OK, I ate SO WELL last week. I feel like a very virtuous, healthy (and full) pregnant lady.
Food delivery service Freshocracy, which is run by a friend of a friend, sent over a bag containing everything I’d need to prepare three dinners for 2, and I had SO MUCH FUN with it. It’s like the best parts of eating in a restaurant (totally easy; you get to try cool, different things) plus the best parts of cooking at home (ANTM is on in the background; the wine costs $9/bottle rather than $9/glass), minus associated grocery-store hassle.
Here’s how it works: you pay $99 (which, granted, is more money than I’d usually spend on three meals for two, but is certainly cheaper than three fancy meals out), and are hand-delivered a bag with local, sustainably farmed, hand-picked greens, meats, fish, etc…and three easy-to-make (and quick!) recipes. You also get pre-measured spices, vinaigrettes…literally everything that you need. All you have to have in the house is olive oil, salt, and pepper.
I loooove this. Here’s why:
1. I got to try my hand at making a number of things I’ve never even heard of before, let alone made (like ramps, pictured above, and farro).
2. I learned some great new cooking techniques and taste combos (and each recipe is written out on a pretty, easy-to-file card).
3. I got to feel like a master chef, whipping up these incredible meals in half an hour each (above, Tri-Tip Steak with Arugula, Lemon and Pepato Sheep’s Milk Cheese). Kendrick ooh-ed and aah-ed appropriately, which was a nice bonus.
4. I didn’t have to make last-minute dashes to the corner market upon realizing that I’d forgotten some key ingredient or another. Plus, I feel like every time I make an interesting new dish I end up having to spend ten bucks on an entire package of some random spice that I’ll never use again, which makes branching out pricier than I want it to be.
5. Because everything was pre-measured and things like marinades were pre-mixed, I kept the dirty dishes to a minimum.
6. Each dinner was ready in a max of 30 minutes, so even when I got home late, I was able to get dinner on the table before we turned into witchy, starving grumpy people.
7. Everything – except the skate with ramp butter, but that’s my own personal issue; Kendrick isn’t a fish fan and he loved it – tasted AMAZING. Above, one of my favorite side dishes: Springiest Potato Salad Ever (with Rose Val red potatoes, green garlic, and red scallions).
For me, the only downside of the service is that at present you can’t choose what you want to have delivered (they’re working on that, though), so Freshocracy is really for less picky eaters. But seriously: some of the things I made weren’t things I’d ordinarily think I’d like…and everything was so, so good. Like I said, it’s not for those weeks when you’re eating ramen to try to save some money – but it just felt so luxurious and indulgent, and I had a total blast. Eat ramen next week.
P.S. Speaking of ramps, click over to Pitchfork Diaries to learn how to make your own ramp butter.
Service provided gratis for review.
