Macarons at Little Oven - LIC

I had heard about the opening of macaron bakery, Little Oven, in Long Island City and was especially excited after reading that the macarons were only $1.75. This is considerably cheaper than the macarons at Bouchon Bakery for $3 each.

Little Oven is in a tiny storefront on a less-developed stretch of Jackson Avenue – from the subway, it’s the opposite direction from the modern high-rises and more gentrified section of LIC. Once I stepped in to the bakery, I was kind of shocked at how tiny these macarons were! They are probably 1.5 times the size of a quarter! Comparing these to the gigantic macarons at Bouchon – it actually seems like Bouchon might be a better value!

I got matcha, pistachio, caramel fleur de sel (their most popular selling flavor), and dark chocolate. These are the descriptions from their website:

• Matcha: Green tea macarons filled with a green tea and white chocolate ganache
• Pistachio: Almond macarons filled with a pistachio and white chocolate ganache
• Caramel Fleur de Sel: Almond macarons sprinkled with fleur de sel salt and filled with a caramel fleur de sel cream
• Dark Chocolate: Chocolate macarons filled with rich dark chocolate

One of my favorite flavors in any dessert I try is pistachio so I started off with this.

I loved it! While the pistachio flavor wasn't too strong, it is pretty nutty. The almond in the macaron makes up for it. I was also a little hesitant after I saw that it was white chocolate cream inside - I generally think white chocolate is overly sweet, but it wasn't a problem with this macaron at all. I actually enjoyed this a LOT more than the pistachio macaron from Bouchon Bakery, which I thought was way too sweet. The texture of this macaron was also a lot better - it was very moist, while I found the macaron from Bouchon to be too crumbly (although I had gotten it later in the day so perhaps it had dried out a little as the day went on).

I also really enjoyed the dark chocolate macaron - it was very rich, but somehow not heavy at all. I enjoyed the macarons at Little Oven, but I'm still not entirely sold on them given the price. Maybe for people who are more of a macaron fan than I am.

Little Oven: 12-07 Jackson Ave (btwn 47th Rd & 48th Ave), Long Island City, NY.

OBAO - NYC

Tonight I got to try out OBAO, Michael Huynh's restaurant in Midtown East, which was recently Michelin recommended as a "Favorite for Good Value" for 2011. I definitely agree that this is an excellent value! I was actually using a discount that I had gotten online, but even without it, they have amazing deals. For their early bird dinner special from 4-6:30pm, you get a choice of appetizer + entree + soda for only $10. Their "212" happy hour specials from Thurs-Saturday 4-7pm are even more of a bargain - $2 Chang beer, $1 shot, $2 appetizer! This would be an excellent place to go for an after-work drink, especially with all the office buildings in the area! While we were eating, I also noticed a number of people coming in to pick up take-out orders after they got off work.

We were seated in the front section, and I really liked the decor of the grass-covered walls. It was definitely a nice escape from all the office buildings - definitely an oasis in the chaos of midtown. We got there pretty early for dinner so it was still pretty empty.

For appetizers, we got the crispy pork belly and crispy fried tofu with sweet and sour fish sauce. The pork belly was amazing! It reminded me of the pork often found in over-rice dishes in Chinatown, but a lot more delicate and significantly less greasy. The crispiness of the bottom of the pork was a nice textural contrast to the fatty belly - and the side of pickled papaya was a nice refreshing contrast between the bites of pork belly.

CRISPY PORK BELLY ($9)

Caramel glazed and pickled green papaya

CRISPY FRIED TOFU ($5)

Scallion oil, spicy, sweet and sour fish sauce

— soy sauce option for vegetarian

The tofu paled a little in comparison to the pork belly - although it was still good. My minor complaints would be that it was probably fried for too long and was a little dry, and I also wish they had given the sauce on the side so that you could dip the tofu in it. Since the sauce was on the bottom, it was a little hard to get to for all the tofu. You really want to get to the sauce, it's really good!

The lemongrass kalbi short ribs were also yummy, they reminded me of the flavors in Korean barbeque. However, the meat was a little too tough for me (although I heard somewhere that Koreans actually like using tougher cuts of meat for short ribs?).

SPICY LEMONGRASS KALBI SHORT RIB ($16)

Sweet Onion and sesame soy sauce marinade

I decided to go with my favorite pad thai. I had read other reviews online raving about their pad thai and I would have to agree that their pad thai is pretty unique and easily one of my favorites now in the city. It stands out first of all by featuring a poached egg on top. While it was a nice touch, it would've been better if the yolk were still slightly runny so that I could mix it in with my noodles better. As it was, I pretty much ate the egg and noodles separate. One of my favorite parts of the pad thai were the peanuts. I think they may have been slightly caramelized or something because they added a lot of texture to the dish. While other Thai restaurants also add peanuts to their pad thai, the peanuts at OBAO added a lot more crunch. Even better than the peanuts, I loved the rice noodles that they used for the pad thai. They were so light, it reminded me of angel hair pasta or capellini in Italian cooking. While carb-heavy noodle dishes would typically weigh you down, I devoured the whole wok-shaped-plate of pad thai without being induced into a food coma!

PAD THAI ($11)

Fresh rice noodles, shrimp, salted red snapper with

peanuts, poached egg, and chives

With the discount that I had, we only ended up spending $21 on all this food (it would've been $41 without my discount)! But even without any discounts, coming by for an earlier dinner or the happy hour specials would definitely be worth it!

OBAO: 222 E 53rd St (btwn 2nd and 3rd Ave), New York, NY.

Spice Market - NYC

Spice Market is one of Jean-Georges Vongerichten's many restaurants in New York City and currently his only Asian restaurant in the city (Matsugen, a Japanese restaurant specializing in soba noodles closed recently). [His new restaurant, ABC Kitchen, just won Best New Restaurant at the James Beard Awards - can't wait to try that one out someday! My friends and I have been trying to go to brunch there.] Given Spice Market's location in the Meatpacking District, the overstated decor - described on the website as "a casual, sexy atmosphere" - seems to make sense. I'm not sure if I would agree with "casual," but the interior definitely transports you to what feels like a Southeast Asian palace.

The food is supposed to amount to the "idealization of a Vietnamese street market or a Thai food stall" (per the restaurant's website), but I think this restaurant's exotic decor stands out more than its food, which seemed fairly middle of the road to me.

First off, was "Salmon Tartare, Soy Ginger Dressing, Avocado and Radish." I love tartares and especially enjoy it when a restaurant offers a fish tartare not made with the predictable tuna. While the salmon was fine, I did think the pairing with avocado didn't really mesh too well - and the dressing definitely did not complement the salmon (perhaps a touch of acidity would have helped).

We also got the Pork Vindaloo - I loved the plate that it came out on, it added to the authenticity of setting. This was perhaps my favorite dish because of its extreme spice factor. That being said, it still didn't match what I expected for a Jean-George's restaurant - although it does taste much better than what you would expect for average "Asian street vendor food." We also got an order of the "Chili-Garlic Egg Noodles with Seared Shrimp and Star Anise" because it was a favorite of my dining companion's and he had been craving it for a while. While this dish was pretty good, it almost tasted like house special lo-mein I could order from any generic Chinatown restaurant, and just adding some chili oil to it.

Inside the Kitchen

While Spice Market's food didn't necessarily meet my expectations, it definitely won me over for their atmosphere. For dessert, we ordered ginger ice cream and it was served in this adorable take-out box. I'm a sucker for packaging and interactive food! The ginger flavor wasn't too overpowering - if I didn't know it was ginger, I probably would never have guessed it. It was a refreshing end to the meal!

Rambutan

Have you seen this hairy fruit?
It's a Rambutan, it's related to the Lychee and native to Southeast Asia.
Apparently, it's best to buy this fruit when it is still attached to the branches, because this reduces the likelihood the fruits are rotten or bug infested.
It looks prickly and scary, but its protruding stems are rather soft.
The skin is much thicker than a lychee's so it takes much more effort to peel, but you can see the inside is just like a lychee!
But the taste?
I don't like it as much as a lychee. It doesn't taste as sweet or refreshing as a lychee. The ones I ate tasted overly sweet that it had an odd tart taste. I actually had to stop after two because it was making my throat dry. I saved the rest in the fridge and after 3-4 days, it seemed to have gone bad. So I would recommend saving your money for lychee instead. This was $3.99/lb at the local Korean market, I've been able to buy lychee at the same store for average $1.99/lb.

Lure Fishbar

This past saturday, we enjoyed one of our best dinner dates in NYC.
It started with us not being able to get a seat at Aquagrill because they were reserved until 9pm. So we chose another seafood alternative in the Soho area - Lure Fishbar.

Lure Fishbar - 142 Mercer St, New York, NY 10012

Located on the basement level below the Prada store at Mercer and Prince, the lack of an ostentatious sign makes it easy to miss this gem.

The dimly lit interior is decorated to conjure images of dining on your rich friend's giant yacht. The restaurant is intimate enough for a date and large enough to accommodate a group event.
Of course, every date night meal will begin with some tasty cocktails..

Blueberry Finn

Pineapple Sage Daiquiri

The Blueberry Finn was perfectly sweet and fruit. The real standout is actually the Pineapple Sage. It is a bit of an acquired taste, but after a few sips I can really appreciate the sophistication of complementing the sweetness of pineapple with earthy sage. Also love that just one of these cocktails contain enough alcohol to give you that light relaxing buzz throughout dinner.

Tuna Tartare

When we go to seafood or sushi restaurants, my fiance always orders the tuna tartare. I never quite understood his fascination with eating a giant chunk of raw tuna, but this dish at Lure has won me over. The vinaigrette, cherry tomatoes, olives, and salty caviar were in my opinion, the perfect seasoning. Much more complex and lighter on the palate than wasabi and soy sauce.

For the entree, we decided to order from the raw bar and share a hot entree order.

Empress crab claw and chilled whole lobster w/ cocktail sauce and spicy mayo

Lobster Roll w/ cole slaw and salt & vinegar chips.

On a side note, I was very impressed with the service at Lure. The waiter was attentive but not hovering. We ordered the lobster roll with the intention to share, but did not specify this to our waiter. He immediately picked up on this and offered to split the roll for us. I expected a roll cut in half on a plate, but it came on two separate plates, each with its own side of pickle and cole slaw. Impressed!

Now on to the taste. The seafood from the raw bar? fresh and delish! The empress crab claws were tasty but a bit small, at 6 claws for $18, I don't think it was really worth the money. For just $9 more, you can get a whole lobster tail split in half. The lobster meat was easy to remove from the shell and came out in large chunks that tasted sooo amazing, we're absolutely addicted and planning on eating more this weekend!

The lobster roll entree was also flawless as well. The chunks of lobster were not too chewy and not overwhelmed with mayo and seasoning. Personally, I really loved the brioche roll the lobster was on. It was soft, with a thin crispy toasted crust, and oh so buttery! I could've eaten 10 of these and subsequently gained 20 lbs. This entree was executed so well, even the chips were breathtaking. They were salt and vinegar chips (my fav), but the vinegar taste was not too strong. I believe these must've been home made chips, because they were warm when they came out. I love that they were so perfectly balanced - crunchy, but not too thin, flavorful, but not overwhelming. This cannot be easy to do.

I also loved my meal here because the amount of food was just right. I tend to over eat at restaurants, but the food at Lure was light but just filling enough for dinner.

Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie w/ pomegranate sorbet (substitution for peanut brittle ice cream)

Our desert was also proof on how great the service is at Lure. We wanted to substitute the peanut brittle ice cream for something a bit lighter, Pomegranate sorbet. While alone, I casually expressed my concern that the sorbet does not quite mesh well with the peanut butter pie. Well, our waiter and the kitchen staff was way ahead of me, because the sorbet came out in its own little dish. Again, Lure managed to change my mind about dishes I typically do not enjoy. I only really like my chocolate and peanut butter inside a Reese's package. This pie came out in a pretty standard presentation of desert on square white plate with some decorations scattered in the empty space. The pie itself did not look especially enticing to me either. However, the taste more than made up for its appearance. It was a bit savory and sweet, not overwhelmingly sweet as most chocolate deserts can be. I especially enjoyed it with a bit of the light creme with each bite.

This was one of those meals when you go home and reminisce about how perfect it was, both in terms of quality of food and service. It was a bit pricey at around $145 for two people excluding tip, but in our minds it was certainly worth it. How often do you have a date night that is perfect in every way? We could not imagine how Aquagrill could beat our experience at Lure Fishbar, but we will give it a chance to try. This is one of those restaurants I would gladly brave the Soho crowds for to eat at. Hopefully, one day we'd be able to make it to one of their "Happy Hours."

Elderflower and Dinner at home

Inspired by the royal wedding, I dropped by my local safeway to find some british food. YES, safeway has entire sections devoted to international foods. German, Indian, East Asian, British, Hispanic, etc.

I picked up some Elderflower Presse
It's basically just water that's mixed with elderflowers
This is so Alice in Wonderland
Diluting elderflower with water dates back to the Victorian Era. It actually has some medicinal uses and have traditionally been used against influenza viruses.
The taste is quite sweet. The label says it's only water and elderflower, so I am surprised at how sweet it is. You can definitely drink this by itself, almost like juice, but I think it will taste better mixed with something else, like tea or alcohol.

While at Safeway, we picked up some lazy people dinner.

Bertolli's Mediterranean Style Garlic shrimp, Penne, and Cherry tomatoes

So easy to make. Just dump it in the skillet, cover, watch tv for awhile, and turn off heat.

A weekend dinner would not be complete without some Chardonnay and cheese.

My recent fav is applewood smoke gouda- it tastes just like summer sausage!

Kittichai - NYC

Kittichai is one of those restaurants that are most appropriate for a dinner with your girl friends - or a date for any guys who are trying to impress their girlfriends. The setting is extremely chic and in my opinion, only something that girls would really appreciate. Once you walk up to the restaurant, the outside has has a wall of bamboo that I loved. It's something that immediately transports you from a relatively quiet street in Soho, to some place exotic. Once you walk inside, you are greeted with a wall of orchids held in glass jars and, for some reason, koi fish in a birdcage-fish tank.

The food was equally impressive. My friend ordered a Thai iced tea and it came out as a "DIY" drink, with the Thai tea, simple syrup, and condensed milk in separate glasses so you can mix and adjust to your desired level of sweetness. Call me childish, but I love playing with food so my friend and I were quite entertained by this.

Thai Iced Tea

Next up was our tuna tartar appetizer. I didn't really think the "limestone tartlets" tasted like anything (it kind of reminded me of fried wonton skins?), but the tuna tartar itself and the accompanying ginger/lime sauce was pretty good.

Meing Tuna Tartare limestone tartlets, peanuts, ginger and lime

My friend and I were actually here for Restaurant Week (back in February), and for the starter, I got the sauteed mussels. I don't usually like mussels, but their version was pretty good and an extremely large portion. I hate wasting food, but I really couldn't finish it. I'm glad though because the prawns I got for my entree were HUGE. These were amazing. I loved the citrus red curry sauce and added the remaining sauce to eat with my rice.

Wok-Seared Tiger Prawns with a citrus red curry

Flourless Valrhona Chocolate Cake with fresh cream

For dessert, I got the chocolate cake - which came wrapped in a banana leaf. I'm not sure what the banana leaf had to do with the cake, but it was pretty decent. Although not really what I expected. The cake was a little on the dry/crumbly side - which surprised me since flourless chocolate cakes are usually pretty dense and rich.

My friend ordered the banana spring rolls, the burnt honey ice cream was definitely the highlight of that dessert.

Banana Spring Rolls with burnt honey ice cream

Kittichai would be a great place to take out of town guests and visitors to impress them with a "glamorous" NYC restaurant.

One of my other favorite restaurants in the city for impressing visitors with a similar vibe is Buddakan. Other than the delicious food and drinks (Tranquility remains my all time favorite drink), the setting in the main dining room is gorgeous, and each section has its own theme (one of them being the "Library"). It's also actually pretty easy to eat for a reasonable price at Buddakan if you order their rice/noodle dishes!

Kittichai: 60 Thompson St (btwn Spring & Broome), New York, NY.