8 TURN crepe - Japanese

Just opened Aug 1 on Spring St.

Crepes served like ice cream cones!

Healthy salad!

Eight Turn Crepe

55 Spring St, New York, NY

(212) 334-3408

Saturday 9:00 am – 11:00 pm

SWEET CHICKS for Fried Chicken and Waffles

Back here again! Feather light crisp waffles served with 3 butters and crispy brined fried chicken of your choice of parts.

The chicken with waffles is offered at the same price during the week with free drink.

Have their kale salad with their homemade bacon and kale.

And don't forget to try their homemade sticky bun that has caramelized or burnt cream on top.

#SWEET CHICK

164 Bedford Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11249

1-347-725-4793

SULLIVAN BREAD

My staple in the kitchen:

Strecci - plain

Filone bread

Multi-grain Pullman

Sour dough Pullman bread

They supply top restaurants in the city.

Best Pancake House for Me

When we lived in the North-shore of Chicago, we frequented a great pancake house that served different kinds of pancakes.

My first choice is the German Pancake below:

It is cooked in a pan and puffs up. The sides are lightly crisp and they squeeze lemon on it and dust it with powdered sugar.  Best eaten on premise.

My second best favorite is the Apple Dutch Baby. 

Walker Bros Original Pancake House

153 Green Bay Rd, Wilmette, IL

CRONUTS

Dominique Ansel is one of my favorite French pastry shop from the time they opened.  First they made my favorite hard to find kouignamann.  Now, their chef has just created the mist in demand donut ever called Cronut - a hybrid between a croissant and a donut.

This is a must have - if you are lucky to get there before they're gone. 

Just like the kouignamann , every time I used to come when it first came out, I would be lucky if they still had some.  That was popular but since the name is originally from Brittany, it's not as popular as the cronut.  After all, this is the USA and we sure know what donuts are.  And we also love croissants. 

Watch out Doughnut Plant!  Don't worry Doughnut Plant, I still love the coconut donuts and your creme brulee donuts.

BLT for Breakfast or Brunch

I woke up at 9AM this Saturday morning deciding whether to make French Toast stuffed with berries or not.

Between the decision of going to the BBQ fest at Madison Park today or not in NoMad (stands for North of Madison) area or not, I decided to make a hefty BLT sandwich.

The photo below shows you how I've assembled the ingredients to make my brunch.

MY BLT SANDWICH:

Use a good quality brioche bread

Cooked bacon free of sodium nitrite

Avocado

Tomato

Bib lettuce

Onion sliced thinly 

Mayonnaise

Beecher's flagship cheddar cheese

Fleur de Sel and freshly ground pepper

Lightly toast the bread. Spread mayo on both pieces of bread.  Layer one side with lettuce, onion, avocado, tomato - then, season it with fleur d'sel and freshly ground pepper.  Top with about 3-4 pieces of slightly crisp bacon*  and slices of the cheese.  Top with the other piece of bread with mayo.

*I bake my bacon in a racked roasting pan lined with foil in the bottom (for easy cleaning - you just throw the oiled foil at the bottom after using) and arrange the slices on top for fat to drip on the foil.  Bake at 450F degree oven on middle rack of oven for 6 minutes on one side; turning it over after, and baking it for another 4 minutes on the other side until crisp but not burned.

I use the left over bacon for other uses and keep it in a plastic bag.  You can reheat quickly when needed.

HEROD'S HOTEL IN TEL-AVIV

I recently went to Israel for a Pilgrimage trip to the Holy Land.  This trip is most unforgettable since I am very well versed with its biblical history.  In fact, it is everything I have learned since childhood come alive.

With all my anxiety of what accommodations and food we may have, to my surprise, my first day experience proved to be awesome!

Due to the recent bad weather and flooding the week before, our hotel went under water and therefore was upgraded to a hotel by the sea.  What more could you ask for.  Our room had a balcony overlooking the parked boats and pool.  Most importantly, the food was well presented and deliciously prepared in an array buffet-style.

The new assigned hotel was called HERODS. 



There was the chef who cooked the lamb burgers, chorizos, duck breast and fish to dish it out fresh for you.

There were slices of peppers being grilled as well.  Do you see the duck on the left, chorizos in the center and the lamb sausages to the right?

They had chicken, stews, noodles and 2 more dishes on this side. 

There was stuffed grape leaf and a variety of yellow peppers to the left

Above, you can watch the array of desserts at Herods Hotel by the Mediterranean Sea in Tel-Aviv where we stayed.  And it's no surprise why I helped myself as evidenced below.

And you think this was dinner?  The following morning, I couldn't resist to try breakfast!  They had fresh baked pastries and breads.

 

 

 In the background was Challah type brioche bread and in the foreground was a very flaky apple strudel (that's what I thought it was).

On the right were more pastries such as mini freshly baked croissants.

How about some warm Herods chocolate sauce to pour on top of your waffles on the left.  Or eggs with savory tomato sauce.

We had a large choice of smoked fish to choose from including smoked salmon.  I liked the large sliced ones in the middle third from the right.

You can order eggs the way you want it as well.

Imagine 5-6 rows of these filled with food to choose from for breakfast.  It's like a Las Vegas buffet but healthier. (I think)

There were even cheeses to choose from.  So, next time you get bumped off a hotel, maybe you'll end up with one that's better than what you had expected!

HERODS HOTEL
155 Hayarkon Street, Tel Aviv 63453, Israel

Ranked #24 of 78 hotels in Tel Aviv