Life@(The Purnomo)Home

This is getting to be a bit much.  I promise I'll stop with the publicity posts soon but this one is too good not to share.

Late last year, we were asked by a good friend of ours, who happens to be a journalist with our local paper, to be featured in a Chef@Home article that he writes for the Times Union's Life@Home Magazine.  And as we're learning in this blog, I don't turn down publicity. 

In early March, we found out that we were scheduled to do the shoot later that month.  Cue three weeks of frenzied house clean-up and decorating.  All of those annoying little projects that we put off after the renovations definitely needed to be finished before a photographer stepped foot in my home. 

Or so I thought. 

Naturally, the pics that made it in the magazine only showed our kitchen and a bit of the living room.  None of the fancy new artwork, window treatments or gorgeous fresh floral arrangments appeared.

Oh well.  It was the kick in the ass that we needed to get the house done.  At least now we can relax and enjoy it.

We had a fantastic time during shoot, preparing and serving three courses for six.  Husband also paired two wines (one white, one red) with each course.

Course 1:  duck tacos with homemade salsa and creme fraiche
Course 2:  bacon-wrapped cipollini salad with hot bacon vinaigrette
Course 3:  paella (with every seafood variety known to man)
Dessert:  dark chocolate bread pudding a la mode

The food was delicious, the conversation entertaining.  And ever the hostess, I sent each guest home with a goodie-bag of homemade chocolate chip cookies.  Yes, I went a little overboard.

Even the pups enjoyed themselves.

We knew the article wasn't coming out until the June issue.  Waiting was so hard!  I was dying to see it.  Or more realistically, dying to read what I was quoted as saying.  Did I mention the two glasses of wine per course?  Or that our dinner conversation was recorded?  ;)

Finally in late May we received several advance copies and couldn't have been more pleased.  A few days later the article was posted online and then it hit news-stands.  Read it here.

And don't be shy.  Tell me what you think!

Love,

Mr & Mrs P, M & B

 

Caro(lyn)line in the City.

Ever see that show?  During it's mid-90s run, I acquired the show title as an unfortunate nickname.  What is with kids and their obsession with nicknames?  Anyway...

We spent this past weekend in one of my favorite places... NYC!

We left bright and early Saturday morning and headed straight into Manhattan for brunch at Ai Fiori in the brand new Setai hotel.  One word.  AMAZING.

Clockwise from top left:

Oysters for the husband.  I don't do oysters, aphrodisiac or not ;)

Olive oil cake

Sweet polenta with marcona almonds and currants.  Delicious.

Ricotta and marscapone tortelli with a red wine glaze.  Again, delish.

View of the contemporary dining room overlooking 5th Ave.
Veal angolotti.  Incredible.

Unpictured:  A bottle of  rose champagne

And because I'm a giant dork (and I had 2 glasses of bubbles and a glass of Riesling in my system) I took a picture in the bathroom.  ha.  It had mirrors on opposite walls, so you know, when you look in one, you see a thousand.  It amused me ;)

After brunch, we did a little shopping and met up with friends for a drink at a funky little hole-in-the-wall Irish pub, complete with stereotypical Irish-New Yorker bartender.

Three vodka and sodas later we headed back to the hotel to clean up for dinner.  Our 8:00 reservations at Aureole turned into an 8:15 since someone just had to curl her hair.  Ahem.

This dinner with husband's two best friends and their girlfriends was one of the more memorable I've had.  The food was truly amazing.  It was all so delicate and flavorful. 

Sorry for the shitty pictures... it was dark and we didn't want to use the flash.

Clockwise from top left:

Hamachi with mint, cilantro, red onion and guava.  So light and yummy.

Ruby Red Shrimp w/ curry meringue, kaffir lime and coconut jus.

Husband's entree:  Dry aged rib eye with ricotta cannelloni and red wine jus.

Cannoli Sundae

Dark Chocolate Torte

My entree:  Alaskan black cod w/ creamed spinach and brown butter.  Melt in your mouth, creamy good.

Unpictured:  Two bottles each of champagne, gruner and syrah.  We don't like to drink at all.

The waitstaff took such great care of us... three courses, dessert and the first bottle of bubbles were sent out on the house.  Helps that husband is friends with the GM :)

Before leaving, we got a tour of the kitchen and got to meet the very talented chef.

After dinner we headed to the bar at the Gansevoort.  Not my scene.  Way too crowded and loud... I can't hang like I used to.  So sad.

After one pathetic drink at the Gansevoort, we headed across the street to someplace a little more my speed.  A place where we could actually sit at the bar and have a conversation:  Primehouse.  I don't think I had a single drink there though... it was after midnight at this point and if you've been following this post, you'll recall that I've been drinking basically all day. 

 

Couldn't leave without a cute picture!

After stopping our taxi a block and a half away from our hotel to grab a late night slice of cheese pizza (4th meal!), we ended the night in our shoebox-sized room around 1:30.

Sunday was a wine and restaurant trade show at the Javits Center.  Too bad we were far too hungover to really enjoy it.  We ended up cutting the day short and heading back to Albany early.  The ride home wasn't complete without a pit-stop at Woodbury Commons though!  Saks and Kenneth Cole missed me :)

So.  Long weekend full of good food, drink, friends and fun.  Now it's Monday evening and I'm still recovering.  I can go to bed at 7:30 tonight, right? ;)

What I Wore... v2.0

I'm more than a little obsessed with fashion.  If I had endless amounts of money, I'd most likely spend most of my time shopping.

Too bad that's not an option.

For now I'll make due with numerous outfit repeats, as shown below.

First up, Wednesday and Saturday.

Outfit 1: 

tank, cardigan and pants:  Express

boots:  Macy's

necklace:  um??  This is what I get for taking such crappy pictures.  I can't see it well enough to tell which one it is, nor can I remember what I wore that day.  Sad.

Outfit 2:

tank:  Van Maur

(faux) leather jacket:  Marshall's

pants:  Express

boots:  Macy's

belt:  NY&Co.  (sidenote:  wearing a waist-cinching belt to the Mac & Cheese Bowl was a horrendously bad idea... it came off as soon as I got in the car)

Next up is Monday, Thursday and Monday.  Let's call this series "What Carolyn looks like hungover". 

'Cause that's exactly what it was.  Note the unwashed hair, ponytail and hat.  Sad that there were three days last week where I wasn't feeling up to par.  'Tis the story of my wine-loving life.

Outfit 1:

tank and cardigan:  Express (from like 3 years ago... eek)

jeans:  Mavi

boots:  Kenneth Cole

hat:  Nine West

necklace:  so old I have no idea where it came from

Outfit 2:

Sorriest excuse for a ponytail ever.

sweater:  Express

leggings:  Target

boots:  Kenneth Cole

Outfit 3:

Much better on the ponytail, Carolyn.

sweater:  NY&Co. from last year

jeans:  Mavi

boots:  Kenneth Cole (I shall now dub these my hangover boots, as the pattern is obvious)

Next group, well outfit, is Sunday.  We were headed out to dinner.  Husband requested a dress and heels.  It was like 10 degrees out.  I said "um, no.  Boots and pants."  Then I said, "you don't want me to be miserable because of my cold bare legs, right?"  And he said "I don't ever want you to ever be miserable."  Right answer, husband, right answer.

Outfit 1&2:  shown with and without jacket

sweater:  Target

skinny pants:  NY&Co.

boots:  Nine West

belt:  NY&Co.

adorably cute faux fur jacket:  Arden B.

hair:  curls!

Husband caught me taking the last picture and asked why the hell I was taking pictures of myself.  My (half-in-the-bag) answer:  "So I remember what I looked like skinny."  ha

VDay in the Kitchen

Valentine's Day 2011 was celebrated on February 13th in my house. 

He's sad because we're about to pop the bottle of Cristal bubbly gifted to us over 2 years ago at our engagement party.  You know, Cristal.  The staple of every rapper or basketball player's fridge, according to MTV cribs. 

So classy.  Drinking $400 champagne out of a $100 Tiffany flute* while sporting $10 fun pants and unwashed hair. 

V-day was the perfect day to finally enjoy the bottle but I will admit that it's a little sad to open the fridge now and not see the pretty gold bottle in it's spot next to the 40 of Colt 45**. 

Husband, I mean Chef, kept careful eye on his well-thought-out meal.

I played Sous Chef.  And I made these delicious little balls of bacon-wrapped cipollini onions.

 

Quick pause to ooh and aww over the cuteness that is Bella.  And little Miles down there on the floor.  They are physically incapable of being anyplace other than the kitchen while we create culinary masterpieces.  Or microwave leftovers for that matter.  They're not picky.

Counterclockwise from top left:  Bacon Vinaigrette for the salad.  4 hour Syrah Reduction for the beef.   Um, beef... no idea what kind.  Err, cut.  Mushroom Risotto.

Bacon-wrapped cipollinis over Boston bibb lettuce with bacon vinaigrette. 

F-ing delicious.  I'm proud of this one.  All me, baby.

The finished product.  I, unfortunately, can take no credit for any of this.  Chef Husband is incredible.  Homemade mushroom risotto?  Amazing.  Beef with Syrah reduction?  Let's just say that I don't eat beef.  I ate beef this night.  Every last bite. 

So.  Spending a quiet Valentine's Day at home with my husband was quite lovely.  Cooking a meal together is one of our favorite activities.  As is drinking bottle after bottle of wine.  And tearing the living room apart looking for the shirt that mysteriously disappeared after being torn off during a certain amorous Valentine's Day act. 

Wait, what?  That's a story for another day ;)

*Another gift. If we had that kind of money to throw around I most likely wouldn't be sharing photos of myself in aforementioned $10 fun pants.

**I wish I was kidding about the 40. But you know, that's how we do it at Turner Lane.

Oh Napa, how I miss thee.

So.  I got into my car yesterday to head to an appointment and turned on the whore.  I mean GPS.  We just call her Whore because she likes to give bad directions.  Moving on.  I was going to a destination that I knew I had previously typed in so I tapped the Recent Destinations button.  Sadly, the first thing to pop up was Viader Winery.  A mere 2355 miles to the west.  Sigh.

Oh Napa Valley, we'll meet again, won't we?

If you recall, the husband and I headed to CA about a month ago (I'm so awesome at keeping my blog updated) for an awards-slash-anniversary celebration.

Since I think that literally all of my followers know me in real life and have heard the stories, I'll spare the details and just hit on the highlights.  Like my pretty green dress.  

Here is husband at the awards ceremony accepting the three (THREE!!) awards he won, from Mark at Sante Magazine.  Service Hospitality, Wine Hospitality and Spirits Hospitality.  Yay Yono's!

We met some pretty fantastic people at the Sante events throughout the week. Now we have new friends with amazing restaurants all over the country. And vacation destinations for a lifetime.

We made sure to teach our new friends the infamous "look-away".  They're now using it in their home states.  Love that we're spreading ridiculous traditions nation-wide! 

A plate like this appeared in front of us no less than three times throughout the week.  Who am I to turn down free dessert?

A winery highlight.  Loved this place.

Nick standing next to Chef Morimoto (pretending he doesn't know me as I'm taking picture after picture) at his new downtown Napa restaurant.

"A vanilla milkshake will make me feel better", said in a 4 year old's drawn-out whiny-voice, was one of the better lines I moaned during our honeymoon last year.  But seriously, these vanilla milkshakes will cure anyone's hangover.  And the shrimp tacos?  So good we tried to recreate them at home last week.  Best lunch spot in town.  Gott's.  Not our house.

Me at a winery.  Too bad I don't recall which.  Reason #3,463 I should update my blog in a more timely fashion.

 Me after too much wine at aforementioned unnamed winery.  Apparently I like to look at myself.  And document it.  I ooze cool-ness.

We got a little bored listening to our tour guide drone on and on (thinking he was the funniest thing alive) at Robert Mondavi.  So we opted for a photo-shoot to keep us occupied.  Awesome room though, right?

The husband, looking all GQ at Viader.

 We even found a dachshund to play with at one of the wineries!  Kiss kiss, Bisou!

 Between last year's trip and this one, I think we spent enough time at the bar at Bouchon to be considered regulars.  The bartender recognized us a full year later.  Not sure if that's a good or a bad thing.  ha

Oh, pretty Villagio.  How I long for your luxurious hopsitality.  And your afternoon tea. 

Until next time, Napa Valley.  Don't forget me.

xoxo

And on a lighter note...

I can hardly contain my excitement...

I'm already half packed...

So ready for this view...

See you in a week, Napa Valley!

Honeymoon Redo

First of all, I realized yesterday that I never did a honeymoon post. Shame on me. Seeing that it was hands-down THE best vacation I've ever been on, I probably should do a post sometime.

However, that time is not now... would take way too long and I am far too lazy.

On with my original thought...

Once again, thanks to my husband's awesomeness and the hard work of him, his parents and employees, we get to go back to Napa and relive the amazing experience we had on our honeymoon!! And coincidentally we'll be going over the weekend of our first anniversary. Perfect, no?

Yono's, the fine dining side of dp: An American Brasserie, was recognized with not one, not two, but three awards from Sante Magazine. Yono's was named the 2010 regional winner for Culinary Hospitality, Wine Hospitality and Spirits Hospitality. Complete list here.

I'm so proud of my husband and in-laws. The restaurants are truly fantastic and it's nice to see that fact recognized by someone else. 'Cause you know, I'm probably just a little biased ;)

Congrats husband... SO excited that we'll be seeing this same view in just a few short weeks!!