Another Saturday in New York City!
Every week end has its own food activity! Some people plan for a trip: I plan for Food! This week end is no different than the others, so I decided to give you a glimpse of what it means and to narrate our food quest last Saturday!
Jodi and I made a plan to meet with Jodi's cousin in the city. We were supposed to meet at 1pm at B Cafe, a Belgian restaurant located on the Upper West Side. It has been a while I wanted to try it: one of my co-workers told me that they serve a great merguez sandwich. A Merguez is a lamb sausage packed in spices, that you would mainly find in North African inspired restaurants like Le Souk, Tagine, Felix or Cafe Mogador.
The photo below shows you how a merguez looks like:
The best way to eat them in a sandwich with simply some ketchup or honey mustard; of course, the bread is key. When I lived in Paris, I use to go to some kebab places that were serving merguez sandwiches with very greasy fries: a pretty comforting meal! In my family, we also use to cook them on a grill (in France, you can find merguez in any supermarket): fantastic! I remember that when I was a kid, merguez used to be very, very spicy and my cousins were adding Harissa (chili paste) to it to make it even spicier; nowadays, they are not so spicy, maybe to satisfy the taste buds of everybody: after all, it is easy to make something spicier than the contrary!
So, anyway, we were on our way to the city and for me, even after having a breakfast, I was still hungry. So we decided to stop by first at Francois Payard for a small snack.
We shared a chocolate croissant and I got a delicious double expresso with it. The expresso coffee was good, but it is not as good as the one you would get at Eataly! The chocolate croissant, made in a shape of a croissant, was very disappointing! I do not know if it is because it was made earlier that day, but it was a bit dry and I could not taste the butter I tasted when I reviewed this location few week ago (click here to see the review of Francois Payard).
We continued to walk up leisurely, until we arrived at B Cafe:
B Cafe (B is for Belgian) is a nice little bistro style restaurant located on the Upper West Side. The dining room is located in the back of the restaurant and has definitely a European feel to it. Surprisingly, they did not put any air conditioning that day, although the weather was very humid. Maybe they are saving on their electricity bill! The service was very courteous and they graciously moved us to a cooler part of the restaurant.
As planned, I ordered the merguez sandwich:
The sandwich came with some salad and fries. I was pleased to see that they served it in an old fashioned baguette and was made with lettuce, diced tomatoes and caramelized onions.
Unfortunately, I was disappointed by the sandwich: the bread was tough and they made the mistake of butterflying the merguez instead of serving it as a whole, that would have allowed more flavor, but also the sausage to keep some of the fat that makes it so distinctive. Because of that, it was also very messy to eat! Clearly a miss! Fortunately, I enjoyed the fries...
Jodi went for the omelet jardiniere:
Served also with salad and fries, it contained mushrooms, tomatoes, asparagus and cheese. It was an ok omelet for me: although well cooked (meaning not overcooked), it was watery, thanks to the veggies it contained.
B Cafe serves also mussels, but it seems that they did not taste as fresh as they should...I did not try and will probably never! So B Cafe is a forgettable experience...
The next stop was for something sweet as we did not get dessert a B Cafe. We decided to go to Levain Bakery that was on our way downtown. We went the first time few years back, after seeing the bakery featured in Throw-down with Bobby Flay.
The bakery was opened by two women who use to run marathon and decided to create a cookie that would be packed in energy so it would help them go through their favorite activity. They created a 6 ounce cookie that is very good, but very heavy!
It is a tiny place and it was packed! When I entered, my nose was filled with a strong and delicious chocolate smell!
We chose the dark chocolate chocolate chip cookie:
Judging by its appearance, it is not the most appetizing cookie. But if you like chocolate, this is the best you can ever have! The chocolate flavor was intense and the cookie was oozing chocolate!
We continued walking leisurely downtown, until it was time to have dinner. We decided to eat at Miss Lily's, a restaurant in the West Village that we noticed each time we passed in the area, because of the line outside, especially at brunch time.
I had no idea what kind of restaurant Miss Lily's is! It is a pretty colorful place (lots of red) and the way the menu is displayed on top of the bar, gives the impression you are in a self service restaurant. The cuisine is from the Caribbean, mainly Jamaica. Per the waiter, they have three popular dishes: jerk chicken, Jerk pork and oxtail stew. I decided to order the jerk chicken and to start with the watermelon gazpacho, a special of the day.
Gazpacho is a cold tomato based soup that originates from Spain. It is the perfect dish for a hot weather and a nice starter for a meal. This soup was very good: they added some feta cheese on top to add some saltiness to the dish and the tomato and watermelon flavors were well balanced. There was pepper in it that gave a nice but subtle kick to it.
Then came the long awaited jerk chicken!
Jerk is, according to Wikipedia, "a style of cooking native to Jamaica in which meat is dry-rubbed or wet marinated with a very hot spice mixture called Jamaican jerk spice". And I can tell you that this was packed with spices! They served a nice portion of chicken with a marinated cucumber salad and a sort of apple compote. What I liked, besides the fact that the chicken was moist, is that it was not overly spicy at first: it just built up in the back of my throat, until becoming very hot! The apple compote (sort of) helped a bit to counteract the spices, but still: it is a hot dish! What helped also is the rice and beans that came with it.
It was good, although on the dry side and had a nice coconut taste that you lose after having your mouth on fire...
Jodi chose the vegan bushman plate:
It was composed of jerk seitan (left), quinoa, stir fry vegetables & plantains (center), callaloo (right). Callaloo is a traditional Caribbean dish made with a leaf vegetable such as taro, amaranth or xanthosoma. To be honnest, I do not remember which one the waiter said it was, but it was similar to spinach, maybe on the sweeter side. The callaloo was also very spicy. The dish was ok and I thought that it was overpriced ($19).
So, my dinner was good at Miss Lily's, but Jodi was a bit disappointed. I think that if you like meat and like spicy, Miss Lily's can be a good spot!
We did not get any dessert this time, considering the amount of food we ate that day...I am sure you understand!
Enjoy (I did)!
Burgers at Stand 4 restaurant in NYC, New York
Jodi and I went for dinner with our friends Annie and Leif to Stand 4 near Union Square to enjoy a burger.
The place, with its bull at the entrance, is pretty big with its high ceilings and mirrors that add an impression of space to the dining room.
In term of menu, you can either create your own burger (CYOB) or order one of their special ones. If you decide to built one, this is the way it works:
- choose the bun:
- brioche, sesame seed Bun, giant enlish muffin, whole wheat, iceberg lettuce (interesting...).
- choose the patty:
- beef, turkey, chicken, salmon, veggie, portobello.
- choose the toppings:
- free: lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickles.
- additional charge: white cheddar, swiss, pepper jack, american, blue, mozzarella, carmelized onions, jalepenos, sauteed mushrooms, portobello, avocado, fried egg, smoke applewood bacon, canadian bacon, mac & chez, beef chili, turkey chili, cole slaw, kewpie japanese mayo, any sauce or mayo.
Jodi created her own with brioche, beef patty, American cheese, mushrooms and pickles.
Mine was the Buffalo Beef Burger. I asked for a brioche bun. Otherwise, it is made with fried onions, white cheddar, BBQ sauce and comes with blue cheese dressing on the side.
Both burgers were fantastic! The bun was toasted and soft. The meat was juicy and tasty with a nice amount of it. The Buffalo Beef Burger was a bit big to eat, but it was manageable. I loved the different flavors mixed together and only regret the lack of heat from the BBQ sauce.
With the burgers, we ordered some sides...
French fries:
Skin on, crispy and well cooked (I hate undercooked fries!)
Tater tots.
Nothing special: pretty standards...
Onion rings:
I did not like them: some were stuck together and the batter was missing salt.
For the story, the kitchen forgot our sides and not only offered us the fries (we did not order them), offered us the tater tots and onion rings, but also gave us some coupons for mini milkshakes for the next time we go there. Always nice to see when a restaurant is addressing an issue appropriately.
So I mentioned milkshakes! Yes, they do offer milkshakes: with or without alcohol (vodka, rum...). They have some interesting flavors: toasted marshmallow, cookies and cream, blueberry pie...I picked the nutella one! I love nutella so it was an easy choice and I was pretty excited as it was the first time I saw that on a menu.
The nutella milkshake came with a light and delicious whipped cream. The milkshake itself was amazing: it was not too thick (anyway, they provided a large straw) and had the perfect quantity of nutella. More would have been too much!
So, I can tell you that after the burger, sides and milkshake, I was full! I really enjoy the dinner and will certainly go back to Stand 4 to try their other burgers like the kobe beef one. Definitely to recommend!
Enjoy (I did)!
Chicken Galore restaurant in Union City, NJ
Jodi was having dinner with one of her friend so I decided to treat myself with some fried chicken (I love it!). I therefore ordered a combination platter from Chicken Galore in Union City.
The platter is composed of: 3 pieces of fried chicken, 2 ribs, coleslaw, onion rings and fries.
The way it came was a bit disappointing as everything was on top of each other! The ribs were buried under the fries and onions rings.
There was a delicious BBQ sauce, but unfortunately the meat was a bit tough.
The chicken however was perfect!
The meat was perfectly cooked and moist, there was a perfect amount of breading and it was not greasy. I detected some nice spices in the breading that added a nice touch to it.
The French fries were steak cut: they were not crispy but it could be attributed to the delivery that caused them to steam a bit. The coleslaw had an off taste and the onion rings were forgettable!
So, I would definitely order back the Fried Chicken from Chicken Galore: only this...
Enjoy (I did)!
Lunch at Michael's in NYC, New York
Michael's is one of these restaurants that have been opened forever and where business people as well as celebrities like to go. Or at least people thinking that they will see celebrities go!
I went there for a lunch recently. The restaurant has a nice feel between classic and modern with its colorful paintings on the wall.
The service was courteous but a bit disorganized, although the restaurant was reasonably crowded.
In term of food, the menu offers a diversity of dishes that are at the same time simple and elaborated.
The presentation of each dish was a pleasure for the eyes: colorful and well put together. I tasted first the sashimi of hamachi (also called Japanese Amberjack or yellowtail). It was served with Pickled Jalapeño, Bell Peppers, Salmon Roe with a Yuzu Vinaigrette. I liked the finesse of the dish that had very clean flavors. My only regret was the salmon roe that I do not particularly like.
They also serve some amazing chilled shrimp, served with avocado, grapefruit, horseradish and a bit of Greek yoghurt. The shrimp were perfectly cooked and the acidity of the grapefruit as well as the avocado added a some freshness to it.
They were served on a disk made of quinoa and sunflower seeds, with a rouille sauce. The colors on this dish were fantastic! The scallops were perfectly cooked with a nice sear on it. The quinoa was perfectly cooked (thank God they rinsed it thoroughly so it did not have a bitter taste). The sauce was delicious, but I could not really think about a rouille when tasting it. Overall, it was a successful dish that healthy conscious people will sure appreciate!
For dessert, they had different types of sorbet.
The raspberry sorbet was scrumptious with a nice fruity taste! I bet it was homemade!
I could not resist to the German chocolate pyramid either.
It was served with a delicious pecan praline ice cream. The pyramid was dense and for sure was loaded with dark chocolate! Perfect for chocolate lovers!
So, it was a great lunch there: great food, spectacular plating and fantastic flavors. I understand why it has been there so long!
Enjoy (I did)!
Matt & Meera, American-Indian restaurant in Hoboken, NJ - Closed
I have discovered this little gem in Hoboken that replaced Kati Roll a month ago: Matt & Meera. At first, we were not sure what we would get there as the name did not really indicate anything in particular. I was not even sure it would be a restaurant!
We went a first time and it was so good that we came back! The first time, I was lucky to meet one of the owners Chef Hari Nayak who wrote several cookbooks. He told me that the idea was to put together American and Indian cuisine, bring Indian spices and twist to American classics. In fact, the name itself is made of a common name in the US (Matt) and a common name in India (Meera): these people do not exist and only represent the fusion the Chef wanted to create.
I like the place: simple and warm with its bricks and wood.
They have a communal table in the middle of the dining room and a large shelf full of sauces you can purchase. I bought their Habanero mustard and really like it!
The service is fast and courteous. At first, I thought it was a fast food, because you order at the counter, but in fact, they will bring the food at the table, in plates, like in any restaurant. They also pay attention to the presentation as I hope my photos will show! The nice and sometimes playful plating gives another dimension to this place that you could not have guessed considering the prices displayed on their menu! At the time of this post, the most expensive item on the menu, the soft shell crab sandwich is $9! For sure, not all the items are full plates as the principle is to share, but still!
Looking at the menu, you will definitely recognize some authentic Indian specialties, such as the samosas:
Samosas are crispy turnover filled with this time either potatoes, vegetables or meat. We decided to try these three fillings, but you can pick which one you want. They are served with a tomato mustard chutney.
The potato and the vegetables samosa were delicious, packed with spices! As the vegetables are cut in small pieces and not pureed, you get a different flavor at each bite.
The meat samosa was amazing! The meat was definitely lamb and it was also packed with spices that reminded me of kefta that are meatballs you find in Oriental cuisine.
This with the delicious tomato mustard chutney was awesome! I also appreciated the fact that the samosas were crispy and not greasy at all! The shell was perfectly cooked and not doughy.
Then we tried the Meera's Chicken TikkaMasala kebab:
I love chicken Tikka Masala! So I was thrilled to try this! The chicken is pan seared and dipped in tikka masala sauce. It was a bit tough to remove the chicken from the skewer and the sauce was missing some depth. It was just ok for me.
Then we got their most ordered item: the "Naan" Chos.
This is the perfect example of the fusion between American and Indian cuisine. The chips are made of naan and there is some melted masala cheese all over it, with a scoop of cream cheese, some chutneys and some guacamole (for sure the guacamole was not fresh). I thought it was a great idea! The naan chips were crispy and their dryness was complemented by the melted cheese, sour cream and guacamole. The dish had a nice little kick! Overall a great idea.
The second time we went, we ordered again the samosa and I decided to try the lamb burger.
I thought it would be a smaller size burger, but in fact it was pretty big! It came in a metal bucket that gave a nice touch to the presentation. The bread was a soft toasted brioche bread and there was some lettuce, tomato and red onion with the lamb patty.
I asked for the burger to be cooked medium and it came at the perfect temperature! The meat was juicy and very tasty. With the lamb, they put the same spices that gave that particular taste to the meat samosa. There was no need to add any cheese, ketchup or mayo. It was incredibly good!
For one more dollar, we added some homemade crispy masala chips that were the perfect side to the burger.
Jodi ordered one kati roll:
It is like a wrap made with a thin bread that I believe was a roti. She picked the tofu roll. It was pretty tasty and there was a nice eggy taste thanks to the omelet they laid on the roti before rolling it.
The third time we went, we decided to try more classic dishes to see how the Indian influence translated to.
First were Matt's calamari.
They are crispy calamari served with a mustard tomato chutney. This was delicious: the calamari were perfectly cooked, meaning that they were not rubbery; it was crispy and not greasy with a hint of spices that slowly builds up in the back of your mouth, but is still not strong.
For the spiciness, I went for the grilled chicken wings.
These are red chili wings cooked in a tandoor. If you like spicy, this is definitely for you! Although my mouth was on fire, I loved it! Very tasty. The spiciness hits you right away and the only way to diffuse it is to dip the wings in the sauce they serve it with. Not sure what is was made of, but I certainely could taste some pepper.
The last dish was their naan pizza.
The pizza looked very appetizing and was fantastic! You can even try to make it at home after buying naan bread at the supermarket. Yes, the dough is replaced by some naan bread that is very thin and becomes crispy during the cooking process. They do not put any tomato sauce, just cheese and the different ingredients. I did not really care for the spinach and did not taste the mint at all. However, the flavor of the mushroom and pepper gave some freshness to it. Both were blended with the cheese (I hate when mushrooms are added at the end). Overall very good!
Each times, we got some fantastic dishes at Matt & Meera and we will sure go back there! My only regret is that they do not serve sweet lassi that I love and have no desserts. They do serve mango lassi and a cucumber cooler that I have tried and was delish, but they cannot replace a good sweet lassi! They told me that they will soon start proposing a dinner menu. I will for sure try it!!!
Enjoy (I did)!
Delicious Gelato at Eataly in NYC, New York
With the hot days we got recently, indulging in gelato was necessary! So we ended up at Eataly, this amazing Italian Marketplace I love to go to!
So we decided to try their gelato. There is always a big line, but sometimes, you have to sacrifice yourself...
Jodi got the coconut gelato in a cone.
On my side, I ordered two flavors in a cup: hazelnut and salted caramel.
They put a lot of ice cream! My favorite was definitely the hazelnut one. So tasty! The salted caramel was good too: so funny to see that salted caramel is now everywhere, from crepes to ice cream!
Then, another time, I decided to try something different: watermelon sorbet and banana gelato with chocolate chips.
The banana with chocolate chip gelato was just ok. It was not as creamy as I thought and I had better banana ice cream in the past. However, I did not like at all the watermelon sorbet: it had no taste! I should have one with the hazelnut gelato!!!
Although the last try was not that great, I love Eataly's gelato! It reminded me of the gelato we got when we went to Italy few years ago: we ate amazing gelato everyday! Whether it was chocolate, hazelnut or...nutella! I remember that the gelato were huge for as much as 2 Euros ($2.6)! So, going to Italy was like going back few years back!!!
Brunch at The Cuban in Hoboken, NJ
So we started with the Tortilla de papa y chorizo.
It is a fluffy omelet with potatoes, chorizo, onion, manchego cheese and tomato escabeche (escabeche means a dish marinated in an acidic mixture such as vinegar or lemon). That was some omelet! First, the portion was of a good size. Then, it tasted great! The eggs were beautifully cooked: overcooked, eggs can be dry. These were very moist. They cut all the ingredients in it in small pieces, so you could get a bit of everything at each bite.
Then came the torrejas.
The way they make it is that they crust the bread with almonds and corn flakes. In the bottom, they put some tres leches as the photo below shows:
What was great is that the tres leches was not too sweet at all. Otherwise it would have been horrible with the maple syrup!
So, both dishes were fantastic and we ended up paying $23! I will definitely go back there and encourage you to try!
Enjoy (I sure did)!
Brunch at Francois Payard in Soho, NYC, New York
Francois Payard is an amazing Pastry Chef and I was looking forward to try his place in Soho! He used to have a restaurant years ago on the Upper East Side that I was lucky to try: the food was great, but the stars were the desserts! I remember that we got an incredible tasting of pastries!
So here we are in Soho, in this temple of breads and desserts! It is a small eatery where you can order some coffee, a sandwich and a dessert for a reasonable price!
You can also buy any of the specialties they serve such as chocolate or macaroons!
They serve sandwiches, but I guess the stars of the bakery are the cakes!
They serve the classic cakes you would find in a bakery in France: eclair, strawberry tart, lemon tart...
We started with a Ham and Brie sandwich.
The bread was a traditional baguette and I can tell you that it was fantastic! This was an authentic baguette: golden and crispy outside! It was stuffed with a nice quantity of ham and brie. Delicious!
The next sandwich we tried was the croque monsieur.
It is made of French ham and gruyere, bechamel sauce and their own white bread.
Everything was perfect! The quantity of cheese and bechamel sauce, as well as the softness of the amazing bread!
The last part of the meal was dessert!
The winner was: the lemon tart! I loved it: the shell was buttery and the lemon creme fantastic (I hate when it tastes like detergent)!
We went back the week after for a treat: we picked the strawberry pie and the gateau Lorrain.
Then, I tried the viennoiseries at their location that recently opened on 58th and Broadway.
They also have pastries, sandwiches and breads.
The brioches were also very good, although I have a preference for the buttery treats. The sugar on top added a nice crunch, but fell most of the time on my table...
Then there were the almond croissants!
I had a great experience at Francois Payard Bakery! It was like being in France! Of course, I could not taste everything, so I guess I have to go back...
Enjoy (I did)!
Holey Cream: what Ice Cream Donut Sandwich in NYC, New York???
What I like in New York is that you will find all sorts of crazy culinary ideas! The last one I found is Holey Cream, an ice cream parlor located Midtown.
Holey Cream is a small place that serves of course ice cream, cupcakes, donuts and...ice cream donut sandwiches. Yes, you read correctly! This is a spin on the ice cream sandwich, where they will put three scoops of ice cream between a donut.
The way you do your ice cream donut sandwich is:
- Pick three scoops of ice cream; they have flavors like cheesecake, dolce de leche, red velvet cupcake, S'Mores,...
- Then you pick the icing for your donut: vanilla or chocolate.
- Last, you choose the topping that goes from gummy bears, peanut butter cup, M&M's...
They will then prepare your sandwich!
So, here is what I picked:
- Chocolate icing topped with sprinkles.
- Three scoops: vanilla (I figured out it would be a good test to try a basic flavor), butterscotch praline and cookies & cream.
It is pretty exciting to see them make the ice cream sandwich. For sure, it is huge and decadent! We sat at one of the very few seats and try to eat that monstrous ice cream! First of all: you cannot pick it with your hands because of the icing and toppings on the donut. Anyway, even if you could, it would be messy! So, then, to try to eat with the poor plastic spoons they give you was a bit difficult.
The donut was very good and tasted very fresh. The ice cream though was so so: the vanilla ice cream and the cookies & cream were lacking taste. However, the butterscotch praline was delicious!
Pairing the ice cream with the donut was fun, but unfortunately, it fell flat because of the lack of taste of the ice cream that seemed low quality!
Note that if you only want the donut, you can make it by choosing the icing and the toppings and skipping the ice cream...
So I was a bit disappointed: this is the type of place you would go to just to try, but would not go back...
Enjoy (the post...)!
Jane restaurant in Greenwich Village, NYC, New York
It has been a while that we wanted to try Jane in Soho. Each time we passed by on the weekend, it was packed with a long wait outside, so I was figuring that there was probably a reason, hopefully food related!
We went on a Saturday evening, not too late to make sure we would be able to eat there! I thought that it was a small restaurant: it is in fact of a good size with another room downstairs! Modern, but cozy. At first, the restaurant was empty, but when we left, dinners started to come!
We decided to go for a light dinner as the day was filled with food! We started off with handmade burrata served with roasted tomatoes and ciabatta bread.
Burrata is an Italian cheese made of mozzarella and cream: the outer shell is "hard" and the inside is cream.
It was succulent: the burrata was to die for especially eaten with olive oil and the roasted cherry tomatoes! It tasted very fresh and was a perfect appetizer to start our meal!
We then ordered a Mediterranean salad.
It was a pretty straight forward salad: feta, olives, cucumber, tomatoes, red onions and lettuce. It was good and not too overdressed!
Then came what I was looking for: Jane's burger!
That was a huge plate! The burger is made with cheddar, double smoked bacon, caramelized onions, lettuce, pickled tomatoes and a secret sauce! I am not sure what type of bread it was: white, soft and it was toasted.
I loved it! Perfectly cooked (medium) and juicy! I loved the different flavors I could get at each bite, between the sweetness of the caramelized onions and the acidity of the pickled tomato. It was fantastic! Better and cheaper than the burger at the Spotted Pig I tried few weeks ago!!!
The burger was served with some delicious rosemary French fries.
I had a great dinner at Jane and I am looking forward to try their brunch: they have French toast with creme brulee batter! I am sure I will enjoy!
Enjoy (I did)!
We decided to go for a light dinner as the day was filled with food! We started off with handmade burrata served with roasted tomatoes and ciabatta bread.
Burrata is an Italian cheese made of mozzarella and cream: the outer shell is "hard" and the inside is cream.
It was succulent: the burrata was to die for especially eaten with olive oil and the roasted cherry tomatoes! It tasted very fresh and was a perfect appetizer to start our meal!
We then ordered a Mediterranean salad.
It was a pretty straight forward salad: feta, olives, cucumber, tomatoes, red onions and lettuce. It was good and not too overdressed!
Then came what I was looking for: Jane's burger!
The burger was served with some delicious rosemary French fries.
Enjoy (I did)!
Free Cone Day at Dylan's Candy Bar in NYC, New York
I do not know if you know the show Face Off on Syfy, but it is a great show where make up artists compete against each other. To celebrate the return of Face Off on August 21st, they are hosting a free cone day event at Dylan's Candy Bar.
Information:
Saturday August 18th 2012
Dylan's Candy Bar
1011 3rd avenue
New York, New York, 10021
from 12am to 4pm
Enjoy !
Fleur D'oranger, Miniature Patisserie - online business
One of my colleagues brought to work some patisseries from Fleur D'oranger, an online business that a French Pastry Chef recently started. These pastries are miniature size so it was perfect for a little tasting...
First of all, there were madeleines.
Madeleines are specialty cookies from the North-East of France. They can be found in many bakeries or supermarket in New York City (not all of good quality though!) and are recognizable by their shell like shape. The batter is made of genoise batter and has a delicious buttery taste. The ones presented to me were of different kind: plain, nutella and lemon cream. My first was the nutella one: I could not resist to try as I love nutella! The madeleine seemed to have been stuffed with that scrumptious chocolate hazelnut cream after been cooked. The buttery taste of the madeleine paired extremely well with the sweetness of the nutella. It was definitely a hit!
Then, I tried the one with lemon cream filling: very good! You could really taste the fact that it was freshly made!
Next were the Financiers. It is an almond pastry typically made with almond flour, brown butter, egg whites and sugar.
There were two types: almond and blueberry. I tasted the almond one: loved it! It was very buttery, soft and tender.
The last pastry I tried was a Saint Tropez: a vanilla cream in between a brioche topped with sugar.
This was awesome! The vanilla cream was very light and the brioche tasted great too! I loved the bit of crunchiness that the sugar gave to the pastry. I could have eaten more!
So I really liked Fleur d'Oranger: serving miniature pastries is very smart as it is not only easy to eat, but also allows people to try different ones. The taste was amazing, similar to a pastry shop in France, with a delicious buttery taste (yes, use butter in your pastries people!). The freshness of the pastries was definitely perceptible.
At the present time, Fleur d'Oranger can only be found on the internet. Hopefully, they will expand and open stores!!! Good luck!
Enjoy (I did)!
Wichcraft, sandwiches by Tom Collcchio in NYC, New York
Jodi and I wanted to go to the Joshua Gallery on 11th and 28th to see the exhibit of Shawn Baber - Memoirs: the tattooed portraits series. So I went on the internet to see what was around for lunch and found Wichcraft, the casual sandwich restaurant that Tom Colicchio opened in 2003 with partners Sisha Ortuzar and Jeffrey Zurofsky. There are several locations in New York, San Francisco and Las Vegas. The one in New York, closed to the gallery, was called "The Tunnel". I understood why when we found it!
At first, we were not sure if the place was already opened or still opened as that part on 11th does not have that many restaurants. The address pointed out to a large building, an ancient warehouse.
It was like a large tunnel with large metal beams. Like the building, the walls were made of bricks. There were very few stores and gallery opened and wichcraft was close to the very end of it.
The place is small, but there are tables outside to sit. The service was courteous and very quick. The menu offers sandwiches, salads and soups, as well as cookies for dessert.
We decided to start with the Aged Gruyere sandwich.
It was like a grilled cheese sandwich. I did not really like it because you could barely taste the aged gruyere (I think they should have put more of it): it was overpowered by the roasted onions that were like caramelized onions; there was too much of it and it was therefore way too sweet.
The second sandwich we tried was the heritage smoked ham.
This sandwich was fantastic! The bread, a cranberry pecan bread, was delicious. The sandwich contained poached pears, aged gruyere and dijon mustard besides the ham.
Contrary to the aged gruyere sandwich, they put a lot of ham. What was great was the addition of the poached pears that added some sweetness to counterbalance the saltiness of the ham. This was a great sandwich!
With the sandwiches, we got potato chips (not homemade unfortunately) and a delicious lemonade.
Although I did not like one of the sandwiches, I really enjoyed the experience at Wichcraft and recommends it! If you go, get the Heritage Smoked Ham sandwich: it is amazing!
Enjoy (I did)!
International Food Truck and Beer Festival on Sunday August 12 in NYC, New York
Following the Food Truck festival last Saturday, here is The International Food Truck and Beer Festival, tomorrow at South Street Seaport from 12pm to 9pm!
Participants seem to be the same as last week: Chinese Mirch, Schnitzle & Things, Mexico Blvd...But on top of that, there is beer...
So if you missed last week, do not miss tomorrow! I might be there....
Check out my post on the Food Truck Festival to see what I tried by clicking here!
The Palm in Philadelphia, PA
How many times do you have to try a restaurant before having a definite opinion about the food they serve? This is a good question for which I do not have the answer after my experience with The Palm. Imagine this: I first tried The Palm located Midtown New York for lunch, during restaurant week. It was not good at all: the quality of the meat was poor and they bathed the steak with a wine sauce that was not that great...The second time was in Vegas. We ordered the filet mignon: disappointing again!
So, why did we end up at The Palm in Philadelphia? Simply because it was raining!!!
The restaurant had a warm atmosphere with its booths and leather seats. The service was efficient and very courteous.
Now, let's talk about food! Jodi ordered the filet mignon.
It was a delicious 9 ounces piece of meat, that was at the perfect temperature. The meat was tender and juicy.
I ordered the boneless ribeye.
This was a big piece of steak: 18 ounces! The meat was incredibly good with a nice charr on each sides. It was tender and juicy too! No need to tell you that I finished it! We ordered a bearnaise sauce to eat with the steaks: it was fantastic.
As sides, we picked the goat cheese whipped mashed potatoes and the roasted brussels sprouts.
The mashed potatoes were awesome! This is the first time I try a goat cheese one. It was delicious and light. They could have put some more cheese though!
They were roasted with lemon brown butter. It was just ok for me. I prefer the brussels sprouts more cooked.
Although I did not really enjoy the brussels sprouts, I had a phenomenal dinner! But had no room for dessert unfortunately!!! I will have to go back...
Enjoy (I did)!
Salumeria, Amazing hoagie, in Philadelphia, PA
This year again, we went to the Reading Terminal Market and ended up at Salumeria, an Italian deli that serves cheeses and delicious sandwiches.
Enjoy (I did)!
The Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia, PA
You cannot go to Philadelphia without visiting the Reading Terminal Market! This place has some incredible food! Not all the food is good, but they have some little gems there!
I love going to this kind of places where there are so many different merchants that you do not know where to go and what to eat! They serve: meat, fish, vegetables, ice cream, pastries... And then, you can eat French (crepes!), Thai, Italian, Middle Eastern...
I love going to this kind of places where there are so many different merchants that you do not know where to go and what to eat! They serve: meat, fish, vegetables, ice cream, pastries... And then, you can eat French (crepes!), Thai, Italian, Middle Eastern...
The variety of food is so amazing that just walking around will make you discover some incredible vendors such as Wan's seafood!
There is also an Amish owned traditional deli, called The Riehl Deli.
First were the Termini Brothers with their Italian cookies!
There is also the phenomenal Flying Monkey!
So definitely, the Reading Terminal Market is the place to go for some surprising and decadent food! I will stop there next time again for sure! By the way, it is there that we found Salumeria, an authentic Italian hoagies joint!
If you go, before leaving, do not forget to make a donation to Philbert, the pig in the center of the market! It goes to charity for children of the community!
Enjoy (I did)!
Delicious food at The Food Truck Festival in South Street Seaport - NYC, New York
Yesterday, Jodi and I went to The Food Truck Festival in South Street Seaport. This festival takes place couple of times a year, always at the same place, and features close to 30 food trucks from all over the city!
We decided to go in the morning, at around 11:30am as last year we went later and it was packed! This year, we picked the correct time! Not that many people, so limited wait! Our plan was to go to different trucks and try one of their dish on the menu.
We started with Chinese Mirch.
Mirch means chili in Hindi. This truck is a fusion between chinese food and indian food. We decided to try the Tibetan Momos, that are hand-rolled pan fried dumplings. We picked the vegetarian ones, made with cabbage, potatoes, carrots and some "secret" spices.
The dumplings are served with a hot or sweet sauce. We chose the sweet as it was hot outside. The dumplings were pretty good: the shell was light and well cooked (I was surprised to see it steamed as they advertised pan fried!). The stuffing was delicious and flavorful. The only negative was that there was not enough sauce. Besides that, I really enjoyed it! The 5 dumplings costed $4.
The second truck was The Kimchi Taco Truck.
I love Korean food and was eager to try a fusion taco! What was great is that they proposed a tasting of 3 tacos for $7. Our pick was (top to bottom on the photo):
Then was the long awaited Valducci's pizza truck!
We were looking forward to get a slice from that truck since we tried it last year! It was so good! So we reordered the same slice: thin crust, pizza sauce, just a bit of cheese and olive oil.
This pizza is the proof that less is more! The crust was incredibly crispy and the sauce amazing! I think it is one of my favorite pizza in New York! I would not have liked to try other trucks, I would have gone for another slice! The slice costed $5.
Next to Valducci's was the Gorilla Cheese truck, specialized in grilled cheese.
They have standard grilled cheese as well as more elaborated ones. I decided to try a standard one and picked the Cheddar grilled cheese with white bread.
For sure there was a lot of cheese.
But, for $6, you can expect a better cheese and a better bread! I can make a better grilled cheese home for cheaper! Disappointing!
The second truck was The Kimchi Taco Truck.
- Tofu edamame falafel: tofu, edamame and chickpea blended with Asian spices with kimchi infused refried beans, cucumber kimchi, pickled daikon and pico de gallo.
- BBQ beef short ribs served with their signature marinade, topped with red cabbage, apple, pear kimchi slaw.
- Fried chicken, battered in sweet rice flour tossed in organic blue agave nectar and ginger, garlic Korean pepper sauce and served with pickled diakon, queso blanco and sesame seeds.
They put the tacos next to each other and the shells were too small for the quantity of stuffing, so it was a bit messy to eat! The tofu edamame falafel was a bit mushy: I did not like it. The BBQ short rib was pretty good: it was tender and not dry thanks to the marinade. The last one I tried was the chicken one: I would have never thought it was fried chicken! Last, the taco shell was a bit hard on some parts of the tacos.
I was a bit disappointed: I think they put too many things on the taco and you lose the main flavors.
The next truck was Nuchas truck that serves empanadas.
They offer different types of empanadas: meat, veggie or sweet. We ordered the Argentine empanada ($3): ground beef, onions, pepper, scallions, potatoes and olives.
When the empanada came, it looked like the cocas that my family cooks with sheshoukah! It really liked it although it was a bit greasy. It had nice flavors and was just a bit spicy, but not too much.
Then was the long awaited Valducci's pizza truck!
Next to Valducci's was the Gorilla Cheese truck, specialized in grilled cheese.
Then, we were on our way to leave when we saw the Red Hook Lobster Pound! Last year, I ate a fantastic lobster roll there! With all the food we ate, I was not sure I could have one. But Jodi knew how to find the good words to convince me: "If you do not get one, you will regret and keep talking about it!". I did not need more to order the $16 Connecticut lobster roll:
The bread was deliciously buttered and toasted. If you do not like butter, it is not for you! I love this place!
After that, I was full and could not even try any of the desserts trucks. This is a great festival and I am looking forward for the next one!
On a side note, it was funny to see people eating at the terrace of the restaurants next to the festival: why would you pay overpriced food when you have an incredible event like this next to you?
If you went to the Food Truck Festival, let me know what you think!
Enjoy (I did)!
The Franklin Fountain ice cream in Philadelphia, PA
Another spot we wanted to check after watching Man vs Food was The Franklin Fountain, an ice cream parlor serving homemade ice cream. The place is tiny! There is no table or seat inside, so the only choice is to eat outside. When it is more than 100 degrees, it is a bit brutal, even if the ice cream will cool you! I was just surprised as, watching the show, I did not imagine that it was so small.
The decor (ornate ceiling and porcelain mosaic tiles on the floor) and the uniform of the employees definitely give the old fashion feel that the Berley brothers wanted to give to the place when they opened in 2004.
In term of ice cream, they serve homemade ice creams with flavor like vanilla bean, peanut butter, cherry vanilla...So we tried the coconut one.
Then, we tried the Mt Vesuvius.
Imagine that: vanilla ice cream, homemade whipped cream, homemade brownies, chocolate fudge and malt powder. Seem pretty decadent! The brownies were delicious and they were pretty generous with the quantity! In fact, the brownies and the fudge were the only things I liked!!! The vanilla ice cream was bland as well as the whipped cream. Disappointing again!
So sad: on the show, it really looked phenomenal, but it was just insipid. I think next time I will go for gelato in the Italian market!
Enjoy (the post only)!
Amazing dinner at Vetri in Philadelphia, PA
We went to the restaurant of Marc Vetri in Philadelphia, simply called Vetri, last year. Since then, I kept dreaming about it! It is a fantastic place! Although pricey, it is worth it considering the overall experience: not only the food, but also the plating and the service that were great! So, we decided to go back to celebrate our Wedding Anniversary.
Let start with the restaurant itself: it is a townhouse that has been transformed into a restaurant. So, it has some warmth in it that gives the impression you are dining at a friend (except when they bring the check). We only went there in the evening and each time, they dimmed the light, giving an intimate atmosphere to the experience. Unfortunately, it did not help for my photos that are quite dark as I refuse to use the flash (maybe I should revisit that one...). There are not that many tables, so make sure you reserve before going, especially around the Holidays!
On the week end, they only serve the tasting menu (6 courses). It is composed of meat, fish and vegetarian dishes. You either choose what you would like to eat or you let the Chef decide for you. Of course, you can mention anything you do not like at all from the menu or communicate any allergy you may have.
We decided to go with letting the Chef pick for us (except that we asked specifically for the sweet onion crepe and the almond tortellini)!
They also brought some veggies with a delicious balsamic vinegar reduction.
Now that we were in appetite, we started the plat de resistance! We started off with the salads: Jodi got the artichoke salad.
It was served with parmigiano reggiano and mache salad. It was very light and well seasoned. The sauce was simply made with lime, that added some freshness to the dish.
Then, we had the Dungeness crab salad with peaches and mache.
To my surprise, I loved it. I tried Dungeness crab in San Francisco few years ago and did not really liked it. The crab was perfectly cooked and the dish was light and fresh (again with a lime dressing, but also the peaches).
The next dish was the roasted squab with eggplant and cocoa vinaigrette.
It was very tasty and I thought that the eggplant complimented very well the squab. I did not really taste the cocoa vinaigrette though.
Then came the Sweet onion crepe with truffle fondue.
If you like caramelized onions, this is for you! We had a quick chat about this dish with the server and he told us that it takes more than 10 hours to caramelized the onions! Not sure I will try this at home! But the best part of the conversation was when he described the dish as a deconstruction of a French onion soup (onions = onions, crepe = croutons). I thought it was a perfect description for this amazing dish!
The next round of dishes was pasta.
Jodi got the Spinach gnocchi with brown butter.
What you do not want is a heavy gnocchi! These were light and although I am not a huge fan of spinach, I really enjoyed the dish. It was light and very tasty. The brown butter sauce was to die for!
Then came my long awaited Almond tortellini.
They are served with a truffle sauce incredibly good! This is the second dish to try if you go there! Imagine that all the pasta they serve are homemade; I can tell you that you can taste the difference! The tortellini were light and were melting in my mouth. You could definitely taste the almonds and the truffle sauce had this fantastic subtle taste.
The next pasta dishes were the Black pepper lamb sausage parpaddelle with pecorino cheese and the Chanterelle and corn doppio ravioli with scallion.
This was also outstanding! The lamb sausage reminded me of merguez that I talk about often on this blog. The paparddelle, that are large tagliatelle / fettuccinni, were also amazing! These homemade pasta rock! It was again light and the pasta were perfectly cooked.
The chanterelle and corn ravioli were outstanding too! In fact, they put next to each other a chanterelle ravioli and a corn ravioli. You can either taste them separately or together, giving to the dish a different dimension each time. Making the ravioli with chanterelle was a good choice as these mushrooms are phenomenal.
The last set of dishes before dessert were Polenta and zucchini flower beignets, and Maialino with zolfini beans and pickled asparagus.
The polenta and zucchini flower beignets was my least favorite dish. I did not think that all the elements worked together and it was a bit bland.
Maialino is pork meat. It was very tender with a crispy skin. The beans were a bit crunchy and the pickled asparagus surprisingly delicious. The elements of the dish worked perfectly together.
So that was it for the entrees. Then came the time for dessert. Or should I say pre-dessert! Yes, you read correctly: before eating our desserts, they brought us some ice cream and cookies!
The ice cream was a cherry sorbetto made with goose berries. The way they make it is by crushing the cherries and then make a sorbet. It had a clean taste and was perfect to freshen our palates.
They had brownies, shortbread...Hard to resist before dessert, that came few minutes later:
Jodi got the Raspberry clafoutis (a baked French dessert of usually black cherries arranged in a buttered dish and covered with a thick flan-like batter). I liked it, although I would consider that it was more an interpretation of a clafoutis than a traditional one.
I got the pistachio flan with white chocolate gelato.
That was an amazing dessert! I loved it. A bit warm, it had this buttery taste that was to die for and was not too sweet! Loved it! Eating the flan with the gelato was divine!
That was a lot of food! When you see the quantities, you would think that you would be hungry, but trust me: the walk back to the hotel was necessary!
The next pasta dishes were the Black pepper lamb sausage parpaddelle with pecorino cheese and the Chanterelle and corn doppio ravioli with scallion.
This was also outstanding! The lamb sausage reminded me of merguez that I talk about often on this blog. The paparddelle, that are large tagliatelle / fettuccinni, were also amazing! These homemade pasta rock! It was again light and the pasta were perfectly cooked.
The chanterelle and corn ravioli were outstanding too! In fact, they put next to each other a chanterelle ravioli and a corn ravioli. You can either taste them separately or together, giving to the dish a different dimension each time. Making the ravioli with chanterelle was a good choice as these mushrooms are phenomenal.
The last set of dishes before dessert were Polenta and zucchini flower beignets, and Maialino with zolfini beans and pickled asparagus.
So that was it for the entrees. Then came the time for dessert. Or should I say pre-dessert! Yes, you read correctly: before eating our desserts, they brought us some ice cream and cookies!
I got the pistachio flan with white chocolate gelato.
That was a lot of food! When you see the quantities, you would think that you would be hungry, but trust me: the walk back to the hotel was necessary!
Vetri is a favorite and I would not be surprised that we will go back each time we go back to Philadelphia! It is the perfect example of Italian food brought to the next level! A must try!
Enjoy (I surely did)!
Enjoy (I surely did)!
