Jessica's Dinner Party

by jessica yoon

thoughts

Spicy Tuna Maki

When my family gets together in San Diego we always have sushi night.  We throw a big icebox into the trunk and drive to the Japanese supermarket where we buy tons of fresh sashimi, fish roe, pickled diakon, and pink ginger.  It may seem strange that my family puts together a sushi dinner at home.  For many, sushi is a take out or dining out kind of cuisine.  However, making sushi or putting together a sashimi plate is not all that complicated. Sure, it won’t be like having a meal at Nobu or Morimoto, but it definitely will be much cheaper.  It might even be cheaper than ordering from the Japanese place around the corner!

While I was browsing the aisles of M2M, an Asian supermarket in the East Village, I saw that they sold some sashimi and fish roe. They didn’t have a large selection, so I couldn’t serve a platter of sashimi like the picture from my family’s dinner, but they did have everything needed for spicy tuna makis.  I guess I could’ve gone to the cute Japanese supermarket called Sunrise Mart, which has a greater variety of sashimi, but I already had a bag full of groceries from Trader Joe’s so I decided to settle with M2M’s selection (yea, I was also being lazy).

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Baked, a Review

As I looked at the tantalizing desserts and stood amidst the urban wild, cabin decor of Baked bakery, I began to think that the long trip to Red Hook, Brooklyn would become the first of many. It was extremely difficult to narrow down the menu, especially after reading reviews here and flipping through their delicious cookbook.  Finally my friend and I decided to order two cupcakes, a whoopie pie, two brownies, and apricot rosemary bar to go.  Yes, it was kind of a beastly thing for two girls to do, but in our defense, we did not finish everything, it took us an hour and three transfers to get there, and we spent a fair amount of time working our way through.  Excuses, excuses, I know.

We started off with the sweet and salty cupcake.  It was definitely a winner for me.  The chocolate cake had a upper crust like a brownie and the inner workings of a molten chocolate cake.  Inside was a soft, almost melted chocolate filling that worked well with the mouse-like, airy frosting.  Despite the layers of chocolate, it was a very delicate cupcake that gave a hint of salty caramel.  In contrast to my opinion, my friend found the cupcake boring and cliche.  I agree with the cliche, but the speckles of salt really saved it from being boring for me.

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US Open 2009

I don’t follow many (actually any) sports with the exception of one, tennis.  My sister introduced me to to the sport a couple of years ago and have been hooked ever since.  If you live in New York or are a tennis fan you probably know that the US Open is held here in the city (yes, Queens is part of New York City) at this time every year.  It started this past Monday and will continue on for two weeks.

So how is food related to the US Open?  Well, like at any event or amusement park, food is overpriced and very expensive at the Open.  When you’re hot and thirsty, $5 for a cold bottle of water is necessary but can also feel like money down the drain. I’ve made it a habit of spending no more than $10 to $15 at the Open and I thought I’d share with you what I do.

First of all, I always bring a couple bottles of water and drinks in my bag.  I freeze them the night before so that they stay cold throughout the day.  This year I decided to make my own beverages instead of buying power drinks.  I made a thin smoothie by blending frozen berries with some water.  I also made a minty, amateur lemonade by squeezing a couple of lemons, adding sugar and lots of mint. The berry juice was delicious but the lemonade wasn’t spectacular, however both were refreshing.

Half frozen

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Petite Patties Korean Style

One of my roommates is in dental school and for the past couple months she’s been busy preparing for the board exams.  We’ve been living together for two years now and have shared quite a few food memories.  We occasionally make dinners, go out for Restaurant Week, and even took a couple of cooking classes together!

  

When she asked me if I could pack her lunch on the day of her board exams I was happy to do it.  I kind of felt like a mom sending her kid off to take the SATs.  I couldn’t sleep the night before because I planned to cook in the morning so the food would be nice and fresh.  I was afraid I might not wake up in time, which is silly because I’m one of those people who don’t need an alarm to get up.  I kept on looking at my clock throughout the night and finally at 6 am (1 hour before I planned to wake up) I got out of bed and started cooking.

  

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Levain Bakery

 

I walked out of the subway on the Upper West Side and knew instantly that I was in the right place.  The smell of baked chocolate and browned butter greeted me as I stepped out into the sunlight.  It may have been my imagination and the anticipation of eating Levain Bakery’s famous chocolate chip cookies, but I lie not when I say I followed my nose to the small, almost hidden gem of a bakery.  Actually, it wasn’t quite a direct journey.  My sense of smell may be good, but my eyes sometimes fail me. I walked deliriously up and down Amsterdam Avenue trying to locate the semi-sub level bakery. I finally caved, and asked the fruit cart man who told me it was around the corner below the waxing salon.  Hey!  It wasn’t just me though, even my friend confidently strode past it and continued almost half a block before I finally caught up with her as I hopelessly (and obnoxiously) yelled, “Angela!  Angela!” to a girl who had her headphones on.  Levain is a very humble place.  It’s not fancy, cutesy, or filled with shades of pastel.  Here, it’s all about the tastes and smells.

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