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	<title>NomNomNoming in NYC</title>
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	<description>"Tell me what you eat and I'll tell you what you are." // Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin</description>
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		<title>NomNomNoming in NYC</title>
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		<title>Super Fob Food and Mobile Goodness</title>
		<link>http://tiffigoesnom.wordpress.com/2008/06/12/super-fob-food-and-mobile-goodness/</link>
		<comments>http://tiffigoesnom.wordpress.com/2008/06/12/super-fob-food-and-mobile-goodness/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 12 Jun 2008 06:46:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>tiffixd</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chinatown]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dessert]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ice Cream]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[xiao long bao]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[*Quick Note: I don&#8217;t know why but the past week, my photos have been coming out kinda dingy. Maybe its the weather. Or maybe I&#8217;m a bad photographer. Wow, its been a hot minute. Haha sorry, I have commitment issues &#8230; <a href="http://tiffigoesnom.wordpress.com/2008/06/12/super-fob-food-and-mobile-goodness/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=tiffigoesnom.wordpress.com&amp;blog=3755476&amp;post=8&amp;subd=tiffigoesnom&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>*Quick Note: </strong>I don&#8217;t know why but the past week, my photos have been coming out kinda dingy. Maybe its the weather. Or maybe I&#8217;m a bad photographer. </p>
<p>Wow, its been a hot minute. Haha sorry, I have commitment issues ^^;;<br />
But last week, the H2O Street gang and I shlepped to Chinatown for Jorge&#8217;s celebratory &#8220;Welcome Back from Mexico!&#8221; dinner. We ended up @ <a href="http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/shanghai-cuisine/"> Shanghai Cuisine </a> for tasty lil <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiaolongbao"> Xiao Long Bao </a>!!! Who doesn&#8217;t like those delicate little pouches of juicy, porky goodness?! </p>
<p>Here&#8217;s the joint, smack on the corner of:<br />
<img src="http://inlinethumb03.webshots.com/9474/2196689100056703426S425x425Q85.jpg" alt="null" /></p>
<p>Tina and I in the front. I&#8217;ll be damned if I know what the sign says (and I don&#8217;t know why we are blue!):<br />
<img src="http://inlinethumb51.webshots.com/42034/2944081060056703426S425x425Q85.jpg" alt="null" /></p>
<p>Andy Peruses Menu &#8211; looks disgruntled. Jorge Anticipates &#8211; looks hungry!:<br />
<img src="http://inlinethumb58.webshots.com/41785/2371013950056703426S200x200Q85.jpg" alt="null" /> <img src="http://inlinethumb48.webshots.com/41071/2679344860056703426S200x200Q85.jpg" alt="null" /></p>
<p>This is not me. I swear:<br />
<img src="http://inlinethumb19.webshots.com/41746/2532253380056703426S425x425Q85.jpg" alt="null" /></p>
<p>The inside of the restaurant was a little warm. I don&#8217;t think there was AC there, only several sluggish ceiling fans, so save the trip if it is a scorching summer day. Or else, you will regret. Dearly. <strong>One does not ingest scalding hot soup dumplings in 80+ weather sans air conditioning. </strong></p>
<p>This is the vinegary stuff for the dumplings. It is quite pungent and tangy &#8211; good for cutting through all the <strong>greasy goodness of melted pork fat</strong>. Mind the strips of ginger!<br />
<img src="http://inlinethumb45.webshots.com/29484/2942480160056703426S425x425Q85.jpg" alt="null" /></p>
<p>Finally! Dumplings arrive piping hot in bamboo steamers:<br />
<img src="http://inlinethumb18.webshots.com/40017/2602767490056703426S425x425Q85.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>This is what the lovely little thing looks like. I will show you how to eat it. <strong>Consuming a pouch of boiling hot pork fat/juice requires a little know-how</strong>:<br />
<img src="http://inlinethumb16.webshots.com/28495/2249905190056703426S425x425Q85.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>First you balance it on your soup spoon. Then with your chopstick, poke a small hole near the bottom of the dumpling (<strong>if you are brave, or stupid, you could nibble a small hole in the skin</strong>). Then carefully lift the dumpling with chopsticks to drain the onto the spoon. End results should look like THIS, a drained dumpling and a soup full of artery clogging goodness:<br />
<img src="http://inlinethumb10.webshots.com/9161/2187803220056703426S425x425Q85.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>Here, take a peek inside!<br />
<img src="http://inlinethumb47.webshots.com/41646/2791415810056703426S425x425Q85.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>We had ordered the original pork dumplings but I think our order got switched cus we ended up with four steamers full of Pork and CRAB dumplings. NICE. The crab lent a sweet flavor to the melt-in-your-mouth tender clump of pork and the soup is rich and velvety. Seriously, ultimate asian comfort food ^^V</p>
<p>Jorge les gustan! Super tasty, yes yes? Hehehe!<br />
<img src="http://inlinethumb47.webshots.com/41134/2686439180056703426S425x425Q85.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>We ordered a bunch of other stuff, rather congenial dishes, like <strong>Beef Chow Fun, Shanghianese Fried Chicken and Sauteed Baby Bok Choy with Garlic</strong>:</p>
<p>Because everyone loves fat bouncy slippery rice noodles with soy sauce and beef:<br />
<img src="http://inlinethumb50.webshots.com/42737/2753398150056703426S425x425Q85.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>The chicken was moist and tender, the skin could&#8217;ve been crispier. Dunking it in the soy sauce laced with sesame oil makes it tastier. It is not as bad-ass as the fried chicken I had from Congee Village a while ago:<br />
<img src="http://inlinethumb16.webshots.com/9423/2897326980056703426S425x425Q85.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>We had wanted Sauteed Pea Shoot Tips, but the restaurant had ran out of the delicate greens. So we settled for Baby Bok Choy instead which was sweet and crunchy. And I love anything slathered in garlic so wheeee!:<br />
<img src="http://inlinethumb18.webshots.com/43345/2724421740056703426S425x425Q85.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>For dessert we to go to <a href="http://www.chinatownicecreamfactory.com/"> Chinatown Ice Cream Factory </a>. This place is ALWAYS crowded, especially on warm summer nights. <strong>It is also the size of a shoebox, so don&#8217;t be gentle and dapper &#8211; you have to elbow your way in towards the counter =] </strong></p>
<p><img src="http://inlinethumb57.webshots.com/6008/2338938600056703426S425x425Q85.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>They have lots of flavors &#8211; interesting stuff like Almond Cookie (which is uber floral-tasting, and a tad to artificial for me), Taro (lol its purple!), Lychee (mmm, juicy flavor with little bits of fruit swirled through-out). There are the perinnial (read: BORING haha just kidding) flavors like chocolate and vanilla too. </p>
<p>Andy got Red Bean and Tina got Oreo Cookie in a Cone. I didn&#8217;t taste it but the consensus was satisfactory:<br />
<img src="http://inlinethumb22.webshots.com/40405/2565038540056703426S200x200Q85.jpg" alt="" /> <img src="http://inlinethumb12.webshots.com/42763/2080087750056703426S200x200Q85.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>I get Cherry Pistachio &#8211; its really good. Delicate nutty pistachio flavor complimented by the sweet freshness of cherries. Not to mention, there are hefty chunks of the fresh fruit and nuts in there! The texture of the ice cream was pretty good &#8211; smooth, with very fine ice crystals. Sorry this shot is so blurry, I was trying to show you guys all the pieces of cherries and pistachios in there:<br />
<img src="http://inlinethumb05.webshots.com/40324/2208627870056703426S425x425Q85.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>Hehe munching on Ice Cream. I have shiny hair and way-too-long bangs. And Andy, why must you always look so serious?!<br />
<img src="http://inlinethumb64.webshots.com/11071/2134037910056703426S425x425Q85.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>Moving on along, later in the week, I met up with Tina after she got out of class. We were both bored and my sweet tooth was aching so we FINALLY FINALLY FINALLY visit the <a href="http://www.desserttruck.com/"> Dessert Truck</a>. I know, you&#8217;d think after being in NYU for so long, I would&#8217;ve had everything on the menu already.<strong>The darned thing is ON CAMPUS</strong>. Lol. Anyway, heres what the cute little truck looks like:<br />
<img src="http://inlinethumb13.webshots.com/8716/2911908630056703426S425x425Q85.jpg" alt="" /><br />
Stupid tree is in the way. Boo. </p>
<p>We&#8217;re both feeling chocolatey &#8211; Tina gets the Molten Chocolate Cake sprinkled with Sea Salt and topped with Roasted Pistachios. I get the Chocolate Bread Pudding with Vanilla Creme Anglaise. Ta-Da!</p>
<p>Molten Chocolate Cake:<br />
<img src="http://inlinethumb26.webshots.com/42009/2934353790056703426S425x425Q85.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>Ooey Gooey innards. The cake was moist and rich; the center was a flood of warm liquidy chocolate ganache<br />
<img src="http://inlinethumb33.webshots.com/41632/2945191260056703426S425x425Q85.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>A close up shot (we took it into a dining hall with crappy lighting so sorry for the quality) of a spoonful of cakey goodness:<br />
<img src="http://inlinethumb26.webshots.com/41113/2854012170056703426S425x425Q85.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>My bread pudding was equally lovely. Look at it, drowning in a sea of vanilla custard sauce:<br />
<img src="http://inlinethumb60.webshots.com/43707/2940179510056703426S425x425Q85.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>The pudding was very chocolatey, and very very very smooth. It was like a cup of pure chocolate custard actually. To be honest, delicious as it was, I do prefer to have the spongy mouth-feel of egg soaked bread cubes which this pudding lacked. The sauce was nice, but it wasn&#8217;t exactly screaming vanilla. Still it was very good.</p>
<p>The Dessert Truck Logo on a little chip of milk chocolate:<br />
<img src="http://inlinethumb03.webshots.com/33666/2484939400056703426S425x425Q85.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>Innards shot w/ custard sauce dripping everywhere:<br />
<img src="http://inlinethumb19.webshots.com/42642/2030459180056703426S425x425Q85.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>Spoon shot:<br />
<img src="http://inlinethumb11.webshots.com/24970/2911707700056703426S425x425Q85.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>Well, folks, that does it for this installation of edibles. Enjoy!</p>
<p>Places visited in this post:</p>
<p><strong>Shanghai Cuisine<br />
89 Bayard St.<br />
New York, NY 10013</p>
<p>Chinatown Ice Cream Factory<br />
65 Bayard Street<br />
New York, NY 10013</p>
<p>Dessert Truck<br />
8th Street and University Place<br />
New York, NY 10003<br />
</strong></p>
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		<title>Dining Downtown, Hip Little Bakeries and a Birthday, Part II</title>
		<link>http://tiffigoesnom.wordpress.com/2008/05/28/dining-downtown-hip-little-bakeries-and-a-birthday-part-ii/</link>
		<comments>http://tiffigoesnom.wordpress.com/2008/05/28/dining-downtown-hip-little-bakeries-and-a-birthday-part-ii/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 28 May 2008 06:51:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>tiffixd</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[As promised! The second part of last week&#8217;s culinary expeditions. On Thursday I went to Two Little Red Hens , which is the CUTEST little bakery ever, on 2nd avenue, just off 86th Street. Though it is absolutely teeny, it &#8230; <a href="http://tiffigoesnom.wordpress.com/2008/05/28/dining-downtown-hip-little-bakeries-and-a-birthday-part-ii/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=tiffigoesnom.wordpress.com&amp;blog=3755476&amp;post=7&amp;subd=tiffigoesnom&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>As promised! The second part of last week&#8217;s culinary expeditions.<br />
On Thursday I went to <a href="http://www.twolittleredhens.com/"> Two Little Red Hens </a>, which is the CUTEST little bakery ever, on 2nd avenue, just off 86th Street. Though it is absolutely teeny, it seems to be popular for stroller-parking Upper East Side moms and toddlers. Seating is small, maybe 3 or 4 little tables, but inside is homey and cozy with exposed brick walls and&#8230;well, lots of chickens (in the form of plates, pictures, paintings, ceramics&#8230;*cluckcluck). Their baked goods are a tad pricey ($2.75 for a Red Velvet Cupcake, $4.00 for the Brooklyn Blackout) but SOOOO pretty. And delicious. I&#8217;ve had those two cupcakes before and they were <strong>QUITE bad-ass.</strong> I didn&#8217;t eat any on this occasion, but don&#8217;t worry&#8230;sometime during this summer I will ;D</p>
<p><img src='http://inlinethumb38.webshots.com/19621/2034522280056703426S425x425Q85.jpg' alt='none ' class='alignleft' /></p>
<p>They&#8217;ve got such a sweet variety of cakes, cupcakes, pies, bars and cookies. I was in the mood for something fruity and spied their <strong>Linzer Bar</strong> (spin off Linzer Tarts maybe?). It&#8217;s an almond flavored pastry crust layered with raspberry jam. It was $2.75. </p>
<p><img src='http://inlinethumb13.webshots.com/19212/2240476610056703426S425x425Q85.jpg' alt='none ' class='alignleft' /></p>
<p>Pretty Layers!<br />
<img src='http://inlinethumb20.webshots.com/12499/2738724620056703426S425x425Q85.jpg' alt='none ' class='alignleft' /></p>
<p>It was pretty good. The bar was crisp and crumbly and the texture was really nice. The jam definitely tasted like raspberries but was a bit too sweet, and I think it washed out the almond flavor of the crust. But I liked it a lot and it satisfied my sweet tooth. </p>
<p>Then on Friday, Tina and I desperately needed to catch up on our <a href="http://www.hbo.com/city/"> Sex and the City </a> to prepare for <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1000774/"> THE MOVIE </a>. *emits girly squeal*. Ok, shoot me, can&#8217;t help it &#8211; SJP is just so fabulous. After work, I decided to pick up a sweet treat to enjoy during the marathon and headed down to the LES to pick up some treats from:</p>
<p><img src='http://inlinethumb12.webshots.com/8203/2702432640056703426S500x500Q85.jpg' alt='none ' class='alignleft' /></p>
<p><a href="http://www.sugarsweetsunshine.com/"> Sugar Sweet Sunshine </a>, another hip little bakery. It&#8217;s kinda like a hole in the wall. A very sweet, charming, delicious hole in the wall. I believe the owners left Magnolia to start their own bakery, and well it&#8217;s been a smashing success. I discovered these babies when I worked several blocks away as a secretary in this office-&#8230;nevermind. Back to the baked goods :] I bought <strong>half a dozen cupcakes</strong> (though they also have amazing bars, cakes, puddings and trifles galore): Red Velvet, Spicy Pumpkin, Lemon Yummy, Ooey Gooey [chocolate almond buttercream on chocolate cake], Black and white, and Pistachio. Here, DROOL:</p>
<p><img src='http://inlinethumb11.webshots.com/42442/2926233430056703426S425x425Q85.jpg' alt='none ' class='alignleft' /></p>
<p>During that night we ate the Spicy Pumpkin and Lemon Yummy. My personal favorite is the Pumpkin and apparently, I converted Tina as well. Nice. It&#8217;s got a smooth, rich creamy cream-cheese frosting and the cake is SO moist and tastes JUST like pumpkin pie with hints of cinnamon and other sweet spices. </p>
<p><img src='http://inlinethumb47.webshots.com/43182/2884604700056703426S425x425Q85.jpg' alt='Pumpkin Cupcake' class='alignnone' /><br />
Cut in Half:<br />
<img src='http://inlinethumb13.webshots.com/5708/2551530290056703426S425x425Q85.jpg' alt='pumpkin half' class='alignnone' /></p>
<p>Then we had the Lemon Yummy. The cake is moist, buttery and rich. But it practically SINGS of lemon &#8211; the bright, tart flavor is so pronounced, <strong>its exquisite</strong>. It&#8217;s topped with a smooth satiny buttercream. </p>
<p>Sprinkles hehehehehehehe:<br />
<img src='http://inlinethumb01.webshots.com/40576/2727326690056703426S425x425Q85.jpg' alt='' class='alignnone' /><br />
Cut in half:<br />
<img src='http://inlinethumb49.webshots.com/21488/2715998410056703426S425x425Q85.jpg'><br />
*I noticed there was very little crumbling of the cake as I cut these babies in half. To me, that&#8217;s an indicator of a <strong>moist, FRESH cake&lt;333</strong>. </p>
<p>On Saturday, my family and I celebrated my Grandma&#8217;s 87th birthday. [Frankly, if I reached 87, I wouldn't care to be reminded of my age. Lol. I'm horrible] Anyway, the weather was beautiful: warm sunny and breezy. We actually convinced my Grandma to go out for dinner and wheeled her in her wheely chair to a Chinese restaurant close by, <a href="http://www.congeevillagerestaurants.com/restaurant-village.php"> Congee Village </a>. It&#8217;s on Allen and Delancey Street and mainly, a Cantonese-style restaurant. Let me say, the decor on this place is over the top. Borderline tacky, but in a pretty sort of way. Since we went when it was still light, they didn&#8217;t turn on the blindingly bright display of light bulbs and faux-fireworks. But, I snitched a photo from the website and it would&#8217;ve looked like this:</p>
<p><img src='http://www.congeevillagerestaurants.com/contentimages/8976_village-image01.jpg' alt='' class='alignnone' /></p>
<p>The theme of the decor inside is based entirely on bamboo &#8211; everything looks like it was constructed from fake-bamboo. There are multiple seating areas and we got a small room with a mural on the wall on one side and exposed brick on the other. There were leafy (fake) greens hanging from the ceiling:</p>
<p><img src='http://inlinethumb34.webshots.com/2977/2216957840056703426S425x425Q85.jpg' alt='' class='alignnone' /></p>
<p>Exposed brick wall hung with little artifacts:<br />
<img src='http://inlinethumb14.webshots.com/29005/2974822000056703426S425x425Q85.jpg' alt='' class='alignnone' /></p>
<p>My teacup was particularly pretty, I thought:<br />
<img src='http://inlinethumb25.webshots.com/39704/2550575060056703426S425x425Q85.jpg' alt='' class='alignnone' /></p>
<p>We ordered the food family style, and it fed all 8 of us (My parents, two brothers, grandma, aunt and my grandma&#8217;s home attendant). The first thing they served us was a thin soup made out of some meaty broth and winter melon. It was savory and warm, nothing spectacular</p>
<p>Our waiter scooping out the broth:<br />
<img src='http://inlinethumb32.webshots.com/41055/2031269610056703426S425x425Q85.jpg' alt='' class='alignnone' /></p>
<p>Then came the <strong>House Special Chicken</strong>. This dish was pretty awesome &#8211; it was like fried chicken, without the breading. The skin was thin and crispy, the meat was perfectly cooked. It was juicy (even the white meat! which tends to be dry and bland) and flavorful because of the savory garlicky sauce they doused all over it. On top of the chicken was a layer of fried garlic slices which were nutty and sweet. General consensus was DELICIOUS. </p>
<p><img src='http://inlinethumb13.webshots.com/39820/2766650250056703426S425x425Q85.jpg' alt='' class='alignnone' /><br />
A slice of the thigh meat, several chunks of white meat and some fried garlic slices that I artfully arranged on my plate (at this point, my family is <strong>highly amused at my frenetic snapping of pictures</strong>):<br />
<img src='http://inlinethumb62.webshots.com/41277/2718171990056703426S425x425Q85.jpg' alt='' class='alignnone' /></p>
<p>Then came the <strong>Peking-Style Pork Chops</strong>. Deep fried <strong>(YES!!!)</strong>, breaded pork chops (not sure which cut, but they tend to be fatty) are then doused in a bright red, pungent, sweet/sour sauce that&#8217;s rather vinegary. It is the perennial Family favorite, what can I say?<br />
<img src='http://inlinethumb50.webshots.com/41649/2892532380056703426S425x425Q85.jpg' alt='' class='alignnone' /></p>
<p>Right after that, <strong>Fillets of Beef with Chinese Broccoli.</strong> I know my cuts of beef, usually, but er&#8230;I wasn&#8217;t too sure that day. I think it might be flank steak? It was just thick slices of tender beef with a simple brown gravy over a bed of crunchy Chinese Broccoli. Not exactly mind-blowing:<br />
<img src='http://inlinethumb36.webshots.com/7267/2239238770056703426S425x425Q85.jpg' alt='' class='alignnone' /></p>
<p>The dishes are coming in rapid succession now. This is <strong>Salted Fish, Diced Chicken and Bean Curd Casserole</strong>. It came in a flaming display (whoohoo, FIRE!):<br />
<img src='http://inlinethumb60.webshots.com/40891/2216444170056703426S425x425Q85.jpg' alt='' class='alignnone' /><br />
From the top:<br />
<img src='http://inlinethumb63.webshots.com/43646/2933796640056703426S425x425Q85.jpg' alt='' class='alignnone' /><br />
Basically its cubes of tofu and slices of dark meat chicken bound together in a brown sauce flavored with <strong>preserved salted-fish</strong>. I&#8217;ve always liked the flavor of salted fish (er, it&#8217;s an Asian thing?) so I enjoyed this dish. My grandma liked it cus it had tofu (lol, no chewing required). I derno if the fire was necessary though. O well, they get points for theatrics. </p>
<p>Ok so the next dish is SO VERY SPECIAL TO ME. It speaks of childhood memories and lazy weekend afternoons with my parents and grandma (before my brothers were born) in either Chinatown or Flushing. We would always order this dish or pick it up off the dim sum cart because I refused to leave the damned restaurant without eating it. <strong>FRIED SQUID IN SALTED PEPPER:</strong><br />
<img src='http://inlinethumb57.webshots.com/16568/2073186370056703426S425x425Q85.jpg' alt='' class='alignnone' /><br />
Piping hot, sweet and tender squid in a delicately crunchy golden brown, salty, peppery crust tossed with a few slices of jalapeno peppers. *Dies a little bit* So good. This place did it <strong>damn near perfect</strong>.<br />
Cross section:<br />
<img src='http://inlinethumb14.webshots.com/35021/2310631060056703426S425x425Q85.jpg' alt='' class='alignnone' /></p>
<p>After that, everything was just plain blah. Lol, jk jk. My mom ordered this cus she thought it was cute -_-;;<br />
<img src='http://inlinethumb15.webshots.com/39374/2694345150056703426S425x425Q85.jpg' alt='' class='alignnone' /><br />
Its the <strong>House Special Seafood Pineapple Boat</strong>. Wheeee. Sauteed scallops, shrimp, crunchy slices of conch, fishcake, bell peppers and chunks of pineapple. I liked the seafood because it was simply prepared and cooked well but the pineapple didn&#8217;t do anything in terms of contributing to the flavor of the dish. In fact, I think it was a little under-ripe. Meh. </p>
<p>These are <strong>Sauteed Snow Pea Leaves with Garlic</strong>. Chinese folk consider it a delicacy. It was tasty, tender and very green. Me likey:<br />
<img src='http://inlinethumb32.webshots.com/43295/2170581960056703426S425x425Q85.jpg' alt='' class='alignnone' /></p>
<p>This is another dish that I am very fond of, <strong>Singapore Style Mei Fun</strong>. It&#8217;s thin rice noodles flavored with curry and stir-fried with scrambled egg, bean sprouts, slivers of peppers, scallions and roasted pork. I thought this wasn&#8217;t bad &#8211; I wish it were spicier though and a more pronounced curry flavor. I happen to love love love spicy food!:<br />
<img src='http://inlinethumb23.webshots.com/28182/2210335930056703426S425x425Q85.jpg' alt='' class='alignnone' /></p>
<p>This&#8230;was boring:<br />
<img src='http://inlinethumb58.webshots.com/43129/2833686060056703426S425x425Q85.jpg' alt='' class='alignnone' /><br />
I forgot what the noodles were called. We ordered it for my Grandma cus the noodles were soft and spongy in texture which made it easy for her to chew. The looming shadow is my aunt lol, sorry! There was some chicken and shitake mushrooms in there. <strong>It was decidedly unremarkable.</strong> </p>
<p>There was also a <strong>steamed fish belly</strong>. It&#8217;s supposed to be the best part of the fish cus the belly is fatty, silky and tender but its hard to eat cus it&#8217;s also the boniest part of the fish. I didn&#8217;t eat it, hence, no picture! </p>
<p>The complimentary dessert was NOT red bean soup! Surprise! It&#8217;s what every Chinese joint usually gives out at the end of dinner. We got instead, a sweet soup made out of sticky rice, barley and peanuts. I liked the mild yeasty earthy tasty of the barley and the chewy texture of the rice grains:<br />
<img src='http://inlinethumb40.webshots.com/17383/2450236000056703426S425x425Q85.jpg' alt='' class='alignnone' /><br />
Plump little grains of barley:<br />
<img src='http://inlinethumb30.webshots.com/41309/2705628770056703426S425x425Q85.jpg' alt='' class='alignnone' /></p>
<p>The check came out to a little under $120 (not including tip). Not bad, I think for a very decent and large meal. Here are just some random shots:</p>
<p>An artsy fartsy shot of&#8230;a napkin, courtesy of my brother<br />
<img src='http://inlinethumb28.webshots.com/38811/2680194660056703426S425x425Q85.jpg' alt='' class='alignnone' /></p>
<p>Said brother(s):<br />
<img src='http://inlinethumb04.webshots.com/42883/2989190520056703426S425x425Q85.jpg' alt='' class='alignnone' /></p>
<p>Lol at the Fat Buddha behind the cashier!<br />
<img src='http://inlinethumb42.webshots.com/41705/2696357480056703426S425x425Q85.jpg' alt='' class='alignnone' /></p>
<p>It was still light when we left! The fabulocity of this place is nuts. Oh yea, I&#8217;ve neglected to mention the restaurant&#8217;s namesake, the Congee! Its rice porridge and absolutely lovely on a bone-numbing winter day (I&#8217;ve been here before). My favorite is preserved duck egg with pork!<br />
<img src='http://inlinethumb07.webshots.com/42758/2864328730056703426S425x425Q85.jpg' alt='' class='alignnone' /></p>
<p>Pretty mural I saw on the wall on the way back to Grandma&#8217;s. Apparently, she lives in a <strong>very hip part of town:</strong><br />
<img src='http://inlinethumb59.webshots.com/28474/2538064130056703426S425x425Q85.jpg' alt='' class='alignnone' /></p>
<p>Street view, along Houston Street:<br />
<img src='http://inlinethumb60.webshots.com/42619/2102480960056703426S425x425Q85.jpg' alt='' class='alignnone' /></p>
<p>View from apartment. See that massive building in the upper right? It&#8217;s a spiffy new luxury apartment building complete with a cavernous Whole Foods Market on the first floor. <strong>Gentrification in the Lower East Side&#8230;*sigh</strong>:<br />
<img src='http://inlinethumb41.webshots.com/41960/2862613040056703426S425x425Q85.jpg' alt='' class='alignnone' /></p>
<p>Lol. Pigeon that landed on the AC outside the window:<br />
<img src='http://inlinethumb41.webshots.com/42856/2532927330056703426S425x425Q85.jpg' alt='' class='alignnone' /></p>
<p>Happy Birthday Grandma ^_^V<br />
<img src='http://inlinethumb07.webshots.com/41222/2807032400056703426S425x425Q85.jpg' alt='' class='alignnone' /></p>
<p>Addresses of the places mentioned in this post:</p>
<p><strong>Two Little Red Hens Bakery<br />
1652 2nd Avenue (86th Street)<br />
New York, NY 10028</strong></p>
<p><strong>Sugar Sweet Sunshine<br />
126 Rivington Street<br />
New York, NY 10002</strong><br />
<strong><br />
Congee Village<br />
100 Allen Street<br />
New York, NY 10002 </strong></p>
<p>Hope you didn&#8217;t get too hungry =)</p>
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		<title>Dining Downtown, Hip Little Bakeries and a Birthday, Part I</title>
		<link>http://tiffigoesnom.wordpress.com/2008/05/26/dining-downtown-hip-little-bakeries-and-a-birthday-part-i/</link>
		<comments>http://tiffigoesnom.wordpress.com/2008/05/26/dining-downtown-hip-little-bakeries-and-a-birthday-part-i/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 27 May 2008 01:06:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>tiffixd</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://tiffigoesnom.wordpress.com/?p=6</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Wow. So behind. How typical. The past several days have been an accumulation of all sorts of unhealthy shit in my arteries. Albeit, delicious unhealthy shit. :] This post will have to be chopped up into two! Cus I just &#8230; <a href="http://tiffigoesnom.wordpress.com/2008/05/26/dining-downtown-hip-little-bakeries-and-a-birthday-part-i/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=tiffigoesnom.wordpress.com&amp;blog=3755476&amp;post=6&amp;subd=tiffigoesnom&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Wow. So behind. How typical. The past several days have been an accumulation of all sorts of unhealthy shit in my arteries. Albeit, delicious unhealthy shit. :]<br />
This post will have to be chopped up into two! Cus I just have too much to write and post about. I will follow up with my visits to Two Little Red Hens Bakery, Sugar Sweet Sunshine Bakery and Grandma&#8217;s Bday Dinner soon. </p>
<p>On the 21st, Wednesday, I went downtown to the Financial District to check out <a href="http://www.downtownny.com/?sid=383"> Dine Around Downtown </a>. 50 of downtown NYC&#8217;s finer dining establishment set up booths in front of Chase Manhattan Plaza for the crowd of hungry businessmen and women to peruse and graze. It lasted from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm and all the booths sell small dishes and plates from $3 to $6. I tried to get there before 11:00 to beat the masses that were sure to swarm the plaza during their lunch breaks but to no avail. It seemed that ALL of Wall Street had beat me to it! By the time I got there, it was already a sea of <strong>pinstriped suits, ladies in Italian leather pumps and corporate moguls clicking on their Crackberries.</strong></p>
<p><img src='http://inlinethumb52.webshots.com/39859/2875356180056703426S200x200Q85.jpg' alt='Wall Street ' class='alignleft' /><img src='http://inlinethumb16.webshots.com/38863/2391699740056703426S200x200Q85.jpg' alt='Wall Street 2' class='alignleft' /></p>
<p>It&#8217;s all of Wall Street!</p>
<p>Shoving/elbowing my way through the crowd, I made a beeline for <a href="http://www.financierpastries.com/"> Financier Patisserie&#8217;s</a> booth. Yea, couldn&#8217;t help it. Had to start lunch off with dessert first. The selection looked so pretty! I wish I got a better picture of it but disgruntled and hungry brokers were hustling about everywhere. This was their menu for 2008:</p>
<p><img src='http://inlinethumb26.webshots.com/41369/2179176440056703426S425x425Q85.jpg' alt='Financier' class='aligncenter' /></p>
<p>Each dessert was only $3, which was fabulous. I bought the Chocolate Mousse &amp; Vanilla Creme Brulee cup. Sadly, it was a bit of a misnomer. The mousse part was decadently dark and chocolatey but it wasn&#8217;t mousse! The texture was off by a million miles; it had the mouth feel of <strong>very very very grainy chocolate ganache.</strong> It wasn&#8217;t smooth, fluffy, light or at all like a mousse. The layer of vanilla was definitely not a Brulee (er, no burnt sugar crust) and tasted like a simple sweet custard. It wasn&#8217;t a winner in my book. Boo, I was soooo looking forward to Financier too. Here are some shots to show you the layers and textures:</p>
<p><img src='http://inlinethumb26.webshots.com/21721/2164792510056703426S425x425Q85.jpg' alt='mousse1' class='alignleft' /><br />
<img src='http://inlinethumb52.webshots.com/20275/2803151190056703426S425x425Q85.jpg' alt='mousse2' class='alignleft' /><br />
<img src='http://inlinethumb50.webshots.com/41585/2136235210056703426S425x425Q85.jpg' alt='' class='alignleft' /></p>
<p>With the desserts being so cheap, I easily could&#8217;ve gotten another one, but because I am resourceful and unwasteful, I actually finished the whole thing. That was plenty of sugar for one day, thank you very much. Moving on along, I needed some real food and found <a href="http://www.ketchrestaurant.com/home.htm"> The Ketch Restaurant</a> (harharhar get it, The Ketch? The Catch? Seafood, duh):</p>
<p><img src='http://inlinethumb38.webshots.com/36069/2387602910056703426S425x425Q85.jpg' alt='' class='alignleft' /></p>
<p>The slider wasn&#8217;t bad. It was sitting in a little lunch box which didn&#8217;t do much for the texture of the crabcake&#8217;s crust. The home-made potato chips were a little soggy too. But all in all, it fared well for the cheap lil sandwich that it was. The crabcake was very well-seasoned if a tad dry, but I bet it would&#8217;ve been awesome and crisp if it were fresh out of the fryer. The crabcake itself actually had a great ratio of crabmeat to breading. The remoulade had a spicy kick and the corn added a sweet crunch. The bun was boring; typical bready stuff you can find in the supermarket so blah to that. It wasn&#8217;t a horrible sandwich, just didn&#8217;t make me hop around happy. </p>
<p><img src='http://inlinethumb47.webshots.com/41646/2303740930056703426S425x425Q85.jpg' alt='' class='alignleft' /><br />
The Innards of the Slider:<br />
<img src='http://inlinethumb45.webshots.com/40748/2709638930056703426S425x425Q85.jpg' alt='' class='alignleft' /></p>
<p>Ok so at this point, the crowds have become vicious. I don&#8217;t know if it was because of the midday sun and hunger or if maybe businessfolk are just <strong>inherently aggressive and pushy mofos</strong> but I was feeling like it was time to bounce. UNTIL I SAW THIS:</p>
<p><img src='http://inlinethumb51.webshots.com/41394/2848267670056703426S425x425Q85.jpg' alt='' class='alignnone' /></p>
<p>&#8220;Why, what is that man grilling?&#8221; you ask. <strong>LAMBCHOPS</strong>. *drool. From <a href="http://www.harrysnyc.com/"> Harry&#8217;s Cafe and Steak </a>. </p>
<p><img src='http://inlinethumb43.webshots.com/41642/2392837030056703426S425x425Q85.jpg' alt='' class='alignnone' /></p>
<p>I shoved my way onto line (it was probably one of the longest lines there, for good reason) and waited. And got this little beauty for $6.</p>
<p><img src='http://inlinethumb07.webshots.com/40134/2785297680056703426S200x200Q85.jpg' alt='' class='aligncenter' /><img src='http://inlinethumb37.webshots.com/8548/2005386150056703426S200x200Q85.jpg' alt='' class='aligncenter' /></p>
<p><img src='http://inlinethumb17.webshots.com/41296/2391113850056703426S425x425Q85.jpg' alt='' class='alignnone' /></p>
<p>It was wonderful. A little more well-done than I usually like, but hey, as a carnivore, I like my meat still (slightly) bleeding. The outside was charred to a nice smokey crust. The inside was juicy and tender. The sauce was a blend of sweet caramelized onions and fresh mint which masked the slight gaminess of the lamb. It was really really really good. A tad pricey, but oh, so worth it. It definitely made up for the lack-luster two dishes from beforehand. Yum. I washed everything down with a bottle of Pomegranate Fizzy Lizzy, which was supposedly a drink made from 100% fruit juice and seltzer water with no added sugar. It was tart, tangy and bubbly which helped cut through all the grease and sugar I had just ingested. </p>
<p><img src='http://inlinethumb62.webshots.com/42685/2290850370056703426S425x425Q85.jpg' alt='' class='aligncenter' /></p>
<p>Then I took a couple more snapshots of the scene and bounced off to work. Overall, it wasn&#8217;t a bad experience. I suppose since it was created to cater to the massive and rather undiscerning crowd of Wall Street workers, the food wasn&#8217;t exactly restaurant quality. But then again, the food scene in the Financial District has never been quite up to par with oh I don&#8217;t know, say the Upper/ Lower East Side. Just my opinion though! I might just be an Up(per)town girl. I think there&#8217;s tons of potential for the restaurants down in lower Manhattan to progress (from business luncheons and such). The whole point of the Dine Around Downtown event was to promote the Financial District as a competent contributer to Manhattan&#8217;s food scene. </p>
<p><img src='http://inlinethumb27.webshots.com/41306/2190173330056703426S425x425Q85.jpg' alt='Statue' class='aligncenter' /><br />
Interesting shape in Chase Plaza</p>
<p><img src='http://inlinethumb29.webshots.com/42460/2326337310056703426S425x425Q85.jpg' alt='Buildings ' class='aligncenter' /><br />
Nothing quite like the dizzying height of a New York City skyscraper to make you feel&#8230;very tiny.</p>
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			<media:title type="html">tiffixd</media:title>
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			<media:title type="html">Wall Street </media:title>
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			<media:title type="html">Wall Street 2</media:title>
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			<media:title type="html">Financier</media:title>
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			<media:title type="html">mousse1</media:title>
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		<title>April Showers Are Hella Late: Clear Signs of 1/4 Life Crisis and Edible Consolation</title>
		<link>http://tiffigoesnom.wordpress.com/2008/05/21/april-showers-are-hella-late-clear-signs-of-14-life-crisis-and-edible-consolation/</link>
		<comments>http://tiffigoesnom.wordpress.com/2008/05/21/april-showers-are-hella-late-clear-signs-of-14-life-crisis-and-edible-consolation/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 22 May 2008 00:16:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>tiffixd</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cafe]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sandwich]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Upper East Side]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://tiffigoesnom.wordpress.com/?p=5</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[So yesterday&#8217;s weather was an abomination. Windy, wet, cold and grey. I just tell myself that stoning the weatherman will do us no good because it seems like the Northeast is just unlucky this year. Ahhh, this crap climate is &#8230; <a href="http://tiffigoesnom.wordpress.com/2008/05/21/april-showers-are-hella-late-clear-signs-of-14-life-crisis-and-edible-consolation/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=tiffigoesnom.wordpress.com&amp;blog=3755476&amp;post=5&amp;subd=tiffigoesnom&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>So yesterday&#8217;s weather was an abomination. Windy, wet, cold and grey. I just tell myself that stoning the weatherman will do us no good because it seems like the Northeast is just unlucky this year. Ahhh, this crap climate is totally a sign of stormy days to come in my life. Someone up there (*points up there) is <strong> very </strong> clever. So schools been out for a while and I can&#8217;t say I&#8217;ve been enjoying things too much. Yea, my GPA shot up because I finally figured out what the HECK I wanna do but still&#8230;not good enough. It sucks that I&#8217;ve essentially boxed myself in and have very little room to move. One more mistake and my college career will be a bust&#8230;a very expensive bust, may I add. Someone pray to the gods of NYU that I get into honors English &#8211; burn a wad of Benjamin&#8217;s or something, its what those money-sucking leeches want anyway. &#8216;Cause really, I desperately want to write a 30-page thesis by the end of junior year. Lawl. I&#8217;m afraid it is happening. Nobody wants to major in what they like because someway or another, school will destroy everything it ever stood for. Before the end of 2008, I may very well hate English. </p>
<p>When we&#8217;re down, what do we do? We eat. Trudging home from work yesterday, I decided to hide from the rain inside <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/rive-gauche-cafe-patisserie-new-york"> Rive Gauche Bakery &amp; Cafe</a>. It looked like the run-of-the-mill cafe, but was cute, warm and glowy inside as opposed the depressingly drab streets of the UES. There&#8217;s a sweet little bench outside for you to sit on WHEN THE WEATHER ISN&#8217;T SHITASTIC and you can people-watch as NYCers hustle up and down a super-busy 86th Street.<br />
<a href="http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2931858390056703426NNwVWr"><img src="http://inlinethumb13.webshots.com/42572/2931858390056703426S200x200Q85.jpg" alt="5-21-08 017"></a><a href="http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2566157730056703426OiQkSS"><img src="http://inlinethumb29.webshots.com/42716/2566157730056703426S200x200Q85.jpg" alt="5-21-08 018"></a><br />
Cute, eh?</p>
<p>They have lots of pastries and and all sorts of breads that they bake right there. I wasn&#8217;t feeling sweet (and didn&#8217;t want to gain like a million pounds) so I perused their sandwiches. Sadly, they were all refrigerated (*frowny face). <strong>Sticking a sandwich in the fridge compromises everything. Seriously.</strong> The bread totally loses it&#8217;s character and the filling more often than not just gets soggy. I bought a small latte and the tastiest looking one, a Caprese style s.w. Inside a baguette were fresh sliced mozzarella, fresh basil, sliced tomato and roasted red peppers. Total was a little under $11. Well, its NYC *shrug. The lady at the counter asked me if I wanted to warm my sandwich up. Feeling smarmy: &#8220;Iono, do I?&#8221;. Lol, I figured a warm s.w. is probably better than a cold one on a day like this so I told her to nuke it. But I was pleasantly surprised when she plopped the thing onto a panini press and grilled it for a minute or two, cus that sure as hell beats a microwave. I find myself a seat and OOOOOOOOOOLALA theres free Wi-Fi! And I&#8217;ve also discovered the wonders of macro shots! So picture quality is slowly improving. Here, don&#8217;t wet yourselves:<br />
<a href="http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2683442290056703426bTlfGq"><img src="http://inlinethumb40.webshots.com/28327/2683442290056703426S425x425Q85.jpg" alt="5-21-08 009"></a><br />
Mmmmm, melty cheese.<br />
<a href="http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2134185780056703426VsDbYO"><img src="http://inlinethumb40.webshots.com/23143/2134185780056703426S425x425Q85.jpg" alt="5-21-08 010"></a><br />
Grill marks. Sexy. </p>
<p>Grilling the s.w. definitely helped the baguette regain some of its integrity. The crust was crunchy and crackly while the crumb was tender, chewy and a little dense. It smelled faintly yeasty and there was the tiniest tang, like sour dough. The filling could&#8217;ve used some tweaking &#8211; too much cheese! Mozzarella is one of the blander cheese anyway, so it felt pretty pointless. I like a nice even ratio of everything in my s.w. and the cheese sorta nudged everything else aside. The basil cut through nicely though (I wish there was more!) and there was some smokiness from the roasted peppers. I would not have missed the tomato. It made everything soggy. Perhaps they could&#8217;ve brushed some olive oil on the surface of the bread so it wouldn&#8217;t get all mushy from the tomato juices. It was a decent sandwich. The latte however, was a dud. Talk about over-roasted and too milky =(. Look!</p>
<p><a href="http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2006293120056703426lgejbC"><img src="http://inlinethumb27.webshots.com/43482/2006293120056703426S425x425Q85.jpg" alt="5-21-08 014"></a><br />
All I could taste was bitter; there was no crema or coffee flavor. FAIL. I&#8217;m seriously a coffee no0b, but this might be worse than Starbucks *gaps!</p>
<p>Anyways, I don&#8217;t mean to bash this place cus it&#8217;s really very decent. I left full and warm hehehe. Their breads looked tempting and next time I&#8217;ll try their sweets&#8230;they had tasty looking chocolate croissants ^_^V </p>
<p>I&#8217;ll blog about today&#8217;s &#8220;Dining Downtown&#8221; experience in a bit. Stay tuned, suckers =P</p>
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		<title>Summer &#8217;08: The Feast Begins</title>
		<link>http://tiffigoesnom.wordpress.com/2008/05/18/summer-08-the-feast-begins/</link>
		<comments>http://tiffigoesnom.wordpress.com/2008/05/18/summer-08-the-feast-begins/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 18 May 2008 04:02:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>tiffixd</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bread Pudding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[thai food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[thin crust pizza]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Two years at NYU has revealed a cityscape dotted with culinary gems. As a voracious eater of anything that will not run away from me (well, if I can catch it, I&#8217;ll eat it too), I&#8217;ve decided to start a &#8230; <a href="http://tiffigoesnom.wordpress.com/2008/05/18/summer-08-the-feast-begins/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=tiffigoesnom.wordpress.com&amp;blog=3755476&amp;post=3&amp;subd=tiffigoesnom&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Two years at NYU has revealed a cityscape dotted with culinary gems. As a voracious eater of anything that will not run away from me (well, if I can catch it, I&#8217;ll eat it too), I&#8217;ve decided to start a food blog. The idea of being able to look back on what I eat is pretty neat-o. Of course, since I&#8217;m a no0b, you will have to deal with my amateur-ocity. Also, I do not have a bad-ass camera, merely a humble PowerShot, so you&#8217;ll have to deal with crappy picture quality as well. I&#8217;ll upgrade to a more sexy camera later when or if the funds come up.</p>
<p>Inspired by another blogger, I decided that the best way to start was to go after something I had been craving since the winter (I have die-hard cravings): bread pudding. A Google-search later, I found Grandaisy Bakery in SoHo; they apparently have BAMF thin crust pizza as well. I ring my fellow-foodie-at-heart and BFF Tini, and we were off. Unfortunately, the commute to the city was a nightmare. During the two-hour ride, I jiggled my foot the whole way and cussed like a sailor, but to no avail. Damn service was local everywhere. MTA, I hate you *obscene gesture*. But luckily the weather was flippin&#8217; FAB, and the noshing was great sooo&#8230;onward ho!</p>
<p>First stop, Grandaisy Bakery, where I was crestfallen to discover that they had NO MORE BREAD PUDDING. <strong>FAIL.</strong> But the nice girl at the counter went back and found some more. Yay!</p>
<p><a href="http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2008769890056703426XEAKKz"><img src="http://inlinethumb32.webshots.com/31775/2008769890056703426S500x500Q85.jpg" alt="5-17-08 018" /></a></p>
<p>Notice the lovely <strong>brûlée</strong> top. It wasn&#8217;t a crispy crust but lent a caramely/slightly burnt taste to the rich vanilla custard. No doubt the thing was rich cus I mean omigosh its brioche (which means boatloads of butter), cream, eggs and sugar. It was dense, not too sweet and somehow maintained a lovely balance between the richness of the brioche and the custard. The only qualm I had was that it clearly came from the fridge =(. That dried it up a little bit. I was too impatient to let it come to room temperature though.</p>
<p>Next, the thin crust pizza. I got myself a &#8220;Funghi&#8221; slice (mushrooms of all sorts) and was lucky enough to snatch a Pomodoro fresh out of the oven! Tini got the artichoke and garlic crumb one.</p>
<p><a href="http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2279700950056703426JQaMqp"><img src="http://inlinethumb47.webshots.com/42222/2279700950056703426S425x425Q85.jpg" alt="5-17-08 002" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2537572150056703426NKZXtI"><img src="http://inlinethumb53.webshots.com/41012/2537572150056703426S425x425Q85.jpg" alt="5-17-08 007" /></a></p>
<p>The mushrooms were tasty and earthy. Just a bit soggy, probably cus mushrooms are like lil sponges. But it was flecked with sea salt and the tender mushrooms, crispy crust and little bursts of saltiness (I think I got some rosemary/thyme in there too) was delish.</p>
<p><a href="http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2881438730056703426qcKoKA"><img src="http://inlinethumb57.webshots.com/25976/2881438730056703426S425x425Q85.jpg" alt="5-17-08 009" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2302291110056703426GEFyek"><img src="http://inlinethumb33.webshots.com/5152/2302291110056703426S425x425Q85.jpg" alt="5-17-08 013" /></a></p>
<p>Heheheheh I love warm pizza! And notice, its a piece from the edge which means more crunchy bits. The sauce was tangy and bright. Think bruschetta but richer. The crust was UH-MAY-ZING. Symphonies of crackles each time I took a bite. OH DID I MENTION, IT WAS <strong>WARM?!</strong> lol.</p>
<p><a href="http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2434821530056703426ZVUdJG"><img src="http://inlinethumb62.webshots.com/16061/2434821530056703426S425x425Q85.jpg" alt="5-17-08 004" /></a></p>
<p>The crust on Tini&#8217;s artichoke piece was fluffier in the middle, but had a nice golden crusty layer on top. The salty garlic flavored bread crumbs sprinkled on top was the best part. I wish they used fresh &#8216;chokes? Cus these tasted canned. But it was still pretty good.</p>
<p>Then cus we were starving after the horrid commute, we indulged in some more sweets, like this adorable little carrot cupcake.</p>
<p><a href="http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2395148580056703426jZPRVa"><img src="http://inlinethumb24.webshots.com/31127/2395148580056703426S425x425Q85.jpg" alt="5-17-08 014" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2649658140056703426qMBJhF"><img src="http://inlinethumb64.webshots.com/42559/2649658140056703426S425x425Q85.jpg" alt="5-17-08 017" /></a></p>
<p>It was dense, filled with carrots and cinammon. I think there was a raisin or two in there. Not the moistest cake ever, rather crumbly, but flavor was definitely there. The icing was awesome &#8211; I love cream cheese icing. The pistachios on top were random and I&#8217;m not sure they did anything for the palate. O well *crunch.</p>
<p><a href="http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2003631080056703426HkxDAz"><img src="http://inlinethumb18.webshots.com/32017/2003631080056703426S425x425Q85.jpg" alt="5-17-08 008" /></a></p>
<p>This is a cute little cookie sandwhich they called panini dolci. They had a variety there, but I picked this one for Tini. It was two incredibly buttery-shortbread type cookies sandwiched together with Nutella. I&#8217;ll eat garbage if its slathered in Nutella</p>
<p>Oh we had these little bottles of Yoga nectar. Peachy!</p>
<p><a href="http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2871906860056703426CsFnIj"><img src="http://inlinethumb41.webshots.com/40616/2871906860056703426S425x425Q85.jpg" alt="5-17-08 021" /></a></p>
<p>The tasty food helped us forget about the nightmare of a commute and plus I got a call from my boss saying &#8220;Take the night off&#8221;. Woohoo! So for the next 6 plus hours, Tini and I wandered around Soho, sight seeing and shopping. I also got myself an iced latte (which I don&#8217;t have a picture of but heres the napkin!):</p>
<p><a href="http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2890897350056703426WUimMv"><img src="http://inlinethumb34.webshots.com/4705/2890897350056703426S425x425Q85.jpg" alt="5-17-08 039" /></a></p>
<p>It wasn&#8217;t bad. Better than Starbucks fershure. It was milky and creamy, but the esspresso wasn&#8217;t drowned out by the dairy. Not bad. In fact, it was good enough that I didn&#8217;t even put sugar in it. Cafe Rheon looked cute (so did the barista) and there was a little garden out back. I&#8217;ll make a note to revisit.</p>
<p>Anyway, by 9:30pm we had shopped ourselves silly and were in dire need of sustenance. We go to Cafe Tasia, the stand-by Thai place for all NYU-ers. It was, as usual, packed, noisy and blasting really hip techno. Tini felt adventurous and ordered a Virgin Thai Mojito! It was super fruity and refreshing cus they used Lychees and lychee syrup/juice along with fresh mint leaves. I loved it cus there was no nasty alcohol to ruin the tasty mocktail. I felt boring so I got a Thai Iced Tea. The Iced Tea wasn&#8217;t bad, just not as great as I remembered. Tasted a bit watered down and it wasn&#8217;t as sweet as usual. O wells:</p>
<p><a href="http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2879860830056703426xEgUjD"><img src="http://inlinethumb11.webshots.com/25226/2879860830056703426S425x425Q85.jpg" alt="5-17-08 026" /></a></p>
<p>Then, since we wanted to save calories and room for dessert, we skipped appetizers and went straight to main courses. She got the Pad Thai, which is pretty good as Pad Thai&#8217;s in NYC go. It&#8217;s bright, tangy and saucy (although Alton Brown claims the original is more dry and fluffy). You can definitely taste the tamarind. The noodles were nice and bouncy, giving them good texture.</p>
<p><a href="http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2380332320056703426eYVfSK"><img src="http://inlinethumb11.webshots.com/8522/2380332320056703426S425x425Q85.jpg" alt="5-17-08 031" /></a></p>
<p>I got the Pad See Ew. Ok, so it&#8217;s <strong>TOTALLY</strong> like Cantonese chow fun, but I still love it. Broad flat rice noodles, sauteed in sweet peppery soy sauce with beef, eggs and bok choy. Whats not to like? The noodles might have been over-cooked cus they fell apart easily and were a little mushy. But the flavor and tender beef made up for it.</p>
<p><a href="http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2558835710056703426UzGZcv"><img src="http://inlinethumb51.webshots.com/40434/2558835710056703426S425x425Q85.jpg" alt="5-17-08 030" /></a></p>
<p>The meal was highly satisfying. Probably cus we were starving mofos. But yea, expect this place to show up QUITE frequently over the next several&#8230;years. Lol. We&#8217;ll probably go through the entire menu.</p>
<p>Thank you Random Dude (Possibly on a Date?) Next To Us for taking this picture:</p>
<p><a href="http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2997078620056703426yMtkXJ"><img src="http://inlinethumb02.webshots.com/35009/2997078620056703426S425x425Q85.jpg" alt="5-17-08 025" /></a></p>
<p>The bill came out to a modest $42, which isn&#8217;t bad for two very hearty entrees, two cocktails (even without alcohol) and a Thai Iced Tea. We left full and happy and pranced about in the drizzling rain before catching the perfectly timed LIRR back home.</p>
<p>So starts a journey. You are all welcome to join. Happy noming!</p>
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