My cousin Bani and I have a great love and appreciation for Italian cuisine.  I have always loved Italian food and often prefer it over Indian food.  My cousin loves it because of her trip to Italy a few years back.

Our original plan was to eat at Arriba Arriba on W 51st Street and 9th Avenue but because it was ridiculously crowded and noisy we decided to walk down and check out the other restaurants along 9th avenue.  As we walked we saw an empty restaurant, La Vineria.  It was odd to see this restaurant empty especially since it had been open for two hours already.

My cousin and I decided to give it a try.  We sat in the back of the restaurant which was fully equipped with mood lighting, air conditioning and Italian music.  You can tell my cousin and I are related because we both looked at each other and decided we wanted the exact same meal.  We even had the same wine choice: a glass of Pino Grigio. Our entrée was a mushroom and cheese ravioli swimming in a sweet creamy tomato sauce with a little parmesan cheese shaved on top.

Before you get to take a bite of your meal the waiter places a bread basket filled with flavorless bread sticks and two types of yummy bread.  For dipping there were lentils soaking in a spicy garlic extra virgin olive oil. My cousin did not really want the lentils and scooped out the olive oil but I gave the lentils a try and it was not as bad as I thought.

I actually had more fun drinking the wine and eating the bread than actually the entire meal.  The ravioli itself was mediocre.  The sauce was too sweet and the mushrooms were a tad overpowering.  I would have prefered a little more cheese but hey, I am a cheese girl.  Everything tastes much better to me with more cheese!

We decided against dessert especially since the price for a meal for two glasses of wine and two plates of ravioli was $50.  We opted for a less expensive but still satisfying dessert: Coldstone.

My overall rating of this meal: B+.

I think I have over done it with the cheese and bread for a while.  I am going to attempt a no cheese and no bread diet for a week. Wish me luck!

Peace, love & no beef!

Guramrit

Tonight for dinner I wanted something quick and easy and of course something that was pasta!

I tried a new Lean Cuisine Market Creation: Mushroom Tortellini. It is mushroom and cheese tortellini with snap peas, sun-dried tomatoes, red peppers and peas drowned in a mushroom cream sauce.  I love mushrooms but boy was this a mushroom overload.  The sauce was watered down and disgusting.  I know Lean Cuisine is trying to help maintain skinny waist lines but I need more than four pieces of tortellini to fill me up.  I was still hungry after I ate this pasta dinner.  I had to add marinara sauce and parmesan cheese to the pasta to actually add any type of appeal to this dish.

The only good part of the dinner?  The tortellini itself was delicious but all the extra froofroo was unnecessary and disgusting.

Lean Cuisine for Vegetarians, please step your game up.  I am really discouraged from buying these meals.

That is all for now.

Peace, love & no beef.

Guramrit

I was finally reunited with my best friend after 7 weeks and we always stuff our faces with the most junky food possible.  My best friend loves Twinkies, Oreos and of course New York City Style Pizza.

We waddled down the streets near my apartment and eventually ended up at a hidden diner called Nicky’s.  Communicating with the waitress was a hassle but eventually we decided to just eat simply and have wraps with french fries.

Even though I was hungry and just wanted to eat, I have a good amount of complaints about the wrap. The moment I peeled the wax paper off of the wrap it immediately fell apart and started to drip.  The wheat tortilla was filled with iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, mushrooms and swiss cheese but drenched in a very tangy vinaigrette that was probably a spinoff of Italian dressing.  I was annoyed with the dressing especially because it was overwhelming and dripped out of the wrap.  I spent most of my time picking at my fries which were not as I imagined either.

My best friend and I asked for cheese fries but these fries just had a slice of American cheese slabbed on top of the freshly fried frites.  I was disgusted especially since I HATE AMERICAN CHEESE. American cheese to me is just a processed glob of grossness that lacks flavor.  I am more of a cheddar cheese kind of girl.

Well, that’s the gospel truth on wraps.

Peace, love & no beef!

Guramrit

I have been craving pasta for the past few days so when I got the opportunity to eat my boyfriend’s uncle’s penne a la vodka I was more than thrilled.  I began to salivate at the thought of being able to consume such a heavenly dish.

The penne was cooked perfectly and was immersed in a creamy luxurious sauce.  The sauce was rich, creamy and comforted my mouth with each bite.  I could taste the parmesan cheese in each bite along with the little hints of vodka taste minus that awful burn that accompanies a normal shot.  It tasted like great time, quality and love was put into each bite especially in the selection of ingredients.

What was even more fascinating for me was the fact that my boyfriend’s uncle runs a Kosher Pizza shop (I never heard of one before) and that this penne concoction came from there.  I must admit I did indulge in a slice of pizza or two from this pizza spot because it was incredible! I adore New York style large slices but these medium-sized slices were the incredible compliment to the penne.  Of course I was sharing so I was not packing on super amounts of calories, carbs and fat.

I wish I could go back in time and eat more of this penne a la vodka. I think I should create my own pasta with vodka sauce in the near future.  I have so many culinary ambitions and I hope I can accomplish them before the summer ends.

Peace, love & no beef!

Guramrit

I had a great deal of corn left from what my mommy made for dinner. For a little snack I decided to slice up a few baby tomatoes and toss it together with the corn and a little dash of Sazon (a seasoning packet that Goya sells to add zest to all meals).

I took the tomato and corn mixture and put it on top of tortilla chips and shredded some cheddar cheese on top.  I popped this into the microwave for a little less than a minute and voila instant snack! If you want a little more substance you can have some salsa for dipping on the side!

Happy Snacking Readers!

Peace, love & no beef!!!

Guramrit