Gastronomy Blog by Cathy Chaplin

Restaurant Review

25 Oct 2009

Big Gay Ice Cream Truck – New York City

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What brings a small, straight gal to the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck? Curiosity, a love of frozen treats, and an immense appreciation for bold statements. Launched by Doug Quint this past June, the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck takes soft serve to places Mr. Softee wouldn’t dream of. There are crowd pleasing flavors like vanilla, chocolate, and swirl, but for those who like to dabble in a little savory with their sweets, the truck dolls out olive oil, sea salt, and bacon too!

The Big Gay Ice Cream Truck cruises the West Village by day and stakes out the East Village and Chelsea by night. The Astronomer and I tracked down the truck on our final evening in New York at Astor Place. As we approached the truck, both of us agreed that the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck wasn’t nearly big or gay enough. We were expecting cha-cha music blasting from speakers and a rainbow painted facade, but alas, the only element that differentiated this truck from other soft serve vendors was a lowly poster.

Based on a recommendation from Mr. Quint, The Astronomer and I indulged in a vanilla cone coated in caramel and crushed Nilla Wafers ($4). A bit of Nutella was piped into the bottom of the cone to make it extra decadent. The cone certainly hit the sweet spot, but it also satisfied something deeper—my desire to make a statement with my fork.

The truck closed up shop for the season two weeks ago and will re-open when the weather warms up. Follow the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck on Twitter @BigGayIceCream to find out when it “comes out” of hibernation. Oh Lord, someone stop me.

Restaurant Review

23 Oct 2009

Ippudo – New York City

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Ippudo, the first American outpost of a Japanese chain of more than fifty restaurants, is arguably the best ramenya in all of New York City. The noodles here are so delicious that Manhattanites, a self-selected group of extremely busy and rarely patient people, wait around for over an hour to snag a seat and slurp their hearts out. The sidewalk outside the restaurant is commonly lined with hungry ramen seekers due to Ippudo’s immense popularity and annoying no reservation policy. There are certainly alternative remenyas within walking distance [See: Momofuku Noodle Bar and Minca Ramen Factory], but most are willing to stand around and twiddle their thumbs for Ippudo’s superior bowl.

Compared to the other remenyas in the neighborhood, Ippudo’s space is thoughtfully appointed and downright palatial. Even with a grandiose dining room, our party of five had to wait for an hour on this Sunday evening before being seated at a comfortable booth toward the back of the restaurant. Manhattan has been bitten by the rameniac bug.

Four members of our party ordered the Akamaru Modern ($13), Ippudo’s richest and most exquisite bowl of ramen. The soup’s signature tonkotsu broth was made by boiling pork bones, fat, and collagen over high heat for hours. The result was a lusciously thick broth that was deeply imbued with porky goodness. The mildly viscous broth clung to every noodle strand, assuring that every slurp was laced with the soup’s deep flavors. The Akamaru Modern was accented with miso paste, garlic oil, slices of simmered berkshire pork, cabbage, onions, kikurage (wood ear mushrooms), and scallions.

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Restaurant Review

21 Oct 2009

Sugar Sweet Sunshine – New York City

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Being so vocal about my adoration of cupcakes has resulted in a slew of cupcakery recommendations from coast to coast. Next month while I’m in The Bay, I’ll be making my way to Kara’s Cupcakes thanks to a tip from my cousin Megan. And whenever I find myself in the District of Columbia, I know to hit up Georgetown Cupcake because gas•tron•o•my reader Ariel swears it’s even better than the godfather of cupcakes, Magnolia Bakery.

A few months before our trip to New York, The Astronomer and I received an email from our friend Matt. After successfully completing an epic cupcake crawl through Manhattan, he was thrilled to inform us that Sugar Sweet Sunshine produced the day’s top cupcake. The best part, he noted, was that the cupcakes cost a pittance—a buck fifty to be exact. A cheap and delicious cupcake experience in the Lower East Side? I knew we’d have to stop by.

As soon as we arrived in the city after a weekend away in Philadelphia, The Astronomer and I dropped off our luggage and headed to Sugar Sweet Sunshine for a pre-dinner bite. A list of the “Top 10 Reasons to Eat a Cupcake” greeted us from the street. I thought that the list was seven items too long. I only needed three reasons to pay Sugar Sweet Sunshine a visit—it was cheap, tasty, and nearby.

Once again, The Astronomer was the only male patron inside the cupcakery. It doesn’t take an astrophysicist to figure out that chicks really dig cupcakes.

I ordered a “Bob,” which consisted of yellow cake with chocolate almond buttercream. I never thought of my favorite combination as dull, unoriginal, and Bob-like, but compared to the other flavors, this one was quite ordinary.

When it comes to cupcakes, I prefer those that are stylishly decorated and have denser textures, a la Sprinkles. Even though Bob was the complete opposite, I still fell hard for the fella because he was just so gosh darn delicious. The cake was soft and fragrant, while the frosting possessed a balanced chocolaty sweetness. Bob is the king of team “In-the-Box.”

I purchased a Sexy Red Velvet to-go for my brother. Whereas traditional red velvet cakes are iced with a cream cheese frosting, Sugar Sweet Sunshine’s employs “The Moose,” a satin buttercream. Interestingly, my brother felt that the cupcake wasn’t sweet enough. Now, that’s a complaint that isn’t heard too often in the cupcakery circuit!

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Sugar Sweet Sunshine
126 Rivington Street
New York, NY 10002
Phone: 212-995-1960