Collichio & Sons -- New York City

My last Thursday at work I had caught wind of people discussing going to dinner at Collichio and Sons, one of Tom Chollichio's restaurants. (He's the judge on Top Chef, one of my favorite shows on Bravo) Basically I threw all shame out the window and begged to be allowed to go with. After the usual 'mess with Ang until she's flustered' rig-a-marole they told me I was invited the entire time. SCORE!

Our reservation wasn't until 9 so we left the office around 8 and went to hang out at the bar. I tried this less then stellar cocktail called a Siesta, I chose it because it contained Tequila. It had some sort of red juice, I believe it was strawberry and what tasted like basil. Let's just say that I have had better drinks before in my life.

When we were seated and I started looking over the menu, sadly nothing really sang to me as sounding insanely delicious. This was most likely because everything contained at least one unusual ingredient that I had never tried before. For example, there was a steak that came with a bone marrow ravioli on top.

I figured since Uncle Ernie was paying for dinner I'd be really daring. I decided on the lamb, also because other people at the table said it would be good, I'm so gullible.

Our waiter brought a round of these little lobster puffs. It was beautifully plated, was a very delicious. I believe the technical term for this type of food is amuse bouche, yes my mouth was amused.

The main course arrive and my plate did not look all that appetizing. Especially after hearing the words bone marrow I had lost my appetite and it didn't help that my dinner looked like pictures I had seen in science books of what the inside of bones look like.

I ate the inside part that was pink and looked like meat, but the 2 rounds of lamb were wrapped in white, I'm hoping some sort of fat, that I was not brave enough to eat. The texture was very tender and just melted in my mouth. The lamb tasted very gamey, and after this experience I can say that I have tried lamb and have no need to eat it again for a while.

Apparently, at fancy gourmet restaurants like this it is also customary for them to send you with something for breakfast the next morning. We also got blueberry polenta muffins. Since I was the only one with a bag big enough to hold the muffins I walked home with 6 of 9. These were probably my favorite part of the whole meal.

The best part of dinner was when Joe, one of our co-workers showed up after another dinner he was at was finished. He had the entire table laughing so hard we were all crying. After we were finished Joe and I were the only ones who wanted to go do some bar hopping but since everyone else was "too tired" we didn't go, so sad. This night was by far one of the best memories from my internship. It made me sad that I really got to know people right as it was time for summer to end and me to go home.

São Paulo, Brazil: Carolinas & Sonhos

Today Renata brought more sweets to the office for me to try! The options today were Carolinas and Sonhos (“dream” in English), which were both delectable bite-sized treats. Carolinas are filled with doce de leite (dulce de leche) with a biscotti-like outer layer and then topped off with a little bit of chocolate. I like the flavor combination (because let’s be serious, I just like anything with doce de leite) but the contrast between the dry exterior and the rich, creamy filling was a little strange for me. That didn’t keep me from eating more than one, though!

Sonhos remind me of donut holes that I’ve had in the states. They were moist and denser than donuts but shared the same glazed sugar layer on the outside. The inside was a cream filling that tasted like condensed milk – it was sooo sweet! My roommate said that she saw a huge version of a sonho, about the size of a grapefruit. I can’t imagine eating one that big because I think the filling would get out of control!

I can’t decide whether I like sonhos or brigadeiros better…I guess I better try some more so I can make up my mind :)

São Paulo, Brazil: Brigadeiros

When I got into the car this morning to go to work, the first thing my coworker said was "I have something for you," and she reached into the back seat and pulled out a small bag from the bakery next door to the office. She brought me brigadeiros, which she could best describe as soft chocolate treats specific to Brazil. They're small, about the size of a ping-pong ball, and they're served kind of like truffles, in small wrappers.

According to Wikipedia, brigadeiros are made with condensed milk, cocoa powder, and butter, and are heated on a pan in order to make a creamy, silky mixture. Then, like the ones I ate today, they're covered with sprinkles! The best way I can think to describe them myself are like no-bake cookies: they're perfectly gooey without being cooked at all, and they melt in your mouth. I ate all five of mine before 10 am, but who's paying attention to that? When you're in a foreign country, you need to take advantage of all opportunities :)

You have to start somewhere...

Best friends, in different cities (for the summer at least), seeking out the best foods in any way, shape, or form, and trying to share our opinions with the rest of the people out there. At this point, this is all a big experiment, so bear with us.