Bountiful Bolivia (and Venezuela too)

I do not know very much about South America or South American cuisine. There is an Argentine place Vronsky and I used to visit in Tribeca, but ever since he moved, we have not had the chance to visit as frequently, although they had the best rosemary lamb chops I have ever tasted, and a killer wine list to boot. I love Chilean wines as well and we have toyed with going to Buenos Aires and then to Chile for our honeymoon (a little culture, a little skiing, a little viewing-of-Penguins), but that is as far as my knowledge of that vast and vibrant continent goes, unless you count the tales of life in Rio that my Brazilian literary sub-agents tell me, in which case, I am packing my bags!

But a literary life on a Brazilian beach in a thong aside, over Thanksgiving, my parents took Vronsky and I to the most charming restaurant in Falls Church, VA, La Caraquena, which features authentic Bolivian and Venezuelan food. My mom and dad love trying new food and La Caraquena had received rave reviews in the Washingtonian and Washington Post and so as a nice pre-Thanksgiving meal on Wednesday night, squeezed into a booth in the petite, but homey, restaurant, and boy, were we in for a treat.

The head chef, Raul A. Claros, based the menu around traditional Bolivian and Venezuelan food, as he he was born in Venezuela to restauranteur parents, and then moved to Bolivia as a young man. The highlight of the entire meal was the Salteñas, which is essentially an empanada on steroids. They are tennis-ball sized "turnovers," and the crust is flavored with a mildly bitter seed called the achiote, but it sets off the flavor of the filling to a tee: robustly flavored beef with diced potatoes, carrots, peas, an olive or two and a chapped egg. I think I could have easily ordered 4 of those as a meal with a nice red wine and been perfectly satisfied.

But then I would have missed out on the arepas, which are the Venezuelan staples on the menu. Arepas are flat, white ground-corn cakes amendable for stuffing, and stuffed they were, as there are close to a dozen fillings to choose from on the menu, from black beans and grated white cheese to "Sifrina" (chicken salad with mayonnaise and avocado, and the "Perico," which is egg with chopped tomatoes and bell peppers. Then there is "JP's Favorite," which was my favorite too: thin slices of garlicky steak with onions and cilantro.

My sister had the peanut soup, which was quite delicious although I don't know if I could have taken an entire bowl of it. I loved their black bean soup, mopped up with some of their yuca fries, and while we were busy stuffing our faces we were also angering our livers with some of their delicious passion fruit or mango margaritas.

After we waddled off home, Vronsky and I were fairly dead set on honeymoon-ing in Bolivia just so we could stuff ourselves with salteñas. While that might not eventually come to fruition (Greece might still call my name), we'd like to keep exploring Latin American, if only on our dinner plates!

There is Boca Chica on 1st Ave near Houston that I have heard is quite tasty, and then there is El Cocotera for traditional Venezuelan food in Chelsea. Industria Argentina is that place in Tribeca that I now have a yen to return to, and if any one has any other recommendations for places in Manhattan or Brooklyn, let me know in the comments! Till then, I'll be pining for those La Caraquena salteñas until I am home again for Christmas.

New Year's Resolutions: "To change the color of my mood ring"

While en route to Washington DC for the holidays I had some down time to browse through about six different newspapers and magazines while waiting for my train, and I had the good fortune to read through Sam Sifton's review of La Grenouille for The New York Times. Sifton actually used to work as the culture editor for the paper and I used to try and get him to review some of my books, but I get the sense he is quite happy in his new position.

Sifton believes that La Grenouille is one of the last great French haute cuisine restaurants in the city, and as he regales the reader with luscious descriptions of each course, he claims that their dover sole, filleted table side, sauced with butter and served with a side of soft, golden mustard sauce "will change the color of your mood ring."

It is a bit of an odd figure of speech, but for those of us that suffered from some middle school fashion crises (skater jeans, any one?) and owned a mood ring, they really are quite nifty and the idea of a single bite being so transformative on ones state of mind is a noble one indeed. After all, that first bite of a perfect turkey sandwich during a Monday lunch can erase a stressful morning. Hot butternut squash soup can chase away a winter's chill, and I am sure the perfect piece of bacon saved many lives on January 1st.

So one of my many new year's resolutions, besides the usual don't spend so much money, don't drink so much, give more time and money to charity, go to church, etc. etc., is to try and have as many mood-ring changing experiences as possible.

Mood-ring changing experience, of course, can embody many things, and I am including some nights out at the opera, ballet, philharmonic, trips to the Frick and Met, and some more marathons/triathlons in there as well. However, those will come few and far between in my daily life, and I believe I can have many mood-ring changing experience with food alone, at any price range.

When Vronsky and I are feeling flush with cash, a trip to La Grenouille will definitely be in order. (There goes that pledge to not spend so much money...)

Nobu Next Door is such an experience and the perfect place to try new things, from a different piece of sashimi to miso cod. Nobu Next Door shares the same kitchen as Nobu, but they do not accept reservations and therefore easier to get into than Nobu proper. Every time I go there is a mood-ring changing moment, and well worth a few trips in the new year.

Jack the Horse in Brooklyn Heights was a great new discovery by Vronsky, and while Brooklyn may seem far-flung to some, it is off the first stop in Brooklyn on both the 2, 3 (Clark Street) and the A, C (High Street). Jack the Horse serves wonderful "gourmet-country" style cuisine, from incredible brussel sprouts, complete with those lovely charred edges, to perfectly braised short ribs and house-cured charcuterie. It is a great neighborhood spot for a Tuesday night, be it a date, a catch-up dinner with some friends, or just an incredible home-style meal to ease your cares away.

Another great spot for a quick lunch-time mood change, if you work in midtown, is Le Bonne Soup on 55th between 6th and 5th. The food there is classic bistro food, from crepes to perfect little quiches and pomme frites, and so damn delicious that Vronsky and I were actually inspired to take a trip to Paris while stuffing ourselves with some of their airy chocolate mousse.

And what if you would like to change your "mood-ring" at home? A quick, easy, comforting thing to make that will also make your apartment smell divine. You can buy pre-made crusts at your local grocery store, and either pulp your own tomatoes with some basil and garlic for sauce or buy a nice looking jar at the store. Sprinkle on a little mozzarella, slice up some pepperoni and sweet peppers, maybe even pre-sautee some onions and put those on as well (they need some pre-cooking since they take so long to cook), and then pop in the oven for about 15 minutes, and voila. Yummy for the tummy.

Here's to 2010!

At the risk of sounding like a hypocrite...

....I have just discovered a great brand of canned soup. I know, I know, I just waxed poetic about the virtues of making your own chicken soup, and while I still hold that it tastes better to make your own (and healthier too), sometimes you just don't have the time or wherewithal to do so, and damn it, you want soup NOW.

Amy's Organic Soup is where it's at. It is sold nation-wide, even in my dinky little Associated Supermarket on 22nd Street. It is delicious and cheap, so stock up! I love that the ingredients are almost exactly in line with what it would take to make it at home (no MSG or tons of salt or other preservatives), and the serving size is perfect. For example, their cream of tomato: ORGANIC TOMATO PUREE, FILTERED WATER, ORGANIC CREAM, ORGANIC EVAPORATED CANE JUICE, ORGANIC ONIONS, SEA SALT, SPICES. Nice! This is versus, say Campbell's, which has high-fructose corn syrup, vegetable oil, citric and ascorbic acid, and a lot more salt.


It really lacks that "canned" taste, and has a great texture (not too liquidy, like a lot of pre-packaged soups. I am a big fan of the Creamy Tomato, Lentil, and Spanish Rice and Red Bean. They are a great pantry addition for any late-nights or sick days, when you need some hot comfort food but can't necessarily leave the house for supplies to make your own chicken soup or juk. (Although to be fair, I am never without rice, chicken, and ginger...).