Le Gamin, Greenpoint

I've been to Le Gamin a few times and have never been disappointed. They serve mostly French and French inspired fare, including crepes. They also happen to have the best cheese plate I've ever had, anywhere. Best. Ever. I also chose to celebrate my birthday there last year and they are right around the corner from me so it's super convenient! They have mostly favorable reviews on sites like Yelp as well.

I had the good fortune to go there again with a friend this week. The place was nearly empty (it was off hours, between lunch and dinner) so I didn't feel self-conscious taking some photos (with my Android phone, running them through a wonderful app called Vignette).

They had lovely cherry blossoms on a table by the window, cherry blossoms are such a wonderful harbinger of spring and gorgeous.

My friend ordered the special, which was ravioli in a light and fresh tomato basil sauce. I had their take on eggs, called Oeuf Gamin. This consisted of a creamy poached egg atop a goat cheese and potato croquette which was then on top of a sizable portion of savory ratatouille. It was served with a side salad (I am *loving* the trend of side salads with breakfast/brunch foods, so much better than toast). It was amazing. I didn't get shots of the food, I think I was just so hungry I inhaled it before I could think about it.

One trend I'm also a huge fan of is Mexican Coca Cola - it's somewhat in demand with people who try to eat more pure foods and less chemicals because it contains real sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup. Although sugar, especially refined sugar, isn't very good for you, it's refreshing to have something real instead of processed corn syrup. I got a shot of my friend's bottle on the table.

 

Although I don't make a habit of drinking soft drinks, I will indulge in the occasional Mexican Coke! Every once in a while I do crave a crisp carbonated beverage and this fits the bill.

Another fantastic meal in North Brooklyn, I feel lucky to live here, indeed.

This is why I don't have "winter fatigue"

Leftover holiday decorations pepper the neighborhood.

Local businesses find ingenious ways to advertise.

You often see creative snow men people.

Freshly fallen snow muffling sound.

Wearing boots that make me invincible in slush and puddles.

Polish dumplings in mushroom sauce from Krolewskie Jadlo on Manhattan Ave.

And cats in cozy blankets!

I love my gym

My gym of choice is Otom Gym, on Calyer Street in Greenpoint. I love this gym! The equipment isn't brand new, but it's kept in good shape for the most part and there is a wide variety, more so than other gyms I've belonged to in the past. The best thing about this gym? People actually follow the rule about putting back plates after they are done using them! No more removing five 25 lb weights from each side of a leg press machine*...huzzah! The regulars here follow fantastic gym etiquette. Not only is everything kept clean and orderly, nary a gym grunter is to be found (at least there never has been when I go). They offer some classes and at various times have featured yoga, krav maga, Zumba and pilates.

I used to belong to the YMCA on Meserole and that is a good choice also. They have less equipment overall and when it's crowded that becomes a bit of a problem. I recommend off hours if possible (for me when I was working from home and would go on my lunch hour, it would be sometime between 11am-3pm). If you love classes, the Y has quite a few so I would recommend stopping by and picking up their class schedule list.

*I am loathe to make any negative remarks in this blog, but this was a regular occurrence at the Y. Men in the weight room simply did not put their multiple, heavy plates away, leaving me, a petite girl, to have to do it in order to use the machines. It drove me nuts and is just plain rude and insensitive!

Comfort food part deux

A lot of people dislike beets and I don't understand why. They are a gorgeous burgundy color, tasty, and fantastically good for you. I found a recipe for Warm Beet Vinaigrette several years back in a copy of Yankee magazine and I've carried it around with me ever since. It's got a tangy and unique taste, I think it's the combination of Dijon mustard with the more typical ingredients of beets and vinegar. It's also perfect for fall/winter when beets are in season and is best served warm. For example, I made this as a side dish for Thanksgiving last year.

The ingredients are easy to find at pretty much any local grocery store. I happened to get my ingredients at my local grocery store, Associated Supermarket on Manhattan Avenue*.

Warm Beet Vinaigrette ingredient list:

1 lb beets, peeled and thinly sliced (yellow beets would be fine to use in addition to red and adds lovely color)
1 small to medium onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced (or packaged minced garlic)
1/4 cup olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Here are the ingredients laid out before I started preparing the dish. (One note: I use disposable vinyl gloves to chop both the beets and the onion  - it prevents staining of the hands and the lingering smell onion oils leave on the skin. I bought the gloves at the Associated Supermarket also.)

1. In a large skillet, saute the onion in olive oil until golden (approximately 10 to 12 minutes).
2. Stir in the garlic, beets, salt & pepper (to taste). Cover the skillet and cook over low heat until the beets are tender. (Note: The recipe states 15-20 minutes but it often takes me 30 or more until the beets are completely tender. Use your judgment and check every 10 minutes or so.).
3. Stir in the vinegar and mustard well and leave to rest for 10 minutes. Serve warm.

Isn't this gorgeous? This is when I first stir in the beets with the onion/olive oil mixture.

I often have this as a side dish with a salad, here is how I had it today.

Enjoy and shop local!

*Other places that I shop or order from in the area are Natural Garden, Key Foods, The Garden, C-Town, and FreshDirect. In the warmer months I also shop at the McCarren Greenmarket and Eagle Street Rooftop Farms.

Comfort food

Who doesn't love mac and cheese? (Crazy people, that's who.) I know I do and it's the perfect comfort food. So how fortuitous is it that a mac and cheese joint, Brooklyn Mac, opened up within a few blocks from me! To further swing things in their favor, they have gluten free and vegetarian/vegan options as well. Doesn't it look DELICIOUS?

Brooklyn Mac
77 Norman Ave.
Greenpoint, Brooklyn

Small Kings County mac and cheese from Brooklyn Mac.

These make me impervious to winter weather

After the first big snowstorm of the winter, and getting my feet soaked in last year's (somewhat impractical, I admit) snow boots, I ventured out to get something that was actually waterproof.

To that end, I found some fabulous green rubber boots at:
Fabco
795 Manhattan Avenue, Greenpoint

I wanted to prevent snow from falling into the top of the boots, so I grabbed some legwarmers from:
Susie's Boutique
765 Manhattan Avenue, Greenpoint

And I must say that I find the Willy Wonka-eque green and purple color combo quite appealing!