Topnotch Topshop

Every time I go home I have one regret, something I didn't have enough time to do, someone I didn't have enough time to see. This trip I don't know how I did it, but I managed to squeeze in soooo much into 5 days. I ran around like a crazy person seeing friends, lounged around with my brother, ate at all my favorite restaurants, saw tons of family. I was there for 5 days but it seems more like 2 it went by in such a blur. However, I do regret not going into NYC earlier my last day there so I had time to go to one of my favorite stores, TopShop. While there are tons all over Europe, the US only has one in the Soho area of New York City. That makes it a shop I must stop at if I'm ever doing serious damage to my credit card there. Although, as I said, I didn't do either this last trip. My credit card probably breathed a sigh of relief.

Out of curiosity last night I checked out the store's website to see what I missed and it only further fueled my regret. Unfortunately I have no money, nor do I know how the store is sized well enough to order anything off of their website so I won't be ordering anything. But if I could, here's a few of the things I might consider.










I think this kind of accurately reflects my style right now which is a mixture of all over the place and a little bit of a modern glam take on the 20s. I blame my recent trip to the Chicago Institute of Art, Midnight in Paris, and Fashion Zen blog for that. It'll be interesting to see some of the outfits I come up with starting next week when the clinic reopens.

Sorry Chicago fans, New York Pizza is still the best.

I think it's no secret I am from New York. Born, raised, and proud to admit it to anyone, even those who don't ask. I will always tell you why the things about New York that people don't like are the best parts of my home state/city. And then I'll tell you why New York is better than anything else too. Sure I'm biased, but can you honestly tell me a place with consistently better bagels? Subway service? Readily available taxis? Late night diners? Or really anything that's open late? And of course, for fans of NY style pizza, our pizza is the best too.

I'm starting to really wonder about that myth that there is something in the water. When I went to college in upstate NY, a mere 4 hour drive from New York City, the pizza was terrible. Whether it was from a restaurant or the dining hall, it was not the same. People from downstate moved up there, so it's not like there couldn't be a single person who had worked in a pizzeria and didn't know the tricks. So I thought, ok, maybe there was something about dirty water that had some kind of magical power?

Now after moving to California and living out there for over a year I am once again extremely disappointed in the pizza selections. I have found a place that is tolerable (ironically enough called New York Pizza), but you have to get their whole wheat crust and it's still not the same. And I've found a place that serves great Italian pizza in SF, but this is not like home where whenever I want I have a ton of great places within a short drive. When I am the city I go to my favorite Rays on 11th St. and 6th ave. There's close to 50 "original" Ray's, and everyone has their favorite, so asking which is the best will yield you a different answer every time, but that's mine. When I was in Westchester my favorite was Irvington Pizzeria (which unfortunately has closed after decades of business). And when I'm at my parents, Posa Posa in Nanuet is my favorite.

Despite what my aunt says about the pizza having "changed" over the years, to me it's still the perfect pizza. Crispy bread, perfectly pluffy crust, not too much sauce, just the right amount of cheese. Heaven. There's no other pizza like it, and it's enough to drive me crazy on those late nights when I'm studying for finals and all I can think about is crap food, but there's no good places to order from. When I am back in NY, as I am now, I definitely take advantage of that fact and go as often as possible. The waitstaff must think I'm nuts. I guess my appetite, despite all the fancy tea parties and recipes I make, is still that of a little kid's. And sometimes I just really need to eat a good pizza.

Crepes

I think that Crepes may be in my top 5 all time favorite foods. A deliciously thin pancake I can stuff with anything I want from savory to sweet or both? How is that not the perfect food? I tend to have phases with foods and will eat one thing non-stop for as long as I can get away with. Sushi, pad thai, anything with smoked gouda cheese, and of course crepes. I'm not in a crepe phase right now, but I'd dangling dangerously on the edge of one. So while I drool for crepes and think about how I have the fixins to make my own for dinner tonight if I wanted to, here's a few of my favorite places to get crepes.

In New York City...

- There are a few savory crepes on their regular menu, but their dessert crepes are out of this world. My normal order when I go there includes the asparagus crepe, then the peanut butter one. The waitstaff must think I'm nuts...just really obsessed.

Creperie - A little whole in the wall place I dragged my family to one of their locations for some crepes after a graduation ceremony when I was finishing up my masters degree. Since then I've been back a couple of times and have tried several different items on their menu, each one more delicious than the next. But if I had to pick a favorite, it would be the one with Brie, walnuts, and apples.

In Palo Alto...

Stanford Library Cafe - Right outside of Stanford's Green Library there is a food kiosk that has sandwiches, salads, and of course crepes. They are huge, filled with yummy stuff, and cheap.

Crepewine - This is actually a chain and I've been to a couple of different Crepevines. There's lots of different stuff on the menu, but really, why get that other stuff when you want crepes? The Le Delice (cheese and onions), Jamaican (bananas in caramel rum sauce), and Monaco (the old standard Nutella and bananas) are all good but I think the Santorini (Walnuts, pistachios, brown sugar, coconut, cinnamon and mascarpone) is next on my list to try.

Bistro Maxine - I have actually not been here yet but I've got some friends who have been and really like it. This is another little place tucked away on a side street. I've walked past several times and it has a very quaint European feel to it. I'm hoping I can drag Nick there soon. Some menu options that sound good are: La Cévenole (goat cheese, walnut, honey), the Gorgonzola (ham, mushrooms, cream of gorgonzola), and the Crème de marron (chestnut purée).

And if you're like me and you can't wait to go out to the next place and you want to make your own...

Stonewall Kitchen - Search for this at your local specialty food shop, Crate and Barrel, William Sonoma, or just buy online. It's taken me a little bit to get the hang of it, but with a super thin rubber spatula and large frying pan, you can make your own crepes for breakfast, lunch, or dinner at home. It takes some time because we do it buffet style which means you cook the veggies first, set out TONS of options on the table, and make each crepe individually (one batch can make anywhere for 6-10 depending on the size you make them---just keep in mind that too big=difficult not to break but too small=not lots of space to stuff), but it's well worth the effort.

Some of our favorite stuffins are:

-Gruyere cheese with mushrooms and onions
-Semi-sweet chocolate sauce or chocolate chips, peanut butter, bananas, and coconut (make sure you nuke for about 10 seconds)
-goat cheese, cherry tomatoes, and smoked salmon

I think I've made up my mind, this is what I'm making for dinner tonight.

Northern Spy Food Co.

I love New York City. Bottom line, it is my favorite place on Earth. But, as much as I hate to admit this, I am really not that big of a fan of the Lower East Side. It's hard to get to by subway (and what subway stops are there smell horrendous), the sidewalks are a mess (try walking on those in heels!), and I always manage to have to go there on the most humid hot days so by the time I get there my hair looks a mess, I'm sweaty, and all around gross. These days it takes a really special occasion (or a really special person) to get me to go there. And when I was home for Spring Break, a combination of the two got me out there to have dinner with one of my best friends, Jen, at Northern Spy Food Co.

Jen teased me before hand saying how it was a big deal that I agreed to step foot in that area (and believe me, I crossed many many feet as I walked A LOT of blocks). When I finally did arrive at my destination (which I'll admit was not as far into the LES as I was expecting), I was welcomed by a warm and cozy room that was exactly what I needed after a brisk trek on a cold late winter's night.


Next up I perused the menu. Much to my delight, everything on it was locally sourced and sustainably farm. That, as you know, is always a huge score in my book. It means I can order whatever I want off the menu and not feel guilty. But, as is normally the case, I'm so used to not eating meat that I opted for a vegetarian option anyway. Well, semi vegetarian anyway. I got an appetizer of the crispy gnocchi (made with a butternut squash puree) and duck fat fries (french fries, fried in duck fat). Both were amazing. The gnocchi was really light and fluffy (hard to imagine for something that is normally sits like a rock in your stomach) and the fries were big, crispy, and flavorful. The perfect proportions with a little bit left over to share. Jen got one of the soups and her favorite, a side of the meatballs (which were also fantastic).

When dessert came around we were both really stuffed, but since we were sort of celebrating I pushed Jen into order something. We went back and forth about a lot of things (there were so many yummy options, like cookies, tarts, and cheese), but we ended up compromising and each getting a small scoop of house made ice cream to share. I opted for vanilla honey, and it was so rich and delicious, as good as it was, it actually made me wish we had ordered another dessert. If the ice cream was THAT GOOD another dessert (especially one that comes with ice cream on the side) would have been that much better.

All in all, it was well worth the trip into my least favorite part of NYC, and I have to admit, I'd do it again. No complaints (well, maybe a little bit).

And now for some pictures of the food!

Il Fresco: Their Home is Your Home

When we were in New York, Nick and I had a Valentine's Day tradition to go to one of my favorite Italian restaurants, Il Fresco. I mainly wanted to go because I liked the food and martinis, but we kept going back because the atmosphere of the restaurant was so warm and inviting (and they would always give me a long stem rose to boot). Their motto "our home is your home" really rings true. The restaurant itself is an old colonial house and is decorated to feel like you're sitting at someone's dining room table, regardless of the room you're in.


The restaurant is about 2 miles away from my parent's house, so I've been to Il Fresco a lot for different occasions. Obviously date nights, but also large family dinners, small family dinners, my parents hosted their anniversary party there one year. I've been here so many times I feel as if I've tasted half the menu. Calamari, crab cakes, eggplant, pasta 1,000 different ways, chicken, steak, fish. You name it. Everything was savory and delicious. Not too heavy, but still filling. Just the way good Italian food should taste.

The menu is traditional, although not the usual spaghetti with meatballs, eggplant parmesean, etc. This is not your cafeteria style Italian food (which I actually am sick of eating at restaurants. My aunt taught me how to cook Italian food, if I can make it at home, I do not want to eat it at your restaurant). This is Italian food with thought. You won't find trendy items on the main menu with the latest American flavor crazes, but you will find things like "Boneless chicken breast stuffed with spinach and prosciutto, dipped in egg and sautéed in olive oil and served with a marsala wine and mushroom sauce" or "Sweet Italian sausage, broccoli rapa and sundried tomato sautéed in garlic and olive oil." Again, traditional Italian food with more thought put into it.

And did I mention the martinis? The moment I turned 21 and could legally order them, my heart rejoiced. I do not like the taste of alcohol, but who doesn't like to feel euphorically happy once in awhile after you have a glass of something? Il Fresco has everything my girly palate desires. From fruity drinks like Lemon Drops and Bananatinis to chocolatey and creamy ones like the Milky Way and Tiramisu-tini. One time I even convinced my mom to order one with me. Needless to say after our seconds we were giggling like crazy and my dad was pretty embarrassed by the two drunkies at the table with him.

Ok, but enough of talking about food, let me show you some pictures.




Drool. Why do I always write these food reviews around meal time?

Max Brenner

Since we are on a big dessert kick, I decided to write about one of my favorite places to get dessert at EVER. Max Brenner, which has locations all over the world, has by far, the best chocolate desserts I've ever eaten in my life. My first year of graduate school, a friend who got a job working as a barrista turned me on to the restaurant and I was hooked. Some of my friends and I would go once a week to get hot chocolate, chocolate martinis, crepes, fondu, ice cream sundaes, chocolate soup, truffles, molten lava cake, and anything else you think chocolate could come on. The food menu (which has some great items and some rather lack luster ones) has changed a lot over the years, but the 20 page dessert menu has generally stayed the same. But you're not really into for lunch or dinner are you? You just want the chocolate.

The restaurant plays up on that chocolate desire too. Everything is decorated in chocolate inspired colors. Warm rich tones of brown, red, and orange. Words like addiction, hug, and love are used in the custom made mugs and other decor. And the smell infects every inch of the restaurants. Everything is about a lifestyle. When you walk in, you really feel like you're being transported into a chocolate factory (or heaven).

Every dessert I've tried has been so rich and delicious, even that chocolate soup which seems really weird was very good. A lot of the options are offered in white, milk, or dark chocolate or a combination of two which makes everyone's taste buds happy. Some of them, if you don't have the appetite, will have to be split, like the peanut butter crepe, because they are that rich. Smores, waffles, cookies, milk shakes, have I made you want to go yet?


Many of the restaurants also have shops where you can buy some of the amazing chocolates and other kitch. I've always wanted to buy their liquid chocolate (which is used in many many of their desserts) but never got around to it. So many other things are sold in the online shop, but considering the liquid stuff is fresh and must be sold by a certain date, I could understand why it wouldn't be available online.

A great place for a date, a girls night out, or a birthday party, Max Brenner is a multi-occasion restaurant (although last I knew, the one in NYC did not take reservations unless you had a very large group, and the larger your group and the later you want dinner the longer you have to wait).




Um...yes...

Bouchon Bakery

Nothing thrills me more than a good quiche and a sweet treat after wards. When I worked in New York City, my office was very close to Columbus Circle at Central Park South. I liked to take solo-lunches and walk there, either window shopping at the shops or stroll through Central Park. The Columbus Circle shops definitely cater to a rich crowd with higher end designer stores (like Stuart Weitzman) and the cheapest places being J-Crew and Sephora. Even the restaurants were expensive. On my salary there was no way I could get a nice lunch for $30 a plate. But, there was one place I could afford (and routinely went to) that was never a disappointment, Bouchon Bakery.

The owner/creator/chef has several other restaurants (including one at Columbus Circle), but Bouchon Bakery is the only one I have ever gone to. I have gotten to go food (like some of the sandwiches, quiche, salads, and croissants) and had several sit down meals too. I absolutely love the quiche, which regardless of the kind, always had fluffy eggs that were buttery and a vinaigrette on the accompanying salad that was to die for. My two favorite sandwhiches are a toss up (depending on whether I want something sweet or something savory) between the cashew butter and jelly (apricot) and the roasted vegetable which has eggplant, zucchini, and red peppers with tons of cheese and comes on an AMAZING multi-grain bread.

And the cookies! Oh God. Between the award winning nutter butters and TKO (Thomas Keller Oreo with seasonal icing offerings), you'd already be set if not for the rest of the display case of goodies.

The one thing I was ever disappointed in was the bread they give with a sit down meal. Very small, all crust, and so crunchy. It's hard to chew, I could imagine someone with no teeth, or very bad teeth having a lot of issues. But it's such a small part of the meal considering how great everything else is. Just look at the pictures I took from their website. I think that says it all:



PS. The website does not do their selection of food justice you must go (in California, Nevada, or New York) to see for yourself! And bring the pup, there's lots of treats for him too!

A Sunday Brunch fit for more than just the SATC girls

In New York City, Sunday Brunch is an institution. Long before there were four stylish ladies from Sex and the City meeting on a regular basis prompting many others to do the same, brunch was (and continues to be) a tradition of families, post-partiers, and first dates the world over. All the first foods I taught myself to cook were breakfast foods, and I have to admit that brunch is definitely my favorite meal both to eat and to cook. People who visit for an overnight trip are routinely treated with vanilla french toast with fruit, salmon eggs benedict or scrambled eggs with rosemary, a million different kinds of pancakes, bacon, and anything else you can think of.

But this entry is not about the breakfast that I serve (those can come later!). This entry is about a few really amazing places that I have been out to for brunch that put my brunch to shame.

Smorgas Chef - New York, NY - My all time favorite place to go for brunch (although in all honesty, the normal restaurant offerings were not that impressive), the last day Nick and I spent in NYC before our move we started off here. My personal favorite are the Vanilla Waffles that come with Cloudberry (and I always ask for the second one too) and a blueberry/raspberry sauce and of course whipped cream. If you're lucky enough to go to West Village location in the Spring and sit outside, this with a side of Potato au Gratin and some Earl Grey is the perfect start to any NYC morning.

Sarabeth's Kitchen - New York, NY - Not just about the jellies and preserves you see at fancy food stores like William Sonoma, Sarabeth's actually started out as a restaurant in NYC. There's multiple locations now in NY and one in Key West Florida, and all serve up a mean brunch with some of the items including Papa Bear porridge (hot porridge with bananas, fresh cream, raisins and honey), Lemon and Ricotta Pancakes with Fresh Berries, and a Farmer's Omelette with leeks, ham, chunks of potato, and Gruyer cheese.

Strawberry Place - Nyack, NY - A favorite among our friends back home, this little whole in the wall restaurant is known for their breakfasts. Sometimes there's a wait (especially on a nice day on a weekend), but it's well worth it. The breakfast menu is two pages and has pancakes every which way from Tropical offerings to more traditional ones, lots of eggs, and of course, lots of strawberries.

William Penn Inn - Ambler, PA - My Granny lives in Pennsylvania and every time we spend the night into a Sunday morning, we go to Sunday Brunch at the William Penn Inn. With a huge buffet that stretches into two rooms and includes every breakfast food (from fruit to danishes to custom made omlettes) you could possibly want and a great selection of hot lunch and dessert options too, why would you ever consider ordering off the menu they provide too? I'm not normally one to go back for seconds at a buffet, but for this one, I'll usually go for thirds.

Ok, I think I need to go make a killer breakfast now.

Sweet Grass Grill

One of my favorite restaurants back home is Sweet Grass Grill. I've been there a few times, each time ordering something different, and have had an amazing meal each time. The restaurant is housed in what used to be an old market back in the late 1800s. The dining room has an old farmhouse feel to it and is very warm and cozy during the winter, but with the modern colors also feels light and open during the summer. It's casual and great to hang out with your mom or friends for brunch, or go out with a group of friends for dinner. But at night when the lights are low, it makes the perfect date night spot too.

The menu changes seasonally (with a few old favorites sticking around) and is sourced from local farms. I have come for brunch, lunch, and dinner. I've tried the french toast, burgers, sausages, salads, chicken, and everything in between and everything has tasted fantastic.

And now a few pictures of food from their website:




I'm writing this on Wednesday in the AM and I still haven't eaten my breakfast yet. Now I really want donuts. Maybe I'll have to make a run to Whole Foods and use Nick and I being home at the same time for the first time in over a week as an excuse to buy some food (including donuts) for a nice dinner and dessert.