Mexican Hot Fudge

To go along with last night's Mexican themed dinner, I doctored a recipe I found in David Lebovitz's The Sweet Life in Paris (the book for those of you who haven't read it, is a fun, if sometimes silly, read, that will make you wish you'd started saving for your trip to Paris yesterday) for hot fudge and made it Mexican. I thankfully disregarded his caution that a little goes a long way and doubled the recipe then added 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract and one teaspoon of ground cinnamon.

All I can say is that once we'd gone through all of the vanilla ice cream and the raspberries - I highly suggest the combination- we made quick work of any left over fudge by the spoonful, right out of the bowl. It was so good I even forced myself to lick the pot. It was quick, easy, and the perfect cap to the fish tacos and fresh corn salad we'd had for dinner.

The original recipe is here. Click on the image to make it big enough to use.

A tip.

10 Downing is offering restaurant week dinner menus through August 31. Go now! Request a table inside but near a window so that you get the best of both worlds - the breeze and the street scene plus the cool artwork - and make sure you order the egg raviolo. It's the perfect, light, summery take on pasta carbonara.

The restaurant isn't hooked up with opentable so call them at (212) 255-0300 to make a reservation. It's worth the extra 30 seconds.

Snacks abroad

I love checking out snack foods from other countries. Here is a small selection from the Rhodes airport in Greece during a stop on our return trip from Turkey. Heinz Ketchup! Mushrooms and Sour Cream?

Aamchi Pao

This "ethnic" sandwich craze is really taking off. First Vietnamese, then Cambodian, I hear Mexican will be next. So when an Indian sandwich/street food place opened relatively near my office, Aamchi Pao, I had to try it. Do they have something to contribute or are they just vying for their piece of the excitement?

I think after eating there twice now, the answer is yes. Yes, their food is good. Some of it is even great. Is it particularly different than the kati or roti roll places that have been around for years? No. Especially if you order the more expensive and more filling paratha option.

If you opt for a Pao, expect sliders. Very good sliders on chewy, buttery rolls, but sliders nonetheless. The best filling that I tried by far was the Spinach Lentil Tikki with tomato mustard chutney, ginger, and turmeric pickle. The bhaji (potato) that I'd heard so much about and the lamb fillings were both bland. And rather than order the chicken chapli pao, save your money for the much jucier and tastier version with chickpeas and rice from Sammy's Halal cart at 6th Ave and 4th Street.

As for the rumored Devi desserts, both times I've tried to order them, that's all they were, a rumor. So don't hold your breath.

Abraço lives up to the hype!

I have a real love/hate relationship with food media. On the one hand, I can't get enough of it. On the other hand, I'm always so disappointed when a place that the food establishment loves turns out to be sub par, which happens all too often. Luckily, Abraço lived up to all of my (very high) expectations.

Finding myself with time to kill in the East Village this morning, I walked over to 7th Street and 1st Avenue. Abraço, for those of you who don't know, is more of a storefront than a cafe. There are no seats, just a kitchen, a counter, and a table outside that you can saddle up to. After much deliberation I ordered a cappuccino (no decaf espresso, to my chagrin), an almond rose cookie, and one of their famed brined olive shortbread cookies. All to go.

Sitting on the stoop of a brownstone on East 7th, enjoying my goodies and the street scape made for a wonderful New York morning. The almond rose cookie was just shy of tasting like perfume - a common complaint I have with rose flavored things - and had a wonderful crunchy texture from the almonds. The olive shortbread may have altered my eating habits permanently. I'm usually a forager. I pick out the morsels in a cookie and leave the cookie part. That's a mistake here. The olives alone are too salty. But in combination with the sweet, flaky cookie, it's really something special.

The coffee too was eye-opening. And only because I usually order decaf. It's strong but not bitter or overpowering with perfectly smooth, not airy foamed milk. They're purists. You won't find Splenda or skim, but you won't miss it either.

If only every day could start like this.