USA - The Hungry Nomad

Coffee Shop, Cupcakes, New York, Pastries, Sweets

Cupcakes-Galore at Magnolia Bakery- West Village (New York City, USA)

December 6, 2012 No Comments

Bleeker street- one of the many places that make New York so charming, so unforgettable and so dear to me. Not only are there beloved Marc Jacobs shops sprinkled throughout the street but it is also a foodie haven beginning with Magnolia Bakery. Eating cupcakes while strolling through Marc Jacobs shops and bookstores? A perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon in my books.

It was my first time visiting Magnolia Bakery, somehow I happened to miss the reference on Sex and the City during my college years (apparently that’s what made them so famous?). So, having missed that boat I was not aware that there is usually a line up around the corner. On this particular Sunday the line up only extended to the door. I was okay with the short yet chaotic wait. So the Count and I lined up and took in all the sweet, sugary vanilla aromas permeating the air.

There were all sorts of people in the line up. The young family with kids swooning over the big three layered cakes, the Asian female tourists with their designer bags picking out their cupcakes, the old man ordering his usual and us, the first timers who were overwhelmed with the choices. Oh the possibilities.

Okay, so here I go: I don’t like cupcakes! Gasp. Yes I said it. There are many other sweets that I would prefer to a cupcake. So is it so horrible that neither of us actually ordered cupcakes?

I ordered a snickerdoodle tart from the glass display above. And the Count ordered the flour less chocolate cake.

After we yelled out our order, we waited to pay. The line up was a bit confusing as people were going straight to the cash counter and others were skipping the line. But somehow there was some sort of unspoken order amongst the chaos.

While waiting I was seduced by the variety of sweets that were calling my name including the three layered cakes in a variety of flavors. “Eat me Hungry Nomad, you know you’re hungry” they all said.

After receiving our coffee I got a chance to get up close and personal with the famous cupcakes…only for a short photo shoot. I definitely have to go back and try the cupcakes for I can’t really attest to their claim to fame without having tried it. Wonder what flavor I should try next time?

French, French food, Philadelphia

Parc Brasserie- Rittenhouse Square (Philadelphia, USA)

November 26, 2012 No Comments

Once in a while I become nostalgic for my life in Paris. I miss every single detail that put together make Paris so magical. I miss the beauty that covers every inch of the streets, the cobblestone rues, the sound of the french ambulance sirens (am I weird), the beautiful well groomed people, the language and the food and even the subway system. When nostalgia hits the only way to satisfy it is to find a french bistro where you can pretend that for an hour, just for one hour, you are back in Paris. In Philadelphia this can be found at Rittenhouse Square at the Parc Brasserie.

Every single detail from the yellow fiber braided bistro chair on the outside to the layout of the restaurant on the inside and most importantly the menu seems to fit the profile of being a French brasserie. From the outside, the restaurant looks quite small but stepping to the inside you’ll be surprised to see just how large it really is. We managed to find a seat outside overlooking the park where people watching is at its premium. After ordering two glasses of red wine we were ready to order.

I had been craving French Onion Soup all day and started with that. For our main entrees we ordered the steak/frites and the burger. The onion soup was perfect. The rich flavor of the broth was a perfect blend of beef broth and caramelized onions. The croutons were nice and chewy and the baked cheese on top was the perfect proportion covering the entire bowl. I loved the generous portions of cheese which is essentially the best part of the dish. I will be going back for this soup alone. It was that good!

The Steak and fries were typical of what you would find on a menu in Paris and served just the same: With melting butter on top of the meat and generous portions of fries. If you are craving red meat this dish will definitely satisfy all your cravings.

The burger was served with a layer of caramelized onions on top. The meat was tender and full of flavor. The Count managed to polish his plate clean.

At the end of our meal, there was literally no room for dessert but I did spot my favorite french dessert on the menu: profiteroles. And so another trip is in order for a serving of onion soup and the profiteroles.

East Village, Italian food, New York

Hearth- East Village (New York, USA)

November 8, 2012 No Comments

As I go through the list of restaurants I have visited on recent trips to New York, there seems to be one common denominator: they are all located in the East Village. On a late September evening, the Count and I along with friends went to Hearth Restaurant. It looked like a very unassuming restaurant with cozy, intimate seating and dim lighting.

Hearth Restaurant opened in 2003 and was immediately nominated the following spring for the James Beard Foundation’s Best New Restaurant award. Not surprising given the attention to detail and unique and innovative presentation of dishes.

The room was buzzing with the sound of diners and the smell of the delicious food permeated the air. Upon seating, a basket of bread and amuse bouche arrived at our table. Our server was attentive and patiently went through the extensive wine list to find one that I would be content with. The menu consists of ingredients which are all hand selected from farms which are noted on the menu as well. I also learned that with that, the menu is constantly changing to ensure fresh and local ingredients.

We started with a burratta and eggplant starter. For my main dish, I had the Pappardelle pasta served with a side of roasted mushrooms. The flavors of this particular dish were out of this world. I would have paid money just for the roasted mushrooms alone. They were so good. Crispy and filled with flavors that I never knew existed in a mushroom.

Our table also had the pork and lamb dishes. Both presented beautifully with so much attention to detail in each ingredient. The wine kept coming and we kept eating. So much so that no one in our party had room for dessert.

Farmer's Market, Fort Lauderdale

Fort Lauderdale Swap Shop Farmer’s Market (Fort Lauderdale, USA)

August 25, 2012 1 Comment

It’s Saturday. You are in Fort Lauderale. You are looking for something different to do. You want to stay away from the beach. You should go to the Swap Shop Farmer’s Market on Sunrise Blvd. It’s filled with fresh produce sold by friendly Haitians. If you are not looking for produce, there is also a flower market, cheap clothes, electronics, jewelry, you name it!

The Swap Shop also has a 14-screen drive in theatre and is the largest drive in and daily flea market in the world.

Where:

3291 W Sunrise Blvd
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311

(954) 791-7927

http://www.floridaswapshop.com

When: Every day

Philadelphia, USA

Kanella- Washington Square West (Philadelphia, USA)

August 19, 2012 2 Comments

It was a Monday afternoon and word got out that Anthony Bourdain was in town. If you follow me on twitter you will know that I am slightly obsessed with Bourdain. Therefore, it was no surprise that I was on a hunt to ‘run’ into him and casually offer my eating and travelling services. It was a guessing game on where he would end up for dinner and out of all the choices we decided to go to Kanella restaurant hoping to find him there. He ended up at Marc Vetri’s Amis. I can’t say I was disappointed with our choice. We discovered a true gem and had one of the best meals in a long time. We may not have met Bourdain but we did meet Chef Konstantinos Pitsillides who after our meal came to our table, asked where we were from and told us about himself and his cuisine. I respect a chef who treats his patrons as guests in his home and that is how Chef Pitsillides was. Friendly, charming and humble.

Chef Pitsillides is a proud Cypriot. Bringing home style Cypriot flavours from the beautiful island of Cyprus to locals in Philadelphia. I’ve never been to Cyprus but was a frequent travel to the Greek Cyclades islands while living in Europe and thus familiar with the regions food. (see menu)

As soon as I walked into the white washed stucco walls of the restaurant I felt like I was once again on the blue roof top islands of the Cyclades. Cyprus has a deep history of battles between the Turkish and the Greeks and is therefore equally influenced by each culture and their foods. Which is great for me because I love both.

This BYOB uses mostly organic ingredients plus makes everything in-house. I wanted to try as many dishes as possible so I opted out of the entree and instead ordered several appetizers. For our main dishes we ordered the calamari, saganaki and bureki and the lamb kofta entree. The Calamari was served with a side of Armenian tomato dip. It was perfectly cooked and tasted light, crispy and tender.

Next up was the Saganaki- a favorite of mine. The pan fried halloumi cheese was served in ouzo and lemon sauce with a delicious caramelized fig and side salad. This was one of the best I’ve had…including those which were devoured in many restaurants in Athens, Mykonos and Paros.

The Bureki was served next: a fillo pastry parcel stuffed with feta and thyme drizzled with honey served with a side of roasted beets. The presentation was so beautiful with a taste to match. Crispy layers of fillo oozing with feta cheese. The Count found that the honey made it more appropriate for dessert but I loved it, especially the presentation.

The lamb kofta was served next. It was a skewer of ground lamb mixed with apricot and pistachios served with a side of pomegranate salad, lentils and Greek yogurt. The lamb was excellent filled with magic flavors. But what truly made it special were the side dishes. The pomegranate salad was so original. I’ve never had pomegranate served as a salad as in Iran it tends to be eaten as a fruit or juiced. The mixture of pomegranate with onions and spices was excellent. Then there was the lentil salad which was again a first for me. I mixed spoonfuls of the kabob, pomegranate and lentil salad together and found the combination to be intoxicating.

The quality of the ingredients are present in each spoonful. You can tell that the chef really prides himself on his food.

For dessert we ordered the pistachio and olive oil cake and warm chocolate mousse. Both desserts were out of this world. I really loved the pistachio cake it was light yet intense in flavors served with a side of pistachio ice cream and cherries. The Chocolate mousse was baked to perfection oozing with warm gooey chocolate served with a scoop of ice cream.

Wow is all I can say about this restaurant. I loved the food, the presentation and the friendly chef.I was very impressed and can easily say this was one of the best places I’ve yet to dine.

Beer, Belgian, Philadelphia, USA

Belgian Cafe- Fairmout/Art Musuem (Philadelphia, USA)

August 11, 2012 2 Comments

While walking around the Fairmount/Spring Garden area admiring the beautiful homes, and deciding whether we should live in a brownstone with all of it’s inconveniences (i.e.- lack of parking space), we stumbled upon the Belgian Cafe. A cornerbistro/pub in the neighborhood, it would be hard to find if we hadn’t literally walked into it. We decided to stop in for a beer and would later return for a proper meal.

We were both happy to see that our favorite Belgian beer was on the menu. We returned on the 4th of July wanting something other than street food stands at the parade on Benjamin Franklin. The restaurant was busy but we were seated right away. The server was very nice and attentive and immediately took our order. The Count ordered a tomato and chevre cheese flatbread as an appetizer and the portabello mushroom sandwich as his entree. I ordered the mussels and fries. After all, that is what the Belgians are famous for.

The flatbread was quite literally a flat piece of bread sprinkled with cheese and tomatoes and drizzled with caramelized onions and balsamic vinaigrette. I didn’t like it, nor did the Count. It was too sweet and the flavors did not blend properly.

My mussels arrived next. A huge portion with a pot covering it to be used for the empty shells. It was served with a side of crispy fries. The broth was what ruined it. It was too salty to the point that I had to drain each shell before taking out the insides. Usually the broth is the best part made to dip your bread into after the mussels are gone. But not this broth. This broth tasted like liquid salt.

The Count craved something on the healthier side. But the sandwich he ordered oozed with oil. The bread was most likely fried in butter. Each bite was oily. After a few bites he gave up. He moved on to the side salad, at least that wasn’t covered in oil.

I expected this place to be a traditional Belgian Cafe serving authentic Belgian food. Besides the mussels and fries most other items on the menu were typical of most continental restaurants (ie. hamburgers, sandwiches and salads). The quality of the food was lower than I expected.

It seems to be a great place for drinks and snacks since they have a large variety of beers and good greasy snacks. But don’t count on having an amazing dining experience. Go here for the beer not the food.

Bakery, Chocolate, Coffee Shop, New York, Pastries

Ferrara Bakery and Cafe- Little Italy (New York, USA)

August 8, 2012 1 Comment

After our meal at Lombardi’s, we found ourselves walking through the tourist filled streets of Little Italy. We were looking for dessert. Not just any dessert but that sweet stuff that Italian pastries are made of. Our friends suggested Ferrara Bakery as one of the oldest establishments in New York. We walked in and I immediately felt like I was in Italy. Rows and rows of colorful pastries lined the glass round counter. The Count and I were immediately swooning over the wide selection. How can you choose when there are so many amazing choices to pick from?

There were tarts! Strawberry, kiwi, berries and lemon meringue tartes. There were eclairs! Chocolate, coffee and vanilla eclairs. There were Cannolis! Chocolate, vanilla and chocolate chip Cannolis. There was the Napoleon, pain au chocolat and an assortment of cakes. The best for me was the mini pastry section. It is meant for people who can’t decide on one choice. You can order three mini versions of pastries which is exactly what I did.

We sat down, made our orders and waited anxiously. Our desserts and coffees were out in a ‘jiffy’ (Yes! I have decided to use the term ‘jiffy’- its fun and should be used more often). Who can guess which one of us ordered the Chocolate cake?

If you guessed the Count, then you are correct! He ordered the chocolate cake and was unwilling to part with it to try the rest of the selection on our table. Of course, for research purposes I took a bit bite and loved the chocolaty texture and deep dark chocolate flavor.

Our friends ordered the mini pastry plate and the Napoleon. I tried a bite of the Napoleon which was perfect. Who doesn’t love a good Napoleon? Crispy layers of puff pastry with whipping cream oozing between each layer. I have only had such good treats in Italy and France. In fact, while studying in Paris I used to visit the corner pastry shop by my school for my weekly in take of Napoleon or as the french call it ‘mille-feuille’ (a thousand sheets).

For my mini pastry sampler I had the chocolate chip Cannoli, chocolate cream puff and a chocolate wrapped pastry. I loved my Cannoli and really battled to finish the other two (remember I had just finished having endless amounts of pizza at Lombardi’s). This bakery is the kind of place I could see myself treating my mom (who has the biggest sweet tooth in the world) to every Sunday. Maybe its a good thing I don’t live so close.

Coffee Shop, Crepes, Pastries, Philadelphia, USA

Cafe L’Aube- Fairmount/Art Museum (Philadelphia, USA)

August 6, 2012 No Comments

I’ve been in search of a spacious coffee shop in the Fairmount area for weeks. The pickings are slim. There are only a handful of independent coffee spots and one Starbucks that can barely fit ten people. So with the help of Yelp, I found Cafe L’aube tucked away on the corner of Wallace street in the Spring Garden area. What is so great about Cafe L’Aube? Well for one, it serves great coffee and pastries. But mainly because it serves delicious and authentic crepes made to order. The employees are francophone and if you close your eyes you may try to imagine yourself sipping away at your cafe and crepe at a french coffee shop.

I started off with a latte and pain au chocolate… a few hours later I found myself hungry again and ordered the ham, mushroom and emmentaler cheese crepe. Delicious and cheesy.

So far in terms of coffee shops, this is my favorite in the city. Any one have any other recommendations?

Philadelphia, USA

Jamonera- Washington Square West (Philadelphia, USA)

July 30, 2012 No Comments

We ended up at Jamonera quite randomly one evening while walking the streets of Philadelphia trying to get ourselves acquainted with the city. We stumbled upon 13th street which seemed like the place to be on a Monday night since all the restaurants were packed. Since then I have learned more about chef Marcie Turney and Valerie Safran and their 13th street empire. They practically own the entire block with Jamonera being one of several of their restaurants (which I have yet to try).

Jamonera is a wine bar specializing in Spanish tapas. We walked in to a very dimly lit restaurant with red reflector lights displaying the wine bar and art work on the walls. We were immediately seated and served a small plate of gourmet olives. We started our dinner with the Crispy Cana de Cabra: fried goat cheese served with salad, picked cherries in a sherry vinaigrette.The goat cheese was creamy and crispy on the outside and combined well with the cherries and tangy flavors of the salad.

The Papa Frita was next: a plate of crispy skin potatoes, wood smoked garlic aioli, brava salt and house made sherry vinegar-hot sauce. I found that the potato skins were not crispy but chewy. I don’t like eating potato skins if its not completely crispy. Besides that, the pieces that didn’t have the skin were good: crispy on the outside and well cooked on the inside. It was not an extraordinary dish and like many I’ve had at other tapas restaurants around the world. Perhaps, a bit too oily.

Next was the Berenjenas: crispy eggplant served on top of a smoked tomato salmorejo and truffle honey layered with Parmesan. This was my favorite dish. I have never had eggplant served this way and thought it was a wonderful creation. I will definitely attempt to make this at home. The eggplant was crispy with the creaminess on the inside. The sauce went perfectly with the eggplant.

By this point we were both full. The portions were much larger than we expected. Given the price I assumed the dishes would be a lot smaller so we had ordered more dishes than our stomachs could take in. Next was the Calamarest en su tinta: crispy calamari which was fried in its own black ink, served with lemon aioli and garlic chips. The Count is not a big fan of tentacles but I can’t get enough. I think I finished this plate on my own. The Calamari was fresh and melted in my mouth, not at all chewy like I’ve had at other spots. I didn’t really taste the ink and think it is added more for it’s visual effect. It could have used more flavor as the calamari was a bit on the flavorless side and there was not enough lemon or dipping sauce to add the proper flavours.

The next dish was a definite first: roasted Spanish peppers. It seemed to be quite a simple dish: peppers sauteed in olive oil sprinkled with salt and viola: a new favorite. I did find that it was a bit too oily but it was too good to care.

We were so full but still had more food coming! Our last plate was the wild mushroom tosta: seared mushrooms, dry oloroso, cadi urgelia cheese, grilled ramps drizzled with truffle oil served on toast. The mushrooms were very strong and drowned out the other flavors. But overall it was a bit too oily for my taste buds.

Stuffed at this point, the waiter came over with the dessert menu. The Count and I looked at each other and knew there was physically no more room for dessert. Maybe next time we will know better than to order half the menu! I enjoyed our meal at Jamonera. Overall, the dishes were delicious but a bit on the greasy side. Don’t expect to have anything healthy if you are going here as many of the items have some fried element. It’s a great place to dine for a small group as the restaurant is quite small and the tables are literally one right next to the other. If you don’t like intimate settings where you can feel your neighbour breathing then ask for outdoor seating.

Korean food, Philadelphia, USA

WaJoe Korean Restaurant- Rittenhouse (Philadelphia, USA)

July 27, 2012 No Comments

Korean food is one of my favorites. In fact, if I had to choose between all Asian foods I would choose Korean and Japanese as the top two. I can’t believe I just said that because I also love Vietnamese and Chinese. How about we forget this favorites thing all together. I’ll just restart by saying I love Korean food. Vancouver has a large Korean community and growing up there meant I am completely spoiled when it comes to authentic Korean food (and all other Asian food). It’s funny how I learned to love Korean food since my first exposure to Korean was completely through smell. Ah yes, the infamous Kimchi. In College I lived in an all girls dormitory and on our floor there lived a Korean exchange student. Having a communal kitchen and fridge meant that everyone stored their exotic foods in the fridge. None of us knew what Kimchi was at the time, we just knew that the pretty Korean girl had something really smelly in the fridge all year. As soon as you opened up the fridge door, the smell of Kimchi would permeate the entire floor and linger there for days. Oh kimchi. The not so great odour of pickled Kimchi tickled my olfactory senses in the worst way possible and remained there for years.

It was not until a few years later that I discovered just how amazing Korean food was. I also fell in love with Kimchi to the point that I now store bottles of pickled kimchi in my fridge. I also introduced Korean cuisine to the Count who having similar taste in food also fell in love. We now make regular trips to Korean restaurants where ever we can find one. New Orleans was lacking in Korean cuisines (and many others in fact). So, you could understand how excited we were when we arrived in Philadelphia and realized that there is such a large pocket of all different types of international cuisine. Within our first week we made our way to WaJoe Korean restaurant.

Wajoe is one of many Korean restaurants in Philadelphia but we mainly chose to go there based on the proximity to our home. We went around 3 p.m. and the restaurant was empty. Each table has an installed barbecue in the middle. But we weren’t there for Korean barbecue. We were there for bibimbap and Japchae.

Once you place your order, it is customary to be served several small side dishes including fermented tofu, potatoes and bean sprouts in gochujang (chili paste).

And of course, no Korean meal is complete without a side of Kimchi.

For starters, we ordered the spicy rice cake. For a starters dish, it turned out to be quite large but so delicious that nothing remained except maybe a few rings of onion.

Spicy Rice Cakes

We ordered the Japchae. After I had half of it I realized there was no beef and the menu included beef in the description. When I brought it to our servers attention she said that most people in America don’t eat beef and that is why it was served without it. Never heard that one before. Needless to say she brought a small plate of fried beef to add to the dish. I thought that was a bit unprofessional. If you are going to list an ingredient in your menu then you should serve the dish as described. If I ask for no beef then serve the dish with no beef but don’t assume.

Japchae

Japchae is made with sweet potato noodles or glass noodles, stir fried in sesame oil with various vegetables and served with beef. It is very tasty. Our next dish was the traditional beef bibimbap. Bibimbap literally means ‘mixed rice’. It is served as a bowl of warm white rice topped with sauteed vegetables and chili paste. A fried egg and sliced meat are also optional additions. The ingredients are stirred together in a hot stone bowl right before eating.

Bibimbap

The result is shown in the photo below! A mixture of rice, beef, eggs and vegetables for a mouthful of bursting flavors.

Mixed Bibimbap

WaJoe met our expectations. We went there craving Korean food and left with our bellies full of Kimchi, bibimbap and other Korean delights. In terms of quality, I would not say that it is the best Korean food I have ever had but it certainly does serve staple Korean dishes. It was good enough that we have considered going there again.

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