Last night, my bestie and I decided to meet in SoHo for an early dinner and a girly catch up. As we tossed around potential restaurants, it turned out we had some criteria. It had to be lively but not too loud, cute but not too hipster, healthy but not too expensive and most importantly within walking distance and with outdoor seating. Phew! We decided to walk towards the magical square mile dominated by Mott Street and, after passing a few cute, bistro-like Japanese places, quickly agreed on Café Gitane.
Arugula and Herbed Chicken Salad with Goat Cheese Bruschetta
Ambience:
Neither of us had eaten here before but we’d heard and seen many a happy customer. A quick look at the delicious menu and we were sold. We snagged the last outdoor table (literally on the sidewalk) and settled into our tiny wrought iron chairs, which had been endearingly tethered to the windowsill. Our waitress was extremely friendly with traces of an Australian accent. She quickly brought us menus and a bottle of tap water. The place itself is adorable. Charming and cozy on the inside, there are a few tables on the sidewalk as well as a small window for takeout customers.
Menu:
The menu could be described as French-Moroccan but it’s actually a “lite version” without the cream, cheese and butter of the French or the rice, curry and meat of the Moroccans. It’s mostly French inspired salads and open-face sandwiches, a few couscous dishes and some other light, flavorful concoctions. We both chose the arugula, beet, herbed chicken salad, which arrived garnished with goat-cheese topped bruschetta. Yum! Besides the delicious food and some Italian-style desserts, there’s also a good selection of champagne cocktails, fresh juices (including watermelon), lemonade spritzers and coffees.
Even their coffees are doggie friendly 🙂
Verdict:
We sat and chatted in our prime outdoor real estate for well over two hours and did not feel rushed at all (it was Monday night though, mind you). Several of our fellow outdoor diners had brought their dogs along who were patiently waiting and happy to be petted by the beautiful passersby. Cafe Gitane is the perfect place for a girly catch-up. It’s cozy, friendly, inexpensive and delicious. If you’re looking for a healthy meal with a French Moroccan twist and some of the best people-watching in the city, I’d highly recommend stopping by. Be warned though – its tiny tables and pixie-esque proportions make Gitane quite ill-suited for the large-boned, so if you’re used to having lots of personal space, I wouldn’t go here!
After two foggy summer months out in the wild wild west, here I am, back in New York. Back to reality. I’m sitting in McNally Jackson, sipping on an Arnold Palmer and taking in what I would call a uniquely New York blend of über hipster and East Coast bookworm.
They said it would be hot, and it is. They said it might be humid. It’s bordering on oppressive. It’s everything a New York summer should be – bright, breezy and beautiful – and I love it.
I really don’t watch much TV but a show I’ve really gotten addicted to lately is the Next Food Network Star. Think American Idol, but instead of singing entertainers, throw a bunch of (possibly even bigger) personalities into a constantly changing kitchen and watch them duke it out for fame, fortune and food. The stakes are high, the judges are mean, and the competition is tough. Star performers include the smiley, all-American, single-mom Aria Kagan, the quirky, Indian, British-accented food blogger, Aarti Sequeira, the adorable (and highly emotional) Latin personal chef and trainer Herb Mesa, the Italian diva, ballerina and attorney Serena Palumbo, the boy-next-door, turned pro chef Brad Sorenson and finally San Francisco’s own homeboy, Tom Pizzica. Phew!
With contestants constantly being shuffled through the stack, it’s hard to say if there’s a clear winner. One thing is for sure, the judges sure seem to be biased towards Aarti Paarti’s quirky antics and Serena’s “tiny body but big personality”….hmm is it possible that Bobby Flay and Bob Tushman will skew the votes? What do you think? Scroll down to vote.
Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. I wake up hungry every day and there’s nothing I look forward to more than a big ol’ brekky: warm croissants, buttered toast, bacon. Mmmm! My absolute favorite breakfast though (and I’m not including brunch here) is oatmeal.
I didn’t buy into oatmeal until pretty late in life. It wasn’t all that popular when I was growing up in England and, even if people ate it, they called it porridge and it was a nasty looking thing that reminded me of gruel a la Charles Dickens. When I first started working, I spent a few months in New York and was surprised to discover that a large chunk of my “Analyst class” bought fresh oatmeal at the company cafeteria every single morning. I finally tried it. Bland, watery and cardboard-like in texture, it wasn’t something I felt like pursuing.
After a year working in London, oatmeal grew on me. As it turned out, its popularity stretched beyond the New York office and, with some nicer-tasting British oatmeal and the right combination of toppings, it was actually kind of good. Besides, I discovered there were other advantages to this quaint old breakfast (note that I’m not talking about any of that instant stuff, I’m talking real steel cut and traditional rolled oats).
Here are Five Reasons You Should Eat Oatmeal:
1. For starters, it is FILLING. Oatmeal has a very low glycemic index, which means that it breaks down and releases glucose slowly and steadily. That feeling of elation (sugar high) that comes after ingesting large quantities of sugar and starch is a result of elevated glucose levels in the blood stream. High levels of glucose trigger the release of insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas. Insulin directs the body to take the glucose in the blood stream and store it as glycogen. The sugar “crash” that follows a “high” is a sign that your body’s insulin has reigned in the glucose. This sudden depletion often results in a wave of fatigue and hunger! Frequent and sudden rises in glucose can have terrible effects, including straining the pancreas, insulin resistance (leading to hyperglycemia and type II diabetes) and oxidative damage to the heart (encouraging heart disease).
Consuming low GI foods like oatmeal have two blood sugar benefits: first it keeps you feeling full for longer periods of time, curbing the urge to snack on sugary treats and, second, because a moderate and sustained rise in blood glucose is easier on your pancreas, it reduces the risk of type II diabetes. Starting your day with a blood sugar stabilizing food like oatmeal may make it easier to keep blood sugar levels under control the rest of the day.
2. It lowers CHOLESTEROL and the risk of heart disease. Oatmeal contains high levels of (water) soluble fiber, known as beta-glucan. Soluble fiber becomes gooey when dissolved in water, allowing it to travel slowly through the digestive tract and to attach to bile acids in the intestine and escort them out of the body as waste. Since bile acids are made from cholesterol, the liver then has to pull more cholesterol from the blood in order to continue producing these acids. Foods like oatmeal, which are rich in soluble fiber have been proven to reduce total and LDL (bad) cholesterol without affecting the levels of HDL (good) cholesterol, thus lowering the risk of heart disease.
Studies show that in people with high cholesterol (above 220 mg/dl), just 3 grams of soluble oat fiber per day (an amount found in one bowl of oatmeal) will lower total cholesterol by 8-23%. This is highly significant since each 1% drop in cholesterol translates to a 2% decrease in the risk of developing heart disease.
3. It helps prevent CANCER. Oatmeal is rich in a variety of antioxidants including vitamin E, tocotrieonols, selenium, phenolic acids, and phytic acid. It is also rich in protein, calcium, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus and B vitamins such as niacin, thiamin, riboflavin and vitamin B6. These vitamins and minerals, together with the fiber present in oatmeal have been shown to result in reduced risk of cancer, particularly colon and breast cancer.
4. It boosts IMMUNITY. Studies have shown that beta-glucan helps immune cells to speedily reach the site of infection and locate the germs present there, rapidly healing infections. Moreover, oat also contains zinc, a prominent trace mineral needed to boost immunity. For more on this, click here.
5. It is HOT and delicious! Now, you might underestimate the value of a hot breakfast, but if you’ve ever lived in a climate as dreary as London’s you will know that it is indispensable. Besides, hot meals are thought to have healing and strengthening effects on the digestive system. If you don’t like the taste of plain oatmeal, try making it with milk. Soy or almond milk especially help make it creamy. Berries, walnuts, pecans, cinnamon, green apples, brown sugar (in moderation) – these are all delicious and healthy ingredients you can use to spice up your oatmeal, so don’t give up!
Click for Recipe
The best oatmeal I have ever had was at Frog Hollow Farm Market in the San Francisco Ferry Building. Imagine the most luscious, creamy oatmeal groats you can and add to it fresh apricot jam and perfectly toasted walnuts – yum! If you live in the area and haven’t tried this, go check it out now!
Vivo, in downtown NYC, also makes a mean oatmeal – it can cost a pretty penny but for a little extra, they’ll make it with soy milk, decorate it with mangoes, enhance it with strawberries or blueberries or granola and even bolster it with whey.
Lastly, regardless of where you are, Starbucks has come up with a pretty good oatmeal offering. For just a couple of bucks you get fresh oatmeal, a packet of dried berries, a packet of walnuts and some brown sugar – not bad if you are on the go and want something healthy (and certainly better than their other, sugar-laden breakfast foods).
Of course, if you plan to make steel cut oats by yourself, it can easily take 30 minutes (but it’s worth it!). I’ve also heard great things about using a crockpot and leaving it overnight. What’s your favorite breakfast?
Sons & Daughters is the type of place you don’t want to share, but do. This oddly named restaurant opened its doors less than a month ago but is already making waves with glowing reviews on Thrillist and Yelp. Purple ceilinged with wall hogging pictures and giant glass chandeliers, the space oozes hipster charm; it’s also small enough to make you forget you’re not in New York. You don’t need a reservation (yet) but beware of Mondays and Tuesdays, since it appears this is holiday time for its creative chefs.
The freshly pressed menu was thoughtfully short and the waitress, unusually friendly. She started us off on the right foot with warm bread and a luscious mango-melon amuse bouche. Next was a zesty herbed salad served with refreshing eucalyptus and delicious curds. The lobster carpaccio, topped with caviar and dill, was unbelievably delicate and the squab, beautifully presented. We’d ordered the tasting menu, which at $48 is an absolute steal, and were blown away by the delicious wine pairings. My only complaint was the truffle risotto. Soupy and bland, this dish was larger than the others and not interesting enough to finish.
After a yoghurty palate cleaner, we chose the raspberry mousse for dessert. Topped with gingery crumbles, this was by far one of the best desserts I’ve ever had. (I’m really not big on desserts, but I’m a massive Tiramisu fan if that’s any indication.) Even with the small portions, we were pretty stuffed by now but happily accepted a last, tiny amuse bouche (or is it called something else at the end of the meal?) of jelly topped pineapple cubes.
Damage: Around $140 for two with one tasting.
Verdict: Absolutely wonderful. The appetizers are slightly stronger than the entrees but the entire experience – presentation, service, ambience, vibe – is just outstanding. Definitely a place I would recommend and revisit… even if it means having to make a reservation next time.
A Wandering Feast 