dim sum anyone?? and Dessert :) pt.2

Pt. 2 - we have to have dessert!!

        After our delicious lunch at Chinatown Brassiere, I had wanted to take my friends to a dessert bar in the area that kept up with the asian dining theme of the day. I had heard about Spot Dessert Bar in the East Village from a television show and i was excited to try. Spot Dessert Bar bases itself as a place that has the typical "american" desserts with an asian twist. I guess this is what intrigued me to visit being you really don't associate asian cuisine with desserts. I was anxious to see how and to what level this was executed.

Yuzu Eskimo, White Miso Semi Fredo, Green Tea Lava 

        Walking along St. Marks place, the restaurant can be easily missed. We walked pass twice without realizing the entrance is below street level at the bottom of a small set of stairs. In we went, the place itself is pretty small, seating for no more that 20 people (cramped). We sat down looked over the menu and discussed what we should order. On the menu they have categories of dessert- dessert tapas, cupcakes & pastries and ice creams/sorbets. We all decided to get 3 different dessert tapas.
          We decided on Yuzu Eskimo, White Miso Semi Fredo, and the Green Tea Lava Cake. The presentations were all very pretty and simple. You could definitely tell that the colors of the desserts were taken into consideration when they were picking out plates. Everything popped out from the plate, looking even more appetizing.

Whte Miso Semifreddo, Raspberry Sorbet

            Its always said that you eat with your eyes and as you can see everything looked delicious. The white miso semifreddo was probably the most ordinary out of the three. It was vanilla cake with frozen custard layers. The custard was flavored with white miso in a vague way. I think the only reason why we pin-pointed the flavor was because we were looking for it. In my opinion it could have used a touch more. The sorbet that accompanied it was good- not bad and not outstanding.              

Green Tea Lava Cake with Green Tea Ice Cream

Green Tea White Chocolate oozing out

             Then it was the green tea lava cake. Now chocolate lava cake is on menus everywhere and is probably one of the most popular desserts so it makes perfect sense to have it at an actual dessert bar. I liked the variation of the the green tea white chocolate center even though it was a little too green (i hate un-natural colors in food. Green tea is really not all that green :). The cake was moist and the flavor of the green tea worked well- especially with the white chocolate because it balanced out the sweetness. The green tea ice cream tasted good- not chalky which tends to be the case with many things green tea flavored. Overall- a well executed dessert.

Yuzu Eskimo 

               Now- saving the best for last. We all agreed that the Yuzu Eskimo was the best dessert out of the three. For people who dont know what yuzu is - (a japanese citrus fruit that taste like a cross between lime & grapefruit). Combined with what I know of a typical eskimo dessert-( marshmellow or vanilla ice cream covered with chocolate) I figured together the taste would be interesting to say the least. I was right, first you get the sour and acidic sweetness from the yuzu, then the creams mellows it out. The oreo crumbles add a bite of texture and breaks up the cream. The raspberry foam was like air- very light and tart with a hint of sweet. Great combination.

                        Now you would think with a review like this I would definitely go back to Spot Dessert Bar again right?? Wrong- I don't think I would ever go back all because of the service. Before going I did read a couple of negative reviews regarding the service and they were right. Our waitress/host was a little on the rude side having an attitude with many customers. Remember earlier how I said this place is small- so you would think that they would try to utilize all seats right- Ha, wrong. The table across from us could have sat six people but was occupied by an employees child. The little girl had her toys all over the table and not once did the other employees move her so customers could sit down. Let me also mention that there was a wait to get in. We watched at least 4 different parties leave because they were not allowed to sit at that table and when the hostess was questioned about that situation, she replied with an attitude "no, you have to wait for another table to open". Craziness. This is very unfortunate because I would have probably gone back just for the Yuzu Eskimo. Maybe for their sake they realized that good food & good service go hand in hand. You cant be fully successful without both. Oh well, onto the next one............

Dim Sum Anyone?? and dessert :) pt.1

Yes, I know- its been a while but im back :)

            I always love it when I go out to eat with my college buddies. There is no need for explaining why I analyze, try to pick up on specific flavors & texture, or stare at a plate presentation for a while because- we are all doing the same thing. Thats the great thing about going to restaurants with other foodies and today was no exception. One of my best friends from JWU came down from Boston to visit for her birthday weekend and for the actual day of her bday I had a a couple of places in mind for us along with another college buddy to try. 

            Being a lover of all cuisine asian- i decided we should start off with dim sum for lunch. I always watch the show unique eats on the cooking channel and on one of the episodes they featured Chinatown Brasserie- a restaurant specializing in dim sum-(a style of chinese food prepared in small bite size or individual portions traditionally served in small steamer baskets or small plates)-wikipedia. So off we went to fill up steamed & pan-fried dumplings.

shrimp & snow pea leaf dumplings

             So we started off by ordering 2 items each- the shrimp & snow pea leaf dumplings arrived at the table first. They were delicious. All three of us in agreement said that the shrimp tasted extremely fresh and cooked perfectly. The sauce that accompanied the dumplings was a combination of soy, sesame, scallion and hints of lemongrass. We savored the dumplings and they kept coming.

Baby Bok Choy & Shitake Dumplings, Lamb Dumplings, Green Curry Lobster Rolls,  Pork & Shrimp Dumplings, Pork Stuffed Noodles

Steamed Pork Buns, Watercress Shrimp & Pork, Crispy Mango & Shrimp

Spicy Vegetable Potstickers, Mango Chilli Margarita  

I had not one complaint, all of the dumplings were very good and met all of our expectations. They arrived to our table steaming hot, some soo hot we had to wait a couple of minutes before we devoured them. The ingredients inside tasted fresh and still kept up its integrity and texture within the dumpling. This place gets my vote. If you are ever looking for delicious dim sum, head to the east village to Chinatown Brasserie.

       

Big Bite out of The Big Easy (NOLa)

           It all started 5 years ago, a group of my college friends met up in Chicago for the "Taste of Chicago". We had a blast going to the festival, exploring the city and having a "mini" reunion because it was the first time we all together since graduation which was the year before. We all departed making a pact that we would take trips together in the future. Exactly one week after we all left Chicago one of my friends had a tragic car accident that left her paralyzed. Fast forward 5 years........ she wanted to do something that commemorates the anniversary of the accident and continue our "trip pact".  The choice was New Orleans and I was ecstatic. I have always wanted to go to New Orleans and so were my foodie friends. I couldn't wait to try jambalaya, crawfish, oysters etc. Basically, I couldn't wait to eat. The week before we left I went to the gym double just to compensate for the pounds I would definitely gain while there.
          Our first day we started our journey into cajun cuisine at the Acme Oyster House. Many people told me that this was the place for po'boys- a sandwich usually of fried shellfish or oysters, lettuce, tomato on a french bread. I wanted to start off with a bang so I ordered the crawfish & oyster po'boy. The fried oysters were fresh and huge. The crawfish tails we a little over-seasoned. Overall the combination was good. I also felt a little adventurous and ordered fried alligator. To my surprise, it reminded me of chicken breast, just a little juicier. We also tried the jambalaya, which is a rice dish with sausage onions and peppers. It was excellent- the rice was perfectly cooked and the sausage was spicy but not overpowering.

          
 While in New Orleans we did the typical touristy things. We went on a New Orleans/Katrina tour, went to Harrahs casino. We was on Bourbon Street practically everyday -our hotel was a block away, shopped along the stores on Royale Street. We also had to make the stop at Cafe Du Monde. Cafe Du Monde is know for their beignets and coffee. Beignets are a french style doughnut. The were fried and heavily dusted with powdered sugar. It reminded me of zeppole- the fried pizza dough dusted with powdered thats popular here in NYC. Im not a big coffee fan but I did get the frozen cafe au lait. It was good, tasted like a frappacino from starbucks.

Waiter Flambeing Bananas Foster

Eggs Marchand

             For our last day together we ate like queens. We went to the famous Brennan's for brunch. I ordered Eggs Marchand- poached eggs on top of a biscuit and canadian bacon with a red wine beef sauce. The breakfast was awesome- I had no complaints, neither did my friends. We inspected our eggs because it was remarkable how perfectly poached they were. The egg whites were fully cooked and the yolks runny. The eggs had a perfect pear shape, so we concluded that they have a egg poaching device of some kind. For dessert we ordered bananas foster- which was created there, strawberry crepes which were filled with sweet cheese. The desserts were prepared tableside. We watched the fire show of flambeing the bananas and strawberries in liquor. Then when cooked the waiter poured it over vanilla ice cream. You could have rolled us out of the restaurant after that meal. We were all full and happy.

New Orleans Surf & Turf

              When I was younger, I used to watch cooking shows on the channel pbs. One of the shows was about cajun cooking with Chef Paul Prudhomme, putting the food of the bayou on the map way before Emeril. So i was really excited that we were going to eat at his restaurant K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen for our final dinner. For starters we had a basket of fresh baked assorted biscuits and rolls which our waitress warned us not to get full off of. Jalapeno cheddar, corn, buttermilk and molasses were the varieties. For an appetizer we ordered creole shrimp stuffed artichoke. The shrimp were large, spicy and buttery atop of a steamed artichoke. For entree I ordered their version of a surf and turf. It was a petite filet and blackened sly (a white flesh fish in the catfish family) topped with crabmeat, chipotle butter and served with pomme puree (creamier mashed potatoes) and green beans. This was probably in the top 3 best meals i've ever had. The beef was cooked to my liking- medium, the blackened sly with the chipotle butter and crabmeat was divine and the pomme puree was creamy and a great accompaniment to pick up the sauces. Even though we were all full, we couldn't pass on dessert. The four of us shared a slice of sweet potato pecan pie. It was the best combination of pies into one delicious dessert. I carefully examined it because I am going to make it for Thanksgiving.

Beignets and Frozen Cafe au Lait from Cafe Du Monde

                 While in New Orleans I was already planning my next trip back. I fell in love with the vibe, music and especially the FOOD of this city. The four of us in agreement had a great time in New Orleans. So next summer I going back to explore more and taste even more :)

Hello World

HELLOOOOOO WORLD!!!

          Welcome to my blog. Well i guess for starters an intro is in order. So here goes..... My name is Shaquay and I am from NYC. A true native being born in Brooklyn, raised in Queens and now reside in Harlem. Since the age of about 5 i always knew that I was going to be a chef. I always was in the kitchen watching my mother and grandmother make family meals. As a young child I was also heavily influenced by my older brother Darius (2 time CHOPPED champion :) who is also a chef and has been since I was about 6 years old. Since I already knew what I wanted to do as a career, picking a college was easy for me. I knew that I had wanted to go away, live on a campus, study culinary arts and have my peers be around my age. So the obvious choice was Johnson And Wales University. I went to the Providence, Rhode Island campus where I got my AS in Culinary Arts and my BS in Culinary Nutrition. After JWU, I worked in many kitchens in different places in Anguilla, Colorado, New Jersey and New York. 

          Back on the subject of my brother, people constantly asked me " are you a chef because of your brother" which I get why people would ask because of the coincidence that my mothers two children are both chefs. However that comment is also irritating to me because if people knew how much went into being a chef, they wouldn't say such a thing as me doing it just because of my brother. Its not all glamorous... sure you make meals, are able to be creative, work with different ingredients which is all fun. However this profession is not for the weak..... it will break you down. Being a chef is also EXTREMELY physical, on your feet 12+ hours a day, lifting and carrying pounds, running around a HOT kitchen (i have worked in kitchens over 100 degrees) and the injuries. I have cut myself numerous times and have countless burns on my arms and hands due to my job. Slicing the tip of my finger off with a mandolin, steam burns to the hand, burning my forearm with an oven door and burning grease splattering on my face and hand are just a few injuries that i have gotten over the years. So as you can see, if it wasn't for the love of what I do, there would be no way I would do it.

          So I know you are wondering........ why are you doing a blog? Well i have always had an interest in food writing, being a food critic, food photography and food styling. I love going to restaurants and being a critic, taking pictures of a cool plate and eating something interesting and unique. I have more pictures of food on my camera than actual people. So, this blog will be a mainly a restaurant review- only my opinions so hopefully people wont take offense. Every now and then I will post a recipe that needs to be shared and little anecdotes of my professional life, travels and how it relates to the topic. I want to do something unpretentious, educational and fun. A great read and view points from a person that is a chef but doesn't take herself too seriously. Because in the end..... its just food :)