by | March 26, 2012

I Confess: I’m a Donut Enthusiast

The Donut: under-represented, belittled as merely a breakfast food, often the victim of foodie scorn and pretension. Maybe some of you will think I should turn in my foodie badge for saying the following, but I think donuts are simply wonderful. They are highly undervalued in the dessert world and are sadly often written off as a convenient pastry to accompany one’s morning coffee.

a delicious box of donuts

I disagree – and here’s why.

For starters, the texture of the donut is unlike most other baked desserts. Cakes tend to be denser while other baked desserts such as the cookie or a bar are usually chewier. Contrastingly, the donut is incredibly airy and light, even though it is fried in the cooking process.

Additionally, the fact that the glaze is usually only on half of the donut gives the consumer a varied eating experience: you can alternate bites with the glaze and sprinkles with bites of the underside of the doughnut which has a plainer yet just as satisfying doughy taste. What’s better? If your doughnut isn’t made fresh (which really does make all the difference between a good doughnut and a great doughnut), you can stick it in the microwave for ten seconds and doughnut seemingly melts in your mouth.

Furthermore, making a good donut requires a lot more skill and patience than most other dessert. Chances are that you’ve probably made many more cakes than donuts, if ever. Why? It’s a rare skill to be able to make donuts (which are fluffy, sweetened moderately, and perfectly shaped) in your own kitchen.

Lastly there are hundreds of different cultural variants for each individual’s tastes. For those too sophisticated to enjoy a donut, there is the French beignet – usually square in shape and topped with powdered sugar and syrup. Or, one may be a fan of the Greek doughnut, also known as loukoumades, which are similar to doughnut holes but are soaked in honey and cinnamon. Surprisingly, the doughnut also makes appearances in Asian cultures. For example, in Northern Indian and Pakistani cuisine, one will find balushahi, fried rings of refined wheat flour.

So, have I convinced you that the doughnut should be considered a dessert? Or are you still a believer that the doughnut is a satisfying breakfast food but nothing else? I’d love to hear your opinions!

2 Comments

Filed under General Food Opinions, Uncategorized

by | March 23, 2012

Urbann Turbann: “the Indian Chipotle”

Indian fast food is pretty rare at Berkeley. Sure, there are places like House of Curries and Naan ‘n’ Curry where you can get your favorite Indian dishes to go, but none of them are really “fast food” in the traditional sense of the word. Urbann Turbann, located near the North Gate of Berkeley, boldly defies Indian food norms.

Urbann Turbann's interior

Known to many Berkeley Students (and aptly so) as “the Indian Chipotle”, Urbann Turbann is organized in the similar fashion to its (faux) Mexican counterpart — pick a bowl or a wrap, select a meat, choose your vegetables, finish with chutneys. The entire process is just as fast as Chipotle’s (perhaps faster) — when I arrived at Urbann Turbann on a Thursday evening, there were at least 8 people in front of me, but I had my food in my hands in around 15 minutes.

I ordered a tandoori chicken naan wrap — because it consisted of so many different ingredients, let me go component by component:

1. The naan was satisfying but largely standard. It was freshly made and had a good balance of a slightly crispy outside with a fluffier interior. Urbann Turbann’s portions are pretty large so if you aren’t very hungry, I would suggest considering getting a rice bowl instead because the naan will get soggy if not eaten right away.

2. The tandoori chicken was nicely flavored and tender. The best part? The sheer amount of meat they put in my wrap. Seriously. The meat-to-everything else ratio was probably around 2-1. Next time I look forward to trying the seekh kabob (spiced beef) for a greater kick of spice.

Tandoori Chicken Wrap

3. The vegetables were fresh and crisp. I got diced cucumbers, onions and tomatoes in addition to green chiles. My only complained regarding the vegetables is that I wish their green chiles were spicier — I couldn’t even tell my wrap had freshly sliced chiles.

4. The chutneys (“Indian salsas”) — I chose three different sauces: first, the hot mint and cilantro, which, to anyone who is familiar with Indian food is the classic green sauce served with most Indian appetizers. This sauce is nice because the mint adds a certain freshness that is hard to achieve in most other shops. The second sauce I tried was fiery tomato, habanero, and cumin chutney. This was rather disappointing — either there was not enough in my wrap or it was not actually spicy (given that it has habanero chilies, I am guessing that this is likely not the case). Lastly, I tried “mild coconut”. This was a confusing “sauce” given that it appeared more to be shredded coconut rather than an actual sauce, but it still gave the flavors of the wrap another dimension. All in all, the sauces were hit and miss. Next time, I will definitely ask for more of the sauces and hope my wrap turns out to be more adequately spicy.

1 Comment

Filed under Berkeley, California Restaurants, Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , ,

by | March 21, 2012

NY Halal Food (Cart on 14th and 3rd)

The traditional hot dog and pretzel stands are no longer part of mainstream New York culture. If you walk the streets of NYC today, you find endless amounts of halal carts. Although the cheap prices for lamb and shrimp from street carts may seem worrisome, don’t be silly. Halal carts are abundant for a reason; you should eat at them as much as you can.

If you ask almost any New Yorker, they will immediately bring up the 53rd and 6th cart, truly the “mecca” of New York halal food. This cart does sell their own t-shirts and have their own websites. Sadly, I have not been, so I can not make a judgment so far.

However, there is another great option for those who live a bit further downtown. This fantastic cart is located on the southeast side of Union Square. The absurd number of halal carts on 14th Street make it difficult to find. Here are some basic steps for identifying it: it’s the only one with a $3.99 deal including a drink, it is the 3rd cart from 3rd avenue, and the guy running the stand will call you “brother”.

Now – what to order:

Although the gyros are considered favorites, go with the lamb and rice. The lamb, despite coming in a large chunk, is surprising good quality and is even leaner than the chicken. Although thousands of carts offer lamb and rice, this one if different. First, it comes with potatoes on top. The potatoes are chopped up and have a bit of spice on them; they taste very similar to those used in Indian dosas. Second, they put pita on top of the lamb and rice, without extra charge. As always, the pita is coated in butter and the famous New York halal “white sauce”. Third, it costs only $3.99.

If you want a lot of great food for only $4, there is no better option.

1 Comment

Filed under New York Restaurants

by | March 18, 2012

S’MAC: Mac and Cheese Like Never Before

S’MAC, also known as Sarita’s Mac and Cheese, takes the simple dish of Macaroni and Cheese and brings it to an entirely new level. This quick and simple restaurant has quite a few different flavors that can cater mac and cheese to any audience.

Here is a list of the flavors that I have tried, ranked in order.

(Note: that these are merely my opinions. These opinions are all fiercely contested among S’MAC fans.)

1. The Four Cheese-this is the holy grail of mac and cheese. The “quattro fromaggios” featured are Cheddar, Gruyere, Muenster and Pecorino. Although some disagree about what the best flavor is, the Four Cheese is, on balance, the most popular. The fresh cheeses are all seperated on to different sections of the pasta, so you can enjoy four distinct flavors in the same meal.

2. The Cajun-this is quite good. It has a balance of meat, cheese, and vegetarian flavor. The green pepper and onion give it a crunchy texture and a bit of heat. If you like a mild amount of spice or like Cajun food, you won’t be disappointed.

3. Napoletana-simple mac and cheese with an Italian spin. As its name suggests, it is quite similar to the basic Italian pizza, featuring chopped up tomato, basil, and garlic. My opinion on it is similar to the classic Margherita pizza: great, but simple without much innovation over the traditional mac and cheese.

4.The All American-this is the classic and original flavor that we associate with mac and cheese. Although it is nearly impossible to dislike, it is designed to be plain and simply. For most, it lacks enough flavor, but if you are in the mood for classic mac and cheese, this isn’t a bad option.

5. Buffalo Chicken-this is the most divisive item on the menu. Certain people love this, while the others rank it at the bottom of the list. Although the sauce does give the pasta a bit of extra flavor, I thought it overwhelmed the cheese and breadcrumbs–I could only taste buffalo sauce. However, others, like Ishita, enjoyed the chicken and buffalo sauce. As a general rule: if you love buffalo wings, you’ll probably like this.

6. Parisian-”overly ambitious”. It features shitake mushrooms and figs, as well as rosemary. Although it sounds good and elegant on the menu, S’MAC is a delivery mac and cheese shop. Most people agree the ingrediants don’t jive well. My advice: avoid this.

After the Four Cheese, the best thing about S’MAC is that it delivers to most areas in Manhattan. The restaurant is fun to go to, but nothing special. It is a bit small and can be crowded sometimes.

But, when you don’t want to leave your room, nothing beats S’MAC. It is really good food, with great value and a convenient delivery service.

(Note: the delivery guy never lets you keep the receipt. No one really knows why, but since he doesn’t speak English very well, you should let it slide and go with the flow.)

Leave a Comment

Filed under New York Restaurants, Uncategorized

by | March 15, 2012

An Expedition to the Epicurious Gardens: Lush Gelato

The Epicurious Garden, reminiscent of San Francisco’s much larger Ferry Building, are are cluster of classy take-out eateries (seemingly an oxymoron? read on) located in Berkeley’s Gourmet Ghetto. It’s dining options include freshly made sushi, high end chocolate, and a Chinese restaurant which serves deliciously chewy hand-pulled noodles made-to-order.

the epicurious gardens

The most unique aspect of The Epicurious Garden is that even though most of the individual eating places do not have their own dining area, there is a zen garden behind the building which offers plenty of shade and ambiance to those who wish to eat their food on the premises.

the zen garden

the zen garden

My favorite part of The Epicurious Garden is Lush Gelato, which focuses on transforming organic and locally-based ingredients into uniquely flavored sweet treats (their flavors range from Buttermilk Cucumber to Creme Fraiche and Strawberries). It’s easy to taste the quality of gelato – for example, I usually stay away from mint chocolate chip ice cream because the mint flavor is almost always heavily contrived (sadly, sometimes reminiscent of toothpaste). In contrast, Lush Gelato’s Fresh Mint and Chocolate gelato is refreshingly unique because with each taste you can detect the crisp sweetness of real mint leaves. Lush Gelato even manages to do the more classic flavors of gelato better than most of its counterparts. Their Salted Stracciatella has much larger pieces of dark chocolate than most alternatives, and its saltiness only further accentuates the the rich creaminess of the gelato’s heavy milk base. Moreover,

Lush Gelato is a great place to visit with a group of friends because of its diverse selection. It offers lighter fruit flavored sorbets as well as richer cream-based gelato and has tempting flavors for the adventurous (think Cilantro and Chocolate Chips or Olive Oil Gelato). So next time you’re craving a cold sweet treat, Lush Gelato is sure to please.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Berkeley, California Restaurants

Tagged as , , , , ,

by | March 11, 2012

The Boba Enthusiast’s Guide to Berkeley

The majority of newcomers to Berkeley fall into two categories: those who adore boba, the popular Asian drink, and those who are soon to be introduced to it and quickly fall in love. The term “boba” refers to the chewy black tapioca pearls which can accompany any wide variety of teas (ranging from the classic milk tea to more exotic flavors such as passionfruit green tea). To those unaccustomed to the drink, the combination of the two may sound odd, but the tapioca pearls add an enjoyable texture to the already satisfying experience of drinking a fragrant, chilled tea.

boba/bubble tea - a popular asian drink

As far as boba options are concerned, Berkeley may as well be one of America’s boba capitals. The choices are seemingly endless and can be easily puzzling to a newcomer to the area. Here’s a guide to lessen that confusion and to direct you to the boba establishment that is best for you!

1. Quickly’s (located in the Asian ghetto) – The best selling point of Quickly’s is the quality of the tea which is smooth-textured and consistent in its flavoring. Quickly’s also has a great location because it is among varied eating establishments, making it a convenient stop for someone who is planning to pick up dinner and some bubble tea. My one complaint about Quickly’s is that the actual boba that is put into the drink can be sparse, leaving you with a regular tea before you finish your drink.

2. Lotus House (located near Cafe Durant) – Lotus House is a Chinese restaurant that offers limited flavors of bubble tea. Sometimes its quality of the tea is not as good as Quickly’s because it often has a slightly grainy texture, indicating that it has been made from a powder. However, Lotus House surpasses all the other options in regards to how many boba they put in each drink; on several occasions, my drink from Lotus House has almost been half-filled with the delicious tapioca pearls. All in all, if the main appeal of drinking bubble tea is its chewy tapioca, Lotus House is your best option.

3. Sweetheart Cafe (located adjacent to the Asian ghetto) – My experiences at Sweetheart Cafe have been varied. The level of sweetness of the teas often fluctuates, but it usually stays in the range of “enjoyable”. However, Sweetheart does offer many different flavors of the tea as well as “snow bubbles” which are essentially heavily iced smoothies. Another advantage to Sweetheart Cafe is that it opens the latest. Whereas most of the bubble tea shops close around 11 PM, Sweetheart Cafe is often past 2 AM because the owners will keep it open as long as a steady stream of customers is still present. Thus, Sweetheart Cafe is the easy choice if you’re craving boba as a late night snack.

4. Mocchacino (located on Bancroft across campus) – Mocchacino is a convenient place to visit with a friend because their 2 for $3 deal makes them the cheapest boba establishment I have visited. The quality of the tea and boba is generally constant: the jasmine milk tea is deliciously fragrant but the number of the tapioca pearls is on the lesser side. An advantage of Mocchacino is that it offers boba with hot tea for the same price as chilled boba (at every other bubble tea place that I have ever visited, the price for hot boba is always greater). Unfortunately, the wait is can be quite long (once, I waited around 20 minutes for my drink), making this establishment a hit or miss if you are pressed for time.

5. Mandarin House (located in the Asian ghetto) – personally, I found the boba tea at Mandarin House to be disappointing for several reasons. For starters, the tea was cloyingly sweet –  to the point that it was difficult to drink. Additionally, the drink was around 50% ice and had few actual tapioca pearls. Perhaps it was an anomaly (seeing as I did not return after my first visit), but because Quickly’s and Lotus House are only a few steps away, there is no need to take the risk.

3 Comments

Filed under California Restaurants, Berkeley

Tagged as , , , , , ,

by | March 10, 2012

Num Pang Sandwich Shop: The best sandwich in New York

No, the best sandwich in New York is not a pastrami sandwich from Katz, or any other classic New York delicatessen. Zagat gave the award to this quick and informal Cambodian sandwich shop near Union Square, on University and 12th Street.

Image

Num Pang Sandwich Shop

(Note: the anonymous hipster is not guaranteed during your visit.)

The sandwiches are an interesting fusion of European and Asian cuisine. While the legacy of French occupation has influenced this particular Cambodian food item, the meat and veggies within the sandwich have a very particular Asian flavor. The foundation of Num Pang is the soft, freshly toasted baguette roll, while the flavors inside the sandwich can vary from sweet Asian sauces to spicy styles of meat familiar in Thai restaurants.

Inside, each sandwich comes with a homemade chili mayo sauce, cilantro, carrots, and cucumber. The sauce complements the meat with both a creamy essence and a bit of heat. Similarly, the veggies do not distract from the flavor of the meat, but give the sandwich an interesting crunchy texture.

Image

The Grilled Khmer Sausage sandwich

Ishita and I ordered two sandwiches:

The Pulled Duroc sandwich is very sweet. The quality and taste of the pork itself is quite good, but the base of the dish is a spiced Honey sauce. If you enjoy foods like sweet flavors with meat, like sweet and sour sauce or teriyaki, you will enjoy this.

The Grilled Khmer Sausage sandwich takes a different approach. The sausage was leaner and thicker than the pork. The taste was characterized by a bit of spice and heat, as well as the smoky, lean taste of the sausage. Even as an avid lover of sweet foods, this sandwich was the better option.

In addition to the sandwiches, there are a multitude of interesting Asian drinks, ranging from teas, Ginger Beer, and watermelon juice. I personally recommend the “blood orange lemonade”.

The restaurant itself is designed for take-out and on to go eaters, but there is a small eating area on the second floor if you feel like sitting down. The restaurant can be a bit busy sometimes, but it’s well worth the wait.

1 Comment

Filed under Uncategorized, New York Restaurants, Greenwich Village

Tagged as , , , , ,

by | March 9, 2012

The Asian Ghetto Exploration #1: Bear’s Ramen House

the infamous asian ghetto of UC Berkeley

Asian Ghetto is one of the oft-frequented casual dining gems of UC Berkeley. Located on Durant (between the intersecting streets of Telegraph and College), the Asian Ghetto is a cluster of convenient fast food eating options (incidentally, only a few of them are Asian).

The Bear Ramen House is a hole-in-the-wall Korean eatery. The seating space is nearly non-existant (perhaps 5 people can sit inside, bar-style seating), and the food takes roughly 5 to 15 minutes to be made. So far, I have only tried one of Bear Ramen House’s dishes (one of their most popular dishes) – Kimchi Fried Rice with Spam ($7.50).

kimchi fried rice with spam

The dish is spicy in a nuanced manner (with sour undertones) accompanied by small, diced pieces of spam and a fried egg on top. Several of my friends who are not as accustomed to spice found the dish hard to eat after a few bites; however, if you crave spicy food, the dish will definitely hit the spot. The more subtly flavored crisp fried egg on top is a great contrast to the thicker tasting spam scattered throughout the rice. The portion size of the rice was more than adequate — I would suggest ordering “to go” even if you plan on eating in the surrounding area so you can easily carry the leftovers home.

I would recommend this place to someone who craves spicy, filling food and does not have access to a kitchen (if you do, I imagine it would be much more time and cost effective to whip up this simple dish in your own home).

1 Comment

Filed under Berkeley, California Restaurants

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

by | March 9, 2012

La Laterna: rich flavors, romantic ambiance, an affordable pleasure

la laterna located at 129 MacDougal Street New York, NY 10012

Last week, I visited NYC for a few days and explored a bunch of fun eateries with my favorite foodie, Robert. Although we mostly sampled NYC’s offerings of casual dining (thank you college student budget), we stumbled upon an unassuming gem on MacDougal Street – La Laterna di Vittorio. The restaurant’s exterior doesn’t do justice to its unique, romantic exterior. Lighting is minimal while the furniture is reminiscent of that which would be in a European garden. There are three parts of the restaurant — the immediate seating, downstairs seating with jazz and then an indoor patio (shown above). Our experience of sitting in the indoor patio was marvelous: paper lights hanging at different heights coupled with subtle wall lighting made La Laterna an ideal Friday night date spot.

Robert and I ordered the following dishes:

Appetizer: Pomodoro e Basilico Bruschetta ($6.99) — 3 generous slices of crisp but airy peasant bread topped with finely chopped tomato, onion, and basil. This was a great starter because the bread was light while the toppings were fresh. It revved up our appetites for the upcoming entrees without stealing too much valuable stomach real estate.

Entree 1: Lasagna Quattro Formaggi ($12.99) — this dish was the classic four cheese pasta dish: satisfying cheesy creaminess, silky pasta, the top baked crisp to perfection. As almost every four cheese pasta usually tends to be, this dish was definitely very heavy (many will argue that this is what gives this classic comfort food its charm.) If you choose to try this dish, I would recommend ordering it as a dish to be shared among your party instead of a personal entree. If you’re in the mood to try something risky or new – I’d go for something else on the menu.

Entree 2: Pizza con Salmone Affumicato e Cipolla ($13.99) — this pizza was the star entree of the night! Every component of the dish seems to come together perfectly: thin and delicate slices of smoked salmon coupled with creamy mascarpone cheese, slightly tart capers, and mildly sweet onions. Moreover, the pizza is incredibly thin crust which allows the smoked salmon and cheese to take the front stage (it also means that this entree disappears especially quickly…). If these flavors seem even mildly appealing to you, I would urge you to try this dish — it’s the reason that I am sure I will be making my way back to La Laterna next time I am in NYC.

All in all, I would definitely recommend La Laterna for an enjoyable affordable dining experience. If you’re going with more than four people, consider calling ahead of time to make a reservation — most likely, that will save you the average 10-30 minutes of wait on a busy weekend night. Enjoy!

1 Comment

Filed under New York Restaurants, Greenwich Village

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

by | March 9, 2012

Welcome to The Gourmet Life

Hey there!
We’re two college students living in the food capitals of the US — the Bay Area and New York City. We enjoy sampling food from a wide variety of cuisines and exploring unique gastronomical creations. On Welcome to The Gourmet Life, we hope to share some of our favorite restaurant picks and general food commentary.

Hope you enjoy and bon appétit!
Robert Baldwin and Ishita Arora

Leave a Comment

Filed under Uncategorized