Pumpkin Tiramisu Pie

Hi there! So...it's been a while. But we're not completely dead (just yet)!

Before Thanksgiving, BWL subtlely requested this pie - one in a long list of yummy-sounding pies.
It seemed easy enough, so we obliged.

Honestly, the most difficult part was trying to get the strips of parchment to cover the bottom of the pan, while trying to get the bottom latched in. We supposed the point of the strips was to easily transfer the pie to a plate later on, but it really didn't make a difference. Think we'll go with a single parchment piece next time.

K actually has skills (unlike me), taking the effort to pipe on the top layer of frosting, and add in some decorative cookie hearts.

Isn't it pretty? :)

The bad thing about this pie? I couldn't eat it.

Avenue (Brunch)

When you're brunching aside the ocean on a warm, sunny winter's day with family, it's easy to recognize happiness in the everyday. And when you have good food and overabundant service, Sundays are just that much more fulfilling.
The food, described as Parisian brasserie, isn't exactly crave-worthy nor perfectly authentic. However, Avenue does have consistently tasty food and an expensive, yet earthy, ambiance (which is memorable enough to crave). Being by the ocean doesn't hurt one bit. Parking in the summer is positively impossible, but in the winter? Easy Peasy. The Pain Perdu, made with brioche (!), apples, and hazelnut butter (!) is definitively delicious, and the titular, Avenue Breakfast, is perfect for the hungry (wo)man who enjoys a sampling of foods for brunch. Be sure to share a pot of pomme frites (cause the French seem to do this best!) as the perfect accompaniment to round out your meals!

And then there's always room for dessert. Well, not always, but room will be made; space created! We shared the pecan pie, pineapple cheesecake, profiteroles, and chocolate crepes with pistachio. Yum!



Avenue Restaurant
23 Ocean Avenue
Long Branch, NJ 07740

sweetRevenge

Met up with C for a little preparty C&E style.

Fleur de Sel: Valrhona Chocolate Cake, Salted Caramel Center and Salted Caramel Buttercream with Pecans and Salted Caramel Drizzle.

gimme more.

MUST go back and try all these flavors.


Sweet Revenge
62 Carmine St.

(Todd English's) Olives

I've been eying this place after its numerous mentions on the FoodNetwork. With the holidays around the corner, it was the perfect time and place (even if you do feel like you're sitting behind a shower curtain) to meet up with friends (whom you haven't seen in I-lost-60-pounds-since-I-last-saw you months!) for the holiday season. The service was in no way top-notch, but who cares when there's WOW!me food in front of you?

Pictured above is the pork chop, which as you may already know (yes, it was so good I have been raving since) was one of the tenderest cuts of meat I've ever had. A pork chop! What a notion! I am more familiar with the thin, dry-with-a-side-of-sauce chop types. So, I rave now.The dessert plate ('for two' they say) speaks for itself. Can I make all of the items on the plate? Yes, probably (no, not bragging), but each item was still excitingly delicious. Those are the most expensive fried oreos and apple fritters I've encountered, but they are without a doubt conversation stoppers. And there were leftovers! To share with the family!

Oh, and did I mention the free pumpkin mini-cakes that came with our check?




Todd English's Olives NYC
in the W Hotel
201 Park Avenue South

Happy Weekend #33

Right, so how long has it been since we last posted? Well, thank you, loyal readers, you.

This weekend post is dedicated to E Yee-Yee. Above is a remake of her famed chocolate cake. We were so grateful that she shared her recipe, but now she leaves us with a greater gift than we could have ever expected.

Please enjoy some randomness by reading THE LAST SEVERAL POSTS here:
Social Eatz
Little Giant
Szechuan Gourmet
White Castle
Bryant Park Grill
Vive la Crêpe!
Starbucks Petites
Aureole
The Best Chocolate Cake In The World



Related Posts: Happy Weekend #30. Happy Weekend #31. Happy Weekend #32.

Vive la Crêpe!!!

Oftentimes people ask us, "Why do you take pictures of your food?". Well, why wouldn't you want to remember this for the rest of your life?

Crêpes remind me of those carefree, poor-student days of Paris (before the night spent in the airport). It's just so hard to find a Crêpe that comes close to the French, and I don't think this is quite it either.

But, a hot crisp crêpe with dark chocolate, clementines, coconut, and vanilla ice cream? With this, even back to back 70 hour work weeks can't keep you down. So far...

But! O! My! What amazing vanilla ice cream!



Vive la Crêpe!
51 Spring Street
b/t Lafayette & Mulberry

Starbucks Petites

If food had the capacity to express human emotion, well then, this is definitively emoting our feelings about this work week.

Bleh.

Typical Starbucks baked goods level of deliciousness-- a bit on the oily side, but we can't complain since it's just so darn convenient. And cute!


Starbucks Coffee Company
located everywhere
but bought at
315 7th Ave
b/t 27th & 28th Streets

A Little Love Shack

Happy V-Day!

This post is dedicated to my loves: C,L,&M! Thanks for being my valentines! :)

We're no strangers to Shake Shack, but it's always good and it was really convenient (from L's place at least :p). L & M went for the shack stack for the first time, and fell in love. All that fried cheese-mushroom goodness on top of a burger - yummmm! But no worries - the burgers are smaller than your average burger AND there's not just one, but TWO tomatoes, so....they're...healthier. ;) Especially if you have them with a side of cheese fries.

And hey, if we're gonna have a heart attack anyway, why not go all out? Next stop: Brenner's new hot spot, Little Brown. It was a really tough decision choosing a hot chocolate flavor - only accomplished after deciding 1-to try a sip of L's, and 2-to venture all the way back here again at some point. Ended up with the spicy chili flavor, which had an ever-so-slight spice. Walked two blocks in the cold, and by the time I took my first sip, it was the perfect temperature. L had been eyeing the sea salt caramel, and ooooh was it salty! Salty goodness. I'm definitely going to have to make my way up here again (& again) to get me my own cup...and maybe some of those pancake bites that look so good...

Drooling at the thought.


Shake Shack
154 East 86th St
(btwn 3rd & Lex)

Little Brown
1296 Lexington Ave
(@ 85th St)

In the WOOOORLD!!!

Quite the haughty, egoistic cafe name if you ask us. Improbable? Impossible! Which is exactly why we just had to try it. And get everyone else to try it too.

How can you so easily claim to have The Best Chocolate Cake IN THE WORLD? Well, it got us to buy a whole cake. So, I guess the name is working for it somehow. Best in the world? Not likely. But, we are chocolate fiends nevertheless. The menu's selection is directly proportionate to the size of the cafe. This slip of a hallway/shop pretty much serves just the one type of cake and the typical coffee/tea fare.

Try it out and let us know where you rate it!
Oh yeah, and HB to July! Thank you for the excuse to purchase a WHOLE cake.


The Best Chocolate Cake in the World
55A Spring Street
b/t Lafayette St & Mulberry St

Happy Post-Thanksgiving Weekend #31

HAPPY [INFORMAL] HOUSEWARMING J & M!!! Oh yeah, and D.

In this basket:
Pumpkin Bread
Frosted Carrot Cake
Pound Cake

It's a first making Pumpkin Bread, and while K thought there wasn't enough Pumpkin taste, E begged to differ. And while K thought there was enough carrot taste, E begged to differ again. The only thing we agreed on was that the pound cake was perfectly browned all around, and the carrot cake could have done with a little less density. We hope everyone had a splendid Thanksgiving. Enjoy some quick breads and this/last week's unrelated posts!

(And I guess we'll get a small ad in here) Rawrs!

Read THIS WEEK'S POSTS here:
The Spot
KoFoo

Read LAST WEEK'S POSTS here:
Cuba Cafe

Related Posts: Happy Weekend #28. Happy Weekend #29. Happy Weekend #30.

Happy Weekend #30

Happy Birthday to E, happy birthday to E, happy birthday dear Eeeeee...

As a Rainbow Cookie FIEND, there really isn't a cake that could appear to be more appropriate for E's birthday. Never judge a book by its cover. This cake, surrounded and topped with rainbow cookies deceptively houses chocolate cake, chocolate mousse, and raspberry jam. Mark our words, it's also deceptively sugary sweet and tastes best frozen. Tricky.

That being said, they make pretty good Italian cookies (and we read the cannolis are excellent)... Now that Palma's is gone, this is a decent replacement. Let's take a moment of silence for Palma's, those of us who remember that petite bakery store...

Found at:
La Dolce Bakery
3141 U.S. Highway 9
Old Bridge, NJ


Read THIS WEEK'S POSTS here:
Paris Baguette

Read LAST WEEK'S POSTS here:
Hill Country Chicken
Ça Va Todd English


Related Posts: Happy Weekend #27. Happy Weekend #28. Happy Weekend #29.

Paris Baguette

French? Parisian? Er...Korean? We won't bore you with the reason for why we so desperately craved 빵, but after passing by this place whilst returning from a work adventure and then again when returning from ComiCon, we can definitively say, "The craving has been allayed." With A's ravings about their red bean-filled doughnuts in mind, we got a few of those (uh, of course!), while also picking up a red bean bun (hits the spot!), chocolate bread (Wow, chocolatey!), mocha bread (which doesn't taste of mocha, nor bread), and sweet potato cake (It's so surprisingly delicious, we could die!).

These days, we're not sure if it's the eating lunch at our desks or the daily overtime at work that makes us feel pooped to the core, but a sure-fire pick-me-up is some good ole fresh 빵. As A would say, =9


Paris Baguette
6 W 32nd St
b/t 5th Ave & Broadway

Happy Weekend #28

With all these individual apple pies cooling on the rack, it looks like we've finally opened that bakery! Unfortunately, no, not so.

After spending the week working on things intangible that will take months to complete, it's nice to take a day (and a half) to work on something with instant (or day-later) results. Plus, said results are so cute!

In case you're unfamiliar with Williams-Sonoma (Say, what?!), these molds come in a variety of shapes. Even though it's more time consuming to make individual pies, the results are just that much more satisfying. Also, you don't have to share...that's always a plus. Great spices to add to your apples include: cinnamon (well, duh!), ground ginger, nutmeg, and don't forget the salt. Just a little of each goes a long way!


Read THIS WEEK'S POSTS here:
brgr
vivo
FoodParc


Related Posts: Happy Weekend #25. Happy Weekend #26. Happy Weekend #27.

The CHOCOLATE Room

All I have to say is: AMAZING chocolate.

Upon sitting down, we were given some free samples of their chocolate sorbet. M said it was the first time she'd heard me say, Wow to anything.

So much yumminess to choose from, but I finally settled on their flourless chocolate cake special. M was way too stuffed after her 6th slice, and just orderd a glass of port. The cake was nothing short of [insert synonyms for 'amazing'].

M wanted a pint of ice cream for the road, so we tried samples of their belgian chocolate and fresh mint chip flavors. Their belgian chocolate was perfection, but the fresh mint chip was so refreshing and unique, M couldn't pass it up. It's the first time I've ever tried mint ice cream made from actual mint leaves - the flavor was so strong! Looooved it.

I must come back here again and try all their other delicious-sounding desserts (& hot chocolate!) - along with some more of that mint! :D


The Chocolate Room
86 Fifth Ave
Brooklyn

Happy Weekend #25

To our utter astonishment, the end of July has crept up on us, burned away in the blazing heat of greenhouse gases. To your utter astonishment, it appears we've started blogging again. Yeah. Sorry about the hiatus. (But if you aren't currently gasping in surprise at this post...Then, we're not so sorry. Ha.)

This week we're cleaning out the cobwebs in our minds as a means to clean out our Blogger Garage. Enjoy...whatever we can remember. And this Carrot Cake test.

We've come across a few Carrot Cake recipes that also incorporate Pineapple. Always ones to test, this recipe is a compilation of a few recipes. Verdict? Pineapple lends a downright crunchy texture to the cake that we can't say we're too fond. On the bright side, that Dream Creamy White Frosting (yes, that's what it's really called) was a success. It's a great (not quite perfect) combination of White Chocolate, Cream Cheese, Butter, and a wee bit o' Sour Cream and Almond Extract. Let the testing continue!

Read THIS WEEK'S UPDATES here:
Turning Point
Bar Pitti
Bridgeway Diner

Read LAST WEEK'S UPDATES here:
Boqueria Soho
Gregory's Coffee

Read LAST [LAST, LAST] WEEK'S UPDATES here:
Gelato on a Stick
Veniero's (with Pictures)


Related Posts: Happy Weekend #22. Happy Weekend #23. Happy Weekend #24.

Spot

It was a bit of a crazy night: last minute plans with L (& J), last minute decision to head out to NY, rain forecasts, humidity up the wazoo, and no real destination before KP's birthday bash. While searching for a good, uncrowded restaurant in St.Mark's, we passed by The Spot, and KM declared that under no circumstances were we to miss the opportunity to try this new-ish itty bitty... uh... spot (har har) by Pichet Ong (whom KM and I met and adored at P*Ong and is responsible for the tastiness of The Village Tart). Let's just say crickets could be heard 'round the world over all of our complaints.

After a mediocre dinner (at a crowded place with a longer-than-promised wait), we were all ready for a dessert pick-me-up. Our eyes were just as hungry as our taste buds, so we ordered a 3-course sampler (really worth the price) and some sides. The phone pictures really do no justice to his eccentrically served desserts. I don't usually follow chefs as I do authors, but he's an exception. Can't wait to try his recipes too!

3 Courses:
Avocado Parfait (calamansi chili, cocoa cracker)
Chocolate Marquis (alfonso mango tapioca, yakult ice cream)
Butterscotch Torchon (gingered pineapple, macadamia, thai tea whip)

Sides:
Chocolate Chip Coconut Cookie
Mocha Molten Salted Caramel Drink
Condensed Milk Ice Cream w/ Strawberries


Spot Dessert Bar
13 St. Marks Place
b/t 2nd & 3rd Avenues

Happy Weekend #24

[Insert excuse #29483 here.]

With great Spring weather comes the promise of hot, sunny Summer days to come. And when we start off May with a fried picnic (coordinated by J) and a fine prospect (Holla!), nothing screams, "Summer's A' Coming!" like Homemade Fruit Tarts. With dozens of people arriving (dozens of which we don't really know and some we don't really "know") for loads of Korean Fried Chicken, it's hard to know everyone's palate preferences. So what's better than a Make Your Own Sundae Fruit Tart (grown-up style)??


We baked the individual tart shells, cooked up the vanilla pastry cream, and brought strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, apricots, kiwi, cantaloupe, honeydew, and grapes. Everything was prepared at home then packed in separate plastic containers for people to choose on their own. Let's do it again! As soon as we get more tartlet pans... -_-;; What would you put on?

Read THIS WEEK'S UPDATES here:
Panera

Read LAST WEEK'S UPDATES here:
Baoguette
Boi Noodles

Read LAST-LAST WEEK'S UPDATES here:
Borba
Coconut M&M's
Red Mango

Related Posts: Happy Weekend #21. Happy Weekend #22. Happy Weekend #23.

Veniero's (with Pictures)

We've posted about Veniero's before, but this time, we provide pictures. And, a different point of view. Strangely enough, not too different. This is similarly the third stop of the night, but we decided to take out all the stops and put our metaphoric dessert car in full gear. Between KM, P, & I, we tried the Tortoni, Italian Cheesecake, and Chocolate Banana Strawberry Cake. The menu is so extensive (if a little ghetto), it's hard to pick out just one (or three). But, of course, we're not complaining! I'll be honest, it's not the most amazing Italian dessert I've had in NYC, but the place has got something for everyone. On every occasion.

When I said we pulled out all the stops, I meant it. We got some Rainbow Cookies for take-away too! Again, not the best we've had. The cake layers were a smidgen dry for our trained Rainbow Cake palates.


Veniero’s Pasticceria & Caffé
342 E 11th Street
nr 1st Avenue

Gelato On a Stick

Utter devastation didn't last too long as the West Village Beard Papa's was replaced with a new gelato spot. (Enter inner strife: HALT. Isn't there already a GROM two stores down? But if it's gelato that comes on a stick, it's totally different. Right?)

Unchaperoned and unadvised, KM and I naughtily made our way in the opposite direction of supper to have dessert BEFORE dinner. KM chose the Hazelnut Pop topped with Hazelnuts, Dark Chocolate & Coconut, while I opted for the Chocolate Pop with Granola, Dark Chocolate & Coconut.

The entire wonky experience took less than 10 minutes, which included deciding, instructing, paying, pictures, eating, and 5 minutes of clean-up. We inhaled those suckers. Not because they were that good but because we had to. It melted so quickly, we can't honestly say the gelato was good or bad. Instead of a small bar to stand at, they should install sinks to drip over and wash up afterwards. Were we satisfied? Hell, no. Did we want to walk over to GROM for a civilized gelato experience? OH, yes. Will we be going back to Popbar? Alas, probably not.

The lament for Beard Papa's is back in full force.


Popbar
5 Carmine St
@ 6th Ave

Ele Coffee Shop

A cute establishment I've walked by a million times and was always too full from k-bbq to actually venture in. But not this time. M & I made it a point to not skip out on the dessert during our little date (even though we were already overbloated from BCD). So we compromised and shared this deliciously light chocolate mousse-like cake. I was so pleased, that I (almost) overlooked the fact that I paid a whopping $4 for that cup of coffee (yes, it was quite good, but no regular coffee is that good).

I'd love to go back and try some of their other yummy-looking desserts, and then proceed to the grocery store down the block for my canned coffee - thank you very much.

Ele Coffee Shop
43 W 32nd St