New York Adventures - Part Deux - Crispy Pork, Red Velvet cake, and Bacon Creme Anglaise!

So on the next leg of the NYC journey we journeyed the morning to a local Queens haunt of Sweet Leaf coffee, one of the only current locations that serves the coffee lovers Stumptown coffee, which is roasted in Brooklyn.

But as good coffee isn't enough for a girl at brunch time, and NYC is a big city we headed to the east village to find the famed Porchetta sandwich. This sumptious sandwich includes herbs, fennel, and crispy pork belly. This pork belly goodness was wrapped and tied and then roasted till it's crispy!

So now that were caffinated and fully of yummy porky goodness! it's all about the need for sweet right? So what better than Bespoke Chocolates - reputability the best chocolatier in NYC! So check these out:

		Pretzel-Covered Sea-Salted Caramels One of Time Out New York's Top 100 Tastes and Winner of the 2008 Golden Scoop Award for Best Confection! A crisp chocolate shell encases silky, creamy, sea-salted caramel. Hand-rolled, each piece is covered in 66% cocoa content chocolate, then covered in a crunchy layer of delicious Martin's Pretzels, fresh from the Union Square Greenmarket.
		Espresso Domes (New photo forthcoming!) All the intensity of chocolate-covered espresso beans, delivered in a smooth ganache, enrobed in rich milk chocolate with a swirl of dark chocolate.
		French Milk Chocolate More complexity than you’d expect from an unadorned milk chocolate ganache. This bonbon eschews super-sweetness in favor of 40% cocoa content, but provides all of the milk-chocolate smoothness that you love.
		Southampton Tea Truffle Bright flavors of Caribbean chocolate blended with apricot-spiked Black Ceylon tea.

So now that we were sufficiently full we took a bit of a brake from the food journey and took in the Washington Square Park area, and NYU area.

Cake man raven, cakeman of Harlem
That's right girls and boys Red Velvet Cake that's sooo full of Red Dye it's almost stiff! Only the best of the best for Puff Daddy (a normal patron), but ohhhh girl the service left something to be desired! Not only was it unfriendly, but at times downright rude! I think it's cause they know what there selling! NYC Native quote "they don't have to be nice, they have the CAKE!"

So now that were caked and porked out we obviously need a thirst quencher! Remember there is ONLY walking and transit for real New Yorkers ( like the non-natives I was with) so NO cabs! that's such a toursit bitchy thing to do! Well at least none of the calories count if your walking THAT much! So on to the DRINK!
Vol de nuit was the name of this Outstanding Beer Dive (I kid) where they only serve the finest Belgian beers available!
Check a little of the list:

Bellevue
Framboise
Kriek

Chimay
Rouge
(premiere)
Blue
Grand Reserve
Cinq Cents
Cinq Cents

Corsendonk
Abbey Brown Ale
Abbey Pale Ale
Huyge-Melle
Duinen Dubbel
Duinen Trippe
Scaldis
Special AleClovis

Moortgat
Duvel
Duvel
Marsedsous Dobbel
Marsedsous Trippel

Orval
Trappist Ale


and lots more, as you can imagine!

So now well drunk and happy we stop by Washington Park and doddle for a little while, hit a trendy West Village Gay bar and then journey over to Dell' Anima!
The menu was as follows:

Bruschette

RAPINI PESTO walnuts, pecorino

CECI preserved lemon, celery, pickled cherry peppers

LILY CONFIT

Primi (pasta fatta in casa)

TAGLIATELLE ALLA BOLOGNESE 17

TROFIE pancetta, tomato, shallots, rosemary 16

LINGUINI cherry tomatoes, mint, chilies, sea urchin, colatura di alici 19

So food observations: Great pasta, perfectly cooked, outstanding Lilly Confit! Soo just, yummy! But overall? Pretty, good food, but there were so many people there that to talk you had to yell! it was awesome cuisine, but a little too cool for my taste- I like a place were the food is the star, not the people serving it?

Bolognaise

So as an after-dinner treat we jumped from the frying pan into the fire! with Ms. NYC birthday present from the diva! not bad, huh?

and of course, Dessert Truck!!!! YEah


WARM CHOCOLATE BREAD PUDDING $5
with Bacon Creme Anglaise - yes that said BACOn, and its was sumptuous! the perfect blend of creme, smoke, salt and savory on top of CHOCOLATE!!


GOAT CHEESE CAKE $6
Rosemary caramel, fresh blackberries
Now this one was ALSO particularly good! the goat cheese was savory and a perfect blend to go with the rosemary caramel sauce, which was salty and sweet!

ARE YOU KIDDING ME WITH HOW CHEAP THIS GOODNESS IS?

these are the other yummies that I didin't get a chance to try:
MILK CHOCOLATE MOUSSE $6
Creamy peanut butter center, caramelized popcorn
FRESH LOCAL STRAWBERRIES $6
Thyme cream, angel food cake
BROWNIE $6
Scoop of vanilla or chocolate ice cream, salted caramel,
pretzel crunch
WARM MOLTEN DARK CHOCOLATE CAKE $6
Olive oil ganache, hazelnuts, sea salt, vanilla ice cream
VANILLA CREME BRULEE $5
Freshly caramelized sugar

I can't believe that we don't have one of these in California, what a shame!
But don't worry frantic viewers, there's more to come!!!