A Tale of Two Dumplings... or 3, or 4, or 5...

I got together with some friends this past weekend, and that means a little bit of shopping and a lot more of eating.  We started off in chinatown at the Dim Sum place on Bowery and Canal directly across from the Manhattan Bridge.  I was actually headed towards the one on Chatham Square but we happened to pass this place and the entrance was packed with people waiting to be seated.  This was an indication that if the folks of Chinatown were flocking to this place, it had to be good.  

I approached this old Chinese man in a suit who looked like he was in charge...  maybe it was the suit.  He was unusually tall and still had a head full of slick black hair.  I bet he was handsome back in his day.  So I told him we needed a table for 3, and he hands me a post-it note that said, "three" and, "#61."  Yes, we were number #61 and he was just calling out #40... in Chinese.  I never felt so lost in my life; we never knew what was going on in that chaos, but it was quite amusing.  Every time the host yelled out a number we held up our post-it note.  I think he was so annoyed at us that he finally said he would call out our number in English.  We were so hungry, it was torture standing there while the carts of steaming hot food with their enticing aromas passed us by.  

We were seated after what felt like forever, but once the carts came by, we were pointing away until we had more dumplings in front of us than we could count.  We also got some rolled steamed noodles with that yummy sweet soy sauce, this fried dough stuff that was then dipped in a rice flour batter and then steamed, and a dish of steamed chinese broccoli.  We found that if we wanted something we needed to tell them right away because those dim sum ladies are quick.  

This place is definitely better than the last one I went to.  Everything was super tasty... except maybe the mystery dumpling with peanuts in it... that was interesting.  And of course, the meal was accompanied by some deliciously warming jasmine tea that I just couldn't get enough of.  Moral of the story: if you see a Chinese restaurant packed with Chinese people, it's going to be good.

Fiesta In Your Mouth

Frequent trips to the New York Public Library had meant nearly just as many quests for dinner.  My favorite stops near the Mid-Manhattan location include Crumbs and Pret a Manger where they have the best cupcakes and croissants, respectively.  And I looove the Fuji Apple juice at Pret.  There's a zing and a freshness like just pressed apples that I haven't had anywhere else.

Speaking of freshness, my new favorite place to grab a quick bite is Chipotle.  Also right around the corner from the NYPL and Bryant Park, I've been there three times in the past two weeks already.  The place is tiny and it's always packed.  Wanna sit down?  Fohgeddahboudit.  We almost always had to stand at the counters, but it's worth it.  Mexican food never tasted so fresh, so light, so healthy.

I usually get the crunchy tacos (you get 3) with shredded pork or the pork fajita burrito with green peppers and onions.  Then I usually choose tomatoes, corn, medium sauce, sour cream, and cheese as add ons.  You have to get it with corn and tomatoes.  It just makes it taste so fresh, but they don't skimp on the flavor; maybe it's the lime and cilantro.  They even serve beer and margaritas :)  If you decide to get either, you'll pay double for your meal, but where in Manhattan isn't alcohol overpriced?

If you order any of the burritos, you better be hungry because they are huge!  Nevertheless, you don't get that gross, heavy, sedated feeling afterwards like you do after having that steak or a 1/2 lb burger with fries.  My problem now is that I can't go to the library without stopping in for a quick bite at Chipotle... and then there's always room for a cupcake :)

Homework Never Tasted So Good

I went to Grand Central Terminal today to do some research for my interior design class.  Part of our objective was to observe people and how they use the spaces, but we pretty much had to find out everything about the grand old terminal.  As my reverence for the building grew with every turn of the corner, so did my hunger.  If I were to find out everything about the place, I figured I needed to know what the food there tasted like.  I was craving a margarita too so I decided I would continue my "research" at Zocalo on the Dining Concourse level of the terminal.

I was planning to order just chips and salsa to go with my margarita, but what do you know?  I didn't even have to order it.  It was the first thing the waiter brought to the table as he greeted us.  Freshly fried tortilla chips... the only way to go when you're at a Mexican restaurant.  Well, since chips and salsa were gratis, I decided to get the quesadilla de bistec (steak quesadillas with roasted corn, mushrooms, and mexican cheeses) and a blood orange margarita.  The mushrooms didn't sound very appetizing in a quesadilla, but thank goodness I forgot to ask the waiter to leave it out.  They must have used portobello mushrooms, which added a whole other layer of flavor to the dish.  Besides the taste, I could barely tell the difference between the mushrooms and the steak; first of all, they were the same color and cut, and secondly, the beef was so tender.  Add a little green habanero sauce and it was perfect.

Now, a little hot must always be balanced by something that's a little cold... or a lot cold after having some of that habanero sauce.  I usually order my margaritas on the rocks in a salt rimmed glass, but Zocalo's frozen version was pretty yummy (even though they didn't rim the glass with salt).  It was blended to a super smoothness without leaving any gritty pieces of ice and the blood orange added a nice citrus twist to the traditional drink.  It was an absolutely perfect and necessary way to cool down my palate, and my research wouldn't be complete without it.

One Girl Cookies Doesn't Have To Mean Just One Cookie :)

A routine trip to the laundromat on a Saturday afternoon led to a spontaneous grocery shopping trip to Trader Joe's.  And the aggravating search for parking in the area ended pleasantly as we accidentally came upon a sweet little shop on 68 Dean St. in Brooklyn's Cobble Hill Neighborhood.  I glanced at a cute little old fashioned sign hanging above the door and I just couldn't resist checking it out.  This shop is home to One Girl Cookies.  The bake shop may have been started by one girl, but there's a whole lot of cookies... cute miniature cookies.  I was spellbound by the enticing aromas the moment I entered the bakery.  This was a dream for a girl with such a sweet tooth.  I didn't have any cash on me, and there was a $15 credit card minimum.  No problemo.  I pointed to the little parchment paper box and said fill her up with everything... and a lemon custard cake, please!

Now, I'll have to admit that these cookies are more of a "grown up" cookie.  If you're expecting a chips ahoy cookie, or one of those palm sized things laden with m&m's, this is not the place for you.  One Girl Cookies are miniature, a little on the fancy side, and they have names like Lucia and Sadie.  They're the dessert version of hors d'oeurves, and instead of champagne, they pair perfectly with a cup of tea.  My first bite was the pecan sandie.  The taste was standard, but it had the texture of a buttery shortbread cookie, which I love, and I found most of the others shared that same quality.  I wasn't crazy about the taste, overall.  It was good, but not amazing.  What I do appreciate, however, (and it's what I look for in everything I eat) is the quality and freshness of the ingredients.  I could taste the butter and vanilla in every bite, but it's still light.  The ginger cookies had real ginger, and I wouldn't be surprised if there were freshly grated lemon peel in the lemon bars.  Overall, I was satisfied, but I don't think it would be one of those places I'd trek to in a snow storm when the craving for something sweet calls (I have done that before).

The cake, on the other hand, is a different story.  I LOVED the cake.  In a cake, the deal breaker for me is its moistness.  Moistness rating: 10.  Its texture is a bit more dense than your average cake, something like what I call "wedding cake," just cause that's the kind of quality you'd find in a wedding cake.  There's this lemon curd stuff oozing in between the layers, making the cake even more moist, and again, freshly grated lemon peel in the icing.  Every bite was like a burst of lemonade.  Will I go back for cake?  Definitely!