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Pies ‘n’ Thighs

My sister had been watching some food-related show on cable and finally decided it was time to visit Pies ‘n’ Thighs. I hadn’t been in ages and happily joined her yesterday. I got there first, just before it opened and apparently we weren’t the only ones that wanted fried chicken for brunch; there were at least a dozen people waiting outside.

Even though we looked at the menu online the night before, I was still undecided on what to order. Sis and brother-in-law M both wanted the fried chicken box, which is the most popular choice. I had that on my first (and only previous) visit and settled for the chicken and waffles this time. The three of us happily dug in when the plates arrived and everything was tasty and worth wiping the grease off my fingers after every bite. The waffles were made with buckwheat and topped with warm strawberries and a dollop of cinnamon butter; there was a bottle of maple syrup on the table but I didn’t see the need for it.

The others ordered the chicken with a side of sausage gravy (which is a premium side and costs a little extra), which I sampled a bit of; the gravy ended up being too creamy for tastes. I had ordered my chicken with the black-eyed peas last time and much prefer that.

It was good we arrived early. The wait for a table quickly built up, with an average wait time of 15-20 minutes. And after all that food, Q and M bought a few items to go as well: three slices of pie and three doughnuts. If I didn’t think it would fill me quickly, I would have ordered a doughnut as well; they were huge and resembled bagels from afar. The next time I’m in that area early, I should go get one to go and see how they compare to the other terrific doughnut shops in the city.

May 26, 2014
Ovenly

When I was in Greenpoint a few weeks ago, I meant to drop in at Ovenly but somehow it completely slipped my mind as I went exploring up and down streets I had never walked along when I was younger (my family used to do much of our supermarket shopping in Greenpoint, years and years before gentrification took over). I was in the area again this past Sunday for a craft fair and I made the bakery my starting point lest I forget again. The day was beautiful and most of the seats were empty in the small shop when I arrived; many people ordered to go and likely took their food and drink to the riverside park down the block.

After browsing the day’s selections, I settled for a slice of the Brooklyn Blackout Cake and a Ginger Hibiscus Iced Tea. I’ve had Blackout Cake from other bakeries though none have been as black as this one; even the frosting had a matte finish to it and the appearance reminded me a blackboard. The cake was delicious: it was moist and surprisingly not as sweet as I thought it would be, which was a very, very good thing. And the iced tea was a wonderful and refreshing accompaniment.

May 21, 2014
Ladurée Brunch Revisited

Nearly one month to the day of my first visit, I was back at Ladurée for brunch again. It was a different friend this time but almost the same meal as before: we both ordered the Champs-Elysées set but this time, I opted for two eggs with bacon instead of scrambled eggs. And I washed it down with a pot of Earl Grey. The service had improved only slightly and I was again seated in the front room (there was a private party in the nicer back room and the garden did not open until the following day). But at least the food was better on this second visit:

I think I prefer the eggs with bacon over the scrambled eggs; Ladurée makes a good version but I’m not much of a fan for the scrambled variety at any restaurant. And this time, I did get the fruit salad that was missing previously. All in all, another very good meal. Next up will ideally be cake (or some other pretty pastry) and tea in the garden. Anyone want to join me?

May 20, 2014
Ample Hills Creamery

I’ve been spending a lot more time in my home borough these days. When I was in the Boerum Hill/Prospect Heights vicinity recently, I finally decided to pay a visit to Ample Hills Creamery. What appeared to be a quick walk on a map ended up much longer thanks to streets that turned in different directions but in the end, I finally got there.

It was a hot afternoon that day and so there was a long line of people waiting to buy their ice cream. When I finally made it to the front of the queue, I quickly browsed the menu and settled for my favorite ice cream flavor, Strawberries & Cream.

Not many places make a good strawberry ice cream that meet my satisfaction but the one at Ample Hills is awesome. One could taste the strawberries in every bite and I think it Ample Hills is now my favorite place to get it if I want locally made ice cream. Barring that, I will still be happy with my second choice, Häagen-Dazs (can’t go wrong with ice cream and lots of frozen strawberry bits blended in).

May 9, 2014
Jones Wood Foundry

When my friend Regina was in town recently, the two of us spent a very long and relaxing lunch at Jones Wood Foundry. I hadn’t been there in ages since it’s inconveniently (for me) located on the Upper East Side. We went on a weekday and there were no other customers except ourselves for a while, which was rather nice.

I ordered the Haddock and Chips and Regina thought the fish looked huge when it arrived at the table. I didn’t think it was that large; I’ve had much bigger portions when I was in London. She ordered the English Cheese Plate and Organic Scottish Salmon Burger. To me, the burger was pretty large and it looked really tasty. I’m not a fan of cooked salmon but I think I would enjoy that burger very much.

With full stomachs, we debated on ordering dessert but decided to go for it. The Sticky Toffee Pudding is the quintessential English dessert and it was very, very good. To accompany it, Regina ordered coffee and I had my second pot of tea in one sitting.

And it was well worth it, calories and all. (We did end up walking quite a bit afterwards so that helped too.)

May 4, 2014
Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Springtime at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden is wonderful, especially when the weather is good and everything is in bloom. This weekend is the annual Sakura Matsuri but I never visit on festival days anymore due to the large crowds. I went last weekend instead and while the cherry esplanade wasn’t flowering yet, there were still a few trees that shed plenty of pink petals when the branches swayed in the wind.

Besides the cherry trees, the magnolias and dogwoods were also in bloom, though some were already past their peek. And there were daffodils everywhere, particularly on Daffodil Hill. I think my favorite flowers of the day were the bright red Emperor Tulips. With the sun shining brightly on them, the petals looked more like silk than the real thing.

The southern end of the garden was under construction but that did not decrease the many people that and explored what was open. There were also a few other changes since my last visit some years ago, which meant I meandered through lesser traveled paths and came across things I hadn’t seen before. There was even a wedding being held on the lawns. I really enjoyed listening to a musical quartet playing Vivaldi as I browsed the flowers and trees.

April 26, 2014
Tea Drunk

What I wanted on Saturday afternoon was a cool and creamy antidote to the increasingly warm weather. I walked over to the Big Gay Ice Cream shop, looked at the long line that formed outside the store and decided I should get something else instead. Just a few doors down was Tea Drunk, a tea shop on my to-visit list. It is tea only (no food) and the tea is served Kung-Fu style if one is dining in, so to speak. There is a really short to-go menu of iced tea on the day I went but I wanted to sit down and rest my tired feet.

I chose the Shui Xian Oolong Tea and sat down at a table; the counter was packed with other tea drinkers so there wasn’t any room to sit up there. I really enjoy the rituals of serving Kung-Fu tea though I haven’t had it in years. It was fun to watch as one of the shop assistants rinsed the pot and the cup before steeping the leaves and pouring the tea into the teeny cup. The tea itself was excellent; I really liked the flavor of it. And the leaves were steeped several times and each time, the flavor changed subtly. Even though it was hot outside, I didn’t mind drinking hot tea as well. The whole experience was pretty relaxing and I would definitely go again and try something else next time.

April 22, 2014
Central Park North

Now that the weather is warming up, I’ll be embarking on other activities besides eating. On a recent warm weekend, I headed up to Central Park and rambled through the northern sections.

From my favorite part of the park, the Conservatory Garden, I wended my way through the paths around Harlem Meer and headed west. Usually, I exit the park around Lenon Avenue but I decided to continue on and exit at the northwest corner of the park, which I hadn’t been to before.

As I walked along the northern edge of the park, I noticed an unusual stone building at the top of a cliff. After dodging bikers and joggers, I climbed up and checked out the Blockhouse #1, which is the oldest structure in the park. It’s a small, squat, roofless fort with steps leading to a locked metal gate. Looking through the bars, the view reveals nothing much except for a grassy floor with a flagpole set in the center. From the pole hung both the American flag and the POW-MIA flag. I’m really glad I took the long way out of the park for once, otherwise I’d never have discovered something new (to me).

Not that there isn’t more; there’s plenty of attractions in the park I’ve yet to see in person.

April 20, 2014
Smile To Go

If I’m in Chinatown and looking for a quick bite to eat (that’s not Asian food), then I’ll drop by Smile To Go. It’s a tiny cafe, the takeaway shop of The Smile, a restaurant in NoHo. Smile To Go is on one of those side streets I often walk along when I’m heading east away from SoHo. And what I usually order is the Maple Bacon Slider and a cup of tea (in this case, it was Mariage Frères’ Earl Grey). The slider is tasty but not filling enough if one wants a more substantial meal; for that, they do serve rotisserie chicken, salads and sandwiches as well.

I never mind a smaller portion if I know I’ll be looking for something sweet to eat later.

April 19, 2014
Sweet Treat: Religieuse Griottes Amande

This was one of the desserts I bought on my way out after brunch at Ladurée. I love cherries in desserts so this was a must get item. The religieuse was basically two cream puffs stacked on top of each other with cherries and an almond cream filling. It was very tasty! This is also the first dessert I’ve ever bought at Ladurée.

During my very first London trip, we stopped at the Ladurée store in Harrods Food Hall and I bought a large box of macarons and a croissant. I don’t think they had other pastries at the time though if they did, I opted for something I could easily bring back to the States. That croissant was my breakfast the next day, eaten in my hotel room before we headed to Heathrow for the return trip home. And since then, I’ve always wanted to try their other offerings that we couldn’t get until this SoHo location finally opened.

April 10, 2014