​I don’t like loose ends; so today I’m going to bring you up to date with my dining and baking adventures.
 
I promised our oldest granddaughter that when she turned 7, I’d take her to see “Wicked” on Broadway. It seems like that promise was so long ago, that I forgot. But she turned 7 in August and  I kept my promise and bought tickets for myself, daughter and granddaughter to attend a Saturday matinee performance. I had seen the show about 10 years ago; although I recall most of the show, there were some things I had forgotten.
 
The Saturday we went in was fortunately not as hot as it had been in August. We took the train in from Metropark to Penn Station. We had lunch before the theatre at Bar Primi. I follow food and travel journalist @thisgirlcaneat on Instagram and she had posted her visit to Bar Primi that was very close to Penn Station. They do not have a kid’s menu, but my granddaughters have sophisticated palates, how many kids do you know eat duck poutine? 

​This year my husband wanted to have a family reunion with his two sisters and their families on the Outer Banks, North Carolina. We haven’t seen some of our relatives for several years since a last wedding or funeral and selected Easter week for our reunion.
 
On Easter Sunday, my husband’s sister, Karen, and husband hosted a gathering of 17. Karen prepared a seafood bake using shrimp, smoked sausage, corn, potatoes and onions seasoned with both Old Bay and Chesapeake Bay seasoning. I didn’t get a picture of this, but take my word, it was absolutely delicious. She made it in the oven, but if her grill was large enough for the pan she used, it would have been done outside. She prepped the potatoes and onions ahead of time, then on Easter Sunday added the shrimp (clams can be added too), sausage, corn and baked covered in the oven. (Recipe is coming soon.)

Recently I was at a local food store when I spotted in their meat case a small pork shoulder perfect size for pulled pork for two people. While I have a vinegar based slow cooker recipe that I’ve been making for years, I found a recipe on the New York Times Cooking app for Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork by Margaux Laskey. She says she’s viewed pulled pork recipes online that call for a dark cola such as Dr. Pepper or root beer. This is the first that I’ve heard of this, but apparently it’s added because as it cooks infuses the pork with sweetness through caramelization. So, would you prefer a pulled pork with sweetness or tartness?
 
Here’s what I discovered on the website “Eat This, Not That” in their article “The 6 Types of Southern Barbecue in the US-and What Exactly Makes Them Different.” There’s the Eastern North Carolina style which is basting the meat in a vinegar-based sauce. Western North Carolina likes a barbecue sauce that has tomato or ketchup mixed in. South Carolina is the same as Eastern North Carolina but adds black pepper, salt and cayenne to their vinegar mixture. East Texas prefers barbecue marinated in a sweet tomato-based sauce, with South Texas using molasses in theirs. Alabama, uses a white mayonnaise sauce with a bit of tang. ​

​I made my first trip into Manhattan since COVID. My daughter wanted to see Sean Hayes in “Good Night Oscar” and her husband wasn’t interested.  Initially she was talking about an evening performance, but sensing my hesitation, we went the Sunday following her return from vacation on Long Beach Island. My daughter selected the restaurant, Ci Siamo, which is behind the Daniel P. Moynihan Train Station, convenient to Penn Station where we arrived. Although it was a hot and sticky day, the walk was quick and there was a slight breeze.
 
Upon our arrival we were seated in an open dining room with a view of The Manhattan West Plaza. Spacing between the tables was ample, the chairs comfortable and the table had a nice proportion for two people. We began with a cool non-alcoholic drink for each of us. I selected the Phony Negroni made with juniper, bitters and bubbles ($14) and my daughter had Tonio made with Italian bitter, grapefruit, elderflower and tonic ($14). Both were delicious and refreshing

​Sometimes I prepare so many new and exciting recipes, that we never have them twice.
 
As it’s been so cold the past few days, I would like to suggest a Broccoli and Arugula Soup. This recipe was found in the January 2022 issue of “Charleston Magazine.” The soup was thick and creamy despite there being no cream in the soup. Both my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
 
Some of the best recipes from 2022 came from The New York Times/NYT Cooking. One such recipe is Kay Chun’s Korean Cheeseburgers with Sesame-Cucumber Pickles. These are not your parents’ cheeseburgers. The burgers are flavored with soy sauce, scallions, garlic, pepper and sugar. They’re served with a mayonnaise dressing flavored with the same ingredients as the burgers plus toasted sesame oil. These burgers were incredible. I also made Ali Slagle’s Chicken Parm Burgers that were fabulous. Between the aromatic basil, the intensity of the tomato paste, these burgers were packed with flavor. 

I had a friend call me the other evening to make sure my husband and I were okay. She hadn’t seen posts from me in awhile and she grew concerned. I assured her that all was well and the reason for the gap was we’ve had our daughter and granddaughters visiting us each week for a few days each week since July. My goal was to have quick suppers on Thursday evenings after my granddaughter’s swim lesson and for the other days, you prepare what’s appealing to a one- and four-year-old.
 
Here’s a review of what’s been going on in our culinary life.

Back in April famed chef, David Burke, opened Belmar Kitchen, located in Beach Haus Brewery. Over 10 years ago David Burke opened his first “Kitchen” restaurant, Burke Kitchen, in the James Hotel on Grand Street in Manhattan. If memory serves me correct, my daughter and I ate outside on the patio on one of those iconic warm and clear days.

​Friends of ours ate at Belmar Kitchen and had positive comments on the meal they had. On Wednesday evening my husband and I had an impromptu dinner date reservation for 5:30. At that time the restaurant was relatively quite for midweek dining. Our hostess asked where we wanted to sit. I explained that this was our first time and where would she suggest sitting if she was trying to impress us. She recommend the back dining room. The minimal aesthetic room featured dark terra cotta walls, wood top tables set upon wrought iron stands and an open concept kitchen with a wood-burning pizza oven.