Laura Rebecca's Kitchen

  Originally published on September 4, 2013. Early on a Saturday evening, I drove with my husband along 490, toward West Avenue. The sun was shining, traffic was flowing, and my stomach was growling in anticipation of dinner. Just prior to crossing the Douglass-Anthony Bridge, the scent of barbecue — a perfume of smoke, meat, […]

  Originally published on August 7, 2013. Dining in a restaurant housed within a grocery store — a store featuring an animatronic crowing rooster — is an odd sensation. In the span of a few minutes, you can move from dodging grocery carts in the parking lot, to walking by cupcakes decorated to resemble Cookie […]

Originally published July 24, 2013. If you do a Google image search for “rodízio,” a Brazilian-style restaurant in which servers continually bring diners food until the patron signals they’ve had enough to eat, one of the first images you’ll see is a man sitting in a restaurant. Before him is a table cluttered with dishes, […]

Originally published on June 26, 2013. Summer is in full swing, which is a good excuse to get out of the city. Head south on Route 64, down toward Canandaigua Lake, through Bloomfield, past Bristol Mountain Ski Resort (marvel at the green summer slopes), and stop before you reach Monica’s Pies and downtown Naples. Near […]

Parsells Avenue  is part of a residential neighborhood. Children and dogs play behind chain-link fences in shaggy grass, men and women gather to chat on porch stoops, and teenage men bicycle bare-chested down the street, their wheels gliding past a broken bottle or two. It’s not where you’d expect to get a taste and feel […]

If there’s someone in your life who loves the (irresistible?) combination of peanut butter and chocolate, might I suggest you forgo the traditional Valentines’s Day wine and box of chocolates and make these for your beloved instead? The chocolate cake recipe is a “KAF Gauranteed” from King Arthur Flour. It offers a balanced chocolate flavor […]

When you’re craving something sweet, chocolately, rich and gooey — but aren’t quite ready to spend A) hours in the kitchen or B) thousands of calories, give this recipe from Chocolate-Covered Katie a try. It really hits the “Dear God, I need something decadent” spot. Bonus: since it’s made with chickpeas (yes, chickpeas; no, you […]

One of our favorite local restaurants is Rheinblick German Restaurant, serving up all manners of hearty, German fare.  Knockwurst, spaetzel, gluhwein, rouladen — they’re all ready to be eaten! Our favorite by far, however, is schnitzel.  Thin slices of pork (or veal) breaded and fried in butter are served with squeeze of lemon — mmm, oh […]

It’s a New Year and everyone, including (especially?) me,  feels compelled to eat a little better. So it’s especially nice to do so when it doesn’t *taste* healthy. This recipe is adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie’s Five-Minute Chocolate Oatmeal. You won’t believe how rich and decadent oatmeal (of all things!) tastes — it’s like warm […]

Photo courtesy of Wegmans.com I don’t know what exactly it is about macaroni & cheese but it is deliciously comforting. This recipe fits that bill and, if you use a “super pasta” it’s even a tiny bit healthy! Macaroni & Cheese (adapted from the original recipe) 14.5 oz short cut pasta (elbows, ziti, etc.), cooked […]