Had a fabulous meal at Blue Smoke Saturday night. Blue Smoke, if you are not familiar, is part of the Danny Meyer empire of NYC restaurants. It had been on my list for a long time, and since my husband is a huge BBQ fan and it was his birthday, I thought this was the perfect excuse (like I ever need an excuse for venturing to a great restaurant)!
No party is complete without proper cocktails, eh? We arrived early so we could spend some time at the bar and what you see above is a perfect Mojito (him) along with a sublime Blood Orange Margarita (me). The bar was packed but a band of attentive bartenders kept everybody happy. We ordered the Warm BBQ Potato Chips with Blue Cheese Bacon Dip as a proper accompaniment to our drinks.
Seated now, we prepared ourselves to be amazed by dinner, and it did not disappoint. I ordered the Texas Salt and Pepper Beef Ribs, which were succulent, smoky and delicious.
Barry indulged in the Sampler Plate: Memphis Baby Backs, Kansas City Spareribs and Texas Beef Ribs, only instead of the Texas Ribs he substituted the Pulled Pork. The KC Spareribs were superb - juicy, spicy, and in a terrific sauce. The Pulled Pork was amazing - tender, just vinegary enough, and probably the best I've ever had (and I've had great examples in North Carolina where it's their stock in trade). We ordered three side dishes: Braised Collard Greens with Bacon, Hush Puppies with Jalapeno Marmalade, and Baked Pit Beans with Pork. I am not a huge fan of collards, but Barry was thrilled with it. The hush puppies were outstanding - light and full of deliciously corny flavor with a not too spicy marmalade. The beans were smoky and creamy.
True to form, the legendary Danny Meyer service was evident last night. The wait staff is friendly (without being overbearing), water glasses are quietly refilled without asking, drinks come when ordered, and all while the house is fully committed. It's a sad commentary that this is the exception rather than the rule, but most restaurants cannot pull this off.
To finish the meal, we thoroughly enjoyed the Key Lime Pie, a just tart enough, creamy custard served ice cold in a honey graham crust.
NYC has an abundance of celebrity chefs and restauranteurs but they don't always live up to the hype. Blue Smoke does. Next on my Danny Meyer checklist: Maialino, his tribute to the summer he worked in Italy and without fail ordered "maialino" (roast suckling pig) every night for dinner. All I can say is, "andiamo!"
It's almost Cinco de Mayo - that important Mexican holiday (where the Mexican militia defeated the French army in 1862) that in the US is basically celebrated with beer, tequila, salsa and chips. Well, you need a little sweet to go with all that alcohol and salt, don't you? So how about Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies? The "hot" coming from a healthy addition of chili powder.
But before we get to the cookies, I want to tell you about a terrific Mexican restaurant in Manhattan that we visited last week. It's called Hell's Kitchen (appropriate, given its location in that section of NYC and it's focus on Mexican foods) and it's not your average south of the border restaurant. It's a rather small space, the tables are a little too close together, and the noise level at peak times approaches a low roar (oh, and the lighting is so low, I almost had to ask for a flashlight to read the menu). So why would I even bother telling you about this place? It's the food, of course!
Our meal began with two appetizers - Duck Confit Empanadas with Cranberry Mole and Pico de Gallo, and Hoja Sania Crusted Tuna Tostados with Guacamole and Grilled Pineapple - fabulous!
Entrees consisted of Grilled Shrimp with Serrano Sauce, Sweet Plantain and Guacamole; Skirt Steak Tacos; Ancho Crusted Tuna and Yucca Cake with Smoky Peanut Sauce; and a wonderful Chilean Sea Bass. Everything was outstanding - not to mention the luscious and thirst-quenching Pineapple Margaritas and the Wajito (a lovely concoction of light run, fresh watermelon, lime juice, and fresh mint).
As we were running to make the 8pm curtain on Broadway, we didn't get to sample dessert at Hell's Kitchen, but that's what the Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies are for.
The cookies are from (yet another) edition of Martha Stewart's Everyday Food. I have made these cookies twice in the last two weeks because they are just that good. And they are super easy to make, and let me see, what else? Right - delicious! Soft, chewy, so chocolatey-cinnamony, and with that extra little twist of chili powder, it ranks right up there in my all time cookie best.
So if you are planning a little Cinco de Mayo celebration of your own next week, go ahead and serve the usual suspects, but spice things up a bit with these cookies. Happy Cinco de Mayo!
Print Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookie Recipe Here 
Pear Margarita
