NYC Tastes

It's the middle of the week and a serious chocolate craving hits.  Usually there are two options when this occurs- run to the corner bodega and pick up a Lindt truffle or hop on a train to one of my favorite places Maison du Chocolat. There are a lot of chocolate shops in the city but Maison is special...you'll notice by simply walking inside.  The Parisenne shop feels more like fine art gallery than a sweets destination. The chocolates sit on display behind a glass case and the well dressed salesperson will patiently wait as you gaze at the gorgeous truffles and macarons.  I try something new each time but two of my personal favorites are the Liselotte and Caracas.  The first is filled with crushed praline and Gianduja, the second an intense and robust ganache.  They both have incredibly smooth creamy texture where the quality and finesse of the ingredients shine through.  So w...

NYC is a wonderful and magical place to visit around the holiday season. The Rockefeller Center tree is gorgeous, all the hotels are decked out in red and gold, holiday pop-up shops fill the parks- what could be better? Unfortunately you have to be prepared for what I can only describe as controlled chaos. You will be wrangled like cattle to see the tree, stand in line at a Starbucks for 30 minutes, not for a caffeine fix but to use the single smelly bathroom and you’ll probably be so pooped out from all of your shopping and touring that you’ll see a TGI Friday’s or Olive Garden and think it’s an oasis in the storm. Two hours later (because you’ll have to wait for a table like all of the other tourists who thought the line at McDonald’s and Subway were too long) you’ll wonder why the food and service were so crappy and suddenly your wallet is empty as well. It’s the holidays in NYC folks and one must be prepared to weather the season. If you’re from the city you should know thi...