Jalapeno's for dessert?!? Of course!!

I am one that LOVES anything spicy! I also love everything chocolate! I recently ate a candy bar that was jalapeno flavored chocolate and thought I had died and gone to heaven. I did a search looking for the brand online and couldn't find it, but came across some very interesting ideas for jalapenos. Chocolate covered jalapeno's?! Who knew!!!

I decided to try this out for myself but add a nice little twist. I also learned a few things along the way with how I will perfect this recipe for next time!

The ingredients:
- Jalapenos
- Semi Sweet Morsels
- Peanut Butter
- Peanut Butter Morsels
- Nutella (I didn't use, but will use next time!)

 

 1). Core out the Jalapenos, since if you leave the seeds, thry may be too hot!

 

 2). For the peanut butter filled version, stuff the jalapenos with peanut butter.

 

 3). Melt the semi-sweet morsels and dip the jalapenos into the chocolate to coat.
 4). Melt the peanut butter morsels and drip on top to decifer which jalapenos are filled with peanut  butter versus which are not. Unfortunately, not everyone is a peanut butter lover like me!

 

 5). Next, onto the chocolate filled and covered jalapenos. I learned a lesson with this version. I filled this version with melted semi sweet morsels. When the inside hardened, it became difficult to eat, especially for fragile teeth. Next time I make these, I am going to fill with Nutella, and just coat the outside with the semi-sweet morsels so it will be easier to eat for all.

 

 

 All in all, this was a delicious experiment! They were definitely spicy! As with any jalapenos, some will be spicier than others. I found the peanut butter ones to be less spicy overall because the peanut butter smoothed over the spicy flavor a little more. A definite party pleaser!

 

Enjoy!

Butterfish - Great Quality, No Frills Sushi

 

I recently dined at Butterfish (located at 550 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10022), and it was a really unique experience.

My boyfriend and I were introduced to the place by a Gilt City Deal that we bought. We had recently had omakase at Sushi Seki, (known for their Omakase) and couldn't wait to get our mouths on another bite of omakase style sushi at a much more affordable price. When we saw the deal, we immediately jumped at the opportunity.

While, the deal was called omakase, I wouldn't exactly say we were served the same type of omakase as that of Sushi Seki, but we were still greatly pleased. Sushi seki decorated and sauced up each and every piece they served us, while Butterfish served us very plain fish that was supposed to be all about the taste, freshness, and quality of the fish. There was no need to dress up this fish.

Our deal included the "Kobe" tasting menu for each person and also 2 drinks per person. All in all, it was a great value! For a sushi place they had quite the selection of hard liquor. Just to name a few, they offered Belvedere, Grey Goose, and even Johnny Walker Blue! Also, my boyfriend loved the sake they served him.

 

First, we started off with Edamame. Not sure you can go wrong with Edamame, but it was the perfect temperature and crispness!


Edamame

Secondly, we had the sashimi of the day, which was Tuna in this very amazing sauce covered with scallions. Neither my boyfriend and I knew what was in the sauce, but we kept dipping our chop sticks back into it when we were done eating to get more of the flavor into our mouth.



Tuna Sashimi covered in scallions in a very yummy sauce

Next we were served 2 pieces of salmon sushi and 2 pieces of albacore tuna sushi. The flavor of both of these were so fresh and were a much larger size than most places serve. Nice thick slices!



Salmon Sushi and Albacore Tuna Sushi

Next up, we were served yellowtail, Tuna, and Seabass Sushi pieces. The yellow tail was so fresh it melted in your mouth. The seabass had such an amazing taste that we later ordered more. I felt the pieces were also of great size!

Yellowtail, Tuna, Seabass

Next, and my favorite, we were served the crab hand roll. I always never really thought I liked handrolls because I never had them made this good! The crunchy texture of the seaweed with the sticky rice and amazing flavor of crab all in one bite made me smile. I couldn't get enough of this hand roll. We ended up ordering seconds of this item as well :)


Crab Hand Roll



Seconds - Seabass Sushi and Crab Hand Rolls

 

I definitely enjoyed my experience at Butterfish and definitely will be back! I think its perfect for a girl's night dinner since we all tend to enjoy the healthier type of sushi with not a lot of sauce. I wouldn't go here if you are in the mood for the Americanized version of sushi where you order a Special Roll that is jam packed with crunch, spicy mayo, and 3 kinds of fish all in one. If you are in the mood to really enjoy the flavor of the fish and the fish alone, then Butterfish is your place!



Grand Central Oyster Bar - a NYC Staple

Located: 89 East 42nd Street, New York, NY 10017 in the lower level of Grand Central

I finally made it to the Grand Central Oyster Bar. I always viewed it as a place people went in and out of for a quick oyster before running to the train. It definitely was much more than that! People were coming into Grand Central just to go here!

I went for the happy hour special which was $1.25 blue point oysters and $1 Clams at the Lounge portion of the restaurant. The blue points were large and definitely of great quality. They looked so amazing when they arrived at our table that I forgot to take a picture! :(
I was extremely satisfied. The Tito's Martini on the happy hour menu was also a very generous portion. I have to admit, I felt buzzed after one martini!

For the meal, I ordered my favorite food, The Lobster Roll. When I asked the waitress if it was the creamy or buttery type, she did advise me that is was the cold creamy(mayo) version. I normally prefer the buttery type, so I was a little nervous to order, but she assured me it was not overly creamy and that the pieces were chunky versus in lobster salad form. She was right!

Lobster Roll with Sweet Potato Chips and Coleslaw

 

The Lobster was cold with very light mayo, if any at all. It was like eating huge, cold, refreshing chunks of lobster on a nice toasted bun. It was perfection. The fresh, homemade sweet potato chips that came with it were also extremely delicious, along with the creamy coleslaw.

My dining partner enjoyed the Pan Fried Maryland Jumbo Soft Shell Crabs that were served with aspargus and potatoes. The Soft Shell Crabs were pan fried in a delicious garlic herb butter...so divine! It was definitely different than the cayenne seasoned version of soft shell crabs I am used to. 

Pan Fried Maryland Jumbo Soft Shell Crabs

On the side, we shared Kale Sprout Lollipops. This was a combination of kale and brussel sprout bulbs. They had some garlic flavor and were cooked to perfection. A delightful way to make sure we both had our greens for the day! 

Kale Sprout Lollipops

All in all, I would definitely recommend Grand Central Oyster Bar for happy hour or dinner. They have a large menu that is different every day, and great happy hour specials. Also, it looks like it would be great for a group dinner, as they have an area with counter service style tables that is in the shape of an open rectangle so everyone can see each other in the rectangle. 

Enjoy!