Hatfield's: A LA Birthday

Dad was going to celebrate his 57th in LA so I wanted to go somewhere special. Like, REALLY special. My first instinct was to call up The Bazaar but, no dice – after that four star article in the LA Times, everyone and their mother decided to pay Jose Andres' LA joint a visit and they were booked up all the way until May.

For a while, I played with the idea of Michael Mina’s XIV but they changed the menu for spring and upped the tasting menu prices so I volleyed instead between Grace and Hatfield’s. It was a tough decision but LA Magazine awarded the latter one more shining star than Neal Fraser’s restaurant so Hatfield’s it was for April 16th.

(Scallops)

Hatfield’s was a solid experience. My first impression of the place was that it was exactly the kind of restaurant I love – understatedly elegant; laid-back but refined. There was none of that pretentious your-waiter-is-going-to-have-a-‘tude-because-you’re-not-in-louboutins situation (I can’t stand that shit). And of top of the fantastic atmosphere, this place is a STEAL. No joke. Their Spring Special prix-fixe is $49.00 for a top-notch three-course menu – no skimping whatsoever. Good stuff. And as if that wasn’t enough of a steal, every dining party gets to enjoy Quinn Hatfield’s amuse bouche of deviled quail eggs with cream of celeriac. Presentation was so beautiful – eggs served in a tiny silver spoon and the soup was put into a shot glass. This was definitely a welcome opener to our starved stomachs.

(Fatty Foie Gras)

Hatfield’s was off to a great start. The menu is so decadent. For my appetizer, I was eying the pan roasted diver scallops, marinated artichokes purée, saffron vanilla emulsion but mom and dad both had their hearts set on that so, instead, I opted for the roasted Bobo farm foie gras, pain d’epice crust, beluga lentils, apple rosemary purée. Our appetizers appeared before us in their generous portions and art-work-worthy presentation. Personally, I’m not a big fan of foie gras ALONE but foie gras with the perfect accompaniment is a piece o’ heaven and Hatfield’s nailed it. The sharpness of the pain d’epice crust worked amazingly with the creamy texture of the foie gras. I was a very happy camper.

(Halibut)

(Duck Breast)

And onto the entrees. Mom went for the garlic and parsley crusted Alaskan halibut, zucchini coulis, roasted sunchokes, sautéed squash blossoms; dad went for the branzino filet, roasted haricot vert, red onion soubise, dried apricot, crispy almonds and caper crunch and for myself, I decided to have a poultry related fiesta so I went with the pan roasted duck breast, quinoa and maitako mushrooms, butternut squash, whiskey prune smear. Again, portions were huge and presentation was right on the spot. The duck was cooked to perfection – juicy and tender with a layer of moist fat and plump duck skin. Nothing to complain about but I guess because I’m really not that big of a poultry person after all, I wasn’t wowed away by the dish. I enjoyed it A LOT but wasn’t blown away. Plus, the dish may have been a little TOO decadent for my Asian palate – I ate the skin off the first piece but it became too much and I had to skin the rest off. Mom and dad both enjoyed their fish dish (HA – RHYME! I guess my English major wasn’t a complete waste) but also said that they’ve had better. I guess I get where they’re coming from – Hatfield’s is perfect execution but it’s not something I would crave.

('Cheesecake')

But even if I wasn’t WOWED by the food, like I said before, I was definitely wowed by the value of the meal. The dessert menu kept with the theme of non-skimpy decadence. I happily sold my soul to the ‘fuck-calorie-counting’ club the second I saw the words “chocolate and peanut butter truffle cake” on the menu. This turned out to be a chocolate cake with a molten lava PB center…mmmmmmmm. It was NEAR perfect – texture was right on BUT it was a tad too sweet and a tad under-salty for me…oh well, it was good anyways. But what WAS perfect was the accompanying salted caramel ice cream with roasted peanut butter peanut toffee. Mmmmm…so good. They should make that a dessert in itself.

(A beautiful concept: PB Truffle Cake)

My only real complaint is their breadbasket system. Instead of having a basket at the table, they have a waitstaff come around before each course to place a roll on your bread plate. That fancy-schmancyness is a little out of place from the “laid-back” atmosphere I was lauding just a few paragraphs earlier. Plus, their bread roll was a little bit too greasy for our Asian tastes. But, not to end this review on a sore note, service in general is great. Awesome even. And, even better, the bill is served with a small plate of mini brownies. So sweet (literally and figuratively). And these brownies sum up what Hatfield’s is all about – small details, unpretentious pampering and a restaurant who wants their patrons to leave with a smile on their faces.

FOOD: 4/5
SERVICE: 5/5
ATMOSPHERE: 4.5/5

Hatfield's ($$$)
7458 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 935-2977
http://www.hatfieldsrestaurant.com

Joan's On Third: I.N.D.U.L.G.E (Part 2)

(A box of happiness)

In my mind, Joan’s on Third was about the closest you could get to Dean and Deluca and so, unsurprisingly, it’s been on my “to-go” list even before I moved to LA. Well, since we were in the neighborhood anyways after a super indulgent brunch at Little Next Door, I decided to pop into Joan’s and grab a little something (i.e. a little anything) from their baked goods counter.

I was stuffed from brunch so I was planning on getting just a cookie but, when I got to the counter and saw the little cupcakes, my heart wavered a bit. I asked the cashier if I should get the cookie or the cupcake and even before I finished my complete sentence, she blurted out “the cupcake. Go with the cupcake.” I was sold. Given the size (about half the size of a Crumbs cupcake), the cupcakes are a little on the pricey side at Joan’s ($3.00/each) but, hey, today was going to be super-indulgent day so I whipped out my debit card and got the cashier lady to box up a coconut cupcake, a peanut butter cupcake (peanut butter craving? Check!) and the raspberry filled vanilla cupcake. They all smelt soooooo good.

(Give me a P. Give me a B. But most of all, give me a cupcake!)

Usually, I’d head straight for the coconut but, like I said, I’ve been craving peanut butter like no tomorrow and since they ran out of the peanut butter cake when I went to Susina yesterday, I headed straight for the PB cupcake. OHMYGOSH, the cupcake was stellar stellar stuff. The crumb is so moist and the cake itself was sweet and light. For some reason, the fragrant smell reminded me of a really well-made donut. The ganache topping wasn’t overly sweet either – it was just prefect. The cupcake had a PB cream filling which was absolutely fantastic. The whole cake just exuded peanut-butteriness and I found myself licking up every last crumb. It was a good cupcake. A VERY good cupcake.

FOOD: 4.5/5
SERVICE: 4/5
ATMOSPHERE: 4/5

JOAN'S ON THIRD ($)
8346 W Third St.
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 655-2285
http://www.joansonthird.com/

Little Next Door: I.N.D.U.L.G.E (Part 1)

I’ve been having massive eggs benedict and peanut butter cravings lately (yes, INDEPENDENTLY of one another). It’s weird, I never really had a big thing for either…I guess personal tastes change when one ages…

Well, to satisfy le eggs benedict craving, we hit up Little Next Door for Sunday brunch. This place is so cute – just sitting there makes me feel as if I’m on vacation. Something about their outdoor patio makes me feel so relaxed; quite literally, I was pretty much lounging in my chair by the end of the meal.

In terms of the food, everything on the menu sounded really appetizing but I was determined to get my benedict fix so it took less than a heartbeat for me to decide on the smoked salmon eggs benedict ($14.00). Debs got the omelet du jour while the Sun ordered the Omelet Lardons ($11.00). The bread basket at Little Next Door is also pretty great. Their French bread is crusty on the outside and soft and pillowy on the inside. Mmmm…I always appreciate a good bread basket.

(Omelet du Jour)

(Omelet Ladorns)

Though seemingly unassuming at first, the food portions at Little Next Door are pretty damn big. And thank God they are because the food is pretty dayam kick-ass. My eggs benedict was soooo effin’ awesome. It came with a side salad which was a perfect balancer to the cholestral + carbs side of the dish. Instead of an English muffin, the poached eggs came on top of two slices of thick toast and the toast and eggs sandwiched a VERY generous heap of smoked salmon. The salmon was cured to perfection (not too salty, a la Katz deli but also, not bland at all) and it was absolutely amazing paired with the eggs. The first poached egg was a little too runny for my personal taste (it literally flowed like a river) but it was good to soak with the toast. The second egg I had was cooked to perfection – not so runny that it spills all over the plate. It was, in simple terms, quite gorgeous.

(Mmmmmm-ness: Salmon eggs benedict)

(When runniness = good times)

And to cap off a perfect brunch, I ordered my usual suspect combination of macarons ($1.75) – pistachio, vanilla and dulce de leche (ok, I usually get caramel but this was the closet thing they had on offer). I started with the pistachio which was…SO GROSS. Yes, I was bitterly disappointed. The shell was dry and crunchy. WTF? I’ve NEVER had a crunchy macaroon before. And the filling to shell ratio was way off – half of the macaron was glopping with pistachio ganache while the other half was completely void of any filling. Ech. Disappointed, I moved on to the dulce de leche which, thank God, was a redeemer. The shell was the perfect balance of soft and chewy and the sweetness of the caramel filling balanced the mildness of the shell. Good stuff – I guess the pistachio was just from a bad batch. The last one was the vanilla which was definitely not as good as the dulce but also, definitely not as bad as the pistachio. The shell was a little too delicate – it shattered even before I finished biting into it. So I guess consistency is a little bit of an issue in terms of desserts at the Little Next Door.

(Flourless chocolate cake)

(Panna Cotta)

(The good, the bad and the ugly: Dulce de leche, vanilla, pistachio)

Service is fantastic. The waitstaff are all all-smiles and friendly. Our serving waitress kept thanking us for enjoying our food. Awwww…I love friendly service. The food is pretty pricey though and although I enjoyed every part of Little Next Door (save the pistachio macaron), I think I’ll keep it as a indulgence, lazy afternoon brunch place rather than an “everyday eatery.”

FOOD: 4/5
SERVICE: 5/5
ATMOSPHERE: 4.5/5

Little Next Door ($$)
8142 W Third St.
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 951-1010
http://www.thelittledoor.com

Susina: Peanut Butter Recall

(Berry Blossom Cake)

For some reason, I’ve been having Peanut Butter cravings like no tomorrow. I swore off “crinkly-wrapper” foods about half a year ago so I haven’t been able to satisfy my PB cravings with a Reese’s cup or something.

So I was devastated when Susina ran out of their chocolate peanut butter mousse cake. DEVASTATED. I had to settle for their berry blossom cake ($6.50) which, although is great, I’ve had before. The cake was still stellar – unlike a lot of American bakeries, Susina keeps their cakes on the light side and the whipped cream is not overly heavy like the caked on frosting at places like Sweet Lady Jane. So yes, maybe I didn’t manage to satisfy the PB cravings that day but at least I still had a pretty kickass slice o’ cake. Ah, Susina, you’ve never failed me ever.

(Strawberry Shortcake)

FOOD: 5/5
SERVICE: 5/5
ATMOSPHERE: 5/5

SUSINA BAKERY ($)
7122 Beverly Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 934-7900
http://www.susinabakery.com

Amandine: Standards have Changed

(Too soupy: Omelette Ratatouille)

Now that I’m a graduate (I will never tire of saying that), I’ve had a lot of free time on my hands. I mean, just in this past week alone, I’ve been to the cinema three times! And what better way to spend all the free time than to grab brunch and the New York magazine crossword puzzle?

So, on Tuesday, I headed out to Amandine with NY mag tucked under my arm. I ordered the Omelette Ratatouille ($8.95) which came with a side of fresh fruits, two slices of toast and potato gratin. The fruit side was a little random – five chunks of banana, honeydew melon and cantaloupe? Very Asian indeed. The potato gratin was pretty good but I would have preferred it warm/hot instead of cold. And the omelette? It was only ok. The eggs weren’t light and fluffy enough and the ratoutille made the omelette a little too “soupy.” Flavor was good though but I probably wouldn’t dole out close to $9.00 again for that.


On top of the omelette, I ordered two cinnamon croissants ($2.25/each) to go. Right now, I’m on a “trying to find a croissant in LA that can match Bouchon’s” and I heard that Amandine is supposed to have a pretty good almond croissant. They were all out by the time I got there though which is absolutely ridiculous since I got there at 10am. What the hell? Anyways, the cinnamon croissant was only ok. Flaky? Yes. Melt-in-mouth like Bouchon’s? No. Oh well, I guess I’ll just have to keep searching.

So yes, now that I’ve tried Amandine’s savory stuff, I guess it’s safe to say that I’m keeping this little favorite café of mine as a sweet-stuff-only location.


FOOD: 4.5/5
SERVICE: 4.5/5
ATMOSPHERE: 4.5/5

Amandine Patisserie ($)
12225 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 979-3211
http://www.amandinecafe.com

Animal: Dude Food

Animal has been on my “to-go” list since it opened in June last year. I finally ventured out to the Fairfax resto tonight with poor, jetlagged Theresa in tow (sorry hun!) Being a Wednesday night, I didn’t think we’d need to make reservations. Wrong assumption – Animal was packed and the only available seats were at the bar.

Neither of us were starving so we skipped the appetizers and hopped right to the entrée selection. The restaurant name is right – this menu is definitely NOT for vegetarians or salad people. Thank God I re-entered the meat-eater’s world. Theresa decided to take a stab at the quail fry, grits, slab bacon, chard and maple jus ($26) while I decided to spoil myself with the foie gras loco moco with quail egg, spam, hamburger and gold rice ($35). Yes, I felt robbed of my foie gras after that disappointing beef Wellington episode at the Stanton Social and I felt the need to be compensated.

Our (substantially-portioned) food arrived after a little bit of catching up. The presentation of the food seemed to spell out exactly what the restaurant was about – Animal doesn’t care about the Jean Georges-esque delicate precision. What it DOES care about is infusing top quality ingredients into stripped-down, casual dishes that don’t look too aesthetically intimidating to eat. This is the epitome of “Dude Food” – nothing looks overly pretty and the food doesn’t make you feel like you should turn off the football game and catch an opera show instead. In fact, Theresa’s quail fry looked nothing fancier than a plate of KFC chicken.

(Disappointing Quail :[ )

Sad to say though, Theresa’s quail fry also tasted nothing fancier than a plate of KFC chicken. The quail meat was practically tasteless (a little marinade would be useful) and the only ounce of flavor was in the fried, flour coating. It was a disappointing dish and a waste of a good quail. On the flip side, however, my foie gras loco moco was absolutely awesome. A perfectly cooked medium-rare hamburger patty was topped with a slice of spam and a pretty generous slab of foie. This pillar of deliciousness was capped off with a fried quail egg with a semi-running yolk. It was indulgent alright. I wonder how many arteries I clogged tonight. The surrounding gold rice was doused in a lovely sweet and sour type sauce – I almost wanted to lick the plate clean. The burger was somewhat bland by itself but had a fantastic charred, smoky flavor. And its mild flavor complimented the jolting savory taste of the spam – combining both meats in one bite created the perfect flavor balance. The rich taste of the runny yolk and the smooth, creamy foie gras elevated the simple loco moco dish to a whole new unbelievable level. But the most ingenius part of it all was the sprinkling of chopped green onions. It’s such a humble ingredient but its raw, slightly electrifying taste balanced the heaviness of all the cooked, meaty components and brought out the full flavor potential of all the other components. What I loved most about the food was its simplicity. Sure, maybe foie gras doesn’t really fit into the idea of “simplicity” but what Animal does is it brings luxury ingredients down to earth. At Animal, foie gras is on the same level as spam and burger patties and it’s wonderfully refreshing to find a place that reminds you to eat food for its actual flavor and texture rather than for its luxury connotations.

(Keeping the Foie Real: Foie Gras Loco Moco)

Service is awesome and has the same no-frills attitude as the food. Tattoos are almost di rigueur among the staff and with John Shook and Vinny Dotolo as the owners/head chefs, I’m not at all surprised – all I could see through the little window into the main kitchen were Vinny Dotolo’s full-sleeve tattooed arm working over the stove. Also, unlike other Hollywood places, the 20-somethings at Animal aren’t aspiring actors/actresses and they actually like working around food and know something about it. They’re friendly and approachable and, most of all, you get the feeling that they really want you to have a kickass time with the food.

Well, mission accomplished. I totally had a kickass time!

FOOD: 4/5 (based on my loco moco and not the quail fry)
SERVICE: 4/5
ATMOSPHERE: 4/5

ANIMAL ($$/$$$)
435 N. Fairfax Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 782-9225
http://www.animalrestaurant.com

[NYC '09: Dinner, day 5] The Stanton Social: Only for the PYT

(A promising opener: Amuse Bouche)

To celebrate our final night in Manhattan, we made a reservation at The Stanton Social for dinner. This place was exactly as I had expected – loud, dark, young and pretty. To be honest, places like this make me nervous. But oh well, I like looking at pretty things and eating good food and, most importantly, I was with good company.

Stanton Social operates on a shared small plates/tapas dining style. Small plates have been all the rage in the last couple of years and it still seems to be going strong. The waitress (who reminded me of a pre-thievery Winona Ryder) recommended about 2-3 plates per person but, being that we were still stuffed from a heavy brunch, we decided to just start out with 5 plates first.

An amuse bouche of ricotta and tomatoes on toasted bread was brought to our table. The flavors and textures complimented each other perfectly – the salt-seasoned tomatoes cut through the mildness of the ricotta and the smooth creamy cheese played off the crunchiness of the bread. It was definitely a promising opener.

(Can't-taste-the-tuna tuna tartare rolls)

Next up were the nori spiced tuna tartare rolls ($12). This was something I suggested and, sad to say, I was pretty disappointed. I couldn’t taste the tuna at all – the fish was completely overpowered by the spices and the sauce. Also, with the mouthnumbing effect of the sauce, it was difficult to tell how fresh the tuna was but it was definitely not sushi grade. Oh well, I guess this dish just confirmed for me that I will never like tuna tartare no matter how hard I try.

(Good texture: Mushroom Risotto Cakes)

The second dish was the wild mushroom risotto cakes with parmagiano and mushroom chips ($12). I liked the texture – it was dense and interestingly moist and grainy but not coarse. But it was just a little too sour for my personal taste. Not bad but nothing special either. This was getting dangerous – Stanton Social was batting a zero so far in the food zone. So Thank God that the next dish to come up was the butternut squash and sweet potato ravioli ($14). This was hands down the best dish of the night. It was lightly doused in a vanilla brown butter sauce and sprinkled with candied pecans – a perfect blend of sugariness with a slight tinge of saltiness to really bring out the sweet creaminess of the filling. It tasted almost like a sweet potato pie! Great stuff. I wish they would turn that dish into a full sized entrée – I would DEFINITELY order that.

(If only all the dishes tasted like this: Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Ravioli)

Sad to say though, it was all a downhill slope from there on. The Rhode Island style lobster roll ($9/individual portion) was uninspired. I’ll give it credit though for the lobster meat – I’m not a big lobster fan but I do recognize the beauty of a well prepared fresh lobster. The lobster meat in the roll was definitely fresh and had a good bouncy texture. But that aside, it was nothing special. The bun was probably the best part – airy and soft but a little too much on the greasy side. Which actually is my main criticism of the food at Stanton Social – it’s just too greasy in taste. The chips that came with the lobster roll were flat-out gross and tasted like pure oil. Ech.

(Only OK: Lobster Roll)

The last dish of the night was the apparent biggie – the Stanton Social beef Wellington ($21). This dish as a concept was already a little too much for my personal taste – grilled filet mignon with foie gras mousse and mushroom duxelles wrapped in puff pastry. I liked all these components individually but I had a feeling that tossing all these things together could “crudify” them. It was almost like turning a Carolina Herrera dress into an 80s prom gown. But we were at Stanton Social and this was one of the must-try dishes so I put my ambivalence aside. Again, on the level of purely personal taste, I wasn’t feeling the Worcestershire based sauce (I never do) which is also why I didn’t like the pastry since I soaked up all the flavors of the sauce. The beef was cooked really well though (medium rare) but I was still riding on the memory of the wagyu skirt steak at WD-50 and that steak just set the bar way up there. But my biggest qualm with the dish was with the foie gras which seemed to be completely absent from the dish. I’m not a “I HAVE to order foie gras if its on the menu” person but if I DO order it, I expect it to…well…be there. I couldn’t see it, I couldn’t taste it and trust me, I was REALLY concentrating on my bite. I was rolling the piece in my mouth for a full minute and still, no dice.

(Not worth the calories: Beef Wellington)

Although the food is disappointing, the atmosphere is really great. It’s great for drinks and catching up over a light meal and it’s a place to go to if you’re into the see-and-be-seen loud eateries. The kind of place to meet up but not the kind of place to carry out a deep conversation (good luck battling the noise level). And it’s definitely not a place which gets five stars for its food. Personally, it’s not my kinda place…I’m too old and grouchy for hip places like this. I’ll stick to places like Barbarini Alimentari and I’ll leave Stanton Social to all those Pretty Young Things.

FOOD: 2.5/5
SERVICE: 3/5
ATMOSPHERE: 4.5/5

THE STANTON SOCIAL ($$$)
99 Stanton St.
New York, NY 10002
(212) 995-0099
http://www.thestantonsocial.com

[NYC '09: Dinner, day 3] WD-50: OH MY GOD

(Sesame Bread "Basket")

OMG OMG OMG.

I can’t believe I finally ate at WD-50. This was probably one of the most amazing dining experiences I’ve had thus far. STELLAR stuff. WOW.

I was actually scared that WD-50 would be just riding on the gimmick molecular gastronomy wagon but OMG (that’s going to be the word of this post) the food was amaaaaaaaazing. Hands down the best meal during this trip.

(Corned duck on rye crisp)

I was a little put off at first when the waitress insisted we order an appetizer. I mean, I’ve never been imposed upon by the waitstaff to order so it was a little off-putting. But dayam am I glad she made that suggestion. We ordered the corned duck, rye crisp, purple mustard, horseradish cream ($15) which was my first taste of meat since about half a year ago. The smoked duck was sliced to a paper thin thickness, ensuring maximum tenderness and that melt-in-your-mouth meat was wrapped around my new favorite condiment – mustard. Great flavor combination, and it was especially enhanced by the slight sweet tinge of the filling. It was great stuff but it was definitely overshadowed by…

(Absolutely AMAZING: THIS is eggs benedict!)

THE eggs benedict ($16). This was some trippy-ass shit. It was mind-blowing already as a visual concept. I ate the “egg yolk” by itself at first and thought “meh.” Then I cut off a bit of the fried hollandaise cube, ate that in one bite with the crispy bacon and a bit of the egg yolk and, oh wow…one small bite packed massive flavor. AMAZING.

(Close-up)

(Cutting open the fried hollandaise cube)

We tackled the entrée page right after and this was all the more special for me because it marked my official reentry into the land of meat. Debs ordered the tile fish celery root, wood ear mushroom, chinese sausage consomme ($29) and Sunny took a stab at the pork ribs, fried plantain, hibiscus, jerk consommé ($29). And as for me, I ordered the wagyu beef skirt steak, long bean, tamardine with peanut butter "pasta" ($35).

(Abstract: Tilefish)

(melt-in-your-mouth blocks: pork ribs)

The food at WD-50 isn’t JUST food, they’re works of art. Debs’ tilefish and Sunny’s pork ribs looked like they had popped out from the Guggenheim. My skirt steak was probably the least “abstract” and molecular gastronomy-esque out of the entrees but I totally DID NOT MIND. Seriously, I can’t think of a better way to reenter the meat-eater’s world than with WD-50’s skirt steak. I ordered the steak medium rare and it was cooked to ABSOLUTE PERFECTION. It was literally, melt-in-your-mouth richness. I could tear the beef apart with a fork alone. The flavor was also absolutely on target. The smokey flavor of charred beef shone through while the inner part of the steak was still juicy and moist. I’m sorry, I have to say it again: OMG. The dish came with a side of long beans which had a weird plasticy taste. I’m going to blame it on the tamarind. The other side was the peanut “pasta” which turned out just to be Asian bean curd sheets cut into strips. Distinct peanut taste and an ingenius balance to the heavy, meaty wagyu.

(What perfection tastes like: Wagyu Steak)

Desserts are amazing too. I ordered the coconut (of course!), hazelnut “tart” ($15) and – wow – how do I even explain this? The tart was more a pudding flan than an actual tart. The “crust” wasn’t a crust at all but another layer of custard that rims the filling. The chicory foam was strong and smokey and the hazelnut shavings were sandy bits of sweet sweet goodness. The dessert tasted like a sophisticated Kinder bueno bar – I could eat this forever. Debs ordered jasmine custard, black tea and banana dessert ($15). The banana and jasmine custard was silky smooth and rich. But the “tea” components were the real stars. The desserts were extremely well executed and every single individual component shone through. The meal ended with complimentary ice cream truffles in cocoa nibs. Perfect balance of cool, and smooth vanilla-y sweetness and coarse bitter cocoa. Perfect.

(Coconut + Hazelnut + WD-50 = VERY good times)

(Bring on the tea: Jasmine Custard)

(Truffles in cocoa nibs)

Service swung both ways for me. In general, I thought the service was great. I just didn’t really like our serving waitress. She was pretty cold. But the other waiters/waitresses and the maître d' made up for it. The atmosphere was great as well. It’s nice to be able to have such transcendently fine dining in such a casual, fun environment. I loved every bit of WD-50. And as a icing on the cake, the open kitchen at the back of the restaurant gave me a view of the genius Wylie Dufresne at work ♥

FOOD: 5/5
SERVICE: 4/5
ATMOSPHERE: 4.75/5

WD-50 ($$$)
50 Clinton St.
New York, NY 10002
(212) 477-2900
http://www.wd-50.com

[NYC '09: Afternoon Tea Con't, day 3] Teany: I'll Stick to his Music

Trying to avoid the rain, we ducked into Teany on the lower East side for an afternoon coffee. Leave it to Moby to come up with a smart punnish name. I have to say though, as much as I love Moby and his music, I was less than impressed with Teany. The place looked cute from the outside but the inside was way too cramped for comfort.

On top of that, service was the speed of slug. Don't get me wrong, the staff was nice but, regardless of niceness, does it REALLY take 15 minutes to churn out a coffee drink? I decided to be adventurous and strayed away from my usual black coffee order and went for the snow globe ($4.50) instead. BIG MISTAKE. The menu claimed that said drink was a mixture of coconut, frosted mint and vanilla. I am in LOVE with all three ingredients (especially the first two) but I tasted NONE of them in my drink. It just tasted like a regular latte. What the hell?

Oh well, maybe it's my problem. Because the place was super packed and everyone seemed to be enjoying their organic teany-machiatto-chino-with-soy milk. I guess I just wasn't made for a place like teany. Yes, I'll stick to stick to my corporate Starbucks black coffee and I'll leave Teany to the skinny-jeans hip organic crowd.

DRINKS: 1/5
SERVICE: 2.75/5
ATMOSPHERE: 2.75/5

TEANY ($)
90 Rivington St.
New York, NY 10002
(212) 475-9190
http://www.teany.com

[NYC '09: Lunch, day 2] Bouchon Bakery: Because God Loves Us

(A picture is worth a thousand words...)

Bouchon Bakery has been on my “to-go” list for the longest time. I could’ve gone last year when I was in Manhattan but I couldn’t drag my lazy ass from the upper west side down to Columbus Circle and I was preoccupied with the cupcakes from Crumbs and everything else from Zabar’s. Well, this year, I was determined to visit Thomas Keller’s casual eatery so, on our first full day in New York, we subwayed out to Columbus Circle.

The bakery’s system is a little confusing at first – there’s the dine-in area at the front and there’s the to-go bakery counter in the back. We ordered from the to-go counter since we had planned on picnicking in Central Park. Also, everything costs about $3.00 cheaper if you order to-go. Good, my poor wallet needs that extra $3.00.

(Achingly Flaky Pastries)

It’s difficult to describe exactly how I felt when I laid eyes on the glass desserts case. It was a feeling beyond joy and excitement even…everything felt almost transcendent. Beautiful works of art disguised themselves as tarts and pastries and I could own a piece of that art in exchange for mere money. Wow. VERY wow.

(Reminds me of someone I know. Cough *YVONNE* COUGH)

I opted for the hot-pressed vegetable jardiniere sandwich on toasted multigrain ($9.75) for my main lunch meal. And, on top of that, I bought three macarons – caramel, vanilla and pistachio ($2.75/ea). Yep, there was no way I wasn’t getting Bouchon’s macarons. I had pretty much made this cross-country pilgrimage FOR these delicate cookies. I was brimming with joy when I was handed my small bouchon to-go bag, complete with paper-wrapped sandwich and boxed up sweet treats.

(High quality: Even the coffee kicked ass)

With Bouchon in one arm, we skipped over to my favorite spot in Manhattan: Central Park. Personally, I like the upper parts of the park more (think the Conservatory Garden and the Reservoir) but since we had come out of Columbus Circle, we entered the park at 59th and trekked our way around the lower side and eventually settled down to eat at the Chess and Checkers House.

The food at Bouchon is absolutely amazing! The veggie sandwich was so well-made – I loved every single bite of it. The crusty multigrain bread was spread with a layer of pesto and sandwiches layers of roasted eggplant, portobellos, red onions, bell peppers and wonderfully ooey gooey gruyere cheese. It was wholesome and filling.

(Say [gruyere] Cheese!)

But the star of the show was definitely the macaron selection. $2.75 a pop sounds expensive but Bouchon’s macarons are literally three times the average size. The meringue shell is a little less airy and delicate than, say, Jin’s but that’s understandable given the size (it was as delicate as you can get without shattering under its own weight). The fillings were all amazing. The best I’ve had so far! It’s so rich – it tastes almost like ice cream! The caramel macaroon was definitely my favorite and tasted like a small piece of heaven. The vanilla was light and sweet. The pistachio macaron had a distinct nutty flavor. All three macarons were extremely well-made. I’m a definite fan. And I totally disagree with those who think Bouchon is overpriced. The food quality is outstanding and, after trying their macaroons, I can’t believe Paris Pastry has the gall to charge $2.50 for their macarons when Bouchon’s are about five times bigger and better!

(This makes me happy)

Bouchon is definitely my new favorite bakery. FARK…I wish I lived in New York :(

(Bite of heaven: Caramel Macaron)

(Pistachio ice-cream-like innards)

FOOD: 5/5
SERVICE: 3/5
ATMOSPHERE: 4/5

BOUCHON BAKERY ($)
10 Columbus Circle, 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10019
(212) 823-9366
http://www.bouchonbakery.com