VittlesVamp

My Chinese Take-Out Seder - Featuring Charlton Heston & A Cast Of Thousands

This year's Passover seder included - as usual - a reading of the Haggadah, nibbles of Charoseth and Horseradish and a visit from Elijah. It also featured - as usual - a video portion of the evening, when I cued up the plagues scene from the film version of "The Ten Commandments" so we could watch Charlton Heston and Yul Brynner pose and lock horns as the Nile turns to blood and hail falls from the sky.

The meal began with - as usual - my fantabulous homemade Matzoh Ball Soup. It drew moans of pleasure - as usual - from the crowd.

Then the usual took a nose dive. A turn. It fell off the map.

The main portion of the dinner did not continue with the traditional Beef Brisket, Stewed Lamb Shanks or even a Roast Chicken or two. Instead, I was convinced to feature the real deal Jewish food of real deal New Yorkers - Chinese.

And, brought forth to the table was Peking Duck, Sauteed Snow Pea Leaves with Garlic, Vegetable Fried Rice and Duck Tongue with Sugar Snap Peas in XO Sauce.

And, it was good. (Except for the Duck Tongues. Who would have expected them to have bones?!?)

Next year, may we celebrate in Shanghai. (Oooh! Soup dumplings filled with my Matzoh Ball chicken broth!?!)

D.O.C. OMG

Dang that was delicious! Damn fine!

I wasn't alone in this line of thought. I had a whole table of revelers agreeing with every "ooh" and "ahh." Even the archaeologically-inclined birthday girl, my pal Kristin, was enthralled.

From the Mediterranean bread salad pictured above to handmade noodles stewed in red wine and topped with tangy goat cheese...

...Williamsburg's D.O.C. Wine Bar put on quite the rustic Sardinian enoteca show.

Bottles of deep crimson, plummy wine were joyfully downed as platter after platter of glorious Southern Italian fare was devoured. A well-endowed salumi and cheese plate was welcome, as was a basket of Pane Carasau, traditional wafer thin crisps of bread, sprinkled with good olive oil and fresh rosemary.

Unsuprisingly, once we got to the third bottle of vino, an arugula salad with pear and blue cheese, two more pasta dishes and second basket of Pane Carasau, everyone at the table agreed that D.O.C. was the ideal pick for the b-day celebration.

Dessert just clinched the deal.

Espresso Panna Cotta. It originally came with a candle, which Kristin wished upon and blew out in a flash.

Can't help but hope that she wished we'd go back to D.O.C. for her birthday next year too.

Confections On The Page

Can't seem to kick this reading habit of mine.

Most recently, the object of my literary affection has been a confection - "Confections of a Closet Master Baker" to be exact.

When I picked up [this memoir] by Gesine Bullock-Prado, I noted the irony of the timing. Bullock-Prado's superstar sister Sandra Bullock had just won her first Academy Award. By the time I had finished the memoir, the actress's marital woes were splashed all over the blogosphere and celebrity rags...

To read on, check out my review on The Book Studio.

Another Study In Ice Cream Sandwich

This version -- a soft brioche bun, topped with crunchy sugar and filled with ambrosial gelato -- is actually considered breakfast in Sicily.

In Philly, it was simply a luxuriously self-indulgent afternoon treat at Capogiro, while Mama Vamp was in the midst of recovery. And, don't think for a second that she didn't ask for a pit stop at this artisanal gelateria within 24 hours of checking her out of the hospital.

That's Mama Vamp for you. No keeping a good woman - and a good eater - down.

Mama Vamp Tries Tripe

I've been off the grid once again. This time, I have a good excuse. I was in Philadelphia for a long spell to be by Mama Vamp's side while she had to deal with yet another hospital stay. She is fine. Recovering well. We're hoping this is the last hospital visit for a good while -- at the very least because hospital kitchen staff seems to have trouble even making Jello.

When I arrived, Mama Vamp being Mama Vamp, knew all too well of the trays of insipid chicken broth and Saltines that were coming her way.

Insisting on keeping her spirits up before going under the knife, she demanded a humdinger of a last supper.

A humdinger it was.

We hailed a cab and landed in Washington Square West where we grabbed a table at Marc Vetri's new Roman-inspired trattoria Amis. Mama Vamp liked the bustling dining room and open kitchen filled with dashing young chef-types chopping, sauteeing and plating to her desire. (I was pretty darn happy with the scene myself!)

Then the food starting coming. First up, a Bruschetta consisting of a gorgeous heap of fresh Buffalo Milk Ricotta topped with cracked black pepper, served alongside thick slices of toasted peasant bread. A winning trio of Pork Liver Terrine with Mostarda, Coppa with Hazelnut Honey, and Fennel Salami with Marmalade followed.

Mama Vamp was smiling. Smiling, but nervous. Not nervous about tomorrow's visit to the hospital. Nope. She was nervous about the next dish to land on the table: Stewed Tripe. Offal can put off a lot of people, but I was surprised that my mother was so apprehensive about the beautiful casserole put in front of us. Pictured above, you can rightly see that there was nothing to fear.

Thankfully, one bite into this hearty, flavorful dish, covered in cheese and bathed in sweet tomatoes, and Mama Vamp declared tripe to be one of her all-time favorite foods -- at least if it was Amis' Stewed Tripe.

A fantastic dish of Rigatoni with Swordfish and Eggplant Fries hit the table next, with a few tender slices of Roasted Lamb Shoulder holding up the rear. They were both wonderful, but neither offered up the same greedy, gleeful glint in Mama Vamp's eyes as the Stewed Tripe.

Now, all Mama Vamp has to do is listen to her doctors, go to physical therapy and work her way back to tip-top shape -- so she can visit me in New York, where I can take her to Locanda Verde for Tripe alla Parmigiana with a Fried Organic Egg.

If that won't motivate her, I don't know what will!

Licking The Pages

My mouth waters at the image of an elegant eclair, its pate choux puffed up and golden brown, decadently glazed in shiny dark chocolate ganache. Do I dare turn the page? I do!

Tempted to read on? Click on this link to The Book Studio to check out my book review of "Paris Patisseries: History, Shops, Recipes."