Pinkberry and New York City Pizza: Cafe Daniello's

During our trip to Philly and New York City, there were some things that we put on our absolutely-must-try list. Philly Cheesesteaks? Check. New York City pizza? Oh, yes.


Since my boyfriend is all about pizza, he took care of looking up reviews ahead of time and decided that we should visit Cafe Daniello's. We wanted a place that was known for amazing New York-style pizza but still offered the pizza in slices, since we knew we wouldn't want an entire pizza to ourselves (okay, we might want one, but knew we shouldn't order one). Daniello's sounded like it would fit the bill.

We walked to Daniello's from the Rockefeller Center, after a visit to Magnolia Bakery for some sugary cupcakes (more on that in a later post). On the way, I got distracted by a Pinkberry store and couldn't help but stop in for some pineapple-strawberry original Pinkberry. It's like frozen yogurt but different, and somehow, better. It's a little more tart and has this hint of a different flavour to it that I can't place. I had heard it was addictive, though, and I can definitely see why. It was seriously tasty.


So after eating a cupcake and then loading up on fruity frozen yogurt, you'd think my appetite would be gone, right? Well, it wasn't, and good thing, because Daniello's slices are big.

Of course, it's hard to tell, because they were so delicious that we greedily wolfed half of them down before realizing that -- oops! -- we forgot to take a picture. My apologies for the half-eaten pizza slices.


My boyfriend stuck to chicken pizza while I tried a favourite of mine, Pizza Margherita (slices of big bocconcini, fresh tomatoes, and basil). Both of our pizzas were delicious, and we were particularly taken by the crust. It was thin, crispy, and very flavourful. It tasted quite a bit like olive oil, to me, which is I think what made it so beautifully browned and flavourful.

Cafe Daniello's pizza is a must-eat. Although we didn't take advantage of the deal, when we visited you could get two huge slices of cheese pizza and a pop for $5. If you manage to get the same deal, it's a serious bargain. Our two big "gourmet" slices and a bottle of iced tea came to $11 after taxes, but were worth every penny.

Cafe Daniello's Pizzeria
1072 2nd Ave
New York, NY

Philly Cheesesteaks - Jim's Steaks, South Street, Philadelphia

It's been awhile since I last posted, and I have a very good reason for that - I took a 5 day vacation to Scranton (Pennsylvania), Philadelphia, and New York City. If you're wondering why we went to Scranton - we're huge fans of The Office, and that show is set in Scranton.

Since Scranton is just a 2 hour drive away from Philadelphia, it seemed like a no-brainer to go to Philly and try some genuine Philly Cheesesteaks.

Prior to our trip, I had never actually seen a cheesesteak. I pictured something very literal - a slab of steak with a slice of cheese on top, packed onto a bun. I didn't like that visual very much (I like my sandwiches tender and easy to eat, thank you very much), but I also figured that Philly Cheesesteaks wouldn't be so famous if they weren't delicious. Wise choice.

After deciding that we had to try cheesesteaks, the next decision was where to buy them. From my research, I learned that in Philly there is a bit of a rivalry between Geno's and Pat's, two cheesesteak restaurants. If you like Pat's cheesesteaks you can't like Geno's (and vice versa). After reading reviews, both sounded tempting, but another restaurant, Jim's, sounded even better.

Apparently, the meat in Geno's and Pat's sandwiches contain a lot of gristle in it. That might be authentic, and it certainly wouldn't be a problem for my Pho-loving boyfriend, but since I'm not a big red-meat lover in the first place, it didn't sound right for me. Meanwhile, Jim's is known to have all the meat without the gristle - right up my alley.

As we ambled down South Street (Philly's main tourist/shopping district), we noticed that Jim's consistently had a line so long that it continued outside of the restaurant and around the corner. Eventually, when we got hungry enough, we braved the line ourselves. It took about an hour to get the cheesesteaks in our hands.

When you get up to the counter, it helps to know how to order. The cooks behind the counter work fast to try to get the line to move as quickly as possible - you don't want to slow them down. So unless you want a special mushroom, pizza, pepper, or hoagie cheesesteak, the most important thing to explain is whether you want onions and what type of cheese you want. After hearing a few people in front of us order, it was easy - "two cheesesteaks with no onions, 1 whiz [Cheese Whiz], 1 provolone."

The finished product is hard to photograph well - just a ton of browned meat with a hint of Cheez Whiz. But the taste is phenomenal. The meat is lean but flavourful, perfectly thinly sliced, and tender. The creamy cheddar flavour of the Cheez Whiz adds a nice contrast to the meat. And the flavourful juices from the meat soak into the bun and drip over everything, making this a messy meal - but one you'll be happy to lick off your fingers, if necessary.

It's been almost a week since I tasted it and I'm craving it. I hope I go to Philadelphia again some day, even if just to have another cheesesteak.

Jim's Steaks
400 South Street
Philadelphia, PA

Update: if you'd like to try making your own Philly Cheesesteaks, here are a few recipes worth checking out:

• Pat's King of Steaks Philadelphia Cheese Steak recipe


• Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich - Emeril Lagasse recipe
  


• About.com: How to Make a Philly Cheesesteak

A look inside Olson Foods + Bakery, Port Dalhousie, Ontario

During the Wineries of Niagara on the Lake's Wine and Herb Festival, my family and I managed to sneak over to Anna and Michael Olson's Olson Foods + Bakery, located in a beautiful little waterfront town, Port Dalhousie. Anna Olson hosts two cooking shows, Sugar and Fresh, on Food Network Canada.

Given Anna's mouthwatering dessert recipes, I was more than a little excited to check out her shop.

Although the store is quite small (it's currently undergoing an expansion, thankfully), it still boasts a wide selection of cheeses, many of which I'd never heard of before. If I lived in the area (and thus wasn't afraid of spoilage), or if I hadn't already filled up on wine and food pairings, I could've gorged myself on all of the wonderful cheeses the shop stocks.















On the other hand, surprisingly, the baked goods selection seemed rather small. But what the bakery lacked in selection it made up for in quality. I bought a Chocolate Crinkle cookie (similar to Martha's, but fudgier), which was probably the best cookie I've ever tasted in my life -- really. My mom bought a lemon cookie that was very cakey with the most delicious icing on top (cream cheese icing?), as well as a maple nut scone. Still, considering how delicious everything was, I wish there had been more to buy. Hopefully the shop's expansion will make room for more baked goods.

In addition to its selection of cheeses and baked goods, the shop also stocks select produce and meat, as well as a small cafe menu with various coffee drinks, panini and more. In between the cafe and bakery portions of the shop was a focused selection of gourmet pantry items, which you can also buy online. They were on the pricy side, but that's kind of a given when it comes to products like fleur de sel and Barefoot Contessa sauces.

If you're in the area, Olson Foods + Bakery is worth a visit -- for the chocolate crinkle cookies alone. Who knows? Maybe you'll even get to meet Anna Olson.

You can check out the rest of the photos, including shots of the chocolate crinkle cookie and the gourmet foodstuff, after the jump.

Restaurant review: Aspetta Caffe, Kensington Market, Toronto

Aspetta Caffe
207 Augusta Ave.
Toronto, ON














Toronto's Kensington Market community is home to some of the best niche food markets and vintage clothing shops in the city. It also boasts a handful of cozy coffee shops and restaurants that, when the sun's out and the weather's nice, are the perfect places to sit outside and people watch over a good meal.

Aspetta Caffe is one of the Market's tastiest people watching havens.

Although Aspetta is pretty new to the Market (it opened in April), it seems to have hit its stride early. For the most part, it's got an irresistible price point ($6 for its daily pasta specials and about the same for its assortment of panini) and a wide selection of cafe-style desserts (cannoli, cookies, biscotti galore, just to name a few) at about $5 or less. The odd man out on an otherwise low-priced menu is Aspetta's imported Italian beer, Peroni, which, at $6 a bottle, was the same price as an entree. Not outrageously expensive, of course, but it was a bit painful when the cost of our meal doubled in just two beers.






Frugality aside, what about the food? My boyfriend's prosciutto and fontina panini had a great rich flavour that seemed to defy its simplicity; besides Aspetta, I can't recall the last time I thought that bread, cheese, and meat -- no fancy extras -- complemented eachother so well.

My order -- Quattro Formaggi pasta, one of the daily specials -- was yummy too, although less creamy than I was expecting. Quattro Formaggi pasta is one of my favourites, but it usually isn't tomato-based. This isn't a complaint, per se -- as I said, my order was delicious -- but more of a warning for my fellow white sauce lovers to double-check before ordering.

In the photo below, you can see my pasta, a bowl of popcorn and also a glimpse of the delicious chocolate/nutella cookies that we ordered. The popcorn was a nice touch; a free happy hour promotion for anyone that ordered alcohol.

The service was perfect. After we placed our orders at the counter we took our seats on the sunny patio and didn't wait long before our beers and the free popcorn were placed in front of us. A few minutes later, our pleasant-but-not-saccharine waitress brought out our entrees and took a picture of us at our request to mark the occasion (ah, tourists!).

The football on the widescreen TV inside the cafe (combined with the obligatory cheering/cursing fans) added to the European ambiance. I was half expecting to hear a stream of Italian expletives, but no such luck. The best part was, every time a goal was scored or a bad play was made, the cheers and jeers from within Aspetta were echoed by the rowdy sports fans at the bar across the street, like surround sound. Like I said: great people watching.

The Final Verdict
Aspetta is definitely worth sampling if you're in Toronto. If you're on a budget you may want to forgo the pricy beer in favour of the less expensive Italian sodas (<$2), but with meals at about $6 and desserts for even less, you really can't lose.

Cookbook review: Martha Stewart's Cookies: The Very Best Treats to Bake and to Share

I did it. I caved into the pressure. I finally bought Martha Stewart's Cookies. The giant crackly chocolate gingerbread cookie on the cover made me do it, I swear.

I've been eyeing the book since it came out in March, but finally found a reason to snag myself a copy when I found it for $13 at BMV (a Toronto used/surplus book store), a steal compared to the $28 publisher's price.

The early verdict? It was worth every penny. I've already made a batch of Martha's Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies (recipe below) with the help of my favourite kitchen co-pilot (my boyfriend), and most of the recipes I've glanced at look delicious. Aside from the aforementioned chocolate gingerbread cookie, Fortune Cookies, Chocolate Meringues, Dulce de Leche Bat Cookies look like must-bake recipes, just to name a few.

There is a good mix of recipes, categorized by texture: light and delicate, rich and dense, chunky and nutty, soft and chewy, crisp and crunchy, crumbly and sandy, and cakey and tender. Frankly, I think I'm going to have to increase my grocery budget to accommodate all of these great new recipes-- not to mention buy some pants in a bigger size, just in case.

You can check out some reviews on Amazon and also purchase it, if you're interested, via my Amazon store.

The recipe can be found after the jump.




Martha Stewart's Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Via Martha Stewart's Cookies
Makes about 3 dozen.

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups (about 12 ounces) semisweet and/or milk chocolate chips
Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together flour and baking soda; set aside. Put butter and sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add salt, vanilla, and eggs; mix until well blended, about 1 minute. Mix in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips.

2. Drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges are golden but centres are still soft, 10-12 minutes. Let cook on sheets on wire racks 2 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks; let cool completely. Cookies can be stored between layers of parchment in airtight containers at room temperature up to 1 week.