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[Translate] Back interior at Sakamai Since Chinese New Year is still around (it’s roughly three weeks long) and my parents insist upon having a family dinner out, we ended up agreeing to eat at Sakamai. As a family, we like Japanese food but what appeals to us the most about Sakamai is the creative dishes served for an izakaya (a casual sake pub, so to speak). The menu has a few luxurious ingredients like uni (sea urchin) and foie gras dabbled with the likes of other ingredients like tuna or scrambled eggs. It is not your average drinking fare as..
[Translate] Happy New Year of the goat! 恭喜發財! I wish you all a happy and prosperous year! My family and I cooked up so many dishes like the crispy pork belly, there was also the traditional fat choy soup with dried scallops, shiitake mushrooms and fresh lettuce, homemade nian gao, taro cake, and turnip cake, and roast whole chicken (flavored with five-spice powder). We’ve open up a new box of fancy grade da hong po (武夷岩茶), translated as “big red robe tea” to serve with our food. This type of tea is a rich oolong tea that have notes of..
[Translate] Chinese New Year (or what others would generalize this holiday, Lunar New Year) is coming up this Thursday and if you really want to make a dessert to impress your family and friends, this pistachio, yuzu, chocolate feuilletine cake, would be it. I chose these flavors centered on the pistachio. Even though pistachio is my favorite nut and flavor, in Chinese New Year traditions, this nut means happy nut and symbolizes happiness. Thankfully, my family isn’t staunchly stuck on tradition; I’ve incorporated a mix of Chinese tradition with French pastry technique for this dessert. (more…)
[Translate] The Milton is an Irish accented restaurant that opened in October 2014. It’s a gastro pub style restaurant that came to fruition by Tomas Maher, of VIP Room, and Chef David Diaz, formerly of Brasserie Beaumarchais. This restaurant is not pretentious and it accommodates a range of people, from the dating couples to young families. We went out to dinner that evening since we’ve been museum hopping on Museum Mile. We started off strong with fantastic cocktails ($11 each) of The Milton Sour, a riff of one of my favorite drinks, the Pisco Sour but gin based, and Taking..
[Translate] If you’re looking for gifts for your Valentine or a person who is celebrating Lunar New Year, here’s some ideas that might appeal to various types of people who like savory to the sweet but all in good taste (pun intended) and some items are luxe. Chocolate & Confections FIKA is a Swedish cafe and chocolate brand that opened its doors in 2006. Swedish tradition and appreciation of a coffee-centric lifestyle served as inspiration for founder and co-owner Lars Åkerlund who saw an immediate love connection between Sweden and New York. FIKA is an award winning chocolate brand as..
[Translate] I love fudgy brownies. But I’ve been wondering over the years as I’ve been baking these rich, fudgy squares does it really require the half pound of butter in that batch, even if I do melt a substantial amount of chocolate? After some naval gazing and an opportunity to collaborate with Four Roses Bourbon, I had an eureka moment. I know it sounds insane to not bake with butter (and I do love my butter) but for the sake of curiosity and experimentation, you can have a fudge-y, dense brownie. Partially inspired by the macaron cookie, you can create..
[Translate] Valentine’s Day is coming up and the award winning gin, Bluecoat American Dry Gin has asked me to create a Valentine’s Day inspired cocktail. Instead of doing another cocktail, I wanted a challenge and create a boozy cocktail dessert. Everyone knows baba al rum is a French classic yeast-risen cake soaked in lots of sweet rum syrup and possibly served with a side of fluffy whipped cream. Technically, this yeast cake is a great sponge to soak in any booze or flavored syrup you can dream of. I thought, “Why not something with gin?” Bluecoat gin is a beautiful,..
Blueberry Almond Buttermilk Pancakes with Blueberry Lemon Compote for National Blueberry Pancake Day
[Translate] I may be early for National Blueberry Pancake Day (that day in the U.S. falls on January 28th) but I always feel like there’s never a bad day to make a batch of these babies and eat them. There’s something comforting about having a small or tall stack of these warm, fluffy, slightly crisp cakes with a few bright bites of blueberries at home and at your leisure. I have collaborated with Driscoll’s to highlight their fresh, high quality blueberries and incorporate them into my blueberry almond buttermilk pancakes. I wanted to emphasize the blueberries even further by making..
Latest in Travel (Outside NYC)
[Translate] We had afternoon tea at the posh landmark hotel, The Greenhouse at The Jefferson in Washington, D.C. The Jefferson is an historical luxury apartment building built in the Beaux Arts style by French architect Jules de Sibour. This building was converted to a hotel in the 1950s and eventually in 2007 with the current owners renovate the historic structure to a level worthy of its namesake – and its equally sophisticated present-day guests. The staff at The Greenhouse is gracious and professional. The details of the dining rooms is stunning from the thick velvet drapes, black and white tiles,..
[Translate] I’ve come to realize during my trip to D.C. is the renaissance of artisanal doughnuts. Doughnuts that are meticulously made by hand and in small batches. Another great doughnut destination is found in the Metro-Downtown Center called Astro Doughnuts & Fried Chicken. THey are convenient if you are either giving your credit card a workout with the many department stores and shops in the area or if you’re working here since the business district is not too far from here. Astro Doughnuts is a storefront shop that sells nine flavors (when I was there) and during the late weekday..
[Translate] We had Sunday brunch at Central Michel Richard is a six-year old restaurant that still manage to cook delicious American food with a touch of French flair. This restaurant was conveniently close to the National Mall. Festively decorated and bustling with the holiday brunch crowd, our server still managed to be friendly and efficient. It’s an upscale bistro that serves a very fair priced prix fixe menu for $25 and bottomless drinks $10. We started off with drinks of Bellini, Bloody Mary, mimosa, and orange juice — all were nicely made. One of my friends started out with the..
[Translate] Near our hotel in Dupont Circle when we were in Washington, D.C., one of our mornings for breakfast was at Dolcezza Gelato & Coffee. This particular location feels cozy like entering a friend’s living room and the local artwork some wit. (Dolcezza has five locations and a factory about 10 minutes outside of town and each location has its own look/personality.) Dolcezza’s philosophy is to support local farmers and make exquisite gelato. Dolcezza serves artisanal gelato produced in small hand-made batches every morning, using the best available ingredients: local fruits, herbs, eggs, cheese, milk and cream. Combining old-world methods..
[Translate] Since we stayed at Dupont Circle, one of our weekend mornings at Washington, D.C. we had brunch at GBD, acronym for Golden Brown Delicious. What “golden brown delicious” refers to fried chicken and doughnuts. (If you have not noticed, D.C. is having a major doughnut renaissance.) When you walk past the takeout doughnut counter, you walk into the dining area where you see exposed brick wall with the restaurant’s logo and a few banquettes and two toppers along the opposite wall. The savory food beyond the doughnuts consist of fried chicken, warm fluffy biscuits, and a touch of vegetables...
[Translate] District Doughnut is this charming artisan doughnut shop that is under 10 minutes from the heart of Washington, D.C and right across the street from the Marine Barracks. This shop is owned by two young, passionate doughnut lovers (and high school friends), Greg Menna and Juan Pablo Segura, and their master doughnut maker, Christine Schaefer. This shop strives to be a designer doughnut shop that creates flavors that are nostalgic but with a twist. Originally, this shop started as a doughnut delivery service but expanded to a storefront. They crank out one of my favorite doughnuts in the D.C...
[Translate] Exterior & Interior of Table; Table’s menu One of our favorite meals in Washington, D.C. was at Table. This two-story brick building that has its name painted on its side. The Chef de Cuisine Patrick Robinson leading his crew in an open kitchen split with the dining room. The dining room is streamlined with the long banquette lining along the wall with solid blonde wooden tables and white curved chairs. At the back of the restaurant, there’s a splash of color with bold mosaic. What drew us to Table is their changing menu of fresh, seasonal dishes and what..
[Translate] During our weekend out in D.C., we stayed at Hotel Palomar, a Kimpton Hotel, in Dupont Circle. This hotel is stylish and sophisticated with modern, art-focused design. Since it is located in Dupont Circle, it’s in the center of everything of cultural spots, restaurants and the tourist destinations — most are within walking distance. (more…)
[Translate] The weekend before Christmas, we headed down to Washington, D.C. partnering with Cadillac driving down with their amazing, luxurious ATS Coupe. We wanted to escape from New York City for the long weekend and thought up of heading to the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. since it’s been nearly a decade since I’ve last been there. Reading the many things that have changed in the city from the food to everything else in between, it’s about time to make a revisit. We chose to partner with Cadillac since it’s the best American luxury car brand that even our President has..
Recipes
[Translate] Chinese New Year (or what others would generalize this holiday, Lunar New Year) is coming up this Thursday and if you really want to make a dessert to impress your family and friends, this pistachio, yuzu, chocolate feuilletine cake, would be it. I chose these flavors centered on the pistachio. Even though pistachio is my favorite nut and flavor, in Chinese New Year traditions, this nut means happy nut and symbolizes happiness. Thankfully, my family isn’t staunchly stuck on tradition; I’ve incorporated a mix of Chinese tradition with French pastry technique for this dessert. (more…)
[Translate] I love fudgy brownies. But I’ve been wondering over the years as I’ve been baking these rich, fudgy squares does it really require the half pound of butter in that batch, even if I do melt a substantial amount of chocolate? After some naval gazing and an opportunity to collaborate with Four Roses Bourbon, I had an eureka moment. I know it sounds insane to not bake with butter (and I do love my butter) but for the sake of curiosity and experimentation, you can have a fudge-y, dense brownie. Partially inspired by the macaron cookie, you can create..
[Translate] Valentine’s Day is coming up and the award winning gin, Bluecoat American Dry Gin has asked me to create a Valentine’s Day inspired cocktail. Instead of doing another cocktail, I wanted a challenge and create a boozy cocktail dessert. Everyone knows baba al rum is a French classic yeast-risen cake soaked in lots of sweet rum syrup and possibly served with a side of fluffy whipped cream. Technically, this yeast cake is a great sponge to soak in any booze or flavored syrup you can dream of. I thought, “Why not something with gin?” Bluecoat gin is a beautiful,..
Afrikaans