E is for Eating

A Little Embarrassed

2009-01-24T00:03:00.001+11:00

Is how I'm feeling at the moment since I just sent a half dozen e-mails to my Pinkberry-loving friends. I believe I might have typed something giddy like "run to the cracktacularness."

I didn't believe it had opened at Santana Row until I checked the website.

So apparently it's there.

And while on the subject of the website, they're back to playing the uncut version of the Pinkberry song. I approve. The remix just wasn't as spiffy.

Part X: Conclusion

2008-12-31T18:57:00.000+11:00

That was a lot of cupcakes. And the funny thing is, they wouldn't even make my list of top five baked goods.

Despite their new yuppie status, I'd be pretty happy with a box cake mix and some canned frosting. Actually, if I made cupcakes myself, I'd be apt to ditch the frosting and the little paper cups and just make one giant cake. Then I would cut off wedges of cake (probably squares since I'd want to use one rectangle pan and not two rounds since that's less dishes to wash) and eat them, possibly with ice cream after dinner, but possibly plain for breakfast.

Could it be that I'm not a yuppie after all?

I think the general standard of cupcakeries is woefully low, something that a friend pointed out to me after my first, astonishingly good, but never duplicated visit to Magnolia Bakery several years ago. When I went back a second time, it just wasn't as good as I remembered. She was honest. I was blinded by the nostalgia. Maybe the whole cupcake thing really is everyone chasing after a good memory. But I'll keep chasing.

Part IX: Forks

2008-12-30T21:59:00.001+11:00

There's something nostalgic about holding onto a little cake covered in frosting and sprinkles, making a mess as you try to tear the paper from the cake without getting frosting all over your hands. But is this acceptable in polite society? From my observations of many people over the age of five doing exactly that, I would say yes.

But I'd also like to go on record that eating with a fork is pretty fantastic. It eliminates the mess. It also eliminates the awkward moment of wondering if there's frosting your nose.

Tomorrow: What does this all mean?

Part VIII: Love at First Bite

2008-12-29T23:23:00.000+11:00

A red velvet and a classic vanilla cupcake. These came to me by surprise, and surprise baked goods always rank high in my books. The frosting on the red velvet was tasty, though the cake less impressive. As for the other, it was just a touch too sweet.

Can you tell that I'm running out of steam as the term paper nears its end?

Tomorrow: The Fork Debate: Civility vs. Nostalgia

Part VII: Sibby's Cupcakery

2008-12-28T00:02:00.001+11:00

It's not a bakery, but rather, a cupcakery. There isn't even a retail shop, but I lucked out and found myself able to sample random varieties this fall - a miniature chocolate on chocolate, gingerbread with a cream cheese frosting, and even a Halloween-inspired cake with a cute little ghost decorating the top. It really was love at first bite. Not only are they pretty, but the the cake and frosting are equally delicious. Without question, my favorite cupcake shop that isn't a shop at all.

Tomorrow: A new love?

Park VI: The Sugar Cube

2008-12-27T11:05:00.000+11:00

I didn't make it to the food carts until my second Portland visit, and then I found myself at the carts on a daily basis. Besides savory spots that make a quick and tasty lunch, there's The Sugar Cube. Guess what it serves?

Cookies, composed desserts, and little cakes wrapped in paper than make an excellent portable treat. I didn't carry mine very far - just to the table on the sidewalk, where I ate dessert while soaking up the sun on an otherwise chilly day. What did I eat? Highway to Heaven - a rich chocolate cupcake, topped with chocolate ganache and a swirl of salted caramel. Bonus - a filling of salted caramel. An excellent balance of salty and sweet.

Most entertaining about this particular snack: talking passersby into having a snack too!

Tomorrow: On the right side of the tracks...

Part V: Hello Cupcake

2008-12-26T11:33:00.000+11:00

I met a friend for lunch in Dupont Circle. True, she works nearby, but we also planned our lunch so we could visit Hello Cupcake. The decor was pink with brown accents. The patterns stenciled on the walls and windows, along with the chandeliers, gave the store retro quasi-palace feel. While I didn't love the decor, I did love how the cupcakes were presented. We ate ours in the shop, so our snacks came served on doilies. For those carrying away dozens and dozens, each cupcake was cradled in a cardboard holder placed in the box.

Cute names made it impossible to guess what one was about to eat, so the line moved slowly as people asked what a Prima Donna was. For the record, it's a chocolate cupcake with strawberry frosting, a lovely combination, and a rare instance where I liked the frosting better than the cake.

Tomorrow: Sidewalk dining...

Part IV: Buttercup Bake Shop

2008-12-25T01:03:00.000+11:00

With 11 hours in New York City, what's a girl to do? Much planning, if she wants to have multiple snacks. I knew it was a mostly midtown day, and a friend had told me there was a Buttercup Bake Shop on the East Side. Shockingly enough, and to my delight, I found someone willing to go on snack crawl with me. First to Pinkberry (how could I not?) and then to Buttercup, where I had a red velvet cupcake. It was only the arrival of dinner that made snack time come to an end.

The cake itself was a bit on the dry side. It was also an almost fluorescent shade of pink which I found alternately awesome and disturbing. Nice sugar balance in the frosting and I definitely enjoyed the sugary sprinkles. Most enjoyable, perhaps, was the retro bakery ambiance.

Tomorrow: Going in Circles...

Part III: Kara's Cupcakes

2008-12-24T11:21:00.000+11:00

I was totally misguided in thinking that I could just wander in and out of Sprinkles on opening day, so much so, that I actually stopped in at Kara's Cupcakes in the midst of my Sprinkles field trip. I wanted to see what local standards were like. It was three minutes before closing when I arrived, and there was exactly one cupcake left in the entire shop. I can't even remember the name of it, but when I asked the lone person about the lone cake, she pointed out that it featured a passion fruit filling. I bought it.

Later that evening, during the Sprinkles' sampling, we each tried a bite of the Kara's Cupcake. Bleh. The passion fruit curd was heavy on the butter, and I found the white cake entirely too sweet.

Cute store that it was, I decided that Kara's Cupcakes merited another visit at a later date. On my return visit, I had a cupcake that featured chocolate, salt and caramel. It was okay, but the cake was a bit tough. Pretty store, pretty cupcakes, but probably not a regular stop for me.

Tomorrow: Off to New York!

Part II: Sprinkles

2008-12-23T18:10:00.003+11:00

It all began with a promise to a certain Miss J, who is a Sprinkles aficionado, but whose work schedule made it impossible for her to make it to opening day at the Sprinkles in Palo Alto. After reading entirely too much about Sprinkles in the context of celebrities and their favorite snacks, I was eager to try them too. My promise to J - I'll pick-up a variety of cupcakes for us to sample. Good plan? Yes, but only when wearing sunscreen.

I visited Sprinkles on a balmy day in September, when 6PM meant there was still daylight. I thought I'd stand in line for 20 minutes, get the cupcakes, and maybe even have a little time to window shop before meeting up with J. Wrong. I got to the shop to find that they were letting groups of five people into the shop at random times. By the time I found the end of the line, I was several store fronts away from Sprinkles and behind at least 60 people. I couldn't help but eavesdrop into the conversations around me. People had driven from Berkeley, Fremont, and San Francisco. They had plans to buy dozens of little cakes. They had made multiple trips to the LA store in a day. Clearly, I was hanging our with serious Sprinkles fans. I was glad to be wearing a short sleeved shirt. I was less glad that the shirt was black. I realized much later that I had a lopsided sunburn from the 63 minutes I spent standing in line for a box of cupcakes.

Of all the stops I've made this fall, Sprinkles has the classiest boxes. They're not flimsy and feature a muted recycled chic look. Thought they don't have individual cupcake separators inside, I did found that the cupcakes suffered only minimal damage after driving though the hills.

Red Velvet was the clear favorite. A great balance of moist cake and decent frosting. Only later did I realize what a coup it was to find a cake that wasn't chalky and tasteless. There was even a hint of chocolate in the mix. The strawberry cupcake was also a winner. Pink cake and a strawberry-scented frosting made for a refreshing treat. The rest were less remarkable, though pleasant enough. Lemon coconut, chocolate on chocolate, milk chocolate with white cake, quite frankly, all the chocolate varieties blended in my mind. I favored the dark chocolate varieties over the milk for its less sugary qualities. Total damage that evening, besides the sunburn, was sugar shock.

Tomorrow: Passion goes awry...

The Accidental Term Paper

2008-12-22T23:42:00.005+11:00

Part I: Why this and why now?

In troduction: Now that I don't live by the semester, I miss those end of term papers that nicely sum up a semester's worth of learning. In fact, it wasn't until the end of my samplings that I realized just how much original research I had done. Why not get credit for this work and write a paper about my findings? By "credit" I mean justify my fall bakery wanderings.

Method: I didn't intend to sample as many cupcakes as I did this fall, but when fate put me in the vicinity of multiple cupcake shops over the course of mere weeks, how could I not? The best kind of taste test is done by comparing things side by side, but without FedEx, it just wasn't possible in my case.

Thesis: Every paper needs a thesis statement. I learned that much in school. "In this (paperless) paper I shall discuss my likes and dislikes about the cupcake shops that I visited in no particular order other than happenstance, where I sampled a variety of cakes chosen on whim. This study is important because I must find some meaning in spending nearly $4 each time I purchased a cupcake."

Tomorrow: Too much celebrity gossip...

Taking Stock

2008-12-20T17:58:00.000+11:00

I just scrolled through the entire collection of pictures on my phone and nearly all the pics are of food. Number of photos of:

Cupcakes: 5 (12 items total)
Donuts: 2.5*
Other Breakfast Items: 2
Frozen Yogurt: 1
Apples: 1.5*

*It seems to me that an apple cider donut is a hybrid.

Weird Snacks from Spain Revisited

2008-12-15T18:33:00.000+11:00

No, I didn't try them.

Nerding Out

2008-12-14T10:22:00.000+11:00

Thomas Keller and Harold McGee on stage together? Indeed.

In honor of Chef Keller's new book, Under Pressure, he did a talk and signing. Harold McGee, himself an author of a nerdy kitchen book that I adore, was there to introduce Chef. I was in such a tizzy that I forgot to bring along my own copy of On Food and Cooking for an autograph. But wait, since when do I care about autographs?

When it's rock stars of the food world.

Do I ever have plans to cook sous vide? No. But someone else does, so I dutifully stood in line clutching the giant picture pretty technical tome which makes a much better gift when personally signed by the author. So I stood in line. And stood in line some more, And finally it was my turn. Out of nowhere a bookstore employee said she'd take photos of fans with Chef Keller if they gave her their cameras. Hello camera phone! I've never been so glad to have one. My Christmas card this year, if I ever get around to sending it, is gonna rock.

Voodoo

2008-12-12T18:55:00.002+11:00

The best travel guide I've ever received is one that was lovingly annotated by a father-daughter duo who adore Portland, and happen to be foodies too. I was so relieved that I wouldn't have to waste my time sussing out the city's gems. Not that you could miss Powell's City of Books in its block of gloriousness.

My first Portland visit was a veritable eating marathon. I mapped out (eating) stops according to neighborhood and succeeded in finding nearly every stop on my itinerary.

Except for Voodoo Doughnut.

It wasn't for lack of effort either. Armed with a map and a keen sense of direction, I searched. I walked in one direction. I turned around and walked in the opposite direction. I walked in a circle, but I just couldn't find the elusive shop that I'd read about. Donuts, wedding chapel, haven of goth. I had to see it. And sadly, without finding it, I had to give up and hop a plane home.

But I was given a second chance. A second trip to Portland. This time, less free time to eat and wander, but still some time to wander. And wander I did, along the river towards the weekend markets in search of a pastry. I didn't want to waste precious time searching for Voodoo, so I made a conscious decision to leave the shop's address at home. And then the best thing happened. In a moment reminiscent of those fabulous 80's Froot Loops commercials, I followed my nose to a wonderful, if extremely sugary breakfast.

It happened as I was wandering an alleyway. A whiff of something fried. Could it be? I stopped and sniffed. Which way to go? Follow your nose to fried goodness. When I turned the corner, there it was, Voodoo Doughnut (& Wedding Chapel as their brochure happily proclaims). It was 8AM and there was some weird chanty, gothy music bellowing from the speakers. It was pretty dark inside, and the doughnuts were as brightly colored as they were sugary. I didn't find the bacon maple bar, but it seemed like a good day for an apple fritter.

My only regret is that I wasn't there to witness Club Doughnut. Or their monthly eating contest. At least I know how to find it again (maybe).

Squashed

2008-11-30T13:24:00.004+11:00

Nothing like music to inspire a return to blogging. I just rediscovered (e)nabler's delightful mix...aptly titled Buffet. It includes the Pinkberry anthem, the Gummi Bear song, an exuberant tune about banana chips, and a whole variety of foodie music in languages I don't understand. On my third listen this morning, it suddenly occurred to me that it's time to get back to this writing thing. What better way to start than with Thanksgiving.

I sit here typing with only my right hand on account of an injury. No cuts, but rather, an oddly hurting thumb that feels best when immobile. It took me a little while to pinpoint the source of my injury, but after carefully reviewing my Thursday morning kitchen maneuvers, I concluded that it was the squash. I halved many butternut squashes for roasting that day, but seem to have used some non-ergonomic knife technique that really isn't a technique at all and will never be repeated. Ever. Next year I'm cutting the squash in half before splitting them lengthwise.

Despite the fact that I nearly smoked the squash in the oven, it turned out pretty tasty. The cookie sheet was covered in dark, very caramelized (burned) juices when I finally remembered to rescue the squash from the inferno. Even with its unpromising beginnings, the squash did get 1/10th of the votes for Best Dish. But the true winner was the stuffing, which handily won this year's Best Dish with a simple majority. It was fluffier than in previous years, and just somehow better. Chef said that it was the same recipe he always used. Unfortunately, I was not there to witness the stuffing being prepared, so I'll never know.

New additions this year were soup and salad. I don't think we've ever seen such dishes at our Thanksgiving table before. I'd call them a welcome change, but not maverick. Beets tossed in a simple dressing provided a light note in an otherwise cream and carb-heavy meal. And speaking of cream, the cauliflower gratin required vast amounts. Somehow I miscalculated the time Westside and I had left to complete the gratin and salad, so our final (only) hour of cooking was a whirlwind of activity and mess. I'm usually one to clean up while cooking, but there really wasn't time. It pained me a little to see my kitchen so messy.

As in previous years, the discussion about cranberry sauce became very tense. It was a good year for Ocean Spray, but a tougher one for the homemade cranberry-orange sauce. Several guests described this year's vintage as "very tart" which almost got them uninvited to subsequent meals mid-supper. I want to be very clear that I neither tasted not commented on the cranberry-orange concoction. It's just not my thing, whereas I fully support can-shaped sauce.

Where I did not hold back was in the tasting of all six desserts that graced the buffet. While the pie to person ratio dipped ever so slightly to under half a pie per person, Baker added two non-pie items in the form of chocolate fudge and pumpkin cookies. Officially, buttered pecan pie has overtaken cranberry nut pudding as my favorite Thanksgiving dessert, but I'm lucky enough that Baker spoiled us with both. With home made pie crust. And an apple pie and chocolate cream pie too.

I was slumped over on the couch at the end of the evening. A very happy Thanksgiving.

Steamy Delicious Noodles

2008-08-23T21:43:00.000+10:00

Flat rice noodles, steamed fresh and rolled by hand, were one of Hong Kong's many highlights. They were so great that I actually had breakfast at this corner shop twice! (during my visit, of course...did you really think I ate all of this in one day?) The orange place features noodles wrapped around freshly fried donuts. Yes, decadence.

Stormy Weather

2008-08-22T21:55:00.000+10:00

My aunt called yesterday and said that with the typhoon approaching, we might want to prepare for no restaurants being open the next day. No food? I was mildly panicked.

As it turns out, the city was pretty much closed up today. It was a strange thing to cross the street without watching for cars. They canceled the buses, taxis and streetcars. The ferries closed for the day too. Even the subway was running a limited scheduled. It was blissfully windy and almost cool. I was hungry.

Happily, after a very windy walk around the neighborhood, we found a shop still open for lunch. Inside, they were serving up steaming dishes of curried ribs on rice. Guests continually streamed into the shop and ordered up fried eggs and milk tea. When all fifteen seats inside were taken, patrons sat at the outdoor tables though the wind was howling. At out table, a kid was playing with his food and reveling in having a day off from school, his parents happier still to have a day off from work. Before leaving, we asked if they would be open for dinner. The reply - we'll be out of food by then.

Dinnertime. By now the wind had really picked up. I sat in the hotel lobby for a few minutes watching people's umbrellas flip inside out. The lampposts swayed, and overhead signs swung in a menacing fashion. I had a raincoat, but by the time I'd crossed the street I was soaked, right down to my sneakers. At least I wore sneakers this time. An afternoon coffee run in my flip flops had proven a bit trying. We walked, well, ran by restaurant after restaurant, fooled by bright neon signs into thinking that the shops were open. They weren't. At last, a lone restaurant, open and serving soup and other warm dishes. It was loud inside, and the service so harried, that I found myself shoveling food in an almost involuntary manner. I don't know why I felt so rushed. Perhaps so I could run around in the rain again?

I love McDonald's

2008-08-21T09:15:00.000+10:00

Not only is the McCafe latte surprisingly good, but the air conditioning is up to US standards - icy and wonderful. And, they give you napkins!

How to Eat When Illiterate

2008-08-19T21:32:00.001+10:00

Internet access has been pretty spotty, so I'll have to do some gap filling on the travels.

In the meantime, I arrived in Hong Kong this morning, hungry since I missed all the meals on my flight and too early to check into my hotel. Took a walk around the neighborhood and passed a few cafes with all sorts of Chinese scribbled in the windows, but not a stitch of English. And no pictures, which have been helpful when I can't read. It became increasingly apparent that my only alternatives were a McCafe or I could take my chances with mystery menus. Of course, I had to go for the mystery menu.

Did I fit in? Not really. In fact, people openly stared. Possibly because I was holding a fleece jacket and it was a steamy 90 degrees out. Possibly because the first words out of my mouth were, "I can't read Chinese." So I asked what they had for breakfast, tried to remember what one eats for breakfast, and eventually settled on noodles and a coffee. Noodles were good. Coffee was terrible. I even put a packet of sugar in, but it didn't help. Making matters worse, I am apparently in possession of very, very old currency. When I went to pay, the woman said she couldn't accept the bill. And yes, it was cash only. Happily, was able to scrounge around for some coins (they have $5 coins!) to pay for my brekkie. Disaster averted.

And for lunch, I found a place with pictures on the menu. :)

A Morning Run

2008-08-16T17:15:00.001+10:00

Grandma serves serious breakfasts. Cookies (no cake this year), sandwiches, tea, fruit, more cookies, and moon cake (new addition this year). In my effort to skip breakfast one morning during my stay with Grandma, and perhaps in an effort to combat the copious amounts of eating I'd being been doing for some time, I decided to go for a run (by which I mean jog) this morning. I timed it perfectly. I slept in until 9:30, which meant an hour's run would leave me with just enough time to get ready for lunch. Therefore, no breakfast.

I jogged for all of three blocks before I realized it was an impossible task. And that what I really wanted was a coffee. So I had my coffee, and walked (briskly since I'd spent too long reading the newspaper) back to Grandma's, where I found her waiting for me with breakfast still on the table. I tried to reason that were were going out for lunch soon. That didn't work. Apparently there's no way to outrun a meal.

The Laksa Trail

2008-08-14T16:32:00.006+10:00

Despite planning my Singapore trip mostly on the basis of my love for laksa, I'd eaten very little of this lovely dish during my visit, so on my last day in town, before the chili crab adventure, I decided it was time to get serious about laksa. I stopped by the front desk with my guidebook and asked where some of the food courts mentioned were located. My first choice was 20 minutes away by taxi, but he helpfully pointed out that Katong Road, a closer destination, is where there was a high density of laksa shops. Perfect. Most opened at 9:30 AM. I didn't want to be late. To the taxi stand and to the mall.

Some minutes later, I was at the Parkway Parade Shopping Center. I paced the stalls and was saddened to find that Good N Jolly was closed for the day. Not a very good start. I bought myself a pandan pastry to console myself. The filling was a creepy green hue. It certainly wasn't a dish of noodles submerged in spicy coconut broth. When I got outside, it started to rain.

Wearing flip flops and sans umbrella, I scrambled up a flight of stairs to reach the above-ground walkway. And that's when I spotted those fateful words...Roxy Square...home of the Original Katong Spoon Laksa (yes, you only get a spoon for the noodles). It's in a older mall which is sort of depressing at moments. The food court was more like a food alley, with plastic red and white tablecloths set against a decor of mustard yellow. But the laksa...savory and more spicy than I'd had before, fragrant and hot, and served up by a charmingly helpful woman I'd not call friendly, but who nonetheless helped me find the tea tarek that I'd been wanting to try and who put me on to having an otah with the laksa. Just what were these fine items?

Tea tarek is pulled tea, literally milk tea pulled from one cup to another to create a light froth on top and smooth drink in one. It didn't really go with the laksa, but it was barely 10AM and I'd not had any coffee.

As for the otah - it's fish mince with lots of spices, wrapped in a banana leaf and grilled. She was right, it complemented the laksa beautifully. Soon my bowl was empty and it was onto another stop...328 Katong Laksa, a stand on the corner with tables on the sidewalk, nearly in the street. This was a spicier version than the one I'd sampled just minutes before. Hints of ginger and other spices made me forget that a car was trying to park mere feet from me. An utterly delightful breakfast.

Chili Crab

2008-08-13T22:15:00.004+10:00

When reading up on Singapore eats, I learned that chilli crab is one of the island's signature dishes. What is it? Crab braised in a sweet chili sauce with eggy goodness mixed in. It's sweet, but with a surprisingly sharp bite that catches in one's throat at unexpected moments. I suppose it's part of the dish's charm. Mopping up the sauce with steamed rolls adds to the experience.

On my last night in town, I decided that a visit to No Signboard Seafood was in order. The name sounds pretty non-descript. I was expecting a casual spot. Contrary to my other hawker center meals, it turns out No Signboard is an air conditioned restaurant that seats about 100 people. There's even silverware a.k.a. fancy digs! So imagine my mortification when I sat down to discover that an order of chili crab is, well, a crab. An entire kilo's worth. The waitress assured me that such a dish was suitable for one. I had my doubts, but wasn't about to leave the island without tasting the dish.

Soon enough, a platter of crab arrived. They had kindly cracked the crab, but it was still buried in the sauce. The table of four people next to me was having the same dish. They stared at me. I smiled. I tried to use chopsticks, but soon realized the difficulty of shellfish and sticks, so gave-in to using my hands. Did I mention they provided me with exactly one napkin? It seemed that in my battle with this sweet, spicy, buttery, succulent crab, I was the loser. The waitresses stopped making eye contact with me. The people next door stole glances at my progress. Every time I poured myself a cup of tea, I left orange hand prints on the teapot. I was embarrassed to be seen with myself. But the chili crab, it was tasty.

It's Colonial Day!

2008-08-11T21:20:00.002+10:00

I didn't intend it to be so, but my day just unfolded that way.

First up, a visit to the Botanical Gardens and the National Orchid Garden. At 8:30 AM it was bearable if I stayed out of the sun. The orchids were colorful and exotic. I'm glad I went, but really, I was just killing time before lunch. Gardens are nice, but they just don't excite me the way random stalls of street food do. Two hours later, I was ready to make my 10 minute walk to Dempsey Hill for some curry. Ten minutes has never felt longer. As I walked, I wished it would rain. But it didn't. Instead, the cheerful sun kept beating down on me. I told myself I would treat myself to a soda with lunch and kept walking.

Somehow, I dragged myself to Samy's Kitchen at last. There, I was treated to some delectable Indian food, served at round tables on a veranda overlooking a grassy hill. The waiter brought my selections over in buckets, and ladled wonderful dal and lamb curry on the banana leaf. I even had green beans, my first veg in a day! The food was intensely flavored, fiery, and seemingly innocuous, until I wanted to cry from the heat. Was is the humidity or the spice that made me want to cry? I'm still not sure. But I loved it! A good meal, worth the punishing walk.

Later in the day, to high tea at the Raffles Hotel. I had high expectations. Iconic hotel in Asia, where people appreciate teatime. A three-tiered tray of goodies arrived when I sat down. Sandwiches, scones and pastries, none of which were notable, except for the chocolate eclair with the chocolate custard. The food was disappointing to say the least. There was also a Singaporean buffet to accompany the tea, featuring dim sum and other Asian desserts like tofu in a lackluster syrup (I think they forgot the sugar), a nice curry puff, and a bland, though not terrible popiah. As I ate, I kept thinking, "these are wasted calories." The setting was beautiful, all whitewashed and sparkly and dramatic high-arches. The tea in the cute silver pot was piping hot. During my two hour stay I narrowly missed knocking over my table, dropped my silverware to the floor, and generally made a mess. It's a wonder they didn't try to rush me out of the elegant surrounds. I dallied in the dining room and people watched while plotting my next meal. Tomorrow: no more colonial meals!

You Are What You Eat

2008-08-09T15:27:00.001+10:00

I guess that makes me a dumpling. I'm in Singapore and I've started a new diet. It's called the all-carb diet. Seriously, I did not eat a vegetable all day today. I'm not proud of myself. Well, maybe just a little.

To start off my day, a packet of rice. Two, actually, since I had to try both the savory and sweet versions from the famous glutinous rice stand in the Chinatown Complex. I feel like I earned my breakfast. This hawker center is on the second floor and features no air conditioning. It's about 90 degrees out and super humid. How people wear jeans and aren't melting totally mystifies me.

When I got to the rice station at 9AM, I spotted a line of 20 people. They close when they sell out. Yesterday, they were already closed when I got there. It was 10AM. I was nervous. And hungry. The rice was divine. Supposedly sticky rice, but not sticky at all, the savory version featured peanuts and a generous sprinkling of fried shallots on top. I pretty much inhaled my breakfast. And then to the sweet version, which really was sticky rice, but also with the shallots. I don't usually care for sweet rice dishes, but this was was great. I don't even know what's in it. I just ate, and ate some more.

Then I went to the porridge stand. But first, a short rest interval during which I wandered the food court and consulted my trusty Mankansutra guide that I'd picked up upon my arrival. It's like a Zagat guide, but for street food. The top rating, three chopsticks, means "Die, die must try!" They take their food seriously here.

The porridge was great. Savory, hot, and totally delicious. I chatted up some little old ladies sitting nearby and they put me onto a good place to get myself a Chinese donut - a fritter that I watched the guy make in a wok full of bubbling oil. Fried item of the day - check.

Then I had a long break from eating. I got trapped in a very posh shopping center during a rainstorm, but managed to kill time by browsing cookbooks. Hours later, it was dumpling time.

As I was planning my trip, someone alerted me to the fact that Din Tai Fung, the Taiwanese dumpling outlet, has shops in town. I arrived to find a very efficient dumpling circus. Grateful that they spoke English and that the menu was in English too, I checked off my selections and waited for them to call my number. Ten minutes later, I handed my order to the hostess, who read my order into her little microphone to the kitchen. By the time I got to my table, my Coke was on ice and soon enough, a guy with a tower of steamer trays appeared. Oh dumplings! How I love them. Soup dumplings are so hard to come by at home and I was so enthused for their appearance here that I ordered two orders. The plain pork, and the pork and crab. Yum yum. The wrappers were thin so you could see the soup, but they didn't break until you bit into them. I ate them all, an even had a little room left for the steamed sesame buns. By then I was laughing at myself, all alone at my table, surrounded by lunchtime wreckage. The waitress didn't even smirk when she saw all that I'd ordered.

Hong Kong: Food Desert?

2008-08-08T07:31:00.000+10:00

My flight arrived early which was nice, but I had to take a good long wander through the airport before I came upon My Nosh, a cafe that serves US (or was it American) Baked Potatoes, burgers, pizza, tandoori wraps, pancakes, and basically nothing like the bowl of noodles I was craving. I settled upon the net best thing...spaghetti chicken soup with a chicken cutlet. Yes, it was 7AM, but I was hungry, and I'm not yet adjusted to the time. Bonus: free Internet access, newspapers, and a nice strong cup of coffee.

PB is the greatest

2008-08-04T11:34:00.000+10:00

But I'm sort of excited about a break from it for a while. Even I'm a bit shocked at how much PB I consumed this summer. Currently in the pantry are a jar of Adams %100 Natural Peanut Butter (smooth) and Whole Foods Peanut Butter (crunchy). I opted to skip the organic this time and can't really taste the difference, which makes the Whole Foods sale price a good one, and the product good enough for a repeat purchase.

I miss the AQR

2008-07-25T15:56:00.000+10:00

Since when did it become appropriate to have a full on conversation in the library? And on one’s cell phone no less? More troubling is the advent of the library meal. The person at the table next to mine is eating some sort of wrap, and not discreetly. The foil wrapper is splashed across the desk and she’s slurping on a soda. And there’s a librarian not two feet from her who hasn’t made a comment. It’s not just here, but at various libraries I’ve visited recently, where library dining is really taking off. Have we said goodbye the days of furtive library eating? When did it become socially acceptable to eat without hiding when among books and computers and people at work?

Admittedly, I found the covered container exception a bit progressive when I first heard about it. Drinks and books? It seemed like a recipe for disaster. But then it’s not really about books anymore. They’re secondary. Studying and playing around on the internet seem to come first. As I sit here sipping my coffee, I wonder, “will I ever get used to, or even adopt the library meal?”

I’ve taken advantage of the not-at-all-secret library meal exactly once. My study partner suggested we get lunch, by which I thought she meant we’d gulp down some food and return to our books, hoping there wasn’t a hot market for stolen wills and trusts casebooks. When we got our sandwiches, she said, “ready to head back?” “Where to?” “To the library. We can eat lunch and work.” I was incredulous. “Out in the open?” “Yes, I do it all the time.” Clutching my sandwich and fries, I felt sheepish entering the library, bastion of books that one likes to think are free from greasy fingerprints. I thought I’ve have to sneak my lunch by the guard, but no, I was able to walk in, foil-covered plate in full view, and no one stopped me. It was a good lunch, and certainly productive. And yet I felt judgmental about my lunch, and not in a good way. It felt wrong to flaunt my meal in front of everyone. So I’m saying no to not-at-all-secret eating in the library. Sure, I’ll continue to indulge in the occasional silent library snack hidden from plain view, and there will be moments when I wonder if it was a wise decision to leave my stuff unattended for an hour, but for my main meal I’ll exit the library. I guess I'm just old-fashioned that way.

another half year's worth of books

2008-07-22T11:15:00.000+10:00

It's been kind of a slow reading year. I have a vague notion that I've left things off this list, but I can't seem to focus my brain on what those might be. In the meantime, it's been a pretty good (and sometimes even great) reading year.

Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant
Jenni Ferrari-Adler (ed)
There are anthologies that grab you, and this one grabbed me. It's also an entire volume devoted to cooking alone, eating alone, and dining alone (yes, there is a difference). Reading about the weird things other people eat when left to their own devices in the kitchen brought me comfort that my own weird meals were keeping good company. Experience several author's routines when eating out alone. It's a solitary book, but never lonely. I loved it.

Letters to a Young Chef
Daniel Boulud
I didn't know what to expect from this little book. I've read about his restaurants, and being on the upscale side of things, I was expecting something pretentious. Instead, I found a series of friendly letters, not at all know-it-all, but heartfelt and fun to read. Having seen a few episodes of After Hours with Daniel Boulud since my reading, the book makes more sense. His show is irreverent, and though the jokey humor doesn't make it onto these pages, I can see that he hasn't strayed far from his love of cooking.

Fork It Over: The Intrepid Adventures of a Professional Eater
Alan Richman
This book is at least a few years old and already it shows its age. The author is also a bit more old school, writing from the perspective of french is best. Some of the items presented as exotic clearly aren't at all unusual today. I know it's not supposed to be historic, but reading it, I felt like I was in a sort of time warp.

Death by Pad Thai: And Other Unforgettable Meals
Douglas Bauer (ed)
The title says it all. I've been reading this sporadically for months which is funny because it's the slimmest volume of today's selections, and I still have a couple vignettes go. Why so slow? Certain stories grab me, certain ones don't. As anthologies go, its an unintimidating, fun read. It's probably much better than my lukewarm note here, but since I haven't picked it up in a while, I've for forgotten some of the unforgettable meals. The pad thai story though - truly unforgettable.

The Nasty Bits: Collected Varietal Cuts, Usable Trim, Scraps, and Bones
Anthony Bourdain
I read Kitchen Confidential a long time ago, and I remember being not terrifically impressed by his storytelling at the time, so it was with low expectations that I started this book. It's a compilation of pieces he's published in magazines and such, sort of organized, but kind of random and really conducive to reading at one's whim. Possibly because I've just started watching No Reservations of late, as I read I couldn't help but hear the cadence of his voice, complete with shades of mockery and disgust. My read was all the better for it. Bolder, more outrageous, and just plain hilarious. The author commentary made my read even better!

Dishwasher: One Man's Quest to Wash Dishes in All Fifty States
Pete Jordan
When I saw this book on the bargain rack I just had to have it. Maybe it was the jaunty cover. Mostly it was the concept. Simple and with the potential for such great stories. And there were some funny stories. But stop reading here if you don't want to know how it ends. He didn't finish his fifty state circuit. I felt so cheated! Still, it was an enjoyable read with moments that made me laugh aloud, and other moments where I was perfectly okay skimming. Not really about food, but it did take place all around it.

Library Snacks

2008-07-21T15:23:00.000+10:00

In: quiet snacks like chocolate and sandwiches (you can guess the variety)

Out: snacks that can't be consumed without a commotion, like carrots, trail mix, and ice cream (okay, so I've never actually tried this last one in the library, but clearly I've contemplated it)

I totally thought it was a joke.

2008-07-17T08:21:00.000+10:00

Frozen yogurt and sunglasses? It's an unlikely pairing, but ultimately sort of brilliant. When a friend told me about San Mateo's newest yogurt addition, I just couldn't envision it. On a recent evening I finally visited the shop and discovered that it was all mirrors and chrome. Stylish, if pricey frames decorate one wall, and when you get sick of browsing the myriad of shapes there's yogurt. Lots of it. The tart yogurt was so cold that it froze the raspberries into crunchy fruit nibs. Whereas other yogurt shops attempt to balance tiny portions of toppings on top of tiny servings of yogurt, the folks here heap yogurt into a gigantic cup, throw toppings on top of the first serve, and then heap more yogurt into the cup with a follow-up of more toppings. Their smallest size is a large, and for the daring there's ultimate. Perplexed (and admittedly delighted) by the gigantic yogurt serves, I somehow managed to polish off the entire cup. Was it the conversation? The people watching? I'll only find out with a return visit.

Breakfast of Champions

2008-07-16T13:49:00.003+10:00

I always forget that I like donuts not piping hot, but after they're had time to cool a little. Even so, I was so excited about by first visit to Stan's Donuts in nearly a year that I started eating right away. Warm yes, but also doughy and seemingly underdone. After I'd had a chance to get my coffee, I had another bite and it was gloriously restored. Light, satisfyingly sweet and almost eggy, the donut was exactly as I remembered, the best donut in the universe; others are inevitably bland. The crunchy glaze falling in pieces all over me was the only downside of this particular pastry.

And if that wasn't enough, I had to have a cake donut too. It's always a dilemma. I'm glad I got both.

Aptly Named

2008-07-12T12:40:00.002+10:00

For Candy Cots, I'd forgo candy. They were firm and not all that orange, but wow, so sweet and fragrant. These deserve every letter of their cutesy name.

It's decided

2008-07-10T23:05:00.000+10:00

I'm not a huge fan of the Food Mill peanut butter. Wanting to give it a fair chance (and without other peanut butter options), i made several sandwiches over the course of the week. While chock full of peanuts, it's lacking in peanut flavor. Next up: Adams Natural Peanut Butter.

If only it wasn't 103 degrees out today...

2008-07-09T12:41:00.000+10:00

After reading today's delightful NYT article on chocolate chip cookies, I really, really want one. Or some. Preferably home made. And yes, warm.

Revelation, Disaster, and Still Undecided

2008-07-07T17:45:00.000+10:00

Home one morning with a freshly-made peanut butter sandwich, but wanting to take the chill out of the bread, I popped the entire sandwich into the toaster over for two minutes and was pleasantly surprised to bite into a crispy sandwich. A panini, without the pressing. With this shortcut, it's likely I'll never eat peanut butter on toast again!

And then in the "what was I thinking category," I totally misjudged a recipe and came out with a cake that I'm currently trying to re-imagine as something else. I was craving chocolate chip cookies, but in the name of daring (and wanting to waste some time, I suppose), I settled upon a Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Crumb Cake from an untested chocolate book. The name is a mouthful, the cake not so much. I made the mistake of using natural peanut butter, which I find usually gives inferior baking results compared with Skippy or Jiff, with all of its additives. I also used non-fat milk where whole milk would have made more sense given the extremely skinny nature of the recipe. It's a dry, dusty cake, with a hint of peanut butter flavor and a weird peanut cocoa crumb topping. I knew it was bad news by the time I started assembling the cake since it was far too doughy to portend light and fluffy. Maybe it will morph into biscotti. Then again, maybe it will just remain one of these baking disasters. I can't say that I see much potential for this cake. Next time I'm making chocolate chip cookies.

Finally, on the gourmet peanut butter front, I've just opened a jar of locally made crunchy peanut butter from The Food Mill. There seems to be a bare minimum of oil added, so it's kind of like a peanut butter paste. Pros: it's can't separate. Cons: it's just a mash of peanuts, and not much butter.

More Snacks

2008-07-01T13:03:00.002+10:00

rosy berries ripe
tumble with rogue river blue
dulcet mellow pair

It made me so happy to be out and about though the sky was sadly hazy

2008-06-30T14:23:00.000+10:00

I haven't been to a farmer's market in nearly a year. It was a sad realization, especially at the close of June. To make up for lost time, or rather, to catch up on what I've been missing, I hit up two markets this weekend. As I walked to the market, I spied people departing with their finds. Peaches! Sunflowers! Strawberries! With each passerby I'd make a silent declaration, as if I'd failed to note such beautiful produce before. The joy of rediscovery. And of market samples. And of cherries and eggplants and peppers. Now, how to prioritize these summer treats among my week's grazing...

Chocolate - Round 1

2008-06-29T15:36:00.000+10:00

It's been nearly a month of studying with chocolate. Time for my first round of reviews.

Veritas True Flats - Cacao Nibs (54% cacao)
I've never been fully won over by cocoa nibs, but this bar might be an exception. It's a visually beautiful bar with cocoa nibs liberally sprinkled on top of a snappy flat of dark chocolate. The bitterness of the nibs goes well with the chocolate and I enjoyed the darkly nutty combination. I still don't love cocoa nibs on their own, and have yet to meet a baked good where cocoa nibs enhance the pastry, but this is a bar I would consider buying.

Vosges - Mo's Bacon Bar (41% cacao)
Hello, bacon! We tasted this bar in a group setting and the group was sharply divided over this bar. I adored it, others abhorred it. We all agreed it's an unusual bar. It's probably not surprising that I like this bar since I've long been a fan of bacon and maple syrup, another sweet bacon combination. What I love about this bar is the addition of salt to the milk chocolate itself. With each bite a little sweet and a little savory hit the palate. The bacon flavor is ever-present and distinctly meaty. As I sit here writing I find myself wanting another taste.

Dragoba Organic Chocolate - Lavender Blueberry (59% cacao)
I did not expect to like to this bar. Despite being a bar of the dark chocolate variety, the name conjured up something that sounded too sweet to me. Lavender I've always thought better suited to soaps than dessert, so it was with decidedly low expectations that I sampled this bar. I was very pleasantly surprised. The lavender does not dominate the bar as I had feared, and the blueberries are surprisingly nice - not cloying, and they add a little texture to the bar. It's a happy moment when I find myself so wrong in my assumptions. I'm not sure I'd buy this again, but it's certainly a pleasant bar.

Ghirardelli - Intense Dark Espresso Escape (60% cacao)
It was a very sleepy Saturday morning and I was in class for the day. I'd packed this bar thinking it would make good afternoon snack. And then I decided it might be appropriate as a morning snack because my coffee had done nothing for me, and the bar did say, "with finely ground espresso beans." Somewhere around 11 a.m. I had my first square, daring, willing hoping that the bar would do something to my sleepy brain and trick me into thinking I was alert. That didn't happen. Apparently I need more caffeine than this bar supplies, but on the plus side, the act trying to eat discreetly in class was enough to get my brain out of its stupor.

Vintage Plantations - 2006 Harvest, Dark with Roasted Salted Peanuts (75% cacao)
I really hated my first taste of this bar. It's very dark, but on my second square, I realized that while the chocolate was very dark, it really isn't bitter. It also doesn't resemble what my taste buds expect when they think "chocolate" because it has so little sugar in it. I like peanuts, I like chocolate, and I'm trying to keep an open mind about this bar, but I have to say that I don't particularly care for it. Maybe 2006 wasn't a great year? Maybe my palate just isn't up for this challenge.

Squash Rhapsody

2008-06-28T22:49:00.002+10:00

Summer squash ribbons
Pine nuts, basil, Parmesan
Tender, dressed and crisp.

More Sweet Treats from Portland

2008-06-16T21:56:00.002+10:00

Because I haven't anything else to show for my trip besides my memories of delicious savory treats.

Here's how it usually went. Very hungry, I arrive at an eating establishment and order delicious items from menu. Delicious items arrive and I'm so famished (or in such a dimly lit place that photography is out of the question without blinding nearby patrons) that I just start eating. After about three bites I remember I might want to share a photo of deliciousness with friends. I weigh the merits of a half eaten duck leg or nearly polished-off saddle of rabbit against the oddity of post photos containing bite marks. Do I really want people to think I'm writing a vampire blog? Nah.

Contrary to what you might think, that's strawberry sauce on the plate, and not, uh, vampire food.

The cassata at Papa Haydn's satisfied my intense cake craving that plagued me for an entire day of my Portland visit. Kahlua - yay! Espresso - yay! Sponge cake soaked in both - triple yay! With a chocolate-ricotta filling and strawberry sauce, it made for a pretty nice slice. Did I mention I requested the dessert menu with my dinner menu? The waiter laughed, then listed his menu favorites.

Finally, there's Cupcake Jones. Though I've yet to find a cupcake on the West Coast that matches the splendor or the ones I've sampled in New York (and yes, I know there are many who find the NY cupcake scene overrated, but I've found the West Coast scene so pathetic that I don't even try cupcakes here anymore), I had to try Cupcake Jones because of the novelty they sell - filled cupcakes. The menu changes every month, and every day at that. After indulging in a few samples and checking out the case where one could see a cross section of the day's varieties, I settled upon the peanut butter cup, which featured a chocolate cupcake with a chocolate ganache center, and peanut butter frosting. While sweet, it was a familiar and delicious combination. I even enjoyed the frosting. In fact, it may have been my favorite part.

Wow

2008-06-09T21:49:00.000+10:00

Meet my new platinum level sponsor. Expect chocolate reviews.

Up close & delicious view:

Bites from the Pearl Bakery

2008-06-08T10:14:00.000+10:00

The delectable Pearl Bakery in Portland, OR is were I spent several mornings dreaming up my day's activities and plotting another visit to Powell's Books. Besides coffee, there were lovely pastries. My two favorites, featured here. While the rhubarb tart was lovely, it was the cinnamon crown that I loved best. Part croissant, part cinnamon bread, all goodness.

All of the Above

2008-06-07T10:43:00.000+10:00

That would be the right answer.

All of these peanut butter sandwich incidents happened within the span of a month. Blaming a sandwich for tardiness may seem excessive, but it's true.

Why I Was Late For My Exam
Because I had to finish my peanut butter sandwich. There was a multitude of time separating me from exam time. Knowing that writing exams makes me beyond hungry, I like to make sure I've eaten properly before I arrive for such events. Why I insisted upon eating before I left the house rather than en route I cannot explain, but after struggling to finish the sandwich, I bolted to the car and promptly got stuck in traffic. Watching the clock with growing dread, I finally arrived and literally ran to my exam just in time to hear the proctor announce "you may begin."

And yes, I was famished by the time I finished writing the exam.

Why I Almost Missed My Train
Because I had to make a peanut butter sandwich. Having learned from my previous mistake of eating before leaving the house, I've since resorted to bringing the sandwich with me to my destination. Unfortunately, wrestling with bread and peanut butter in the morning can be a bit trying. While natural peanut butter and non floppy bread make sandwich assembly much easier, a poorly planned morning does not. Which is how I found myself running to the train platform hoping that the gate wouldn't come down before I had crossed the tracks.

What Is A Gold Level Sponsor?
A summer of studying means a summer of sponsorship, and certain snacks have made the list. PB, while magnificent, has not yet attained platinum level status, but it might. At the moment, a jar of creamy organic and crunchy (not organic) sit in the pantry at the ready for my peanut butter sandwich needs. Happily, I have found that making a sandwich the night before compromises neither sandwich quality nor my ability to get to my destination on time.

Quiz Time!

2008-06-05T22:42:00.000+10:00

Pick the best answer.

Peanut Butter Sandwiches:
a. have made me almost miss the train
b. have made me late for a final exam
c. have achieved gold level sponsorship status
d. all of the above
e. none of the above

A Sandwich For Every Meal

2008-05-28T20:15:00.000+10:00

Or almost. The peril of tucking a peanut butter sandwich into my lunch bag that is easily accessible at breakfast is that said sandwich quickly becomes a breakfast item. First it was a bite. Then half. And then I gave up and polished off the whole thing because I was so hungry. This has happened two days in a row. Tomorrow I shall pack an actual breakfast.

As for my after-dinner sandwich -- it's an open-faced nutella sandwich, inspired by a nutella & marshmallow panini I sampled recently. A thin layer of chocolate-hazelnut deliciousness spread on a super thick, super toasted slice of a sweet french bread can almost make me forget the traumas of a crazy day.

Dinner Abroad

2008-04-11T19:57:00.005+10:00

E: Should we put eggs on our pizzas?
D: Sure. Then it'd be like we're in England.
E: Really? I always associate egg-topped dishes with France.
D: We'll just say we're somewhere in Europe.

I'd been craving homemade pizza of late. And then I realized that D's visit coincided with dinnertime. Though I wanted to make my own pizza dough, a lack of time and proximity to Trader Joe's had me settle for their garlic herb dough. While D sautéed the spinach (because I always make my guests cook!), I took charge of the blob. It was a greenish hue and had it not smelled so wonderful, it might have been a bit frightening. Too lazy to fuss with flour, I ended up with dough-covered hands and two unnamed island shaped pizzas. We each took charge of an island.

D's Island
D loves tomato sauce, so there was a heavy layer to start. She also wanted the prosciutto and sauce to mix. And so they did.

E's Island
I wanted to try a sauceless pizza, but I got a little overzealous with the olive oil. To compensate, I added some shallots and thyme. This did not the soak up the oil, but it made me feel better about my "flatbread."

Eventually, we topped the pizzas with ricotta and spinach and egg. In fact, the toppings were so heavy that we had to leave our pizzas in the oven for much, much longer than the package directed, but our instincts were right. The pizzas were only a little soggy in the middle. And the olive oil slick disappeared. And we ate our pizzas with knife and fork, so I suppose we really were channeling a little Europe. And for the record, egg pizza is really good.

Waiting for Noodles

2008-03-27T00:09:00.000+11:00

I love noodles. I also hate waiting in line. So when it comes to noodles, would I bother waiting in line?

SPQR
Spaghetti cacio e pepe. I'd been hearing rave reviews of this dish from friends for weeks, and one Saturday night, I was lucky enough be invited to dinner with them at SPQR. The restaurant opens at 5:30. We arrived at 5:45, thereby missing the first seating. The wait: two hours. To the restaurant's credit, our table was ready in just that, two hours. The downside was waiting around for two hours. Happily, after all the cute shops nearby had closed, there was as lovely restaurant with a cozy bar just down the street where we had some frites and drinks to hold us over until the pasta course. Was the spaghetti good? It was. The peccorino and pepper combination was spicy in a taste bud dancing sort of way and the homemade noodles were perfectly al dente. Would I wait two hours again? Probably not.

Santa Ramen
This ramen spot has no shortage of customers. I'd been to their old shop several years ago, before I loved non-instant ramen. I remember waiting in the cold, staring at the handful of customers lucky enough to secure tables and willing them to eat quickly. At the time, I wasn't super impressed with their noodles. I decided it was time to give Santa another try since my ramen affinity is much higher nowadays. Our first surprise - that the shop had relocated from its minuscule shop to a 70ish seat restaurant. We got there 30 minutes before opening time. There were 15 people ahead of us in line. It was sort of cold. We waited in line. The restaurant wins points of efficiency; the server took our orders before we even got a table and our food arrived soon after we were seated. Were the noodles amazing? They were good. Chewy and generous in a bowl of steaming broth, but not something I'd wait for again.

Apparently, as much as I love noodles, I dislike waiting in line even more.

At last...Pinkberry vs. Red Mango

2008-03-26T09:33:00.002+11:00

I went to Red Mango first and for a fleeting moment thought that perhaps my whole Pinkberry fascination was a mistake. Their yogurt was good, but it wasn't spectacular. I did like the jaunty red spoons. The yogurt was tart with a bitter note.

Made it to Pinkberry a day later and was again charmed by their product. It had a lemony note that I'd forgotten and that cracktacular quality that I still can't place. The downside...they posted a sign on the door (an artistic sign no less) banning photography in their store. And their coffee flavor was just awful, so plain Pinkberry is still the winner.

Featured Fry: Snickers

2008-03-24T22:12:00.001+11:00

The first attempt at battered, frozen Snickers minis tossed into the deep fryer yielded a messy glob of greasy, melted candy. The second attempt with a new frying technique yielded delicious semi-melted bits of batter covered candy bar. It's really good. Gooey, warm, crispy and crunchy. Not to be repeated often due to its richness, and possibly made better with a side of ice cream, but I was feeling guilty since my first dessert had been a gorgeous strawberry shortcake.

Boiled & Baked

2008-03-23T10:26:00.000+11:00

In the past I've been lucky enough to check two pieces of baggage when returning home from a foodie destination, but since the airlines shall soon be charging for the privilege, I decided it was time to try making bagels (in case there was no room for bread in my suitcase next time). I actually meant to try bagel making several years ago, especially after someone mailed me a recipe. And then I lost the recipe, which provided a great, if not illogical excuse to put my project on the back burner. It turns out I own multiple books with bagel recipes, but the truth is that I've always been reluctant to deal with yeast.

A standing mixer and dough hook made dough making a breeze. I even found a recipe that didn't call for proofing the yeast! Once I'd formed the bagels, they spent a night "retarding" in the refrigerator.

Fourteen hours later, like a kid on Christmas morning, I couldn't stay in bed any longer and ran to the kitchen to check on the bagel progress. They looked about the same as when I had tucked them into the refrigerator the night before. I was sad, and a little anxious that this was going to be a big bagel failure.

But I continued, determined to deal with failure in the early morning hours if that's what was to pass. Boiling the bagels required some coordination that at moments I seriously thought I lacked, but the bagels survived without incident.

And then the most amazing part. The flatish hard little disks I'd placed on the baking sheet started to rise and take on a real bagel shape while baking. I put on a pot of coffee and tried not to stare obsessively at the oven.

And then, breakfast.

Pretty Bland

2008-03-22T20:19:00.003+11:00

These cookies have so much potential, but they never turn out quite as I expect. Containing generous portions of chocolate and peanut butter, the dough smells like a peanut butter cup and one would expect them to taste so, but they're oddly bland. Even before the tasting, there were other difficulties. The dough became brittle in the refrigerator which led to imprecise slicing with random broken off bits. Also, because the cookies are naturally tan, it's tough to figure out when to pull them out of the oven. That's a lot of work for a mediocre cookie. At least they look pretty.

Fried Food Initiative

2008-03-19T17:06:00.001+11:00

As much as I love fried foods, I'm terrified of frying. Vats of hot oil and klutziness can only spell disaster, so I've long resigned myself to eating fried foods prepared by other folks. This usually translates into fried food at restaurants, a great thing, because professionally fried food really is fabulous. The downside is that one loses frying autonomy. So you can imagine my delight when I discovered I have friends who are willing to fry at home. And thus, the Deep Fried Initiative.

It was at the gym that a friend casually mentioned how the roommates were contemplating purchasing a deep fryer. I was surprised since this is the group that usually looks at me askance as I rhapsodize about ice cream, but as soon as I realized the fryer shopping was serious, it was impossible not to do a little happy dance. There was talk about the merits of a charcoal filter and designs conducive to filtering oil. Of course, the discussion soon turned to what one could fry.

From fried turkey to fried Coke, we chatted about the possibilities of what could be battered and dunked in hot oil. "Clearly you're not an expert in frying" was a well-deserved quip when I couldn't fathom the battering methodology for fried ice cream. I wanted to protect the integrity of the frozen interior while the frying expert was all for promoting special toppings. Despite my frying naiveté, I had to make a case for my dream...a fried Snickers bar, closely followed by fried Twinkies, Mars bars, and Oreos. I've tasted none, to the scandal of my friends who said my fancies clearly indicated I need to visit a mid-western state fair. Until that day, I've made a deal with my fry-happy friends to fry my random processed foods. In exchange for these frying privileges, I've promised to try my hand at churros and donuts.

Black & White Cookies

2008-03-17T09:31:00.000+11:00

Oddly enough, both frostings taste about the same, with only a hint of chocolate detectable. The cookie itself resembled a dry spongy cake, which sounds sort of terrible, but tasted quite good.

A bagful of..

2008-03-16T12:32:00.000+11:00

...bagels & bialys is what forced me to re-pack my suitcase. I'm convinced that the bagels at Murray's have been super-sized since my last visit. I placed my order at the counter and couldn't help but laugh when the shopping bag appeared on the counter. So much for my plan to carry the goodies onto the plane! Instead, I nestled the bread into my suitcase with its reinforced walls and crossed my fingers that my bag wouldn't get lost. Happily, American Airlines doesn't yet charge for two checked bags, and I took full advantage of it. A bag of clothes. A bag of bread. Hours later, I was reunited with both bags, and I've been happily noshing since.

Guess What's in the Bag

2008-03-10T23:51:00.000+11:00

What was in the brown bag that caused me to re-pack my black bag?

Hint: The photo is from my return trip.

And no, you cannot guess what's in the bag if I've already told you the answer!

Civil War Waffles at Modern T

2008-03-08T19:27:00.000+11:00

Though the waffles were a touch soggy, the cornmeal gave them a certain crunch. The plain yogurt and maple syrup worked together very well and topped off with some dried fruit compote, a wonderfully tart-sweet mixture put a smile on my face.

Three Twins Organic Ice Cream

2008-03-07T10:24:00.000+11:00

I tried their cookies and milk ice cream which is supposed to like cookies and cream, but it's different, and so much better. Vanilla ice cream with bits of smooth chocolate cookie swirled throughout. Almost worth the drive to Napa.

Harley Farms

2008-03-05T07:17:00.000+11:00

Besides picking up the wonderful home made ravioli on our visit, we had a blast visiting with the baby goats who were surprisingly loud and adorably unsteady on their feet. Better yet, we got to sample lots of goat cheese.

A Tale of Two Ravioli

2008-03-04T10:43:00.000+11:00

Thyme brown butter is a beautiful thing. More beautiful though, it freshly made pasta tossed in it. We picked up the first batch at the farm. Pillows of chevre and goat's milk ricotta goodness. A second foray into goat cheese ravioli revealed a roasted pepper and cheese interior. The brown butter was nice, but a robust tomato sauce proved a better match. Either way, a lovely wintry meal.

Scenes from La Boqueria

2008-03-03T00:15:00.001+11:00

Scariest Potato Chips Ever

2008-03-02T22:22:00.001+11:00

Found while browsing the grocery store in Barcelona. I couldn't bring myself to try them.

Churros y Chocolate

2008-03-01T15:23:00.003+11:00

Fried donut-like objects + chocolate puddingy drink = lovely sugary snack masquerading as breakfast. In truth, I only had churros and chocolate for breakfast once. It would accurate to say that my breakfast was followed by an hour of being terrifically hyper and then a major sugar crash.

The best churros ever were the ones we found by mistake during our first day in Barcelona. Wandering through (aka completely lost within) the gothic quarter, K and I came upon a churreria that served freshly fried churros generously doused in sugar. Unlike the American version of sporting arena and Costco fame, these churros were smaller and without cinnamon and it was easy to eat four or five at a time. We shared a cone's worth as we continued down more alleyways, lost but amused, and fortified by our snack. And when we finished, the thought occurred to us, "how will we ever find the churreria again?" We had a photo, but alas no address. We tried to retrace our steps without success and finally reconciled ourselves to never finding the shop again...until we happened upon it the next day (lost once again). This time, we made a plan for how to return.

And return we did.

Bacalao!

2008-02-07T11:01:00.000+11:00

My bacalao consumption reached its peak in Bilbao, when I had it for lunch and dinner and then again at lunch the next day. In its pre-cooked form at La Boqueria in Barcelona:

A Basque Luncheon: Stuffed piquillo peppers with bacalao (and then fried!)
Being in Basque county, I had to eat Basque, so I picked a restaurant painted a charming sunny yellow, where the menu was hand written in Spanish and Basque. Needless to say, there were vast swaths of the menu that I couldn't comprehend. And yet I managed to navigate myself to something fried and quite delicious. The bacalao was a bit gluey in texture, though mild as far as taste. As someone who loves piquillo peppers and things fried, it was quite a nice (albeit a rather heavy) lunch.

Yandiola: Bacalao with olives, anchovy foam and tomato water
I spent a good portion of my day restaurant shopping (i.e. zig-zagging across various streets reading menus whenever I could). What jumped out at me at this particular restaurant was the notice that the chef had won a prize for his bacalao dishes. It didn't disappoint. This was the only time I had bacalao that wasn't mashed up. I'm guessing the bacalao was rehydrated and then sliced. The cheese tuille and anchovy were delicious. In fact, the whole dish was delicious.

Lunch at El Goog: Bacalao stuffed cabbage
Despite my new found non-hatred of bacalao, I decided I needed a break from the fine fish, so I stole a bite of K's lunch and found the preparation less gluey that the Basque luncheon version. Sadly, I do not think the cabbage was fried.

And then there was that omelette in Madrid.

After all these tastings, I've decided bacalao isn't terrible. I might not ever crave it, but it's totally palatable, though the way in which it's prepared makes a huge difference in just how tasty it is. Yes, I know, this is but a lukewarm recommendation to run out and try bacalao.

Super Snacks

2008-02-04T17:57:00.000+11:00

In honor of the big game, which I watched at a Commercial Party, I broke out the new grater and rolling pin and made a mess of kitchen. Cheesy snacks, cheesy commercials.

Fried Potatoes of My Dreams

2008-01-30T16:01:00.000+11:00

A theme quickly emerged during my Spanish adventure and a not unpleasant one. Everything was fried. With very little effort, I had something fried every day, but only once did I have fried potatoes (well, twice when you count my return visit the next day).

And they were awesome.

Fried potatoes with eggs and chorizo. It sounds like breakfast, but it was actually dinner at a smoky bar. K and I stood for a full ten minutes watching the kitchen in action. We watched not because we wanted to, but because we couldn't figure out how to order and get a table. So we watched. And saw many dishes of papas con huevos appear and then disappear as people took them to their tables. We finally placed our own order using a combination of popularity test and whatever looked yummy. We asked some nearby diners what they were eating and decided upon papas con huevos, fried eggplant with molasses, and since we liked the look of it, a bacalao omelette (you didn't think I'd abandoned bacalao, did you?).

(NOTE: We knew we wanted eggplant, but couldn't find it on the menu (our vocabulary being rather limited). So we gestured and attempted to describe a round purple fruit to a very bewildered couple who finally made sense of our gesticulating. And yet, after all that work I've since forgotten the word for eggplant.)

But first, the potatoes, which I'll be the first to admit are not my favorite starch in the world, except for at this little cafe in Madrid, where they became my favorite starch in the world. When deep fried, the potato slices were just thick enough to be soft in the center while maintaining a super duper crispy exterior. Hit with some salt, they were so good that I walked down the street the next day with a batch as a post-dinner snack. On top of the potatoes, a the fried egg, except that it wasn't really fried, but rather poached in oil. The effect is a silky egg that you break over the potatoes, which amazingly stay crunchy, and as a topper, bits of chorizo (not raspberries as the photos may appear). Yummy!

Yes, we ate other food too. The fried eggplant was ethereal and had a melting quality which would have been spectacular had I not been so mesmerized by the papas con huevos. I found the molasses dip a bit sweet, so ended up ditching it in favor of having eggplant fries.

As for the balcalao omelette? We'd seen some crispy fritters at another patron's table, and they told it was the balcalao omelette, but when the omelette arrived, it looked completely different. A case of mistaken identity. The omelette was watery and harmless, but really nothing compared to the potatoes and eggs. I miss potatoes and eggs.

"When we buy shoes we'll treat ourselves to yogurt."

2008-01-29T11:39:00.000+11:00

I can't remember which of us said it, but the statement seemed to make perfect sense to M and me. Buy cute shoes. Treat selves to yogurt. Happily, we quickly found shoes. Even better, we got to sit on a sunny bench with our cups of frozen yogurt. Despite it being our third snack of the day at barely past noon, we were hungry, and the yogurt was excellent. When browsing for shoes and needing a snack, try Yogurt Bar at 2760 Octavia St., SF.

How Starbucks Failed Me

2008-01-28T17:27:00.000+11:00

I never thought I'd so desperately wish for a Starbucks, but in Bilbao, I found myself wishing just that. It wasn't a tall nonfat latte that I craved, but rather the cup in which it was served. A disposable cup. An insulated cup. A cup that could be carried out of the shop and to my dear friends who wanted hot tea. Friends who were unfortunately sick and stuck at a hotel with no running water. Tea with honey was easy to find. Tea with honey for take away was difficult. I tried a cute little restaurant where I'd just had lunch and they waved a porcelain teacup at me. I contemplated leaving my driver's license as collateral, but figured I'd try my luck elsewhere, after all, this was a city with lots of eateries. It was approaching siesta time, but since I'd seen Starbucks all over Barcelona, I figured my chances of coming upon one in Bilbao were decent. I headed towards another side street and came upon a Chinese restaurant that was still open. I figured they had to have tea. And they did. But sadly no to-go cups. And as I walked on, I realized the all the shops were closed, except for a single bar. I asked for two teas and the bartender handed me two tea bags. So I put on my most pathetic look and said my friends were sick and really, really wanted tea, but that we didn't have hot water. Thankfully the bartender didn't ask me why, as it was quite beyond my abilities to explain that the hotel was doing plumbing maintenance. He disappeared for ten minutes and came back with two tiny plastic cups, clearly made for cold drinks. He brewed the tea, wrapped the cups in some napkins and passed them to me. The napkins were a nice thought, but did nothing insulate my hands from the squishy, on the verge of melting cup. I got strange looks walking back to the hotel, but the cups were still intact.

Let the Tapas Begin!

2007-12-25T22:48:00.000+11:00

Margin Notes

2007-12-23T13:39:00.000+11:00

When will I learn that scribbling "less sugar, more oats" is totally useless when I come back to this recipe all of once a year?

E is for España (or how I planned a vacation)

2007-12-21T14:52:00.000+11:00

Spain is a fairly large county. Ten days of vacation meant there was no way I'd see everything if I wanted to have leisurely meals and plenty of time to get lost around town. So what to do? Sitting at the travel agent's desk, the question became, "Do you want to explore northern or southern Spain." Hmmm. According to my very unscientific survey, food in the north is more exciting. And that's why I'll be spending time in Basque country. After I'd booked my flight, I realized that one of the region's famed dishes is bacalao, whose main ingredient is salt cod. Did I mention that I actively dislike salt cod? Maybe it's different in España. I can only hope.

I have yet to plan any sightseeing. I know there are museums. I shall probably visit a few. At the top of my list, the Museo del Jamón in Madrid. What an eating vacation this shall be!

Five Slices

2007-12-02T16:56:00.000+11:00

I did it. I had five slices of pie.

Pecan Pie
Cranberry Nut Pudding
Crustless Pumpkin Pie
Currant Pie
Persimmon Flan

This is the first time I've ever had flan at Thanksgiving, but it was so lovely it might soon be traditional.

And no, they were not 3/4 pie slices!

Phone Call Two Days Before Thanksgiving

2007-11-21T17:16:00.000+11:00

Chef: Hello, Erica! What are you doing? Want to do a little Thanksgiving cooking and prep?

Me: Er, I'd love to. But I just got to the gym.

Chef: I see how it is. You're choosing the gym over Thanksgiving. Where are your priorities?

Me: Um, well, not really. I love Thanksgiving. I plan to have five slices of pie on Thursday. So I'm at the gym now.

And that is how I committed myself to five slices of pie.

Three More

2007-11-18T15:14:00.000+11:00

All the Presidents' Pastries: Twenty-Five Years in the White House
Roland Mesnier

If reading elaborate descriptions of desserts served at state dinners is your thing, this is your book. I was particularly intrigued by the author's collection of ice cream molds and found the photos in that department rather lacking. In fact, what I missed most about this book were photos, because they were few, and my mind couldn't keep up with the lists of ingredients and components of each dessert creation. I also wonder if some of the stiffness of the language was a consequence of translation. While I laughed, it was more about the situations and less about the language. The vignettes were inconsistent in their degree of connectedness and humor and my mind wandered quite a lot while reading. I did however, find myself consistently craving pastries.

Candyfreak: A Journey through the Chocolate Underbelly of America
Steve Almond

Oh happiness! I never knew candies were so regional. I read this right before Halloween to get in the spirit of the holiday. I also bought no Halloween candy this year, which probably would be a great disappointment to the author if he knew, since his devotion to candy is so complete and all consuming. I loved this book, down to its size and shape, the funny lettering on its spine, but mostly, because the talk was of enrobers and factory tours and sometimes awful sounding candies, but it's a story with both humor and heart.

Kitchen Con: Writing on the Restaurant Racket
Trevor White

Why did I read this entire book? Within fifty pages I realized that if I finished the book it would be out of some sense of inertia. There was no argument at all, or alternately too many arguments. Just when I thought I'd toss the book away something fun would appear, but mostly this is a tame read with little in the way of humor and much in the way of choppy language. I should have judged this book by its cover.

Reunited

2007-11-17T11:39:00.000+11:00

Passion fruit yogurt at the local grocery store! The flavor is a bit more sweet than tangy. What's really missing though, are the delightfully crunchy passion fruit seeds, but I'll take what i can get of this fine flavor. Yum!

Unbelievable

2007-11-16T17:54:00.000+11:00

A bad bagel in New York. Fluffy and doughy. Ugh.

An Apprentice Still

2007-11-10T10:03:00.000+11:00

After we'd brainstormed Thanksgiving Pies, Chef and I got into a debate about cheffing duties. I always maintain that Thanksgiving is a collaborative process. As an apprentice, I've been learning about all the Thanksgiving dishes at once. But Chef decided it was time to test my knowledge and see if I'd made any progress. And so, in the middle of dinner, just after I'd taken another delicious bite of linguine and duck confit, the question came, "How do you make the stuffing?" Since this is a super secret family recipe, my first thought was, "We're in a public place. If I recite the recipe, anyone else could hear it and the secret might not be a secret anymore." Than again, it was so loud, and people were so engrossed in their oversized bowls of (delightful) french fries, I decided it was probably safe to proceed. With a few hiccups here and there and a few telltale raised eyebrows on Chef's part, I managed to narrate the process of making the stuffing. So I think it's mine to make this year. An apprentice still, but officially tasked with one dish.

When it's November

2007-11-09T09:05:00.000+11:00

You know the hot topic must be Thanksgiving. At dinner with Chef and Baker the other night, we first contemplated the pies. Well, first, we called and invited people to Thanksgiving dinner, in the middle of our dinner. It seemed only fair to make pie selections based upon the guests.

The contenders:
Pecan Pie
Crazy Custard Pie
Apple Pie
Banana Cream Pie
Indian Pudding
Cranberry Nut Pudding
Mincemeat Pie
Pumpkin Pie.

Did I mention we're currently a party of 7?

A Tale of Two Caramels

2007-10-22T23:27:00.000+10:00

Truthfully, I'm not a huge caramel fanatic. It's nice, but not my usual go-to flavor in the ice cream realm. And yet of late, I've found myself intrigued, seduced, perhaps by the haunting caramels I tasted at Rockpool.

On my first visit to Bi-Rite, I spotted the Salted Carmel flavor. Could the flavor of those transcendent Rockpool caramels be found in frozen form? I had to find out. I loved the salty note, and though they warned that this ice cream was particularly soft due to a high sugar content, I found the texture a bit disappointing in its abouttomeltrighawayness. Still, no complaints about the flavor.

My recent trip to Ici had me sampling three flavors. I hadn't realized just how difficult it is to hang onto three spoonfuls of samples at once (or how D managed four!). Their Burnt Caramel was luscious. And the texture was truly that of an ice cream. Paired with their Chicory offering, it was a heavenly cone. And as D and I walked down the street with our ice cream treats, I hadn't the faintest idea of where I was walking or that we were talking. The ice cream was that good.

Fauxberry Tourism

2007-10-14T19:54:00.000+10:00

Four days, three shops. Sadly it's been several months since the Pinkberry control tasting, but I did stumble upon Harmony yogurt mere days after my Pinkberry experience, so I'm using that as my comparison. None of the local flavors has that special Pinkberry zing, but in a pinch, I'd visit Harmony for a tangy frozen treat. I tasted the plain yogurt flavor at each locale to be fair.

Harmony (San Carlos) - It's cold like pinkberry, smooth, and yogurty without being artificial. The shop is also pleasingly clean. I happened upon this while driving to a meeting, did a double take, and then stopped for a snack. I'm starting to like it plain without any fruit toppings. Thumbs up.

Fraiche (Palo Alto) - I didn't love the extra sweet note in this yogurt.

Papamingo (Berkeley) - It starts with an exceedingly tart note and ends with lemon. Not my favorite.

Someone Else's Garden

2007-10-12T11:30:00.000+10:00

Of Timpani and Marshmallows

2007-10-10T10:45:00.000+10:00

At the symphony on a recent evening, I was again struck by how the mallet one uses to strike the timpani resembles a marshmallow ready to be roasted over a fire.

My Kind of Sandwich

2007-10-09T21:57:00.000+10:00

Sandwiches of the ice cream and cookie variety. It was a bit of a struggle to get the ice cream into sandwiches without incurring giant ice cream thumb prints, and that the cookies were still a bit warm made for extra squishiness. Will see what they taste like frozen. I suspect I will find the giant chocolate chips in the cookie too hard and the cookie itself stone-like. But it's a start.

Where are the cooling racks?

2007-10-09T15:41:00.000+10:00

I haven't the faintest idea. It's a bit difficult for me to fathom how I've misplaced two half sheet instruments. In the meantime, I'm cooling cookies on plates, which results in less-than-flat cookies not optimal for stacking. Yes, they're chocolate chip.

Fun on a Sunday

2007-09-30T21:26:00.000+10:00

chocolate shortbread & oatmeal pecan cookies

Ice Cream Emergency

2007-09-13T09:31:00.000+10:00

How my freezer went from six pints of ice cream to zero I have no idea. Perhaps there are ice cream gnomes. What's a girl to do but make an emergency ice cream run. To the Safeway I ran (well, drove) and in my sale excitement, I grabbed lots of ice cream. So much that I had difficult carrying it all, and of course, I hadn't thought to get a basket. Ice cream is cold.

Raspberry

2007-09-12T11:17:00.000+10:00

...was delightful. I finished the pint quickly. Smooth, creamy, and not unnatural tasting. I think I'm still a bigger fan of the Laloo FroYo version, but the Strauss Creamery ice cream was quite good. Their ice creams are uniformly creamy, which is not surprising considering the maker. I used to adore their dutch chocolate flavor, but wasn't able to locate it at the store on my recent visit, so picked up coffee instead. Big mistake. It was cloyingly sweet and probably one of my least favorite ice creams tasted in what has become of summer ice cream marathon.

Another not so great pint was the Choctal Pure Costa Rican Chocolate. It's like frozen chocolate ganache, which may suit some people, but it was too rich in my books, and I wasn't particularly fond of the chocolate flavor. I might have been persuaded to give another one of their chocolate flavors a try, but because the texture was not too my liking, I think I'll pass on further Choctal tastings.

A Guessing Game

2007-09-09T23:37:00.000+10:00

One brand, two flavors. One delightful, one inedible. Guess which is which.

NY Ice Cream Tour 2007 - Round 2.3

2007-09-06T02:43:00.000+10:00

Grom was the very last stop on my ice cream tour. In truth, I meant to return to pinkberry before I left the city, but on account of a very long dinner, it wasn't actually possible to make that return visit. I'm still waiting.

A day after n and I finished Round 2, I journeyed to the upper west side to visit Grom, the hot new gelateria where friends said the line frequently spanned a whole block. Luckily I did not encounter such a line, but it was a weekday morning. I'll spare you the lengthy story of Grom's pedigree, but suffice to say that the Manhattan shop is its first outside of Italy and that their factory is near the airport in Rome so ingredients remain fresh as they're flown across the Atlantic. Factory and fresh ingredients. It sounds like a paradox. The philosophy is that high-quality products can be replicated and produced in a standardized fashion. Small-batch "mixes" arrive in NY and the gelato is made onsite.

The menu rotates depending on what's in season. Ingredient pedigree is important and they're happy to advertise it, which makes for a bit of a snobbish read. I ordered the stracciatella ice cream which might have read something like this: Madagascar vanilla ice cream with Venezuelan chocolate chunks. To be honest, I can't remember the geographic heritage of its ingredients, but I thought the product was exquisite. I was especially impressed by the chocolate, which was dark, crunchy, and superior to most chocolate chips haphazardly thrown into chocolate chip ice cream. The espresso ice cream (also with now forgotten geographic markers) was good, but as I tend towards less sugar in my espresso flavors, I found it a bit sweet.

It's a toss up between Grom and ILDG. Where ILDG is tops in terms of price, Grom exceeds even that. And I wonder if I'm willing to pay a true premium for Grom. Grom regularly has unusual flavors not to be found elsewhere, and for that I would visit the shop.

As n said, it's a bit difficult to compare the products we sampled on our (perhaps misnamed) ice cream tour. The fact is that we didn't set out to judge a winner and so I shall refrain from declaring a favorite. We were most certainly not methodical (other than going for geographic efficiency) since we sampled whatever flavors and products struck our fancy in a given moment.

Final thoughts (in ascending order of whether or not I would revisit):

Cones - I have no desire to return.

Tasti D-Lite - a pleasant, but unmemorable soft-serve. Due to its ubiquity in the city, it wins for convenience, but with the wealth of frozen treats all over the city, I'd put this in the category of sustenance fare rather than treat.

Yolato - I would return if I were in the neighborhood and if pinkberry didn't exist, but in all honestly it's a bit of an odd hybrid. Neither pure frozen yogurt not gelato, it works, but my tendency is towards one product or another.

Australian Homemade Ice Cream - a very unusual lemon-basil sorbet makes this worth revisiting and I will endeavor to cross paths with the passionfruit flavor. I found the shop a bit lacking in character (a little too sleek and not enough playful) but it's in a great neighborhood.

ILDG - casual shop, cute neighborhood, lovely ice cream. This would be my everyday gelateria.

Grom - fancy shop, cute neighborhood, lovely ice cream. This would be my special occasion gelateria.

pinkberry - I loved it. Despite my high expectations, it didn't disappoint. I have been sampling pinkberry wannabes since we have no local outlet, but they are missing that elusive brain-rotting, navigation-impairing, makes you giddy quality.

n and I have already started planning our next ice cream tour. Suggestions are welcome.

NY Ice Cream Tour 2007 - Round 2

2007-09-05T00:10:00.000+10:00

e: Using her books as collateral, I managed to lure n back to Manhattan for Round 2 of our ice cream extravaganza the very next day. I'd already spent far too much time reading People magazine, so I knew that pinkberry was a favorite among the glitterati. Therefore I had to go. In order to find the nearest location, we hopped online and soon found ourselves on the official pinkberry website. As I type, I've once again loaded up the site so that I can be indoctrinated (intoxicated?) by the official song. P-I-N-K-B-E-R-R-Y....pinkbeeeeeerry! Curiously, they seem to have updated the soundtrack. I find myself missing the catchy apology to ice cream. But I digress.

n: I too looked up the site and it sort of sounds like they've replaced the song with a karaoke version of the original. Which while still infectiously viral, is nowhere near as entertaining as the above mentioned apology to ice cream. Fortunately, I had the forethought to download a copy of the original song for my very own personal enjoyment. It may be playing in the background as I write at this very minute.

e: n and I set out for the pinkberry on 8th Ave. with high expectations. We were feeling high. We attributed it to the official song, which we attempted to sing, but somehow only the chorus stuck in our brains. We arrived to find the storefront shiny and cutesy. The interior was all white with bright splashes of orange and green everywhere. We got in line behind soccer moms and paid attention as people ordered. I'm often dazzled by operational prowess, and this place was a delight to watch. As you order, everything is punched into a machine that spits out a label that is pasted onto your cup. And so your order (should be) perfect every time. Mine was. I opted for the plain yogurt with one topping - blueberries. I took my first bite and it was bliss. Super cold frozen yogurt, that was tangy and tasted like yogurt, but better yet, there was something indescribably delicious about it. n and I were at a lost for words. And then it came to us...cracktacular! As I finished my cup, I already wanted more. It was downhill from there. We sat in the happy shop eating our happy treat, feeling rather happy. The happiness turned to giddiness. And then to silliness. And when we left the store, we were hardly able to navigate ourselves to stops # 2 and # 3 on our tour that day.

n: The store was filled wall to wall with hip young moms and expensive baby strollers gathering for a girl's afternoon out, it was a little creepy. e and I were also initially startled by the massive portions available, pinkberry is pricey, but you also get small mountains of frozen dessert in exchange. It's ok though, because it's so light and airy, it doesn't really fill you up or weigh you down, perfect for trekking around on those sticky summer days in the city where the air is thick and wet and the subways like ovens.

The giddiness was almost alarming in its insidiousness. Viral like the song, we toddled about Chelsea trying to find our way to the lower east side, only to pay to go into the uptown side of the subway, walk up and down the entire platform before realizing that there was no crossover to the other side, then having to pay again to enter the downtown side. I have no explanation for this beyond what we deemed the "pinkberry effect" which apparently consists of extreme giddiness to the point of madness and an inability to navigate familiar spaces. All afternoon we would exclaim, "Pinkberry ate my brain!"

e: Lazy and a bit alarmed at our state of happy, but unable to navigate, we took the subway to the lower east side for our next tasting. I'd forgotten about our platform woes. I'd been reading a lot about Grom, a new gelateria on the upper west side, and in every article ILDG was mentioned as its rival. Would Grom dethrone ILDG as top gelateria? I decided a comparative tasting was in order. The shop was obscure and we nearly passed it. The ice cream case was also small. We tasted several samples, and shared a really lovely cup consisting of peanut butter and vanilla chocolate chip. It was a treat to have something so rich and dense and smooth, with the perfect balance of sweet and cream. I was a happy customer. I wondered how Grom could top ILDG.

n: To get to ILDG you must walk down Orchard St. (where I convinced e to buy a reconstructed vintage dress, score one for the (e)nabler!) with its gauntlet of cheap clothing vendors calling at you to buy their 99 cent t-shirts. But if you persist, you are in for something exquisite. We both split a small (almost tiny) cup of gelati, half vanilla chocolate chip, half peanut butter. The texture was rich and creamy. I found the sweetness a little much, and the flavorings a little faint. The peanut butter was beautifully delicate but I like something a little more robust myself. The chocolate chips in the other were miles above the specks offered by Cones, real, dark chocolate chunks, just the right size to be small enough to not overpower, but large enough to have a good tooth to them. Unfortunately, the vanilla while excellent, was something of a blank canvas. A vehicle for the chips as opposed to a strong flavor context in its own right. I attribute it to the fact that the flavoring was again truly subtle and delicate. ILDG would probably appeal most to purists who like tasting the cream base of the gelato itself as opposed to the flavors layered on top of it.

e: And then it was time to visit Australia. We hopped a plane from JFK and hours later we had our next treat. Not. Instead, we skipped over to St. Mark's Place and hit up Australian Homemade Ice Cream. We didn't actually have ice cream though. It was time for a palate cleanser, and a lemon basil sorbet danced happily upon on tongues. It was a good way to finish our second day of triple tasting. I don't think we'd yet recovered from the pinkberry delirium. Then I rushed off to dinner.

n: Australia was my one contribution to the list of ice cream hotspots. I'd been there once before with a friend who ordered the passionfruit sorbet and was bowled over by the sweet tartness and its incredible fidelity to the flavor of the actual fruit. This is probably because as the proprieter informed us, the passionfruit sorbet is something like 95% fruit and all flavors are compounded fresh daily. Knowing e's love affair with the most passionate of fruits, I insisted that she go. Sadly, passionfruit was not on the menu that day so we opted for a lovely lemon basil sorbet instead. It was the perfect palate cleanser after the decadence of ILDG. Light and tart with the fragrant counterpoint of the basil to keep things interesting. All in all, a fine end to the most ice cream I have ever consumed in such a short period of time.

THE VERDICT:

n: I have always known that I'm not a true ice cream girl at heart (blasphemy!) and that I prefer tart to sweet and sorbet to creamy. So my preferences lean towards the two frozen yogurt places, pinkberry and Yolato. I like the yogurt tang and that's the main reason pinkberry wins out for me as the tang is more distinct (also, cracktacular), though I think of them as the sorbet and gelato counterparts of each other. One is watery when melted, the other creamy. I also like the fresh fruit toppings of pinkberry while the Yolato stands on its own. For stuff closer to actual ice cream I'd pick ILDG which was delicious and rich and has unusual flavors to tempt the inner gourmand. Looking back on it, our ice cream tour included very little actual ice cream and was actually so varied that to compare the various establishments is like comparing apples and oranges. Most places had their own unique niche or hook and I could see myself re-visiting most of them depending on my mood. Though since the tour I have only re-visited pinkberry (twice). My only regret of the whole experience was in not convincing e to buy the black t-shirt we found at joyce leslie bearing the word "delicious!" over a ground of holographic ice cream cones. I felt it summed up our time together nicely.

e: I'm already looking forward to my next ice cream tour with n. It was truly a "treat" to make a mad dash for six shops in two days with her. Believe it or not, between tastings we even got to catch up with some non-ice cream fun. I learned that red shoes actually do go well with aqua and that we share a fondness for cheesy dance movies. As for my final thoughts on NY Ice Cream Tour 2007 - I'm going to delay them for a day because I indulged in Round 2.3 without n the very next day. I'll admit it was a bit disorienting, but it had to be done, and n was certainly there in spirit. Also, to (e)nabler's credit, I seriously considered the holographic t-shirt as a souvenir of our journey, but apparently would have had to give up ice cream in order to wear it. I like irony, but not at the expense of a food group. And yes, ice cream (and its frozen dairy and non-dairy associates) is definitely a food group in my books.

NY Ice Cream Tour 2007 - Round 1

2007-09-04T08:43:00.000+10:00

You'll see that today's missive has two authors. e and n. e is still for eating, but n is for (e)nabler. Here's why...

e: Summer '07 shall forever be the summer of ice cream. It all began in New York, when n and I did our ice cream tour last May. We'd been in the city for exactly an hour when talk turned to food, as it inevitably does.

n: Indeed, talk had in fact turned to food three states over and on the train I had compiled a list of places e wanted to hit up so that we could best maximize our short time together. I divided them by borough so that we could see where we needed to go:

Manhattan:
Dumplings
Joyce Leslie (I needed to introduce e to the joys of cheap clothing)
ice Ceam (just, you know, in general)
il laboratorio del gelato
*pinkberry (k-town) (this is starred, e REALLY wanted to go here)
Tasti-D-Lite
Yolato
Donut Plant
Cones

Brooklyn:
Jaques Torres

Queens:
Kosher ice cream
Korean fried chicken

Clearly, Manhattan won.

e: Somehow from "where shall we have lunch" the conversation turned into how best we could manage our ice cream tour.

n: Incidentally, the place I had suggested dragging e to for lunch turned out to be closed for the summer. I wanted to take her to Roll and Dough on W. 3rd and 6th Ave. for delicious dumplings and fried bing to fortify us on our ice cream tour, but we were thwarted! I stopped by a couple of weeks ago hoping that it had re-opened for the fall only to find it gone, closed forever! I think I shed a little tear in memory of some of the most delicious dumplings in the vicinity of my school. They were always good for a quick bite before a show (I work in theater production). I have fond memories of sitting on the steps of the theater balancing a styrofoam container filled with delicious dumplings and shoveling them into my mouth with chopsticks while actors looked on enviously from over their tiny yogurt cups. There are reasons I'm not in a profession that requires me to maintain a certain weight.

e: I named seven stops. n's response was "do you want to hit them all today?" In my heat-induced delirium, I misheard her question, so I answered "yes" and n didn't even flinch. Using her knowledge of Manhattan geography she quickly calculated the most efficient way to stop at seven ice cream shops in mere hours. And then I realized my mistake. We laughed, but I knew I'd found a true ice cream warrior, the perfect ice cream tour buddy.

n: I come from a family of serious eaters. As a child, my mother once ate 7 ice cream sundaes in one sitting--after a full meal. I am my mother's daughter.

e: Within minutes of hitting the streets, we stopped at Tasti-D-Lite. I had a chocolate and vanilla swirl. I realized my mistake when I exited the air-conditioned store with dessert in hand. Not only was I melting, but so was the soft serve. My snack from there was light (or perhaps that should be lite). While nice, it didn't make a major impression on me. At least it provided respite from the burning sun.

n: In my notebook I have written "Tasti-D = Tasti-chunks!" I wasn't ready for ice cream yet (ok, so I don't quite live up to my mother's example), but I think I may have had a bite. Our verdict was fine, rather insubstantial, and full of ice chunks of some sort that were bizarre, but not untasty. It was my first experience with the ubiquitous NY franchise despite having lived here a year now, and I must say, I don't understand the fuss when there's so much better to be had in the city.

e: Just as I had finished the Tasti-D-Lite, we turned onto MacDougal Street where we spotted Yolato. The dilemma - stop for another treat, or have lunch first and then double back to Yolato. Efficiency won. We entered yet another air-conditioned haven. We tried the yogurt flavored yolato (yes, it seems a bit excessive) and also blackberry yolato. Apparently not all of the selections are yogurt-gelato hybrids. n busted out her notebook so no detail would go unrecorded. The verdict: both flavors had a refreshing tangy note, but we agreed it was probably only worth re-visiting if we were already in the neighborhood. n enjoyed the grapefruit sorbet. I found it refreshing, but was really so focused on the hybrid concept that I found it difficult to concentrate on anything else. We savored the air conditioning and then continued the search for lunch. And actually had a lunch.

n: In fact, unable to decide between the specialty yogurt gelato (it seemed wrong not to partake of the chain's main claim to fame) and the incredibly refreshing looking pink grapefruit sorbet, e and I divided and conquered one ordering the yoggi noir (blackberry yolato) and one ordering the pink grapefruit. It was a surprisingly good combination, the first being dense and creamy with a pleasingly smooth texture and faint yogurt tang. The other being sweetly tart and refreshing in a clear sort of way. The exact notes read:

"pink grapefruit - tangy, rind fresh
yoggi noir - dense, creamy, tang, smooth
shallow dishes, lotta goods, value!"

The portions were surprisingly generous and we found ourselves pleasingly full of frozen delights. The interior is sleek and colorful in a playful sort of way and they are oddly cult-like in their language describing their "Career Opportunities." There are entire flyers promoting opening your very own Yolato franchise. Also, the storefront boasts a trashcan in the shape of a giant ice cream cone. It's hard not to love that.

Lunch was disappointing by my book. We finally stopped at a random pan Asian noodle bar in Soho whose name I have only written down as "Noodle Bar." It is entirely possible that this is the only name it bears. I think we both decided on the Soto Ayam described as "Indonesian Chicken Soup." It came with an insipid side salad that was one step from being the kind of iceberg salad you find at tackier teppan-yaki (hibachi to some) restaurants only not as good, and two cold greasy fried appetizer things. The soup itself was alright, but a tad depressing. All in all, the only reason I recorded it was so that I could remember not to return.

(note: just looked this up on the internet. It does indeed appear to be named Noodle Bar and apparently is much beloved. It's possible we went on a bad day/ordered the wrong thing. It's also possible that all the people leaving reviews have never had real Asian noodles in their life)

e: While our lunch selections ranged from unmemorable to downright disappointing, I do recall with some fondness the jaunty red chopsticks they so graciously provided. Eating on the sidewalk (at a table) was also nice. As was the water. Ice cream makes me thirsty.

n: At this point I was starting to wane. e and I had just come from our 5th year college reunion which while full of fun, was not full of sleep and it was hot to boot.

e: (note: incidentally, I arrived at our college reunion bleary-eyed via the red-eye, wholly unprepared for east coast humidity. My friends took one look at me and said, "let's get ice cream." How well they know me.)

n: But we did manage to squeeze in one more stop at Cones on Bleecker. I wasn't up for a portion of my own having succumbed to a sudden wave of fatigue, but e manfully ordered up a cup of some sort of mocha flavor. I had a bite and we were both unimpressed with Cones' offering. It has a light, fluffy texture that was reminiscent of Tasti D-Lite and an overly sweet milky texture that was not unpleasant but uninspiring. Furthermore, the chocolate chips promised were more like chocolate specks than anything you could really bite into and were more distracting than anything else. I'm told by other ice cream authorities that we made an unfortunate choice in flavor, but even so, I have not been inspired to return.

e: I second n on her Cones assessment. The mocha chip was awful. Granted, it was ice cream and it was still hot, so there were minor merits. I felt duped since the storefront was covered in all sorts of seemingly reputable press about the shop. And in case you haven't yet noticed, n and I, being very serious about our tour, dispensed with niceties like cones and went straight for the cups all day. No sense in distracting from the main attraction. I can't remember if it was before or after our ill-fated Cones stop that we made a detour to Murray's Cheese where I not only spent some time happily perusing the cheese, but also stopped at length before the freezer which featured not only pints from Vosages (at the time I'd never tasted their ice cream), but also cute little rectangle containers from the hallowed ILDG (il Laboratorio del Gelato) and even selections from 5 Boroughs Ice Cream. The debate became, should we buy a pint here and if so, which one? But good sense in the form of n kicked in (no, she didn't actually kick me) and we exited the shop sans ice cream. I really don't know how we would have managed. Good call, n.

n: Heh, my memory actually has me living up to my name and trying to convince e to bring home a sampling of pints to ostensibly share with her host (but really to further the ice cream tour). Though I think I also made a case for Round 2 of the tour. I see both sides of situations.

e: Apparently all the day's frozen treats have interfered with my ability to remember. I shall defer to n's memory of this fine struggle between good and foolish.

n: Cones was about all we could handle that afternoon, especially as e had dinner plans in a couple of hours. We did however make it up to The Strand where I bought more books than I could carry home on the subway (factoring in my luggage--did I stress that we had just arrived on a train from another state prior to the ice cream madness?) thus necessitating leaving them at the apt. where e was staying and providing a handy excuse for me to pick them up the next day and going on Round 2 of NY Ice Cream Tour 2007.

Carnivorous

2007-09-01T09:30:00.000+10:00

Modern Tea

2007-08-29T08:45:00.000+10:00

Imagine a corner cafe with expansive windows framing a not terrifically busy street. Swaths of colored glass are draped across the windows, and casual tables perch invitingly so one can lounge and take in the scene. It's been an exhausting stretch, and rather than fuss with rush hour traffic as I continued on my merry schedule, I wandered towards Modern Tea in Hayes Valley for some needed sustenance and meditation. I got both.

Although I enjoyed the quinoa chowder and variation on coleslaw featuring hijiki, it was the tea and dessert that really got my attention. I was charmed when the waiter asked if I wanted to see the baked goods menu after my supper. I nearly swooned when three slices of bundt cake and a hearty spoonful of whipped cream and strawberries appeared at my table. The cake was a simple butter cake. Neither dense nor heavy, it featured the most delectable citrus glaze whose sugary crackle was a lovely contrast to the cake's melting qualities, and surprisingly, it wasn't insanely sweet. The entire effect was refreshing. But since the cream was homemade and vanilla flavored too, I turned the refreshing into decadent and scooped up the whole mess in bites that made the dessert disappear all to rapidly. I only stopped for sips of tea. Their Nepal selection was Darjeeling-like, with a slight flowery note that was tempered by a bit of smokiness. Better yet, they brewed the tea in a pot and removed the leaves before bring the tea to table. The result - cup after cup of a perfect brew.

Laloo Froyo

2007-08-26T14:29:00.000+10:00

Say that three times fast. And try not to giggle.

This product is a winner. Of what, who knows, but I would definitively buy it again. Laloo's specializes in goat's milk ice cream. I tried the raspberry frozen yogurt and it's quite delightful. Natural raspberry flavor, not overly sweet, nice texture. Even the color is pretty. There's only a hint of gaminess detectable that comes with using goat's milk. In fact, I'll probably branch out to other flavors and products in their line.

Happiness,,,

2007-08-22T22:07:00.000+10:00

...is when someone unexpectedly bakes you cookies.

Chocolate & Twigs

2007-08-20T21:59:00.000+10:00

Cracked open another Vosges special. Pandan Leaf & Belgian Dark Chocolate. It's growing on me, but my first bite really did make me think of twigs. Now that I'm into my ninth spoonful, the hint of twig becomes more faint and instead I'm enjoying smooth chocolate (though not particularly dark) with a nutty finish. Not bad.

Something Odd

2007-08-16T14:56:00.000+10:00

I've had three pints of ice cream sitting in the freezer, unopened, for nearly three weeks. How they remained unopened, I have no idea. Amnesia perhaps. I finally tried the Vosages wattleseed ice cream with macadamias. The base is sweet cream vanilla, with an emphasis on sweet. I failed to detect the wattleseed, possibly because of the extreme sweetness of the concoction. The macadamias were tasty, but not enough to save the product. I would not buy this product again. But ice cream is ice cream. Tomorrow: another pint.

Still Don't Get It

2007-08-13T22:11:00.000+10:00

I'm the only person I've met who isn't wildly, passionately, crazily in love with Beard Papa's. It was with enormously high expectations that I visited my first shop in New York on Carmine Street two years ago. Only two doors down my my favorite pizza place, I was expecting greatness and instead found, well, just a pastry. I ordered the original vanilla cream puff and quite enjoyed watching it come into being. However, it didn't meet my expectations, and I immediately realized why. I concluded that my very specific image of a cream puff was different than the Beard Papa's version, and for that, I penalized what was a nice pastry, but in my mind, distinctly not a cream puff. While the vanilla cream was commendable since it was rich and flavorful, I found it out of place in the world of cream puffs, in which I expect freshly whipped cream. The vanilla cream struck me as more of an eclair filing (which must be ovals and not circles). And the shell itself was too crispy. I missed the chewiness of a traditional choux pastry.

Two years later, after listening to many more people swoon over Beard Papa's, and overcome by hunger today just steps from another shop, I gave the vanilla cream puff another go. My opinion, formed two years ago, still stands. Nice pastry, not a cream puff.

The Downside of Coffee

2007-08-10T08:08:00.000+10:00

I spilled coffee all over myself on my way to a networking event.

Drinking coffee: good
Wearing coffee: disastrous

Rockpool

2007-08-07T07:11:00.000+10:00

Five courses, two and a half hours. My last dinner in Sydney was delightful. I dined at Rockpool, Neil Perry's flagship restaurant situated in the historic Rocks district. The history ends there. Walk into the unassuming glass-fronted restaurant and immediately you're spilled onto the catwalk. Waiters carry plate upon plate of food onto plush blue carpeting flanked by a modern take on spotlights

The restaurant was a delight, though the meal hardly light. Courses were generous. And there were five of them.

Four Tastes of The Sea

Yellow fin tuna served sashimi style with ginger and sea salt.

Something something kingfish (apparently I was too busy eating to remember), also served sashimi style, but with a tom yum goong gelee on top. I liked the fish, through the gelee was a bit overpowering.

Scallop garnished with with green papaya in a soy dressing and pomelo granules. The scallops were heavenly - midsized, tender and fresh, though the soy dressing was a bit heavy.

Cerviche of scampi with a cucumber thai dressing. It was sort of rubbery like calamari, and least impressive to me

Black Truffle BLT

One of my favorite dishes, and quite surprising considering my usual bias against truffles. The BLT consisted of two thin slices of buttered toast with shaved slices of Western Australian truffles sandwiched in between. There was thin American-style bacon (rare in Australia) served very crispy on a bed of mushroom puree dotted with more (sauteed eleni, field, and morel) mushrooms. Delicious.

Twice Cooked Murray Cod with Caponata - Olive Tapenade and Black Olive Oil

The waiter explained the fish was cooked while vacuum sealed (yay for sous vide!), so of course I had to order it. Very nicely done. They crisped up the skin hence the twice-cooked bit. I didn't think the tapenade, truffle oil and garam masala would go together, but they did. Fish was tender and served on a bed of diced eggplant and pine nuts as best as I could tell.

Suckling Pig with Sweet Potato, Ginger Puree, Ginger Sauce

This dish did me in. The suckling pig had a crisp skin, but because they didn't remove the layer of fat beneath the skin prior to cooking, there was an overwhelming fatty layer underneath. The gingered sweet potato puree was nice, and there were also candied pear, apple and orange served with a grilled pearl onion on the side. The ginger sauce was a ginger foam that the waiter spooned on top of the pork, which was served on some sort of fried lettuce. I quite enjoyed these two elements. I also thought this was quite a generous dish. And then they brought out separate dishes containing a green salad and a gratin of potato. The additions made for a very large course. The upside is that my small and rather empty table suddenly looked rather full.

Passionfruit Souffle with Passionfruit Cream

I love passionfruit, so I pre-ordered the souffle and wasn't disappointed. Served in a small copper pot, the souffle was fragrant and sweet. The cream was spoon thick. The cream was passionfruit flavored but very tart, and it went well with the dish, cutting the sweetness and really allowing the passionfruit flavor to shine.

Coffee with Sweets

I thought I was done with dinner. I expected perhaps a cookie or some petit fours to end. I laughed when they brought sweets to my table. Two chocolate raspberry truffles, a strawberry macaroon, and cup with 9 homemade passionfruit marshmallows. And if that wasn't enough, another cup was filled with more than a dozen home made salted caramels which were amazing. I couldn't figure out a way to gracefully empty the whole cup of caramels into my bag, so grabbed a few for the road. The caramel and marshmallows I realized they pre-package, so each table gets one. and since I was a party of 1 it just looked (and was) ludicrous.

End meal End story. Rockpool was totally splurgeworthy in Syndey