Leah Eskin – Page 7 –

Ramen Takeya devotes an entire section of its menu to "otsumami" or drinking foods — nestled among them the Japanese street snack takoyaki. The ball-shaped snacks are made with a batter that crisps up into a golden shell while remaining creamy and soft inside. Hidden away are Chiclet-size pieces of octopus, tiny surprises in the center of each ball. Six balls are served in a red and white paper boats and drizzled with sweet and salty Japanese barbecue sauce, creamy mayo, aonori (dried seaweed) and fishy-but-in-a-good-way bonito flakes (cured fish shavings). Between the crispy-meets-creamy texture and the sweet-meets-salty flavors, it's easy to see how a refreshing beer (or soda, for non-drinkers) would pair nicely. $6. 819 W. Fulton Market, 312-666-7710, <a href="http://www.ramentakeya.com/">ramentakeya.com</a> — Grace Wong

Salmon with creamed greens updates an ’80s icon

May 31, 2019 at 4:02 p.m.

Salmon with sorrel defined an era — roughly the late 1980s — and a trend: nouvelle cuisine. The "new cooking" called for fresher ingredients, simpler sauces, quicker techniques. Producing wisdom...

When charms of low-tech lifestyle disappoint, only a grilled cheese can save the day

May 31, 2019 at 4:03 p.m.

The dryer does its thing, spinning round and round. Without doing that other thing: drying. Our clothes enjoy the ride, and when it stops, they tumble out, damp and dizzy,...

Nothing goes into this corn soup but corn, water and salt ... well, chives if you want to get fancy. (Food styling by Joan Moravek.)

Simplest corn soup recipe you will ever make

March 12, 2024 at 12:15 p.m.

Cooking used to be a chore. Consider early man, who spent a good five hours running his prey to exhaustion, and then, panting over collapsed antelope, had to ponder Step...

Singing cantaloupe’s praises in a refreshing sparkler

May 31, 2019 at 4:01 p.m.

Cantaloupe means singing wolf. Not the scene that jumps to mind when slicing open the dazzling melon. And yet, no secret. Slice open the word to find canta, "sing" in...

19th-century Viennese chef Franz Sacher would be pleased, I think, by the version of his eponymous chocolate cake served at Café Selmarie in Lincoln Square. First, the top of each slice of Sacher torte is decorated with his name, elegantly written in chocolate script. Second, the cake is a real looker: Layers of chocolate cake are mortared with raspberry preserve and chocolate buttercream; the whole thing is then frosted with more buttercream and wrapped in a smooth sheet of bittersweet chocolate — firm enough to be eaten on its own, if you like, with a fork. Third, every bite is delicious. The devil's food cake is firm and pleasant, while the raspberry offers a deep berry counterpoint to all the chocolate. $4.20. 4729 N. Lincoln Ave., 773-989-5595, <a href="http://cafeselmarie.com/" target="_blank">www.cafeselmarie.com</a>. — Bill Daley

Fresh figs sandwiched between cookies for a grown-up Newton

March 12, 2024 at 12:16 p.m.

Ficus is a shrub indigenous to the dorm room, waiting room and boyfriend bedroom. It's unavoidable. Get a boyfriend; endure a ficus. The boyfriend (or roommate, or administrative assistant) will...

Kusanya Cafe is the kind of place where you can get a cup of coffee, check out the community board, print a school paper or simply jump on the internet. You'll see people huddled together over papers strewn across the wood tables or someone walking in simply to say hello to the small staff. Because the nonprofit cafe roasts its own coffee on-site in small batches, don't hesitate to order that lavender iced latte ($3.49) or a plain cup of coffee. The breakfast and lunch menu is lush with references to famous musicians, like the Lupe Tabasco breakfast sandwich ($2.29). It features a thin egg patty, with melted cheese and Sriracha on ciabatta, and you can add sausage, spinach and tomato for an extra charge. The cozy and brightly lit environment is exactly where you want to catch up on some work or meet up with friends. 825 W. 69th St., 773-675-4758, <a href="http://www.kusanyacafe.org/">kusanyacafe.org</a> — Grace Wong

Singing the pleasures of rice pilaf without regret

July 2, 2019 at 3:59 p.m.

Rice pilaf sings of hope, of heartbreak, of heedlessness. Non, it glistens, je ne regrette rien ("No, I regret nothing"). Pilaf shares much with its near namesake, Edith Piaf, the...

The carrots cook in a mix of spices, including garlic, paprika, mustard, adobo sauce, coriander, celery seed, black pepper and mace. (Food styling by Joan Moravek.)

A carrot in disguise: When a hot dog is not a hot dog

June 2, 2018 at 6:11 p.m.

Facts now have alternatives. A fact that makes the solid substrate of reality feel strangely spongy. And not in that winsome, Rene Magritte way. Stare at his painting of a...

Peach cake a perfect summer dessert

July 2, 2019 at 3:59 p.m.

Say good and the antonym shoots back bad. That's the sort of word it is: oppositional, defiant, difficult. It must be tough on the thesaurus, parenting a pack of antonyms....

The key elements of a pesto, herbs, grated cheese, olive oil, garlic and pine nuts, form the base for an unexpected salad, with tomatoes and cucumbers providing refreshing support. (Food styling by Joan Moravek.)

Love pesto? You’ll like this salad made with classic ingredients even more

June 1, 2019 at 6:58 a.m.

Spices once sparked wars, paved trade routes, built fortunes. Even now, a whiff through the perforated plastic lid evokes distant lands, terrible plunder, sacks of gold. Which might explain the...

Coffee and milk chocolate combine for a custard to pour over plain vanilla ice cream. (Food styling by Joan Moravek.)

Coffee custard transforms plain ice cream into sundae with a kick

June 1, 2019 at 6:56 a.m.

Affogato means drowned, and it's a distressing thing to witness after dinner. Innocent vanilla ice cream, cowering in a cup, is doused with scalding espresso. Way too "Game of Thrones."...

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