Zylo - A Tuscan Steakhouse

Recently a W hotel opened up in Hoboken, NJ. Inside is a tuscan steakhouse run by Troy Unruh. Being the first of its kind in Hoboken, it was time to check it out, even if it had only been open since March 27th. I went last weekend and left surprised.

The layout of the restaurant is nice. When you walk in there is a bar on your right as you face the NYC skyline. There are tables in front and in another room in the back.

We arrived a bit early so we had a drink at the bar. The drinks were great. I had a bourbon drink that was a riff on an old fashioned and my girlfriend had prosecco with strawberry puree.

Now onto the food. The menu is broken into pizza, antipasti, primi, secondi, steak and sides. We decided to order a pizza, an antipasti, a small pasta, and a couple steaks. We also ordered a side of the braised black tuscan kale but unfortunately it never showed up, which was one of many small miscues.

First up was the Al Prosciutto pizza. It was prosciutto, red onion marmalatta, shaved
fontina cheese & baby arugula. This was was very good. The middle of the crust could have been a little crisper and the outside crust was a little burnt and not in a good pizza char kind of way. The flavors though were spot on. The salty proscuitto and the red onion marmalatta were perfect compliments. I would go back for this.

Next up was the salumi and cheese plater. This consisted of 5 cured meats (speck, proscuitto, mortadella, copa and one I cannot remeber) and 3 cheeses (fontina, a blue, and parmesan reggiano) and some pickled vegetables. This was another great dish, perfect for sharing. The meats all tasted great and the pickled vegetables added a great crunch and acidity that was refreshing.Then came the pasta dish and this is where things started going down hill. We ordered the ricotta nudi with spinach puree, browned butter & basil. Unfortunately, the spinach puree overpowered the lightness of the nudi. Also, the texture of the nudi was too chewy and felt heavy rather than light. Not something I would consider again.Now onto the steaks. The first up is the 8oz flat iron steak served with roasted onion. It was ordered medium rare. However, the taste was terrible. It was tough, chewy, and flavorless. My girlfriend actually called it terrible and unedible. The roasted onion along side of it was topped with a "pancetta gremolata" according to the menu. It tasted nothing like pancetta. The gremolata was so hard it made the texture difference unpleasant and rather crunchy. The other steak was the 20oz bone-in ribeye, ordered medium rare. This was a much better steak. However, it did not impress. While flavorful it tasted like something was missing. Maybe it is there use of olive oil instead of butter to top the steaks. The mushrooms accompanying it were an afterthought.Luckily, dessert was able to end the night on a good note. This was a semifreddo which hit the spot. The texture was light and creamy. A great way to end a meal.

A couple other notes about our visit. The service was disorganized and overeager. While our waiter was very friendly, he was unable to provide us with descriptions of any of the wines on the all italian wine list and was unable to answer my questions about the wines. The restaurant also does not yet have wines by the bottle. We were offered the opportunity to purchase a bottle of wine for 4 times the glass price.

Overall, I would go back. Maybe not for the steak but the pizza and antipasti with a couple glasses of wine just might do the trick. I feel like there is a lot of room for improvement and hopefully once the restaurant hits its stride, it will be able to fix its shortcomings. I am also looking forward to the outdoor seating once it warms up.

My final grade: B/B-

Soft Pretzels

What can I can other than I love soft pretzels. There are one of my favorite snacks of all time. So when I came across this easy recipe on Smitten Kitchen, I just had to make them. While I wouldn't describe them as sooo cute as Deb does, I would describe them as delicous and probably the best soft pretzel ever (at least to come out of my kitchen). Here's what you need:
2 cups warm water (100°F to 110°F)
1 tablespoon + 2 tablespoons sugar
1 packet active dry yeast
5 to 6 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons canola or other neutral oil
1/4 cup baking soda
1 large egg
Coarse or pretzel salt - I used a coarse sea salt

Following Deb's instructions, I got a big bowl and added the water and sugar. Once the sugar dissolved I added the yeast and waited for it to start foaming. Then its time to start adding the flour. Now since I don't have an electric mixer I did this by hand and it was still unbelievably easy. Add 1 cup first and mix together then add 4 cups plus the salt. As you are mixing this add 1/2 cup more flour and continue mixing, then I added 1/2 cup more until the dough was wet and sticky. I knead this on my board and then put in back in the bowl with a little oil coating the sides. I let this rest for an hour.

After the dough rested, I divided into portions and starting making pretzels. I thought it might be difficult to make the pretzel shape by it was simple...who knew? Just take the dough and roll it out into a log shape. Then with it lying horizontal on your board twist the ends up and over each other to make the shape you see above.
Once you have formed all your pretzels it is time for them to take a bath. Bring a pot with 2 inches of water to a boil then add the baking soda (watch out it foams up, which is a great surprise to the uninformed in the room with you). Add the remaining sugar (2 Tbls) and reduce to a simmer. Then add the pretzels and poach for 1 minute on each side. As you take them out put them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Once they are all done, you brush the tops of each with the egg glaze (1 Tbls water and egg) then sprinkle on the salt.Put them in a 450 degree over for 12-15 minutes until they are golden brown and look like the picture at the top. They keep decently for a day but are best within minutes of coming out of the oven. These were everything you would want in a pretzel...soft, chewy, salty. I made them for the roommates and no one could get enough.

Next time I plan on trying to freeze these to keep as snacks. Not sure if it will work. Anyone tried it?

Sweet Potato Angoletti from the French Laundry

I stumbled across the Frech Laundry at Home website a couple years ago (check out the proper way to make this on her site). I was impressed by Carol's ability to tackle some of those recipes. When I finally got the Fench Laundry cookbook, my girlfriend told me I had to make her something from it. After looking through some recipes, I decided to go with the Sweet Potato Angoletti. The flavors sounded great, the recipe did not call for any hard to find ingredients, and it did not seem like it would take too long. However, I was missing one very important thing...a pasta maker. I just assumed I could roll it out by hand. This turned out not to be such a good assumption, which you'll see.

With that out of the way, let's get started.

First thing is to get the sweet potatoes in the over to cook. I wrapped them in foil with a little bit of butter. It took about an hour and a half. Here they are after coming out of the oven.

After peeling them, I put them into a large pot. And since I do not own a ricer, I used my immersion blender. I knew the teture was probably going to be a little smoother but I didn't think it would make a difference and it didn't as far as I could tell.

Next I made the pasta dough. You measure out the flour and form a well to add the eggs, egg yolk, milk and olive oil.

Then slowly mix this together with your fingers, pulling in the flour from the sides as you swirl the wet ingredients around.
Once the dough comes together you knead it until it becomes smooth. Then cover in plastic wrap and let it rest while you prepare the other parts of the recipe.

At this point I sauted the bacon in a skillet and added it to the sweet potato mash along with some allspice (since I did not have squab spice), salt, pepper and mustard.

While this was chilling in the fridge, I made the sage cream. This was the easiest part of the recipe. I blanched some sage leaves and added them to warmed butter and creme fraiche. Here it is in its finished stage.
So nows comes the interesting part. Since I do not own a pasta maker, I decided I could roll the pasta out by hand. Well I was wrong...sort of. Here I am starting to roll out the dough. About 20 minutes later and much rolling and cramping of my hands, I was able to see my hand through the dough as it says you should be able to in the book. Well as it turns out, this thinness is not exactly the same as seeing your hand through the dough when using a pasta maker. Oh well, it was time to fill the angoletti. I put the sweet potato mix into a ziplock bag and cut off the tip. I then piped a line of this a little to the left of center of the dough. I then folded them up and added them to a pot of boiling water for a couple minutes. Once they were done I dropped them into the sage cream sauce. I put them in a bowl and topped it with brown butter, and thinly slice prosciutto. Here's the final plating.

The taste of these was amazing. One of the best things I have ever made. The only bad thing was that this recipe called for making 48 angoletti, and with my inability to make the pasta sheets thin enough I came out with about 18. All in all not a perfect outcome in terms of execution but the flavor combination was perfect. Sweet, salty, creamy, porky. This is one of the best tasting recipes I have ever made and it is a testament to why Chef Keller is one of the greatest. I will definitely make this again. Just next time I plan on using a pasta maker.

Weeknight Meals

Most nights of the week I get home from work and go straight to cooking. Why? Because it is my form of relaxation. Some people like to read or wtach TV to relax but for me the best way to relax is to be in the kitchen cooking.

When I tell my friends or co-workers that I cook almost every night of the week they are shocked that I have the time. But in under an hour anyone can have a home cooked weeknight meal which will be much better than ordering takeout. All it takes is a little creativity.

This past week I made baked italian chicken thighs with roasted broccoli and rice all in about 45 minutes. And the best part of this meal was that it is basically hands off allowing you to relax in other ways at the same time.

Here's what you need:

4 chicken thighs

half bottle italian dressing

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

1 tbl butter

broccoli
chili powder
garlic

salt

pepper

olive oil

I marinated the chicken thighs over night in the italian dressing. This helps impart the flavor into the meat but if you cannot marinate it over night at least try to let it marinate for a half hour before cooking.

Heat an over to 400 degrees. While the oven is heating cut the broccoli and toss it in a bowl with olive oil, garlic, salt pepper, cumin and chili powder.

Place the chicken in a baking dish and bake until the jucies run clear when a knife is inserted into the chicken. This took about 20 minutes.

At the same time, put the broccoli on a parchment paper covered baking sheet and put in the oven as well. I based the roasted broccoli on a recipe I saw on the Amateur Gourmet's website.

While this was cooking as an added bonus, I added a tablespoon of butter to a frying pan and added in a couple handfulls of panko breadcrumbs. When the chicken thighs were cooked, I topped them with the breadcrumbs and browned it in the broiler for a minute or two. This served as a crunchy topping adding a great texture contrast to the chicken.

This was a perfect meal for a weeknight. I served it with a side of rice that was cooking at the same time as everything else.

Weeknight cooking does not have to be hard, with a little planning and creativity cooking during the week can be easy.

What are some of your favorite weeknight meals?

Can a restaurant live up to your expectations?

Babbo...Mario Batali's mecca of italian cooking. I had wanted to go there for years. Well a month or so ago for my birthday I finally got the chance when my girlfriend surprised me with a reservation. Once I found out we were going, questions started coming into my head. Would it be as good as I expect it to be? Have I built it up too much? What if I don't like it? I always wonder if a restaurant or anything for that matter gets too built up that it cannot possibly live up it your expectations for it. So did Babbo live up to my expectations? Al these questions were answered by the time we finished eating well over 3 hours after we arrived. When we arrived we were seated at a great table in the back of the first floor which gave us privacy but also allowed us to see all the food coming out of the kitchen. We decided to get the tasting menu with the wine pairings.

The first thing out was the chick pea buschetta that Babbo is known for. It was a great way to start the meal. Then the tasting menu began. The first course was house made coppa with pickled ramps and pecorino. It was amazing. The rich meat sliced paper thin with the pickled ramps adding the perfect bite.

Next up was the first of the two pasta dishes. It was pappardelle with chanterelles and thyme. This dish was earthy and the pasta was done perfectly.

The final pasta dish was duck tortelli. This was amazing. The rich sauce and the duck filling was a perfect combinaton.

Next up was the meat course which was hanger steak with trumpet mushrooms and cipollini onions. The steak was a perfect medium rare.

After the meat course came the cheese course. This was a piece of Coach Farms finnest with fennel honey. The fennel honey and the cheese were an amazing combination.

Next was the first of the dessert courses. It was a crema con mosta, which for the life of me I can't remember the description.

The next dessert was a chocolate tartufino.

And finally the last course, which at Babbo is the only course that both people don't get the same thing. The menu listed a pecan and date budino with carame gelato. The surpise dessert was an apple tart with cinnamon gelato. Both of these desserts were the perfect end to a spectacular meal.

In the end Babbo lived up to its reputation. The food was amazing, the service spectacular, and staff knowledgable. Some advice for your trip: go hungry and don't be in a hurry. We left full, satisfied and happy. Now all we have to do is go back and order the rest of the menu which looked amazing as it passed our table on the way to other diners.

So has anyone else experienced this?

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Since there is still a bit of winter left even though its March, I thought this was the perfect recipe for something warm and flavorful to get you through the cold. For Christmas this past year I received an immersion blender. One of the first things I decided to do was to make butternut squash soup. It was such a simple recipe (from February's Food and Wine) that it is amazing I managed to make a few mistakes. Luckily the flavor was amazing and I was able to salvage it.

The first thing is to buy a 2 lbs butternut sqush. Well I could not find one that was exactly two pounds which was my first mistake. I purchased one that was probably closer to 3-3 1/2 pounds which led to the consistency being a little thick, thick more puree than soup. Thankfully, by added more stock I was able to bring the consistency back to a soup.

To make the soup, you split the squash in half and roast it in a 375 degree oven for about an hour until it is real tender.

Once it is done, peel it and add it to a pot big enough to make the soup in. If you do not have an immersion blender, chop the squash and add it to a blender to puree.

To the squash you add cinnamon, creme fraiche, and water (I used a combination of water and chicken stock). Puree this until very smooth.

When it reaches the desired consistency, ladle into bowls and top with maple syrup glazed bananas and walnuts.

This was a great soup with fantastic winter flavors. The cinnamon added the perfect bit of spice and roasting the squash gave it a deep rich flavor.

Veal Osso Bucco

When I come across a recipe online that I like, I add it to my google bookmarks. Turns out that I liked 294 recipes. The other weekend I was trying to decide what to make in my nice new Le Creuset dutch oven. After I little searching, I came across a recipe for veal osso bucco. It was just the perfect thing for a cold sunday night. It was rich and so flavorful. It also smelled great.

Here's what you need (H/T to Chefs Gone Wild):

4 pieces veal shank with bone, cut 3 inches thick
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup carrots, chopped
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 cup whole peeled tomatoes, chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup fresh orange juice
2 dried bay leaves
1 sprig fresh thyme
1/2 sprig fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 strip lemon zest
2 cups chicken stock

Gremolata
Grated rind of 1 lemon and half an orange
2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon chopped garlic

Since I do not trust the freshness of the veal in my local super market it was time to call the butcher and see if he could get me a 6 pound veal shank. Well he came through with a great looking piece of veal. I had him cut the shank into four 3 inch thick pieces. Here they are with a little salt and pepper before being browned.

I then added these to a hot pan and browned them on all sides, which took about 10 minutes.

After they browned, I took them out and added the mirepoix (onions, carrots and celery) plus some garlic that I diced. A helpful hint when making a recipe like this is to prep everything ahead of time so you can just add it in as you go.

After the vegetables soften, add flour to coat. Deglaze the pan with the red wine. Then you add diced whole tomatoes and tomato paste. Followed by chicken stock, orange juice before added back in the browned veal shanks.
As you can see, I also added some herbs which included thyme, rosemary and a couple bay leaves. You cover this and put it in the over for 2 hours or until the meat is following off the bone. I turned the shanks once at the hour mark.

When this is done you can reduce the sauce if you want to concentrate the flavors a little more. Serve this on top of some soft polenta and top with the gremolata (which is a combination of garlic, parsley, orange zest and lemon zest chopped together).

Here is another shot of the final dish:

As an added bonus, you get to eat the bone marrow. To serve this I toasted up some italian bread, spread the marrow on it and topped it with a little sea salt. It was delicious. I tried to take a picture but it did not come out great. I am still learning when it come to taking food pictures.