Shout Out To My Foodie Friends

Yes, I host a lot of dinner parties. But, I am not alone in this endeavor. Happily, I have friends that often host me in return -- friends with some serious kitchen skills.

I'm thinking of Nick and Steph with their homemade pastas and glorious salads. Then there is David and Cat who not only make the most amazing cocktails at their Sunset Park pad, but also throw pizza throwdowns. There is Tracy, who regularly whips up dishes that marry citrus with umami and a freshness that makes dinner at her table seem like I have dined at a high-end spa. And, lets not forget to shout out about the mad talents of Mark and Wendy, whom I have partnered with on dinners from time to time. They are so hardcore in their culinary ways that they woke up in the wee hours to make their own coconut milk for a Sri Lankan feast we were preparing.

And, providing a little photographic evidence of my tasty friends' tables, with snapshots from a recent Vietnamese dinner at Brett and Emily's new Prospect Heights apartment. I mean, c'mon! Look above at that Bo Kho, a rich beef stew with noodles, scented with star anise, cinnamon, and lemongrass. And, then there is this...

Um. Yeah. As delicious as it was colorful, this was a bangin' platter of Goi Ga, a Vietnamese shredded chicken salad with crunch from cabbages, peanuts, and fried shallots.

My friends know how to bring it. I am one lucky lady. And, they are lucky in return.

Symbiotic culinary goodness.