2024-04-19 14:00
Ever since I acquired Marc Vetri’s Mastering Pasta, I’ve largely relied on his basic nine-yolk dough recipe for my weekly pasta exploits. For a while I could get a dough that wou… Read More
Blog Directory > Home & Garden Blogs > Hobbies & Crafts Blogs > The Manhattan [food] Project hobbies-and-crafts Blog >
The Manhattan [food] Project Blog
themanhattanfoodproject.wordpress.com
A compendium of recipes, stories and photos of our adventures in our modest New York galley kitchen.
2024-04-04 14:00
My original intention was to publish this last week, but then I woke up last Tuesday to the news that the Key Bridge here in Baltimore was destroyed due to a collision with a cargo ship, and… Read More
2024-03-22 16:00
Last September, I waxed poetic about this chilled cauliflower soup recipe from Giada De Laurentiis, and I declared that I would be making it frequently over the colder months as a way to enj… Read More
2024-02-22 15:00
Is it just me, or has this been a particularly good winter for citrus? In late December/early January, I noticed that my Harris Teeter had a pretty nice Sunkist display featuring a nice vari… Read More
2024-02-08 17:00
One of the sleeper MVPs in my cookbook collection is Tom Colicchio’s cookbook for ‘wichcraft, his sandwich shop he launched way back in 2003. It grew as a small chain, but… Read More
2024-01-27 16:00
Remember when Instant Pot, and subsequently Instant Pot recipes were absolutely everywhere? We received a digital pressure cooker about a year prior to when they got big as a gift from a fri… Read More
2024-01-17 17:00
I’ve been in a soup mood for the past couple of months, and I’ve been making batches of cauliflower soup (which is great hot or chilled) and beet-tomato gazpacho to enjoy as a li… Read More
2024-01-10 15:00
This cocktail was inspired by two of our 2023 trips: a short October trip to Austin and our week in Mexico City. On our first evening in downtown Austin we went to Punch Bowl Social for a gr… Read More
2024-01-04 15:00
Happy 2024! I hope your holiday season was filled with good cheer, great food, some kickass presents, and at least a little relaxation. I have a lovely little stack of new cookbooks, albeit… Read More
2023-12-24 15:00
So I’m really behind on my travel recaps, but better late than never, no? I’ve mentioned some of the food we enjoyed in my prior Mexico City recaps, but this is where I want to s… Read More
2023-12-22 15:00
I’m not shy about my love of José Andrés’s food on this blog, and I’ve been to several of his restaurants over the years, but true story: it wasn’t unti… Read More
2023-12-19 15:00
Back when we went to San Juan in early March, I was really excited to visit Old San Juan, and while we had a lovely afternoon walking around it and enjoying a pina colada, I was bummed that… Read More
2023-12-15 17:00
With the holiday season in full swing, I’m leaning into having some really solid recipes for this time of year that are straightforward and also deeply versatile. Sautéed mushro… Read More
2023-11-24 15:00
(Note: I’m trying out some affiliate links here – all are noted accordingly, and I’m not linking everything.) Fun glassware! Both of these picks were inspired by a trip to… Read More
2023-11-22 16:00
One of my favorite ways to incorporate interesting fruits into cocktails is to use the frozen versions, either in chunks or purees. We’ll go to H-Mart and pick up packages of frozen pu… Read More
2023-11-15 16:00
As a rule, we try not to binge shows that we watch together, and between recent travels and intentionally not rushing through shows during the writers’ strike, we only finished the sec… Read More
2023-11-08 15:00
Back when we lived in Stamford, I blogged about making Alton Brown’s “Positively, Absolutely Not Real Bouillabaisse” while we watched Day for Night/La Nuit Americaine, and… Read More
2023-11-02 14:00
Note: Peppermate sent me a Peppermate pepper mill for my review, but all opinions are my own. Truth be told, I don’t have great luck with pepper mills. The pepper mill we received as a… Read More
2023-10-11 14:00
Last year, on the day after Thanksgiving, Michael and I eschewed going shopping and instead spent a nice afternoon and evening in Philadelphia with his family. His little brother lives in th… Read More
2023-09-23 14:00
With Michael’s show coming to an end on Thursday, we were looking forward to having a few days completely to ourselves where we could do more proper exploration around the city. I&rsqu&hell…Read More
2023-09-20 14:00
As I write this, much of the East Coast has been embroiled in a heatwave that can only be described as soupy. When I made my weekly walk over to Whole Foods, I came back red as a beet not fr… Read More
2023-09-13 23:56
I’ve had Calabrian chile and shrimp on my mind for a few weeks now, ever since the last dinner we had in Las Vegas back in August. More to come on this, but let’s just say I&rsqu&hell…Read More
2023-09-02 14:00
I’ve written and rewritten this damn post so many times because I hate how long it gets, so instead of trying to piece together a single narrative, let me just feature some actual high… Read More
2023-08-30 14:00
Sometimes when I’m trying to figure out my Thursday dinner I’ll pivot to eggs, and one of my go-tos is making a potato chip tortilla. I first encountered it in Ferran Adria&rsquo&hell…Read More
2023-08-23 14:00
As I write this at the beginning of August, it finally doesn’t feel horrifyingly hot here in Baltimore, but I know that the chances are high that it will be hot again when you see this… Read More
2023-08-16 14:00
Thursdays tend to be my wildcard days when it comes to meal prepping. I save the most elaborate dishes for the weekend, and Monday is always taco night, and Tuesdays and Wednesdays are gener… Read More
2023-08-09 14:00
While scrolling through Instagram as is my wont, I saw this post on Food52’s feed of a toast with peaches, pancetta, basil, and a smear of tahini. I sent it to Michael as a potential b… Read More
2023-08-05 14:00
My windowsill herb garden has had some rough years since the pandemic started: the Baltimore Herb Festival was canceled in 2020 and 2021, leaving me to find plants elsewhere with frankly pre… Read More
2023-08-02 14:00
One of the many lovely things about Mexico City is that it has some lovely rooftop bars in close proximity to major tourist draws that offer a wonderful view. Terrazza Catedral, just a few b… Read More
2023-07-26 14:00
Two years ago, when we were in Phoenix, I knew one place we’d have to try would be Pizzeria Bianco because it’s considered one of the best pizzerias in the country. (I also take… Read More
2023-07-19 14:00
Pasta isn’t an ingredient you see in much of Spanish cuisine with the exception of Catalonia (and Valencia). According to José Andrés in his book Tapas: A Taste of Spain… Read More
2023-07-16 20:05
Mexico City has long been on my list of places that I’d like to visit, but when I looked into going myself ten years ago, I was a bit daunted by how big it is and that maybe it wouldn… Read More
2023-07-12 14:00
Summer means it’s time for gazpacho, and while we wait for the tomatoes to come into their peak ripeness, at least we have mangoes. I’ve tried a few different mango gazpacho reci… Read More
2023-07-05 14:00
After posting about a recipe that won’t be viable again until next April at the earliest, I felt it was important to share one that would be viable to make, especially if you have a ga… Read More
2023-07-03 14:00
Between our travels and our time at home, I feel like these Canadian wildfires have become an unfortunate quasi-constant presence. We first really noticed them when we were in Chicago back i… Read More
2023-06-28 14:00
Pesto really might be my favorite pasta sauce regardless of the time of year, and ramp pesto is my favorite iteration of that sauce because it’s something I can usually only enjoy once… Read More
2023-06-25 14:00
I’m not sure why it took us so long to get to Puerto Rico, but I’m so glad we finally made what I hope will be the first of several trips. Years ago I had planned a potential tri… Read More
2023-06-21 14:00
A few months ago we were in Mexico City (more on that later) and one of my absolute favorite places to go was Bósforo, a teeny tiny mezcaleria that was located a few blocks from our h… Read More
2023-06-14 14:00
We tried many fun drinks when we were at Xcaret Hotel Mexico back in September, but the clear favorite of the group was La Bandera, a three-part shot named after the colors in the Mexican fl… Read More
2023-06-11 14:00
Last February we had a lovely few days in Hollywood, FL while Michael had a conference to attend, and this year the same conference was in Hollywood, CA. After our first day in Los Angeles w… Read More
2023-06-07 14:00
We had a pretty whirlwind little trip to New York in early April, and M mentioned he was open to getting dinner one of our two nights at Mercado Little Spain. Usually how we do it now is tha… Read More
2023-06-01 14:00
I didn’t know if I’d be able to get my hands on some ramps this year, but a few weeks ago Michael told me he had a meeting in New York and we could spend a couple of days before… Read More
2023-05-14 14:00
Last year, over the Super Bowl weekend, we went to Hollywood, FL for one of Michael’s work conferences and had a pretty great time. This same show apparently likes to alternate between… Read More
2023-05-09 14:00
As much as I like cooking, I have to admit that especially on weekdays, I can be a creature of habit. Mondays we typically do tacos, Tuesdays are for chicken thighs that will turn into lefto… Read More
2023-05-03 14:00
April was kind of a strange month. It started out great–we were finishing up our week in Mexico City–and a week later we were getting ready for the Easter holiday weekend that we… Read More
2023-03-28 14:00
With spring now officially here, I can now think about my weekly raw/pickled/cured fish dishes less as pretending to be somewhere warmer for dinner and instead be an actually refreshing dish… Read More
2023-03-26 14:00
There was a time when I thought I wouldn’t be making the return back to Daytona Beach this year, mainly because we thought we were going somewhere else at that time. That trip was post… Read More
2023-03-21 14:00
When walking along the Seawall in Galveston, close to 21st Street near the historic Hotel Galvez, you’ll see a four-post structure with a burlap roof that is often billowing in the Gul… Read More
2023-03-14 14:00
As I’m writing this, the temperature is in the high 30s when two days ago the high temperature was at 80 degrees. It’s been a wild winter despite the lack of snow, between the ex… Read More
2023-03-07 15:00
Sweet Liberty Drinks & Supply might be best known for its inventive and perfectly-made cocktails, but their food menu is nothing to sleep on either. During happy hour you can get dollar… Read More
2023-03-04 15:00
When our buddy T lived in Boston, we tried to visit him a few times a year, especially when we lived in Connecticut/New York. I stopped going there basically altogether once he moved to Chic… Read More
2023-02-28 15:00
While we have much more prominent savory teeth versus sweet teeth (is that a thing–the plural of sweet/savory tooth?), a good, tart curd is something we’ll happily devour. We don… Read More
2023-02-24 15:00
(Previously, in Miami.) After two solid fun days in downtown Miami and South Beach, now it was time to go to Little Havana. We were going to get a light breakfast at the hotel and then go to… Read More
2023-02-21 15:00
The food at Hotel Xcaret really exceeded my expectations, though I will be honest–my expectations weren’t that high. This is not a reflection on Hotel Xcaret, but more my warines… Read More
2023-02-19 15:00
Despite being in a not-insignificant amount of pain, our short jaunt to South Florida back in July was edifying in how it opened up downtown Miami to us and how easy it was to get around tha… Read More
2023-02-07 15:00
While salmon is probably the fish I eat the most often, especially cured, we try to eat trout whenever we can find it because it’s a more sustainable fish, even if farmed, and it&rsquo&hell…Read More
2022-12-29 15:00
While A Charlie Brown Christmas will eternally be my favorite Christmas special, Eyes Wide Shut is my favorite Christmas movie. We’re well past the time where the internet has debated… Read More
2022-12-23 15:00
I haven’t used my passport since September of 2018, so when Michael mentioned last year that his company was bringing back an annual trip where their Latin American business partners a… Read More
2022-12-21 15:00
Happy winter solstice! It may seem a little odd, or at least aseasonal, to be sharing a pesto recipe on the first day of winter, but this one is special due to its inclusion of both lemon an… Read More
2022-12-13 15:00
(Note: The Mixer from The Campari Group reached out to see if I’d like to share some of their cocktail content on my blog, and as a fan of many of their brands, I was happy to do so.)… Read More
2022-11-26 15:00
The TESCO streetcar in Tampa is clearly a tourist-driven mode of transit, but that’s a good thing–having a free, easy-to-understand way to get around a city, even if it’s j… Read More
2022-11-25 15:00
Last year in her excellent gift guide, Helen Rosner urged her readers to consider giving someone the gift of caviar and lightly-salted Lay’s potato chips as a wonderful indulgence. Whi… Read More
2022-11-22 15:00
It’s Thanksgiving week, and hopefully you are all set with your menu for your meal…but in case you’re not, may I present this wonderful recipe from Rebbekah Peppler’… Read More
2022-11-19 15:00
When M had to spend most of a week in Tampa back in August, I decided to tag along because airfares were reasonable–it helps to live near a Southwest hub–and my only prior experi… Read More
2022-11-16 15:00
The bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich may be king in places like New York for good reason, but I’d like to take a second to sing the praises of the Dutch version of this sandwich: the ui… Read More
2022-10-18 14:00
This October here in Baltimore has been a little cooler than it has been in recent years, so we brought out the Baking Steel on a recent Friday to start pizza season now rather than wait eve… Read More
2022-10-11 14:00
This pasta dish is kind of a North-meets-South Italy mashup, as the trenette pasta shape originated in Genoa and Liguria, while the pasta sauce is one that is distinctly Sicilian. I went wit… Read More
2022-10-04 14:00
Since I’ve been able to join M on a lot of trips recently, it’s been a minute since I’ve had the kitchen to myself for a few days while he’s on the road. Recently he… Read More
2022-09-30 14:00
Back in the middle of July, I was in the midst of doing deadlifts when I felt one of my trigger points go, and immediately I knew I would be in trouble. There’s a tiny muscle in your g… Read More
2022-09-27 14:00
Much like the Last Train to Priorat at Boqueria was a sign that I should probably get a bottle of Luxardo maraschino liqueur, my first sip of Perch’s Hemingway on the Beach was the dec… Read More
2022-09-20 14:00
One skill I’m really working on in the kitchen right now is getting better with breaking down whole fish, but I will admit that if given the opportunity, I will still go with filets if… Read More
2022-08-19 14:00
We planned and booked our flights to Chicago while sitting at Flying Dog Taphouse in BWI back in April while waiting for our flight to Houston for our Galveston trip. With the exception of 2… Read More
2022-08-11 16:00
We’re in the throes of August, and thanks to climate change, the heat this summer has been incredibly intense and therefore I’m fully in line with Michael about not turning on th… Read More
2022-08-05 14:00
Contrary to Cher’s dad’s assertion in Clueless, I’m pretty sure nothing in LA takes twenty minutes to get to, but then again that movie came out over 25 years ago so things… Read More
2022-07-26 14:00
About a block and a half away from where we like to stay in Manhattan sits the Boqueria West 40th Street, easily one of the best places to get a bite to eat and a good drink in Times Square… Read More
2022-07-19 14:00
I have to admit–ever since the decision came down two weeks ago (as I write this) about Roe v. Wade, my creative output has stalled. I was so thankful that I had already procured all o… Read More
2022-07-12 14:00
If you travel out of New York City on Amtrak these days, you’re likely to end up in the Moynihan Train Hall part of Penn Station. Taking over what was the Farley Post Office Building… Read More
2022-07-12 14:00
If you travel out of New York City on Amtrak these days, you’re likely to end up in the Moynihan Train Hall part of Penn Station. Taking over what was the Farley Post Office Building… Read More
2022-07-09 14:00
Another week, another trade show for Michael, and the opportunity to explore another new-to-me city came up at the end of May, this time taking us back to California but to a different part… Read More
2022-06-28 14:00
Quail is not something we have a lot, but it’s one of those proteins we’ll turn to if I’m seeking inspiration and we’ve recently have had everything from meatballs to… Read More
2022-06-21 14:00
In Tom Colicchio’s cookbook Think Like a Chef, in his recipe for pickled ramps he suggests that you can make a really good sauce for fish by spooning a few teaspoons of the ramp pickli… Read More
2022-06-19 14:00
It’s funny how much happiness $20 can buy, at least when it comes to acquiring five bunches of ramps at the Union Square Greenmarket during our trip to New York in April. To say I dote… Read More
2022-06-16 14:00
Anytime I have an opportunity to go to New York I usually jump on it, and when I realized that our most recent trip would coincide with ramp season and I could get some for myself at the Uni… Read More
2022-06-14 14:00
Sometimes I’m at a loss for inspiration on what to make for dinner, and that’s when I usually turn to my tapas books to spark my imagination. It may seem counterintuitive to pick… Read More
2022-06-08 14:00
Truth time: even though this trip was two months ago, I struggled with writing this post because I felt guilty blithely writing about a state that passed a barbaric law that takes away agenc… Read More
2022-05-12 14:00
[Editor’s note: if you’re feeling furious/frustrated/terrified right now in light of the leaked SCOTUS draft opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade and you’re looking for… Read More
2022-05-03 14:00
As much as I love a nice, herby pesto, sometimes I’m craving something a little bit different, and this umami-laden, no-cook sauce fits the bill perfectly. I’ve been on a bit of… Read More
2022-04-30 14:00
Following our brief detour to Seattle, we flew back to Oakland to spend a few days in the Bay Area. Originally we had hoped that we could stay for a few extra days to see our friends who liv… Read More
2022-04-26 14:00
Nearly a year after we moved to Baltimore, a new restaurant opened up on Cross Street: Bookmakers Cocktail Club. On a street littered with variations on the traditional pub and/or biergarten… Read More
2022-04-19 14:00
After my near-religious experience with the house-cured king salmon at Lowell’s Seafood in Pike Place Market, it was only a matter of when, not if, I would be curing some salmon for br… Read More
2022-04-12 14:00
After not making fresh pasta for a month because we were traveling, to say I was eager to get back at it is an understatement. Whether we were actually out of town on a Sunday or we were abo… Read More
2022-04-09 14:00
While we were in Hollywood, Michael found out that he had to also add Seattle to our upcoming trip to the West Coast, and he was able to rearrange our flights so I could still go along with… Read More
2022-04-05 14:00
There’s something deeply satisfying about learning to love a new food, like you’ve leveled up in a game and you’ve opened a whole new world of games to play. For years I&rs&hell…Read More
2022-03-31 14:00
Back in 2019, flying to the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood airport in South Florida was an intermediate stop en route to our actual destination of Miami. Since Southwest didn’t fly directly… Read More
2022-03-29 14:00
The mark of a good cookbook to me is how much I use it, and I use Gail’s Bringing it Home a lot. I love how much it covers, from breakfast and brunch to fun party snacks and noodle dis… Read More
2022-03-29 14:00
The mark of a good cookbook to me is how much I use it, and I use Gail’s Bringing it Home a lot. I love how much it covers, from breakfast and brunch to fun party snacks and noodle dis… Read More
2022-03-22 14:00
While I really don’t have any reason to add any more pasta tools to my collection, I did add one more this past Christmas and I have to say that I really like it: my cavatelli maker. W… Read More
2022-03-17 14:00
The great thing, at least to me, about being inspired by the food you eat while traveling is that you never know what’s going to strike your fancy. Certain places might spark some more… Read More
2022-03-10 15:00
“It’s like walking around a defunct amusement park, except people live there.” My friend T on Daytona Beach As someone who is neither a racing enthusiast nor in the demogra… Read More
2022-01-12 17:00
One of my go-to, “oh shit I need a protein to go with pasta” dishes that I turn to time and time again is the cutlet, either with chicken or pork. Sometimes we’ll have them… Read More
Subscribe to The Manhattan [food] Project
Get updates delivered right to your inbox!