I was still licking my lips over a lunch special at Ise (hearty Japanese winter food: fried scallops accompanied by a dollop of hot mustard, poached tilefish with yam paste, rice balls with fermented soybeans and sashimi garnished with fresh ginger) when I realized that I hadn’t yet bought pastries for Christmas morning. I’d heard that a French pastry shop had opened up two weeks ago nearby, and set about finding it at once.
Everything about Financier Pâtisserie screams “butter”; the light yellow walls, the aroma of baking that wafts through the room and the taste of the madeleines. The madeleines are so fresh that you can taste the single ingredients in turn: rich butter, then eggs, then sugar. A row of buttery, flaky pastries (pains au chocolat, cherry turnovers, almond croissants) sits atop a glass display. If you can tear your eyes away from the croissants, you will notice that the display is divided into two sections. To the right, there are charming bûches de Noel decorated with snowmen. On the left, there is a beautiful assortment of tarts, éclairs and mousses. I was torn between the pear chocolate mousse and the baba au rhum. My internal argument grew more heated until I noticed the chocolate chestnut tart topped with a marshmallow, which promptly found its way onto my shopping list. And what of the Christmas pastries? I think we’ll be enjoying our egg-brushed, plump apple turnovers very much!
Financier Pâtisserie, 62 Stone St., (212) 344-5600.
Monday, December 23, 2002
Sunday, December 22, 2002
Daniel - Divine!
I don't even know where to begin. All memories of my dinner at Daniel are coalescing into a single swoon of pleasure. With great effort, I will try to pinpoint the individual stimuli, among them: a special appetizer of creamy risotto with freshly shaved white truffle, a healthy mound of pristine tuna tartare topped with a layer of sevruga and surrounded by radish "petals", a warm tarragon flan accompanying a potato-crusted Arctic char ...wine-braised short ribs so tender that a fork cut right through them... and finally, a mocha Christmas bûche, a molten chocolate soufflé with intensely nutty pistachio ice cream, and petits fours which included holly-decorated chocolates made on the premises. But wait; I must not forget the fresh bread that threatened to spoil my appetite: garlic focaccia, sweet Christmas bread with raisins and powdered sugar, crusty black olive rolls and much more. If you haven't yet been to Daniel, it is time for you to experience one of the places that makes New York City great.
Daniel: 60 East 65th St., (212) 288-0033.
Daniel: 60 East 65th St., (212) 288-0033.
Saturday, December 14, 2002
'Tis The Season!
One way to get yourself into the holiday spirit is to drive around Bensonhurst after dark. Entire blocks shine with red and green lights; you will be awestruck by the dazzling array of elaborately festooned houses.
You may also be awestruck by the giant cannoli that adorns the window of Dolce Italia, Ltd. I forgot to ask if it were real, because just then the owner brought out a plate of buttery almond cookies straight out of the oven. He set it down right next to me and my companions, nodding his head at us. I ordered a bag full of sugar-dusted pignoli cookies, cookies rolled in sesame seeds and butter half-moons; when I opened the bag, I saw that a heap of the fresh butter cookies had been emptied into it.
Needless to say, I spoiled my appetite for Romano's. To their credit, the folks at this Bensonhurst legend (est. 1935) did their best to revive my sagging appetite with lemony, egg-battered sole francese and linguini with white clam sauce. The latter must have contained a head of garlic!
Dolce Italia, Ltd.: 7105 13th Ave., Brooklyn. (718) 837-2464. Romano Restaurant: 7117 13th Ave., Brooklyn. (718) 232-5226.
You may also be awestruck by the giant cannoli that adorns the window of Dolce Italia, Ltd. I forgot to ask if it were real, because just then the owner brought out a plate of buttery almond cookies straight out of the oven. He set it down right next to me and my companions, nodding his head at us. I ordered a bag full of sugar-dusted pignoli cookies, cookies rolled in sesame seeds and butter half-moons; when I opened the bag, I saw that a heap of the fresh butter cookies had been emptied into it.
Needless to say, I spoiled my appetite for Romano's. To their credit, the folks at this Bensonhurst legend (est. 1935) did their best to revive my sagging appetite with lemony, egg-battered sole francese and linguini with white clam sauce. The latter must have contained a head of garlic!
Dolce Italia, Ltd.: 7105 13th Ave., Brooklyn. (718) 837-2464. Romano Restaurant: 7117 13th Ave., Brooklyn. (718) 232-5226.
Tuesday, December 10, 2002
This Just In...
Are you agonizing over your weekend plans? If you're free this Saturday, why don't you join the folks at Foodevents.com for a culinary tour of Arthur Avenue in the Bronx?
The foodies will visit an artisan of fresh pasta, a maker of homemade mozzarella cheese, and some bakeries with hot semolina breads. The extravaganza will end with an Italian wine tasting. For more information, please call (917) 916-2988 or E-mail info@foodevents.com. Buon appetito!
The foodies will visit an artisan of fresh pasta, a maker of homemade mozzarella cheese, and some bakeries with hot semolina breads. The extravaganza will end with an Italian wine tasting. For more information, please call (917) 916-2988 or E-mail info@foodevents.com. Buon appetito!
Thai Tea Time (Closed as of 3/1/03)
The restaurant god has not yet blessed Kensington. (For those of you unfamiliar with the outer boroughs, Kensington is a small neighborhood in Brooklyn that abuts Windsor Terrace.) Church Avenue, the main drag, is a row of groceries with week-old produce.
But if you venture onto McDonald Avenue, you will find a small storefront that is serving up the best food in the neighborhood! Thai Tea Time is owned by Patrick, a Laotian with family in Thailand, and Lynn, a denizen of Kensington. Together they will educate you on the origin of bubble tea (Thailand exported tapioca to Taiwan) while serving it up in such exotic flavors as lychee, passionfruit and kumquat. There are Thai honeydew milkshakes and iced coffee drinks made with sweetened condensed milk.
If you need something more substantial than a beverage, try the cilantro-laden tom yum, a spicy lemongrass soup with your choice of chicken or shrimp. If you like pad thai, you will find plenty of tasty crushed peanuts in Thai Tea Time's version. My pad see-ew was a huge mound of wide rice noodles sautéed with egg, gailan (baby Chinese broccoli) and lots of shrimp. Patrick warned me that gailan was spicy. "Bring on the spice," I urged, and he obliged by presenting me with some whole green chilies to munch on.
While I enjoyed the warm banana custard topped with coconut, I noticed that there was a small selection of Thai groceries available, including grass jelly, do-it-yourself Thai tea powder, and pickled eggplant. But I think I will leave my Thai cooking to the experts.
Thai Tea Time: 359 McDonald Ave., Brooklyn. (718) 436-5344. Delivery available.
But if you venture onto McDonald Avenue, you will find a small storefront that is serving up the best food in the neighborhood! Thai Tea Time is owned by Patrick, a Laotian with family in Thailand, and Lynn, a denizen of Kensington. Together they will educate you on the origin of bubble tea (Thailand exported tapioca to Taiwan) while serving it up in such exotic flavors as lychee, passionfruit and kumquat. There are Thai honeydew milkshakes and iced coffee drinks made with sweetened condensed milk.
If you need something more substantial than a beverage, try the cilantro-laden tom yum, a spicy lemongrass soup with your choice of chicken or shrimp. If you like pad thai, you will find plenty of tasty crushed peanuts in Thai Tea Time's version. My pad see-ew was a huge mound of wide rice noodles sautéed with egg, gailan (baby Chinese broccoli) and lots of shrimp. Patrick warned me that gailan was spicy. "Bring on the spice," I urged, and he obliged by presenting me with some whole green chilies to munch on.
While I enjoyed the warm banana custard topped with coconut, I noticed that there was a small selection of Thai groceries available, including grass jelly, do-it-yourself Thai tea powder, and pickled eggplant. But I think I will leave my Thai cooking to the experts.
Thai Tea Time: 359 McDonald Ave., Brooklyn. (718) 436-5344. Delivery available.
Saturday, December 07, 2002
Wednesday, December 04, 2002
Les Halles
A huge snowstorm is forecasted for tomorrow. Since I may stay inside all day, I feel justified in having eaten two days' worth of food this evening.
My dining companion wanted to go to Les Halles because of his special fondness for French fries. Although he will eat anything from McDonald's shoestrings to tater tots, he especially appreciates the crispy, greaseless numbers at Les Halles. Tonight he mixed together a great portion of ketchup and Dijon mustard into which he happily dipped an entire plate of fries.
We began our meals with big tureens of onion soup topped with melted gruyere, and escargots appropriately swimming in garlic butter. I sopped up every last drop of the butter with hunks of crusty baguette.
The main course was a very difficult choice. Les Halles offers a selection of traditional French entrées such as cassoulet and choucroute, as well as a long menu of grilled Black Angus meats including hanger steak with shallot sauce, beef tenderloin, and prime rib. The entrance of the restaurant sports a glass display of rillettes, frankfurters, pâtés, blood sausage, and other meats. My companion ordered a 14-oz. New York sirloin with béarnaise sauce, mesclun greens and fries. I wanted something lighter and enjoyed my simple preparation of dourade. The firm-fleshed fish was grilled with olive oil and salt and served with grilled zucchini. (I was soon to sabotage the lightness of my meal with a great amount of well-salted French fries.)
After a couple glasses of Pinot Noir Rion and Sancerre Blanc, any remaining inhibitions we may have had against ordering dessert soon disappeared. We decided against the profiteroles and crème brûlée in favor of a Valrhona chocolate mousse and a warm banana chocolate tart in vanilla sauce. At this point, the lights had dimmed so much that I could not see exactly how many layers there were in the tart. Judging from taste alone, I gather that there were three: a dense chocolate bottom, a layer of bananas and a sweet dark chocolate ganache. I also finished off the dollop of whipped cream.
Now I'm ready for the snow!
Les Halles: 411 Park Avenue South. (212) 679-4111.
My dining companion wanted to go to Les Halles because of his special fondness for French fries. Although he will eat anything from McDonald's shoestrings to tater tots, he especially appreciates the crispy, greaseless numbers at Les Halles. Tonight he mixed together a great portion of ketchup and Dijon mustard into which he happily dipped an entire plate of fries.
We began our meals with big tureens of onion soup topped with melted gruyere, and escargots appropriately swimming in garlic butter. I sopped up every last drop of the butter with hunks of crusty baguette.
The main course was a very difficult choice. Les Halles offers a selection of traditional French entrées such as cassoulet and choucroute, as well as a long menu of grilled Black Angus meats including hanger steak with shallot sauce, beef tenderloin, and prime rib. The entrance of the restaurant sports a glass display of rillettes, frankfurters, pâtés, blood sausage, and other meats. My companion ordered a 14-oz. New York sirloin with béarnaise sauce, mesclun greens and fries. I wanted something lighter and enjoyed my simple preparation of dourade. The firm-fleshed fish was grilled with olive oil and salt and served with grilled zucchini. (I was soon to sabotage the lightness of my meal with a great amount of well-salted French fries.)
After a couple glasses of Pinot Noir Rion and Sancerre Blanc, any remaining inhibitions we may have had against ordering dessert soon disappeared. We decided against the profiteroles and crème brûlée in favor of a Valrhona chocolate mousse and a warm banana chocolate tart in vanilla sauce. At this point, the lights had dimmed so much that I could not see exactly how many layers there were in the tart. Judging from taste alone, I gather that there were three: a dense chocolate bottom, a layer of bananas and a sweet dark chocolate ganache. I also finished off the dollop of whipped cream.
Now I'm ready for the snow!
Les Halles: 411 Park Avenue South. (212) 679-4111.
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