Iceland : Prelude

Interesting fact about Iceland:

•  Iceland lies just south of the Arctic Circle. Winter nights and summer days are long. On December 21 in the capital, the sun rises at 11:30 a.m. and sets at 3:30 p.m. On June 21 the sun sets about midnight and rises at 3:00 a.m. It never gets darker than twilight at night during the late spring and early summer.

• Many Icelanders believe in elves.  Certain roads have been re-routed to avoid disturbing areas where elves are thought to live.

• More than 13% of Iceland is covered by snowfields and glaciers.

• Iceland’s main industry is fishing.

• Iceland has twice as many sheep as people

• Icelanders value literacy and hold the world record for number of books per capita.

• An international study done in 2006 ranked Iceland as the “Fourth Happiest Nation” in the world.

Pisticci - Italian restaurant in Harlem

Pisticci is one of those spontaneous find.
On our way back from New Paltz one Saturday evening, we wanted to find a restaurant for dinner along the way.


We found this restaurant from google map.
The menu looked interesting, so we decided to check it out.


The restaurant had a cozy, homy and relaxed atmosphere.  It looked adorable.


I seldom come to this part of town, and was really surprise to find this restaurant in Harlem.


Strawberry Burban
These days, I am drawn to burban cocktails. It's almost like strawberry mojito.  


Special: Arugula, mango, fig, heart of palm salad with balsamic
I LOVE this salad.  The combination of different ingredients just worked perfectly!


Steamed mussels in white wine & parsley
This is a safe dish that can not go wrong. 


Orecchiette broccoli robe - bitter greens and peperoncino in white wine & garlic broth with spicy sausage
OMG - I do not know how to describe how much joy and satisfaction this dish brought me. 
The white whine wine & garlic broth was EXACTLY what I was craving for.  
The spicy sausage gave the dish the extra kick and the pasta was cooked just perfect.   
I savored every single bit with a big grin on my face.


Fettucine ai funghi - homemade fettucine with a trio of wild mushrooms.
Another great pasta dish that was richer and creamier.
Once again, the pasta was cooked just right. 


Coconut Cake
We ordered this dessert because we really enjoyed the coconut cake at Jestine's kitchen in Charleston, South Carolina.  
It was a good cake, but it was not from Jestine's kitchen.



While I was eating my delicious pasta half way through the dinner, I was already thinking about which friends of ours that I would love to bring here and share the experience with.
I love trying new restaurants in NYC, but not many of them that I have burning desire to re-visit.
Pisticci is one of those restaurants that I know I will come back again and again.

Suger Freak - Louisiane cooking in Astoria

Discovered this newly opened restaurant when we hung out with our friends who live in Astoria,
and you know how much I love my southern cuisine.


So we came out to Astoria on Saturday evening to check out Sugar Freak. 
The restaurant had a lovely space and charming decor.
(Forgot to the memory card for the camera, so the cellphone photo would have to do.)


Gumbo soup- chicken and Andouille sausage stew over rice.
I love gumbo soup.  It reminded me of Chinese Congee with more intense flavor.

Broiled Shrimp with okra rice
The shrimp was unbelievably delicious, but portion was small.


Buttermilk Fried Chicken with collard green
Fried chicken was such a safe bet.  It was good, but not great.  
I would get something more exciting next time. 


Mud Pie - mix of banana, pineapple, and raspberry pie.
It balanced sweet and sour flavors, creamy and crusty textures.



The restaurant only opens for dinners from Thursday to Sudan.
The price is very reasonable, and the atmosphere is relaxed and homey.
Another great addition to Astoria expending dinning scene.