dessert « The Wandering Eater

Visiting Vosges Haut Chocolat in Chicago

Exterior, Interiors of Vosges Haut Chocolat in Lincoln Park, Chicago

When I visited Chicago, I had to visit Vosges Haut Chocolat mostly because this company is started and based there.

I came with a friend to their Lincoln Park, which is considered Vosges’ flagship. It is much larger shop than the one [...]

Homemade Macarons – à la Pierre Hermé

If you’ve been one of my longtime readers, you know I have an obsession with macarons. I admit I go insane over Pierre Hermé macarons. (When I landed in Paris for vacation last May, the top “must do things” on my first day was to go to any of Hermé’s boutiques and have his macarons [...]

Ladurée’s Pied de Coq box & November’s Featured Macaron Flavor, Black Forest

Ladurée’s Pied de Coq box and their signature shopping bag and my Black Forest macarons

Earlier this week a Ladurée loyalist friend of mine told me about this macaron house’s limited release of their fashionable box Pied de Coq – a take of the traditional houndstooth pattern with bold fluorescent colors. I [...]

Dominique Ansel Bakery – A Pastry Lover’s Dream

Signage outside, Inside the pastry display, and a rainbow of ‘Mini-Me’s

Pastry chef Dominique Ansel, a former alum of the internationally acclaimed chef Daniel Boulud of six years opened his own bakery in SoHo. As a person who loves pastries, I made some time in my schedule to visit this bakery.

Being [...]

Homemade Egg Tarts (Dan Tats; 蛋撻) and Mid-Autumn Festival

Tray full of homemade egg tarts (assortment of flavors) with oolong tea

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! (中秋節快樂!) to those who celebrate this holiday. As everyone knows you’re supposed to have a piece of the traditional pastry, the mooncake (like the snowskin version I made two weeks ago or the baked version last year). [...]

Fig Hazelnut Crostata While Waiting for Irene

Fig hazelnut crostata

Like many other people on the Northeast Coast of the United States, I’m trapped in my house because of what was the impending Hurricane Irene, as many restaurants shut down and Mayor Bloomberg did a gradual shutdown of NYC that even the transit system isn’t running.

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Victory Garden – Sublime Goat’s Milk Soft Serve

Inside Victory Garden (with their adorable tip jar)

Victory Garden, is a boutique located in the West Village that specializes in all things goat’s milk, namely its luxuriously creamy goat’s milk soft serve.

This charming boutique has an exposed brick wall one side of the store, while the other side evokes the [...]

Teatulia: Flavorful, Organic Teas Sourced from Bangladesh

Teatulia’s canisters of teas

Teatulia is named for the region in Northern Bangladesh where this company’s tea is grown. Their teas are simple, clean, delicious teas that does not have any additives since that region cannot afford to add chemicals to anything. (If you look at Teatulia’s YouTube video on their “About [...]

Bosie Tea Parlor – A Serene Oasis From Bleecker

Bosie’s sign & Interior

Bosie Tea Parlor is what I would consider a tea parlor/patisserie calm oasis from the busy, somewhat touristy area of Bleecker Street. This tea house is definitely a place for people like myself who appreciates excellent quality teas. (Surely, I think most of you readers know about my [...]