a voce

in the video game of life,

the time warner center at columbus circle is the final kingdom.

{housing at the top, the treasure that is per se}

once you successfully navigate across that vicious traffic circle that is plagued with poorly timed traffic lights,

and speeding horses and taxis,

you're in.

you start in the dungeon,

fending for your life at the eternally crowded prepared food section of the whole foods.

you pass this level only when you can actually find a place to sit and eat your winnings.

{landing a booth = double points}

after that, it's easy sailing up to the third level.

on the ground level, you refuel with godiva chocolates and samples at the williams sonoma.

on the second level, you maybe stop for a coffee at the dean and deluca, but sometimes you don't have enough time to go out of your way before the dragons come to eat you, so you are forced to flee up the escalator, caffeinated or not.

the third level is a bit trickier and usually involves three, maybe four attempts to clear.

and over a longer period of time, too.

this level is home to

bouchon bakery,

landmarc,

annnnd

a voce

{the final obstacle before ascending to the final level}

and with it's cute little michelin star,

a voce serves some of the best italian food i've ever had.

if there's anything better than bread & butter at the start of a sit down,

it's focaccia & ricotta.

as an appetizer, the pops and i ordered

cassoncini 

{yes!! a newly discovered dumpling!! i was tickled with excitement!!}

these were little buttery pastries filled with swiss chard and ooozy crescenza cheese,

covered in parmesan,

and served with prosciutto. 

they were like... italy's rival to the empanada.

oh, with their perfect texture and piping hot filling, 

i could have eaten them all day!

the main course:

"uova in purgatorio"

poached eggs, san marzano tomatoes, 

rosemary, pecorino

doesn't it kind of look like ravioli??

the tomato sauce was so fresh and tasty that i think it actually rivaled the sauce at austin's enoteca vespaio.

oh i could go on and on about how much i love eggs!

and this? served with the freshest of fresh tomato sauce? just another way eggs are the man.

spaghetti alla carbonara

with a duck egg

and a dude in the background of the picture that goes to my school but i've never met and that looked right at the camera when pops was taking this. lolzzzzzz

ok, so the point is, i tasted a duck egg.

it was thicker and gooey-er than a chicken egg

and according to pops, it was gamey.

evvs.

the pasta was a little too al dente for my taste.

but,

 then again, 

i was always the daughter standing by the stove and yelling at mum to cook the pasta for longer 

...cause i'm just a mushy pasta kinda girl.

this wasn't my fave dish of the meal,

but it looked and smelled pretty.

pops liked em.

dessert was....

not really in the cards for me,

because when there is a never ending supply of bread at the table,

especially bread as good as a voce's,

i don't stop eating it ever ever ever. 

but pops wanted some sweets, so we gots {from l to r}:

mint gelato

kiwi sorbet

&

lemon granita 

i tasted a bit of each, 

fearing with each bite that i'd actually explode all over the place...

the mint taste was very faint and the gelato itself suuuper creamy.

the kiwi was a bit salty, but in a good way.

and the lemon, very refreshing... and can it be summer already.

it was, overall, an incredible meal.

{the focaccia & ricotta & the cassoncini alone would have made me happy as a clam}

i think i could eat italian food any day,

but this just brought it to a new level.

the restaurant itself was beeeautiful too,

with big bright windows overlooking central park...

<3

so there you have it,

i've successfully cleared level three. 

i've now unlocked the door to the final chamber,

and can start to work my way through

masa,

porter house,

and

*gasp*

per se

don't worry, i've got eleven months to do so,

but that doesn't mean i won't be playing as intensely as

the stoners next store play goldeneye 24/7

if you like food, go to a voce.

xoxo

yeh

a voce is located on the third floor of the time warner center at columbus circle, at the southwest corner of central park.

 it has another location at madison and 26th, but that one is closed on sundays and does not serve brunch. 

artisanal

may i please wake up in paris tomorrow morning?

i'd like to have a stroll to a little sidewalk cafe and have a morning sit with a croissant and a newspaper,

while i watch little parisian puppies take their owners for a walk.

after that, i would explore little streets, 

and little bakeries, 

and little perfumeries...

and in the evening, i'd go to the market, 

and sample every single kind of cheese until i find the perfect cheese for the perfect fondue.

i'd also buy a baguette,

and eat half of it on my way home.

the next day, 

i'd wake up,

and repeat.

ohh, paris, i can't wait to meet you.

but until i do, i have 

artisanal

to hold me over.

last week,

after a hectic day of tours and classes,

i took myself on a little date.

i wandered down the east side to france,

or so that's how it felt.

i arrived at the bistro expecting another teensy, jam packed restaurant,

but was relieved to find enough space to do a cartwheel or five across the floor!

and they had booths!

i love booths. 

more than i should.

but it meant i was going to be able to relax.

and relax i did with the first course, which was...

chickpea soup

with thick cut bacon

it was exactly what i needed to warm me up after the cold trek there.

piping hot, 

thick,

but not creamy,

and just the right amount of smokey from the bacon.

not too salty,

but certainly tasty enough.

it was delicious,

in a, main course, you've got some competition sort of way.

the main course:

grilled english cheddar

with apples and bacon

it was a bit odd to me that at a restaurant with over a million zillion cheeses, a cheese counter, and a cheese cave, only had one restaurant week option that involved cheese. 

i had a bit of anxiety about seeing macaroni and cheese,

croque monsieurs,

and fondue

on the menu, and not ordering every single one of them.

but, alas, i trusted madame waitress when she highly recommended the grilled cheese.

and it was great!

the cheese was the star of the show,

as its tanginess stole all of the thunder from the bacon and apples,

but i was down with it. 

i asked for dijon just for kicks,

and to test the spiciness about it,

but really, the cheddar was tasty enough on its own.

dessert

was the aforementioned,

famed,

and illustrious,

crème brulee

i swear, it could have been a meal on its own.

it's deceiving because it looks rather small,

but once you take a bite,

you realize that it's probably more calories than your daily requirement for the next five days combined,

and then,

i'm all,

look at me, 

i have no self control,

 i'm going to eat the whole thing!

it's restaurant week, i'm allowed.

when i dug to the bottom,

i noticed little vanilla flecks. 

how very mysterious and sneaky of it.

i've never had a better crème brulee

{at least not since sister pleaded for a blow torch for her eighth birthday and got one}

i really really should have employed self control though,

because,

not matter how good a meal is,

if i have to waddle around and change into stretchier pants afterwards,

it's just no fun!

regardless,

i'll have to go back here because

1. they're serving a different fondue for every day in february

and

2. look at this menu

i basically could have written it.

it was a great little date, 

my date with myself.

i sprawled out in the booth,

there was no one there to judge me when i ate all of the bread but none of the crust,

and the french family that sat next to me helped me pretend that i was indeed in paris.

i can't wait to go back and bathe in their fondue!

xoxo

yeh

artisanal is located on east 32nd between madison and park

what's black and white and red all over?

homemade black & white cookies

sprinkled with red jimmies

{that i made for bestie brian... 

who has not left his practice room since 2009}

-used this recipe

-discovered that buttermilk is what gives them their distinctive taste!

-they were scrumptious. 

then again. not many black and white cookies compare to the ones at barney greengrass

xoxo

yeh

p.s. i tried roquefort and morbier this evening.

i liked roquefort in that masochistic sort of way.

and morbier was good... in a... vague sort of way...

the macaroni & {murray's} cheese cupcake

mecca. 

heaven. 

the answer to all of my life questions. 

that is what i envisioned murray's cheese to be. 

i was let down.

don't get me wrong-
 they've got the most amount of cheeses i've ever seen under one roof,

 but they sure know how to burst an excited cheese loving girl's bubble. 

it started when i was having an afternoon tea at the aroma cafe on 72nd street.

 i suddenly went 

from neutral 

to starving

 to mac & cheese craving. 

i decided that a nice 

whole wheat penne 

& 

a pecorino romano sauce 

would do the deed. 

but if i'm going to use only one cheese in my mac,

it better be a good one.

this, i concluded, was a job for murray.

my shopping list was simple: 

1. a little block of the 
sharpest, 
tangiest, 
most pungent 
pecorino money can buy
{for the mac}

2. a bit of mr. cheese's favorite pick
{to munch on while making the mac}

i entered the bleecker storefront,

expecting to see a shining light and to hear the voice of angels.

instead all i heard was my very own voice.

"HELLLLLLLO!"

i excitedly said to the old man behind the counter,
 to which he answered with a halting stare.

i backed off.
what do i do?
quick, find a cheese.

"oooook. ummmm. ok. can i try this gii...giiinnnnepro right here? is that how i say it?"

he silently raised a very large knife with a chunk of it at the end.

it was pretty bad.

cheese should not take baths in balsamic vinegar.

"ohh. and do you have any sharper pecorino/parmesan-like cheeses?"

he pointed behind me to the prepackaged parmesan.

"may i taste them?"

"no."

at least he spoke. 
but did it have to be in that, "how dare you?" tone?!

"...ohhhh k. then can you suggest one that i can taste?"

meh.

"...hmm. and what about that one?"

whatever.

"...how about the drunken goat cheese? do you like that one???"

am i talking to a wall here?

why is he so annoyed at me?
 there is NO ONE ELSE IN THIS STORE.

screw it.

"just gimme some of that goat stuff so i can get out of here, mr cheese dude."

and i was out of there.

you see, i like to make friends with the people behind the counter.

...to have a dialogue about the cheese,

see what they suggest,

see what their faves are,

see what's a bit sharper, 

maybe softer, 

something like this

 but from a goat...?

like, when i asked the man at whole foods what his fave was,

i discovered epoisses! 
which turned out to be one of MY faves!

and when i asked the man at fairway for something tangy

he first complimented me on my hat :-)

then suggested midnight moon. 

which hit the spot!

how am i supposed to expand my cheese knowledge when THE cheese guy treats you like an idiot?

poop. 

poopity poop poop poop.

anyways.

i got home and realized that my little mac & cheese making casserole dish was being used for seven layer bars.

enter:

the cupcake pan

and the creation of 


 the mac & cheese cupcake

with ketchup in lieu of frosting

:-)

they were yummy. and roomies loved them too!

{in your stupid face, mr. cheese man}

xoxo

yeh