March 2014 | I just want 2 eat

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Hogar Dulce Hogar, a Basque Bakery in Soho

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Please note that the meal was complimentary. However, the opinions expressed in my blog are 100% my own!

image of Hogar Dulce Hogar, a Basque Bakery in Soho

Last Sunday, I got invited for a review of Hogar Dulce Hogar, a Basque Bakery that opened two and a half weeks ago. It is always exciting to go to a place that just opened, although you never know if you will have a good experience, the kitchen or staff needing sometimes some adjustments at the beginning.

Located in Soho, this place is the sister restaurant of Hogar Dulce Hogar in San Sebastian, Spain, an area thriving with fantastic food and a culinary culture that made it the city with the most Michelin stars per square meter in the world! 
image of Hogar Dulce Hogar, a Basque Bakery in Soho

So, we arrived at the restaurant a little after noon. Of course, we could not miss the sign outside, that did not get fully register to me, probably because I was too busy taking photos. I opened the door and the second thing I saw were...blankets!
image of blankets at Hogar Dulce Hogar, a Basque Bakery in Soho

And behind them, a little space with a couch that was like a living room, minus the TV.
image of living room at Hogar Dulce Hogar, a Basque Bakery in Soho

Looking up was a screen where movies were playing and an incredible suspended garden all along the wall, going to the ceiling. At that point, you wonder in which world you just entered, but know that this is going to be different.
image of suspended garden at Hogar Dulce Hogar, a Basque Bakery in Soho

We met with the manager Gonzalo who introduced us to Miguel Blanco, who came with the concept and took care of us, explaining to us not only the food, but also the kind of experience he wanted to give to his customers. So, we were wondering about the couch area? They wanted to make it like an extension of a living room. The blankets? It is just in case you get cold. How thoughtful. The general idea is to make you feel cozy and at home. Normal, considering that Hogar Dulce Hogar means Home Sweet Home in Spanish. 
image of books and ipad at Hogar Dulce Hogar, a Basque Bakery in Soho

So you can just go there and, besides eating and drinking, read or surf the internet with the iPads they provide (they also have a free wifi). You can also go in the back in a little space covered with a chalk board and draw:
image of chalk board at Hogar Dulce Hogar, a Basque Bakery in Soho

Or use some of the chalk and small chalk board signs located on each tables.
image of chalk board at Hogar Dulce Hogar, a Basque Bakery in Soho

There are plenty of little details all over the restaurant that surely make this place unique, such as the mint plant on the coffee table:
image of mint plant at Hogar Dulce Hogar, a Basque Bakery in Soho

or the plants on each table:
image of tables at Hogar Dulce Hogar, a Basque Bakery in Soho

The screen is also interesting: in the morning, they project videos showing what is happening in the kitchen that is located upstairs. Later, the video will change based on various criteria. For instance, in the winter, you may see a video of beaches or dogs with their head outside the window of a car. In the Summer, when it is hot, mountains.
image of kitchen at Hogar Dulce Hogar, a Basque Bakery in Soho

Every detail is there to make you think about happy things, why not vacations when seeing the surf boards hanged against one of the walls or reading some positive saying such as the one at the entrance (today is good day to smile).

Food wise, they make everything on site, but know that it is not a pure bakery: they also serve lunch, brunch or dinner. We got sweets, but definitely, their savory dishes look yummy, like the toast with Iberico ham or one of their best sellers: the apple and bacon burger. They also serve a 50-second fresh squeezed orange juice. The idea behind it is that the vitamins in the juice will start to fade after the first 50 seconds because of the contact with the oxygen, so they commit to bring it to you...in 50 seconds.
image of espresso and bombon at Hogar Dulce Hogar, a Basque Bakery in Soho

So, we started off with beverages. Being a coffee drinker, I was curious about their choices. Miguel explained that their coffee is a blend of 6 different beans from countries like Indonesia or Ethiopia that they roast for 12 minutes, instead of 14 minutes, in order to obtain a sweeter and less bitter taste. They then ship it from San Sebastian, close to 4,000 miles away. You can get an espresso or a latte, but they also propose some interesting creations, such as the bombon that is made with dulce de leche, or the café Magdalena aka Muff’nJoe, made with a muffin!
image of café Magdalena aka Muff’nJoe at Hogar Dulce Hogar, a Basque Bakery in Soho

I decided to try the café donut or DoughJoe, that is coffee and a donut put in a blender. Don't worry: it does not taste like baby food, but like a very creamy coffee, not too sweet and with a slight coffee taste.
image of hot chocolate at Hogar Dulce Hogar, a Basque Bakery in Soho

Jodi went for the hot chocolate. Ok, this is not your regular hot chocolate. Let's zoom a bit so you can understand:
image of hot chocolate at Hogar Dulce Hogar, a Basque Bakery in Soho

A little more detail:
image of hot chocolate at Hogar Dulce Hogar, a Basque Bakery in Soho

As you can see, it is a very thick hot chocolate, closer to a pot de crème rather than a regular hot chocolate. Miguel warned us and said that it was so thick that a spoon would stand on its own. So we did the test...
image of hot chocolate at Hogar Dulce Hogar, a Basque Bakery in Soho

And it stood on its own, right like Miguel said. It was very chocolate-y and a bit sweet, but still addictive. 

Then, the first pastry we tried was torrija, a Spanish specialty close to a French toast (another best seller).
image of torrija or Spanish French toast at Hogar Dulce Hogar, a Basque Bakery in Soho

Instead of using some old bread, they use a brioche that they dip in milk and orange, then dip in eggs and fry. It is then put in powdered sugar and cinnamon, the sugar melting as the bread is hot. 
image of torrija or Spanish French toast at Hogar Dulce Hogar, a Basque Bakery in Soho

It was delicious and definitely reminded me of the pain perdu we use to make at home when I was a kid.

We then tried the amonna cake (grandma's cake):
image of Grandma's cake at Hogar Dulce Hogar, a Basque Bakery in Soho

Think about it as a sweet version of a quiche.
image of Grandma's cake at Hogar Dulce Hogar, a Basque Bakery in Soho

This was sublime and my favorite: I could not stop eating it! The inside, simply made with cream, eggs and sugar, was sweet, but not too much. The crust was crumbly, adding a bit of texture to a pastry that I surely recommend.

We then tried the Santiago Almond Cake:
image of Santiago Almond cake at Hogar Dulce Hogar, a Basque Bakery in Soho

I thought it was like the almond cakes you find in any other bakeries, but I was mistaken. 
image of Santiago Almond cake at Hogar Dulce Hogar, a Basque Bakery in Soho

There was no crust. It was pure almond, like a concentrated version of marzipan. Not too sweet and definitely a great pastry if you love marzipan.

image of glass of water at Hogar Dulce Hogar, a Basque Bakery in Sohoimage of bottle of water at Hogar Dulce Hogar, a Basque Bakery in Soho

After that, we tried their gelato that are also homemade and made with high quality ingredients.
image of gelato at Hogar Dulce Hogar, a Basque Bakery in Soho

We tried the following:

  • Quark (dairy product) with honey and walnuts. It tasted like a frozen yogurt gelato.
  • Dark chocolate (definitely for the chocolate lovers).
  • Green apple.
  • Hazelnut.
  • Super lemon.
My favorite was the hazelnut one as this is one of my favorite flavors with praline for ice cream, but I admit that I was pleasantly surprised by the green apple and lemon one, fruity flavors being more associated for me to sherbet rather than gelato.
image of Hogar Dulce Hogar, a Basque Bakery in Soho

I really liked what we ate at Hogar Dulce Hogar and had a good time talking to Miguel who was definitely passionate about his business, placing quality and hospitality above everything, so people feel like home, in a place that has some character. I cannot wait to go back there to try their savory dishes and get some more pastries.

image of dog treats at Hogar Dulce Hogar, a Basque Bakery in Soho

And do not feel bad leaving your dog outside while you enjoy your meal or treat inside: they have a spot created specifically for them, where they can enjoy some fresh water and dog treats. If these are as good as what we got, maybe I should bring some home for a snack!

Enjoy (I did)!

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Restaurant Information

* Restaurant Name
Hogar Dulce Hogar
* Overall
★★★☆☆
* Neighborhood / Cuisine
SoHo / Spanish
* Street Address
341 West Broadway, New York, NY 10013
* Phone
(917) 510-7351
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Saturday, March 29, 2014

Brunch at Momofuku Ssam Bar in the East Village

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image of Momofuku Ssam Bar in the East Village

I had Momofuky Ssam Bar on my wish list for a while, being a fan of other Momofuku's locations and of their creator, David Chang. Problem is that they do not have that many vegetarian dishes, catering more to meat lovers, especially pork or duck, the later being another reason I wanted to go there, my love for this bird being incommensurable. 
image of Chopsticks at Momofuku Ssam Bar in the East Village

We decided to go on a Saturday for lunch, early enough to get a table as they only take reservation for large group and specific menus served for three people or more, like the  bo ssäm pork shoulder (serves 6-10 people), the whole-rotisserie duck (serves 3-6 people), or the dry aged ribeye (serves 3-6 people).
image of Dining room at Momofuku Ssam Bar in the East Village

When we arrived, luckily, there were not that many people in this zen and modern restaurant. Twenty minutes after, it was full of people coming to try their menu made of small plates, perfect for sharing, as well as large ones.
image of Kitchen at Momofuku Ssam Bar in the East Village

They sat us in front of the kitchen that is located in the back of the restaurant. It was definitely busy over there, the dishes leaving the kitchen at an incredible pace. Surprisingly, our first plates came within few minutes. The first one was the steamed pork buns, one of the signature dishes of Momofuku Noodle Bar and this place.
image of Steamed Pork Buns at Momofuku Ssam Bar in the East Village

These buns, made with pork belly, hoisin, cucumbers, scallions were succulent, the cucumber giving a nice crunch, the pork belly being tasty and heavenly fatty and the hoisin sauce giving a fantastic sweetness. Definitely a dish I recommend.

The second dish was the kimchi deviled eggs.

image of Kimchi Deviled eggs at Momofuku Ssam Bar in the East Village

Kimchi is fermented Korean side dish made of vegetables (the most common being cabbage) with a variety of seasonings. Mixing it with the mayo and egg yolk is genius! It was not spicy as I expected and you could taste bits of kimchi that added a bit of texture to the dish. 

Then, we shared the edwards ham and egg sandwich:
image of Ham and egg sandwich at Momofuku Ssam Bar in the East Village

It was a nice take on a classic ham end egg sandwich, made with a delicious biscuit (I could eat these with just some butter and honey), a sunny side egg and a red-eye gravy (no idea how they made it, but it was very good). It was served with chicharron that is fried pork skin.
image of chicharron at Momofuku Ssam Bar in the East Village

This is another recommended dish.

The last dish was grilled duck hearts served with red cabbage, sunny side egg and toast.
image of grilled duck hearts at Momofuku Ssam Bar in the East Village

The presentation looked very appetizing and a bit surprising as I thought that they would just serve it on a piece of toast rather than breaking the bread into pieces. What I did was to pierce the yolk so it dripped in the bottom of the plate and soaked the bread.
image of grilled duck hearts at Momofuku Ssam Bar in the East Village

I really liked the dish, the duck hearts not being chewy and having a nice grilled taste and the cabbage adding some crunch and texture. I thought that this was a better dish than the duck hearts dish I had at Craftbar last year. 

We had a great brunch at Momofuku Ssam Bar. Not surprisingly, the food was original, elaborate and delicious. The only negative is the very limited vegetarian dishes, but I am sure that if you ask they can accommodate you.

Enjoy (I did)!

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Thursday, March 27, 2014

Brunch at Tartinery in Nolita, NYC, New York

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image of Tartinery in Nolita, NYC, New York


We were looking for a place to get some brunch with our friends Jen and Gary and ended up at Tartinery in Nolita. I was expecting a small bistro, but when we arrived, we discovered a fairly modern place that seems to cater to a younger crowd rather than families.
image of Tartinery in Nolita, NYC, New York

Although, there is a bit of nostalgia as can attest the black and white photos on the walls (Jimi Hendrix, Serge Gainsbourg, a popular and scandalous French singer on top of his career between 1970 to 1991 when he passed away - check his interaction with Whitney Houston on Youtube...).

There are two main sections: upstairs, next to the bar, where couple of tables are lined up.
image of Tartinery in Nolita, NYC, New York

And downstairs, a more spectacular room with huge ceilings and wine bottles sitting in enclosures several feet from the floor, only accessible using the iron ladder.
image of Tartinery in Nolita, NYC, New York

The restaurant describes itself as a contemporary bistro: I would agree, although it can give the impression of dining in a dungeon!

image of Tartinery in Nolita, NYC, New Yorkimage of Tartinery in Nolita, NYC, New York

Well, as you probably know, restaurants assign a number to their tables; at Tartinery, they paint the number on the tables themselves...so there is no confusion...

image of Tartinery in Nolita, NYC, New York

Let's talk about the menu: the main concept is a tartine, a French term for a slice of bread with a spread on top. At Tartinery, it is simply a whole meal served on a piece of rustic bread. Imagine a buschetta but with limitless choices on top of the bread. There, you can pick three different breads: country peasant and health multigrain from Eli's bakery or rustic sourdough from Poilane bakery in Paris.

Before we started our meal, we ordered some beverages. Gary went for a beer from Corsica called Pietra.
image of Pietra beer from Corsica at Tartinery in Nolita, NYC, New York

I went for a fresh squeezed juice, the Delicious Trio, made with apple, pineapple and orange:
image of Delicious trio fresh squeeze juice at Tartinery in Nolita, NYC, New York

This was very good, the taste of each fruit still standing on it's own.
image of Delicious trio fresh squeeze juice at Tartinery in Nolita, NYC, New York

But an espresso was also welcome.
image of espresso at Tartinery in Nolita, NYC, New York

Anyway, before we ordered our tartines, there was one dish that caught my eye: Ravioles De Royans. Ravioles are little ravioli filled with cheese that you find in the Dauphiné province. It is sold in supermarkets, usually in sheets of 48 ravioles (left), and are cooked like pasta (right).

image of ravioles in Franceimage of ravioles in France

They can be eaten simply with a cheese sauce (Crème fraîche and roquefort is succulent), in gratin or even on pizza (all photos from my last trip to France - and yes, I take photos of everything I eat)!
image of pizza with ravioles in France

At Tartinery, they made the ravioles with some cream and truffle oil.

image of ravioles de Royans at Tartinery in Nolita, NYC, New York

This was small and it is unfortunate because I would have eaten it on my own. It was so good, so creamy, with just a hint of truffle scent.
image of ravioles de Royans at Tartinery in Nolita, NYC, New York

If you go to Tartinery, you cannot miss this dish!

Then, we had our tartines. Jodi ordered the Saint Marcellin:
image of Saint Marcelin tartine at Tartinery in Nolita, NYC, New York

 It was composed of Saint Marcellin cheese, prosciutto, arugula and olive oil.
image of Saint Marcelin tartine at Tartinery in Nolita, NYC, New York

It looked good, but was a total miss: not enough cheese and the prosciutto was very, very, very salty.

Jen and I each ordered the Croque Monsieur:
image of Croque Monsieur at Tartinery in Nolita, NYC, New York

It was made of cooked ham chiffonade, gruyere cheese and béchamel sauce. 
image of Croque Monsieur at Tartinery in Nolita, NYC, New York

This was another miss: dry probably because not enough béchamel sauce and very salty. 

Gary seemed to have a better chance with the Benedict tartine.
image of Benedict tartine at Tartinery in Nolita, NYC, New York

I was so disappointed when I left: not only I did not like the food, but I thought it was overpriced. This is unfortunate because this is a great concept. At least I got the delicious ravioles...

Enjoy (...)!

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