Tag Archives: 4th of July

Throwback Thursday – Filipino, Italian and Eat Thai Visit Thai Restaurant Week

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Happy 4th of July! As we celebrate freedom and the birth of America, we believe that over the span of 200 years, our country has become a melting pot with a diverse group of immigrants, first/second generation children building their legacy. What better way to honor and pass on traditions through food. So let’s begin with:

Filipino Restaurant Week, which took place from May 13th thru May 26th. They have a three course lunch and three course dinner special. We chose a place called Grill 21 in the Gramercy section of NYC. They had a three course deal for $35 for two people. So below was the following:

Shanghai Lumpia

Combo set of BBQ Chicken meal

Buko pandan (young coconut and pandan leave mixture)

Combo set: Kare kare (beef oxtail in peanut and vegetable sauce)

The food was good, service was very quick and reservations were strict. It was definitely great deal plus I had leftovers for the next day.

The next place(s) we went to was for Italian Restaurant Week took place from June 1-8 of this year. It was a eight-day celebration of authentic Italian cuisine. Three course lunch was $29.99 and three course dinner was $49.99. We were privileged to have dinner at two restaurants that were participating: Felidia and Barbalu.

Let’s start with a solo dinner at Felidia which was a pretty nice restaurant. It has 3 floors, the first floor is the bar and section for regular and high end clientale. The second floor is where all the new people/tourists sat. The third floor we believe was where private events would take place. When I entered the restaurant the hostess and staff were polite but I sensed there’s a type of prejudice. The hostess sat me in the corner with my back turned to the crowd. After a few minutes, the server saw me and repositioned me to let me enjoy the ambiance of the place. The server was really nice and accommodating. So below is what I ate from the restaurant:

Complementary bread with beans and hummus

Capasante – scallops with vegetables

Vitello

Tiramisu

Complementary cookies

Service and staff needs work but the food is one of the best Italian foods ever. Everything I ate was cooked to perfection. If I had to choose, the vitello was the dish I have ever had and the tiramisu was my second favorite. I would definitely return to this restaurant for the upcoming NYC restaurant week starting July 22 through August 16.

The second restaurant we went to was Barbalu located in the South Street Seaport. This husband and wife restaurant was rebuilt after Superstorm Sandy after their original restaurant was completely destroyed. We went for dinner and their three course dinner was only $42. The food was overall good especially for a local small business spot. Service was definitely better than Felidia. So below is what we ordered:

Appetizer special: Bresaola with arugula

Pear and Ricotta Fagottini with Cream and Truffle Oil

Tartufo Gelato

My favorite out of the three was the pasta entree because all the flavors balanced out and the fagottini was freshly made. This restaurant is perfect for freshly made pasta plus they also have gluten free pasta. Personally I would come back for a group dinner.

Finally OpenTable provided a promo from Thailand Insider called #Eatthaivisitthai restaurant week which is occurring now until July 15. Thailand Insider is holding a contest where you take a picture(s) of the food eaten at the participating restaurant(s) and hashtag #Eatthaivisitthai, tag “Thailand Insider” and a foodie friend to join in. The prize is a 10 day culinary trip to Thailand. So, I went on a solo dinner to Somtum Der in the East Village to take advantage of their happy hour. For happy hour it was 1/2 price drinks and $6 fried chicken thigh. In addition I ordered the thai tea panna cotta and larb moo spring roll.

Mangosteen martini

Fried Chicken Thighs

Thai Ice Tea Panna Cotta

Po Pia Larb Moo

The restaurant is closed from 4-6pm and it opens at 6pm sharp. Since I was dining alone I had the option to sit on the stool or on a table so I chose the table. Once I sat on the table I felt that service was rushed. Other than the rushed service the food was on point. I was impressed by the mangosteen martini especially with the price the quality of the drink (balance of juice with alcohol). I would definitely return to this place with friends to try their som tum and suggested combination sets.

Meatless Monday – Red, White & Blue Smoothie

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On behalf on Tablespoons & Teaspoons, we want to wish everyone a Happy 4th of July!

Since it is a holiday and given that today is Monday, I came up with a quick, healthy, low calorie and gluten free patriotic concoction that will commemorate the continuous blending of America’s diversity on birth of America.

Red, White & Blue Smoothie

Total calories – 194 calories

Total cost at Stop & Shop at minimum with a $25 purchase in order to get the blueberries at the cheapest price – $5.55

RED 1/2 cup of sliced strawberries (approximately 24 calories) –$2.99/lb. Stop & Shop this week.  Health benefits of Strawberry consumption can be seen in a previous Meatless Monday Post.

WHITE 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk – 30 calories – Silk almond milk is on sale this week at Stop & Shop – 2 for $6.   Health benefits of almond milk consumption include: Low sugar, which provides an option for diabetics.  It also has no cholesterol and low sodium plus contains omega 3 fatty acids, which helps maintain blood pressure & a healthy heart.  One cup provides 10% more calcium than regular milk and more vitamin D, which helps strengthen bone and even lower the risk of Alzheimer’s Disease.  Almond milk also contains vitamin E, which is involved with maintaining healthy skin.  It also has vitamin B especially iron and riboflavin with helps build muscle.  It also has fiber and is lactose free, which helps aid digestion.  Other health benefits include boosting the immune system, preventing cancers, and improving vision.

BLUE 1 cup of blueberries – 85 calories – on sale for $0.97/pint with a $25 purchase at Stop & Shop this week.  Blueberries, similar to strawberries contain plenty of antioxidants, which prevents cancers, aging, degenerative disease and infections.  They also contain chlorogenic acid which lowers blood sugar levels & control blood-glucose levels in Type II diabetes.  Blueberries is also considered a brain food which helps boost memory and focus.  Research studies also show that blueberry consumption has lowered blood pressure and even reduce heart disease risk.

1/2 medium banana (sliced) – 55 calories – $0.49/lb at Stop & Shop.  Health benefits of banana consumption include replenishing energy.  It also contains soluble dietary fiber which reduces constipation by helping normal bowel movements.  Bananas also carry antioxidants such as lutein, zeaxantin, carotenes that helps reduce aging.  Vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine) helps with neuritis and anemia and reduces homocystine levels, which is a contributor to heart disease & stroke.  It also contains vitamin C, which develops resistance again infections.  But most importantly bananas are known for their rich source of potassium, which helps control heart rate & blood pressure.

Instruction: Combine and blend until smooth.

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!! Cheers to good healthy and more budget friendly meals.