An Angeleño Eats in Brooklyn, vol I: RBC Coffee

The Slayer Does its Job & Then Some

Taste & See: Caveat--little of this series is actually based in Brooklyn. While the Angeleño in question did spend most of his NYC visit in Brooklyn, I admit we did quite a bit of Manhattan eating--but that doesn't mean Brooklyn food isn't better! But if you get the reference, and perhaps even if you don't, "An Angeleño Eats in Manhattan" lacks a certain charm. So there you have it--no truth in advertising.

But I digress. When an Angeleño was stranded in our fine city due to inclement weather, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to show off the food we have to offer. Sure, we may lack taco trucks and the dizzying array of "grown in my backyard" fresh produce, but what we do have is pretty great. His week to kill before his plane could depart was the perfect opportunity for the Angeleño & me to embark on a little culinary adventure, tasting our way through some of my favorite spots.

One of our first hits was RBC, a new cafe in Tribeca. I confess I didn't go to RBC for the location, the atmosphere, the menu, or any of the other reasons one might choose to while away a caffeinated afternoon. No, I came to RBC for the Slayer.

I'd just read on Tasting Table about a beautiful espresso machine made in my beloved Seattle, selling for about $18,000 a pop. Apparently there are about 20 cafes in the world that have them. This fun video was all it took to convince a coffee lover (me) & a tech lover--that is to say, a man--to check it out. It is worth watching to the end to see the espresso dripping like pudding and the coffee grounds packed like thick molasses biscuits.

So through the snow we trekked, on a pilgrimage to see this fantastical machine for ourselves. Upon entering RBC it seemed appropriate to approach the sleek beast hushed and on tiptoe. The baristas couldn't have been kinder, welcoming us behind the scenes to view the nifty mirrors tilting up to allow a glimpse of the dripping espresso.

I had a Macchiato, an espresso with but a touch of milk, to better appreciate the power of the Slayer on raw espresso. It was intense, green, almost springy, a little more acidic than my latte-drinking self could fully enjoy, but I could tell an espresso aficionado would be blow away. I could only appreciate its greatness vicariously, like those critic-adored indie indie bands that you shamefully must admit you don't actually enjoy listening to.

The Angeleño had a Cortado, an espresso with a bit more milk, too strong for him but perfect for me. Both drinks were a wonder to behold, thick with power and crema.

RBC also has, in its favor, charming little cookies, a Vietnamese latte (bringing back fond memories of Barefoot Coffee, of which I've written before & one of my favorite haunts during my California days), and guest-bartenders who appear at set times like coffee rock starts to whip up specialty drinks for the adoring fans. So far, so good.

Now I'd like to go back and see what the Slayer can do with different beans, with different proportions of milk--with a Macchiato, the Slayer was a bit too aptly named for me.

Do it yourself:

RBC | http://rbcnyc.com/ | Twitter
71 Worth Street, Manhattan (@ Church/Broadway)
7-7 M-F; 9-7 S & S

Thrice All American, Take Two

Funky buildings, stellar steamed milk,
& a cafe where first-time visitors feel like friends.

The other weekend I had the chance to go back to Tacoma, site of my previous entry Thrice All American. I went with a few friends who had never seen the side of Tacoma I've come to love- the funky coffeehouses and thrift stores, the great restaurants, the lovely public spaces. We took a long walk through downtown, where I had a great time introducing them to my Tacoma highlights.

Taste & See: We stopped by Cutters Point Coffee and enjoyed the big open space, light and airy and perfect for enjoying the Scrabble and Trivia Pursuit games handily tucked in the bookshelf behind us.




A barista's signature drink, the marshmallow fluff Divine Sunshine latte, sounded too sweet to me but I'm all for creativity in coffee drinks. And top marks for cheerful presentation.


We also liked the nautical theme; who doesn't want a sail and some fishing nets with their coffee?


And best of all was the hidden treasure, Quinn. Quinn makes the best, I mean, THE BEST, foam from steamed milk (even soy!) both my friend & I have ever tasted. We trekked back to Cutters Point Coffee every day just to taste another heavenly spoonful. Go to Tacoma. Go to Cutters. Have Quinn make you coffee. You will thank me. (And hopefully Quinn, with a big, big tip.)


After getting your perfect coffee from Quinn, wander through another old fave, UrbanXchange. I picked up some more fabulous finds, and I wanted to give another prop for superior customer service. Everyone working there was super-patient and helpful, they let us store our massive bags of goodies there as we wandered downtown, and best of all-- I've gotten about a hundred compliments on the sunglasses the woman behind the counter identified as the perfect pair for my face.


One other Tacoma coffee shop I mentioned last time was the mysterious locale adjacent to Grand Cinema. Our collective confusion is over: it is conclusively the (rather delightful) One Heart Cafe.


Love it for the lawnchairs lining the sidewalk outside, the art by local painters (including my friend!) adorning the walls, the impromptu music being played & sung (with no small amount of original expression) on the piano inside, or the array of treats on the colorful menu . . .


Or, like everyone else there, love it for the people. One Heart Cafe seems to be the kind of place where people camp out all day on a regular basis. And while I have yet to be one of those people, Jamie, pictured below, certainly made me feel like one, inquiring after the Strawberry plants I'd purchased at the downtown farmer's market and my impressions of Tacoma.


The decor in One Heart Cafe was just one expression of the artsy vibe I get all throughout the city. One of my favorite new finds is a back lane called Opera Alley.


Reminded me a little of the brightly colored buildings in some old cities in Italy, with a slightly hipper, more modern, palate.


No opera to be found, but (duh) you can do yoga . . . if you can find a way to hoist yourself up the not-quite-to-street-level stairs . . . what yoga move would one use for that?


I have some more photos from the walk, including our lunch stop at Galangal, the great little Thai place I mentioned last time. Look out for Take Three, coming soon.

Sweet Lady Jane!

Just a berry cordial away
from an Anne of Green Gables remake.

Image from sweetladyjane.com

Taste & See: The name of this well-loved bakery sounds like something Anne of Green Gables might have exclaimed, wearing a straw hat and sipping on a lemonade at the church picnic. In roll the thunderclouds and Anne yells out, "Sweet Lady Jane, I think its gonna rain!" I can see her clasp her bosom buddy Diana's arms now, running to take shelter under a tree--but only after grabbing a big slice of Princess Cake to share while the storm passes.

Image from sweetladyjane.com

Today, though, "Sweet Lady Jane!" is probably reserved for exclamations of delight following a first bite (or a hundredth bite) of one of these pretty little cakes from this pretty little bakery by that name.

Image from sweetladyjane.com

The bakery also has a lunch menu with a few kinds of sandwiches and salads, and serves undrinkably strong French Press coffee, but let's be honest, we're here for the cake. They're so pretty, its kind of difficult to disturb the day-dreamy swirls (though once we got going we had no problem polishing them off without a trace, pretty swirls and everything):

Images from sweetladyjane.com

See here for more info on all Sweet Lady Jane's cakes- and to find out what yummy treats the pretty little things pictured above have inside.

The cake the other cakes must love to hate, the one always lauded in reviews, is Triple Berry Cake:


I don't mean to rain on the Triple Berry Cake's parade (or picnic, as the case may be). The bright berries against the ivy-bedecked white whipped cream and yellow butter cake are lovely:


But the cake itself was just . . . cake. Sweet Lady Jane generally makes good cake (though some complain it is too dry) but I like a some pizazz with my sugar high, and this was a little too normal for me. But apparently I'm the only person on the face of this earth who thinks so; even the USDA recommends this cake . . .

Another favorite, the undeniably girly Princess Cake--probably the cake all the boy-cakes get crushes on:


The green outer shell is not-too-sweet marzipan (almond paste).


The red is a layer of raspberry jam. I liked this a bit more than the Triple Berry; a little more mystery to it, with the nutty sweet of the marzipan and jam. The combination worked well.


But maybe beauty really is only skin deep, because delightful as these cakes appeared on the surface they were nowhere near as satisfying as Lemon Tart with Meringue-- the ugly duckling of the cake world.


Little Meringue, you may be big and round and your skin may not be smooth, but don't you worry, you'll grow up to be a beautiful swan of a dessert.

Now cupcakes are quite the rage in NYC- many people pin it to lady SATCs' obsession with a certain hallowed cupcakery-so I've had me a good cupcake or two. Tonnie's Minis, behind NYU law school in New York, is still my favorite. They might not be as pretty, but they're oh so good, and the people there are wonderful.) Sweet Lady Jane's versions make a strong showing, though, with perfect frosting, not too sweet, as perfect frosting must not be, and the moist red velvet cake.


But Sweet Lady Jane, I think your frosting decor needs a little inspiration from my own personal Valentines Day art project.


My favorite:


Well. What I lack in skill I make up for in originality.

Warning: Most of my reviews are overwhelmingly positive, but I should note a fair number of folks have complaints about rude service and dry cake, not worth the pricey slices. (Though others complain the portions are too big--and I'm prone to agree, I couldn't finish one by myself.)

As for me-I had a great time. Maybe it's hit or miss? At any rate, definitely worth going to see the temple to sweetness for yourself.

First Stop: Singapore

My dear reader,

Thank you ever so much for your patience as I scurried about Southeast Asia photographing (and let's be honest, eating) quite a bit of food. The good news I have more SE Asia material waiting to be posted than I know what to do with, not to mention the backlog from the holiday season. The bad news is, well, I have more material than I know what to do with. But food photos tend to be more interesting than all this talk, talk, talk, so let's make a deal to help us both: I'll keep things a little more photo-essay, a little less essay-essay and you just enjoy mountains of photos. Of course, I'll still include recipes when I can so you can enjoy mountains of food as well.

Sound good? Then shall we begin?

First stop: Singapore, land of hawker centers and self-proclaimed "Food Capital of the World".

Taste & See: The Lonely Planet makes hawker centers look like raucous snacking Bacchanalia, full of rowdy people stuffing faces in crowded, hectic fashion. Not so. The centers I visited were all spacious and organized, with English menus and numbered tables.

One contained an enormous sign boasting in both English and Chinese the top 10 Singaporean dishes one must try: chili crab, char kway teow, carrot cake, chicken rice.

The "must try" chili crab: there's no way you're staying neat and clean when you eat it.


The always reliable dim sum: from left to right, cha siew bao (red pork bun), shu mai (pork and shrimp stuffed egg wrappers) ha gao (shrimp wrapped in translucent wheat starch). If you can't make it to a hawker center you can always buy these at 7-11 . . .


The best food I had in Singapore, however, was not on this marketing-savvy list, but in far more colorful Little India.



Drinking 'pulled tea,' chai, made frothy by pouring between the tin cup and accompanying bowl, and eating a dosa, a big crepe-like roll from South India filled with potatoes. Sources say it tastes best if you eat with your hands (right hand only!) . . .

And from a banana leaf . . . I believe the white sauce is coconut based, though I'm not certain exactly what the other accompanying sauces are. It is lovely to watch them ladled with a splash from giant messy tins.


Not everything was roses, however. On one of my last nights my traveling partner and I were stuck in the rain, desperate for (and not finding) a place to eat. We chanced upon a Malay cafe with lovely pictures of roti, and thought we'd hit gold.


Not so. This was the "roti" we got: eggs in a baguette with chili-katsup on the side. Its like Malay food goes to McDonalds- not a happy instance of fusion. (I should take this opportunity to not only credit A for not complaining when faced with McRoti, but suffering through my constant food-photography.)


Generally things in Singapore tended to be a big. Unlike Thai street food, which comes in tiny bites, the centers serve mostly meal-sized portions (dim sum, above, is one exception), preventing solo or short-term travelers from experiencing more than a few on the list.

More endearing were the mangoes as big as my head:


If I were a Western wedding, my ego would be smashed by the larger-than-life Chinese banquets served at the weddings I attended, one of which was choreographed to a light-and-music show.

The appetizer plate: Prawns with fruit salad, Fried seafood toast, BBQ pork coins, Marinated jelly fish with chili sauce and sesame seeds, Smoked Chicken


The rest of the menu consisted of Braised shark's fin soup with crab meat, bamboo fungus and fish; with vegetable crackers, Roast duck with vegetable crackers, Steamed red pearl garoupa with Superior sauce, Boiled "Live" Prawns with Chinese "Hua Tiao" wine; Fresh scallops with nameko mushrooms, Thai asparagus and Oyster sauce; & Fragrant rice with chicken and Chinese sausage wrapped in Lotus Leaf. The pile of shrimp heads left over after we'd all had our fill of "drunken-shrimp":


Such a banquet calls for a magnificent wedding cake:


We, however, were served double boiled white fungus with hashima and red dates. The cake was from a 'wedding exposition' onto which I stumbled in the Bugis area. I think I would have preferred the cake, culturally insensitive though it may be.

I did try some tastier sweets in Singapore, however. First, at hawker stands- Ice dessert: piles of ice on doused with flavored syrups on top of various jellied bits, topped with beans. Not my cup of tea, but people love it. See also, a quirky Singaporean beverage in the back with Whatever? you never know what flavor you're going to get, kind of like the mystery Airheads we used to eat at the roller rink. Anyone feel me?

Even better (call me a Western snob) was the red-velvet cake at a local cafe, Food for Thought:


This cake and other goodies are made by local women- "Aunties"- in a bid to promote their independence via cottage industries.


Food For Thought also lives out the values like "Help End Poverty" and "Build Community" proclaimed on giant posters on the wall opposite the kitchen by providing free drinking water in exchange for donations to build wells for the poor world wide, providing free tutoring classes to underprivileged kids.


The coffee was good and the milk was nicely foamed, something I'm picky about in Asia (not a fan of sweetened condensed milk, as used in typical Asian coffees).


Food for Thought is located at 420 North Bridge Road.


Singapore has no shortage of good food and interesting culinary moments, and they're not limited to Hawker centers. Try as I might, I barely scratched the surface in the few days I spent there. Thankfully I had a second chance in neighboring Malaysia (see the next few entries), both a huge influence on Singaporean cuisine and a similar a mix of many different cultures. Ultimately, delicious though Singapore was, my love of Thai street food remains unchallenged.