Westville

Rating: 💋 💋 💋

Aaaaand we are back in New York. It is that city that you can never really shake, and why would you want to?

For a quiet Saturday night in, Shannon and I decided to give the stove a break and order some take-out. I knew I wanted something fresh and delicious, so we searched around a bit on GrubHub trying to find the right spot that would appeal to both of us. My eyes landed on the option for Westville, and I was pretty confident I had found our match.

A year ago, I worked at this post-production film company and part of my job was making sure our clientele were fed and happy. Ordering lunch for our guests was an important part of the day, and I had to be ready with solid recommendations based on what the creatives teams were in the mood to eat. On my very first day, my supervisor explained that if all else failed, Westville was a good spot. It was nearby, offered a variety of delicious menu items, and was consistently well-reviewed by our clients. I never actually ate there in my time at that job, but I plated quite a few meals, and the scents that came from those dishes were intoxicating. Really great food for great prices - I was always a little bit hungry after serving those lunches.

When I saw Shannon and I could order from Westville, I checked with her, and I finally got my opportunity to try some for myself.

Our food arrived even faster than anticipated, which was great because I was ready to eat. It is a precise science, knowing when to order food so that you will be hungry, but not to a frightening degree, by the time your delivery person hits the buzzer. As soon as I knew food was on its way, my appetite kicked into high gear, so that early drop-off was a very pleasant surprise.

I ordered the salmon, which might be bougie, but maybe I am a little bit bougie, I don't know. What I do know is that it was really inexpensive but not so cheap that it seemed like a sketchy order, I had seen people at work order the fish so I knew it turned out well, and I got to pick sides. I love picking sides. It is like a little choose your own adventure for your palate. What is more fun than that? I am a hardcore broccoli fan, so I had to get the roasted broccoli, and then a garden salad completed the meal. I will say it was a pretty standard garden salad. Nothing mind-blowing came from that tin of lettuce, but it was fresh and tasted good. The broccoli had a hint of garlic that I was all over and the salmon was buttery and sweet and exactly what I needed. On the downside, the fish was a little light on flavor. It could have had a bit more oomph. My food was also not super warm by the time I got it, but it was really cold that night and I do not know how far the trip was. I am not going to get unreasonable about the temperature. I am sure the food would have been better if it was warmer, but that is not the restaurant's fault. Takeout is what it is.

I could have microwaved my fish. I just was not ready to make that move. I feel a little bit sketchy about putting seafood in the microwave, whether that is well-founded or not. The salmon was good enough as was, anyway.

Shannon loved her chicken sandwich, which was crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. It came with avocado and a nice, savory sauce. She added parmesan as well, just to give it a little kick, and that was a great choice. The sweet potato fries made her very happy, and they smelled heavenly. Also, shout out to this unnaturally long fry. That is the Godzilla of sweet potatoes.

Shannon had a book club meeting where there was a themed-drink contest and we had a lot of fun mixing a cocktail up for it. Shannon invented it, Shannon made it, I just took lots of videos for her reel and taste-tested. I think I snagged a great job actually.

I really cannot tell you about the story significance behind this drink. In my brain, this is inspired by a vampire. Hence the blood orange like, the blood-dripping fangs of Dracula. Could be wrong. Don't quote me. I know it is from a fantasy series. So that is a good start. The thing is, as much as I am sure the book is great and I would direct you to Shannon for more details on that, the drink is awesome whether or not you have read the book. Here is the recipe:

Cocktail for Amren by Shannon Magee

Makes: 2

Ingredients:

- 1/2 cup water

- 1/2 cup granulated sugar

- 1 orange

- Grey Goose L'Orange vodka

- 1 can blood orange sparkling juice (such as Bai)

- ice

Preparation:

- In a medium pot on the stove, stir together water and sugar over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Turn off the heat and let cool. Voilà! You just made simple syrup.

- Peel the orange and twist the rind for the garnish.

- Pick out your cutest cocktail glasses and fill them halfway (at max) with ice cubes.

- In a shaker, pour three shots of vodka, the full can of sparkling juice, and four shots of the simple syrup. Shake well.

*If you do not have shaker, you can halve the ingredients, pour them into a tall glass, stir well and serve. Then repeat for the second drink.

- Pour cocktail over ice and add the twist of orange to the rim of the glass. Enjoy!

Do you remember Stewart's Orange Creamsicle soda? It tastes like this vanilla kiss with a wisp of citrus. I was really into Stewart's in, like, second grade. I felt so cool drinking the bright orange soda out of a glass bottle. Well, this cocktail tastes like that - a beautiful orange creamsicle melting in your mouth with a fun, adult twist. For a truly delicious, easy to drink adult beverage, I highly recommend!

In other, sweet news, check out what my Uncle Pat made recently:

We admire the unique shape of this giant sticky bun - you just rip triangles of joy out of it for a taste. This sticky bun had a really nice, thick crust with a great amount of chew to it, and it got softer and moister the closer to the center. That center was soaked-through with syrup, so each bite burst sweetness into your mouth. The raisins were drunk on syrup. It was incredible.

I have never had a raisin sticky bun before, and they were a great way to add a new texture and complicate the flavors in a needed way. This was not a one-note sticky bun, but it also was not over-flavored. It struck a fine balance. Also, the raisins made it healthy, so that is pretty cool. To finish it off, a calculated amount of cinnamon rounded out the flavor of the raisins and prevented the sticky buns from getting overly sugary.

Overall, a triumph!

Yeah! My godfather made that! Pret-ty cool!

I would like to close off with a movie recommendation, because that is how Shannon and I spent our weekend. Watching movies. One of our favorites is Empire Records. It has a nice, easy to follow storyline that mixes serious topics with so many funny moments. There are so many great characters, the script is incredible, and Renée Zellweger is in it. She is fabulous. Best of all, the soundtrack is central to the plot, and we are talking a killer soundtrack. Get out your crop tops, butterfly clips and anything else that made the 90s so iconic and check this movie out. It is a winner.

XX,

MK