Too sweet to handle?...Jean Philippe Patisserie

I have a confession. I am in love with Jean Philippe Patisserie. I don't know if it's the artistic genius of Chef Jean Philippe Mary displayed through the creation of his pastries, baguettes, candies, and crepes, or it's just because I'm a sucker for pastries. But either way, I really enjoy all this place has to offer. There are honestly

Bouchon Bakery Las Vegas

A few days ago, I experienced possibly one of the best pastries I've ever had...and it happened by accident. As I was visiting the Venetian Resort in Las Vegas looking for the box office to pick up my tickets for Phantom, I ran into a small little shop called Bouchon Bakery. I've heard many great things about this place, especially its shops in New York City, so I decided to give it a try. After browsing their various selections, a special treat caught my eye...the vanilla macaroon. Now at first glance, this macaroon appears to be

An Intense Treat of Near Perfection

After a long exhausting day of traveling, I decided to end my night on a good note by making a pit stop at my favorite patisserie, Jean Philippe Patisserie at the Aria Resort Las Vegas. Although this patisserie displays the artistic mastery of world pastry champion Jean Philippe through the creation of his pastries, cakes, baguettes, gelato, and chocolate candies, I personally feel that the highlight of this establishment is their freshly made warm crepes.  After trying to resist the temptation of buying one of everything at this shop, I decided to settle one of their famous chocolate crepes. Now I must say that this chocolate crepe is a very luscious treat. From the first moment you sink your teeth into this warm crepe, your taste buds are greeted by an intense chocolate tang. Complimented with the chewiness of the crepe, and the cold sweetness of the whipped topping, you will find this dessert to be at its finest. Now the crepe itself is quite chewy and almost essentially tasteless, with just a small hint of vanilla. The crepe serves primarily as a base for this dessert, while the chocolate sauce, brownie pieces, and chocolate flakes truly adds the kick that this dessert needs. But with the artful combination of all these elements, this dessert is on the threshold to perfection. 

It's Been A While

I hope you guys have had a happy holiday because I know I sure did. As you can probably notice by the "deadness" of the site, I haven't been really posting anything new. Well that's probably because I haven't tried any food worth writing about....which is oddly strange because I can't seem to stop myself from going out and trying some crazy new dish that everyone is crazing about. But hopefully that will change very soon because I will be going to possibly my favorite vacation destination, behind Disney World of course, Las Vegas! This is my favorite food destination because I can basically put myself into a food coma with all the selections of fantastic restaurants, unique patisseries, and of course my fave....buffets. Now besides hitting up the famous pastry shop by renowned pastry champion Jean Philippe, or checking out the famous Frozen Hot Chocolate from Serendipity 3, I am gonna do something I like to call the Las Vegas Buffet Challenge. I am going to try to eat at a buffet for all three meals for one week. Plus, depending on how far my wallet can carry me, I'm gonna make it my mission to try all the best buffets on the strip (last I checked, the "Unofficial Guide to Las Vegas" rated 10 of their best buffets found on Las Vegas Blvd). This will be a delicious adventure that just might kill me.  But hey, I don't care because to me, enjoying a succulent and delicious dining experience for 3 hours a day is something worth dying for. So just be on the look out for my Las Vegas Series during the next two weeks...if of course I am not in that food coma. Thanks!

CopyCat Restaurant Cookbooks

Have you ever wondered what made Kentucky Fried Chicken’s original recipe so special? Or maybe you wondered how to make the famous secret McDonald’s Big Mac sauce? Or maybe you even wondered how Burger Kings makes their trademark whoppers? Now what if I tell you that you can now actually make these creations all in the comfort of your own kitchen. Well this is all possible after I recently discovered these brilliant cookbooks called the CopyCatCookbooks. These books helped me learn all the best kept secret recipes behind all my favorite fast food and restaurant dishes. I’m talking about awesome identical recreations of dishes from restaurants and fast food joints such as

John's Pizzeria at Times Square

What would fantastic New York food be without its’ famous pretzels, bagels, and deli sandwiches, and my personal favorite, New York style pizza. At almost every corner, you can find good, thin crusted, handmade pizzas, claiming that they’re the best in town. However, despite all these claims, I decided to treat myself to possibly one of the best pizzas near Times Square called John’s Pizzeria. This overcrowded, loud, and bustling pizzeria serves up some mouth-watering brick oven, New York style pizza. The moment you walk in, you are greeted by a huge swarm of people…no not the employees, but other hungry restaurant guests. You then get a number, which will probably make you wait from anywhere between 40-120 minutes. However, thankfully, the waiting area is right near

New York City Part 1

I've just recently came back from New York City this past weekend, and I must say that I had a great time. I finally got to see the Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Plaza, I watched the Rockettes Christmas Special at Radio City Hall, I visited Dylan's Candy Bar, I saw Times Square for the first time, and I enjoyed possibly the best fresh, brick oven, thin crust pizza I've ever had in my life.  My next post about my experience at John's Pizzeria is coming soon so be on the lookout. Below, you will get a little taste of what I saw during my trip. Enjoy!

Korean Style Pork Belly

After craving some home-made Korean food for the past few weeks, my dream finally came true a few nights ago when I came home for the weekend from college.  My mom surprised me with my favorite meal, grilled pork belly, or in Korean, samgyeopsal.  This is commonly served as an evening meal and consists of thick, fatty slices of pork belly meat, which is quite similar to uncured bacon. Now to some of you this may seem unappetizing at first, but believe me, it is very tasty. For such a simply prepared dish, it truly is jam packed with bold flavors. This meal can be easily prepared from just about anywhere and it needs little to no preparation. You can honestly go to your local supermarket, buy a pack of fresh pork belly, and throw it on the hibachi grill without even having to worry about seasoning or marinading it.  Below you will find some photos of all the elements that helped make my Korean style pork belly meal so delicious. Enjoy!

Cupcake Heaven?

I love cupcakes, especially those from Georgetown Cupcake. Now although my second experience wasn't as mind blowing as my first, it still was very good.  At this moment, Georgetown Cupcakes are featuring new holiday flavors like gingerbread, pumpkin spice, and peppermint chocolate cupcakes. So if you want to try some unique holiday flavors, be sure to stop by Georgetown Cupcake during this month.

To read my post about my first experience at Georgetown Cupcake, just follow the link: Georgetown Cupcake

Washington DC Vacations

Papa Razzi: A Modern Trattoria

After another routine stop to one of my favorite bakeries, Georgetown Cupcake, a few friends and I decided to enjoy a nice dinner at an Italian Restaurant called Papa Razzi. Now from the first impression, I was quite impressed by the restaurant because it had a very interesting set up and atmosphere. The restaurant was very dim with many dark accents throughout.  Possibly the best feature about the restaurant was the upper seating area because it was very open, and it offered nice views of the city scene. Now in terms of food, I must say that I was quite unimpressed. Maybe it was because I ordered a chicken risotto with mushroom and onions at a pasta place, but it just didn’t create that wow factor that I crave whenever I eat out. Even after trying some of their famous hand made pastas that my friends had, I didn’t feel like it differed from any other Italian that I would get elsewhere.  In terms of service, our waitress was very kind and social, with the occasional conversation here and there. Overall, this restaurant offered a great atmosphere, but the food was not as impressive as I would have hoped. However, I would go back and try something different just to make sure my experience wasn’t subpar because of a poor entrée choice.

College Kid Budget: $$

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