Tuesday, June 09, 2015

Best Food in New York City with Abigail Owen



Hi! And thanks so much to Roxanne for having me! Today I’d like to talk about one of my favorite topics…food.

Now, I can’t call myself a foodie, because I don’t enjoy cooking. However, I do enjoy eating. It’s one of my favorite things to do. I’m not snobby or picky, which sometimes foodies are, but I do enjoy good food.

I based my latest novel, Sarai’s Fortune, in New York City. I’ve visited several times, and was able to draw on that personal experience, but it has been a while since my last visit, so I also did a lot of virtual travel thanks to Google. I could talk about all the great museums, the historical buildings, the theater district, the park, and all the incredible things to do in NYC. But I thought it might be more fun to talk about the food!

The Big Apple is known for having great restaurants. It’s also known for some specific kinds of foods. Here are a few of my favs:

New York Style Pizza

I’ve always thought of New York pizza as very wide/flat pieces with large, then pepperoni slices, but research has told me that’s not entirely the story. Pizza as we and the world know it and love it was invented in New York at Lombardi's.

Eggs Benedict

One of my favorite breakfast dishes, it is poached egg and Canadian bacon on an English muffin covered with a very French hollandaise sauce. It was the creation of the legendary Oscar of the Waldorf and first served at the Waldorf Hotel in the 1890s, supposedly with a shaved truffle on top.

New York Style Cheesecake

This cheesecake is the type most of us know today, but was made particularly famous by Junior’s in downtown Brooklyn. The difference was cream cheese. As I understand it, Junior’s is still there, and still making cheesecake!

Manhattan Clam Chowder

Now, I consider clam chowder to be an entirely east coast thing. Clam chowder is usually cream and even potato (I don’t eat it a lot – so you traditionalists feel free to pipe up). Manhattan Clam Chowder (which was originally called Coney Island Clam Chowder) is more Italian with a red tomato broth. It can even lean toward Cajun depending on the spices and veggies added.

Hamburgers & Hotdogs

That’s right. This is an entirely NYC invention that is now an American tradition. Apparently it originated as a food for German sailors, which was interesting.

Hotdogs, meanwhile, were a different invention, but also originating in NYC – Coney Island of course. And I say Nathan’s still makes the best hotdogs.

Cupcakes – Magnolia Bakery

I admit it…I’m a cupcake nut! And every time I hear about cupcakes I hear about Magnolia Bakery in NYC. Next time I’m there I will definitely be giving this place a try.
http://www.magnoliabakery.com/

I hope you enjoyed my trip down foods of New York City. Maybe next time you’re there, you’ll try out one of the originals of those items. I know I will!


Sarai’s Fortune
Shadowcat Nation
Book 2
Abigail Owen

Genre: paranormal romance

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

Number of pages: 246
Word Count: 60,000

Book Description:

Zac Montclair's first priority is to protect his people. With the escalating war between factions of shifters over land and resources, he has agreed to an alliance between his polar bears and the Shadowcat Nation of cougar shifters. But the treaty comes with a condition…he must accept one of their Seers into his Timik and put her under his personal protection.

Sarai Bouchard doesn't need her supernatural gift to know that Kyle Carstairs's obsession with controlling her ability will eventually result in her misery and demise. Her power is essential to her people's survival, so when Kyle goes rogue, she's sent to Zac Montclair to keep her safe. However, her visions reveal that while staying will lead to their becoming lovers, it also leads to his death. Leaving Zac will result in her own.

If Sarai can't find a way to change the future, she will be forced to choose…save her lover or save herself.


Excerpt Book 2:
Sarai concentrated on precise, sharp movements with as much power as she could muster. She’d only been working out for ten minutes or so. She’d started the day similarly  yesterday. She cooked breakfast, eating with the guys. She dragged George and Scott on more sightseeing trips. Today she’d decided to explore a small portion of Central Park. She didn’t try to lose them this time. When they’d got home, they’d hit the gym.
Now, Sarai tuned out Scott and George—who were sparring across the way from her—to focus on her own drills.
“How about you try that out on a man who moves and reacts.”
Sarai spun on her heel to find Zac standing behind her. He was wearing running pants and a tight tank top, which meant she didn’t need to use her imagination to picture the muscles of his arms and chest. They were on display. Her own personal show. Sarai swallowed.
Then she computed what he’d said. How was she going to get out of this? The truth was she couldn’t spar. Her visions messed her up. But that was a secret she had no intention of sharing with three people.
“Not really a good idea.”
He stared at her for a long moment. Then he glanced over her shoulder at George and Scott who’d stopped to listen. “I’ve got this, fellas. Why don’t you go back up to the apartment?”
There was no doubt in her mind that was a command, not a suggestion. Clearly the guys thought so too. She watched them leave the room with wide eyes.
As the door closed behind them, Zac’s hands landed on her shoulders, turning her to face them. “Okay, kuluk. It’s just you and me now. What are you not saying?”
Sarai had never felt this vulnerable in her life. Or this scared. This man got to her in a way no one else ever had. How was she supposed to resist that?
“Why is this so important to you?”
He moved his hands from her shoulders to frame her face, his fingers threading through the dark blond strands of her hair. “Keeping you safe is important to me. I need to know how much you can defend yourself if you have to. It will help me determine just what I need to prepare for. No surprises. Okay?”
Sarai took a deep breath. He couldn’t have meant it that way. Just the thought of being important to this big, strong man connected with the frightened, lonely little girl who’d spent her life just trying to survive. But she couldn’t think that way. She had to leave him, and that knowledge made her want to cry.
Seeing her hesitation, he brushed her cheeks softly with the pads of his thumbs. “Let me help you with this burden,” he murmured softly, his voice a hypnotic, deep rumble.
Sarai bit her lip. Sharing this with him really wasn’t that big a deal. She knew she could trust him.
On a deep inhale, she gave a tiny nod and started talking before she could change her mind. “Okay.”
He gave her one of those rare little half-smiles, making her suddenly very glad she had agreed to capitulate. Thankfully, he released her and stepped back, giving her room to breathe.


About the Author:

Award-winning paranormal and contemporary romance author, Abigail Owen was born in Greeley, Colorado, and raised in Austin, Texas. She now resides in Northern California with her husband and two adorable children who are the center of her universe.

Abigail grew up consuming books and exploring the world through her writing. A fourth generation graduate of Texas A&M University, she attempted to find a practical career related to her favorite pastime by earning a degree in English Rhetoric (Technical Writing). However, she swiftly discovered that writing without imagination is not nearly as fun as writing with it.

Website/Blog: http://abigailowen.com/




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2 comments:

Abigail Owen said...

Thanks so much for having me!

Roxanne Rhoads said...

You are welcome :-)

My husband always raves about New York Pizza! One day I'll try it :-)