the pudding -Emma
I'll take a baggie of roasted chickpeas to work sometimes. Super quick and easy, and you can put whatever tasty seasoning you want on them. Harking back to days in Guatemala, I'll also literally bring a whole avocado, sprinkle some salt on it, and eat it with a spoon. - Sarah
Kicking it up a notch, this week, I want to know about your favorite late night snacks. Whether it's a bowl of popcorn, a drunk bodega order or a jumbo slice, what do you like to eat after midnight?
Now, drumroll please...introducing This Needs Hot Sauce Supper Clubs
How it works: We eat together IRL. I make a reservation for 6 somewhere cool andyou reply to this email to RSVP. You'll meet new people, eat good food and we get to hang. To make this about something slightly bigger, I'm going to ask all supper club guests to donate at least $5 to a charity (this will vary each time). I'll do it too.
Where are we going next? The first supper club kicked off this week at Rubirosa with a great crew and the next one is April 12th at 7 pm at Win Son with donations going to the Equal Justice Initiative. I'm aiming to plan ~1 a month so send me your suggestions!
More about Win Son: This Taiwanese restaurant is one of my favorites and I know lots of you haven't been wanting to try it. Eater's Ryan Sutton says it "delivers one of the NYC's Most Thrilling Meals" and The Infatuation is also a big fan.
Hope you can join! Remember, reply to this email to claim your spot. See you soon!
Happy eating and thanks for reading. One final thing: this two part Popcast on Ashlee Simpson is 100% worth some of your commute time this week.
xo,
Abigail