In-Room Dining NYC
When we’re away from home we do eat out a bit and then I get tired of eating prepared food…no matter how good it is! One way we like to offset the nights dining out is to book a hotel room that offers a kitchenette. We don’t always take advantage of it but it’s nice to know it’s there if we want. My husband and I are in New York City for a week and yesterday we were invited to a champagne and chocolate tasting with a sabrage demonstration from 6pm to 8pm. Earlier that day I decided to do some food shopping at Whole Foods in the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle. While in the building (after a slight detour through the Coach store) I saw that a new shop had opened called O & Co. The storefront was decked out with Mediterranean foods and lifestyle products which immediately drew me inside. Let me just say that this type of shop is a dangerous place for me to be in as I want to buy everything I see! My husband might cringe when I reveal the retail price but in the end he does share the same passion as I do for good food!
Ok, so now I am inside the shop and my eyes are scanning the room to see what stands out the most…I am almost dizzy trying to focus on just one thing! I am greeted by an employee who quickly points out a few items for me to consider. He then goes and offers me a taste of a few different olive oils, aged balsamic vinegars which are heavenly and we begin a rapport. His excitement is infectious and tells me about 2 new products they just received in the day before; Italian tomato powder and an assortment of different canned seafood (perfect as an antipasto). He offers me a little spoon with olive oil and sprinkles a small amount of the tomato powder on top of the oil. He tells me to wait a few seconds before consuming and when I do, it’s the most amazing flavor! He smiles at me and said I told you it was good! Next I taste octopus that was marinated in olive oil and herbs followed by mussels in a pickled sauce (fried in olive oil). While the octopus was lovely, I felt the mussels would be more flavorful with the pasta I wanted to prepare back in the hotel room.
I spent nearly 20 minutes there (it’s not a big shop) and if I hadn’t made a detour I would have missed it and dinner would have been something entirely different. I love coming out of a shop like O & Co. and be excited about my purchases. It’s so important for sales staff to be able to communicate knowledgeably about the products the store sells and equally important is a genuine passion.
Serves 2
130g mussels in pickled sauce
250g fusillata casareccia pasta
extra-virgin olive oil
Parmesan cheese, finely chopped
Cook pasta according to packet instructions. Drain pasta and add to a bowl. Carefully add the mussels along with the sauce and gently stir to combine. Add Parmesan and some pepper. You may need to add a bit of olive oil if the sauce is too dry. Serve immediately.
The Culinary Chase’s Note: Dinner was ready in less than 15 minutes. Now that’s what I call in-room dining. Buon appetito!