ChikaLicious, New York City

If you have a massive sweet tooth like my friend JM, then you must check out ChikaLicious, a 3-course dessert bar in NYC.

The establishment is a fun and intimate 20-seat restaurant that does not take reservations. They have a friendly doorkeeper managing traffic in +  out, gracefully telling drop ins how long it will be before a table is ready.

When JM suggested this place after our dinner, I didn't think I had it in me to eat a 3-course dessert. "Don't worry! The portions aren't that big," she says to me. And she convinces me to eat while I am insanely stuffed...AGAIN!

The 3-course dessert meal costs $16, where you get an amuse bouche, a dessert of your choice, and assorted petit fours to end your meal. The desserts at ChickaLicious are described as "American Style Dessert, with French presentation, and Japanese tasting portions". There are normally 6 dessert choices on the menu, with everyone in mind. A really good mix of light and rich desserts.

Our amuse bouche for the evening was a basil seed mango salad with basil sorbet. I don't see basil seeds used a lot, so that was cool. This was a dessert that wasn't overly sweet, which was a good way to start our meal.

Basil Seed Mango Salad with Basil Sorbet

My dessert of choice was the kiwi marinated in lavendar topped with coconut sorbet and a crispy Kataifi made of phyllo dough. I wanted light and this was the perfect choice.

Kiwi Marinated in Lavendar

JM opted for the warm chocolate tart with pink peppercorn ice cream and red wine sauce. She wanted rich, and that is what she got!

Warm Chocolate Tart

S had the toasted almond panna cotta with peach tea sorbet and frosted almonds

Toasted Almond Panna Cotta

SM had the Necatrine terrine on pecan sandie wafer with buttermilk ice cream and maple syrup.

Nectarine Terrine

Our petit fours for the evening were coconut marshmallows, white Genova sponge cake with Grand Marnier, and chocolate sable cookies. This was my favorite course of the entire meal. A delightfully sweet ending!

Coconut Marshmallows, White Genova Sponge Cake, and Chocolate Sable Cookies

ChikaLicious
203 East 10th Street
New York, NY United States
Telephone: 212-475-0929

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Caracas Arepa Bar, New York City

Right across the street from Porchetta is a Venezuelan arepa bar, called Caracas. I actually had no clue what an arepa was until I set foot in this place. My hosts in New York City were from Venezuela, and they insisted that I try an arepa before I left.

Caracas has both a take-away and a sit down joint, side by side. Our hosts were in a bit of a rush, so we opted for the take-away place. They do have tables at the take-away restaurant, so we quickly ate our food there and went on with our day.

Caracas has 4 locations in New York. One in Manhattan, two in Brooklyn, and one in Queens. I'm not sure what the other locations are like, but the take-away restaurant in Manhattan was a very charming and ecclectic place with a WHOLE lot of energy.

As soon as I walked in, I felt like I had left New York, and stepped into Venezuela. Latin music was blaring, the staff were all speaking Spanish, and the decor and bright colors of the place screamed Latin America!

At each table, was a jar of aji sauce, which we poured onto everything we ate. Aji sauce is a blend of tomatoes, cilantro, and hot peppers. Venezuelan food, surprisingly, is very mild so adding this sauce to our food was a nice addition.

We started by sharing a plate of tequeños, deep fried Venezuelan cheese sticks. This, with a whole lot of aji sauce was awesome!

Tequeños

So what is an arepa you ask? The arepa is a thick cornmeal patty that kind of resembles an English muffin. They are not as fluffy and soft as an English muffin, but chewier and more dense. They are filled with all sorts of fillings and you eat them like a sandwich.

I ordered the La de Pernil arepa. This was filled with roasted pork shoulder, tomato slices, and a spicy mango sauce. As mentioned, Venezuelan food is quite mild so even the spicy mango sauce wasn't all that spicy.

La De Pernil Arepa

J ordered Los Muchachos, an arepa filled with grilled chorizo, spicy white cheese, jalapenos, and sauteed peppers.

Los Muchachos Arepa

F orders the same thing everytime, which is the De Pabellón arepa: shredded beef, black beans, white salty cheese, and sweet plantains.

De Pabellón Arepa

My first Venezuelan experience was definitely a positive one. As mentioned, I was definitely suprised at how mild the dishes were.

Caracas Arepa Bar

93 E 7th Street

New York, New York

Telephone: 212-529-2314

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Porchetta, New York City

I recently got back from a trip to New York City where I met up with a few old friends, met a few new friends, and ate myself silly!

One of my most memorable meals in NYC had to be at Porchetta, a super casual joint that specializes in one thing: Slowwww Roasted Pork.
I originally didn't want to come here because I was insanely stuffed. We had just eaten lunch across the street, and my friend, JM, insisted that I couldn't leave NYC without trying a porchetta sandwich. "All you have to do is take a bite", she says. "We'll walk around for a bit and before you know it, you'll be hungry again and can eat the rest later." I hate saying no to food, so I reluctantly agreed. Boy, am I glad I said yes!

Porchetta is a traditional Italian pork street food sold from a cart or truck. As defined on their website, porchetta is "roasted pork with crispy skin, highly seasoned with aromatic herbs and spices, garlic, sage, rosemary and wild fennel pollen. Typical plate of the Roman cuisine. Slow cooked Italian fast food."

Porchetta's pork is sourced from Niman Ranch, where the pigs are raised without the use of growth hormones and antibiotics.

Their sandwiches are served in a white ciabatta bun, and stuffed with pork 3 ways: lean loin, fatty belly, and crispy skin. The sandwiches are served without condiments, as they believe it should be good enough on its own. But, if you are totally craving for sauce, mustard and hot sauce is available.

I was pleasantly surprised when I took a bite. It looked a bit dry, but it was anything but. And they are totally right when they say the sandwich does not need condiments. The pork is so seasoned so well, you really don't want to taint the aromatic flavors by adding sauce.

Porchetta
110 East 7th Street
New York City, New York 10009
Telephone: 212-777-2151

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Masami Takahashi Ramen Spoon + Fork

Ladies and gentleman, I present you the Ramen Spoon + Fork (aka ramen spork). This is no ordinary spork my friends. This spork was designed exclusively for the The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) by Japanese designer Masami Takahashi.

My sister-in-law, Hals, recently returned from a trip to New York City, and brought this spork back for me as a souvenir gift. I was totally stoked when I saw it, and thought it was one of the coolest gifts ever.

I learned from Wiki that the spork is not a new invention. It dates back to the late 1800's, and because of its versatility, this type of untensil was commonly used by the military and by backpackers.

The Takahashi ramen spoon + fork was originally created for use at the popular Sugakiya ramen noodle restaurant chain in Japan to eliminate waste created by disposable chopsticks. It is made of stainless steel, and is also dishwasher safe.

Check out my Ramen Spoon + Fork in action...brace yourself, it's real exciting stuff.

The verdict? To my surprise, this utensil worked extremely well. It has changed my view on ramen eating forever :) The spoon part looked a little shallow to me, but in the end, it scooped just enough soup with each bite of noodle. I also really liked the fact that I could fit the entire spork into my mouth without gagging.

I've made a commitment to travel with my ramen spork with me at all times in case I spontaneously stop in at a ramen joint...ya never know. Yes, CK is terribly embarrassed by me.

Purchase your own Masami Takahashi Ramen Spoon + Fork here.

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Ice Cream Dreams Program, NYC

I've got a quick stop over in Toronto en route to Cancun, so I thought I'd pop into the Maple Leaf lounge to share this story:

The Muse Hotel has an Ice Cream Dreams program to set them apart from the others in New York City.

The hotel's executive chef, Patricia Williams, will whip up any ice cream flavor you can dream of, and have it ready upon your arrival. All you have to do is give 48 hours notice, and be willing to pay the hefty price for it. The custom ice cream is made by the pint. The base pint (base flavor) goes for about $14, and additional ingredients are $6.

I'd get a trio:

Banana + mint + chocolate chunk ($26)
Banana + sour cream + sour cherries ($26)
Banana + tamarind + dash of cayenne ($26)

What's your ultimate flavor?

The Muse Hotel
130 West 46th Street
New York City, New York, USA
Telephone: (212) 485-2400

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