HudsonRW: Hoboken Gourmet Company

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It’s a tiny place, so call ahead.

But the portions do not mirror the square footage of Hoboken Gourmet Company. The Hudson Restaurant Week $38 prix-fixe dishes were generous in size and in comfort. The limited options did create a repetition of flavors and ingredients, but still offered a singular selection of the regular menu.

Two thick slabs of chewy salty bacon overlapped and stretched the length of the colossal plate. Stripes of sweet and piquant barbeque sauce smoothed the salt and brought on a little heat, while caramelized onions highlighted the sweetness, creamy avocado added luxury and acidic grape tomatoes cut the decadence.

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Thick and warm, the cream of broccoli soup was heavy and hearty, resembling soft mashed potatoes. The flavor was enjoyable, but the texture was dense and almost unrelenting. A few bites were like happiness, an escape from the sting of the winter evening.

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The winter salad was small and overrun by a tangy balsamic vinaigrette. Wiling mixed greens leaves succumbed to dressing, insurmountable pungent feta and green apples, which added already overpowering tartness of the combination. Sweet candy coated pecans created diversity in taste.

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A thick cut pork chop paired with thinly slice sautéed green apples kissing a pool of velvety mashed potatoes verged on classic. The tart apples and the rich pork played together well as any age-old combination would.

Some of the regular menu items had a different flare than those on the restaurant week menu, like the shrimp in garlic tapas or Spanish steak entrée.

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Those shrimp in garlic felt rustic and foreign but familiar at the same time. The fresh, tender shrimp were swimming in a bath of garlic, oil and broth, brine and charm. Garlicky crusty bread rested atop in the tiny cast iron skillet, longing to sop up the flavorful juices.

And the tender steak drowning in is braising liquid, a thick sauce founded on a sofrito, Spanish spices and time, topped out of place mashed potatoes. Its accompanying rice was fragrant and complimented its Latin roots.

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The caramel cone rounded out the prix fixe dinner, singing a sweet note. The chewy caramel cone was filled with the silky cream that was thick with an uncertain tang. It was rich and luscious, with nutty caramel notes and a mysterious hum of cream and cream cheese.

Limited seating, palpable ambiance and humble charm add hefty appeal to Hoboken Gourmet Company. The tiny kitchen, overheard orders and tight space make the eatery unique and an adventure. The food is comfortable and welcoming, classic and expected but it’s the experience that captivates.

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1.30.15

RER 1.30.15

BEST of both worlds: Sugar Couture Opens in East Williamsburg

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It’s perhaps the most pleasant sugar high ever, devoid of the jagged ups and downs, shaking hands and elevated heart rate. A visit to East Williamsburg’s new boutique café, Sugar Couture, brings just the right amount of sweet and savory to the daily grind, from breakfast options to afternoon snacks.  

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Café founder and owner, Penny Stankiewicz, is no stranger to the sweeter side of food. Formerly a documentary director, Stankiewicz went to school to explore the creative outlet of food, pastry and cake decorating. Since then she has established a reputation as cake decorator to the stars with her Sugar Couture special occasion cakes.

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RER 12.15.14

Creating a delicious concept where the sweet is mixed with the savory was a natural next step for Stankiewicz. "I was feeling strongly like it was time for a new challenge, “ says the café owner. “And it had always been a dream of mine to have a retail shop, so when all of the pieces began to fall together, I took the leap!”

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 Dessert favorites come alive in an elevated way in the expert hands of Stankiewicz. Sizeable flakes of sea salt make sweet things sweeter and more dynamic, from studded pecan raisin brownies to seductive caramel candies. Meaty pistachios, crunchy and sticky, are savory jewels paired with delicate pear in tasty tarts and earthy pumpkin and the hum of dulcet mature fig combine to create perfect cheesecake. And luxurious chocolate roasted sandwich cookies blend the unexpected.

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Select savories like seasonal soups, salads, warm pressed sandwiches, and hearty vegetable dishes, add yet another layer to Sugar Couture. These rich melodies with eggy accents, flaky pastry, and doughy breads do not forget the sweet roots of the owner. Sultry bacon jam croissants and decadent creamy baked eggs in puff pastry, both crusty, salty, and textured—perfect breakfasts. Even bready focaccia selections have inherent sweetness from the pretty base to caramelized onion, tangy tomato, tender short rib or butternut squash.

Mustn’t forget about the cakes, the sweet treat Stankiewicz is known for. Daily specials like spicy lemon ginger cake layered thick with smooth tropical passion fruit butter cream, or fall flavored slices laced with caramel, browned butter and apple are a staple at the new café.

Along with the handcrafted bites, Sugar Couture offers Toby’s Estate Coffee, specialty drinks and drink infusions to round out the delectable experience. The intimate space complete with fresh details allows for delightful indulgence and a harmony of flavors.

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WHERE:

Sugar Couture

386 Graham Avenue

Brooklyn, NY 11211

Ph. 718.349.1440

www.sugar-couture.com

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12.22.14  

MangiaMore: free-form PEAR tart

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It’s fall. And things are falling— temperatures, leaves, and pears. There is a pear tree near my boyfriend’s house, so in recent weeks he had accumulated a fair number of freshly fallen or plucked pears. Before long, we had more than we really knew what to do with, so we decided one free Monday, we would make a free-form pear tart.

Neither of us had any free-form tart experience other than gazing at all the beautiful fall galettes on Instagram, featuring perfect spirals of fruit and just browned edges. So this was an experiment.

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Experiments in my mind involve mixing, and as usual, we combined recipes in search of a delectable result. To make the crust, we took the base of this recipe as the ingredients were simple and readily available in the pantry. Our pear filling came from the Ellie Krieger’s Food Network Rustic Pear Tart guidelines. 

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RER 10.27.14

In the end, our tart looked just like our fresh pears- organic and imperfect. It was like a kindergartener got its hands on shapes and playdough. We didn’t put care into arranging our fruit filling into a lovely pattern or fit the pear pieces into idyllic moments. It was simple, fast, and to be euphemistic, rustic.

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RER 10.27.14

Despite its unpolished aesthetic, it was pretty tasty. The pears were just sweet enough, and still a little firm, holding up to the surprisingly buttery and flaky crust. It had hints of fall through cinnamon and brown sugar and made for a satisfying afternoon snack with warmed apple cider from Demarest Farms. #thisisfall

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10.27.14

RER 10.27.14

 

the MOST important meal of the day : Sam A.M.

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It’s a sweet small spot in Paulus Hook, Jersey City— just enough room to keep busy and demand a wait, but a high enough turnover that things move quickly. The menu is brief with just enough sweet and enough savory to please. A few breakfast sandwiches constructed with fresh eggs and seasonal ingredients, some lunch sandwiches topped with roasted chicken or BBQ brisket, a succinct list of plates like omelets and scrambles, and a few salads sweet and savory alike. On top of that, Sam A.M. offers a wild list of fresh doughnuts— from glazed to cake, filled and topped— and other pastry and tasty treats.

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The classic breakfast sandwich was crisp and crunchy, thin and small. A thick slice of bacon interrupted the salty cheese and the cooked-through egg. It was all things that breakfast sandwiches need, but was not fat enough to be filling. The seasoned hash browns were tasty and warm on the side of the plate, a nice addition to the slender sandwich.

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As for the chicken and waffles, it was a dramatic twist on the classic. It was fresh and hearty. The gravy soaked pulled chicken draped the soft Belgian waffles, fluffy like biscuits, while a sweet and tangy cranberry syrup added dimension. The flavors, much like the menu, successfully mixed sweet and savory, and danced on the tongue to bring together two ends of the spectrum. It was rich and lavish. The creamy gravy made the waffle delicate and submissive, heavy and tender at the same time. Even the stringy juicy chicken was under the command of the gravy.

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French toast is a brunch necessary, and this challah french toast was utterly scrumptious, topped with soaked berries and dusted with a little powdered sugar. The bread was just soft enough, custardy, not too eggy, with moments of vanilla. But the berries, the black and blue berries were like drenched gems, brandied beauties, icing on the delightful cake. The little fruits made syrup almost superfluous, but still a sweet addition, bringing on a little saccharine note.

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RER 4.26.14

Doughnuts to-go were necessary. The Boston cream doughnut, slathered with stiff dark chocolate and filled with wet pale yellow cream, did not even make it home. It was a luxury that Dunkin Donuts could never afford; real and alive. The recommended applesauce doughnut was cakey and pretty, dense like any dessert should be.

The sundrenched room made for a lovely little brunch; clatters and chatters and Saturday banter. A friendly staff, delicious doughnuts and super strong coffee make Sam A.M. Café more than just a sweet spot.

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4.26.14

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