With all the "putting up" I've been doing lately, I have copious amounts of marmalade sitting in the cabinet and a girl can only eat so much toast. I found a recipe for Meyer Lemon Marmalade Bread Pudding on the blog Spoon With Me (cutest blog name ever!) and had a "why didn't I think of that!?" moment.
The other day I was wondering around Jupiter and came across dd's Cupcake Shoppe, unfortunately they were closed for the holidays. Fortunately for me, I live very close and they were opening back up the very next day.
I've eaten many a cupcake in my day, therefore making me an expert on the subject. I know it's a pretty bold statement and I've been making a lot of those lately...BUT I need to tell you that I'm confident in saying these are some of the best cupcakes I've ever eaten. There are so many cupcake shops around lately and the problem with them is that they seem to think that the sweeter the cupcake, the more icing they top it with, the better. This is not true. So not true. dd's Cupcake Shoppe cupcakes are not very sweet and are not topped with all that much icing, but they are perfect. I even ate my sisters chocolate cupcake and I don't even like chocolate cake. They are that good.
As anyone who has read much of my blog knows, I'm crazy for noodles of any kind. When my mom came home a few weeks ago and told me that there was a noodle bar opening down the street, I was totally stoked. I found their website, I called (just rang, no message), I drove by, I checked their website again. For weeks I waited anxiously. Last week their website was finally updated and announced their grand opening date would be January 5.
Like a little kid on Christmas morning, I woke up today ready to get my noodle on. Boxo Noodle Bar is located in Jupiter on Indiantown, right before the bridge when you are heading east. More like an Asian fast food joint, than an actual noodle bar, food is ordered at a counter and then brought to your table, Panera style. The staff is super friendly, the food tasty and the service quick. I'm a happy girl.
Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of the noodles. I did get a picture of the Banh Mi, which was very good, if not entirely authentic. The cream cheese won tons were hot and crispy, not greasy at all.
Last night I whipped up some little individual chicken pot pies to use up leftovers I had in the fridge/freezer. I sauteed some veggies (pearl onions, carrots, celery, garlic) in a mix of lard and butter and then sprinkled it with flour to make a roux. I poured in the chicken stock and then some milk to make it nice and creamy, whisk whisk whisk. I finished it off with peas and then into the the ramekins it went. It was topped off with the puff pastry dough and baked at 400 degrees. Next time I'm thinking lobster...
Dolci Peccati Gelato is next on my Food Truck Tour, postings not necessary in the same order in which I consumed...
One thing you need to know about Dolci Peccati is that it is run by the absolute nicest people ever.
I'm very sad to say that I did not get a picture of my gelato. I will tell you that it was rum raisin. Even though I was advised not to, I topped it with the balsamic reduction (intended for strawberry gelato) they had on the counter. Apparently rum raisin gelato and balsamic reductions make very tasty cupmates.
The next stop on my official Art Basel/Miami Food Truck tour was Ms. Cheezious. By the time I stumbled upon this truck I had already eaten quite a bit and was ready to move into the realm of dessert. At first I wondered if I was making the right choice, I do love a traditional grilled cheese so much. I love grilled cheese so much that the Cuisinart WM-SW2 is one of my most fav kitchen toys. Oh how certain I was that I made the right choice once I took that first bite.
I think I have a bikini just like that!
Sweet Meltdown - Ricotta cheese and orange marmalade blend on Texas toast served with chocolate dipping sauce. The thing that made this so incredible was the fact that the sandwich wasn't cloyingly sweet. The buttery toast, the creamy ricotta cheese, the slight fruity/bitterness that marmalade adds...this is dessert grilled cheese heaven. I would've liked a little more marmalade, although I do tend to be a glutton for marmalade.
Every year I say I'm going to check out the Art Basel festivities. Every year I realize about two or three weeks too late that another Art Basel has come and gone and that I have missed it. This year, I marked it on my calendar and made sure that another festival did not pass me by. The city is literally taken over by art of every kind - including culinary arts. There is SO MUCH to check out, one could wander the streets of Miami, checking out art (I even saw u-haul trucks used as a makeshift gallery) for days and still not see everything. I decided to plot my course in the way which seemed most logical to me - follow the food trucks. Turned out to be a great plan apparently food truck areas = cool art areas. The first instance of this was while trying to find the gastroPOD, I found the Hello Kitty 50th Anniversary Small Gift Pop Up.
Now onto the good stuff - the food! There was some major talent going on in this silver airstream, Chef Jeremiah flew Chef Katsuya Fukushima in to help with the Art Basel madness.
Pulled pork, Nước chấm, cilantro, spicy Japanese mayo
Smokey beef hot dog, potato bun & stupid slaw
I am highly intrigued by the whole food truck scene which seems to be growing by the day. It's just so brilliant. I just had one of my first experiences recently (outside of a hot dog, of course) and I must say, it truly was a positive one.
First of all, how fun looking is that truck?
I decided to go with the fried lobster sandwich and tostones.
Had to show a close up, after a few bites. This way you can actually see how crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside the bun was. I just wish I had ordered without onions. Not a big raw onion fan, I just figured that The Fish Box knew best. It was just a little onion overload for me. Other than the onions, I loved my food truck meal.
Thank you Fish Box
A few weeks ago I found myself in a situation which had me in Miami around dinnertime, alone. I'm not going to waste the opportunity to try out a new restaurant in Miami, when I am down there so infrequently, just because I am by myself. I decided upon Gigi, run by Jeff McInnis, who BTW bears an incredible likeness to Prince Charming. Everything was very tasty, my only complaint about the night - I was alone, therefore couldn't try all the dishes that sounded good to me. Melons - limes, chilies. So simple, so refreshing, so good.
BLT - pork belly, pickles. This dish contained one of my fav parts of the meal, the pickles! While I was enjoying my meal I saw a batch of pickles being made. LOVE.
Crispy Chicken Skin - asian romesco. Could ya blame a girl for wanting to finish the meal with a plate of crispy goodness?
AND they are open late night!
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