Eating our way through Rhinebeck, N.Y.

It was a big birthday weekend for Ryan, so we spent it in Rhinebeck, NY, one of our favorite little towns on the Hudson. So much of any trip like this one, for us at least, is about the food, but what better way to begin the trip than to arrive at one of the oldest inns in the U.S., the lovely Beekman Arms.

The bar in the Beekman Arms

The Beekman is magical. It has all the trappings of a quaint inn -- the historic documents lining the walls, the bar with its regulars (including the wonderful Homer Knickerbocker Staley, whose family has been in Rhinebeck for 7 generations), and a bottle of port to welcome you to your room. Each night before heading out to dinner we'd spend an hour or so in the bar, where there are plenty of regulars who are happy to fill you in on the history and lore of the Beekman. The food at the Beekman is fun -- more refined in the restaurant and good old pub fare in the bar. It's well worth the trip, and by far the loveliest place to stay in Rhinebeck.

The first floor landing at the Beekman

Registry, Beekman Arms

A must see while in Rhinebeck is the home of FDR, just a short ride into nearby Hyde Park. Similar to Sagamore Hill, the home of Teddy Roosevelt, FDR's home is simple and lovely, quite unlike its neighbor down the road, the Vanderbilt Mansion. One of the highlights of the tour was this line from the guide: "When the Queen of England visited Hyde Park, Sara Roosevelt, FDR's mother, finally met someone of her social status. For that visit she changed the slipcovers on the furniture." Compare that to the new money down the road, who wanted to prove they were the new royalty by displaying a 15th century Medici family crest above their fireplace.

We ventured out into the 20 degree night to eat at the Catherine de Medici restaurant at the CIA, the Culinary Institute of America. Ryan ordered much better than I did, for a change, and was well chuffed with his pasta starter and lamb dinner. But meal aside, I think it was this that did it for him:

For breakfast the next morning and the morning after, we headed to Bread Alone, located on East Market -- great coffee and reliable fare, not to mention the beautiful loaves of bread to take away for your trip home. And even after a hearty breakfast and lunch, we found room for dinner at Terrapin, one of the best spots in town. Terrapin is located in an old church, with dark wood and vaulted ceilings and wonderful food. I had short ribs over mashed potatoes, perfect for a freezing New York night, and Ryan had a hearty dish of rigatoni. But one of my favorite places in Rhinebeck is Arielle, a little bistro also on East Market. The food is reliably good, Mediterranean at heart, inventive and fresh. These little beauties were served with a yogurt dipping sauce and topped with fresh lemon juice and sea salt.

Artichokes at Arielle

Rhinebeck is a lovely little getaway, close to Manhattan and quite the foodie's town as to make it well worth the ride up there. I didn't even mention the farmer's market on Sundays in Town Hall, the beer and cheese shop across the street from the Beekman where you can get a bit of local cheese and hundreds of different beers, both local and far flung, nor the wineries, trails and parks in the area. But I don't have time for that right now; right behind me on my kitchen counter is a raisin and pecan loaf from Bread Alone that's demanding my attention...


My history geek moment: George Washington visited Rhinebeck in 1796, and both Aaron Burr and Morgan Lewis used taverns in the area as their campaign headquarters.

Eating our way through the Jersey Shore...Ocean City, NJ

We just got back from a few days in Ocean City, NJ, where there was plenty of sun, the beach, and a ton of eating.  Looking back at my pictures, I realize that most of them are of food. Well, not all....

Photo by Ryan Schneider

This is where we parked ourselves for the better part of the trip; that is, when we weren't eating. And as I mentioned, there was a lot of eating. I've always been a fan of Jersey food. I just think there's plenty to love about it, from the freshness of the fruits and vegetables to the reliability of some of the staples, like pizza. I learned to love pizza in New Jersey. My mother made it every Friday night, and still does, and my brother and I would walk around the corner whenever we were tired of playing and had 75 cents to spend on a slice. It was always just the right thing at the right time, and I never got tired of it. So when I heard about All Natural Pizza in Ocean City, I knew I had to give it a go.

One could easily walk by All Natural Pizza and never decide to stop in, and that would be a shame. Totally unassuming on the outside and something of a catch-all for items he's collected over the years, All Natural is Lou DeFusco's pride and joy. I love to meet people who are proud of their food and who love to talk about the craft of it. Lou sat down while we ate and told us all about his pizza -- the dough, the sauce, the cheese. All Natural has been in Ocean City since 1968, and Lou's family first began making dough in Italy in the 19th century. Ever the cagey chef, Lou wouldn't tell me how he makes his dough or sauce, but he did say that he doesn't use sugar in any of it. Now I've always assumed that one uses sugar in dough to activate the yeast, but Lou told me that he doesn't need to use sugar because he doesn't use tap water in his dough. Tap water contains chlorine, which kills the yeast, so no tap water means no sugar. Lou uses a starter dough for each new batch of dough he makes, and he uses the recipe for both his dough and the sauce that his family has been using for generations. The end result? Simply some of the best pizza I've ever tasted, and I'm finicky about pizza. The sauce is perfectly smooth and flavorful, the crust is thin and crispy, and the cheese is just lovely -- not that plasticy-tasting cheese one too often finds on pizza. This cheese is creamy and delicious.

Lou's pizza. Perfection!

 

A happy customer

Me and Lou

After Lou's pizza, we wandered over to the farmers market. I reminded Ryan that New Jersey is called the Garden State for this particular reason, the glorious flowers and produce that New Jersey produces for the surrounding areas. Wandering through the market we saw all manner of lovely fruits and vegetables, but none lovelier than those from Dave Monteleone Farms. I met Dave's wife, Doris, as I was passing by. Sitting at her stand were the most beautiful tomatoes I've seen in ages. I'm a tomato snob, I'll admit, so Doris urged me to try them, as each had its own taste and texture: the sweet orange cherry tomatoes were like candy, and the more tomatoey reds and yellows tasted like summer. Doris even had Heirlooms, but I was literally too overwhelmed by these beauties to take a picture of them. If it weren't for Ryan I wouldn't have even gotten these pictures!

 Doris also had baby eggplant, which I bought along with the tomatoes. I dressed the eggplant, cut lengthwise, in 1 1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil, 3 tablespoons of soy sauce and 2 cloves of garlic. All I did was grill them on a stove top grill, along with a few scallions, and they were heavenly! Doris and Dave Monteleone's farm is in Vineland, NJ, and they visit many of the local farmers markets in NJ. Their produce is gorgeous, and I would have paid twice the price for it, easily.

We decided to venture out and try one of the local restaurants for dinner. I've mentioned that NJ has wonderful produce (and pizza!), but it also has its share of great seafood. We found Jon and Patty's Coffee Bar and Bistro on the main drag and decided it looked good. A quick perusal of the menu was all it took to decide that the fish tacos were for me; after the waitress exclaimed, "these will change your life!!" I knew I'd made the right choice. Sure enough, the tacos were amazing. The cod was crisp and light and fresh and sat in a bed of sesame ginger slaw; there was a side of black beans and rice topped with the most fragrant mango salsa I've had in ages. Jon, the owner, came out to check on us halfway through the meal, which is always such a nice touch. I told him that the tacos struck the perfect balance...the crispy, savory fish combined with the crisp slaw and the sweet mangoes hit every part of my taste buds. They were really just perfect.

And finally, there's Katie, owner of Sandcastle Cupcakes on Asbury Avenue and the cutest thing on two legs, to be fair. It had always been Katie's dream to own a shop on Asbury, so after completing culinary school, she searched for a shop and found an old garage with a For Lease sign in the window. Sandcastle Cupcakes was born. Katie told me it was her dream to bring quality back to the cupcake business, so she uses all natural ingredients, which means nothing from a box. The result are these beauties...creative, fresh, beautiful works of art, and Katie is the artist. Her menu includes a ridiculous number of flavors -- I honestly don't know how she does it, but she does. There's salted chocolate, dulce de leche, pumpkin, strawberry, fig and brown sugar, carrot cake, and apple cinnamon, just to name a few. I tried the toasted coconut and the cannoli, and they were both perfect; not too sweet and clearly made from quality ingredients. Katie also sells gluten-free and vegan cupcakes, which is even more impressive if you ask me. We visited her shop twice, not only for the cupcakes, but for the lovely feel of the place as well. Katie has a blog where she recounts the adventures of the cupcake business and where you can learn the names of her kitchen equipment (love that). Go, Katie!

 

Me and Kaite

This requires no explanation!

Food is such an important part of a getaway. I find myself thinking of vacations in a multifaceted way: what's there to do in this place, what will I learn, how will I relax, and what will I eat? I loved Ocean City for its food most of all, and for all of these people who clearly love their craft. This was my favorite post to write so far for these wonderful and inspiring chefs. What an unexpected bonus! Thanks to Lou, Doris, Jon and Katie for all their stunning food.

My history geek moment: Ocean City once served as a summer fishing camp for local Native Americans.

Barcelona: my food mecca.

I love Spain. I think it's my favorite place on earth. There are other places I've traveled where the weight of history is greater for me than in Spain -- Istanbul, for example -- though Spain is not too shabby historically either. But Spain is comfortable for me, a place I feel so at home in, and a place I know I'll always return to. But enough about that. What about the food, you ask? Well! Just take a look.

 The only other place I've seen food like this was in Italy. Produce in your local grocery store just cannot compare to this, or to the feeling of being in an open air market in the middle of a city and buying your ingredients for that night's meal. There's nothing like it.

I've been to Madrid a few times and just love it, but food-wise, Barcelona is the place for me. Barcelona is like the younger, hipper sibling to Madrid. It's fresh and airy in a way Madrid is not. La Boqueria, Barcelona's open air food market, is bustling with people all determined to find the best produce, cheese and meats in the city...and they do.

 

 My favorite dish to eat in Spain is pulpo de gallega -- octopus drizzled with olive oil, salt and paprika. It's simple and refreshing. The best place in La Boqueria to get it is at Pinotxo Bar. This guy has been at Pinotxo for years, and he's as much worth the visit as is the pulpo.

Pulpo de gallega

 Another must visit is Cal Pep, tucked away on the Placa de les Olles. Here I ate the best tapas of my life, hands down.

A creamy, delicious tortilla

Chick peas and baby squid

Fried artichoke hearts and spinach with chick peas

Now, I think I'm a relatively adventurous cook, but I haven't yet tackled squid or octopus. I do try to make something Spanish every now and then, and pan con tomate, bread with tomatoes, is a dish that anyone can make. Try it now while tomatoes are in season, and you'll have on your hands a little slice of what life is like in Barcelona.

Pan con tomate
Grill slices of your favorite hearty bread. Rub with garlic. Slice a ripe tomato in half and rub the tomato on the bread until the juices soak through. Drizzle with a fruity olive oil and sprinkle with Kosher salt.

My history geek moment: There are conflicting theories about who founded the city of Barcelona. One story holds that it was founded by Hercules, another that it was founded by Hamilcar Barca, a Carthaginian general and father of Hannibal.