Places to Avoid in NYC

This is very unfortunate. A lot of establishments in NYC are now sell outs to popular shows like Sex & the City and the Sopranos. We've seen our share of street closures back in Nolita, my fiance's old neighborhood, for filmings for The Sopranos and The Devil Wears Prada...

...but never have we thought it would come to this. Imagine the shock when my fiance and I paid his old neighborhood bar a visit, and suddenly in comes a flock of women with cameras in hand, all sipping pink hued cosmos in martini glasses. Behold, it was the Sex & the City tour! I was a fan of the show, but have only figured out now that the bar was the backdrop to Steve and Aidan's bar opening.

While some places that were featured in those shows were overrated to begin with (Sushi Samba), others were once true gems (Magnolia Bakery, which by the way, has grown to 3 locations now in NYC).

The tours operate daily during the day, so avoid those places when you see sunlight, and you'll be fine (you should be safe after 8pm).

Finding OUR Style

I'm all about function and style. He's been all about function and no style. For our future home together, we agreed on modern functional comfort.

I really want our new house to feel like a home. I love light, so I'm not crazy about having a lot of dark furniture. That pretty much eliminates Pottery Barn since it is all about traditional style and dark furniture.

Above from Pottery Barn

Although I've been drooling over the Herman Miller and Barcelona chairs, their prices are far from attractive...that eliminates Design Within Reach (which should be renamed to Prices Not Within Reach). Add to it that sticking to a strictly modern design translates to a rather cold-looking home.

Above from Design Within Reach

I was drawn to these magazine features on the homes of the famous wedding gown designer Monique Lhuillier and model/actress Molly Sims, and I've been drooling over them ever since I saw them. Hopefully, our home will look somewhat like them...a blend of chic and the old & the new.

Above from Elle Decor

Above from InStyle Home

Robeks, Jamba Juice's (Almost) Identical Twin

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a Jamba Juice fan. I was hooked ever since my first taste of their Mango-a-go-go on the west coast 6 years ago. Sadly, Jamba has no locations in CT, my possible future home. We did, however, find a juice chain called Robeks. It is almost identical to Jamba in its offerings...healthy smoothies with nutritional boosts in 3 sizes.



To test whether Robeks is as good as Jamba, I ordered a Mahalo Mango, which is the closest to to Mango-a-go-go. Mahalo Mango has papaya juice, mangos, pineapple sherbet and non-fat yogurt. Sadly, it is just not as good. The mango wasn't as intense as my favorite smoothie from Jamba. In fact, it tasted a bit watered down, and I couldn't taste any papaya either. It's good to know though, that if I need a Jamba fix, Robeks will be nearby. I can test out their other smoothies and come to a final verdict.

Tocqueville

Happily, NYC restaurant week was extended to Labor Day, so we took this opportunity to try out Tocqueville. The restaurant has been on my birthday celebration wish list, but we never got around to it. The restaurant has a very high ceiling (with a private box upstairs) but the dimmed lights and dark curtains made it feel cozy. Due to the "romantic" lighting in the restaurant, you'll have to excuse me for the poor photos in this post.

Tocqueville specializes in using local produce from the farmers market and creates a tasting menu based on what's fresh using French cooking techniques. Overall, I thought it was a fine dining experience, but the portions were what most people would consider to be "French." I overloaded on their delicious rosemary ciabatta just to get full...three of them to be precise. That aside, everything was well executed.


For starters, I had their Asparagus Vichyssoise, a cold soup. It was surprisingly creamy, but had no cream in it at all. The soup didn't hit me over the head with a wow, but it was nice. I thought their Tomatoes in Consomme was so much better. The delicate tomatoes were paired with crunchy slices of radish. The consomme was tangy and tasty, without drowning out the flavors of the tomatoes.


Then came my Striped Bass with Succotash and Huitlacoche Timbale. I'm not a big fan of succotash, but I liked it...the corn was so sweet and fresh. The fish was perfectly seared, but too flaky for my taste - I'm a fan of big fatty fishes. As for the Huitlacoche Timbale, I had no clue what I was eating until I did some research at home after the meal. To me, the huitlacoche tasted like mushroom and cheese, and I guess I was pretty close because huitlacoche is corn smut, which is a kind of fungus that grows on corn. I've seen it on TV before, and it basically looked like rotten corn. It's actually a delicacy in Mexico. I thought the Huitlacoche Timbale was strange but wonderful...the timabale was like a warm, rich pudding with a slightly crunchy exterior. I'm glad I had the chance to try huitlacoche.


And lastly, dessert. I had the Frozen Strawberry Souffle. It was basically strawberry mousse. It was good, but just not my type of dessert. I was expecting souffle rather than mousse.


All in all, Tocqueville is a lovely restaurant for special occasions if you're looking for classic fare with fresh ingredients and small twists. It was like the delightful Elderflower Grapefruit Caipirinha I had at the restaurant - something traditional (in this case, Brazilian) with a memorable (and fragrant) flare.

Kitchen Wish List

I admit, I am picky...somewhat :-)

I can be a picky eater, and I most certainly am picky when it comes to house hunting. Why pay for a house that you won't be happy with?

One of the most important features to me in a house is the kitchen. I truly believe it is the heart of the home. Add to it that I love to cook.

My husband thinks I ask for too much in a kitchen, when in truth, I would be happy with any kitchen with more than a foot of counter space, good ventilation and a cooking range that is not parked right next to a wall. I am done with cooking in tight living quarters where my elbow or pots would hit the wall and your furniture ends up smelling like your food.

So to my husband, who occasionally skims this blog, below is my wish list for a kitchen.

MUST HAVES:

• Counter space - more than a foot would be a huge upgrade
  

• Good ventilation - either a window in the kitchen OR a great hood (not one of those over the range microwave) so we can breathe easy after I fry my spring rolls, and especially on curry night

• Cooking range not parked next to a wall - it really is more pan and elbow friendly

• Storage space - for our new kitchen equipment and tools so we don't have to use plastic pull-out drawers anymore
  

CHERRY ON TOP

• A wide and deep sink - for those countless times I do dishes even though our policy is one cooks, another cleans
  

• An island - yeah right, I can keep on dreaming

Pork Chop Buns on My Mind

As you may already know, I am a recent pork convert. I confess, I have said before that I am only dabbing into little pieces or thinly sliced pork, but I have had a whole pork chop since my conversion. I didn't plan on it, but to my surprise, it happened. Now I can't stop thinking about that delicious pork chop bun I had in Macau! That's right, a lonely pork chop (bone in and all) sandwiched between a small baguette. Yup, no sauce, no lettuce or tomato.


My cousins brought me to a place in Macau that only served pork chop buns. The pork chop bun I had in Hong Kong was no where near as good as the one I had in Macau. The shop only opens a few hours a day, and by the looks of the line that wrapped around their shop, I knew that it had to be good. Apparently, the joint opens at 3pm and closes within 2 hours, when their buns sell out.


My pork chop bun arrived in a brown paper bag, which could not seal in the wonderful aroma of the grilled pork at all. Originally, I planned on only taking one bite and leaving the rest of the sandwich to my brother, but it was so deliciously addictive, I had to have more. The pork was so flavorful, juicy, tender and perfectly cooked. Add to it that the warm bun soaked up all the delicious juices. Before I knew it, I finished the whole thing!

Have You Ever Had Fresh Soy Milk?

And by that I don't mean those cartons you buy from your local supermarket here in the States...I mean the freshly ground soy milk made from soy beans. You can really taste a difference between the fresh and prepackaged soy milk. This one you see below is the one I had in Macau. It was so refreshing and had just the right amount of sweetness.


Soy milk can be served hot or cold. I grew up with this stuff, and it is the best! If you're around Chinatown, you can definitely find a shop that makes this.