Remember the caramel apples of your childhood? A trip to the county fair or amusement park called for a Granny Smith apple coated in caramel and, if you're lucky, sprinkled with chopped peanuts. Well, Mrs. Prindable's caramel apples blow my humble impression of these feel-good treats out of the water. For those of us who loved the gooey goodness of caramel apples as kids, we can continue that tradition with a grown-up version ^mdash; Mrs. Prindable's pumped-up double chocolate, peanut butter, almond caramel apple.
This is a caramel apple not for the faint of heart! The caramel apple arrived at my desk in an elaborately wrapped box and I had to laugh at its enormous size and weight (did I really want to eat 6-pounds worth of calories?). Laugh I did, but I happily reached for another slice as I polished off the first. The caramel apple starts with a fresh, crisp Granny Smith, which is covered in sticky, creamy caramel and sprinkled with peanut butter chips, crunchy almonds and dollops of both milk and dark chocolate.
My particular caramel apple was particularly fall and winter appropriate, the stick adorned with an autumn wreath of maple leaves. I think these apples would make great gifts for Hanukkah or Christmas, which can be ordered with a decorative snowman, Nutcracker or Santa hat. But if you're the recipient of these tasty treats, be sure to remember the holiday spirit and share! To spread the sticky-fingered cheer, visit www.mrsprindables.com.
This is not your average entertaining set: Just in time for holiday cheer, designer Alexander Purcell introduces the "Sake Bomb." This clever ceramic pouring vessel was inspired by the juxtaposition of a Fugu Fish (or Blowfish) a swank sashimi cut—and a World War II era sea mine. "The name is a comical take on the western slang for the same moniker meaning to drop sake shots in pints of beer," the Los Angeles based designer says.
The bomb holds 8 fluid ounces of sake, and comes with four matching cups, each set on a different spine. Hand crafted using traditional kiln methods, it maintains hot or cold sake temperatures for optimal enjoyment. Sake Bomb is available in four colors: white, black, orange or blue, for $98 a set, exclusively at www.sakebombstore.com
Michael Huynh's latest creation, OBao, opened for dinner this past weekend in New York City. The pan-Asian noodle house boasts a menu of items all under $20, from Pad See Lew and Pho Bo to Hanger Steak and Short Ribs; each meal a hearty gift to delight the senses. Huynh's 437th restaurant has 25 seats in its front room, and 50 in back with a larger, communal table past the open kitchen and bar area. Despite having a location for liquor, the restaurant has yet to serve and is looking towards broadening the cocktail menu. Make sure to bring plenty of cash if you plan to pig out, for the bowls of broth and beef cannot be paid for with credit, at least not quite yet. Make sure to try their spring rolls, they're to die for!
OBao
222 E 53rd Street (Btwn 2nd and 3rd Ave)
New York, NY 10022-5205
212.588.1938
The tendency when covering something like Voodoo—a doughnut shop in Portland, OR featuring creations like the "Triple Chocolate Penetration," with Cocoa Puffs, and the "Memphis Mafia," with peanut butter and banana, along with an assortment of vegan doughnuts—is to go all Travel Channel on it, to emphasize (as I just did myself, maybe!) the wacky kooky cah-rayzeeness of it all. But the ability to skillfully and effectively combine ingredients in ways, and with techniques, that no one's ever thought of before is one way of defining great cooking. And this sort of playfulness with sweets is becoming a hallmark of haute cuisine. Christina Tosi at Momofuku Milk Bar has created, among an array of desserts that, as Voodoo often does, utilize breakfast cereal, a delicious and entirely edible rosemary ice cream. So when we talk about these things, the consideration should not always be the zaniness of the combinations; rather, it should be how effective they are.
Which is why I want to talk to you today about Voodoo's maple bacon bar, an oblong doughnut covered with maple frosting and two strips of well-done bacon. This is not to shortchange their other offerings, particularly current offering "Mexican hot chocolate," with its combination of semi-sweet cake and spicy cinnamon-sugar topping. But the maple bacon bar exemplifies in miniature just why Voodoo should be taken seriously. On a visceral level, a bacon doughnut seems awful, or at the very least like novelty for novelty's sake. But in the abstract, it's really no different from French toast with a side of bacon: fried starch + maple syrup + pork product. And dipping your bacon in the leftover syrup has always brought an unacknowledged but signal thrill to the breakfast tendency of combining sweet starches with meaty sides. So the doughnut is justified on practical grounds.
One bite of the combination of the three ingredients will also amply justify the doughnut on taste grounds, too. But to understand why it works so well, and to gain an appreciation for just how carefully they've balanced the ingredients here, you need to take a bite of just the doughnut and the maple frosting. That's not so good: it now seems insubstantial, the sweetness thin and overbearing. When you bring the bacon back into the mix, though, it all becomes clear. That balance leaves room for the pork's salty darkness to come through, leaving the maple free to round out the spectrum. The full bite is incredibly well-rounded for a doughnut, and there are any number of $30 restaurant dishes that aren't this balanced. All for a couple bucks. So come, and be ready to take it seriously—but if you come on a weekend afternoon, be prepared to wait in a long line, too. Portland appreciates a good doughnut.
Voodoo Doughnuts
22 S.W. Third Avenue
Portland, OR 97204
Nothing stokes the appetite quite like ice skating as aromas of hot chocolate and stale pretzels waft past your nose faster than that first grader doing laps around your two left feet. When you're ready to call it a day and cede the ice to more coordinated folks, you can feel smug in the knowledge that a hot delectable meal awaits you not far from the rink.
Step off the ice in Prospect Park and let your stomach lead the way directly to Dizzy's. This self-proclaimed "finer diner", Brooklynites has made this sunny brunch spot a necessity for park enthusiasts for years now. Tucked away on an unassuming block of 9th Street, Dizzy's does winter revelers right with spot-on coffee and specials like Granola Belgian Waffles that taste as stellar as they sound. As a neighborhood institution, this Park Slope enclave often evokes sighs of pleasure (see: Teo's Italian Eggs) and groans of despair (see: the line of people spilling out the front door). Either way, Dizzy's is not to be missed and may even let you hobble on skates if they're feeling charitable.
Central Park's Wollman Rink may be a premiere attraction for cold weather lovers but Follow Me Café will make lunch or dinner the main event. It's true, the space is cramped and looks a bit like a bordello gone wrong. However, the Filet Mignon Crepe with caramelized onion is reason enough to pop in for a post-skate meal before finishing up with a sumptuous apricot tart. Rest your tired legs on velvet banquets that line the walls while marveling at how only in New York could such a small space house such explosive flavor.
Chelsea Piers, New York's shameless theme park awash in enough primary colors to win the heart of any kindergartener, is home to one of the city's largest skating rinks. Local residents often report seeing skaters exit the compound dazed and starving owing to the lack of quality dining options between the Hudson and the concrete barrier on the Westside Highway. Luckily, you can now venture just a few blocks east and relax in the warm, wasabi embrace of Blue Ginger. An expansive space with an endless sushi bar, this spot serves modern Japanese cuisine to please everyone from the hungry novice to the starving sashimi lover. Try the Madrid Roll and savor Blue Ginger's Beef Negamaki bento box as you thaw out from winter's wrath.
Bryant Park's annual ice extravaganza wouldn't be complete without a belly-warming meal after hanging up the skates. Enter Sarabeth's. With outposts across the city, this down home breakfast spot specializes in serving drool-worthy classics like "Popeye Eggs" (scrambled eggs on an English muffin with Black Forest ham and sautéed spinach) while hearty favorites like the Pulled Pork and Chorizo Quesadilla will make you wish for winter all year round. Panoramic glimpses of Central Park outside the window are a nice addition but, let's be honest, you can't eat the view and Sarabeth's is all about leaving your culinary restraint at the door. Reservations come in handy on the weekend though early risers will appreciate the restaurant's daily 8 a.m. breakfast so set your alarm.
Dizzy's
511 9th Street
Brooklyn, NY
718.499.1966
Follow Me Café
145 E 62nd Street
New York, NY
212.832.9772
Blue Ginger
106 8th Ave.
New York, NY 10011
212.352.0911
Sarabeth's
40 Central Park South
New York, NY
212.826.5959
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