Esty street - Park Ridge, NJ

It was our anniversary a few weeks ago. Steve is supposed to write restaurant reviews on this blog but since his schedule has been absolutely crazy, before we forget about our experience at this restaurant, I decided to go for it.

As I just took quick snaps with the phone, pictures don't show it all but we were quite impressed with this place. At first we planned to go to the restaurant we have been going for our anniversary for the last few years, but changed our minds and decided to give it a try on a local restaurant. We weren't super hungry so we skipped the appetizer although it was very tempting as everything sounded good and what the couple sitting next to us were having looked amazing.

 Delicious rib eye steak with fries. It comes with foie gras butter which Steve said no to. Perfectly cooked, juicy and tender.

Chilean seabass with shrimp risotto. Surprisingly a lot of shrimp in the risotto even though it's a side. Creamy risotto, cooked to al dente with perfect seasoning was very satisfying. Seabass was very yummy too but my only complaint is, it was room temperature. Wonder if it was sitting while Steak was being cooked or rested.

Sorry for the terrible picture. I forgot to take a picture and took a biiiig spoonful of the dessert. It's a French toast pound cake topped with vanilla ice cream. I initially wanted Kalua cappuccino  but since I still had half a glass full of Prosecco, I just decided to drink it with the dessert. And as our waiter placed the dessert on our table, he spilled my Prosecco on Steve's pants. He right away, offered to replace the Prosecco($14) but I said I'd take Kalua cappuccino($11) instead. And when we got the check, we were surprised to see that he charged for that cappuccino. Other than that, service was great. Attentive staffs.

Overall, it is in a little higher price range but the atmosphere, quality of food and service(except what happened to my Prosecco) was amazing. I absolutely loved the home/library like decor and all the details inside and out. I would recommend this place if someone's looking for a special occasion restaurant in the area. 

Xteve rating : 4.0 *****

Website : Esty street

Chocolate graham crackers

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I love chocolate goldfish. So does my tot. I think the actual name is brownie goldfish or something. They're often requested for my tea loving tot's tea party. So time to time I just bake them with excuse of my tot's request and take bites here and there, with ice cream or with tea. 

It's surprisingly very simple to make too. I love no chill cut out cookie recipes. I am not a very patient person so I like doing everything at one go. 

 

This is the dough coming together. Then you roll it out, cut and bake. It will be more authentic to cut them into goldfish shapes but I was not in the mood for that labor intense shape, so I decided to go with large ones. 

Mmm...fragrant vanilla rooibos and chocolate graham...I was so tempted to get a scoop of ice cream but as I didn't want my tot to ask for it, I could control my temptation. Looking at the picture, I just realized they're a lot of cookies for a tea party for two. I swear, I did not finish all these cookies at one seating! =P

Recipe from onesweetappetite.

Kale mushroom quinoa

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A few days ago for lunch, my tot said he wanted Chilean seabass at sushi's house. What kind of two year old is this boy? How about some grilled cheese? But nope. It still had to be in that seafood category and after convincing him, I managed to "downgrade" it to a quick sushi lunch. He started to ask for more and more fancy stuff he can think of nowadays. So, for dinner that night, I wanted something simple and doesn't require anything fancy that we have all the ingredients at home.

 

Quinoa it is. Quinoa is such a great side dish but with a little extra touch, it can surely be a fabulous light meal on its own.

I love meat and fish but vegetables just as much, if not more. I actually have to have some kind of vegetable every meal otherwise I don't feel satisfied. Like when I'm having pizza, I have to have anti pasta salad to feel like it's a meal. So I had no problem eating a bowl of this as my main course for dinner.

 My tot called this a very yummy dinner and said he liked eating it because it would give him lots of energy. He's right. This protein packed grain has great texture and it would give you lots of energy. Haha

I halved the recipe and it made a hearty portion for me and my tot for main. As a side dish, full recipe will make about 4 servings. Recipe adapted from damndelicious.

Kale mushroom quinoa

Printable recipe

Ingredients : 

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water

1 Tbsp olive oil

5 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 bag of kale leaves(12oz), torn into pieces

1 lbs cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced

salt and pepper to taste

2 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese 

Direction :

1. Cook the quinoa in a saucepan with 2 cups of water, set aside.

2. Heat the oil in a large skillet and add garlic and kale.

3. When kale start to be wilted, add mushrooms and thyme.

4. Season with salt and pepper and stir in quinoa.

5. Top it with parmesan cheese(if desired) and serve.

Buttermilk cornbread

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More of Memorial day post. As I mentioned before, along with smoked meat and sweet tea, I baked some cornbread to go with the 'don't mess with Texas' theme.

In Dubai, I used to bake cornbread time to time for my good friend who's from Kenya, who loves her cornbread but somehow I never baked it for my party. Texas theme reminded me of this recipe I always loved and I am glad I baked it again!

 

Soft, moist bread with such nutty and sweet taste. So simple and delicious! What I love about this recipe is that, it is so simple that you only need one pot for the batter. Oh, one time I actually thought the batter looked different but since I was in a hurry I just baked it and after all the bread was gone, I realized I forgot eggs! Buttermilk makes it so moist, I didn't even notice I forgot eggs. Try this goodness, you won't have to look for another cornbread recipe.

Recipe from allrecipes.com by Bethanyweathersby

 

Buttermilk cornbread

Printable recipe

Ingredients :

1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt

Direction :

1. Grease an 8 inch square pan and preheat the oven to 375F.

2. Melt the butter in a large skillet, remove from the heat and stir in sugar.

3. Add eggs and whisk until well blended.

4. Combine buttermilk and baking soda and mix it in the mixture.

5. Stir in cornmeal, flour and salt and whisk.

6. Batter will be a little lumpy. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 30-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Sparkling very berry tea

 

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As Memorial day weekend BBQ had a theme 'Don't mess with Texas', we wanted little hints of south here and there. And our version of sweet tea was served. 

 This can be a refreshing drink for kids who want something different than water as very berry tea is no caffeine tea, and for adults, it tastes fabulous with dry prosecco in it. Great cocktail. Color goes perfectly with Memorial day too! =)

 

Sparkling very berry tea

Printable recipe

Ingredients : 

6 teabags of very berry tea

5 cups water

2 Tbsp agave syrup

1/4 cup mint leaves

1 large bottle of sparkling water(750ml) or sparkling wine

Mint leaves for garnish (optional)

Direction :

1. Place all the teabags and mint leaves in a large pot and pour 5 cups of boiling water.

2. Add agave syrup, carefully stir and let it sit for 30minutes.

3. Chill in the fridge and add sparkling water or wine.

4. Garnish with mint if desired and serve over ice.

 

Apple pancetta crisps with goat cheese & honey

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Did everyone have a fun Memorial day weekend?

We had a great one with friends and family, lots of fun and lots of food. This week will be a leftover food week. 

In order to enjoy the party ourselves too, we decided to smoke the meat so we don't have to work in front of the grill. Gigantic smoked brisket and ribs. Mmm..yum. While they're getting smoked in the smoker, we were able to sit down with our guests the whole time and enjoyed delicious appetizers and a nice conversation.

I made this appetizer for last Christmas for the family and it was a huge hit. I somehow never tried goat cheese with honey but man, this opened up a whole new world! I've always loved sweet and savory together and this really hit the spot! Original recipe from homeiswheretheboatis soaked the apple in pineapple juice and drizzled honey instead of mixing it in but I found this easier and less messy to eat. Fresh, crunchy apples with crispy and savory pancetta topped with goat cheese with a hint of honey. Enjoy! 

 

Apple pancetta crisps 

with goat cheese & honey

Printable recipe

Ingredients :

2apples

1/2 lemon

10-12 thinly sliced pancetta

1 log goat cheese (4oz package)

2 Tbsp honey

fresh cracked black pepper

Direction :

1. In 450F oven, place a foil-lined pan with pancetta and bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden. Transfer the pancetta to a paper towel-lined plate and cool until crisp.

2. Slice the apples into 10-12 slices. and using a small cookie cutter, core the slices.

3. Squeeze lemon juice on the apple slices and coat to keep them from oxidizing.

4. in a small bowl, mix goat cheese and honey.

5. Arrange apples on a serving platter, top each apple slice with pancetta and a dollop of goat cheese and honey mixture and sprinkle with pepper.

Breaded tilapia with honey balsamic glaze

 

 

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At our house, seafood is usually served for lunch when it's just me and my tot, as Steve doesn't eat seafood. Dude, you're totally missing out! Well..more seafood for the rest of us!

It was such a nice day to sit outside and enjoy lunch, I decided to make something quick and simple that doesn't require more than one plate. I love eating in the backyard but when I'm alone with my tot, bringing out more than one plate and a glass each requires too much work especially because we have a hyper dog who gets in the way jumping around once she finds out there's food going outside. My little helper helps me with the door and napkins while I get the food out, and that one trip is just enough. 

Pictures look a little gloomy as the sun suddenly went behind the clouds just as I was getting the camera out. And I am not a professional blogger who can afford to take photographs till she gets the perfect one as my tot would come on top of it already.

 

Like so. No fork, no knife. The fastest way to get to the food he wants. He makes fun of me now. I gave him my old blackberry to play with and he aims at his cereal and says he's taking pictures of food and laughs. 

Back to the Fish, I like that it doesn't require traditional messy breading process. It's quicker and a little healthier. Crumbs straight on the fish then just bake! I love arugula salad so I simply tossed arugula and sundried tomatoes with white balsamic vinaigrette and served the breaded tilapia on top with the glaze. Glaze is very flavorful so you will enjoy it better if you use subtle flavor to your bed of salad. Adapted from ohsweetbasil.

 

Breaded tilapia with 

honey balsamic glaze

Printable recipe

Ingredients :

2-3 fillet of tilapia, quartered

1 cup cornflake crumbs(you can substitute with breadcrumbs)

olive oil to drizzle 

Honey balsamic glaze

1/2 cup mayonaise

1 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar  

Direction :

1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Spray a baking pan with oil spray.

2. Add cornflake crumbs to a shallow dish and coat the fillet, pressing down.

3. Place the fillet on the pan and drizzle with olive oil.

4. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, make the glaze - mix all the glaze ingredients and whisk.

6. Serve it with salad and drizzle the glaze on top.