Our Table: The Oscars 2012

In keeping with our annual tradition, we again celebrated the Academy Awards in a big way.  After sharing our festivities on this lil' ol' blog last year, we couldn't let this year go by without divulging yet again.  Bill and I may have had to randomly guess our picks on the ballots, placing us pretty much dead last, but when it came to the food it's a whole nother story.  We kind of like to cook.  So between the two of us along with family and friends, we put together a nice little spread for the occasion.

From our table to yours, we give you the nominees for Best Picture...

1) The Decendants.  Because what's more "decadent" than creamy gooey irresistible cheesy mac n' cheese?

2) Moneyball.  Bean burritos for my man Billy, and Cake Balls.  And let me tell you, those cake balls?  They were money.

3) Hugo. The movie takes place in France.. French cheeses.. yea, you can't win em all :)

4) The Artist.  True to Bill-form, he made 28-day aged (as in, no packaged yeast) kalamata olive and caramelized onion artisan bread in both a loaf version, and in mini-melt sandwich versions.  The bread totally lived up to its Best-Picture-counterpart.. it was incredible.  

5) Extremely Loud, Incredibly Close.  "Key" lime for the key-themed movie, martinis to "toast" with, and the rims were pop rocks. They were "loud" :)

6) The Tree of Life. 

7) War Horse. Oat & Carrot cupcakes.

8) Midnight in Paris.  Midnight chocolate cake with mascarpone icing and port wine poached pears. 

 

9) The Help. Fried Chicken and Chocolate Pie.  If you've seen the movie, the pie is both self explanatory as well quite unappetizing.  However, I totally had two slices ;)

So there you have it.  Academy Awards, food, fam, and friends.  Nothing better.  So, how did you spend your Oscar evening?  Glued to the TV not missing a single Billy Crystal joke, wardrobe malfunction, or leg kick?  Flipping through the channels occasionally landing on the awards?  Forgetting/not caring it was on all together?  Do tell.

Westchester Weekends: Chocolations

First, I have to tell you a secret.  About me.  It's not pretty, but it's true.  It's about my addiction...

...to chocolate.  I don't just like chocolate, I love chocolate.  But really, love doesn't adequately describe my feelings for chocolate.  I love chocolate so much that I truly can not remember a single day in my life where I have gone without eating it.  Yea... I told you it wasn't pretty.

Phew!  That was tough.  But, now that that's out there, you can only imagine how I felt when I heard of a store in Westchester called "Chocolations"... instant googly eyes, weak knees, uncontrolled drooling... again, not pretty, but true.  I heard about Chocolations through the Twitter grapevine a while back, and after one look at pictures of their delicious treats frequently posted on their Facebook page, I knew it was my kind of place!

I had been dying to get down there for quite some time, and this weekend I finally made it.   Man was I happy I did!  As soon as I walked in the door, it smelt like I would imagine Heaven being like.  Chocolate Heaven.

Their shelves were stocked with everything from white chocolate to milk chocolate to dark chocolate, covering any delicious thing you could think of.  From marshmallows to pretzels to popcorn, you name it, they had it!  Coated in chocolate, no less.  I picked out a few handmade chocolate covered oreos for around $1 each.

Just as I expected.... they were amazing.  The shelves were also full of seasonal items galore, from St. Patty's day to Easter to Baseball, there was a chocolate treat to match!

As I made my way to the back of the store, it only got better because that is where they had the candy by the pound.  I probably would have bought at least 10lbs if I didn't think Bill would be a little concerned upon my return.  Fortunately (or unfortunately for me), logic set in and I decided a 1/4 pound would be enough.

Good thing I listened logic too, because my jeans wouldn't have had much chance of fitting today if I hadn't.  These were gone no more than 30 seconds after we opened the box.  If you look closely, you might even be able to see Bill trying to sneak one away ;)

Whether it is for a special occasion, a holiday, a gift, or even a no-reason delicious treat on any day of the week, Chocolations is definitely the place to go!  Check them out!  Just like me, you'll be happy you did. 

Chocolations

607 East Boston Post Road

Mamaroneck, NY 10543

Eat well!

Melt

In The Press: White Plains Patch

Hello Monday Morning!  Nothing like a lovely snow coating to ring in Spring, right?!

We're bringing you a great Westchester Weekend post a lil' later today, but first we have to give a huge thank you to The White Plains Patch for featuring us last week in their article titled Local Lunch On a Budget.  I especially love this article because of the bad rap that eating "out" for lunch has garnered since the recession hit.  Sure, brown-bagging it could save you a few dollars if you do it right, but really, grocery shopping, especially for the good stuff, ain't cheap!  What fun is planning, preparing, cooking, and packing up your own lunch every single day when there are so many places that can make an incredibly delicious, fresh and healthy lunch for you at a super affordable price?

We are honored to be included as one of those places!

Oh, and did we mention we can deliver it right to your desk? :)

Check out the full article HERE.

Eat well!
Melt

Sunday

He takes his fork and dives into the plate full of mashed potatoes.  Normally it would be french fries covered in melted cheese and gravy, but since it is Lent, and we both decided this year would be the year to give up fried food, mashed potatoes it is.  I take my fork and scoop off half his bite as it leaves the plate en route to his mouth.

"What!" I say as he looks at me, mouth open, desperately trying to disguise a smile, "You were taking the best bite!"

We both laugh at each other and he dives back into the plate; take two.  His bite doesn't look as good this time, so I let it be.  As we sit at our favorite booth in the corner, we talk.  I tell him about my 4 year old cousin's stories and he tells me about the newest slicer he wants to get for the shop.  I go on about the millionth crazy dream I had last night as he listens intently for the millionth time, soaking in every detail.  We talk about what we want to do next at Melt.  Where we want to go and how we want to get there.  What we can do this week, and where we want to be a year from now.  We bounce ideas off each other and throw in a joke or two keeping our lunch light hearted and full of love, just as a Sunday should be.  It's our day.

We stop in at the grocery store across the street.  As we weave through the aisles pushing our cart with one wheel that refuses to roll straight, I feel like a regular ol' couple for the first time in a long time.  The past few weeks have been crazy and insane, but full of amazing things for Melt.  Expanding our hours into the evening, toying with new menu items, growing our never ending list of made-from-scratch ingredients to almost 100%...  Sundays have came just as quickly as they have went, and Mondays have arrived pretty much without warning.

We stop for a milkshake on the way home.  Not because we're hungry, but because it's the perfect thing to do on a sunny afternoon.  And for the first time in a long time, it feels like a regular ol' Sunday.  Sure, Monday will be here before we realize we even slept a full nights sleep, but for now, this day is here to stay.

What Fits

I’m right handed, he’s left.  It was one of the first things my mother noticed about Bill the day she met him.  As he signed his name, with love, on my grandmother’s 90th birthday card, my mom looked at me with a smile and said, “He’s left handed.”  Almost my whole family writes with their right hand.  From my sister to my father to my grandparents.  My aunts, my uncles, my cousins; every one of us is right handed.  But my mom?  Well, my mom is left.

“Hmm.”  I remember thinking. “I guess he is left handed.” 

I had known Bill six months at the time and I’d never noticed.  It had either never occurred to me, or just never mattered.  But right then, in that moment, with my mom seeing someone else writing the same way she did, and knowing that this person would one day join our family, I knew… Bill fit.   

Now when Bill and I work together, I stand to his right side, he stands to my left.  And it fits.  We assemble each sandwich by him loading on the bacon as I toss on the cheese.  He lays out the tomatoes as I drizzle on the sauce.  I grab one thing on the right, and he grabs another on the left, and it fits.  Any other combination; two lefties, two righties, if I were a lefty and he were a righty, wouldn’t work.  We’d both be reaching for the lettuce with no one grabbing for the onions.  Our lines would be crossed and our sandwiches would be tangled.  Where would we be then? 

One day, when Melt Sandwich Shops line the streets like Starbucks’ (insert ™ or © or ®  here… don’t sue me, Starbucks :), Bill and I won’t be the only one’s assembling our intricate sandwiches.  We’ll have a team of highly trained professionals that know to grab the broccoli rabe with their left hand and the slow roasted tomatoes with their right.   Because for us, well... that’s just what fits.

What's New?

Keeping with yesterday's topic of moving forward... We have a few new things going on here at Melt that we just have to share!

First off, our newest Sandwich Combo of the week!  With Valentines Day just around the corner, yesterday we debuted "The Valentine".  This combo has creamy Brie cheese, Crushed Cranberries, Red Onions and Bill's homemade (and SO tasty) Raspberry Vinaigrette drizzle.  We recommend it with the slow roasted turkey, grilled chicken breast, grilled portobello mushroom,  or the thin sliced pork loin, but really it goes pretty much with everything!

Here we have the Short, Turkey, with "The Valentine"...Pre-melty goodness:

Melt-ified and ready to be devoured:

YUM!

Secondly, our real website is on its way!  Check back next week when 'meltsandwich.com' will morph into our official website by the amazing Tracie Designs, and this blog will be found under 'meltsandwich.blogspot.com'. 

Lastly (and so exciting!)... we've listened to you.  Over the past year and a half, many of you have told us how you aren't able to get here by 6pm during the week, which is no fun for anyone.  We want to see you!  We've also listened when you told us Melt would totally be great for dinner, and I SO agree.  We need to be open at night.....So......

Let's do it!

Starting next Tuesday, Melt will be open until 8:30pm, M-F!!   

Bill and I have been working on this for quite some time now, so we are thrilled that it is finally here.    We can't wait to see what all of your smiling faces look like after dark :)

Eat well!
Melt

Our Table: The Superbowl

Everyone is always asking us what we eat.  Do we eat all of our meals at Melt?  Do we cook at home?  Do we bring Melt home?  Well, since we love sharing almost as much as we love food, we'll show you!  We're turning the original "Our Table" post into a little blog-series to give you a glimpse into what we eat when we're not eating Melt.  (But really, Melt will always be our favorite :)

Last night we headed over to my sister, Erin, and her boyfriend, Chris' house for a little Superbowl par-tay.  I love the Superbowl mainly because it's one night where football lovers and non-sports fans alike can both enjoy a game.  Whether it be for the footbal, for the food, or for the commercials, everyone loves a good Superbowl party.  At the Hall household, Bill and I take our Superbowl food seriously.  Even though Bill is more into the game while I'm much more into the commercials, we both agree on the food.  Without further ado, here's what hit our table for The Big Game.

How can you watch a game of pigskin without some potatoskin?

I kindly decided to share the 'Moonlight Chaource' cheese from my trip to the Farmers Market

A love of fresh food doesn't stop with Bill and I... My sister whipped up these tasty homemade soft pretzels.  Dipped in butter and salt, they were deeeelish-ious.

She also made another perfect football food, Guacamole.

And of course, what game is complete without the classic french onion dip?!

Here's where Bill's creative genius came into play.  Buffalo chicken macaroni and cheese.  The additional 5 or so pounds I gained was SO worth it.  

Bill's made-from-scratch meatball marinara.  Heavenly.

We didn't stop at the snacks!  Dessert was a must.

And.. of course.. last but not least.. the necessity to any football game and successful Superbowl Party (and Bill's absolute favorite beverage):

From our Superbowl-Watching table to yours, we hope you had as indulgent of night as we did over here!  Now, who's ready for the gym?

Eat Well!
Melt

Westchester Weekends: Chappaqua Farmers Market

Happy Saturday!  

Today we were finally able visit one of Westchester's Farmers Markets.  We're always trying to find ways to integrate local products into our menu, so what a better way then to go straight to the source: the farmers.  We've been wanting to check out some local Farmers Markets for quite some time, but most of them pack it in for the winter and don't start up again until early Spring.  We recently heard of one that is held year round, rain or shine, on Saturdays in Chappaqua.  I was all over it.   This morning I slipped into my rain boots, pulled out the umbrella and headed up to check it out.  The best part?  It was all inside!  No rain boots needed after all.

Fresh local cheeses graced the tables, straight from the farm.  The farmer herself told me all about the beneficial probiotics in each cheese they produce.  It sounded wonderful.  Well, as wonderful as 'probiotics' can sound I suppose, but she assured me they were a good thing.  Then, as if she read my mind, she asked me to sample every cheese on the table.  Asked me!  Um.. yes please.  After my first bite I quickly realized that a sample was not going to be enough.  I think would have bought every single one if I didn't feel the looks coming on from the other customers...  

One cheese would do for now.  Moonlight Chaource.  Almost like Brie only with a richer and sharper flavor.

Since Bill had to stay back at the shop, he sent me on a mission to find out all about the meats.  And find out I did.  All organic, straight from the farm and unbelievably fresh.  Maybe not anytime soon, but we hope to carry some of these at Melt in the future. 

And the mushrooms?! Ohhh the mushrooms.  Give me a little olive oil and butter and I could have had myself a meal right there. 

As I was walking in there were quite a few people leaving with bags full of the leafiest veggies I'd ever seen.  Didn't take me long to find the source.

Oh. Yes. Yes. Yes... Desserts.  I bought two. They are both for me. Sorry Bill.

The indoor market will continue every Saturday through April.

Chappaqua Farmers Market
Every Saturday, 9am to 1pm 
191 South Greely Ave 
Chappaqua, NY (inside St. Mary's Church)

Definitely check it out!

Eat well!
Melt

In The Press: The Journal News

What a great way to start our week!  Yesterday we were featured in Jessica Rao's article, "What's In and Out in White Plains".  Luckly, we were the "In" :) 

Huge thanks to Jessica for a great article, and to Joe Larese for our sandwich photo shoot.  

What's In and Out in White Plains

For the online version of the article, click HERE

Eat well!
Melt

Food vs. Bill

Over the holiday I found out something very important about my husband, our chef, Bill. Something that I have been trying to find out for the past four years and have never been successful in finding. It wasn't what he is thankful for, what makes holidays special for him, or even his goals or aspirations in life. Nope. I finally found, after all these years, a food that Bill hates.

And this for me, is a first.

Before I tell you what it is, I should let you in on a little background about Bill's relationship with food. He loves it. I don't even know if there's a word to describe how much Bill loves food. He became a chef right out of college, finishing top of his class at culinary school, then cooking gourmet food around the world and in his 5-star restaurants for the next 20 some-odd years. When Bill and I first started dating I used to pick up his copy of The Food Lover's Companion (basically a dictionary of every food term in existence) and randomly flip to a page to quiz him on his food knowledge only to find out there was not one word he didn't know.

I quickly learned all of this about Bill at the beginning, and as our relationship grew I realized that his love of food didn't stop at 'gourmet'. Bill loved all food. Packaged food? Give him a bag of Cheetos and 20min later they're gone. Canned food? Well of course no other ravioli could compare to Chef Boyardee. Anything and everything. This is what brought me to my quest to find something that Bill didn't like. He had eaten fish eyes with natives in Bora Bora, turtle meat in Florida, Soursop (a vegetable) in Costa Rica, and loved it all. But still, for four years, I had been forced to settle on the fact that there wasn't anything edible that Bill didn't like.

That is, until this weekend. I found a food that Bill hates. Hates the thought of, hates the smell of and don't even mention how they taste. Personally, I could take them or leave them, but Bill? He despises this food product. Well, what is it??

Pizza Combos.