GG eats NYC

Back Room Affairs at Ed's Chowder House

2010-09-07T02:01:00.000-07:00

Chef Ed Brown's back room dinners are a joyous affair. Climb a flight of stairs encircling a story-high, glass, chandelier and paintings of ships battling ocean waves, digitized aquariums and multiple rooms of families, couples and other diners feasting on seafood and you could only be in Ed's Chowder House. We were there to celebrate my mother's birthday dinner, closed off by sliding doors in a back room, sitting at circular tables to be shared with strangers. My mom always loves to use the expression, "strangers are friends we havn't met yet," and by the 5th course and multiple glasses of wine the cliche could be no less true. Each table seats seven and as soon as you sit down a glass of Verve Cliquot is poured into a glass for you to loosen up and enjoy with various hors d'oeuvres.

A white porcelain spoon sporting halved cherry tomatoes, sprinkled with miniscule cubes of mozarella and croutons in olive oil enabled consumption of its contents in one quick inhale, it's flavors a cascade down your throat. Served instead of bread was a basket of Gougeres filled with warm foie gras, which paired with the champagne, allowed the full fat taste to combine with the sweet flavor of the bubbly.

A quick slurp of a naked cowboy oyster, with a spicy watermelon ice dolloped on the saline meat was a nice start before the Confit of Wild Ivory King salmon. The salmon's marbly surface was so moist that the flesh seemed to melt away from my knife before I would even cut. It just cut like buttah! The mound of Ameircan caviar on top added a subtle saltiness that was all it needed to be flavorful.

(paired with Gruner Veltliner, Austria '08)

Next up, this little guy showed up on his island of fresh corn surrounded by a red pepper sauce. The warm colors of the dish made the taste even more enjoyable.

(paired with Chenin Blanc, Clos de la Plante Marin, France '08)

A forkful of sweet corn with a crunchy leg of crab drenched in a sauce, definitely made this one of my favorites. Another diner at our table picked up on the subtle smokiness in the pepper sauce and knew that it had to be Pimenton (a Spanish paprika). Overall a delightful dish.

Next was an unusual pairing of Berkshire pork belly braised in albarino wine, with baby clams, and sweet garlic. I was skeptical of the clam and pork pairing, but the fatty meat was calling for the salty flavor and tanginess of parsley.

(paired with Albarino, La Cana, Spain '08)

Sitting in a pool of garlicky butter and its own juices, the pork's texture was almost like the smooth texture of seafood. The fats texture was too slimy for me and at one point I wasn't sure if I was eating a clam or pork, but the buttery parsley flavor won me over easy.

To break away from the seafood theme, chef served us a simple meat course next. Atop a smashed hill of potatoes oozing in olive oil was a perfectly pink loin of Colorado lamb.

(paired with Bordeaux, France '06)

Mint pesto brushed on one side with half a roasted squash paired well with the meat, but the pesto and a few pine nuts really brought out the roasted flavor in the meat. The meat itself was dense but not tough and a nice break from all that seafood.

For dessert, a simple cherry clafoutis. Each forkful was a battle to save the cherries entrenched in the dough. Vanilla custard could not save the rubbery pastry that clung to the glass dish for dear life, but by the end of the meal after good conversation flowing easily between strangers, and a full stomach, dessert was not an issue.

Ed's Chowder House

4 West 63rd

New York, NY 10023

A neighborhood Favorite: Petrossian

2010-09-03T21:17:00.000-07:00

For years Petrossian Cafe has been my go-to neighborhood bakery. Of course, I have been spoiled. With the flakiest croissants and the most decadent chocolaty, double-chunk cookie, I have been a loyal patron to enjoy it all. They also have a delightful lunch menu with a number of egg dishes and a bountiful Smoked Salmon Cobb Salad. It is only a sample of the main restaurants main specialties; smoked salmon and caviar. This day in particular I needed some flaky pastries.
What better than an Almond Croissant lightly dusted with confectioners sugar. Yum! The outside crispy and crackly, a perfect shell for buttery layers inside.

I also can not forget, my favorite, the Apricot Pinwheel. Four triangle layers of flaky croissant are attached to a center of a sweet, apricot.

The color of the apricot is the way a fresh yolk should look like and with a bite, the center oozes, softening, spilling onto the layers of crust. It is a joyful experience and one I will miss when I am away at school.

Petrossian
182 W. 58th St.
New York, NY 10019

Disheartening Ssam Bar Experience

2010-07-18T19:04:00.000-07:00

I'm sad to say that I recently experienced a disappointing meal at Momofuku Ssam Bar. Over the past years, it has grown into such a phenomena;friends visiting have it first on their list for places to eat, there might as well be a half hour wait for dinner starting at 5 PM almost every night, and now it has expanded into Midtown. Their subtle flavors, Milk Bar and service are what I love, but this meal did not deliver. At 5:30 one table was available, the bar only had two seats and they would not seat me at a table until my friend had arrived. I don't mind sitting at the bar because it is just as uncomfortable curved over the bar as it is curved over a table with a backless chair. My young back can take it and it was not before long I was distracted by food and good conversations.

Of course I needed to start with an order of Pork Buns.

These will never diminish in flavor. I will always compare nameless meat served in my college cafeteria's to this taste. Hunched over our bar stool chairs, my friend and I shared the dish and savored our single serving. Even though we can easily buy a $2 pork bun in Chinatown, I am willing to sacrifice my pay check for hunks of pork belly adjacent to a slab of fat drenched in Saracha. Scallions provided a nice subtle back-tone to barbecue sauce, and the bun is not too doughy, but just enough. With so many slippery ingredients, our cheeks were hovering over the table, trying to catch ingredients tumbling from the bun. Of course it is messy to eat, but that is half the fun. I was accompanied by a good friend who is also a brave foodie. We opted for Pigs Ears, a smaller portion, with wild sorrel and white poppies.

I am not afriad to eat much of anything. I was pretty excited to try these, until my second bite. The first bite was crunchy, a little tough to chew but tasty. The second bite my toungue ran over the edge of an ear, the meat was tougher to separate, and it wasn't crunchy. The wild sorrel added a rather sour taste to the already gelatinous texture of the ear. I kept eating though. I'm not sure why. It must have been one of those foods I expected to become better with more chewing? Uhhh, i just didn't, maybe I couldn't taste the added flavors of the poppy? Perhaps my inner Asian-self was not appreciating the flavors? I mean this is Momofuku. For some reason I expected every dish to satisfy my tastes, but I guess not.

Regardless of taste, I was not full and I knew this would happen for the Pig's Ears were not an entree. Good thing we ordered Whole Lamb Sausage. This would surely fill us up, I mean sausage, usually you get more than one, so we would surely be satisfied. Well mashed water-chestnuts were hearty, but there was one whole sausage on the plate. In flavor the licorice anise transformed the gamy taste of the lamb to a subtle sweetness. The sausage was very good, but we were not satiated. Now, I know we should have ordered more, but our bill already was over $60. Pretty pricey! Guess I'll need a real job to keep eating there. Hopefully our next meal will be with the parents or at the Noodle Bar. Until then Happy Eating

Momofuku Ssam Bar

207 2nd Avenue
New York, NY 10003
(212) 254-3500

Summer Feasting -- Thai, Indian and some Italian for kicks

2010-07-13T20:10:00.000-07:00

A visit to cousins in Brooklyn led to an afternoon of food, a picnic complete with wine and late night pizza. With thai food on the mind we walked down toward Graham Av and looked for a late lunch special. Cheers Thai has a refreshing outdoor back garden and a lunch hour until 5pm!! Yay late afternoon lunch

An appetizer of jewel-like vegetable dumplings packed with veggies were light and flavorful.

Crispy skinned duck rested atop cilantro, lettuce and snappy red onion, combined for Cheer's Thai Duck Salad that could even rival Pam Real Thai's. Each forkful was dripping with lime dressing and the juices of pineapple pieces. Bones were only a minor set back, beside the acidic sting on the roof of my mouth, but nonetheless delicious! McCarren park beckoned us for a picnic, and three hours later we were relaxing in the balmy summer heat. Of course that only made us hungrier :) By dinner time we traveled into Manhattan's Little India around 6th street. A person casually sitting in the front window of Calcutta playing a sitar throughout our dinner was a nice touch. They won't mention their $10 dinner special for a choice of appetizer, soup/salad, entree and dessert unless you ask. One dish on the menu is worth the amount of this great deal, so definitely go for the special.

By the time I got my camera out, we had already ate half of our order of Samosa's. Crispy on the corners, doughy in the middle with starchy vegetables inside. Complete with a spicy dipping sauce they were gone as soon as I clicked my camera.

Lemon added an extra tanginess to spicy cubes of lamb in a creamy Vindaloo sauce. Along with a 22 ounce King Fisher it made for a nice main course. After, a mango sorbet we headed out on the town. By 2am there was already a half hour line in front of Artichoke. Their lines are always long even in the early hours, but waiting on one just sucks.

Watching smiling eaters munching on a crunchy crust oozing with creamy sauce, a hint of wine, extra extra butter and so good. Eaters oggling their slice, heavy handed, stumbling from night drinks and butter overload just make the waiting worse....but so worth it in the end.

Cheers Thai

612 Metropolitan Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11211-3606

Calcutta Indian Restaurant

324 E 6th Street
New York, NY 1000

Artichoke Pizza
328 East 14th Street
New York, NY 10003

Chinese food since 1938: Wohop,

2010-07-09T07:30:00.000-07:00

Since 1938 Wohop has serviced many New Yorkers for their Chinese craving; the type of Chinese food you think of with sesame chicken dripping in thick sauces, fast service, and hand made dumplings made during a busy lunch hour. It is the type of Chinese food you order during a stay-in-movie night, takeout cravings of thick noodles in cornstarch, molding to the shape of the take-out carton visible during a second round of microwave heatups. Regardless, if your a fan of oily and thick Chinese food, the place was crowded at 3PM with a line climbing the flight of stairs from its basement dwelling to the street. What really shocked me, and rather disturbed me, was that all of the eaters were not from the neighborhood; tourists from Ohio, suited men from City Hall, etc. and that immediately told me what type of food to expect.

We started with Roast Pork, a simple appetizer, large thinly sliced pieces drenched in oil and its own drippings. Juicy, slightly overcooked, not too salty and lots of it.

Our first entree was Chicken Chow Mein glistening in the harsh fluorescent lights. A mish mosh of chinese crispy noodles, bean sprouts and chicken. There was not a lot of flavor except for the bitter taste of bean sprouts.

My egg omelette with mushrooms and chicken does not look particularly appetizing in this picture, but I was satisfied. Unfold a layer of egg and steam willl rise from its core revealing large pieces of (dry) chicken, and fans of mushrooms. The gelatinous sauce will cling to each morsel dredged from the bottom, but don't be disheartened because the taste made it the best dish of the lunch.

Ready for dessert, my mother and I wandered into Little Italy to visit a favorite bakery of mine, in search of their Amaretto cookies.

Introduced to me by thefattyreader, I have fallen in love with the puffed centers, crispy edges and subtle sugar of these cookies. Munching on multiple pillows of almond, we happened to pass by the store titled "The Best Chocolate Cake in the World." Well, with a title like that my mom was intrigued and so was I. We sat down in the small air conditioned room (thank god) and ordered ourselves iced coffee and a slice of their 70% dark chocolate cake.

What people might find unusual or different of this chocolate cake, is the meringue layer coarsing through the middle of spongy cake and soft ganache. The meringue makes the cake a lot sweeter than expected. I was not a fan, but the cake was not bad. The top was a creamy-melt-in-your-mouth layer of dark chocolate, which I peeled from the top immediately and deviantly ate before my mother. Not the best, but not the worst chocolate cake I've ever had.

Wohop

17 Mott St.

New york, NY 10002

Caffe Roma Pastry

385 Broome St

New York

The Best Chocolate Cake In The World

55A Spring st., nr Mulberry St.

New York, NY

City Bakery and Locanda Verde pastries

2010-01-17T20:02:00.000-08:00

The winter weather always seems to call upon a good cup of hot chocolate. This past week it was even sunny enough to keep my gloveless hands, out of my pockets, and around a cup of hot chocoalte from City Bakery. My friend and I deemed it a remedy to rid the winter chill from our bones.

I am not one to judge hot chocolate harshly, but I can see why some might not enjoy the thick texture of City Bakery's hot chocolate. The rich liquid coated my throat and mouth and nearly disabled me from speaking. Regardless, I thoroughly enjoyed the chocolaty concoction and we walked downtown along the West Side highway pier. My hot chocolate was accompanied by a marshmallow, but by the time I finished the liquid, my marshmallow was lost at the bottom of my cup, covered with chocolate and I would have looked like a fool scooping fingers towards the bottom and attempting to scoop it into my mouth :(

By the time we walked down to Tribeca, we were hungry again. Realizing that we were on Greenwich street, we decided to go to Locanda Verde. Their to go bakery was open and my friend and I sat down for a mid afternoon snack.

The crumbly walnut topping to my fig muffin was a nice and nutty contrast to the moist cake below. Fig seeds spersed through the cake layer, added a nice texture with the crunch of almond

and sugar topping and added a nice flavor paired with a Lavender tea. My friend ordered a huge apple, cinammon bun whose fresh fruit was moist, and subtly sweet. The surrounding layers of the pastry neatly unfurled as she ate layer by layer.

We felt strange using the silverware and napkins set out on the table, but we were assured that it was completely allowed. The pastries were delicious and I hope to go back for their famed breakfast soon.

Hampton Chutney and a walk through Chinatown

2010-01-17T17:48:00.000-08:00

The city is so full of interesting people. One day last summer, while I was taking pictures at Abraco a woman started talking with me. This woman and I have kept in contact since, going on various coffee dates and and food outings. The first time I met her, she was working in an office aspiring for better things. When I met with her this past week, she had left her job and has been taking classes at B&H to pursue a career in wedding and child photography.

We decided to meet at Hampton Chutney Co. Humongous, crispy dosas are brimming with a huge selection of fresh ingredients. One of the Seasonal is filled with jeweled squash, mushrooms, arugula and jack cheese. The portions are huge, at least 2 feet of crispy dosa lay before me. Unaided by fork or knife I tore through the soft middle, revealing juicy mushrooms and large cupes of squash.

I primitively tore at my meal, surrounded by many people bustling through the 19 seat cafe. Let me note, my eating companion neatly and safely ate her dosa. The warm vegetables inside were satisfying and tasty.

We then ventured down to Chinatown to a medicine shop. In the midst of shelves covered with hanging roots, boxes of herbs with Chinese labels and pamphlets on mind and body health was a woman with glasses thicker than my thumb. It was a cute little place and I left with medicinal herbs and a feeling that neighborhood small business still lives on in the city of giant real estate and condos.

After we stopped to buy the fruits depicted above. I don't really know the name of the fruit but it was very similar to a lychee nut. We walked peeling the hard shell that surrounded the sweet meat whose juices spilled down over our wrists and fingers. Lets just say we used a lot of hand sanitizer.
A pleasant day with beautiful weather :)
Happy Eating

NYC Winter Restaurant Week

2010-01-11T19:41:00.000-08:00

I resent the fact that my winter break ends on January 25th. It is the same day NYC Winter Restaurant Week starts :( But Madeleine Albright will be speaking at school that day, so life won't be that bad.

Here is the link for a list of participating restaurants

2010-01-11T17:46:00.001-08:00

Every Sunday this past summer, the Pool Parties hosted free concerts in WIlliamsburg, Bklyn. After one such concert my friends and I went to D.B.A, a bar with a great selection of beers, and in the summer, Sunday barbeque. Past the long wooden bar, which has 16 taps, and outside on to the patio, we were greeted by a man in a t-shirt, apron and chef's hat behind a plastic fold-up tables with various coolers on top and a grill on his left. Because we had gotten out of the concert late, most of the food was gone, but nonetheless we managed to grab some delicious grub.

A friend who had been here previously raved about the oysters and we were able to nab the last of them. I remeber the barbecue sauce was not as sweet as I expected, maybe because of the scallions garnished on top.

The beet salad was balanced. A natural sweetness from the beets, and sugary taste from candied pecans was countered by creamy goat cheese and the tang of cabbage.

Simple potato salad and fava bean salad was devoured. I don't remember the taste but I do know that we were all sad once we had consumed the dish before the waitress walked back inside.

The only thing left on the menu from the grill were their burgers. Pink onions, and jalapenos made this a delightful juicy mess. My friends who were over 21 raved about the beers on tap especially, one of my friend's IPA.

All in all a good post-concert meal.

Happy eating!

d.b.a
113 North 7th Street, Brooklyn, NY

(718) 218-6006

Last Meal of the New Year -- Pastrami Queen

2010-01-09T08:36:00.001-08:00

An end of a decade ended with a pastrami sandwich. I think all my Jewish family members would agree, that nothing is better than Russian dressing, coleslaw, and slices of warm pastrami between Rye bread. The Pastrami Queen makes a great sandwich. Even though I went to high school in the neighborhood of this Jewish deli, I had never stepped inside. So, I treated my mother to one of her favorite meals.

My mom and I split a sandwich, shared a huge bowl of mushroom barley soup, and a side of kasha varnishkas.

Tangy Russian dressing elevates the peppery taste of the meat and sour notes of slaw. Rye bread only makes sense to absorb all of the juices that might run past fingers and down wrists.

My mom and I must have been a sight; dressed in semi-formal attire, devouring huge sandwiches without taking breaths for air. I think the family of four sitting next to us was slightly horrified, but it didn't matter. It was a good year, so why not end it with a delightful sandwich.

We didn't forget about our other sides and proceeded to drench the kasha in a gravy served on the side, and attempted to consume all of the soup, but there was just too much. Once we were finished we sat back and just laughed. Imagine if we had ordered a sandwich each. Oy! The best part, is that we probably would have finished that off to.
Happy New Year all!

Pastrami Queen
1125 Lexington Ave
Manhattan, New York, NY 10075
(212) 734-1500

Christmas Eve Dinner at Robert

2010-01-02T00:01:00.000-08:00

As a “welcome home” from my first semester at college, my parents took me to Robert, the new restaurant within the Museum of Arts and Design, located on Columbus Circle. I have always adored this museum, and attend the exhibitions whenever I come home.

As we entered the restaurant, located on the ninth floor, we were presented with a fabulous view of Central Park, Columbus circle, and north bound Broadway.

Needless to say, the view is fabulous!

Peering into the mirror next to our table and along the far wall, we were under the impression that the restaurant was a vast, never ending line of tables, so long, that the other side of the room might have been across the street. Dozens of fluorescent neon-pink, boxed lights lined the ceiling, with against the dark walls and sculptural furniture designed by Philip Michael Wolfson.

We ordered a signature cocktail called the Isabelle, named after the famous floral designer and event planner, Robert Isabelle, after whom the restaurant was named. The presentation was simple and lovely, a martini glass of Prosecco and Elderflower liqueur, adorned with a pansy.

After we had ordered, our waiter brought each of us a complimentary oyster. My mother, not one for shellfish, delegated her portion to my father who gladly obliged. My father and I downed the succulent meat, our throats tingling from the pickled pineapple with shallot, and the pink-peppercorn vinaigrette. We expected sweetness from the pineapple but instead the swallow was clean and yielded just a simple hint of parsley.

The torchon of Hudson Valley foie gras, which accompanied a pillar of brioche circles and a lump of quince chutney, offered no flavor. We learned that a torchon is foie gras wrapped in a towel and poached, in this case, court bullion, a vegetable stock with white wine and lemon. The texture was creamy, but there was no taste unless a mouthful contained the sweet chutney. Pistachios encrusting the torchon sides provided a saltiness. We are big fans of sauteed foie gras, which is why we opted to try this appetizer. But my mother and I were not pleased

Next, I ordered the charred octopus. Sweet onions and shaved fennel offered a layer of flavor along with tender and slightly charred pieces of octopus, which were salty with a bite of Gaela olives. It was delicious.

My mother was confused once her shrimp cocktail was set in front of her. She had expected the martini glass, with shrimp on ice and a side of cocktail sauce, but instead two, very large pieces of shrimp were presented to her. The shrimp were crisp and sweet, encircled by tomatoes and immersed in a mildly spicy horseradish gelee. Despite the shock, she enjoyed it.

As an in- between appetizer and entree course, we ordered a pasta. We all enjoyed the Pappardelle. Pieces of wild boar, olives, raisins and pine nuts hid under flat rivulets of noodles. The meat was juicy, not stringy or chewy and the raisins offered a sweet burst layered among gamy flavors. The consistency of the dish was thinner than a stew, but just as hearty. I greedily sopped up the delicious sauce, meat, olives and raisins on a tiny piece of warm multigrain bread. I'm actually surprised I didn't spill it all over myself. We all agreed it was the best dish of the night.

As we waited for our entrees, my parents complained about the reflection in the window. The video screen, hung from the back wall, displaying digital images of falling leaves and twisting branches at a nauseating pace, disturbed their fabulous view. My mother probably switched seats four times throughout the course of the meal until the image on the screen changed to a woman's feet wearing silver stilettos stomping on silver ornaments. The art piece is an installation titled "Happy Holidays."

Our entrees arrived promptly. My mother's strip steak, a robust portion, was served with baby carrots, halved fingerling potatoes, and creamed spinach. My mother, a hardened meat eater, could only finish half of her buttery steak and begged us not to waste the other half immersed in it's own juices. I couldn't even get a picture before she tore into it. The side vegetables were a bust, but the meat could hold it's own.

A pristine rectangle of poached halibut, blinding in it's whiteness, contrasted by festive red and greens of spinach, chives and tomatoes offered a nice presentation. The flavor was tame and in my father's opinion the dish was "just fish," neither impressive or satisfying.

Then the server set my plate of roasted Pekin duck breast onto the table. A torrent of clove, cardamom, star anise, coriander, and cinnamon smells wafted beneath my nose. I was more excited by the initial smell than the taste. The meat was pink, not tough, or overly spiced. The sides, kernels of corn throughout quinoa were sweet, compared to the mustardy taste of turnips. I was more taken by my initial impression of the dish than the flavor.

Dessert was passable. At the start of the meal we were told to order the chef's special Bombolini, described as ricotta fritters dusted with cinnamon. They were basically doughnut holes, light, but very sweet. Served with a choice of chocolate, caramel and vanilla dipping sauces. The extra sugar covering the fried dough and the immersion of more sugar was too much.

My father wisely stuck to plain vanilla ice cream and was better off than the my mother and I.

Mom ordered the carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and a side of vanilla ice cream. You could have a coronary from all the sugar. The cake contained moist fruits and the overly sweet frosting canceled out almost every other flavor except for a hint of traditional carrot cake spice on the final swallow. Was the cream cheese frosting really necessary with a scoop of ice cream? The ice cream made the dessert swallowable and was fine with a forkful of cake.

In retrospect, the service was impeccable. Even the bread servers were friendly cordial and professional. The view is fantastic and no food can diminish the magic of Central Park or the brilliant patterns of New York traffic at night. The price was reasonable and I hear that lunch service will start on January 4th. The restaurant is exciting, and even after the room had filled up it was not noisy. There is also the possibility that live jazz will play during dinner service in the future, and the full service lounge bar is a great place to hang out and have drinks. I wish everyone Happy Holidays and a healthy New Year!

Leftovers from August -- Grand Sichuan and Billy's Bakery

2010-01-01T14:25:00.000-08:00

I seem to be coming across leftover photos from my many foodie adventures over the summer. One afternoon a friend and I went for a lunch and dessert trip in Chelsea to Grand Sichuan and Billy's Bakery. I have lost my notes on the meal, so I will just give brief descriptions. This was my first time at Grand Sichuan and I am glad I went with an experienced regular because the menu is massive!

Appetizer of Sichuan Cold Noodles: This was sprinkled with crushed peanuts, scallions and Sichuan pepper as well as hot oil. Really delicious and perfect to split.

Delicious soup dumplings: Do not, I repeat, do not eat this whole. Your mouth will be set on fire, you will consume lava, and yes it will hurt! Try to wait at least five minutes before slurping the broth. It might be safer to cut a hole on the side, but then you will lose the soup. I feel like there can be no safe way to eat soup dumplings. Try cutting into the side and carefully sip the broth from the dumpling. Once the burning liquid is gone consume the good stuff inside.

Gui Zhou Spicy Chicken: This is one of my friend's staple dishes. If you like spiciness than order it traditional Sichuan style, which is spicier and not as sweet.

Ma pao tofu: I think I only remember this dish as goopy. The sauce was off putting and my friend was slightly disgusted by the slippery texture of the tofu. The tofu's taste was fine, but I don't think I would order this again.

We then headed off for dessert at Billy's Bakery, which is essentially a few blocks away.

Raspberry Breakfast bar with crumble topping was tart and not too sweet.

I don't really remember what type of cupcake this is. It doesn't look like one of their usual flavors, but I am sure it was good.

Their banana breakfast muffin was decent. I'd much rather go for a slice of their banana cake...yum

Grand Sichuan
229 Ninth Ave., New York, NY 10001 at 24th St
212-620-5200

Billy's Bakery
184 Ninth Ave., New York, NY 10011 nr. 21st St
212-647-9956

Leftovers from August -- El Quinto Pino

2010-01-01T12:09:00.000-08:00

A close friend and I visited a wine bar in Chelsea, called El Quinto Pino. I biked down to Chelsea on a rainy summer day and arrived before the wine bar had opened. Regardless I was invited in by the smiling bartender.

The interior is sleek, dimly lit, and relatively small. The wooden bar highlighted by candle light is homey and inviting. The two men behind the bar were accompanied by two others in the kitchen.

My friend and I had heard of El Quinto Pino for their wine selection and Uni Panini. Delicate pillows of Uni slipped into a skinny baguette (called a ficelle) slathered with, what NY mag says is a Korean mustard. The baguette is panini pressed and dressed in a waxed paper bag.

The texture of the uni is light, the taste even more ethereal. Now, don't get me wrong the sandwich was delicious but I expected something heartier than this, 6 inch long, 2 inch wide sandwich for $15. It is definitely an experience and if you love uni, you have got to try it.

The Pringá - Braised Meat Sandwich- was served in the same wax paper, and was just as tiny as the Uni sandwich. It was heartier and the bread was crunchy, without being too hard.

Berenjena con Miel: Fried eggplant sticks served with a side of honey. This was very simple and sweet with a nice wine pairing.

Soldaditos de pavia: Fried pieces of cod, were crispy and not salty at all. There was no grease to be seen, and the inside fish was tender.

Casadiella: Three fried pillows filled with chopped toasted walnuts were drizzled over with honey and powdered sugar. It is the only dessert offered, but it is not listed on the menu, so don't miss out.

During our tapas tasting we were the only ones in the space. The next time I visited with a group of three it was crowded. We could not find seats at one of the 16 stools and had to eat on our feet. The room was crowded and noisy, but the ambiance was alluring, mysterious and delightful. Check it out for late afternoon tapas or midnight cocktail.

El Quinto Pino
401 West 24th Street
New York, NY 10011-1254
(212) 206-6900

Where have I been?

2010-01-01T00:00:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! It has been a long time but I have been away for my first semester at Wellesley College. I have not had the time to explore Boston or write due to the amount of work that has taken over my life, not to mention I joined Crew and now wake up at dawn to row on the Charles River. Nonetheless, I love it! Not to mention the campus grounds are beautiful.

Let me just say the food is nothing compared to what is available in the city. A new food company, called AVI Fresh, has taken over dining services this year. Reviewing the food there would seem mundane, but I did consider comparing dining hall to dining hall. I've included a few nature shots during the fall season. Before I left, the campus was covered in a white blanket of snow. It is a gorgeous place. Regardless, I am back in NYC for winter break and I am so excited to start eating!
Happy holidays everyone and joyful eating!

Post- Pilates Brunch at DOVETAIL

2009-08-19T22:57:00.001-07:00

Okay, so this post is late, but it seems attempting to hold down three jobs the summer before leaving for college leaves me with no free time. Nonethless, it must be posted!

Days together with my mother are dwindling fast. Past days/lunches with my mom and friends are all the more precious, because they mark the ending of an era in my (short lived) life. Meals like these, also mean my mom is willing to go almost anywhere I recommend. So, post-pilates a few weeks ago, I suggested we go and try Dovetail's Restaurant Week menu. Of course I had forgotten that it was August 1st, the day after RW deals had ended, but Dovetail offers a $28 brunch menu with items that were on the RW menu, such as their lamb lasagna, veal schnitzel and seared cod.

We were greeted by an empty, cavernous dining room and cheerful hosts, whose overly huge smiles expressed their relief to have someone in the restaurant. Well, I'll just cut right to the food.

Brunch includes canapés for the table, an entree and then assortments of dessert. Bread consisted of Focaccia with inclusions of rosemary, topped with a roasted tomato, sweet mini muffins with crumbly sugar topping and a flat honeyed muffin. They were cute, but the first batch was not heated, resulting in a spongy foccacia, chewy tomato, and deflated muffins.

First course of canapes consisted of yogurt parfait, tomato gazpacho, cucumber tea sandwich, salmon tartare, and duck meatballs. I have to admit I was not impressed. Grape slices topped a peanut infused granola with a creamy Greek yogurt, whose flavors were reminiscent of a PB & J. It was the only thing that my mother and I showed interest in as we tasted stale brioche circles with a cucumber slice and duck meatballs covered in a sweetened Worscteshire sauce.

A salty corn chip base overpowered a lump of tuna tar-tar with minced shallots whose bland flavor was a huge contrast, compared to the instant heat of a tomato gazpacho blended with cilantro.

Our entree choice of veal schnitzel and seared cod was based on RW menu raves.
My mother, more keen to meat, chose the flattened, pan fried, encrusted veal hidden beneath butter lettuce and pale yellow green beans.

Brushed underneath the plate was a minuscule amount of mustard, unable to alleviate the thin dryness of the pounded meat. The crunchy outer layer made it hard for my mom to chew, almost brittle and scratchy in each mouthful despite an extra side of mustard. I knew something was amiss once she flopped half of the meat onto my bread plate.

My seared cod, whose white flesh flaked with a light press of my fork was on a bedding of peppers, zuchini and corn infused in a buttery, oil broth. A crunchy top layer, spiced by a cilantro or parsley flavor, contrasted in both flavor and texture to the vegetables lounging underneath.

The Cod retained a fishy flavor, one of the ocean, that my mother is adverse to, but nonetheless we were both impressed by the colors of this dish and looking down into the deep porcelain bowl, I stared into swirls of red, yellow and green, mesmerized as if by a kaleidoscope.

Dessert included a fudgy walnut brownie, small dish of tender macerated figs, a small button of crème brûlée and a mini pecan coffee cake. Light creme hid under a slightly burnt, crunch top and prompted me to scoop small amounts of it onto the (what appears to be fuzzy in the picture) dry, spongy coffee cake. The figs were juicy by themselves, but once I poured some cream I received with coffee, into the little glass bowl, the natural sweet of the fig's fleshy texture made it a simple and delicious dessert.

My mother and I did not feel like the food matched up to the $70 bill. My mother did not touch her veal schnitzel and I thought that the cod was not extraordinary, though it looked pretty :). That aside, the service was perfect, well timed with empty water glasses, polite and not overbearing. Yet, I wonder if the service would be the same if we were not the only ones in the restaurant. The dinner menu looks enticing and I hope to return soon., but for now mom and I would rather stick to Shakshuka from the Hummus Kitchen as a post-pilates feast.

Dovetail

103 W 77th St
New York, NY 10024-6909
(212) 362-3800

Tomato Festival at the Sea Grill + 2X Kyotofu = :)

2009-08-19T20:36:00.000-07:00

Patina Restaurant Group served up tomato-based dishes at the launch of its first national Tomato Festival two weeks ago. But before I attended the event, which was at Rockefeller Center, I killed some time with a visit to Kyotofu to taste the new soft serve flavor of the week.

A small, "Seven Spice" (supposedley the seven spices used in Japanese cooking) Chocolate, and Vanilla twist with one topping cost only $4.16. The soft serve is made of soy, but unlike many vegan ice creams there is no soy aftertaste. Instead the texture is creamy, light and flavorful. The flavor changes weekly and with a mochi topping (depicted here is Kinako Motchi) it gets me so excited that I have brought friends multiple days in a row just to have an excuse to go.

I was so thrilled by an abundant amount of soft serve that I decided to go for a white peach and green tea macaroon. The macaroon was not chewy, the shell had a slight crunch and the inside is a type of jelly rather than Bouchon's overly sweetened cream-like filling.

ANyway to get back to the press event.....Did you know there is a tomato blight going on? I could just tell from the sullen expression on the face of Farmer Tom Barber from Double Decker Farms, that the blight is a serious matter. Yet, I am afraid explanations of a tomato fungus could not be heard over the rumbling stomachs of guests who had expected a filling meal, but instead were served miniscule portions. The event was held at The Sea Grill, one of the restaurants owned by Patina Restaurant Group. Guests got a little more than buzzed off of free-flowing, Tomato inspired cocktails, such as a Tomato-tini. “The food for this event should be included in the Guinness Book of World Records for smallest H'orderves," exclaimed one guest who hungrily sipped her tomato cocktail, scouting for the tall server who appeared on occasion, at her own risk, amongst grabbing hands of hungry press.

A long table assorted with tomatoes in various shapes and sizes lacked the usual thirty plus tomato relatives found in the North East. Instead only a small selection of ten varieties were quartered and served with a dish of salt. Soggy miniscule cones were passed around, filled with a fabulous tomato sorbet, whose tart flavor was balanced by a spicy avocado spoonful nestled beneath the scoop.

It was a proper mess to eat, but they were delicious. Skewered alongside large tomato quarters were juicy, yellow and pink watermelon cubes along with basil leaves.

There were other h'orderves, but I was not fast enough to get pictures of them nor grab one of the five on a tray, that were hungrily scoffed up by others. Peak of Conversation swirled around lack of sustenance and the occasional guest who inspected a tomato basket, picked out a gnarled, green, perfectly round, crimson or even fetus shaped (look at picture below) tomato and chomped into the thin skin.

With juices oozing over their hands a huge smile would come across their face by the prospect of being accepted by the roomful of foodies and not being exorcized for eating a tomato like an apple. I admit, I pocketed two of the nicer, more colorful and probably seven or eight dollars at Whole Foods tomato varieties, but most of them left in baskets on tables would have gone to waste.

After Farmer Tom gave his sermon Karen (head of The Nibble) and I were ready for some real food. We braved the thick, blanket of humidity and annoying large groups of tourists awaiting us in Midtown, for dinner at Pam Real Thai on Ninth Avenue. Previously at the event, I had a chance to meet and bond with Tim Cooper, who works for Rachel Ray magazine, over Pam Real Thai’s Anchovy Fried Rice. Sounds weird and even smells weird, but order it because the complex of flavors makes this one of the best dishes I have had at Pam’s. No one flavor overpowers the next. Fixings encircling jasmine rice sprinkled with dried shrimp included red onions, thai omelet slices, honey chicken, and Thai chili peppers.

Layers of flavor attract me to this dish and go beyond the gentrified, basil, spicy, Southern Thai flavors New York Thai cuisine has become. There is no distinct fish taste, but a heated, aromatic spoonful of rice, sweet glazed chicken portion, sharp red onion and the occasional cilantro leaf combined with a subtle saltiness provided by the anchovy paste was heavenly.

It won hands down against salty hunks of duck in a goopey tomato, basil sauce. Without crispy skin, duck lacks something I crave and my full attention was devoted to finishing the Anchovy Fried Rice, using all of the ingredients in each forkful.

Kyotofu’s convenient location around the corner, and my ability to consume vast amounts of food prompted my boss and I to venture for dessert. Ok, I know it was my second time there within four hours, but I can’t get enough of their soft serve! Karen ordered the ice cream sundae with “seven spice” chocolate and vanilla twist, accompanied by a strawberry compote and whip cream.

You already know it was good. I opted for their coconut-shiso cupcake, paired with a mini soft-serve and compote. New York magazine dubbed Kyotofu's cupcakes as the best in the city and they definitely win me over with flavor and texture, but there is too much cupcake.

Eating one by itself, without any accompaniments, leads for a dry, congealed mouthful; tasty but hard to swallow. So, to solve my problem I took a scoop of soft-serve, placed it on top of a slice of Coconut-shiso cupcake and ate a creamy, baked mouthful....yumm.

Pam Real Thai
404 W 49th St
New York, NY 10019
(212) 333-7500

Kyotofu
705 9th Ave
New York, NY 10019-7929
(212) 974-6012

Hooters

2009-08-18T22:02:00.000-07:00

As someone attending an all girls school in the fall, a place intended to motivate thousands of young girls to bypass stereotype and develop into their own woman beyond the confines of men, Hooters would be the last place to find me. Until, my mother thought it a splendid idea to make a night of it and eat at the 56th street location because she had heard of my raves over the 20 piece chicken wings I had eaten in Atlantic City….strictly take-out. So, mother, father and child walked into an un-crowded, wood paneled room, decorated with Xmas lights. Cooking staff, working at grills in the back, provided the rousing barks of a bar scene, but besides that, the place was relatively empty.

“That one has no junk in her trunk,” exclaimed my mother who was having a grand ole time as she watched various waitresses jiggle on by, in tight, black, booty shorts. Our waitress, Gabrielle, took our order leaning over the table, conveniently closer to my father. I’m sure you can imagine my embarrassment, just by being in the place, but it got worse once mom, in a gush of motherly pride, while I was in the bathroom, proclaimed to the manager that I was going to be writing an article about dinner for my food blog. After I had returned, it seemed strange to me that our waitress would come over to the table every three minutes, start flirty conversation, and ask if everything was okay. I suppose that equaled Hooter’s exclusive hospitality.

(spicy, Buffalo Wings)

Well it was the wings I had come for and not bursting bosoms. The wings come mild or spicy, un-breaded or breaded, options for ten, twenty, thirty and even 50 wings, and at least six different, corn syrup based dipping sauces to choose from.

(boneless Buffalo Wings)

Dad ordered ten-piece boneless buffalo wings (basically chicken nuggets) while Mom and I split a twenty piece order; mine un-breaded and spicy, while hers were breaded and mild. I warn you, do not get breaded and spicy wings. Spicy means that the wings are doused in a hot sauce and soggy fried breading is not what you want to end up with. There were too few juicy, boneless buffalo wings to appease all three of us and we should have ordered more, because my mom did not like her oily, but crispy breaded wings, mainly because Hooters has no honey, and my mom only eats fried chicken with honey.

(Breaded, non-spicy, Buffalo Wings)

So, half of her wings were left to me as I also consumed my hot wings that swam in a sauce I considered mild. A side order of bleu cheese dipping sauce hid the spice completely, but added a nice tang. I think the bleu cheese is the only thing made in house.

It makes no sense to me why Hooters is expensive. I am sure I could easily find better and cheaper wings at Atomic Wings or Bon Chon, but go once to marvel at boyfriends who consider the place a good date spot and parents with children who regard it as a good, wholesome, family meal.
Ok, or rather you can skip out on sitting, order take-out and try their hot ten piece wings, for $10. Oh wait I forgot to mention the sugary, pre-prepared, nearly solid key lime cake that the staff personally decorated with smiley faces. My dad ate the whole slice….my mother and I did not.

Hooters
211 W 56th St # 2,
New York, NY‎
(212) 581-5656‎

Pichet Ong With Almonds and a ridiculous amount of food with Emily in Chinatown

2009-07-29T19:48:00.000-07:00

Working at The Nibble allows me to attend various press functions, and food events. A week ago the French Culinary Institute, the Almond Committee of California hosted a kitchen demonstration conducted by pastry chef Pichet Ong (of the late Batch bakery, and P’ong dessert restaurant).

Hors douvres consisted of tasty almond inspired recipes, like the pictured rendition of a almond butter and strawberry jelly sandwich,

pictured below, the tender, short ribs with a tomato Romesco sauce and also a fizzy, rum raisin float with a scoop of almond ice cream nestled in the bottom of the glass.

Here is a shot of him looking very sexy into the camera. He's got the "fierce-like-Tyra look" downpat. Also, the profile of the man, to Pichet's left, is the Pastry Chef for One if By Land and Two if By Sea. We chatted for awhile and he was very sweet. :)

Pichet Ong prepared three confections. First, a caramel butter cream, and almond cupcake, filled in the middle with a soft pear caramel compote. In the demonstration, the icing was made with granulated sugar, but we sampled an icing made with brown sugar. I am not sure if it would make a difference, but the caramel had an unpleasant aftertaste.

The compote inside was delicious, with fruit that absorbed deep caramel flavor. Next on the list was an acai, chocolate and almond coated truffle. He humorously added that the acai inclusion made the dessert “healthy,” in order to ease the qualms of us stuffing our faces with sugar, and butter.

The rounded cookie was an almond protein bar. Roasted flavor of almonds halves mixed in an oatmeal based batter played nicely with the sweet tones of large dried cherries whose flavor was more pronounced by salt sprinkled on top. These cookies were very large, the way Pichet likes them.

He noted that a large cookie allows the eater to experience different textures; the gooey center, crunchy sides, juicy cherries and hard almonds made this baked good one of my favorites. After the demonstration, there was a bit of Q & A, and brief discussion over recipe variations. Upon leaving Karen were a goodie bag, containing, what else, almonds, a packets of almond butter, recipes from the demonstration, and Pichet’s new cookbook. (IT’S SIGNED!@!)

After stepping out of the building, I realized how close I was to the house of a co-worker, Emily. I called her up and met her at Union Square to go on a foodie venture.

We really reallyreallly wanted to go to Parisi Bakery. So we waited for the subway in the humid underground, walked the crazy streets of Chinatown, elbowed some tourists in Little Italy, and arrived at Parisi….while they were closing up, too late for any food. L It seems they start clearing up around 4 if it is not busy.

To make up for our loss, Emily took me to Cafe Roma in Little Italy for these puffy almond cookies, whose meringue consistency melted in an airy, nutty, mouthful perfectly accompanied by a light coating of confectioners sugar. I could easily eat two bagfuls of these airy pillows and just for you, I stuck the camera in our bag for this shot.

Defeated but determined we wandered around and decided on going to the Vietnamese spot Bun. I went based on a friend’s recommendation, so I had no idea what we would end up with.

Beaded lamp fixtures sparsely light forty five seats across from a dining counter/bar, that leads back to the bellies of the kitchen. Bun is apparently a type of noodle and based on the fact that it is the name of the place Emily and I ordered the King Crab Spring Roll (pork king crab meat and water chestnut) and Bun Shrimp -- a bowl of bun noodles with shrimp, Berkshire pork belly, cucumber, and herb salad.

Let’s just say we were not pleased by our choice. The King crab roll had a light crunchy exterior but there was no flavor except for the taste of carrots and spoiled fish. The sweet and spicy dipping sauce hid the bland taste, but it did not make up for my dislike of the dish.

The bun was a noodle salad, comprised mostly of lettuce strips with a pile of noodles, cucumbers strips, carrots, three slices of pork belly, and four shrimp. The pork belly was chewy, one mass of fat and sliver of meat; oily, unpleasant, and gray. The shrimp had a nice crisp, but not good enough to make up for the fact that we paid $12 for noodles, lettuce, bad meat, and two shrimp. Let me just say we were disappointed, yet again, and continued through Chinatown.

Emily took me to Shanghai Café for soup Dumplings. Eight pork steamed dumplings served in a bamboo basket with lettuce, juicy, not oily and all for $5. When our waiter arrived, and revelaed the steaming dumplings, we impatiently stuffed our mouths and immediately regretted our eagerness as we grabbed water to cool singed taste buds.

Never the less, these little purses of broth and pork were delicious. I recommend waiting till they are cooled in order experience the warm, liquid burst of soup, smooth noodle, and flavorful pork insides.

Emily also ordered the red bean pancake. Two layers of fried dough, sandwiched by gooey red bean paste made for an unsweetened dessert, A little on the oily side, but that fried flavor always satisfies.

Content and in the wandering mood, we walked uptown towards Spring street and Broadway to try Baked by Mellissa cupcakes. Right off of Spring is a take-out counter for quarter-sized cupcakes of the flavors listed down below.

$3 bought me these three adorable, mini cupcakes; Ti-dye, S’mores, and Cookies & Cream. They all looked very cute, and had a moist cake but the flavors were disappointing. The ti-dye had a vanilla icing, with cheerful sprinkles and slightly reminded Emily of Pilsbury’s Funfetti mix. A small graham cracker and teeny marshmallow was just too cute, but it’s size was not enough for me to taste the marshmallow, let alone share the tiny graham cracker with Emily.

The cookies and Cream was too sweet for me, probably because of the icing, which matched the commercial sweetness of the oreo piece on top. The chocolate cake of the cookies &Cream tasted burnt to me, but it could have just been the taste of dark chocolate. I’ll have to go back to try all of the options.

As true foodies do, Emily and I continued walking on Crosby St and came across Housing Works bookstore, which we realized had baked goods inside! Not that we don’t appreciate books, but at that moment a raspberry shortbread bar was too tempting. After I had spilled water all over the counter (and Emily’s hand and even on a small child) we sat down to enjoy our confection. Powdered sugar adorned the crispy surface of a crumble top layered above a raspberry jam. Below the raspberry was an oozey layer of shortbread whose bottom was slightly browned. Although there was a lot of butter in this small square, whose rich flavor was balanced by the tart raspberries, it proved to not be overwhelmingly sweet.

After book conversation, and a water break, we started to walk uptown, through NYU infested St. Marks, over to Second Ave, and into the doors of Momfuku Milk Bar. Strange how Emily is a die-hard sweets fanatic, lives in the area, and has never entered the bakery doors. Of their soft serve, we tasted Rosemary and Apricot, two of this month’s soft serve flavors, which happen to be Rosemary, Apricot, Lemon Verbena, and Blackberry.

The Rosemary had a very powerful flavor and a salty aftertaste, disguised in the creamy texture of soft serve, which slightly confused my taste buds. The apricot was mildly sweet, refreshing and very good. After out tastes we decided on cake, a $5 slice of Banana Cake to be exact.

A bit of chatting revealed rumors of next month’s flavors, which will be based on old-word desserts. Also there is talk that the cereal soft-serves might be available at all times.

Butter marks seeped through the Momo box as we un-lided our slice. Smooth banana cream puffed between layers of banana cake partnered with a hazelnut crunch whose texture was similar to that of a Butterfinger nougat. Giaduja fudge, which is a combination of chocolate and hazelnut flavors was layer on the top of our slice along with bits of hazelnuts. Our very large piece was finished, sporkfuls after sporkful, within minutes.

Ridiculously stuffed, Emily took me to Sunrise mart so she could buy milk-tea ice cream pops for her sister, and some groceries for dinner. We then parted ways, walking away, stomachs first, into throngs of New Yorkers who had no idea how much food we had consumed that day. I walked back to Midtown in heels (not recommended), burning as many calories as I could power walking and elbowing tourists and upon reaching home -- power napping!!

Caffe Roma Pastry

385 Broome St

New York - (212) 226-8413

Bun Soho
143 Grand St # 1,

New York - (212) 431-7900

Shanghai Café

100 Mott St

New York, NY 10013

Baked By Melissa

529 Broadway

New York, NY 10012

(212) 842-0220

Housing Works Bookstore Cafe
126 Crosby St
New York, NY 10012
(212) 334-3324

Momofuku Milk Bar

207 2nd ave (corner of 13th and 2nd)

nyc 10003

Father's Day Flavor explosion: Whole Red Snapper at Wondee Siam and Molten Chocolate Cake at Kyotofu

2009-07-19T21:39:00.000-07:00

I found my parents sitting in the small woodpaneled room of the first Wondee Siam, perplexed by the menu. Late, I meekly walked in and sat quietly, picked up the menu and knew what I wanted immediately; the Yum Ped Yang. When you go to Wondee, you have got to get this dish. My parents, one a child of the Depression, the other under the protection of 50’s suburbia, contemplated, felt overwhelmed and blindly chose items off the menu. Unfortunately, my father had removed Wondee's secret menu from the table,thinking it was a wine list. The menu stands prominently on the table and is not so secret unless it is removed. Guess we will have to go back to try it.

Appetizers included Kanom Jeeb ($4), spicy pork fried dumplings whose meat was tough but flavorful and Thai Spring Rolls ($4) whose outer crust flaked and remained crunchy after dipping into a duck sauce.

Alas, the Tofu pad king ($9.50) was a disappointment. Dry, shriveled squares accompanied onions, scallions, peppers, carrots and large juicy shiitakes that tasted ordinary enough.

Thankfully the dish was greasy, but saucy. I could tell my mother did not enjoy what she ordered. Half of it was left untouched and I picked at it in between forkfuls of my Thai salad.

Wondee's Yum Ped Yang ($10.50) is delicious. A spoonful is highly flavorful with lime juice, chunks of sweet pineapple, spicy heat and the crunch of duck and cashews. An Initial taste of pungent sour lime is balanced by sweet pinneaple and heightened by a burning aftertaste.

Duck at many Thai venues consists mainly of bone and very little meat. Not at Wondee. Large strips of crispy duck add a layer of roasted flavor.

Fried and deluged by garlic clusters, my father’s whole red snapper ($19.95) was amazing! You have to work the flesh out from between the bones, but it’s worth the labor.

Crack the crisp, garlic outer layer to reveal white fish that slides off the bone with the slightest pressure from a fork. Oil that seeps from the fried layer only adds appeal to the heaps of garlic on top, surrounding and underneath the snapper. At $20 it’s on the pricey side, but very enjoyable.

I could tell my father was happy as he sat back in his chair picking up leftover bones and sucking at the tender meat. My mother was not happy, sour faced until we left Wondee and went to Kyotofu for dessert. One of our favorite places in Hell's Kitchen, Kyotofu is a hidden gem that my mother and I have frequented since it's opening, a few years ago. She always enjoys the jasmine tea, whose aroma can calm her instantly.

My mom ordered one of her favorite Summer desserts, Rhubarb-strawberry cobbler ($12). Warm, tender and juicy rhubarb pieces are immersed among the liquor of strawberries.

Atop the fruit lays a crispy tofu biscuit, once cracked into, absorbs the syrup of the fruit and retains it's crunch. A bite into a wedge of rhubarb allows the tongue to experience a tang countered by a sweet, creamy shiso-mint ice cream. To me, for some reason, the rhubarb tastes like cherry paste from the dentist's office, but my mother adores this dish, and besides I am happier with their warm miso chocolate cake ($10).

To me this dessert emulates Japanese flavors. Compared to the sweet, heavenly, European renditions of a chocolate souffle or molten cake, muted mochi swirled into a dark chocolate center, takes the sweetness to a deeper, grounded level. A balance in taste that connects the flavors of an artistic matcha brush stroke, include an earthy, almost musky tone, paired with a thick, sweet crème anglaise.

My father was a little shocked by the original representation of his Strawberry Shortcake ($12).

Sansho pepper shortcake cubes, of a pound cake consistency, remained dry despite the wetness from strawberry pieces, a tofu cream, and strawberry jelly cubes. The dishes saving grace was a strawberry nigori sake sorbet. Each spoonful should include at least a tid bit of sorbet, which provides the needed moisture to swallow the shortcake.

I should probably post the rest of my Kyotofu outings, which also include some things from their to-go bakery, located in the front of the store. Also known for some of the best cupcakes in the city, defiantly go. Did I mention they have soy soft serve, that is healthy? I'll leave that for another post.
Happy Eating

Wondee Siam
792 Ninth Ave., New York, NY 10019
nr. 53rd St.

Kyotofu
05 9th Ave
New York, NY 10019-7929
(212) 974-6012

Caffeine Fix at Nespresso Press Event, shots from Abraco, and Disappointment served by the Cupcake Stop

2009-07-19T21:10:00.000-07:00

This summer I have been working two jobs, one as a Lifeguard/swim instructor and the other part-time at a specialty food site called The Nibble. It is really a wonderful site, containing glossaries of products for every food group, along with in-depth histories of foods. My work is at the main hub of the Nibble, cooking in the test kitchen, tasting new foods and going to press events. A few weeks ago I went with Karen, the Queen Bee of the Nibble, to a Nespresso event for their new Citiz Espresso machines. The invitation was sent, first class mail, in a black bubble wrap envelope. The invitation itself was a metal card, monogrammed, with date, location, the enticing fact that Table 8 would be catering and even better, that we would be picked up via car service, courtesy of NYC Green Car. It basically defied all recession logic.

We were picked up and brought to the Cooper Hotel, where we ascended in an elevator that took romantic lighting to the extreme, (bypassing dim to pitch black) and let us out into a master sweet with views of the Lower East side and beyond. It was breathtaking.

Crisp northern light reflected off of titanium espresso machines, set on pedestals, to be admired at their $500 and up price tag. One lone barrista made drinks for guests, who chose their desired coffee strength from a color wheel of Nespresso blends.

Servers were handing out Table 8 fare, including mini croissants, pain a chocolat, and bite sized breakfast sandwich, complete with slice of cheese, chorizo, and egg.

Smoked Salmon and goat cheese layers atop crackers were passed, along with sweet breakfast samples including, mini-triangle French toast with peach topping, little yogurt cups sprinkled with granola and berries, and also my favorite of the selection, ping pong sized doughnuts filled with a lemon crème.

I seemed to be the only one eating and drinking numerous cups of espresso, and I was happy. Free food is my favorite.

Five comparisons of Arpegiao blend to Induya, and four demonstrations of their milk aireator, which is magical to watch, Karen and I left in the car we had to our disposal. Wired and shaking from caffeine, we made a trip round the block to Abraco, for the sake of research, to compare Italian roast to Nespresso pressed packets. Attached to the door of our NYC Green car was a Nespresso flag waving in the morning air and it must have looked pretty hilarious as two women ran from a Nespresso labeled Lincoln to the crowded inside of Abraco, ordered four of their pastries, got a sock in the face from deeply roasted italian espresso and dashed back into the plush confines of our ride.

Our verdict was that Abraco and Nespresso serve a very different bean. Italian espresso is known for its punch because the bean is roasted at least twice as long as a French espresso bean. Abroaco’s espresso has the taste of the earth and wrinkled Italian men playing baci in an coastal village smoking cigars, while Nespresso’s strongest blend is badly speaking Italian into a Rossetta Stone microphone. Although Nespresso roast may be bad at baci, it delivers a smooth, delightful and pleasurable experience for the coffee drinker who would rather not receive an instant wake up. It is for those who appreciate choice; dare to be bold with cacoa hinted Indriya from India, or a velvety and subtle Levanto. The better coffee depends on preference.

The pastries we bought at Abraco were eaten later, but for the sake of sequence I will talk about them now.

The Lavender sugar cookie had a nice flavor but each piece I broke off reduced to crumbs. A close up sniff brings one back to the garden, but be wary of those around you who think it strange to get a whiff of cookie before consumption.

More remeniscent of a corn bread, the olive oil loaf was rather bland, moist but not very special.

Tthe contrast of salty cured olives in this sweet shortbread will always be one of my favorites.

Second on my list is this rose cookie. Pressure to the meringue-like shell caused the cookie to crumble, but remain an intact. It was too sweet for me, but the airy texture melted in a rose-hinted mouthful and would have been nice paired with a robust coffee.

Before venturing back uptown, we stopped by at the newly opened Cupcake Stop. Parked in the West Village we tracked down the truck via Twitter and bought one of each flavor; Red Velvet, Double Chocolate, Mint CHocolate Chip, Oreo Crumb, and Cookie Dough.

When it first started, the truck received so much hype that I had to try some of their goods. I havn't been there since mainly because of this experience, but for their sake I hope they have improved the recipe. Overall, the cake had a signifcantly better flavor than Magnolia's, but the icing was ashy.

Especially the icing plastered on top of the double chocolate cupcake, pictured above,

whose cocoa cake tasted like charcoal and had a texture similar to styrofoam.

The cookie dough had a considerably better flavor, but the vanilla frosting was too sweet, and unsatisfying with the unpleasant texture of the cookie dough topping.

The Red Velvet was the best of them all, probably because the frosting was different from the others -- a cream cheese frosting with a thicker, creamier consistency. The cake was crumbly and dry, but the oozy frosting made up for its lack of flavor. Unfortunately it did not salvage the rest of my batch.

I could not even taste the creme de menthe used in the Mint Chocolate Chip cupcake. Never-mind flavor, the texture, again, was dry and foamy.

The Oreo Cupcake was the moistest, yet the sweetest of the bunch. An oreo lays beneath the cake topped with a sickeningly sweet, artificial vanilla icing, whose taste was similar tocommercial Oreo filling.

For a well rounded review I will have to track down the truck again for another tasting. It has been a month since my first try, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and assume their cupcakes have gotten significantly better, considering that the truck is still mosying along New York streets. At least I was happy with the pictures for the day.

Abraço

86 East 7th Street
New York, NY 10003

CupcakeStop

(check http://twitter.com/cupcakestop for various locations and daily menu)
(212) 388-9731

A Ladies Brunch: Whym, Amy's Bread

2009-07-19T21:08:00.000-07:00

A ladies lunch on a Sunday, is always a treat for me. No, we are not the ladies with hoarse voices, nostalgic over Scotch on the rocks, but the ones who enjoy a pleasant early afternoon snack.

Most often I brunch on Sunday's before my mother gives tours at the Museum of Arts and Design. This particular day we were accompanied by two of our neighbors, who were to go on the tour with my mom.

Whym, an up-scale branch of Eatery, was our destination. A recent expansion has doubled the size of the restaurant and allowed my mother to exercise her skills at table hopping, better known as, “lets sit at every table in the room, before we sit down and order." She swears the ambiance is different on the left side of the room. By this time in my life if I was not used to this one habit, it would be a problem. Thankfully, I have grown accustomed to her favorite game and the staff was more than happy to let her have a go.

Located on 9^th, right off of 57^th, we Whym is close enough for us to have have eaten there many times, most often when my mom and I don’t feel like going far for a spot of Sangria.

My mother always orders the Steamed Gingered Shrimp and Vegetable Dumplings ($8.95). Every time we go this is the first thing she tells the waiter, even before we sit at the chosen table of the afternoon. Daikon radish salad, and soy-red sauce make this a flavorful mouthful.

The noodle wrapping is slightly chewy and the inside was particularly bland and nothing that I couldn’t find much cheaper in Chinatown, but one forkful accompanied by daikon and dipped in sweet sauce makes for a pleasant bite. There were enough for the four of us and we all shared as we waited for our entrees.

Our brunch companions ordered the Seared Sashimi Tuna salad ( $16.95) and Grilled Chicken Salad ($9.95). The chicken was lightly breaded and served atop a huge bowl of mixed greens. Pleasant and not out to offend, I was told it was satisfying.

The Sashimi salad was delicious once large, crunchy polenta croutons were put on a bread dish along with a sweet salsa glopped on the top.

Without the two accompaniments, the tuna was fresh, large enough to feel satisfied, paired with shiitake mushrooms, sugar snap peas, and creamy avocado that partnered well with a ginger-lemon vinaigrette.

Mom ordered the Crabby Benny ($14.95). A blue crab-potato cake was the base for poached eggs, grilled asparagus drenched in a fennel hollandaise.

The potato/crab cake consisted of more potato than crab and turned slightly mushy drenched in hollandaise, whose fennel taste was barely noticeable. “Anyone can cook an egg,” was my mother’s comment towards the dish. Definitely not worth $14.95, but for brunch it's an average price in NYC.

My egg-white “Whymlette” ($13.95) was filled with chunks of shrimp and large skewers of asparagus.

The occasional tomato was nicely paired with salty parmesan mixed throughout, and I enjoyed the combination of ingredients, but I couldn’t help but feel that the dish would have been easy to prepare at home.

A ladies brunch almost always includes dessert, and what better choice than a chocolate molten cake. Fudgy and moist cake surround a chocolate liquid core, which once revealed with the side of a fork spills into the space of scattered blueberries lounging in the melting’s of a vanilla scoop.

Our other dessert, Apple-Raspberry Empanadas ($7.95), had a thick shell, with a slight crunch. Too doughy for me, but tasty immersed in a crème anglaise on a spoon with a tidbit of vanilla gelato. A nice sprinkle of cinnamon sugar intensified the tart, gooey apple/raspberry insides.

My three lunch partners went for their tour at the museum and left me to wander around 9th Ave. in the blistering sun of a summer afternoon. My long sleeved shirt got the better of me and it wasn’t long before I found myself in at a round circular table in Amy’s Bread. I rested, ice coffee in hand, along with, (I know I am ridiculous) a red velvet cupcake just to try. Vanilla butter cream was smooth and swirled high on top of the cupcake, probably taking on a deep red hue due to a dash of cocoa powder.

Overall the presentation was adorable, in part because of July 4^th themed sugared stars, yet in terms of flavor, there wasn’t much of it. I expected some sort of taste to accompany the pleasant moistness of the cake, but besides a slightly burnt flavor of cocoa the vanilla in the icing was hardly noticeable and the cake bland. Maybe it was an off day, because I have heard wondrous things about their cupcakes. But for now I will stick to their large slices of cake.

Whym Restaurant
889 Ninth Ave. at 58th St.
New York City 10019
866.978.1874

Amy's Bread
672 Ninth Avenue (Between 46^th & 47^th Streets)
New York, NY 10036
(212) 977-2670

Pam Real Thai, Billy's Bakery, and Gray Dog Coffee

2009-07-09T18:51:00.000-07:00

A mid-week craving for Thai led Allison and I to Pam Real Thai in Hells Kitchen. We sat at wooden, shaky tables in the cramped front room, elbow-to-elbow with other Thai loving eaters.

I have heard so much about their flavorful Pad See Ew. Many of the Thai restaurants crowding the streets of Hell's kitchen are mediocre, serving greasy variations of this noodle dish. Pam Real Thai's flat noodles are not oily but wet with a sweet soy sauce.

Once I overturned the flat noodles, a plume of steam whisped from the center core of the dish, revealing chewy, flat pieces of beef scattered among chinese broccoli and egg.

Allison went for classic chicken Pad Thai. Our taste buds were demanded to attention by a sugary sweetness, layered with subtle flavor of lime, and a roasted crunch from peanut bits.

The chicken was tender and the noodles were but I could only muster a few forkfuls before the flavor became overwhelming.

With almost every meal I require dessert, as do most of my friends, but we were so stuffed that we decided to stroll down ninth before eating anymore. It wasn't long before we reached Chelsea and found ourselves in front of the baked goods at Billy's Bakery. Innocently placed eye level was a Peanut Butter Pie, whose peanut butter chips, chocolate sauce swirls, and Reeses pieces immediately caught my eye.

A chocolate crumb crust was filled with a fluffy, peanut butter mouse, whose airy texture dissolved on the tounge, leaving various toppings to be enjoyed in an aftertaste of peanuts. Allison opted for a double chocolate cupcake. I have never liked the dry cake and grainy buttercream of Billy's cupcakes sold in the Chelsea location. This cupcake was no different and we left half of it untouched.

A good dessert needs coffee, so we walked over to University Place and enjoyed a cup of tea and cappuccino at the Grey Dog. A soothing conclusion to a fulfilling foodie evening.

Pam Real Thai

404 W 49th St

New York, NY 10019

(212) 333-7500

Billy's Bakery

184 9th Ave

New York NY 10011-4919

(212) 647-9956

The Grey Dog's Coffee

90 University Pl (212) 414-4739

Father's Day Bouchon Bakery de-virginization

2009-07-03T17:44:00.001-07:00

Fathers Day prompted my father to stay home from work and sleep in for a change, while my mother and I filled out his card with loving words of past memories, times to remember for him in the coming years when I will no longer be at home. Mom ventured to Whole Foods to pick up nova and bagels for our morning breakfast, while I decided today was the day I would buy from Bouchon for the first time.

Yes, I know you may think it is blasphemous that I live so close and have never sampled their baked goods. But after this visit, I’m not sure why everyone has been raving over their items and let me just say what I sampled was not convincing enough to make me venture back.

I decided to listen to the raves of fellow friends and spent $8.50 on the adored Fluffer Nutter and two macarons. I ventured back home, made my father breakfast, served him in bed, prepared a bit of brunch for myself, green tea, and sat down for a Bouchon de-virginization. Let me say, it was not enjoyable.

Overwhelming peanut butter mousse sandwiched 1 inch thick between two heavy oat cake flavor cookies oozed as my teeth sunk in for a bite. It tasted exactly like a peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat bread, which was pleasant, but after a few chews, my mouth was caked shut, glued by roasted peanut paste.

For any peanut enthusiast this would be the way to suffocate, but for me, it was too much, and I was forced to swallow a congealed mouthful. I could only manage two hefty bites before I decided to sample something lighter.

Or at least I thought they would be lighter. I had bought a blueberry cheesecake macaron and a carmel macron. Why I chose the most unusual flavors, I don’t know but it was a bad choice. A chomp through crumbly deflated cookie led me to a sickeningly sweet inside. The taste was similar to Denny’s maple syrup, to the sweetnes of Smucker’s strawberry jam, just disappointing, overpowering and bad.

Carmel Macaroon on top of Blueberry Cheesecake

I spit that one out. The blueberry cheescake’s sweetness was subtle. I couldn’t taste any blueberry until I had consumed half the macron, and by that time the thick inside, not jellylike, but, for both macrons, with a consistency of non-whipped creamcheese.

If it wasn’t for the medley of roast vegetables I had prepared for lunch, the afternoon would have been sad. Father’s Day dinner at Wondee Siam will be posted soon.

(leave it to roasted veggies to save the day)

Bouchon Bakery

Ten Columbus Circle, Third Floor

New York, NY 10019

Bar Bao: Sibyl Family Dinner

2009-07-02T22:03:00.000-07:00

Imagine my excitement when I was invited to Bar Bao for a family meal with my friend Sibyl and ended up ordering off of an all- you- can- eat tasting menu! For $28, who can stop when the fare is tasty Vietnamese food ? Granted, had we not ordered off of the tasting menu I would have consciously scanned the menu for the cheapest dish; a la carte, Bar Bao is expensive, almost pretentious, but their three course tasting is a great deal, especially when any dish can be ordered over and over and over again.

Upon entering, Bar Bao’s plush booths, curtained netting, sultry lighting, wooden floors, and wooden slat ceilings transport the diner into an atmosphere of an upscale, Asian fishing village dive, in of course the well kept and clean kind.

Sunday, early evening yields little to no business and around 6:30 pm we were one of the few seated. Our waiter, an actor, with piercing blue eyes and boyish face introduced us to the idea of the tasting menu and highly recommended it, but only if everyone at the table was in on the deal. And we were.

First course included four dishes. Spring rolls filled with pork, shrimp, jicama, and a sweet nuoc cham sauce, whose flaky wrap oozed grease and had no distinct flavor.

The clean, taste of rice noodle wrapped around sticky rice, veggies, and possibly crab were a nice contrast. Pink fried shrimp served with a kiwi yuzu dipping sauce issued sweet juice with each bite into its lightly battered exterior.

Peanuts and scallions garnished short-rib slices wrapped round lemongrass skewers, whose peanut dipping sauce offered a nice nutty flavor and masked the overcooked and chewy consistency of the roasted meat.

The favorite of the first course was the shrimp, which disappeared in a matter of seconds as greasy fingers and mouths took a respite from the fried spring rolls, and sticky peanut sauce.

Tofu, meat and seafood were offered for our main course. Plenty of rounded, juicy, but chewy slices of Wagyu Hanger Steak rested on top of noodles, and were served with leaves of mint and scallions.

A noodle dish, with lemongrass, ginger, fermented black beans along with bok choy, was a nice vegetarian option.

Next came a red curried stew consisting of large pieces of chicken, with sweet notes of red pepper and lemon.

My favorite dish of the night was the Mekong Market Clay Pot, with a giant prawn greeting us from a metal bowl filled with chives, bean sprouts, and hunks of red snapper.

The mildly spiced broth absorbed into the snapper's flesh and along with chives it made for a refreshing and tasty spoonful.

The reaching, passing, and sharing type of communal meal is my favorite way to eat. Sampling all the dishes provides discussions, allows people to not be confined to one flavor and just makes everyone happy.

Sibyl’s father ate the lone prawn from the Markey Clay Pot and the rest of the table pined after more shrimp. And then we all realized – we could order any dish we had eaten, again! This realization pepped everyone up and we ordered another fried shrimp appetizer and some other favorites of the table.

By the time our extra orders had arrived, the restaurant was becoming crowed. People funneled into the restaurant, tripping over chairs due to “romantic”, pitch black lighting, and filled all the chairs in the main dining room. I was surprised to find the restaurant was so popular, especially on a Sunday. And where did they find people to pay those prices in a recession anyway?

Dessert was included of course, and our “hot” waiter gave us the option of two scoops ice cream, one vanilla the other spicy chocolate along with the choice to walk in the back to their ice cream topping bar. Bowls of M&Ms, Oreos, malted milk, chocolate and carmel syrup, along with Reeses pieces, lost their contents to my plate of one scoop chocolate and one scoop vanilla. The spicy chocolate provided a subtle heat in the back of my throat as I consumed all the substandard, delicious, commercial candy piled on top.

By the end of the meal, the five of us were stuffed! I am so glad Sibs let me tag along!

Bar Bao

100 W 82nd St

New York, NY 10024-5502

(212) 501-0776

Tour of Jacques Torres

2009-06-30T17:53:00.000-07:00

For the past few weeks, the presence of an ice cream cart skillfully placed outside of Jacques Torres on West 73rd street has distracted pedestrians and the recently obsessed fro-yo-ians, who instead choose to indulge in the creamy, all natural flavors provided by this chocolate store. Who knew, that beyond the quiet gray awning of Jacques Torres on Amsterdam & West 73rd street, lay such a variety of novelties on the Upper West Side?

What really has gotten the attention of New York teens, is Torres’s adorable, rustic, ice cream stand which offers basic flavors such as chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry, along with peanut butter, raspberry white chocolate swirl, Torre’s signature spicy Wicked Chocolate, Banana Carmel and a rotation of sorbets, such as Mango, Raspberry and Coconut.

For two scoops at $3.50, the subtle sweetness and creamy texture can’t be beat compared to a small cup running for $5 at unmentioned gelato, and frozen yogurt shops within a few block radius.

I sampled the Wicked Chocolate, whose various spices include cinnamon, ginger, clove, nutmeg and fiery chili. With every swallow a satisfying throat tickling heat, was cooled by sweet overtones of chocolate.

Handmade cones, rimmed with various embellishments such as nuts or chocolate sit piled next to a box of toppings including, malted milk balls, chocolate covered corn flakes, covered cheerios, macadamias, almonds and such. Many of these toppings are sold in the store, and can easily be made at home, but make for a delicious addition to an afternoon treat.

If you really want to indulge, ask for an ice cream sandwich. For $5 you are rewarded two “smaller” versions of Jacques Torres popular chocolate chip cookie, (4 inches in diameter) on top of two heaping scoops of ice cream of your choice.

One bite and I was in heaven. Immersing my taste buds in creamy waves of fresh strawberry bursts, balanced by the texture of the cookie, whose consistency is similar to a Chipwhich; not soggy, crumbly or mushy, but cakey. Moistened cookie surrounds large satisfying hunks of chocolate that provide a satisfying snap to this monster treat.

Soon, the ice cream started to melt all over my hands, each bite became sweeter and sweeter and halfway through the enormous confection, I had had enough. Content with ice cream, I entered the store.

What I learned from Marie, the store Manager, was that not only does the chocolate shop have a range of ganache filled chocolates, (referred to as bon bons by staff), but every Saturday they receive a variety of cakes and assortments of pastries, including their wonderful chocolate chip cookies, a sinful moist flourless chocolate cake, and, (who’d have thought), rotating flavors of cupcakes (pictured below).

Two varieties of Bombolini (a type of doughnut), one filled with chocolate cream, the other with no filling, sit adjacent to a pecan-encrusted tart, that I need to try soon! Filling a tiered stand, conveniently placed near the coffee/hot chocolate bar, are groups of flaky croissants, pan au chocolat, and almond croissants.

It might be too hot for one of their famous, rich hot chocolates, but they offer them iced. An assortment of flavors are available including banana, peanut butter, caramel, classic rich chocolate, their spicy chili Wicked flavor and many more. One large slush of solid sweet chocolate in a very large plastic cup is enough to put anyone into a sugar shock, but I’d rather go for one of these instead of a Starbucks Frap to ward off the summer heat.

Compared to the downtown Hudson street location, which has a huge seating area, the Upper West Side location, has limited tush space. There might not always be a spot on the leather corner couch squeezed next to the hot chocolate bar, or at the three-seat window table, or the few bar chairs might be full. Customers tend to grab and go with their confections, but while I was there, I took my sweet time, marveling at the lollipop tree (along with this other little tot).

Their gift baskets include hot chocolate mixes, assorted bon bons, chocolate covered cheerios, nuts, milk balls and almost all the products in the store, depending on the size. The baskets make nice gifts to any chocoholic of yours, if your willing to spend $65- $250.

Atop a marble counter, are rows of ganache filled chocolates. Among the twenty or so there, I managed to sample a few. The love bug bon bon, depicting an endearing lady bug, is made of a white chocolate shell encasing creamy, light, key lime ganache, a perfect summer candy.

Bottom center is the 80% dark truffle, whose earthy chocolate surrounds a surprisingly smooth, subtly sweet, non-bitter center. The bon bon on the right, with a decorative outer shell is the Wicked, whose chipotle pepper inclusion provides a spicy heat to the smooth ganache encased by dark chocolate. Torres's champagne truffle, located in the center, is cork - shaped to give hint to it's milk chocolate center fused with Taittinger Brut La Francaise champagne, which provides an airier ganache.

There are three bon bons with liquid centers; Heart of passion, Cappuccino, Liquid Carmel. I was not impressed by any of these.

Passionfruit has an overly tangy sweetness, on the verge of citrus, with a filling that was not as molten as the Liquid Carmel, whose semi-medicinal flavor tasted more like butterscotch than sweet carmel.

Cappuccino's artistic exterior did not make up for the burnt, brazened flavor of coffee emulsified inside sweet milk chocolate.

Of the truffles I sampled, 80% Dark was my favorite. Enticing flavors such as Earl Gray, Chai, and Raspberry, not to mention a huge selection of chocolate bars, will have to wait for a future visit.

For someone with a chocolate craving, J T does not quite cut it. Instead of pay $1.25 or more for a bon bon I would rather satiate my sweet tooth with an overwhelming but easily one of the bst ice cream sandwiches in the city. In fact their chocolate chip cookies are the most popular item and I can see why, compared to an overpriced bag of chocolate covered corn flakes or cheerios (I guess it takes too much skill to cover cereal at home).

The gray awning hides the stores cheerful interior and in my opinion, prevents customers from venturing inside. The space is not large enough to become a new Upper West Side hang out, or the next date spot for awkward middle schoolers (like Pinkberry) but their ice cream certainly satisfies.

Jacques Torres

285 Amsterdam Ave

New York, NY 10023

(212) 414-2462

Oceania Cruise line Press Event at Bon Appétit

2009-06-21T10:11:00.000-07:00

When she debuts in winter 2010, Oceania Cruises’ new 1,258-guest Marina will offer a state-of-the-art culinary studio. Oceania Cruises’ curriculum, designed in part by Bon Appétit, will appeal to a wide range of tastes and incorporate regional cultures and cuisines.

I went to Bon Appetit's offices for a press event that showcased Oceania Cruises new culinary studio aboard the 1,258 passenger Marina. Bon Appetit and Oceania Cruises are working together to form a curriculum for passengers to participate in a wide range of taste and regional cuisines. I arrived after the presentation for cocktails and Thai inspired ordouevres prepared by well known Chef Jonathan Lindenauer. The kitchen was in plain view and I stationed myself near the food! Chef was very friendly we had a nice chat as people mingled, sipped wine and munched on some goodies:
The pictures were taken quickly in a manuel setting as people were trying to grab all of them off the plate in manual, so the aperature might be a little off.

An aged beef satay was tender and delicious dipped in a spicy peanut sauce that was nicely sweetened and not gloopy. I think my favorite of the night was the watermelon salad topped by cashews, thai basil, and duck pieces. Sweet and cool flavor of the watermelon combined with roasted and savory tastes from the cashews and duck had me tracking down the server through groups of people.

I especially loved the spicy kick that crept up on the palette after a swallow -- I loved the complexity of this mouthful!

Banh Trang rolls were passed, which included grilled pineapple, pieces of coconut, coriander, carmel peanut sauce, and basil. These were bite size, refreshing rolls of Thai flavors. I had at least seven of these also, for some reason people just didn't take a lot of them, maybe in part because they would break after one bite.
Really an enjoyable night of Thai tastes and good conversation with a kind chef. Ah I love things like this.

Here a menu of the night:

Breakfast at Shopsins and Billy's Bakery new location!

2009-06-20T20:58:00.001-07:00

IWent to Shopsins for the first time with my mother. I asked to take pictures and was given the threat "he doesn't like that." I was too scared to snap a photo, never mind piss off the waiter. Who knows my slutty cakes, filled with peanut butter and pistachios might go through a Clerks movie makeover; spit in my coffee, and possible ear wax in my pancakes. I ordered a half order of slutty cakes and a side of bacon. The bacon was crisp and perfect but the cakes were dry without syrup, the pistachios soggy, but I was happy taking bites from my mom's sliders. The dish had the bbq beef, chicken and hamburger slider. The bbq beef had a spicy kick, the hamburger was delicious and the chicken was moist, but I'd rather eat another hamburger slider. Along with cheese fries I felt plenty full, but unsatisfied. Next time I'll need to choose something better from the ridiculously long, menu.

The reason we were downtown in the first place, was to go to the new Tribeca location of Billy's Bakery. After getting lost in a rainy Chinatown we made it to Billy's new space, whose French country decor provides a rustic and welcoming atmosphere to indulge in sweet treats.

There was a circulation of free samples including their carrot cake with cream cheese frosting (heavenly), chocolate chip and Snickerdoodle cookies along with lemon squares. The Chelsea and Tribeca Billy's share the same fare, except for these adorable Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes, made special for the opening.

Fresh strawberries atop vanilla pound cake, immersed in vanilla pudding offered a creamy mouthful, not sweet, and simple. Pudding oozed over the cupcake wrapper and provided a subtle base for the naturally sweet taste of the strawberries

However before the strawberry shortcake I tried a slice of banana cake with cream cheese frosting. This was delicious absolutely delicious!

A moist cake with subtle banana flavor was balanced with a cream cheese frosting, less sweet than the carrot cake, but sweet enough to not mask the banana taste. With a cup of coffee my mother and we dug in!

Shopsin's General Store
120 Essex St, New York
212-924-5160

Billy's Bakery (Tribeca location)
75 Franklin Street
Between Broadway and Church Street
212-647-9958

Upper East Side Lunch at Cafe Boulud

2009-06-20T14:09:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago one of my friend's mothers, Carol, who I adore, decided to treat me to lunch at Café Boulud as a graduation present. I had heard about their reasonable and tasty prix fixe, and was excited about going. Reservations were set for 2:30 pm. We arrived at 2:20 and according to them, too early to hold a table. They offered us a table in the front, where we would be jostled during our meal and my mother was clearly upset. What really angered her was the fact that there were open tables throughout the restaurant. We ended up being stuck at a table that was beside a service station. Clearly she was upset.

Onto the food: As we looked at the menu we were served three, fried, fennel Risotto spheres. The outside had a nice crunch, but the innards were not creamy, instead mushy, congealing in a dry mouthful.

My mother and Carol ordered both appetizer and entrée from the $24 prix fixe menu, while I went for an appetizer from the prix fixe and an entrée from their Spring Flavors menu.

Prix Fixe appetizers included a creamy, pale sage Asparagus Soup. The soup was excellent, simple and embodied the fresh taste of spring.

I ordered squid stuffed with a caponeta-like tomato and olive combination, served on a bed of arugula.
The two stuffed pieces of squid had a charred, grilled flavor that went along well with crisp tendrils, which were fried in a light batter and adorned the sides of the plate.

Our entrees took an awfully long time to prepare, so to make up for the previous mishap and to fill time till the next course, our maitre d brought us three pasta dishes;

Tomatoes and zucchini were some of the vegetables hidden throughout a corn risotto. Too many grains in one bite cause the flavors to run amok, resembling an oatmeal mush.

But, with just the right amount to fill the end of the spoon, the pearl-like grains melt on the tongue, leaving a subtle cream corn taste.

“Peachy pasta” containing poached clams cooked in parsley, served on top of thick noodles, offering a refreshing flavor of salt from clam juice,

whose taste of the sea remained along with the clean taste of parsley garnish.

The third dish was an English pea ravioli with mushrooms, whose pasta skin was slightly over cooked, resulting in a crunchy texture.

Chewy pasta interrupted the salted, creamy insides of cheese, and puree of English pea, but I enjoyed each bite nonetheless.

My mother and Carol had ordered the Hanger Steak, prix fixe entrée, while I had ordered the duck, which was on the Spring menu. The kitchen seemed to be confused by my prix fixe appetizer choice and served me wrong entree; the hanger steak instead of my long awaited duck.

Carol and mom ate while I waited. Pink sliced hanger steak was served atop lo mein? I was confused; had Café Boulud just served me Chinese food? I mean, it was a nicely flavored spaghetti, but no different than a good Chinese takeout.

The meat itself was deceiving; a succulent pink appearance hid a chewy texture and bland flavor. Only a few slices of meat were consumed and I even left the tough pieces my mother had given me on my bread plate, untouched.

Fifteen minutes after they had both finished, my duck arrived. I have to admit this dish made up for the wait. The quality of the duck was beyond my expectation. It was presented not like a breast of duck, but like a cut of meat and even its taste was similar to that of a high quality cut of lamb.

Moist, thick, flavorful eyes of Duck, rest on quinoa, whose grains have absorbed the au jus. A cranberry reduction dots the plate among a garden of softened turnips filled with red currants and watercress greens. I had many foodie moments as I sighed, took deep breaths, sat back in my chair with a smile on my face, enjoying succulent meat dipped in the tangy reduction, paired with slices of smooth turnip, and accompanied by the occasional green. I bestowed my mother with a tender slice, along with a sliver of turnip, and she hungrily consumed her piece, eyes wide open and exclaimed "That is one of the best duck dishes I've ever had." It’s amazing how a good dish can transform a diner’s aggression to pleasure; my mother sat back in her chair, pining after my mouthfuls of fatty duck, but happy I had ordered correctly.

We received the book of desserts, whose contents could make up a whole meal in itself. We chose the molten chocolate cake.

Bittersweet chocolate flowed after every fork pierce from the center of moist cake, that was out of this world. Along with our a la carte option, Carol and my mother enjoyed a refreshing raspberry and lime mousse served alongside a shortcake strip and paired with a scoop of whip cream.

There was also a large plate of petit-fours, which consisted of small tartlets with various fillings, mini eclairs, carmel rolls, mini cakes and a basket of Madeleines.

Duck and dessert are definite reasons to visit. I didn't get the feeling many of the people were there to indulge in a delicious meal, but rather fulfill the restaurants duty as an Upper East side hang out; mainly to see and be seen. A scaffolding on the street blocked any glimmer of the afternoon sun and we were accompanied by the occasional hum of jackhammers throughout our entree and dessert courses.

The duck was excellent, not in a form I am used to but definitely one I can eat over and over again. Next time bypass the prix fixe, don't think about the prices of the regular menu and indulge.

Cafe Boulud
20 E 76th St
New York, NY 10021-2643
(212) 772-2600

Cupcakes Take The Cake Central Park Picnic

2009-06-13T20:27:00.000-07:00

After biking down to Billy's new location to find that it opens next week, I rushed back home, showered and had to go back downtown to Chelsea Piers for my friend Anna's birthday party on a fancy yacht. A group of ten friends and two parents joined other tourists on a boat ride around Manhattan complete with brunch. There was ham, bacon, quiche, fresh fruit and the such, but the night before Anna had baked her own cake and created this magical treat.

A tie died (!!!!) banana cake, layered on top of a chocolate cake. That first slice was so unexpected and just brilliant.

The cruise ended at 1:45 and I was scheduled to be at Cedar Hill by 2:00 for my first Cupcakes Take the Cake Meetup!! I arrived at the entrance to Central Park on 79th and 5th at 2:05 pm, empty handed for a cupcake picnic. That seemed wrong to me. So I ran over to William Greenburg, picked up a box of seven cupcakes, and rushed back to find a much larger group of people, sitting amongst open boxes of brightly colored baked goods from Butterlane, Chickalicious, Crumbs, Kumquat and not to mention home baked cupcakes in plastic containers and aluminum foil trays. We all sat, sampling cupcakes, passing boxes, sharing bakery favorites and baking tips whilst dark foreboding clouds shadowed overhead.....

and it started to rain. The right picture shows one of our cupcake lovers attempting to hail the mighty sun god, unfortunately to no avail, but no matter. Umbrellas popped up and the feasting continued:

I think I need to start with this little glimpse of heaven. Everyone who saw it was in awe. It is something people see for the first time and say "Why didn't I think of that." Cupcakes....on a skewer!! Such a genius idea

Here is a close up of one of the many red velvets. I love the contrasting colors of this red velvet whose cream cheese frosting had almond undertones.

A home baked chocolate-mocha cupcake with butter cream frosting.

A simple and pleasurable vanilla with vanilla butter cream.

A bite-size slice of a Chickalicious Maple cupcake. The others had all run out before I could snatch one. Sadly no S'More's for GG. :(

A little smooshed blueberry mini Kumquat cupcake. I think there were also mini Kumquat strawberry and red velvets.

Also, shot of a simple vanilla, custom made from Made With Love Cupcakes. There were two boxes of these, which had been eaten down to half a box once 4 o'clock came round.

Another mini red velvet, which was boxed with larger ones. It seems red velvet is the 'it' flavor at picnics and in NY bakeries...what an odd choice.

As a final pic, another cupcake enthusiast taking a bite out of a purdy, delicious mini red velvet with almond cream cheese.

Thanks Cupcakes Take the Cake for a wonderful time. I hope I can enjoy many more meetups in the future.

Here is a list of bakeries mentioned:

ChikaLicious Dessert Bar
(203 E. 10th St.)

Butter Lane
123 East Seventh Street
New York, New York 10009
212.677.2880

Crumbs Bake Shop
(various locations)

Made With Love Cupcakes
(custom online order)

William Greenberg Jr Desserts
1100 Madison Ave
New York, NY 10028
(212) 744-0304

Kumquat Cupcakery
(online order and various locations)

Sullivan Street Bakery

2009-06-13T06:46:00.001-07:00

I thought Billy's Bakery new location on 75 Franklin Street was having its grand opening this morning. I biked this gorgeous morning along Riverside bike path to Tribeca, arrived in front of the new store, and learned that BILLY'S IS OPENING NEXT SATURDAY! What can I say, it was good exercise, and guess I'll just have to do it again next week.

I was in the mood for something, considering my plan had failed. So I biked back to Midtown and stopped by Sullivan Street Bakery, picked up a loaf of whole wheat and a strawberry pistachio tart.

I wish I had copied down the name of this strawberry and pistachio tart, it was truly delicious, succulent strawberries and crunchy pistachios were a nice contrast to the crispy pastry dough.

(up close and personal)

Then passed by the block long, 9th avenue farmers market and picked up some fresh strawberries.

At home, I roasted veggies in balsamic vinegar, poached an egg and toasted some Sullivan Street goodness for a hearty Italian breakfast. Yummy

a nice ending shot of the loaf :)

Sullivan Street Bakery
533 W 47th St
New York, NY 10036 (212) 265-5580

Chiyoda Sushi

2009-06-10T19:06:00.000-07:00

So, in my first post about Abraco, I mentioned meeting a lovely woman, Hong, who I enjoyed talking to, splitting a cupcake at Pinisi Bakery and thoroughly enjoying an afternoon. Well, last week we met for Japanese food at Chiyoda Sushi. At the dawn of lunch rush hour, people started to peer at shelves of refrigerated sushi and take-out bento boxes located in the front of the store. We walked straight to the back, through a set of curtains into a back room tightly filled with tables and chairs set up for a sit down meal. Thank god the menu had pictures or else I would have had no clue as to what was reading. Hong had been there before and helped me order. As an appetizer we went for the iso soup and some edamamme.

The miso soup was not salty a little watery with subtle miso flavor. There were also some pieces of eggplant floating around but they did not have any particular taste either.

Nothing wrong with the edammeme; cooked nicely and not salty like many others, where my lips burn from the amount of sodium poured on the pods. For an entree, Hong ordered the Bara Chirashi ($15.75) a large bowl filled with sushi rice and topped with sashimi delights; Chopped Salmon, Salmon Roe, Tuna, Sea Eel, Shrimp, Yellow Tail, Ground Strips, Yamagobo, Cucumber, Kaiware, and Pickles.

The raw fish was very fresh, the fish roe adding bursts of color to the rice and a salty liquid combined with fresh taste of salmon and tuna. We ordered their daily special, an eel bowl, whose picture looked mighty tasting. Two large, succulent eel filets , covered in a sweet glaze. No fishy taste, no unpleasant crunch, that I have experienced in eel before.

Instead, each forkful was tender, fatty, glistening and although hard to cut, because there were no knives available, I thoroughly enjoyed stuffing my mouth with an oversized piece of grilled eel and shreds of radish and lettuce from a salad served with the daily special.

By the end of our meal, lunch was underway and every table was filled with. The space gets very crowded and the two business men sitting next to me and Hong were practically laughing along with our conversation as we chatted through lunch.

For dessert we went next door to Cafe Zaiya, which mostly carries pastries and BEard Papa's creamm puffss....or so we thought. I made three laps around the bento rack in the small 10x10 space, through lines of people wiating to order soup in the back and pastries. WHERE DID BEARD PAPAS GO! Apparantly Papas is gone from Cafe Zaiya, a real shame because now I either have to travel uptown to the 70's or downtown for some cream puff goodness. Oh well.

Hong bought an assortment of pastries including a cheese dome, some mochi doughnuts and another sweet treat. As an after meal snack we split a chocolate covered mochi doughnut. And there was this guy with awesome hair, who kindly posed for a picture.

The seating had been mobbed, so we walked over to Bryant Park, in the rain mind you, in one of the steel chairs under an umbrella, munching on a mochi doughnut.

Mochi is a rice-based sweet that in doughnut form is braided, deep fried and in this case half covered in chocolate. I just wish it was crunchier. A bite is chewy, with an occasional crunch, a mixture of textures along with rich chocolate that was a nice end of the meal delight.

Definitely check out both of these places. Chiyoda has high quality savory dishes but no bakery, while cafe Zaiya has amazing cakes, tarts and Japanese pastries.

Chiyoda Sushi
16 E 41st St # 1
New York, NY 10017
(212) 213-0910

Cafe Zaiya
18 E 41st St # C
New York, NY 10017
(212) 779-0600

Shake Shack June Custard Flavors and New Concrete

2009-06-05T05:29:00.001-07:00

CUSTARD ALERT: JUNE

I decided to just sneak in a Shake Shack follow up post with the new Custard Calendar for June. Earl Grey sounds the most interesting and I am most excited for mint chocolate chip.
They decided to revive the adored Coffee and donut flavor, which is understandable, because it is just so good.

You might not be able to see the hunks of glazed donut tucked beneath coffee custard, but don't worry they are there. I also decided to try their new topping, which for May was rhubarb, but for June are juicy strawberries that retain their tangy, yet sugary marinade. Actually the juice is rather thin and my strawberries were slippery, and a little watery but a nice side all the same.

Tuesday I was waiting on the C-line, yet again. Their Cucumber and mint flavor sounded so interesting and I opted for a little taste spoon. This small spoonful packed a powerful cucumber punch, that was refreshing and soothing, something perfect for a humid sunny day. Yet, it was rainy and near 50 degrees. Their new concrete flavor was posted, so I gave it a spin.

Please ignore that awful pun. Fluffy and still crispy donut croutons settled on the crest of vanilla custard, whose creme color was interrupted by circles of strawberry jelly. Shake SHack must have read my mind and knew that Jelly is my favorite type of donut and a spoonful combination genuinely tasted like one (I must say more so than Momofuku's noble attempt to capture it's jelly donut flavor in one ice cream spoonful). My complaint over this concrete is that there are too few mix-ins. Vanilla custard eventually overwhelms everything; causes the donut to go soggy, the strawberry jam had been ingested before my second spoonful and I was left with melting vanilla custard. Not a bad thing, but when I pay $6, darnit, I want more for my buck!

Burgers and Hot Dogs at the Shake Shack

2009-06-02T21:23:00.000-07:00

Department of

Department of This review is spread out over three visits to the Upper West Side Shake Shack. Instead of having a huge post about the many cups and cones of creamy, velvety custards I have consumed in the past few months, I am just going to stick to the hot food. Though I think the Custard Calendar is brilliant! The first week of every month, I satisfyingly bypass those waiting to order hot food, via C-line, and ask for a single scoop of a new flavor each day! Bring it on!

Standard Shack Burger:

A 4 oz patty ground from premium beef, with melted oozing American cheese. A press of my hands into the potato bun, which has absorbed the grease from the meat, causes juice to leak out of the meat and flavor the leaf lettuce, contrasting red, plum, tomatoes, heightening the flavor of the Shack Sauce. Perfectly pink in the center, my patty was unusually salty. I mean really salty.

Fortunately, I love salt, so it was no problem. But I can imagine someone who does not like a sodium flavor, to be repulsed by the over seasoning and even attempt to get a new one. It might have been the Shack Sauce, whose Russian dressing base (mayonnaise & ketchup), may have contained more salt.

The sauce is good and my lunch buddy and I deliberated over the sauce’s thickness. (Maybe an addition of shortening?) She wolfed down a Double Shack Burger, while I ate only half of mine, to save room for Custard of course.

I think my ventures into the Custard Calendar are worthy of their own post, but the flavor of that day was Flan.

(May Flavor: Flan)

A vanilla based custard, with hints of cinnamon Dulce De Leche, and lemon. Tangy, spiced and creamy, it was an interesting partner with an addition of that May’s special topping of rhubarb.

Shack-Cago Dog:

Before my hot dog experience at the Shake Shack, one of these puppies had not passed my lips in three years. I have resisted the urge to order hot dogs with my peers at baseball games, from stands in the park and the latter, but for the sake of this Shake Shack review, I went for the big kahuna of hot dogs; the one piled with the most toppings.

The Shack-Cago dog, inspired by the traditional Chicago-style hot dog, complies with all the prescribed toppings; relish, mustard, crunchy pickle and cucumber spears, chopped white onion, halved slice of red tomato and of course, the necessary, whole, sport pepper and celery salt additions.

The poppy seed bun was overwhelming, and I tore a good half inch of bread before getting a bite that included any topping or Vienna all-beef goodness. One rule of a Chicago dog is that one flavor of the topping should never overpower the others, but meld into one unique mega topping, all its own.

A bite includes a spicy, juicy burst from the sport pepper, and a sour dill aftertaste from the relish and pickle. A soothing and cooling texture was provided by the ripe tomato and smooth cucumber slices, which quelled the heat from florescent, yellow mustard.

My hands squished the bun and caused toppings to overflow into my mouth; one giant flavor of spice, tang from white onion and quality meat. I could only handle a few bites of this mega dog, before I realized, despite the quality goods, I am not a hot dog fan.

Still hungry, I munched on zig zagged fries, some of which were crunchy and some soggy. Hmm...what to order, what to order? The friend who I was with ordered and consumed her plain burger and bun, and sat next to me digesting. I decided to go all out for a Double Stack.

Double Stack:

It is colossal. Probably the size of a regulation softball if not larger, and delicious. First, let me describe what is included. A classic Shack Burger (4 oz. cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato and Shack sauce) topped by a ‘Shroom Burger,’ which is a Portabello mushroom cap stuffed with muenster and cheddar cheese, fried golden in a heavenly creation, the size and shape of a Ring Ding.

(Can you see the bun?)

When I brought this back to the table, my friend’s eyes widened, similar to the potato bun whose bread hinge stretched to the breaking point around it’s contents. The Double Stack is so large, I had trouble finding the bottom of my bun; hidden and barely able to cover half of the American cheese covered beef patty . The amount of cheese in this meal would make any cow cry.

My teeth sunk into the crusted outer shell and burst forth a luscious creamy, smooth and HOT emulsion of melted cheese.

Steam streamed from the hollow inside and gooey strands of cheddar clung to the surrounded beef and bun. Defiantly do not eat this if you are on a date or trying to impress your eating partner. The cheese takes over. I think I find this so delicious because of it’s high caloric, creamy texture.

The beef flavor is lost among added layers of cheese, the bun is nowhere in site, the tomatoes and lettuce slide out onto your mini metal tray and your attention is more focused on whether strands of hair find their way into your meal, or if cheese is hanging on your chin. Try it for the experience, but other wise order the Shroom Burger or the Shack Burger separately.

Corn Dog:

The day after Memorial Day I visited the Shack Shake to find that they were serving up Corn Dogs. I decided to give the hot dog one more try and ordered one for myself.

Served on the side was a bright yellow corn relish. When I think of corn dog, I think fluffy and not visibly greasy. This on the other hand had a thin, mealy crust that was visibly greasy and left marks on its container. I can’t really say I enjoyed it.

The crust had no flavor and was an unneeded layer that veiled the robust taste of the hot dog. The relish was vinegary, sweet and had a spicy aftertaste.

I think these were only on special for Memorial Day, but are rumored to make another appearance around July 4th.

The quality of the meat is above the standard fare and exceptionally seasoned but it still eludes me why New York City, in the midst to keep thin and healthy (not to mention in a recession), would form hour long wait-lines to order burgers that are not only caloric, but priced at $9. Guess you'll have to wait in line, and find out for yourself.

You'll find that the quality of the meat at the Shake Shack is above the standard fare; maintains a wholesome texture, meat and hot dog are flavorful and served with squishy bun that is perfect for absorbing juice. Yet, it still eludes me why New York City, in the midst to keep thin and healthy (not to mention in a recession), would form hour long wait-lines to order burgers that are not only caloric, but priced at $9. Guess you'll have to wait in line, and find out for yourself.

Since I practically eat a single scoop of custard daily, updates on the Custard Calendar and exciting monthly flavors will be separate from this mondo Shake Shack review.

Hope you enjoyed Reading!
I'll Always Be Hungry :)

Shake Shack
366 Columbus Ave
New York, NY
646-747-8770