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.

Cro-Dough

By now I'm sure everyone's heard of the cronut craze, though I have yet to try one. Why? Waiting on line for 2 hours is not my thing (I scoff at you Apple fangirls/boys), especially at the crack of dawn on a work night.  Plus, it's downtown and I'm midtown, and unfortunately, I don't have a minion (any volunteers??).

Thankfully, A visits Gregory's Coffee frequently and informed me that they started making an imitation cronut. WHAT? And the icing on the cake (er, croissant-donut) is that Gregory's is 2 blocks from my office. Oh, and there's no line.

They call it a "cro-dough" so obviously it's completely different. I've now tried it on two separate occasions (which you already know if you follow me on IG), both times in the early afternoon, as an after-lunch snack. Both times, I found them to be considerably chewy - made more noticeable by the fact that I had some trouble cutting it up with fork&knife. The filling though - Oh!  Change your chewy dough recipe, but don't do anything to the filling! My first try was their regular cream, and yesterday I went for their new chocolate - both incredibly delicious.

It may not be the original, but I'm A-okay with that.

ps. I'm now also in love with their iced coffee. #justsaying


Gregory's Coffee
551 Fashion Avenue

Happy Chinese New Year!

Homemade lap cheung bao!

It started with some plain steamed bread as an accompaniment to dinner meats...but a a mom with Chinese sausage at hand will not relent until it is incorporated into your steamed bread. And now we find half of the dinner bao polished off prematurely...

Enjoy the holiday!

Happy Father's Day

(Let's ignore the fact that we haven't posted in 3 months and continue on with the yummies!)

First time using our grill. And our patio furniture.

Happy Daddy Day! :)

La Fonda Del Sol

JS, C, and I went to check out the JapanWeek booths at Grand Central Station in the hopes that we could scrounge up some good food samples. Unfortunately, none were to be had, and the single takoyaki balls didn't keep them full. So we recruited JC and walked around the corner to fill our stomachs at La Fonda.

WARNING: Strong sangria.

TAPAS...
Meatballs pork meatballs, pimentón, Manchego cheese
Artisan Cheeses selection of Spanish cheeses
Potato Bravas chile aioli
Empanadas beef rib, mushrooms, blue cabrales
Chorizo Basque chorizo, cider, croutons
Croquettes chicken, Manchego cheese, Serrano
Flatbread Romesco, smoked vegetables, goat cheese
Pork Belly Sliders bacon onion marmalade, pickles

DESSERTS...
Chocolate Milhojas Chocolate Cream, Roasted Almond Wafer, Vanilla Ice Cream
Buñuelos/Cinnamon Fritters Salty Caramel, Maracuya Peppercorn, Orange Chocolate
Sorbets and Ice Creams Pineapple, Passion Fruit, Mango

YUM.

La Fonda Del Sol
MetLife Building
E 44th Street & Vanderbilt Ave

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

10 Downing Street

I'm talking NYC, not London.

If you've never had chicken pot pie, this one will spoil you. If, like me, the only way, shape, or form you've had one has been from the frozen food/tv dinner section of the supermarket, you're in for a treat! Their signature dish was a Curry Spice & Coconut Pot Pie with chicken & vegetable, kaffir lime, topped with puff pastry ("coconut" and "puff pastry" being the key words here). It came steaming hot out of the kitchen, so as much as I wanted to gobble it up, it was almost impossible to eat. The dish was HUGE - looked like I took about 3 bites out of it before calling it quits. Surprised no one jumped me for the leftovers on my bus ride home. The smell was intoxicating.

While I was savoring my pot pie, everyone else at the table was picking at their Filet Mignon. NOT that the filet mignon wasn't yummy (cause they all said it was), but we'd stuffed ourselves on the apps and Duck Fat Sage Fries (which didn't have the slightest duck taste, but were scrumpcious nonetheless). E & J must not have gorged themselves with the tuna tartare, potato leek soup, and sweet shrimp & cheddar grits, cause they somehow polished their dishes (go family, go!). Everything was a hit, except the mashed potatoes. How they messed that up, I have no idea (hell, I can even make mashed potatoes), but unanimous complaints heard around the table said they were too soft and bland. Eek.

Dessert? Of course we saved room for dessert. The prix fixe menu came with the Lemon Panna Cotta, but $5 more and we could choose off the regular menu. 6 panna cottas? Uh, no. We compromised with three, and added the "Peanut Butter and Jelly" (peanut butter mousse, chocolate ganache, grape-jelly sorbet), Cinnamon-Sugar Doughnut Holes (marmalade, mocha sauce), and Sticky Toffee Pudding (dates, cream, warm toffee sauce). The PB was heavy and the J was tart - a good combo eaten together, but too extreme when not. Good, but I probably wouldn't choose this again. Especially not with doughnut holes dunked in toffee pudding to eat instead! Oh, HEAVEN. The toffee pudding was, by far, the best dessert of all, and if you don't like toffee then... you're right up there with the non-Harry Potter, non-Ryan Reynolds fans of the world. Just... *gasp*.

If you're a lover of good food, you should pay a visit. If you don't have three hours to sit... maybe another day then.

ps. The door is on Downing Street... just like their address says. justsaying.
pps. It's REALLY hard to take photos by candlelight. Especially with an average ole point-n-shoot. Time for an upgrade? :)

10 Downing
10 Downing St (...duh)
@ 6th Ave.

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.