Every now and then, Marita brings home some really tasty snacks given by her friends at the United Nations – medjool dates from Iraq, pistachios from Lebanon, Syrian baklava, alfajores from Argentina, etc. Yesterday, she brought home some cake sisters – or koeksisters as they are called in Dutch, which were given by Derrick, a consultant at the office. They are apparently a favorite snack in South Africa and they are absolutely addicting.

Koeksisters are short strips of dough that are braided together, deep fried and then drenched in syrup. They are very similar to the pilipit in Lucban which are roughly the same size and braided similarly, but made with unrefined sugar. The cake sisters should go great with the tea we got recently – also from the UN. Derrick asked if we wanted more, and I shamelessly said I would not refuse them. They’re really good

Who says food chains can’t serve superior food? Some of the best burgers we’ve ever had have been in Bobby Flay’s Burger Palace in Paramus, NJ. In my book, their burgers are better than most – and very reasonably priced to boot. My favorite is their Napa Valley burger which is served with goat cheese, greens and a pickle. Marita and Jay like to “crunchify” their burgers by adding chips on top of the patty. Their sweet potato fries which are served with a mango sauce are perfect accompaniments to the burgers. You can add their dark chocolate shakes too – not great for one’s cholesterol but also perfect partners for the burgers.

Today, we tried another, “pedestrian” chain called The Original Pancake House, which apparently has been around since 1953.  You could call it a high-end IHOP. Marita had a craving today for pancakes, especially from Clinton Street Bakery in downtown Manhattan but it was too much of a schlepp on a Saturday afternoon. We were not expecting much, but the place was packed, which we thought was a good sign. Marita ordered a spinach and Swiss cheese omelette that looked like a souffle that didn’t quite rise. I had a crepe stuffed with cherries cooked in a Danish cherry wine called Kijafa. Both were excellent and the portions quite generous. We couldn’t finish the kijafa crepes and asked for the usual doggy bag. I’m looking forward to a late night snack tonight

It was Jay’s birthday on the 15th October and we were wondering where we could eat that was out of the ordinary. Jay had originally suggested Yakitori Totto, which is an always-crowded Japanese joint somewhere by 8th Avenue and the 50’s. A decent place that we had tried before. But we wanted something better like Bar Boulud by Lincoln Center, but the weather was miserable, so we went instead to Aquavit, which is just near Jay’s office. Now, Marita and I have been to Aquavit before (see post here), but we did not eat in the dining room but in the lounge. The food was excellent then (we had Swedish meatballs, a sampler of herring and of course, flavored aquavit).

This was the first visit for Jay and Mark so of course they had some aquavit. If my memory serves me right, they had three aquavits, each with different flavors: horseradish; mango, lime & chili pepper; and lemon and ginger. I had a langoustine bisque soup and seared cod. Mark had some duck. Marita and Jay had the best orders; New York strip steak with chanterelle mushrooms for Jay, and for Marita, venison cooked with glogg, the Swedish mulled wine. Aquavit reminds me a lot of lambanog, the popular firewater of Quezon, my home province. It’s not as “refined” as aquavit, but the folks in Quezon also flavor it like the Swedes and Norwegians, using raisins, pineapple, and even bubble gum

We’ve been wanting to visit this Zen Monastery near Woodstock, NY. Yes – that Woodstock of hippies and monster rock concert fame. Well, we finally got to see the monastery – actually two – one Zen and another Tibetan – all within the Woodstock area. There is a French restaurant called La Duchesse Anne in Mt. Tremper, a town right next to Woodstock, which naturally we had to try. Marita and I were not expecting much, New York food snobs that we are . We were so pleasantly and unexpectedly surprised. The chef is a Breton, from the northern part of France and he had a decidedly different take on some classic French dishes.

I had their bouillabaisse, the classic fish stew from the south of France. I liked this chef's version. It actually didn't have any of the fishes from the vrai bouillabaisse recipe such as scorpionfish, sea robin, rascasse, etc.; instead it had mussels, shrimp, clams, salmon and shrimp. It also wasn't too garlicky which is how the "real" bouillabaisse is. In fact, the first time I tried it in Marseille, the waiter served it with slices of French bread and instructed me to rub garlic cloves on them.

Marita had lobster that was cooked with white wine, thyme, almonds, and served with rice and greens – the best lobster we’ve had. She likes it even more than the lobster cooked in ginger and scallions in Chinatown. And it was just as good as the lobster we had at Booth Bay, Maine, which was simply boiled.

The escargot we had for appetizers was also quite good. The snails were served out of the shell with some fresh arugula; again, the chef used a light hand with garlic, and the result was preferable to the more garlicky version served in French bistros. Dessert was creme brulee with tiny chocolate bits and berries on the side.

Actually, before dinner at La Duchesse, we had lunch at Bread Alone, a very popular bakery in the center of Woodstock. We had a wonderful tart with pistachio and walnuts, and a raspberry scone that we smothered with their rich homemade butter.

My sister-in-law, Cecilia Nadres, got a big promotion at the United Nations. She’s now part of the professional staff, which for those of you who aren’t familiar with the UN system, means a lot in terms of benefits such as paid home leave, repatriation of home effects, education grants, etc. Anyway, Marita and I, and Cecilia’s husband Rene celebrated this great milestone at – where else – a restaurant. This time, it was at the City Hall restaurant on Duane Street in downtown NYC.

Rene and I had their surf and turf, which was filet mignon and crab cake, served with a bearnaise and green peppercorn sauce. I especially liked the baby spinach that came with it. Other dishes that our party had were crispy fried oysters with three dipping sauces (cocktail, mustard mayo, and basil) and a burger. We finished with a rich chocolate dessert and some cookies. A well-deserved celebratory meal for Cecilia . . .

It sure didn’t take much for us to break our rule of not going to the same restaurant twice when it came to Momofuku. Marita and I had already been to Momofuku Noodle Bar. We had originally planned to go to a fancy burger place called Zaitzeff on Avenue B but Jay said his friends thought it was overpriced. So instead, we looked for some alternatives, and Momofuku Ssam just happened to be nearby.

Here’s what we had (I copied the text below straight from the Momofuku website):

• cured hamachi – edamame, horseradish, pea leaves
• steamed buns – pork belly, hoisin, cucumbers, scallions
• broadbent’s country ham (kuttawa, ky)
• spicy pork sausage & rice cakes – chinese broccoli, crispy shallots
• grilled hanger steak (creekstone farm, ky) – tarragon, manchego, potatoes
• ice cream pie – sweet corn cereal milk, tristar strawberries
• beet and lime ganache – goats milk frozen yogurt, pistachio

The ham (domestically sourced from Kentucky and sliced paper thin a la jamon iberico) came with an unusual coffee mustard sauce; we could distinctly make out the coffee and mustard flavors. The hamachi had a very subtly flavored horseradish sauce and pea shoots. I ordered the spicy pork sausage which came with puffy rice cakes the size of small marshmallows, a great way to meet my need for rice. The hanger steak (Jay’s favorite) featured a tarragon sauce. The ice cream pie was topped with tiny tristar strawberries which apparently are a new strain of strawberries that can grown year round. Both Jay and I had a country ale from Illinois called Domaine Dupage that complemented all of the dishes.

We can break our “no second visit” rule for Momofuku anytime. It’s that good.

Travel & Leisure Magazine recently included Momofuku in its feature on “destination defining places” around the world. So of course, we found an excuse to go to NYC today and visit David Chang’s flagship restaurant in the city.

We had their signature steamed pork buns stuffed with Berkshire pork, which were marvelous. I’m not particularly fond of soft pork fat, especially when it’s rubbery. But the Berkshire pork fat was meltingly soft and flavorful. We also had roasted foie gras with dandelion and blackberry and finally some Momofuku ramen, also served with Berkshire pork belly and shoulder. We washed everything down with a flight of three sakes – Kamoizumi “Summer Snow”, Kamoizumi “Red Maple” and the house sake. We can happily disregard our rule of not going to the same restaurant twice when it comes to Momofuku.

I’m puzzled that Vancouver doesn’t get as much recognition as a foodie town as other gastronomic capitals. Marita and I had some of the best meals ever in this lovely city in Western Canada. The Granville Public is a must visit for foodies and chefs. It’s similar to those ubiquitous public markets in Europe; you can buy meats, seafood, spices, pastries, fruits, vegetables, flowers, cheeses, sauces, wines, etc. It’s also right next to the wharf so the fish is especially fresh.

We bought some Jambon d’ Ardennes and manchego cheese at Oyama, one of the more established stores, and ate it with a baguette just outside the market. There was Jambon de Bayonne the day before but they were out of it; we could have said we’ve savored the greatest hams in the world (Iberico, Parma, Bayonne).

Lunch was at a local favorite called Go Fish where we had ceviche made with mango and pineapple, a salmon and cod curry bisque and the very best fish and chips ever, made with perfectly crisp and flaky halibut. They were served in styrofoam and paper plates.

Dinner was at Salt Restaurant, which specializes in cured meats and hams that they match with wines.

This post is not about about food or scents but about a movie entitled “Kite Runner”. It is – hands down – the best film from the Greater Middle East that I’ve ever watched . I’m told the book is far better and I will definitely borrow it. I won’t even give a hint of what the movie is about and spoil the experience for anyone who decides to rent the film or read the book.

I already posted about the ‘best Thai restaurant in New York’ and now I’m posting about the best falafel in New York. Habib’s Place is a tiny hole-in-the-wall on Avenue A between 5th and 6th and we had just about the best falafel and merguez sandwiches there. The owner and chef – Habib Belkadi – is Algerian and a jazz lover. You’ll see black and white photos of jazz players on the walls and hear Coltrane and Miles Davis. It’s a rather incongruous combination of really great food and music in a place that has the look and feel of a pizza parlor.

At 10:00PM, the place was packed and we had to wait a while for our falafel and merguez sandwiches. There are only 3 tables and some counters for eating standing up. Habib is generous with his ingredients; he stuffed a couple of lamb sausages in warm and crisp pita and he was liberal in his use of tahini and harissa. He is also the friendliest and most engaging chef we’ve met in a long time. He gave us some cashew baklava – on the house – then he brought out his collection of laminated food review articles about his restaurant by the New York Times, Time Out, New York Magazine and others. Definitely a place to go back to . . .