Treat House in New York, NY

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In Europe, we do not know Rice Krispies treats; we know the Kellogg's cereals, but it stopped there. I tried them for the first time when Jodi made them for me and loved it, although very sweet and sticky to the fingers and teeth. But I guess it is what is fun about these treats!

So, we saw The Treat House in an episode of Serious Sweets and decided to add it to our wish list. Few months later, here we are, on the Upper West Side, in front of the store, ready to indulge with these decadent cubes. The size of it is perfect so you can try several.

The owners, Chris and Jennifer Russel, Wendy Israel (Pastry Chef), and Michael Trenk, decided to partner with The Food Bank of New York, giving 10 cents from each treat sale and a dollar from each T-shirt sale. So you indulge and give back to the community at the same time.

We decided to get our treats and eat them there, in the small area in the back of the store. We chose four treats:

Caramel and sea salt:

Pina colada:

Chocolate Hazelnut:

S'mores:

These treats were delicious: gooey, delightfully sweet, dense and packed in flavor.

My favorite was the pina colada that had this delicious pineapple and coconut taste, then the salty caramel and the S'mores. I was a bit disappointed with the chocolate hazelnut one, probably because I thought I would find the same taste as Nutella. But overall, these treats are the perfect guilty pleasure for adults and children. Good job Treat House!

Enjoy (I did)!

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Tordesilhas in Sao Paulo, Brazil

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Interesting name Tordesilhas: little I knew that it was the name of a city in Spain where a treaty was signed in 1494, dividing the lands newly discovered outside Europe, between Portugal and Spain along a meridian, giving birth in a sense to what is known today as Brazil.

Opened 23 years ago, this is one of the most popular restaurants in Sao Paulo, with an incredible menu crafted by Chef Mara Salles that I met there, serving regional dishes with an elegant flair. 

Inside, it felt like going to somebody's home.

Of course, one cannot miss the bar area where they prepare cocktails, especially caipirinha!

And I got one...

They really have a large menu and it was a bit tough to pick a dish. If I could, I would have ordered everything on the menu, from meat to seafood. But alas, I had to make a choice. We asked people next to us for some recommendations and that it how I ended up with Abadejo ao Molho de Moqueca, Caruru, Acaçá e Farofa de Dendê:

It was Abadejo (haddock) in Moqueca Sauce, Caruru (dish from Bahia prepared with okra, peanuts and dried shrimp), Acaçá (a kind of rice cake originally from Africa and common in Bahia) and Dendê Oil ‘Farofa’ (mix of manioc flour with other ingredients).

This was a delicious dish, packed in flavors, especially the moqueca sauce and the caruru. The fish was delightfully moist and perfectly cooked. I could make each bite different by combining each of the components together, giving to this dish a playful side.

To spice up the dish, they gave us some chilies, but I have to admit that it quickly put my mouth on fire!

For dessert, I picked the Manezinho Araújo:

It was vanilla cream and caramelized banana topped with a golden meringue.

Although the meringue was very sweet, I had to finish that sublime dessert: sweet, perhaps, but delicious with interesting layers and textures. I definitely recommend it.

The dinner at Tordesilhas was succulent and I am glad that I got to meet with Chef Mara Salles who proposes a wonderful experience to her diners, a culinary trip to the different regions of Brazil whose cuisine is unfortunately not popular enough abroad. Obrigado!

Tordesilhas

Al. Tietê, 489 

Sao Paulo - Brazil

Enjoy (I did)!

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Feijoada at Bolinha in Sao Paulo, Brazil

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Feijoada is Brazil's national dish, so I could not be in that country and miss an opportunity to try it. This specialty is made of black beans (feijoa in Portuguese), meat, manioc, collar greens (cove) and oranges. It is like a Brazilian cassoulet, but cheaper as the meat are the remains of the animal: ears or tail for instance. 

There are different versions on the origin of the feijoada: some say that it was a dish created by slaves, their master only giving them the remains of the pig that they did not want to eat and allowing them to go grab so fruits to accompanied their meal. Other say that it was a traditional meal at the time of the Roman Empire, that was composed of various types of meat and vegetables. Later on, several versions of the dish popped up: the “Cozido” in Portugal, “Casoeula” in Italy or “Cassoulet” in France. When the Portuguese arrived in Brazil, the cozido was adapted to local flavors by using black beans.

So here we are, at Bolinha, a well known restaurant in Sao Paulo. It is a huge place for sure as the dining room in the back can attest.

They first brought us some bread, that included these famous Portuguese cheese rolls, as well as some potato croquettes:

Yuca fries and chicharron (fried pork rinds):

They also brought us a sort of black bean soup that was delicious:

We then got ready for the feijoada. At first, they brought us some chorizo and pork chop:

Then some collard greens:

Some rice:

Some oranges (apparently good for the digestion):

The manioc:

And then the black beans and meat:

It came extremely hot and we simply mixed the ingredients together. 

I liked it: hearty, comforting and surely on the heavy side, as a cassoulet can be necessitating a walk or a nap after (maybe both, but not at the same time). 

If you are in Sao Paulo, you may want to go to Bolinha for a good feijoada. In New York, SOBs is definitely your spot for it (check out my review of SOBs here).

Bolinha

Avenida Cidade Jardim, 53 - Jardins

São Paulo - SP.

http://www.bolinha.com.br/ingles/

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Restaurant Week: Le Périgord in New York, NY

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One of the first things I do for Restaurant Week, before looking for the menu, is to look for the cost. Opentable has this $ sign that goes from $ to $$$$, the latter meaning expensive. So I decided to apply a filter and picked Le Périgord, a French restaurant located Midtown East, that has been on my list for a while now. 

Périgord is a region in the South-West of France, known for its cuisine often made of duck or goose, such as confit or foie gras. Well, Interestingly, the family who started the restaurant are not from there! George Briguet, who opened the restaurant in 1964 is from Switzerland and his wife, Marie‑Thérèse, that I met after our meal, from Brittany. 

This is an old school place: fresh flowers on the table, white table clothes and upholstery on the walls that transported us back in time.

Menu wise, they only brought us the Restaurant Week menu and I wondered at that time if it was some kind of profiling, restaurant bringing usually the regular menu as well as this one...

They first brought us some bread

And butter.

I admit that I was disappointed with the bread: it is a French restaurant bon sang! I mean serve a good baguette, not a bread that seem to have been store bought and is not what you would expect for this type of restaurant.

For her entrée, Jodi ordered the salade mélangée that is baby mixed green salad and goat cheese.

On my side, I got the pâté du Chef:

It was served with ratatouille

And celery remoulade.

This was a really good appetizer: the pâté was delicious, as were the ratatouille and celery remoulade. I was please to have a dish composed of three classics, instead of just having the pâté with bread (and you know what I thought about the bread).

For her entrée, Jodi ordered the salmon. It was cooked with a lemon saffron sauce and served with vegetables.

I did not like it, the salmon having a fishy taste. However, my dish was divine: it was the veal kidneys with mustard sauce.

I was in heaven! The kidneys were perfectly cooked, smothered in a delicious sauce. I realize, writing this, that it sounds creepy, but no, this is not an episode of Hannibal, although sometimes Jodi calls me Dr Lecter, because of my love for creepy meats. The dish was served with a nice risotto, that is a change, as I usually see potatoes served.

For dessert, Jodi ordered the ile flottante or floating island, a classic French dessert made with egg whites and crème Anglaise.

On my side, I went for the chocolate mousse with Grand Marnier.

Both dessert were a bit disappointing, lacking some "oumf" that would make them memorable or at least delicious.

Jodi was not as lucky as I was for her meal at Le Périgord. I am glad, at least, that I tried it during restaurant week, as I was always curious about that place; but it did not entice me to go back, the restaurant missing the charm that would attract a young crowd hungry for French cuisine.

Enjoy (...)!

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