The Best Chocolate Cake in the World

This afternoon, I went to try The Best Chocolate Cake in the World. At this Nolita outpost, one can find a few savory food items, but ultimately, the reason to venture down to Spring Street is to try the chocolate cake. It is chocolate mousse, layered with chocolate meringue and crispy wafer-like cake. There are two varieties; traditional (55% cacao) and bittersweet (70% cacao). The cake is flourless, yet still manages to be relatively light. Most flourless chocolate cakes are pretty dense, but this is more of a mousse, topped with chocolate ganache, and thoroughly enjoyable. I do love chocolate, but too much of a good thing is just sometimes simply too much. It was very sweet, and very delicious, but a few bites were more than enough for me.

The Best Chocolate Cake in the World
55A Spring Street (near Mulberry Street)
New York, NY 10012

Cereality

My sister is in Dallas, TX for work and has stumbled across Cereality; a DIY cereal bar. My sister combined Golden Grahams, Froot Loops, and Rainbow Marshmallows... Mmmmm
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Stone Street

One of my favorite spots in NYC... Quite a hidden gem, nestled in the Financial District of Manhattan. A small, cobblestone and car-less street filled with picnic tables and umbrellas, lined with numerous restaurants for your choosing. From pizza, to Mexican, to tapas, you cannot go wrong. Adrienne's Pizza Bar is a must, their "old fashioned" pizza is by far in a way my favorite in the city. The "fresh" at Vintry Wine & Whiskey is absolutely necessary as well. You must try a "fresh" for yourself, but its a cocktail of white wine, apricot liquor, Gran Marnier, lemon juice, club soda, with mint and orange slices. On a beautiful day like today, nothing is better than grabbing a picnic table and drinking the most delicious drink, dare I say, that I've ever tasted. The downtown (I mean, the farthest downtown you can go) location also lends itself to a gorgeous walk up the Hudson River, if you've got the time.

Pastry School

A few of my pastry school creations... cookies, miroir, financiers, pizza rustica, and a fruit tart...

The Kitchen

Working in a professional kitchen is an experience that one cannot be properly prepared for. Personally for me, the anxiety that builds up when you have 5 tickets fired, a souffle in the oven, and doughnuts frying behind you, is much more than you'd expect. There are hungry, impatient customers outside, and at an establishment like where I work, they expect the best. Once the desserts are sent out though, total relief, peace, and pride as you wipe up the mess you've just created.

I've only worked in two different kitchens so far, and they couldn't be more different. The first restaurant I worked in was a smaller restaurant, and I did mostly prep work. We prepared the desserts for service, but then left at around 5pm, when garde manger took over and plated the desserts. At my current job, I am the plater of all of the pastries and desserts. Whether I'm working breakfast, serving croissants and muffins, or lunch, or dinner, plating intricate and quite honestly, hard to master, desserts, the pressure is on. (I must admit though, that 3 weeks in, I have now mastered every dessert on our menu and I feel extremely proud of myself.)

Last night was a turning point for me in the kitchen. Getting up to go to work, when you know that you're going to be there until at least 1am, is really hard. The work isn't necessarily challenging, but it is a roller coaster of anxiety and relief. Last night, for the first time, some of the cooks took a real liking to me. It definitely took them some time to warm up to me, but last night, they decided that I was one of them. Having given up basically my entire life for this gig, it felt so good to be accepted into their little kitchen clique. I've been nicknamed "Peaches" by some of the waiters, and it's actually starting to grow on me. Every night, until last night, I would clean my station as fast as possible and bolt for the door, but last night, I stayed and enjoyed a beer with the rest of the cooks and waitstaff, and honestly, it was fun.

La Giostra

When I think about how food and I really "DTR," (defined the relationship, thanks @mikey_z) my time spent abroad in Florence, Italy stands out as a real turning point. My idea of good Italian food was the family-style variety found in my hometown of Roslyn, New York: Matteo's and La Parma (I will absolutely post about these in the future because although they are not necessarily authentic Tuscan cuisine, they are absolutely phenomenal).

It's hard for me find a place to begin when addressing the food in Florence, so I will just begin with my favorite restaurant.

La Giostra
Borgo Pinti, 12

I was only abroad for five months, but my friends and I managed to establish a Monday night tradition of dining at La Giostra. Prosecco upon arrival, and several bottles of Pinot Grigio, our dinners were rowdy and delicious.

The freshest mozzarella cheese I've ever tasted, with perfect prosciutto, roasted asparagus with melted parmesan cheese and bread crumbs, and zucchini "carpaccio," so thinly sliced, and grilled to perfection, scattered with pine nuts, covered in parmesan cheese, and drizzled with fresh olive oil.

The food is incredible: pear and pecorino ravioli, ricotta and spinach gnocchi, wild boar pasta, veal milanese. Everything at La Giostra is simply delicious.

As a pastry cook, I must discuss the fantastic desserts at La Giostra. Their secret family recipe for tiramisu is unlike any tiramisu I've ever tasted. It's not bitter like many I've tried, it's so creamy and light, really really delicious. My favorite dessert was the gelato sundae. It was simply vanilla gelato covered with a sweet, mixed berry compote, perfection.

The restaurant itself is a

long, dim room, lit by candles and christmas lights. The walls are covered in photographs of loyal patrons, and historic images of Florence. Saldanno, the owner of the restaurant, is incredibly sexy, and a true gentleman. He wears a uniform of a sweatshirt, jeans, hundreds of bracelets, and several necklaces. We had him pose with us on our photograph that is now framed on the wall, amongst all of the photos of people who love La Giostra as much as we do.

Welcome

Hello. I'm Jamie, and as far back as I can remember, food and I have had a very interesting and close relationship. I exclusively ate the yummiest things; gnocchi, salt bagels, cinnamon toast crunch, oreos, and mozzarella cheese. I would fall asleep dreaming of breakfast, and fantasize about my after-school snack all day at school.

I graduated from NYU with a bachelors degree in communications, and then continued to the Institute of Culinary Education where I studied pastry. I am currently working as a pastry cook at a fairly new and very popular restaurant in NYC.

I’m extremely confused and impatient, yet eager to learn more. I look forward to sharing some delicious suggestions from my past, and sharing my adventures in the culinary world. Please join me as I dine at as many restaurants as possible, and try as many recipes as time allows.