Interior of Astor Court and its lounge; our full spread of afternoon tea
Afternoon Tea at the St. Regis New York Hotel, an historic Manhattan landmark at 55th and 5th Avenue, serves as the perfect oasis from the frenzy of New York City to the calm of a centuries-old British tradition – for Mother’s Day.
As my mother and I sat in the luxurious Petit Salon sipping various blends of teas and enjoying an assortment of pastries and desserts, it seemed like the chaos of the city just outside the hotel’s doors was hundreds of miles away. In fact, it was quite a jolt to our system upon returning to the city’s streets after 90 minutes of solitude.
First “course” of finger tea sandwiches, Tower of sweets, and my mother’s Lemon Mango Tango tea (during and after pouring), and the lovely harpist performing near my table
Like last year, the party was fabulous – good food, very good wines, we’re all in a gorgeous suite that has views of Times Square, a glimpse of Central Park, and the Hudson River. And we had a celebrity to mingle with us normal folk. (This year was the beautiful actress, Debra Messing, as seen above.) Continue reading “Sheraton’s Toast Around the World/Social Hour 2013″ »
My gift to my mom and the spread for Mother’s Day brunch
The past weekend for Mother’s Day, my mom wanted a home cooked brunch with the entire family. Since we’re a hungry bunch and my mom did not care what kind of cuisine, we cooked a hodgepodge of dishes that satisfied our cravings. Continue reading “Mother’s Day Brunch” »
Hario is a 91-year old heat resistant glass maker for coffee and tea. Their first siphon was released in 1957. Ever since, they’ve created a number of coffee brewers that I’ve learned to love and understand the many techniques to create a delicious cups of coffee.
Their newest release, Hario Coffee Siphon NEXT (Model # NXA-5, 20-ounce capacity) it’s an improvement of their original siphon. First is the metal filter. The material conventionally used for the siphon filter is cloth or cotton flannel. The flannel filter is most suitable for extracting a clean cup of coffee and it’s capable of extracting more body, providing depth in flavor, which results in a complex and enjoyable final cup. Clean up is easier, you’d simply rinse the filter with soap and water and store for later use. (The original flannel filter version is reusable but tedious to clean.)
The next improvement is the scale marks on the glass ball and it’s ergonomically improved silicone handle. The latter achieves an easy-to grip, heat and slip resistant handle.
Exterior of International Culinary Center; breakfast spread
This is my second year attending to the New York Culinary Experience (NYCE) weekend and it’s an absolute pleasure to be surrounded with curious and avid food enthusiasts who are eager to learn something new or at least gain some insight or useful cooking/baking tips from different chefs.
(If you’re curious about last year, here’s my recaps of Day 1 and Day 2.)
I’ve noticed this year’s breakfasts were the sublime croissants that transports me back to Paris. They were perfectly burnished and incredibly flaky and buttery. I almost did not care for anything else except for the well, thought out cheese tray.
Chefs: Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Jacques Torres, and David Bouley
The New York Culinary Experience is hosted by New York magazine and the International Culinary Center, the New York Culinary Experience offers people the chance to cook side-by-side with some of the world’s most renowned chefs.
Honoring their flagship bourbon and it was the Kentucky Derby that weekend, they started with mint juleps made with the Bulleit Bourbon. Super refreshing that has a resonating, spicy roundness of its bourbon. It works very well with the bacon wrapped scallops with couscous and bell pepper sauce. Continue reading “Bulleit Bourbon Paired Dinner at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse (NYC)” »
Magnum bottles of Fattoria Paradiso Sangiovese di Romagna 1993, Various cocktails, Pecorino Dolce and my plate of Prosciutto di Parma
Since this is a prosciutto party, almost everything served have touches of that beloved, cured Italian ham – even the cocktails and desserts.
The Melone e Prosciutto cocktail is composed of melon infused El Dorado Rum, Cocchi Americano, Elcone Sherry, melon purée, with a smoked salt and Prosciutto rim. Initially salty and crunchy from the rim but generally, it’s on the sweet and fruity side but still very delicious. Despite the fact the Lafayette Negroni does not have any prosciutto in it, this was pretty damn refreshing and balanced between the sweet and bitter. There was also a really fantastic Fattoria Paradiso Sangiovese di Romagna 1993 (served from magnum bottles) that was still very big but refined and toned a bit because of its aging on the shelf and vintage.
The idea of Bareburger started in 2009 and is currently a micro-chain of organic burger restaurants. As of today, they have ten locations in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens. The restaurants are environmentally sustainable and eco-friendly. The menu features a variety of meats, including traditional beef, chicken, turkey and lamb; exotic options such as elk, bison, ostrich and boar; and mushroom, veggie and black bean burgers for our vegetarian and vegan diners.
I went for Sunday brunch with a friend at their Upper East Side location when it was one of those rare warm days that one may choose to dine outside or indoors but at least their retractable doors were open. Our main intention to eat here is to try the exotic burgers. Each burger we had were cooked to our desired temperature (all were medium rare) and juicy.
Straddling on one of those tall, backless bar stools, we started with for a thick banana raspberry shake ($4.95) that was more banana-y than having a sharp, tart raspberry flavor I was hoping for to balance that heavy banana.
We shared the usually good sweet potato croqs ($8.95). I would never thought of having balls of fried sweet potato purée mixed with sharp cheddar cheese. The hot, smooth, creamy, sweet potato with the slightly gooey salty cheese works. If I was selfish, I would have kept that basket of croquettes for myself. Continue reading “Bareburger (Upper East Side)” »
Kori is a small, narrow, elegant Korean restaurant in TriBeCa. If you read their menu, they serve mainly traditional Korean fare but a few dishes does cater to the neighborhood.
They plating them a bit more polished and comparing to a couple of really old school Korean restaurants, toning down the spiciness so it can appeal to everyone. Even though there’s a few tweaks, the depth of flavors in the dishes we ate (I went to dinner there with my parents) were incredible and thoroughly enjoyed by all.
During the time I was there, the diners had a ranged from young families to older couples. There’s even a couple of Korean kids around my age who ate there as well.
Drinks & Appetizers: Yuza Addictive, Lychee Martini, and OB Golden Lager beer; Fried baby octopus & Shrimp Bombs
My parents and I started with Yuza Addictive, Lychee Martini ($11 each) and an OB Golden Lager ($5). Each beverage were very good. The cocktails were generally fruity, balanced, and sweeter than my personal preference but my mother adored it so much that she drank my cocktail. I took a swig from my father’s lager and thought it’s pretty good. Smooth, dark and not too hoppy.
The Shrimp Bombs ($8.50) are Asian style soup spoons filled with marinated, shredded cucumber that looks like noodles wrapped in chilled cooked shrimp and topped with fish roe and Korean yellow wasabi. It’s cold, tangy-sweet and the shrimp was refreshing.
For something warm, we had fried baby octopus ($10.98) with a wonderful side of yuja (yuzu) chili sauce that’s sweet, tart and a touch of zingy spice to go with the tender octopus. Continue reading “Dinner at Kori” »
