BEST of 2014

As I said in my metaphorical toast— it’s been a delicious year. So many foodie ventures! I’ve indulged in yummy things on the East and West Coast (sweet and savory). I baked, sampled, tasted, ate, and gorged on so many delightful eats. But here are my Best of 2014!

New Recipe

Let’s face it—I like to try out new recipes especially when it comes to baked goods. These are the recipes that really took the cake this year!

Caramel Cake

Chocolate Christmas Cookies

Banana Blondies

Bite

I had a lot of bites this year, like a lot. Between Taste of Tribeca, Taste of Hope and all the other chowing down I do, there was no shortage tasty bites, but these were my faves.

Pumpkin Fig Cheesecake

Sugar Couture

Avocado Smash

Little Collins

 

Drinks

Even though apparently I sampled a whole bunch of flavorful libations this year, one spot had my favorite sips.

Fig and Olive

Appetizers

Appetizers can sometimes really steal the show. The starters at these restaurants made for delectable beginnings.

Central Kitchen

Flea Street Café  

Brunch

As that in-between time, brunch menus can offer the sweet and savory stuffs of both breakfast and lunch. This year however, my taste-buds danced for savory brunchy dishes.

Duck Confit Hash

Park & Sixth Gastropub

Shrimp and Grits

The Bistro at Grove Square

Dessert

Dessert is my most favorite time of day. Love salty, but I have a weakness for sweet thangs, and this year, these two desserts really satisfied my sweet tooth.

Snickerdoodle Sammie

Bareburger Hoboken

Pistachio Crème Brûlée

La Nonna

Dish

It’s practically impossible for me to pinpoint the best dish I devoured in 2014, as there were so many extremely delicious, covetable and dreamy eats.  But I stumbled on this one as something I thoroughly enjoyed this year.

Pancetta wrapped Scallops

Battello

Most Memorable Meal

It’s hard to say what makes a meal memorable. Is it the delicious dishes, the fresh ingredients, the agreeable atmosphere and service? Or is it the sheer thrill of caloric ingestion? There is one place that comes to mind that most definitely checks all of the boxes for my most memorable meal in 2014.

Brenda’s French Soul Food

Can’t wait to see what tasty things are to come in 2015!! Don’t forget to follow along on facebook, instagram, twitter, and yelp!

RER

1.2.15

drink2that: a TOAST to 2014

Cheers to another year, with its ups and downs, its ins and outs, its savories and sweets.

It may seem like I eat far more than I drink (there is a reason for this, it’s because I do), but somehow, this year I have managed to indulge in some sumptuous sips out and about, on the West Coast, and closer to home.

There was a decadent milkshake at Lori’s Diner and strong and spicy cocktails at Flea Street in California, while carefully curated wine at Wine Spot and La Nonna warmed. Fancy, sophisticated and colorful concoctions at Bea, Left Bank Burger, Union Bar and Kitchen, and Fig & Olive made dinners and dates come alive. Tart, tangy and fresh drinks at Marco and Pepe, GP’s and Hog Island Oyster Bar tasted like the seasons. Parties and events, intimate gatherings and home conversations were backdrops for tasty libations. Brunchy drinks at Park & Sixth Gastropub and exceptional coffee from Little Collins were perfect starts. It was a pretty delicious year—I’d drink to that!

It’s practically 2015! Thank you for support in following foodie ventures on facebook, instagram, twitter, and yelp! Let’s make the coming year even bigger, better and more flavorful!

RER

12.31.14

LUNCHING with Little Collins

Courtesy of Little Collins

Despite the somewhat cold industrial interior— Edison bulbs, woods and metals—Little Collins, an Australian style coffee shop, is vibrant and inviting. Perhaps it’s the easy to swallow beverage menu or the flavorful to the point food options made with fresh ingredients. Or the smiles that greet every customer even when the line is practically out the door and everyone is in a rush. It could be that.
 

Little Collins is not your average coffee shop where you grab a cuppa joe and a bite and dash. It’s that and so much more. “We are doing our best to make specialty coffee accessible to everyone. Coffee shops can be intimidating,” says Leon Unglik, an owner. “Our staff is trained to be fastidious about coffee preparation but also to put customer service above all else.”

RER 5.28.14

The pace is fast, but time can also be relished with deep sips of aromatic coffee and seasonal blends. Smells of coffee and baked goods are hypnotizing while the tinkle of glassware is melodic. Counter seats are immersive as baristas move with purposeful ease and tiny tables along the wall allow for slowed down snacks. Even the rush is soothing.

“We want this to be a place that people want to hang out in,” Unglik says. But, it’s also about the coffee.

The midtown cafe begins with high-quality Counter Culture Coffee and brews with top of the line gear: the Kalita Wave brewing device, Fetco for batch brewing and is the first in New York with Modbar pour-over taps and espresso equipment. Unglik describes the flat white, popular both at Little Collins and in Australia, as a “thinner latte in a cappuccino cup.” The warm drink is velvety, not abrasive for the unaccustomed coffee consumer but Arnon Magal, an owner, also says “coffee geeks and snobs say wow right away.”

The curated menu, dotted with Australian staples, features 'brekkie,' soups, sandwiches and salads with a focus on “flavor profile and execution,“ according to Magal. “We are very much about fresh, seasonal ingredients and interesting yet simple combinations,” Unglik says of the food program created by Magal.

RER 5.28.14

The food philosophy is evident in the popular avocado smash, which recalls Down Under.  A whole bright green avocado, mashed with salty feta, lays thick on a toasted grainy bread. Red chile flakes and herbs brighten the rich avocado, while earthy pepitas add a meaty savory note. Definitely a hearty start.

RER 5.28.14

Sweeter, the Sweet Uncle Fred is like a quick brunch, but tastes almost as leisurely. Warmed banana bread is smeared with not quite savory ricotta and topped with strawberries and blueberries, stripes of honey and toasted granola-like almonds.  The fresh berries highlight the rawness of the ricotta, but the crunch of the almonds echo the walnuts of the bread. Simplistic beauty and refreshing unpretentious flavors make for a sweet beginning.

Courtesy of Little Collins

With more to wake you up than just java, Little Collins, boasting origins in Australian coffee culture and featuring plush bites, brings something new to midtown and the growing New York specialty coffee scene.

RER

6.16.14

RER 5.28.14

Little Collins

667 Lexington Ave

New York, NY 10022

ph 212.308.1969