Is the Cake Pop the New Cupcake?

Food fads are changing, and, for the sake of your sweet tooth, I suggest you keep up. For over a year, I’ve been boggled by the cupcake’s ability to reinvent itself. Stuffed, styled, and miniaturized, this children’s birthday party classic even scored its own television competition series.

I instantly turned my focus to the next step: what would ultimately give the cupcake the boot? When I first discovered brownie pops last summer, I thought that I had nailed it, but I had erred by overlooking the other birthday-party staple—cake. In part, I see this as the reason that the brownie pop tanked – that, and the fact that Starbucks didn’t endorse it.

The trouble with cake is that when you try to make it portable, the snack just gets complicated and irritating; however, once you put it on a stick, things get interesting.

Small bakeries (and home cooks with Internet access) are selling this new stick snack across the country, but nothing shocked this new wave like Starbucks did when they decided to dip their toe in the cake-pop-pool. For $1.50 you get about one compact bite of cake. The seemingly skewed price/cake ratio must be necessary in order to cover the costs of injecting as much butter as each morsel will allow.  A cross-sectional view of the pop shows the cake’s consistency, resembling that of raw dough, a recipe call with which I can’t argue.

Cake pops come in various flavors. Starbucks provides three: tiramisu, rocky road, and birthday cake. I’ve rarely seen a Starbucks have all three in stock, so I sampled the tiramisu and rocky road. Aside from the slight embellishments rested atop the frosting, the flavors were indistinguishable from one another. Regardless, the pops were pretty delicious and almost too rich to finish.  Almost.

Nest at Viceroy

On the slopes and craving sushi? Neither was I until I discovered that mid-ski sushi was even an option. If you think you’re well versed in ski-in-ski-out lodging, then welcome to the next generation.

Nest at Viceroy Snowmass provides sushi at a crossroads where poolside café meets après ski meets literal ski slope. The speckled white marble bar stools and whitewashed wooden seats hold soft green cushions that offset the simple, refreshing white room. And, in the chance that you get carried away with the cleansing atmosphere, the Viceroy is one step ahead of you, offering a handicap shower with room for a family of four in the restrooms.

What the menu lacks in size it makes up for in variety, serving up Japanese twists like the lobster almond soup ($16) while also holding onto classics like the edamame with sea salt ($5).

Heading straight for the “cut rolls,” we first ordered the “fire fry” ($11), a roll with shrimp tempura, crab salad, and jalapeno.

Aside from the beautiful picture—you’re welcome—the roll was so disappointingly bland that I asked to see a menu just to ensure that this mishap wasn’t a display of poor ordering judgment. Like a proud parent talking up his son, the kid failed to live up to the hype. And I ask you to tell me the whereabouts of the alleged “crab salad.”

The Creole wildcard proved to be the winner, with crawfish remoulade, cream cheese, and lemon all wrapped up and dusted with Cajun spice ($11).

This roll was definitely different—especially from the one on the menu, seeing as there’s clearly tuna in this roll—but the seasonings combined with the cooling cream just worked.

If you ever find yourself craving some great, authentic sushi at the base of Snowmass Mountain, then there are a variety of places in Aspen that I can recommend. However, if you’re looking for something different and convenient, then try out Nest at Viceroy—if for nothing else than to just check out the bathroom.

nest

AT VICEROY

11am-10pm

VICEROY SNOWMASS P.O. Box 6985 Snowmass Village Colorado 81615    

T +1 970 923 8000

Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

Ariel’s banana chocolate chip bread. One of life’s little pleasures whose ingredients may be best left as one of life’s little secrets.

How to Make your Own Chicken Gyros

Lettuce, tomato, onion—staples of any fridge—can entertain you far beyond a sandwich, my friend.

With so many vegetables and so little time before they all went bad, I wanted to create something delicious enough to trump the sandwich, impressive enough to earn some street cred, and simple enough so that I could eat rather soon as I was starving. I decided to construct my own gyros, which would require nothing more than whipping up a quick tzatziki dressing before essentially throwing all the contents of my fridge into a pita.

The Tzatziki:

First, pour 1 cup of your favorite plain Greek yogurt into a mixing bowl.

Then, cut a large cucumber into two halves. You can wrap up one of the halves and put it back in your fridge. Take the second half and cut it in half length-wise, exposing all the seeds.

If you are crafty with a knife, carefully carve out the seeds. If not, you can use a spoon to hollow out the cucumber.

Next, dice the cucumber. You can do this by turning the cucumber so that the hollowed-out side is facing down. Cut thin strips length-wise, and then take your knife and cut perpendicular across the strips.

Toss the cucumber into the yogurt along with about 1 teaspoon of finely chopped dill, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ cup feta cheese, and mix.

Voila. Tzatziki without a blender.

The Chicken:

Slice a chicken breast into thin strips. If you are using frozen chicken, it may be easier to slice the meat while it is still a little frozen.

Once the chicken has been defrosted and sliced, season the strips with salt, pepper, and a little bit of tarragon (just enough to give the chicken a light yellow color).

Sautee the strips on a medium heat setting, making sure that every strip has access to the bottom of the pan without being overcrowded, or else you will not get nice browned edges.

The Gyro:

Before plating, I placed my whole wheat pita on the same pan that I used for the chicken just long enough to get a nice browning.

Sliding the pita right from pan to plate, I spread a layer of hummus onto the pita before laying down a bed of lettuce, diced onion, tomato, chicken, tzatziki, and more feta cheese.

You can fork-and-knife this bad boy, but I’ve found it most efficient to fold up the edges and just dive in mouth first.

Wagamama

While traveling, locals can direct you to some cheap eats that, for better or for worse, you would not have discovered otherwise. Wagamama in London is one such place.

After months of pleading from some British friends, I finally found myself taking a seat at one of the long wooden tables in the Covent Garden location. The pan-Asian noodle restaurant has an extensive menu covering everything from ramen to rice. A server whizzed by, asking if we had dined before. I hadn’t, which didn’t seem to matter, because everything was happening so fast and, before I knew it, I ordered as if I had thrown darts at the menu. Our waiter scribbled some gibberish on our paper menus before scurrying off.

Soon after, deep-fried pieces of something arrived at our table with a sesame/soy dipping sauce. After taking a bite, I concluded that this was chicken that I was eating, meaning we ordered the tori kara age for £4.60. The fried chicken pieces tasted exactly how they sound. They were simple, inexpensive when split among three people, and a fun finger-food to start off the meal.

The deep-fried duck dumplings (£5.45) arrived next. The breading on the gyoza was a little heavy, but you could have put anything in that spicy cherry hoi sin sauce and it’d be fantastic.

Then, a filet of grilled salmon, drizzled with teriyaki, served over teppan fried soba noodles landed in front of me (£11.00). After being told is was mine, I started to dig in.

Each dish must be placed in the proper context. Bare in mind that this restaurant is a chain serving affordable Japanese fast food. With that said, the dish was fine. I suppose I was expecting more sauce, more oil, more fat. That came with the Chicken katsu curry.

The chicken katsu curry (£8.95) was perfect in the sense that it was creamy, saucy, and fattening. I finally understood what had brought us to Covent Garden that day—sliced pieces of friend chicken breast, topped with a mound of white rice and smothered in a fantastic pool of creamy curry sauce. The type of curry?—the fast food kind. Delicious.

         

wagamama

click here for locations

The Real Rugelach

Rugelach from a bakery in Israel
-Ryan Corbett

"You think you know rugalach, but you have no idea." This seems to be the only way that these rolled Jewish cookies could get any better — in surplus.

Salmon and Smashed Peas

Sauteed salmon, seasoned with only salt and pepper, served over smashed peas with leeks, lemon juice, basil, and tarragon. Otherwise known as a delicious Monday night.

Crumbs Cupcakes

After 21 years, I have finally decided on the ultimate reason why every girl needs a brother—so he can send you cupcakes.

As a congratulatory surprise for landing a great internship in NYC for this summer, these six beauties were sent to me in a Styrofoam cooler packed with dry ice. 

Starting with the classic, I dove mouth-first into the red velvet cupcake with cream cheese frosting, topped with red velvet crumbs and white sprinkles. The red velvet was great, but I craved a greater thrill. I moved on to the next safe choice, carrot cake, which was enjoyed by all who tried a bite.

I decided that the most attractive of the six was the dark chocolate temptress with the walnut brownie sunk into its center. 

Relative to its visual appeal, the brownie cupcake ironically proved to be the most disappointing of all. The chocolate fudge filling was a little rich for me, and the cake was very dry.

Walking further along letdown lane was the cookie dough cupcake, which, deceitfully, tasted like neither cookie nor dough. 

The vanilla cake had a chocolate fudge filling—a feature I rarely see in my break-and-bake—and was topped with a vanilla cream cheese frosting that was mixed with cookie pieces. I had trouble tasting the cookie pieces, and the filling was ill suited for the theme.

Although I’m not a huge proponent of peanut butter in my desserts, the peanut butter cup was a serious winner. 

Crumbs doesn’t admit to this, but some peanut butter must be mixed into the chocolate cake batter because I have never before tasted a chocolate cake this moist. Filled and frosted with peanut butter buttercream frosting, this cupcake did not live to see another day.

Saving the worst for last, I shocked everyone with my surprising infatuation with the cherry blossom cupcake. The smooth and moist vanilla cake was filled with a gooey filling that resembled that of cherry pie. Perhaps it was because of the abysmal expectations with which I approached the neglected cupcake, but the simple combination of flavors was a great note to end on.

CRUMBS

BAKE SHOP

http://www.crumbs.com/

Israeli Feast!

Not your average bread and butter...

"Just did my army training. Hungry as hell, and wandered into this restaursnt on Ben Yehuda in Tel Aviv. As soon as I sat down, they brought ALL THIS out to me! Like, instead of just bringing bread, they brought bread plus 10 amazing foods/dips. And yes, in case you were going to ask, that "tap water" is sparkling. Its called שצ'ופץ. Worth checking out!" -- Garrett Ross

Hakkasan

Tucked away from the bustling streets of central London, Hakkasan is camouflaged into the small dead-end street of Hanway Place. As if its exclusivity had yet to be established, the black-carpet entrance is guarded by an employee standing solidly with a clipboard and the intent to intimidate.

After being turned down at around 9pm on a weekday, I decided to make a reservation. The elegant, candle-lit glass stairway leading down to the restaurant was worth the wait. The dining room was nothing short of stunning. A wall of thin wooden planks placed in various geometric shapes held the occasional white lamp as it lined the main seating area. White tables surrounded by black leather chairs were minimally dressed with the essentials—no tablecloth.

The fried homemade pumpkin tofu was too odd to not order. Stacked like pyramid bricks, the blocks of tofu were garnished with dried chilies and a shower of tempura flakes. The combination failed to be as bizarre as expected, with meager traces of pumpkin. All in all, I was disappointed that the tofu tasted, quite simply, like tofu. I suppose one could make the argument that, seeing as I am not an avid tofu follower, I walked right into that one; however, when you see homemade pumpkin tofu on a menu, you don’t think, you order. And, for a little over 14 US Dollars, I had hoped that this stack of tofu would make me a believer. The creativity was there, but the execution was lacking.

Of all the entrees we ordered, I’ll show you the highlights, as I was too intimidated by the stern-looking staff and the overall atmosphere to attract too much attention to myself by taking excessive photos.

The grilled Chilean sea bass in Chinese honey was a table favorite. The baked honey created a thin, crunchy glaze that coated the two filets. Topped with a mushroom tempura, the dish displayed vibrant golden red colors, however the flavor combination failed to be as cohesive. In isolation of the mushrooms, the sugarcoated sea bass was delectable.

When we ordered the Jivara hazelnut bomb, we questioned whether the menu would be more enjoyable to read than eat. We were forced to shamefully swallow our doubts once a rice-crispy-coated ball seated in a light pool of milk chocolate and swirled with a fruit-flavored gel dusted with pop rocks arrived at the table. Yes, wow. I’m not sure how I felt about all the flavors combined with the hazelnut ice cream interior, and, frankly, I don’t care. When you put pop rocks on a plate, all bets are off. It’s difficult to disagree with the sentiment that there’s a pretty spectacular situation happening on this plate.

Dining at Hakkasan is a production from doorman to dessert. Once you’ve been there, you’ll feel like you share a kinship with fellow diners—bankruptcy—but, with price in mind, I will venture to say that Hakkasan did live up to the hype. So, if you have money to spend, I know Hakkasan would love to take it off your hands.

Hakkasan

8 Hanway Place

London
W1T 1HD

+44 (0) 207 927 7000

Dinner
: Sunday-Wednesday 
6pm-11.15pm
     Thursday-Saturday
6pm-12.15am

http://w3.hakkasan.com/hanway-place

Sweet and Sour Orange Rhubarb Marmalade

Sweet and sour orange rhubarb marmalade
-Ariel Dobkin

"Made with caramelized onions, tomatoes, cinnamon, ginger, garlic and more goodness. Sweet but not too sweet. Went with the fish beautifully." Well played, Ariel, but next time send a picture of the fish.

Las Ramblas

Everyone will tell you to visit Las Ramblas on your trip to Barcelona. That's fine. Just don't eat there. As it was our first 

night in Barcelona, we of course had to start out with sangria, which was €18 for a glass. The size of the glass is irrelevant—what matters is it was a glass, and it was €18. The wine was tasty, but I couldn’t help but feel a larger hole burning through my pocket with every sip.

We were then introduced to the true Spanish tapas scene—an array of dishes lining the bar. The disturbing crusty edges of 

meats and cheeses that had been left out for hours could only be surpassed by the flies that appeared to inhabit them. We decided to order a slice of the tortilla española as it appeared to be the most edible of our options. It arrived warm with a peppery, moist interior and a baked top that wanted to be crunchy. Overall, the Spanish potato omelet performed as best it could.

Next came the paella: one traditional and one vegetarian. Both 

proved much more photogenic than they deserved. Served on the typical base of rice turned yellow with saffron, the paella arrived in black skillets—a nice touch. The vibrant colors were beautiful, however the stars of the dish were subpar. Other than the one white asparagus that lay across the vegetarian dish, the vegetables all appeared to have originated from a frozen bag. For whatever reason, there is something about zig-zag carrot edges that's an instant turnoff.

Nothing about the fish paella gave off hints of freshness either. Other than the two mussels and empty clamshell, it was just a mess of unidentifiable shapes with questionable smells. I clearly ate the entire dish, but I wasn’t happy about it.

Highly tourist-packed areas are filled with overpriced items of low quality. If you’re going to succumb to the temptation and buy something on Las Ramblas, don’t let that thing be your food.

Porcini-Rubbed Delmonico Steak

"Porcini-rubbed Delmonico steak with 12-year balsamic from Capital Grille"
-Ryan Corbett

"The chain steakhouse is not dead..." Well, it must not be, Ryan, because I received the following picture 27 seconds later:

Abyssinia: African dining in Amsterdam

As I was wandering down the street of Overtoom at around 8:30pm, a poster advertising “the best African food in Amsterdam” caught my eye. Unsure as to how many African restaurants there could possibly be in this small Dutch city, I allowed myself to succumb to the marketing and have my final meal in Amsterdam at Abyssinia.

A theme of wood accompanied by pots and fabrics with geometric tessellations and floral prints filled the two dining rooms. We were seated in the more unique seating area with couches and lounge chairs surrounding low coffee tables. The relaxed and homey atmosphere sedated me into a state where I essentially let our server order for me.

We started the meal with a coconut “exotic beer” Mongozo.  I love sweet and different flavor combinations, but I have tried neither coconut nor beer that tasted quite like this. The drink was so high in sugar that it took on a rich, syrupy flavor that proved too sweet to finish—or even attempt a second swig.

The menu was overwhelming yet uniform. A variety of meats and vegetables are all served with Injera, a flat, spongy bread that serves as the crepe of Ethiopia. We ordered Zegni, which is beef served in a red sauce with Ajibo (fresh cheese), and Alecha, fried butter-beans, carrots, and potatoes. Both dishes were served with a lentil sauce and a salad of lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and lentils.

The food, all atop one large piece of Injera, was served on a metal pizza-dish-looking tray and set on a beautifully woven table.

The flavors failed to be as ornate as the presentation. I attribute this to a sensory confusion. The highly sauced array of meats and vegetables caused me to expect more Indian flavors with bold curries and spicy flavors. 

The food was very fun to eat—hands only—using the Injera as a mop to scoop up all the lightly spiced flavors topped with cooling cheese. Crafting each bite was a fun adventure, although, if I closed my eyes, I do not know if I would be able to differentiate between the two dishes.

Abyssinia provided an entertaining dining experience in a relaxed and unique environment. Overall, the flavors in Amsterdam were fair, but the bizarre food combinations and special presentations were what made dining in Amsterdam such a treat.

Abyssinia

J P Heijestraat 190
1054 MN  Amsterdam
+31 (0)20 683 07 92
open: daily 5-11 pm

Veggie Nachos

Homemade vegetarian nachos
-Sarah Griffin

For whatever reason, I'm most impressed by the corn — and the fact that this didn't come from a freezer. Thanks Sarah!

Short Ribs on an English Muffin

"Short ribs on an English muffin"
-Lori Ross

Described as "creative and delicious." Wow. Now all my questions have been answered.

Libby's

cafe + bar

1917 South Osprey Avenue

Sarasota, FL 34239

(941) 487-7300

http://www.libbyscafebar.com/

Passover Stressing You Out?

From Exodus 12:14 and 15: “This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations, as statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven out of your houses, for if anyone eats what is leavened, from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.”

Well now that my brother lives in Israel, I rather not be cut off from the homeland, so I won’t be consuming any of the “5 forbidden grains”: wheat, barley, spelt, oats, rye—chometz, if you will. But what is this about an abandonment of rice, lentils, chickpeas, and now corn and thus corn starch and corn syrup? And don’t think that you can just drink away the pain of giving up your favorite corn-syrup treat, like chocolate Easter eggs in my case—ironic, I know—because all beer and most liquor are off limits as they were allowed to ferment, a luxury that the Ancient Egyptian fugitives did not have.

I think that limiting yourself to eating only foods that are not wheat, spelt, oats, barley, rye, legumes, corn, or rice is another way of agreeing to a seven-day starvation.

Exploring this further, I read that in the Middle Ages, rice, lentils, chickpeas, and fava beans were ground into flour, which put them in a state that could be confused with the true grains. That's unfortunate, but, as far as I know, the original trendsetters did not seem to have this problem. It seems unnecessary to make amendments to my Passover shopping list when the purpose of this holiday is for it to be a "memorial day," and not just something the French created with their mustard seed addition. Thank you France.

When deciding your own dietary restrictions this holiday season, I think it’s important to consider what Passover means to you. To me, it is a remembrance and honoring of the original miracle. So, bring on the hummus! 

nooch

If it wasn’t the funky tables with curved bamboo centerpieces then it was the fun menu with neon green writing that reeled me into Nooch in Amsterdam.

Although Nooch fails to provide the most authentic of Thai food, the trendy atmosphere and great sharing dishes made for a good dining experience.

Not knowing what to expect after ordering the “Chinese Pearl” appetizer, I was thrilled when four stuffed pastries arrived at the table. The “deep fried pancake” was like a miniature piecrust. The shell was very crispy, creating some difficulty upon eating, but this was a mere hiccup once I was introduced to the seasoned mushroom filling.

Sautéed soft, the mushrooms were met with shredded carrots, lettuce, green onions, oil and spices. The mixture created an explosion of flavor, especially when paired with the red sauce that tasted like Sriracha. The heat from the sauce added that perfect kick to bring the dish to the next level.

The Pad Thai was bizarre. The attractive presentation was a nice touch—a bright 

green leaf lined the white plate—and if the dish had been named different, then maybe I would have been more pleased. The fact that neither the noodles nor the preparation met my expectations of traditional Pad Thai left me slightly disappointed. The noodles were wide and the flavor was bland. I think some sliced cherry tomatoes found their way onto my plate as well, which was a little odd. Whole peanuts, instead of crushed, topped off the dish, fragmenting the ingredients rather than bringing them together.

Regardless of the underwhelming noodle dish, the friendly staff and delicious starter were enough to tempt me to return to Nooch. There are too many enticing dishes I have not yet experienced for me to write off this restaurant just yet.

nooch

Reestraat 11 1016 DM Amsterdam

+31(0)20 622 21 05

goodfortune@nooch.nl

www.nooch.nl

Open daily: 11.00-23.00