Lately, it seems like I'm on Clinton Street all the time. The tapas at 1492 Food, four-cheese pizza at San Marzano, and tomato-mozzarella tarts at Falai Panetteria keep me coming back for more. And now I have yet another scrumptious reason to visit Clinton Street: the sweet-savory Parmesan souffle at Luxee. This towering, sugar-dusted, eggy dessert is already impressive; a tableside grating of cheese over the top renders it irresistible. The souffle is served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a little bowl of hazelnut brickle.
There are many other treats for the adventurous sweets lover: green forest parfait of avocado and chocolate; a Mont Blanc with the surprising addition of tomato-rose jam; chocolate and star anise cake; and rose macarons. Different teas are recommended for each dessert - my souffle was paired with chamomile.
Luxee Dessert Cafe: 6 Clinton St., (212) 375-1796.
Showing posts with label Dessert Bars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dessert Bars. Show all posts
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Friday, May 18, 2007
P*ong: Plated Perfection! (3/2009 CLOSED. A tragedy!!!)
I first encountered the magic of pastry chef Pichet Ong at the "2005 Ten Best Pastry Chefs in America" awards. Two years later, Ong is presiding over a truly inspired menu of sweets and savories at P*ong. Tonight, a friend and I went over for the three-course dessert tasting, and with each course, our excitement built until we absolutely could not wait to see what would come next. We spent most of the evening looking at each other with incredulity and wordless delight.
The counter prep space was stocked with peppers, genmaicha, cardamom pods and ground vanilla beans. I knew this would be a truly stimulating experience! Even the cocktail menu was intriguing, with ingredients like mint oil and organic green apple juice. Although I was curious about the chocolate mojito, I went with some wild mint tea, and my friend ordered a glass of tempranillo.
Our first course was a Meyer lemon shaved ice sprinkled with smoked salt and pepper over a thick layer of unsweetened Vermont mascarpone. Tiny snips of mint leaves decorated the tart, refreshing ice. The dish took my friend back to her childhood, when she used to drill holes in the Meyer lemons from the trees in her yard and suck out the sweet juice. The smoked salt amplified the sweetness of the lemon.
Our taste buds now awakened, we swooned over the chevre cheesecake croquettes. Rolled in chopped walnuts with somewhat of a graham cracker crust taste, the mounds of sweetened cheese lay atop tiny, vanilla-bean-flecked chunks of pineapple compote and a swirl of bittersweet chocolate coulis. Divine!
Next, we dug into a plate of strawberry tea sorbet atop sliced strawberries punctuated with little bits of sugary wasabi candy, and a block of extraordinary white miso ice cream sandwiched between two slices of light, buttery pound cake. The white miso ice cream was as intense and rich as peanut butter, and was also enhanced with a bit of sea salt. (I need to bring home a pint of this!)
Meanwhile, I looked at the group next to us with envy; they'd had the presence of mind to order the five-course dessert tasting, and were happily lapping up a Stilton souffle and arugula ice cream. But soon, an unexpected fourth course erased everything from my mind except pure, unthinking bliss. A "napoleon" of dark chocolate slices layered with rich, creamy sesame spread came with tangy ricotta-mandarin ice cream over a sprinkle of black and white sesame seeds, and a splash of ponzu vinegar caramel and halved edamame. The napoleon was like the best chocolate truffle I've ever eaten.
All of a sudden, a mysterious fifth course arrived! "Pichet just put this on the menu today," explained the host. A cool, velvety chocolate parfait topped with raspberries and drizzled with exotic rosewater blew our minds. "I think I'm having an out-of-body experience!" my friend raved. "There are no words."
Pichet made our day!
(If you want to you want to take some of Pichet Ong's genius home, you can buy a copy of his fascinating book "The Sweet Spot: Asian-Inspired Desserts." Inside, you'll find recipes for Chinese-American cookies and Grand Marnier tofu cheesecake. He'll even sign the book for you!)
P*ong: 150 West 10th St., (212) 929-0898.
The counter prep space was stocked with peppers, genmaicha, cardamom pods and ground vanilla beans. I knew this would be a truly stimulating experience! Even the cocktail menu was intriguing, with ingredients like mint oil and organic green apple juice. Although I was curious about the chocolate mojito, I went with some wild mint tea, and my friend ordered a glass of tempranillo.
Our first course was a Meyer lemon shaved ice sprinkled with smoked salt and pepper over a thick layer of unsweetened Vermont mascarpone. Tiny snips of mint leaves decorated the tart, refreshing ice. The dish took my friend back to her childhood, when she used to drill holes in the Meyer lemons from the trees in her yard and suck out the sweet juice. The smoked salt amplified the sweetness of the lemon.
Our taste buds now awakened, we swooned over the chevre cheesecake croquettes. Rolled in chopped walnuts with somewhat of a graham cracker crust taste, the mounds of sweetened cheese lay atop tiny, vanilla-bean-flecked chunks of pineapple compote and a swirl of bittersweet chocolate coulis. Divine!
Next, we dug into a plate of strawberry tea sorbet atop sliced strawberries punctuated with little bits of sugary wasabi candy, and a block of extraordinary white miso ice cream sandwiched between two slices of light, buttery pound cake. The white miso ice cream was as intense and rich as peanut butter, and was also enhanced with a bit of sea salt. (I need to bring home a pint of this!)
Meanwhile, I looked at the group next to us with envy; they'd had the presence of mind to order the five-course dessert tasting, and were happily lapping up a Stilton souffle and arugula ice cream. But soon, an unexpected fourth course erased everything from my mind except pure, unthinking bliss. A "napoleon" of dark chocolate slices layered with rich, creamy sesame spread came with tangy ricotta-mandarin ice cream over a sprinkle of black and white sesame seeds, and a splash of ponzu vinegar caramel and halved edamame. The napoleon was like the best chocolate truffle I've ever eaten.
All of a sudden, a mysterious fifth course arrived! "Pichet just put this on the menu today," explained the host. A cool, velvety chocolate parfait topped with raspberries and drizzled with exotic rosewater blew our minds. "I think I'm having an out-of-body experience!" my friend raved. "There are no words."
Pichet made our day!
(If you want to you want to take some of Pichet Ong's genius home, you can buy a copy of his fascinating book "The Sweet Spot: Asian-Inspired Desserts." Inside, you'll find recipes for Chinese-American cookies and Grand Marnier tofu cheesecake. He'll even sign the book for you!)
P*ong: 150 West 10th St., (212) 929-0898.
Saturday, August 09, 2003
An Exquisite Evening: Dinner at Sushi Yasuda, Dessert at ChikaLicious Dessert Bar
I wish every night could be as wonderful as this one. Tonight, my companion and I feasted on innumerable varieties of fish at Sushi Yasuda, then continued the feast with a three-course dessert at ChikaLicious Dessert Bar.
Sushi Yasuda, named for its chef, is a shrine to the art of sushi. The sushi menu is categorized by the type of fish. There are five kinds of eel and seven cuts of tuna alone! Every night, Chef Yasuda circles his personal recommendations on the a la carte menu.
We began with a couple of intriguing seafood appetizers that we hadn't seen elsewhere: chunks of fried tuna in a light starchy batter, and flash-fried eel backbones. The latter were vaguely reminiscent of cracklings and had that same addictive property. We then tried some of the special fish of the evening: charred, sweet barbecued white eel, medium-fatty tuna that almost fell apart with tenderness, and wild salmon roe that were deliciously salty and fresh. Some other establishments serve pre-packaged eel and sugary roe; it is difficult not to be spoiled by the high quality at Sushi Yasuda.
Although some diners opt for the omakase (chef's choice), Sushi Yasuda also lets the diner choose the fish for his sushi or sashimi dinner. I like rich, oily fish, so I ordered mackerel, salmon, Spanish mackerel, kampachi (a type of yellowtail) and butterfish. Five piles of heaven!
After a mug of brown tea, it was time to cab it over to the East Village for dessert at ChikaLicious Dessert Bar, which opened just two weeks ago.
ChikaLicious is like your best friend's kitchen, if your best friend just happens to be a gourmet chef. As you sit expectantly at the marble countertop, you can watch Chef Chika zest a lemon over a bowl of slivered almonds in preparation for her delicious almond florentines. I was so fascinated by her activity that it took me a second to focus on the amuse bouche: a spoonful of brown sugar panna cotta marked with a roasted pistachio. A second treat soon appeared: a glass of yogurt sorbet with kiwi slices soaked in a sweet lavender syrup. The sugar focused my concentration, and I realized that I needed to try the chocolate baba au rhum with whipped cream and strawberry salad. It was impossible to resist the sight of all those small chocolate puffed cakes! The warm chocolate tart called to my companion. Everything was so delicious that it took us about two minutes to devour it all. But dessert was not yet over! A plate of beautiful petits fours soon arrived: homemade coconut marshmallows, chocolate basil truffles, and the afore-mentioned almond florentines. I think I'll go back tomorrow.
Sushi Yasuda: 204 E. 43rd St., (212) 972-1001 . Chikalicious Dessert Bar: 203 E. 10th St., (212) 995-9511.
Sushi Yasuda, named for its chef, is a shrine to the art of sushi. The sushi menu is categorized by the type of fish. There are five kinds of eel and seven cuts of tuna alone! Every night, Chef Yasuda circles his personal recommendations on the a la carte menu.
We began with a couple of intriguing seafood appetizers that we hadn't seen elsewhere: chunks of fried tuna in a light starchy batter, and flash-fried eel backbones. The latter were vaguely reminiscent of cracklings and had that same addictive property. We then tried some of the special fish of the evening: charred, sweet barbecued white eel, medium-fatty tuna that almost fell apart with tenderness, and wild salmon roe that were deliciously salty and fresh. Some other establishments serve pre-packaged eel and sugary roe; it is difficult not to be spoiled by the high quality at Sushi Yasuda.
Although some diners opt for the omakase (chef's choice), Sushi Yasuda also lets the diner choose the fish for his sushi or sashimi dinner. I like rich, oily fish, so I ordered mackerel, salmon, Spanish mackerel, kampachi (a type of yellowtail) and butterfish. Five piles of heaven!
After a mug of brown tea, it was time to cab it over to the East Village for dessert at ChikaLicious Dessert Bar, which opened just two weeks ago.
ChikaLicious is like your best friend's kitchen, if your best friend just happens to be a gourmet chef. As you sit expectantly at the marble countertop, you can watch Chef Chika zest a lemon over a bowl of slivered almonds in preparation for her delicious almond florentines. I was so fascinated by her activity that it took me a second to focus on the amuse bouche: a spoonful of brown sugar panna cotta marked with a roasted pistachio. A second treat soon appeared: a glass of yogurt sorbet with kiwi slices soaked in a sweet lavender syrup. The sugar focused my concentration, and I realized that I needed to try the chocolate baba au rhum with whipped cream and strawberry salad. It was impossible to resist the sight of all those small chocolate puffed cakes! The warm chocolate tart called to my companion. Everything was so delicious that it took us about two minutes to devour it all. But dessert was not yet over! A plate of beautiful petits fours soon arrived: homemade coconut marshmallows, chocolate basil truffles, and the afore-mentioned almond florentines. I think I'll go back tomorrow.
Sushi Yasuda: 204 E. 43rd St., (212) 972-1001 . Chikalicious Dessert Bar: 203 E. 10th St., (212) 995-9511.
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