Luxirare

A fresh summer salad with savory lemon basil sherbert, stone crab legs, and mango salsa. For the mango salsa, chop mango, red onion, jalapeno peppers and basil, mix, add olive oil and some salt. The salt will draw out moisture from the mango, and this will act as the dressing. Also added to the salad, [...]

It’s truly a luxury to make everything from scratch, usually I buy pre-made butter and jam, but not in this instance. Can’t compare fresh butter and jam to store bought ones. The one thing I can’t control is scoring a baguette from Balthazar when it just popped out of the oven- Though I enjoy making [...]

I don’t really know why I’m hogging all my fashion posts, just don’t feel like posting them right now. Last week I was running back and forth between my desk and my kitchen. I was debating whether or not to just call for pizza- ugh- pizza…again? I’d sit in front of my computer for 5 [...]

For a while now I’ve wanted to make some kind of shrimp tempura sandwich- and I ended up doing two versions here, some sliders (built like a classic hamburger) and one as a regular-sized sandwich on brioche. These are not just your average shrimp tempura, the batter includes freshly grated truffle and the aioli sauce [...]

Mojitos are my favorite cocktail, but I know everyone has their own little spin. I don’t like too many flavor twists, I just like the classic recipe but with a little more mint infused simple syrup and more lime (I like them to taste really sour), oh and I prefer vodka instead of rum. …

A new little snack, and meal, using seafood and fresh herbs, light things I want to eat for spring…. Two of the fish I’m using for these squares (and shrimp). Salmon and cod, and of course the fresh herbs for both garnishes and sauces to go with each fish. This is somewhat inspired by dim [...]

A while ago I devised a no carb snack for whenever I couldn’t sleep and wanted to munch on something simple. I just ended up using ingredients I randomly found in my fridge at the time (portabello mushroom, eggs, a small handful of cherry tomatoes and store bought pesto), but for this I wanted it [...]

Over the weekend I went to the market and treated myself to a cut of Yellow tail (HAMACHI) collar. It’s one of the best cuts, the most flavorful- marbled with layers of fat and daggered with lots of thin collar bones that encase tender shoulder meat. Yellow tail is also commonly used for sushi but [...]

Bend it like beckham was on this morning…. Some fresh mozzarella on an english muffin with prosciutto, pesto, and arugula. Bake at 450 for 10-20 minutes. This was delicious, make sure to toast the muffin before baking it in the oven so that the pesto and cheese doesn’t make the bread soggy. Serve with freshly [...]

A simple little twist on sushi using my favorite cut of raw fish, Toro (Fatty tuna). I love making sushi at home even though I’m can’t cut raw fish professionally (sushi chefs make it look easy but it’s really not!). Today you can forget about using the stove, or utensils. Who likes doing dishes? Some [...]

A little tart with eggs, capocolla, avocado, creme fraiche, and chives… Roll out puff pastry dough after flouring the board, you can also use filo dough if you want. After rolling out the dough, cut 5×5 inch squares, you should get four out of one puff pastry sheet. I think it’s better to roll the [...]

I don’t know how many of you guys have been to Les Cocottes in the 7th arrondissement…Last time I went it was bustling with people but I think it’s safe to say this is the perfect place to eat lunch. Though the vibe of this restaurant screams “chic diner” the food is too delicious …

I finally made it to Istanbul after staying in Paris for only about 1/2 a day..then London for two nights…First time in Istanbul! The first thing I wanted to do after dropping off my stuff at the hotel was go to the market. The cab ride from the hotel to the market was quite long, [...]

On the 1 free day I had in London, I had 2 options allotted for leisurely roaming… Dover street market or Borough Market….I chose Borough Market… A 40$ cab ride was on the horizon but I didn’t care much….. the thought of getting to drink warm alcoholic cider and sampling a selection of cured meats [...]

I had something fashion related ready but it’s taking me a bit longer than expected to finish (I’m almost done), so instead I am posting more restaurant related posts. It’s sad but I’m not really in the kitchen much anymore, but I’ll try to get back into it once I have more time… Roka is [...]

Some savory small dishes, before pastries.. A chicken salad-esque mixture warmed up inside lightly toasted puff pastry shell. Salmon pasta shell roll, served with toast, lox and caviar. Delicate assortment of pastries. Everything about afternoon tea here is great, the old-fashioned ambiance, the cheesy piano playing, and the food. But really I would just like [...]

When I am in London one thing I look forward to is dinner at Yauatcha. Yauatcha is the restaurant that Alan Yau started along with Hakkasan (I have not been there, just Yauatcha) and Wagamama (a noodle joint in London with food coming out at faster than lightning speeds on communal tables). The dim …

There was nobody here, by 9 this place is packed, even difficult to be seated. Thankfully I was down here by 6:30 am. I love when things are not quite ready and waiters are still hustling to get the tables fixed and the buffet prepared. Quiet whispers between co-workers and what they did …

How many times have I wished for a Fauchon in the US? Many. Fauchon is an anomaly, it is luxurious fast food. Imagine the speed of McDonald’s with the taste of a high end french bistro. There was one in NYC but it shut down. Fauchon is like Sephora in the way it is …

This book, Design Culinaire, is a photographic collection of carefully curated ‘food design’ projects by some very influential chefs (some of the notable ones include Heston Blumenthal, Ferran Adria, Pierre Herme, and Stephane Bureaux). It is quite thorough, almost 250 pages that chronicle the works of food designers all over the world. I wanted …