Otto Gelato

Yesterday, I started writing a post about my frozen yogurt addiction and the rehab program I developed to combat it, but the gelato we ate after brunch with the ex Moxie Firecrackers is more exciting. People talk about the pizzas at Otto, but that's not what I crave when I pass the restaurant. I remember the first time I had their olive oil gelato fondly. The surprise of sea salt in the fruity (yes fruity!) cream creates a pop of savoriness that makes your tongue water. The drizzle of bright olive oil on top adds luxurious texture. Somehow, I'm able to justify the 10 dollar price of a dessert when it's that good. J was an olive oil gelato virgin so she got that, mint chocolate chip and salted caramel and C got plum sorbet, chocolate, and the famous olive oil. Since I knew I could taste their olive oils, I got the sweet corn gelato with polenta cake, nectarine sorbet, blackberries, and zabayon cream. The corn was indeed sweet. Its smoothness contrasts with the crumbly cake perfectly. The sorbet and blackberries add a refreshing tartness which balanced the richness of the gelato. A perfect summer dessert.
As for Otto, the restaurant was shockingly empty at about 2pm on Sunday. We pulled up an extra chair at the bar and were seated comfortably. The water service was attentive and the bartender let us linger a long time. I really haven't been to Otto in a long time because it's always so crowded in the bar area and the back restaurant and I don't like the stand up bars in front because I'm too short and have bad feet. But because the city is empty during the summer weekends, I know I'll be back for more gelato! Who's coming with me? 1 Fifth Ave. at 8th St.

Currywurst is the Best!

Two weeks ago, work was shooting in the East Village, so I could finally try currywurst! I'd seen Best of the Wurst, a film about the curry and ketchup covered sausage in Berlin, but I forgot about it until I saw this article in the Village Voice alerting me to the deliciousness of Weschsler's Currywurst and Bratwurst (1st Ave. & E.7th St between the deli and the International Bar.) There must be some kind of powered drug in the curry that's shaken onto the homemade tomato sauce because I can't stop thinking about currywurst. We shot at the same location last week, so I got to go back for lunch. I sat in the front of the bar near the beer taps and chatted with the owner (his name starts with B, but I can't remember it). We talked about the neighborhood and how other small restaurants are popping up on East 7th St. The prices of these artisan foods had to be on the high side because the ingredients are the best quality and the rents are definately expensive.
The currywurst I ordered is the smaller snack sized version for $6. Maybe it's pricey, but for some reason because the dish is two components, it doesn't seem too steep to me. The fries are shoestring type, so they are crunchy and light—perfect for dipping in the savory tomato sauce. The curry powder adds a nice spice but the sausage has it's own spiciness. Made of veal and pork, the sausage is juicy and snappy.
The second time I went to Weschlers, I ordered the pretzel which is from a famous bakery, but the kinks still need to be worked out on this item. I'm sure the next time I go the pretzel will be better. But the real discovery was the sip of the apple wine that B let me sample. It is only 3percent alcohol and he mixed it with a bit of seltzer which lightened and brighten the flavors of the apple cider. It wasn't sweet like the usual hard cider and it wasn't musky like Spanish cider, rather, it was just smooth and mellow. There's other stuff to eat at Weschlers, but I'm so taken with the currywurst, I have yet to try the kale, potato salad or any of the other sausages.

Tax Time

I've finally looked at all the Important Tax Information paperwork piling up on my couch. What was the Caps Inc. W2? Then I remembered the Fruit by the foot 50 ft. fruit roll up commercial! Ah the memories. Spraying the production designer's shoe to clean off the poo he had stepped in before meeting with the director. Looking through the end of the day garbage bags for the color correct hero fruit rollups that someone threw away. Accidentally and illegally driving the box truck on the West Side Highway. Good times.
The job I liked the most was the steak almanac for Esquire magazine. Working for this stylist was a real pleasure. I love her style, it's casual, reality based and low stress. The photos in person are drool worthy. But while on set, I thought the meat was kind of gross. The best way to eat steak is just with salt and pepper, then grilled outside. Or in Buenos Aires.

Obama for dessert!

These delicious treats are from Eleni's in the Chelsea Market. Happy Inauguration Day!

Farewell ThinkFilm

Thursday I went to ThinkFilm's last party. It wasn't as fun as the one we did for the Agronomist, but foodwise, this one was better because there was so much of my favorite kind of food. Free food! The movie was Good. Viggo Mortenson is the star of the film which is set during the Holocaust, so the venue was the Jewish Museum. The museum has fantastic views of Lower Manhattan and the deck houses the outdoor rock installation by Andy Goldsworthy. Espirit Events catered and their food is all Kosher. And nothing says party and Kosher more than pigs in a blanket! The blanket was actually made out of a phylo instead of a bready dough which was then sprinkled with sesame seeds, thus making it a bit messy. Sternos were keeping the chafing dishes warm, so the layers weren't especially crispy, but it didn't matter, those salty bites hit the spot. That same phylo and sesame seed combination was wrapped around mashed potato in little triangle shaped knishes. There were also some sliced turkey wrap pinwheels. The veggie display was particularly nice. They weren't just on a plate with dips in the middle. Instead, real baby carrots and other crudite were arranged vertically in glass vases for dipping into three mayo based dips and big bowls of baba ghanoush and hummus.
So many of these kinds of parties skimp on the sweets. This is a mistake. Serving fruit is nice for your guests as a palate cleanser. Very important since the hummus contains garlic. And while segregating people is wrong, separating your fruit is attractive and allows people to choose what they want, thus avoiding the waste that can occur with a mixed up fruit salad. There were some lovely desserts including cheesecakes, which was a nice tie in to one of the props in the movie. My favorites were the petit fours. In this time of recession, I hear the holiday party is being scaled back, so it was really nice to let loose and live a little. Thanks for the good times, ThinkFilm.