компютри втора употреба

My favorite brand of plain frozen yogurt (not Pinkberry) has just arrived in Times Square! One month ago, A Zest Cafe started serving Frogurt, the ultra-smooth and refreshingly tangy treat. A small is $3.50, a large $4.50. It doesn’t get any better than this, unless you make your own.

Another landmark, Grand Central station, has Frogurt too, but not the plain flavor. Also, watch out for the warm machines, which makes the yogurt melt quickly. Maybe someone should ask them to calibrate their machines.

The cheapest place for Frogurt (only $2.50) is at Zabar’s Cafe, but it’s all the way on the Upper West Side, and they close at 7:00 P.M. While you’re there, you can also try the frozen custard, but never order the babka muffin, which wins the award for driest muffin.

A Zest Cafe, 1441 Broadway (by 40th St.), New York, NY (212-398-9378)

Ben & Jerry’s/Oren’s Daily Roast, Grand Central Terminal, New York, NY (212-953-1028)

Zabar’s Cafe (sold as Zaberry), 2245 Broadway (at 80th St.), New York, NY (212-787-2000)

Photo: Zabar’s

It’s hard to believe that chocolate can make someone grumpy, but that was the case at New York’s 10th annual Chocolate Show last Friday. The show has declined in recent years, with cheap-o brands slowly taking over the artisan booths. Of course there were stand-outs, but do you really need another cliche “chocolate is delicious” wrap-up? Okay, come back in Part 2 for recommendations. For now, I’m going with the more entertaining (and arguably more useful) Worst in Show.

Greedy if you ask me!

Photo: Niko/Dessert Buzz

When the Chocolate Show first began, it only cost $5 to get in and sample chocolates from all over the world. Two years ago, the admission ballooned to $25, and this year, it again rose to $28. In the words of a fellow chocolate lover: “Greedy if you ask me!” Upon entering, the coat check costs $2 (you can’t really skip out on this in chilly NY), and water costs another $2 (you need something to wash all that chocolate down). You’ve just spent $32 without eating a single piece of chocolate.

Sample Snobbery

A note to the booths: please stop hiding your samples. Visitors have just spent $28 on admission and are entitled to a taste. They don’t enjoy inquiring about a possible sample, hearing a long sales pitch and then getting their requisite treat at the end. Ironically, the more the vendors gushed about their chocolate, the worse the product tended to be.

Photo: Robyn Lee/The Girl Who Ate Everything

Some vendors offered samples up front, but they came with tweezers and little spoons. I understand we’re all concerned about cleanliness, but when there’s 20 people waiting in line, using chopsticks to pick up pebble-sized chocolates is hardly efficient. At the very least, please offer more than one spoon per bowl. And when vendors slice a piece of a truffle and insist on handing it to me, I just think, “I’m perfectly capable of picking up my own chocolate!” True, there are some people who horde samples in plastic containers, but it’s not fair for the rest of us.

Shiki Matcha Crunch truffles, why must I pay $2 to sample you?

The worst policy is not even offering samples at all. I think the chocolates should sell themselves, and if I can’t try them, I won’t buy them.

The Bad and the Irrelevant

This being a chocolate show, you’d think that every booth sold something related to chocolate. Let’s just say that this year’s show offered one-stop shopping, so you could get a Capitol One Visa card, a subscription to the NY Times and book a Marriott vacation.

Photo: Robyn Lee/The Girl Who Ate Everything

Two booths sold cocoa-rolled truffles that were ostensibly from France and had hydrogrenated vegetable oil. The French would roll in their graves if they had to eat these!

Photo: Niko/Dessert Buzz

Mars also had their own booth. Not only were they out of place, but they pretended to be up to par with the prestige chocolatiers. They bragged about selling 100% real chocolate, but did you know that they’re part of the Chocolate Manufacturer’s Association, the same trade group that wanted to replace cacao butter with shortening in chocolate? Last month, Mars turned around and said they’d only sell chocolate with 100% cocoa butter, as they always have. That’s not true. Dove dark chocolate (which I admit tastes pretty good) has milk fat and technically isn’t pure chocolate.

Bueller, Bueller, anyone?

The same chocolate lover above reported that some exhibitors had no idea where their cacao beans came from or whether they were bought for a fair price. Call me a snob, but how and where cacao is grown makes a world of difference in the finished product. When vendors don’t know their product, it’s unattractive to the consumer.

In another puzzling case, Gobo restaurant demoed a vegan chocolate cake, which called for vegan flour and vegan cocoa powder. It pains me to say this, since Gobo and its sister restaurant, Zen Palate, are among my favorites in the city (and the owners are really nice), but I almost laughed at those ingredients. Flour comes from a plant. Cocoa comes from a plant. When are animals involved? If you can find me animal-derived cocoa, I’ll give you a lifetime supply of vegan cocoa as consolation.

For the Chocolate Show highlights, check out back here later or visit Dessert Buzz and NYCnosh.

Pastry chefs differentiate between chocolate and chocolates — the first is a pure ingredient, while the second is a confection. Think of it this way: you savor chocolate like fine wine, but you hand out chocolates during Halloween.

To illustrate the difference, New York magazine had renowned pastry chef Francois Payard taste 14 chocolates a couple years ago. The results were entertaining but very telling.

Payard on Junior Mints: “I know these are meant to be refreshing. I wouldn’t say it tastes like toothpaste, but something like that.”

On Ferrero Rocher: “Ewgh, no, this is terrible.”

On Cadbury Dairy Milk: “No, this one is not good; it’s too dense, too thick with sweetness. This is like Belgian chocolate; it tastes very fatty. There’s no interesting character. You can’t even enjoy the cocoa liquor in it.”

If you’re like me and love Halloween candy but not its overwhelming sweetness, you can make your own PB Cups, Almond Jays, Twixts and Snickles, thanks to Chow.com! They even have diagrams, videos and printout candy wrappers.

If you don’t want to go through the trouble, here’s some store-bought options in New York.

Photo: Robyn Lee/The Girl Who Ate Everything

La Maison du Chocolat - This premiere shop sells giant roches and nougats, all with their proprietary blend of Valrhona chocolate.

Tumbador Chocolate - Jean-Francois Bonnet, formerly of Daniel restaurant, now has his own chocolate factory in Brooklyn. For a classically trained chef, he’s surprisingly playful with the s’more and PB&J candy bars. You should try these not just for their deliciousness, but because he’s a really nice guy. I only wish the base chocolate weren’t Callebaut, which has a weak flavor. Available at Fresh Direct.

Lion Bar - This candy bar is a mix between a Kit Kat and a 100 Grand: crispy, crunchy and caramely. Because it’s from the UK, it’s also less sweet than American candy. Available at Economy Candy and Fairway.

Of course, you can always get a free bag of generic candy at KMart. Coupon expires on Halloween.

David Lebovitz, author of Perfect Scoop, was at New York’s City Bakery last Sunday for a delicious meet-and-greet. For more than a year, I’ve been reading his blog for the chocolate posts, recipes (try the kouign amman, a caramelized croissant-like cake) and humor.

The last time I was at the City Bakery was when Adam, aka the Amateur Gourmet, celebrated his blog’s second birthday. That was my first time trying the bakery’s legendary chocolate chip cookies and tarts.

Photo: The Wandering Eater

This time, I passed another rite of passage: eating my first pretzel croissant. Oh. my. goodness. The outside had that magic shatter factor and a healthy dose of salt. I think Dunkin Hines cakes are too salty, so if I like salty dessert, it must be really good! The inside had a whisper of sweetness, hefty chew and lots of grease (in a good way). Some people complain that City Bakery croissants are too bready, but it worked here.

Also in attendance were Adam (now author of a book memoir), Julie (from A Finger in Every Pie) and Deb (from Smitten Kitchen). I previously met them at various food blogger events, so it was nice to see old faces again.

Deb and we (mostly Deb) tried to decode the pretzel croissant’s secret. After careful examination, we guessed that the dough was made with bread whole wheat flour and malt syrup (also found in New York bagels). To get the dark brown pretzel shell, it was probably boiled in lye solution for a couple seconds and sprinkled with salt before baking. According to David, The City Bakery the recipe is a closely guarded secret, just like that of their hot chocolate.

Julie, several other bloggers and I recently split a 24-pound order of Valrhona chocolate. Her share is still in my apartment. Um Julie, can I just eat it? It’s okay that you haven’t had a chance to pick it up yet.

Adam was a sweetheart. Fame hasn’t changed him. Actually, he was even nicer now than when I met him two years ago. He remembered my food service trip to New Orleans and was proud of the work that CulinaryCorps was doing.

David was easy going and funny, just like on his blog. At one point, the group talked about being unphotogenic, and David’s motto was, “Does it really matter?” Nice.

I must admit that I was a mooch that day. The catch about socializing in New York is that nothing’s free. If you meet somewhere, you’re supposed to support the business and buy something. I rushed into the bakery and went straight to the signing because I could only make it at the end of David’s appearance. In between chatting, I forgot about everything else. As I left, I meant to buy something, but they were packing everything away. Now I have an excuse to go back and buy my own pretzel croissant.

City Bakery
3 W 18th St, New York, NY 10011
(212) 366-1414

Photo: Anisa/Food and Whine

The other day, I thought I hallucinated when I saw a woman carrying a cup of swirly soft-serve from Ben & Jerry’s in Grand Central Station. Could it be? Did Ben & Jerry’s finally replace its synthetic Tasti D-Lite with real frozen yogurt? Yes, not only was Tasti out, but the best brand of frozen yogurt took its place: Frogurt.

Frogurt is smooth and thick, almost like frozen custard. If you’ve had the misfortune of tasting Pinkberry, give the plain Frogurt a try. It’s my favorite out of all the brands I’ve tried, including Columbo, TCBY, Yolato and Canada’s Yogen Fruz. It’s also the most economical option at Ben & Jerry’s for $2.75 for a small. Pinkberry is $5 for an icy mound with a hole in the middle.

Up until recently, Frogurt was the foodie’s secret at 40 Carrots Cafe in Bloomingdale’s. The problem is, the “small” can feed two ravenous people. But I might have to frequent Bloomingdale’s, since Ben & Jerry’s doesn’t stock the tangy plain flavor.

Here’s other locations to get plain Frogurt. Or, try making your own.

40 Carrots at Bloomingdale’s
59 Street & Lexington Avenue
1000 Third Avenue (Upper East Side)
504 Broadway (Soho)

Zabar’s Cafe (sold as Zaberry)
2245 Broadway (at 80th St.), New York, NY 10024
212-787-2000

Cafe Lalo
201 W 83rd St (between Broadway & Amsterdam)
212-496-6031

Lord and Taylor
424 Fifth Ave. (at 38 St.)
212-391-3344

Photo: Robyn Lee/Serious Eats

As a dessert lover, I get hankerings for cookies a lot. The only thing is, I don’t want to bake a batch and finish them all by myself (which happened when I recently ate my friend’s homemade birthday present). The other option is going store bought. In New York, that means getting something affordable but disturbingly unnatural from Au Bon Pain, Pepperidge Farm and Entenmann’s. Or, spending $2 to $3 for a cupcake at Magnolia, Buttercup and all those other retro bakeries. But seriously, a cupcake for $3? They’re not that good…

Enter the Treats Truck, a bakery on wheels! They started dispensing fresh goodies from their environmentally friendly truck, Sugar, this June. A portion of their proceeds also goes to charity.

The early reviews on the Midtown Lunch blog sounded suspicious:

“It’s true, the peanut butter cookie is not very good. Sure, it looks tasty and delicious but it’s actually POISON! So, um, don’t buy any ok? Thanks.”

“I can confirm that the PB sandwich cookie is just awful. And the standard chocolate chip cookie and the sugar dots were also quite heinous. I hated every luscious, highly caloric bite.”

Hmm, it was worth an investigation. An undercover reporter at Court TV brought back the bounty to our office. Read the blog for the verdict and a blurb about yours truly. (Full disclosure: one of the bakers is a fan of Court TV, but I’ve never met her.)


Photo: Susie Felber/Court TV

If you’re too lazy to click there, here’s my thoughts. What I like about the Treats Truck is they don’t pretend to be something they’re not. If I were to describe them in one word, it would be honest. “Not too fancy, always delicious!” proclaims their slogan. Their $1 cookies aren’t gourmet, but they’re satisfying. There’s none of that $3 “Oreo” madness (for one cookie!), like at Bouchon Bakery. Their peanut butter cookies actually taste like peanut butter, and their other goods are buttery and tender. I don’t know how their “competitors” manage to make cakey, shockingly sweet or biscuit-like cookies.

It’s worth a stroll to make a purchase or try one of their many free samples. Their staff is super nice. Check their web site or call for their locations. Since there’s only one truck, it can be difficult to pin them down. Twice, their site said they’d be near my work, but they weren’t. Now I programmed their number into my cell phone for the latest updates. Hopefully they’ll develop a regular schedule.

Treats Truck
212-691-5226

If it weren’t for some New York Times food writer, there wouldn’t have been a Jacques Torres chocolate shop in New York. In 2000, the famed pastry chef decided to make his own chocolate for quality control purposes. This was a huge undertaking, since there are only about 10 chocolate makers in the U.S., as opposed to chocolatiers (aka chocolate melters or re-packagers).

When Times writer Florence Fabricant got wind and asked Jacques when his store would open, he threw out a random date in December. He never intended to welcome visitors; he situated his factory in seedy DUMBO (”Down Under the Manhattan Bridge” in Brooklyn) because rent was cheap, and he could easily transport his wholesale chocolates to other storefronts. But when you have Ms. Fabricant on the phone, you do your best to impress.

During the construction process, Jacques literally had to babysit equipment that someone dumped on the sidewalk. He had asked for outside delivery because it was $1,000 cheaper, but it didn’t seem like a bargain as dusk approached. Jacques and about five other guys couldn’t get the machinery to budge. All he could think was, “Aye yay yay.” Relying on the “Power of 20,” he started pulling out $20 bills from his pocket.

“How many of these do I need to give so you can help me move my equipment?” Jacques asked strangers. He finally got a dolly/lift and learned to always accept in-store delivery.

Jacques renovated much of the store himself, armed with a pastry bag and an off-set spatula. He piped out cement (or caulk, or whatever constructors use) from the bag and smoothed it out, just like icing on a cake.

On “opening day,” Jacques placed some chocolates on display and hid an empty shoe box behind the counter as a makeshift cash register. After his first customer bought $20 in chocolate, Jacques did the happy dance. In the following months, customers thanked him for his charming shop. Jacques couldn’t understand why people were handing him money and thanking him for it.

In 2004, he opened a second storefront in Manhattan, Chocolate Haven. I visited on Saturday, during a private tour for the NY Metro Discover Chocolate Meetup.

Jacques Torres showing us behind the scenes in his factory

Candied oranges are boiled in syrup for so long that all the moisture is replaced by sugar.

Chocolate melter

This machine wraps more than one bar a second, if I recall correctly.

During the tour, Jacques talked about the history of his business and how to choose chocolate for eating. When he first made truffles, Jacques blended Valrhona Manjari and a 70% chocolate (probably Le Noir Amer). While the materials and technique were good, a pastry chef friend told him that the truffles tasted horrible. As noted in my chocolate database, both of these bars have strong fruity and spicy undertones. These peaks are fine for plain eating, but they’ll muddle the flavor of say, coffee truffles.

We compared the 60% house blend, the fruity Peru, and the earthy 72% Ghana.

For most of his truffles, Jacques now uses his own neutral 60% blend. This way, the said flavors explode before you taste the chocolate. For his passion fruit truffle though, he can get away with using fruity Peruvian chocolate.

As for when to use cocoa powder versus chocolate, Jacques only puts chocolate in his hot, frothy drink. Cocoa leaves the throat feeling dry, since it doesn’t have cocoa butter. Also, since cocoa powder is the unfinished ground bean, it doesn’t have as much flavor as chocolate that’s been conched (stirred) for several hours. That’s not what a low-fat baker wants to hear, but it has interesting implications. If a cake recipe calls for butter and chocolate, try keeping the chocolate and reducing the butter, rather than keeping the butter and swapping in cocoa powder.

One and a half years ago, I thought Jacques’ chocolates were very good for the money. Now I think they’re very good, period. Before, I felt that the presentation was good, but I could hardly distinguish one truffle flavoring from another. On Saturday, the Hearts of Passion went “POW!” and the Heavenly Hazelnut tasted like a European Reese’s peanut buttercup. The couvertures (base chocolate) also tasted stronger and had a thick melt. Jacques said he hasn’t changed his recipes, but he did refine his techniques. One secret was vacuuming all the air out of his ganache (truffle filling). That way, the aromas won’t evaporate away.

Jacques conducts free demos in his Chocolate Haven store every couple of months. It’s always worth a trip to meet this enthusiastic story teller and teacher. He’s like a kid in a grown up’s body. That’s what a lifetime of chocolate does to you!

Jacques savoring his own chocolate.

Jacques Torres Chocolate Haven
350 Hudson at King Street (1 block South of Houston)
New York, NY 10014
212-414-2462 phone

Jacques Torres DUMBO
66 Water Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
718-875-9772 phone

Related posts:
Chocolate Haven Tour
Chocolate Christmas tree demo

Resources:
Video interviews from Epicurious
Chocolate with Jacques Torres (Food Network show)
Passion for Dessert with Jacques Torres (Food Network show)
Blue-Chip Cookies for the NY Times

Books:

You know I love freebies, so check out these NY and nationwide events:

April 10
6:30–7:30 p.m. at Whole Foods Market Culinary Center, 95 E. Houston St. Between Bowery and Christie St., New York, NY 10002

Cradle of Flavor: Home Cooking From the Spice Islands Of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore Demonstration & Book Signing

James Oseland, Editor-in-Chief Saveur Magazine, will take you on a culinary journey to Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, the tropical archipelago that lies between Thailand and Australia. Native home of nutmeg, cloves ,galangal and turmeric and some of the most lavishly spiced dishes on the planet — these countries have lured spice seekers for millennia. For two decades, Oseland trekked through rice paddies, shopped in open-air markets, slurped noodles in food stalls, and became friends with the finest home cooks and street vendors! In this book, Oseland shares his passion for regional cuisine, the colorful people, majestic places, and unforgettable food!

April 11
7:00–9:00 p.m. at Whole Foods Market Culinary Center, 95 E. Houston St. Between Bowery and Christie St., New York, NY 10002

Chocolate 101 (Demonstration)

Chocolate is best enjoyed with all of your senses. Robert Hammond of Moonstruck Chocolates will show you how to make the delicious, natural chocolates that have won him worldwide renown. At the end of the class, you take home truffles made with your very own hands.

April 13
Last day to redeem this free scoop coupon at Baskin-Robbins. Valid only at participating locations in CT, MA, ME, NH, NY, and RI.

April 17
Ben & Jerry’s free cone day. Check the website for participating locations. Last year, I went to two places before I got my free scoop.

Back to Nature mail-in rebate - Back to Nature has a “Total Taste Promise;” if you don’t like their products, fill out this form and get a refund. I’ve tried their chocolate chip cookies and Oreo knock offs. I like how they’re vegan and there’s no weird ingredients. No high-fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated fats or artificial flavorings. Unfortunately, they use very coarse sugar, so the texture is off. Also, their cheese crackers are a pale comparison to Cheez-its. I wouldn’t buy their snacks again, but I think they’re worth the price of free. Their cereal is very good though. Offer expires 11/15/08.

Free appetizer or dessert at Zen Palate - Only valid at their new location at 104 John St. (Financial District in Manhattan). Zen Palate has deeply divided opinions, but I love their food. Coupon expires May 31.

Free Soyjoy nutrition bars (3) - I’m usually suspicious of protein bars, but at least these have whole soybean powder rather than soy protein isolate. Here’s Lagusta’s Luscious’ explanation of soy protein isolate:

The worst vegetarian protein source is soy protein isolate. Unfortunately, it’s an ingredient in many “foods.”

• Soy protein isolate and anything containing it (fake cold cuts, processed soy ice cream, “breakfast links,” some veggie burgers, most soy cheese, soy based whipped toppings, and so much more — read labels!). A truly horrifying and omnipresent product that is just about as refined as a product can be and still be “edible.”
• A soybean consists of proteins, carbs, and fat. In order to make get only the protein (the soy protein isolate) from the soybean, which is what’s in TVP, TSP, and other processed sources of soy protein:
• First step: the fat is taken away using hexame solvents – very bad stuff, unless it’s been expeller pressed, which is better but still rather terrible.
• Then the carbs are taken away by bathing them in acid solutions, base solutions, and alcohol.
• What’s left is the protein. Practically no nutrients are left. It is an almost completely empty food. Used to make soy cheese, ice cream, etc. – all nontraditional, weird foods.
• For TVP and TSP the isolate is spun at high heat into soy protein chunks and artificial color, flavor and synthetic nutrients are added, to make up for all the nutrients that were lost during the intense processing that it went through. Yum!
• Soy protein isolate increases nitrates and carcinogens (the things that cause cancer) in your body, and it increases the need for vitamins A and D.

Photo: Mark Peterson/New York Magazine

Yolato, a new store selling yogurt gelato, is offering two chances for free dessert. Sign up to receive news and get a coupon for a free regular-sized yolato at their West Village location. Or stop by their new Upper West Side store on March  9 and 10 14 for a taste. It should be delicious, since gelato is like ice cream amplified to the nth degree, and real frozen yogurt is making a comeback in New York. For the record, that L.A. transplant, Pinkberry, tastes like grainy frozen ice milk because they reportedly use 7-UP.

Yolato
120 Macdougal St., New York, NY 10012
nr. Bleecker St.
212-228-6303
map

2286 Broadway
nr. 82nd St.

In other small news, check out Avenue Food, an NYC blog with street credibility. Last Saturday, Sarah hosted a Wine, Cheese and Wii Party. I don’t know what was better: the crusty mac and cheese, gruyere/caramelized onion pizza or the workout on the Wii. Sarah posted videos of us playing (it’s more entertaining watching the player than the TV screen itself). Unfortunately, the video of me had some technical difficulties.

Photo: Steven Sunshine/NY Daily News

During my first year in New York, my best friend from high school mailed me a bright orange sweater for my birthday. She wanted me to stay warm and bring some Californian attitude to dreary New Yorkers. The truth was, I already fit in with my charcoal-hued clothes. I hardly wear bright colors, because I’m afraid of looking disastrous. For example, one St. Patrick’s Day I wore a fluorescent green parka, which I’ve never worn since.

“Ouch, you’re blinding me! Turn your windbreaker inside out!” people said.

That’s why I was mortified when the picture above appeared in the New York Daily News’ review of Caffe Falai. Last Saturday, I had just finished working out (playing on a trapeze and hula hooping!) and needed to refuel. Too lazy to change into street clothes, I stumbled into the pristine white restaurant wearing a ratty orange T-shirt. The scene was something straight out of Sex and the City: posh food and people who looked like they just stepped off a runway. To add to the glamour, there was a photographer snapping pictures. I was afraid that I would be refused service, but I figured I had a right to experience chef Iacopo Falai’s food.

Falai, the ex-pastry chef from Le Cirque (where Jacques Torres also worked), now has a total of three restaurants in the city. Each serves carefully crafted Italian food, but the desserts are French. Each location includes my three favorite foods: bread, olive oil and chocolate.

Caffe Falai didn’t disappoint. I had the stewed figs with fresh DiPaolo ricotta and almonds. The figs were bursting with a caramelized wine sauce, and the ricotta was like unsweetened room temperature ice cream. The almonds weren’t just a garnish; they were made into almond brittle to contrast the soft cheese. It exceeded all my expectations. My only complaint was that the sauce was so sweet that you needed a lot of cheese to tone it down.

Also on the menu were fresh salads (about $6), bruleed eggs (about $10) and panini ($7). Each table came with freshly grilled housemade bread and olive oil.

All of Falai’s restaurants are comparable in quality, but Caffe Falai is the easiest to get to. The original Falai is the fanciest, but also the most expensive and has the smallest portions. Falai Panetteria has the heartiest food: fresh whole wheat lasagna with Bolognese sauce and polenta with wild boar ragù.

I can’t believe the Daily News ran that picture. Maybe it’s because I let the photographer hang around; I sympathized with his plight. Or maybe it’s because the orange t-shirt made me stand out, just like my best friend would have wanted.

Caffe Falai
265 Lafayette Street (between Prince and Spring), Soho; (917) 338-6207

Falai Panetteria
79 Clinton Street (Rivington Street), Lower East Side; (212) 777-8956

Falai
68 Clinton Street, Lower East Side; (212) 253-1960

More info:
Daily News review of Caffe Falai
The First Bite is the Sweetest (Caffe Falai video from Gridskipper)
One Dessert, Many Flavors, Even Sweet (NY Times article with recipe)
Star Chefs profile of Iacopo Falai