Kouign Amman at Dominique Ansel Bakery in NYC, New York

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Jodi and I went to Dominique Ansel Bakery after watching a segment on their Kouign Amman on the TV show Unique Sweets. The bakery, located in Soho, is heaven for anybody with a sweet tooth! Anyway, if you do not have a sweet tooth, they also have a lunch menu...

We went in the afternoon and we could clearly see that a lot of the cakes they made were already sold out! I was a bit disappointed because I was not only coming for the Kouign Amman, but also for the Paris-New York, a pastry that is a spin on a Paris-Brest (puff pastry with a hazelnut cream that I love - Dominique Ansel made it with peanut butter!).

Anyway, we came for their specialty: the Kouign Amman. So you probably wonder what this is! This is a cake from Bretagne, a region on the west coast of France, made with a croissant dough and layered with butter and sugar. If you eat it, do not tell your cardiologist because there is a lot of butter!

On the show, we got the impression that the Kouign Amman was small so we decided to order two of them...and a cake.

The Kouign Amman was divine! Buttery, flaky, airy with a bit of crunch from the sugar on the outer shell, sugar that caramelized for the most part. We literally inhaled it. I just wish they warm it up a bit as it seems it is the way to eat it. When I think that I had to come to New York to try it for the first time! It was expansive though: close to $6 a piece.

The cake we chose as the Paris-New York was sold out, was the religieuse. 

A religieuse is a traditional pasty made of two cream puff stuffed either with chocolate or vanilla custard, topped by a chocolate frosting. Dominique Ansel made it differently: no chocolate but rose flower cream. Although I enjoyed the part with the frosting, I did not really liked the rose flower cream. So it was not the best choice.

With that, we got a hot chocolate to drink, but I found it too bitter...

I will definitely have to go back to that place to try their other pastries and have another Kouign Amman. I bet that going in the morning, for breakfast, would be the best time to eat them warm! Sacrebleu!

Enjoy (I did)!

And remember: I just want to eat!

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Bouchon Bakery in New York City!

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Several people I know told me that I should go to Bouchon Bakery, located on the third floor of the Time Warner building at Columbus Circle. I went a first time to try their brioche and decided to go back! The place is pure madness, overcrowded by people trying to indulge on those delicate pastries and sandwiches that they sell.

So we went there on a Sunday, after a visit to the Moma. I decided to order again the brioche!

For sure, it is small. But so good! It is buttery, airy and has a hint of orange flower that balances the flavor. I loved it!

Jodi went for the chocolate chunk cookie.

Yes, I wrote chunk and not chip and clearly, at the first bite, you understand that they are very generous with the chocolate! This cookie is decadent ! Although there is tons of chocolate, it is not too sweet. The cookie itself was chewy on the inside and crunchy on the outside. Pure heaven! I would put it second after City Bakery!

I heard that their almond croissant is fantastic! Another reason to go back!

Enjoy (I did)!

And remember: I just want to eat!

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Vietnamese Food at Chapa's in NYC, New York

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We passed by ChaPa's Noodles and Grill, a Vietnamese eatery, several times and each time, this restaurant was packed. So we decided to give it a try. In fact, we gave it two tries! The first time we went and picked various dishes and then saw many people ordering their Pho (a Vietnamese dish consisting of broth,  rice noodles, herbs, and meat); so we decided to go another time to try the Pho.

So, the first time we went, we shared several plates.

The crispy calamari or Muc Chien Don:

I loved it: the calamari was not rubbery, the batter well cooked and very crispy, not greasy at all. The sweet chili sauce gave a nice Asian twist to this dish!

The veggie dumplings - steamed:

I liked these: the main problem I have usually with vegetable dumplings is that the shell can be very thick. These were perfect and very tasty!

The crab cakes:

It was made of crab meat seasoned with green onions, lemon and panko crumbs. The sauce on top was a spicy lemongrass mayonnaise. Although not the best crab cakes I ever had (lots of filler and not as much crab meat as I like), it was a nice Asian version of a crab cake and the lemongrass mayonnaise was a killer!

The Vietnamese Crispy Rolls (Chia Gao):

Inside the fried rice paper, were pork, taro, mushroom, carrots and glass noodles. Although a classic dish as opposed to most of the dishes we had so far, it was pretty good and tasty; the kind of dish that has a certain comfort into it...maybe from the frying part...

The Fried Tofu Mon Chinh:

This was my least favorite dish! The rice is on the left of the plate and looked like a thin net made of rice that was tasteless. I guess the idea is to make like a crepe with it, but I probably did not do it correctly...

Then we had the Pho: the vegetarian one.

And the meaty one called the Super Bowl:

Both came very, very hot! The Super Bowl had shrimp, squid, brisket, steak and beef balls. I enjoyed the seafood, although not that much and hated the meat: it was tough and the beef balls tasted like some processed meat (disgusting)! Both dishes were just ok and did not have the wow factor I was expecting! Even the broth was missing some depth. It was disappointing.

Last, for dessert, we ordered each time we went the black rice pudding:

Yes, you read well: we ordered it twice! It was so good! The black rice had a great chewy texture and with the coconut milk, it was to die for! Too bad they do not put enough milk on it!

So I have mixed feelings about this restaurant. We had some great dishes and some others not that great. Considering the number of Vietnamese restaurants in NYC, I am not sure, even after writing this review, that I would go back...Although the black rice pudding is fabulous!

Enjoy (I did)!

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Italian Doughnuts at Bomboloni in NYC, New York

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I think there is a misconception in Europe about doughnuts! Yes, There are always associated to the US, thanks to number of movies were you see people (shall I say mainly from the police force?), eating them. They have nothing unique in the sense that many countries have a similar treat, but a different name. You do not believe me? Check this out:

- The sugar twist is called chichi in South of France. I had quite a few when I was a kid...

- Germany has the Berliner.

- Italy has the Bomboloni!

If you are curious to try a Bomboloni, go to...Bomboloni on the Upper West Side! This joint offers these delicious filled doughnuts with plenty of mouth watering flavors: coconut, nutella, creme brulee, tiramisu, apricot, strawberry...

Jodi decided to order the coconut one:

I ordered the Nutella one!

The doughnut itself was nice and airy. The fillings were good, although I would have liked to taste more of the Nutella! I certainly appreciated the fact that this was not too sweet!

It is definitely a nice treat and the creativity they show with their fillings makes me want to try more flavors...

Enjoy (I did)!

And remember: I Just Want To Eat!

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Ethiopian food at Queen of Sheba in NYC, New York

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The first time I had Ethiopian food was at Meskerem, that is just few steps from Queen of Sheba! As I explained in my post on Meskerem, we decided to try after hearing my cousin Jessica talk about the wonderful experience she had in an Ethiopian restaurant in New Jersey. We were also excited to try as we followed Marcus Samuelson during his appearance on Top Chef Master, where he tried sometimes to showcase some Ethiopian flavors.

The name of the restaurant comes from a monarch of the ancient kingdom of Sheba that is referenced in various cultures, one of them being Ethiopian. The restaurant has a nice decoration with wooden chairs and traditional baskets for sharing.

So, if you do not like eat get your hands dirty, this is not the restaurant for you, although I am sure you can ask for a fork...But then you would miss the experience!

Jodi ordered the Sheba Vegetarian combination plate.

It was composed of:

• Misir Wot: split lentils stewed with onion, garlic and blend of mild ethiopian herbs.
• Ater Kik Alecha: split pea cooked in onion, garlic and olive oil, mild yellow dish with a touch of turmeric and subtle blend of herbs and spices. It reminded me of yellow dal in Indian cuisine.
•  Shiro: split peas milled together with a blend of berbere, herbs and onions, slow-cooked into a creamy dip.
•  Shimbra Asa: chick peas flour molded dumpling style sauteed and cooked in berbere sauce.
• Gomen Wot: finely chopped collard greens cooked in their own steam with mild seasonings and olive oil. This was pretty good and well cooked as the collard greens were not bitter at all.
• Atakilt Wot: fresh string beans and long cut carrot cooked in tomato sauce with our rich blend of seasonings. This was just ok for me: the veggies were undercooked.
• Cabbage Wot: cabbage, potato and carrot cooked with onion and garlic, with a touch of turmeric.

On my side, I ordered the Taste of Sheba combination dish.

It was composed of:

• Yebeg Wot: freshly made lamb stew.
• Yebeg Alicha: a mild stew of diced and on-the-bone lamb.
• Tibs Wot: dices of lean beef seared on hot skillet then slow cooked in a hot berbere stew.
• Menchet Abesh Wot: lean beef grounded and cooked in mild green pepper sauce, red wine and jalapeno and seasoned with ginger and garlic.
• Menchet Abesh Alecha: lean beef grounded and cooked in mild sauce and jalapeno and seasoned with ginger and garlic.
• Zilzil Tibs: beef marinated in awaze, olive oil, red wine and stir fried with onions.
• Gomen Besiga: marbled cuts of beef slow-cooked in a mild onions sauce with chopped collard greens. garlic and blend of alicha seasonings

The best was the Yebeg Wot. Otherwise, I found the meat to be tough. I even think that I preferred the vegetarian platter!!! Go figure!

All of this was of course served with Injera that you use as your utensil to eat. It was pretty good.

There was definitely lots of unusual flavors. I liked the experience, but I guess this is not the type of food I would crave, contrary to Indian for instance. 

Enjoy (I did)!

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Pierogis at Veselka in NYC, New York

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It has been a while I wanted to try Veselka, a restaurant located in the East Village, that serves Ukrainian cuisine. Interestingly, Veselka is located where it used to be Little Ukraine and you can still see some of its presence, between the Ukrainian Church, Ukrainian Museum or Ukrainian school!

The restaurant reminded me a bit of Katz's deli, probably because of the decor that appears similar to what it was when they opened in 1954 (not that I was there), as well as the large crowd waiting for a seat. We went there at 11:30am on a Saturday and it was already packed! Normal: people came for breakfast in this 24/7 joint. 

Although the menu offers traditional breakfast items such as pancakes, waffles or eggs, we decided to try typical Eastern cuisine dishes. We started off with soup. Jodi ordered a Matzo Ball soup.

I ordered the Borscht soup.

Soups are homemade and we ordered the small portions. I was imagining smaller portions to be honest! This was a nice size for $4.75! The matzo ball soup was very good: the matzo ball was soft and tasty and the chicken soup, that contained some real chicken, was delicious. 

The borscht was very good and you could definitely taste the beets that are used. It was served with sour cream that I dipped in the soup: fantastic!

We then wanted to try pierogis (dumplings). We picked cheese pierogis as well as potato pierogis. 

We decided to get both pierogis fried so they had a bit of crunch on the outside. 

Both dishes were served with homemade apple sauce and sour cream. The potato pierogis were also served with some delicious caramelized onions. I liked the pierogis, but definitely preferred the potato ones as the cheese ones were a bit bland, not because of the shell but because of the farmer's cheese they use, although there was some sweetness to it. I would have preferred a goat or swiss, but for sure, it would have nothing to do with Ukrainian authenticity...

In fact, I will retrieve the same farmer's cheese in the cheese blintze.

This was a disappointing dish as all I could taste was the cheese and the blintze itself was overpowered by it. Too bad!

So, although I did not like everything I ate, I will probably come back to Veselka to try some other dishes. I like the casual atmosphere and the very comforting food.

Enjoy (I did)!

And remember: I just want to eat!

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The best Banana Cream Pie ever - Redeye Gill in NYC, New York

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If you go to The Redeye Grill, it is not for their steaks or their seafood! Surprisingly, I would only go for one of the most delicious banana cream pie I ever had! Forget Billy's Bakery and just go to The Redeye Grill!!!

It is the third time I had this dessert and each time I was in heaven! Ok, I had steaks in the past and never tried their seafood. Except last week...When I went back for lunch. I like the decor of this restaurant that looks like a cafe and has a beautiful raw bar with an impressive selection of seafood: fish, shrimp, scallops, you name it! I started off with the Diver Scallops.

It was served with oyster mushrooms. The scallop (listen Gordon Ramsey!) was perfectly cooked with a nice sear on both sides. It had just enough salt on top and tasted fresh. The pairing with oyster mushrooms was fantastic and kind of elevated the dish.

Then, I chose the grass fed 8oz New York strip.

They dry age the meat for 28 days to tenderize it and accentuate the flavor. I asked for a medium rare temperature and got a medium to medium well one! As I had limited time, I could not ask for another one! The steak was dry for sure and I was really not impressed by it. It was served with French fries that were however very good! Note that the only sauce available besides ketchup is A1 steak sauce: they do not have other sauces like mayonnaise.

Then came the long awaited banana cream pie!!!

The piece they serve you is big! The crust is a graham cracker crust that was buttery and not too sweet at all. It was thick enough not to be lost in the overall dessert! They they have this heavenly creme patissiere that smothers the bananas and is topped by a probably homemade whipped cream. The first bite is an invitation to over indulge for sure! It is definitely freshly made and when eating it, you are not at all feeling a sugar rush. This is a hit!!!

I would probably go back to The Redeye Grill, skip the steaks (every time I went it was so so), order seafood and for sure eat that banana cream pie!!!

Enjoy (I did)!

And remember: I Just Want To Eat!

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Totto Ramen in NYC, New York

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Last year, I discovered ramen. So I was very excited to go to Totto Ramen, after the feasts I had at Momofuku Noodle Bar and Ippudo. Each time we passed in front of this joint, there was a big line, so we definitely wanted to try it! If there is a line, there must be a reason!

We arrived at 11:30am, knowing that they opened at 12pm; there were already few people waiting. What you have to do is put your name on a list and they will call you to sit you. The place is very tiny, so you have to be patient and pray that people will eat quickly and leave, and that you will not have in front of you a group of people who did not see each other for 10 years and are trying to catch up!!!

So we sat at the bar. I like that because we had a direct view on the kitchen and were able to see the cooks making noodles, bouncing them up and down to remove the excess of water, as you can see on the video below.

We started off with the Char Siu Bun.

It is a bun stuffed with braised pork belly (char Siu) and tartare sauce. This was so so: like eating a blob of fat with just a little bit of meat. 

Jodi ordered the vegetable ramen.

The presentation was phenomenal with all the colors. The dish was composed of a Konbu seaweed and shiitake mushroom based soup, with seasoned avocado, seasonal vegetables, Yuzu paste, sesame oil, salted kelp and lime. First of all, the avocado had a weird taste and the overall dish did not have a balanced taste, more like a potpourri in a soup (for a nice breath all afternoon?).

I ordered the Totto Chicken Paitan Ramen.

The dish is a chicken based broth with chicken, scallion, onion, char siu pork, and a nori. Jodi and I added a soft boiled egg to our ramen. I was very disappointed by my dish: the chicken was tough and bland and the soup tasted just like a chicken soup without any additional flavor that would make it different from a...matzoh ball soup!!! I guess the only thing I liked was the egg that was perfectly cooked, a bit soft with a runny yolk.

So, this was disappointing: I was expecting a festival of flavors, similar to our experience at Momofuku or Ippudo. So I will pass next time as it is not worth the wait for me!

Enjoy (the post)!

And remember: I just want to Eat!

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Bibimbap at Miss Korea BBQ in NYC, New York

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In our quest for the best Bibimbap, this fantastic Korean rice bowl dish, we decided to go to Miss Korea BBQ in Korea Town.

When we arrived in the restaurant, we were asked if we would consume alcohol. As we said no, we were sent upstairs, on the third floor (probably because their second location did not have a liquor license and they wanted to preserve the main one to their customers who would order some). They told us that this was the same menu and same cuisine. As the elevator was out of order and we proceeded to take the stairs. This was like going to a hidden and secret place, in these dark staircases (ok, maybe I saw too many James Bond). 

So here we are in the restaurant on the third floor! I do not know if the one downstairs has the same decor, but this one was modern.

Once we ordered our food, they brought us the banchan, these little plates that usually start a Korean meal. These dishes were not that great I have to say! The only thing I liked was the turnip and the fish skin. Otherwise, they had some fish that had a very strong taste and the kimchi was replaced by a bok choy salad that I did not really like.

They also brought us a soup made with a beef stock base (it was the special soup of the day apparently). The soup was just fine. Anyway, we were there for the bibimbap, so I did not mind not loving it!

For Bibimbap, they have a vegetarian one that is cold or a selection of hot ones, made with tofu & mushroom, beef, chicken, pork or seafood.

Jodi went for the tofu & Mushrooms. She asked for a raw egg also.

On my side, I asked for the kimchi and Bulgogi (marinated beef).

Although I appreciated the taste of the beef, the main problem was that they added seaweed to the bibimbap, giving a fishy taste to the dish. Without it, it would have been decent...
The mushroom and tofu bibimbap was a bit bland and definitely, after having tried some homemade tofu at Cho Dang Gol in NYC, it is difficult to appreciate store bought tofu!

So, definitely, Miss Korea BBQ is not the best bibimbap place we were looking for...I guess the quest continues!

Enjoy (no comment)!

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