Dominique Ansel - A Little Taste of Paris in Soho

Dominique Ansel has been showing up everywhere since it opened in Soho in November 2011.  My general rule of thumb is if I read about a new bakery more than 3 times, and the word 'best' is included  somewhere in the review, it gets added to my neverending list.  I saw mentions of Dominique Ansel in NY Mag, Time Out NY, Serious Eats, Dessertbuzz - all my go-to sources for everything chocolate related.

My initial problem with Dominique Ansel, was that every time I tried to go there - it was closed!  The first time I went after the gym around 7:30, to find that they closed at 7. The next time I tried to go with a friend, we got there to discover they're not open Mondays.  I mean, for the city that never sleeps, this place sure does seem to get it's share.  Yesterday I finally made it there, on a Wednesday, at 6:30, and I was good to go (finally!)

Dominique Ansel (who is a man, which I just learned when doing my background research) who used to work as the Executive Pastry Chef for the restaurant Daniel, which I've never been to and probably never well since it's way out of my price range.  Originally from Paris (obviously), Dominique has risen to pastry stardom, and has been named one of the top 10 Pastry Chefs in the United States.

Dominique Ansel has a selection of sandwiches, salads, and soups, if you choose to stop there for lunch, which isn't a bad idea since they have a cute little garden area in back.  But I was there for the liquid caramel chocolate tart.

I definitely had my choice of desserts that looked amazing there.  There was a dulce de leche cup, filled with orange blossom milk chocolate ganache and caramelia rice krispies (that are also gluten free - I probably would've tried that too if I'd realized it yesterday).  There was a chocolate soft bun - milky chocolate bread with a chocolate ganache center.

But on to more important things - the liquid chocolate caramel tart.  Even the name makes me excited.  Who doesn't like liquid caramel with gourmet chocolate.  You really can't go wrong here.  The tart was a decent size - easily split between two people but not overwhelming for you to enjoy solo.  The chocolate shell was too thick to cut through with a fork, so you had to eat it by hand.  I was nervous the 'liquid' caramel would spill all over the place, but while it was liquid-y, it was also thick enough that it didn't ruin any article of clothing :)
The combination of thick caramel and soft ganache was perfect.  It was rich and creamy and each bite was thoroughly enjoyed.  There was a layer of chocolate cake with espresso, where I couldn't actually taste the espresso but it contrasted well with the sweetness of the caramel to dim down the sweetness.  The tart was $5+ tax, which is on the pricey side, but - it's in Soho, and it's French, and it's some sort of celebrity-type pastry chef, AND it was really good, so - I'll have to let it slide.

To be honest, after I finished the tart I wished I could try every other dessert in the place.  I was curious if everything could be that good.  I'll definitely be heading back here to try the chocolate bread and a cappuccino, and probably 3 or 4 other things that will definitely break the bank.

Dominique Ansel bakery is located at 189 Spring Street between Sullivan & Thompson. 212-219-2773

Their hours are 8-7 Tuesday through Saturday, and 9-6 on Sundays.  CLOSED MONDAY! DO not make the same mistakes I did - do not go on Monday, and don't show up at 7:30.  I promise, they will be closed :)
www.dominiqueansel.com

Cupcakeries from DC

A few years ago a friend went to Washington DC and told me about a cupcake place that was so good, people lined up to get inside.  In 2008 when Georgetown Cupcake opened, it was the first cupcakery in DC.  I found this shocking, since I've been a Crumbs loyalist since at least 2005!  But the DC market was apparently untapped, and Georgetown made a huge splash.  About a year ago, Georgetown opened a location in where else but NYC, so now I'd have the chance to try it too!

What I learned about these cupcakes, and why there were lines to get in, was that the owners - Katherine Kallinis and Sophie LaMontagne - are sisters who loved baking since they were children.  They used to bake with their grandmother, and use the leftover to make mini cakes and cupcakes.  Once they got older, they decided to quit their jobs in fashion and finance to open up the first shop, and once it got big it became their full-time gig (so envious!)  In 2010, they became the stars of the TLC show DC Cupcakes, which told their story and the aspects of running a small business from scratch.  They've now opened up locations in LA, Boston and Maryland as well.

If I was ranking establishments on decor alone, Georgetown would probably top the list.  EVERYTHING is pink!  If you know me, you know that this alone is a major sell point.  There's a whole wall of pink boxes to wrap the cupcakes - pink t-shirts - pink aprons - even a pink sparkly blender!  It's a 5 year old girl's dream :)
The down side of the shop are that there are only 3 tables to sit at in the NY location, but it's on Mercer street on a block that has a lot of stoops to sit on.  My friend Alana and I brought our cappuccinos and cupcake across the street and enjoyed them there, Sex & the City-style!

You can taste the freshness in Georgetown's cupcakes.  They're baked fresh every day, using specially imported ingredients (cocoa from France; vanilla from Madagascar, etc).  The menu changes daily, with about 18 flavors rotating each day.  they always have varieties of chocolate, vanilla, and red velvet, and then seasonal and special flavors.  There are some fun sounding ones on the menu like chocolate hazelnut and mint cookies and creme.  The full menu can be found here: Cupcake Menu

After staring at the display case for a good 10 minutes I decided on the Chocolate3, which consisted of Valrhona chocolate with Callebaur chocolate ganache icing, topped with french chocolate sprinkles.  Immediately after ordering, I decided  I'd made the wrong choice- the frosting is my favorite part!  
It was still a delicious cupcake though - it had rich chocolate, but not overwhelming chocolaty.  They're moist, with the perfect ratio of cake to frosting.  Surprisingly they mention the calories of the cupcakes, which you don't typically see except at places like Crumbs that have so many locations that they're mandated to put it on display.  Georgetown's cupcakes are estimated to be 250 calories each; 200 in the ones that have less frosting like the C3.

A fun tip - if you follow Georgetown on Facebook or Twitter, every day they announce a flavor that's not on the menu.  If you're one of the first 100 inside and mention the flavor, you get the cupcake for free!  

Georgetown Cupcake is located at 111 Mercer Street between Prince and Spring in Soho.
They're open Monday-Saturday from 10am-9pm, and Sundays from 10am-7pm.
www.georgetowncupcake.com

Rocco's Not So Modern Life

After a wonderful dinner at one of my favorite restaurants Sushi Samba in the West Village, my friend Becca wanted to pick up dessert at one of her favorite bakeries on Bleecker Street, Pasticceria Rocco.  I'm pretty sure I've been here before pre-blog days, but now it was time to write a review!

Pasticceria Rocco is a New York tradition.  It's probably the only spot on Bleecker Street that's been there since 1974.  An Italian bakery, you can find anything from cannolis to rainbow cookies to about 47 different kinds of cake.

Rocco is definitely famous for their cannolis.  While we were there I heard almost every other person ordering them.  Now you might think that would be what I'd review, however - recall the name of the blog here.  It's all about chocolate.  I'm just not a cannoli kind of girl, sorry!  They did have little chocolate covered ones, but I was distracted by the giant cookies in the window.  They were about the same size of a Jacques Torres cookie, but also extremely thick.  Holding one in your hand, it feels like it weights about a pound!  
<--- Brownie marshmallow cookie

                                                     Oreo marshmallow cookie --->

There were chocolate chip cookies dipped in chocolate, brownie
cookies with marshmallow, regular cookie dough cookies with marshmallow and oreo - lots of fun combinations.  I tried the brownie marshmallow and Becca had the oreo marshmallow.  They were decent cookies, but not close to being my favorite.  They had that Italian bakery taste to them - not very doughy or fresh tasting.  The rainbow cookies and lacy cookies were better, but not all that different from what I'd find at any other bakery.  Maybe I've gotten spoiled, but I felt that while Pasticceria Rocco has been around for almost 40 years, it hasn't changed with the times.  It had the taste and feel of an old-school bakery.  Which is fine, but I'm always on the hunt for something new and life-changing, and with places like Levain in existence, I can't give Rocco's too much credit.
That's not to say if I stopped off here to have coffee that I wouldn't get something anyway, because there were about 100 desserts to try (the chocolate mousse cup looked great, as did a number of the cakes).

Pasticceria Rocco is located at 243 Bleecker Street.  Open daily from 7:30am - midnight (weekends til 1am), you can stop in early for a cappuccino or after dinner at Keste for a late-night snack.

www.pasticceriarocco.com