People have been quietly pointing out “Heath Ledger’s Bar” since they began remodeling the space across the street from Lokal, on the corner of Bedford and Lorimer in Greenpoint.  And now that it’s open, one can see people slowing down as they walk by, discussing the bar with their companions, and remarking “We should totally go there this weekend for brunch!”  I know because I sat on the bench in front of the restaurant waiting for my friends to meet me there for dinner!

Their lack of a good website was really frustrating, and the claim of “oyster bar” fascinating so we decided to “give it a go” and see what it was all about.  When we fearfully informed the waiter we were a party of 6, he was really friendly and accomodating- which was a good surprise.  The inside of the place is dark, candle lit and cute, which actually WAS expected. 

I had no idea what to expect, and when I got the menu I was a little dissapointed because there wasn’t much on it.  And nothing that looked really satisfying.  And as we all talked about what we were getting, and ordered wine, I realized that everyone around us were eating heaping piles of mesclun greens. 

Out of the 6 of us, we basically ordered the whole menu.  And the food was really good, if small portioned and over priced.  Two of us shared an order of truffle fries and I tried one- AMAZING.  But also 8 dollars.  I got the soup and the mashed potatoes, and the soup was really good- nice and clean/fresh tasting.  It might have been the best soup I’ve had in Brooklyn.  None of us got a flat-out entree becuase they were all really fancy and expensive and unappealing- I saw someone else’s and it was small.  Everything was accompanied by sides that didn’t sound good.

But we are all kind of dissapointed that there were no oysters.  And while I wouldn’t go back for dinner, maybe I would for snacks and wine and maybe for brunch.  And maybe someday when I am pregnant and craving truffle fries I will go and order some allfor myself, and eat them greedily in a dimly lit cramped corner. 

mini key lime pies

cream puffs with strawberries

potato salad

mexican spring rolls

veggie/real pigs in a blanket

We’ll see what makes it to the final menu, aka eaten by hordes of hungry humans.

I don’t like omlettes, but I’ve made hundreds of them and I learned how to make them in home and careers in 8th grade, so I kind of feel like the “omlette master” or something. So the key to omlettes is to make sure they are hot, fluffy, and cooked. It sounds easy, but I assure you it is not.

I cook omlettes a lot for my boyfriend, and he likes breakfast meats. This particular one had sausage, spinach and cheddar cheese. Firstly, I cooked the sausage on low heat and cut the links into smaller pieces. Next I cooked the spinach in the microwave and put both into a bowl. Here’s the next and crucial step:

Combine as many eggs as you want (I say 3-4) in a bowl, and try to use one more white than yolk. Pour a little WATER in the bowl, and whisk it. About 1/4 cup of water for 4 eggs will be perfect. Pour the mixture onto the pan you cooked the sausage on- at a low heat. While that’s cooking, chop up some cheese or set the table or whatever. Then, as the bottom and sides cook, drag the cooked egg with a spatula into the middle of your pan. Do this neatly and continuously until the egg is evenly cooked- and a little runny. Salt and pepper to taste.

Next, spread out the fillings onto ONE HALF of the egg, with the cheese on top. CAREFULLY take your spatula, and fold the eggs over, so that you’re looking at a half moon. Let that cook on low heat until you see that the cheese is good and melted. Place your plate over your pan, and flip it over gently; a perfectly plated and delicious omlette is what you’ll get.

You can cook omlettes for large groups- oh yes! Use a larger pan, more ingredients, and it will take longer. I did this for my family once, and my mom and dad loved it. Of course, my sister hate cheese and my brother hates egg yolks so it was only a three person omlette- it had mozzarella and asparagus. Omlettes are fun to experiment with, and I suggest using up all the crap in your fridge that is leftover from the week.

We ate this breakfast while watching Gilmore Girls and drinking tea; all balancing on our futon in front of the TV. I’m pretty sure some home-fries were eaten by our cats in the shuffle.

Here I am, nerding it out when my friend Dan made my guacamole recipe for the Co-Op where he worked.  Tuesday is Taco Day there and my guacamole sold out!  I am obsessed with avocados, and I try to incorporate them in everything I make.  In the summer, I make guacamole at least once a week.  One of my favorite things I like to make, I call Monika-Mex which pretty much is my take on various Mexican/Spanish themes on food.  Guacamole is the crutch of most Monika-Mex success.

Ingredients

RIPE AVOCADO- The most important ingredient in good GUAC is the avocado!  Make sure it is soft but not mushy, a good size, and a Hass avocado. Florida avocados SUCK.

small tomato

1/4 of a red onion- More onion the more you like onion!

lime juice- Squeeze a lime into all your ingredients!  As much citrus as you see fit!

pepper, sale, red pepper- To taste!  I like a lot of salt and pepper and a dash of spicy red pepper.

Take your avocado and cut it in half.  Cup one half in your hand and using a small knife, cut into the avocado in slices, making a grid into the flesh.  Use a spoon/fork to scrape the flesh into a biggish soup bowl.  The avocado should come out in cubes, or least smaller pieces.  Do this onthe other half as well.  If you are making your guac ahead of time, save the pit to put it in the bowl with the finished product, it will stop the avocado from turning brown.  SMUSH the avocado!  Now chop the tomato and the onion- I keep the tomato in lage cubes and I make the onion pieces really small.  Put those in the bowl, along with the lime, onion, pepper and red pepper.  STIR, TASTE, SEASON MORE IF YOU WANT TO.  That’s it! 

I made this guacamole a lot last spring, when the Buffalo Sabres were in the Stanley Cup playoffs.  We lost, but I invited friends over and we consoled ourselves with my guacamole and chips.  If you double the recipe, it’s enough for like 5 people to eat a lot of guac.