Saturday in Fooood ^_^

Last Saturday, the hours went like this:

12:00pm @ Momofuku Milk Bar with Mitzy and Ferry

Pistachio Cake

Fruity Cereal Cookie. See my Serious Eats New York post here.

1:00pm @ Casa Mono with Kathryn and Lauren

Lamb's Tongue with Mint Alioli

Duck Egg with Mojama

Fideos with Chorizo and Clams

Foie Gras with Cinco Cebollas

Artichokes with Mint

Skirt Steak with Onion Mermelada

Ramps with Mermelada

Sweetbreads with Fennel al Mono

4:00pm @ Joe the Art of Coffee (Waverly location) with Kathryn and Lauren

Iced Mocha

6:00pm@ Mayahuel with Kathryn and Lauren

Cocktails along with a few snacks...Quesadillas and...

...Palomitas: Popped Corn with Lime, Cotija Cheese, Ancho Chile

9:00pm @ Otto with Kathryn and Lauren

Ramps (hidden under the eggs), Two Eggs, and Bottarga. Earlier in the week I had the Ramps Pizza with Don...super tasty ^_^ Those dishes were part of the weekly special menu...hope they bring it back sometime before ramp season is all pau.

Escarole & Sunchoke Salad

Buccatini All' Amatriciana: Guanciale, Tomato, and Pecorino

We also shared a cheese plate -> (Coach Triple Cream, Goat, NY), (Fontina, Cow, VAL), (Taleggio, Cow, LOM), (Pecorino di Fossa, Sheep, EMI), and (Blu del Moncenisio, Cow, PIE)

Cherries, Truffled Honey, and Apricots

Olive Oil, Coffee, and Salty Caramel Gelato. As much as I love, love, love the Olive Oil, Salty Caramel will forever be my favourite. The super eggy waffle wedges are slowly growing on me. I always thought they were too eggy, but after you eat about ten million pieces, it's hard not to develop an odd affection for this three bite triangles.

Full? Just a litttttle ;) Happy Sunday!

Momofuku Bakery & Milk Bar
207 Second Avenue
New York, NY 10003

Casa Mono
52 Irving Place
New York, NY 10003
(212) 253-2773

Joe the Art of Coffee
141 Waverly Place
New York, NY 10003
(212) 924-6750

Mayahuel
304 E, 6th Street
New York, NY 10003

Otto
1 Fifth Avenue
NY, NY 10003
(212) 995-9559

Pinisi...Part II!!!!

Red velvet cupcake

Just stopped by Pinisi a few nights ago - one of my favourite bakeries in town. Andy bounded out of the kitchen with exciting news, "I'm opening a second location!"

Coooookie

Pinisi has been one of my favourite bakeries since I moved to the city - remember my first few posts here and here?

"Sexy cocoa fluff" cupcakes

Andy took Greg and I south a few blocks to his new location, set to open in just under two weeks. It's slightly bigger than the original Pinisi on 4th Street, but everything from the lighting to the cake stands and wall colours are distinctively Andy. What I found most impressive was that he did everything himself! Painting the walls, stripping the floors...a to z. Now that's a labour of love :)

Cassava squares

The new location on 1st Avenue (near Houston) will have the same menu as 4th street, only there's more room for lounging around. And there will be wifi!

Summer juices!

Oh! And do stop by for his new line of coollld juices for summer: "Cranberry Orange Blood", "Orange Blackjack", and "Fresh Limeade." Refreshing to say the least.

Andy and I :)

Congrats, Andy! Will be back with reports on the new place ^_^

Happy Wednesday!

Pinisi Cafe & Bakery
128 East 4th St
NY, NY 10003
(212) 614-9079

Notes

1. Sunday morning coffee with Greg at Mud ^_^

2. It's summer hat season! Found a swell straw & black number to add to my collection from BOB (no last name). He carries mostly bags and jewelry, but recently branched into hats - huzzah! Between him, Gallery Vercon, The Hat Shop, and the rest of 9th Street between 1st and 2nd Avenue...I'm happy as a peach.

3. An amazing Saturday with Kathryn and Lauren at Casa Mono, Joe's, Mayahuel, and Otto. Post to come soon :)

Mud Coffee
307 E. 9th Street
New York, NY 10003
(212) 228-9074

Minetta Tavern

My first visit to Minetta Tavern took place right after Nick and I had dinner at Convivio. We stopped in for a dessert of hazelnut crepes and quite a few cocktails. He promised, "we'll be back for the burger!"

As so less than a week later, we were back. This time for a full meal. Before you go any further, make sure to read Nick's post on the Minetta Tavern burger RIGHT HERE - a fantastic post.

And goodness, was dinner a full and marvelous meal.

It went something like this...

Bread, butter, and salt

Warm Gougères

Quail Eggs and Sardines

Saucisson en Brioche

Roasted Bone Marrow

Crispy Pig's Trotter

Rabbit Terrine with Pistachios, Ramps and Mushrooms

It was at this point when I started to get full. That feeling you know, the one where your body goes, ok, two cocktails, half a bottle of wine and plenty of calories. You can stop now. But those were just the appetizers. The main event was yet to arrive! Nick had told me so much about the burger and steak beforehand that it would have been impossible and very silly to pass up. When there's a will, there's stomach room.

And so arrived...

"179" NY Strip Steak (Creekstone Farms Kentucky)

Pommes Anna

The Black Label Burger

The burger and tattoos go quite well together, don't they? :)

And since we had come this far, the only way to properly conclude the meal was with the Grand Marnier Soufflé for two.

::swoooffff!:: It was incredible.

To finish: chocolates from Jacques Torres

I get all heady trying to comprehend just how much we consumed in a few hours. But it was so delicious, I'd do it all over again. It never hurts to stretch the waistline every now and then ;)

Minetta Tavern
113 MacDougal St
New York, NY 10012
(212) 475-3850

Goodbye Tafu

My last post was titled, "Goodbye Amai," and now this one is "Goodbye Tafu." I wish I could come up with more happier titles, I really do, but it's just goodbye, plain and simple :(

Tafu, the midtown tea and dessert spot where I sought salvation during those crazy tax season hours, closes this Friday forever. And this is just after Amai closed yesterday!

Tafu and Amai are both very similar spots: tea-focused with Japanese inspired sweets. It is sad to see both go in a time period so close to one another. What is happening??? :[

How much did I love Tafu? A lot. I even have a Flickr Set devoted to it!

Here's what I'll miss:

Hot matcha lattes topped with chocolate or...

...kuromitsu syrup...

...hojicha roll cakes...the matcha one too!

Daifukus with a smidgen of cream tucked in the very middle. See an innards shot here...

...along with delicate cheesecakes in similar tea flavours. The genmaicha was my favourite.

I'll miss afternoon tea break with co-workers...

...when you "eat-in", they arrange your order on little trays. Grab a seat along the count and munch away! :) I love doing this on super rainy days.

The tea infused chocolates were always a great pick-me-up late in the night.

But the biggest bummer of all is that we can no longer get Mitzy's macarons there :[

That was the real highlight of Tafu.

I'll be swinging by a few times this week...Kyotofu supplies many of the bakeds good and one could easily head to Hells Kitchen to get it straight from the source...but you won't be able to find those hot matcha lattes anywhere else.

Tafu New York
Double Tree Metropolitan Hotel
569 Lexington Ave
New York, NY 10079
(212) 980-1310