Bonjour! ...From Ladurée.

The famous Parisian bake shop, Ladurée, has FINALLY opened their US flagship in the Upper East Side!
As the proclaimed inventor of the French macaron, they did not disappoint.  
I tried all 14 flavors that were available on Saturday and here are some of my favorites:
caramel a fleur de sel (caramel with salt), petale de rose (rose), pistache, cafe (coffee), noix de coco (coconut).  
These babies are $2.70 a pop which includes shipping & handling ALL THE WAY from Paris.
 
So, was an hour and a half wait for these mignonne little macarons worth it?  Oui oui!  


ps. Word has it that they will be introducing a new flavor in collaboration with NY Fashion's Night Out.   This should be interesting :)

food play

For your entertainment :)

Marea

Daniel and I celebrated my 24th birthday at Marea in NYC.   

The culinary genius behind this restaurant, Chef Michael White, boasts two Michelin stars from this Italian seafood-centric restaurant.  He's been called the master of "haute-Italian" from his success arising from Marea and his two other restaurants, Ai Fiori and Osteria Morini.  

There's really nothing but wonderful things to say about Marea.  The superb waitstaff (including an in-house sommelier), the sophisticated ambience created from glowing Egyptian alabaster walls and Imported Italian wood, and of course, the extraordinary food, has made Marea my favorite New York dining experience, thus far.  


Enough talk... I'll let your eyes feast on some pictures.

 Astice - nova scotia lobster over creamy burrata, eggplant al funghetto & basil

Ricci - sea urchin, covered in lardo & sea salt over warm toasted crostini (lardo- cured back fat from spanish iberico pig that feast on chestnuts).
  
The lardo added a wonderfully rich flavor to the fresh sea urchin.  Such a genius combination!  

Spaghetti - crab, santa barbara sea urchin, & basil.


The hand-made pasta was cooked perfectly and the sauce paired nicely, however, it fell short on the briny sea urchin flavor that I had hoped for (especially after the Ricci).

 Fusilli with Red Wine Braised Octopus & Bone Marrow


I promise, you've never had anything like this before.  Imagine, ropes of fusilli in a sauce made of octopus braised in red wine, thickened by bone marrow.  This dish was eyes-welling-up-with-joy good.      

Grilled whole branzino


The branzino was cooked well, however, it was a bit too simple for my liking.   Perhaps my expectations were high, especially after the phenomenal crudos and pastas.  
Next time, I think I'll skip the secondi all-together in exchange for an extra bowl of the fusilli :)

mitsuwa

As we approach the last couple months of first year, my classmates and I have been feeling the agony of back to back practicals (meaning 10 hours drilling and filling in a windowless pre-clinic after 6 hours of classes).  I was on the brink of losing it when a friend suggested (or I may have inadvertently suggested) that we take a trip to Mitsuwa Marketplace for some homestyle Japanese food.   Japanese food has been proven to cure diseases of all sorts (including stress) so this was a solid decision on his part :).

Mitsuwa is a Japanese supermarket/food court located in Edgewater, NJ.  Think mall food court but cleaner, tastier, and strictly Japanese food.  I’ve been going here with my parents ever since I can remember.  Everything I’ve tried has been pretty good but I’d highly recommend the soba from Kayaba and the tonkotsu (melty pork) salt ramen from Santouka.  They even have complementary hot green tea and genmaicha (roasted brown rice tea) that you can help yourself to.  

No trip to Mitsuwa is complete without a soft serve ice cream from Ito-en which comes in a variety of flavors including vanilla, black sesame, green tea, and genmaicha.  
As for the supermarket, they pretty much have everything Japanese that you could possibly want: fresh sashimi grade fish, sake, Japanese munchies, rice cookers, cosmetics, movies, etc.  

My friends and l left full and happy, ready to battle another day of dental school.  

Other recommendations:

Head to St. Honore bakery (located next to the food court) and grab a loaf of “Boloniya” bread.  It’s sweet and buttery, slightly flaky, and super fluffy in the middle… just to-die-for!  They sell like hot cakes so get there early!

Love at first bite

 

Looks like spring is finally here to stay and what better way to celebrate than an afternoon in Central Park with an armful of goodies from Bouchon Bakery.  Bouchon Bakery is the result of  French culinary genius, Thomas Keller's inspiration from the boulangeries of Paris.  I've always been a huge fan of the traditional macarons but today I tried the TKO (Thomas Keller Oreo) and it was love at first bite! 
Keller's reinterpretation of the oreo is made from delicately sweet chocolate sable dough and filled with a white chocolate ganache which tastes more of fluffy whipped cream than sugary vanilla frosting.  


To top it all off, I got my healthy dose of much needed vitamin D which will hopefully last me through the upcoming exam months.  


ps. How adorable is this little girl?  Her eyes are aimed right towards the TKOs.  Do I detect another aficionado of confectionaries in the making? :)


pps. Rumor has it that Bouchon Bakery opened it's newest location at Rockefeller Center.  More TKOs!  Hooray!

Bistrot du Coin / Dolcezza - Washington DC

If you're ever in the DC area and in the mood for casual French, Bistrot du Coin is your spot. They are well known for their buckets of steamed mussels soaked in your choice of nine different flavorful broths. We tried the Moules Mariniéres (Steamed mussels in white wine with onions, shallots, garlic and parsley) which absolutely lived up to its hype.  The scallops special came with a side of creamy ratatouille risotto that was just sublime.  To top it off, there was plenty of dipping bread so we happily wrapped up our meal by sopping up the remaining broth from the mussels and garlic butter from the escargot.


The place has two rather large open floors but the tables are jam packed so be prepared to rub elbows with your neighbor. I really loved the boisterous chatter, clinking of glasses, and charming decor that gave it it's cozy French bistro feel.


After all that butter, I was in the mood for a "lighter" dessert so we skipped down the street toward Dolcezza gelataria.  The little shop has a cottage feel and some incredibly original flavors made from local seasonal ingredients.   I tried the kiwi sorbetto and lemon ricotta cardamom gelato, both of which were refreshing and just divine!


The only thing I regret was not leaving enough room to try more flavors of gelato.  I could easily be a regular at Dolcezza if it weren't five hours away... sigh.

Happy May!

 

Now this just sounds all too familiar... Happy May!
(via toothpaste for dinner)

porky

After his graduation, my boyfriend moved to Philadelphia for a year while I was still in upstate New York wrapping up my last year of undergrad.  Every once in a while I would take a grueling 8 hour bus ride down to Philly to visit.  Was it worth it just to see him? Yes; but did the anticipation of a perfectly warm, slightly sweet, and very cheesy pan de bono from Alma de Cuba, a creamy, mildly tart Italian froyo from Yogorino, and a prohibition-style cocktail from The Franklin make the trip all the more bearable?  Most definitely.

Philly is where we discovered Amada.  I love the concept of tapas in itself, but when Jose Garces tossed in authentic Spanish flavor, New World influences, and a dash of his culinary genius, I was SOLD.  

A new job opportunity took the bf away to DC, but recently we took an impromptu one night trip to Philly in order to experience the glory of Amada once again.  A friend had reserved for us Cochinillo Asado- whole roasted suckling pig, which came with four side dishes: grilled green onions, herb-roasted fingerlings, garbanzos con espinacas, and rosemary white beans.  The meat was brined so it was unbelievably tender and the skin was perfectly crisp yet it somehow managed to magically melt in your mouth.  My loves, I promise that this in itself will make a trip to Philly a worthwhile experience.


Other recommendations:
Boquerones- white anchovies, pine nuts & olives.
Pulpo ala Gallega- spanish octopus
Madre e Hijo- chicken breast, fried egg, mojama & truffles

ps. Make sure you order the suckling pig in advance!

hello, my name is

Misato.  I am a sleep deprived dental student who over-indulges in dark chocolate and appreciates the finer things in life.   Enjoy :)