Summer Birthdays
Plus, two tomato recipes and a new Mexican favorite
Hi friends,
Welcome to This Needs Hot Sauce, a weekly newsletter about cooking, dining out, and making the most of it. We also host monthly events and the next one will be September 19th, save the date.
I’m writing to you on my 26th birthday (my golden birthday!) and feel so grateful to have you here.
Now, let’s dive in:
Something to cook:
I’m still trying to soak up tomato season and summer (which is not over, even though it’s cooled off), but this recipe would work year round since cherry tomatoes are usually grown inside. It’s a ginger tomato fried rice that’s very quick to assemble if you use store bought rice. I get mine from a local Chinese takeout spot and it saves tons of time. (I do the same thing for this broccoli fried rice). Top with chili crisp!
If you’re looking for a quick lunch or dinner base, make this broccoli white bean dish. Serve with an egg, over pasta or grains.
On Friday, Julia, Julianne and I cooked dinner together before a night out. We made this ratatouille pasta, which was so good and full of summer vegetables. It’s a labor intensive recipe because of all the chopping, so I wouldn’t make it unless I was cooking with friends/for a group. As with so many recipes, it takes way longer for the vegetables to cook and brown than the directions indicate (veggies are full of water). So go by sight rather than by time. Good news: you’ll definitely have leftovers.
We also made a salad with kale, lemon juice and olive oil, cucumbers, goat cheese, and golden raisins (leftover from this recipe). The leftovers kept really well because kale doesn’t easily get soggy.
Something to order:
My dad and I have birthdays three days apart and are both very much Virgos and wine lovers. Last week, we attended Charlie Bird’s wine school for the first time. Wine school is a weekly tasting/class held at the restaurant on Tuesday afternoons. The best part? It’s free! Classes will resume after labor day and always cover different topics, with at least three tastes. Ours covered summer hits and included a blind taste test. My favorite wine was a volcanic wine from Mount Etna in Sicily. To sign up, join their mailing list here at the bottom of the page and start scheduling a tuesday “doctor’s appointment.”
Melissa and I grabbed lunch at Little Wayla in the Lower East Side. It’s the sister to Wayla, which I haven’t tried yet. They offer lunch platters with rice and 2 or 3 dishes. It’s a great way to sample parts of the menu. Get the sticky rice and brussels sprouts if they have them. I also really liked the tofu with green beans. The space will also sell some Thai groceries in a few weeks.
On Thursday, we officially kicked off birthday festivities with a happy hour at Brooklyn Cider House. The wonderful team surprised me with custom menus and happy hour deals on cider, tacos, wings, and burgers. We had a few hours of sunshine before the thunderstorms began and had a fantastic time. If you haven’t tried Brooklyn Cider House, go before the patio closes for the season. Their cider is great and not too sweet. Four people I hadn’t met before attended, which was so wonderful. So if you’re reading this newsletter as a “lurker”, know that you’re always welcome at our monthly events and feel free to say hi via email or on Instagram.
Williamsburg has a bunch of fancy hotels that are very much not a part of my daily life. Special occasions are the perfect time to check them out. Julia, Julianne and I got drinks at the Hoxton for my birthday. The interiors are beautiful and they have a great patio with fancy bleachers. Check out the bar at Klein’s and if it’s your birthday, order the almond tart with seasonal fruit. It is so delicious.
On Saturday, Dale told me we were going to brunch, but the location was a surprise. I was extremely confused (I don’t do well with uncertainty) as we walked around Williamsburg. Finally, I realized we were getting on the subway. After I asked, “do we get off yet” at every stop, we found ourselves in FiDi. We walked past all these random lunch places and I was wondering what hidden gem Dale had found in the area. Finally, we got to South Street seaport and I realized there was nowhere else to go but the water. And that’s where we were going…on a brunch cruise with a mimosa bar! We had a really good brunch with waffles, fritattas, fruit, and granola parfaits (obviously the food isn’t the selling point of these cruises, but it was actually good). Mimosas were flowing the whole time, with oj, pineapple, or cranberry options. We spent most of the time on the upper deck as we sailed around Ellis Island, Statue of Liberty and under all three of Brooklyn’s bridges. This same company does evening cruises for happy hour or dinner and they did a great job. The staff was so friendly, taking pictures, refilling drinks, and dancing around. It was such a fun surprise and a great way to see the city from a different perspective. Most people seemed to be local couples plus one very fun bachelorette party.
At my party on Saturday night, we made a large format version of the Red Flag and Julia and Julianne continued a wonderful photo cake tradition. It’s so hilarious to see all my birthdays on one cake (there are photos from when I was 8, 24 and 25). And La Princesa makes very good cake.
Win Son Bakery is opening soon (September 3rd). Their final pop up was yesterday and Julia and I finally made it in time to try their mochi donuts and breakfast sandwiches, served on homemade milk bread. This sandwich, while includes perfectly melty raclette, is going to be a new favorite. A sleeper hit is the sticky date cake, which is like a more compact muffin, and would go so well with coffee.
Finally, I had a family birthday celebration (shared with my dad) at Oxomoco, a Mexican restaurant in Greenpoint that I can’t recommend enough. It’s definitely a splurge, but the food is so good and the space is beautiful, full of plants and light. Favorite dishes included the corn tlayuda, the beet chorizo tacos, and the oaxacan chocolate cake. Dale and my dad were big fans of their steak and lamb tacos, too. Try the smoked strawberry margarita or the spicy mango one, neither is too sweet.
It was a really special celebration and I am so appreciative of all the people in my life who came out to celebrate. I’m not always good at celebrating myself and fully needed the push.
Something to read:
What’s the difference between heirloom, beefsteak, plum, cherry, and grape tomatoes?
Need to visit all of these dollar oyster happy hours in Bushwick
The cult of Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi
State fair food is its own cuisine
A wonderful guide to cooking for yourself in college (relevant for adults too)
Pairing cheese and beauty products with Antoni
The Weight Watchers app for kids is all kinds of disturbing
I’m never trying to get preachy here, but we all should think about eating less meat and being more careful about the meat we eat. This chicken sandwich convo explains why.
I got so many of these wrong: The most effective ways to curb climate change might surprise you
For Eater, I wrote about how to shop for natural wine and get something you actually like.
Now, let’s talk about birthday traditions. I think the photo cake is one of my favorites, plus I make a very weird face when everyone sings happy birthday to me. My dad says I’ve been doing that since I was three, so I’d call it a tradition.
I love this tradition that Jessica shared: My family always celebrates my birthday at the Mets Friday night home game closest to the actual date, unless it’s the Subway Series because my mom can’t stomach the onslaught of Yankee fans at Citi Field. A few years back, my aunt made me a birthday hat by printing out Mets clip art and gluing it to a generic party hat because we couldn’t find any branded hats at a party supply store. There’s so much great food to choose from at Citi Field, and occasionally the Mets even cooperate by winning.
Also, on my birthday my mom always texts me Happy Birthday at the exact time of day that I was born, because we’re both giant babies about the entire birthday experience.
This week, I want to hear about your favorite thing to make in a blender. Are you a smoothie person or do you use it for making dips or soups? Reply to this email with recipes and ideas!
Happy eating and thank you for reading! You guys are the best.
xo, Abigail