I know I should have posted everything I’ve eaten on Thursday in one LONG post but I wasn’t motivated since I had to write journals for one of my classes that ended up to be twenty pages long. My brain dried up of any use of any prose, hence my lack of writing for that portion of the day and just write about the Kyotofu dinner.
On Thursday morning, I wanted a latte just because I was terribly disgruntled with what happened on Tuesday. So, I went back to my first (coffee) love, Joe on Waverly Place, in the West Village.
It’s been ages since I’ve visited this place but it hasn’t changed much. The casual, laid back vibe is still there, with a few baristas that I’m familiar with, and lots of the local residents waiting for their brew. It’s like visiting an old friend that you’ve haven’t seen in a long time.
As I’ve said earlier, I wanted a small latte ($3.50 plus tax) and that’s what I’ve gotten.
It seems that ever since I went to Ninth Street Espresso on E 13th Street, lattes were never the same again. Every single latte I’ve drank ever since Ninth have been milky. Even Joe’s. Granted that Joe’s latte was much better than Roasting Plant, but it’s not the same.
Around 11 AM, I had every intention of going to Blue Ribbon Bakery to get myself a loaf addictive bread allegedly filled with crack, that’s according to Robyn. The problem is that I didn’t look up their hours on their site that they’re opened at noon. Being disappointed, I realized that Chocolate Haven is nearby and I walked my way down to King Street. Chocolate makes everything better in the world.
I know I’ve went to CH last week, but I’m really determined to get my hands on a macaron that Robyn had helped making and eaten there. My thoughts have been answered, they have the macarons! Unfortunately, chocolate is the only flavor but at least it’s something.
The chocolate macaron was actually pretty good but it’s chewier than I would like in a macaron. It’s just enough chocolate flavor but not as pronounced or as decadent as La Maison du Chocolat’s Quito macaron. I have to admit though, for $1.25 that macaron it’s pretty damn good.
Since it’s a humid, sweltering day, I ended up getting myself an iced mocha ($4).
It’s good and cold. The main two words that I needed for that day. The mocha’s texture was a lot better than the iced hot chocolate since there’s no graininess of chocolate and the fact that the dark, robust coffee flavor helped the fact that I need caffeine since I didn’t get my morning coffee.
Anyways, I also splurged on a chocolate bar: the Coffee Break ($4.50). Hmmm…there’s an unintentional coffee theme going on.
Unwrapped
Innards
Even though I don’t love milk chocolate that much, I still appreciate chocolate in all its delicious variations. The Coffee Break bar was quite good. It had a nice caramel flavor from the milk chocolate with tones of coffee flavor that doesn’t taste bitter. It’s good but I might as well go for a Valhrona’s Le Noir Extra Amer 85% bar for a slightly similar price tag.
This is a bit of a side note, but I’ve never really eaten JT’s croissants before even though I’ve been here a hundred times.
For the remaining portion of the day, I’ve tried to walk off my caffeinated, sugary binge in Central Park’s Shakespeare Garden and Belvedere Castle.
Staircase to Shakespeare Garden
Cityscape view from Belvedere Castle
Tower of Belvedere Castle
Spending an hour or so there, I walked over to Grom‘s for more gelato. I’m officially addicted to Grom. I think they need to start a GA (Gromoholics Anonymous) program. I’ll be like, “Hi, my name’s Tina and I’m a Grom gelato addict.” Anyways, I ordered a medium cup of pistachio and extra noir chocolate.
It’s melting…
Do you see a problem with these photos? If you nod or said, “Yes.” You’re correct. A new relatively new employee who was working on the gelato scooped the gelato in blobs but leveled it out. This is heresy I tell you! Heresy! I don’t (nor do you) expect to pay $6.15 for a leveled out cup of gelato. It’s unnatural. I think I need to cry for a moment…[sobs]
The gelato still tasted good. The pistachio is still awesome; the extra noir chocolate has the complex character of Valhrona chocolate. Next time, if that guy does that again I will inflict verbal abuse to him.
For the coming week, I won’t be eating out that much since it’s the last week of classes and finals are looming on the following Monday. The only plan of sorts is that on Wednesday, May 23rd, which is two days after my finals are over (thankfully), I’ll be in the Financial District checking out Dine Around Downtown. Yep, I’m lunching with a bunch of financial bankers and corporate people. Actually, it’s not too different than what I do in Midtown.
Addresses:
Joe
141 Waverly Pl
New York, NY 10014
Jacques Torres Chocolate Haven
350 Hudson Street
New York, NY 10014
Grom
2165 Broadway
New York, NY 10024
I can’t believe they leveled your gelato!! RIDICULOUS!!
Ive had a Torres bar or two, but I don’t really like them for some reason. They melt kind of . . grain-ily?
Susannah: It’s ridiculous, absurd, cruel, you name it…it’s just plain WRONG for what he did to my gelato. I would seriously give him a piece of my mind if I ever encounter him again.
The Torres bar was ok. The flavors were fine. I did find them a bit grainy but their bars are not meant to be melted, only eaten. You should have gotten the bulk bags instead. I baked and melted them before and those worked perfectly fine.
I went to Grom today, and they’re all leveling out the cups. Must be the new standard. Here’s a secret: you get more if you order a cone (because they can’t level those out). The servers are really slow, I might add. I takes them several minutes to scoop. That’s why the line is so long!
Jessica: WUH?! They’re leveling out all the cups? WTF?! Probably I should have eaten all of Grom’s gelato the first day I went there instead, where it fluffy mounds were served. This is a major disappointment…
If they’re leveling out the cups, then I aint going. Sure it’s good, but for the prices they charge, I expect a HEAPING of gelato.
Their prices, combined with all the blogosphere attention they’ve been getting, and the fact that they’re leveling out cups now just makes them seem cheap and trying to increase their profit margin. Really classless.
John: I agree with you that one would expect a heaping mound of gelato in a cup. I’m seriously thinking about sending an angry email about that…
you should send them an email and give them a piece of your mind. this gives them feedback that foodies and bloggers are not amused. now i don’t want to go either, even if their gelato is good – it’s the principle of it.
btw, i just talked to an italian friend who grew up in italy and she’s never heard of grom ! i was gonna drag her up there to taste and tell me if it’s all that, now i’m not going until they reverse their tacky leveling.
Jo Jo (aka eat2love): I did send them an email. I haven’t been to Grom ever since and you have no idea how much it kills me that I would like to get some gelato in this sweltering weather we’re having in NYC these days.
I’m sorry that your Italian friend won’t be able to go to Grom due to your (or should I say, “our?”) rebellion to leveling the gelato. Probably, they’ll reinstate the lovely scoops soon. Hopefully.
Is levelling not done at Grom’s or gelato places in general? I just ask because I’ve been to several gelato places (not in NY, but in other places) and all of them level their gelato. So just curious!