tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91934348461955868702024-02-08T01:05:55.663-05:00Yummy in the Tummy blogyummyinthetummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14093526694375190687noreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193434846195586870.post-62562229848256759672009-01-11T20:00:00.005-05:002009-01-12T02:24:24.411-05:00Get my macarons at Tafu New YorkFirst of all, Happy New Year to you all!<br />May 2009 bring more sweets to your life :-)<br /><br />Many of you have emailed and asked me regarding where to get the macarons after the Gifted Holiday market is over. Well, I have good news! Starting tomorrow, Monday January 12, 2009, you can get itzy bitzy patisserie’s macarons at Tafu New York. I’m super excited, yay! :D<br /><br />Here are our macaron's flavors for January:<br />- Caramel fleur de sel <br />- Lemon <br />- Matcha green tea <br />- Mocha <br />- Pistachio raspberry <br />- Vanilla<br /><br /><span id="fullpost"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/3190869052/" title="itzy bitzy patisserie: Macaron flavors for January 2009 by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3532/3190869052_9ceb1b59a0.jpg" width="450" alt="itzy bitzy patisserie: Macaron flavors for January 2009" /></a><br /><br />In addition to these flavors, you can also try the Houjicha macaron that is created especially for Tafu.<br /><br />So, please stop by at Tafu to pick up one, two or several macarons :-)<br />Thanks again for all your supports and encouragements all these times.<br /><br />**********<br /><br />Itzy Bitzy Patisserie<br /><a href="http://www.itzybitzypatisserie.com" target="_blank">http://www.itzybitzypatisserie.com</a><br /><br />Tafu<br />569 Lexington Ave<br />Double Tree Metropolitan Hotel 1F<br />New York, NY 10002<br />(212) 980-1310<br /><a href="http://www.tafuny.com/" target="_blank">http://www.tafuny.com/</a><br /><br /></span>yummyinthetummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14093526694375190687noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193434846195586870.post-9001376461372902802008-12-11T17:00:00.011-05:002008-12-12T10:02:22.429-05:00itzy bitzy's December flavorsFinally, I can reveal our macaron's December flavors, here they are:<br />- Chestnut<br />- Cranberry<br />- Chocolate chocolate<br />- Rose raspberry litchi<br />- Gingerbread<br />- Peppermint<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/3099042589/" title="itzy bitzy patisserie: Macaron flavors for December 2008 by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3228/3099042589_21c2fe6381.jpg" width="450" alt="itzy bitzy patisserie: Macaron flavors for December 2008" /></a><br /><br />This month, we will be indoor at the <a href="http://brownstoner.com/brooklynflea/holiday/">Gifted Holiday Market</a> instead of the outdoor Brooklyn Flea, please come by if you are in the neighborhood (or even if you're not in the neighborhood) :D<br /><br /><span id="fullpost">**********<br /><br />Itzy Bitzy Patisserie<br /><a href="http://www.itzybitzypatisserie.com" target="_blank">http://www.itzybitzypatisserie.com</a><br /><br />Gifted Holiday Market<br />Brooklyn Masonic Temple<br />317 Clermont Ave<br />Brooklyn, NY 11205<br /><a href="http://brownstoner.com/brooklynflea/holiday/" target="_blank">http://brownstoner.com/brooklynflea/holiday/</a><br /><br />Brooklyn Flea<br />Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School<br />357 Clermont Ave<br />Brooklyn, NY 11238<br /><a href="http://brownstoner.com/brooklynflea/" target="_blank">http://brownstoner.com/brooklynflea/</a><br /><br /></span>yummyinthetummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14093526694375190687noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193434846195586870.post-64855061174529697242008-12-05T20:00:00.002-05:002008-12-11T17:34:42.859-05:00We won't be at the Brooklyn Flea Market this Sunday (Dec. 7)After checking the weather forecast we found out that it will snow/showers on Sunday, so we decided not to come to the Brooklyn Flea Market this Sunday. Believe me, it was a very difficult decision to make. However considering that we barely made any sales last week and macarons are perishable, I feel that this is the right decision.<br /><br />We'll be back again next two Sundays (December 14 & 21) with 6 new flavors (pssst..., one of them will be rose raspberry litchi macaron), so please come to visit us :-) However, we will be at the <a href="http://brownstoner.com/brooklynflea/holiday/">Gifted Holiday Market</a>, inside the Masonic Temple, across the street from the Brooklyn Flea Market. I'm so excited, I hope to see you there!<br /><span id="fullpost"><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/3082750569/" title="Brooklyn Flea: Gifted holiday market by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3131/3082750569_87ac59af7d.jpg" width="300" height="490" alt="Brooklyn Flea: Gifted holiday market" /></a></p><br /><br />**********<br /><br />Itzy Bitzy Patisserie<br /><a href="http://www.itzybitzypatisserie.com" target="_blank">http://www.itzybitzypatisserie.com</a><br /><br />Brooklyn Flea<br />Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School<br />357 Clermont Ave<br />Brooklyn, NY 11238<br /><a href="http://brownstoner.com/brooklynflea/" target="_blank">http://brownstoner.com/brooklynflea/</a><br /><br />Gifted Holiday Market<br />Brooklyn Masonic Temple<br />317 Clermont Ave<br />Brooklyn, NY 11205<br /><a href="http://brownstoner.com/brooklynflea/holiday/" target="_blank">http://brownstoner.com/brooklynflea/holiday/</a><br /></span>yummyinthetummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14093526694375190687noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193434846195586870.post-41968728910371862102008-12-01T12:00:00.024-05:002008-12-04T20:38:48.883-05:00My second week at Brooklyn Flea MarketYesterday was another week at the Brooklyn Flea Market. We started the day by attending the Sunday mass at St Patrick's Cathedral before picking <a href="http://apassionforfood.blogspot.com/">Kathy</a> up. She is a fantastic friend who volunteered herself to help me even after cold weather experience last week, thanks again Kathy!<br /><br />Then we went to Doughnut Plant (again) to get our breakfast. Beside our love for their doughnuts, we also want to try their newest creation: creme brulee doughnut. When we were there last Sunday, it was not available yet, I guess we came too early. As usual, it was good!<br /><span id="fullpost"><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/3077752325/" title="Doughnut Plant: Vanilla bean doughnut by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3063/3077752325_d8f1bbbb0c_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Doughnut Plant: Vanilla bean doughnut" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/3077752023/" title="Doughnut Plant: Hot chai by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3036/3077752023_8ba92fceee_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Doughnut Plant: Hot chai" /></a><br /><i>Vanilla bean doughnut and Hot chai</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/3081745091/" title="Doughnut Plant: Creme brulee doughnut by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3062/3081745091_df2f6cdf7f_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Doughnut Plant: Creme brulee doughnut" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/3082586320/" title="Doughnut Plant: Peanut butter glaze cranberry orange jelly doughnut by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3039/3082586320_09b60592fc_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Doughnut Plant: Peanut butter glaze cranberry orange jelly doughnut" /></a><br /><i>Creme brulee and Peanut butter glaze cranberry orange jelly doughnuts</i></p><br />We arrived at the Brooklyn Flea Market around 8:30 am, 1 hour later than last week. At that time, there were only couple other vendors that had set up their tent. When we left home, it was flurry then turning into ice and then it was raining. When my husband finished setting up our tent (it only took him 30 minutes this time, he's getting faster, thanks honey!), I noticed only 10 very "brave" vendors and we were one of them, yay! I think this showed how dedicated we are to our customers and products :-)<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/itzybitzypatisserie/3083332146/" title="Brooklyn Flea at 8:30 am by itzybitzypatisserie, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3163/3083332146_4b84b6863f.jpg" width="450" height="338" alt="Brooklyn Flea at 8:30 am" /></a><br /><i>My husband setting up the tent</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/itzybitzypatisserie/3082496007/" title="The booth - front view by itzybitzypatisserie, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3073/3082496007_b97dddb983_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="The booth - front view" /></a><br /><i>The booth</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/itzybitzypatisserie/3082496071/" title="Brooklyn Flea at 11 am by itzybitzypatisserie, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3080/3082496071_a7704f4853_t.jpg" width="100" height="75" alt="Brooklyn Flea at 11 am" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/itzybitzypatisserie/3082496119/" title="Brooklyn Flea at 11 am by itzybitzypatisserie, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3110/3082496119_eb8e20a885_t.jpg" width="100" height="75" alt="Brooklyn Flea at 11 am" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/itzybitzypatisserie/3082496173/" title="Brooklyn Flea at 11 am by itzybitzypatisserie, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3030/3082496173_3b7ef299b4_t.jpg" width="100" height="75" alt="Brooklyn Flea at 11 am" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/itzybitzypatisserie/3083332684/" title="Brooklyn Flea at 11 am by itzybitzypatisserie, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3215/3083332684_a8ed299766_t.jpg" width="100" height="75" alt="Brooklyn Flea at 11 am" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/itzybitzypatisserie/3082496303/" title="Brooklyn Flea at 11 am by itzybitzypatisserie, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3151/3082496303_12b289f6f9_t.jpg" width="100" height="75" alt="Brooklyn Flea at 11 am" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/itzybitzypatisserie/3082496359/" title="Brooklyn Flea at 11 am by itzybitzypatisserie, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3187/3082496359_7e5e37929a_t.jpg" width="100" height="75" alt="Brooklyn Flea at 11 am" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/itzybitzypatisserie/3083332868/" title="Brooklyn Flea at 11 am by itzybitzypatisserie, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3257/3083332868_60d70891b3_t.jpg" width="100" height="75" alt="Brooklyn Flea at 11 am" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/itzybitzypatisserie/3082496007/" title="The booth - front view by itzybitzypatisserie, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3073/3082496007_b97dddb983_t.jpg" width="100" height="75" alt="The booth - front view" /></a><br /><i>360 degree view of the market</i></p><br />Around noon time, <a href="http://www.roboppy.net/food/">Robyn</a> came to visit and we planned to have lunch together. We chatted for a while and noticed there were a lot fewer people coming to the market compared to last week. Our tent also started to leak, so we decided to wrap up soon. In between, we got some hot chocolates from Nunu Chocolates, which was our "next door" neighbor for this week. It was good, hot enough to warm up our bodies.<br /><br />I brought in about 450 macarons, which 150 of them I put aside for samples. When we wrapped up around 1:30 pm, we only sold about 10%, wow! Business usually has ups and downs and yesterday was not a successful day for us. Even though the temperature was a little bit warmer, the rain was pouring all day long. I guess this prevented many people from going out.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/itzybitzypatisserie/3082495793/" title="Chestnut with green tea and Pumpkin macarons by itzybitzypatisserie, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3194/3082495793_e5af7c0bb2_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Chestnut with green tea and Pumpkin macarons" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/itzybitzypatisserie/3083332336/" title="Chocolate caramel pecan and Coffee macarons by itzybitzypatisserie, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3057/3083332336_880d5a7562_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Chocolate caramel pecan and Coffee macarons" /></a><br /><i>Chestnut with green tea & Pumpkin and Chocolate caramel pecan & Coffee macarons</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/itzybitzypatisserie/3082495893/" title="Pistachio and Passion fruit macarons by itzybitzypatisserie, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3127/3082495893_492a7e732d_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Pistachio and Passion fruit macarons" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/itzybitzypatisserie/3082495941/" title="The macaron samples by itzybitzypatisserie, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3171/3082495941_07d5c86540_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="The macaron samples" /></a><br /><i>Pistachio & Passion fruit macarons and The samples</i></p><br />Then the four of us headed for late lunch/early dinner at Famous Sichuan in Chinatown. Robyn and Kathy just had dinner there the night before, however they liked the food a lot and wanted to go back for more :-) Of course my husband and I agreed to go there, one should never doubt these two knowledgeable ladies about what good food is! They were absolutely right, everything there was delicious. Surprisingly, my favorite was the sauteed string beans and I'm not a veggie eater! Wow, my mom would be so proud of me :D<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/3081833333/" title="Famous Sichuan: Sichuan wonton with red oil by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3096/3081833333_47417e73db_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Famous Sichuan: Sichuan wonton with red oil" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/3081833839/" title="Famous Sichuan: Dan dan noodle with minced pork chili sauce by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3250/3081833839_1167349a22_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Famous Sichuan: Dan dan noodle with minced pork chili sauce" /></a><br /><i>Sichuan wonton with red oil and Dan dan noodle with minced pork chili sauce</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/3081834441/" title="Famous Sichuan: Steamed vegetable dumpling by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3148/3081834441_2beb9a2cff_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Famous Sichuan: Steamed vegetable dumpling" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/3081835333/" title="Famous Sichuan: Sauteed string beans by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3274/3081835333_69dea83f0e_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Famous Sichuan: Sauteed string beans" /></a><br /><i>Steamed vegetable dumpling and Sauteed string beans</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/3082675698/" title="Famous Sichuan: Braised beef filets and napa cabbage with roasted chili by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3010/3082675698_2af9a1ed01_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Famous Sichuan: Braised beef filets and napa cabbage with roasted chili" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/3082676346/" title="Famous Sichuan: Fried whole fish with sweet and sour sauce by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3238/3082676346_9b4d5ca5a9_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Famous Sichuan: Fried whole fish with sweet and sour sauce" /></a><br /><i>Braised beef filets & napa cabbage with roasted chili and Fried whole fish with sweet & sour sauce</i></p><br />From here we drove to K-town to drop Robyn off since she had to meet her friends for dinner. Then after dropping Kathy off at her place (she had to meet up with her friends too for dinner in 1 hour), we stopped by at Momofuku Bakery and Milk Bar (again) to get some desserts. It's all Kathy's fault for introducing me to this place, thanks :P I finally got to try the pistachio cake, yay! It was good, but my favorite was still the banana cake. BTW, I went to this place too the day before to get some take-out brunch, can you believe it? Everything was excellent, especially the English muffin.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/3082443081/" title="Momofuku Bakery & Milk Bar: Candy bar pie (another view) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3238/3082443081_69f6cf1e7a_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Momofuku Bakery & Milk Bar: Candy bar pie (another view)" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/3082443893/" title="Momofuku Bakery & Milk Bar: Pistachio cake (another view) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3287/3082443893_3463526165_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Momofuku Bakery & Milk Bar: Pistachio cake (another view)" /></a><br /><i>Candy bar pie and Pistachio cake</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/3082442601/" title="Momofuku Bakery & Milk Bar: Cereal milk by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3150/3082442601_94c23f1694_m.jpg" width="150" height="200" alt="Momofuku Bakery & Milk Bar: Cereal milk" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/3079355368/" title="Momofuku Bakery & Milk Bar: Tristar strawberry milk by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3226/3079355368_456b452f95_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Momofuku Bakery & Milk Bar: Tristar strawberry milk" /></a><br /><i>Cereal milk for dessert and Tristar strawberry milk for brunch</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/3079355720/" title="Momofuku Bakery & Milk Bar: Pork and egg bun by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3059/3079355720_b3c0f65234_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Momofuku Bakery & Milk Bar: Pork and egg bun" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/3079356338/" title="Momofuku Bakery & Milk Bar: Pork buns by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3042/3079356338_bcc2a99e88_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Momofuku Bakery & Milk Bar: Pork buns" /></a><br /><i>Pork & egg bun and Pork buns for brunch</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/3078522777/" title="Momofuku Bakery & Milk Bar: English muffin by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3198/3078522777_643eb62ba0_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Momofuku Bakery & Milk Bar: English muffin" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/3079358350/" title="Momofuku Bakery & Milk Bar: Banana cake (close up) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3071/3079358350_302f64a4fe_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Momofuku Bakery & Milk Bar: Banana cake (close up)" /></a><br /><i>English muffin and Banana cake for brunch</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/3078524639/" title="Momofuku Bakery & Milk Bar: Corn cookie by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3176/3078524639_9548a78e42_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Momofuku Bakery & Milk Bar: Corn cookie" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/3079359308/" title="Momofuku Bakery & Milk Bar: Cornflake-marshmallow-chocolate chip cookie by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3249/3079359308_bdd64b8dc8_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Momofuku Bakery & Milk Bar: Cornflake-marshmallow-chocolate chip cookie" /></a><br /><i>Corn and Cornflake-marshmallow-chocolate chip cookies for brunch</i></p><br />I'm very thankful to everyone who has supported me and to those who came just to buy the macarons, how nice of you! I hope that next week will be a much better time for us.<br /><br />**********<br /><br />Itzy Bitzy Patisserie<br /><a href="http://www.itzybitzypatisserie.com" target="_blank">http://www.itzybitzypatisserie.com</a><br /><br />Brooklyn Flea<br />Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School<br />357 Clermont Ave<br />Brooklyn, NY 11238<br /><a href="http://brownstoner.com/brooklynflea/" target="_blank">http://brownstoner.com/brooklynflea/</a><br /><br />Doughnut Plant<br />379 Grand St<br />New York, NY 10002<br />(212) 505-3700<br /><a href="http://www.doughnutplant.com/" target="_blank">http://www.doughnutplant.com/</a><br /><br />Famous Sichuan<br />10 Pell St<br />New York, NY 10013<br />(212) 233-3888<br /><a href="http://www.famoussichuan.com" target="_blank">http://www.famoussichuan.com</a><br /><br />Momofuku Bakery & Milk Bar<br />207 2nd Avenue, 13th Street entrance<br />New York, NY 10003<br />(212) 228-0031<br /><a href="http://www.momofuku.com/bakery/default.asp" target="_blank">http://www.momofuku.com/bakery/default.asp</a><br /></span>yummyinthetummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14093526694375190687noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193434846195586870.post-20317735321644582182008-11-24T21:00:00.021-05:002008-12-04T17:47:32.961-05:00Behind the scene of my macaron's debut at Brooklyn Flea Market<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/itzybitzypatisserie/3058302594/" title="Box of assorted macarons set by itzybitzypatisserie, on Flickr"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3048/3058302594_1501618ed0_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Box of assorted macarons set" /></a>First of all, thank you to all who came to the Brooklyn Flea Market yesterday to support us. I also want to say thank you so much to <a href="http://www.roboppy.net/food/">Robyn</a>, <a href="http://thewanderingeater.com">Tina</a> and <a href="http://newyork.seriouseats.com/2008/11/smorgasboard-2008-11-20.html">Serious Eats</a> for the shout-outs and supports. For <a href="http://apassionforfood.blogspot.com/">Kathy</a>, I don't even know what to say to her. Words cannot express our gratitute to her! She mentioned us on her blog and willingly came to the market with us, since the set up began at 7:30 am until the end of the day at 5 pm. She is really Godsend :D I'm very lucky to meet a lot of wonderful people!<br /><span id="fullpost"><br />Anyway, here is the story. My husband and I woke up at 4:45 am, after only sleeping for less than 2 hours. We started to pack everything that we needed to bring to the market. Even though we tried to do it quickly, we didn't leave home until 5:45 am. So, I called Kathy at 6 am to let her know that we were running late, since I told her the day before that we would pick her up at 6:15 am. Sorry again Kathy!<br /><br />On the way to Manhattan, we heard the news that Holland Tunnel was closed due to maintenance work. So, we had to take Lincoln Tunnel to get to Manhattan, which meant a little detour. Finally we arrived at Kathy's place and went to Doughnut Plant to get breakfast. From there, we went straight to the market.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/3077752023/" title="Doughnut Plant: Hot chai by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3036/3077752023_8ba92fceee_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Doughnut Plant: Hot chai" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/3077752325/" title="Doughnut Plant: Vanilla bean doughnut by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3063/3077752325_d8f1bbbb0c_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Doughnut Plant: Vanilla bean doughnut" /></a><br /><i>Hot chai and Vanilla bean doughnut</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/3078584342/" title="Doughnut Plant: Chestnut cake doughnut by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3220/3078584342_d96e07ac46_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Doughnut Plant: Chestnut cake doughnut" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/3077752939/" title="Doughnut Plant: Roasted chestnut doughnut by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3231/3077752939_f5c90a9290_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Doughnut Plant: Roasted chestnut doughnut" /></a><br /><i>Chestnut cake doughnut and Roasted chestnut doughnut</i></p><br />When we arrived there, my husband went to check in while Kathy and I waited in the car. At that time (around 7:30 am) only a few vendors were there. He came back to the car and said that we needed to get some weights to hold the tent since it would be windy. So, we went to Walgreens to get some gallon-sized bottles of water and then went back to the market. My husband went inside the market to set up the tent while we waited in the car with the heater's on :-) BTW, the temperature outside was about 30F at that time.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/itzybitzypatisserie/3057465659/" title="Brooklyn Flea Market at 7:30 am by itzybitzypatisserie, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3212/3057465659_c03fa191b3_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Brooklyn Flea Market at 7:30 am" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/itzybitzypatisserie/3058302804/" title="Brooklyn Flea Market at 8:30 am by itzybitzypatisserie, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3147/3058302804_8f9c7bdda3_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Brooklyn Flea Market at 8:30 am" /></a><br /><i>Brooklyn Flea Market at 7:30 and 8:30 am</i></p><br />After reading the instructions step-by-step and struggling for more than 1 hour, my husband finally finished setting up the tent. This was his first time ever doing this, so I was very proud of him, thanks honey! By this time (around 8:30 am) more vendors had come. After the tent was ready, we uploaded everything from the car and started to set up the booth. It looked very nice! The tables were covered with red tablecloths and on the front table we put the menu (that has our logo made by <a href="http://www.cakespy.com/">Jessie</a>, a very talented and nice person), a display tray, boxes of macaron set and a box filled with some samples. On the back table, we put the remainder of the samples and the packaging. We kept the rest of the macarons in the cooler, even though I didn't think we needed to do that considering the temperature that day was only between 30-40F. I was bundle up and put warmers on my body, hands and toes. These really helped me to stay warm. Thanks R for recommending that warmers.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/itzybitzypatisserie/3058302976/" title="My husband setting up the tent by itzybitzypatisserie, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3174/3058302976_8bc043aabd.jpg" width="450" height="338" alt="My husband setting up the tent" /></a><br /><i>My husband setting up the tent</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/itzybitzypatisserie/3057466115/" title="The booth - front view by itzybitzypatisserie, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3012/3057466115_c4a5b12ab3_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="The booth - front view" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/itzybitzypatisserie/3058303190/" title="The table set up by itzybitzypatisserie, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3238/3058303190_bdf0226d91_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="The table set up" /></a><br /><i>The booth and The table set up</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/itzybitzypatisserie/3057466407/" title="It's me again! by itzybitzypatisserie, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3236/3057466407_1d78c68bed_m.jpg" width="150" height="200" alt="It's me again!" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/itzybitzypatisserie/3058303522/" title="It's Kathy again! by itzybitzypatisserie, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3276/3058303522_c9f10e9c04_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="It's Kathy again!" /></a><br /><i>Me and Kathy</i></p><br />Then the market officially opened at 10 am. I was super excited, the day was finally here! The first customer came and we started giving away sample. She loved the macaron and decided to buy 1 box of the assorted macarons. She said that she was one of Robyn's blog reader. Then the second customer came and said that her friend could come and sent her to get the macarons, wow! She said that her friend found out about us from a food blog, but she was not sure what. She said it was "passion something", wait a minute, it must be Kathy's blog -- A Passion for Food. Then more and more customer came, some were the market visitors and some were bloggers who are <a href="http://apassionforfood.blogspot.com/">Kathy's</a>, <a href="http://www.roboppy.net/food/">Robyn's</a> and <a href="http://www.seriouseats.com">Serious Eats</a> reader. So, thanks again guys!<br /><br />When lunch time came, we decided to support other vendors and bought pizza from Pizza Moto and huarache from Fernando Martinez (one of the Red Hook vendors). The pizza was delicious, especially since it came straight from the oven and was still piping hot. The huarache was great, however it got cold fast, since the weather was just like inside the refrigerator.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/3077822415/" title="Brooklyn Flea: Pizza Moto - pizza with tomato and mozzarella by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3065/3077822415_59447bc9ca_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Brooklyn Flea: Pizza Moto - pizza with tomato and mozzarella" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/3077822919/" title="Brooklyn Flea: Fernando Martinez from Red Hook Park - huarache by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3073/3077822919_9b85012c2f_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Brooklyn Flea: Fernando Martinez from Red Hook Park - huarache" /></a><br /><i>Pizza with tomato & mozzarella and Huarache</i></p><br />The day went by so quickly, by 3:30 pm only 7 macarons left (6 chestnut with green tea and 1 passion fruit). I brought in about 350 macarons, sold 50% and gave away 50%. I was very happy, considering the weather was cold and this was the first time ever, yay! :D I was afraid that people would be disappointed with the texture of the macarons since they were not at the "room temperature". Fortunately everybody said that they liked the macarons (wait until they got home, it'd be even better!). This was definitely the challenge of selling macarons outdoor when it was cold.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/itzybitzypatisserie/3057466071/" title="The cooler by itzybitzypatisserie, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3006/3057466071_73db7da09a_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="The cooler" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/itzybitzypatisserie/3057466541/" title="The left over by itzybitzypatisserie, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3251/3057466541_3350bfbd43_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="The left over" /></a><br /><i>The macarons at the beginning and at the end of the day</i></p><br />At 4 pm we decided to wrap up and went home. We stopped by at Kampuchea to have dinner and Momofuku Bakery and Milk Bar for dessert. The hot noodle soup was perfect to warm us up, the cake was perfect to put a smile on my face. We finally said goodbye to Kathy, she declined our offer to drive her back to her place since it was only 1 block away from Momofuku Bakery and Milk Bar.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/3077804983/" title="Kampuchea Restaurant: Watermelon juice and Lychee fizz by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3187/3077804983_79094d525a_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Kampuchea Restaurant: Watermelon juice and Lychee fizz" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/3078636210/" title="Kampuchea Restaurant: Pineapple coconut juice by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3225/3078636210_bdfa3d2981_m.jpg" width="150" height="200" alt="Kampuchea Restaurant: Pineapple coconut juice" /></a><br /><i>Watermelon juice, Lychee fizz and Pineapple coconut juice</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/3078636464/" title="Kampuchea Restaurant: Seared sweetbread by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3226/3078636464_a35e6ae744_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Kampuchea Restaurant: Seared sweetbread" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/3078637366/" title="Kampuchea Restaurant: Seared monkfish liver (close up) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3022/3078637366_53d0d8d837_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Kampuchea Restaurant: Seared monkfish liver (close up)" /></a><br /><i>Seared sweetbread and Seared monkfish liver</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/3077806547/" title="Kampuchea Restaurant: Bwah moun by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3047/3077806547_6d8566c720_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Kampuchea Restaurant: Bwah moun" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/3078638216/" title="Kampuchea Restaurant: Duroc pork katiev by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3051/3078638216_1571379340_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Kampuchea Restaurant: Duroc pork katiev" /></a><br /><i>Bwah moun and Duroc pork katiev</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/3077807803/" title="Kampuchea Restaurant: Chicken katiev by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3240/3077807803_69af96ca52_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Kampuchea Restaurant: Chicken katiev" /> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/3078791718/" title="Momofuku Bakery & Milk Bar: Tristar strawberry milk, Cereal milk and Salty pistachio caramel - sample by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3171/3078791718_51a6945582_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Momofuku Bakery & Milk Bar: Tristar strawberry milk, Cereal milk and Salty pistachio caramel - sample" /></a></a><br /><i>Chicken katiev and Tristar strawberry milk, Cereal milk & Salty pistachio caramel soft serve - sample</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/3077960317/" title="Momofuku Bakery & Milk Bar: Chocolate chip cake by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3074/3077960317_b3c0ff28b7_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Momofuku Bakery & Milk Bar: Chocolate chip cake" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/3078793694/" title="Momofuku Bakery & Milk Bar: Dulce de leche cake (close up) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3036/3078793694_f6b0fcc5aa_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Momofuku Bakery & Milk Bar: Dulce de leche cake (close up)" /></a><br /><i>Chocolate chip and Dulce de leche cakes</i></p><br />I wouldn't lie, I was very tired, especially after only sleeping for 4-5 hours everyday this past 2 months and only 2 hours this last 2 days. However, it was all worth it when I saw how happy people were when they ate the macarons. The most memorable moment for me was when a little girl came and I offered her a sample of the macaron. She chose the chestnut with green tea, which happened to be mine & Kathy's personal favorite. I could see from a far that she loved it. A few minutes later she and her parents came back and bought 2 boxes of the assorted macarons!<br /><br />I will leave you by saying THANK YOU again to everyone who has helped making my macaron's first debut a very successful one. We will be back again next Sunday, I hope that the weather will be nice. BTW, Kathy has offered to help me again, isn't she an angel? :-)<br /><br />**********<br /><br />Itzy Bitzy Patisserie<br /><a href="http://www.itzybitzypatisserie.com" target="_blank">http://www.itzybitzypatisserie.com</a><br /><br />Brooklyn Flea<br />Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School<br />357 Clermont Ave<br />Brooklyn, NY 11238<br /><a href="http://brownstoner.com/brooklynflea/" target="_blank">http://brownstoner.com/brooklynflea/</a><br /><br />Doughnut Plant<br />379 Grand St<br />New York, NY 10002<br />(212) 505-3700<br /><a href="http://www.doughnutplant.com/" target="_blank">http://www.doughnutplant.com/</a><br /><br />Kampuchea<br />78 Rivington St<br />New York, NY 10002<br />(212) 529-3901<br /><a href="http://kampucheanyc.com/" target="_blank">http://kampucheanyc.com/</a><br /><br />Momofuku Bakery & Milk Bar<br />207 2nd Avenue, 13th Street entrance<br />New York, NY 10003<br />(212) 228-0031<br /><a href="http://www.momofuku.com/bakery/default.asp" target="_blank">http://www.momofuku.com/bakery/default.asp</a><br /></span>yummyinthetummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14093526694375190687noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193434846195586870.post-5411348474032798902008-11-22T09:00:00.010-05:002008-11-22T23:46:28.432-05:00My macaron's first debutI told <a href="http://www.roboppy.net/food/">Robyn</a>, <a href="http://thewanderingeater.com">Tina</a>, <a href="http://apassionforfood.blogspot.com/">Kathy</a> and <a href="http://parisbreakfasts.blogspot.com/">Carol</a> at the end of August when I asked them and several other people to become my taste testers that I planned to start my macaron business before Thanksgiving. Luckily everything went as planned and I can keep my promise :-)<br /><br /><span id="fullpost">So the day is finally here! Tomorrow (Sunday, November 23, 2008) will be my macaron's first debut to the public. I will be at the <a href="http://brownstoner.com/brooklynflea/">Brooklyn Flea</a> to sell the macarons as well as give away some samples. Here are the flavors:<br />- Chestnut with green tea <br />- Chocolate caramel pecan <br />- Coffee <br />- Passion fruit<br />- Pistachio <br />- Pumpkin<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/3052037332/" title="itzy bitzy patisserie: Macaron flavors for November 2008 by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3142/3052037332_7219f58e54.jpg" width="450" alt="itzy bitzy patisserie: Macaron flavors for November 2008" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://apassionforfood.blogspot.com/2008/11/what-are-you-doing-this-sunday.html">Kathy</a> will be there too, she is such a terrific lady! She offered to help me without me asking for it, what a wonderful friend. When you are in the area, please come to see us. <a href="http://www.roboppy.net/food/2008/11/get-mitzys-macarons-sunday-brooklyn-flea-market.html">Robyn</a> said that she will be there too. Unfortunately <a href="http://thewanderingeater.com">Tina</a> is sick, so I'm not sure if she will be able to come. I didn't know them before this, even though I have been following their blogs for a while. However since then, they have become part of my macaron journey and most importantly my friends.<br /><br />**********<br /><br />Itzy Bitzy Patisserie<br /><a href="http://www.itzybitzypatisserie.com" target="_blank">http://www.itzybitzypatisserie.com</a><br /><br />Brooklyn Flea<br />Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School<br />357 Clermont Ave<br />Brooklyn, NY 11238<br /><a href="http://brownstoner.com/brooklynflea/" target="_blank">http://brownstoner.com/brooklynflea/</a><br /><br /></span>yummyinthetummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14093526694375190687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193434846195586870.post-45243888861136581182008-11-04T15:21:00.013-05:002008-11-04T20:38:17.804-05:00The surprise gift from Chef Pierre HerméAs I mentioned in my <a href="http://yummyinthetummyblog.blogspot.com/2008/05/my-second-day-of-pierre-herm-class-in.html">previous</a> post, on the second day of class we got a wonderful surprise from him. Unfortunately, I could not reveal what it was before. However after I saw the picture of it in his catalog as well as in <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/parisbreakfast/2998511040/">here</a>, I decided to post some photos that I have.<br /><br />I remember Jacquy jokingly said that PH will be surprised to find out every bakeries in here will have this dessert in December. The dessert is called Agapé which consists of gingerbread, winter fruits and lemon mousseline, topped with caramel glaze. It tasted fantastic, perfect flavor combination!<br /><span id="fullpost"><br />Without further do, here are some photos of Agapé.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/3003674336/" title="Pierre Hermé: Assembling Agapé by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3239/3003674336_e05c916b08_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Pierre Hermé: Assembling Agapé" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/3002840647/" title="Pierre Hermé: Assembling Agapé by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3165/3002840647_99c8e19726_m.jpg" width="150" height="200" alt="Pierre Hermé: Assembling Agapé" /></a><br /><i>Assembling Agapé</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/3002841561/" title="Pierre Hermé: Agapé (close up) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3053/3002841561_a9cd53d439_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Pierre Hermé: Agapé (close up)" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/3002842333/" title="Pierre Hermé: Agapé (sliced another view) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3246/3002842333_1cd790a64a_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Pierre Hermé: Agapé (sliced another view)" /></a><br /><i>Agapé</i></p><br />Also, back in September 11, 2008 PH released his newest book which is titled Macaron and opened his newest store as mentioned <a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/2008/10/the-latest-in-pierre-hermes-world-of-macarons.html">here</a>. This store focuses only on macarons and chocolates, do you want to <a href="http://www.pierreherme.com/content/FR/FR/boutiques/cambon.cgi?cwsid=9267phAC194316ph2951536">take a peek</a>?<br /><br />Last but not least, here's the photo from one of the best days of my life.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/3004411028/" title="Pierre Hermé: I was receiving the certificate by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2287/3004411028_e5a1d22bfe.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Pierre Hermé: I was receiving the certificate" /></a><br /><i>Pierre Hermé and me</i></p><br />**********<br /><br />Pierre Hermé Paris<br /><a href="http://www.pierreherme.com/" target="_blank">http://www.pierreherme.com</a><br /><br />French Pastry School<br />226 West Jackson Boulevard<br />Chicago, IL 60606<br />(312) 726-2419<br /><a href="http://www.frenchpastryschool.com/" target="_blank">http://www.frenchpastryschool.com</a><br /></span>yummyinthetummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14093526694375190687noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193434846195586870.post-80422939422869688052008-11-04T09:30:00.002-05:002008-11-04T15:19:40.857-05:00Did you vote?Today is the election day, so please don't forget to vote!<br /><br />Now I leave you with this special red-white-blue macarons that I just made this morning, enjoy!<br /><br /><p align=center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/3002874624/" title="Home Baking: Litchi ganache macarons by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2040/3002874624_5d3f0a6125_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Home Baking: Litchi ganache macarons" /></a><br /><i>Red-White-Blue Macarons</i></p>yummyinthetummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14093526694375190687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193434846195586870.post-19697583078643784062008-06-22T16:32:00.007-04:002009-09-26T13:21:10.344-04:00Matcha confectionary fair at Mitsuwa Marketplace<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2696751692/" title="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Matcha confectionary fair display by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3213/2696751692_3cf7e95843_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Matcha confectionary fair display" /></a>After having lunch at SriPraPhai yesterday, we came here for their Matcha confectionary fair. I love matcha, so no wonder I had to check out this special event. When we arrived there, I went straight to that special display located near the entrance. There were lots of matcha products and most of them usually I couldn't find, so I couldn't resist to buy several items.<br /><span id="fullpost"><br />Here were what I got:<br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2696756708/" title="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Nabisco - Sofrea soft cake - green tea box by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3134/2696756708_c839b04a8a_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Nabisco - Sofrea soft cake - green tea box" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2696758598/" title="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Ginbis - Shimi choco corn cracker - matcha by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3076/2696758598_5ce1c784ec_m.jpg" width="150" height="200" alt="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Ginbis - Shimi choco corn cracker - matcha" /></a><br /><i>Nabisco - Sofrea soft cake - green tea and Ginbis - Shimi choco corn cracker - matcha</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2696760760/" title="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Kashiwado - Senbei - matcha (in packaging) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3192/2696760760_937bc90214_m.jpg" width="150" height="200" alt="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Kashiwado - Senbei - matcha (in packaging)" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2696761914/" title="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Lotte - Toppo - matcha chizukeki box by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3121/2696761914_edb204bc70_m.jpg" width="150" height="200" alt="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Lotte - Toppo - matcha chizukeki box" /></a><br /><i>Kashiwado - Senbei - matcha and Lotte - Toppo - matcha chizukeki</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2695944391/" title="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Kasugai - Wafers choco - matcha (in packaging) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3020/2695944391_99c8d7e3e2_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Kasugai - Wafers choco - matcha (in packaging)" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2696763236/" title="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Furuta - Uji matcha cookie box by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3140/2696763236_a4e22602c1_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Furuta - Uji matcha cookie box" /></a><br /><i>Kasugai - Wafers choco - matcha and Furuta - Uji matcha cookie</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2695949721/" title="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Tohato - Caramel corn - matcha by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3217/2695949721_863472b01e_m.jpg" width="150" height="200" alt="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Tohato - Caramel corn - matcha" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2696765542/" title="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Futaba - Matcha hoten (in packaging) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3160/2696765542_30abd00a06_m.jpg" width="150" height="200" alt="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Futaba - Matcha hoten (in packaging)" /></a><br /><i>Tohato - Caramel corn - matcha and Futaba - Matcha hoten</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2695951559/" title="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Kanro - Matcha saryou (in packaging) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3279/2695951559_794043f875_m.jpg" width="150" height="200" alt="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Kanro - Matcha saryou (in packaging)" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2696767724/" title="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Lotte - Matcha gum (in packaging) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3217/2696767724_0ac4416f80_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Lotte - Matcha gum (in packaging)" /></a><br /><i>Kanro - Matcha saryou and Lotte - Matcha gum</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2696768548/" title="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Meiji - Rich matcha chocolate (in packaging) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3186/2696768548_d6c7dd3eaf_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Meiji - Rich matcha chocolate (in packaging)" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2696770124/" title="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Furuta - Sequoia chocolate - matcha (in packaging) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3279/2696770124_a1924081e0_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Furuta - Sequoia chocolate - matcha (in packaging)" /></a><br /><i>Meiji - Rich matcha chocolate and Furuta - Sequoia chocolate - matcha</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2696771368/" title="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Lotte - Rich matcha chocolate (in packaging) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3040/2696771368_c33412cd24_m.jpg" width="150" height="200" alt="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Lotte - Rich matcha chocolate (in packaging)" /></a><br /><i>Lotte - Rich matcha chocolate</i><br /><br />And couple items that were not matcha:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2696772952/" title="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Nestle - KitKat - white box by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3243/2696772952_7c773bb8c7_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Nestle - KitKat - white box" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2695959079/" title="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Fujiya - Petite france - le praline box by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3247/2695959079_b856327798_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Fujiya - Petite france - le praline box" /></a><br /><i> Nestle - KitKat - white and Fujiya - Petite france - le praline</i></p><br />**********<br /><br />Mitsuwa Marketplace<br />595 River Road<br />Edgewater, NJ 07020<br />(201) 941-9113<br /><a href="http://www.mitsuwanj.com/en/" target="_blank">http://www.mitsuwanj.com/en/</a><br /></span>yummyinthetummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14093526694375190687noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193434846195586870.post-88236749534602170382008-06-22T15:15:00.013-04:002009-09-26T13:20:10.504-04:00Lunch at SriPraPhai<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2693955734/" title="SriPraPhai: Exterior by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3245/2693955734_fd09410f99_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="SriPraPhai: Exterior" /></a>Even though we used to live in Queens 6 years ago, we have never been to this restaurant. Finally yesterday we decided to try it out and we were glad that we did. When we arrived they were just opened, however there were a lot of people already, it was lunch time.<br /><br />We were asked if we wanted to sit outside in the garden, it was nice but we preferred to sit inside. Then came our waiter who brought us the menu, he was very nice and friendly. We told him that this was our first time here so we asked for his recommendation. He mentioned some of the food that was popular and good there. He took our drink order and then let us look at the menu.<br /><span id="fullpost"><br />I remembered reading of what should be ordered from here, so I tried to find the picture of it. There was an album filled with pictures of most of the dishes, it was a good idea. After browsing that album, we finally decided what we wanted to try and told our waiter when he came back with our drinks, the Thai iced tea.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2693962036/" title="SriPraPhai: Thai iced tea by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3156/2693962036_57e5c7a92d_m.jpg" width="150" height="200" alt="SriPraPhai: Thai iced tea" /></a><br /><i>Thai iced tea</i></p><br />For appetizer we ordered fried vegetable (chive) dumpling that was recommended by our waiter. It was crunchy and filled with lots of chives, a little bit too bland when I didn't dip it in the sauce that came with it. It was okay, not our favorite.<br />The next dish was crispy thai catfish meat salad, it was amazing. The crispiness of the fried shredded catfish combined with the spiciness, sweetness and sourness of the salad was perfect, so yummy! We would come back again if only for this dish, highly recommended.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2693962658/" title="SriPraPhai: Fried vegetable (chive) dumpling by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3130/2693962658_e7bc8a6222_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="SriPraPhai: Fried vegetable (chive) dumpling" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2693149305/" title="SriPraPhai: Crispy thai catfish meat salad by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3231/2693149305_c373b1d226_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="SriPraPhai: Crispy thai catfish meat salad" /></a><br /><i>Fried vegetable (chive) dumpling and Crispy thai catfish meat salad</i></p><br />For the entree we ordered soy sauce noodles with beef and broccoli, it was good. The beef was tender but the overall taste was not that flavorful. The one from Thai Kitchen in New Jersey was still better. The saute fried soft shell crab with chili, garlic and basil leaves was delicious, it was special of the day. The crab was well covered with the sauce that was spicy and tasty.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2693150659/" title="SriPraPhai: Soy sauce noodles with beef and broccoli by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3105/2693150659_98e9ee756d_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="SriPraPhai: Soy sauce noodles with beef and broccoli" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2693151597/" title="SriPraPhai: Saute fried soft shell crab with chili, garlic and basil leaves by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3276/2693151597_212f794cee_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="SriPraPhai: Saute fried soft shell crab with chili, garlic and basil leaves" /></a><br /><i>Soy sauce noodles with beef & broccoli and Saute fried soft shell crab with chili, garlic & basil leaves</i></p><br />The masaman curry with chicken, onion and potatoes was wonderful. The chicken was tender, the sauce was rich and not too spicy. Then came the shrimp paste fried rice with chicken and dry shrimp, it was fantastic. The tender chicken and the crunchy dried shrimp were very tasty, mixed with the cucumber, red onion and egg as well as the shrimp paste fried rice itself was incredible, definitely our favorite here. When we ordered this, our waiter made sure that we knew what this was. He warned us that it didn't smell good but the taste was good. We told him that we are familiar with the shrimp paste and love it, even though it does smell awful :-)<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2693967042/" title="SriPraPhai: Masaman curry with chicken, onion and potatoes by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3241/2693967042_bca47d8c68_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="SriPraPhai: Masaman curry with chicken, onion and potatoes" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2693967954/" title="SriPraPhai: Shrimp paste fried rice with chicken and dry shrimp by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3055/2693967954_976455eb75_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="SriPraPhai: Shrimp paste fried rice with chicken and dry shrimp" /></a><br /><i>Masaman curry with chicken, onion & potatoes and Shrimp paste fried rice with chicken & dry shrimp</i></p><br />As usual we ordered too much, we couldn't finish them since we wanted to save room for dessert. We chose sticky rice & ripe mango, as well as steamed sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves with banana filling, they both were excellent.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2693969352/" title="SriPraPhai: Sticky rice and ripe mango by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3224/2693969352_1d922237ba_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="SriPraPhai: Sticky rice and ripe mango" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2693970594/" title="SriPraPhai: Steamed sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves with banana filling (inside) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3033/2693970594_c322e73fef_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="SriPraPhai: Steamed sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves with banana filling (inside)" /></a><br /><i>Sticky rice & ripe mango and Steamed sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves with banana filling</i></p><br />Before we left I told my husband that I wanted to check out their display that we passed by on the way to our table. I was so happy to see boxes of fried chicken skin and decided to get one box. It was so crispy, a little bit too salty though, but overall was still very good, I love it. It's been a long time since I had this since I couldn't find it until yesterday. I didn't want to make it myself even though I had a deep fryer at home, I just didn't want to get hurt from the possibility of hot oil splash. The fried banana was disappointing, the banana was still not ripe yet.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2693976272/" title="SriPraPhai: Fried chicken skin (another view) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3107/2693976272_bf34912504_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="SriPraPhai: Fried chicken skin (another view)" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2693163489/" title="SriPraPhai: Fried banana by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3242/2693163489_b0bffd0642_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="SriPraPhai: Fried banana" /></a><br /><i>Fried chicken skin and Fried banana</i></p><br />I also got a couple desserts to take home: sweet rice, coconut milk, longan & sugar and tapioca, coconut milk, corn & sugar. Both of them was very good, creamy and not too sweet.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2693979290/" title="SriPraPhai: Sweet rice, coconut milk, longan and sugar (uncovered) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3056/2693979290_aae9293cbc_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="SriPraPhai: Sweet rice, coconut milk, longan and sugar (uncovered)" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2693166427/" title="SriPraPhai: Tapioca, coconut milk, corn and sugar (uncovered) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3258/2693166427_c5f6df63cb_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="SriPraPhai: Tapioca, coconut milk, corn and sugar (uncovered)" /></a><br /><i>Sweet rice, coconut milk, longan & sugar and Tapioca, coconut milk, corn & sugar</i></p><br />From here we went to Mitsuwa Marketplace to check out their Matcha confectionary fair that they had this weekend. <br /><br />**********<br /><br />SriPraPhai<br />6413 39th Ave<br />Woodside, NY 11377<br />(718) 899-9599<br /></span>yummyinthetummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14093526694375190687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193434846195586870.post-76456341939848153802008-06-18T15:16:00.001-04:002008-08-28T10:18:07.666-04:00My birthday dinner at Daniel<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2676712127/" title="Daniel: Exterior by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3135/2676712127_9430c1eeb7_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Daniel: Exterior" /></a>To celebrate my birthday, my husband took me for a surprise dinner at Daniel. It's been a while since we first vowed to dine at Daniel Boulud's flagship restaurant and finally the time was here, so I was very excited. As soon as we entered the restaurant, we were greeted by a hostess who took our name and then led us to our table. At that time the restaurant was quite empty since they just opened, however it filled up fairly quickly as the night progressed.<br /><span id="fullpost"><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2677534176/" title="Daniel: Interior by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3021/2677534176_90f71f6526_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Daniel: Interior" /></a>The interior had Venetian Renaissance style decor, elegant, and beautiful. It was dimly lit, made the atmosphere more romantic, although personally speaking they could be a little brighter. The tables were covered by white cloths, they had fresh flowers and candles on top. We noticed that the napkin and the table cloth both had chef Daniel Boulud's initial, very nice.<br /><br />Then came our captain who brought us the menu, followed by one server who brought a purse stool. The menu offered 3-course prix fixe, daily specials and 6-course seasonal tasting menu. We chose the tasting menu so that we could have the whole dining experience. I ordered a non-alcoholic drink called palm beach, a mixture of raspberry puree, pineapple puree, orange juice and mint -- very refreshing.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2677551292/" title="Daniel: Palm beach by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3113/2677551292_11c5ba846c_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Daniel: Palm beach" /></a><br /><i>Palm beach</i></p><br />Dinner started with a two-tiered tray of canapés:<br />- Crisp parmesan basket with goat cheese and pine nut: crispy and creamy<br />- Asparagus quiche: melt in your mouth<br />- Heart of palm puree: very smooth<br />- BBQ eel with soybean puree: tender and tasty<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2676734939/" title="Daniel: Amuse bouche (another view) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3143/2676734939_ac7d3e61c2_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Daniel: Amuse bouche (another view)" /></a><br /><i>Canapés. Top: Crisp parmesan basket and Asparagus quiche. Bottom: Heart of palm puree and BBQ eel with soybean puree.</i></p><br />It was followed by the bread service, I chose sweet garlic focaccia and mini French baguette, while my husband chose olive & rosemary roll and French roll. All of them was very good, I like the focaccia the most.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2677544604/" title="Daniel: Basket of bread (another view) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2414/2677544604_c7ba121f51_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Daniel: Basket of bread (another view)" /></a><br /><i>Basket of bread</i></p><br />The first course came very fast, we didn't even have a chance to nibble on the bread yet. We noticed that there were as many servers as guests on a table coming and serving the dish in unison. My husband picked rabbit porchetta with spring vegetables, Orleans mustard cream, frisee and chive oil, served with toasted French baguette. It was flavorful and tasty, the variety of vegetables added complementary texture to the rabbit porchetta.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2677559250/" title="Daniel: Rabbit porchetta with spring vegetables (closer up) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3025/2677559250_e27b189c42_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Daniel: Rabbit porchetta with spring vegetables (closer up)" /></a><br /><i>Rabbit porchetta with spring vegetables</i></p><br />Mine was pistachio crusted duck foie gras terrine with poached rhubarb and lillet gelee, served with toasted crustless brioche. It was wonderful, the foie gras was smooth and the sweetness of rhubarb complimented well, but unfortunately the brioche was not warm (I think <a href="http://yummyinthetummyblog.blogspot.com/2008/06/anniversary-dinner-at-per-se.html">Per Se</a> spoiled me for life on this one).<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2676744833/" title="Daniel: Pistachio crusted duck foie gras terrine - Canon S5 (another view) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3223/2676744833_cc6dfeae2d_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Daniel: Pistachio crusted duck foie gras terrine - Canon S5 (another view)" /></a><br /><i>Pistachio crusted duck foie gras terrine</i></p><br />For the second course, my husband had trio of sea scallops which were ceviche with wellfeet oyster and uni, tartar with caviar d'aquitaine, sashimi with yuzu. I'm not a raw food fan, so this dish was not my favorite. I let my husband finished them, he said that they were delicious and not fishy at all.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2676745801/" title="Daniel: Trio of sea scallops by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3112/2676745801_0e844da4e5_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Daniel: Trio of sea scallops" /></a><br /><i>Trio of sea scallops. Clockwise from top left: Sashimi with yuzu, Ceviche with wellfeet oyster and uni, Tartar with caviar d'aquitaine.</i></p><br />I had Maryland jumbo lump crab with sorrento lemon, Boston lettuce and minted yogurt-cucumber gazpacho. It was excellent, the lettuce added crunchness and the gazpacho added refreshness to the dish.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2677567214/" title="Daniel: Maryland jumbo lump crab with sorrento lemon - Canon S5 by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3042/2677567214_c5bc0cdce5_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Daniel: Maryland jumbo lump crab with sorrento lemon - Canon S5" /></a><br /><i>Maryland jumbo lump crab with sorrento lemon</i></p><br />Next came fennel basil ravioli with littleneck clam emulsion, Baja shrimp, cuttlefish, broccoli rabe and chorizo for my husband. It was fantastic, the ravioli was cooked al dente and the emulsion was rich, so yummy!<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2676751457/" title="Daniel: Fennel basil ravioli with littleneck clam emulsion (close up) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3095/2676751457_6f0d64ee02_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Daniel: Fennel basil ravioli with littleneck clam emulsion (close up)" /></a><br /><i>Fennel basil ravioli with littleneck clam emulsion</i></p><br />For me, I chose kataifi wrapped langoustines with florida corn, crispy pork belly, kale and bacon jus. It was incredible, the langoustine was tender and crunchy from the kataifi, the pork belly was moist, the bacon jus was not too salty, perfect with the sweetness of the corn.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2676754083/" title="Daniel: Kataifi wrapped langoustines with florida corn - Canon S5 (close up) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3255/2676754083_ce28397de0_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Daniel: Kataifi wrapped langoustines with florida corn - Canon S5 (close up)" /></a><br /><i>Kataifi wrapped langoustines with florida corn</i></p><br />For the fish course, my husband picked the flaked Atlantic cod with morels, crushed fingerlings, pickled ramps and green peppercorn which was fabulous. The cod was soft and went hand in hand with the sauce, it was simpler than the other dishes yet delicate.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2676755673/" title="Daniel: Flaked atlantic cod with morels by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3231/2676755673_468fc30556_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Daniel: Flaked atlantic cod with morels" /></a><br /><i>Flaked atlantic cod with morels</i></p><br />I picked crispy red king salmon with parsley, mousserons, wild asparagus and pee wee potato tempura. It was good, the salmon was firm yet tender, the sauce was tasty and the asparagus added some nice texture to it.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2677576652/" title="Daniel: Crispy red king salmon with parsley (close up) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3164/2677576652_71abcbd7a1_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Daniel: Crispy red king salmon with parsley (close up)" /></a><br /><i>Crispy red king salmon with parsley</i></p><br />Then came the signature dish which was duo of dry aged beef -- red wine braised short ribs with shallot confit, seared rib eye with spinach subric and sauteed porcinis. The presentation was detail-oriented, the taste was awesome -- the meat was very tender and cooked perfectly, the sauce was amazing.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2677578748/" title="Daniel: Duo of dry aged beef (close up) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3091/2677578748_a417f23d12_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Daniel: Duo of dry aged beef (close up)" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2677579232/" title="Daniel: Duo of dry aged beef (close up) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3004/2677579232_b852bf59b6_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Daniel: Duo of dry aged beef (close up)" /></a><br /><i>Duo of dry aged beef</i></p><br /><br />My dish was Elysian fields farm lamb chop and tenderloin with anchovy stuffed bulb onions, English peas and sage jus. It was fabulous, the meat was juicy and the sauce was rich. My stomach was starting to get full, so I asked my husband to help me finish it since I planned to save room for desserts :-)<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2676765641/" title="Daniel: Elysian fields farm lamb chop and tenderloin - Canon S5 by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3161/2676765641_e03ef4707b_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Daniel: Elysian fields farm lamb chop and tenderloin - Canon S5" /></a><br /><i>Elysian fields farm lamb chop and tenderloin</i></p><br />We received couple of complimentary desserts that were plated elegantly, side by side with the ones from the tasting menu. In addition to these, I also got a "birthday cake", I guessed my husband told them that it was my birthday. Then came the famous madeleines in a bowl covered with white linen, followed by the mignardises. They were very generous and all came together at the same time, so our table was covered with desserts feast, I love it! :-)<br /><br />The first dessert was bittersweet chocolate praline cremeux with Amer cocoa sponge cake, caraibe ice cream (from the tasting menu) and raspberry lemon vacherin with Thai basil, meringue, raspberry marshmallows (the complimentary). The chocolate praline dessert was divine, it was very rich, creamy, chocolate-y. The raspberry dessert was excellent -- soft and very light.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2676769985/" title="Daniel: Bittersweet chocolate praline cremeux by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3099/2676769985_36eb8d3187_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Daniel: Bittersweet chocolate praline cremeux" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2676771097/" title="Daniel: Raspberry lemon vacherin with Thai basil by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3256/2676771097_f7af763644_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Daniel: Raspberry lemon vacherin with Thai basil" /></a><br /><i>Bittersweet chocolate praline cremeux and Raspberry lemon vacherin with Thai basil</i></p><br />The second dessert was chocolate biscuit with Kirsch diplomat, roasted cherries, Kriek beer sorbet (the complimentary) and tasting of mango with roasted sesame, ginger marinated, coulis with cilantro, sorbet with kalamansi (from the tasting menu). The Kirsch dessert was enjoyable -- creamy and sweet. The mango was extraordinary, it was refreshing, nutty, crunchy, sweet yet tart, so yummy!<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2676773187/" title="Daniel: Chocolate biscuit with kirsch diplomat (another view) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3168/2676773187_092122d522_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Daniel: Chocolate biscuit with kirsch diplomat (another view)" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2676774757/" title="Daniel: Tasting of mango with roasted sesame by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3205/2676774757_f6f427bbf1_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Daniel: Tasting of mango with roasted sesame" /></a><br /><i>Chocolate biscuit with kirsch diplomat and Tasting of mango with roasted sesame</i></p><br />For my "birthday cake", they gave me chocolate brownie with mascarpone cream, crispy feuilletine, Ethiopian coffee ice cream. The brownie was moist, the mascarpone was smooth, the feuilletine was crunchy, the ice cream was rich, just delightful.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2676776685/" title="Daniel: Chocolate brownie with mascarpone cream (close up) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3220/2676776685_d7b01693a0_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Daniel: Chocolate brownie with mascarpone cream (close up)" /></a><br /><i>Chocolate brownie with mascarpone cream</i></p><br />The warm, fluffy, moist and tender madeleines were incredible, the mignardises were very good and flavorful. They were definitely a perfect ending for a fabulous culinary experience.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2677598194/" title="Daniel: Madeleines (closer up) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3139/2677598194_9075827498_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Daniel: Madeleines (closer up)" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2676782743/" title="Daniel: Petits fours - Canon S5 by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3259/2676782743_e6be60cd1d_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Daniel: Petits fours - Canon S5" /></a><br /><i>Madeleines and Petits fours</i></p><br />We had an unforgettable night, the food was spectacular and impressive, it definitely lived up to our high expectations. Although the service was good, the staff was a little bit uptight and stuffy, not as friendly as the staff at <a href="http://yummyinthetummyblog.blogspot.com/2008/06/anniversary-dinner-at-per-se.html">Per Se</a>. They were also not that attentive, we had to look for and call them when we needed something. However it was all forgiven once our stomachs were screaming for joy :-) I must say that the sauces at Daniel were amazing -- flavorful and rich. Thank you honey for the fabulous dinner, you have chosen the perfect place to celebrate my birthday, I cannot wait to go back again.<br /><br />**********<br /><br />Daniel<br />60 East 65th Street<br />New York, NY 10065<br />(212) 288-0033<br /><a href="http://danielnyc.com/daniel/" target="_blank">http://danielnyc.com/daniel/</a><br /></span>yummyinthetummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14093526694375190687noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193434846195586870.post-3868205990418619252008-06-15T16:57:00.020-04:002008-12-04T21:43:02.425-05:00Desserts at Bouchon Bakery<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2689652386/" title="Bouchon Bakery: Take out section by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3207/2689652386_82f9f8a882_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Bouchon Bakery: Take out section" /></a>After having a wonderful <a href="http://yummyinthetummyblog.blogspot.com/2008/06/lunch-at-highline.html">lunch at Highline</a>, we took E, Y, R, B & W for a treat at Time Warner Center where Bouchon Bakery is located. This was the first time for our friends to come here, so they were pretty excited to try the dessert themselves, especially after hearing my praises all these time.<br /><br />R, B & W arrived there first and reserved some seats for E, Y, my husband and me as soon as the tables were available. When we arrived, as usual there was a line at the take out counter, but it was not bad. I like to browse their display cases since most of the sweets are always new items that I haven't tasted yet. Since I was the one who would pay, I went to order for everyone while they sat down.<br /><span id="fullpost"><br />R and B have a chance to see the display before we came so they knew what they wanted, which were strawberry parfait, chocolate macaron and seasonal fruit tart. W came with me to the counter since he didn't know what to order yet as well as to help me carry the trays. E wanted chocolate croissant, while Y asked me to pick for her considering I came here quite often. As usual my husband let me get what I wanted and help me to finish them since he knows that I always buy more than one goodies :-)<br /><br />After looking at the cases W said that he would like to try the pistachio apricot tart. Now for me (and everyone else who was willing to try what I got), I bought key lime millefeuille, seasonal macarons (peaches & cream, fruit of the forest, yuzu), boston cream donut, strawberry parfait, and last but not least the chocolate tart. As for the drinks, we had some coffee, tea and fruit juice soda.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2689656408/" title="Bouchon Bakery: Assorted pastries by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3142/2689656408_82522d9d52_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Bouchon Bakery: Assorted pastries" /></a><br /><i>Assorted pastries</i></p><br />When I placed the orders, the nice and friendly lady behind the counter was looking at me curiously. Beside ordering a lot of desserts (total of 12, in case you are wondering), I also told her that everything was for here instead of to go. As soon as I realized that, I told her that I was not the only one who would eat that. I assured her that there were 6 other people waiting at the table who would help me to finish all of these. She started to smile and said that she was concerned about how I was going to finish everything by myself :-)<br /><br />I tried a little bit of W's pistachio apricot tart, it was wonderful, the pistachio cake was moist and the apricot filling was not too sweet. The boston cream donut was as fantastic as the last time I tasted it, the donut was moist but dense, the custard was creamy.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2688849037/" title="Bouchon Bakery: Pistachio apricot tart (close up) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3294/2688849037_9ecd9f0ddf_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Bouchon Bakery: Pistachio apricot tart (close up)" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2689660214/" title="Bouchon Bakery: Boston cream donut by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3053/2689660214_7aa26ebe16_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Bouchon Bakery: Boston cream donut" /></a><br /><i>Pistachio apricot tart and Boston cream donut</i></p><br />The key lime millefeuille was tart, light and coconuty, it was pretty good but the puff pastry was not crisp anymore, a little bit soggy. There was always different kind of millefeuille everytime I visit, so far my favorite is still mocha millefeuille. It was the first dessert from Bouchon that I've ever tasted 1 year ago, unfortunately I don't see it anymore on my visits.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2688851085/" title="Bouchon Bakery: Key lime millefeuille (another view) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3119/2688851085_23f573a291_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Bouchon Bakery: Key lime millefeuille (another view)" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2109609292/" title="Bouchon Bakery: Mocha millefeuille (another view) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2254/2109609292_5a213a96d4_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Bouchon Bakery: Mocha millefeuille (another view)" /></a><br /><i>Key lime and Mocha millefeuille</i></p><br />Regarding the macarons, it was okay, nothing special. The texture was a little bit dry, but definitely better than what I usually got from here. The taste was nice though, the peaches & cream was creamy, the fruit of the forest was sweet (and the only one that had moist texture), the yuzu was chocolatey with a hint of citrus. I guess after tasting Pierre Herme's macarons during <a href="http://yummyinthetummyblog.blogspot.com/2008/05/my-first-day-of-pierre-herm-class-in.html">his special 2-day class</a> in Chicago last month, other's macarons were disappointing.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2689665766/" title="Bouchon Bakery: Seasonal macarons - yuzu, fruit of the forest, peaches and cream (another view) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3002/2689665766_6a32e9c49e_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Bouchon Bakery: Seasonal macarons - yuzu, fruit of the forest, peaches and cream (another view)" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2688852175/" title="Bouchon Bakery: Chocolate macaron by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3075/2688852175_302335fac9_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Bouchon Bakery: Chocolate macaron" /></a><br /><i>Seasonal macarons: yuzu, fruit of the forest, peaches & cream and Chocolate macaron</i></p><br />The chocolate tart was still increadible, the tart was flaky and the filling was smooth and chocolatey. I took the strawberry parfait home since everyone was full already. It was sweet, light and creamy, but the gelatin layer on top was too thick and a little bit too gummy. I didn't try the seasonal fruit tart, chocolate macaron or chocolate croissant, so I couldn't give any comments. However the last time I had their chocolate macaron, it was chocolatey but very dry.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2688857825/" title="Bouchon Bakery: Chocolate tart by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3071/2688857825_974a520e41_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Bouchon Bakery: Chocolate tart" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2689672574/" title="Bouchon Bakery: Strawberry parfait by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3055/2689672574_724222a973_m.jpg" width="150" height="200" alt="Bouchon Bakery: Strawberry parfait" /></a><br /><i>Chocolate tart and Strawberry parfait</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2688859421/" title="Bouchon Bakery: Seasonal fruit tart - Canon S5 by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3085/2688859421_dc728e1903_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Bouchon Bakery: Seasonal fruit tart - Canon S5" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2689658692/" title="Bouchon Bakery: Chocolate croissant by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3270/2689658692_301f26180a_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Bouchon Bakery: Chocolate croissant" /></a><br /><i>Seasonal fruit tart and Chocolate croissant</i></p><br />With a very high sugar rush and after hanging out for almost 2 hours, we decided to go on our separate way. When we arrived downstair we were surprised to see a very heavy rain pouring outside. I guess we were too focused on our conversations before and didn't pay any attention to the thunderstorm. R, B & W decided to take the subway, while the rest of us had to wait. We were thinking to get a taxi to go to our car that was parked few blocks away, unfortunately there was no taxi at all.<br /><br />While waiting for the rain to stop or at least to die down, Y and I decided to go to Whole Foods since I needed to do some grocery shopping. Almost 30 minutes later finally there was a guy selling giant umbrellas outside. We were happy to see him, especially since not a single store in there sold umbrellas. My husband bought 1 for him, so that he could go to get our car since the rain already started to trickle down.<br /><br />Finally after my husband came, we all got in the car and heading back home. Along the way, the rain poured heavily again, luckily we were already safe inside the car. We all had a lot of fun that day, what a wonderful weekend...<br /><br />**********<br /><br />Bouchon Bakery<br />Ten Columbus Circle, Third Floor<br />New York, NY 10019<br />(212) 823-9366<br /><a href="http://www.bouchonbakery.com/" target="_blank">http://www.bouchonbakery.com/</a><br /></span>yummyinthetummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14093526694375190687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193434846195586870.post-47896229736006429912008-06-15T11:32:00.015-04:002008-12-04T21:39:18.182-05:00Lunch at Highline<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2680998670/" title="Highline: Exterior by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3061/2680998670_762139f723_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Highline: Exterior" /></a>Yesterday my husband and I took several of our good friends (E, Y, R, B, W) for lunch in Manhattan to celebrate my birthday. It is customary in my country for the birthday person to treat his or her families and friends. Since we all love Thai food, we decided to try out Highline after hearing positive reviews about them. I also planned to take them to one of my favorite dessert places (<a href="http://yummyinthetummyblog.blogspot.com/2008/06/desserts-at-bouchon-bakery.html">Bouchon Bakery</a>) right after lunch.<br /><br />We didn't go to the meatpacking district often, if I remember correctly this was the second time we were there. The first time was when we went to Del Posto last year (sorry I didn't write a post about them since I haven't started blogging yet, but here are the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/sets/72157603569354343/">photos</a> if you want to see). <br /><span id="fullpost"><br />We left home around 10:30 am to pick up E and Y before going straight to Manhattan. We were going to meet R, B and W at the restaurant, our reservation was at noon. By the way, we were lucky that we planned for lunch instead of dinner since there was thunderstorm later that day.<br /><br />As soon as we arrived in Manhattan, we found a parking spot right away, on the same block as the restaurant. When we first saw the spot we thought we couldn't park there since there were orange cones, but soon came a man who moved the cones for us and then stood nearby. We understood right away what he wanted, so E got out of the car and gave him some money since we didn't want to have any problem.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2681000266/" title="Highline: Interior by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3127/2681000266_4cace46760_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Highline: Interior" /></a>The restaurant was empty, I guessed it might be because they just opened but proven to be wrong when there were only 2 other guests that came throughout our 2 hour lunch. We were quite surprised since from what we've read this place was usually crowded on the weekends, maybe at nights? The interior was modern decorated in white color, bright and very clean, the server was quite friendly.<br /><br />While waiting for W who arrived 15 minutes later, we ordered our drinks. I knew that I wanted Thai iced tea, while my husband who usually like regular tea, that day wanted to try lychee cha dum thai which is an infused Thai black tea with re-hydrated milk and lychee fruit. R and B also ordered the Thai iced tea, while E ordered chrysanthemum tea and guava tea for Y. All the teas were very good, definitely a good start.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2681004706/" title="Highline: Thai iced tea by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3146/2681004706_8c4f8cdfd0_m.jpg" width="150" height="200" alt="Highline: Thai iced tea" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2680187419/" title="Highline: Lychee cha dum thai by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3086/2680187419_63533f5201_m.jpg" width="150" height="200" alt="Highline: Lychee cha dum thai" /></a><br /><i>Thai iced tea and Lychee cha dum thai</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2681005276/" title="Highline: Chrysanthemum cha dum thai by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3132/2681005276_a84838f398_m.jpg" width="150" height="200" alt="Highline: Chrysanthemum cha dum thai" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2680188035/" title="Highline: Guava and lemon peel cha dum thai by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3025/2680188035_b4f9709c87_m.jpg" width="150" height="200" alt="Highline: Guava and lemon peel cha dum thai" /></a><br /><i>Chrysanthemum and Guava & lemon peel cha dum thai</i></p><br />When everyone had arrived and got a chance to peruse the menu, we were ready to order. Since this was lunch, we were given a complimentary appetizer for each of the entree. Wow, it was a very good deal!<br /><br />We decided to share everything so that we could taste them all. Here were what we ordered for appetizer:<br />- 2 orders of chicken lettuce wrap with 10 spices vinaigrette, it was amazing -- very tasty<br />- 2 orders of shrimp and chicken fritters served with mint and tomato sauce, it was moist and a little bland<br />- 2 orders of pad thai spring rolls served with tamarind dipping sauce, it was fantastic -- crunchy and flavorful<br />- 2 orders of caramelized shrimp with dried mushrooms, it was very good<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2680189107/" title="Highline: Chicken lettuce wraps - Canon S5 by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3207/2680189107_410123920e_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Highline: Chicken lettuce wraps - Canon S5" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2681007254/" title="Highline: Shrimp and chicken fritters by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3049/2681007254_c636a55ced_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Highline: Shrimp and chicken fritters" /></a><br /><i>Chicken lettuce wraps and Shrimp & chicken fritters</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2681010270/" title="Highline: Pad thai spring rolls by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3012/2681010270_3d3c389c7c_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Highline: Pad thai spring rolls" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2680193323/" title="Highline: Caramelized shrimp by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3073/2680193323_4f7a3b1084_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Highline: Caramelized shrimp" /></a><br /><i>Pad thai spring rolls and Caramelized shrimp</i></p><br />As for entrees, here they were:<br />- 2 orders of black rice towel with beef flank and reduced soy (basically pad see ew), it was wonderful, the noodles were soft and the meat was tender<br />- 2 orders of black and white salmon, it was disappointing -- tasteless<br />- 1 order of massaman curry with organic chicken breast, peanut and potato, it was delicious, rich and very tasty -- we should have ordered 2 of this dish rather than the salmon<br />- 1 order of pad garlic with bokchoy and tofu, it was okay, nothing special<br />- 1 order of roasted duck with pineapple curry and fresh bamboo, it was fantastic, the meat was tender and the sauce was flavorful<br />- 1 order of green curry with tofu, eggplant and basil, it was pretty good<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2680195797/" title="Highline: Black rice towel with beef flank - Canon S5 by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3071/2680195797_b5947f8fef_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Highline: Black rice towel with beef flank - Canon S5" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2680196529/" title="Highline: Black and white salmon by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3042/2680196529_80840d0b5f_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Highline: Black and white salmon" /></a><br /><i>Black rice towel with beef flank and Black and white salmon</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2680198539/" title="Highline: Massaman curry with organic chicken breast by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3095/2680198539_d9d9dd1e84_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Highline: Massaman curry with organic chicken breast" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2681018134/" title="Highline: Pad garlic - Canon S5 by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3033/2681018134_98406206e2_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Highline: Pad garlic - Canon S5" /></a><br /><i>Massaman curry with organic chicken breast and Pad garlic</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2680201085/" title="Highline: Roasted duck by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3183/2680201085_0cefc59050_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Highline: Roasted duck" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2680203585/" title="Highline: Green curry with tofu - Canon S5 by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3048/2680203585_c58ef842e9_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Highline: Green curry with tofu - Canon S5" /></a><br /><i>Roasted duck and Green curry with tofu</i></p><br />Since we planned to go to Bouchon Bakery after this, we didn't order any dessert from here. However when the waiter came bringing the check, he brought cheesecake for each of us, how nice! The cheesecake was creamy and rich, so yummy!<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2680205903/" title="Highline: Cheesecake - Canon S5 (another view) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3280/2680205903_96b1d522ee_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Highline: Cheesecake - Canon S5 (another view)" /></a><br /><i>Cheesecake</i></p><br />After paying, we were off to the Time Warner Center for my "main entree" and more chit-chatting :-) Overall we were satisfied with both the food and service. This was a good and inexpensive place (especially lunch) to celebrate a birthday with some good friends.<br /><br />**********<br /><br />Highline<br />835 Washington St<br />New York, NY 10014<br />(212) 243-3339<br /><a href="http://www.nychighline.com" target="_blank">http://www.nychighline.com</a><br /></span>yummyinthetummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14093526694375190687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193434846195586870.post-38790153151471690182008-06-10T13:41:00.022-04:002008-08-28T10:14:50.826-04:00Late lunch at Spanish Tavern<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2674539347/" title="Spanish Tavern: Exterior by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3172/2674539347_1dcc639ba2_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Spanish Tavern: Exterior" /></a>To celebrate R's birthday, we told him that we would like to take both him and his wife (B) out either for lunch or dinner on the weekend. We also asked him to pick a place either in New York or in New Jersey. Last Thursday he said that he read about the best independent restaurant in New Jersey named Spanish Tavern. He wondered if we would like to try it out, of course we said "ok" since we love to check out new restaurants (especially if they're supposed to be good). We set the reservation for late lunch / early dinner last Saturday at the Mountainside location.<br /><span id="fullpost"><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2674540739/" title="Spanish Tavern: Interior by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3218/2674540739_a41a8870eb_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Spanish Tavern: Interior" /></a>When we arrived there, the big parking lot was half full. It was quite surprising considering it was neither lunch time nor dinner time. However when we entered the beautiful dining room, there were only 3 other tables that were occupied. We later found out there was a party at the private room downstairs.<br /><br />R and B were already seated since we were 15 minutes late, sorry again guys. They patiently waited, whilst nibbling on the rolls. After we settled, the waiter took our orders. When he came back with our drinks, he and another waiter also brought a big bowl of the complimentary escarole and noodle soup. They doled out the soup tableside and served it to us. The soup was quite tasty. We restrained from asking for refills (which they offered).<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2675362724/" title="Spanish Tavern: Basket of rolls and butter by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3121/2675362724_44d2199a17_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Spanish Tavern: Basket of rolls and butter" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2675365386/" title="Spanish Tavern: Escarole and noodle soup by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3207/2675365386_3b1d100410_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Spanish Tavern: Escarole and noodle soup" /></a><br /><i>Basket of rolls and Escarole & noodle soup</i></p><br />For appetizers, we ordered fried calamari and portobello mushroom to share. The calamari was okay, nothing special, soft but a little bit soggy. However the portobello mushroom was amazing, the perfectly grilled mushroom was covered with crab meat in a flavorful sauce. We liked it so much and decided to order another portion :-)<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2675367792/" title="Spanish Tavern: Fried calamari by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3217/2675367792_783e161fec_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Spanish Tavern: Fried calamari" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2674554443/" title="Spanish Tavern: Portobello mushroom (another view) - no flash by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3269/2674554443_910b3978ee_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Spanish Tavern: Portobello mushroom (another view) - no flash" /></a><br /><i>Fried calamari and Portobello mushroom</i></p><br />For entree, my husband ordered t-bone steak au poivre and for me was langostinos (read about this somewhere). Unfortunately the steak was cooked almost well done eventhough he asked for a medium. The meat was still tender though and the sauce was pretty good, however he didn't like it (I think he was still comparing everything to Peter Luger). The langostinos were excellent, I love it! This giant shrimp was grilled to perfection, still tender with a texture similar to lobster, and slightly spicy.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2675374634/" title="Spanish Tavern: T-bone steak au poivre by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3038/2675374634_815f03cbbe_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Spanish Tavern: T-bone steak au poivre" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2675377976/" title="Spanish Tavern: Langostinos by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3247/2675377976_f266e45091_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Spanish Tavern: Langostinos" /></a><br /><i>T-bone steak au poivre and Langostinos</i></p><br />B's entree was a broiled New Zealand lobster tail, it was huge. I was quite excited to try a bite of it, unfortunately it was a major disappointment. It was overcooked which made the texture became too tough and rubbery, it was totally not worth the price of $39.95. On the other hand, R's entree was delicious; it was veal corunesa with wine & brandy sauce and mushrooms. The organic veal was tender and the sauce was wonderful, just a perfect combination.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2675380046/" title="Spanish Tavern: New Zealand lobster tail by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3158/2675380046_c231d3f46e_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Spanish Tavern: New Zealand lobster tail" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2674563083/" title="Spanish Tavern: Veal corunesa by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3070/2674563083_b611b917ea_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Spanish Tavern: Veal corunesa" /></a><br /><i>New Zealand lobster tail and Veal corunesa</i></p><br />Eventhough we were already full, we decided to order 2 desserts to share. No meal is complete without any dessert :-) Both the tartufo (vanilla and chocolate ice cream) and caramel flan was enjoyable but forgettable.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2675386762/" title="Spanish Tavern: Tartufo (close up) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3015/2675386762_bb8fec4689_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Spanish Tavern: Tartufo (close up)" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2675387492/" title="Spanish Tavern: Caramel flan (close up) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3069/2675387492_60b5453990_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Spanish Tavern: Caramel flan (close up)" /></a><br /><i>Tartufo and Caramel flan</i></p><br />Just before we left, more people started to come since it was almost dinner time. Overall, the food review was a mix -- half was fantastic, the other half was disappointing. The service was good, the waiter was quite nice. Personally, I don't think that we will go back again soon.<br /><br />**********<br /><br />Spanish Tavern <br />1239 Rt 22<br />Mountainside, NJ 07092<br />(908) 232-2171<br /><a href="http://www.spanishtavern.com/" target="_blank">http://www.spanishtavern.com/</a><br /></span>yummyinthetummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14093526694375190687noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193434846195586870.post-10488774467435789262008-06-08T17:25:00.032-04:002008-08-19T12:28:03.960-04:00Anniversary dinner at Per Se<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2226069293/" title="Per Se: Exterior by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2220/2226069293_5174576c8e_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Per Se: Exterior" /></a>After hearing endless stories of how great Per Se is, we arrived there with a very high expectation. Even though we were still full from our earlier <a href="http://yummyinthetummyblog.blogspot.com/2008/06/anniversary-lunch-at-latelier-de-joel.html" target="_blank">lunch at L'Atelier</a>, we eagerly anticipated our experience at Per Se.<br /><br />Per Se is located on the 4th flour at Time Warner Center. After walking across a nice small garden in the front area of the restaurant, we were welcomed by the famous blue double door. My husband noticed that there were sliding doors on each side of the blue double door, but I did not. So I walked to the blue door and tried to open it while he was laughing at me. Luckily the glass door slid opened and I realized my mistake :-)<br /><span id="fullpost"><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2653222210/" title="Per Se: Interior by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3220/2653222210_f870329181_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Per Se: Interior" /></a>We gave our name to the hostess who then graciously lead us the way across the waiting area to our big table (supposed to seat 4 people) in the main dining room. I guessed they must have reserved this table for a group instead of a couple, lucky for us they cancelled their reservation. As soon as we were seated, one of the server came bringing a small cushioned stool to put my purse.<br /><br />The interior was spacious, elegant and lovely with enormous windows overlooking the beautiful Central Park. My husband said that it would be nice to see the Fall foliage from up here, wow, he could read my mind :-) The tables were widely spread covered with white tablecloths, there were white floral arrangements and candles on top. By the way, Chef Thomas Keller personally designed the silver pieces and the china that feature houndstooth pattern around the rim.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2653220176/" title="Per Se: Interior by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3073/2653220176_319b235669_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Per Se: Interior" /></a>Then came our captain, who brought us the personalized menu since we told them that it would be our anniversary (they asked this over the phone a couple of days ago). I know it was easy to print our names on a piece of paper, but I still felt very special. There were 2 choices of tasting menus, the chef's tasting menu and the tasting of vegetables. The courses change everyday, but total number of courses remain at 9 (unless you're one of the VIP guests).<br /><br />Since we mentioned that we don't really like to drink alcohol, we asked if they had any non-alcoholic beverages. Luckily there were 3 choices, I chose French sparkling apple cider and my husband chose pinot noir. As for the food, we intially were thinking of having one of each menu - so that we could try everything, but then we remembered that we are meat lovers (and they're priced equally). When our captain came back with our drinks, we told her that we chose the chef's tasting.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2652403861/" title="Per Se: French sparkling apple cider by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3066/2652403861_3441f53939_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Per Se: French sparkling apple cider" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2652404519/" title="Per Se: Non-alcoholic pinot noir by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3228/2652404519_44e83e6762_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Per Se: Non-alcoholic pinot noir" /></a><br /><i>French sparkling apple cider and Non-alcoholic pinot noir</i></p><br />The food parade commenced, beginning with the amuse bouche which were Chef Thomas Keller's signature gruyere cheese gougeres followed by salmon cornets. The gougere was good -- warm, fluffy and filled with cream cheese. The salmon cornet was a small black sesame tuile cone filled with red onion creme fraiche, topped with Atlantic salmon tartare and garnished with a single chive. The tuile was crispy and buttery, the creme fraiche was tangy, the salmon was silky and melted in my mouth, just prefect.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2653230452/" title="Per Se: Gruyere cheese gougeres (another view) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3099/2653230452_7ceeceded1_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Per Se: Gruyere cheese gougeres (another view)" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2653231522/" title="Per Se: Salmon cornettes by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3108/2653231522_4d6051ba33_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Per Se: Salmon cornettes" /></a><br /><i>Gruyere cheese gougeres and Salmon cornettes</i></p><br />When our first course arrived, the servers walked to our sides, then after pausing for a second as if to synchronize their moves, placed the plates down and simultaneously lifted small ceramic lids to reveal the oysters and pearls, a sabayon of pearl tapioca with Island Creek oysters and sterling white sturgeon caviar. Each course followed the same choreographed service. Regarding the food, the sabayon was rich, the tapioca was cooked perfectly, the oyster was tender and the caviar was shockingly unsalty (in a good way). It was divine! By the way, there was a mother-of-pearl spoon that accompanied the plate since we shouldn't eat the caviar using a metal spoon, it would change the flavor of caviar.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2652409227/" title="Per Se: Oysters and pearls - my portion by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3074/2652409227_7830edba24_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Per Se: Oysters and pearls - my portion" /></a><br /><i>Oysters and pearls</i></p><br />Then came the bread service, the selections were mini French baguette, Italian ciabatta, potato sour dough, Alsatian rye bread with duck fat and riesling, sweet brioche roll. I chose the rye bread which was very good -- crispy outside, soft inside. My husband chose the brioche which was sweet and tender. The bread came with 2 types of butter, salted butter with fleur de sel and sweet unsalted butter.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2653235942/" title="Per Se: Basket of bread by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3278/2653235942_2fb4380ffd_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Per Se: Basket of bread" /></a><br /><i>Basket of bread</i></p><br />For the second course, my husband had the non-supplement option which was salad of braised abalone mushroom with heirloom radishes, persian cucumber, petit shiso and goma vinaigrette. I opted for the supplemental one which was torchon of elevages perigord moulard duck foie gras with Sicilian pistachio butter, red wine poached brooks cherries, tokyo turnips and field mizuna. When it came to the foie gras, it was sweet and fatty, served with buttery toasted brioche. They kept bringing out more warm brioche, I literally took one bite from each piece and another fresh slice was delivered right in front of me. When I asked their simple answer was: it's better with warm brioche. I guess the warmth of the brioche was needed to help the foie gras became more spreadable. I'm still amazed up to this day.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2653240142/" title="Per Se: Salad of braised abalone mushroom (close up) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3281/2653240142_4eab678ff8_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Per Se: Salad of braised abalone mushroom (close up)" /></a><br /><i>Salad of braised abalone mushroom</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2652415509/" title="Per Se: Torchon of elevages perigord moulard duck foie gras by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3261/2652415509_8c6d497e6c_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Per Se: Torchon of elevages perigord moulard duck foie gras" /></a><br /><i>Torchon of elevages perigord moulard duck foie gras</i></p><br />Our third course was sauteed fillet of Atlantic halibut with confit squid, fennel bulb, holland eggplant, sweet peppers with pattypan squash vinaigrette and pimenton oil. The halibut was firm in texture and delicate in taste with the sauce underneath that complimented it well, yet I felt that this dish was too bland for me.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2653242292/" title="Per Se: Sauteed fillet of atlantic halibut (close up) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3056/2653242292_3abf915698_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Per Se: Sauteed fillet of atlantic halibut (close up)" /></a><br /><i>Sauteed fillet of atlantic halibut</i></p><br />The next course was pan roasted Maine sea scallop with ragout of king richard leeks, yukon gold potatoes and chanterelle mushrooms with meyer lemon mousseline. The scallop was seared perfectly, firm on the outside, soft and sweet inside, it was wonderful.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2652418271/" title="Per Se: Pan roasted maine sea scallop by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3082/2652418271_aeb23c7260_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Per Se: Pan roasted maine sea scallop" /></a><br /><i>Pan roasted maine sea scallop</i></p><br />Then came the next dish which was Cavendish farm's caille en crepinette with pickled ramps, applewood smoked bacon lardons, frisee salad with smoked hen egg emulsion and quail jus. The quail was moist and tender, the sauce was tasty and not overpowering, it was superb.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2653248130/" title="Per Se: Cavendish farm's caille en crepinette - my portion (close up) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3124/2653248130_5acae5bdb3_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Per Se: Cavendish farm's caille en crepinette - my portion (close up)" /></a><br /><i>Cavendish farm's caille en crepinette</i></p><br />Next was the degustation of eden hollow farm's spring lamb with gnocchi Parisienne, greenmarket carrots, glazed sunchokes and split english peas with lamb jus. This featured a mini-tasting of seven preparations of lamb on one plate, on the photo from left: breast, shank, tenderloin, rack, sirloin, sausage and shoulder on top right. It was very interesting, but we found some were better than others.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2653250758/" title="Per Se: Degustation of eden hollow farm's spring lamb - my portion (close up) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3105/2653250758_a69e094ca8_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Per Se: Degustation of eden hollow farm's spring lamb - my portion (close up)" /></a><br /><i>Degustation of eden hollow farm's spring lamb</i></p><br />The cheese course was boerenkaas, slow baked beets with wood sorrel and violet mustard, served with lemon currant bread and walnut rye bread. The boerenkaas, which by definition is a handmade Gouda, had a creamy texture and sharp flavor, the beets added a sweet taste to it.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2652427527/" title="Per Se: Boerenkaas (close up) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3104/2652427527_9a1e40442c_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Per Se: Boerenkaas (close up)" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2653253204/" title="Per Se: Boerenkaas (the bread) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3030/2653253204_39fa7968e5_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Per Se: Boerenkaas (the bread)" /></a><br /><i>Boerenkaas</i></p><br />Finally it was time for the sweets, which itself was a production. It began with apricot sorbet, Nyons extra virgin olive oil pate de fruit with tellicherry pepper sable breton. The sorbet was light and refreshing, the olive oil pate de fruit was surprisingly good, the sable breton added some crunch to it, so yummy!<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2653255100/" title="Per Se: Apricot sorbet - my portion by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3137/2653255100_ba78c8dd00_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Per Se: Apricot sorbet - my portion" /></a><br /><i>Apricot sorbet</i></p><br />My dessert was caraibe, caraibe meringue mousse, caramel cremeux, devil's food cake, golden pineapple and cashew ice cream. It was creamy, rich, chocolate-y, sweet, just delightful! My husband's dessert was glace a la fraise, strawberry biscuit, almond panna cotta and mint syrup with tristar strawberry ice cream. It was plated beautifuly, but the taste was even better -- soft, light, creamy, sweet, just delicious!<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2653256360/" title="Per Se: Caraibe by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3202/2653256360_c8e51430f0_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Per Se: Caraibe" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2653257216/" title="Per Se: Glace a la fraise by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3206/2653257216_c9192f26d8_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Per Se: Glace a la fraise" /></a><br /><i>Caraibe and Glace a la fraise</i></p><br />The server brought me a miniature creme brulee, while for my husband was a miniature yogurt pot de creme with blueberry jam. They were creamy and not too sweet, pretty good.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2652434775/" title="Per Se: Tahitian vanilla creme brulee by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3199/2652434775_978ca15142_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Per Se: Tahitian vanilla creme brulee" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2653259046/" title="Per Se: Yogurt pot de creme with blueberry jam by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3123/2653259046_0184d3790b_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Per Se: Yogurt pot de creme with blueberry jam" /></a><br /><i>Tahitian vanilla creme brulee and Yogurt pot de creme with blueberry jam</i></p><br />When we finished, another server came bringing a silver tray filled with assorted of chocolates: ginger caramel, rocher, lime, mocha, guanaja dark chocolate, honey thyme, mint, green apple. She asked if we would like to try one of each and we definitely would like to, eventhough our stomachs were already starting to burst.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2653261084/" title="Per Se: Chocolates tray by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3043/2653261084_04d5bdc6e3_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Per Se: Chocolates tray" /></a><br /><i>Chocolates tray</i></p><br />Then came the mignardises: cocoa covered piedmont hazelnut in an off-white porcelain bisque covered bowl; butterscotches, sour cherry almond nougats and truffles (milk chocolate salted caramel, dark chocolate hazelnut cream, white chocolate toasted coconut) in a stunning silver staircase; assorted of housemade mini hard candies (chocolate, licorice, banana, orange, lime, cherry, mint).<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2653264620/" title="Per Se: Cocoa covered piedmont hazelnuts by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3029/2653264620_547a556e1f_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Per Se: Cocoa covered piedmont hazelnuts" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2653265046/" title="Per Se: Mignardises by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3265/2653265046_f37c837daa_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Per Se: Mignardises" /></a><br /><i>Mignardises</i></p><br />We were done and ready to see the "damage", so my husband called one of the servers for the check since we didn't see our captain. Surprisingly when she came back, in addition to the check she also brought us 2 nicely packaged of florentine cookies to take home, how lovely! By the way, the florentine cookies were very good, soft and not too gooey.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2652445217/" title="Per Se: Check and florentine cookies by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3046/2652445217_227ccbfaeb_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Per Se: Check and florentine cookies" /></a><br /><i>Check and Florentine cookies</i></p><br />Our captain came and asked if we would like to see the kitchen, of course I said yes, but since my husband was too full to walk, I went by myself. I was given the grand tour of the kitchen and amazed at its cleanliness. There was a large, flat-screen television with live feed of French Laundry where Chef Thomas Keller spends more time at. They said that French Laundry also had the same thing, I guess this is a way for Chef Thomas Keller to monitor his restaurants. Unfortunately Chef Thomas Keller was not in that night, but I've already had an opportunity to meet him during his demonstration of sous-vide at International Restaurant & Foodservice Show back in March. Chef Jonathan Benno was there though, so I requested to have my picture taken with him, which he graciously allowed :-)<br /><br />It took about 4 hours for us to complete the 9-course meal extravaganza. They were fantastic -- flawless presentations paired with a perfect combination of texture, scents and seasonings. The staff was very professional and knowledgeable yet very nice, friendly and helpful, attentive yet not intrusive. They were not intimidating at all, they made us felt at home and allowed us to fully appreciate each course without feeling being rushed.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2653219036/" title="Per Se: Interior by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3221/2653219036_0b147e3f1e_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Per Se: Interior" /></a><br /><i>Waiting area</i></p><br />During the dinner, we mentioned to our captain that we were lucky there was a cancellation. She informed us that there are only limited tables for two and they usually hold the tables for bigger parties. I was very surprised and disappointed since most of the time I go to fine dining restaurants only with my husband. However I understood why they do that, it usually takes 3-4 hours per sitting and they will make more money from a group of people rather than a couple.<br /><br />On the way out, we noticed that there was a guestbook and I couldn't leave without writing something on it. The book was placed on top of a glass table and there was a set of stone blocks with some words engraved on it "one must read everything, observe everything, hear everything, try everything, see everything in order to retain", that's true.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2653223548/" title="Per Se: Interior by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3186/2653223548_ea5454c8c7_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Per Se: Interior" /></a><br /><i>"one must read everything, observe everything, hear everything, try everything, see everything in order to retain"</i></p><br />This was definitely a spectacular and memorable culinary experience, what a perfect way to celebrate our anniversary! We realize that this was the most expensive dinner we've ever had so far, however for those who really enjoy cuisine it is justified. We are looking forward to return, hopefully in the near future.<br /><br />**********<br /><br />Per Se<br />10 Columbus Circle, 4th Floor<br />New York, NY 10019<br />(212) 823-9335<br /><a href="http://www.perseny.com/" target="_blank">http://www.perseny.com/</a><br /></span>yummyinthetummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14093526694375190687noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193434846195586870.post-39403196554836270612008-06-08T10:30:00.017-04:002008-11-17T21:34:42.575-05:00Anniversary lunch at L'Atelier de Joel RobuchonJune is a busy month for us, a lot of celebrations: our anniversary, my birthday, my sister and my father-in-law's birthdays, plus one of our good friend's (R) birthday. For our anniversary, we wanted to have <a href="http://yummyinthetummyblog.blogspot.com/2008/06/anniversary-dinner-at-per-se.html" target="_blank">dinner at Per Se</a>, however we incorrectly thought that they accept reservations 1 month in advance, when in fact they accept it 2 months in advance. So when my husband called they said that the day was totally booked :-( He asked to put us on the waiting list either for lunch or dinner since it's for our anniversary (plus a little begging here and there).<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2650612337/" title="L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon: Signage by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3073/2650612337_e9fb5a07bb_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon: Signage" /></a>Then we decided to call L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon to see if we could make a dinner reservation there, luckily they had a table for us. So the plan was set for our anniversary celebration. Lo and behold, 2 days before the D-day, Per Se called and said that they had an opening for dinner, of course we said YES. We decided to call L'Atelier and change the reservation for lunch. Guess what, they didn't have our dinner reservation! It's good that we only needed lunch at L'Atelier, otherwise we would be very surprised.<br /><span id="fullpost"><br />On the day of, we left home around 10 am since our reservation was at noon. L'Atelier is located inside the Four Seasons Hotel, all the way in the back. We were the first customers to arrive since they had just opened for lunch when we got in. We were seated right away and given the menu. During lunch time in addition to the a la carte, they offered menu express which included choice of appetizer, entree and dessert. My husband chose the menu express: les saint jacques, la lotte and patisserie du jour. While I ordered from the full menu: l'anguille, la caille and le chocolat sensation.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2650617657/" title="L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon: Interior by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3037/2650617657_431b565284_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon: Interior" /></a>While waiting for our food to arrive, we took some photos of the interior which was elegant, the colors were mainly red and black. You have a choice of sitting at the table in the dining room or at the counter with direct view of the kitchen. The latter supposedly gives you the full 'Robuchon' experience, but we would rather enjoy the comfy seats. The counter was decorated with displays of some fresh food, such as carrots, peas, bell peppers -- very unique.<br /><br />The waiter brought us some bread to try: French roll, mini French baguette, black olive focaccia. The roll and baguette was okay, the crust was good but inside was a little bit too chewy for me. The focaccia on the other hand was soft and the saltiness of black olive made it more delicious.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2651450428/" title="L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon: Basket of bread by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3238/2651450428_511a7a3717_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon: Basket of bread" /></a><br /><i>Basket of bread</i></p><br />The amuse bouche was lemon vanilla gelee with vanilla cream and olive tapenade. It was good, the saltiness of the olive contrasted with sweetness of the cream and smoothness of the gelee.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2651454362/" title="L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon: Amuse bouche (another view) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3109/2651454362_243f85abf1_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon: Amuse bouche (another view)" /></a><br /><i>Amuse bouche: lemon vanilla gelee with vanilla cream and olive tapenade</i></p><br />Les jacques was seared day boat scallops with an endive salad. The scallops were seared perfectly, it was slightly firm yet soft texture throughout and the endive added the crunchiness to it. It was simple and delicate. My husband didn't like the endive (too rough), but enjoyed the scallops very much.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2651455888/" title="L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon: Les saint jacques (close up) - no flash by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3037/2651455888_84ef56df9a_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon: Les saint jacques (close up) - no flash" /></a><br /><i>Les saint jacques</i></p><br />L'anguille was caramelized eel layered with smoked foie gras, which was divine. Two of my favorite food came together on the same plate, it was perfect. The richness and smokiness of the foie gras went hand in hand with the sweetness of the eel, just thinking about this dish makes my mouth water :-) I almost ordered another one if not for our dinner reservation at Per Se right after this.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2650631443/" title="L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon: L'Anguille by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2234/2650631443_ed91da7f7a_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon: L'Anguille" /></a><br /><i>L'Anguille</i></p><br />La lotte was pan seared monkfish served with leek, ginger scented with saffron. The fish was firm yet light, the leek was soft, the sun-dried tomatoes was sweet and the pine nuts definitely added good texture to it. Unfortunately this was not our favorite, too bland for us.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2651458114/" title="L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon: La lotte - no flash by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3063/2651458114_e8f31f4011_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon: La lotte - no flash" /></a><br /><i>La lotte</i></p><br />La caille was free-range caramelized quail stuffed with foie gras, potato puree. It was awesome! The quail was tender, the foie gras was melting in my mouth, both balanced each other very well. Regarding the famous potato puree, it was very smooth and buttery.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2650634999/" title="L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon: La caille (close up) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3006/2650634999_7138e1cf17_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon: La caille (close up)" /></a><br /><i>La caille</i></p><br />When all the food had been served, we decided to order additional 1 portion of les burgers to share. It was beef and foie gras burgers with lightly caramelized bell peppers, served with ginger ketchup. When came out, it was already split into 2 plates, 1 burger & 1 fries on each plate (normally they serve 2 burgers on the plate with the fries in the middle), how nice. The burger was very juicy, the foie gras was creamy and very fatty (in a good way), so incredible! The soft bun, the crunchy fries, the spicy yet sweet ketchup completed this dish.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2650636269/" title="L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon: Les burgers by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3187/2650636269_bea83cc300_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon: Les burgers" /></a><br /><i>Les burgers - half portion</i></p><br />The pre-dessert was banana and passion fruit cream with rum granite and coconut foam, very pleasant. The combination of sweet banana and tart passion fruit flavor, the mild rum and the tropical coconut taste was just perfect. It did its job to cleanse our palate to be ready for the next desserts.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2650641371/" title="L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon: Pre-dessert (another view) - no flash by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3127/2650641371_b73a0fdc1c_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon: Pre-dessert (another view) - no flash" /></a><br /><i>Pre-dessert: banana and passion fruit cream with rum granite and coconut foam</i></p><br />Since we mentioned that we were celebrating our anniversary, the kitchen sent us this light and very refreshing dessert called les herbes which was pineapple vanilla coulis, Chartreuse sabayon, aromatic herb (cilantro, basil and parsley) sorbet.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2650643103/" title="L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon: Les herbes (close up) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3081/2650643103_2c22958c1a_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon: Les herbes (close up)" /></a><br /><i>Les herbes</i></p><br />The patisserie du jour was a selection of miniature tarts, consisting of sweet rhubarb, rich dark chocolate, tart lemon, sweet and salty peanut caramel, they were enjoyable but not outstanding.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2650644801/" title="L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon: Patisserie du jour - rhubarb, dark chocolate, lemon, peanut caramel tarts by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3217/2650644801_f8e1f3eb20_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon: Patisserie du jour - rhubarb, dark chocolate, lemon, peanut caramel tarts" /></a><br /><i>Patisserie du jour: rhubarb, dark chocolate, lemon, peanut caramel tarts</i></p><br />Le chocolat sensation was chocolate cream, bitter chocolate sorbet and Oreo cookies. The crunchy bits of Oreo cookies added texture to the rich chocolate sorbet and cream, very good.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2651473300/" title="L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon: Le chocolat sensation by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3135/2651473300_d0f9d734f0_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon: Le chocolat sensation" /></a><br /><i>Le chocolat sensation</i></p><br />Then we asked for our check since it was almost 2 pm already. We planned to take a walk at Central Park to relax our stomachs since it was only several hours before our <a href="http://yummyinthetummyblog.blogspot.com/2008/06/anniversary-dinner-at-per-se.html" target="_blank">dinner reservation at Per Se</a>. We were very satisfied with our lunch experience at L'Atelier, the food was delicious, the service was good, we'll definitely come back again.<br /><br />**********<br /><br />L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon<br />57 E 57th St<br />New York, NY 10022<br />(212) 350-6658<br /><a href="http://www.fourseasons.com/newyorkfs/dining.html" target="_blank">http://www.fourseasons.com/newyorkfs/dining.html</a><br /></span>yummyinthetummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14093526694375190687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193434846195586870.post-90356354833802057282008-06-04T19:07:00.010-04:002008-08-28T09:05:50.546-04:00Desserts from Rice to Riches and Pinkberry<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2650251743/" title="Rice to Riches: Menu - summer by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3166/2650251743_86d5c87a27_m.jpg" width="150" height="200" alt="Rice to Riches: Menu - summer" /></a>On the way home from <a href="http://yummyinthetummyblog.blogspot.com/2008/06/light-take-out-dinner-from-otafuku.html">Otafuku</a>, I wanted to have some desserts and remembered that I haven't been to Rice to Riches in a while. Unlike my husband, I love rice pudding and this is definitely the place to go. They have many flavors available and some of them are seasonal. That night I decided to get a medium mango and tiramisu for to go since the place was packed and no seats available.<br /><br />Their rice pudding was very creamy and smooth, so yummy! The mango was wonderful, it was not too sweet and there was a little tartness coming from the lime in it. The tiramisu was delightful, it was chocolate-y and very rich. The portion was generous and with no help from my husband, of course I couldn't finish it that night, so I kept it refrigerated for the following day.<br /><span id="fullpost"><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2651079738/" title="Rice to Riches: Surrender to mango and Take me to tiramisu - epic by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3204/2651079738_bac3aa4d1b_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Rice to Riches: Surrender to mango and Take me to tiramisu - epic" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2650252681/" title="Rice to Riches: Surrender to mango and Take me to tiramisu - epic (uncovered) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3146/2650252681_7f39bb87b4_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Rice to Riches: Surrender to mango and Take me to tiramisu - epic (uncovered)" /></a><br /><i>Surrender to mango and Take me to tiramisu</i></p><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2651108092/" title="Pinkberry: Store by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3141/2651108092_64e54e27f4_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Pinkberry: Store" /></a>Then I noticed that there is a Pinkberry store couple doors down the road. I love their frozen yogurt, especially the green tea one. I heard that they have added a new coffee flavor in addition to the plain and green tea flavors. Of course I decided to go there and got a medium swirl of the three flavors with mango, strawberry and captain crunch toppings. As usual, it was tart, tangy and light, so addicted.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2651109598/" title="Pinkberry: Swirl frozen yogurt (plain, green tea, coffee) with mango, strawberry and captain crunch (inside) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3019/2651109598_56e2b77650_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Pinkberry: Swirl frozen yogurt (plain, green tea, coffee) with mango, strawberry and captain crunch (inside)" /></a><br /><i>Swirl frozen yogurt (plain, green tea, coffee) with mango, strawberry and captain crunch</i></p><br />With belly full we headed back home, what a wonderful weekend.<br /><br />**********<br /><br />Rice to Riches<br />37 Spring Street<br />New York, NY 10012<br />(212) 274-0008<br /><a href="http://www.ricetoriches.com/" target="_blank">http://www.ricetoriches.com/</a><br /><br />Pinkberry<br />41 Spring St <br />New York NY 10012<br />(212) 274-8883<br /><a href="http://www.pinkberry.com/" target="_blank">http://www.pinkberry.com/</a><br /></span>yummyinthetummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14093526694375190687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193434846195586870.post-40657257598614565952008-06-04T18:26:00.013-04:002008-08-28T08:55:23.922-04:00Light take out dinner from Otafuku<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2227126638/" title="Otafuku: Exterior by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2038/2227126638_2a5f2fd7d8_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Otafuku: Exterior" /></a>Since we were <a href="http://yummyinthetummyblog.blogspot.com/2008/06/take-out-from-omsb.html">still full with omusubi</a>, we decided to only have a light dinner at Otafuku. This place is very small, a hole-in-the-wall type of an establishment (I think they barely quality as a storefront). We came at the perfect time since there was no line that night, very unusual.<br /><br />The menu is very limited -- takoyaki, okonomiyaki or yakisoba, plus some drink; and very affordable. They have the BEST takoyaki we've ever tasted, crispy outside, moist inside, very tasty, sweet, spicy, just fantastic! <br /><span id="fullpost"><br />Takoyaki is fried dumpling ball filled with ginger, scallion and choice of octopus, cheese or plain. While okonomiyaki is Japanese style pancake filled with shredded cabbage and choice of pork, beef, shrimp, squid or corn with scallion. Then both of them are covered with sweet brown sauce, mayonnaise, powdered seaweed and bonito flakes.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2180502061/" title="Otafuku: Takoyaki with octopus and okonomiyaki with pork by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2115/2180502061_93577161c8_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Otafuku: Takoyaki with octopus and okonomiyaki with pork" /></a><br /><i>Takoyaki with octopus and Okonomiyaki with pork</i></p><br />During this visit, we got the combination of takoyaki and yakisoba (the picture below was taken during our previous visit), as well as a piece of red bean chestnut dorayaki. As expected, the takoyaki was awesome and the yakisoba was delicious, just perfect! That was the first time we bought their dorayaki, it was very good -- moist and fluffy.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2180502419/" title="Otafuku: Takoyaki with octopus and yakisoba by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2134/2180502419_a17a79a300_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Otafuku: Takoyaki with octopus and yakisoba" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2650379079/" title="Otafuku: Red bean chestnut dorayaki (sliced) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3211/2650379079_774f64baf8_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Otafuku: Red bean chestnut dorayaki (sliced)" /></a><br /><i>Takoyaki with octopus & Yakisoba and Red bean chestnut dorayaki</i></p><br /><br />**********<br /><br />Otafuku<br />236 E 9th St<br />New York, NY 10003<br />(212) 353-8503<br /></span>yummyinthetummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14093526694375190687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193434846195586870.post-38784564484234900102008-06-04T17:09:00.014-04:002008-08-21T11:16:04.121-04:00Take out from Oms/b<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2258213609/" title="Oms/b: Exterior by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2133/2258213609_782d15a3fe_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Oms/b: Exterior" /></a>After having <a href="http://yummyinthetummyblog.blogspot.com/2008/06/early-lunch-at-trois-crepes-patisserie.html">early lunch at Trois Crepes Patisserie</a>, we decided to stop by at Oms/b to get some take out for our late lunch. We have been here before and really enjoy their omusubi (rice ball). Omusubi is not a form of sushi even though it is similar to sushi. The difference between these two is: omusubi is made with plain or lightly salted rice, sushi is made of rice with vinegar added to it.<br /><span id="fullpost"><br />I knew that I should not go too late if I wanted to have more selections available. Unfortunately that day when I arrived even at 1 pm, they didn't have much left already, so I only bought a few rice balls: eel, shrimp pop corn, football rice, shrimp tempura and lobster salad. Not only they looked adorable, they were very tasty too.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2651041358/" title="Oms/b: Rice ball in box - eel, shrimp pop corn, football rice, shrimp tempura by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3240/2651041358_949617c8ba_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Oms/b: Rice ball in box - eel, shrimp pop corn, football rice, shrimp tempura" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2650214357/" title="Oms/b: Rice ball in box - eel, shrimp pop corn, lobster salad, shrimp tempura by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3223/2650214357_3af5d0f5b3_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Oms/b: Rice ball in box - eel, shrimp pop corn, lobster salad, shrimp tempura" /></a><br /><i>Omusubi: eel, shrimp pop corn, football rice, shrimp tempura and lobster salad</i></p><br />Here are some more photos from our previous visits.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2180978642/" title="Oms/b: Rice ball in box - shrimp tempura, football rice, chicken mix rice, eel by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2376/2180978642_5836efca15_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Oms/b: Rice ball in box - shrimp tempura, football rice, chicken mix rice, eel" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2180191319/" title="Oms/b: Rice ball in box - hijiki, salmon croquette, shrimp pop corn, crab salad by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2071/2180191319_254952cdcf_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Oms/b: Rice ball in box - hijiki, salmon croquette, shrimp pop corn, crab salad" /></a><br /><i>Omusubi: shrimp tempura, football rice, chicken mix rice, eel, hijiki, salmon croquette, shrimp pop corn and crab salad</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2180979256/" title="Oms/b: Rice ball in box - wasabi shrimp, fried salmon burger, gorgeous football rice, lobster salad by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2174/2180979256_81c4787720_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Oms/b: Rice ball in box - wasabi shrimp, fried salmon burger, gorgeous football rice, lobster salad" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2258217833/" title="Oms/b: Bonito flakes, football rice, shrimp dumpling, fried chicken, tea latte and matcha latte by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2074/2258217833_aecd5457a2_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Oms/b: Bonito flakes, football rice, shrimp dumpling, fried chicken, tea latte and matcha latte" /></a><br /><i>Omusubi: wasabi shrimp, fried salmon burger, gorgeous football rice & lobster salad (left) and Bonito flakes, football rice, shrimp dumpling & fried chicken (right)</i></p><br />**********<br /><br />Oms/b<br />156 East 45th St.<br />New York, NY 10017<br />(212) 922-9788<br /><a href="http://www.riceball-omsb.com/" target="_blank">http://www.riceball-omsb.com/</a><br /></span>yummyinthetummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14093526694375190687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193434846195586870.post-40080568553537253362008-06-04T16:12:00.009-04:002008-08-21T10:39:16.646-04:00Early lunch at Trois Crepes Patisserie<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2647869342/" title="Trois Crepes Patisserie: Store by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3137/2647869342_ea53bdc9ce_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Trois Crepes Patisserie: Store" /></a>Last Saturday we went to Trois Crepes Patisserie to have an early lunch before heading out to Long Island. It was not easy to find the store, but after making several u-turns we finally found it. The place was very small and cozy, there were only few tables and chairs. When we got in, there were only 2 other guests occupying one of the tables. By the way, we saw a notice on the entrance saying that the business on this location was for sale.<br /><span id="fullpost"><br />Browsing through the display cases, I was very disappointed since there were only a few selections. I asked the nice lady behind the counter about the desserts and she told me that they don't have desserts on the weekends :-( We finally decided to have croissant, French ham & Swiss cheese crepe and chestnut cream crepe. The croissant was very good -- flaky, chewy and buttery. Both the savory and the sweet crepes were excellent, thin and soft, especially considering they were pre-made and reheated.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2647044791/" title="Trois Crepes Patisserie: Croissant (another view) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3221/2647044791_21b85802e9_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Trois Crepes Patisserie: Croissant (another view)" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2647876928/" title="Trois Crepes Patisserie: Croissant (sliced) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3015/2647876928_bdc32e0af4_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Trois Crepes Patisserie: Croissant (sliced)" /></a><br /><i>Croissant</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2647878414/" title="Trois Crepes Patisserie: French ham and swiss cheese crepe (sliced) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3154/2647878414_a782fa3a11_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Trois Crepes Patisserie: French ham and swiss cheese crepe (sliced)" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2647879414/" title="Trois Crepes Patisserie: Chestnut cream crepe (close up) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3212/2647879414_8b444bfa3d_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Trois Crepes Patisserie: Chestnut cream crepe (close up)" /></a><br /><i>French ham & Swiss cheese crepe and Chestnut cream crepe</i></p><br />I knew that I wanted to try their macarons, so I bought one of each: chocolate, raspberry and pistachio. I also got the plain and pistachio madeleines, as well as 2 kinds of chocolates (gavottes and dark chocolate praline). I didn't try any of these until 2 days later, at that time the macarons were very dry while the madeleines were surprisingly still moist.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2647881016/" title="Trois Crepes Patisserie: Chocolate, raspberry and pistachio macarons (another view) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3084/2647881016_d18791d86c_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Trois Crepes Patisserie: Chocolate, raspberry and pistachio macarons (another view)" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2647883094/" title="Trois Crepes Patisserie: Vanilla and pistachio madeleines (close up) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3210/2647883094_04fc1b8794_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Trois Crepes Patisserie: Vanilla and pistachio madeleines (close up)" /></a><br /><i>Chocolate, raspberry & pistachio macarons and Plain & pistachio madeleines</i></p><br />**********<br /><br />Trois Crepes Patisserie<br />501 East 75th Street<br />New York, NY 10021<br />(888) 3CREPES<br /><a href="http://www.3crepes.com/" target="_blank">http://www.3crepes.com/</a><br /></span>yummyinthetummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14093526694375190687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193434846195586870.post-37246296516431257172008-06-01T14:00:00.009-04:002008-08-21T10:30:41.368-04:00Dinner at Mitsuwa MarketplaceAs far as I remember, my husband and I have never had dinner at Mitsuwa before even though we go there very often. We usually go on the weekend and only for lunch, so last night was a rare occassion. Suddenly we both were craving for the soba from Kayaba in Mitsuwa's food court. Last week when we were there for the <a href="http://yummyinthetummyblog.blogspot.com/2008/05/umaimon-gourmet-food-fair-at-mitsuwa.html">Umaimon gourmet food fair</a>, we didn't have that amazing and mouth watering soba.<br /><br />In addition to the soba for both of us (kitsune for him and tempura for me), my husband also wanted to have their unagi don, so he ordered the set. For me, I got the mini one as well as ebikaki age and ajitsuke age from Sanuki Sando Udon. The soba was wonderful as usual, the noodle itself was al dente and the soup was incredible. The ajitsuke age was very good too, sweet and tasty, but unfortunately the inside of ebikaki age was still uncooked and pasty even though the outside was crunchy.<br /><span id="fullpost"><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2647701826/" title="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Unagi don rice bowl set with mini kitsune soba - from Kayaba by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3147/2647701826_aceafafef2_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Unagi don rice bowl set with mini kitsune soba - from Kayaba" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2646871253/" title="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Mini tempura soba - from Kayaba by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3294/2646871253_1d8050302f_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Mini tempura soba - from Kayaba" /></a><br /><i>Unagi don rice bowl set with mini kitsune soba and Mini tempura soba from Kayaba</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2647703678/" title="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Ebikaki age - from Sanuki Sando Udon by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3253/2647703678_55e229f4f5_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Ebikaki age - from Sanuki Sando Udon" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2646872679/" title="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Ajitsuke age - from Sanuki Sando Udon by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3262/2646872679_edc34203fa_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Ajitsuke age - from Sanuki Sando Udon" /></a><br /><i>Ebikaki age and Ajitsuke age from Sanuki Sando Udon</i></p><br />For the dessert, I decided to buy the cream yaki from Oishinbo. They were still piping hot and perfect, spongy and moist cake with creamy filling. Unlike last week, these cream yaki were cooked all the way through. One of my hobbies is collecting almost anything, including pictures of cream yaki's zodiac patterns. When buying cream yaki in the past, I kept forgetting which zodiac pattern that I didn't have yet. Last night I got the whole set of them so that my collection would be complete, so finally here are the complete set of 12 zodiac pattern cream yaki.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2646873653/" title="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Cream yaki set - from Oishinbo by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3105/2646873653_4f4ec7e59b_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Cream yaki set - from Oishinbo" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2646874301/" title="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Cream yaki set - from Oishinbo (the other side) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3138/2646874301_604e4667ac_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Cream yaki set - from Oishinbo (the other side)" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2647706920/" title="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Cream yaki set - from Oishinbo (rabbit) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3201/2647706920_1a75599cf3_t.jpg" width="100" height="75" alt="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Cream yaki set - from Oishinbo (rabbit)" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2647707498/" title="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Cream yaki set - from Oishinbo (ox) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3160/2647707498_41dcda82a2_t.jpg" width="100" height="75" alt="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Cream yaki set - from Oishinbo (ox)" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2646875993/" title="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Cream yaki set - from Oishinbo (horse) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3047/2646875993_f6c1b51db3_t.jpg" width="100" height="75" alt="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Cream yaki set - from Oishinbo (horse)" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2647708512/" title="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Cream yaki set - from Oishinbo (dragon) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3131/2647708512_ec4b219008_t.jpg" width="100" height="75" alt="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Cream yaki set - from Oishinbo (dragon)" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2647709060/" title="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Cream yaki set - from Oishinbo (sheep) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3250/2647709060_697633dc81_t.jpg" width="100" height="75" alt="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Cream yaki set - from Oishinbo (sheep)" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2647709666/" title="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Cream yaki set - from Oishinbo (rooster) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3257/2647709666_210546fbb2_t.jpg" width="100" height="75" alt="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Cream yaki set - from Oishinbo (rooster)" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2646878297/" title="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Cream yaki set - from Oishinbo (tiger) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3125/2646878297_01c54f40c4_t.jpg" width="100" height="75" alt="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Cream yaki set - from Oishinbo (tiger)" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2646878783/" title="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Cream yaki set - from Oishinbo (rat) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3146/2646878783_d89c86538f_t.jpg" width="100" height="75" alt="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Cream yaki set - from Oishinbo (rat)" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2647711130/" title="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Cream yaki set - from Oishinbo (snake) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3089/2647711130_b6939a4d13_t.jpg" width="100" height="75" alt="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Cream yaki set - from Oishinbo (snake)" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2646879791/" title="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Cream yaki set - from Oishinbo (monkey) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3271/2646879791_e433049a75_t.jpg" width="100" height="75" alt="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Cream yaki set - from Oishinbo (monkey)" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2646880327/" title="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Cream yaki set - from Oishinbo (boar) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3013/2646880327_1ecc4a9620_t.jpg" width="100" height="75" alt="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Cream yaki set - from Oishinbo (boar)" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2646880877/" title="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Cream yaki set - from Oishinbo (dog) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3140/2646880877_1b663a473d_t.jpg" width="100" height="75" alt="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Cream yaki set - from Oishinbo (dog)" /></a><br /><i>Cream yaki set: rabbit, ox, horse, dragon, sheep, rooster, tiger, rat, snake, monkey, boar, dog</i></p><br />**********<br /><br />Mitsuwa Marketplace<br />595 River Road<br />Edgewater, NJ 07020<br />(201) 941-9113<br /><a href="http://www.mitsuwanj.com/en/" target="_blank">http://www.mitsuwanj.com/en/</a><br /></span>yummyinthetummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14093526694375190687noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193434846195586870.post-81083539226942488202008-06-01T13:05:00.010-04:002008-08-21T09:26:41.267-04:00Dinner at Bien HoaLast Tuesday, we were in a mood for Vietnamese food. We went to Bien Hoa since their food was delicious and I especially love their quails. Not every Vietnamese restaurants have quails in their menu, so this is one of the reasons why we keep coming back to this place.<br /><br />That night we ordered goi du du (papaya salad with beef jerky), cha gio (Vietnamese egg rolls), com tam suon bi cha trung ga (grilled pork chop with shredded pork, crab meat patty and egg on broken rice), and of course chim cut ro ti (roasted quails). As expected, all of the food was delicious! The papaya salad was crunchy with sweet and sour taste coming from the sauce, also they were not skimpy with the beef jerky. The egg rolls was hot and crispy, while the pork chop was tender and excellent. Last but not least was the quails, they were amazing, the meat was tender and very tasty.<br /><span id="fullpost"><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2647556382/" title="Bien Hoa: Goi du du by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3173/2647556382_d6bda9795a_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Bien Hoa: Goi du du" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2212146825/" title="Bien Hoa: Cha gio by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2114/2212146825_593753ddb3_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Bien Hoa: Cha gio" /></a><br /><i>Goi du du and Cha gio</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2646726943/" title="Bien Hoa: Com tam suon bi cha trung ga by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3276/2646726943_92e4cd18bc_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Bien Hoa: Com tam suon bi cha trung ga" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2647557868/" title="Bien Hoa: Chim cut ro ti by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3180/2647557868_627245ebf3_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="Bien Hoa: Chim cut ro ti" /></a><br /><i>Com tam suon bi cha trung ga and Chim cut ro ti</i></p><br />By the way, we tried one of their pho during our previous visit, but unfortunately the soup was not that tasty. If I remember correctly, the ones from Pho Anh Dao tasted better last time we had them. It has been a long time since we went there, so we plan to give them a visit when the weather gets cooler.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2212938466/" title="Bien Hoa: Pho xe lua (with egg noodles) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2328/2212938466_9d461c272c_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Bien Hoa: Pho xe lua (with egg noodles)" /></a><br /><i>Pho xe lua</i></p><br />**********<br /><br />Bien Hoa<br />2090 State Route 27<br />Edison, NJ 08817<br />(732) 287-9500<br /></span>yummyinthetummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14093526694375190687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193434846195586870.post-2131412315639452392008-05-31T18:21:00.012-04:002008-08-21T09:18:46.677-04:00Another try of White CastleThe first time I had a White Castle burger was at the end of December 1999 during my lunch break. I bought it from a vending machine and came in 2, so I ate one and took the other home for my husband (my boyfriend at that time) since he had never tried it either. From that point on, we both decided that we wouldn't buy any more of their burger. It was really bad, soggy and tasteless. We guessed it might be because it was not fresh, but we still didn't want to buy it anymore.<br /><br />One day at the end of last year, out of the blue Y told me that she likes White Castle a lot. She said their burger is very good and fresh, she can even eat up to 3 burgers in one sitting. Wow, I was very surprised since she is a skinny girl and based on my bad experience almost a decade ago I didn't know what to say.<br /><span id="fullpost"><br />Then this year I saw a lot of White Castle's advertisements on TV and that made me think of their burger. Last Sunday my husband and I finally stopped by a White Castle and bought several items to go: chicken rings, hamburger, cheeseburger, and their new chicken italiano. All of them were surprisingly excellent, way beyond our expectation! The bread was soft, the meat was tasty, and the onions made it even better. Their small size is another good thing about these burger, it made me feel less guilty for eating fast food :-)<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2646603283/" title="White Castle: Chicken rings and honey mustard by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3257/2646603283_481a32d340_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="White Castle: Chicken rings and honey mustard" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2647435120/" title="White Castle: Hamburger (sliced) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3133/2647435120_9404b7f41e_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="White Castle: Hamburger (sliced)" /></a><br /><i>Chicken rings and Hamburger</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2646605667/" title="White Castle: Cheeseburger (close up) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3013/2646605667_d7cdc9873d_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="White Castle: Cheeseburger (close up)" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2647438558/" title="White Castle: Chicken italiano (sliced) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3204/2647438558_1025b4d3c6_m.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="White Castle: Chicken italiano (sliced)" /></a><br /><i>Cheeseburger and Chicken italiano</i></p><br />Overall, we're glad that we decided to give them another try. I'll try their breakfast items on my next visit one of these days.<br /><br />**********<br /><br />White Castle<br /><a href="http://www.whitecastle.com/" target="_blank">http://www.whitecastle.com/</a><br /></span>yummyinthetummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14093526694375190687noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193434846195586870.post-90020430389254769012008-05-31T16:44:00.026-04:002008-08-28T10:12:13.044-04:00Umaimon gourmet food fair at Mitsuwa Marketplace<a title="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Display - Kukuru - takoyaki by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2646232667/"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" height="180" alt="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Display - Kukuru - takoyaki" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3109/2646232667_d2d8ab4b29_m.jpg" width="240" /></a>We love to go to Mitsuwa, especially when they have a special event since there will be a lot of food that they don't normally carry. Last Saturday we went for the Umaimon gourmet food fair. During that time, they had a takoyaki booth where several "tako-yaki meisters" came straight from Japan only to make these special octopus dough balls at the store. These men made them very fast: poured the batter into the round molds of the takoyaki pan; sprinkled pieces of octopus, red ginger, spring onions on top; waited for several minutes before flipping these balls. Finally they placed several of them into each box, covered them with sweet brown sauce (okonomiyaki sauce), mayonnaise, powdered seaweed and bonito flakes.<br /><span id="fullpost"><br /><p align="center"><a title="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Kukuru - takoyaki (making) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2175568321/"><img height="150" alt="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Kukuru - takoyaki (making)" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2164/2175568321_9180affe16_m.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a title="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Kukuru - takoyaki (making) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2175568737/"><img height="150" alt="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Kukuru - takoyaki (making)" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2064/2175568737_2236582307_m.jpg" width="200" /></a><br /><a title="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Kukuru - takoyaki (making) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2175569329/"><img height="150" alt="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Kukuru - takoyaki (making)" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2331/2175569329_1ded2a406f_m.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a title="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Kukuru - takoyaki (making) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2647064398/"><img height="150" alt="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Kukuru - takoyaki (making)" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3225/2647064398_72f137a727_m.jpg" width="200" /></a><br /><i>The making of takoyaki</i></p><br />We came pretty early on that day so there was no line, lucky for us, otherwise we would have to wait for at least 30 minutes. This takoyaki was pretty good, especially if you ate them while they were still piping hot. It was crispy outside and a little runny inside, spicy and sweet at the same time, so yummy! Even though this was delicious, we still prefer the one from <a href="http://yummyinthetummyblog.blogspot.com/2008/06/light-take-out-dinner-from-otafuku.html">Otafuku</a> in Manhattan since theirs was more crispier, runnier and tastier -- just better in our opinions :-)<br /><br /><p align="center"><a title="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Kukuru - takoyaki (uncovered) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2647066144/"><img height="180" alt="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Kukuru - takoyaki (uncovered)" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3064/2647066144_8027c8186e_m.jpg" width="240" /></a><br /><i>Kukuru - takoyaki</i></p><br />In addition to takoyaki, we also bought that day's special: the whole shark fin in salt ramen. It was more expensive compare to the other food at the food court. The taste was a little bit too bland, but still enjoyable, especially since there were enough amount of the shark fin itself, even though I would be happier if there were more :-)<br /><br /><p align="center"><a title="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Chibakiya - whole shark fin in salt ramen - from China Table Tokyo Hanten (close up) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2647101052/"><img height="180" alt="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Chibakiya - whole shark fin in salt ramen - from China Table Tokyo Hanten (close up)" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3174/2647101052_27f384cff8_m.jpg" width="240" /></a><br /><i>Chibakiya - whole shark fin in salt ramen from China Table Tokyo Hanten</i></p><br />I also got crab cream and corn croquettes from the special booth, they were fantastic, crunchy outside with tasty and creamy filling.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a title="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Kuriyama hokkaido croquette - crab cream and corn (sliced) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2694107004/"><img height="180" alt="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Kuriyama hokkaido croquette - crab cream and corn (sliced)" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3236/2694107004_7f3f95595e_m.jpg" width="240" /></a><br /><i>Kuriyama hokkaido - croquettes: crab cream and corn</i></p><br />From the regular food court vendor, I ordered a couple of cream yaki, hoping that they will taste better this time. The crust looked promising, but unfortunately the inside was still a little uncooked and mushy, same problem as last time. The ajitsuke age (fried bean curd wrap) was as good as usual, sweet and tasty.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a title="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Cream yaki - from Oishinbo (another view) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2646279239/"><img height="150" alt="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Cream yaki - from Oishinbo (another view)" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3170/2646279239_a5d187020c_m.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a title="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Ajitsuke age - from Sanuki Sando Udon by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2646872679/"><img height="150" alt="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Ajitsuke age - from Sanuki Sando Udon" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3262/2646872679_edc34203fa_m.jpg" width="200" /></a><br /><i>Cream yaki from Oishinbo and Ajitsuke age from Sanuki Sando Udon</i></p><br />For the dessert, I ordered the green tea parfait, it was a perfect combination of creamy green tea and vanilla ice cream, crunchy flakes and sweet red bean paste, so amazing! Some of our friends who also came to this fair ordered the strawberry parfait and said that it was very good too -- vanilla ice cream, flakes, fresh bananas and strawberries.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a title="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Green tea parfait - from UCC Cafessa (another view) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2647118596/"><img height="240" alt="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Green tea parfait - from UCC Cafessa (another view)" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3059/2647118596_6be2024fa7_m.jpg" width="180" /></a> <a title="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Strawberry parfait - from UCC Cafessa by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2647120960/"><img height="240" alt="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Strawberry parfait - from UCC Cafessa" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3238/2647120960_9718a5a39d_m.jpg" width="180" /></a><br /><i>Green tea parfait and Strawberry parfait from UCC Cafessa</i></p><br />Another special food that I liked at this fair was the one that I called squid crackers, sorry I don't know how to read Japanese so I don't know its official name. This thing was so thin and so crispy, just awesome! Last year when we went to this same fair, I only bought one package which I regretted later. So this time I decided that I would not make the same mistake and bought 5 packages :-) Originally I wanted to buy more, but their expiration date was in 2 months. This cracker was so addictive, once I ate it I couldn't stop eating only one piece.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a title="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Display - squid crackers by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2175602543/"><img height="150" alt="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Display - squid crackers" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2159/2175602543_4d97274d5e_m.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a title="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Squid crackers by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2646237923/"><img height="150" alt="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Squid crackers" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3051/2646237923_78d84a9ba0_m.jpg" width="200" /></a><br /><i>Squid crackers on display and opened</i></p><br />I also bought more food to take home:<br />- Komeko dango (skewered sweet dango): sesame, cherry blossom, red bean, mitarashi sugar-soy sauce -- chewy, it was okay<br />- Sanshoku bento: basically it was rice covered with 3 colorful toppings -- very good and flavorful, it was awesome<br />- Stick candy sweet potato with skin -- sweet and crunchy, it was fantastic<br />- Butter and plain dorayaki -- fluffy and moist at the same time, it was delicious<br />- Inari okowa (red bean rice / tea okowa rice): nanohana green, chestnut, crab flakes -- sticky, sweet and tasty, it was delightful.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a title="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Shinkineya - komeko dango (close up) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2646252679/"><img height="150" alt="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Shinkineya - komeko dango (close up)" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3278/2646252679_e2fa9fce1b_m.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a title="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Kaisen - sanshoku bento (another view) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2647089530/"><img height="150" alt="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Kaisen - sanshoku bento (another view)" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3035/2647089530_18d9d80d84_m.jpg" width="200" /></a><br /><i>Shinkineya - komeko dango and Kaisen - sanshoku bento</i><br /><br /><a title="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Stick candy sweet potato with skin (uncovered) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2647094952/"><img height="150" alt="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Stick candy sweet potato with skin (uncovered)" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3248/2647094952_bc9e27156c_m.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a title="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Furuya koganean - butter dorayaki and dorayaki (sliced) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2646284361/"><img height="150" alt="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Furuya koganean - butter dorayaki and dorayaki (sliced)" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3046/2646284361_b0b61bf974_m.jpg" width="200" /></a><br /><i>Stick candy sweet potato with skin and Furuya koganean - butter dorayaki and plain dorayaki</i><br /><br /><a title="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Shinkineya - inari okowa (uncovered) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2646535723/"><img height="180" alt="Mitsuwa Marketplace: Shinkineya - inari okowa (uncovered)" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3112/2646535723_3b88d02200_m.jpg" width="240" /></a><br /><i>Shinkineya - inari okowa</i></p><br />**********<br /><br />Mitsuwa Marketplace<br />595 River Road<br />Edgewater, NJ 07020<br />(201) 941-9113<br /><a href="http://www.mitsuwanj.com/en/index.htm" target="_blank">http://www.mitsuwanj.com/en/index.htm</a><br /><br />Otafuku<br />236 E 9th St<br />New York, NY 10003<br />(212) 353-8503<br /></span>yummyinthetummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14093526694375190687noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193434846195586870.post-54857564030895550952008-05-31T13:57:00.016-04:002008-08-28T10:09:36.964-04:00My favorite Indonesian dessertsBefore we <a href="http://yummyinthetummyblog.blogspot.com/2008/05/my-trip-to-chicago-to-attend-pierre.html">left for Chicago</a>, E and Y gave us some Indonesian desserts that I haven't had in a long time: martabak manis (sweet thick pancakes) and bika ambon (honeycomb cake). Last month they told me one of their relatives were going to visit from Indonesia, and if I wanted anything from back home. Without any hesitation, I immediately requested for these.<br /><br />I had put them in the freezer and decided not to eat them until we returned home from Chicago. Not because I didn't want to indulge them immediately, but I just wanted to make sure that my stomach was in perfect condition for tasting PH's creations. I have a pretty sensitive stomach, so I'm afraid to eat any food that my stomach isn't used to have anymore.<br /><span id="fullpost"><br />The martabak manis was amazingly delicious, the taste was as good as I remembered. This one was filled with chocolate, peanuts and cheese. It is also sprinkled with sugar and drizzled with condensed milk on top of the filling. Martabak manis is one of my favorite desserts since I was young, but unfortunately noone here can make martabak manis as good as this particular one. If you are wondering what it tastes like, here is the answer: the taste is similar to a pancake, but thicker, softer, fluffier, sweeter, tastier and richer :-)<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2627800609/" title="Kue Bandung Jagalan: Martabak manis - coklat, kacang, keju (another view) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3098/2627800609_8f11c23b20_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Kue Bandung Jagalan: Martabak manis - coklat, kacang, keju (another view)" /></a><br /><i>Martabak manis - chocolate, peanuts and cheese</i></p><br />I tried making these several times, but the results were still not as perfect as the original ones that are usually sold by street vendors in Indonesia. The ones that I made, the taste was good, but the texture was only okay. I thought it was because I didn't use the special pan for making martabak manis. My big brother, who loves me very much, even brought me 2 regular martabak manis pans and 1 small one, complete with the special range and pipe for it. The only thing I needed to get before I could use the range was the propane that is usually used for cooking if you go camping. Unfortunately when I made the martabak manis again using this pan, I was still not satisfied with the texture. I guess if I want to eat a perfect martabak manis, I need more practice or just wait until I visit Indonesia.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/2628565802/" title="Rica Rico: Bika ambon (another view) by yummyinthetummyblog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3148/2628565802_ae44f8eae2_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Rica Rico: Bika ambon (another view)" /></a><br /><i>Bika ambon</i></p><br />The bika ambon was awesome, it was soft but chewy at the same time, rich and fragrant, I could smell the kafir lime leaves in it. The best bika ambon I've ever tasted back in Indonesia was the one that was bought from Medan. This one was not from Medan, but it was still very good. I've never tried to make this cake myself since I heard that it's not easy to get the perfect texture -- that "honeycomb" look. No wonder I haven't found anyone who sells bika ambon here.<br /><br />It has been several years since I ate a very good martabak manis and bika ambon like these. I love them a lot, especially the martabak manis. My husband like them too, but not as much as I do. Thanks again guys, I really appreciate it!<br /></span>yummyinthetummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14093526694375190687noreply@blogger.com2