Happy New Year!!!

I hope you all celebrated the new year well!

As 2014 is starting, let's review a bit 2013 for I Just Want To Eat!

I cannot not start this post without talking about the Cronut!

Some people say that this craze will soon stop: I do not know about that and it seems that, even with the cold weather, there are still people lining up to get this fantastic pastry (fusion between a donut and a croissant). For sure there were copycats, like the Crumbnut from Crumbs, but it was not up to par with the original. Most importantly, Dominique Ansel, that I consider a pastry genius (he makes a brioche where the center is a chocolate soufflé or frozen s'mores), launched a trend where we will probably see pastry chefs come up with original creations, maybe not to get the same attention, but rather as a challenge.

In New York, it was also the year where French bakeries have been popping up, especially Maison Kayser and Francois Payard, my preference going being the latter.

Talking about pastries, I also discovered Lady M Confections that opened a new location at Bryant Park. How do they keep their floor clean with all these people drooling in front of the cakes???

One of the most interesting anecdotes of the year was when I ended up cutting the ribbon for the opening of BCD Tofu House in Korea Town: I was very surprised that they proposed me and was very honored.

So, if I had to review all the places I visited, I would say:

The best pastry shop / bakeries:

Dominique Ansel Bakery,
Lady M,
Francois Payard Bakery,
Villabate Alba in Brooklyn.

The worst pastry shop / bakery:

Carlo's Bakery (and I tried few times!),
Maison Kayser (for the cakes, the viennoiseries are good).
Molly's Cupcakes.

The best restaurants:

Kingside (must have: the caramel pudding),
Luzzo's (great pizza).,
Le Relais de Venise (just steak frites).

The worst restaurants:

21 club (this is an institution, so go for the decor, not the food!),
Zuni in Hell's Kitchen,
The Turtle Club in Hoboken.

I limited the list to just a few because otherwise this post would be too long. There are so many places that I will wonder where to go! I was asked recently what the next trend would be and I think that it will be the farm to table concept as people are more and more conscious about what they eat. Let see in a year if I am right! In the meantime, remember: I Just Want To Eat! And I am sure you do too!

Enjoy (I will)!

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