The Quans go to Washington
April 12, 2009 § Leave a comment
There’s only about 3 weeks left in the semester, and to help me through to the final stretch, my parents and youngest sister Jackie came down this past weekend to keep me company during my Easter break. At first I was a bit nervous since the weather didn’t look too good, but Friday, it was sunny and clear and we spent the entire day downtown at the National Mall and Smithsonian museums – American History, National Gallery (of course) and Natural History.
My parents left all the eating up to me, and I have to say I planned out a pretty damn good itinerary. We had a lovely light lunch at Teaism which was fast and cheap, but the bento boxes and other food were surprisingly fresh and tasty. Jackie really liked the mango lassi and the salty oat cookies (which I could eat with the tea alone), and I loved the little pot that the tea came in. The adjacent tea shop next doory wasn’t open at the time, but I think I might go back there to get a Mother’s Day gift or something. I could see how people go there day after day for lunch; there are so many different choices, so many possible combinations.
We started on campus, which was absolutely beautiful because all the tulips and flowers had already started blooming. Plus, mom and dad had to get the requisite shot of them in front of Healy Tower. My parents really enjoyed the National Gallery, especially the large rotunda on the second floor with the giant marble columns. I don’t think my mom realized that there were so many important paintings in DC, so she was pretty impressed with the Monets and Van Goghs housed upstairs. There was also a temporary orchid exhibit at the Museum of Natural History, so if you’re in DC during the next month or so, I’d recommend stopping by there as well. All Smithsonian museums have free admission! One reason why I really love going to school in DC. Free culture!
Finally, we had dinner back at Jaleo in Penn Quarter since my parents had never tried Spanish tapas before and Jaleo was one of the first restaurants that I had reviewed for The Hoya. I have always loved Jose Andres food since then, so I thought it would be a special treat for them to try a lot of his small dishes. Everything we ordered was delicious, especially the classic tuna salad ensaladilla rusa and the semolina cake for dessert, which had a lovely light texture, paired with the cinnamon ice cream.
So that concludes the first day while my family was down here. We spent the rest of the night at my mom’s college friend’s house in Fairfax, VA where a bunch of them got together and just drank cocktails and ate snacks while reminiscing about college life and passing along gossip about other classmates. The next day we went to Old Town Alexandria and had some of the best seafood of my life, but that’s for another day’s post.
Trix, Lucky Peach, and The Financier
June 3, 2008 § 5 Comments
Finally, FINALLY, I got to try the food at Momofuku Ssam Bar today. Ever since it opened, I’ve wanted to sink my teeth into all the pork and offal goodies, but with school, work, etc, there just wasn’t enough time for me to trek to the East Village. But the past is behind me now, and the future ahead looks very bright and Momofuku-filled.
Outside Momofuku
I brought along a friend; for anonymity’s sake and because he absolutely insisted on the nickname, let’s call him Trix. Trix isn’t a schemer or skateboarding champ but rather, the guy who always falls for the ill-conceived prank or reveals confuzzlement when plums are marinated in interesting herbs (ginger?! what!?) He is, however, a good eating companion, and being of Korean descent, I thought he’d appreciate the special twist on Asian food that David Chang’s restaurant applies.
When we got to 2nd Ave and 13th, we didn’t see the restaurant at first. It just had a simple black awning with the tell-tale peach on the door. Momofuku means “lucky peach.” After a quick review over the menu and recommendations, Trix and I ordered the pork buns, the asparagus, banh mi, and pig’s head torchon.
Let me just say straight out that though everything was superb, my favorite by far were the buns. Fatty pork, full of flavor, with refreshing cucumber, hoisin sauce, and a bit of extra kick. Homey, but also, incredibly indulgent, especially when the grease started running down my hands. My only regret was that we didn’t order more.
The asparagus encircled a poached egg, wonderfully runny, and perched on top of a smooth and sweet miso butter which I absolutely LOVED. We could’ve just spread it on fresh, toasty bread and I would’ve been happy since I didn’t care much for the asparagus. It really wasn’t anything special and not as crispy as I usually like mine served.
Roasted asparagus with poached egg on miso butter
The banh mi was excellent simply because it was my first time trying anything like it. I believe the waiter said there was a top shelf ham with chicken liver pate and veal head terrine along with familiar pickled Asian vegetables. And the crackle of the ciabatta that enveloped all this goodness was a wonder in itself. Ah…if you can’t already tell, I love this restaurant.
Banh mi sandwich
Our last dish was the Pig’s head torchon which the waiter insisted we try. My god, has there ever been that much fat in so little a space? And FRIED for crying out loud! I especially liked how the horseradish-y dressing cut the richness of the torchon, and the way the gingered plums balanced with the saltiness. Needless to say, we left Momofuku feeling very satisfied. Thanks to the waiter who gave us such good recommendations!
Pig's head torchon
Since we still had some time afterwards, we headed back downtown where I took Trix to Financier. Well, I wasn’t just going to forget the macaron immediately after I fell in love with it right? And this time, there were BIG ONES! I’m a sucker for pistachio (my sister, Laura, isn’t though. When I brought the 8 pack home, I accidentally stuffed it in her mouth in my eagerness to share the love when I suddenly remembered afterwards that she’s allergic to nuts. She didn’t talk to me for the rest of the day. Most likely because she was lying in bed having difficulty breathing. LOVE YOU LAURA!). Trix helped himself to a pear tartelette which earned his approval. All in all, though, after a hectic day at work, it was a wonderful ending to the day.
Pear tartelette
Momofuku Ssam Bar
207 2nd Avenue
New York, NY 10003
http://www.momofuku.com/
Financier Patisserie
June 1, 2008 § 2 Comments
Friday, I got off work early, and after spending a couple hours at the Borders on Wall Street studying econ (I’m taking micro at Rutgers this summer), I decided to take advantage of the excellent weather and visit Financier Patisserie for the first time.
There are three locations in Downtown Manhattan, and even though I’d passed one on a previous occasion (when I was lost), it took me 20 minutes and numerous detours before I finally found the store on Cedar Street. The pastries inside looked absolutely delicious, but I really just wanted to take something home with me and a lemon tart probably would not have been a good thing to bring on the train with me.
I opted for their 8-pack of macarons. Before this, I’d never had one before, and i admit with great shame that when I was in Paris last spring, I did not squeeze in the time to visit Pierre Herme’s boutique, the irrefutable god of all macarons. But finally, I am a macaron-virgin no more.
Macarons
The meringue outside gave the cookies a delightfully delicate and crackly texture which countered the moistness of the insides from the ganache filling. However, even though I shared them with my sisters, they became cloyingly sweet after a while and I was left with that characteristic feeling in my mouth from eating too much sugar.
I bought a bag of financiers as well, so I’ll update on that later. But overall, macarons are now a favorite of mine due to their light and airiness for desserts. I’ll have to try the ones at Bouchon and Payard sometime.
Financier Patisserie
35 Cedar Street @ 10 Liberty Plaza
(Bet Pearl and William)
New York, NY 10005
Telephone: (212) 952-3838
Inaugural marathon of a post
June 1, 2008 § 2 Comments
5.24.2008
Cathy, a friend I’ve known since she caught me cheating in Chinese school class (3rd grade?), and I realized after we both got back from school that we had never gone to New York together. Finally, we’d had enough and took a train into the city with a carefully planned itinerary that ended in 50+ walked blocks.
We hit up Chelsea Market, the MoMA, Fishs Eddy, and a few other places, but the best part of the day was, of course, lunch at the Shake Shack.
knives at Bowery Kitchen Supply
As usual, the line was unbelievably long. We waited about an hour, keeping progress by tree trunk and amusing ourselves with the Shacks-ercises. When we finally did eat though, the burgers were amazingly juicy and perfectly seasoned, though I felt a bit let down by the Shack-cago dog. I remembered it being more topping-filled last time. This was my first time trying their custard, and it was almost too rich. We’d finished everything in 20 minutes except the dessert.
Line at Shake Shack
5.26.2008
Memorial Day, I took Laura to two exhibits at the Met, Jeff Koons on the Roof and Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy, and dinner at Brasserie Les Halles, Anthony Bourdain’s restaurant before he became famous.
I thought there would be more Koons pieces at the exhibit, though I guess three giant sculptures takes up enough space. I wonder how they moved everything up there. Though the Costume Institute showing did not disappoint. If only I had the nerve to reach over and touch Christian Bale’s actual Batman suit. Plus I felt rather cool when I recognized the custom-made suits and dresses from the Vogue May 2008 photo shoot with Coca Rocha.
Afterwards, we walked around Soho for a while and then trekked all the way down Broadway until Laura couldn’t take it anymore when..aha! We found Les Halles. It was eerily quiet since no one was at work that day, but I felt less guilty about using flash since there weren’t that many people to care.
Let me just say, the onion soup was delicious…but overwhelming. Those who know me know I’m not a big fan of cheese, but Laura, who was additionally hungry due to our long walk, kept going at it until there was barely any left. And that’s a big bowl. I did love my duck confit though, perfectly crispy and just a little fatty. Les Halles handles their potatoes particularly well – my mini homefries and Laura’s mashed potatoes and chips were crisp and lightly salted – and I made a note to myself to try their award-winning fries the next time after hearing the munching of a nearby client who’d ordered the moules frites.
So, that post wasn’t as long as I thought it would be. More later though on my trip to Financier Patisserie on Friday and the discovery of a Koons piece right by the office where I work!
Notes on Food 