Grimaldi's {Brooklyn, NY}

Ah, that perfect slice of NY pizza - it's something that has eluded me all my life. There was not a shortage of good words for Grimaldi's pizza. After a tedious and tiresome five hour flight, a trip to Grimaldi's was well deserved for our first night in New York. 

Even though everyone told me to just try the 'Plain Pie' I couldn't help myself from trying the delicious sounding 'White Pie' listed in their menu. We added sausage and it was delicious! Crispy, slightly chewy, charred thin crusts are my favorite and Grimaldi's has got it down perfectly. Topped with gooey cheese, fresh basil and gorgeous olive oil. It was beyond words...

But... I don't think anything could top the beauty and perfection that is the 'Plain Pie.' Simply dressed with tomato sauce, mozzarella and basil it was magical. Simple, yet so satisfying. Oh geez, I still dream about it!

Look at that cheese!!!

Plain Pie FTW!

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Boiling Point {Hacienda Heights}

I love hot pots. There's Vietnamese hot pot, Japanese shabu shabu, and this, well this is Taiwanese hot pot and it's so freaking delicious!

Taiwanese hot pot is different than any other hot pot I've ever had. Most hot pots are light, simple, fulfilling. This hot pot was full of all types of delicious things, had tons of flavor and is served with the most delicious sauces I've ever had!

Above is the fermented bean sauce, on the left, and the garlic sauce, on the right. There was also a SUPER spicy sauce which is not pictured because even the picture would send fury and heat down your throat - that's how hot it was!

The lunch special comes with a free drink - I chose the green tea which was super refreshing and cute served in these little mason jar-ish cups.

See, inside the hot pot, there's all kinds of things: pickled greens, a raw egg, bean curd skin, glass noodles, lamb, fish balls and more to boot! 

I like to stir the egg in so that it gets all throughout the broth. Mmmmmm mmm mmmm!!!

Gosh I really love this on a cold, winter day!

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Class 302 {Rowland Heights}

After seeing this, I stopped to manually use my hands to close my jaw. I was in pure shock. It was something so beautiful, so foreign, so WEIRD!

It's shaved snow is what it is! No, it is not shaved ice, not at all. It's something completely different and completely more delicious. The most fabulous part about this shaved snow is that the ice itself is flavored. Today, we chose the green tea/ matcha ice which they use a special machine to shave off super thin sheets of ice. 

Topped with sweetened red beans, condensed milk and huge chunks of chewy rice cakes, it could not have been a more perfect treat. Mind you, we even ate this huge pile of ice on one of the colder days of Winter and enjoyed it immensely despite the teeth chattering. 

The texture is so enjoyable and odd at the same time! The whole time when eating it, my friends and I couldn't stop commenting on how odd the look of the ice was but how delicious it was all the same! It's basically fun and delicious - two good things when talking about food.

Best treat ever!

Deeeeeeeeeeeeeeelicious!

Look at those layers upon layers of ice!!

Mmmm chewy rice cakes!

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New York, New York!

Hello! I'm back from New York and I can't wait to tell you all of my delicious adventures!

I'll be posting a new 'New York' entry in the Eating Out page, so be sure to check it out if you are ever in need of some great, spectacular, mind-blowing and utterly indulgent eats!

But for now, here are some of my favorite photos from the trip, enjoy!

One of my first photos after landing in the glorious New York!

We stayed in Brooklyn and the view of Manhattan was amazing!!

Oh how I just love long exposures - the water and sky almost look creamy!

Instead of staying at a hotel, we rented a super cute studio apartment through Air BnB. This was the sunrise as seen from the roof.

My favorite part about the apartment was the rooftop access! These steps to me, personify everything I know about living in the city.

Of course, what is New York without its subway? We bought unlimited weekly passes and sure used the heck out of them! Everyday our feet were pulsating from the pain of walking millions of miles a day - but it was worth it!

Our home subway stop - Parkside!!

Central Park was gorgeous and I expected no less. We were told it would be raining and stormy - this photo begs to differ.

My ultimate favorite thing about the city though, if not the food, are the trees and not just the ones in the park. There's foilage EVERYWHERE and the trees are so unique - ones I've never seen in California. They just filter the light so perfectly.

THE MET! Thoroughly felt like a socialite from Gossip Girl while taking photos on the steps! Me (on the left) with my sister (on the right).

All of the art at the MET was fantastic - from Van Gogh to Magritte to Dali. There was even a temple from Egypt! I could have stayed there the entire day and not have looked at everything there was to see. One of my favorite exhibits though was the Big Bambu exhibit - it was interesting and incredibly gorgeous.

The Guggenheim is another museum must see, if only for the structure alone. To me, it's The Getty of the east side - both with the most beautiful architecture housing tons of great art. 

Good eats! I think the primary goal of this whole trip was to eat New York, literally. We ended up eating at 20+ places in a matter of 5 days - which is insane. I feel so bloated haha, but it was truly worth it!

Fall! My favorite season although it wasn't really Fall weather in the city as it was still quite sunny and warm. Nice though that I got to see some leaves turn their color at least.

Grand Central Station is just one of those places where you can feel the history. It was vast and filled with hustle and bustle.

See! Beautiful trees EVERYWHERE!

If you love Italian food, you have to check out Eataly - the creation of Mario Batali, Joe Bastianich, Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Oscar Farinetti. It's filled with all kinds of imported and authentic Italian goods, handmade pastas, dried meats and cheeses galore!

I heart & pretzel New York!!

I heart New York trees!

Chinatown/ Little Italy! It's funny because in San Francisco, they're right next to each other too and they're so similar in all major cities. Although, I must say, New York's Chinatown sure did have a nicer selection of goods :)

Last and final museum visit: The National History Museum, which was probably my favorite of all three. It appealed to the inner geek and science lover in me.

Deep sea creatures are probably the MOST interesting things on the planet to me, probably because we almost know nothing about them!

We like to take pictures, lots of them.

Me, in Bryant Park, which is a lot smaller than I thought it would be, but also, a lot more beautiful then I thought it would be! It's the perfect place to take a midday break and enjoy a bit of quiet in the midst of the busy city.

Times Square! I actually didn't see much of it but it in the minute I was walking through it, I was amazed by how many people could be in such a small space.

The last night - bittersweet, but maybe just a bit more bitter. Having dinner at the famous 63rd and 5th Halal Cart near Radio City and watching the people move past me. 

Tailored Tuesdays

I'll be in NY this week for the first time in my entire life!!!!!

(Can you tell I am excited?!)

My perfect NY outfit: beautiful pieces, comfortable, WARM!

1. D&G "Shearling-lined cotton parka"

2. MIH Jeans "Circle checked smocked shirt"

3. Acne "Flex black skinny jeans"

4. Newbark "Devon crocodile-effect shoes"

5. Ray-Ban "Round-frame acetate sunglasses"

6. Vanessa Bruno "Leather shoulder bag"

all images can be found at net-a-porter.com

Gluten-Free Rhubarb Financiers

I know... I'm a little late with this whole rhubarb thing. Let me explain: I've never, ever tried rhubarb before and for the longest time, I didn't even know of it's existence. Ever since I had learned about it, I've always wondered what this mysterious fruit/ vegetable tasted like. This summer, I've been on somewhat of a lengthy quest to try to get my hands on some rhubarb;  I searched Farmer's Markets, specialty grocery markets, everywhere (or so I'd thought...).

You'll never believe where I found them, I'm still pretty baffled myself. Well, I finally found them at freaking Albertsons! Really?! After all this time, I found them at the regular supermarket? It was like I had been stuck by fate - they magically found me on the last days of Summer and boy am I glad.

I didn't really know what to expect with rhubarb but I was pleasantly surprised with the results - especially in these financiers! I've been eyeing financiers for some time now but never had the opportunity to make them, and I must say, I am quite enamored. The beurre noisette or browned butter smelled so incredibly divine when added to the batter and added this rich, nutty flavor. The poached rhubarb was slightly tart and had the most lovely texture, which I find very hard to describe, so you'll just have to try it yourself.


Since these are gluten-free financiers, it uses rice flour, which can easily be substituted for all purpose, but perhaps this is why I loved these little cakes so much, because they reminded me of mochi cakes, which have a dense and slightly chewy texture. You will definitely see me & rhubarb in the future!

Rhubarb Financiers

Yields: 12 financiers

Original recipe here.

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter

1 cup unsifted powdered sugar

1/2 cup ground almonds

1/3 cup sweet rice flour

pinch of salt

4 large egg whites

1 cup poached rhubarb (recipe below)

Preheat the oven to 375 F and position the rack in the center. Lightly spray or butter the inside of 12 financier molds or muffin cups with cooking spray and place them on a baking sheet, set aside. In a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat, melt the butter until it turns into a rich hazelnut brown color, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let it cool for 5 minutes before straining it to remove the little dark butter particles at the bottom of the pan. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the powdered sugar, ground almonds, flour and salt on low speed until just combined. Add the egg whites and mix until all the ingredients are coming together. Add the brown butter, increase the speed to medium and beat until smooth. Divide the batter among the molds and divide the poached rhubarb pieces evenly among the top. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Poached Rhubarb

1/4 cup water

juice of 1 lemon

1 1/2 cups chopped rhubarb (about 1-inch pieces)

1 tbsn. sugar

Place the water, lemon juice and sugar in a heavy bottom saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil and add the rhubarb. Poach for 2 - 3 minutes then gently remove the rhubarb from the poaching liquid and set aside (they will continue to soften as they cool).