merenda della luna

Date night…. an excuse to go out to a restaurant and indulge in my epicurious side. This is what we do. Not to discuss love, not to swoon over each other, to eat… EAT I SAID.
I’m not fat, just a lover of food. And I am also typically against Italian restaurants and eating at them. I am Italian, and as many of us say, there’s nothing like mamma’s cooking. Most Italian restaurants fall short and I don’t want to disappoint myself with streotypical and most of the time corny decor and oblivious waitstaff.
BUT, every time I have walked past this little gem of a garden dining area, I wonder…. can they provide me with the kind a fare reminiscent of my days in Italy? Will I hate the fact that I broke my personal pact?
Screw it, let’s give it a try…. it is an attractive dining area.

So we did. Almost changed my mind at the last minute to try a tapas joint in the neighborhood, but the boyfriend reminded me that every time we walk by, we speak of trying this place, so I stayed the course.

The brick oven was a blazin, the menu looked delightful…. filled with antipasti(HAD TO EXPLAIN TO THE BOYF WHAT THIS MEANT), primi, secondi, and pesce….. All fairly large plates considering that you essentially should try one of each throughout your visit. But I decided to go with an antipasti AND a pasta primi.
I started with a breaded shrimp with a salad dish called GAMBERI ORIGANATI  The shrmp was delicious, not too much breading…. and the salad had just enough vinegarette not to overpower the taste of the spring greens.
The boyfriend had the warm mozzerella and tomatoes called BUFALA AL PAN CARRE. Jesus lord was this delicious. The cheese was warm and the tomatoes were on the verge of bursting with goodness. The olive oil and herbs accented the simple tastes perfectly. I loved his dish and wanted to steal it….

I ended up getting the STROZZA PRETI AMATRICIANA… Which was cavatelli pasta with bacon, onions, spicy tomato, and pecorino cheese. I was blown away. Just enough spice and just enough sauce. Had to get another basket of focaccia bread to assist wth the sauce.
The boyf got the SFORMATO DI GAMBERI E FUNGHI which was shrimp & mushroom baked in cream & parmigiano. The flavor in this was very nicely done. I enjoyed both of our entrees equally.

Topped it off with an espresso and called it a night.

All in all, high marks for ambiance and quality of dishes. Defintiely recommend this place to get together with friends. Very similar to what you find when you go to a garden restaurant IN italia.
Buon appetito!

http://www.acquasanta.com/

So, I had no internet for the past week. Damn cablevision. So here I am, writing about what has happened in my little world since.

Last saturday, I DJed at The Knitting Factory for Zane Lamprey and crew (zanelamprey.com)….. The party was sick! 7 hour open bar, fun people, and crazy stage antics. The band was pretty dope….. Jameson’s Revenge. Got majorly drunk and lost my phone outside whilst giving away my mix CD. We hopped in a car and headed up to McSorly’s but I hopped immediately in another cab when we got there and came back downtown to look for my phone. No luck. But there is a god…..or at least good, solid people in NYC….. because, when I woke up, I turned on the computer, and there was an email from a nice man in Bensonhurst letting me know he had found my phone and CDs and that I could pick them up anytime on Sunday.

whoduhthunkit, I was pretty stoked not to have to spend the loot I got paid the night before to buy another damn crackberry. Hallelujah or whatever.

So all is well in the world.

This weekend should be pretty dope. Zane Patrick’s Day is tomorrow. I have organize my music tonight. Pretty stoked. The weather should be OK. All the planets are aligning for good times to be had! I will be pretty lit by 7:00pm tomorrow, so if you’re in for a hilarious ride….. call me early evening tomorrow.

toodles, my loves. see you on the flipside.

Hello Northeast Kingdom in Bushwick and THANK YOU for your delicious chicken sandwich. i will eat you once again, my friend…. You just wait.

http://www.north-eastkingdom.com/menu.htm

So, it’s been some days since I posted something. To be honest, keeping up with a blog on top of social networking takes up a lot of time. So this won’t be a daily thing… More like highlighting special events and such.

So I’m gearing up for a huge gig this weekend. DJing at The Knitting Factory for Mr. Zane Lamprey of the show Three Sheets. He is my hero and has the best job in the world. Feels pretty cool to have a hand in this man keeping his job. Stay tuned for the anouncement. Three Sheets has been picked up by a network again, and I pretty sure the rest of the world will finally get to see what i am talking about…when I talk about it.

I had some ground beef laying around and wanted to make a burger. I found this recipe online and tried it. Holy smokes ‘twas delicioso! I used whole wheat tortilla chis and fresh garlic instead of what is listed.

Check it, son!

1 lb Ground Beef or ground Turkey

1 cup 4 Cheese Mexican recipe Blended-grated Cheese Sargeno, divided

1/2 cup Salsa of choice, divided

1/4 cup Crushed Tortilla Chips

1/4 cup Thinly sliced green Onions

1 teaspoon Ground Cumin or Chili powder

1/2 teaspoon Garlic Salt

4 Hamburger Buns split or

You can use Sourdough Bread

4 Tomato slices

Lettuce if desired.

In medium bowl, combine ground beef, 3/4 cup cheese, 1/4 cup salsa, tortilla chips (crushed) green onions thinly sliced, cumin and garlic salt; mix together lightly but thoroughly. Shape into 4 patties. 1/2 inch thick. Grill or broil patties on oiled rack 5 -6 in. away from heat. 5 minutes on each side or until internal temp reaches 160 F. Grill or lightly toast hamburger buns in broiler. Place burgers on buns; top with remaining 1/4 cup salsa; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese serve with lettuce and tomato.