I’m tentatively dipping a toe back into the proverbial blogging pool, hoping not to blow up my web server. One minute I’m writing about squash soup; the next I’m mired in CPU usage issues, caching and mySQL databases. This has not been fun. (The blog is ugly and dysfunctional right now, but I’m working on it.)
Are any of you web developers? Wanna aid a food blogger with some technical help? Seriously, I’ll buy you dinner.
Anyhow, let’s get to the food talk.
My friend Ron just bought a new kick-ass scooter, complete with a kick-ass jacket and helmet. He braved frigid temperatures and scooted over to meet me for lunch at Portobello, an Italian/Mexican spot tucked into a small shopping strip — minutes from where I grew up in Croton.
No menus at Portobello, just a blackboard listing the day’s offerings. I don’t know that I’ve been to a restaurant serving both Italian and Mexican dishes.
I started with horchata, a chilled, creamy drink of almond-rice milk. It’s very delicious, and something I’d like to try to make at home.
For our lunch, Ron and I both went with the steak soft tacos. This after we’d had a discussion about the ethics of eating animals that possess self-awareness, like pigs. The cow, we decided, does not possess self-awareness.
The tacos were served with small sides of beans and rice. A very pretty plate, though I think we both agreed that the tacos were on the mild side. I could have used the zing of some spice.
After lunch, still feeling peckish (a great word my Aussie friend Veronica uses), I drove down to Los Andes Bakery in Sleepy Hollow for a dessert.
I wish I could tell you the names of the Chilean pastries at Los Andes, but I haven’t a clue. All I can say is, each was amazing looking, and rather large (their website has several pics with names). On a whim, I pointed at two cookies.
A fruity filling (apricot?) nestled inside a soft, crumbly cookie.
And a light, flaky cookie smothered in powdered sugar, which of course, went spraying all over my mouth and coat. Messy. But worth it.
Around Los Andes Bakery I was shocked to discover an enclave of Latin eateries I never knew existed: El Paraiso del Sabor, Que Chula es Puebla and Sweet Majos (selling ice cream). Que Chula was Mexican, the other two, possibly Peruvian? They looked great — a visit to one of them is imminent.
Portobello Cafe
2081 Albany Post Rd.
Montrose, NY
914-737-2244
Los Andes Bakery
180 Valley St.
Sleepy Hollow, NY
914-631-3256
Portobello Cafe and Los Andes Bakery
I’m tentatively dipping a toe back into the proverbial blogging pool, hoping not to blow up my web server. One minute I’m writing about squash soup; the next I’m mired in CPU usage issues, caching and mySQL databases. This has not been fun. (The blog is ugly and dysfunctional right now, but I’m working on it.)
Are any of you web developers? Wanna aid a food blogger with some technical help? Seriously, I’ll buy you dinner.
Anyhow, let’s get to the food talk.
My friend Ron just bought a new kick-ass scooter, complete with a kick-ass jacket and helmet. He braved frigid temperatures and scooted over to meet me for lunch at Portobello, an Italian/Mexican spot tucked into a small shopping strip — minutes from where I grew up in Croton.
No menus at Portobello, just a blackboard listing the day’s offerings. I don’t know that I’ve been to a restaurant serving both Italian and Mexican dishes.
I started with horchata, a chilled, creamy drink of almond-rice milk. It’s very delicious, and something I’d like to try to make at home.
For our lunch, Ron and I both went with the steak soft tacos. This after we’d had a discussion about the ethics of eating animals that possess self-awareness, like pigs. The cow, we decided, does not possess self-awareness.
The tacos were served with small sides of beans and rice. A very pretty plate, though I think we both agreed that the tacos were on the mild side. I could have used the zing of some spice.
After lunch, still feeling peckish (a great word my Aussie friend Veronica uses), I drove down to Los Andes Bakery in Sleepy Hollow for a dessert.
I wish I could tell you the names of the Chilean pastries at Los Andes, but I haven’t a clue. All I can say is, each was amazing looking, and rather large (their website has several pics with names). On a whim, I pointed at two cookies.
A fruity filling (apricot?) nestled inside a soft, crumbly cookie.
And a light, flaky cookie smothered in powdered sugar, which of course, went spraying all over my mouth and coat. Messy. But worth it.
Around Los Andes Bakery I was shocked to discover an enclave of Latin eateries I never knew existed: El Paraiso del Sabor, Que Chula es Puebla and Sweet Majos (selling ice cream). Que Chula was Mexican, the other two, possibly Peruvian? They looked great — a visit to one of them is imminent.
Portobello Cafe
2081 Albany Post Rd.
Montrose, NY
914-737-2244
Los Andes Bakery
180 Valley St.
Sleepy Hollow, NY
914-631-3256