Eatables: Sweet Leaf Tea

Where have I been all this time? Ironically, now that the summer days are waning, I've finally discovered a bottled iced tea that I love: Sweet Leaf Iced Teas. Well, more specifically, their Sweet Tea. I haven't had the chance to sample the other available flavors. But in a mad dash to get refreshments for a game night with friends, I snatched a bottle off the shelves in Bristol Farms (don't worry, I paid!). While others dipped into the bottled root beers and sodas that night (I guess tea isn't a big thing at night), I had the whole bottle of Sweet Tea to myself and was pleasantly shocked. Mellow sweetness with just enough flavor to capture the essence of summer in a bottle. It must be the organic cane sugar that they use.  And, of course, there's a caricature of a smiley grandma on the label to give it some serious tea cred.  For those with a more adventurous, grown-up palette, their website offers recipes for mixers.

Eatables: Takashimaya Tea Box

So yesterday was the last day of the stationery show, and I've definitely felt like a girl of all work these past couple of days! It was great seeing old friends and meeting new people, and we got fantastic response to our new products (these will be up on our site in about a month). After taking down the booth and packing all our stuff, we were exhausted! The only remedy was a trip down to Takashimaya, the upscale japanese department store that, unfortunately, is closing its doors for good in June. My sister treated me to afternoon tea there,where we sampled their sweet bento boxes and their sampling of sandwiches. It was perfect for perking us up and celebrating the end of a great showing here at New York!

Eatables: Clinton St. Baking Company

Without fail, there's only one place where I must dine whenever I'm in New York, and that is Clinton St. Baking Company. It's not the most fancy place, but it's homey and when it's a weekend...look out! A crush of people jammed in the doorways and spilling out into the sidewalk. The draw? Their blueberry pancakes. They're definitely wait-worthy. I think my record was 1 1/2 hours. We (my mom and sis) even went down the street to get us a little snack to tide us over while we waited. I love the fresh blueberries they use and the pecan butter syrup. Yum! New York here I come :)

Eatables: The Best Custard

...is a savory one.  No kidding.  Last week, a dear friend and I went to "Per Se," Thomas Keller's New York establishment, for a possibly once-in-our-lifetime dinner, and that was the new truth I learned.  Sadly, some of the courses in the chef's tasting menu that were meant for knock-out effect were befuddling (I didn't really understand the appeal of a slab of duck breast with no distinctive flavors developed, followed by an equally nondistinctive slab of lamb of almost the same texture), but a few courses were bright stars.  My favorite of the evening was the "Oysters and Pearls," a "sabayon" (in this case, a savory custard sauce) covering pearl tapioca, island creek oysters, and sterling white sturgeon caviar.  Tasting how the wonder and richness of the custard enhanced the slippery, dimpled textures of the tapioca, oysters, and caviar, I suddenly thought that a savory sabayon might transform even the most familiar food into small miracles.  A few sites offer some delicious guidance on the making of:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/victorygarden/eat/recipes/salmon.html

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Seared-Scallops-with-Roasted-Garlic-Sabayon-107636

(photo via mightygirl.com)

Eatables: Leaf Pie Nirvana

It IS possible to taste heaven. If your tastes run to the simple but well-made, then the "West Leaf Pie" is for you. Is it a pie? No. It's just the best part of a pie (for me, at least): layered, leaf-shaped pastry that's a dream of what the airiest pie crust would taste like if it came lightly showered with sugar granules. Ahhh!!! I once ate 6 pieces in one sitting. And even though my stomach mildly rebelled against so much buttery pastry, I could barely restrain my hands from reaching for piece #7. Sold at Takashimaya, a little jewel of a Japanese department store located in Midtown New York City, the "Leaf Pie" is the best part of the afternoon tea service provided in the Takashimaya "Teabox Restaurant." And like so many beloved things at Takashimaya, it's still a little-known secret of sorts.

(photo via Takashimaya)

Eatables: The Grateful Palate

For all you bacon lovers out there: yes, there is a bacon of the month club. Not only do you get bacon every month, but you also get a pig ballpoint pen and a rubber toy pig (that last one is a real draw for me). Check out the site for other porky finds like bacon popcorn and toilet paper (real mixed feelings on this one)!

(via gratefulpalate.com)

Eatables: The Chocolate Room

Sometimes, at the end of a long, hard day (or even at the beginning of one!), I feel like the only thing that can keep me going is chocolate! What I mean is the real thing. The stuff that's a blend of deep dark chocolatey goodness with just the right touch of sweetness, and that makes me feel like I'm melting in a pool of momentary happiness no matter how stressed out I'm feeling. The last time I was in chocolate heaven was when I visited "The Chocolate Room" in Brooklyn. Their famous chocolate layer cake is simultaneously one of the lightest and deepest chocolate desserts I've ever had (ethereal cake layers, sumptuous chocolate frosting that isn't the over-sugary topping some bakeries serve up). But what makes me smile most is a cup of hot chocolate with some of their deliciously pudgy homemade marshmallows. Drinking it slowly on my last visit, I thought, this is what it would feel like to get a hug from the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. (Cue satisfied sigh) You can get your hug, too, with a simple online order--instead of trekking all the way over to Brooklyn like I did!

(photos via The Chocolate Room)