NYC Tastes

Well it only took me two years but I finally got the legendary Cronut from Dominique Ansel.  I actually got a Monday pre-order right at the start of July which meant no waiting in line and a brand new flavor of the month- Rum Caramelized Banana and Brown Sugar Ganache. I'm kind of obsessed with Bananas Fosters so getting the Cronut in this flavor was like a dream come true.  Thick Banana frosting layered the top with specks of real banana dotting the horizon and layers upon layers of fluffy pastry below stuffed with brown sugar ganache. The outside of the cronut was where the rum caramelization took place giving the sides a sticky sweet crunch with each bite.  I was honestly expecting it to be a bit more flaky like a croissant when in fact it's much more doughy and dense like a doughnut, but incredibly delicious and satisfying nonetheless.  I actually ate too many and gave myself a nice tummy ache but that's usually my M.O.  No stopping this sweet toot...

I love a good happy hour and when Pisco is involved it just makes things that much better.  Which is why Raymi has been a recent go to stop on my happy hour list. This Peruvian kitchen and bar has wonderful $6 Pisco drinks from 5-7 every day like the bright refreshing Pisco Punch with pineapple, orange oils and lemon & the classic Pisco Sour with frothy egg white, lime and bitters. In addition to the fabulous drinks are a variety of ceviche and tiraditos like the Aji Amarillo Tiradito with fluke, chalaca, sweet potato and cancha. Plus on Tuesday nights they have a special $10 bar bites like Adobo Pork Ribs and Shrimp Anticuchos and happy hour lasts all night long! So if you want to get happy tonight Raymi's the place to be! Raymi 43 West 24th Street @6th Avenue New York, NY 10010

To celebrate Father's Day we had brunch at Keith McNally's Cherche Midi.  I've always loved the atmosphere of his restaurants; the NYC breakfast staple Balthazar, the sleek and sexy Minetta Tavern and of course the bright and lively Cherche Midi.  The pastries are wonderful; rich flaky chocolate croissants, eggy canelles and pecan sticky buns served with fresh strawberry jam. My Lobster Scrambled Eggs were also excellent.  They maintained the perfect soft texture with a dollop of creme fraiche mixed in to make them completely indulgent. The Short Rib Burger was also a crowd favorite smothered in bacon marmalade, roasted mushrooms and melted Gruyere cheese.  I actually found the burger a bit too rich but I also prefer the regular burger to the dry aged at Minetta as well.  I swapped out my usual brunch mimosa for La Peche made with Absolut, peach puree and Creme de Peche.  I wish I could have had a few more of these frothy drinks but unfortunately serv...

Today's New Brew Friday comes from our Northeast neighbor Boston; a place I despise for sports but love for lobster rolls, baked bean candies and Trillium Brewing. The El Dorado Dry Hopped Sunshower is called a super saison due to it's high abv of 8.5%. This gorgeous golden beer explodes with big, fruity flavors of peach and melon; much more tropical than any saison I've ever had before with an extra dry finish and just a touch of funk.  I can't think of a better to way celebrate the long weekend- Cheers! Trillium Brewing 369 Congress Street Boston, MA 02210

It was a fabulous night of all things pork, wine and food chatting at Osteria del Principe this week hosted by the wonderful folks at  Tabelog  and  Joios!  Principe is actually the flagship store and first restaurant opened by world class prosciutto manufacturer Principi di San Daniele; making this the place to be for Italian meat, cheese and wine. The main attraction of course is the San Daniele prosciutto aged for 14, 16 or 20 months.  I highly recommend the 20 month "Secolo" for its gorgeous red ribbons and silky smooth texture. There's also Parma prosciutto wrapped around thick chunks of ripe cantaloupe and a bright summery Burrata Caprese Salad with dollops of fresh pesto. Of course there's more to salumi world than just prosciutto like smoked speck, spicy mortadella and a fantastic Tartufotto ham infused with truffles. For a full meal there's an array of primi and secondi like Homemade Tagliolino topped with prosciutto San Daniele, cream and ...

In my continuing quest to try every single Ample Hills flavor today brings a cup of one of their signature flavors the Sweet as Honey.  They take their homemade honeycomb candy and crush it all up into a sweet cream ice cream base.  Good lord this is AMAZING...it's got this fantastic sweet and satisfying crunch with each bite.  I honestly felt like I was eating a sundae since the honeycomb created a caramelized sauce that stuck to thick creamy base.  This may just be my favorite Ample Hill ice cream yet.  I also kind of love how you can see the shadow of my spoon looming in the background like Jaws coming in for the kill...Da Dum..Da Dum..Da Dum...DumDaDum!  (I may have had too much sugar).    Ample Hills Creamery Brooklyn Bridge Park and other locations throughout NYC

The newest restaurant to hit our neighborhood is Tasca Chino loctaed inside the old Sushi Samba on Park Avenue South.  The restaurant helmed by Chef Alex Urena is billed as Spanish and Chinese fusion which is playfully evident from the decor of bullfighters and Chairman Mao covering the bright red walls.  We stopped in a few times for happy hour at the bar where the small food menu covers everything from dim sum to tapas. Each order begins with some warm complimentary breadsticks covered in toasted sesame seeds and some wonderful dipping sauces. There are crisp salty Spanish Croquetas in both Salt Cod and Ham served with a spicy szechuan pepper aioli; a perfect marriage of the two cuisines. Less successful plates were the Black Bass Ceviche and Spanish Mackerel Crudo. The bass was overcome by an aggressive tomatillo sauce and the mackerel had so much soy on top my tongue felt like sand paper after just a few bites.  Hopefully the...