Recipe on the Upper West Side

I realised I've been struggling to find a term for the type of food I like – all this farmer's market local fare, food flavored by the freshness of ingredients themselves and some herbs that don't really have a distinguishing sauce to give themselves a cuisine name (black bean sauce - Chinese food. Terriyaki Sauce – Japanese food. Too much butter – French food.). I'm always asked what type of food I cook at home – you mean you don't cook Chinese food? Chinese food is often garlic, ginger and a lot of sauce. I cook up whatever I find fresh at the market, with minimal sauce, but with garlic and sometimes ginger – what type of food is that?

Over the weekend Salman and I were struggling to find somewhere for dessert and coffee. I held out until almost 3 with no coffee and was quickly turning really cranky. Surreptitiously, we chanced upon Recipe, with unfinished wood beams the inside looked...charming. We didn't really need to contemplate the menu further after seeing 'pork rilettes' and 'foie gras terrine', and made a mad dash inside. I instantly forgave them for not having espresso drinks, downing cup after cup of filter coffee, college diner style in big cheery yellow mugs.

We had such a charming afternoon, I poked around their website to see how they talked about themselves, what they called this type of food.



Salman looking really...strange. and really creepy.

Apparently, it's called Rustic. I think they call it Rustic American, but I would hardly call foie gras terrine American. And I think Rustic is a good word, because it isn't shy and it isn't dainty, but it is hearty and makes you happy. Food in its real state, not deconstructed or wobbling about in a precarious tower. Hearty, Happy and Homemade. As food should be. I found it peculiar that at a restaurant in Zurich, the server announced to us that the creme brulee was fantastic, and it was made in the restaurant itself. I ordered it, but was really bothered by this because shouldn't everything that a restaurant serves be...made...in...the restaurant itself? (Aside: I popped into a cafe that I quite like and they advertised "Homemade Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches" and I automatically assumed that they made the bread and made the jelly, but I spied a bottle of Beth's jam. Incidentally, I have bought Beth's Jam before from the Farmers Market, but I think it is deceiving to advertise HOMEMADE sandwiches when what it REALLY was, was Home-Assembled sandwiches.)

Anyway! We had a lovely afternoon. What was originally meant to be coffee and cake turned into brunch #2 (blueberry chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast), and we polished off toffee banana goodness and a delightful pignoli tart. This competes with my other love, The Roebling Tea Room, another Rustic sort of place.