Most Kick Ass Thing I Ate Last Week - Roasted Pumpkin Mascarpone and Caramel Apple Ice Cream (The Bent Spoon)

Week Of: 10/21/12 - 10/27/12

Restaurant: The Bent Spoon

Address: 35 Palmer Square West, Princeton, NJ

The Kick Ass Thing: Roasted Pumpkin Mascarpone and Caramel Apple Ice Cream

Thoughts: I've read endlessly about the wonders being scooped at The Bent Spoon, yet I sort of always discounted the praise to "for Princeton." Like, sure, it's probably good... for Princeton. So even though I've visited my grandmother in nearby Monroe Township often, I never went out of my way to sample TBS' fare. Luckily this time back east I finally wised up and made the trek to the university's famed Palmer Square ice creamery. The truth: it is good... for Princeton. It's also the best ice cream I've ever had... anywhere. I know that's a crazy superlative to just throw out there, but I can't stop thinking about The Bent Spoon. I'm pretty much obsessed with it now - and am deeply saddened that I am currently 2,745 miles away. Never in my life have I experienced ice cream both so creamy and rich in flavor with also the perfect consistency. Additional major bonus: like most quaint small town ice cream shops, they let you get two flavors for the price of one. The Roasted Pumpkin Mascarpone, made with local New Jersey pumpkins, featured a rich fresh pumpkin taste with the subtle underlinings of the mascarpone. Definitely the best pumpkin dessert I've had all year - and this came a mere week after visiting Half Moon Bay's Pumpkin Fest! Then there was the Caramel Apple, which tasted like a fresh apple pie on Thanksgiving afternoon, laced with not too sweet caramel. Between the two flavors, I felt like I was eexperiencing autumn in perfect ice cream form.

Awesome: The Bent Spoon also has a highly-lauded bakery. My 88-year old grandmother's review of their Chocolate Chunk Cookie can be found here.

Annoying: It's not in Los Angeles.

My 88-Year Old Grandmother Reviews The Bent Spoon's Chocolate Chunk Cookie

Earlier this year my grandmother sampled and reviewed Momofuku Milk Bar's Compost Cookie to such adulation I knew I had to make it a running series. She loves sweets, but she does not "like fussy desserts," she says. So, naturally, like a good grandson, I only bring her desserts with just enough fussiness...

This time around I picked up a Classic Chocolate Chunk cookie from Princeton, New Jersey's famed The Bent Spoon. Known nationally for serving some of the country's best ice cream [Editor's Note: I'd say it's the best I've ever had...] and an absolute must visit if you're in the Garden State, The Bent Spoon is also admired for serving some of New Jersey's best baked goods. This includes cupcakes, but the cookies are really the shining stars.

Without further ado, here is my 88-year old grandmother's review of The Bent Spoon's Classic Chocolate Chunk cookie....

APPEARANCE: "Very impressive looking, but not overly impressive looking" and "We should get some yellow daisies to put around it because it's pretty."

TASTE: "I like the taste, although a little bland" and "Chewy" and "Maybe too sweet" and "Nice cookie, but that's my opinion."

PRICE ($2.25): "Outrageous, really. How dare they charge so much for a cookie. It's not that big of a cookie."

Thanks, Granny.

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The Bent Spoon
35 Palmer Square West
Princeton, NJ

Most Kick Ass Thing I Ate Last Week - Sliced Beef Brisket Sandwich (Cousins Bar-B-Q)

Week Of: 10/14/12 - 10/20/12

Restaurant: Cousins Bar-B-Q

Address: Terminal D, North Village Gate 27, Dallas Fort Worth Airport, TX

The Kick Ass Thing: Sliced Beef Brisket Sandwich

Price: $5.49

Thoughts: Ever since Eater assembled a national Airport Dining Guide I choose my layovers based on one thing only: the culinary offerings. Nothing good to eat in the landing terminal and not enough time to head to the opposite side of the airport? No thanks, I'll fly elsewhere, or book a later connecting flight. A few months back the Guide directed me toward the delicious Salami and Roasted Peppers sandwich at the Minneapolis Airports' Surdyk's Flights, so I'm not surprised that their suggestion for the Dallas Fort Worth airport, Cousins Bar-B-Q, also impressed. Close your eyes and there's no way you think you're in an airport when enjoying the Sliced Beef Brisket Sandwich: long, thick, smoky cuts of Texas barbecued beef brisket topped with housemade BBQ sauce, in between a lightly toasted white bread bun. Definitely the best airport BBQ I've ever had, if not some of the better BBQ overall. And unlike most airport food, this filling, hot sandwich set me back less than six dollars.

Awesome: There's also a Terminal B location.

Annoying: The Dallas Fort Worth Airport is enormous. If you don't land in Terminals D or B, be prepared to take a somewhat lengthy tram ride to enjoy Cousins. But it's worth it.

Soda Pop's Entering Breakfast Game

Soda Pop's, East Coast-style purveyors of some of LA's best things between bread come afternoon and nighttime, will begin offering morning sandwiches and full breakfast service officially come next Wednesday, 10/24. Expect the flavor-packed, fresh ingredient, large portion servings the La Cienega spot has become known for.

If you simply cannot wait until next week to sample the new menu, you're also in luck: starting tomorrow, 10/18, they soft open and will stay so until the Grand Opening.

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ALSO SEE: 5 Questions with Soda Pop's Owner, Dave Puopolo.

BOGO: Sprinkles Cupcakes and Sprinkles Ice Cream

Today, 10/16, Sprinkles Cupcakes is offering buy one, get one free cupcake with the following password...

And tomorrow through Friday (10/17-10/19) , Sprinkles Ice Cream is offering buy one scoop, get one free...

The 11 Pumpkin Things I Consumed in 48 Hours at The Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival

The Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival is no joke. Hundreds of thousands of people flock to the quaint, picturesque Northern California peninsula town every year to celebrate all that is pumpkin. In Half Moon Bay, known by locals as the "Pumpkin Capital of the World," pumpkin is taken very, very seriously. Pumpkin pie eating contest, pumpkin weigh-off, pumpkin costume competition, a pumpkin parade... pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin. I love pumpkin, so attending was a must. A dizzying array of pumpkin stuffs were on offer -- both at the actual Fest via various non-profit groups and also at the neighborhood restaurants -- and in the mere 48 hours spent in HMB, I consumed 11 different pumpkin items. That's a lot - and my stomach isn't too pleased with me this morning, but I felt as a "journalist" it was my civic duty to try as many pumpkin items as possible.

Here are the notorious 11 foodstuffs and beverages...

Pumpkin Roll (at HMBPF) - This actually was my first pumpkin flirtation of the weekend - and my least favorite item. The cream cheese "frosting"tasted more of just cream cheese mixed with pure sugar.

Pumpkin Sticky Bun (at HMBPF) - This pumpkin sticky bun was surprisingly tasty and not overly sweet as it appeared it may be. Real hints of pumpkin subtly shone in every bite.

Pumpkin Bread (at HMBPF) - Like with the Sticky Bun, you could really taste the locality of the pumpkin flavor in this bread. Not that I've had too many pumpkin breads I've disliked, but this was pretty solid.

Half Moon Bay Brewing Company's Mavericks Pumpkin Harvest Ale (at HMBPF) - This seasonal brew from the highly-lauded local brewery served as the feature alcoholic beverage of the Festival and it certainly did not disappoint. I miss it already.

Eda's Pumpkin Cookies (at Moonside Bakery) - This pumpkin cookie (with craisins and nuts and a slight maple-tasting frosting top) perfectly defies autumn. I recommend it to truly indulge in the season, but I recommend Moonside's non-pumpkin housemade sourdough pretzels even more.

Tempura-Battered Pumpkin (at Pasta Moon) - Pasta Moon is a HMB institution known for their fresh and exciting farm-to-table Italian menu. This dish exemplifies that creativeness. Certainly an enjoyable first deep-fried pumpkin experience, the vegetable comes with an apple chutney and a pumpkin pesto for dipping. 

Butternut Squash and Mascarpone Ravioli (at Pasta Moon) - Sure, butternut squash isn't exactly pumpkin, but it's too freaking close for me to not include on this list. And the Pasta Moon rendition of what has now become a rather ubiquitous dish (I'm almost positive Olive Garden has it now) rises above the rest with the not-too-sweet, flavor-packed filling.

Pumpkin Pie (at Zaballa House) - The innkeeper at our bed and breakfast put out this insanely delicious pumpkin pie as part of our last breakfast. She had baked it the night before - and I dare anyone's mother or grandmother to put forth a better version come Thanksgiving.

Pumpkin Muffin (at Half Moon Bay Coffee Company) - If such a category existed, I'm pretty sure I'd hold the Guinness World Record for pumpkin muffin consumption. This sort of pumpkin pie/pumpkin bread/pumpkin muffin amalgam did not disappoint.

Pumpkin Latte (at Half Moon Bay Coffee Company) - The sign in front of HMBCC said it all, "Pumpkin lattes made with real pumpkin." I'll never be able to drink the Coffee Bean version again.

Pumpkin Chocolate Brownie Sundae (at Flavor) - Flavor's a kick ass spot right across from the water serving "California comfort food." Although their brisket blend burgers get most in the door, make sure you save room for dessert because this brownie sundae (chocolate brownie with hints of pumpkin flavor, a rich pumpkin spiced ice cream, candied walnuts, chocolate and caramel sauce) is worth the visit alone.



And finally the Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Fest's view...

First Impressions: New Sawtelle Pizza Scene

Until recently you ventured to West LA's Sawtelle Avenue for one reason: Japanese fare. Delicious Japanese fare, but only Japanese fare. Over the past few years though, there's been a slow, yet noticeable, if not momentous, shift toward a more balanced cuisine on the famed street. It started with fine ramen, then burgers with Plan Check, and then expanded recently with Korean sausage. Sort of lost in the shuffle was the recent additions of two potential noteworthy pizza joints: Clusi Batusi and Slicetruck. If you've ever read U.E. before, you know I dream of pizza all day long. Thus, I simply had to know: is it possible that Sawtelle Blvd. now features pizza worth passing up quality cheap sushi and Tsujita noodles for?

I recently ventured to Sawtelle to answer this exact question. Here are my quick first impressions...

CLUSI BATUSI - 2047 Sawtelle Blvd.

Due to the overwhelming success of Westwood's 800 Degrees, it was only a matter of time for so-called quality fast casual pizza imitations to pop up city-wide. And while in the restaurant game mimicking rarely results in strong product, from time to time the brothers from another mother hang tough - for example, Kogi's delicious imitator Komodo. Sadly, I don't think Clusi Batusi is LA's next pizza equivalent of Komodo. Although Clusi Batusi prides themselves in making their own toppings and dough -- they're closed Sundays for "dough making," according to their website -- I found the whole pie to be rather dull. The crust is thin, yet too doughy in taste. The pesto is nothing special. The balsamic mushrooms were probably the star of the pizza, but more would have been nice. And as you can clearly see in the picture atop this post, their so-called "oven-dried tomatoes" are the same boring sun-dried tomatoes you can get the town over. To make matters worse, my $1 extra paid for the tomatoes resulted in single digit TINY strips. Now, for $8, was this a horrible pizza? Absolutely not. The pizza certainly filled me up and offered some interesting toppings and, in doing so, could become a popular Sawtelle destination. The chopped salad we ordered was adequate enough as well. But, Clusi Batusi lacks the transcendence 800 Degrees provides with its affordable pizzas. At 800 Degrees, you don't feel skimped on toppings, you think the salads are a bargain and you leave the place as fast as you can because you feel like you just robbed them. At C.B., you simply get what you pay for.


SLICETRUCK - 2012 Sawtelle Blvd.

My fellow blogger Midtown Lunch LA already has pointed out the inanity of The Slice Truck naming their first brick and mortar, SliceTruck, so I will just skip past that and delve right into the pizza. Like many people, I really, really did not like the pizza coming off the Slice Truck. It really was a very disappointing effort. With this in mind, I was pleased to hear from many sources that they had really upped their game at their restaurant. After sampling a slice, I will admit they definitely have improved their 'za. Although the crust remains a tad cardboard-y, it's much softer and tastier than the truck version. The sauce is much, much fresher as well. The cheese isn't bad either. And they top the whole thing with freshly grated parm and a handful of basil. But... just because I said this was an improvement, does not mean it will be making any Top 10 lists any time soon. Overall, it's an average slice - one similar to hundreds available in our fair city. Also, unlike their pizza neighbor across Sawtelle, the somewhat hefty SliceTruck prices do not match the quality of product. ((Also of note: they use the thick pepperoni, which may be authentic, but is too chewy for my liking)).

OVERALL: As you can tell, I was a little letdown by the two new Sawtelle pizza joints. It's not that Clusi Batusi and SliceTruck aren't good, it's just that, unlike the eclectic Blvd in which they're located, nothing at either joint differentiates itself from the vast LA pizza landscape. This, however, is a first impression and I will most certainly return. I look forward to trying C.B.'s red sauce and SliceTruck's garlic pizza that Midtown Lunch seems to adore (especially since The SliceTruck's website currently offers 20% Off). Until then... stick to the sushi.

Secret Menu: California Chicken Cafe

Say what you will about California Chicken Cafe, but it's an LA stalwart. With seven LA locations, you're almost always within driving distance of a somewhat healthy, somewhat affordable chicken lunch or dinner. Until recently though CCC presented a conundrum: you either got rotisserie chicken or a large fresh salad. The two were separate entities. The salads only came with cold, all white meat breast chunks, which while tasty, certainly lack the flavor and texture of hot off the rotisserie bird. 

Thanks to my good friend Mat of Holy Grail Guitars, I am now informed that is no longer the case. While the on-the-menu chicken salads continue to come with the white breast meat chunks, for an additional $1 you can now get hot, rotisserie chicken atop your salad. That's some In 'n Out Animal-style Secret Menu shiz right there. And trust me, it elevates the salads tenfold. As you can see in the picture above too, they don't skimp on the rotisserie chicken either. You get a very hearty portion.  Most importantly for those who frequent CCC on a weekly basis, it's something different to try.