Ms Jones on vacation

Hello from New York City!! Well...Ohio right now...but think like I'm still in NYC. I'm trying to imagine that I'm still in Astoria typing while staring at the street and fire escapes because, quite frankly, typing while being enclosed in my office just makes this whole thing lose its zest. So imagine I'm still in New York...awash in a sea of culture, hustle, bustle, and FOOD!!! How could I go to a place like this and NOT share the amazing finds with all of you?!

First of all, I'd like to thank my NYC roomie for the week and partner in foodie crime and eventually the Sweet Cuppin' Cakes company, Anna. Having someone along for this culinary ride is always a joy. Plus she's wonderful company!

So the first day I arrived here, we decided to check out a place recommended by Rachael Ray on 'Tasty Travels.' Good Enough to Eat offers breakfast till 4pm, along with lunch, dinner, and 'inbetween' meals. Such a cute cottage-y interior and the whole place smelled like sugar and cinnamon. After taking a while to decide what we were going to order...I settled on the homemade granola with low fat yogurt and fresh fruit. Anna chose the smoked salmon sandwich on whole wheat toast with cucumbers, goat cheese, tomatoes, and watercress. The granola was sweet, but not too sweet...and toasty like it just came out of the oven topped with fresh strawberries and banana. The yogurt was unflavored, nicely chilled, and it perfectly complimented the belly-warming quality of the granola and the sweet tooth satisfying fruit. What I really loved about it is that it wasn't sugar laden. Often, you find granola and you can't really taste the actual components other than the sugar. You may even find clumps of it passed off as a real part of the cereal. But this had a beautiful oaty, nutty, and cinnamon flavor. My only complaint, haha, was that we didn't get some to take home with us! Of course, I had to try the smoked salmon too. A great crisp to the whole wheat bread and there was just the right amount of goat cheese for a creamy flavor. Paired with the cool watercress, cukes, and tomato...a brunch sandwich to eat anytime! The wait staff was casually attentive, refilling coffee when needed, but giving patrons a nice amount of space (in a small restaurant) for personal conversation. A+. Next time, I'm going the Irish Oatmeal route...perhaps pancakes...

Hopped on the N train from there to Canal Street to find the French Culinary Institute HQ so I wouldn't get lost going there for my tour on Friday. We stroleld along the Broadway/Grand Ave area popping into little shops every now and again. A small bi-level Asian foods store caught our eye right away. Virtually any product you could want/need for an Asian feast was inside, including reasonably priced fresh produce and pre-made sushi and even take home Omirice! A huge selection of yam noodles..and the elusive Shiritaki Noodles in both the spaghetti and fettucini shape! So, we picked up a couple packs of each, as well as some broiled tofu, and wakame salad in preparation to cook at 'home' Thursday night.

As the day went on, our hectic schedule only allowed for a couple Nature Valley PB granola bars until around 11pm, we were finally able to find a spot for dinner. In exploring the area surrounding the apartment, we were considering just heading into Key Foods to pick up some groceries for that night and for the rest of my visit, until we saw Pinocchio's Parlour on 30th Ave. Glanced and the menu outside and saw large sized Horatiki salad and we were sold. Cute atmosphere, LOTS of 'extended family' of the place in when we sat down. Flatbread straight out of the oven was brought to our table and we ordered a couple big salads to get our veggies in. Everything was fresh and filled us up properly. No artichokes on my Horatiki though...slightly disappointing...as was the fact that there was lettuce in it. Traditionally, there's none. BUT at that point in the night, it was satisfying and light enough to eat before heading to bed. Our waiter was eating on the job...but it didn't bother me like it normally would because of the time of night and nature of the patrons in the place. He did take his sweet time bringing us the check though...
After we paid, we stepped outside and were shocked to see a corner produce market open. Therefore, we browsed through and picked up some fruit...PEACHES!!! of all things...were plentiful, surprisingly. But these would be used for breakfast on Saturday.

Thursday morning, Anna went off to work and after my workout, I was left to scrounge up breakfast for myself. She suggested a place right up the street from her apartment, Euro Cafe, which serves a GIANT selection of sweet and savory crepes, omlets, and brunch-y type foods all day long. Plus, they have really great coffee. So I set out in that direction when I was ready for the day. Not really knowing when the next time I was going to eat was, I searched for a hearty breakfast crepe to set me up for the rest of the day. I passed by the spinach and southwestern ones, and my eyes stopped at the 'To Your Health' crepe. A whole wheat crepe (who knew?!) with plain yogurt, walnuts, honey, fresh bananas and strawberries. Now I'm not sure how 'healthy' it really was...but it was delicious! Thankfully, there was more of the fruit inside than the other components...but it was dinner plate sized and hit the spot. Service was slow, but maybe that's the vibe they were going for? Honestly, service doesn't really matter to me as much as the quality of the food I am consuming. So I'm willing to make that sacrifice of a couple lost coffee refills for good eats.

My crepe kick started my day of walking around the city, which included a stop my Macy's Kitchen Demo center downtown to catch a cookie decorating presentation by Eleni's NYC. Got to meet her after the demo, which was nice..because hopefully, I'll be working for her when I relocate out there at the end of the summer. But back to the food!
I had to meet Anna around 5:30 so we could go the gym and I was running on no fuel. Thankfully, the cheerleader to my Thompkins was packing a Luna Bar. She might not know this, BUT it was the first Luna I'd ever had. Thanks to that s'mores bar, I'm addicted.

We went back to that open market in Astoria after our workout and also went to Key Foods. I wasn't expecting to find the selection that Key Foods provided! Hard to find Fage greek style yogurt, Better N Eggs substitute, and a great boxed grocery items. We ended up spending about an hour or so in the store...thankfully, Anna has the same grocery store habits that I do. Haha. Back home for me to cook dinner and expose Anna to the glorious world of Shiratki!
I made stirfry with snow peas, onions, broccoli, tofu, and mushrooms. Just a baby step into the Shirataki realm, but it worked! We topped off our homemade Chinese with amazing decaf Chocolate Raspberry Coffee. I'm not sure where she said she acquired it from...but it was insane!
The only other thing breaking from the norm for me that night was Gerber graduates strawberry apple snacks in my yogurt that night. They're the consistency of Alphabits, come in a good variety of flavors...when I got back to Toledo, I snagged the Sweet Potato and the Strawberry Apple. Now I know what you must be thinking...toddler food?! Look, there's no rules against that. I draw the line at the pureed baby food...but everything else is fair game. Case in point: I LOVE Cream of Wheat and rice cereal...and if the baby aisle at the grocery store is the only place I can get it...Gerber me NOW!!!

Friday morning, I decided to take it easy on myself and make my standard yogurt, fruit, and cereal for breakfast. Plus, I wanted to conserve since Anna and I had a dinner reservation at L'Ecole that night. Went back to Macy's for a lesson tempering and decorating with chocolate by the Master Chocolatier Thierry Muret and we got samples of the new products they are launching in honor of the 80th year of Godiva. Midnight Bliss, White Chocolate filled with a white ganache, and Milk Chocolate filled with Almond Praline. Saved those for later, grabbed a Luna Bar (I told you, I'm officially addicted) and some baby carrots and went to the FCI for my tour and class audit.

The school was everything I dreamed it would be. Over 15 amazing kitchens...4+ floors...a beautiful Culinary Theater where demos and guest speakers are held...being there was surreal...and I got the same feeling that I did when I first visited Bowling Green. Its just the right place for me to be. More of the mushy school spirit to come in my other blog. This one is all about the FOOD! When the tour was over, I was given a chef's coat to wear and took my seat in the corner of the Pastry I kitchen to observe students in action. They were making Lemon Chiffon cakes, buttercream frosting, and lemon curd filling. Once they had all their mis-en-place...it was a whirlwind of activity from there on out. Only stopping a couple times to get instruction from Chef Rebecca and Chef Kir. When I was sitting and watching, Alain Sailhac (Master Chef and Dean Emeritus of the FCI) just walked in and started chatting with me. I think I had a heart attack. Before he left, he made sure that I knew they used alot of butter at the school. The class was fast paced, but the instructors were good about letting the students really do things on their own. If they needed help, they were more than willing...but very hands off for the most part. That's one of the many things I loved to hear when learning about the school. Chef's aren't there to dictate. They offer guidance and instruction and end up becoming more like mentors than simply teachers. They really seem to develop personal relationships with the students that can be continued outside the classroom. The class was very systematic. Finish one project to the right point, clean up...start the next assignment...clean up...tie up loose ends...clean up. Everyone helped each other, especially the students that seemed to be progressing at a faster rate than others.
Reluctantly, I left the classroom around 8 to make my way back up to L'Ecole, the student run restaurant of the FCI for our dinner reservations. Anna was a bit late, due to an incident involving throw up on the subway, so we got started on the 5-course Prix Fixe meal around 8:40ish...Our attentive waiter was kind enough to explain the options for us that evening, as well as give us the vegetarian options, considering neither of us eat poultry, pork, or red meat.
FYI, all these courses were generously portioned for a 5 phase meal. Extremely great value for the price the dinner normally costed.
For our appetizer, we both smartly selected the Salmon Tartare over Cauliflower Salad. It came plated as a perfect circle, Tartate on top of the salad, which had a bruschetta feel to it, just with the addition of marinated cauliflower. Quite savory(thanks to the capers), and thankfully, not oily at all. Sometimes I worry with a salad that it might be runny with dressings, but not this time. Fantastic way to start things off.
Second course was the fish course. Since we were going to be splitting everything from there on out, we chose the Poached Sole Fillet in a Lemongrass Broth and the Fillet of Cod in a Tomato Sauce. (I really should have been smarter and wrote down the real names) The first thing we both noticed was how tender the fish was. In our experiences, properly cooked fish should flake off...but every time I've cooked it, there seems to be a bit of dryness in the dish. Not this time. Poaching the fillets was the solution to dry fish. Both the cod and sole flaked tenderly and melted in your mouth! The sauces weren't overpowering either...not even the lemongrass broth. And it didn't taste like Sea World! (Those of you who shy away from fish because of the smell know what I'm talking about.) Each was served with a sprinkling of legumes and carrots. Anna's even had teeny potato balls! We were in HEAVEN!!!
Third course was typically the meat course, but we opted for the veggie options. A Puff Pastry filled with mushrooms, spinach, and feta and a Grilled Eggplant Roll, which was filled with rice and veggies. The eggplant had a spicy sauce drizzled over the top of it, and both courses were served with a baby greens mix. The pastry was flaky, rich, and buttery as it dissolved when chewed. Filling was again, savory, but didn't make you reach for your water to wash down the salt. The sauce on the Eggplant roll reminded me of a favorite of mine...Rooster Sauce...and heightened the natural spicy flavor of the eggplant itself. The sushi rice filling cooled things down properly though. I could see us eating a whole tray of those instead of regular sushi rolls anyday! Lets move on.
Just when we thought that the baby greens mix was the salad course, our waiter brough us another plate with mixed greens gently drizzled with oil and vinegar as our 'digestive salad.' By this time, we couldn't even make it through the whole salad, but we were bound and determined to get to dessert and finish it ALL!
Anna ordered Lutèce’s Warm Chocolate Tart with Caramel Ice Cream and I selected the Panna Cotta with Strawberry Rhubarb compote. We also could have chosen Snow Eggs (simple meringues) with Honey and Pistachios. But we went for the gold on this one.
The tart filling seemed flourless...and had a rich, velvety texture, and a hint of orange flavor. Candied orange peel shavings went on top and the creamy homemade caramel ice cream made our eyes pop open and roll with excitement. The Panna Cotta (which essentially means 'cooked cream' and is the only dessert in the custard family that doesn't contain eggs)was more of a neutral vanilla flavor that was heightened with the tart quality of the compote. It was also served with a couple of crisp cookie triangles drizzled with chocolate sauce.
I think when we were done, they should have gotten oompa loompas to roll us to the juicing room. A good strong cup of coffee ended our feast...which left us pleasantly full. An amazing gourmet meal like neither of us had ever experienced before. Normally, this meal is $40...an insane deal for the amount you get and for the quality! I'll be taking those that come to visit me there for sure. We didn't look for it, because we had to get going to the Mercury Lounge for the Enon show, but there's usually fresh baked baguettes in a basket for patrons taking on the way out. The staff was unnervingly attentive to whatever we needed and they cleared our tables and brought new silverware and place settings between every course. I will spend the last 200 hours of my program cooking for this place, and its going to be an honor. They are open for Lunch, 4-course dinner, and 5-course dinner after 8pm. Reservations are suggested.

Saturday, after a good hour of spin class, I made HG's patented Peach & Cottage Cheese Cinnamon Kugel and won my NYC host over again with the brilliance of the Shiratakis! The fresh slightly underripe peaches I used didn't hurt either. We decided to make the whole rest of the day about getting to see places that we noticed earlier in the week, but didn't get a chance to go to. First was Kee's Chocolates. Kee is a 2000 grad of the FCI Pastry program and her unique flavors of truffles were named one of the best in the world. My FCI advisor/tour guide was kind enough to give me a card for a free truffle. So I picked out a Honey-Saffron one, while Anna chose Green Tea. I didn't get a chance to eat it until the next day, but it was immaculate. The honey saffron really didn't hit you until you were just about done chewing. Very sneaky...but I can see why people rave about this tiny broom closet sized shop. Headed over to Jacques Torres' Chocolate Haven from there...to sample chocolate covered cranberries and raisins and purchase their new 'Sunflower Brittle.' Again, the sunflower seed flavor was very subtle until you really got to chewing it. But it was covered in rich dark chocolate...I even broke down and bought a Torres' Chocolate Fork for mixing and tempering. It was so nice outside, we walked down the streets, checking in with Dean and DeLuca, where we bought teeny cranberry walnut and 7 grain rolls to tide us over for the afternoon. We made our way to the Eleni's bakery in the Chelsea Market after that, where I got to see the backrooms, etc. Its actually right next to the Fat Witch Bakery, which is famous for their decandent brownies. Also in the Market, besides the Food Network Offices, is a wine shop, Sarabeth's Bakery, Amy's Breads, a kitchen supply store that had everything you could possibly want OR need, a small grocery store, Italian gourmet shop, a couple other eateries, and a fresh fish market. Everything was so cute! And all the walking made us famished...so we decided to head over to Union Square where we would meet up with Kyle for dinner.

After about an hour or so travel time, which included a couple gourmet food stops, *ahem WHOLE FOODS*, and arrived at Kyle's dinner suggestion: Red Bamboo. I think we were even hungrier after walking through the middle of the NYU campus' street fair, which was laden with Funnel Cake and corndog vendors. Even a Southern Dessert stand with tiny bread puddings and sweet potato pies!
Red Bamboo is a Vegetarian Soul Food restaurant. There's probably no more than 15 tables inside, but always a line out the door to get in. We got there at a perfect time, right before the dinner rush, and were seated about 20 minutes after putting our name in. The thing about this place, is that they serve things like BBQ Chicken and Beef Kabobs, but all the 'meat' is really soy protein that looks and tastes just like what its supposed to be! The selection is HUGE, as are the portions and value. We started with Collard Green rolls with vegan ham. It came with a sweet and spicy dipping sauce. Kyle ordered the Crabcakes with Pineapple Salsa, Anna requested the Mango Shrimp served in a mango shell, and I opted for Salmon Teryaki with steamed veggies on the side. I don't know how they really manage to pull it off, but this was the greatest faux meal I've ever had. The 'salmon' was steaming when they brought it to the table as if it had just been seared on the grill. Kyle got 3 GIGANTIC crabcakes covered in fruit salsa that had an amazing zesty flavor to it. Anna's 'shrimp' were tossed with mango, and tricolored pepper slices. It was clear to me now why people wait for this. THe nice thing about it was the food came fast, which allowed them to move people in and out quickly. There was plenty of Vegan options too and they also do carry out. I have a feeling this will be a regular stop for me when I move out to the city. What a phenomenal last supper of my vacation.
We stopped for a treat back at Whole Foods (Gelato and a parfait) before going to the movie theater, which was right across from Max Brenner's Chocolates. I was less than impressed with the staff there...possibly because it was crowded, but the atmosphere was really cozy.
Later on that night, Anna and I tried a Wasabi sugar cookie one of her co-workers had brought back from Japan. Take it from me, they would be better tea cake sized. Some things just take more getting used to...

Its taken me over a week and a half, but that's my abridged version of eating my way through New York over 4 days. The thing that impressed me the most, or excited me the most, was the price of things. Not exorbitant at all. Even if you go to the grocery store...everything is very similarly priced to what you would find here in Toledo. That makes me more comfortable about budgeting for my big move.

That's right kids...as of 5:30 this past Tuesday, I am officially a student at the French Culinary Institute. My Classic Pastry Arts Program runs from August 14, 2007 to May 28, 2008. I will be relocating to NYC where I can fill you guys in on EVERYTHING that goes on on an more regular basis.

The freshness of ingredients in the city is immaculate too. It has to be. Otherwise, no one will come into your restaurant or buy items from your store. Thanks Zagats.

If you have any questions or comments on what I've posted here...just ask. Chances are, I did forget something. And I did leave some of the fun fluff out of this entry, just to save some time. This was possibly the best eye opening vacation of my life and I look forward to sharing my trials and tribulation at Pastry School with you all very soon.

More to come later this week on the Baby shower cake I made when I got back to Toledo. Tonight El Zarape round two...maybe Mr Freeze.

my hands hurt. LOL

ms j