Photo Gallery Tuesday " Grand Central Oyster Bar"

The Grand Central Oyster Bar opened in 1913, yes, it is 100 years old! I am a huge fan of fried oysters, I make my own at home, but had to try theirs to see what all the rave was about. They were quite tasty, and the serving was pretty generous too! I know most people either love oysters or hate them, but they are quite a tasty treat. I have yet to try them raw, one of these days I will attempt. If you like oysters, or seafood in general ( I so prefer that to steak) be sure to visit the Grand Central Oyster Bar. It is one of New York City's best landmarks. 

So.....are oysters on your dinner menu?? 

The Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant
Lower Level, Grand Central Terminal
89 East 42nd Street
New York, NY 10017
Phone: 212-490-6650

Monday-Friday	11:30am - 9:30pm*
Saturday	11:30am - 9:30pm*
Sunday	Closed

*Reservations accepted until 9:00pm, last seating at 9:30pm.

Please note that we are closed for the following holidays:
New Year's Day, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day

The Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant is conveniently located in the heart of Grand Central Terminal, NYC.

By commuter train:
MTA Metro-North Railroad, Hudson, Harlem and New Haven lines.

Subway:
4, 5, 6, 7, and S lines

Bus:
M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, M42, M98, M101, M102, M104, Q32

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Coverage of the From Farm to Tray Event 2013

I have the pleasure of introducing you again to Anthony Losanno. Anthony has become a friend of mine since meeting on that website, twitter. We both have a love for good food, and he has guest posted here before for the SWEET event, Food Network Wine and Food Festival, Godiva Event at the South Beach Food and Wine Festival and the opening of Le Palais Des thes Soho. It is always fun to find someone who you share a passion with, and is a great person as well. Anthony was attending the From Farm to Tray event, and was kind enough to give us a little report of the festivities. 

Hope you enjoy the post : 

What’s not to love about an evening of food, music, a silent auction, and all of the proceeds benefiting a really great cause?  I attended From Farm to Tray at Holy ApostlesSoup Kitchen .

This organization does some incredible work in providing over 1,000 meals daily to hungry and homeless New Yorkers. Stop and think about that. It’s quite an incredible feat but this commendable act happens daily with Holy Apostles having served over 82,000 meals this year alone.

From Farm to Tray brought together a roster of celebrated chefs with the challenge of creating a menu of using fresh, sustainable ingredients that originated from within 100 miles of New York.

Organizer, Sara Pandolfi of www.saradish.com and her team along with sponsors like Starwood, Whole Foods, and restaurants like One if by Land, Two if by Sea, Spoonbread, Peels, Freemans, and Park Avenue Spring outdid themselves to create a memorable evening and raise a lot of cash to help the soup kitchen keep feeding those in need.

On to the food…

Preston Madson and Ginger Pierce of Freemans, Peels & Isa grilled up beer brined Haloumi cheese and smoked sausage on a sourdough roll. 

Park Avenue Spring’s chef Kevin Lasko created a pastoral and tasty garden filled with squash blossoms with fennel pollen, radishes, as well as an amazing sweet pea hummus

Yvan Lemoine from Season 8 of Food Network Star brought together two of my favorites in a duck terrine and chicken liver mousse dish.

Holy Apostles’ own chefs whipped up their own dish, a tasty peppered Salisbury steak slider with mushrooms, green peas, and sherry vinegar.

One if by Land, Two if by Sea served up a Long Island razor clam and Maine uni duo (this is on the restaurant’s appetizer menu if you want to taste it for your self). 

Norma Jean Darden of Spoonbread offered up fried catfish and collared greens accompanied by one of my favorite foods…cornbread.

Cocktail Caterers brought creamy polenta and herb cake with a spring mushroom ragout.

To end on a sweet note, SoCo Creamery served up a variety of ice cream. I tried the chocolate love and the sea salted caramel. Both were delicious.

The evening ended with a silent auction with prizes ranging from hotel stays, restaurant gift certificates, art, Broadway show tickets, and more. I won a giant hatbox filled with one of my favorite brands of chocolate – Vosges Haut Chocolat . If you’d like to donate to Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen, you can by texting “HASK” to 91011 with a pledge amount.

Please be sure to follow Anthony’s travels and dining adventures on Twitter: @losanno

*Disclaimer: There has been no monetary compensation for posting this content. Brands mentioned are not affiliates or sponsors of this blog post. The opinions expressed are completely based on the author's experiences.

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A Visit to the famous Dakota Building

          

 Architect: Henry J Hardenbergh

                  Location : 1 West 72nd Street

                  Date:  1881-1884

                  Style: German Gothic, English Victorian, French Renaissance   

The architectural firm of Henry Janeway Hardenbergh was commissioned to do the design for Edward Clark, head of the Singer Sewing Machine Company whose firm also designed the Plaza Hotel.*

The building's high gables and deep roofs with a profusion of dormers, terracotta spandrels and panels, niches, balconies and balustrades give it a North German Renaissance character, an echo of a Hanseatic townhall. Nevertheless, its layout and floor plan betray a strong influence of French architectural trends in housing design that had become known in New York in the 1870s.*

According to popular legend, the Dakota was so named because at the time it was built, the Upper West Side of Manhattan was sparsely inhabited and considered as remote as the Dakota Territory. However, the earliest recorded appearance of this account is in a 1933 newspaper story. It is more likely that the building was named "The Dakota" because of Clark's fondness for the names of the new western states and territories. High above the 72nd Street entrance, the figure of a Dakota Indian keeps watch. The Dakota was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972, and was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1976.*

against a blue sky it was just a gorgeous site to be seen

I did not dislike one thing about it at all 

loved the entrance area 

What a truly remarkable piece of art work 

those are real lanterns with fire burning inside 

don't wait as long as I did to view this wonderful piece of architecture 

a lovely view with the American Flag flying high 

the area around the building is gorgeous as well...the Upper West Side is a great place to stroll and feel like a real New Yorker!!

in case you are wondering, here is a floor plan of a Dakota apartment.....cost is about 25 million...maybe if all the followers got together we could buy one and rotate weeks?? wouldn't that just be so grand!!! 

Today's Words of Wisdom: Age is only important if you are cheese 

*information from http://nyc-architecture.com/

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Photo Gallery Thursday " Fresh Herbs"

This time of year, the farmer's markets are back in swing. The markets where I live in Pennsylvania, start kind of late, but they go until November. In New York City, farmer's markets are year-round which is wonderful to obtain the freshest produce, herbs like above, and meats. I love fresh herbs in cooking, but sometimes find it hard to keep them for a longer period of time. We used to grow our own when my Dad was alive, he really liked the garden, he also grew tomatoes and zucchini. 

What do you have growing in your garden? 

New York City Farmer's Markets

Union Square Greenmarket

Eagle Street Rooftop Farm

Park Slope Farmers’ Market

Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket

Fulton Stall Market

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Alleva of Little Italy

I will be up front with this post. It is a foodie galore post, so if you are hungry, be warned! Alleva Dairy on Grand Street in Little Italy is pure Italian heaven! Opened in 1892, it is old fashioned, fabulous Italian food. I had the chance to visit while on the Ahoy New York Tour  which I really enjoyed. Let's go in, shall we? 

The windows were adorned with fabulous old time photos of the Italian family that started this shop 

Okay these are INSANE and 3 for $2 is even more INSANE So so yummy!! 

We visited at Easter time and they had all the fabulous Italian Easter pizzas. The Italian traditions in my family were always wonderful and I looked forward to each holiday with delight. 

The inside is just amazing and the smells are even better 

I would have purchased 1 of everything if I could carry it all home 

Their Pizza Rustica, or Easter Pizza, looked very similar to the one I make at home. Italian food is made with love, fresh ingredients, simple, yet so tasty. You can never go wrong with the right ingredients and made in your own kitchen. 

Fresh Mozzarella is to die for.....simple as that. If you have never had the fresh, try it as soon as possible You will never go back to the old stuff again 

They have a great selection of cheeses and olive oils as well as other Italian products 

Fresh Mozzarella with Prosciutto ( a dry cured ham that is very thinly sliced and melts in your mouth if 

made properly) Pure Italian Heaven 

 

Hmmmm these look interesting, don't you think? 

More fresh ham and salami for your viewing pleasure 

This set up is really lovely and you can see the huge selection Alleva offers 

You know if the NYPD shops here, it must be quite good!!

I hope you enjoyed this little jaunt to Little Italy and Alleva. Italian cooking is all about fresh products and a few ingredients can make a meal extraordinary. Being full Italian, I have grown up with many of these products and being a "foodie" only comes natural to an Italian girl. The smell in our home of my Mom cooking sauce, with garlic and olive oil, is a memory I will always have quite fondly. I always say, if you want to smell up your house, do some cooking in your kitchen and it will be just fabulous!! 

What is your favorite type of Italian food? Do tell .........

ADDRESS		188 Grand Street    New York, NY 10013
PHONE		(212) 226-7990 (800) 4-ALLEVA or (1-800-425-5382)
STORE HOURS		Monday-Saturday: 8:30am-6pm Sunday: 8:30am-3pm

Today's Words of Wisdom: A tavola non si invecchia. - Italian proverb.
Translation: At the table with good friends and family you do not become old.

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