Shake Shack

Let's talk Shake Shack, shall we?

Well, what's there to say? It's just absolutely fantastic! I don't eat much red meat, but I definitely cannot resist an amazing burger from this beautiful, happy, delicious, fun, cool burger joint in New York City.

For those of you who have never been to Shake Shack and argue that Five Guys or In-N-Out have the best burgers, please do me a favor and try Shake Shack. The burgers are less greasy than Five Guys, and their meat taste more fresh than In-N-Out. (I don't want to piss off any Five Guys/In-N-Out fans out there, I like those burgers too, but I just think Shake Shack tastes better!)

Anyway, let's let the pictures do the talking, shall we?

This is the ultimate feast at Shake Shack- Shack Stack, cheese fries, and coke.

Shack Stack burger (cheeseburger and shroomburger topped with lettuce, tomato, and ShackSauce). So that thing in there that you see, yeah, that's just a fried ball of Portabella filled with muenster and cheddar...

Cheese fries. Somehow, these shoe string cheese fries go soooo well with the burger.

So far, there aren't that many Shake Shacks around right now. They are mostly in the New York area. To find one, visit here!

Num Pang

Ah, I am finally talking about one of my favorite joints in NYC, Num Pang.

Num Pang (Cambodian term for bread/sandwich) has perhaps the tastiest sandwiches in NYC; my family and I are obsessed with all of their Asian-influenced sandwiches. From skirt steak, catfish, to even cauliflower, the place has won our hearts over and over again.

Over the weekend, we ventured downtown to indulge in these sandwiches once again :)

This was the Peppercorn Catfish, my favorite sandwich at the shop. The fish is tender and the sauce just goes absolutely perfect with the fish. The pickled veggies and cilantro adds on the freshness of the sandwich. As always, the bread is toasted to perfection. Ah, amazing.

This is the Grilled Skirt Steak. Yums, the steak is cooked perfectly- smokey and very juicy. The sauce adds on another layer of flavor, so delicious.

And this one, is the Roasted Cauliflower sandwich. It was my first time ordering, and it did not disappoint. The cauliflower were crunchy yet smokey, and the sauce, the sauce had a resemblance of a lighter hoisin sauce... and who doesn't love hoisin sauce. Come on.

And here comes the corn. The amazing grilled corn on the cob that is drizzled in chili mayo and dusted with coconut flakes. Seriously, so good.

Ah, I love this place. I would seriously consider attending NYU just so I can be closer to these sandwiches. They also have another store in mid-town, however, I was informed by my cousin that she has tried the location three times, and the experience is just not the same as the one downtown.

If you are ever in the area, you must stop by and try one of their delicious sandwiches!

Cafe Boulud

Oh my goodness, I can't believe I failed to remember to blog about my Cafe Boulud experience!

So if you are a big foodie, you'd probably know that Chef Daniel Boulud is like, one of the best chefs in the world. For my Christmas present, I asked my boyfriend to take me to one of his restaurants, Cafe Boulud, for dinner.

Chef Boulud is known for his other restaurant, Daniel, but that one is about one million dollars per person for dinner, so I opted for one of his less expensive restaurants.

Now, I do apologize because I used my iPhone to take pictures. I was really just too embarrassed to be tourist-like in such a fancy restaurant. haha.

 These were the complementary truffle risotto balls. Oh my god, it was so delicious!

 This is butter, sitting on top of a beautiful slate. 

 And a lovely looking man carrying a large basket of assorted bread walks around and serves freshly baked bread. This one was olive, my favorite.

and garlicy foccacia, so buttery and delicious!

And then we went on to order appetizer…

yes, this is appetizer. We ordered the Buccatini Pasta (sea urchin crema, razor clams, stone crab 

lemon, bread crumbs), and they classily split the portion into two, and this was probably, two bites. 

This, was too delicious. The flavor was so buttery without feeling heavy, and the noodles were cooked just perfect.

And on to main course...

I ordered Pan Seared Arctic Char (wild mushrooms, celery root, puy lentils

fine herbs)… it was definitely cooked to perfection. The side veggies were absolutely scrumptious.

  Then the boyfriend ordered Slow Braised Beef Short Rib (pommes rosti, glazed baby beets

horseradish, sauce bordelaise). This was heavenly as well. I am not a big fan for beef, but it was cooked perfect, and I loved the baby beets on the side.

And of course, we cleaned the plates...

So we had to order dessert, just because I said so. I figured we are at a beautiful restaurant with a beautiful ambiance, we have to enjoy it and order dessert.

So this was Vanilla Bavarois (speculoos, poached pears chocolate ice cream). Beautifully plated, right? The dessert was actually just meh, I didn't particularly enjoyed it. I am not that big of a fan for creamy desserts to begin with, I actually really wanted the Molten Chocolate Cake but decided to try something different. Anyway, don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad in any sense. If you like the creamy texture, this is definitely perfect for you.

Ah, and lastly, the complementary madeleines… 

Let me just tell you, I never find myself liking madeleines, ever! But this was seriously the most delicate puppies ever! They are so small, warm, light, fluffy, and seriously, they taste beyond heavenly. I literally ate the whole basket, and wanted more.

So there it is, my experience at Cafe Boulud. Beautiful place, wonderful service, and scrumptious food. I was really happy to try it out, and am so glad that it didn't disappoint.

Boys, if there is a lady to impress in your life (mom, girlfriend, whatever), take her here.

The end.

Giada's Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Giada, you have done it again!

Thank you for this wonderful recipe, this is definitely my go-to chocolate chip cookie from now on!

I am not a big walnut/pecan girl, but I am a huge fan of hazelnut. I love the combination of hazelnut and chocolate, Nutella, anyone?!

I made these cookies last year, and they turned out to be a big hit. All I have to say is, thank you, Giada, for creating such beautiful hazelnut/chocolate recipes. I love you.

Soft when warm, crunchy once cooled. Either way, they really tasted perfect. One thing I did do is to reduce both granulated and brown sugar by 1/4 cup (reduced 1/2 cup of sugar overall).

Nomnomnom. Serve me with tea, coffee, or milk.

Chicken Parmesan

Sometimes, I get random cravings for chicken parmesan. The craving happened again last week, so I looked up a few recipes, and made my own twist of chicken parmesan.

I thinned the chicken breast by pounding them. Pounding also makes the meat more tender. 

Since I didn't have a pounder, I pounded the meat the way my mama does it, using the back of the knife and repeatedly make line marks on the meat. Hey, whatever works, right?

Since I didn't have eggs to bread the chicken, I then made a herb oil mixture (basil, oregano, rosemary, and a little bit of crushed red pepper) and used it as the glue for breading.

In goes the chicken.

Lay a layer of sauce and top with chicken and fresh mozzarella. Top with another layer of sauce, and grated parmesan (not shown in pic).

Yum yums, served with a side of pasta!

Chicken Parmesan
Ingredients:
4 pieces of chicken breast
1/3 cup of olive oil
1 teaspoon of dried basil
1 teaspoon of dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon of dried rosemary
dash of salt and pepper
dash of red pepper flakes (optional)
1 cup of dried breadcrumbs
1 1/2 cups of tomato sauce of your choice
1/4 pound of fresh mozzarella, sliced (okay if used shredded)
Freshly grated parmesan

Direction:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Pound the chicken with a pice of plastic wrap over it, until the meat is about 1/2 inch thick.

Make the herb oil mixture- combine dried basil, oregano, rosemary, dash of salt and pepper, and red pepper flakes (optional). Divide the oil mixture by half, and set one half aside.

Dip the chicken in half of the oil mixture, then coat in breadcrumbs. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat, and place some herb oil in. Once the oil is heated, add the chicken in, about 4 minutes per side. (you might need to cook each piece of chicken separately due to the size of your skillet).

Once all the chicken is finished, lay a thin layer of tomato sauce on baking sheet, and place chicken on top of sauce. Top chicken with mozzarella, and ladle another thin layer of tomato sauce, top with freshly grated parmesan. Bake in oven for about 15-20 minutes, until mozzarella is melted.