Chicken and Waffles x Three - Restaurant Duels

Hello LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers!

I have lived in Florida for nine years and as such, my stomach has declared itself an honorary Southerner.  I remember the first time I ever ate collard greens.  There was a charming restaurant in Safety Harbor, Florida owned and operated by Chef Dawn Algieri named "Lincoln Heights Bistro."  Chef Dawn made reasonably priced, good quality Southern cuisine.  Unfortunately due to changes in the economy and an unfortunate car accident, Chef Dawn could not continue running the restaurant.  I still miss meals with friends at Lincoln Heights Bistro, but my love of Southern cuisine endures.   

Two of my favorite Southern-style dishes are shrimp and grits and chicken and waffles.  I recently had the pleasure of having chicken and waffles three times in a week and a half.  (Which is also why I am dieting this week!)  

In my 20's (I am now 900 years old), I lived for a couple years in Los Angeles.  Hollywood, California near the corner of Hollywood Blvd and La Brea, to be exact.  Also home of Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles.  In my young, dumb 20's, I thought fried chicken and waffles sounded bizarre and I never tried them.  Oh the ignorance of youth.  I can't remember the first time I had chicken and waffles, but I can remember the worst chicken and waffles I have ever eaten.  (That story is worthy of its own blog post, so I won't discuss it now!)

This blog post is about chicken and waffles from three different restaurants - Pies 'N Thighs in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York City; Brooklyn Diner's Times Square NYC location and Fire Bar and Grill here in Tampa, Florida.  (If you'd like to read more about Pies 'N Thighs, check out my banana cream pie blog post here.)

Contestant #1:  Pies 'N Thighs Chicken and Buckwheat Waffles with Cinnamon Butter, Strawberries and Maple Syrup.

Pies 'N Thighs Chicken and Waffles

Pies 'N Thighs is a small, nondescript restaurant on a corner in Williamsburg with no sign other than a handwritten sign on a piece of cardboard in the window pointing to the entrance.  The staff are reed thin, tattooed, skinny-jean wearers with generally happy dispositions.  A bakery case by the register is packed with fat, luscious looking donuts and other pastries.  The menu has Southern-style dishes, fried chicken and of course, pie.

Pies 'N Thighs chicken and waffles were pretty good.  The buckwheat waffles had good flavor, although I would have preferred a more crispy outside and a lighter waffle.  The buckwheat was a bit too dense for my tastes.

The cinnamon butter and strawberries added a nice touch, but I also would have liked a scoop of chipotle or tabasco butter as well to interplay off sweet and savory on the waffles.  The maple syrup was your regular syrup, but it did the trick.

The dish came with two pieces of chicken.  One piece of chicken was absolutely amazing - moist, tender chicken in a crisp, flavorful, crunchy shell.  This chicken eaten with a butter and syrup topped piece of waffle was amazing.  The other piece of chicken was soggy with no flavor and no crispness.  I feel like I got a piece from an old batch and one from a new batch.  Had both pieces of chicken come from the "good" batch, I would have been over the moon for these chicken and waffles.

Overall, it was a good meal.  It could have been better but if you have a chicken and waffles craving this will do the trick!

Contestant #2:  Brooklyn Diner's Stuffed Fried Chicken on a Red Velvet Waffle with Butter and Maple Syrup

After seeing "Orphans" on Broadway starring Alec Baldwin, Ben Foster and the amazingly cute Tom Sturridge, I headed over to one of my favorite midtown restaurants Brooklyn Diner.  (My favorite is the 57th street location, but this time I was at the Times Square location.)  I was craving a big cheeseburger with bacon but when I saw "stuffed fried chicken on a red velvet waffle" on the menu I knew I had to check it out.

Brooklyn Diner Stuffed Fried Chicken on a Red Velvet Waffle

I have never had a red velvet waffle before, but I have had red velvet pancakes from Tampa's local Datz Deli.  I had had high hopes for the red velvet pancakes and was really disappointed - dense, heavy and with no flavor whatsoever.  I could have been eating a heavy pillow as far as my tastebuds were concerned. With that experience in mind, I didn't have high hopes for a red velvet waffle from Brooklyn Diner.  However, my tastebuds were floored - the red velvet waffle from Brooklyn Diner was absolutely incredible.  Crunchy, fluffy with a rich chocolate taste, it was very satisfying.  The waffle must have had a lot of food coloring as it left pools of red on my plate ... and later in my intestines (enough said!)  

It is worth ordering this dish just to enjoy the red velvet waffle.  The stuffed fried chicken - well that's another story.  The chicken seems to be pounded and then a piece of cheese and a piece of what looked like thick deli pastrami was placed on top and the chicken was then breaded - like a cross between chicken schnitzel and chicken cordon bleu.  Unfortunately the chicken here was rubbery - almost like an overcooked pressed chicken nugget.  The breading had no flavor and the cheese and meat added nothing to the meal.  I had a couple bites of the chicken but then stopped eating it.  It wasn't worth the calories!

I would not recommend the chicken, but I would highly recommend the red velvet waffle!

Contestant #3: Fire Bar and Grill's Corn Flake Crusted Fried Chicken on a Jalapeno Corn Bread Waffle with Caramel Sauce, Habanero Sauce and Collard Greens.

Fire Bar and Grill's Corn Flake Crusted Chicken and Waffles

Fire Bar and Grill is a relatively new restaurant in South Tampa.  It has a very popular happy hour and a good location half-way inbetween Downtown Tampa and the Westshore Business District.  I was having brunch with Miss Cindy and as soon as I saw "jalapeno waffle," I knew what I was ordering.

Like Brooklyn Diner, the reason to order this dish is the waffle.  While the jalapeno corn bread waffle was not crispy at all, it was fluffy and creamy - almost a souffle consistency with amazing taste and heat - jalapeno and green onion flavors.

I was skeptical about the caramel sauce, but it really paired nicely with the waffle and the chicken.  However the chicken was completely overcooked and dried out.  The corn flake crust was rock hard.  I was looking for a tableside chain saw to cut through the chicken.  The habanero sauce in the silver cup in the above picture looked like apricot preserves.  I had forgotten it was habanero and dipped a large piece of the dried out chicken into the sauce.  I put it in my mouth and felt the back of my head explode on fire remembering that it was habanero not apricot preserves.  Whoops!  

I think a straight habanero sauce is too much for most people, habanero-apricot or peach preserves would have been a nice blend of heat and sweet and would have accentuated the meal better.

The collard greens were cooked perfectly.  Great texture and color.  I had previously had collard greens at Fire Bar and Grill and they were a salt lick.  These collard greens were slightly too salty, but still edible.

If the chicken had been cooked well with thicker pieces of chicken, this would be a great dish.

The winner in this Restaurant Duel of three Chicken and Waffles dishes is Pies 'N Thighs.  It had the best overall dish of all three.  Plus you can get a great piece of pie afterward!  

However if it were a perfect world, I would combine the fried yard bird from the Red Rooster Restaurant in Harlem and put it on the red velvet waffle from the Brooklyn Diner.  That would be the ultimate chicken and waffles.  

The Red Rooster in Harlem's Fried Yard Bird - Put it on a Waffle and I'd be in Love

Do you have a favorite chicken and waffles restaurant?  Leave a comment below and let me know your recommendations!

Google Affiliate Ads:  

I am sad to admit that I actually have three waffle makers - a square waffle maker, a Hello Kitty waffle maker and a waffle sticks waffle maker.  Once upon a time I also had a Warner Brother Bugs Bunny waffle maker.  I rarely ever make waffles at home, but if there's ever a waffle emergency I will be prepared!

  

A Word of Kindness Is Better Than A Fat Pie - A Tale of Two Banana Cream Pies in New York

It's Another Installment of "The Brandy Chronicles" - things to do and see in New York City!
 
Hello LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers:

Happy Saturday!  I am writing this on Friday (from your distant past - oooooooooooooohhh waaaahoooooooooo [this is the sound I expect a ghost to make]).  

By the time you read this, I will probably be sound asleep - sleeping off a Ma Peche by David Chang food coma.  (Side Note:  Ma Peche is a midtown NYC restaurant in the Momofuku chain.  David Chang is the Chef/Owner.  I am obsessed with Momofuku.  Their Ssam Bar, Noodle Bar and Milk Bar are "must visits" for any New York City visit.)

I checked my Twitter account Friday morning.  The restaurant Veselka Bowery (also a "must visit" - see my blog post "The Best Desserts in New York City") had tweeted the Russian proverb "A Word of Kindness is Better Than A Fat Pie" and then accompanied that with "(Still we love a good piece of fat pie.)"  Their tweet included a picture of a cup of coffee with Veselka's own banana cream pie tart.  

I found this Tweet interesting for many reasons:

1) Because I love anything PIE (do a search on this blog and be horrified at how many times "pie" is mentioned), 

2) Because when young I studied much Russian history and had never heard this pie proverb, 

3) Because I love Veselka Bowery and its sister restaurant the original Veselka and most importantly: 

4) I had Veselka's Banana Cream Pie last night after seeing "Lucky Guy" on Broadway.  Obviously Veselka Bowery's Tweets are all about ME.  ;-)   

I gluttonously must admit that I actually had banana cream pie twice yesterday.  Once at lunch and once at dinner.  It's not a crime and I won't be shamed by the likes of you!  

"Pi Day" or "Pie Day" is March 14, to honor Pi as 3.14.  Well in my book, Pie Day was April 4, 2013.  Obviously I'm quite slow in celebrating my mathematics/dessert holidays.  It's not a crime and I won't be shamed by the likes of you x 2!

I started My Own Personal Pie Day (which I believe was the original title to Depeche Mode's hit song now known as "Personal Jesus.") at a restaurant in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York "Pies 'N Thighs."  

First off, I celebrate any establishment with miscellaneous abbreviations in its name.  I am reminded of when Miss LM and I were in NYC and saw the beacon of headwear "Wigs + Plus."  (That name is mathematical magic!)

Second, I celebrate any establishment with "Pies" in its name.  

Third, I celebrate any establishment with "Banana Cream Pie" on its menu.  I don't care if it's "Joe's Auto Body Repair + Waterboarding 'N Stuff" - I will be there!

Pies 'N Thighs is a Southern comfort food haven in the middle of Williamsburg.  Since moving to Florida, I have become a Southern food fan "gourmand."  I usually try to stick to Southern food served in the South.  Northern versions tend to be as sad and unappealing as wallpaper paste masquerading as grits.  But the allure of BANANA CREAM PIE - one of my top favorite pies - convinced me to give Pies 'N Thighs a try.

Banana Cream Pie from Pies 'N Thighs

In the looks department, the banana cream pie from Pies 'N Thighs looked like something my Grandmother would have made.  So while it was not going to be winning any international food styling contests, it did exude traditional familial warmth which I think is essential in Southern cooking.  Two fresh vanilla wafers decorated the top - a nod to Southern banana pudding.  

Pies 'N Thighs banana cream pie slice was only half-coated with whipped cream.  I believe this was to not make the vanilla wafers soggy, but for a whipped cream freak like me - I would have liked to see more whipped cream.

The filling was not bad - rustic, a little too overcongealed with chunks of banana.  It was a decent pie filling.  But what I really liked about this pie was the crust.  It was somewhere inbetween a fried cookie and pie crust.  Thicker than your average pie crust.  It was like a marriage between a cookie crumb crust and traditional pastry.  I am not sure what exactly was in that crust but it added a buttery, crunchy component to the Pies 'N Thighs banana cream pie that elevated it beyond it's "not bad" banana filling.

While I wouldn't go back to Pies 'N Thighs solely for the banana cream pie, I would go back for their chicken and waffles and faux boho Brooklyn hipster people watching.  (And I gotta try one of their humongous homemade donuts next time!)

After lunch, I window-shopped in Williamsburg and later that night I went to see the Nora Ephron Broadway play "Lucky Guy" (read about my adventures here).  My Pies 'N Thighs lunch had filled me up that I wasn't hungry again until after the play ended.  Where to eat dinner at 10 p.m. on a Thursday in New York City?  Where else but the 24 hour Ukrainian diner Veselka in the East Village!

I was not surprised at 10 p.m. on a Thursday that Veselka was still almost completely full.  I eagle-eye spotted a stool at their wrap-around diner counter and counted my lucky stars.  It's great to be in a 24 hour city again.  I miss my days in Los Angeles where you could get killer Thai food until 4 a.m. every night.  My only Tampa Bay 24 hour city experience is a trip to Walmart.

I ordered dinner but was stopped mid-bite when the two sassy Asian men sitting across from me ordered a whipped cream laden concoction.  I grabbed my delightful, moderately accented server Arthur and hissed "WHAT IS THAT?"  Arthur looked amused by the cloak and dagger intrigue and said "That's the banana cream pie."  I looked Arthur dead in the eye and said "I am going to need that NOW!"  Arthur grabbed my dinner plate to box up the leftovers and within seconds a banana cream pie tart was sitting in front of me.  I think it's safe to say that Arthur saw a ferocious intensity in my eyes that necessitated quick pie delivery service.

The Banana Cream Pie at Veselka

Unlike the banana cream pie at Pies 'N Thighs, Veselka's banana cream pie was not stingy in the whipped cream department.  A happy, fluffy piping of sweet, fresh-tasting whipped cream anointed this gorgeous little tart.  The filling was silky smooth with just this perfect creamy, thick pudding to lovely banana pieces ratio.  It was like eating velvet if velvet were banana-flavored.  This pie filling was exactly what banana cream pie filling should be.

Unfortunately, then I came upon the crust.  I like to think that I am a physically strong person ... a physically strong person who could not do a pull up to save her life, but a strong person nevertheless.  I could barely wield my knife and fork to break into the granite-like tart pie crust.  The bits I did manage to carve off had too much of a raw-flour taste.  I decided my banana cream pie experience would be much better if I just ate the "innards" of the tart.

My sister Squidge makes some of the best pastry pie crust I have ever had, so perhaps Veselka should hire her to be their Senior Crust Maker Extraordinaire. 

Not strong enough to tackle this crust!

If this were a perfect world, there would be one clear winner in this Tale of Two Banana Cream Pies.  However if this were a perfect world, I would be independently wealthy with a posse of Yorkie puppies who all look like Southern California Puppy Star Misa Minnie.  (Read my blog post: Upping the ante on super-cuteness: the ballad of Misa Minnie here.)  Looking at my adorable, but non-Yorkie puppy cats, I can say that while it is a good world; it is not a perfect world.

If you're looking for the perfect Banana Cream Pie in New York City, I would recommend getting a piece from Pies 'N Thighs and throwing away the filling.  Keep the crust and then fill it with the filling from a Banana Cream Pie tart from Veselka.  By joining the two you will have the most amazing piece of pie and have visited two great neighborhoods in New York - Williamsburg and the East Village.  Pie and two field trips?  That's a win-win-win, in my book! 

While I was eating my Banana Cream Pie at Veselka, Miss LM texted me.  I sent her the two pictures above and confessed that I had eaten banana cream pie twice in one day.  Her response?  "I'm sensing a Banana Cream Pie Tour of New York blog coming ..." and then she inserted a crystal ball emoji.  Well Miss LM get yourself to a psychic phone hotline because YOU ARE CORRECT.

So back to the beginning of this blog post and Veselka Bowery's Russian proverb tweet that "A Word of Kindness is Better Than A Fat Pie."  LilyOnTheLam.Com Reader - I think you are fabulous, wonderful, beautiful and a testament to all humankind.

Now give me some pie. 

September 2013 Update:  I am sad to learn that Veselka Bowery has closed.  However their East Village diner-style location is still open - check it out!

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I bought the following awesome Chicago Metallic mini pie baking pan for my sister.  It was a shameless attempt to have her bake me pies.  I'm still waiting ...
  
       

An Omnipotent Mind, A Rude Fur-Wearer, Lucky Guy and Courtney B Vance - A Day in New York City

Hello LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers:

I'm still feeling blue about the passing of Roger Ebert (see my blog post "Goodbye and Thank You Roger Ebert" here).  I was very fortunate to spend my Thursday, April 4, 2013 evening at the Broadhurst Theatre seeing Tom Hanks in the very first week of his Broadway debut in Nora Ephron's "Lucky Guy."  But thinking about the loss of great writers Nora Ephron, Mike McAlary and now Roger Ebert, it's just a sad day.

I am in New York to see my Broadway shows, shop and as my pal Miss Brandy would say "eat my way through the city."  I go to NYC at least twice a year and when I was in management consulting, I was in NYC up to 12 times a year.  But until February 2012, I had never ventured off the island of Manhattan to truly see Brooklyn.  

(A walk across the Brooklyn Bridge where I then turned around doesn't count.  Neither does the time "Little Jen" and I got on the wrong train, ended up in Brooklyn and jumped on the first train headed back to Manhattan.)  

In February 2012, the magnetic pull of actor Kevin Spacey got me to cross over and see Brooklyn.  (Read about it here in:  "A Space in My Heart for Kevin Spacey and Charo - Part One" and "A Space in My Heart for Kevin Spacey and Charo - Part Two."

Now in April 2013, another magnetic force was pulling me back to Brooklyn - Williamsburg, to be exact.  The magnetic attraction of Southern cuisine.  I have had "Eat at Pies 'N Thighs" on my "Must Do" list for quite some time now.  But for this trip, I was ready to make it a reality!

I'll be writing about my lunch experience at Pies 'N Thighs in a future blog post, so stay tuned!  Before and after lunch, I window shopped around Williamsburg.  Seeing that it was 88 degrees when I left Tampa Bay for New York City, I had no idea what to pack.  I ditched my flip-flops for new boots I bought just for the NYC trip.  I had ordered them online and hadn't even tried them on.  I knew it was a risk, but I was willing to gamble with my feet.  (Do you hear my toes screaming "Say what now??") 

These boots were NOT made for walking!

After four miles of walking around Williamsburg (yes, I was wearing my Fitbit pedometer so that is an accurate measurement!), my right pinky toe was in horrific pain and I hadn't seen any taxis at all during my entire shopping afternoon.  Seriously, are there no cabs in Williamsburg?  Someone needs to warn a girl! 

Seeing that I am staying in Midtown East, there was no way I could walk all the way back without doing a battlefield amputation of several toes.  I started praying to Jesus to send me a taxi cab.  But Jesus wasn't amused.  I could distinctly heard a "Get your arse to church more often and then let's talk" whispered in the wind.  Sorry Jesus!

I kept hobbling down the sidewalks with my huge parka coat slowly roasting me as the sun beat down harder.  When I was in Portland, Maine in September 2012, I went to a psychic named Jackie Major (@MajorMeditation on Twitter).  Jackie told me something along the lines of we can use our minds to bend energy (or something like that) and make things happen.  She used the example of thinking really hard about wanting a parking spot close to the mall and then arriving at the mall and finding the first parking spot open. 

 (Hey Jackie, I'd do a better job of remembering what you said if you had sent me that recorded CD of our session that you were supposed to send me!  Not that I'm bitter or anything ...)

My aching right foot needed some energy bending, pronto.  I stopped walking, stood up straight and focused my brain on one thought "I will get a taxi - it will arrive very soon and it will not be occupied.  I will get a taxi NOW."  I started walking and less than 30 seconds later, a taxi appeared.  

HOLY COW!  Jackie Major's mind-bending energy thang really works!  My toes screamed "THANK YOU!" as I literally crawled into the SUV taxi.  I mentally patted myself on my back.  

Evidently, I am all powerful.  

Said with all humility, I am pretty much the Wizard of Oz. 

Just don't look behind the curtain.         

I went back to my hotel, rested my toes and before going out for the evening I changed into much more comfortable ballerina flats.  I had a third row ticket to "Lucky Guy" and I could not wait!  

I am a huge Nora Ephron fan and a huge Tom Hanks fan.  However, I didn't know that Peter Scolari was also in the play.  I kept hoping that at the end curtain, Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari would run out in their cross-dressing Buffy and Hildegard from TV show "Bosom Buddies" costumes.   

Spoiler alert - it did not happen.  I should have used my mind-bending energy thang to make it happen.  Sigh ... hindsight is 20/20.

I also didn't realize that the uber-talented Courtney B. Vance, Maura Tierney and Christopher McDonald were also in the cast!  Wow, this show was going to be amazing!

I dropped my coat off at the downstairs coat check (hallelujah, my parka is too huge for those little Broadway seats).  I stood in line at a bottleneck while people waited for the ushers to give them Playbills and escort them to their chairs.  There was a 50-something, skinny, redheaded woman in a big fur-collared coat who reminded me of Danny DeVito's character's mistress in the movie "Ruthless People" (see clip of the actress here).  The fur-laden woman reached out toward my waist with long, bony fingers.  I was holding a small black sequined clutch purse in front of my waist.   

My brain was thinking "What the hell is this bony, pasty woman doing?"  She looked at me as her hands were reaching at me and asked "Do you have any Playbills?"  My head snapped to attention.  

"WTF?"  

I looked at her and said "No ... because I - DON'T - WORK - HERE."  She just blinked at me as if she couldn't understand why I would be at the theater if it were not to wait on her.  Evidently there was no way I could be a patron of the theater.  

The woman's husband, who was wearing a track jacket; started chuckling.  He may have been amused, but I was not.

I looked at all the ushers - they were generally older, Caucasian, wore tuxedo-style shirts with bow ties and wore big red buttons saying "no cell phones."  I was in a black shirt and skirt and was holding a sequined clutch and no Playbill - but evidently in this hare-brained, fur-wearing lady's mind, I looked like "The Help."  

I grew up in the Midwest and have had more than my share of people confusing me with "The Help" because I'm not 100% Caucasian.  Although I am 1/2 Asian and 1/2 Caucasian, some crack-smokers think I look Latina.  I've had people loudly enunciate "Por Favor" or "Muchos Gracias" when trying to ask me to go fetch them something in a store.  "Um, queso caliente Motherfrickers, I don't work here.  Dos caminos!"  

I walked down to my third row stage left seat, second in from the center aisle.  The fur-wearer was also in my row, but the furthest seat practically sitting in the exit.  Sorry hare-brained lady, this "theater help" apparently has a better seat than you for the play.  

Normally I would attribute an interaction like this to subtle (or not so subtle racism) but seeing that all the ushers I saw were white, does this count as racism to my 1/2 Caucasian side?  Regardless which half the woman was consciously or subconsciously attacking, I was 100% annoyed and offended.  I know it may sound thin-skinned, but when it happens over and over again it can be difficult not to get a bit of bitterness over it.

However the show must go on!  I set aside my prickly annoyance once the play "Lucky Guy" started.  The first scene has all the major actors, except for Tom Hanks.  I was excited to see Courtney B. Vance.  I think he is absolutely the unsung talent of his generation.  He is under-utilized.  I would love to see him in more roles as a serious dramatic lead.  He has such gravitas and yet such subtle, smooth transitions between joy, anger, sadness and happiness.  He is a consummate actor. 

When my sister was twelve years old, I took her on her first trip to New York City and to four Broadway shows.  I let her in on a game I have been playing for years.  Whenever I go to a Broadway show, I search the Playbill to see if anyone in the cast has starred in one of the "Law and Order" television series.  I guarantee you that as long as it's an ensemble piece (no one-person shows), there will be at least one actor who has been on "Law and Order."

"Lucky Guy" was no exception - Courtney B. Vance actually starred in "Law and Order: Criminal Intent" as well as appeared in the original "Law and Order."  Cast members Brian Dykstra, Michael Gaston and Danny Mastrogiorgio as well as three of the understudies had all been on "Law and Order" as well.  Lily's Theater Game wins again!

I knew Tom Hanks would be good in "Lucky Guy."  He's a two-time Oscar winner, for heaven's sake.  Even though this was his first week of performances, I knew he would wow the audience.  Just like in his movies, he took me on an emotional rollercoaster with Nora Ephron's dialogue.  

But it was Courtney B. Vance, who was like a conductor on a train or to stick with the analogy, the calming older brother who sat next to us on the emotional rollercoaster.  He wove the seams of the play and pulled it all together.  Like the Narrator in the play "Old Town," Courtney B. Vance was the nurturing presence and the heartbeat of the play. 

Plus the scene where Tom Hanks and Courtney B. Vance's characters are on a morphine high together brings down the house.  Courtney B. Vance brought as many emotional highs and lows to the party, as Tom Hanks did.  If you're in New York City, I strongly urge you to see "Lucky Guy." 

After the play, once again I was left thinking that Courtney B. Vance needs to star in many, many more roles.  More people need to see the depth and expanse of his creative range.  It is a moral imperative!  I need to do some mind-bending, energy-bending mojo mantra magic on that task.  

Nora Ephron's last play reminded me not only of what a true talent she was, but what a great void we have in her passing.   

After the show, I tweeted: 
 

Loved seeing #LuckyGuy tonight -Tom Hanks was superb and it's always a great delight to see true talent @CourtneyBVance in action! #broadway

     
Well, the Twitter account of Courtney B. Vance (appropriately titled @CourtneyBVance on Twitter.com) favorited my Tweet and re-Tweeted it!  Now I am sure Courtney B. Vance has some social media intern who runs his Twitter account, but in my energy-bending mind I like to think that Courtney B. Vance was kicking back in his chauffeur-driven car checking his Tweets.  I also like to think that he thought "Well damn, that LilyOnTheLam (@SouthTampaLily) is one smart Tweeter!" and promptly favorited and reTweeted my Tweet.  

And if that scenario didn't happen, I like to think that Courtney B. Vance's also uber-talented spouse, the gorgeous Angela Bassett was at home with their twins and retweeting on her husband's behalf.  I see her in my mind's eye spotting my Tweet and knowing that LilyOnTheLam needs to be retweeted to the universe!  

 I suddenly have the urge to watch a double feature of "What's Love Got To Do With It?" and "Waiting to Exhale."

(Side Note:  Angela Bassett, Morgan Freeman and the one sole shot of Gerard Butler's chest were the only reason to see the movie "Olympus Has Fallen.")

I think Courtney B. Vance's Twitter account re-Tweeting my Tweet basically makes me a Broadway star too, right?  Right?  (Just agree with me!)

So what have I learned today as I pranced around Brooklyn and New York City?  

I learned that I should have gone with unfashionable athletic shoes instead of sassy boots.  

I learned that when your toes are about to drop off, my mind can bend energy to make taxis appear out of thin air.

I learned that even though I have a law degree, a good job and a sexy BMW convertible, ignorant people are still going to mistake me for "the help" - and that that is their issue not mine.  

I learned that while some of our great writing talents have been silenced recently, that their voices can still be heard through the talents of others.  Their contributions have immortalized them and they will not be forgotten.

I re-learned that Courtney B. Vance is amazing.

And I re-learned that New York City never fails to disappoint. 

Thanks for reading!

 

    


  

The Brandy Chronicles: The Best Desserts in New York City

Hello LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers:

If you are a regular reader, you will know that this is the 2nd installment of "The Brandy Chronicles" - New York City travel tips for friend and NYC novice Brandy.  If you're not a regular reader, I have to ask - why not?  Ahem, let me rephrase that -- one lone tear running down my cheek, clutching my chest, agony filling my face -- "WHHHHHHHHY NOT?"  (You can read Part One - Introduction to the Brandy Chronicles here.)  

Side note:  Can you believe Brandy has never been to NYC before?  Obviously I need to screen my friends more thoroughly ... usually the interview stops after "Are you willing to keep a life-size cut out poster of me in your home, displayed in a place of prominence with specially ordered lighting fixtures to make sure my creamy olive skin and killer seductive dark brown eyes sizzle and pop?"  But evidently I need to add "Are you a NYC travel virgin?" to the 90,278 question interview as well.  That would then be 90,279 questions.  I'm half-Asian, so you see I am half a math wizard.

But enough about me (for now), let's get back to Brandy!

Miss Brandy is planning her first ever trip to New York City and asked me for some travel tips.  Now I'm no hillbilly hick, I know when someone asks me for "travel tips" - it really means "Lily, can you write a series of blog posts named after me?"  

Now I don't just give "travel tips" to anyone, however Miss Brandy participated in the St. Jude Give Thanks Walk with me - so I think that somehow created an oral contract where I agreed to create "The Brandy Chronicles" for her.  I'm not really sure - I had to leave my house for the walk at 7:30 a.m. but really didn't wake up mentally until about 2 p.m.  Typical Saturday.

After my scintillating Introduction to the Brandy Chronicles, I had to decide what were the most important things Brandy needed to know about traveling to NYC.  

Is it which airport is closer if you are staying in Manhattan (answer: Laguardia Airport).  Nah, that's not the most important thing.  

Is it how much is typical cab fare from LaGuardia to Manhattan (around $35 plus tip)?  No, that's not the most important thing either.  

Clearly the most important thing to know about traveling to NYC is: "WHERE CAN I GET THE BEST DESSERT?"  

And by "best dessert" I obviously mean whatever dessert makes Lily's stomach the happiest.  In honor of Brandy, on my most recent trip to NYC (Thanksgiving weekend 2012 - I'll be back Spring 2013 when hopefully there is no snow), I made sure I savored many desserts.  What can I say, people?  I'm obviously all about self-sacrifice for a friend.  I usually make sure to have many desserts whenever I am in New York, because you see I am psychic and I knew that in 2012, Miss Brandy would ask me for NYC tips.  So here are some pictures from my last couple NYC trips ...  

Drumroll please ...

The best New York City dessert I have had in a very long time is ...

1)  The Veselka Bowery S'more from Veselka Bowery:

I am not a fan of the big chocolate smear as decorative garnishing technique, but other than that - this dessert is amazing.  A moist, lush, chocolatey brownie topped with a gigantic pillow of bruleed marshmallow and on top of that gelato with a bit of a salt crust and on top of that a graham cracker which is dipped in milk chocolate on one side.  This dessert will blow your mind it is sooo good.  

It is probably the best spin on the s'more that I have had (other than my own Golden Grahams S'mores Bars with chocolate marshmallows - that I will blog about another time).  My favorite dish at Veselka Bowery is their short rib pierogis, but their s'mores dessert is currently my favorite dessert in all of New York.  You have got to try this s'more!

September 2013 Update: I am very sad to learn that Veselka Bowery is closed.  I still love the original Veselka at 2nd Avenue - if you have a late night pierogi craving, be sure to check it out!

2)  Sweet Potato Doughnuts at Red Rooster

I had recently read Top Chef Masters winner Chef Marcus Samuelsson's book "Yes, Chef: A Memoir," so I knew I needed to try his restaurant Red Rooster when I was in NYC.  Luckily, friend KT was in town house-sitting about ten blocks from Red Rooster, so she joined me for dessert.  

I had the sweet potato doughnuts - think jelly donuts but instead of jelly a lightly spiced sweet potato cream filling the inside.  KT had the red velvet cupcake with ice cream.

Side Note:  The real reason I write LilyOnTheLam.com is because then when I go out with friends and they order something really yummy, I stick my spoon in their food and say "RESEARCH!  I need to personally taste your food so I can write about it on my blog!"  It is an excellent excuse for why I need to eat some of their food.  Hopefully none of my friends are reading this ...

Now KT and I are from the South (OK does living in Florida mean you can say you are "from the South"?), so we know our Red Velvet Cakes ...  While the Red Rooster Red Velvet Cupcake was nice - it was not a proper Southern Red Velvet Cake.  It was too heavy and dense.  It tasted like a bran muffin trying to pretend it is Red Velvet.  (I see right through you, sad wannabe bran muffin.)  The quinelle of vanilla ice cream and the cupcake frosting were both delicious however.  

If you're not "from the South," I think you would find this dessert quite nice.  But if you are "from the South," have the collard greens instead.  Red Rooster's collard greens are the best I have ever had ANYWHERE.  And in Florida, I have had the pleasure of trying a lot of collard greens.

The sweet potato doughnuts were divine and more than made up for the Red Velvet Cupcake.  I was expecting some heavy, sweet potato and spice cake style donut - but these were light poofs of deep fried loveliness filled with sweet potato cream.  And served in the cutest wire basket.  Think the airy lightness of Krispy Kreme (sans the glaze) filled with cream.

Plus the doughnuts were served with delicious fresh whipped cream on the side.  I took great pleasure in dunking the warm doughnuts into the cold, thick, sweet whipped cream.  Sinfully delicious and absolutely amazing.  

I will be blogging about my lunch at Red Rooster in a future blog post, but spoiler alert - it was fabulous and everyone should go to Red Rooster!  Not only is the food good, but the customer service is truly top notch.

3)  Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich at Schmackary's Cookies

I devoted an entire blog post to the most delicious ice cream cookie sandwich I had at Schmackary's, so read about it here.

4)  The Banana Pudding at Magnolia Bakery

I was walking back to my hotel after seeing the jaw-droppingly good Patti LuPone and Debra Winger in David Mamet's The Anarchist on Broadway.  (Side note: the show was fabulous - Patti LuPone was divine.  I have been holding a grudge against Ms. LuPone since the time I went to see her in Sweeney Todd on Broadway and found out she was out that week and I had to see her understudy instead.  The understudy was good, but when you are expecting Ms. LuPone your expectations are HIGH!)

I will spare you my favorite scene in the TV show "Will and Grace" where Jack (the delightful and effervescent Sean Hayes) tells off guest star Patti LuPone. 

OK no I won't spare you it, because it is soooo good - oh how I miss "Will and Grace" ... here it is, thanks to a MySpace posting.

Although it was quite warm for New York City in late November, my Floridian blood was freezing.  I saw a long line of people through the glass windows of Magnolia Bakery.  The little voice inside my freezing head said "I bet they have hot apple cider!"  I went inside and sure enough they did ... I'd just have to wait for the 800 million people in front of me to get their orders before I could place mine.  

As I stood in line, I kept watching people get handed squat little tubs.  They looked like short pints of ice cream or like the tub you get from Wendy's if you order chili.  What the heck could be in those tubs?  They looked too small to be cupcake tubs.  Could it be buttercream frosting?  Yes, I was pretty sure it was buttercream frosting.  But seriously, would like 30 people be getting buttercream frosting at 11:30 p.m. on a Saturday night?  It didn't seem likely.  What on earth could be in those darn tubs?

I had already had my heart set on a slice of pistachio cake and the largest cup of hot apple cider that Magnolia Bakery is legally allowed to serve me (thanks a lot, Mayor Bloomberg), but I couldn't get the mystery of those squat little tubs out of my head.  

Finally when I got to the front of the line, I was told that they were out of apple cider.  GRRRRR!  Way to ruin my plan, Magnolia Bakery!

So I asked exasperated - "what's in those tubs, anyway?"  Banana pudding, the clerk said cheerily, seemingly oblivious that she had just destroyed my world by telling me they were out of apple cider.  Banana Pudding?  Puh-lease, I am from "the South," there is no way that Magnolia Bakery's banana pudding could be better than what I can get at home.  I ordered a slice of pistachio cake to go - and then said "Oh and throw in one of those tubs of banana pudding too."

The pistachio cake was dry and tasteless but with a nice Southern-style whipped frosting.  I took a few bites and then chucked it - it was not worth the calories.  

But the Banana Pudding - BAM!  Hello sweet thing, where have you been all my life?  My friend LM's version of a Paula Deen recipe of Banana Pudding is still the epitome of best banana pudding for me, but Magnolia Bakery's banana pudding has to rank in the Top Five of my heart - and definitely the best banana pudding you can get above the Mason-Dixon line.  

So if you happen to be at Magnolia Bakery in New York City, look past the cakes and the cupcakes and give those squat little white tubs a try - you'll be happy you did.

5) The Chocolate Bar at Marie Belle Chocolates

Now when I say "chocolate bar" - I don't mean brick of chocolate.  I mean the dessert cafe in the back of the wickedly good Marie Belle Chocolates in SoHo.  A place you just have to try.  

I am 99.2% sure actor Gabriel Byrne was sitting behind me when I was at Marie Belle in July 2012.  If it was not him, then it was an alien clone because the gentleman looked exactly like him.  While I was casting sly glances behind me, I had a frozen iced chocolate drink and their dessert special - these amazing profiteroles - ice cream stuffed cream puffs.  Delish!

6)  If you're in the Cupcake Mood ...  Crumbs Bake Shop

One of my friends told me that she read an article claiming that pie is the "new cupcake" when it comes to dessert trends.  One only has to search my blog for the word "pie" to know that I have been riding the pie trend for YEARS!  I love pie, but because NYC still seems to be all about cupcakes I am including a cupcake recommendation here.  So if you're craving a cupcake in New York City, try Crumbs Bake Shop.  There are many locations around the city.  I had the Grasshopper cupcake - it was a bit dry but I also had put it in the refrigerator overnight, so I suspect that may have been the culprit.

7)  My favorite cheesecake in New York City

My favorite chicken pot pie, my favorite macaroni and cheese and my favorite cheesecake in New York City can all be found in one place ... Brooklyn Diner.   Which despite the name is not located in Brooklyn, it has two locations in Manhattan and bills itself as "The Finer Diner."  I love diners, but diners that serve upscale versions of diner food?  Yes, please! Did I die and go to heaven?  I love Brooklyn Diner!  It is an absolute must visit on my NYC trips.  

Their "Strawberry Blonde" cheesecake with side of whipped cream and pitcher of Valrhona chocolate sauce is a symphony of cheesecake lusciousness.  You have to have this cheesecake.  It is a moral imperative.

8)  My favorite afternoon tea and pastries in New York City

I have written an entire very lengthy blog post on my love of Podunk Tea Room.  See all the delicious tea pastries in my post here.

9)  My favorite black and white cookie in New York City

I haven't had a black and white cookie in a long time.  The ones in Florida simply do not compare to New York City ones.  Sorry I don't have a photo, but my absolute favorite black and white cookie in NYC comes from Ben Ash Deli at 55th Street and 7th Avenue.  They have a bakery counter on the side of the deli, so you can quickly pop in to pick one up.  Soft, pillowy cookie with rich vanilla and chocolate glaze.  Yumtastic!

Other dessert mentions:

Junior's Cheesecake - I have heard that Junior's has the best cheesecake in New York City.  I visited the original Brooklyn location and was not impressed at all. Read about it here.

What are your favorite desserts in New York City?  Please leave your feedback and tips for Miss Brandy in the comments section below!

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