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It's the last day of 2017!! Hope your year was as sweet as mine. Here's my "Top 10 Sweet Bites" for the year. It was pretty hard to narrow it down. Y'all know I lurrrv my desserts.
These are not ranked btw... I love them all. But I've definitely have some more than others. And SERIOUSLY craving some right now...
- Starbucks Reserve (Legacy West).
This place has made me like coffee. Even if the coffee is topped with a scoop of ice cream. haha. :P The House Affogato from Starbucks Reserve is delicious. And I'm obsessed with this place. I love sitting at the bar so I can watch the baristas demo the siphon coffee. One of these days I'll have to go to one of their workshops! Also fantastic... the Cold Brew Malt... basically a coffee milkshake - Cold Brew, 2 scoops of ice cream, Starbucks' malt powder.
- Bisous Bisous Patisserie (West Village).
I've definitely spent a lot of time in West Village this year. Between Pok and the Summer Sammie pop ups from Bisous Bisous, it's like I lived there. I went almost every weekend they were available. Warm and flaky croissant waffles made to order with seasonal ice cream flavors sandwiched in the middle. So yummy!
- Val's Cheesecakes (Maple Ave, Lower Greenville).
Best cheesecakes ever. I definitely ate A LOT of his cheesecakes this year, include TWO whole ones. They make a great addition to any special occasion and he can do anything you want in his custom creations. My all time favorite... the Classic Blueberry. I still have a few jars in my fridge, better go get those now!
- Everett & Elaine (Legacy Food Hall & Dallas Farmers Market)
I first stumbled upon E&E earlier this year at the Dallas Farmers Market. They makes some of the most delicious looking desserts and pastries. But since they've opened their stall inside the Legacy Food Hall, I've discovered my favorite thing there. The Tiramisu Cotton Cheesecake. It's an Asian style (super fluffy) cheesecake with a decadent tiramisu topping. It's on a whole different level. You cannot compare it with anything else. Every single person that I've recommended it to has loved it.
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| Photo by @_rachelann_ |
- Commissary (Downtown).
Again, one of my favorite places this year. They have a gorgeous dessert display and so far everything I've tried is good. However, the first thing I had there, the Triple Chocolate Eclair, remains one of my favorites. It's like a Ferrero Rocher, which is one of my favorite candies. Plus it's fancy.
- North Italia (Legacy West).
Again, one of my favorite spots this year. Make sure you make room for dessert after all those amazing pastas. Their Tiramisu is probably one of the best I've had to date. Rich espresso flavor and cream, lots of chocolates, and the crunchy chocolate balls totally makes it.
- Tommy Bahama (Legacy West).
I didn't even know TB had restaurants until I went to the Legacy West grand opening. The decor is so festive and the food is quite fantastic. But... their desserts are definitely the star. One of the prettiest desserts I've had this year... and definitely the BEST creme brulee ever, imo. Their Pineapple Creme Brulee is baked inside an actual pineapple!! So bright and fun and fresh.
- District Food & Wine (Design District).
This is definitely a hidden gem. They're only open for lunch during the week so I don't think most people know it's there. But the BEST Lemon Cake of my life! I don't even really like lemon desserts very much and I chose this over the chocolate cake. What?? Not too tart or too sweet, the cake is fluffy and perfect. I still think about it from time to time.
- Emporium Pies (Bishop Arts District, Deep Ellum, Downtown McKinney).
This is my favorite pie place in Dallas so it's really hard to pick a single one that I love. But I found my absolute favorite pie this year... and that's a pretty bold statement coming from me. The Nutty Honey from the Fall Menu... peanut butter and honey. Please bring it back!!
- We the Birds Macarons.
So... these are not limited to 2017, but I've got to give a shout out to my friends at We the Birds for having the most beautiful and delicious macarons ever. I prefer theirs over Ladurée. Yes, you can quote me on that. I gifted several of their custom flavors to friends this year so I think it's relevant. :P Love y'all!
Sweet Dreams everyone! And have the most amazing 2018!
~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
Saturday was our afternoon tea at TASCHEN in the Joule Hotel downtown. I've been excited about this for weeks! I love afternoon tea, whether European style or Asian style. The concept, the food, the way everything is presented. It's so classy yet quaint and delicious! :)
I first heard of Tea at TASCHEN several months ago. It just started this year. I saw many pictures on Instagram accounts I follow and it absolutely looked amazing. I looked up the info and they only offer it once a week... Fridays at 2:30PM. And they only have 16 seats, so you definitely have to reserve ahead of time. Early afternoon on a Friday may be a problem for most people since we have to work. But I was psyched when they opened up a Saturday tea time for the holidays (November and December). Also at 2:30PM. I immediately called and got a reservation for 2 on 12/20. I dragged my fiance along with me. haha. He wasn't too keen on the price and had never done afternoon tea so he didn't understand my excitement.
Tea at TASCHEN - The Joule Hotel
1530 Main St.
Dallas, TX 75201
(214) 748-1300 (x4363)
www.thejouledallas.com/tea-at-taschen.htm
Price: $$$$+
Just some brief info on the tea service...
Tea at TASCHEN is $59 per person, inclusive of taxes, gratuity and valet. During the tea, guests receive 10% off purchases in TASCHEN Library. The library is very intimate. A small room surrounded by interesting books and mosaics. Brightly lit, modern yet cozy. As we walked in, we were given glasses of champagne, the tables were beautifully displayed with colorful china, 24 ct. gold flatware, and a mini tower of delectable treats. The menu is seasonal, so it'll change in a few weeks.
There was a large communal table that was still empty when we arrived. So that gave me time to take like a million pictures. hehe. I loved the cup and saucer for the tea. And there was a shortbread cookie placed on top of it. We waited around for something to happen. My fiance wanted to dig into the food, but no one else had started yet. Plus there was no tea... so we tried to be patient. We were both hungry! haha.
Finally the large group arrived. And the manager came in to welcome everyone and explain how the tea service is going to work. He talked about the TASCHEN library, the rescued mosaics on the walls, the different food items on the display tower and the teas we will be trying. The champagne was all you can drink. Kinda wasted on me since I don't drink champagne, but I actually managed to down a full glass! The champagne they served was Gruet Sauvage.
The 3 teas featured were...
Nile Delta Chamomile (Egypt)
Coconut Assam (India)
Both of these were from Kai Organic Tea.
2001 Vintage Oak Barrel Aged Pu-Erh (China)
Now this part was different than other afternoon teas I've done before. Usually you just select the type of tea you want, and they bring you a personal pot of it to refill at your leisure. But here, they had a waitress serve the tea, and you try all 3 flavors. I would've preferred my own pot so I can refill my cup on my own. And neither of us were fans of the Chamomile so I had to wait awhile before they started serving the Assam. The Chamomile was quite bitter, not mild like I'm usually used to. And I don't really like it in general, but he did, and he didn't like this one. He added some honey to it and it seemed to help a little.
The Coconut Assam was interesting. Quite mild, not really sweet, but had a little nuttiness. The manager said this was his personal favorite, and the crowd pleaser, when he made his introductions. I thought it paired extremely well with the shortbread cookie.
The Pu-Erh was the one we both wanted to try the most. My parents and I actually drink a lot of it at home. It's a very dark tea. It has a very unique smell and taste. I want to say it's a little like licking a tree bark, but in a good way. haha. I guess it's just a bit more herbal/woody tasting. And the flavor of this particular one was actually milder than what I drink at home. The dark color just gives the impression that the flavor is going to be pretty strong. We both liked this the best.
Also, during the transition of different teas, a guy comes around with a jar and pours any remaining tea from our cups into it. I wondered why they don't give us new cups... It didn't bother either of us, but I would think hardcore tea connoisseurs would say the previous flavor is contaminating the next? Eh... we're not experts. haha. It was just something I noticed.
On to the food! Everything looked so quaint and delicate. I love miniature/finger foods. Always so tasty looking.
SAVORY
Goat Cheese Brioche (pumpkin butter, sage, salted pepita brittle). Y'all know I'm not a fan of goat cheese but I had to try a little anyways. It was quite goat-y... but I liked everything else. The pumpkin butter was a pretty orange and slightly sweet with the savory goat cheese. I loved the pepita brittle with that extra crunch. I just scraped most of the goat cheese off and gave to my fiance.
Lobster Mousse Napoleon (celery, spiced tapioca, soy caviar). This was interesting. There was a piece of lobster on the top and it was cooked perfectly. The soy caviar was done with molecular gastronomy. They did explain that they wanted to take classic afternoon tea foods and put a twist on it. The white puff on top was actually dehydrated tapioca balls and then fried! Cool!
Ham Mousse Eclair (parmesan tuille, mustard caviar, bonfire salt). Totally cute and yummy. It was like a ham and cheese sandwich but fancier! The bottom was an eclair half, then ham mousse, topped with parmesan tuille, mustard caviar, and 2 little donut balls. It had a lot of flavor in that little bite. The mustard was a great addition to the other flavors.
Deviled Egg Sandwich (tomato chutney, tomato meringue). This was our favorite. It was fantastic! Pretty AND delicious. I love a good deviled egg and I loved the presentation of it. How did they manage to cut out little perfect squares of egg white is beyond me. And the neat little piping of egg yolk on top. YUMM-O!
I had a friend that went a few weeks before me and she said that they were able to get more of the items they liked best. So we went in thinking that we can get refills on whatever we wanted...which cause my fiance to eat everything faster. haha. But half way thru, we were starting to think that wasn't the case. We asked the waitress that served the tea, if the food was one per person or if we can get more, and she said it was whatever is displayed for us. :( Uh-oh. haha. We were both a little disappointed. But later, when the manager came over, I asked him again. He explained that if the kitchen made extras or if they had some cancellations, then usually they are able to bring out more by request but it isn't always the case. He then asked us which ones we liked the best, we said the deviled eggs and ham mousse, and he winked and said they might have some more in the back. Yay! He later came out with 2 more deviled eggs and a ham mousse. He was fantastic btw, not just because he gave us more food. :P Very friendly, warm, and introduced the food/experience well.
SWEET
Huckleberry Buckle. This was already on the tower when we arrived. It was one of my favorite items. Kind of like a scone, moister than a biscuit but drier than a muffin. The frosting on top was a perfect ratio to the pastry. It paired SO WELL with all the teas.
The last 3 desserts came out at the end. (From left to right)
Manjori Ancho Tart. It's a dark chocolate tart. I think he said 65% dark or something? It's very dense and rich, and had a spicy kick. It was too dark for my fiance so I got to eat half of his! :)
Vanilla Yogurt Sandwich (with lavender). I think they said this was made with their house-made croissant dough. The cream is infused with lavender. I'm allergic to the smell of lavender so I was hesitant to eat this. I tried a teeny bit of the cream and didn't taste anything other than yogurt. He told me not to eat it... and it wasn't worth eating. He wasn't a fan.
Passion Berry. This was so good!! A heavy contender to the Huckleberry Buckle. I love passion fruit and it pairs so well to the marshmallow and cocoa nibs. The passion fruit was sweet, refreshing, and a little tangy. It was nice to end the meal with that bite.
Before we were finished, they gave every person 2 macarons to go. We got a chocolate and I'm not sure what the other flavor is. The chocolate wasn't that great... kinda chewy, but the other one is airy and nice, as it should be.
It was a great time. The whole event lasted about 2 hours. It was nice to just sit back, relax and enjoy the moment. And my fiance enjoyed himself. Some things were different than I expected but overall I really liked it. The service was great, presentation was classy, the setting was intimate and the food was yummy. The price included tax and tip and valet already so I thought it was very reasonable. Generally afternoon teas are not cheap. I recommend this for a girl's day out, or if you just enjoy afternoon tea. They only have one service each day so you don't feel rushed at all, and you get your fill. We were both quite full after it all. And there's no dress code, but I noticed that most people were at least in nice casual attire.
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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
When in England... gotta have afternoon tea! I was the most excited for this. I love afternoon tea and really wanted to do an authentic English tea time. I wanted to do 2 different afternoon teas but there just wasn't enough time and stomach space to take it all in. haha.
I chose this place after reading several reviews online. It had good ratings and was more affordable than some other more fancy hotels.
Harlequin Restaurant in Kingsway Hall Hotel
(Holborn Station)
66 Great Queen Street
Covent Garden, London WC2B 5BX
020 7309 0909
http://www.kingswayhall.co.uk/afternoon-tea.html
We arrived for our reservation at 1:30PM. The place was dead. But I didn't mind. It was like a private dining room for us. hehe. We were seated by the windows so it was nice and bright. I thought it was a nice setting.
They had a set menu for £15.95 per person. And it comes on one of those 3 tiered carriers.
YAY! That's what I wanted! :) The items we got per person were pretty standard afternoon tea foods. Start with sandwiches on the bottom, then scones in the middle and cakes/pastries up top. OMG! Sooo much food and it looks awesome!!
Sandwiches:
- Egg Mayonnaise & Mustard Cress - White Bread
- Smoked Salmon & Cream Cheese with Chives - Brown Bread
- Cucumber & Maldon Sea Salt - Basil Bread
- Ham & Mustard Mayonnaise - Walnut Bread
The sandwiches were presented very nicely. I like the look with the crusts cut off. My favorite was the egg. Most people think the cucumber sandwich is kind of a throw-away but I still liked it. It was refreshing in the midst of all the sugar and carbs. hehe.
Freshly Baked Scones
I really wanted to try British scones. I love scones in general but I'm pretty sure what I have in Dallas is not what they have in London. My friend, who has had many afternoon teas in London said their scones were much denser than usual. I'll have to take her word for it. But I loved it. I tend to like denser desserts/pastries anyways. But the inside was still moist and outside had a really nice crunch. With the clotted cream and jam it was awesome. My favorite part of the menu.
I was eager to try the clotted cream. Never had it before but I always thought I would love it. The one they had was really hard...it was basically butter. My friend said it was not right at all... booo. So I never really got to try real clotted cream. However, whatever we got here was still really good on the scones so it's all good.
Chef Selection of Afternoon Pastries
Wow... really so much food. I ended up taking a bite of everything just so I could try it all. But did not finish... The top layer had eclairs filled with lemon curd, pistachio macarons, fruit tart, strawberry cake, chocolate mousse cake, and coffee walnut pound cake. My favorite on this tier were the two cakes. Very light and creamy at the same time.
The eclairs were good too. I was surprised by the lemon filling. I'm used to having chocolate or custard. The macaron was no good. My friend said they put too much food coloring. It tasted artificial to us so that's probably the reason.
Unlimited Tea from Twinings Selection.
Can't be afternoon tea without the tea! haha. I was a little disappointed that it wasn't loose leaf teas, but oh well. You can choose from their selection of flavors and you can choose more than one. I liked that we could change it up. I started with a White tea then moved to Earl Grey.
I thoroughly enjoyed this experience. Although some aspects weren't as authentic as I wanted, it was still really cool. I wish we had more places in Dallas that does afternoon tea. It's really a relaxing and fun way to spend an afternoon. :)
Quality of Food:
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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
I finally went to Europe for the first time this year. Paris then London for the Olympics! Hellz yea!!
Paris was beautiful... all the amazing architecture was breathtaking. I would definitely go back. However, the service there... (what people say is true)... they are just not very nice. Doesn't help that we don't speak any French at all. :( But at least we didn't act like ignorant tourists either. I think that helped...
Anyhoo... had some great food there. Check out the next few posts for some yummy pictures! :D
Eiffel Tower (right below it)
- Barquette de Frites (French fries) 3,75€
My co-worker told me I had to go get fries at the Eiffel tower because they are the best. So we did... My first reaction was "these taste just like McDonald's fries!" hahaha. And they were...BUT.. minus all the grease! Plus I love Micky D fries. I guess this just proves that McDonald's DO make the best fries. haha. I was very impressed that after we ate the fries, there was not a single grease stain in the paper container. For that reason alone, I'd say go get some fries at the bottom of Eiffel Tower. haha.
Le Cafe du Parvis (outside Musee d'Orsay)
- Crepe Banane + Nutella (banana and nutella crepe) 2,70€
This was a great find. Everyone told us to stay away from stands close to big tourist spots. But this was the cheapest crepe we saw BY FAR! Cheaper by at least 40%! And it was delicious. Paris definite is not short of nutella. They are everywhere... in jars bigger than my head! YUMS!
Le Louis IX Cafe Brasserie (by Notre Dame)
25, Rue Des Deux-Ponts
75004 Paris, France
09 61 07 27 00
Glaces & Sorbets de la Maison Berthillon
- Chocolate Noir and Caramel Beurre Sale - 2 boules ("balls") 6,60€
Berthillon is a huge chain for ice cream in Paris. We saw about 6-7 stores in one street that all carried it. And there were lines at every single place! Wow. The scoops were small and expensive. But texture was super rich. However, I'm happy with Paciugo here at home. hehe.
Glaces Antolin (across from Notre Dame)
- Pistachio
- Mint Chocolate Chip
Again, small scoops. But pistachio was nice and nutty. The mint was quite strong and refreshing.
Amorino - Gelato di Qualita e Tradizione (along Rue de Tournon; close to Jardins du Luxembourg)
http://www.amorino.com/fr/
- Focaccina (gelato in tender Brioche) 4,80€
We filled it with Tiramisu and L'Inimitabile (chocolate & hazelnuts) gelato. It was pretty cool. They seal the edges of the brioche after filling it with the gelato. So it's like a giant cream puff. Very fun!
Gelati d'Alberto (Latin Quarter)
- Cherry and Panna Cotta gelato
Saw the flower design and HAD to get it. The portion is pretty small but something different. :)
Random bakery (close to Moulin Rouge)
- Mini Macaron (pistachio, coffee, chocolate) 0,90€ each.
Cheapest macarons we saw... The next cheapest was around 1,80€ a piece. Got a few to try. Not bad. But I don't get the craze over these things...
Breakfast!
- Flan
I like how they make flan in a tart/pie form. And they are in such huge wedges!! Niiice.
Random bakery (in Versailles)
- Eclair Chocolat 2,20€
- Nougate & Fraise (Nougat and strawberry cake) 3,90€
So you can see all the snacking in Paris are sweets. haha. But the bakeries just look so amazing. And of course we had to have eclairs at least once during our trip!
~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
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