A bite in the right direction

Seppi’s the quest for French cuisine sans dairy

John Mariani — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 20:19:11 +0000

So on Saturday night, Michelle and I ventured into Manhattan to check out the big ol tree, the displays, and a French restaurant by the name of Seppi’s. The ambience was rather nice and the food… quite delish.

I ordered their bouillabaisse which had crawfish, shrimp, scallops, mussels, and a fish of which I cannot remember (I pretty much have a blanket love for all seafood… so I don’t ask too many questions ). The sauce was very flavorful, as it should be, and the seafood prepared very wonderfully. For 26 dollars I think it may be a bit steep if it weren’t for the setting, (On 56th between 6th and 7th) or the fact that we had a gift certificate . Plus, I could trust this food since I could look it in the eyes (For hilarity go here)

Afterall, the eyes are the windows to the face.

Michelle ordered a grilled chicken which was supposed to be in a mustard sauce but alas.. dairy. Though if I may say so myself, even without, the chicken was nicely flavored and the beans were great.

I’d highly recommend this spot as for its location as well as the quality of food, it’s a very enjoyable experience (Live decent jazz as well). Zoom zoom

Thanksgiving at the Mariani Household

John Mariani — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 19:59:40 +0000

A bit delayed… but trust me. Well worth the wait! A little peek at Thanksgiving in our home (Also a peek at my brother running around frantically)

Shrimp Cocktail to start off

Two kinds of stuffing

Mashed Potatoes

Gravy

Turkey naturally

Sweet Potatoes (Not to be confused with yams!) with walnuts and something else that was delicious (Craisins maybe!?)

Corn

Butternut Squash

Pumpkin Pie

Carrot Cake

Cranberries

More as well I’m sure. If you’re nice enough to my family you might even make the VIP list next year Zoom zoom

Who wouldn’t be happy with a burger from Joy Burger Bar!?

John Mariani — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:55:18 +0000

The answer being… not I. I decided to try this eatery out the other day for lunch and I was delighted. I had previously seen them riding around on bikes in the upper east side but never knew where it was located (100th and Lex). You have quite a bit of customization when it comes to your burger and the price is right. I snagged a half pound burger for 6.50 I believe with all the fixings AND! I picked up a mango smoothie which was delicious (3.50 maybe?)

In addition to the toppings you can toss on, they also have a choice of 12 different sauces (I must try them all). I went with sweet chili this time and it was yummy. On top of the tasty burger and smoothie, the employees were quite friendly and the service was quick. I recommend this for a jaunt in the daytime or night for sure. Zoom zoom

S & S Calabro Pizza… can’t go wrong with a half block away

John Mariani — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:47:35 +0000

It’s been awhile folks but I am back! Potentially a few pounds heavier. A half block from where I live is a delightful hole in the wall pizzeria (Which I have tried its pizza on another occasion and was quite good… will comment in the future). Located at 3065 14th Street in Astoria… check it out. I decided to try the baked ziti this time around as it was only 7 dollars (Ridiculous I know).

It was certainly a good value, there was an immense amount of mozzarella and ricotta melted atop the ziti. The sauce was decent (It’s tough when you have a lineage to compare to). I’d definitely get it again if I’m too lazy to make my own. I’ll get back to you on the pizza in the future. Zoom zoom

I’ve been slacking…

John Mariani — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 05:12:12 +0000

But there are many posts to come! (Some backlogged…) Just you wait!

Simple Pulled Pork Sandwiches with coleslaw

John Mariani — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:50:51 +0000

Following a night of Cheesesteak devouring, it only made sense to start some pulled pork in the ol’ crockpot upon waking.

Pulled Pork:

2.5 lbs of pork shoulder roast (It’ll fall apart on its own don’t worry!)

2 Serano peppers chopped

1 Bottle of your favorite bbq sauce (Will make this someday soon)

1 White onion chopped

Salt

Pepper

Throw everything into the crockpot and cook on low for around 9 hours. We prodded the pork occasionally are were amazed how it falls apart on its own!

Something that I was turned onto last summer at a bbq was that you should eat pulled pork sandwiches with a coleslaw atop them… this recipe seemed to work nicely as a topping

Cole Slaw:

About 2 heads of cabbage painstakingly shredded

2′ish carrots… also shredded

1/2 cup mayo

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar (You want this to be more vinegary than normal slaw to complement the pork)

sugar to taste

salt to taste

pepper to taste

Mix up in a bowl, top the pulled pork sandwiches, and enjoy!

And don’t forget! The perfect beverage to accompany such a delicious meal… Wine in a can… so you can make agressive hand motions about how great the meal is and what not (Suggestion provided by Danny DeVito… A brilliant man)

Make this for a party and everyone will be like… “whaaaaaaAAATTT!?” BOOM!

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Cheesesteak in Philly… Classic

John Mariani — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 19:32:46 +0000

Visiting my cohort in Philly this weekend and what was the meal after I got off the train!? A cheesesteak of course at Dakota. Feast your eyes on this greasy delight

Needless to say… Amazing. Tune in soon for our pulled pork and slaw experiment.

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Judi’s once again… For Ribs!?

John Mariani — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:27:39 +0000

So I went to my favorite Dominican place by work again yesterday and I saw someone who had bbq spare ribs over rice on their plate! I obviously had to indulge in the same and man… they were delish while being slightly different than I’m used to.

I mean… this place has lunch specials for 6.50 and the food is consistently 4, 4.5. Now that’s amazing. Zoom zoom

Lazy Saturday, Ate Vesta in the Late Afternoon

John Mariani — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:15:18 +0000

There have been a lack of posts lately mainly due to me eating left overs and food not worthy of this blog (Subway). Atleast I’ve been eating fresh? Regardless, Saturday morning brought some tastiness and it was only 2 blocks away! This delight resides on the corner of 30th ave. and 21st. st. in Astoria. Vesta offers a myriad of interesting Italian based dishes for a reasonable price in a cozy atmosphere. For brunch I ordered the fresonati for 9.95

This creamy pesto based dish came adorned with pecans, cherry tomatoes, and zucchini and quite the interesting ensemble. The pecans really helped to define the dish as I don’t typically eat pasta with nuts (Though I may have to start). While this dish was very good, it wasn’t quite good enough for me to not want to explore their menu further the next time I stop by. With a Deliciousness of 4 this meal earns a .40.

One of my cohorts also ordered a pizza that had too much awesomeness all over it to not document… the hangover pizza.

I tried a slice and it was very tasty coming topped with eggs, pancetta, spicy tomato sauce, sausage, and potatoes. Even though I don’t really care for eggs (One of my primary weaknesses as a foodie) I still really enjoyed this pizza and would even consider dealing with its eggs on top. I highly recommend this corner restaurant just based on the atmosphere and I’m quite confident the rest of the menu is up to snuff. Until next time… Zoom zoom

Chili Retaliation

John Mariani — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:55:02 +0000

My body couldn’t handle anymore Beer, Bacon, and Beef Chili… so I broke down and had a deliciously healthy salad (Minus the crumble bleu cheese… but come on… crumbled bleu cheese just to be lumped into a mass weighing!? How can I resist such temptation!).

Mt. Sinai Hospital Cafeteria +1… maybe 2; Beets are kind of a weakness of mine. Zoom zoom