South Indian Dosa at Matt & Meera in Hoboken, NJ - Closed
Matt and Meera Indian restaurant in Hoboken, NJ New Jersey
I have already written a post about Matt & Meera, an American-Indian fusion restaurant in Hoboken, NJ. Since they opened, I went few times and I have become a huge fan of this place. So, I was somewhat curious to try their brunch menu!
Jodi and I decided to try the dosa, a lentil crepe from South India. The first time I tried it was many years ago in Mumbai, during the Ganesh festival. The one I had was vegetarian and delicious from what I recall!
Jodi ordered the potato dosa.
Potato dosa at Matt and Meera Indian restaurant in Hoboken, NJ New Jersey
When it arrived, it looked fantastic! It was served with some chutney, one of them being the tomato mustard chutney that is amazing! It is certainly a big portion if you compare to the knife and fork on the photo.
Potato dosa at Matt and Meera Indian restaurant in Hoboken, NJ New Jersey
But not the entire dosa was filled.
Potato dosa at Matt and Meera Indian restaurant in Hoboken, NJ New Jersey
The filling in the potato dosa was very tasteful and a bit spicy, with some nice sweetness added by the onions that were deliciously soft.
I decided to go for the lamb dosa.
Lamb dosa at Matt and Meera Indian restaurant in Hoboken, NJ New Jersey
I love lamb and it had the same flavor profile as the samosas or the lamb burger that I still crave! It was packed with spices that exploded in my mouth!
Lamb dosa at Matt and Meera Indian restaurant in Hoboken, NJ New Jersey
In this dosa too, they added some onions that added not only sweetness but also texture to the dish. I loved it!!!
Of course, we had to finish with dessert. I was intrigued by their dessert menu as I love Indian desserts! We shared the caramel kulfi, that is a kind of ice cream.
Caramel Kulfi mousse at Matt and Meera Indian restaurant in Hoboken, NJ New Jersey
It was succulent with an great caramel taste. The texture was denser than ice cream and a perfect way to end the meal!
That was a great brunch and I will definitely try other traditional brunch dishes that I am sure have a nice Indian twist such as the Huevos Rancheros or the steak & Eggs!
Enjoy (I did)!
Vegetarian dinner at Gobo in NYC, New York
"In the Kingdom of the Vegetarian, the Carnivore is King"
Jean-Philippe - October 2012
I started this blog post with this sentence because I realize that it is easier to be a carnivore in New York than being a vegetarian and forget it if you are vegan! Yes, there are options in the city, but they are still limited and it is easier for a carnivore to eat in a vegetarian restaurant than the contrary. I love meat, from beef, lamb, mutton...But I do not mind trying a meatless dish sometimes, especially if it is different from the usual salads and has some flavors...The first time I tried a vegetarian dish was at Zen Palate, many years ago, at the time they were located at Union Square. Their fake sweet and sour chicken was fantastic! Then I tried Gobo on the Upper East Side. These restaurants show that you can make great vegetarian food! So, I promised Jodi to go back to Gobo for dinner.
We went on a Saturday night. The restaurant was at first not packed, but started to fill up as the evening went by. I like the setting of the restaurant, with its large table at the entrance that gives the impression you eat in someones' kitchen.
Or its communal table...
The menu offers a large choice of dishes in three formats: quick bite, small or large plates. The smaller sizes are ideal for sharing or to try different specialties. So we decided to order few of them.
The green color of the avocado and the sauce was vibrant and the dish looked appetizing. They were served with some sort of homemade chips to give some crunchiness to an heavenly good and creamy dish. The wasabi lime sauce perfectly enhanced the flavors and was not spicy at all.
The second dish was the crispy spinach and soy cheese wontons.
This was pretty good: the phyllo dough added some crispiness to a very soft filling. The soy cheese did not have that much flavor alone, but was well complemented by the sauce and the spinach.
The third dish was the roti canai.
Roti canai is a specialty inspired by Indian cuisine, found in Malaysia and Indonesia. The first time I tried it was a Wild Ginger in Maplewood, a Thai restaurant that is fantastic. The bread (the roti) was served with a Malaysian curry. In fact, we kind of made a mistake by also ordering a slow cook Malaysian curry....
They were both similar and we did not expect it! The protein served with the curry was seitan that is made with soy. It was just ok for me. You could recognize the flavors of a curry and the curry sauce was delicious, but the seitan was not my favorite...
The last dish ordered was the scallion pancakes.
They were served with a homemade mango salsa. I devoured it! Although a bit greasy, it was crispy and delicious with the mango salsa that added some freshness to the dish and was original. This was a hit.
With the meal, I drunk some soy milk, that I love when eating vegetarian...
They served a lot of it for $3!
Although I did not like the curry, the rest of the dishes were very good, especially the avocado tartare and the scallion pancakes. The service was so so: they did not check if everything was ok with the food, if we needed anything and brought us the bill straight away without even proposing a dessert!
Gobo is definitely one of my favorite spot for vegetarian. What about you?
Enjoy (I did)!
Vegetarian food at Angelica kitchen in New York, NY
In search for the best vegetarian place, we ended up at Angelica Kitchen in the East Village, after having heard about it by my wife's cousin, Jessica. As mentioned in prior posts, I am more a carnivore, but I am always interested in trying different types of cuisines.
We went to that place on a Saturday, for lunch. I thought it would be more crowded, but it was not the case.
As the weather was still nice, we needed a nice drink to rehydrate. Jodi ordered a lemonade and I ordered an hibiscus cooler. The lemonade was really good and not too sweet. The cooler was surprisingly good considering that the only hibiscus I ever saw was in a pot at my Mom's place...
We decided to skip the appetizers and ordered Angelica's cornbread.
Forget any reference to cornbread as it does not at all taste like it! The wheat is replaced by rice that make it very dense. It was good, but a bit dry. They give you a big piece of it and we could not finish.
For the main dish, Jodi ordered the wee dragon, half a portion of a dragon bowl.
This dish used to be served in a Chinese bowl (hence the name) and came in a plate. I was not sure how to take the photo as no angle made it look good...The bowl was made of rice, beans, tofu, sea vegetables & steamed vegetables. You just need to pick a dressing to go with it. Jodi picked the balsamic vinaigrette. None of us liked the dish unfortunately: it was mushy and bland. Definitely disappointing.
On my side, I ordered one of the special of the day: Ancho Autumn Equinox, a gluten free dish.
This dish had a nice presentation at least! It was a coconut-vegetable curry served with red bell peppers, tomatoes, yukon gold potatoes, sweet peas, carrots, celery, lemongrass and basil. It was accompanied with tofu, broccoli and roasted yellow squash. This dish had definitely more flavors than the dragon bowl, but it was not as tasty as a curry (even vegetarian) you would find in a Thai restaurant. I at least enjoyed the rice that was a bit sticky, as well as I enjoyed the tofu and squash.
The way the food was, we of course decided to skip dessert and have something sweet somewhere else...
So I was a bit disappointed with Angelica Kitchen. For vegetarian, I prefer Gobo or Zen Palate, or even vegetarian dishes you would find in a Thai or Indian restaurant. It was a miss for me!
Enjoy (the post)!
Lunch menu at T Thai in Hoboken, NJ
This time, we decided to try their lunch menu. Not surprisingly, they offer a menu for less than $8 that features a veggie roll, a salad and an entree. To go with it, I had my usual Thai Iced Tea that is delicious at T Thai.
It was a straight forward salad with iceberg lettuce and tomatoes, served with a peanut sauce. Pretty standard. I was a bit disappointed with the roll: there was no sauce with it and too much wrap around it so I missed a bit the taste of the veggies.
The choice of entrees is pretty standard for a Thai restaurant: noodles, curry or fried rice.
Jodi decided to order the glass noodles with Tofu.
It was a nice presentation with vivid colors between the noodles and the vegetables. The glass noodles were delicious, perfectly cooked. However, the tofu was bland...
On my side, I ordered one of my favorite Thai dish: Chicken Curry Massaman.
It is a curry made with coconut milk, potatoes and peanuts. For $0.50, I got coconut rice. The Curry was pretty good. A bit thicker than usual but very tasty with a little spice building up in the back of my throat! The rice however was disappointing as I could not taste at all the coconut.
We enjoyed the lunch that was at a very reasonable price. Maybe for the service, they could be a bit more gracious though...
Enjoy (I did)!
Fantastic Burger at Burger Joint at Le Parker Meridien - NYC, New York
The first time I went to Burger Joint was in 2002. I stayed at Le Parker Meridien for a while and they started to know me. One night, I was going for Pizza and one of the managers who knew me proposed to try a burger. I noticed that the location was where the bar used to be. The place was empty, at the exception of the head of the hotel who sat with me while I was tasting the delicious sandwich! It was the time when Burger Joint was unknown and very quickly, people and the press started to talk about it, making it a madhouse! Imagine that we were there on Saturday at 5:30pm thinking it would be ok and it was crazy! According to one of the wait staff, they make between 1500 to 1700 burgers a day! So, be ready to wait, although, people just come to eat a burger, so it should not take too long!
The restaurant is interesting: few wooden tables and walls and lights covered with graffitis. Dim lights with no windows and posters on the walls. It definitely gives a very casual feel to the place.
The menu is simple: burger or cheeseburger with usual toppings: lettuce, tomato or pickles. On my side, I only have my burger with cheese, mayonnaise and ketchup. Cooked medium. The cheeseburger at Burger Joint was delicious: perfectly cooked, moist and tasting like meat (no filler)! I literally inhaled it!
As a side, we ordered French fries that were like I like them: regular cut with a delightful crispiness! Not greasy at all. Last, I tried a vanilla milkshake: a bit disappointing...The milkshake was already prepared and they served it from a container. It was not dense enough and I doubt that they use real ice cream, rather a milkshake preparation.
Burger Joint is definitely in my top 5 burger places in New York! Their burger is divine, but be ready to be in line before enjoying it...
Enjoy (I did)!
And remember: I Just Want To Eat!
Ramen at Ippudo-NY in NYC, New York
Last Sunday, Jodi and I decided to go eat ramen at Ippudo a Japanese restaurant in New York City I heard about. It is interesting to note that ramen were not that known in France when I was living there: you could find them in the International food section of some supermarkets or in a few Japanese restaurants, but it was not that known. I understand that in the US, students use to eat them when broke; in France, it was more spaghetti... I really discovered ramen bowls when I tried it at Noodles 32 in Korea Town: it was incredibly good! I was sold later on when going to Momofuku Noodle Bar...
So we decided to go early to Ippudo as I knew that it was popular. Know that the original Ippudo opened in Fukukoa in Japan in 1985 and the New York location opened in 2008. Go figure why I waited that long to go there...We showed up at 11:40am and the restaurant was already full. We had to wait for a table for approximately 20 minutes, in the entrance, admiring a wall full of ramen bowls.
While waiting, we could hear people yelling something in Japanese and then people cheering back. We later understood that it was their way to introduce new patrons to the main room. They said in a nutshell: "these are our new guests, please say welcome to them".
They sat us in the first room, in a large table shared with other customers. The room was overlooked by a huge tree made of bamboo and there was bamboo everywhere. I was very excited to try as people around us seemed delighted to eat their noodles. Of course, do not be shy to slurp: it is mandatory! Interesting how when I grew up, we were taught how to eat soup and pasta a certain way, without making any noise. Sorry Mom and Dad...I have to slurp too!
So, I started with Tako Wasabi or raw baby octopus as an appetizer.
Yes, I know, some of you think it is creepy. I wanted to give it a try as I love octopus but never had it raw. I thought it would be a nice training for the day I will eat live octopus (soon)!
It was served with fresh wasabi. So, with the chopsticks, I mixed the octopus and wasabi. Eating with chopstick was a bit challenging as it was small and slimy. But the taste was wonderful with a delightful crunch. I am used to having octopus that was fried, sauteed or grilled, giving a totally different taste. You can retrieve some of the taste but raw has some freshness you will not find when cooked.
For the ramen, I asked the waitress which one was the most popular and she mentioned the Akamaru Modern.
Jodi ordered the Wasabi Shoyu Ramen that is their vegetarian alternative.
As Jodi was not sure how spicy it would be, so she asked for the wasabi on the side.
Now, know that the quantity they serve is big and that there is a lot of soup. You can ask for extra noodles for $2 (Kaedama), but I have to say that I was full, especially after having eaten some of Jodi's dish...
At the end of the meal, they brought us some green tea: it was a nice way to end this meal and clean our palates!
I really enjoyed (yes I did!) Ippudo! They serve great food full of flavor and I can't stop thinking about that soup...because as you know: I Just Want To Eat!
Enjoy (I did)!
Carlo's Bakery in Hoboken, NJ - Is the Cake Boss overrated???
Who does not know the Cake Boss, Buddy Valastro? His show on TV is very popular and there is always a very long line in front of his bakery in Hoboken, New Jersey. But know that if you live in Hoboken, you can skip the line: just show an ID that proves you are living there. My first experience with Carlo's Bakery was so so: couple of years ago, I bought a cannoli and did not like it. I thought at that time that it might have been because I did not eat it right away and put it in the refrigerator for few hours. Then, one of my colleagues brought a tiramisu and a chocolate cake at work: I loved the tiramisu but the chocolate cake was way too sweet. So we decided to try again.
The Cake Boss is known for his insane cakes that he is building on his show. For sure they look spectacular, but I am not sure they taste that good considering the amount of fondant and rice crispy treat he puts in it.
When we were there, it was packed! The problem is that we could not go around and look at the cakes and cookies. So we had to blindly ask for a cannoli and a red velvet cupcake. Maybe they should let less people enter in the shop to allow their customers to look around!
Let start with the cannoli: the shell was a bit stale and the filling was a bit tasteless despite the chocolate chips. I clearly prefer the cannoli at Giorgio's in Hoboken (see the review of Giorgio's here).
The Red Velvet Cupcake was also very disappointing! First, there was not enough frosting: you need to keep a certain ratio cake / frosting. Anyway, the frosting had a very weird taste. The cake was also not good and dry. Clearly not to recommend! For cupcakes, Sweet Bakery in Hoboken is far better with a delicious and moist Red Velvet Cupcake that I would not stop eating (see the review of Sweet Bakery here)!
So, I guess all the buzz around Carlo's Bakery is because of the TV personality rather than the cakes...This was a forgettable experience!
Update: Here is the review of the Cake Boss Cafe at Port Authority NYC!
Update: Here is the review of the Cake Boss Cafe at Port Authority NYC!
Enjoy (the photos)!
Lombardi, the oldest pizzeria in the US - NYC, New York
It has been a while since I wanted to go to Lombardi's Pizza, the oldest pizzeria in the US, located in New York City. We went last Saturday and the place was not packed, until 12:30pm where patrons started to come and even had to wait outside! I guess this place is in all the guides, explaining the sudden rush!
We saw two dining rooms there: the one at the entrance, with its bar, and the one in the back. We got seated in the first one. It definitely had a rustic and traditional feel with its brick walls and the white and red table clothes. The service was quick and courteous that is sometimes missing in popular restaurants!
This was the first time I tried this! It was interesting: the color of the drink itself was like crystal and had of course a strong vanilla taste thanks to the syrup. But the best was when mixing the whipped cream with the drink. It added more sweetness to it. Delicious, but not a drink I would crave!
Then we ordered a pizza: small size (6 slices) with wild mushrooms and homemade meatballs (beef and pork).
The pizza, cooked in a coal oven, smelled amazingly good! The crust was thin and crispy with a nice char in the bottom and the sides.
Each topping was $3 and they put a lot of it! The meatballs, although small, were moist and tasty.
They also did not cheat us on the wild mushrooms. Another thing I appreciated was the amount of basil they put on the pizza: usually, you get few leafs. At Lombardi's, they put a lot. This gave additional flavors to this great pie!
I definitely liked Lombardi's pizza! It is definitely a place to visit, with or without the title of oldest pizzeria in the US!
Be careful though: it is cash only, like when they opened...
Enjoy (I did)!
Then we ordered a pizza: small size (6 slices) with wild mushrooms and homemade meatballs (beef and pork).
I definitely liked Lombardi's pizza! It is definitely a place to visit, with or without the title of oldest pizzeria in the US!
Be careful though: it is cash only, like when they opened...
Enjoy (I did)!
Press dinner at De Santos in NYC, New York
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| Courtesy of De Santos |
I have been invited to a press dinner at De Santos, a new American cuisine restaurant in the West Village. I was very excited as it was the first invitation of that sort and intimidated at the same time, not knowing how it would be and who would be there! Plenty of questions came through my head: how will it be? Who would be there? Can I stay true to myself judging a restaurant who, in fine, invites me?
The answer to the last question is yes! Restaurants need people to comment on them to improve and it is pretty courageous to invite critics and bloggers to review your restaurant! The only important thing I need to do is to honestly mention that I was invited in my post so you understand that the food served to me was probably more carefully prepared and the service would be on his toes as the wait staff knew why people at the table were doing there!
So, the dinner was at 7pm. As I always try to be on time, I came a bit early. I noticed in front of the restaurant a person talking photos with a small camera and immediately thought that it was one of the people invited. I later learnt that it was Marc Shepard whose blog, New York Journal, has been around for a while. I respectfully let him take his photo of the restaurant and then took mine.
I like the fact that the restaurant is in a townhouse. As I mentioned when going to Vetri in Philadelphia, it gives the impression to go a friend's place. The place was welcoming and bigger than what I expected: bar at the entrance, main dining room, then a second dining room next to a garden. The last intriguing room is a former speakeasy located downstairs, called the Janis room, used for private dinners and live performances. The name comes from Janis Joplin, one of the celebrities who lived in the building that is packed with memories, but hopefully no paranormal activity...
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| Courtesy of De Santos |
We sat in the dining room on a large table. What was great was to put a face with a name like Malini from the Restaurant Fairy or Bradley from Amuse * Bouche, blogs that I read often!
Anyway, back to the restaurant! We had the chance to meet with the Executive Chef, Angel Vela who worked at Pastis and came on board to reinvent the menu. He told us that his inspiration was to create a simple and basic menu. Trust me, what we tasted was far from that!
So, it was time to start to try the food from De Santos! They handed out a menu composed of three appetizers and three entrees. Portions would be smaller to accommodate a tasting (I am relieved)!
Warning: as they dimmed the light and I never take photos with flash, the photos are not as clear as I would have liked. The actual dishes had vibrant colors...I may have to rethink my strategy moving forward...
We started of with the Tuna Tartare:
The tuna was sitting on avocado and had some soy ginger vinaigrette on it. I love the combination tuna / avocado: it gives some additional freshness to the dish and one complement very well the other! It was good, but I would have liked more acidity.
Then we got the Truffle Mac & Cheese:
Truffle Mac & Cheese is definitely a dish that appeals to people as it is an elevated version of a comforting food! This one was good: you could definitely taste the truffle and the bread crumbs added a nice crunchiness to the dish.
The last (!) Appetizer was the Beef Carpaccio:
The carpaccio was served with some homemade potato gnocchi and a truffle cream. This was my favorite appetizer! The gnocchi were light and not potato-y. The sauce was also light and tasty. Loved it!
For the first entree, we got a Grilled Ribeye Steak:
The steak came with roasted potatoes and haricot verts. I loved the steak: it was cooked medium rare and had a perfect char. I was really surprised as I typically would never order steak in a restaurant other than a steakhouse! What I did not like however were the haricot verts, but I guess it is a question of taste: in France, we would cook them longer, making them soft and the taste is slightly different. These were slightly cooked and crunchy, but had an off taste for me. Having just the potatoes would have been perfect!
The second entree was the Scallops:
They were served with a wild mushroom risotto and the garnish was parsnip chips. When I saw the dish, I thought it would be the perfect dish for Gordon Ramsey to review as in his show, Hell's Kitchen, people always screw up on the scallops or on the risotto! Serving the two together was a great idea, although I loved the risotto that was cream with a bit of crunch and very tasty, I did not like the scallops that were a bit rubbery and very salty. However, the surprise was the parsnip chips that were fantastic! The scallops would have been better, it would have been a killer dish!
The last entree was the rack of lamb:
If you follow this blog, you now know that I love lamb. So I was excited to try that dish. The sides were a potato au gratin and a goat cheese salad. The potato au gratin were similar to the gratin Dauphinois that you can eat in France, where potatoes are thinly sliced and layered. It was perfectly cooked and seasoned. I also liked the salad that added some freshness to the dish and a Mediterranean flair. But, the main focus of the dish was the lamb: it was perfectly cooked for me, meaning medium rare, and juicy. They removed the fat and meat from the bone (frenched it), but I could taste a bit of the grilled fat that has some crispiness but also a delicious taste.
Last came the desserts. At that point, I started to be a bit full, but could not resist...The first desserts was a Dulce de Leche crepe:
This crepe was fabulous! Thin and soft at the same time and not too sweet. I devoured it!
The second dessert was a banana cobbler. The photo is not that great so I will not publish it. It was good, but not as good as the crepe!
So, I had a great dinner there! Not everything was perfect, but it all depends on anybody's taste! I would definitely go back. They have a nice menu that is more for carnivores and features a lot of classic dishes that have been elevated for fine dining.
Enjoy (I did)!
Ken and Cook in NYC, New York
A particularity I noticed in the decor is the two telephone booths that reminded me of what you see in very old movies! I should have tried to use them just to see if they were working...
First, they served us some delicious bread with some olive oil.
The bread was fresh and crispy! I have to say that I love dipping bread in olive oil! It is a great and healthy alternative to butter, not that I am a healthy eater...
As we were going for a day full of food, Jodi decided to go with the bibb salad.
It was a nice quantity and was well made, although a bit overdressed, with nice croutons.
On my side, I started with oysters.
Ken & Cook has a raw bar and for brunch, they propose blue point oysters for $2 a piece.
The oysters were very good and of good quality! They were served with a fantastic grapefruit sauce that provided a nice acidity to complement the oysters.
I then had fried chicken.
It was served with a biscuit and a honey based sauce (ranch dressing based maybe?). The presentation was beautiful with some fried lemon that was only for decoration (I tasted it...). It was also a nice portion with several pieces of chicken, with bone and boneless. The breading was perfect, not overcooked and not greasy. The chicken was moist and incredibly tasty paired with the sauce! Then there was the biscuit that came with it: warm and delicious! This was a succulent dish and I would just go back for that! One of the best fried chicken I ever ate! As an anecdote, the first time I had fried chicken was at KFC in...Paris...I went a couple of times with my friends after seeing a movie. I never went to any KFC in the US, but after trying this fried chicken at Ken & Cook, I doubt I would have the same experience...
I certainly recommend this restaurant for brunch and may come back. However, the food took a bit of time to come after we ordered, although there was only one couple besides us in the restaurant. Also, with an entree, you get a free drink for lunch: the waiter did not tell us, but told the other table. I did not care at that point, but I think it is something they should mention systematically to their clients!
Enjoy (I did)!
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And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!
Brunch at La Petite Abeille in NYC, New York
We went to La Petite Abeille in the West Village on a Sunday. The restaurant was a bit crowded and the poor waiter was alone to attend all the patrons inside and outside. He did a good job!
I went to this place many years ago and wanted to go back specifically for "The Mitraillette" (machine gun) sandwich, a Belgian sandwich made with steak and fries. Where I come from, we use to have an equivalent: beef patty, French fries and ketchup in a baguette; we called it "The American". I remember that I loved it, although the idea of fries in bread can seem weird.
I went to this place many years ago and wanted to go back specifically for "The Mitraillette" (machine gun) sandwich, a Belgian sandwich made with steak and fries. Where I come from, we use to have an equivalent: beef patty, French fries and ketchup in a baguette; we called it "The American". I remember that I loved it, although the idea of fries in bread can seem weird.
So, La Petite Abeille (The Little Bee in English) is a Belgian restaurant. I was surprised to see some posters of Tintin as well as comic books from this Belgian hero (Tintin is big in Europe and has been big way before the Steven Spielberg's movie released last year). The atmosphere was casual and homey.
The menu was proposing a wide array of dishes that can satisfy anybody who would like to have a nice brunch: eggs, burger, salad, bread and of course waffles.
We started off with a fresh squeezed orange juice.
Looking at the menu, I did not find the sandwich I was coming for! No Mitraillette! Apparently, they are making it in other locations! So I had to pick something else. I went for the egg cocotte.
The dish looked pretty good, but I was expecting something different. Oeufs cocottes are eggs that are baked. They made them with a layer of tomatoes, bacon, goat cheese, eggs and then gruyere cheese. I liked it although the tomatoes rendered water in the bottom, I would have preferred the yolk runny and there was not enough goat cheese. It was served with mashed potatoes that had some leeks in it: weird side! I would have definitely preferred a brioche toast or fries. Not sure I would order this next time!
Jodi ordered the croque monsieur.
This was pretty good: way better than the one we got at Pastis or Felix! There was a lot of cheese and they used a nice artisanal bread. It was served with some nice fries.
Of course, we could not leave without trying a Belgian waffle!
We went for a Liege waffle that is is a richer, denser, sweeter, and chewier waffle. It came very hot but was so delicious! A bit doughy, but still delicious! I did not regret that choice and would have easily eaten a second one (even a third...)!
La Petite Abeille is not a bad choice for brunch. Some items might be overpriced, but otherwise, it is decent. I would give it a second chance, especially to try the Mitraillette sandwich!
Enjoy (I did)!
Jodi ordered the croque monsieur.
Of course, we could not leave without trying a Belgian waffle!
La Petite Abeille is not a bad choice for brunch. Some items might be overpriced, but otherwise, it is decent. I would give it a second chance, especially to try the Mitraillette sandwich!
Enjoy (I did)!
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And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!
Sourdough bread recipe
This is an easy recipe that my friend Benny's wife, Rufina, gave me and that I tried over the week end. It is easy but a bit long because of the time needed for the fermentation process that gives this bread such a distinct taste.
Sourdough bread recipe
This is an easy recipe that my friend Benny's wife, Rufina, gave me and that I tried over the week end. It is easy but a bit long because of the time needed for the fermentation process that gives this bread such a distinct taste.
Ingredients:
- 3 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon yeast
- 1 1/2 cup of water
Making the bread:
Put all the ingredients in a bowl and knead until obtaining a firm dough.
Cover with a kitchen towel and let stand for 12 to 18 hours.
On a slightly floured surface, fold the dough 2 to 3 times. Cover and let stand for 15 minutes.
Generously flour a kitchen towel and put the dough on it. Shape the dough the way you would like your bread to be shaped. Put some more flour on top of the dough and cover with another kitchen towel. Let stand for 2 more hours.
Sourdough bread recipe
Pre-heat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
Put the dough on an aluminum foil and cover with another aluminum foil sheet. Put in the oven and cook for 30 minutes.
Then remove the aluminum foil that was on top and continue to cook for another 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Et voila! It will give you a bread similar to what you would buy in a bakery with a fantastic crunchy crust!
Sourdough bread recipe
Enjoy (I did)!
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And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!
Korean food at Korea Palace in NYC, New York
When you think about Korean food in New York, you immediately think about Korea town and its BBQ joints! But, there is a great place Midtown that serves some mouth watering Korean food that can satisfy the meat eaters as well as the vegetarians. This place is called Korea Palace.
Here is my history with Korean food: I went to Seoul more than 10 years ago, on a Business trip. I stayed few weeks and tried many of their specialties, some that I would probably not even mention on this blog! Of course, the most popular is the Korean BBQ (Bulgogi) where you will cook some marinated meat and eat it in a piece of salad with some red sauce on it. A variation of that dish is made with eel that is very good, but I remember that they were serving it not with lettuce, but with a leaf that had a thicker texture and a more pronounced taste.
I also remember eating a chicken ginger soup that Korea Palace has on its menu. It was a very hot day and we ended up in a restaurant where, after removing our shoes, we sat on the floor. There was no A/C and it was already uncomfortable. They brought this extremely hot soup that we ate and we were sweating like crazy because of the soup. Our Korean host told us that it was normal and very good for health as it allows the body to get accustomed to the heat. Well, it did not work for me...But the soup was delicious!
So, back to Korea Palace. I went to this restaurant in 2010, when my boss retired and although I liked the food, I never came back. This time I came with a bunch of co-workers for a nice celebration. Of course, when you enter into the restaurant, you cannot miss the golden crown that is displayed. It is a Chonma-Chong Gold Crown dated 5th to 6th Century A.D.
Then, the restaurant has plenty of rooms and what I appreciate is the fact that they have separate private rooms, some for up to 8 people and some bigger, like the one where we were.
In term of food, we decided to order some appetizers to share. Of course, like most Korean restaurants, there were already some side dishes (banchan) that had various veggies such as potatoes or pea pods.
My all time favorite and present most of the time is Kimchi, a fermented dish made of vegetables, the most popular being cabbag,e and some seasoning that can make it spicy.
This kimchi was perfect, spicy but not too much. By the way, you can find kimchi is grocery stores like Whole Foods in case you want to try!
The soup was very good with some tofu on the bottom.
Then, we got the scallion pancakes (Pa Jun).
That was interesting because I always associated scallion pancakes to Chinese food! At Korea Palace, you can have them with either seafood or kimchi. We picked seafood. This was very good, although a bit greasy. The crust was crunchy and the seafood was a nice surprise inside the pancake.
The second appetizer was the vegetable dumplings (Man Doo).
These were fried. I loved it! The thin shell was deliciously crispy and the filling packed with flavor. This was perfect with some soy sauce as well as chili sauce.
The third appetizer was glass noodles (Jab Chae).
Glass noodles are fantastic. They are typically made with starch from mung bean, yam, potato or cassava.
Then, came the entree: I picked the bibimbop with chicken (you can choose tofu or beef also).
Bibimbop is a rice bowl served with vegetables and a raw egg. The egg will not be raw for long as the bowl is extremely hot and the food continues to cook in it (you can hear it sizzle). It is so hot that it creates a crust with the rice that is fantastic!
Having this crust was great because it added some crispiness and taste to the dish. Anyway, to enhance further the taste, I also added some soy sauce and chili sauce. This rice bowl was really good and I really liked the different texture had between the burnt rice and the veggies that were crunchy.
After all that delicious food, we skipped dessert! But definitely, Korea Palace is a great place outside Korea Town for some amazing Korean food.
Enjoy (I sure did)!
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And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!
Annual Food and Wine Tasting Benefit, Plate by Plate, at The New York Public Library - October 5th 2012
Plate by Plate is organized by Project by Project, a non profit organization of social entrepreneurs that serve Asian American non-profits in need by raising public awareness, volunteerism, and money, that is celebrating its 15 years of existence. Each year, they organize the Plate by Plate Annual Food and Wine fundraising in different cities, such as San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York.
Concerning the food, here are some participants:
- Spot Dessert Bar - see review here.
- Blue Smoke
- Bell, Book and Candle
- Ilili restaurant
- The French Culinary Institute
- Yerba Buena
- etc...
If you follow cooking shows, you will also recognize some special guests: Chef Kerry Hefferman (Top Chef Masters runner up) or Chef Justin Antiorio (Hell's Kitchen runner up).
So if you want to enjoy for a good cause:
Date: Friday, October 5th, 2012
Time: 8:00pm – 11:00pm
Venue: Astor Hall @ The New York Public Library
Address: Fifth Avenue @ 42nd Street, New York, NY 10018
Hoboken Arts & Music Festival - September 29th 2012
Jodi and I went to the Hoboken Arts and Music Festival today. Jodi for the art, me for...the food (let say "the art of the table")...
This festival takes place several times a year in Hoboken and is a big thing there. It had, according to the organizers, close to 350 stands, for art (photography, painting, handcraft...), but also associations such as the Monroe Center for the Arts, or companies like Verizon or The New York Times....
Food wise, there were few choices: the usual stands that you would find in any street fair (zeppoles, fried oreos, mozzarepas, Italian sausages...) as well as local restaurants such as India On The Hudson (my favorite Indian restaurant in Hoboken) or The Old German Bakery.
Even pets could find some good stuff there! Me & My dog offered some pretty interesting treats!
They had Chicken & Cheese rollovers, Bacon & Cheese Taco or Lamb & Brown rice bone. I wish I was a dog at that point...
First thing we tried were some "Authentic" Wisconsin Cheese Curds.
Cheese curds are pieces of cheese that are deep fried. As they mentioned that they are "Authentic" Wisconsin cheese curds, I suspect the cheese to be purely cheddar, hopefully not processed!
It was freshly made, but unfortunately very, very greasy...I had them all though...But not worth the $7 I paid.
Then, we tried the crab cake sandwich from Sherri's crab cakes.
While waiting online, I could smell the delicious odor of crab. Unfortunately, that was the only thing that was close to crab! The crab cake was full of fillers and did not taste that much of crab and they were mushy! Adding to that the bread, I was hopeful to have some tartare sauce so I had the impression to eat... bread with tartare sauce...Sad for $7.
Across the street was the Texas Smoke BBQ. They are there each time and even cook their meat in their pit located next to their stand.
I ordered the beef brisket and added tons of BBQ sauce (mild). Eating the sandwich was messy and I finished the meat with my fork, leaving the bread. It was pretty good for (again?) $7.
Then, we decided to stop by the Taco Truck.
We got a portion of their fantastic guacamole with chips, as well as a grapefruit juice from Jarritos (I prefer the pineapple one).
The last part was dessert. At first, I wanted zeppoles. But, when we realized that they were serving zeppoles that were not freshly made, we proceeded to the mini donut stand.
These donuts were made on the spot in the machine showed above. We got a dozen for $5. We were excited as the last time we had mini donuts freshly made at Sil's in Milwaukee, it was delicious!
They were sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. The smell of the freshly made donuts was awesome. Unfortunately, the donuts were very doughy. We did not finish them...
So it was a bit disappointing, not that I had high expectations, but considering the fantastic food you now get in food trucks, I was expecting better! Fortunately, there was art and music, a bit spoiled by the rain, but this is a different story...
Enjoy (I did)!
All cheese dinner at Artisanal Bistro and Fromagerie in New York, NY
When making our reservation, we even asked to be seated in the Cave a Fromages (cheese room) where they setup a table for four. Unfortunately, they told us that we could not have the table on a Saturday night for the two of us...They were gracious about it, apologized and proposed to sit us next to the cheese bar. I was in fact impressed by the selection of cheeses they do have from all over the world: France, Italy, USA, Spain...
The fondue was very good and the taste of the cheese was perfect, smooth and so not too strong. However, the bread was not the best choice: a more neutral bread such as a baguette would have been preferable so it does not overpower the taste of the cheese. Anyway, I enjoyed it. They should add to the experience the "religieuse" that is the thin layer of burnt cheese that forms in the bottom of the pan and that people would fight for!
Then, we decided to go with a selection of four cheeses, all French.
- Roquefort (sheep milk): a creamy, balanced with some spicy nuance blue cheese. Very popular in France, it is a bit expensive in the USA because of the taxes imposed to it few years ago following a ban on hormone beef imported from the USA by the European Union.
- Crottin de Chavignol (goat milk): a firm, delicate and sweet goat cheese.
- Epoisses (cow milk): a classic and soft cheese washed in Marc. It had a strong taste that is particular to cheese several days after being opened...
- Pont L'Eveque (cow milk): with a savory apple flavor, very creamy.
The best for me was the Pont L'Eveque! It reminded me my Grand Father on my mother side who liked stinky cheeses and used to buy Pont L'Eveque as well as Munster "Les petits amis" (different from the soft Munster cheese you find in the US). I think at that time I thought they were stinky cheeses, although now I think that it was my Grand Father who liked them this way and let them sit few days so they got that smell and taste. A lot of people do that in fact and love this pungent taste that is so particular. I can tell you: the Pont L'Eveque at Artisanal was not stinky at all and was amazing!
Then came dessert!
This was a fantastic dinner and I will certainly go back, but next time I will wear stretch pants...
Enjoy (I did)!
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And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!
Goat milk ice cream at Victory Garden in NYC, New York
We discovered Victory Garden over the week end! It is a tiny place located on Carmine in the West Village. The logo looks like a goat's head: no wonder as they use goat milk for their ice cream! Why goat milk? Because of the Middle Eastern influence of the owners and the advantages of goat milk that are displayed at the entrance of the store:
- Goat milk is lower in fat than cow’s milk, but with all the nutrition!
- Goat milk is rich in healthy antimicrobial fatty acids, which are burned by the body, rather than stored as is cow’s milk.
- Goat milk is a great source of iron, calcium, protein and potassium.
- Goat milk is lactose friendly, making it easy for people with lactose-intolerance to digest.
- Goat milk is the most similar animal milk to that of humans and is more readily processed than cow’s milk.
I very rarely had goat milk in my life, but why not? So we decided to try their ice cream. We picked their most popular: the salted caramel. As a topping, we chose chocolate crunch.
For toppings, they have plenty: brownies, sprinkles, honey, walnut, honeycomb (!), etc.
The salted caramel was very good: very tasty and creamy.
The other flavor was chocolate rosemary and we added halva as a topping. It was very rich and very creamy, even more than the salted caramel. The dark chocolate was definitely coming through and you could taste that there were some spices mixed in it, but I did not really taste the rosemary. Having Halva as a topping was pretty surprising and it paired very well with the strong chocolate flavor.
From the two flavors, the salted caramel was definitely my favorite.
Know that Victory Garden is also selling salads and sandwiches as well as yogurt. They also sell produces made with goat milk such as soap and lip balm. This is definitely a place to try if you like rich and creamy ice cream. They would not tell you it is made with goat milk, you would not even know!
Enjoy (I did)!
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And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!
Yapple Frozen Yogurt in Westfield, NJ
I discovered a new Frozen Yogurt place in Westfield, New Jersey. I love frozen yogurt because people think that it is a healthy choice, but they forget that the calories are mainly coming from the toppings that they pack their yogurt with!!!
Anyway, the place was interesting: very bright with its white furniture, partly white walls; with fun drawings on the wall that reminded me of Japanese Manga.
The ceiling was fantastic with multicolored bulbs that gave to the place a very playful atmosphere.
When we went, they had flavors like: watermelon, cookies & Cream, Birthday cake, Cinnabun, blood orange, taro, banana, salted caramel pretzel, original tart. As you can see, some interesting and original flavors!
Like most if not all frozen yogurt places, the cost is per weight (very smart as people have a tendency to put more than what a standard serving would be, hence pay more). So, you first pick your yogurt(s), then go to the topping bar.
They had the basics there: from fruits to chocolate, peanut butter cup, etc...You can as well add some whipped cream, chocolate sauce or caramel.
I decided to have Cookies & Cream and banana yogurt.
The cookies & cream yogurt was just ok. It tasted like a chocolate yogurt that lacks chocolate taste....However, the banana was fantastic! The flavor of the fruit was very pronounced and tasted natural!
In conclusion: I would go back just for the banana yogurt! What I liked is the fact that it tasted natural and not made with processed ingredients.
Enjoy (I did)!
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CoolHaus Ice Cream Sandwich in NYC, New York
I heard about the Coolhaus truck for a while and always wanted to try it! I noticed that the truck was often at Union Square, where many food trucks are now lining up to feed a crowd eager to try some delicious food at a reasonable price. So, that day was the time to try it! The concept is simple: an ice cream sandwich made of a scoop of ice cream in between two cookies! Ideal for the sugar lovers!
The concept is simple: first choose your cookie, then pick your ice cream!
We decided to go with two chocolate chip cookies and the chocovivo salted chocolate that is as per the description: a rich dark chocolate base swirled with fudge and sprinkled with chunks of dark chocolate from chocovivo.
When they gave it to us, it was huge! And when it is warm outside, you'd better hurry to eat it before the ice cream starts to melt!!! It is a bit messy to eat, but fortunately, you hold it with and edible wrapper.
The cookie was very good: not too sweet and soft with a bit of crunch from the chocolate chips and the chunks from the ice cream. The ice cream was divine with intense chocolate flavors! Definitely a very good combination, picked by Jodi!
What is great is that you can swap cookies and ice cream in many, many combinations, making your experience new each time! They have plenty of flavors that I guess they alternate from time to time and some are original, such as candied bacon, chocolate chipotle or nutella almond (I love nutella and will definitely try this one!). If you love sugar, cookies and ice cream, try Coolhaus and let me know what you think!
Enjoy (I sure did)!
Madison Square Eats, Fall 2012 Edition! September 21st to October 19th 2012!
The Madison Square Park conservancy is hosting again this year the Madison Square Park Eats from 11am to 9pm from September 21st to October 19th. It will be a festival of food with several vendors like:
- Arancini Bros.
- Asiadog
- Baby Got Back Ribs
- Bar Suzette
- Broken English
- Calexico
- Charlito’s Cocina
- Flourish Baking Company
- Graffiti│Mehtaphor
- Hong Kong Street Cart
- ilili
- Kitty Lee Thomas Sweets
- Kulinary Kraft
- La Sonrisa Empanadas
- Macaron Parlour
- Mayhem & Stout
- Melt Bakery
- Mexicue
- Mighty Balls
- Mimi & Coco NY
- Momofuku Milk Bar
- Nunu Chocolates
- Red Hook Lobster Pound
- Roberta’s
- Sigmund’s
- Stuffed Artisan Cannolis
- The Cannibal
- Wafels & Dinges
- Wooly’s Ice
They will serve food daily in the Worth Square area just west of Madison Square Park (24th and 5th Avenue).
Enjoy (I will)!