serlinas

Love my new bag!

Wed, 08 May 2013 21:22:00 -0400

Love my new bag!

I grew up in Chinatown, Manhattan. I use to know the name of all...

Sun, 05 May 2013 23:02:00 -0400

Chris the bartender

The entrance

I grew up in Chinatown, Manhattan. I use to know the name of all the shops and streets but since then so many things have changed. Each time I am in Chinatown again, I am overwhelmed by the feeling of familiarity and strangeness.

Yesterday, I went to a bar that my friend told me about on Doyer Street that is a must-try. I was confused at first, seriously Doyer Street? The little alley with the post office, row of barber shops, and hole in the wall and underground Chinese restaurants? I honestly never noticed a bar there and it made sense when I saw the entrance - simple, double wooden doors - completely understated and intimidating (I took the picture of the entrance when I left, there was nobody on the street when I arrived).

The inside: I was completely blown away by the atmosphere, actually a better description would be that I was transported to another time. There was an obvious theme that I liked, bartenders in lab coats as apothecaries, the menu is called a “prescription list”, each drink is a remedy drink, and they were all delicious!!

Apothéke, 9 Doyer Street

#beautiful #tree

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 20:44:04 -0400

#beautiful #tree

Starting to wonder if my blog is turning into a diary of my junk...

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 00:48:00 -0400

Oreo cupcake

Italian cheesecake

Cannoli

Extra Pl.

Burrata

Flatiron building

Madison square park

Shake Shack.. in the background

Starting to wonder if my blog is turning into a diary of my junk food intake. I guess it is actually reflective of my lifestyle. I don’t exactly watch what I eat at all…

My thought process: probably shouldn’t eat anymore, but it is sitting on the table… whatever! I’m skinny! I can take it…

This past Thursday I binged on desserts. It was disgusting - actually it was bliss, but the amount that I ate was disgusting. In addition to the giant oreo cupcake, italian cheesecake, cannoli, and light dinner shown above, not shown is the mango cheesecake, and the two generously creamed sandwich cookies. I have to confess, this is embarrassing and painful, but due to my lack of self control I had my first heartburn.

The italian cheesecake and the cannoli was from Pasticceria Bruno, which claims to make the best cannoli in the city. They WON the Throwdown with Bobby Flay!!! The shell was crunchy and they pipe the filling in after you order. I prefer it done that way. I loved their ricotta cream, so good!! It was not too sweet, light, and has a slight citrus taste. My friend told me she still prefers Ferrara’s (note: I will go there for a cannoli soon).

Side-thought: I need to learn to say “no” to desserts…

After having our fill of sugar and fat we went to dinner located on a little alley called Extra Place (also the name of the restaurant). The place was adorable with wooden decor and… well, I’ll just go straight into talking about the food.. the burrata dish was, how do I explain it - it makes me happy just thinking about it. I absolutely LOVE chheessee!! I could feel my taste buds dancing when I was eating it. The flavors worked so well together. I had not encountered a dish that excited me in this way in a while. I can’t wait to come here again, but for brunch and sit in their outdoor seating area.

Speaking of which, the weather has been gorgeous the past couple weekends (around 70’s F). I finally got to wear my new maxi skirt! I attached a couple pics of my relaxing Saturday afternoon with my bestie/fellow dessert enthusiast. Also, yes, that is the Flatiron building and yes, that is Shake Shack.

Pasticceria Bruno, 506 LaGuardia Place (between Houston St & Bleecker St)

Extra Place, 8 Extra Place (between Bowery and 2nd Ave, enter on E. 1st Street)

Sometimes I cant resist… #chips #cravings #cheetos...

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 19:58:28 -0400

Sometimes I cant resist… #chips #cravings #cheetos #ruffles

I love gift giving especially because it allows me to express a...

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 22:55:14 -0400

I love gift giving especially because it allows me to express a bit of my creativity. I prepared these little presents for my girlfriends - my favorite Essie nail polishes, adorable socks, an elastic hair band to tie everything together, and finally a cute bow for the finishing touch.

Sometimes when I am feeling down looking through pictures makes...

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 14:16:00 -0400

Sometimes when I am feeling down looking through pictures makes me feel better. There’s a story behind every one. Well, if you think about it, it’s an event captured as a still image.

Look here, it’s a cream puff!

True, it looks pretty disgusting.. half eaten, no filter, but not the point. Waice gave me, and only me, this cream puff when I saw her during our friend’s birthday party. That made me feel special.

Now that I sitting at home on a glorious spring day thinking about what my friends are doing - wishing that we can spend more time together and knowing that they are out with their boyfriends. It makes me think, “Am I being too greedy?” When we grow older we have more responsibility, so naturally less availability. Back to the cream puff, when I saw this picture I was reminded that just because I don’t see certain people as often as I would like, it is comforting to know that they still think about me.

So time to get out from under the covers. No point wasting such a beautiful day!

Beard Papa’s, 2167 Broadway, between W.76th and W.77th street

It has only been two weeks and I already travelled again to my...

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 23:35:26 -0400

Tiramisu made by yours truly

Crepe Cake with FIFTEEN layers! I am so impressed!

Raspberry Crumb Bars

Taro - deep friend with sugar. Delicious!

Classic Apple Pie

It has only been two weeks and I already travelled again to my friend’s place in New Jersey, this time for desserts!! Yes, I know, my friends and I like to make plans to get fat together.

But in my opinion it was a wonderful party idea. We played Anomia (card game) and sipped on champagne as we waited for our desserts to bake or chill. We made a good variety, thankfully not all our desserts required the oven or else we would never get to eat our sugary creations. I was very surprised by everyone’s ambitiousness - most of us were making our desserts for the first time.

I confess, it was my first attempt at tiramisu. I was lucky to have an expert baking partner that guided me through the entire process. Thank you, Katrina! Without her I am sure we would’ve ended up munching on lady fingers dipped in mascarpone or something along those lines.

Can you imagine the aroma of the room when all this was happening? From the smell of the oats and the apples baking, the espresso, the cream being whipped, and the taro frying - there was so much anticipation before we finally got to eat. That, of course was the best part! Are you drooling from the pictures yet?

Dumpling: hey, make sure you take the picture of my good side.

Sat, 06 Apr 2013 23:10:18 -0400

Dumpling: hey, make sure you take the picture of my good side.

I’ll have dessert before dinner please, actually...

Sat, 06 Apr 2013 22:08:00 -0400

Green Tea Crème Brûlée

Warm Chocolate Mochi Cake

Signature Sweet Tofu

Black Sesame Sweet Tofu

I’ll have dessert before dinner please, actually I’ll have dessert any time of the day.

Lately, I’ve been recommended multiple times to try a dessert bar in Hell’s Kitchen area. “It’s reaaallly good!” “You have to go!!” You probably already know the place, yes, I am talking about Kyotofu. If you haven’t heard of it, they serve “modern Japanese desserts” made from soybeans. Interesting, indeed.

So I do have some prior experiences with soybean desserts such as douhua and tofu puddings. I can’t say I love these desserts and I don’t specifically crave for them. Point being that I didn’t have high expectations to be wowed by the dessert there, despite all the hype.

To date, I have been there twice - Valentine’s Day (this year) and yesterday night. In total I have tried 4 dessert items, two of them being their most popular, the Signature Sweet Tofu and the Green Tea Crème Brûlée. The other two was the Black Sesame Sweet Tofu and the Warm Chocolate Mochi Cake.

Funny to say but my favorite was actually the chocolate mochi cake. I was hesitant to order it at first because mochi is another one of those desserts that I am not crazy over. I do have a different opinion about mochi ice cream though. I think it was the softness of the mochi and the richness of the chocolate balanced by the light coffee ice cream and the warm gooey incredible caramel that made it so good. I don’t have as high opinions for the other desserts. Both sweet tofus have a really creamy panna cotta texture, completely different from douhua. The black sesame one in particular was an overload of sesame flavor, too much for my liking, and the taste reminded me exactly of black sesame paste. The green tea crème brûlée simply put was precisely what I expected. I actually love Asian-inspired flavors of crème brulee. I suggest trying the Black Sesame Crème Brûlée (ironically black sesame, but trust me) from Cha-An.

Kyotofu, 705 Ninth Avenue (between 48th and 49th)

Cha-An Japanese Tea House, 230 East 9th street, 2nd Floor

Had not a sip, but my first full cup of coffee

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 09:13:29 -0400

April 1st, 2013

In case you’ve forgotten, this is Dumpling. I...

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 22:37:20 -0400

In case you’ve forgotten, this is Dumpling.

I haven’t posted this crazy ball of fur in a while. My apologies, he loves the camera and there will be more pictures of him.

The first of hopefully many more baking/cooking parties - in New...

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 17:15:00 -0400

Cream cheese stuffed mushrooms (left) and sausage stuffed mushrooms (right)

Getting the dough right

Tomato base

Olive oil base for the white pizza

Pepperoni pizza

Grilled chicken, garlic, and broccoli pizza

Sausage, bell pepper, and onion pizza

The first of hopefully many more baking/cooking parties - in New Jersey.

First of all, yesterday was the first time in possibly over a decade that I took the Path to New Jersey. I stepped underground at World Trade Center and was bewildered. How do I purchase a ticket?? I remember putting dollar bills at the turnstiles to pay for my ride. Apparently I can now use my Metrocard, except if it’s a monthly then I would have to purchase a single ride (no worries, no need to pay the extra $1 for a NEW metrocard because it’s only a paper ticket). Unsure where to board the next train, I naturally followed the crowd to a platform full of awaiting passengers. Finally I was able to breathe a sigh of relief, I’m probably doing it right.

I got off at Exchange Place (the first stop in NJ). There was nobody on the streets! But it was very peaceful and the view looking back at lower Manhattan was simply beautiful.

Ok, moving on to talking about cooking. I MADE MY FIRST PIZZA!!

The most difficult part was getting the dough into the desired shape, size, and thickness on the pan. I had to do it twice because my first time the middle was too thin and I know I would be very generous with toppings later on. I would suggest lightly covering the dough in oil so it wouldn’t be so sticky in this process.

The cooking crew consisted of three of us making our own pizzas while the host made cream cheese stuffed mushrooms. Overall, a successful night. All the food came out delicious - 3 pizzas, stuffed mushrooms (2 versions, a guest brought over the sausage stuffed mushrooms), tossed salad, and baked brie perfectly satisfied 10 people’s tummies.

The highlight of my day… receiving a mass produced...

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 23:16:00 -0400

The highlight of my day… receiving a mass produced postcard in the mail because even though it doesn’t have my name on it, it still feels more personal than an email. Thank you, Madewell.

on my way home.

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 23:47:26 -0400

me: bus driver called me "sweetheart" when I was getting on...made me want to get off right away
dee: sometimes you have to embrace the kindess of strangers, no matter how awkward it feels

Anyone who knows me well knows that I have never been much of a...

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 00:48:00 -0400

Anyone who knows me well knows that I have never been much of a pancake fan. Eating a stack of (>2) pancakes, ends up feeling like I’m eating mouthfuls of flour. However, I am an optimist and had faith that someone can make the perfect pancakes for me. AND I believe I found my match at the Public… and The Fat Radish.

I can’t decide which restaurant makes it more heavenly!!!

First off, the “Coconut pancakes with fresh ricotta, mango salad and ginger-lime syrup,” had so many flavors in it that worked well together in harmony. The pancakes didn’t feel heavy in my stomach, everything was so light and the toasted coconut slices with the ginger syrup added that something extra.

I was in love and went back a few weeks later just to have it again.

Then last weekend I had brunch with a friend visiting from Boston at The Fat Radish. The simple description: “Pumpkin pancakes, pecans, bourbon maple cream” called out to me. But I can say for certain, don’t be fooled by the innocent homestyle look of these pancakes. Hidden at the very bottom, beneath three layers, is the maple mascarpone. Each bite along with the aroma of the pumpkin hits the spot.

Now, I can finally say, I love (coconut and pumpkin) pancakes!

Public, 210 Elizabeth Street

The Fat Radish, 17 Orchard St

Photo

Sun, 24 Mar 2013 16:02:20 -0400

Happy. #shakeshack #burger

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 21:03:37 -0400

Happy. #shakeshack #burger

Does it taste good? #designerhandbag #louisvuitton #cake

Sat, 09 Mar 2013 20:12:00 -0500

Does it taste good? #designerhandbag #louisvuitton #cake

Cuties! (at Sweet Buttons Desserts)

Sat, 23 Feb 2013 14:35:00 -0500

Cuties! (at Sweet Buttons Desserts)