Max Brenner / Syrup Desserts – 12.11.09 / 1.23.10 – East vs. West Waffles

When I went to NYC in December, I had the opportunity of going to a wondrous place called “Max Brenner”. Walking through the doors was like walking through a curtain of chocolate – you were immediately greeted with the smell of it and its warm embrace. I remember loving Max Brenner’s carefree, sugar-loving establishment and wishing that something like this existed in LA.

Little did I know, there already was.

Stumbling upon Syrup Desserts was like walking into LA’s adult version of Max Brenner. Not quite Candyland, this was the more sophisticated version for those who enjoyed a good french press with their sugary delights. You may not drown in chocolate at Syrup Desserts, but you can definitely appease your sweet tooth here.

Now comes the question: Which one is better? I can’t say for certain, but I do know this: They both make a mean berry waffle.

Max Brenner

“It’s so simple. All you have to do is just really love chocolate!”

If Max Brenner were the Willy Wonka of NYC, I would be the girl who got stuck in a tube because I was drinking too much chocolate out of the river. (Yes, the short little rotund one.)

Max Brenner is just a happy-go-lucky kind of place. Open until 2AM, it’s perfect for a midnight snack or, in my case, a warm cup of hot chocolate on a cold New York night. They’ve got half a dozen varieties of hot chocolate on their menu, each made with your choice of either dark, milk or white chocolate. I personally recommend the dark Mexican hot chocolate – the spiciness in that cup kicked the cold right out of me!

After hungrily eyeing the neighboring table’s Tutti Frutti waffles for five minutes straight, I figured I should order a plate of my own. The waffles themselves were a bit dry but the mountains of strawberries compensated for it. The berries were ripe and sweet and had just a hint of citrus to punch things up a bit. The vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup were eaten separately – There was no need to load that waffle up any more than it already was, it was great as is.

 

Max Brenner
841 Broadway
New York, NY 10003

Syrup Desserts

If parking downtown wasn’t such a pain, you’d find me at Syrup Desserts every weekend, fork full of waffle in one hand, coffee in the other and a lonely laptop sitting in front of me. (Hey, I only have two hands!) Any establishment that serves both LAMill and Intelligencia coffee already gets an “A” in my book. Add some of the best waffles I’ve had in recent memory and you’ve earned yourself that extra plus.

Syrup Desserts serves three types of waffles: Fancy waffles (that, for the life of me, I can’t remember what makes them so fancy), Belgian waffle and liege waffles. Again, with the help of Wikipedia, I shall define my food. Liege waffles are:

“a richer, denser, sweeter, and chewier waffle. Invented by the chef of the prince-bishop of Liège in the 18th century as an adaptation of brioche bread dough, it features chunks of pearl sugar, which caramelizes on the outside of the waffle when baked.”

In other words, it’s pure deliciousness.

(Side tangent: My food photo skills are slowly getting better! YAY!)

As mentioned, the waffles are noticeably chewier than your typical Belgian waffle but I personally like the consistency. I was surprised to find blueberries baked inside my waffle; they were a welcome addition and didn’t soggy the waffle at all.

As for the accompanying blackberry jasmine ice cream, I could eat vats of the stuff. Although my dining companion Austin thought they had overseeped the blackberry jasmine tea, I loved the bold blackberry flavor and the heavy tea aftertaste.

I can already tell Syrup Desserts is soon going to be one of my regular late night stops. The last time I was there, I noticed they have a Mexican hot chocolate on their menu too – if it’s as good as Max Brenner’s, I’ll never leave.

 

Syrup Desserts
611 S Spring St
Los Angeles, CA 90014

Auditor’s Eats – 1.2010 – I DON’T DO TAX.

20 consecutive working days, 200 billable hours and many, many more unbillable hours later, I am officially DONE with the first sign-off of the 2010 busy season!

FREEEEDOOOOOMMM!!

For those unfamiliar with the wonderful world of public accounting, here’s a little background:

1. Busy season is the bane of an auditor’s existence. We work like hell for the months between January and March (mine typically runs into April, lucky me) and, when I say we work like hell, I mean work equals life. Come in at 9AM, leave at midnight – thus is our busy season life.
2. Please do not mention tax season around me, I don’t do tax. We are busy because public companies release their financial statements as of 12/31 (i.e. year-end) and we’re the ones making sure those numbers are correct. The day these financials are released is known as “sign-off” (i.e. the day the firm signs off saying everything’s okay).
3. Lastly, and most importantly, because we work 15 hours a day, the firm has to feed us. I mean, we’re working an extra 7 hours a day but we don’t get paid overtime? They better feed us. (Oh, thus is the salaried life.)

…Which brings us to Auditor’s Eats.

I thought it would be funny to take pictures of what I eat at work and see what crosses my desk during the course of a busy season. In better times, we would be ordering in for every meal – lunch, snacks, and dinner – but it’s a recession now and we only get dinners nowadays. Not that I’m complaining – dinner is the most anticipated moment of the day. It’s the time when we can put down our green pens and just relax for a good half-hour before diving headfirst back into our piles of paper.

So here goes the first ever Auditor’s Eats. There will be many more coming soon – trust me, busy season ain’t over yet.

 

Russ & Daughters / Katz-’s Deli 12.13.09 – I <3 NY + Anthony Bourdain

I think it’s safe to say: Everyone loves Anthony Bourdain.

I have yet to meet a person who has been indifferent to him, let alone hated him. I, myself, can pinpoint the exact moment I fell in love with the man – It was way back when (you know, back when The Food Network was actually a legit food network) and I was watching A Cook’s Tour on TV. Bourdain, as usual, was in the middle of some far off land and had just taken a bite of the regional iguana dish. It was at that moment he spoke the words that stole my heart. He said:

“Unbelievably horrible. I just want to die. I mean really bad. I want to dip my head into a bucket of lye, you know, pull my eyes out of their sockets and jump off a cliff.”

(Yes, THAT’s the kind of stuff that makes my heart flutter.)

It was at that moment, I knew – Anthony Bourdain WILL NOT bullshit you. If something is horrific, he WILL tell you. On the same note, if he says something is awesome, you better believe it.

Fast forward to November 2009 – I was in the process of planning my first trip to back to NY since the beginning of the millenium and I conveniently stumble upon Anthony Bourdain’s list of 13 places to eat before you die, 3 of which were located in NYC.

Is this a sign? (Maybe.)
Is the King of My Heart trying to tell me something? (I doubt it.)
Am I going to heed his call? (OF COURSE.)

(Note: If you’re an Anthony Bourdain hater out there, please – stay hidden and don’t comment. I like being young and naive.)

———-

(Okay, NOW comes the part about the food.)

Spots 8 and 9 on Anthony Bourdain’s bucket list are just a block apart, which makes them easy to knock off the list. Katz’s Deli and Russ and Daughters are two NYC institutions that have been around for the last century, give or take a couple years (Katz’s opened in 1888, Russ and Daughters in 1914), and they’re both still serving the same things they were when they first opened.

Russ and Daughters

If the day I went was representative of a normal day at Russ and Daughters, be prepared to WAIT. Even though it was pouring outside, this little place was packed to the brim with people, waiting for their smoked fish and Jewish sides.

While others were stocking up on pickled herring and latkes, I had my eyes on a lox bagel with the works (i.e. onions, tomatoes and capers). You get your choice of lox – I chose the Scottish salmon as it was supposed to be “the perfect union of silky texture, balanced smoked, and total sophistication”. I waited 30 minutes for my little bagel sandwich, then rushed over to Katz’s with my goodies all wrapped up in a bag.

I finally got the chance to chow down later in the day and the lox was just as it was described – the texture was smooth, the flavor had just a hint of smokiness…it was some great lox. I almost wish I had just ordered the lox by itself – while the bagel itself was fine, they had smeared on too much cream cheese (at least, for my taste) and had sliced the onions and tomatoes a little thin.

 

Russ and Daughters
179 E Houston St
New York, NY 10002

Katz’s Delicatessen

The crowd in Katz’s was just as big as the one in Russ but, luckily, I didn’t have to wait – my sister from another mother, Jenn, had been waiting in line at Katz’s while I was waiting in line at Russ. (Tag team!) I found her sitting at a table, sandwich already split in two, patiently waiting for me to deliver my part of the deal.

Katz’s pastrami is so moist, it just flakes apart in your mouth. It’s probably the best pastrami I’ve had to date…but that’s not saying very much. I’ve yet to try LA’s pastrami institution (i.e. Langer’s) so I don’t know how the East compares with the West. Plus, at the end of the day, Katz’s pastrami sandwich is a $15 pastrami sandwich.

Is it worth the price? *shrugs* It is good though.

 

Katz’s Delicatessen
205 E Houston St
New York, NY 10002

Back to the Concrete Jungle

Guess who has two thumbs and is going back to NYC in 5 months?

*thumbs pointing to self*

THIS GIRL.

That’s right folks, I’m going back east! Now to start bookmarking places to go this time around…

Cooking with Fel – 1.3.09 – Frittata FAIL.

I have to write a little background bio before I get into my first FAIL of 2010.

Before you continue reading, please believe me when I say, “I CAN COOK”.

I seriously can. I promise.

When I was a wee UCLA bruin, living in my beloved apartment in Westwood, I cooked often. My business fraternity would have periodic cook-off competitions – I participated in two; I placed in both. I’ve made tiramisu from scratch (lady fingers included). I’ve prepared tri-tip roasts large enough to feed a pledge class (maybe even two). I’ve cooked Thanksgiving dinner for the past three years (minus the turkey this past year). I KNOW I CAN COOK.

That said, please don’t judge me on this post. I’ll admit today was a total cooking failure…but I can cook! I promise!

———-

When I woke up this morning, I decided: It’s 2010 now! It’s a year of action and change and awesomeness! I am going to cook a frittata and take pictures and post it on The Food Ledger and be a food blogger and this is going to rock!!

…Uh, not quite.

First off, I haven’t seriously cooked since college (some 2.5 years ago) so my skills are a bit rusty, to say the least. Excluding the annual Thanksgiving dinner, how often do I touch a stove during the year? I’ll give you a hint: I can probably count on one hand. Definitely on two. (Strike one.)

Secondly, I’ve never made a frittata before. I’ve never used a cast iron skillet before. I’ve never used a cast iron skillet to make a frittata before. I had no idea what I was doing. My onions turned out quite nicely, but the potatoes were undercooked and kept sticking to the skillet and my eggs didn’t rise as nicely as they were supposed to. Not quite the perfect frittata I envisioned. (Strike two.)

Lastly…Who am I kidding? I may be able to cook but I am in no way a chef. Things don’t come out pretty with me; food comes out on a plate, a little lopsided but tasting the way it should. But that’s not what pretty food blogs look like…Pretty food blogs are, well, pretty. I tried making three potatoes look artsy today and let me just say, it’s hard making food look pretty. I can’t even make my failed frittata look appetizing. *tears* (Strike three.)

…So I guess you can argue that I was doomed from the beginning. I claim I was just overly ambitious.

In the end, I really can’t consider it a total failure. It actually tasted okay (minus the overly pungent gorgonzola I added last minute). Plus, this gives me my first tangible resolution of 2010:

Resolution #1: Make an awesome, beautiful frittata by the end of the year.

Now onto the recipe and pictures:

Potato and Caramelized Onion Frittata with Gorgonzola Recipe
From: The Balsamic Vinegar Cookbook by Meesha Halm

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

Caramelized Onions:
* 2 Tablespoons butter, unsalted
* 2 large yellow onion, cut 1/8 inch thick
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 dash freshly ground black pepper
* 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
* 1 teaspoon granulated sugar

Frittata:
* 5 medium red potatoes, unpeeled
* 2 Tablespoons olive oil
* 1 teaspoon salt, divided
* 3/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
* 10 large eggs
* 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped
* 2 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

Preparation:
To make the caramelized onions:
In a medium nonstick skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions, salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring often to avoid scorching, until the onions are very soft and deep golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Stir in the balsamic vinegar and sugar and cook until the vinegar is reduced to a glaze, about 1 minute. Keep the onions warm. (The onions can be prepared up to three days ahead, covered, and refrigerated. Reheat before using.)

To prepare frittata:
Parboil potatoes in salted water for 10 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water until cool enough to handle. Cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices, then chop coarsely.

In a 9- to 10-inch nonstick ovenproof skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the potatoes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, uncovered, turning the potatoes occasionally, until they are browned and tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Spread the potatoes as evenly as possible in the skillet.

Position the broiler rack about 6 inches from the source of heat and preheat the broiler. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, rosemary, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper until well-combined. Pour over the potatoes and reduce the heat to medium-low. Using a rubber spatula, lift up the cooked part of the frittata and tilt the skillet to allow the uncooked eggs to run underneath. Continue cooking, occasionally lifting the frittata and tilting the skillet as described until the top is almost set, approximately 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the Gorgonzola cheese. Broil until the frittata is puffed and the top is set, approximately 1 minute.

To serve, spread the top of the frittata with the warm onions and cut into wedges. Serve hot or warm.

Yield: 6 servings