A Day Full of Chocolate

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Happy Valentines Day. may it be filled with all good foods you love  including this

Is Korean Cuisine The New french?

 For over eighty years French cuisine held court over new York fine dining. Now it's being challenged by a different kind of haute cuisine Korean. It combines the best of traditional Asian and European cooking and serving techniques

Regular contributor and famed restaurant critic Pete Wells explored this in today's New York Times Wednesday Food section. Fine dining may be dying down in other  big Americna cities however it's doing quite well in Manhattan. It's coming from a new breed of Korean restuarants where Korean -American chefs are cominging the best of their heritage with Gallic trchniques and practices. It  is topping a tradition that started with the famed Le Pavilion being transferred from the Queens 1939 world'd Fair to Manhattan.it lasted so long as to inspire other La and Le restuarantst to dot the city landscape. They brought Limoeges china, silver domes and white linen to the tables. These eateries are few and far between these days.It may give ideas of a higly contolled enviroment super attentive waitstaff and detail oriiented cooking. Mr. Wells suggests looking at it in a fresher way - as in a price bracket. The prices are high, beteeen 100 and 150 a person. These new Koren influenced ones appeal to a wide range of people, much like French cuisine. They also go beyond the restaurants seenn in middle class Korean enclaves like fort Lee New Jersey and Queens.

Of course there is also the halyu, the influx of Koren culture into America life . Arts, music and film can make a culture wanted accorodng to Jenny Kwak, chef and owner of Haenyeo ,a causal Koren restaurant with dishes starting at fortty two dollars." They demystify it," She can remember American chefs acknowledging Psy the singer behind 20212's popular song "Gangham style."  The pioneer to all of them ,Jungsik opened a year before his success.It features  expensive seafood dishes paired with top quality wines. Younger Korean chefs like Junghyun Park have opened up not one but two restaurants. He has  the vastly popular Atomix whuch strives for a modern vison of Korean cuisine and Naro, a more tradtional Korean menu. Another double restuarant owner, Hoyoung Kim has the popular Jua has a seven course tasting menu and Moono where a pot fo rice can cost as much as eigty-eight dollars. The most popular is Bom, where chef Brian Kim gives diner a totally immersive experience.It is expensive with meals starting at a whopping three hundred dollars.These restaurants do have French flourishes with caviar tarts and finishiung the meal with satiny chococlatr bonbons.

Fine dining is alive and well in New York City.I'ts not what most think.It has a decidedly Korean flavor to it.

Foodiie Mom Gifts

What do you get a foodie mom? yummy.There's a wide cornucopia of foodstuffs and gadgets that would make great Mother's Day presents.You can get them online or at your favorite stores. Nothing beats a favorite food or a much longed for appliance.She'll not only appreciate it she"ll probably love your ,her little foodie ,more. Jams and conserves are always a nice treat.Bonne Maman which can be found in any grocery has an excellent choice of jams such as plum and red current along with the more unusual fig and apricot.Pair a couple of them a box of buttery ,crusty croissants from Au Bon Pain and you have a great breakfast treat.Foodie moms love the unusual and adventurous.Spices from around the world make a neat gift.There are several spice houses out there,from Penzey's to the Spice house that you can choose from.You can also visit Indian,Chinese and Caribbean grocery stores , not only to buy seasonings but get advice and recipes which feature the spices .A nice box of chocolates can never go amiss.Yes,there is Godiva and Perugina there are also some more artisanal brands out there.Think about cocoa with sea salt or ancho peppers added.Donna and Company, a New Jersey based company incorporates olive oil and blood orange along with balsamic vinegar in their treats. If Mom is more into creating then eating then think gadgets.These are fun and help to alleviate any prep headaches. Two of the best companies for gadgets are Sur La Table and Quirky. Sur La Table has interesting shaped dishes for making frittatas along with brightly colored garlic peelers.It also sells ceramic pot minders and a bamboo spreader.Sur la Table has excellent whisk and knife sets as well.Quirky is another great site that has gadgets invented by the average person.These tools were made to fill a need? One of the best is Stem.This is a spritzer that can be inserted onto any lemon or lime and fresh juice can be spritzes on salads or in dishes.Pluck is another neat gadget. This is a fun yolk and white separator along with the Venti a salad bowl with a colander under eat.Quirky"s gifts are all relatively in expensive.If Mom's blender or microwave is acting funky then Mother's Day is the perfect time for a new one.K Mart, Target and even Lowe's has good prices on all of these other appliances.Sears is another good choice for any large kitchen appliance. A foodie mom will appreciate any food or kitchen oriented gift.Whether it's a box of ancho spiked chocolates or a funky egg separator, she's sure to love it.Getting her a present that reflects her passions always mother approved.

Sweets For Your Sweet

This is the week for chocolate buying. The conundrum is what to buy for your sweetie? You can go the splurge way and buy the most decadent gourmet candy around or be a cheapskate and head over to your local chain drugstore. The thing is even the less expensive brands are pretty good these days so there is a big variety to choose from.

If you’re going to go high end there are a few good chocolatiers to choose from. If you’re in or near the Garden State Plaza in New Jersey, drop into Butler’s This is my favorite hoplite shop and they offer a rich array of chocolates You can have the sweet salty sea salt caramel s or their luscious Irish creams fill candies. I just love anything they offer , even their buttery toffees. Another top quality one s Godiva’s found in almost every mall. Here you can buy a ballotin of truffles for your love. Their caramels and cremes are quite good too.

For those of you watching your wallet there’s Russell Stover and Walt Whitman sampler boxes. don’t turn your nose up at these Both brands have just as good an assortment as the high end brands. In fact I think they have more variety and stick to more traditional bonbons such as the coconut cups and nut clusters. M&Ms is also having a special valentines; Day box as is Reeses; The last is featuring a heart filled with peanut butter cups This is perfect for any candy aficionado and fun too.

This Valentine‘s Day you can either splurge or scrimp on your beloved. it’s up to you. Either way you’ll still wind up with a wonderful box of candy that hopefully will be shared.