busy girl thoughts

I complained about Starbucks’ green tea frappuccino in this post that it didn’t taste like green tea (or Matcha), but rather like some sort of bubble gum.

I finally learned the reason is that they add melon syrup to it. That explains my bubble gum association. If you ask them not to add melon syrup, it’ll taste more like green tea. And if you’re a matcha fan, I recommend asking for extra matcha. Now, if they ask you how many scoop, don’t ask for more than 1 because it’ll be way too powering even for my taste. And keep in mind I usually get venti so if you usually get tall, i wouldn’t recommend asking for extra matcha powder.

I was surprised to find such an exquisite seafood restaurant in Princeton, NJ. Two hotel clerks strongly recommended it, and one of them said their seafood is shipped in daily so freshness is guaranteed.

The restaurant is on Nassau, the major route to the university area and where most of the restaurants are located. We saw a couple cute restaurants and cafes nearby. There was a noodle house on one side of Blue Point and a Chinese restaurant on the other. All of them are remodeled residential houses, so they have a small-town, home-made feel to it.

The menu has a southern flare to it. Like the special I ordered was Seafood Creole (gumbo/soup), and it tasted authentic, with full creole flavor and slightly spicy. It had chunks of seafood including lots of Seabass! The softness of seabass contrasted so well w/ the creole flavor, and the gumbo was so thick i ate it w/ a fork.

I tried my friend’s Catfish and it tasted traditionally southern as well. One thing on the menu that made me want to go back is Macadamia Nuts Tilapia, and also the fresh oyster bar w/ about 12 different kinds of oysters. I’ll continue the review in a separate post.

An interesting thing about Blue Point is it doesn’t serve wine. There’s a liquor store right next to it and customers just get the wine from next door and bring it to the restaurant. Hmmm, i think i’ll do the same next time. I actually prefer that since restaurants always charge premium for wine and we’ll have more choices.

Aureole-It’s listed as an American restaurant instead of French on citysearch. However, the menu, ambience, and service all point it to a French restaurant. I’d say Aureole is the best of all three. The atmosphere is the most relaxed, and the food is not traditional heavy French cuisine. It’s more creative, fresh, light, yet the intensity and complexity of the flavor is not lost. Citysearch editor’s got the essence of this restaurant:

…lent toothsome crunch by a cured pancetta wrap, or sashimi-cut fluke lounging on ruby-red grapefruit–that you realize you’re savoring every inherent flavor rather than cream or oil. Boccuzzi achieves opulence honestly, balancing lively flavors with clever, complementary preparations. Crispy skate in eggless bearnaise and prosciutto-crusted rabbit luxuriate on the palate, while leaving room for blissful, can’t-miss desserts.

Dessert is definitely the best part, and it’s what makes Aureole better than the other two in ny heart. You can see the dessert menu online, but allow me to describe what I got. I got a creme brulee tasting, which came with three flavors, classic, chocolate and corn (corn with blueberry topping). I’m no longer a big creme brulee fan (after I found out what it’s made of), but the classic creme brulee was the best I’ve tried. It’s so creamy but it’s not so full of fat that you can’t taste anything else. It tastes more creamy because the texture is amazingly consistent and fine, like there’s no air particle in between the cream particles. The corn creme brulee was really interesting too. I always enjoy things I’ve never heard of before. Thumbs up for the pastry chef’s creativity. My friend ordered ‘Six Sorbet & Frozen Custard’. The presentation was wonderful. The little cups that the sorbets were in were put on a triangle rack. So it’s three on the bottom, 2 in the middle and 1 on top. Now you get the idea. The taste was out of this world as well. Too bad i don’t remember all the flavor but I remember one of them was goat cheese.

Zagat rating: 27, 26, 26 (food, service, ambience)

Jean Georges- The food is similar to Aureole. It’s vert innovative as well. The menu is more extensive, but it’s a lot pricier and the atmosphere is more uptight than Aureole. Dessert is pretty good, although fades compare with Aureole’s.

Zagat rating: 27, 26, 26

Le Bernardin-Yeah it’s a very good restaurant. But the way I look at it, the food is as good as the above two (unless you prefer traditional French), it’s really really expensive, atmosphere is most formal (jacket required for gentlemen), and the dessert was average-ok, to be fair, it’s good, but it’s not something you’d jump up and down and tell all your friends about- so why pay the premium? My guy friends didn’t wear a jacket and had to wear the loaner ones. They were super large and it was hilarious when they stood up because one of them looked like a football player and the other one stole his dad’s jacket.

Zagat rating: 28, 27, 27

The first time I tried Starbuck’s green tea frappuccino I wasn’t impressed. It tasted like bland green tea flavored bubble gum. I forgot why I bought a second one since I disliked the first one so much, but the second one was more like it. The green tea flavor was strong, and it tasted almost like green tea ice cream. I was exhilirated to find my official summer drink.

At that point I was convinced the barista who made the first one didn’t make it according the formula.

And then I tried the third, fourth,.. so on. Now I know the true story. The second one was abnormal. All the others I had didn’t taste anything like green tea. I don’t know what impulses me to keep buying and getting disappointed. I mean, now i’m obsessed with finding the ‘right’ green tea frappuccino. Isn’t that crazy? I’ve turned Starbucks addiction into Lottery consumption. I pay a daily due hoping for hitting the jackpot.

I can’t wait to go back to Seattle to test it out. I still believe that Seattle Starbucks has the best standard. I still believe…

My NY colleagues and I have probably tried all the deli places within 1 mile radius. Today I went to a French deli that I haven’t been before, Kitchen Provance , located on 45th between 6th & 7th. It serves hot entree bars and a salad bar, plus pastries.

The entree bar is probably the most gourmet I’ve tried in this neighborhood. For example today I got Polenta Pizzette, Zucchini cake, and Ricotta Roasted Vegetables Roulade, just to name a few.

What’s bugging me is the deli is not that busy compared with its neighbors, although the quality leaves the competitors in dust, and the french country decor is cute, clean and intimate. I noticed two things that might have affected it. The food section is way in the back of the deli, and the lighting is on the dim side, so it’s difficult for pedestrians to glimpse quickly what they’re serving. The unofficial standard for NY delis is to have entree bar in the center of the store.

The second is the credit card is acceptable, but it’s in the back of the kitchen and can only be handled by a grumpy looking mid-aged woman who appears to be the owner. After waiting for two minutes, the woman came out to hand over the receipt to the cashier, and she gave me a head to toe glance. Frankly, just for this reason, I don’t think I’m going back. But for those of you who use cash, I’d definitely recommend it.

Tonight I ventured out to little Italy planning to dine at Nyonya, a Malaysian restaurant. After 45 minutes of train transfers and a cab ride, we only discovered that the wait at Nyonya was over an hour. There were about 50 people standing in the 6 by 3 waiting area like chicken in the cage. The food looked and smelled wonderful but we were too starved to wait (would’ve stayed if they had a bar)

After walking around a little bit, we settled for an italian restaurant nearby. The bread wasn’t impressive (cold, hard and bland, with butter, not olive oil), so I lowered my expectation for the Lobster spaghetti i ordered. When it was delivered to my table, i was vastly impressed. The portion size is obviously a winning factor. Not only was the lobster of a decent size, look all the calamari, clam and mussel they dumped on the plate. The flavor was unbelievable too. I could taste the masala wine, the nice blend of all the seafood flavor soaked in the spaghetti.

Couldn’t get enough of it!

Carmine’s is located in the heart of Times Squares. It’s one of the most popular pre and post theater dining option among tourists and theater goers alike. It’s famous for it’s family-sized portion. Well, it’s probably not your regular family. It’s more like for a family of at least 10.

That night two other girls and me, starved after walking around in a snowy night, decided to scout out this place. No menu is provided and everyday’s specials are written on the balckboards around the walls. It was quite a struggle for us near-sighted girls to read the menu. We ordered three dishes despite the waiter’s warning and pleading, and we assured him that we won’t let too much food go to waste. We ordered some pasta, veal marsala and a big basket of Caesar salad. I suppose we did pretty well, only left half of the pasta.

I’d recommend this restaurant to those who enjoy bargained-supersized-italian family meals. If you’re looking for exquisite Italian cuisine, and could wait around a month for a reservation, go to Babbo and forget about Carmines.

Tonight we explored Meatpacking district. It’s a relatively newly developed area packed with trendy restaurants and bars. Not too long ago it was full of meat packing warehouse hence the name ‘meatpacking’. We went to my first japanese restaurant in NYC, Ono. A little excerpt from citysearch:
Ono
Trendy Japanese is what’s for dinner at Jeffrey Chodorow’s sceney Meatpacking District debut.
The SceneSilk shades hang from vaulted ceilings, spilling warm, flattering light over the already dashing diners. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlook the bamboo-filled outdoor gardens.

The FoodThe menu is huge, listing traditional Japanese fare (tempura, dumplings), inventive sushi rolls and pieces, and robata (grilled meats and veggies), as well as full entrees. The best bet: Order as you go and share everything, starting with the Kobe-style beef, dramatically presented on a tabletop grill. For the carb-phobic, there’s the rice-less spicy crab roll stuffed with tobiko and avocado, and robata: grilled skewers of lobster, asparagus, clams and much more.

I was certainly impressed with foie gras with sweet-salty shiso and plum. It’s unusual to see foie gras in a japanese restaurant. The combination of melt-in-your mouth warm savory foie gras and the cold sweet plum is rich but not greasy, sweet but not overpowering, utterly out of this world.

Afterwards we went to Level V for lounging. It’s much nicer than the hippiest bar/club in Seattle, Bada Lounge. The whole lounge was dimly lit with subtle neon red light. Wooden floor and brick wall give it an industrial touch. I had the best apple martini there. The catch is that the ‘apple’ part is no regular apple pucker. It was chilled ‘apple foam’. I have no idea what exactly that was but the texture was a cross between slush and foam.

Level V

After getting our drinks, my coworker and I were walking around (somewhat intimidated by the nicely dressed crowd). Luckily we were immediately invited to join a small party (free booze!) and got to meet our first banker/lawyer NY friends. At this point, meatpacking is definitely my favorite part of the city.