Of Baked Goods and Beer

Some of you know that I have a little obsession with craft beer. Fortunately for that, the past 2 weeks have been a whirlwind of beer enjoyment and experimentation, with some baked goods on the side!

First up was my favorite BeerAdvocate event, the Belgian Beer Fest's Night of the Funk ! This event showcases extreme Belgian beers, with plenty of sour, funky, creatively flavored, and higher-ABV brews to try. Two-ounce pours ensure you can try a huge variety, and you walk away with improved knowledge of the various styles as well as a significantly longer cellar wish list! I won't go into my favorites here - let's just say that my in-media-Fest tasting notes are not as coherent as this blog - but I will share a stellar food item that helped us power through the night. Meet the Waffle Cabin's Belgian waffle.

Blurriness aside, you can get a sense of the waffle's heft, as well as a glimmer of the sweet glaze that coated it. The waffle itself is a dense, chewy masterpiece, with a pleasant vanilla taste. It's coated in a sticky, sugary glaze that must be freshly made - there's a graininess to it, as if all the sugar used to make it hasn't fully dissolved. (That occasional sweet crunch is so good!) You can really sink your teeth into this treat, and, strictly speaking, it doesn't need tinkering to be satisfying. But I'm me, and Taza Chocolate was also on hand - so, Chocolate had to meet Waffle. It was a happy coincidence that Taza's Fest samples were cut to fit perfectly in the waffle's grooves. The chocolate softened from the waffle's warmth and melted into each little reservoir. The samples were from Taza's aggressive Mexicano line; imagine high percents cacao, sans sweeteners, with a pronounced grainy texture owing to their stone-ground process. Flavors included cinnamon, chipotle, ginger, orange, and salted almond. I grabbed a square of each flavor for the waffle above. Let's hope I have an opportunity to do a more thorough review of Taza at some point; until then, suffice it to say that these items, combined, made for the best possible Fest food! Oh, along with Corey's pretzel necklaces, gummy worms, and...pepperoni.

The fun did not end that night. You may recall a blurb on post-ACBF fun at the Bocoup Loft; we all met up there again for a bit of post-BBF/NotF fun the next week. Corey and Greg brought the beers, I brought the cookies. I've blogged about my Valrhona triple-chocolate cookies previously, so I won't repeat what I've already said. Just know that this third batch of them was the best yet, in terms of both personal satisfaction with the outcome and their rate of disappearance. (The entire batch lasted maybe an hour, max?) However, let's go over a few of the cookie/beer pairings. First up, we have the Alchemist Brewery's famous Heady Topper! It's been vying with Russian River's Plinys (both Elder and Younger) for the best beer on BeerAdvocate's ratings, and that clout has made it difficult to procure. We got lucky with a Vermonter in our midst. This double IPA has multilayered grassy notes and a long-lingering aftertaste. It's surprisingly light on the tongue for a double.

Next is a collaboration between Sierra Nevada and Russian River, the beloved Santa Rosa (CA) brewery whose groundbreaking IPAs and sours are sadly not distributed on the East Coast. I guess it took Sierra Nevada's partnership to get Brux, a wild ale, out to us. This ale smells rather fresh and is vibrantly carbonated, with only a hint of sourness. I would have expected more from a brewery with an impeccable track record in sours, but that's not to say I wouldn't drink it again. Also, it looks like someone has nibbled a cookie...

Later brews included Jolly Pumpkin's Bam Biere and Hill Farmstead Brewery's Arthur (both saisons), plus nightcaps of New England Brewing's 668 (a Belgian strong pale ale) and Elm City Pilsner. All in all, a great night!

But wait - there's more. Non-cookie foods were obtained outside the Loft. After a series of appetizers at Lucky's (and my first Pumpkinhead of the season - I guess it really is fall!), we stopped by Sportello's bakery counter. Sportello makes incredibly good, unique cupcakes. Here are our strawberry cheesecake cupcakes, readied for travel in upside-down cups. That travel config was fortunate, since I took my cupcake home and ate it the following day.

Sportello "translates" cheesecake to cupcake in an interesting way. We have a graham cracker cake in place of crust, cream cheese frosting in place of actual cheesecake, and strawberry filling plus freeze-dried strawberry garnish in place of fruit topping. Here is the partially-consumed treat; look at that filling and the texture of the cake and frosting!

The graham cracker base was really unique. Store-bought graham crackers are more like sawdust than cake, and their taste is forgettable. This cake, full of brown sugar and cinnamon and butter, was moist and dense and flavorful. The strawberry filling, with fruit pieces and jam, added additional moisture and flavor. The cream cheese frosting was simply perfect! It was sweet and slightly tangy, with a dense, smooth, and even texture. If real cheesecake were anything like this frosting, I would be eating it all the time.

Alas, after the beerdulgence (that's beer indulgence) the night before, I did not wash this cupcake down with yet another brew. Even I have my limits!

So, which beer / baked good combination will be next? I'll take requests.

Summer Restaurant Week 2012

This busy August only left time for two Restaurant Week meals. I wasn't hugely impressed with this summer's restaurants, though my own "adventurous" ordering and a few RW-specific menu trends were probably to blame.

Greg and I went to the locavore landmark Henrietta's Table, in Harvard Square's Charles Hotel, on Restaurant Week's first night. It was an easy decision once we saw they were offering their full menu; plus, for all the time I've spent in that hotel at either company parties or the minimalist bar Noir, I had yet to eat a full meal in one of its restaurants. They started the night off on a high note, with a full basket of artisan breads and plenty of butter. The bread lasted well into the first course, which was corn chowder with crab and bacon. I'm not a fan of corn chowder, but since I love the two meats within it I thought it was worth a try. I made a good decision - here, you can get a sense of the soup's heartiness, packed as full as possible with tender, shredded crabmeat and crispy, crumbled bacon. The corn was fully processed and melded seamlessly with the broth, so there were no unique kernels of the undesirable vegetable.

(Also, in case you're curious - the bread at left is a raisin almond loaf, and the drink incorporated house-infused grapefruit vodka, grapefruit juice, simple syrup, my beloved St. Germain, and sparkling wine. Fantastic!) I then had salmon with peach salsa and mashed potatoes for dinner. The salmon was tasty, but typical. The peach salsa was notably unpleasant, made of unripe fruit and far too many onions. The mashed potatoes were great, though - imagine fluffy, well-spiced mounds of Yukon Golds. I paired a bite of them with each forkful of salmon, leaving most of the salsa alone.

Henrietta's dessert menu offers all sorts of tempting delights, from pies of the day to seasonal fruit cobblers, plus locally-made ice cream and fresh cakes. It was the s'mores skillet that caught my eye, though, for its haute presentation of a campfire treat. Look at this gorgeous dessert!

The base layer was a very dense chocolate mousse, made from Somerville's own Taza Chocolate! It had that deep, intense taste and grainy texture I've come to associate with Taza, and let me tell you, those characteristics are even more remarkable and enjoyable when the chocolate is warm. Next was a fluffy layer of homemade marshmellow, burned slightly at the top for effect. Then, we had a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a sprig of mint, and two homemade graham crackers. The crackers nearly stole the show - soft and chewy, bursting with spices and brown sugar, they've made me think twice of eating a store-bought version. How did I eat this all, you ask?

By mixing it all together, of course! The mix achieved something I absolutely love about multi-part desserts - namely, that fusion of multiple tastes, textures, and temperatures, in a way that all characteristics remain distinct but help the others become even more remarkable. The whole was more than the sum of its parts. Well done, Henrietta! I would definitely go back to this restaurant, since there's so much of the menu that remains to be explored AND I just might need another skillet. 

Katie and I then closed out the Week with dinner at The Butcher Shop. But first, we stopped at the Beehive for the obligatory pre-dinner drink!

That is a vodka gimlet made as I like them, with fresh lime juice and a hint of simple syrup in place of the less-desirable Rose's. Delicious! Unfortunately, the following meal did not meet the gimlet's threshold of excellence.

Corn chowder appetizers were everywhere this Restaurant Week! So, I avoided the Butcher Shop's offering in favor of a beet salad with pumpernickel crostini and quail's eggs. The salad disappointed in that it was mainly unadorned, cold beets; the two crostini were maybe a square inch apiece, and there was only one quail's egg. All my past experiences with beets were tastier than this. How boring. The meat in my entree, pork belly with corn and beans, was enjoyable when I was eating it, with its smooth, tender texture and robust bacon flavor. I believe the term "porkgasm" was employed at the restaurant...but I regretted the indulgence by the middle of the night. And here I rarely get sick from food! Then, I had coffee creme caramel for dessert. I wasn't sure what to expect when I ordered it, and if I had known that a panna cotta-like substance would appear, I would have gone with the much more ordinary, but much more reliable, chocolate mousse. The creme had sweet honey notes up front, and finished with a strong taste of coffee that lingered for a while in the back of my throat. Still, all those unique flavors could not help the fact that I just. don't. like. panna. cotta. Its texture, somewhere between gelatin and cream, is a challenge to my senses.

I've heard the Butcher Shop's regular menu is worth experiencing, so I'd go back if the opportunity presents itself. Considering Barbara Lynch's track record in this city, I'm not going to write this place off just yet - but I'll definitely steer clear of that pork belly!

Tips, Taps, Desserts

I've heard a lot about Brian Poe's cooking, thanks to friends who know him and his food. So, Jeff suggested we check out Poe's newest venture, The Tip Tap Room. What's in a name like that, you ask? Basically, meat (offered as tips from animals both everyday and exotic) and beer (flowing from the taps). As if meat and beer weren't enough, I was told they had good desserts. Never one to shirk dessert duty, we went. And an epic meal happened!

(Disclaimer: This is going to sound like a lot of food, but even the main portions were all appetizer-size or slightly smaller. So, we got little tastes of lots of things!)

The appetizers kicked things off right. Here is rock shrimp fried in kataifi and nori noodles, served with cucumber salad in a sweet chili ginger sauce.

Rock shrimp are small, sweet, and crisp. Their sweetness was a nice complement to the umami of the noodles wrapped around them. Those noodles were also crisp, but the sauce had softened them in places; so, there were a variety of textures in play. The sweet chili ginger sauce, with its fiery, tangy, and sugary notes, also played into the depth of the dish. I must confess, I forgot about the cucumber salad when I saw our next appetizer. Poe's take on grilled figs, stuffed with blue cheese and wrapped in pancetta, was another burst of varied but complementary flavors.

Sweet figs, tangy cheese, and salty pancetta were all soft delights. Burnt balsamic butter gave extra flavor to those pieces of pancetta that fell onto the plate! I liked having the balsamic flavor, often too vinegary for my taste, incorporated into something creamier. I could enjoy its unique taste without being overwhelmed.

The main course (meat course?) came next. The item at left is a yak burger with beer cheese and bacon. The little bit of beer cheese I had - most of it ran off the burger - was tasty, and the bacon was distinctive thanks to Poe's "Beacon Hill" curing process. I'm glad I tried yak, but I don't think I'll get it again. Yak is really lean, and it had none of the moisture that I usually enjoy in medium-rare meat. It was still tender, though, and the burger nearly fell apart as I ate it. The flavor was earthier, grassier, and more natural than beef.

The burgundy (!!!) meat at right is an ostrich tip. I hope its extraordinary appearance suggests how extraordinary it was to eat. The tip had marinated for a day prior, and was therefore succulent and tender. Ostrich is tougher than other birds, but the marinating softened it considerably. Some enjoyable chewiness remained, though! The flavor is unlike any other meat's. It's deep, and gamey, and doesn't need any salt or spices. Wow! I'd eat this again, and again, and...again.

An epic meal, right? Just wait. Things were about to get crazy, which apparently happens when your friend knows the chef and you advertise your love of desserts to said chef. We had planned to share the bread pudding. That apparently wasn't enough for Chef Poe. He surprised us with...

3 DESSERTS.

My eyes grew wide as the staff brought them all out at once. Let's go through them in as much detail as I can muster; please excuse my spotty recall from this taste-bud overload!

I don't normally like this type of dessert, but the bread pudding was to die for! It was made of brioche pieces that had been mixed with blackberries and white chocolate.

The bread was soft and chewy, but not too dry or soggy. (Most bread puddings I've had are one extreme or the other.) The brioche's pleasant vanilla flavor wasn't overwhelmed by the pudding's other parts. There were only a few berries throughout, which makes me think that berry juice or jam contributed most of the fruit flavor and color. The white chocolate worked well with the vanilla notes in the bread, and added a creamy consistency to the dessert that would have been missing otherwise. A dollop of whipped cream and a mint leaf served as garnishes. Then, the whole thing was drizzled in whiskey caramel. I love caramel, but dislike whiskey; fortunately, this sauce had much more of the former. It was a great sugary topper to a surprisingly complex dessert.

Next up was a lemon souffle with raspberry sauce!

I loved the pure fruit flavors in this dessert. Nothing was unnecessarily sweetened, so every bite was full of vibrant tang. The souffle was light as air, with so much flavor relative to its density. The raspberry sauce was a substantive anchor to the dish. A glaze reminiscent of thinned lemon curd was drizzled over it all, and a mint leaf plus streusel-like crumb topping were the finishing touches.

I've saved the best for last. This dessert wasn't on the menu, but I hope it gets there someday so everyone can try it! Behold a unique take on the brownie sundae, with brownies in port sauce in the foreground and a chocolate pudding cup in the background.

The brownies were your average dense, chocolatey baked goods, cut into small squares and positioned beautifully around the plate. They sat on small pools of a really strong port sauce, with aggressive raisin and alcohol notes, and were covered in stripes of chocolate frosting. Some strawberries added a fruity twist. I liked how many flavors there were in that small space, but the piece de resistance was hiding in the pudding cup. Here's a closeup of the treats within.

First of all, what do we see here? Deliciously creamy Valrhona milk chocolate feves and white chocolate batons, whose virtues I have previously extolled in these pages. Smaller chocolate shavings across the percent-cacao spectrum. Light-as-air whipped cream. Crunchy caramelized sugar. So many different kinds of sweet! And secondly, what's hiding beneath? The chocolate pudding, mixed with some creamy alcohol - Kahlua, or Baileys. This is how I like my desserts turned "adult", with something that itself is a liquid dessert. I absolutely loved this "desserts within desserts WITHIN DESSERTS" approach.

I think I've hit on something the Tip Tap Room does well, in both the sweet and savory realms - multifaceted gastronomic delights that give you as much as possible in every bite.

Jeff and I got through most of what was before us. I felt guilty leaving some delicious bites behind, but I know I'll be back for more. Thanks, Chef Poe and the Tip Tap Room, for a really unique dining experience!

Dessert Dump, Summer 2012 Edition

Dessert Dumps are going to become a fixture of summer blogging. It takes much less time to photograph and eat a dessert than it does to write a post, so that I'm overflowing with bloggable desserts in no time but am less full of words for them. So, here's some "blogging lite" on select delicacies from June and July!

Drunken Dutch Delicacies

Have you ever had stroopwafels? I hadn't heard of them until a happily hopped group of us stumbled up to the Bocoup Loft after the American Craft Beer Festival, where a stroopwafel manufacturer had dropped by and left a boxful of product. This pizzelle-like Dutch treat, made of two incredibly thin cookie-sized waffles with caramel pressed between, is intended for enjoyment with a warm beverage - if you set the stroopwafel on a mug of steaming something, that warmth will soften the stroopwafel and melt the caramel, turning it into a gooey, chewy treat. Here is an image of stroopwafels in their ideal use case.

Alas, I was not so careful in my consumption. I snarfed mine rather quickly like it were any old cookie, as befits post-Fest fun and hunger, only pausing to say "yeah, this is good". However, I'd gladly give them a "proper" try. (Bocoupers, are there any left?!)

Italian Finger Desserts

Another summer, another patio party at Dante! This summery fete was a blast due to the company of fellow foodies, literal splashy decor (beach balls and kiddie pools filled with water), local media coverage (yours truly was "Spotted in Boston"!), and, of course, plenty of delicious eats.

I was impressed with the dessert pictured at left. It probably has an official Italian name, but I'm going to call it a genoise cake ball. The two vanilla cake pieces were stuck together with amaretto cream, and the entire ball was then coated in amaretto chocolate and crushed almonds. Delicious and heady, the amaretto-chocolate combination was really winning. Genoise cake is usually so accommodating of creams, ganaches, and liqueurs. At right is an eclair filled with light peach custard and covered in an even lighter peach glaze. The chocolate dipping was sturdy and flavorful.

A Pre-Retreat Repast

It takes four hours to drive from my company's headquarters to our retreat center in Maine. Our caravan of 10 turned it into a day-long excursion, enabling the purchasing of, er, "retreat supplies", a waterfront seafood lunch, and gluten-free desserts along the way! The dessert in question came from Portland, Maine's Bam Bam Bakery. I never would have guessed that my peanut butter bar was gluten-free, it was so full of the usual baked goodies and then some:

The bar had a crumbly shortbread base that was then layered with fudge and marshmallow Fluff. Crisped rice that had been mixed into peanut butter came next, and chocolate chips topped it all off. Ooey, gooey goodness, and just as much of a treat as anything made with standard flour. I only wish I had more water on hand to wash it all down; that peanut butter / Fluff / fudge combination really sticks to your mouth!

Sunday Sugar...and Seafood

What do you do when you go to the North End for a meal at The Daily Catch, only to find that they're closed for the next half-hour? Why, cross Hanover Street to Mike's Pastry, of course, and enjoy an appetizer of dessert! I was glad to revisit this favorite college haunt to try their newer cannoli flavors. When I was in school, the chocolate mousse cannoli was a big deal; now, though, you get an ice cream shop's worth of varieties! Here is my Oreo cannoli, minus a bite or two.

Mike's now crushes Oreo cookies and mixes them with standard ricotta cream cannoli filling. I'm not the hugest fan of ricotta cream - hence that mousse cannoli back in the day - but I absolutely loved it with the Oreos added. (I guess I need my cookies with cream, eh?) The Oreo filling was in a standard cannoli shell dusted with powdered sugar; the fun touch was that both ends were dipped in cookie crumbles! Yum. I didn't sample this espresso cannoli - darn! - but I am told it was delicious.

Also, for the record - The Daily Catch has the. best. scallops. I have ever had!

Thanks for putting up with this blog's on-schedule Dump! Next up will be a full post on an unusual and interesting dinner, with desserts to match...

A Whirlwind of NYC Food

I still owe you the details on London's Afternoon Tea, but let's momentarily divert our attention to a closer metropolis and its plentiful food offerings!

Several of my college friends converged upon New York City this past weekend! Carr and I came from Boston; Linda traveled up from Philadelphia, and Mary and Steph already lived as close as you can get in Hoboken. This happy mini-reunion involved catching up, urban exploration, and - surprise, surprise - delicious food. Let's go through the many and varied eats of Saturday, July 14!

Stop 1: Sugar Sweet Sunshine

We had 30 minutes to kill before our lunch table would be ready. We were near a renowned cupcakery. We all like cupcakes. What did we do? Stop by Sugar Sweet Sunshine, of course, and get cupcakes to go! Ok, those reasons may not qualify for SSS' top ten, but we felt they were more than valid.

I really enjoyed my last visit to SSS, so I was glad to return and introduce others to their delights. I left with the Goodie Goodie (dark chocolate cake with whipped peanut butter buttercream) and carried it back to lunch, then to the High Line, down the length of said park, and around Chelsea Market, until (a) it was a warm mess of a dessert with frosting smeared and melted all over the wax paper bag, and (b) I thought I might have room for it. Talk about a well-traveled dessert! Fortunately, it tasted much better than it looked at that point. The frosting was extremely light, like a whisper of what frosting usually is, with a very subtle and sweet peanut flavor. The chocolate cake had a stronger cocoa flavor, though it was a bit dry. I blame the heat!

Stop 2: The Meatball Shop

Lunch at The Meatball Shop was one of the best meals I've had year-to-date. The shop's premise is simple enough: take meatballs, drench them in sauce, and serve them with or over a side. What's astounding is how impressively good each component is, and how much you get! Take it all in with your eyes, and then imagine me taking it all in with my eyes and stomach..

I ordered the classic beef meatballs with parmesan cream sauce over freshly-milled polenta. The meatballs were hearty and flavorful, consisting of all-natural beef mixed with prosciutto, ricotta cheese, and oregano. The sauce was thick and fragrant with tangy Parmesan cheese, much better than the average alfredo or cheese sauce. The polenta, a true food of the gods with its mashed-potato-meets-cornbread quality, was an ideal consistency - smooth and creamy, with occasional distinct cornmeal grains that gave it texture. As if that weren't enough, shaved cheese was sprinkled over the top of it all. Each bite was the very height of savory decadence.

The deliciousness didn't end there! The presence of the aforementioned cupcakes-to-go did not prevent us from ordering the Shop's signature dessert. They offered customizable ice cream sandwiches, made from store-made ice cream and cookies. They even let you choose two different cookies for the "bread" of the sandwich! So, here is my espresso ice cream with chocolate chip and brownie walnut cookies.

The ice cream was light, more like frozen milk than cream. I appreciated that after the heavy lunch, and it also let the bright espresso flavor assert itself rather than be overwhelmed by the cream. The brownie walnut cookie was moist, chewy, and chocolatey, with (fortunately) fewer nuts than expected; the chocolate chip cookie, though, was dry and forgettable. Now that I've tried the ice cream sandwich, I don't feel the need to repeat it; however, I would gladly re-indulge in a meatball lunch/dinner at the earliest opportunity!

Stop 3: Blue Bottle Coffee

We were quite thirsty after walking the length of The High Line, so we found refreshment at Blue Bottle Coffee. Their cold-brew single origin iced coffee was positively bursting with flavor! I detected the usual cocoa and caramel notes, as well as something fruitier and tangier that I couldn't quite place. Could it have something to do with bean terroir and roasting protocol? (Why didn't I ask the former barista among us?!)

Stop 4: Chelsea Market

Chelsea Market is in a vast building under The High Line, right across the street from Blue Bottle. We naturally moved toward it. It's an indoor labyrinth filled with miniature shops (in store form, not stalls or carts) selling everything from pastries to lobster. Look at the pretty main hall, with its colorful lanterns!

We were still full from the Lower East Side's ballstravaganza; otherwise, I'm sure we would have indulged in a Market treat while there. Instead, I got a brownie to go from the Fat Witch Bakery!

Yes, I bought a brownie advertising an overrated musical. But it was the mint chocolate brownie! And it proved its worth when I snacked on it two days later. As you can see, it's sprinkled with green sugar crystals. They added a nice, sweet crunch. Less visible are the equally green mint chips mixed throughout the brownie, but clustered more toward its bottom.They were soft and creamy, and their mint flavor thoroughly imbued the surrounding batter. The brownie reminded me of a cake bite, having the same fudgy texture as those little treats, but its chocolate wasn't as strong or mouth-coating as fudge. Even though my preferred chocolate threshold was unmet, I'd recommend this Witch for its texture and assertive, sweet mintiness.

At this point, we washed our cupcakes down with whatever coffee was left, and headed back to the East Village.

Stop 5: Maharlika

Believe it or not, it was nearly dinnertime! We chilled at Yuca, sipping on sangria for an hour or so...

...before moving on to Maharlika, a modern Filipino restaurant. I was SO excited to try Flilipino cuisine after learning about the culture in college. We split appetizers of chicharron and lechon kawali, flavorful pork rinds and belly, respectively. (To quote one thread of conversation: "You gotta love a culture that knows what to do with pork!") We also sipped on calamansi juice, a refreshing beverage made from a citrus fruit native to the Philippines. Imagine a delicate juice subtly tasting of lime, lemon, and orange, with just a hint of tartness and sweetness, and none of the usual citrus bitterness. It was the perfect summer drink! Then, I had the tender and flavorful chicken adobo for dinner.

Plump pieces of chicken marinate in soy-based abodo sauce before being simmered in the same sauce and browned afterward. The chicken is served in more sauce, with steamed rice on the side. I enjoyed the soft, moist meat; the peppery, garlicky adobo flavor; and the fragrant white rice's soaking up the sauce. I got busog rather quickly, to use the restaurant's Tagalog word of the day. If only I could have taken leftovers home for the following night!

Stop 6: Momofuku Milk Bar

Our walk toward nighttime birthday festivities took us past the East Village outpost of Momofuku Milk Bar. I've been kind of obsessed with this bakery since I browsed their cookbook in a bookstore a while back, and wanted to bake or try most things from it. How did I satisfy a dessert dream while being too full for dessert? By getting something for later, of course. I enjoyed their birthday cake truffles the following day during the trip back to Boston. The truffles got smushed in transit, losing all photographic potential - so, here's a bakery shot from their press kit.

The truffles were really cute. Imagine small, round cake bites, made from yellowy-brown cake and crushed rainbow sprinkles. Their exterior was coated in drier crumbs of the same cake, plus some intact sprinkles. Adorable! All other characteristics matched their cheerful appearance, bringing any number of childhood treats and moods to mind. The cake was moist and chewy, much denser than, say, a Funfetti cake. The sprinkles added another kind of chewy texture to the mix. Then, they were flavored to the max with vanilla - and sugar. They were almost too sweet, which I could not have handled in a larger amount of truffles or an actual cake slice. Still, I loved that Milk Bar was able to pack so much dessert into a tiny package. It gave me enough of a taste of their wares that I wanted more! Maybe a Cereal Milk latte and candy bar pie from their Brooklyn flagship bakery...or, something I make when I finally buy that cookbook?

*cue unprecedented food coma here*

I hope you enjoyed that New York day in the life of a Boston foodie. Here's to my next trip - and whatever I sample next at any of the above establishments!

When London Isn't Sweet...

...it's fresh, and ripe, and bountiful, and meaty, and hearty. Or so I found when enjoying various pub meals and browsing an open-air market. Let's leave the desserts behind for a moment and focus on some savory delights.

First of all, I was eager to try a traditional Sunday Roast. A Roast usually includes one's choice of roasted meat, roasted potatoes and other veg, Yorkshire pudding, and gravy; all in all, it promised to be a satisfying meal that would fortify me for the busy days ahead. We repaired to The Holly Bush, tucked up a hilly side street in the gorgeous neighborhood of Hampstead, and settled in among the friendliest-imaginable set of fellow-diners, -drinkers, bartenders, and waitstaff. (Remind me to tell you, in detail, just how wonderful British pub culture is sometime...) The scene was set for enjoying the perfect Roast, but I couldn't go through with it. No upstanding comfort-food lover could settle for mere meat and veg when those things could be presented to them in...

...

...a POT PIE.

Behold, The Holly Bush's jaw-droppingly-good fish pie! It was filled with salmon, whitefish, and spinach, and topped with spring onion mashed potatoes. The fish was fresh and flavorful, and the mashed potatoes were so thick and creamy and pungent and just browned enough that my taste buds could barely process it all, it was so tasty. Mixed greens served on the side in a light dressing balanced out the heaviness nicely, and a pint of Aspall cider washed it all down. I loved this meal so much that I had it a few days later, after exploring the nearby Heath.

Later in the trip, I went to Borough Market for their baked goods. Surprisingly enough, I left equally impressed with their produce. I don't usually wax rhapsodic about veg, but I couldn't get over this colorful bounty!

Just looking at these makes me want to eat a salad! (No, I'm not referring to the shredded lettuce that Brits put on sandwiches...) And here, an assortment of mushrooms, some of which I had never seen before.

Wandering among the different stalls made me think back to my 2010 Revels show, which opened with Orlando Gibbons' Cries of London. Each cast member was assigned a different "cry"; mine was a line or two about turnips. Here are Borough Market's turnips, photographed in homage to Revels. Aren't they pretty, so cheerfully white and purple? If only a chorus had been on hand to sing of the Market's other delights... 

Look at all this Turkish delight! I'm not a fan, but anyone who is should check out this unmatched variety of flavors.

Lastly, what is a trip to London without fish 'n' chips? Rock & Sole Plaice's fantastic rock, fried in plenty of seasoned batter, was a standout. Rock is a thick and chewy, yet light and fluffy, whitefish. It tastes like cod, but it has the most unique texture I have encountered in fish; if the prior description doesn't make sense, try imagining an airy...steak...of fish. Toothsome and tasty! The accompanying chips were a bit overwhelming, just massive hunks of taters that had been fried with minimal salt and no seasoning. Fortunately, plenty of ketchup and tartar sauce were on hand to add flavor and moisture. A true standout situated near Covent Garden, but away from the tourist crowds.

So, what should be on my my next London trip's eating list, in addition to repeats of the above?

London's So Sweet

I recently spent 9 days in London, my favorite place in the world! The vacation - or "holiday", if I'm being a proper wannabe Brit - included numerous architectural and historical wonders, museums, gardens, and parks. But I'm here to tell you about the food.

Snacking Bars

Marks & Spencer's Simply Food stores are ubiquitous, but that doesn't mean they sacrifice quality in their quantity. Far from it, in fact. These convenient stores sell surprisingly fresh grab-n-go eats, making them a favorite of lunch-eating professionals and tourists looking to nosh on the move. I'd get their apple beverage as part of breakfast every morning - imagine a drink somewhere between juice and cider, made from the island's sweet, refreshing Pink Lady apples - and a snacking bar whenever the hunger so moved me.

One bar was the flapjack with Belgian chocolate. In America, a flapjack is a pancake. In Britain, it's an oat-based bar, with a texture somewhere between a granola bar and an oatmeal cookie, that's sweetened with honey or golden syrup. M&S' flapjack seemed a tad too soggy with fluid sweetener, and the flavor was...bland, at best. I missed the presence of cinnamon, and brown sugar's molasses notes; I guess the Brits don't really spice their oats. The chocolate chunks mixed throughout were tasty, but they didn't really blend with the oat mixture. Overall, I'd say the flapjack was forgettable. Maybe I would have had a different opinion if I weren't so set in my comparatively spicy American ways?

Millionaire Shortbread, however, is a dream!

This king of bar cookies has 4 layers: a shortbread base, milk caramel, milk chocolate, and white chocolate drizzle. All textures and flavors are spot-on, and mix so well together that I can't really think of a better snack. The shortbread is buttery and flaky; the caramel tastes of sugar and salt; the milk chocolate bursts with cocoa and cream; and the white chocolate is smooth, essential vanilla. One bite gives you all those flavors, as well as crumbs, some crunch, and some melting in your mouth. It even looks beautiful!

This is one Oxford bakery's take on the bar. Taylors' Luxury Shortbread differed from the M&S standard in two ways - the shortbread cookie was packed with brown sugar, and the caramel was more of a sugary, milky peanut butter. I also plan to mirror Taylor's ingenuity and make my own, though my ideal end product will more closely resemble M&S'! Until that happens, I have three Millionaire bars to tide me over.

Chocolate Bars

British chocolate is formulated differently. Americans can't use vegetable oil in the product and legally label it chocolate; in Britain, that oil routinely replaces some fraction of cocoa butter. The resulting "chocolate" feels unusually smooth, if not a tad slippery, and has a slightly tangier taste. Another difference is how the chocolate is processed. Our candy bars primarily use solid chocolate, while our friends across the Pond enjoy aerating and rippling the confection into all sorts of unusual configurations. I have Wispa and Ripple bars on reserve for future enjoyment; I'm sure they'll be discussed in these pages soon!

Regional Pastries

England's many "shires" have retained distinct accents over the centuries; it's no surprise that their cuisines are similarly resistant and unique. I was fortunate enough to sample a regional pastry at the London Bridge neighborhood's Borough Market! Here is one vendor's assortment of such treats. (And no, I don't think their name, The Flour Station, is mere coincidence. My theory, that any bakery named "Flour"-something has to be excellent, remains uncontested.)

This Eccles cake was significantly tastier than last trip's Chelsea bun. The top of the cake was crusted with turbinado sugar. The dough was flaky like a croissant at the edge, but it became fluffier and cake-like toward the center. The cake's sizable interior was filled with a mincemeat-style assortment of currants and candied citrus bits, all tossed in a buttery, spicy sauce. The overall effect was a very pleasant combination of sweet, spicy, and butter flavors, cased in that chewy and crunchy dough and sugar.

Also, in case you can't tell - these things are huge, approximately a palm's width across! One cake became my lunch, and kept me full well past the half-life of the average Pret a Manger boxed sandwich.

Jubilee Pastries

The 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's reign inspired many things across this happy land, including food items. Take Harrods' food halls, for example. I didn't plan to enter Harrods, but their fanciful storefront displays drew me in. Not only had various couturiers designed elaborate crowns commemorating the Jubilee, letting one walk down Brompton Street in line with royal razzle-dazzle, but their food and party people had created festive, elaborate spreads, recalling everything from formal banquets to exuberant street parties, all in the space of a few shop windows. Oh, sure, I thought, why not go inside and see these items up close? I should have known I'd be leaving with a sweet treat! Behold, a donut from Harrods' bake shop.

This is no ordinary donut, though. It is a chocolate raspberry Jubilee donut! The dough was sweet and chewy; the filling was syrupy, tasting of raspberries and cream. The donut was coated in a sugary vanilla glaze, topped with a dollop of hardened chocolate raspberry sauce, and dusted with edible red glitter! I'm assuming that last touch is what made it a Jubilee treat; the country as a whole seemed decked out in sparkles for the occasion. :-)

Lastly, I will leave you with some eye candy - or rather, eye cake? - from Oxford's Cake Shop. Not only do we have the Radcliffe Camera rendered in cake and fondant...

...but several festive Jubilee desserts as well!

This last dessert depicts a traditional British street party. I love the miniature fondant cakes decorating the larger cake! I now know where to get a cake in Oxford, should I ever have such a need in such a place.

Are you sugared out yet? I hope not; there is plenty still to come. This sweets-focused post is one of three total London posts I have planned; stay tuned for articles on savory delights and the ultimate dessert indulgence, afternoon tea!