Union Sqaure Cafe

Union Square Cafe

www.unionsquarecafe.com

21 East 16th Street
New York, NY 10003
(212) 243-4020

So I've been meaning to go here for a while. I went to Maialino a few months ago and loved it (I promise one day I will review all the restaurants that I've eaten, in NY, Hawaii, and Boston... but it takes a bit of time...It will get done though..). The other and original Danny Meyer restaurant did not disappoint. First came a tuna tartare that was good (a little salty for my taste though). My dining partner enjoyed it immensely however, I'm just not the biggest fan of capers so I just accept that I was biased to begin with... For my main course, I ordered the pork lasagna. The Lasagna used fresh pasta and balanced the meat and cheese well. Surprisingly, that balance came in not using too much cheese at all. The dish was comprised with a savory tomato based sauce with well seasoned pork, layered between perfectly cooked pasta. For dessert, I decided against something sweet, and decided to go with the cheese plate. I loved one of their raw cow's milk cheese (forgot the name). But this cheese was perfectly harmonized with the honeycomb honey on top of the walnut toast. Delicious.

In all, the beauty of the Union Square cafe was not the overwhelming flavors, or the wonderful service. The beauty was in the balance.

Citrus and Beet Salad

I need to start cooking more with beets. This is next on my list of things. I was just at the grocery store and thought, "I love beets, I should really cook with them more." This recipe looks simple enough for my first foray into beet-ness..

Isabella's Citrus and Beet Salad

Recipe adapted from Jason Kim, Forage, Los Angeles

INGREDIENTS

6 large beets, washed and trimmed

1 cup fresh citrus juice (such as tangelo, lime, orange or lemon--or any combination of these)

1 small shallot, finely chopped

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

3 tangelos or oranges

1 cup arugula

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 400˚. Place the beets in a roasting pan and cover with foil. Roast until the beets are tender when poked with a fork, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove the beets from the oven. When they're cool enough to handle, peel and let cool completely.

2. In a small bowl, whisk the citrus juice with the shallot. Let the shallot rest in the citrus juice for 10 minutes, then whisk in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cut the beets into wedges and toss them in the vinaigrette. Let the beets marinate for 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, working with 1 tangelo at a time, use a sharp knife to remove the peel and pith in strips, following the curve of the fruit. Cut the fruit crosswise into ¼-inch slices. Repeat with the remaining fruit.

4. Remove the beets from the vinaigrette with a slotted spoon and divide among six plates along with the tangelos, reserving the vinaigrette.

5. Top each salad with a handful of arugula leaves and drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette. Sprinkle with the feta and serve.

⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese