JoJo

I rarely make my way to the Upper East Side lately, but when I do, good food is always involved to justify long walks in New York's prolonged winter. Keen and I made our way to JoJo's for an extended brunch this Saturday (can you believe it was actually snowing on my way there?). Situated in an adorable townhouse with beautiful windows, JoJo was a perfect relief from the New York winds that day. We shared the pancakes, eggs benedict and had the peekytoe crab to start. I loved the combination of the mango, mustard and crab as a refreshing starter. We rounded off the meal with a few too many desserts, but then again how can you choose when you have these options on the menu? We had the molten chocolate cake, passion fruit pavlova and the butterscotch pudding with creme fraiche and sea salt. My favorite, as always, was the salted butterscotch pudding, I only wish I could have had more of it.

Gelateria Don Nino

If you follow me on instagram, you'll already know that I've been in Rome for the past few days. I can't believe it's taken me this long to visit this incredible city. My dad was born in Rome and is fluent in Italian, so walking through these beautiful streets certainly felt like home. I have more detailed posts on what to do and see here, but I quickly wanted to share this cute little Gelateria near the Pantheon with you. I've sampled my fair share of gelato while here and there are a lot of really good ones out there, but I really loved the interiors here and the Bronte Pistachio and Creme Caramel flavors at Gelateria da Nino near the Pantheon were simply to die for. That being said, you can't really go too wrong with gelato anywhere in Rome, and let's be honest, Pizza is great but there's nothing better than strolling through little cobblestone streets, gelato in hand (even if mine may or may not drip all over myself in a much less picturesque manner).

I'd love to know what your favorite things about Rome were! Have you been to Rome?

Find them here:

 

Miami Shortlist

I by no means consider myself an expert on Miami or what to do in Miami, especially not after spending less than three full days here. Even less so considering the fact that we were faced with Monsoon style rains my entire first day there. We made the best of it and spent our day eating and went to the movies to escape the rain (by the way, if you haven't seen Focus yet, I thought it was incredibly entertaining, but I might be wrong seeing as I was the only person laughing hysterically at Will Smith). Besides the obvious going to South Beach and visiting the Wynwood area of Miami to do some gallery hopping, I wanted to share my food favorites with you: Panther Coffee, Matador Room and Joe's for dinners (arrive fairly early in the night, they don't take reservations and the wait is pretty long, but the Lobster Mac and Cheese is worth it), Makoto for Japanese, Jugofresh for Acai bowls and juices, and of course Versailles for cortaditos and Cuban Sandwiches. One of my highlights was definitely the Vizcaya Mansion with its extensive gardens, spiral staircases and walls made of coral, it feels like a completely different world within Miami. 

Park Avenue Winter

The first time I ate at Park Avenue, I was about 14 years old and the restaurant was still located on the Upper East Side. It was also Park Avenue Autumn at the time, so this was a completely different experience. Every season they change the entire interiors and the menu, creating a beautiful seasonal experience. I'm looking forward to coming back to try out the brunch menu when they move on to Park Avenue Spring. I ate here last week with Tamara and Carissa and we had such a fun time catching up over lunch. One of my favorite things about Park Avenue is the warm bread they serve at the beginning of every meal. I love the lobster and avocado salad, the chicken and the scallop toast.

Find them here:

 

Chalait Matcha Lattes

The first time I had a matcha latter, I was mildly taken aback by its earthy taste.

Now I call myself a complete convert thanks to the amazing lattes at Chalait (they even have matcha cortados, how amazing is that?) coupled with the delicious food, perfect for anytime of day. When I went with  Carissa, we shared the avocado toast (which comes with hard boiled eggs and radishes) and the Muesli toast (which is serves with greek yoghurt, almonds and berries). They also have an incredible matcha hot chocolate and a nutella baguette with sea salt and pistachios that I have yet to try. Conveniently nestled on the corner to some of my favorite West Village streets for a post breakfast stroll.

Find them here:

 

Dirty French

Lately, I've been loving surprises. And when I say surprises I'm not referring to birthday party surprises (my friends tried to throw me a surprise birthday party and I completely ruined it by falling asleep on the couch and refusing to go to dinner), but I'm talking about surprising flavor combinations and interesting fusion restaurants. It also helps that I love the name of this restaurant, Dirty French. While they probably wouldn't describe themselves as your typical fusion restaurant, I loved the global influences like Indian and Vietnamese combined with classic, French cuisine. When they started us off with some naan bread to share, I instantly knew this place would be a keeper. Other great dishes included Banh Mi sandwiches with foie gras and duck confit and spicy tuna tartare with salty crepes.

What are your favorite fusion cuisines?

Find them in the heart of the Lower East Side:

 

Spot Dessert Bar

Last Sunday, the lovely Keen , invited me and a few others along to taste Spot Dessert Bar's menu, along with their new Valentine's day specials. I was completely floored by the kindness of our hosts and the quality of the aesthetic and taste of the dessert tapas, making me regret not having eaten here more often in the past year (to be fair, the lines are always long, and now I understand why). Personally, I love a meal made up of sweets only, so a dessert tapas bar is right up my alley. My favorites were the Oreo macarons and the Love Fondue (chiffon cake encased in white chocolate and raspberry mouse, pictured above), as well as the Green Tea Lava Cake.

Green Tea Chocolate covered strawberries with pocky and oreo crumbs.

Golden french toast with vanilla ice cream and strawberries. 

Green tea chocolate lava cake. 

Find them here: 

 

Simply Raw Bakery

Isn't this a lovely place ? Here in the heart of Vienna you will find since last year a raw bakery making delicious and nutritious cakes, cupcakes, truffles, salads and more, you can order green smoothies and almond milk, the ingredients are healthy vegetables and fruits and nuts and seeds.

All is vegan, gluten-free, lactose-free, soy-free, and sugar-free.

Are you curious now? I was ! What on earth do they put into their cakes to make it tasty and be attractive to the Viennese who are really spoilt by their tradition. In the vicinity of established bakeries and pastry shops, chocolate havens and the famous Coffee Houses with their vitrines full of temptations that have centuries of history here! You must try it out, promise me, please!

I fell in love with the place immediately, I felt welcome right away, I felt great when I left because all I ate was yummy and healthy and good for me ! One must feel at home here when you see how this place is designed by Shanna herself a graphic designer and daughter of Gabriele. 

OK another reason why I just love Simply Raw Bakery: A mother – daughter enterprise ! Just like Sophie and I !!! Gabriela has completed her Raw Food Chef degree in California at the Matthew Kenney Academy. She combines her skills and techniques with the talent of her daughter Shanna in this unique place for healthy indulgence that taste terrific and makes you want to come back soon. I particularly love the slice of " break with onion lard" The bread is made of zucchini, nuts, seeds and spices a secret recipe created by them and the substitute for lard is purely vegan and outstanding in taste. The Pumpkin tart was spiced with kurkuma and curry and the base is made with chia and almonds and oriental spices! Then we had "Kaiserschmarrn with Röster", something very Austrian:

The Kaiserschmarrn must be translated with "Emporer's Nonsense", a Röster is made of plums, mostly in form of a compote. This version again was raw healthy, no sugar great taste and a very good combination with the plums. They make cupcakes and smoothies and my favorite of all time is the "Hello Dolly" bar made of nuts: Oh My! I always take it home when I am there! Then there is a heart warming Almond milk and a great large bowl of fresh Zucchini noodles. 

Open from 10 am to 6 pm from Tuesday to Saturday. You can have breakfast and lunch and everything in between.

If you like to try one of their "Lucky Truffles":

1/4 cup organic orange juice
1 cup dates, pitted
2 cups ground almonds
1 tsp cinnamon
1tsp vanilla
dash of salt
coconut flakes or ground nuts for rolling

They are done in 10 min and here is the trick:
Soak the dates at least for one hour in orange juice and mix in a strong blender together with all the ingredients into a paste like dough. I recommend a Vitamix of some kind. Most important is the power of the blender, some might not be up for the task. Form balls and roll them in either coconut or nuts. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

German:
Lucky Truffles