This is a continuation from my Parisian vacation that took place in late May 2010.
Menu on the window
Monsieur Jacques Genin, how I have read so many good things about you. I have read you have ruined people after they ate your made-to-order millefeuilles and your exquisite caramels. Oh, the temptation…and I cannot resist delectable sweets. I made a pre-dinner (yet to be reviewed) stop during the late afternoon after extensive shopping with HC.
The past week, the kind people of Tortuga Rum Cake shipped me a bunch of their wonderful rum cakes as gifts. Flavors ranging from their Original to the more exotic flavors like Orange, Banana, and Blue Mountain Coffee.
When my best friend HC and I were waiting at Newark for our flight out to Paris, we had the sudden interruption before flight that all the passengers in our flight are delayed there for the an additional three hours (on top of the 7.5 hour flight). Supposedly, there was a concern about the superficial dents on a portion of the plane’s belly that they had to get it repaired, tested, fill out paperwork and have approval from the control towers to get the green light to fly out of here. All of this crap takes three hours?
Frankly, I could care less about the plane. I haven’t eaten since noon when I had lunch at HC’s house and I’m getting cranky. After an hour after liftoff, the airline served us this. [Points down]
This is food…?
As you and I know, this doesn’t look like food. It looks questionably inedible. But as I paraphrase HC, this is for the sake of survival. I sucked up my food snobbish ways and tucked in, for better or worse. As long as I’m ok and have enough energy to get off the plane, haul my bags over to the center of Paris, I’ll deal with it.
I know it’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve updated my blog. I know, I didn’t mean to keep all of you hanging but I’ve been busy.
First of all, in case you haven’t looked (or you don’t subscribe to my Google Feed/Feedburner over a month ago), I’ve made an announcement over a month ago that: 1) I got accepted and going to graduate school! (I’m studying Masters of Public Health) and 2) I’m going to Paris, France for vacation toward the end of May!
I’ve been AWOL, at least with my blog (I’m sort of active on my Twitter), because of planning my five-night vacation to Paris. It’ll be my first time there and I hope the Icelandic volcano won’t screw up my vacation. When I do get to Paris, all I know I have to be prepared to eat and walk a lot. Gorge on a ton of cheese, macarons and all other wonderful, carb-y, buttery French pastries and bread! Sweet jeebus, I should start dieting by the thought of that…
New Yorkers, we can rejoice for the return of The Big Gay Ice Cream Truck! I did miss the first time Doug Quint, the one of the owners of BGICT, when he did graced his presence at Union Square two weeks ago. To those of you who are not familiar with Doug and Bryan’s truck, they’re the awfully funny and cool guys who run a Mr. Softee truck that’s pretty much an anti-Mr. Softee, if that made sense.
Yes, they do sell the traditional shakes, soft serve with the dips, nuts, and/or sprinkles but, when you visit this truck you want their unusual, over-the-top sundaes.
The ever popular, Big Gay Ice Cream Truck around 6:50 PM
After lamenting from the losses of Pastry Chef Pichet Ong’s P*Ong and Batch that was located in West Village, I have never felt happier when I read that he’s opening again in the East Village, named Spot.
Menu
I have been to both P*Ong (review here but I’m warning you the photos aren’t that great back then) and Batch (went there twice – here’s the photos I went a few weeks before it closed) and it is a hybrid of the former two places. The minimalist interior and plated desserts reminds me of P*Ong while the baked goods and the use of edible glitter reminds me of Batch.
The past weekend I baked my birthday cake early. I don’t mean a few days early, I meant a week early. Why? you ask. Well, this weekend I’m pretty busy with going to the Cook.Eat.Live food event, meeting up with a bunch of friends for dinner, and trying to fit in some studying time for the GREs in between (I’m planning to go back to grad school.) I thought I might as well bake it early and eat my way through with the help of my parents and Helen.
Broken up chocolate & baked cake
Once again, the good people of Scharffen Berger came to my aid, providing me the milk chocolate for this cake recipe. The recipe, white velvet cake with milk chocolate ganache is also from Scharffen Berger’s The Essence of Chocolate. Frankly, after trying multiple recipes from their book this is a great book for baking anything chocolate-related. Six recipes attempted and all were successes. I highly recommend.
To explain what’s in the white velvet cake, it’s basically a pale yellow/white cake with a very fine texture due to the use of cake flour. It’s a very simple cake that my mom wondered why I want to do such a thing on my 24th birthday? Frankly, I don’t want to deal with a fussy recipe and don’t want to put in too much time with my birthday cake. I’m aiming for simplicity this year.
Cake slice
Anyway, the cake was good as it sounded. A delicate crumb cake, that has a hint of butter, barely sweet, sandwiched and coated with milk chocolate ganache. What’s so great about Scharffen Berger’s milk chocolate is the caramelized milk flavor that’s very swoonworthy. (Heck, when I was decorating the cake. I was scraping a third of my ganache into a pastry bag, my mom walked over to the counter where I placed the nearly empty bowl, picked up the spatula, and licked it. She told me the ganache was delicious and wanted more! Alas, I can’t spare any.) Continue reading “My Birthday Cake – White Velvet Cake with Milk Chocolate Ganache” »
I read about a week ago from Grub Street about Payard re-opening and ogled at their dessert menu. I am a sucker for desserts and Payard’s is no exception. I was shocked when they did have to close their Lexington Avenue restaurant/café the past June or so and it’s about time for us Payard fans to rejoice and have his desserts and chocolates.
On the day of opening (yesterday, November 4th), I went there with Helen after work. I was curious and dying to have a good cup of hot chocolate since it was cold and I craved for a chocolate-y indulgence. When we entered Maboussin jewelry store on Madison Avenue, we were greeted both by the doorman and a woman who stayed in the back, I requested to go upstairs to the Chocolate Bar and she guided us to the posh and plush elevator that was lined in three sides, a beige quilted wall (maybe leather? I’m too scared to mar the surface) and on the side was a dark wooden table filled with a tray of delicate perfumes, the jewelry store’s hardcover book and a mirror that’s right above it.
Once we exited the elevator, we’re greeted by a woman who works for the Chocolate Bar and I’ve asked about their verrines and she took us over to the display case.
After I’m done with my photo-taking, I’ve asked if we could have a verrine. They would like to but they can’t. The reason why is because they’re still waiting for the permit to sell their goods. So, as a way to make up for our time they comped us with a (generous) sampling of white hot chocolate with red berries and hibiscus flowers. Though I’m not a big fan of white chocolate (I personally just use it for cake or pastry decorations rather than ingesting it), this isn’t bad. As one might expect, white chocolate is sweet but the tart, luscious red berries and hibiscus flower tones down the sweetness a bit. This is something Helen enjoyed more than I have since it’s sweeter than I’d personally like.
Originally taken place on July 3, 2009. The first part is from Ssam Bar’s prix fixe lunch (it started with the beef tendon dish).
I didn’t have the intention of stuffing my face with a ton of Momofuku food that day…
Burnt honey + mustard croissant?!
But Seungmi was hungry and wanted something to eat. I was presuming Helen was coming downtown from work and Seungmi never went to any of the Momofuku places, I might as well introduce her to the “lighter” fare of Momofuku Milk Bar & Bakery“>Milk Bar. When I looked up at the chalkboard, near the register, I noticed they might be selling a burnt honey and mustard croissant. Sounds tasty…
Seungmi’s first Volcano (or anything from Milk Bar)
Seungmi ordered the Volcano. Yes, that large pastry puck of potato puree and Benton’s cheese. I told her it would be tastier if she added some sriracha sauce to add some interesting dimension to this dense, sorta one-noted savory pastry. She agreed it tasted better. She’s happy and pretty stuffed that she saved the uneaten remnants for Helen. Continue reading “Epic Eating – Momofuku Milk Bar, Everyman Espresso, Bouchon Bakery, and Gus & Gabriel” »
It’s been a loong time since I’ve seen any of my friends because of my mom’s hospitalization a few weeks earlier and prepping for my upcoming vacation. Julie commented on my blog recently wanted to see me before I’m leaving NYC, I made time last Friday to have dinner with her at 6:30. Almost by default, I’ve brought Helen along because she’s out from work early and can accompany for pre-dinner. (What I mean by “pre-dinner” is consuming food right before dinner just to kill time.)
It was a warm (finally) evening, Helen and I wanted ice cream. We thought of getting coffee but creamy, frozen dairy trumps caffeine during the later hours of the day. Anyway, we took the subway down to Momofuku Milk Bar & Bakery. Yes, I know most of your are thinking this place is overrated but I like this place (implicitly, the Momofuku empire) a lot.
Momofuku Milk Bar & Bakery’s Menus
When we arrived there, I looked up at the menu boards and spotted the “Coming Soon” section, indicating the possible existence of Arnold Palmer Tea Cake and Cookie Cookie Dough. My eyes were wide open and my mind screamed, “I WANT.” But going back to earth, I’ve made up my mind about getting the Bavarian cream soft serve with banana crumble topping and Helen wanted the chocolate donut soft serve. Continue reading “Pre-Dinner at Momofuku Milk Bar & Ssäm Bar, Dinner at Baoguette Cafe, and Dessert Truck” »
