Flour Museum

That's right! And it looks pretty.

Rosendal Trådgarden

I've been pretty stoked about my brother arriving to Sweden for quite some time. I just knew that any Donenfeld in his/her right mind would love this country. It's a perfect blend of adventure and pleasantry. The people are incredibly friendly. They go heavy on the seafood. A major national dish is cinnamon buns (kanelbulle). Though I am yet to experience it, winter is all about skiing here. And the entire country looks and smells like camp. It makes me wonder how much my parent's Scandinavian honeymoon in 1976 has effected my upbringing... Us children were tucked into a rotating selection of Maremekko sheets each nights- trucks, Teddy bears ... They even starched said sheets to our rooms as wall paper. Hmm. We're all really into crispy flatbreads, too.

This is all to say that my running list of 'Stockholm stuff for Jeff' to see got pretty long in the last month. From the Ikea exhibit to design stores to island hopping/camping, when I drop him off there at the end of our week together (I head to St Moritz to meet Mr. Taylor; Jeff has two solo days before heading home), he'll have no shortage of activity ideas.

AND NOW TO THE POINT: One more place I'm adding to the list is Rosendal Trådgarden. Like a larger Appelfabriken, RT is a garden center, boutique, cafe, picnic spot. It's located in Stockholm-proper on Djuragarden, an island that's mostly green which hosts the amusement park, a few museums and some spectacular houses in which live either very old or very wealthy people.

Rosendal is a bit of a hike to get to but arriving there is arriving to paradise. There's a manicured lawn covered in picnic tables and well-placed trees ideal for shade. There's a large garden around which people are encouraged to stroll. There's a covered outdoor plant center as well as a tomato hot house. There's a boutique where the likes of oils, lotions, pottery and teas are sold. And of course there's a cafe complete with cakes, biscuits, sandwiches and soup. Everything made here is made from the ingredients they grow. Carrot cake with fresh pulled carrots, etc. If it's not grown at RT, like wheat for flour, you can rest assured that all bread is baked on premise. Talk about local.

It's an ideal place to spend an afternoon. A book and good walking shoes are all you need.

Chocolate Bar Returns

This was important news in case anyone missed it this morning in the Dining Section.  The Chocolate Bar in the West Village returned yesterday and it's bigger and better than ever.

Graham Ave Breakdown

After living on the edge of Williamsburg and Greenpoint for over a year now, I am almost convinced that my "new" stomping grounds rival my old (West Village and Soho). I've compiled a list of my favorite places...from the walk to my apartment from the Graham Ave L-stop.  Not bad!! And, this isn't including my local laundry drop off, a few great bodegas, one-hour photo, a little shipping place, a pharmacy, a wine store, the park, and a pet store.  There's also a hair salon for old ladies and a place to purchase (and get delivered) tombstones... but I don't need those things yet.

Motorino
New, food-media loved pizza joint opened in late 2008.  Former BLT chef and generally lauded chef owns, runs and cooks almost every night.  All pies are good. Try the seasonal one. BYOB.

Barosa
Old school Italian. Neighborhood joint. Great risotto, garlic knots (for free, all you can possibly eat), eggplant parm, and pizzas.

Harefield Road
A solid bar run by an Irishman.  Come in the summer to sit on the patio in the back.  Cozy up at the long wooden tables in the winter.  Whatever you do, don’t miss brunch.

Ralph’s
In the summer, their ices are irresistible.  Strawberry, ‘Smores, Birthday Cake, and Cherries Jubilee are my favorites.

Oak
Wedged next to my go to bodega, Oak is easy to miss.  But the backyard is a treasure in the summertime.  Figs grow from a fig tree that shades the entire space.  Mediterranean food to boot.

Caffe Capri
Joe Capri makes the best iced coffee around.  The secret? Crushed ice… along with many years of experience.  He and his wife came to the hood from Italy when they were children and have been serving up the neighborhood’s caffeine fix since the time when it was Williamsburg mobsters, not hipsters.  The décor is always festive to say the least.  Be prepared for a few fun stories to go along with your coffee.

Blue Stove
So New! A little café with pies, muffins, coffee and a little blue stove.  Sit here all day and read.  Take a meeting.  Pick up the cuties lingering by the counter.  A welcome addition.

Fanny
French food plus a few additions like a burger and fish sandwich make this a neighborhood staple.

Emily's Pork Store
Classic, old-school Italian pork store. Two brothers make their own sausages and other meaty items. It's also stocked with everyday Italian sundries.

La Locanda
My favorite. Homemade pastas, thick accents, family dining.  Fresh, simple, always good.

La Piazzetta
Everyone’s old country here.  The chef, the waiters, anyone who walks in the door.  There is always a site to be seen of old couples, slick guys on dates, and without a date a few birthday parties.

Daddy’s
A dirty lil’ bar that no one ever tires of.  The margeveza is famed at this point, but just as good.

The Richardson
The new kid.  Refined, pro-crafted cocktails like French 75s and Manhattans are drinkers choices here.  There’s an unbeatable selection of bourbons for this neighborhood.  Small but tasty nibbles, and a kitchen open til 2am, keep people hobnobbing all night long.

Beaner
A Mexican coffee bar complete with artwork and music to set the mood.  Try the Chicano Mochaccino.
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Carlos Coffee at Fives Leaves

I wanted to check out Five Leaves, a new café that’s come to the periphery of my neighborhood, because of a) the Smith & Mills connection to its design and b) the Heath Ledger connection to its inception. I was surprised when, one day, while grabbing a coffee from its convenient to-go window, I saw Carlos. Carlos is a highly skilled barista who I patronized many years ago at Brown, in the Lower East Side. I hadn’t been there in a long time until a few weeks ago when I revisited the place, and of course saw Carlos, which left me nostalgic for daily access to perfect cappuccinos—sweet steamed milk, velvety foam, and caramel-y smooth espresso. He was such a pro that he’d even finish off the top with a steamed milk design of a tree or a leaf or a heart. I was then doubly surprised to see him resurface at Five Leaves. More than the design and the Heath Ledger connection put together, you should go to Five Leaves for a Carlos coffee.

My Favorites from our Sophomore Year

My favorite “frills” new restaurant of the year was Elettaria. Chef Nawab is just doing such interesting things on the plate and the space is truly stunning. I don’t know if this restaurant has staying power, or if the chef will run out of ideas, but it is truly inspired cuisine.

My favorite “a little frilly” new restaurant is Naka Naka. It isn’t very new, but it’s very good. It’s a small Japanese restaurant in Chelsea; very quiet, very romantic.

The “no-frills” newbie that takes the cake is Miss Favela, the Brazilian place under the Williamsburg bridge that cranks fun music and flavor-packed food out all night.

My favorite outdoor dining/I would like to have a private dinner party in their garden restaurant is BoBo. The townhouse resto was doomed with a bad chef but then got a really, really great chef. Everything we tasted was delicious and the space is so lovely. Sit outside for sure.

My favorite Brooklyn restaurant is not a new one, but it’s outstanding. Go to Savoia, in Carroll Gardens, for the artichoke and calamari fritter and for the eggplant caponata with shrimp. These dishes should be in the 1000 Things To Do Before You Die book.

The most decadent dessert I had was a caramel chocolate tart at Marlow and Sons. It was a solid wedge of the two title ingredients held up by a graham/shortbread crust and dusted with salt. Brilliant.

My favorite little piece of perfection was the “spices” truffle from MarieBelle. I have no idea what was going on with it, but it was heaven.

As far as dining in, the crab cakes that my boyfriend makes are probably the very best food of that type that I’ve tasted. He learned while working as a restaurant in Charleston and has since perfected them. I gave the recipe in a spring DISH and I suggest that every guy learn to make this recipe. Every girl, too.

When I have cooked this year, I have found myself going back to the Honga’s Lotus Petal Cookbook. Honga’s Lotus Petal is my family’s favorite restaurant in Telluride, Colorado. Since we have been patrons (18 years!), Honga has had to move her restaurant to a larger location three times because she keeps getting more and more popular every year! This year, she and I swapped cookbooks and I have used her recipes as many times as I’ve cooked the recipes in my own.

Batch of Unusual Sweets

I stopped into Batch, Pichet Ong’s P*Ong bakery follow-up on tenth street, and found some unusual treats last week. The least curious, but by no means dull, were two cupcakes. There was a Chocolate Devil’s Food variation, which was chocolate cake/chocolate frosting but surprised with a caramel layer within. There was also a Carrot/Salted Caramel delight in which the cake was carrot and the frosting was caramel with a salty sprinkle on top. It had a lime fill that gave the cupcake an extra thrill.

The other two goodies were shots in the dark that turned out to be successes. A passion fruit rice pudding was mellow and creamy while the Muscat grape crumb cake was spicy and sweet all at once. I found out later that the rice pudding was somehow dairy-free, which was perhaps the most remarkable thing of all!

TJ’s FuJi’s

Searching for some dried pears (which is harder than you might think) one afternoon, I wandered into Trader Joe’s. It was the 5th place that I looked and it felt like a dream when I found them. However, my pear pleasure was overwhelmed when I found, directly below the pears, dried fuji apples. Chunks of semi-sec apple squares clouded the packaging. I had to buy them.

My impulse was right—the gooey bites are fantastic. I ate a few on the train ride home as a snack; I added them to ginger cookies. In the morning, I sliced them into oatmeal. They would be great on a cheese platter if quince paste weren’t your cup of tea. Head to T.J’s asap to pick up a few packs—the chain has been known to supply a limited amount of their most coveted items, and this one is sure to be.

Hill Country for Christmas

Hill Country, the BBQ joint that garnered so much press when it opened its doors during the summertime, always seemed to me like more of a wintery type of establishment. And, now that ‘tis the season, I am excited to make this recommendation: regardless of which holiday you choose to celebrate, on December 24th, eat Hill Country

Their per-pound ordering policy makes the hill’ an ideal place if you aren’t sure how many people you’ll end up feeding. When neighbors and friends start calling, you won’t have to turn anyone away.

The moist brisket and the whole roasted chicken are not to be missed. Also, inquiring about meat specials has been a no-fail option during my visits. If you are taking the meal to go, then you can toast the white bread that comes with the meats. I know it isn’t traditional—and that many Texans reading this will put out a warrant for me—but it really makes a better sammy when the bread’s toasted.

Potato Bourbon Mash (very festive, hey?!) and the Beer Braised Cowboy Pinto Beans. I’d also dive into a full 32 oz. portion of the Cool as a Cucumber Salad as a means for cutting the fat and for transitioning between meats and courses. Skillet Cornbread here is standard but sort of a necessity in my opinion. Desserts are not a strong point, but you will probably be too full to eat dessert in any event. If you must have something sweet, the Bourbon Pecan Pie is the best choice. Plus, if there are extra sweet potatoes, you can pile them on top, which is what I did. It’s great! —Don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it.

If you are carrying out or having delivery, be sure to call a day ahead because a Country Christmas Eve is sure to be a popular proposal this year. And, if you are going to be dining in your home, definitely get extras because this cuisine makes excellent leftovers. Nearly everything gets better on the second day, namely the beans. If there is extra corn bread, make bread pudding with it. Whether you’re ripping open presents or enjoying a quiet day: Happy Holidays!

An Expert Sandwich

I had an expertly made sandwich a few weeks ago on a jaunt in Brooklyn with a few equally enthusiastic epicureans. The sammy was made by Joe Caputo of Caputo’s fame, but my crew had so much of a say in what went into the mix that we decided we should take a little credit for the combination.

Start with a fluffy ciabatta flecked with bits of rosemary and made with a small portion of wheat flour along with the traditional white. Bread and fry an inch-thick slice of a breast of chicken. Allow it to cool and lay it onto the bottom half of your bread. Then, slice some fresh, preferably house-made mozzarella. Lay the slices on top of the chicken. Take some good quality, jarred sun-dried tomatoes, and cover the cheese with them, allowing for the jus from the jar to drip over everything. Cover the stack with the top piece of rosemary ciabatta and sliced it in two.

Eat one half now and save the other one for later.

A Few Brooklyn Stops for Turkey Day

I recently had the pleasure of spending an entire Saturday afternoon with the legendary culinary écrivain, Ed Levine. He is the founder of Serious Eats, an excellent blog devoted to everything edible. We went on a trek through Carroll Gardens and Red Hook in an effort to devour an array of the local delicacies. We didn’t have Thanksgiving in mind during the tour; however, when I took a look through my notes, I realized that many of the gems he uncovered would fit in perfectly at the turkey day buffet.

At  Caputo’s on Court Street, we sampled 25-year-old balsamic vinegar that was almost as viscous as honey and nearly as sweet, too. Imagine it glazed over the turkey for a sophisticated bird. Then came Joe’s Superette, a strange deli on Smith Street with few items on the shelves but bustling with people hungrily awaiting 50-cent proscuitto balls—one bite wonders, served hot out of the fryer. They are a breaded blend of ricotta and proscuitto. Purchase them by the dozen, fry them yourself, and serve to your guests prior to the big meal. If you want to go all out on nibbles, do not miss the sweet and the spicy sopressata at Esposito’s Pork Store just up the way from  Caputo’s on Court Street. You’ll spot it by the oversized and slightly terrifying cast pig outside the store. The guys working the counter have been making sausage in their special (and very secret) way for generations—they also do a brisk business in meatball sales, so if your Thanksgiving Day spread leans towards the Italian side, consider picking up a few dozen of these treasures.

Margaret Palca Bakes on Columbia Street is the spot for buttery, flakey rugelach in traditional apricot and sumptuous chocolate. But my sweet tooth’s preference is for the classic holiday dessert of pie, pie, and more pie. To pick up a few beauties, Baked on Van Brunt Street, is your go-to. I wolfed down a Butterscotch Pudding Pie and Ed dove in for the classic apple variety. Both were favorites of the day. And we’ve heard all good things about their pumpkin pie.

Whether you are having a small get together or an extended family extravaganza, any or all of these Brooklyn secrets will please even the pickiest of eaters.

Madeleine Halloween Macarons

When chef pâtissier Pascal Goupil opened Madeleine on 23rd Street during the summer, the Dish girls at our headquarters couldn’t get enough of the myriad flavors of macarons. After owning and operating the French Oven in Chelsea Market for so long, Goupil is a macaron pro. In his stand-alone, adorable pâtisserie, inventive varieties like red wine, salted caramel, and currant saddle up next to traditional chocolate, pistachio, and vanilla.

This month, Goupil introduces a few seasonal flavors. Celebrate Halloween with pumpkin, cranberry, and fig forms of the Parisian treat.

They’re a bit pricey at $2.50 a pop, but one—with its sugar domes encasing an ample slathering of buttercream—is rich enough that it’s all you’ll need.

If you are having a fête to honor the ghosts and goblins, picking up a few dozen macs will surely make your party a hit for the sugar-inclined set.

Bierkraft: No. 1 Stop for Oktober

Bierkraft is a sliver of a store tucked away in Park Slope; if you find it, you’re bound to be imbibed in foamy bliss. Specializing in brews from around the world, beer aficionados can peruse the shelves for over 600 varieties.

Such elixirs are arranged geographically and include an assortment of Indian Pale Ales like Dogfish Head 60 minute, 90 minute, and 120 minute IPAs and Smuttynose IPA. There is also the Dish-tested Allagash Tripel Reserve White Ale, which a Culinista once used in a delicious summertime tart. Notes of honey and pineapple pilot this golden beer to a top ranking on Dish charts.

Meatier beers are also numerous. Keegan Ale Mother’s Milk is a tasty, weightier brew. Dish gals tasted hints of dark chocolate and coffee. You can find Ringwood Brewery’s award winning Old Thumper, which they bill as “extra special ale,” because it is the brewery’s strongest. A pepper-and-apples, autumnal vibe in both the taste and weight of the beer make it a perfect Oktoberfest accompaniment to any sausages or kraut you may come across.

The Ommegang Brewery, featured in the above article, makes a quality Belgium-style selection of beers. After a trip to Bierkraft, the Dish enjoyed the Ommeggedon, an 8% ale with strong shots of citrus. The beer, which comes in a 750mL bottle, was delicious with Cuban-spiced shrimp and a hearts of palm salad.

The shop also always has several beers on tap available for purchase in reusable growlers.  Six Point Sweet Action and Diesel were available during the Dish visit.

Bierkraft’s selection doesn’t stop at beverages, however. The specialty shop also provides ideal accompaniments to the top-notch bottles. Keen’s Cheddar, Cypress Grove Midnight Moon, and Cashel Blue might all make great nibblers depending on your beer of choice. A charcuterie counter offers up superbly made, manly sandwiches to absorb the booze. A serious selection of chocolate is available for something to finish up with.

T Salon

Miriam Novalle has spent a lifetime devoted to tea. She’s traveled far and wide researching the health benefits and the diversity of tea across the world. In her recently opened location in the Chelsea Market, customers can enjoy varieties of assam, darjeeling, ceylon, white, and green teas. They can drink pink fermented barley (not the tastiest, but perhaps the healthiest), and can add powder shots of açai and wheatgrass to their drinks.

Novalle prides herself on her selection of teas and elixirs. On any given day she’ll have more than a dozen from which to choose. Dish favorites include lemon earl grey and papaya.

If you’re in the mood for more than just a satisfying beverage, Novalle also has a variety of raw cuisine to accompany her teas.

Tra-La-La-ing

Since I first explored the Essex Market in the lower east side in 2003, it has come a long, long way. What was once something that seemed like a mere collection of bodegas beneath one roof is now a fully developed, full-service, funky group of specialty markets.

Ann Saxelby Cheesemongers pioneered the move into the market in 2005, and now people like Kenny Shopsin are following.

Our favorite recent arrival is Tra La La, a juice bar and muffin stand. The Blue Monkey is by far the best blueberry-banana muffin the Dish team has tasted. Arrive at almost anytime to find the muffin makers pulling a fresh batch out of the oven.

Wash it down with any of the fresh-juiced fruit and vegetable combos for the freshest start in the neighborhood.

Spotting the Single Origin Trend

Similar to the ever-popular trend of local produce and products comes the offshoot movement of single origin specialties. Superior in that they are purer than the alternative, chocolate, coffee, and honey makers are all making a point of concentrating their products to solo locales.

Michel Cluizel offers a dainty stack of his single origin chocolates, which range from the Tamarina dark chocolate (hailing from the Tamarina plantation in São Tomé) to the Los Anconés plantation in the Dominican Republic, which produces chocolate that is 67% dark.

Valrhona also specializes in single origin chocolates with estates in Trinidad, Madagascar, and Venezuela, to name a few.

The chocolatiers who boast chocolate that comes from one location intensifies and focuses the beans to achieve distinct flavor profiles.

Kenneth Nye of Ninth Street Espresso, who purchased entire sub lots of single origin coffee beans, follows the same creed. His cafés press a different bean each week from plantations in Colombia, Rwanda, Honduras, and Sumatra. At Café Grumpy in Chelsea, all of the coffee options are single origin and they are brewed to order. A Bolivian coffee from the Cenaproc Co-Op was a Dish favorite, as was the Zaragoza Mexican decaf, which was surprisingly smooth.

And speaking of smooth, even beekeepers are making honey in the single origin method. Honey has two components that need regulating—the flowers and the bees that pollinate them. Single origin honey is single-flower honey that bees, exclusive to that patch of flowers, pollinate. The colors, flavors, and crystallization rate range from region to region. The most popular single flower honeys come from the mountains of Carolina (from the sourwood flower); Georgia, which produces a tangy tasting honey from gallberry flowers; and in Florida, from where perhaps the most well-known and accessible tupelo honey comes.

For now, their single locations raise their price tags a bit, but with the trend creeping towards the masses, we hope that the popularity of single origin goodies will alleviate some of the costs. Until then, it’s singularly worth it!

Zingerman’s

Zingerman’s, the famed Michigan gourmet shop and extensive online specialty website, is having a Winter Oops We Bought Too Much Food Sale. Score deals on Zingerman’s brand gourmet goods as well as smoked sea salt from Wales, candied chestnuts, and a super special bottle of one hundred year old balsamic vinegar, on sale from $700 down to $500.

Other gems of the sale include delicious, specialty muesli from England, peanut butter chews, hailing, oddly enough, from Jersey, pistachio cream that I imagine will be lovely with a piece of soft cheese, pomegranate molasses, and licorice jam. If you are in the market to buy any gift or just want to spice up a bare pantry, now is the time to hone in on Zingerman’s finds.

Serious Coffee

It’s easy to drink serious amounts of coffee, but to be a serious coffee drinker, there are few pulling a shot of the brown liqueur who are up to the standards of a true aficionado.

That’s why a place like Ninth Street Espresso, which recently (confusingly) opened on 13th Street in the lobby of the Classic Stage Company Theatre, is triggering coffee queues for the connoisseurs.

Using the über-concentrated method of pulling a shot, triple ristretto, in which the coffee is ground very finely and tamped very tightly to produce a shorter but fuller, sweeter shot, the baristas craft cappuccinos and americanos to perfection. This method grants an irresistibly thick crema to the top of every drink.

The coffee isn’t going unnoticed. Those in another business bent on beverages are flocking to Ninth Street—wine directors, sommeliers, and the like can be spotted regularly appreciating the craft of these more-than-your-average-joe pick-me-ups.

Choosing Your Chocolate Tree

At Jacques Torres’ chocolate factory on King Street and Hudson Street, there stands Christmas Trees, Santas, and Snowmen made of divine dark, milk, and white chocolate. These aren’t the usual chocolate objects; JT’s festive chocolate molds are more like artwork. On Christmas trees, hints of colored chocolate create lights and ornaments. Snowmen and santas are festooned with chocolate buttons, collars, and other features so that any merrymaker can identify the cocoa creature.

These jovial edibles come in three sizes. The smallest is perfect for a stocking stuffer; the middle is great to give as a treat to a grandson or niece to share with his/her siblings. The largest model—it’s about a foot tall—will make a whimsical centerpiece.

It’s not just the finished product—and the consumption of the creature—that’s so impressive. Go to the factory to pick yours up and watch as hundreds are molded and made daily through the glass display window—it’s the true miracle of Christmas!

Wine Gums

Why didn’t we think of this?

I recently tried the British gummy candy made by Maynard’s called Wine Gums. They look a little like JuJubes; however, imprinted on each gummy are wine messages: port, sherry, champagne, burgundy and claret.

The kidney, crown, circle, and diamond shaped candies don’t taste like wine but do have a subtle fruitiness similar to a sip of fine wine, according to Cadbury Trebor Bassett. Perhaps it’s a more sophisticated flavor than many American gummy counterparts, but most are typical candy flavors: lemon, apple, and orange. The gem of the bunch is the black one, which tastes like black currant.

The delicious, glucose-laden gummies are available at Myers of Keswick on Hudson Street.