Did you vote?

Today is the election day, so please don't forget to vote!

Now I leave you with this special red-white-blue macarons that I just made this morning, enjoy!

Red-White-Blue Macarons

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Desserts at Bouchon Bakery

After having a wonderful lunch at Highline, we took E, Y, R, B & W for a treat at Time Warner Center where Bouchon Bakery is located. This was the first time for our friends to come here, so they were pretty excited to try the dessert themselves, especially after hearing my praises all these time.

R, B & W arrived there first and reserved some seats for E, Y, my husband and me as soon as the tables were available. When we arrived, as usual there was a line at the take out counter, but it was not bad. I like to browse their display cases since most of the sweets are always new items that I haven't tasted yet. Since I was the one who would pay, I went to order for everyone while they sat down.

R and B have a chance to see the display before we came so they knew what they wanted, which were strawberry parfait, chocolate macaron and seasonal fruit tart. W came with me to the counter since he didn't know what to order yet as well as to help me carry the trays. E wanted chocolate croissant, while Y asked me to pick for her considering I came here quite often. As usual my husband let me get what I wanted and help me to finish them since he knows that I always buy more than one goodies :-)

After looking at the cases W said that he would like to try the pistachio apricot tart. Now for me (and everyone else who was willing to try what I got), I bought key lime millefeuille, seasonal macarons (peaches & cream, fruit of the forest, yuzu), boston cream donut, strawberry parfait, and last but not least the chocolate tart. As for the drinks, we had some coffee, tea and fruit juice soda.

Assorted pastries

When I placed the orders, the nice and friendly lady behind the counter was looking at me curiously. Beside ordering a lot of desserts (total of 12, in case you are wondering), I also told her that everything was for here instead of to go. As soon as I realized that, I told her that I was not the only one who would eat that. I assured her that there were 6 other people waiting at the table who would help me to finish all of these. She started to smile and said that she was concerned about how I was going to finish everything by myself :-)

I tried a little bit of W's pistachio apricot tart, it was wonderful, the pistachio cake was moist and the apricot filling was not too sweet. The boston cream donut was as fantastic as the last time I tasted it, the donut was moist but dense, the custard was creamy.

Pistachio apricot tart and Boston cream donut

The key lime millefeuille was tart, light and coconuty, it was pretty good but the puff pastry was not crisp anymore, a little bit soggy. There was always different kind of millefeuille everytime I visit, so far my favorite is still mocha millefeuille. It was the first dessert from Bouchon that I've ever tasted 1 year ago, unfortunately I don't see it anymore on my visits.

Key lime and Mocha millefeuille

Regarding the macarons, it was okay, nothing special. The texture was a little bit dry, but definitely better than what I usually got from here. The taste was nice though, the peaches & cream was creamy, the fruit of the forest was sweet (and the only one that had moist texture), the yuzu was chocolatey with a hint of citrus. I guess after tasting Pierre Herme's macarons during his special 2-day class in Chicago last month, other's macarons were disappointing.

Seasonal macarons: yuzu, fruit of the forest, peaches & cream and Chocolate macaron

The chocolate tart was still increadible, the tart was flaky and the filling was smooth and chocolatey. I took the strawberry parfait home since everyone was full already. It was sweet, light and creamy, but the gelatin layer on top was too thick and a little bit too gummy. I didn't try the seasonal fruit tart, chocolate macaron or chocolate croissant, so I couldn't give any comments. However the last time I had their chocolate macaron, it was chocolatey but very dry.

Chocolate tart and Strawberry parfait


Seasonal fruit tart and Chocolate croissant

With a very high sugar rush and after hanging out for almost 2 hours, we decided to go on our separate way. When we arrived downstair we were surprised to see a very heavy rain pouring outside. I guess we were too focused on our conversations before and didn't pay any attention to the thunderstorm. R, B & W decided to take the subway, while the rest of us had to wait. We were thinking to get a taxi to go to our car that was parked few blocks away, unfortunately there was no taxi at all.

While waiting for the rain to stop or at least to die down, Y and I decided to go to Whole Foods since I needed to do some grocery shopping. Almost 30 minutes later finally there was a guy selling giant umbrellas outside. We were happy to see him, especially since not a single store in there sold umbrellas. My husband bought 1 for him, so that he could go to get our car since the rain already started to trickle down.

Finally after my husband came, we all got in the car and heading back home. Along the way, the rain poured heavily again, luckily we were already safe inside the car. We all had a lot of fun that day, what a wonderful weekend...

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Bouchon Bakery
Ten Columbus Circle, Third Floor
New York, NY 10019
(212) 823-9366
http://www.bouchonbakery.com/

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Lunch at Highline

Yesterday my husband and I took several of our good friends (E, Y, R, B, W) for lunch in Manhattan to celebrate my birthday. It is customary in my country for the birthday person to treat his or her families and friends. Since we all love Thai food, we decided to try out Highline after hearing positive reviews about them. I also planned to take them to one of my favorite dessert places (Bouchon Bakery) right after lunch.

We didn't go to the meatpacking district often, if I remember correctly this was the second time we were there. The first time was when we went to Del Posto last year (sorry I didn't write a post about them since I haven't started blogging yet, but here are the photos if you want to see).

We left home around 10:30 am to pick up E and Y before going straight to Manhattan. We were going to meet R, B and W at the restaurant, our reservation was at noon. By the way, we were lucky that we planned for lunch instead of dinner since there was thunderstorm later that day.

As soon as we arrived in Manhattan, we found a parking spot right away, on the same block as the restaurant. When we first saw the spot we thought we couldn't park there since there were orange cones, but soon came a man who moved the cones for us and then stood nearby. We understood right away what he wanted, so E got out of the car and gave him some money since we didn't want to have any problem.

The restaurant was empty, I guessed it might be because they just opened but proven to be wrong when there were only 2 other guests that came throughout our 2 hour lunch. We were quite surprised since from what we've read this place was usually crowded on the weekends, maybe at nights? The interior was modern decorated in white color, bright and very clean, the server was quite friendly.

While waiting for W who arrived 15 minutes later, we ordered our drinks. I knew that I wanted Thai iced tea, while my husband who usually like regular tea, that day wanted to try lychee cha dum thai which is an infused Thai black tea with re-hydrated milk and lychee fruit. R and B also ordered the Thai iced tea, while E ordered chrysanthemum tea and guava tea for Y. All the teas were very good, definitely a good start.

Thai iced tea and Lychee cha dum thai


Chrysanthemum and Guava & lemon peel cha dum thai

When everyone had arrived and got a chance to peruse the menu, we were ready to order. Since this was lunch, we were given a complimentary appetizer for each of the entree. Wow, it was a very good deal!

We decided to share everything so that we could taste them all. Here were what we ordered for appetizer:
- 2 orders of chicken lettuce wrap with 10 spices vinaigrette, it was amazing -- very tasty
- 2 orders of shrimp and chicken fritters served with mint and tomato sauce, it was moist and a little bland
- 2 orders of pad thai spring rolls served with tamarind dipping sauce, it was fantastic -- crunchy and flavorful
- 2 orders of caramelized shrimp with dried mushrooms, it was very good

Chicken lettuce wraps and Shrimp & chicken fritters


Pad thai spring rolls and Caramelized shrimp

As for entrees, here they were:
- 2 orders of black rice towel with beef flank and reduced soy (basically pad see ew), it was wonderful, the noodles were soft and the meat was tender
- 2 orders of black and white salmon, it was disappointing -- tasteless
- 1 order of massaman curry with organic chicken breast, peanut and potato, it was delicious, rich and very tasty -- we should have ordered 2 of this dish rather than the salmon
- 1 order of pad garlic with bokchoy and tofu, it was okay, nothing special
- 1 order of roasted duck with pineapple curry and fresh bamboo, it was fantastic, the meat was tender and the sauce was flavorful
- 1 order of green curry with tofu, eggplant and basil, it was pretty good

Black rice towel with beef flank and Black and white salmon


Massaman curry with organic chicken breast and Pad garlic


Roasted duck and Green curry with tofu

Since we planned to go to Bouchon Bakery after this, we didn't order any dessert from here. However when the waiter came bringing the check, he brought cheesecake for each of us, how nice! The cheesecake was creamy and rich, so yummy!

Cheesecake

After paying, we were off to the Time Warner Center for my "main entree" and more chit-chatting :-) Overall we were satisfied with both the food and service. This was a good and inexpensive place (especially lunch) to celebrate a birthday with some good friends.

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Highline
835 Washington St
New York, NY 10014
(212) 243-3339
http://www.nychighline.com

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My favorite Indonesian desserts

Before we left for Chicago, E and Y gave us some Indonesian desserts that I haven't had in a long time: martabak manis (sweet thick pancakes) and bika ambon (honeycomb cake). Last month they told me one of their relatives were going to visit from Indonesia, and if I wanted anything from back home. Without any hesitation, I immediately requested for these.

I had put them in the freezer and decided not to eat them until we returned home from Chicago. Not because I didn't want to indulge them immediately, but I just wanted to make sure that my stomach was in perfect condition for tasting PH's creations. I have a pretty sensitive stomach, so I'm afraid to eat any food that my stomach isn't used to have anymore.

The martabak manis was amazingly delicious, the taste was as good as I remembered. This one was filled with chocolate, peanuts and cheese. It is also sprinkled with sugar and drizzled with condensed milk on top of the filling. Martabak manis is one of my favorite desserts since I was young, but unfortunately noone here can make martabak manis as good as this particular one. If you are wondering what it tastes like, here is the answer: the taste is similar to a pancake, but thicker, softer, fluffier, sweeter, tastier and richer :-)

Martabak manis - chocolate, peanuts and cheese

I tried making these several times, but the results were still not as perfect as the original ones that are usually sold by street vendors in Indonesia. The ones that I made, the taste was good, but the texture was only okay. I thought it was because I didn't use the special pan for making martabak manis. My big brother, who loves me very much, even brought me 2 regular martabak manis pans and 1 small one, complete with the special range and pipe for it. The only thing I needed to get before I could use the range was the propane that is usually used for cooking if you go camping. Unfortunately when I made the martabak manis again using this pan, I was still not satisfied with the texture. I guess if I want to eat a perfect martabak manis, I need more practice or just wait until I visit Indonesia.

Bika ambon

The bika ambon was awesome, it was soft but chewy at the same time, rich and fragrant, I could smell the kafir lime leaves in it. The best bika ambon I've ever tasted back in Indonesia was the one that was bought from Medan. This one was not from Medan, but it was still very good. I've never tried to make this cake myself since I heard that it's not easy to get the perfect texture -- that "honeycomb" look. No wonder I haven't found anyone who sells bika ambon here.

It has been several years since I ate a very good martabak manis and bika ambon like these. I love them a lot, especially the martabak manis. My husband like them too, but not as much as I do. Thanks again guys, I really appreciate it!

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A full day of food tasting in Chicago

Eventhough still very tired, we decided to start early that morning since I've made a list of food places to visit. We left the hotel at 10 am and went to Vanille Patisserie to get our breakfast.

First stop for breakfast: Vanille Patisserie
It was easy to find the place since it has a big brown awning in front of the store. The place was small but cozy and the person behind the counter was very friendly and helpful. We only ordered one croissant, a chocolate dessert called "Sophia", two chocolate truffles and hot tea eventhough there were a lot of tempting items. We would go to more places to eat so we had to save some room.

The croissant was good, buttery and crisp in the outside, but inside didn't have a lot of layer -- we still love the one from Patisserie Claude more but this one was pretty good.

Sophia was very good, I liked it a lot! The chocolate mousse was very chocolate-y with the crunch from the hazelnut crisp. Definitely a must have.

Croissant and Sophia

The two chocolates truffles (caramel and gianduja orange) were okay, not very special.

Caramel chocolate and Gianduja orange chocolate truffles

Before we left, I decided to buy their macarons to go. On that day they had 10 different flavors: chocolate-hazelnut, coffee, chocolate, chocolate-hazelnut, coffee, raspberry, pistachio, orange-ginger, coconut-passion fruit, rose, red velvet, black currant-violet. I asked for one of each with the exception of coffee and chocolate hazelnut -- which I got two of since I had to fill up a box of 12. I didn't get a chance to try them until we arrived at home (4 days later). They were okay -- a little bit dry (maybe because we didn't consume them soon enough) and not enough filling (especially after tasting Pierre Hermé's).

Assorted macarons

Next breakfast / lunch stop: Sweet Thang
The place is bigger than Vanille Patisserie and more open. The person behind the counter was just as friendly, so far Chicago has been pretty hospitable. Since we wouldn't have lunch until later, we odered more item: croissant, quiche lorraine, pear tart, chocomisu (which was chocolate mousse and tiramisu) and another hot tea.

The croissant was disappointing, dry and no taste of butter, but had a lot of layer. In my opinion, the one from Vanille Patisserie was much better in taste.

Croissant

The pear tart was good, the crust and the filling was perfect.
The chocomisu was good too, the chocolate and vanilla mousses were creamy. I could not taste any coffee flavor in it though -- I assumed it would have coffee since it mentioned tiramisu on the description.

Pear tart and Chocomisu

The quiche lorraine came at the end since they needed to reheat it. We had high expections because it was supposedly one of their specialy. It was very disappointing though, the crust was thick and hard, while the filling was very salty (maybe they forgot that the ham is already salty and put too much salt???). We didn't complain though since we were in hurry, so we just didn't finish it.

Quiche lorraine

Lunch #1: Superdawg
From here we went around for a little bit of sight seeing, before going to Superdawg drive-in to try their famous hot dog. The drive-in area was full, no empty spot, so we just parked on the street and ordered in person to the booth. The line was not that bad, we had to wait about 30-45 minutes until we got our order, which was superdawg with everything and vanilla supershakes.

The hotdog was very good, crispy in the outside, firm and moist inside. They used something called 'Chicago relish', which was definitely different that what we're used to. The fries was okay, some still crispy, some a little bit soggy.

The shake was good, very thick and creamy.

Superdawg - with everything and Supershakes - mellow vanilla

Lunch #2: Hot Doug's

From one hot dog place, we go to ... another hot dog place. Our next stop was Hot Doug's to try another famous hot dog. When we arrived there, it was already 3:30 pm (they close at 4:00 pm) but the line was still long. We had to wait 30 minutes until we reached the front. While waiting we chatted with other people on the line, who were very enthusiastic about how good this place was and how much better it was than Superdawg. We also perused their menu which was located on the wall, so we knew what we wanted: duck fat fries, hot dog, corn dog, bacon sausage and orange cream soda. Doug Sohn, the owner and the one who took our order, was quite a character and certainly fit the off the wall atmosphere. It only took about 5 minutes for the order to arrive at our table, so fast!

Their famous duck fat fries was good, very crispy outside and soft inside.
The hot dog was not as good as the one from Superdawg, but still good.
The corn dog was my favorite here, the corn crust was crispy ouside and moist inside.
The bacon sausage was good too, perfect pairing with the toppings (wine-infused grainy dijon mustard, herb-garlic eurocreme and caramelized onions) that came with it.

Clockwise from top: Duck fat fries, Bacon sausage, The dog, The Sally Vega

We left most of the bread and the fries considering we would have our dinner right after this, crazy huh?!

From here we headed towards Everest, then to Tru since I've been wanting to try their dessert for a while now (because of Gale Gand, their executive pastry chef). You can read our experience on both places on my next post, since this post is very long already. Guess who we stumbled upon that night.

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Vanille Patisserie
2229 N Clybourn Ave
Chicago, IL 60614
(773) 868-4574
http://www.vanillepatisserie.com/

Sweet Thang
1921 W North Avenue
Chicago, IL 60622
(773) 772-4166
http://www.sweetthangcakes.com/

Superdawg drive-in
6363 N Milwaukee Avenue
Chicago, IL 60646
(773) 478-7800
http://www.superdawg.com/

Hot Doug's
3324 North California
Chicago, IL 60618
(773) 279-9550
http://www.hotdougs.com/

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Workshops at French Culinary Institute

After having breakfast at Petrossian Cafe, my husband dropped me off at French Culinary Institute to attend some of the workshops organized by PastryScoop. I registered for 2 workshops which were the modern french dessert with Chef Dominique Ansel from Daniel and contemporary petits fours with Chef Joe Murphy from BLT Market.

Chef Dominique showed us how to make 2 different desserts, he was a very friendly person. The first one was roasted sesame bavarois with a tasting mango. It was excellent, a very nice combination of sesame and mango.

Roasted sesame bavarois with a tasting of mango

The second one was honey mousse with vanilla rhubarb compote and sheeps milk yogurt-bergamot sorbet. It was light, the sorbet was refreshing.

Honey mousse with vanilla rhubarb compote, sheeps milk yogurt bergamot sorbet

Chef Joe came a little bit late since he was stuck in the traffic. A lot of us already went to different workshops but some of us decided to go back to watch his demonstrations when he finally arrived. He showed us how to make several kinds of petits fours. The first one was blueberry pate a fruit, it was too sweet for me.

Then he showed us how to make sesame yuzu macarons, it was okay, the cookies were moist and the filling was sweet and citrusy.

Blueberry pate a fruit and Sesame yuzu macarons

Next was s'mores petit four, which was surprisingly good -- the cake was moist and the marshmallow was perfect.

Finally was strawberry tart with lemon thyme, the tart was buttery and the filling was creamy.

S'mores petit four & Rose champagne marshmallow and Strawberry tart with lemon thyme

I enjoyed both of the workshops, I learned different things from these 2 wonderful chefs. From Chef Dominique I learned how to make desserts that tasted as good as they look, but as you can see they have a lot of components for each dessert. From Chef Joe I learned how to create different desserts using the same components. For example he said we could make yuzu tart using the tart dough from strawberry tart and yuzu curd from the macaron filling.

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French Culinary Institute
462 Broadway
New York, NY 10013-2618
(888) FCI-CHEF
(212) 219-8890
http://www.frenchculinary.com/

PastryScoop
http://www.pastryscoop.com/

Daniel
60 E 65th St
New York, NY 10065
(212) 288-0033
http://www.danielnyc.com/

BLT Market
1430 6th Ave
New York, NY 10019
(212) 521-6125
http://www.bltmarket.com/

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