Mia's Brooklyn Bakery

When I recently spent time in New York City, I was determined to eat some excellent things, which, if you've ever been, you know it is quite easy to do there.  But on my list of tasty things was, as always, wonderful dessert and baked goods.  I had an overwhelming number of options, for every style of dessert I was craving.  As I narrowed in my research to bakeries, and in particular, to ones in Brooklyn where I was staying, two names kept coming up over and over: Martha's Country Bakery, and Mia's Brooklyn Bakery.  I made an agonizing decision to pick Mia's for my first venture into the NY bakery scene.  

I don't know much about the bakery, nor its history.  They have only two locations, the one in Brooklyn that they are named for, and an offshoot near Times Square.  The menu is seriously extensive, and I tried to hit most categories in my single order: pastry, pie, cake.  Sadly, I skipped the puddings, cheesecakes, danishes/muffins/croissants, tarts, cookies and bars.  Next time.  (And yes, there will be a next time, because this place was fabulous).

I did not visit in person myself, opting rather to get my goodies delivered.  Since it was delivery, I wanted to "make it worth it", and thus, ordered far too many things than was reasonable, but, I was not upset with this move.  Everything arrived well packaged, although the delivery took quite a while, more than 1.5 excruciating hours!  

Pastries

Mia's carries two styles of pastries, breakfast pastries such as muffins, danishes, and croissants, and more dessert style pastries, which is where I focused.

Pastry Lineup.

The pastry section of the menu includes items that I do traditionally think of as pastries, but also a bunch of custards such as panna cotta, flan, creme brulee, plus bread or banana pudding, and bars and brownies.  I was of course very tempted by all the puddings and custards, given that I have label dedicated to them on my blog, but, I had just had panna cotta the week before from Cellermaker, and had been eating incredible mousse and pudding and trifle every day at my office (they specialize in homemade puddings of all kinds!), so, I managed to look past those items.

Assorted Classics

Mia's further breaks the pastry menu down into a group of "assorted classics" that contains, well, some Italian classics such as cannoli (in two sizes, both regular or chocolate covered), lobster tails (with regular or Nutella filling), orange pie, and ... baklava.  Well, as they say, "assorted" classics.

I originally planned to get a napoleon from Mia's, one of their signature items, but couldn't stop thinking about the epic lobster tail I had seen mentioned.  Both involve flaky pastry and thick custard filling, so I didn't want both, and at last minute, I switched to the lobster tail, because it just seemed more fun to eat.

This was an excellent decision.

Lobster Tail.

Ok, wow.  Wow, wow, wow.

This lobster tail was, in a word, incredible.  First, of course, it was MASSIVE.  It may be hard to tell from the photo, but, this could feed 4 people and not leave any of them unsatisfied.  It was a monster.  A delicious monster.

The pastry was insanely crispy.  Flaky.  Delicious.  Hard to describe if you haven't had a pastry like this before, as it isn't softer/eggier choux like a creme puff or eclair, but also isn't quite like a croissant either.  It is essentially a layered laminated dough (like a croissant) with a thin core of choux, if that makes sense.  The pastry was incredible, and the powdered sugar dusting completed the deal.  ***** pastry.

Lobster Tail: Inside.

And then we get to the filling.  The filling is why, besides the sheer size, that the lobster tail weighs a ton.  It was filled, to the brim, with diplomat cream.  Here you can see the cross-section of the tiny tail end.  Stuffed.  

And the cream?  Also phenomenal.  Thick.  Rich.  Vanilla bean flavored.  Essentially, think of the best creme brulee custard you've ever had, and that is what this is.  I think it easily fit 3 full size creme brulees inside of it, just, sans torching of course.  *****, perfect cream too.

Add all that together, and you get a truly stunning dessert.  Crispy, flaky, creamy, light, rich, everything, all in one.  If I could make it just a touch different, I might drizzle it with chocolate just because I was in the mood for chocolate, but, it was absolutely stunning as it was.  Perfection.

But do note that it is 1) huge and 2) has very little shelf life, as the cream filling needs refrigeration and that would ruin the flaky pastry, so, go very hungry, or prepared to share (although I promise you won't want to).

Perfect *****, one of the best pastries I've ever had.

Pies

Whole pies (8" or 10") are available in a variety of flavors for $30-40, and most are also available in slices.  Options include your fruity standards: apple, blueberry, cherry, or triple berry (all available crumb topped or double crust), all 8", or, custard pies: key lime, pumpkin, coconut custard, or pecan, all 10".

Pie Menu. $8.25/slice.

The by the slice lineup also included a few more: banana or chocolate cream, and did not offer any of the crumb topped, only the double crust.  All slices are $8.25/slice.

I selected two slices for my order, but truly would have been happy with any.

When my order arrived, I learned that "slice" here means ... 1/4 of a pie!  Really.  These are massive slices, 2 servings according to my family's already large slice definition, and easily could be 3.  Essentially, a 10" pie is usually a round 8-10 slices, and they clearly were making it just 4.

Blueberry.

Since it was summer, a fruity pie seemed appropriate.  I first selected cherry, then at last minute swapped to blueberry, although I had a moment of remorse that I hadn't picked the triple berry.  Really, all the fruity options sounded good to me.  Although I like crumb tops, I like great pie crust even more, so was glad the by-the-slice options were all double crust.

The pie looked like a high quality homemade pie.  I was drawn in by the pearl sugar on top, and actually appreciated the fact that the back crust was slightly dark, as it made it look not mass produced.

The crust was fine.  A bit better than your average grocery store crust, but it wasn't particularly flaky, buttery, or special.  So, average for a bakery, something a home baker would be happy enough with.  *** crust.

The filling had a lot going right for it.  First, it was very generously filled.  Bursting with blueberries.  Big juicy berries.  Just the right amount of goo.  Not too sweet or cloying.  Really, excellent filling, in most ways.  But ... it had a spicing I didn't quite care for, it seemed perhaps citrus, orange maybe?  Just a touch too strong, and not a flavor I was anticipating.   So, again, just not quite my style, making this a **+ for me for the filling.

Overall, **+, not one I'd get again.

Pecan.

Next, I had a slice of one of my favorite classic pies: pecan.  Pecan is always the pie I request when my mom makes pies for the holidays.  This order was also a strategic move on my part, because I knew it would keep a few days, and freeze beautifully, and, given how much I was ordering, I wouldn't get to it right away.  

But of course I did try it right away, because, how could I not?  It was a very nice pecan pie.  You can see how loaded up with whole pecan halves it is, no skimping here.  The pecans were lightly glazed on top.  All perched on top of a sweet custard filling, not too sweet, just the right level of sweet you want from a pecan pie.  Which is sweet, don't get me wrong, but just not cloying as some generic pecan pies can be.

The crust was similar to the blueberry pie, fairly average for a bakery, not particularly buttery nor flaky, but not stale or too processed tasting.

Overall, a high quality pie, clearly well made, and full of premium ingredients.  **** overall, and would get another half star if the crust was better.

Cakes, Cupcakes, Cake Pops

Cakes, and related items, make up a big portion of the menu.  Massive layer cakes in a slew of flavors, from the classics like chocolate fudge, vanilla, black forest, German chocolate, Brooklyn blackout, red velvet, strawberry shortcake, carrot, etc, to more unique offerings like Oreo, Nutella, or burnt almond.  And then there are all the assorted cheesecakes, cupcakes, and cake pops.  And napoleon cakes.  So many choices.

I nearly went for a slice of the burnt almond cake, as it certainly seemed unique, or the well regarded napoleon cake (available regular or with berries inside), but decided in the end on one cupcake, and one cake pop, so I could try two things for the price of one larger slice. 

Cupcakes

The cupcake lineup doesn't mirror the full size cake lineup.

Cupcake Menu.

Instead, it has more basics (vanilla and chocolate, with vanilla and chocolate frosting, in all varieties) and filled cupcakes of all kinds like Boston Cream, or even a creme brulee filled and topped one.  There are a few vegan offerings as well.

Cupcakes range from $4.50 - $5.25 each, depending on the variety.

I ordered the cookie dough cupcake, with cookie dough filling inside, and a mini homemade chocolate chip cookie on top, but, alas, they were sold out.

Vanilla Vanilla Cupcake. $4.50.

"Vanilla cupcake with vanilla buttercream frosting."

And thus, I got the simple vanilla-vanilla.

It looked fairly average.  Average size, not particularly large.  Average amount of frosting.  Slight decoration from a couple little white pearls.  

It wasn't my style of cupcake.  The cake itself was a very light sponge, almost akin to an angel food cake.  Which just isn't the type of cake I prefer.  I like it denser, sweeter, American style butter cake.  The frosting was nicely sweet, fluffy, but just plain vanilla, so not all that interesting.

Sadly for me, this was a meh, just due to preference in cake style really.  Those who like a lighter, less sweet cupcake would probably enjoy.  **+.  For me, Empire Cakes still makes my favorite cupcakes in New York (update review coming soon!).

Cake Pops ($3.75)

Cake pops are available in 4 flavors: chocolate, red velvet, salted caramel, or Oreo.

When I ordered, they had only the salted caramel and Oreo available, so I went with the Oreo, even though I really do not like Oreos and dislike "cookies and cream" style things.  I was really craving chocolate.

Oreo Cake Pop.

Luckily for me, there was very little Oreo about this.  If you asked me what kind it was, I would have told you it was a dark chocolate cake with white chocolate shell.  Definitely a darker style cake than standard chocolate cake, more like a Brooklyn blackout cake.  And definitely a sweet shell, but, really tasted like just standard sweet white chocolate, not particularly Oreo creme like.  Which was fine with me.

The pop was bigger than most cake pops I've had, more than a few bites, but still smaller than a cupcake.

Oreo Cake Pop: Inside.

Here you can see the inside.  Like I said, deep dark chocolate.  Nice cocoa flavor, very moist, presumably there is some buttercream mixed in here as is customary with cake pops.  Sweet and chocolately, and exactly what I was craving.

The shell was a nice thickness, good snap to it, classic sweet white chocolate flavor.

Overall, nothing earth shattering here, but, a good, slightly large, cake pop.  ***+.

Read More...

The Rusty Face, Brooklyn

The Rusty Face.  Perhaps not the most appealing sounding restaurant name, but still one I sought out when I was recently staying in Brooklyn.  I'm not sure what the name refers to, as the restaurant has no web site (!), so no additional background info was available.

The concept is Mediterranean with a coastal focus, mostly tapas, and mostly involving a charcoal grill.  Not really what I tend to gravitate towards.  They are also known for their cocktails, and get remarkably good reviews in general. 

So what drew me in to this oddly named restaurant, featuring a region of cuisine that I am not really drawn to?  Well, it was a singular dish.  Octopus.  I was really, really, really craving octopus, and The Rusty Face gets extremely good reviews for that dish in particular.  After trying it myself, I can see why.

The octopus was glorious, and I'd love to return to try more of the menu, and of course, those aforementioned well regarded cocktails.

Setting

Interior.

I haven't actually been inside, but I did walk by to scope it out, and was immediately drawn in by how inviting it looked.  Warm tones, exposed brick, fresh plants, nicely illuminated bar ... it really did draw me in (but seemingly, no one else, as the restaurant was visibly empty at 6:45pm ...)

Parklet.

Outside, like many restaurants in the neighborhood, they have a parklet with seating.  I thought it was better decorated than most, with plentiful plants.

Awww.

As I mentioned, I haven't actually been inside the restaurant, as I ordered delivery.

It is just a little thing, but, I loved that the delivery bag had a hand written thank you note on it.  It made me want to visit the restaurant in person sometime, to see how warm the hospitality was.  If they could make the bag feel welcoming, I can imagine the actual dining experience being even moreso.

Food

The menu at The Rusty Face is broken down into a few smaller / lighter starter sections: sashimi, tartar, tapas, salads, and then bigger entrees, sides, and desserts.  The menu doesn't seem particularly coherent at first, with sea bass ceviche sitting alongside spinach pie and olive oil cake, but, at closer inspection, it is all Mediterranean inspired, and much of it features the grill.

I really had eyes for just one thing though (ok, some of the sides sound great too).  But I wanted that octopus.

Tapas: Octopus. $24.

"Charcoal-grilled, olive oil, lemon, hollandaise peppers, onions, capers."

From the tapas section of the menu, I selected the octopus.  I incorrectly parsed the menu to think this dish included a hollandaise *sauce*, and asked for it on the side, so I was a bit confused when my order arrived to have two pieces of charred peppers separate, and no hollandaise sauce in sight.  I'm not really sure what "hollandaise peppers" are ... but anyway, that odd packaging was my own fault.  From photos I see online, normally those are perched on top of the dish.

The octopus was as excellent as reviewers suggested it would be.  Lovely char from the charcoal grill, smoky flavor, perfectly tender, no chewy bits.  Really perfectly prepared.  While I think I might have preferred it served as an full, in-tact tendril, that I could cut myself, it really did make it quite easy to eat already portioned into bite size pieces.  Some of the best octopus I've had in recent memory.

The rest of the dish was pretty simple: lots of capers, slivered onions (raw, both red and white), herbs, and a generous amount of olive oil.  It made me wish I had some nice bread to dunk in the flavorful, high quality oil.  It truly was top notch oil.  

I suspect it would be amazingly tasty to stuff the entire dish into some fresh pita or to top a piece of crusty baguette, but alas, I did not have any.  Instead, I put it on top of mashed potatoes, and the extra oil worked nicely there too.  I loved the combination of flavors from the premium oil and capers in particular.  

As for the "hollandaise peppers", these were just charred sweet bell peppers.  Definitely not my thing, but they did have nice char marks on them, which I could appreciate.

Overall, a very good octopus dish, worthy of the praise, and a very reasonable price and portion at $24.  I'd gladly get it again.  ****+.

Read More...

Murray's Bagels, NYC

Bagels.  When in NY, you kinda must seek one out at some point.  Which of course I did, on several occasions.

"Our amazing selection of bagels are hand-rolled and made fresh everyday from just a few simple ingredients. However, through a time-honored process that's been passed down through generations those simple things become something a bit magical."

Murray's Bagels isn't particularly old in NY bagel shop terms, only started in 1996.  It also hasn't turned into a chain, like many others.  But I think that Murray's Bagels were the first NY bagels I ever had, many years ago. (Or maybe it was Ess-a-Bagel ...). Either way, Murray's is always a place I visit in NY, partially because it is right near my office, but also partially because I really *do* like their bagels, even though I know the locals have plenty of other places they rank more highly.

Storefront.

Murray's has a pretty standard menu: a lineup of bagels, along with cream cheeses, whitefish spreads or lox, and a few other spreads like Nutella.  No crazy flavors, just your classics.  The most novel bagels they offer are flats (available in several basic flavors) or gluten-free plain bagels.  No rainbow or cinnamon toast crunch bagels here.  If you want something more substantial, there are egg & cheese breakfast sandwiches, a few deli sandwich fillings, soups, and token salad.  But I had just the basics: bagel and cream cheese.

Pumpernickel Bagel. $2.15 (plain),
$4.75 (plain cream cheese), $5.75 (flavored cream cheese).

This visit, I went for a pumpernickel bagel, really craving something a bit more flavorful (after having a pretty plain tasting, but brilliant looking, rainbow bagel from Liberty Bagels a few days prior).  

I really quite liked it - it had a great chew, nice crust, lovely shine to it.  Exactly the deeper flavor I was looking for from the pumpernickel.  Didn't need toasting, was perfect to enjoy just as-is. The chew really set it apart. ****+.

I also had the Maple Raisin Walnut Cream Cheese, which was quite good. I loved how it had big hunks of walnuts, and the sweetness was just right.  Maple made it a bit more interesting than more common honey walnut or raisin flavors.  ****.

Overall, a great bagel experience, better than Liberty Bagels for me.

Read More...