Restaurant Review
06 Jun 2007

Babycakes – New York City

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14 Comments

May 27, 2007
Cuisine: Desserts, Bakery

248 Broome St, New York 10002
Btwn Orchard & Ludlow St

Phone: 212-677-5047
Website: www.babycakesnyc.com

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Chocolate Spelt Cupcake with Rich Chocolate Frosting ($2.95)

Vanilla Spelt Cupcake with Zesty Lemon Frosting ($2.95)

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The cupcake craze taking over New York City and Los Angeles has yet to hit Philadelphia so I included a handful of bakeries specializing in cupcakes on the food tour. BabyCakes was the first one we hit up since it was located near our shelter in the Lower East Side.

Babycakes differentiates itself from the sea of competitors by offering vegan cupcakes. Erin McKenna, BabyCakes’ founder, virtuously touts on the bakery’s website:

In a city dominated by cupcakes overflowing with sugar, flour and butter cream, it’s easy for those with delicate tummies to feel left out. BabyCakes offers all natural, organic and delicious alternatives free from the common allergens: wheat, gluten, dairy, casein and eggs. Rest assured, all sweeteners have been chosen responsibly and used sparingly. White sugar will never be found in our bakery, nor will we ever use toxic chemical sweeteners. Instead, most products are sweetened with agave nectar—a natural syrup from a cactus which is low on the glycemic index and often a safe alternative to most non-insulin dependent diabetics. Occasionally, unprocessed and unrefined sugar is used in certain goods, although sparingly.

Curious to try sweets made without the usual suspects, The Astronomer and I picked up two cupcakes to-go. He chose lemon, while I went with chocolate. We dropped off the cupcakes in my brother’s apartment then headed off to dinner. Hours later when we returned to enjoy our treats, the frosting had unfortunately melted due to warm temperatures both inside the apartment and the cupcakes’ plastic container.

While I must admit that the frosting-less cupcakes looked a little pitiful, they still tasted great. Both cupcakes were sweet and moist—the lemon one was tart and the chocolate one was very chocolaty. When it comes to cupcakes, I totally appreciate one-dimensional flavors. The texture and taste achieved without butter or eggs by the clever bakers at BabyCakes is very impressive.

Babycakes NYC on Urbanspoon

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Restaurant Review
05 Jun 2007

Momofuku Noodle Bar – New York City

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4 Comments

 

 

momo door

May 27, 2007
Cuisine: Noodle Shops, Japanese

163 1st Ave, New York 10003
Btwn 10th & 11th St

Phone: 212-475-7899
Website:www.momofuku.com

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Ramen with Shredded Berkshire Pork ($10)

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Our second stop on the NYC Memorial Day food tour was at Momofuku Noodle Bar. The Astronomer, Miho, and I managed to save enough room to share a bowl of pork ramen even after some hefty appetizers at Dumpling House. Regrettably, our appetites weren’t sufficient enough to order the Berkshire Pork Buns, but they are definitely one of my favorite menu items.

My brother introduced me to Momofuku over a year ago and I try to return whenever I’m in the city for work or play. The noodle bar is literally the the size of a shoe box and is almost always packed during peak dining hours. I was expecting a ridiculous wait for a table since Momofuku’s chef and owner David Chang recently won the 2007 Rising Chef Award from the James Beard Foundation. I was pleasantly surprised when we were seated only after three minutes of idleness.

One bowl of pork ramen was the perfect portion for the three of us after our Dumpling House binge. Although we felt a little strange ordering a single bowl of ramen, our waiter was totally cool with our request to share (unlike the folks at Peter Luger—details to come).

Authenticity aside, the pork ramen is a brilliant creation. The long strands of noodles are perfectly al dente even when dunked in the steaming savory broth. The Astronomer and Miho both commented that the broth was most excellent, but I found it a tad too salty. The bamboo shoots, fresh peas, and scallions go wonderfully with the ramen and provide both texture and freshness to the dish. The shredded Berkshire pork, though noticeably fatty, is my favorite element for its unrivaled flavor.

Restaurant Review
04 Jun 2007

Dumpling House – New York City

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6 Comments

May 27 and 28, 2007
Cuisine: Chinese

118 Eldridge St, New York 10002
Btwn Grand & Broome St

Phone: 212-625-8008
Website: none

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Chives and Pork Boiled Dumpling (10/$2.00)

Chives and Pork Fried Dumplings (5/$1.00)

Sesame Pancake with Beef ($1.50)

Sesame Pancake with Tuna Fish ($1.50)

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Gastronomer: This past Memorial Day weekend, The Astronomer and I headed to New York City for a 36 hour food tour. The only items on our agenda were breakfast, lunch, and dinner, which kept us busy and well-fueled. Prior to embarking upon the city, I meticulously researched and composed an ambitious list of eateries I wanted to try or revisit:

  1. Babycakes NYC: 248 Broome St New York, NY 10002 (212) 677-5047
  2. Billy’s Bakery: 184 9th Ave New York, NY 10011 (212) 647-9956
  3. Bouchon Bakery: 10 Columbus Cir. New York, NY 10019 (212) 823-9366
  4. Doughnut Plant: 379 Grand St New York, NY 10002 (212) 505-3700
  5. Dumpling House: 118 Eldridge St New York, NY 10002 (212) 625-8008
  6. Magnolia Bakery: 401 Bleecker St New York, NY 10014 (212) 462-2572
  7. Momofuku Ssam Bar: 207 2nd New York, NY 10003 (212) 254-3500
  8. Momofuku: 163 1st Ave # 2 New York, NY 10003 (212) 475-7899
  9. N.Y. Dosas: W. 4th St. at Sullivan St New York, NY 10014 (917) 710-2092
  10. Peter Luger Steak House: 178 Broadway Brooklyn, NY 11211 (718) 387-7400
  11. Shake Shack: 11 Madison Ave New York, NY 10010 (212) 889-6600

Due to a combination of time and stomach constraints, we didn’t make it to all the places listed above. But seven unique delights in 36 hours isn’t too shabby! Our first and last meal was at Dumpling House located in my brother’s ‘hood—the Lower East Side.

Astronomer: Dumpling House was an amazing find—delicious northern Chinese cuisine at truly incredible prices. With my friend Miho in tow, the total dinner bill for three came out to a mere $8 for twenty pork and chive dumplings, two large stuffed sesame pancakes, and a bottle of water. Placing our order in the chaos of the crowded, tiny restaurant was not easy, but we eventually managed to communicate with the staff and received our food.

Gastronomer: While the wait at Dumpling House can be long due to its immense popularity and limited staff, the open kitchen provides great entertainment. There are a handful of stools located in the back of the restaurant for in-house diners, but the restaurant’s cramped space isn’t the most inviting. We took our dumplings and sesame pancakes to Roosevelt Park two blocks away to enjoy.

Astronomer: Both varieties of dumpling were flavorful and juicy; so juicy in fact that we were forced to eat standing up to save our clothes. I preferred the boiled dumplings, while the Gastronomer liked the pan-fried ones. We all agreed that both types were irresistible.

Gastronomer: The fried dumplings had the most wonderful texture that was both soft and chewy, especially along the crisped edges. The boiled dumplings’ exterior was delicate and subtle. The pork and chive interiors were seasoned fantastically; definitely no soy sauce required.

The sesame pancakes were an interesting creation—giant spheres of dough are deep fried and cut into triangular wedges. The wedges can either be eaten plain or sliced down the middle and stuffed with tuna, beef, or vegetables. Each sandwich is garnished with pickled carrots and cilantro, which reminded The Astronomer and I of bánh mì. The tuna filling was spicy, while the beef was smoky in flavor. I highly recommend the tuna sesame pancake.

Astronomer: We liked everything so much that we gave Dumpling House the honor of being the only place that we visited twice on our tour, returning the next evening after our plans to eat at N.Y. Dosas fell through.

Dumpling House on Urbanspoon