Who Ordered 120 Oysters?
Shockingly, it wasn't me...
Hi friends,
Welcome to This Needs Hot Sauce, a weekly newsletter by Abigail Koffler about cooking, dining out, and making the most of it. Our next happy hour will be September 19th (aka next Thursday) at 6:30 pm. The location is being confirmed but I’ll blast it all over Instagram as soon as it’s final. So mark your calendars. I hope you can make it even if we’ve never met IRL.
Now let’s dive in.
Something to cook:
I made some pretty simple dinners last week, including spinach quesadillas with refried beans. I’ve written about my quesadilla method before, but the general formula is jazzed up refried beans, a sauteed veggie (spinach, cauliflower or zucchini) and lots of shredded cheese. Top with hot sauce, salsa, avocado, and a squeeze of lime.
Julia made a lemon berry loaf cake and left me a slice. She said she would skip the syrup and glaze next time to cut down on the sweetness but it’s very good, especially with a combo of blueberries and blackberries.
Sweet potatoes are a staple of my diet in the fall and winter (eek, even typing that word feels horrible) and I roasted one last week with some cinnamon and chili powder. It’s the perfect building block for a salad or lunch. I roast my sweet potatoes at 375 for about 35 minutes.
My mom raved about this and I made it today for lunch. All about the crispy chickpeas! I didn’t have lemon or herbs so I added some pesto and a little vinegar to the yogurt.
Something to Order:
Dale and I are big pasta fans (who isn’t?) and Le Fanfare is one of our favorite weekday spots. They offer a special Monday-Wednesday with three $10 pastas and they’re so good. The drinks and appetizers are regular price but saving on the pasta makes the bill much lower. We always seem to be here after a long day of work and the vibe is very cozy and transportive. We share the burrata and I always get the trofie with pesto and Dale always gets the cavatelli. Please copy us (and get there before 7 for happy hour).
Lizzi took me for a belated birthday dinner to Lighthouse! She’s a produce queen so I knew she would love it. We got oysters, their burrata (which is one of the best I’ve had), the grilled escarole, eggplant dip, and the farro salad with snap peas. I love their menu and how it has something for everyone, whether you want a burger or a bunch of small vegetable dishes. Go before 7 to get those dollar oysters and make a reservation on weekend evenings.
The fam headed to Boston this weekend for Gabe’s bar mitzvah. We had a bit of a snafu getting there as Leah and I planned a train dinner complete with wine from Foret (we got a twist off) and Cava. It was pouring rain and the paper bag was not match for the weather so our Cava ended up on the floor of Penn Station. I share this as a PSA to carry your bags from the bottom and a suggestion for restaurants to offer a rainy day bag alternative. I might need to pick up Cava this week because I am not over this.
Boston was lovely! We ate lots of bagels and hung out with relatives from all over the country. Amy and David always do signature cocktails with funny names–this time they had a Gabellini and a version of a paloma.
Two notable coffee stops if you’re in Boston or driving there: Hi-Rise Bread Co has an excellent chocolate chip cookie near Harvard Law School and Story and Soil Coffee in Hartford, Connecticut is right off the highway and so good. If I lived there, I would definitely work from there.
I got back to New York in time to see Clare, who’s here for work! We got natural wine at the Ten Bells in the Lower East Side. They have an oyster happy hour but were sold out because a table had ordered 120 oysters (who are these people?!!). I’m a big oyster fan and would still call that aggressive. Luckily, the rest of their tapas menu is great. We had a watermelon and feta salad, tortilla española, and an eggplant escalavida with toast points. It can get crowded there but you can hover and get seats. If you miss happy hour, they have a bunch of wines for $10 a glass (and way higher end too if you’d like to try something nice).
Something to read:
The best new fall cookbooks (I really want to read Sababa)
Lebron James is trying to trademark Taco Tuesday, which no…
What to pair with wine when you’ve got nothing in the fridge
A dinner party menu that won’t break the bank
Really fun to read about a cider house in Paris
Ramona founder Jordan Salcito on her second pregnancy and founding a company on maternity leave.
This lentil salad would be perfect for work lunches (more tips for work lunches here)
Urban-Farming Camps Have Kids Asking, Where’s the Healthy Food?
This line of ready to eat beans sounds so delicious
This week, let’s embrace back to school season! What’s your favorite work lunch? It can be something you make or something you buy, I’m all ears! Currently in the mood for Cava or this salad that keeps super well in the fridge.
And thank you for all of the support regarding a paid edition of This Needs Hot Sauce. It will launch in October and subscribers will receive at least two bonus editions each month! You can always reply with specific requests/topics you want covered and I’m so excited to launch this.
Happy eating and thank you for reading.
xo, Abigail
P.S. This Needs Hot Sauce is almost 2! Here’s what was going on this time last year.