Scrumptious Snapshots from New York, Part II

What you get when you cross a croissant with a pretzel.

NEW YORK, NY — Yesterday, you got a glimpse of my savory adventures. Now, get a taste of the sweet side:

City Bakery

City Bakery has really fun, original baked goods, including a fabulous pretzel croissant. Yes, a flaky, slightly denser version of the traditional French pastry, only here it’s coated in seeds and a sprinkling of salt just like a pretzel. It’s addicting.

The buttery, pull-apart "baker's muffin.''

So is the “baker’s muffin,” a sort of monkey-bread in muffin form that’s showered in powdered sugar. It’s buttery and tastes like a cinnamon candied apple.

Levain Bakery

We bought three cookies (chocolate chip walnut, dark chocolate chocolate chip, and dark chocolate peanut butter chip) at Levain Bakery and boy, did our arms get a workout as we carried them around.

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Scrumptious Snapshots from New York, Part I

Eating my way through New York, including this pasta at Eataly.

NEW YORK, NY — Yes, the hubby (aka Meat Boy) and I sneaked off to New York last week for one of the first real vacations we’ve had in a long time.

By that, I mean it was a trip that didn’t solely revolve around my work as a food writer. Instead, it was merely for relaxation and enjoyment — plus lots of good eats, of course. To make sure I actually did take time off, I wasn’t allowed to lug around my usual heavy camera, but only a tiny point-and-shoot. I had to ration my shots, too. After all, it’s not really a vacation if it’s viewed only through the lens of a camera and not the full spectrum of your own eyes.

Hope you enjoy the highlights:

When in New York, you've gotta have a bagel. Or two. Or...

Barney Greengrass

After taking the red-eye from San Jose to New York, we caught a couple of hours of shut-eye at our hotel before venturing to this 100-year-old institution. If you’re in New York, you’ve got to have a bagel or two, right? And what better place than at Barney Greengrass, famed for its smoked sturgeon.

Grab a table where you can at this tightly packed store flanked by deli cases.

My famished husband tore into a plate of smoked sturgeon scrambled with eggs and onions ($18.50), plus a bagel on the side, while I noshed on a sesame bagel stuffed with cream cheese, capers, onion, tomato, smoked sturgeon and Nova Scotia salmon ($20.75). Hello, New York!

BaoHaus

Chinese steamed buns filled with all manner of inventive fillings is the bill of fare at the shoebox-size BaoHaus started by the irreverent, lawyer-turned-street food-restaurateur Eddie Huang and his brother, Evan.

The zany artwork at BaoHaus.

Steamed buns filled with fried chicken (back) and pork belly (front).

The “Chairman Bao” ($2.99) is a fluffy white bun caressing juicy braised pork belly, cilantro, crushed peanuts and a hit of Taiwanese red sugar.

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Chef Chris Cosentino Visits Palo Alto, Fun Classes at NapaStyle & More

Chef Chris Cosentino on Tuesday in Palo Alto. (Photo by Michael Harlan Turkell)

Meet Chris Cosentino at Williams-Sonoma

The offal-good chef, Chris Cosentino of San Francisco’s Incanto, will sign copies of his new cookbook, Beginnings: My Way to Start a Meal (Weldon Owen) at Williams-Sonoma at the Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto, 2 p.m. May 15.

In a departure from his trademark head-to-tail cooking that makes use of organ meats and every other odd bit, his cookbook spotlights 60 recipes for Italian first-courses through the seasons.

Books must be purchased at Williams-Sonoma in order to be signed.

La Boulange Opens in Downtown Palo Alto

The Bay Area’s La Boulange is opening its 19th locale — this newest one in downtown Palo Alto at 151 University Ave. Doors will open May 16.

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River Wave Sauces Make Cooking Easier

Grilled fish gets enlivened by a drizzle of "My Thai Gourmet Sauce.''

Even as a mostly from-scratch cook, I’ll readily admit that I’ve often doctored up jarred sauces for the sheer convenience and time savings.

But they better be darned good jarred products to begin with. Or else no amount of fiddling will help in the end.

You don’t have to worry about that with Washington state’s River Wave  Foods, a line of jarred cooking sauces and dressings that are made from fresh ingredients and are gluten-free.

Recently, I had a chance to try samples of the globally-influenced products.

The convenient jarred cooking sauces.

The Thai sauce.

“My Thai Gourmet Sauce” ($7.50 for a 6.5-ounce jar) is a heady blend of lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, garlic and enough Thai chilies to give it a real kick. I enjoyed it spooned over grilled mahi mahi for dinner.

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Can’t Miss Vanilla Shortbread Cookies and A New Sweetener

Vanilla and European butter are all you need to make these cookies sing.

There are some people who will turn up their nose if a baked good has cardamom in it. Or raisins. Or coconut. Or even chocolate (if you can believe that).

But nobody ever shuns vanilla.

Nope, not ever.

It’s the most popular flavor for so many things because it is the pure taste of childhood memories.

Of ice cream dripping off cones on a hot summer day. Of birthday cake with candles to blow out. Of cupcakes with a mountain of frosting to get all over your face.

That’s why I guarantee nobody will turn down one of these “Vanilla Shortbread Cookies.”

The recipe is from “Bon Appetit Desserts” (Andrews McMeel) by the magazine’s former editor-in-chief, Barbara Fairchild.

European butter makes these cookies extra rich. Powdered sugar and cornstarch makes them very tender, yet nicely crumbly. With a teaspoon of vanilla extract, the dough gets rolled into logs to chill until firm. Then, slices are baked until golden on the edges.

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