Pichet Ong’s New ‘Spot’

 If you werent looking for Pichet Ong’s latest venture ‘Spot‘, you might not find it. Nestled in what looks like a basement at first glance is a dessert bar whose products are a mix between Asian street food and American Comfort. Upon entering the cafe, I immediately fell in love with the faux grass on the floor. Ong tries to replicate a barn with his grass floor, raw wood furniture, and stone accents. Its really cute and kinda comfy too.

Onto the desserts, the wide array of sweets at this joint made deciding difficult: cupcakes, cookies, puddings, ice cream, bubble tea, coffee floats, and even dessert tapas. I decided to go with the cupcakes and a Thai milk coffee since I was in a semi-hurry and wanted a treat I could eat on the train.

Here’s the taste rundown:

Mocha Maldon Salt Caramel cupcake has mocha buttercream, salt caramel middle, and a moist chocolate cake base. This cupcake was a delicious salty/sweet mix with a hint of slightly bitter mocha. The frosting itself isnt really super out-of-the-ordinary BUT it did have edible glitter ontop of it: HUGE PLUS. Verdict: enjoyed this one quite a bit!

Chocolate Green Tea Fruit Jam cupcake has an apricot jam, soft green tea icing, and again a moist chocolate cake base. This frosting was much different in consistancy than the Mocha cupcake. It was softer, smoother, and much more interesting plus it had the same edible glitter ontop. The fruit jam paired wonderfully with the hints of green tea and chocolate. Verdict: He’s got himself a winner here! Possibly Ongs best cupcake.

Vanilla Caramel Vietnamese Coffee cupcake has a coffee-ish type buttercream frosting with a salty caramel liquid middle and a moist vanilla cake base. This is a great cupcake for those of you who like vanilla since the actual cake is so delicious. My only problem is that is tasted very much like the Mocha Maldon Salt cupcake. I think they are the same cupcake with different cake bases - which is fine with me, just change their names. I was expecting a real punch of Vietnamese coffee in this one and was sorely disappointed. Verdict: Very good, but probably wont be back for this one.

My only real issue was with the container holding the Thai Milk Coffee. Out of the few sips I was able to get while walking to the train station, the coffee was very good.  But by the time I got off of the train and to my final destination half the cup had leaked out and all over my bag! Ugh!! I couldnt even pinpoint where the coffee leak was coming from! I threw out the rest out of  anger. If you are getting coffee at Spot - get it to stay. Or if you dont mind getting coffee all over yourself and your clothes  then by all means get it to go.

A Tale of Two Cupcakes

For starters I have to admit, I hardly ever go out for cupcakes anymore. Why? Mostly because I have been so utterly disappointed with the dry/tasteless/sugary loads of crap most people consider good. I’ve had many of the NYC standards: Magnolia’s (the frosting is crap), Cupcake Cafe (the cake is dry), Crumbs (they are too big and are overloaded with too many ‘toppings’), Buttercup Bake Shop (too sweet and always slightly stale).  After awhile, I just stopped attempting to enjoy cupcakes made by other people…until last week.

Don’t ask me why but whilst Christmas shopping I had the urge to take another stab at cupcakes so I decided to hit up 2 spots: Butter Laneand Tribeca Treats. Why these places? They were close to my shopping destinations. Here’s my review on both establishments:

Butter Lane- I walked into their temporary Soho outpost and was immediately hopeful. The atmosphere was simple yet homey. Also the cupcakes didnt look covered in goop/sprinkles but still had interesting flavors like pumpkin and blueberry. I purchased a pumpkin frosting/chocolate cake  to go and began consuming as I walked out the door. I was pleasantly surprised. I mean, they werent mind blowing but they weren’t awful. The frosting was soft but was still substantial and the cake was moist. The drawback, I didnt taste pumpkin AT ALL. I dont know where the pumpkin was or how they tried to infuse the festive flavor into the frosting but it didnt work. Boo. It wasn’t a total loss but was certainly not a win. Onto the next cupcake…

Tribeca Treats- I had avoided this place for years because my sister had insisted that it was a horrible with gross

treats/bad service and I took her word for it. The atmosphere was typically bakery-esk: a few tables, chocolate pictures on the walls, window cases filled with chocolates and baked goods, etc. Maybe it was because I went about 40 minutes before closing, but they did not have too many cupcakes to chose from which started to worry me. I decided to go with the S’more cupcake because it had everything I would want: chocolate cake with marshmallow icing and topped with graham cracker crumbs. Once again, I started consuming as soon as I stepped out the door. After the 2nd bite I knew I had found it: the cupcake of my dreams. The frosting was soft, billowy, and sweet without being cloying. The cake was moist, delicous, and fresh. The graham cracker crumbs ontop of the frosting werent stale or hard, they were soft and buttery. Better yet? Everything tasted as advertised!!  It actually TASTED like a s’mores instead of just sugary glop. I immediately called my sister while she was at work to yell at her for giving me such bad advice.

In summation: if you’re in the Financial District or Tribeca and are looking for a sweet snack - stop on into Tribeca Treats and get yourself something…no matter what your sister may tell you.

Double Crown

Double Crown has an interesting theme. It explores the culinary dualities of Indian and Southeast Asia after the the British Empire’s influence. What could that possibly mean you ask? Well it means Bowery’s got a hip new spot (relatively new) that features Bangers and Mash, Butternut Squash Curry and Braised Pork Belly with Ginger-Lychee dressing. Confused? Dont be - Brad Farmerie (thats right the one currently on The Next Iron Chef) executes it well.

We started the meal with the spicy pork stuffed lychees. These were delicious  - I highly recommend ordering them even if you’re going in just to have a beer or two. The sit in a light coconut sauce and hit all the major tastebud flavors: salty, sweet, spicy, and a light sour. Keep in mind, they only come 3 in a plate so if you’re in a group order at least 2 or 3 plates. They will FLY!

Then we got the entrees: Twice Cooked Chicken, Bangers and Mash with WOW WOW sauce, and the Butternut Squash Curry. The Twice Cooked Chicken was so incredibly moist - I mean incredibly. I didn’t have to use a knife at all for my entire meal. Granted, the broth was a bit watery but the chicken itself was flavorful and in the end I guess thats what counts. The Bangers and Mash was very vinegary due to the wow wow sauce, which I happen to like but some people might not. The bangers were also a bit dry (emphasis on ‘bit’). The Butternut Squash Curry was a great vegetarian entree, meaty consistency, flavorful, and filling. All in all - the entrees were solid - especially the chicken. In terms of

Twice Cooked Chicken

side dishes we ordered the brussel sprouts and the pickled cucumbers. Both were great choices. The brussel sprouts were a little more charred than I usually like them but the flavor - OH the flavor - was excellant. Spicy and slightly sweet with that delicious mini-cabbage taste I’ve grown to love over the years. The pickled cucumbers with yogurt sauce were an excellant contrast considering most dishes had an element of heat.

Now its time to discuss the desserts. We chose 2: the panna cotta with goat milk ice cream and the hot fudge brownie sundae with shitaki ice cream. The panna cotta was delightful but I had a problem with the hot fudge sundae..mostly because it WASN’T HOT! DO YOU HEAR ME DOUBLE CROWN? I’m sorry, a cold brownie and cold chocolate sauce do not a hot fudge sundae make. Its ice cream with chocolate sauce at that point..which is ok…just don’t call it a hot fudge sundae. So when you visit Double Crown make sure you DON’T order the sundae.

In summation the dinner was a delight. The flavors weren’t quite Indian, or Southeast Asian, or British - which is exactly why I enjoyed it. If you are in the area make sure you go AND don’t forget the awesome gin joint next door. You have to go through a ‘hidden’ door in the back of the restaurant (pretty koooooool) and then you can enjoy the latest cocktail to enthrall NYC: gin and jam. Housemade jams, served in a little teaspoon alongside gin and lemon over crushed ice.

316 Bowery
New York, NY 10012
(212) 254-0350

http://www.doublecrown-nyc.com/

Aquagrill

I love oysters. They are briny, salty, and silky. Mmmmmm - even better? 6 oysters are about 1 point on Weight Watchers. I’ll repeat that because its worth repeating: this means a dozen oysters are only 2 points. Luxurious and diet worthy.

Aquagrill boasts an extensive oyster menu so I went there for brunch one day. The critics were right - the oysters are wonderful and they have over 25-30 different types to choose from on any given day. One day I plan on getting the $70 one-of-every-kind platter just because I need an excuse to have 3 dozen oysters to myself. Since I didnt have the cash to fulfill this dream, I decided to stick with a mix of blue point and malpeque oysters and they were amazing.

Next comes the actual food (although I could have easily dined on oysters alone if I had the cash), I had the warm chicken salad with artichokes, bacon, and a roasted potatoes. Sounds delicious right? It was good - but I have to admit I was expecting a chicken breast…not fatty chicken thighs. In my opinion, thighs have their place on a menu and it generally isnt in a leafy salad. That kind turned me off to the whole plate. Also, my husband got the shrimp fettucine with pesto. The shrimp was cooked well but there was no pesto; it was chopped basil. Fehh..

Verdict: come here for the warm complimentary scones/muffins and the oysters. Skip the rest.

Top Chocolate Shops

I spent many years walking around the streets of Manhattan looking for a new chocolate shop. Searching for new flavors and concoctions, hoping that amongst the mediocre chocolate factories I would find gems. Indeed I did find some divine chocolate shops and now I can share my findings with the world!

1 - Jacques Torres

There is something so delightful about the combination of chocolate and chiles. Spicy and sweet at the same time - its definitely addicting. A lot of chocolate shops/cafes make spicy hot chocolate but Jacques makes just about the best one I’ve had. Its thick and creamy without being overly sweet - its also doesnt have just cinnamon and chiles in it. The Wicked Hot Chocolate Try the Wicked Hot Chocolate features allspice, cinnamon, ground, sweet ancho chili peppers, and smoked, ground chipotle chili peppers!   Their french kiss cookies are so sinful - I can’t resist. Also, Jacques still mans his stores - I’ve seen him in them working solo. Man that guys got class….

 

2 - Vosges Haut Chocolat

If you are really into exotic flavors - you are going to love Vosges. Katrina Markoff pairs chocolate with just about everyone and gets wonderful results. Boring chocolate combinations are a thing of the past with her Exotic Truffle Boxes. The Absinthe truffle shines with chinese star anise, fennel and pastis, the Black Pearl pops with ginger, wasabi, and black sesame seeds, and the Naga delights with a mix of coconut and curry. She even has truffles mixed with Taleggio cheese, Wild Tuscan pollen, Balsamic vinegar, and first pressed extra virgin olive oil. Katrina, my tastebuds love you.

 

 

3 - Maribelles

Maribelles also boasts a lot of exotic truffles but my favorites by far are the Caipirinha, Cardamom, and the Saffron. So good! Maribelles also takes hot chocolate one step further than Jacques and Vosges with 4 different flavors: Aztec Original, Aztec Dark, Mocha, and Spicy (cinnamon, nutmeg and chipotle). They are all fantastic and you could do so many different things with them! They even have mixes for Iced Hot Chocolate - in Regular‚ Spicy and Cardamom. Mmmmmmm Cardamom….

4 - Chocolate Bar

There are a lot of things to love about the Chocolate Bar. They have a different spin on truffles called ‘ The Atomic Collection’. These are like truffles but bigger and have more fillings. Examples: the Elvis - which is homemade banana marshmallow & crunchy peanut butter enrobed in dark chocolate. Mmmmmm. They also have delicious biscotti caramel clusters - chocolate biscotti/creamy caramel enrobed in dark chocolate. So good. The only thing that gets me angry is that I can never find the place. Is it just me or are they ALWAYS moving?

 

5 - Evelyns Chocolate

This is quite possibly the oldest chocolate shop in the Financial District. I worked 3 blocks away from this place for about 2 years and would visit Evelyn and her team about once a week. You could not find nicer people. Plus, they have an awesome selection of treats. Classics like peanut clusters, coconut clusters, grand marnier truffles, caramels, orange peels, etc are positively delightful. Looking to purchase a box of chocolates for a loved one? Come here. Ya I know its in the Financial District…just come on your lunch break ok?

6 - La Maison du Chocolat

If you’re looking for super rich chocolate La Maison is for you. The ganaches are scrumptious, the pralines are yummy, and most importantly fruit pastes are divine. These are what I come here for - they taste just like the ones I got the last time I was in Paris. They arent super sweet and are made from untreated fruits. They come in 5 different flavors: red fruits, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit and mandarine.

Argo Tea

If you are going to Chicago and love tea like I do - go to Argo Tea. I make a point to go to one everytime I’m in Chicago or Evanston I stop by and grab yummies. Its like the Starbucks of tea but only in Illinois (for some ungodly reason!). Why arent these hear? C’mon! Vosges Haute Chocolat branched out to NY. Why can’t Argo?? They literally have over a dozen locations in Illinois so find one wherever you’re going. If they arent near by - grab a cup while you’re at O’Hare…cuz odds are you’ll be there for awhile (shakes fist in anger at O’Hare Airport).

My Favorites

Iced Pom Tea^TM - pomegranate juice and iced red tea. Simple and Delicious.

Red Velvet^TM - red tea, raspberry and white chocolate. What a surprising combination - I love it!

Chocolate Mint Tea - a mixture of chocolate milk and mint tea. It sounds weird but this is the best tea drink ever. I crave it monthly.

Mojitea - mint tisane with lime juice over ice. Probably the most refreshing thing to drink when its warm