Sweet as Honey

A Rosh Hashanah Menu and a Subterranean Spot for Drinks

Hi friends,

Welcome to This Needs Hot Sauce and happy 5779! It’s a New Year in the Jewish Calendar and This Needs Hot Sauce will turn one next month, which I can’t believe. Let’s dive in.

Something to cook:

Rosh Hashana calls for sweet foods to celebrate a sweet new year: apples and honey, dried fruits, and round challah to symbolize rebirth.

Nicole, Leah and I made our family favorite fig olive oil challah from Smitten Kitchen. I recorded a step by step version (with lots of tips) on Instagram stories and saved it as the Fig Challah highlight. The braid we did was a link style, designed to symbolize unity, strength, and togetherness. There are so many ways to braid a challah and this guide is super helpful. If you have leftover challah, make french toast.

Also on the menu: this extremely easy roasted butternut squash with tahini, a first taste of fall, a rice salad with so many flavorful mix ins, roasted broccoli (broccoli, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, olive oil, cooked at 375 for about 30 minutes).

We had two delicious appetizers from the Zahav cookbook and it felt like being at the restaurant, one of my favorites in Philadelphia. Deep frying scares me (though my dad handled it like a champ) but I still would make this herb labneh to serve with roasted cauliflower. The haloumi cheese with date paste and apples was the perfect fall dish and the cheese got so crispy.

Cauiflower and pet nat for fall, groundbreaking…

I can’t forget dessert—We had this classic apple cake, which is the perfect level of sweetness to eat for breakfast the next morning, and Nicole brought an epic chocolate halva babka from Essen Bakery in Philadelphia. It was so good and we all fought over the crispy chocolate edges.

What did you make for the high holidays? A bunch of us are doing a Yom Kippur Break Fast Potluck next week so I may make another challah. Also, if you’re looking for some self reflection this time of year, I recommend the 10Q.

Something to order:

I’m trying to visit as many of Bushwick’s Cheap Eats as possible and enjoyed dinner at Klom Klorm, a Thai spot off the Dekalb L. The corn salad with salted egg was really good and they have 4 homemade hot sauces.

Donna is always on lists of the city’s prettiest bars and its spot is well earned. The space takes advantage of the building’s character and is full of little details. Nicole, Leah and I went for happy hour, which includes several frozen drinks (the frosé is not too sweet) and batch cocktails.

Motorino makes really good Neapolitan pies in a few locations around the city. They have a good Italian wine list and all the bottles cost the same ($45). If you want a white, try the Falanghina, which is hard to find but delicious. There’s an heirloom tomato pie special that’s worth checking out this week.

Leah, Nicole, and I took a lil road trip (I refer to any car ride over an hour as a road trip, sorry I’m a city girl) to Storm King Art Center in Cornwall and were pleasantly surprised by the taco truck on site. They had two vegetarian options, two salsas, and a very fine quesadilla. Skip the tiny side of guac or bring a picnic to eat amongst the art and wear comfortable shoes and bring bug spray.

Refuel for the drive home at 2 Alices Coffee Lounge, which feels a little retro and makes a good cookie and cider donuts that we gobbled up.

The only thing cozier than a bistro on a rainy night is a bistro playing Adele on a rainy night. Jesse, Emma, Nicole, and I got dinner at Le Barricou. They’ve got everything: mussels with fries, homemade pasta, very drinkable house wine, burgers, and candlelight.

Save this next recommendation for a date or a catch up with a very dear friend: there’s a secret supper club in the basement of St. Mazie and it’s a dream. Make a left by the end of the main bar and you’ll see the staircase. The walls are lined with wine bottles, the food looked delicious, the live music from upstairs filters down at a manageable volume. Spend a couple hours here with a drink and you’ll feel like you’ve maybe stumbled to Europe. Dale, Nicole and I loved it.

Coffeeshop of the Week: (I’m changing this format based on reader feedback, but if you’re a freelance bb or student looking for wifi, always shoot me an email, I have a long list):

Jack’s Stir Brew Coffee in the West Village is the perfect spot to read and journal for a few hours. It’s right off Greenwich Avenue and they have macadamia milk (are we at peak milk?). I’ve been ordering iced americanos after one too many bad cold brews and they made a great one. No wifi but that’s a (rare) plus in this case. They have snacks but they’re $$ so eat before.

Something to read:

A summer search for the best calzone in Brooklyn

This Mexican Rosh Hashana menu looks great, but I want Fany’s challah recipe.

Give this a read this week:

korsha wilson@korshawilson

If you need a primer on how race and class impact the trajectory of restaurant workers, please read this profile of Othea Logan by ⁦@chicagotribune: https://t.co/8qILNDPRE2

September 5, 2018

How to go to restaurants alone (I’m a big proponent of this)

Please write personal stories on your food blog (YES!)

What would you do for a (homemade) klondike bar? Could watch the video on a loop.

I didn’t brave the Misi lines on Saturday but these photos are whetting my appetite for a visit.

An important reminder in the age of Instagram:

Adam Roberts@amateur_gourmet

Part of the reason the food you make at home doesn't look like the food you're trying to replicate from Instagram is that you can't up the saturation with your eyes.

September 6, 2018

I appreciated all the feedback you shared last week. My inbox is always open if you have anything to add.

This week, I’d like to know your coffee orders. What’s your order at the coffeeshop? What kind of coffee do you make at home and how do you brew it? If you're a tea person, how do you steep it? Reply with all of your beverage details and stay dry, my friends.

Sometimes this is my coffee order: iced coffee made for the road.

Happy eating and thanks for reading.

xo, Abigail

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