levana-cooks-basil-pizza-and-wine-bar

My Favorite Pizza: Basil Pizza and Wine Bar!

Every time I go to Basil, I -not so- discreetly eye what everyone seated next to me  - and even a little further: Foodies, what do you expect?- is having. Yesterday it was those luscious poached eggs on toast with saute spinach and home fries,…
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The Kosher Food and Wine Experience: A Remarkable Journey

Still enjoying the glow of last night's Kosher Food and Wine Experience. Recently I had been trying to firm up a kosher supervision for retail use of Dashi powder. In my catering days I used to order it from Daniel Berlin at Sushi Metsuyan,…
levana-cooks-Goldbaums-Natural-Foods

New Gluten-Free Product on the block! Pasta and Ice Cream Cones

Just sampled a very good new gluten-free product: Goldbaums Natural Foods. Their ice cream cones and brown rice spaghetti were super: Check it out!
levana-cooks-shirataki-noodles

Shirataki: The Miracle Noodle that lives up to its name

Shirataki Noodles with Sesame Sauce Shirataki is the latest low carb pasta marvel, better known as Miracle Noodles. Every time I come across any food or drink item that boasts zero calories, I remember my mother's admonition, delivered in…
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Noidue Restaurant: Panini, Coffee and Nostalgia a la carte

There are several reasons Noidue Restaurant tugs at my heartstrings. Some questions come up about it quite often:  I thought sharing my thoughts would make me feel somewhat more at peace with seeing a whole chunk of our lives behind us.... Here's…
levana-cooks-pardes-brooklyn

Exciting New Kosher Restaurant in Brooklyn: Pardes

Image via Crown Heights My friend Chaim Szmidt, of the Kosher Scene and I just love to talk about food, and of course consume it and then excitedly discuss it, as other people discuss their recent cruises or their recent shopping sprees (I…

Kosher Fruit Concentrates

I recently called the Star-K to ask if we could use fruit concentrates without a kosher sign, and they explain that although technically it would be OK, we do need a kosher sign as the processing plant might also be processing grape products,…
Linguini Puttanesca

The Pasta Factory Teaneck

Dinner at the Pasta Factory Teaneck on Mother's Day was a great experience.  We had one of the Mother's Day prix fixe  menus, and it was spectacular: Corn Tomatillo soup, baby rack of lamb, and assorted desserts. Every bit as delicious as…
The Seduction of Dashi

The Seduction of Dashi

This morning I received something which for years I used to perceive as a berating lecture,  but which I have long since identified as an unmitigated compliment, indeed a tribute: It has to do with being dogged, and never taking no for an answer.…