Graduation Dinner at Prime, Saratoga Springs

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Graduation Dinner at Prime Saratoga

We now interrupt your regular Strange Food Saturdays programming to bring you a special announcement: one year ago today, along with 626 other Class of 2012 students, I graduated from Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY. It’s amazing how slowly the days pass yet how quickly an entire year flies by. I’m lucky to have a boyfriend, an apartment, a blog and a job and I wish the best of luck to all my friends in the Class of 2013 who are graduating today!

After a fantastic dinner there when my dad visited earlier in the year, we agreed there was no better place for dinner the night of my graduation, than Prime. For some reason we only took two pictures at dinner, so I posted both of them even though my sister and I look pretty strange above. The shot perfectly illustrates our depleted energy levels by the end of that day. After barely sleeping Friday night, my friends and I had to get up around 8 a.m. Saturday morning. We frantically donned our graduation gowns and drove through Dunkin Donuts for the mandatory iced coffee (which I of course spilled on my nice white dress) before arriving a bit late to the ceremony. The ceremony was long (speech after speech after speech, and then all 627 names were read aloud as we each received our diplomas) and hot, since it was at the outdoor amphitheater SPAC. Then we had to fight through the crowds to find our families and after that, my friends and I picked up some food for a laid-back, multi-family gathering at their house. By the time dinner rolled around, I was thoroughly exhausted. Dinner at Prime is always delicious, so I managed to stay awake and enjoy it.

Steak at Prime Saratoga Springs

Arepas Cafe, Astoria

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Arepas Cafe Astoria Fries

A very unfortunate nuisance has occurred: our refrigerator is broken. On Sunday when I was on my way back to the city from a weekend in Saratoga, Kiyo texted me that our fridge didn’t feel very cold. He adjusted the temperature dial a few times but by Monday night it was obviously just not cool at all. So, this week I have eaten all sorts of strange combinations of food to try to get rid of the last perishable items (like quinoa with celery and queso fresco) and I also brought a bunch of odd items to stash in the refrigerator at work (so yes, I’m the weirdo with the heavy whipping cream and frozen peas in the company kitchen). Luckily, Kiyo and I had been lazy about grocery shopping lately, so there really wasn’t that much food in the fridge. On Wednesday night we went to the Yankees vs. Mariner’s game so we ate there, but on Tuesday night we realized we needed to eat someplace convenient after work; so we met right near our Astoria subway stop, at Arepas Cafe.

Reina Arepas Cafe

Kiyo asked me what an arepa is, and to steal from the cafe’s website: arepas are a Venezuelan specialty; corn-based dish (wheat free), highly nutritional meal, split in half and filled with cheese, delicious meats, dressed with toppings. Arepas can be grilled, baked, boiled, fried or steamed, so I tend to think of them as a cross between an empanada (due to the typical fillings and that they can be fried) and a sandwich.

I ordered the Reina: shredded chicken mixed with avocado and mayonnaise. I briefly considered ordering the Bomba, which is the Reina with sliced avocado and cheese, but I’m glad I didn’t since the Reina had plenty of avocado and creamy mayonnaise already. This arepa was a lot mushier than I expected, but the flavor was great. With some of their homemade hot sauce added on, it was perfect.

Arepas Cafe Arepa

Kiyo ordered a pork, avocado and cheese arepa, which I stole a bite of; it was also very good. Evidenced in the first picture, we were feeling quite famished and also ordered their fried yuca (my favorite!) and french fries. The creamy green cilantro dressing was addictive! The odd-colored beverage is a homemade lemonade with brown sugar. It was lukewarm even with the ice, I think because it was quite thick. The lemon and brown sugar combination was straightforward and dense. The whole meal, but the lemonade in particular, reminded me of being back home in the Caribbean. Kiyo and I will definitely be back; maybe next for their happy hour, which features $3 wine and beer.

Arepas Cafe

Location: 3307 36th Ave. Astoria, NY 11106 Phone: (718) 937-3835

Arepas Café on Urbanspoon

City Bakery’s Hot Chocolate & Cookie, New York

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City Bakery NYC hot chocolate & cookie

I’m almost finished reading the hilarious book The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World’s Most Glorious – and Perplexing – City by David Lebovitz and this morning on the subway I read this paragraph:

“If you don’t know City Bakery, the place just screams Manhattan and is busier than Grand Central Station. Most make a beeline for the thick hot chocolate with a plush homemade marshmallow melting on top, or one of the frisbee-sized chocolate chip cookies. As arduous as it sounds, some people manage to down both.”

City Bakery Interior

Well, I guess I’m “some people.” Before I ever read this book, I visited City Bakery to try its famous hot chocolate and yes, I also arduously ate a chocolate chip cookie. David Lebovitz already described the ambiance perfectly, so all I’ll add is: go sit on the top-level and look down over the action while you sip your rich, warm chocolate. The hot chocolate is so thick, it’s more like soup. The marshmallow is a sugary, sticky mess that melts into the chocolate and becomes more reminiscent of a thick liquid as well. This hot chocolate, ladled out of a giant tub, is definitely the best I’ve ever had, and after drinking just one small cup, I was in a complete daze. I’m sure the super soft, large chocolate chip cookie (which was also incredible) didn’t help. If you love chocolate, City Bakery is a must-visit destination.

City Bakery

Location: 3 West 18th St. New York, NY 10011 Phone: (212) 366-1414

City Bakery on Urbanspoon

Breakfast at Progress Coffee, Austin

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Jalapeño Biscuit Sandwich

When Kiyo and I flew into Austin early Friday morning this past President’s Day weekend, we were ready for breakfast immediately after checking into our hotel. I had of course done extensive food-related research, and had a couple of places in mind that I knew I didn’t want to miss. We asked our kind Hilton doorman how to get to Progress Coffee, and he voiced his approval for our choice before sending us in the right direction.

The cute little coffee shop was just east of the hotel and we ambled over leisurely, taking in all the street art, storefronts and bars along famed Sixth Street on our way. Once we arrived, we decided to sit outside (it was warm and sunny which considering it was February and we’d just flown in from New York, we couldn’t get enough of).

Progress Coffee Iced Lightening

In preparation for a full day of walking around the city, we each ordered an “iced lightening,” a strong iced-coffee drink with hazelnut, chocolate and sweetened condensed milk. Even Kiyo, who usually drinks his coffee black, was obsessed with this beverage. The sugar and caffeine jolt was perfect and the flavors were so satisfying together that I was definitely sad to finish. I pocketed a chocolate chip cookie for later – this was also a good idea and the cookie was also sweet and satisfying.

Progress Coffee Austin Sandwich

Kiyo always prefers lunch over breakfast, so he ordered a sandwich special that came with tortilla chips. The sandwich itself included turkey, bacon, avocado and red onion. It looked simple but good.

Progress Coffee Biscuit Sandwich

My breakfast sandwich was so delicious. I wish I could find this near my office in New York. The “Progress Breakfast Biscuit” is egg and cheese (I also requested bacon) sandwiched between a warm and flaky cheddar jalapeño biscuit. The result is cheesy, salty and spicy goodness, balanced by the sweetness of the buttery biscuit. There is the option to add in or substitute tomato, avocado, sausage, roast beef or turkey as well. My only complaint is that it’s not very big, so even though it’s rich, I was still hungry shortly afterwards. Since there was much more eating that day, that was probably a good thing, but any other day I could have probably eaten two of these sandwiches, it was so good.

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