Cookie cravin': Levain Bakery NYC



So it was still National Chocolate Day week (because, why should the celebration ever end? teehee) and I was craving a good, I mean good chocolate chip cookie. I'd always wanted to visit Levain Bakery NYC just to see what's good, I figured this was as good a time as any. I made sure to go on a real lazy even right smack in the middle of the week day because I did not want to encounter any kind of line whatsoever...but go figure there was still a respectable wait to get inside the store as you can see below. Stood outside for 10 minutes. Not bad enough to turn the heck around and head back into the subway at 72nd street... :)

I learned about this NYC cookie powerhouse when it first opened a few years ago but I'm a downtown girl and it was way uptown, plus why would I want to be a NYC sucker and line up outside the door and almost around the block (ok maybe I exaggerated a tad here) for pastry (yeah Cronut I'm looking at you! - more on that in a later post btw)  - and all the excuses you could think of under the sun... but I digress.



 

Finally I make it into the tiny, charming shop and right as you come in you see the bags of high gluten flour. Yassss! That's how you bake a real cookie. Certaintly not "gluten-free" friendly and you know it as soon as you step inside... 

 

The nice and friendly staff giving the people what the people want...

 

I'm here now. Sooo what ever will I order?? The nice artisanal looking sodas that I love, or make a venture into the tasty looking mini pizza type breads...?

 

FOCUS! You came out here to try the legendary chocolate chip cookies and them cookies are what you shall get. Apparently they bake a whole variety of delectable goodies but the Chocolate Chip Walnut and the Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip are more of what they're known for so...what's a girl to do when faced with huge cookies at $4 a pop? She buys 2 of the most popular offerings, that's all she does...

 

Well except I switcherooed last minute to the Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip and "oh m gee". Look at that mound of deliciousness. When I took it out the bag I wondered if it was fully baked as it was so soft and heavy, almost like a cake.

 

Then I realized it was so chock filled with peanut butter was why it felt like so. I wish I had held the cookie in my hand to give an idea of the scale... but all I wanted to do was devour this mountain cookie of goodness... 

 

The Chocolate Chip Walnut...

So full of devilishly delicious chocolate...

 

The damage : $8. Not bad for someone who almost literally has to restrain herself when she sees the chocolate. I actually thought I would find the cookies overrated but interestingly I didn't. Not a big coffee drinker but I know the ladies behind me who looked like they knew their onions when it came to their cafe in NYC, were not impressed with the coffee. Just sayin'. However I thought the cookies were a bit much in size but then if you are paying $4 a pop, better to get your money's worth. The walnut chip was just alright. The peanut butter chip was heavenly. I would certainly get it again but only if I am in the area and I spy no lines... 

 

'til the next jaunt

x

 

 

 

 

 

National Chocolate Day: A schlep to L.A. Burdick NYC

By some calendars, July 7th is National Chocolate Day...ok per instagram...or whoever is the final decider of these holiday thingies. Given my special love for chocolate, I believed it should be celebrated in style; not that a special day should ever be needed for a chocoholic, will-walk-through-lonely-streets -to-find-good-chocolate, desperado like me. It is easy to be desperado in these United States when it comes to good chocolate. Yes NYC, I do love you but Europe has spoiled me for you when it comes to chocolate and I am sorry to break it to ya, yeah ya just have yet to blow me away when it comes to your chocolate. Now there are some spots that have hit the spot (almost), like Vosges, La Maison Du Chocolat, Neuhaus, name it, I have visited them all...well all except LA Burdick.

They are known for their chocolate mice and penguins. So cute! And so to celebrate this lovely national food holiday I figured a schlep to Flatiron was necessary to check this place out - yeah I know I'm late to the party but anyhue...this is how it went.

Interior was charming enough.

Delectable cakes and pastries, mostly of the chocolate variety. Decisions, decisions...

Finally decided on an almond chocolate cake. Ok can I tell it as it really is to you readers of mine...all 2 of you heheh - and I appreciate you very much so I wouldn't sugarcoat or lie to you on my true opinion of any food I eat or place I visit. You can take that to the bank...

So about the cake, the slice looked delectable but the overall texture and taste left a lot to be desired and more so when I think that I paid $6.50 for this?!? C'mon now.

And oh, let's talk about this coconut cake on the counter. I contemplated getting it and I wish I had asked first for a slice before mentioning the mold and sign of spoilage I saw at the base of the cake (look at this picture closely towards to the bottom of the cake); for when the girl at the counter realized I had seen that she said 'oh no that's just display, if you want a slice of this cake, we cut it for you from the one we can serve in the back...'

Ok, lady. I acquiesced but I don't know why, I just had a hard time believing her...#jessayin'

Oh hello, cutesy mice that they are more famous for...and for their hot chocolate (if only I were a hot chocolate person, I know a couple of people with reviews on yelp who will sell their last possession for  a cup of legendary hot chocolate from here...)

Here was my final order of chocolate in honor of National Chocolate Day, lest we forget the real purpose of the trip and this post; a milk mouse - mocha ganache, a penguin - lemon ganache (these were 3.25 a piece), a pave glace (3.00), a double stacked square (1.85) and she threw in a freebie, the single bonbon (1.25) which she charged me for anyway lol. The total damage : about $20.00.
 

 

Final verdict the chocolates were tasty but went the way of the average, very average I might add, American gourmet chocolate attempts, and for the $$ I had to pay, not very impressed. I guess I really am eay to please but hard to impress when it comes to my chocolate and pastries, and pizza and pretty much anything epicurean heheh. Sorry USA you are my land and I'd love you still but please do try to make chocolate like the French or Swiss or something...

 

'Til the next jaunt

x

Anatomy of a Cookie Shot

Listen, I won't belabor the point. If you live in NYC then you KNOW or have HEARD about the Cronut. And by extension, know where it is sold, at the Dominique Ansel Bakery in Soho, NYC. The chef, of the same name is quite the visionary in innovation when it comes to his pastry, and say what you want about the cronut and the fad surrounding it, you have to respect the James Beard 2014 pastry chef awarded Ansel's dedication to his craft. I met him once in the bakery (I loiter around there so much lol) and he is so mild mannered, with a kind smile as he joined his chefs for lunch and nicely told me they were out of Cronuts for the day. I was incredulous, sauntering in at 4pm and expecting there to be a hidden stash somewhere for me lol. I laugh at myself...

BUT this is not about the CRONUT. This is about the chocolate chip cookie milk shot. Another Ansel creation (debuted winter 2014) which he serves at 3PM as an 'after school special' type offering and for which the lines start to form hours before.

Full disclosure: I aint no sucker, I will not line up for pastry, not in the middle of my day and sure as heck not early at the crack of dawn (like, heck no lol) which is why I still have yet to get my paws on a cronut...but oh my time is coming, it is I tell you. Just watch this space.

Here is the run down...In 3 takes. The Anatomy of a Cookie Shot.

How it all began: I walk in at almost 6PM on a weekday, just looking for a 'pick me up' to reward me for a particularly grueling day at the office, totally not expecting there to be any more cookie shots, actually, not even thinking there would be (I have been there at 4PM in the past and they were all out). All I wanted was a nice lil cannele morsel. ISo I go to order my cannele and out the corner of my eye, could it be? Did I just spy some cookie shot looking thingies in the corner? So of course at 3.75 a pop, I could afford to, I had to have one. I almost asked, 'what, the romance is over, y'all didn't run out of it today?'  but was too excited for any snark heheh. The downside to getting my order so late: well the cookie case which is supposed to be served warm was nice and cold. I take it anyway. So right in front of me the server pours the cold milk (the milk is supposed to be cold) into the case of cookie. I am not a dairy milk drinker (noo relax I eat dairy, I have to for the love of pizza and gelato! But I don't drink milk straight up out a glass or anything for that matter, it'd be too 'pure undiluted dairy' for me!). It was such a pretty sight, watching him pour the milk out of a nice dainty white little teapot and we started out with this:

I hadn't realized that the cookie shot was lined with some rich valrhona chocolate, nice surprise. I had dreaded having to drink some unsweetened milk out this thing but thankfully the milk was nice and sweet, without being cloyingly so, such a pleasant surprise. Apparently it's organic vanilla flavored milk sourced from some farm upstate New York (the signboard in the shop has all these details for those who care enough)

After observing that trying to nibble and sip wasn't gonna work out that well for me, I chugged the milk, it was delish enough on its own, and proceeded to do justice to the cookie.

And that's how the cookie crumbled, well literally (I couldn't resist the pun y'all). So what's the verdict? Well I expected the cookie to be a bit crunchier but then if I had bothered to really read up on it, I would have learned it was never meant to be crunchy but soft and just sturdy enough to hold in your hand without crumbling off. Of course if you left the milk in there too long you end up with a soggy mass I would expect.
So yeah the verdict? Good but not great. Would I order it again? Honestly, maybe... Would I get in line in the hot summer sun to get my hands on a warm-cookie-cold-milk shot? Nope...

'til the next jaunt...hold up I just realized I posted my first dessert post - I love dessert such that I almost named this blog "Dessert before Dinner". Ooooh there are so many dessert posts in this blog's future. Just thought to get that fact out of the way lol

x
PS: If you tried the cookie shot and have any opinions on it,  comment!!

Brunch Sitchiation: The Fat Radish

So I had been looking so very forward to this place since, I don't know, like forever. Ever since I peeped the "Full English Breakfast" on their menu. I daresay maybe that's what they are known for? I love London and a lot of things English, as you would hopefully (pocket permitting) come to discover on this blog so it wasn't hard to sell me on it - I knew I would reach The Fat Radish  - it was not a matter of it but a matter of when. How did it go? Well... first I was oh so pleasantly surprised that there was no silly wait for me to get a table. Refreshing. Maybe because it was a Saturday right after the brunch rush hours? I got there by 2.30 in the afternoon. It was nice and calm.

The charming interiors...with a rustic feel.

 

The light bathed dining area. What a space. The specials are scrawled on the mirror for you to peruse. The lovely wait staff will still reel them off to you so...don't squint...

 

What to order? Decisions decisions? Well I already knew what I wanted....

 

So, I started off with the fresh red juice made from beet, celery and apple juices (I guess this wasn't a boozin brunch yo)

Then of course the Full English Breakfast, Meyers of Keswick sausages, bacon, eggs, beans, tomato. Can we talk about the tomatoes for just a second? Ok, Fat Radish maybe I am not british and so I don't know how the tomatoes are supposed to be served and maybe I had been deceived by delectable photographs of the full english breakfast you serve but the tomatoes came out soggy and wrinkled. It left a lot to be desired but overall my english breakfast was delicious. I nearly cleaned my plate. I wasn't gonna let a couple wrinked almost unrecognizable tomatoes ruin my brunch groove.

A closer look - pictures don't lie; can anyone pinpoint the tomatoes to me? Didn't think so lol

Cash only establishment!

So...will I be back? After the wrinkly tomatoes fiasco, well yeah even if reluctantly I will go back there. I liked the ambiance, the food was delish and I still would like to try something else on the menu, maybe fulfil my pancake pangs? Hopefully second time will be the charm.

So til the next brunch sitchiation
x

Come go with me - Pizza Pangs: Di Fara Pizza

Been around since '65 and now have an outpost in Vegas. Where else am I speaking of but the famous or maybe notorious, Di Fara Pizza in Midwood Brooklyn. Di Fara known for its legendary pizza pies, slices and squares has been named by Zagats the #1 pizza joint in NYC for 8 years in a row. I love my NYC pizza but I don't indulge nearly enough. There are a bajjillion number of pizza slice joints and once you have tasted one, you have tasted all. Particularly in NYC where all kinds of nationalities are running pizza joints. However there are stand out places, some of them terribly overrated and frankly I am not sure if Di Fara is one of them.

So here is the rundown. I sauntered in right smack in the middle of the day on a weekday and didn't think I would still have to wait 45 mins to get a round and a square! Silly me. There was orders up the wazoo and I am sure the lovely lady behind the counter who was taking orders suppressed a good natured chuckle when I thought I could just order my pizza in one breath and inhale it with the other...

I contemplated leaving for a micro second and then though hey their 'byline' does say, 'it's worth the wait' and I shall have to find now, shan't I? While I waited I peeped the careful methodical way, using the freshest ingredients,  the proprietor(s) prepared their pizza - that was almost a tongue twister; almost lol.

Fresh sauce...

Fresh cheese. I gathered that they use three different cheeses for their pies. By now the anticipation is building guys...

After 40 minutes or so of waiting, I received my single mushroom square. And oh points for carrying my nice and not too sweet mexican sodas. Yes to sugar - never thought the day would come that I would publicly hail sugar but anything is better than HFCS I say! 

It was nice and piping hot, straight out of the oven. I definitely should have waited longer for it to cool down (where had I heard again that pizza is not really enjoyed super hot? Well wherever it was, they were right). But I couldn't wait, I had waited 40 minutes and maybe indeed a couple of years, to have this scrumptious bite of Di Fara pizza. I did feel like a sucker paying $5 for a square and also waiting that long for it but oh well.

Then another 10 minutes or so came the plain cheese slice. I had to add my oregano and pepper flakes - on the side this time heheh.

Up close and personal...

The verdict.

So here goes. I spent almost an hour, on a day there was virtually not a line outside the door as is usually reported. I paid 5 bucks for each of the slice and square I got, this is DOUBLE the regular price of a standard pizza joint in the city. For me, then the pizza should have be entirely knock your socks off, blow your mind away exquisite, to compensate for the bother. BUT after all said and done,  it was good, not great. And I know my pizza, trust me when I say I'm picky as heck, a food taste snob if I may say so myself so this is not me running it down. It certainly didn't taste like the other pizzas you would have in a random pizza shop in the city. Not at all. It was delish alright, but they could be less heavy handed on the salt and the oil. Pictures don't lie, take a second look above...

I do have to say, the pizza tasted very fresh and flavorful but the fact that the salt and oil bothered me in addition to the inconveniences of time and MONEY, the overall verdict is good, not great. For me, that is - I am sure Di Fara will continue to have and probably deserves its cult following! Will I be back? Well, if and only if I am in the neighborhood, and can afford the time and money, probably...

I'm gonna segway into the topic of the very best pizza slice I have had in the city so far and I have had quite a few; in fact, I make it a point to visit the big name, big rated joints just to see if they measure up to my place but no chance! The fact that it is just another unassuming pizza hint where the slices are in the same range as regular fare makes it that much more mind blowing. I will be posting about this place soon so keep your eyes peeled...no pomp and pageantry just a wonderful unassuming, delicioso slice of scrumptiousness. Yummm, I had to close my eyes just thinking about it...

Til the next food jaunt

x

National Donut Day

Celebratin' food holidays like it's my j-o-b :)

I'm not a big donut eater on any given day. However I love my different exotic donuts like Doughnut Plant flavors, I have been known to schlep to the LES for that once or twice heheh. So today on this national holiday of donuts the good ol regular Dunkin wasn't gonna cut it and I finally hit Dough in Bed Stuy Brooklyn and discovered why Cafe-Au-Lait flavor is the hit of the pack among other things...

First of all it was super refreshing to me to actually see with my very own eyes that they do use natural ingredients.

Ya couldn't even blame me for my shock and awe at what should be expected and dare I say, natural BUT - like most Americans I have slowly subconsciously become cynical and skeptical about the sources of and what actually goes into the food supply for lack of a better term:(
Just the other day I ran into the big 'NO GMO" rally at Union Square (will post about it sometime) and well let's just say, heavier things.. people, heavier things. To be discussed some other day.

And then this. I stopped short at this little sign of theirs. To enter the raffle or not to. First because I NEVER win that stuff...and second, hmm not sure if it's such a great idea to have donuts on a weekly basis for one month much less one year. So yeah I had to think about that...but in the end, I did take a ticket, oh what the heck, I never win raffles anyway...

Passionfruit and hibiscus calling my name...

Aight so let's talk about THE flavor, which is actually the popular flavor they make, the cafe au lait. It looks nice and humble and next to the shiny glazes of the, say hibiscus or the passionfruit, it may look like there is nothing to it but do not be fooled. People know their tastebuds and this one here is a winner. The glaze is a nice mild coffee glaze and the clincher the thing that GOT me was the coffee nibs. One bite and I got a load of the coffee nib in the glaze and it was game over. It has earned its popular flavor status hands down...no side eye there.

 

And that's how we ended National Donut Day. If you have any great donut joints in NYC and beyond please share!

Till the next jaunt...
x