Steve's Been There

Showing posts with label Dessert. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Pecan pesto vegan crepe at The Crepe Cart in the French Market of New Orleans

No visit to New Orleans is complete without a stroll through the French Market in the French Quarter of New Orleans. There's plenty to buy and eat with an emphasis on cajun and creole Southern cooking. Keep looking though, because there's a cart on wheels selling all kinds of sweet and savory crepes, including plenty of delicious vegan crepes. Read my full review of the pecan pesto vegan crepe at The Crepe Cart after the jump.

Pac Man salad at Counter Culture vegan restaurant in Austin, Texas

It was time to leave the vegetarian and vegan eats in Amarillo, but I had a day to stop in Austin, Texas to try out the grub there. Check out my review of Counter Culture's vegan comfort food with more pictures after the break.

New Mexico Apple Pie at Pie Town Cafe in Pie Town, New Mexico

I've been on the Green Chile Cheeseburger trail in New Mexico, and I noticed a town called Pie Town. Since I was already at the Very Large Array, it was easy to stop by and try the pies. Find out what I think and see more pictures after the jump.

Prince of Royale bacon and egg steakburger at Steak 'N Shake in St. Louis

Having tried our first Freddy's and Waffle House on our cross-country road trip, my daughter and I were on the lookout for more regional food chains. We spied a Steak 'N Shake near out hotel and had to give it a try. (We also got to try White Castle the night before, but I was too tired to remember to take pictures.)

Green Chile Steakburger at Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

On the long drive from Denver to St. Louis, my daughter and I stopped in Hays, Kansas for lunch. And we got lucky when we discovered Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers. Ice cream and hamburgers? Sounds good to us!

Sweet and Savory Kolaches at Hruska's Kolaches

Strawberry kolache at Hruska's Kolaches in Provo, Utah

I'm getting closer to my home in California, but still looking for unique and tasty things to eat. Which I absolutely found this morning at Hruska's Kolaches in Provo, Utah.

So what's a kolache? Wikipedia says "a kolach is a type of pastry that holds a dollop of fruit rimmed by a puffy pillow of supple dough." But at Hruska's bakery, they take it beyond a sweet danish and turn it into a breakfast meal, with many meat and cheese combinations to choose from. Their menu changes daily.

The dough is wonderful. It's fresh, soft, and airy. It has a buttery flavor that reminds me of the butteriness of a croissant, without any of the greasiness. Unlike a croissant, kolach dough chewy and moist. Sort of a cross between a fresh baguette and a croissant, but definitely with it's own unique taste. And they hold up well throughout the day -- I kept one for a late night snack, and it was still fresh and chewy.

Lots of strawberry filling

Bacon, cheese, and jalapeno kolach at Hruska's Kolaches

TIP: Get there early! Hrusha's closes when they sell out, and there was already a line at 7:30 on a weekday when I was there.

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Monday, April 20, 2015

Biscotti at Formica Bros. Bakery

Iced cranberry biscotti at Formica Bros. Bakery in Atlantic City

I found out about Formica Bros. Bakery in Atlantic City when I heard they bake the bread for the incredible sub sandwiches across the street at White House Sub Shop. They bake the bread loaves and deliver them several times a day by shopping cart.

Since I had already eaten their bread on my sub (and it's wonderful bread), I tried several of the biscotti. Freshly-baked biscotti taste so much better than old, stale, store-bought ones. These are full of flavor and are not rock hard.

Cinnamon biscotti

Fruit and nut bar. Chewy, fresh, and delicious.

The smell of fresh bread fills the bakery. Most of it ends up at White House Sub Shop across the street.

Formica Bros. Bakery is featured in this excellent foodie book --

Formica Bros. Bakery web site

Formica Bros. Bakery on Facebook

Formica Brothers Bakery LLC on Urbanspoon

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

The original smoothie at The Orange Inn in Laguna Beach, CA

The Orange Inn in Laguna Beach, CA

It's not everyday you get to try the original smoothie, and today was the day. Read my full review with pictures after the break.

Double D Cupcakes in Lancaster CA as seen on Cupcake Wars on Food Network

Red Dahlia cupcake at Double D Cupcakes in Lancaster CA

My next stop today was at Double D Cupcakes in Lancaster CA as seen on Cupcake Wars on Food Network. My full review with pictures is after the jump break.

Cafe Beignet in the Jazz Park in the French Quarter of New Orleans

Cafe Beignet at the Jazz Park in New Orleans' French Quarter

Continuing yesterday's guided Taste Buds food tour of the French Quarter in New Orleans, we walked over to the Cafe Beignet which is located at the back of the Jazz Park.

View from the balcony over the Cafe Beignet in the Jazz Park

Our tour group sat above the cafe in a small patio with a view of the jazz park. We listened to live jazz as we enjoyed our snack of beignets and cafe au lait.

Beignet and cafe au lait at the Cafe Beignet in New Orleans

Our guide asked us to compare the beignets from Cafe Beignet to those at Cafe Du Monde (read my post on Cafe Du Monde). Some differences: the beignets at Cafe Beignet are made to order (not in advance) and are hotter and fresher when they arrive at your table. In fact they are too hot to eat at first. They tasted fresher and fluffier to me.

Also, the beignets at Cafe Beignet are larger than the ones at Cafe Du Monde.

The cafe au lait at Cafe Beignet is stronger than the one served at Cafe Du Monde. I prefer strong coffee, so I really liked it.

Pro tip (courtesy of our tour guide, Linda): the jazz park is public, so you can enjoy the music without buying anything, and the restrooms (upstairs) are open to the public. More about the Musical Legends Jazz Park is here.

Cafe Beignet was seen on The Best Thing I Ever Ate on Food Network. Alton Brown declared it the best beignet he ever ate.

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Creole Creamery in New Orleans

Creole Creamery in Uptown, New Orleans

Creole Creamery is in Uptown in New Orleans, not too far from Tulane University.

The ice cream counter at The Creole Creamery

We needed a snack after our streetcar trip to Tulane University, so we hopped off and took a short walk over to The Creole Creamery in the Uptown district of New Orleans. Creole Creamery is friendly neighborhood ice cream parlor with lots flavors to choose from.

A double cone at The Creole Creamery

We tried the Petit Four and Cafe Au Lait. Both were creamy, fresh, and full of flavor. We got one in a cup and one in a waffle cone. We'll definitely make another visit to the Creole Creamery!

I found out about The Creole Creamery on the Brain Freeze episode of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.

Cafe Du Monde in the French Quarter of New Orleans

This is my first time in New Orleans and the Cafe Du Monde seems like a must-do for the first-time visitor to the French Quarter. So yesterday morning we took the streetcar to the French Quarter and walked down to Cafe Du Monde. We got there early and sat right down at a table. Turns out we got lucky because within a few minutes the line was already down the block. We also got lucky with the clear and warm weather.

Patio seating at the Cafe Du Monde

The menu is printed on the side of the napkin dispenser

There are some indoor tables but mostly there is a large outdoor covered patio with small tables. You seat yourself and after 10 or 15 minutes a waiter comes up for your order. There's not a lot of choices: orange juice, coffee, and beignets.

Cafe au lait at Cafe Du Monde

Ahh, the coffee! This is strong coffee with chicory which you can get plain or with milk (cafe au lait). Even with the milk, the coffee is still sort of strong. Just the thing to wake you up and get you ready for your day in the French Quarter.

An order of beignets at Cafe Du Monde

And the beignets! They are brought to your table almost as soon as they are made, and they arrive very hot with piles of powdered sugar. In fact you can't eat one of these without blowing the sugar all over yourself or perhaps your friends. They are warm and fluffy and delicious. You get three to an order.

After your snack you can wander around the side and watch how the beignets are made, and where the waiters line up to pick them up.

It's cash only at the Cafe Du Monde.

I'm glad I made the visit, especially since we got there early and missed the wait in line. I'm not sure I would have enjoyed my sugary treat and strong coffee as much after standing in a long line.

The gift shop is across the street where you can get the chicory coffee, beignet mix, t-shirts and a lot more. The prices are very reasonable; you can get a t-shirt for ten bucks. We picked up one, a couple of cans of coffee, and some drink mixes.

Cafe Du Monde has been featured on many travel shows, including Man Vs. Food and Food Paradise. The food show where I saw it was The Originals with Emeril Lagasse on the Cooking Channel.