Category Archives: bucket list

Ladurée Soho GRAND OPENING!

02 Sunday Feb 2014

Posted by in bakeries, bucket list, celebrations, chocolate, dairy, French, fruit, herbs and spices, Japanese, macarons, New York, snacks, sweets, tea, urban, wagashi, Williamsburg

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Ladurée Soho (398 W Broadway) had its soft opening this weekend and will be open to the public on Wednesday, February 5, 2014. It will feature a full-service restaurant and an outdoor patio. Though currently unavailable, reservations can be made at OpenTable here. This new flagship location has started making pastries and viennoiseries previously impossible to find anywhere in North America. Scroll down to see the Saint-Honoré rose and the pistachio religieuse that I bought yesterday. Screen Shot 2014-02-02 at 7.47.49 AM

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I love the new macaron box – according to an employee at Ladurée, it features a “very French” joke about the post-Christmas sales season. “0% OFF SALE!” I thought it was surprisingly cheeky for such a traditional fabricant de douceurs
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Ladurée’s new fall 2013 macaron flavors!

29 Thursday Aug 2013

Gingerbread Macaron
A macaron made of two macaron shells,
filled with a delicious cream
infused with spices

Pink Pepper Macaron
A macaron made of two macaron shells,
filled with a delicious cream
infused with pink pepper

I’m glad the pink peppercorn macaron is not pink. There are quite a few places in New York City that already make pink peppercorn macarons (and they’re always pink)… but I have a feeling Ladurée’s will be transcendental.

There’s a new box, too!

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Posted by | Filed under bakeries, bucket list, celebrations, celiac, French, herbs and spices, macarons, New York, snacks, sweets, wagashi

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Ramen Burger at Smorgasburg

27 Tuesday Aug 2013

Posted by in allium, American, Asian, BBQ, Brooklyn, bucket list, celebrations, Japanese, meat, New York, noodles, ramen, snacks, Williamsburg

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I finally got to try Keizo Shimamoto’s ramen burger on Saturday at Smorgasburg! My friends and I got there at about 10:00AM and then got the burger at about 11:30AM. There were about 60 people ahead of us in line.

While we were waiting, a group of Japanese reporters interviewed Lisa. She jokingly said she drove all the way from Utah just to try the ramen burger. I hope I can find her interview online.

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You can only buy one ramen burger per person and each person must be present. I was number 67.

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The hamburger wrappers are really unique. They have pleats and kind of reminded me of a shower cap from a hotel.

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Here is chef Keizo Shimamoto (in the backwards cap).

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The grill wasn’t level so here are some of the staff members trying to fix it. I’m pretty sure they reserve the fatty drippings from the hamburgers to make the brown sauce that goes on top of the burger (along with scallions). Notice the long, long line in the background.

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The ramen “buns” cooking on the grill.

Cronuts at Paris Baguette

26 Monday Aug 2013

Posted by in American, Asian, bakeries, bucket list, dairy, French, Korean, New York, snacks, sweets

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Paris Baguette in Korea Town is now making their own version of the cronut. They’re called croissant doughnuts and they are available daily at noon and 3PM. Only about 30 croissant doughnuts are made at each time and they sell out within 15 minutes.

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Just like all the other pastries on the wooden shelves, you have to wait for an employee to put the tray of croissant doughnuts on the shelf and then you place them in a paper box with tongs. I made the mistake of waiting by the counter to order.

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The batch I had had a little lemon zest on top. The lemon helped balance the richness of the fried dough and cream.

Thatch Screwpine fruit

02 Friday Aug 2013

Posted by in bucket list, foraging, fruit, snacks

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Pandanus tectorius is a species of screwpine that is found in Malesia, Eastern Australia, and the Pacific Islands. The fruit pods are buoyant and the seeds inside can remain viable for months while being transported by ocean currents, much like coconuts.

The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked and is a major source of food in Micronesia, especially in the atolls. The fibrous nature of the fruit also serves as a natural dental floss. The tree’s leaves are often used as flavoring for sweet dishes such as kaya jam, and are also said to have medicinal properties. It is also used in Sri Lankan cookery, where the leaves are used to flavor a variety of curries.

Does anyone know where I can find this fruit I’m New York City?

(information via Wikipedia)

the Lounge at Atera

31 Wednesday Jul 2013

Posted by in allium, American, beverages, bucket list, celebrations, foraging, herbs and spices, New York, snacks, urban

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Atera recently raised the price of the tasting menu from $165 to $195 per person. If you want to try chef Matthew Lightner’s incredible food but can’t afford the full menu, try the Lounge. It’s right under the restaurant in the basement and it features some of the amuse-bouches from the tasting menu as well as other snacks. You can also get an amazing burger made with sirloin, beef tendon, and rib meat. It’s fried in lamb fat and comes with a side of whipped goose liver for the fries (which are SO good).

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lobster roll on toasted meringue, hazelnut butter with crackers, and carrot leather

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heart of palm “bone” and béchamel “marrow”

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Chapul cricket bars

24 Wednesday Jul 2013

Posted by in American, Asian, bucket list, education, foraging, herbs and spices, insects, meat, snacks, Thai

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Chapul, Inc. in Salt Lake City is now selling their cricket flour protein bars at Westerly Natural Market in New York City. The bars are about $3.50 each and are made from such organic ingredients as dates, agave nectar, and Jamaican crickets (Gryllus assimilis).

The name “Chapul” is derived from the Nahuatl word chapōlin via Mexican Spanish, chapulín.

Cricket protein is more environmentally friendly than beef or pork because crickets require much less water and can eat agricultural byproducts like corn cobs and banana peels.

The bars come in three flavors: “Chaco” is the peanut butter and chocolate bar; “Thai” has coconut, ginger, and lime in it; and “Aztec” includes coffee, cocoa, and cayenne pepper. Visit my Facebook page for more updates!

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Beet ice cream with goat cheese and candied pistachios

24 Wednesday Jul 2013

Posted by in American, Brooklyn, bucket list, celiac, dairy, ice cream, New York, Williamsburg

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OddFellows Ice Cream Co. in Williamsburg has some very special new flavors, including celery and beet with goat cheese and candied pistachios. I stopped by yesterday to try them both. The celery sorbet was too sweet for me but the beet ice cream was fantastic! Check their Facebook page for daily flavors.

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