1. Happy belated birthday to Debbie, one of my favourite co-workers! :) B, A, and I surprised her with a cake from nearby Buttercup Bake Shop to celebrate her 25th birthday.
Chocolate on chocolate with more chocolate is the only way to go when it comes to Debbie. While on the sugary end of the spectrum as far as American bakery cakes go, I enjoy Buttercup's cakes much more than their cupcakes which are made from the same batter but always disappointingly dry. However...everyone should know that the best thing to get at Buttercup is banana and chocolate pudding.
2. A typical Saturday night with Don ^_^
3. I simply cannot stop snacking on Ishiharaya's Ginger Senbei. I always make sure to bring back a few bags of these crunchy wafers from return visits to Hawai'i. Made right in Waipahu, Ishiharaya has been a local business since the 1920s - pretty amazing huh? The best part is that the third generation in the family recently took over the business! This is sadly enough, a rare occurance in Hawaii's rapidly dying mom & pop okazuyas and mochi shops.
You bet I did a little high five and dance upon hearing that good news - all the more reason to support local businesses. These senbei come in four flavours: original, sesame, ginger, and kawara. The ginger is my favourite of the quartet precisely becuase they employ a good bounty of fresh local ginger. What's not to love?
4. Darien brought over these Salty Oat cookies on her last visit from last weekend. I'm embarrassed to say that I ate four of the six cookies in just a few days (in addition to a daily diet of gelato, pudding, and cured meats).
One of the nicest cookies I've had in a long time, "Salty Oats" delivers a product true to its' name. The cookie builds a foundation with crumbly, and a happily not-too-sweet oat base. Simple and clean organic ingredients coupled with a tease of salt results in a cookie that borders the line of decadent oatcakes.
I'm partial to the Chocolate ones (though that's not to say the Oatmeal Raisin aren't delicious :)...take a closer look at the cookie pores, see that? The sea salt flakes? Gorgeous!
4. Curiosity lured me into Cecel Café Crepe just past midnight earlier this week for an Apple Tatin Crepe. The little storefront on 1st Avenue in the East Village is simply adorable but the interior is in slight disarray - both in organization and cleanliness.
The crepe was a disappointment. I placed the order and watched as the elder gentleman took a pre-made crepe (from earlier today, I'm assuming) from underneath a layer of plastic wrap. He warmed it on the griddle for a few seconds, rendering the crepe somewhere between room temperature and slightly warm. A filling of custard creme, cinnamon apples and a puff pasty stick proved to be a solid combination - unfussy and enjoyable. But the fact that it was tucked into a floppy, lukewarm crepe made hours before, resulted in a not so appetizing midnight treat.
5. $1.50 for a massive wedge of pizza bianca from Grandaisy Bakery? I'm happy to declare, with olive oil smeared fingers and faint linger of rosemany on my tongue - it's still delicious as ever :)
Hope everyone is having a great week!
Buttercup Bake Shop
973 2nd Avenue
New York, NY 10022
(212) 350-4144
Ishiharaya
94-064 Awamoku Street
Waipahu, Hawai'i 96797
(808) 671-3175
Salty Oats from:
Kayak Cookies
Cecel Cafe Crepe
135 1st Avenue
New York, NY 10079
(212) 460-5102
Grandaisy Bakery
73 Sullivan Street
New York, NY 10012
(212) 334-9435
7 comments:
Sorry to hear about the crepe, but those salty cookies sound good! :)
look at all that butter! something that is not so readily available here :(
those salty cookies sound delicous.
Hi Kathy! I know what you mean about all the mom and pop stores in Hawaii closing :*( It's sad that the younger generations do not want to keep up the family businesses. Could be due to the long hours that having to run your own business demand or kids just wanting to pursue other careers. My family on Maui has a family run pineapple farm which is run by the second and third generations. I think the third will be the last though since farming is so hard nowadays in Hawaii.
PS: they gots Marion crepes at Shirokiya? ever try them? if so are they gooooood?
Hey Lori!
The salty cookies more than made up for the crepe! :)
Hey Kat!
OooI heard about the butter shortage :( Don needed a lot of browned butter for something...the apt smelled incredible that night lol.
Hey Kat!
O wow a pineapple farm - that's impressive! It's understandable how newer generations wouldn't want to continue the business if they have other, more lucrative options. But at the same time, from an outsiders perspective, of course we'd always want the mochi shops and okazuyas (esp Ebisu on king st!) to remind open foooorever. Re: Marion crepes at Shirokiya?! I've never ever heard of such a thing there - please report back if you get them, it sounds so tasty! :)
Cecel Cafe Crepe really is a big disappointment, I got a fresh crepe when I went but it wasn't warm at all because it was covered with refrigerated fake nutella. BS. It was the only lackluster part of my east village food tour:
http://nycfoodguy.com/category/east-village-food-tour/part-i/
I doubt you read comments this old, but I thought I'd let you know that Trader Joe's now has ginger sanbei. They are smaller, sort of twist-shaped, and undoubtedly not as good... I've never had the real thing, but I really like the TJs ones.
Hey Nina!
Thanks so much for the tip! I live right by a TJ's in NYC so will be sure to check it out :D
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