The Best Thing I Had In My Mouth - Eataly's Golden Raisin & Caraway Seed Bread

Last week I met up with a friend for a drink at Eataly, and then wound up shopping for some ingredients for dinner.  I got butternut squash and amaretto ravioli, Mario Batali cherry tomato marinara (really fresh and bright tasting), and this golden raisin with caraway seeds bread.  All the food was great, but the bread was soooo good.  I loved the sweetness of the golden raisins with the licorice flavor of the caraway seeds.  It was great toasted a few days later too.  Definitely the best thing I had in my mouth all week.

The Best Thing In My Mouth - ABC Kitchen Sundae

Last Thursday, I treated myself to a fancy lunch at ABC Kitchen.  I have been dying to go there after I heard about their salted caramel sundae with candied peanuts, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and popcorn.  Like really!?  As an ice cream freak I had to try it, and I glad I did, because it was the best thing I tasted all week.  Toffee popcorn is officially my new topper on ice cream (specifically Garrett's).  I also loved that the chocolate sauce was in the bottom of the bowl, like a swimming pool for my three mounds of salted caramel ice cream.  And yes I shared, so don't judge.

The Best Thing I Had In My Mouth - Pretzel Croissant

My friend Anna gushed about The City Bakery's Pretzel Croissant like every time I saw her.  So one Saturday morning I went in and got one.  I was completely disappointed, my taste buds were confused - the texture of a croissant, the salty goodness and coloring of a pretzel - what is this!?  Maybe my problem was that I decided to eat the flaky thing while on the street and then while walking through Bed Bath and Beyond, as if that isn't overwhelming enough.  So last week I gave it a second chance.  I was prepared for the confusing prezzant, as I like to call it.  This time I ate sitting down (a more appropriate choice - so the flakes went on my desk, not my clothing), and I truly enjoyed it.  The salty flavor, the buttery flakiness that every delicious croissant must have - I scarfed the sucker down.  It was definitely the best thing I had in my mouth last week.


On another note, Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day everyone!  Below is a clip from The Cosby Show, featuring the family sitting in silence listening to Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech.  It is a special moment, that always leaves me a little teary-eyed. 

No Boys Allowed Sugar Cookie Party

A couple photos from Anna and I's No Boys Allowed Sugar Cookie Party :)

Bikini Anna.

Click here for the sugar cookie and royal icing recipe.  If you live in New York, you must stop by NY Cake and Bake.  They have an amazing selection of sprinkles, cookie cutters, and basically anything you can imagine.

Click here to see my cookies from last year.

And click here to try these Chewy Ginger Snaps.  Soooo goood!

Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream

Anytime I mention the yellow ice cream truck, aka Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream, people sigh deeply and say, "I love their ice cream...its sooooo good."  I think they even close their eyes while they talk about it.  I can't help it, but I roll my eyes.  One of the yellow trucks is a few blocks away from my office, so I have stopped by twice.  I will admit the truck is super cute.  It is a pale yellow that is soft and sweet, and the illustrations on the side of the truck always makes me slow down and ponder whether I should get a scoop.  On my first visit, I chose strawberry ice cream.  It was the middle of June - strawberry season, and I had very high hopes.  The most obvious problem I had with the ice cream was that there were no chunks of strawberries - it was all one smooth, light pink scoop.  WHAT?  Hello - show case your seasonal ingredients!  The other issue was that it just wasn't creamy enough.  The ice cream had a an icy and grainy texture, which surprises me because on their website they state the finished product contains 18 percent butterfat and 30 percent overrun, which is typical to premium standards according to Harold McGee in On Food and Cooking.  Overall, the strawberry ice cream had a nice, natural flavor, but I still walked back to work disappointed.

After I explained my first experience to friends, they were in shock.  Perhaps, I had chosen the wrong flavor?  In my opinion, there shouldn't be a wrong flavor, if there is - don't put it on the menu.  So a few weeks ago I went back in hope for the little yellow truck to redeem itself.  This time I chose an Earl Grey ice cream cone.  Okay, I know this is an untraditional flavor, but I wasn't interested in the hazelnut ice cream that everyone raves about.  The flavor was light, subtle, and quietly complex with hints of orange mixed with the tea.  Unfortunately, I still could not get past the icy texture.  This ice cream was even worse than the first.  There were actual small chunks of ice in every bite! 

Small strawberry ice cream cone - $3.95

So now that I have talked trash about Van Leeuwen's, I will give them props for using hormone-free milk and cream from farmers in Lewis County, New York.  Their disposable goods are 100 percent renewable too!  They use Bagasse, a fiber made from sugar cane husks for their cups and napkins, and they use corn husk for their drinking cups, spoons, and straws.  And on top of that, 1 percent of their profits go to Wildlife Direct, to protect the endangered Mountain Gorilla.  


So if you are in New York, I recommend going to the little yellow truck on 23rd Street and Fifth Avenue and paying $3.95 for a small cone (which is actually quite big) and decide for yourself.  Get the hazelnut or coffee ice cream, but I would actually recommend just making your own.  Van Leeuwen's has nothing on David Lebovitz!