Spinach Saag Paneer from Jaffron in New Hope, Pennsylvania

Saag Paneer from Jaffron

This week I've been hanging around the East Coast. Whenever I venture back home to the NY tri-state area, there is always a few pit stops I make a point to visit while I'm over here.

One of them is New Hope, PA. It feels like a fairly isolate town--miles and miles of cows, stretches of farmlands, and rivers away. But the drive to New Hope is so pretty, and worth spending the additional 10 or 15 minutes taking the scenic route rather than the highways. There's a lot of interesting shops around new hope -- you can buy clothes or get your palms read. 

Most importantly, there are ample opportunities to eat spinach.

We decided to get spinach (along with chicken korma and sizzling salmon) at Jaffron--a small Indian restaurant tucked away a bit off of the main street. Glad we went! 

Photo courtesy of bucks.happeningmag.com

The Interior

At Jaffron, there's enough to go around.

There were six of us in total sitting at my table, and all of us agreed that the food was delicious. It is very filling and served in large family style bowls, so you can definitely share! Be prepared to be very full if you decide to stop in Jaffron the next time you're in town...it's easy to loose track of how much spinach you're eating when it's so tasty.

Spinach on,

-D

Grilled Veggie Sandwich from Hilton Road Cafe, Ferndale

This is no boring veggie sandwich.

It is a montage of goodness, rather. With tomatoes, cheese, grilled onions, broccoli, mushrooms and most importantly: fresh spinach.

This veggie sandwich is a vegetarian's tried and true alternative to the regular soups or salads--which are great. Just sometimes you crave variety...and on those days...a grilled veggie sandwich from Hilton Road Cafe in Ferndale, Michigan, is your best bet!

Enjoy,

-D

Red Fox Pub Spinach Dip in Royal Oak Michigan

There are many factors that go into good spinach. So sometimes it can be difficult to ID exactly what makes any particular spinach so delicious.

This time, it wasn't so difficult to figure out.

The spinach dip from Red Fox pub in Royal Oak Michigan is good for many reasons that are fairly easy to identify:

1. Because it is perfectly cheesey and zesty and warm and served with these puffy pita crackers that aren't quite bread but aren't quite crackers--just quite yummy.

2. Because it was served around a fire pit that was so fiery hot it actually lit the newspaper table setting on fire. We were quite alarmed, but it didn't distract from the flavor.

3. Because it was served with good friends and other good food.

4. Because we had it served with good beer.

5. Because Einstein got a taste. 

The bar/grill/pub is tucked inside of Diablo's and up the stairs. 

Photo courtesy of detroitrunner.com

We sat outside around the lit fire pit because it was a bit chilly but nice outside--and firepits generally make everything more fun and in this case more tasty.

It didn't take long for the spinach to arrive -- in a hot skillet. It was yum! I'd definitely order it again. 

Fall is basically here, which means if I don't go broke buying myself pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks way too many times a week, I'll likely go broke from buying way too many pumpkin beers and ales. Unfortunately, I don't remember what this one was called. But out of the few I've tried as of late, it was one of my fav!

Red Fox is supposed to be a British style pub with British food. Not sure how British spinach and artichoke dip is. I should know this. But either way--Red Fox British spinach dip is very much worth trying!

If your newspaper placemat lights on fire like ours did, consider it a good sign.

Happy spinach,

-D

Street Spinach: Hilton Cafe Spinach Sandwich Melt

Had to share.

I knew my boss had good taste...this is yummy melt my boss got out to lunch at Hilton Cafe in Ferndale MI. If I knew this sandwich came fully equipped with spinach, I would have likely ordered it as opposed to my standard soup that day. Though I must say...if you are a soup fan, you'll be a fan of all the soup Hilton Cafe offers. 

I found this image of Effie the owner and the interior on urbane apts -- and it's very telling! I think there will likely be a lot more Hilton Cafe sourced spinach goodness featured here...because I go there all of the time. And Effie knows how to cook some spinach! 

So if you had to take a wild guess about where I am around lunch time on any given day...chances are it's here!

-D

Panera Bread's Spinach and Artichoke Souffle

So basically, this is what happens to spinach and artichoke souffles when Spinach Blog meets Panera Bread. 

Some people might not consider Panera very special since it's kind of fast food. But, I assure you, Panera's spinach and artichoke souffles are pretty special. Panera recognizes this, too, because they stop serving them at 11 am. Maybe even earlier. What other thing on Panera's menu do they STOP serving at a certain time? Exactly.

If you're a morning person and/or spinach fan, you should definitely try this one! They also have a couple others which also have spinach, I believe. But this one is my favorite one. It is also vegetarian friendly. It is very cheesy though, so unfortunately not for vegans. 

Crisp on the outside, spinach goo cheese on the inside. Nothing else quite so delicious comes to mind off the top of my head...

-A+D

Spinach Pie from Astoria Pastry Shop in Greek Town, Detroit

Woot woot. Test kitchen Fridays. This means we let someone else do the cooking. And we sit back and chow. 

Our latest spinach try out was at Astoria, a bakery tucked inside the main street of Greek Town area. Of course, when I saw spinach pie I had to try it. 

They didn't warm it up...but I think it was ok that way because it was ridiculously hot that day and as usual, I wore the wrong outfit thinking it would be chilly. So when you're over heating to begin with, eating things that are not also boiling hot is not a bad thing. 

Other than that, it was yummy! Instead of puff pastry or filo dough, they use more of a buttery croissant like wrap. 

Overall, it's very spinachy and feta cheesy. The way good spinach pie should be! Next time you're in Greek Town, say Opa!, then try the spinach pie from Astoria. 

-A+D

Spinach Dip from Beau Jack's Birmingham

For months, and maybe even years by now, my good friend The Rita Way would boast on and on (and on...) about Beau Jack's spinach dip. How it's THE spinach dip that she measures all other spinach dips against.

Obviously, this piqued Spinach Blog's interest. 

So we booked a date in our calendars and made the venture to Beau Jack's with The Rita Way to try this infamous spinach dip once and for all.

And it was delicious! 

Our favorite thing about this spinach dip was the crispies on top. Not all spinach dips are created equal -- not all spinach dips have the crispies. 

Honestly, I don't know if I would say this is THE spinach dip I would measure all other spinach dips against. I don't think I have come across one of those. Most spinach dips I've tried have unique qualities that make them good spinach dips and are all delightfully cheesy in their own unique cheese combinations sort of ways. 

This spinach dip is actually more subtle on the sharp cheeses than others I've tried. So if you enjoy more of the lighter, creamed spinach tasting spinach dips, topped with a crispy golden crunch, then topped with the sound of a live pianist...this is for you. 

Let us know what YOU think! Browse through their menu or stop by their Bloomfield location here. 

Spinach on,

A+D

Mushroom Tortellini in Creamy Spinach Alfredo Sauce from Barbalu

Photo courtesy of barbalu.com

So basically, the synopsis of a long story short: you should eat here.

When visiting my cousin in NYC a few weeks ago, she introduced me to Barbalu, an Italian restaurant in South Street Sea Port down near the financial district. Barbalu is a bit of splurge, as is everything in NYC, but tasty -- and not all that much of a splurge considering most things on the menu are under $20.  

I'm actually not a huge fan of eating straight-up mushrooms. But the word "mushrooms" in the same sentence as tortellini, Alfredo, spinach, pasta, cheese...I mean, 90% of that sentence are things I love. And even though biting mushrooms isn't my favorite thing to do ever, I enjoy mushroom flavor and mushroom sauce. So this pasta, that was actually a special that night, was a win! 

The interior was also super nice. Not over the top at all, but just enough, and cozy. Spinach doesn't need fancy stuff on the walls surrounding it to taste good, but you know, sometimes fancy stuff on the walls can make dinner taste a little better. 

Photo courtesy of barbalu.com

If you're ever in South St. Sea Port and happen to be hungry...or have a craving for spinach (probably likely) then stop by Barbalu and order the spinach option!

-A+D

Karla's Grilled Flank Steak, Arugula & Spinach Pistachio Pesto

Yup. Some more new things are going on here at SpinachBlog. Fridays are test kitchen now. Where we will share our experiences trying other people's spinach. And telling you all about it...

Lucky for me, I was able to spend some time with family in New Jersey last week. And was able to curb my spinach craving...with spinach of course.

We drove down the 45 minute long stretch of one lane highway surrounded by fields, farms, grass, "baby ducks," "fresh eggs," and deer caution signs, and over the tiny 4 ton limit bridge between Lambertville, NJ and New Hope, PA to visit New Hope and dine at Karla's for (what we didn't know...) was Local's Night. 

Lucky for Spinach Blog...Karla's local's menu had a grilled flank steak, arugula & spinach pistachio pesto -- so naturally, I ordered that one! (Duh). Lucky for all of us, there was live music!

Not only does Karla's provide a delicious spinach pistachio pesto to accompany its steak, it also hooks you up with a salad and dessert that come with your meal. That is awesome. 

First course: Caesar Salad

Second course: Grilled Flank Steak, Arugula & Spinach Pistachio Pesto

Third course: I forget the name...but some kind of Brazilian Custard Cake. Delish!

Overall score? A

Would I recommend this to spinach lovers? Absolutely

Any imperfections? Not really. But if anything, more spinach. Maybe a sprinkle of spinach powder on the mash. But we think that spinach pesto is a great way to pair our favorite green with steak! The punch of pistachio makes it even better!

If you're ever in New Hope, PA...stop by Karla's and try their spinach option! Pretty sure it'll be a win.

-A+D