A lot all at once

Between school and work I am totally fried.Things will surely be better soon, as I'll likely be quitting said job tomorrow (details to come pending coherency) which I know sounds sad and drastic is actually something I've found enlightening and even quite empowering!!

However, I do still love you little blog, and have thought of you often! See, here's photographic evidence!

Firstly, I was here:



having the first Pumpkin Ale of the season, a little pick me up before class...



with this guy:



Wondering how you become fabulous enough to live here:



So much to think about! We're getting more settled by the day and though much is not perfect, I finally have a kitchen I can really cook in. To celebrate, I procured myself a little bit of a treat, namely these lovelies:



and I chopped them up with my fancy pink knives and turned them into this:



topped with this:



and there you have it! I got more pleasure out of that simple act then any meal out we've had yet, even Shake Shack!! (which as you saw is saying a lot!)

Well, sorry to be of so few words, graduate school seems to demand most of my word-use ability these days, but once I get in the swing of things, watch out!! I'll be back in force, NYC style!

SHAKE SHACK!!!!

Shake shack shake shack shake shack! I'd like to thank the fine folks over at Ed Levine's mahhhhvelous website, Serious Eats, for informing me of the fact that the Upper West Side outpost of the Shake Shack was serving up this Labor Day treat :



That's right, the Most Delicious Corn Dog You Have Ever Had. I ordered with guilt-free abandon as we had trekked all the way across the Brooklyn Bridge this morning in our Lazy day wanderings. Mmmm I love my new home.



During and after the blissful ingestion, I could be heard mumbling 'Perfect Ratio, Perfect Ratio', which pretty much sums up the experience. Really nice ratio of beefy, seasony hot dog + crispy on the outside, slightly creamy corny on the inside shell = Happy Me.

A few bites of the unbeatable classic rounded out this perfect Labor day repast.



Thanks, D. You're the best, even if I only got one bite.

School starts tomorrow, and I'm feeling quite fortified! Cheers!

No Sleep Til. . .

Brooklyn!!

Well, we're here! We've already been here a week actually, and it's taken that long for us to get settled enough just to have an actual place to sit in our apartment that is comfortable enough to perch on for long enough to write this blog! (How many times can I say 'enough' in one sentance?)

Phew! But I haven't forgotten you yet, my dear blog, and I even took a few pictures of our new life here.

The first meal cooked in our apartment! Salade Nicoise, or as we call it, Stuffy Salad. And wine of course!



Speaking of, there is a wine shop on EVERY LAST corner here in New York, which really assisted in making me feel welcome and at home.

Seriously though, I've got to admit, I'm pretty proud of us. This is a big move, two west coasters making a new life for themselves here in the Big Apple. I know it's an old tune, but it's quite something. We're growing up before our very eyes! New York City feels like a test, and I know it's too early, but I have a sneaking suspicious we're going to pass. Thanks to a few good friends, our apartment has been thouroughly warmed and even reheated!



All in all, I'd say we're pretty lucky. I can't wait to see where this ride takes us.

Beaker & Flask

Two days to go here in my beloved Portland, and I realized today that meant I had some serious prioritizing to do! Between Laurelhurst Market, Beaker and Flask, Evoe, and of course revisits to some old stand bys, I was faced with too many meals and not enough time to eat them in!

Let me emphasize how difficult this prioritizing was-- VERY VERY difficult. However, Beaker and Flask leapt to the front of the list when peckish-ness struck this evening because they have a fab happy hour and I am being cheap-o these days for quite obvious reasons. (I hear NYC is a bit on the pricey side, please let me know if I'm incorrect. I doubt I'll believe you though.)

Beaker & Flask was SUCH a disappointment because I am moving in THREE DAYS and I can only conceivably imbibe another three (four if I push it) of their dazzling cocktails.

THIS is the seductively named Night & Fog;



Cynar (pronounced CHI-nar), Oloroso Sherry, Ginger Beer, and just a splash of bitters. Savory, caramel and smooth all at once, I could drink these all night, especially at happy hour prices-- $5 is hard to beat.

As for snacks, which I believe I have mentioned are my favorite food, B&F outdoes itself. See?



Or if you really must have some greens, as I often must, lovely lettuce with creamy tarragon vinaigrette is passable I'd say, wouldn't you?



Stupidly reasonable price-wise, happy hour or no, these will keep you cocktailing responsibly until the wee hours.

Smoked Trout Deviled Eggs? Yes, please.



Beaker & Flask. If you have the means, I highly recommend a visit. It is so choice.

Low Browin' it up, jet lag style

Can you have jet lag when you're only gone for 24 hours? I suppose its more like a bizarro sort of that-trip-didn't-really-happen lag. Yes, that has a nice ring to it.

As you can tell, whatever kind of lag this is, I am not at my tip toppy-est. However, I wanted to give you a litte taste of what I ate, with more to follow in the detail and description dept. at a later, more functional date.

There was a little of this:



With a delicious dose of:




Best of visit in the gastronomical delights arena was easily this:



Can you guess where its from? Its' called an Arsenic and Old Lace, which I know a certain person will appreciate. . . The picture doesn't really do it justice, but I tried nonetheless-- and made a complete NERD out of myself doing I'll have you know. I have a new favorite cocktail spot in my new hometown, and I may never again be able to show my face there thanks to morello's insatiable hunger for photographic evidence of my every consumption!

I am very inconsistent

DUH. I suppose that is a bit of an understatement. Poor morello, she has been so neglected, and I don't really like excuses, so suffice it to say that this move to New York at the end of August has really been taking its toll on me.

Time is flying these days, I'm in my last week of work at my very beloved Sahagun and I've begun to make packing lists. As I lie in bed waiting for sleep, I can't ignore the thought that my room will not be my room very soon. At least it won't be the room I've known and loved for more than 20 years. Blushing ballerina pink walls I chose at 5 will soon be stripped away in favor of something more adult. I suppose that's alright, I can't say it isn't time for a new paint job, but I also can't say my heart won't ache a bit when it happens.

It's not all heartache though, because I know now (just heard!!) that David and I will be moving to a fabulous new home in Brooklyn! Thanks to a WONDERFULLYGLORIOUSPERFECTLOVELY family friend, we will be subletting a sweet one bedroom apartment 1 block from Prospect Park in we-aren't-rich-enough-to-live-here-we-are-just-posers Park Slope!!!! It is rent stabilized and we are disgustingly lucky. I'll be in New York this weekend (yes, I'm a fab jet setter) to sign the papers to make it OURS! Hahahah! I'll try and take some drool-worthy pictures if I eat anything drool-inducing. On second thought, might be more cocktail focused than food. Have you read about NYC cocktail craziness???!! Very exciting, very overwhelming. I want to go to go everywhere at once but obviously I can't so then I feel stuck and like I should just not bother going anywhere. Which is silly, but you know how that happens. They all call to me, maybe you have a favorite? White Star, Milk and Honey, and Death & co, and PDT, Clover Club(my personal favorite, name-wise)...so many cocktails, so little liver!

On that note, I've missed you bloggy blog and readers (if you're out there). I'll try to be around more, and thanks for sticking it out with me. We're making some big changes around here, its nice to know that you're in it with me.

Droplets of Summer

A taste of June 1st here at morellobello HQ. . .



"One must ask children and birds how strawberries taste."
~Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe






I think the responsible thing to do would be to obviously stuff myself silly and then jam. Yes. Obviously. Oh and I should probably do all of the above whilst enjoying the musical stylings of Coldplay, more specifically the best song ever "Strawberry Swing" on repeat.

Done.

Midnight Snack

The truth about my eating habits. . . REVEALED!

Time to come clean. I have a deep and undying devotion to certain low-brow pleasures. Gossip Girl, cheap-o super crunch pickles (usually the supermarket brand), and fried potatoes in most any form. Usually with- go easy on me, this is pretty tough to admit- ranch dressing. Ranch! Oh Ranch, why can I never say no!?



MMmmm, so good and so bad. It's just so love hate with Ranch and I- so Blair and Chuck.

I digress.

So when, more often then I probably ought to, I find myself scavenging around in the kitchen for a midnight snack, my beloved combo of crunchy fried potato and cool creamy counterpart often tip toes its way into the front of my brain.

Vanity really has no place in the life of a true gourmand. This I know. That said, I would like to keep my girlish figure as long as possible thank you very much, and a midnight hunt through the fridge is not this time to indulge one's inner gourmand. Quite the opposite. Thus I care to neither fry up a batch of frites nor keep a bottles of things like ranch dressing in the house.

Still, a girl wants what she wants and she pretty much must have it (or an satisfactory approximation) so I've discovered an extremely delicious solution that I am so very pleased to share with you in the following photo essay. . . It's pretty self-explanatory, and quite adaptable.









Don't knock it till you try it. . .

Food + Friends + Movie

>




As a member of the service industry, my very longest and busiest day of the week is Saturday. I open up in the morning and am on my poor little feetsies for 9 hours straight. In truth, it flies by, and it is actually a very pleasant way to spend 9 hours, especially when the regulars come by and there are no wild rushes of demanding strangers. I'm sure you understand.



But, however enjoyable the day is, I am often a useless pile of hunger and grump when my very sweet (and by 7pm on Saturday, very well rested) dear David comes to pick me up. Try as I might, I never seem to believe that my mood is a bit compromised and I certainly haven't got a clue what I truely need to lift my spirits.



Hmm, yes that might work. . .

Thankfully, I find myself surrounded by people who know me better then I know myself- but don't quote me on that, especially right when I get off work as I have been known to bite. Anyway, I have these whacky people in my life who really seem to care about my well-being lovingly bring me back, defrosting my smile with the tried and true food and drink...




Warm summer night, windows open, family, friends, food. Is there absolutely anything better? So easily acheieved- a quick few phone calls, take-out, a few bottles of something cold and easy. I am one lucky lady.



Peace and happieness are truly attainable. May you find some of both tonight.

Paradigm Shift

That may be a bit extreme as titles so, but I'm trying something new here and I thought I'd try and catch your eye. Sorry to be so manipulative.

I think about food an awful lot- actually it's my job to think about it all day long, which I think is pretty great. Then, I go home and eat some food, and then read about it and think about it some more. I even talk to my friends about it, but only until they look like they can't stand it anymore and we absolutely must change the topic. Then we talk about something relevent, like if pink scarves look good with brown jackets (they do). Everyone has their limit, and I try to be mindful of that.

What I'm getting at here is that I want to be a better blogger, so I'm going to write more often, though it may not always be a pristine entry, and there will probably not be a picture with every entry because
a) it will take me a while to learn to carry my camera around AND more importantly

b) I refuse to be that person snapping pictures in a restaurant while everyone around me is trying to enjoy their meal. Now, I mean no offense to bloggers who choose to do that- if you are comfortable with that, by all means snap away. However, for me it is an issue of truly experiencing a meal body and soul versus frantically trying to capture it on film for all posterity at the expense of living a moment as it happens.

So, in the interest of being all quick and update-y, which is what this whole blogger/twitter/facebook/digg world seems to be all about these days, I want to share with you my dreamy dinner from tonight! First, a failed attempt to go to Laurelhurst Market--we were very sweetly turned away because they were still in soft-opening mode and I'm not awesome enough yet to go to that. I'll be back Simpatica Boys! Just you wait! I drink your sazerac! I eat your steak frites! I bet I will love it too so just take that!

Hungry and headed back to the 'hood, we wound up at 23 Hoyt. Why don't I go there every night? I have no good answer for that, and I'm not going to try to hard to find one.

Two plump sea scallops were salt-crispy on the sides, with juicy sweet centers. Pillows of brandade brought the deeper ocean. Hen of the woods mushrooms made it totally over the top. Actually, I thought they were so over the top they were sort of lost in the dish, but they were the thing that sold me on t dish, so what does that say? Good marketing idea, if not the most inspired addition flavor-wise? Or perhaps my palate sucks, and they're in fact absolutely necessary. Thoughts?

Burger is a burger, but this one was VERY much a burger. What I mean is that so many restaurants seem to want to mess with the idea Burger and put some sort of little extra on it that make it theirs. I'm an old fashioned girl when it comes to burgers, but that's all you need to know for now-- more on that later, I'd imagine. Anyway, the 23 Hoyt burger is blessedly straightforward. Medium rare came out very much on the rare side, which is more than fine by me, and the meat was just that- meaty. A little white cheddar, and some arugula- one lending salt, the other pepper. Perfect.

Finally, the mac and cheese. Blue cheese, gruyere, thick cubes of bacon. Heavy Cream. Crusty top, curly-Q pasta. Platonic ideal MAC & CHEESE. The pleasant and oh so clean burn of a Vesper and a Zefiro martini, respectively, proved quite helpful in polishing off the majority of this feast. I highly recommend their services.

That's the story, folks. Enjoy the spring, eat some pea shoots. Or some lemon cake. Or best of all, hop yourself over to Sahagun Chocolates and sip a Chile Limon soda, only the very most tasty soda there is in all of Portland! (Couldn't resist a little plug. . .)

I hope your Friday is full of fabulous flavors!