My How You’ve Grown

Oh my darlings, only several months ago it seemed the brutal winter would never end. Though the calendar promised spring was nigh,  indoor temperatures mocked and made me fear for your survival.  Now look at you. Thriving at the Cookroom, thanks to good soil and our Southern exposure to the sun’s arc.

For a real treat on your next visit to the Cookroom, take a stroll through the garden and enjoy a few straight from the vine.  The juice will burst with sweetness, still warm from the sun.  Better than your favorite piece of candy.

a Nice Summery Salad

Spinach salad with Long Island peaches, avocados, homegrown cherry tomatoes (oh so sweet) and white balsamic vinaigrette.
Add grilled chicken if you please.

Local peaches make mouth happy

To paraphrase the band Presidents of the United States of America:
Going to the Cookroom gonna eat a lot of peaches
Yes we’re going to the Cookroom gonna eat a lot of peaches…

Long Island Peaches on special at the Cookroom

Here at the Cookroom, they’re in your salad, they’re on your french toast, add them to your baked oatmeal, whatever your fancy.  They are so sweet and juicy.  And since they are grown only miles away, they are tree ripened. The peaches you see at the supermarket are most often shipped from the South – Georgia, Florida, etc.  Because they travel a great distance to reach your mouth, and to account for the time they will sit on the produce shelf in the market, the peaches have to be picked much earlier in their lives.  They are plucked from the tree before they are ripe, depriving them of crucial nutrients that would have been turned to sugars.  We are all used to eating fruit this way – apples from Washington state, Avocados from California or Chile, etc., but when you eat a local peach, or tomato or apple, that had the opportunity to reach full flavor and maturity with it’s mother, the tree  (vine in the case of tomatoes), there is nothing quite like the burst of flavor, juice and sweetness.  Come and enjoy.

Croissant French Toast with Local Peaches, Blueberries and Fresh Whipped Cream

Now on Special at the Cookroom

photo by Catie Riggs
http://www.lifenowvideo.com

Delicious things you may want to know

just pets, not for the duck fat fries

One of the fun parts of reading our blog is that you get to know about things we serve that do not appear on our menu.

Like what, you ask?

Well, for one, duck fat fries.  Huh?

Yes, you read correctly, duck fat fries.  Just before we put your hand cut french fries on the plate, we can toss them in a nice healthy coating of duck fat, which gets absorbed by the potato and gives them a subtle, but oh so rich flavor.  Once you try them, you may think we are geniuses, but I’ve got to pay homage to the Burger Stand in Lawrence, Kansas where we first had duck fat fries.  Lauren paid a recent visit to the Crescent Duck farm in Riverhead and picked us up some tasty, tasty insulation.  We debuted them last week and they got great reviews from a couple customers in the know.   While the special lasts, you can turn your hand cut fries into duck fat fries for $1.99

If “duck fat fries” do not roll off your tongue and make your taste buds tingle, like mine do, at the mere mention of them, then perhaps chili cheddar fries are for you.  No explanation needed.   Add $2.99.  Or order a full side for $6.99

Cheesy fries.  To quote one of the all time great cartoon pitch men, Chester Cheeto, “it aint easy bein’ cheesy.”  True, but it sure is yummy.  Add cheese to your hand cut french fries (or homefries) for $1.99.  Cheddar, american, pepper jack, mozzarella, provolone, swiss.

So there you have it.  3 new ways to spice up an already great french fry.  You are now in the know!

Hand Cut French Fries – New at the Cookroom

We are now making your french fries from scratch.

It’s labor intensive, but worth it.  We hope you like them.

The new hand cut fries are pictured here with the smothered burger:  sauteed onions, mushrooms & provolone.

Enjoy!

Big Ducking News…

Lauren and Jim are engaged!

Portobello Mushroom Burger

Inspiration for a great burger

Portobello burger, oh how I love you, let me count the ways

1) Balsamic marinated portobello mushroom cap
2) Half pound fresh ground beef patty. Or try the turkey burger variety
3) Sautéed onions
4) Melted provolone
5) All on a soft kaiser roll

Five ways. Four if you don’t feel like having the meat.

I adore this burger, and right now at the Cookroom, it’s back on special. Well, not right now because the mushrooms are in the process of getting delishafied. Patience is a virtue.

Today I took ten of these beautiful Portobellos,  de-stemmed them, cleaned the caps with love, then covered them in a homemade balsamic dressing and tucked them away all cozy in the fridge to marinate overnight.

Tomorrow, I’ll have to resist the temptation to eat one of these burgers for breakfast. Or maybe not.

See you soon.

Happy Cinco de Mayo

admittedly, packaging was the deciding factor in the purchase

In San Diego, Cinco de Mayo is as big as St. Patrick’s day here in New York.  Like St. Patty’s means going out and crushing some Guinness, Cinco de Mayo, is a good excuse to drink too much Tequila

Here at the Cookroom we’re celebrating this day of Mexican heritage with Americanized Latin food:

• Huevos Rancheros
• Chorizo & Cheddar Scrambler
• Breakfast Burrito
• Turkey Tacos

Come give your palette a nice change up.

Huevos Rancheros with a side of crispy homefries

Wash it all down with a glass of Lauren’s house made horchata – a rice drink very popular in Mexico and ubiquitous at burrito shops in San Diego. However, most of those come from a mix and are dispensed from those large plastic things you’d see holding Lemonade here on Long Island.  Come try this one made from scratch.

house-made horchata

Portobello Burger Back on Special this Week

Have it Vegetarian (pictured), or with a Turkey or Beef patty.