Restaurant Candle 79, New York

After our stop at the bookstore Kitchen Arts and Letter, it was only natural to have some real food to please our teased by so many culinary books taste buds. My friend Lisa had something very specific in her mind: organic vegan restaurant Candle 79 on the corner of Lexington  Avenue and 79th Street.
From the entrance an elegant hostes takes us upstairs in to the contemporary and simple yet elegant zen space. Floor to ceiling windows on one side provide comfortable light while blocking a noise of busy New York streets. A relaxing atmosphere is created by a lit candle on each table. 
We are ready to indulge...

With the menu arrives this amuse: 
Chickpea & Portobello salad with Red Pepper Dressing

Saffron-lobster mushroom ravioli: spinach ravioli, sauteed garlic spinach, cashew ricotta, truffled tomato sauce.  

Grilled Kale: haricots verts (French for green beans), beluga lentils, red onions, turnips, avocado, sunflower seeds, spelt berries, chive vinaigrette

One of the most popular dishes Seitan Piccata: creamed spinach, grilled potato cake, oyster mushrooms, lemon-caper sauce

Rosemary Truffled Potatoes

Dessert: Pan-seared port wine cherries with French vanilla cashew cream, ginger candied pumpkin seeds and vanilla ice cream

Forbes called Candle 79  "a premiere destination for serious vegans and vegetarians", although even omnivores will be satisfied with enthusiastic and knowledgeable staff, elegant and delicious food, prepared from the local ingredients, and some exceptional vines. 
Candle 79 is a place to try something truly different and fell in love with it. Make reservations!

154 East 79th Street at Lexington Avenue | New York, NY 10021 

212-537-7179 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            212-537-7179      end_of_the_skype_highlighting

Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with Candle 79. It was Lisa's  generous treat. Thank you, my friend! 

See you,
Marina

Kitchen Arts and Letters

Before I left to New York, I made a list of places I wanted to visit. I knew we wouldn't have too much time, so I limited my list to two places: Carlo's Bakery and  Kitchen Arts and Letters, the bookstore that sells cookbooks. Not a cookbook section, not a small shelf, but a whole store, floor to ceiling of cookbooks.
A heaven for any cook, from a professional chef to a kitchen rookie.

How could I miss that? From their webpage I've learned that they offer more that 13,000 titles: all about food, cooking, food history, wine. Who needs a candy store when there is a cookbook store, which actually sells books on how to make candies too?!

We came to the store during the odd hours (in a big city slang meaning before or after the rush time), so the store was all to us. A friendly sales person was helpful in navigating us through the shelves, while we were just gasping for air when we saw books we wanted to have. The same sales person assured us, that if we can't find it in the store, to ask: they most definitely have it in is another area, as there's not enough room on the floor to keep all titles.
For a bookworm as I am, I want to have such a collection of cookbooks in my office, which would be conveniently located next to my big  dream kitchen. 

We spent quite some time in the store, lingering over colorful pages and interesting facts on food anthropology. And we both found some books that we couldn't live without any longer. One of them is The Georgian Feast by Darra Goldstein, book on history, traditions and food of Republic of Georgia with over one hundred recipes, some of which I am eager to share with you in the coming months. 

I can't wait to come back to the store one day soon! 

Do you have a favorite bookstore? 

What books do you prefer to buy?

Kitchen Arts and Letters accepts special orders and would conduct a search for out-of-print books without charge. 

Kitchen Arts and Letters

1435 Lexington Avenue,

New York, NY 10128

Hours:

Monday 1-6:00

Tuesday - Friday 10-6:30

Saturday 11-6:00

Phone: 212-876-5550

e-mail: letters@kitchenartsandletters.com

* I have no affiliation with Kitchen Arts and Letters, and I was not compensated in any way for this post. 
All thoughts and opinions stated in this post are 100% mine.


See you,
Marina

Carlo's Bakery (Hoboken, NJ)

The very next morning after we arrived to NYC, I decided to go to Hoboken, NJ to visit the famous bakery and try some of those intriguing desserts featured on the Cake Boss. I told Lisa where I am heading and she decided to come along despite my warning that we may be waiting in line for some time (the website advised on average of two hours wait, and Lisa doesn't like lines). Fifteen minutes ride on the PATH (NJ Transit) from the corner of 33rd Street and 6th Avenue took us to the Hoboken. 

A friendly gentleman directed us towards the bakery, which is recognised by a line outside. Just being there made me exiting, and anticipation of what is there to come put a big and happy smile on my face. Line moved surprisingly quick, and just twenty minutes later we were inside the Carlos Bakery, the famous and the best. 

It is exactly as I've seen it on the TV show "Cake Boss": little, clean, and perfumed with a smell of freshly baked biscottis, cupcakes, tiramisu, cookies... 

Tiramisu: elegant and tastes as good as it looks...

Cupcakes

Cannoli shells filled after you order it.

Cannolis, Napoleon, and tiramisu packed in a signature box 

Assortment of cookies

When our number was called we ordered: tiramisu, Napoleon, biscotti, cookies, and their famous freshly filled cannolis, that we ate outside the bakery, sitting on the bench and enjoying the view of the Manhattan. 
Needless to say that cannolis tasted fantastico, as everything else we had! 
It was a dream,  an adventure to remember, and a taste hard to forget. 

Everything in the bakery is made from scratch with no artificial flavorings or preservatives, and you can really taste the difference. 
As you know, I am not a big sweet eater, but I would definitely go back next time I am in the area. It's worth waiting in line! :)

Remember the hint from  this post?
Cookies from Carlo's Bakery made all the way home,
 and some were shipped to my daughter in Seattle for her birthday... :)

Carlos Bakery
95 Washington St., Hoboken, New Jersey 07030

                                                                                  Tel:     201-659-3671 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            201-659-3671      end_of_the_skype_highlighting

See you,

Marina