Top 8 Macarons By The Former Executive Pastry Chef At The White House

These macarons, created by the former Executive Pastry Chef at The White House Thaddeus DuBois, are as delicious as they are beautiful. Now you can try all of these mouthwatering flavors at the Borgata Baking Company.

1. Birthday Cake

2. Lime

3. Raspberry

4. Pistachio

5. Chocolate

6. Salted Caramel

7. Red Velvet

8. Lemon

 

 

8 Sweet Treats from Li-Lac Chocolates Guaranteed to Turn You Into a Chocoholic

Step into Li-Lac Chocolates' storefront in West Village, and you will be struck by two, distinct sensations: first, the scrumptious smell of luxurious chocolates that overpowers the entire store and second, the charming, old-fashioned look of the store - from the display case to the signage - that excites the 7-year-old kid inside you. 

As the oldest chocolate house in Manhattan, Li-Lac Chocolates has been delighting its customers with small batch, hand-made chocolates using original recipes since 1923. Forget those boring, plain chocolates - try these mouthwatering treats from Li-Lac that will turn everyone into a chocoholic!

If you like nuts...Almond Bark!

Every bite of the Almond Bark packs freshly-roasted almonds that are covered in your choice of dark, milk, white, or sugar-free chocolate. The crunchiness of the almonds pairs perfectly with the rich, creamy chocolate. 

2. If you like dried fruit...Glace Lemon Peel!

The highest-quality candied lemon strips are covered in generous amount of dark chocolate to create a sweet, succulent treat. The tangy yet sweet flavor and chewy texture of the glazed lemon peel balances out the rich, creamy dark chocolate.

3. If you like mint...French Mint Bars!

Sandwiched in between two layers of dark chocolate is rich, creamy, and refreshing mint filling. Li-Lac Chocolates suggests pairing the French Mint Bars with a cup of coffee or tea to finish off your meal. 

4. If you like creamy fillings... Chocolate Creams!

Whether it be butter, orange, raspberry, or vanilla flavored creams, each of the bite-sized Chocolate Creams is filled with a sweet surprise. If you look closely, you will notice a letter-coded top that indicates the type of filling. I personally like to be surprised because no matter what, you will enjoy the smooth, delicious filling with the intense dark chocolate.

5. If you like sweet and salty...Salted Caramels!

The heavenly square of Salted Caramels holds true and pure to its name. Chewy, fresh caramels are covered in milk or dark chocolate, and sprinkled with a diagonal row of sea salt. The Salted Caramels is the perfect treat to satisfy your sweet and salty cravings.

6. If you like peanut butter and jelly...PB&J Bars!

Relieve your favorite childhood memory of snacking on classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich with the PB&J Bars. Hidden beneath a layer of chocolate are creamy peanut butter and sweet raspberry jelly. 

7. If you like coconut...Coconut Clusters! 

Coconut lovers, rejoice. This intense cluster of soft and chewy toasted coconut flakes are bound by rich milk or dark chocolate to create a delectable treat. You may be asking for seconds...or even thirds.  

8. If you like s'mores...All American Bars!

Li-Lac's take on s'mores is everything you have ever wanted. The fluffy, home-made marshmallow is sandwiched in between crispy honey graham crackers, and then covered in rich, creamy milk or dark chocolate. You get all the textures and flavors from this all-American treat! Now, all you need is a campfire...

Three-Course Sunday Brunch at Upstairs on the Square

The name of the restaurant, UpStairs on the Square, is certainly not a misnomer. This quirky New American restaurant in the heart of Harvard Square offers two floors of dining experience, with each level decked out in unique decorations.

The first floor--The Monday Club Bar--is a casual space with rose-colored bar on the side and purple wood-paneled dining room. From the black and white checkered floor to the artisan chandelier on the ceiling, the Monday Club Bar offers a friendly environment for diners to enjoy their food while soaking in the panoramic view of the Harvard Square right outside the window.

A level above is the UpStairs Soiree Dining Room, "reminiscent of a glowing and colorful jewel-box-like supper club," according to its website. The upscale, exuberant soiree room features round windows facing the park as well as elegant fireplaces at each end of the room. I have heard that a lot of wedding receptions take place in this room.

My first visit to UpStairs on the Square, I dined at the Monday Club Bar on the first floor. Since I went with a group for Sunday brunch, we had a prix fixe 3-course menu. For our amuse-bouche, we received a smorgasbord of pastries, scones, and muffins with a square of butter on the side.

Personally, I am not a huge fan of overly sweet bread, especially as amuse-bouche because it tends to ruin my appetite. The bread basket included coffee cake topped with chopped walnuts, mini blueberry muffins, and cheese scones. My favorite was the coffee cake, and I particularly loved the crunchiness from the walnuts.


After sipping on two glasses of green tea and some bread, the waitress brought our first course: Fruit Two Ways with Market Fruit Salad and Smoothie Shooter. Since I asked for a lactose-free version, I didn't get the smoothie shooter. Quite frankly, I was disappointed because all I got was a plate of some strawberries, raspberries, and lots of grapes that tasted a bit bitter. I expected the chef to make me something fruit smoothie-like without the use of dairy...

This is what the appetizer actually looks like...with the Smoothie Shooter on the side. I tasted a little bit of the smoothie, and it just tasted like lukewarm, liquidy strawberry yogurt. I really wasn't missing much by not having that on my plate!

For the entree, we had a choice between savory and sweet. Of course I chose the former, which was eggs benedict with ham. Again, I took the nontraditional route and asked the waitress if I could substitute ham with something else because I do not eat pork (not for religious reason...I just don't like pork). She said I could choose between the vegetarian-friendly avocado and smoked salmon, and I opted for the latter!

The Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict & Homefries was quite petite in its portion. There was an ample amount of smoked salmon and well-poached eggs atop two halves of toasted English muffin. I skipped the hollandaise sauce because that plus egg yolk are too creamy for me. The homefries was slightly burnt, but I liked that it wasn't too greasy and had spicy seasonings.

My friend got the Smoked Ham Eggs Benedict. I thought the restaurant could have put more effort into plating...it looked like a mouse had scurried over the plate and spread the homefries apart and nibbled on some smoked ham.

I don't think anyone would be able to consume hollandaise--that thick, yellow sauce--if they watched the process of how it is made. Essentially, hollandaise sauce is just a mix of egg yolk and exorbitant amount of butter.

Only one person on the table opted for the sweet option, which was Old-Fashioned Brioche French Toast with Warm Maple Syrup, Blueberry Compote, and Bacon Strips. I personally can't start the day with sweet food because then my stomach will likely ache for the rest of the day.

Brioche, the type of bread used to make this French Toast, is very high in egg and butter content, which gives it a rich and tender texture. The blueberry compote seemed overly sweet and a bit artificial. I liked how the chef balanced the sweetness of French toast and compote with savory bacon strips.

As though we weren't already stuffed, the waitress brought platters of desserts. We all decided to share the desserts, which began with a trio of Housemade Ice Cream with a Brown Sugar Shortbread Cookie. The flavors of these ice creams were vanilla, chocolate, and toffee. The ice creams were very rich and creamy.

The Zebra Cake, or chocolate layer cake with chocolate ice cream on the side, would appease any chocolate lover's dream. It had three layers of dense chocolate cake with caramel frosting and topped with dark chocolate ganache. The cake was a bit dry, but the chocolate ice cream on the side helped to moisten it.

Finally, the special dessert that I ordered was a trio of Sorbet. The flavors were watermelon (by far my favorite!), raspberry, and orange. Sorbet was the best way to finish off a meal because it left a very refreshing mark in my mouth. Yum!

Red Velvet from Crumbs Cupcake

My friend's mom brought Crumbs Cupcakes from New York City. According to its website, Crumbs Bake Shop first opened its doors in March of 2003 on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Although the menu includes a variety of comfort-oriented classics and elegant baked goods, the specialty of the house is the Crumbs Signature size cupcakes. I had the Red Velvet Cupcake: Authentic red velvet cake with rich cream cheese frosting, topped with red velvet crumbs and edged with white sprinkles.

Usually when I eat a cupcake, I only eat the cake and not the frosting, but this one was an exception! Not only was the velvet cake moist and just the right hint of cocoa flavors, but the frosting and the white sprinkles added nice texture and extra sweetness. The size of the cupcake is also worth mentioning...it was the size of a baby's head!

"Stake-Wannabe" Dinner at HMC Banquet

I spent the weekend at the Boston Sheraton Hotel for the annual Harvard Model Congress conference. On the last night, we had an all-staff catered banquet. Yum!

The salad...probably the most boring salad ever. There were no cucumbers, tomatoes, or bell peppers. Just...greens. Haha. At least none of the greens were wilted.

We had a choice among steak, salmon, chicken, or vegetarian (ravioli). I decided to fuel up on protein and get steak.

I asked the steak to be cooked rare, but judging from the exterior, it looked like it is cooked well-done. Also there was no red blood oozing from the bottom. Disappointment.

The presentation was decent. I liked that the steak was accompanied by carrots and asparagus that hadn't been sauteed in butter!

Surprise! When I cut the steak, it was, indeed, cooked rare. The steak was quite surprisingly tender.

Well, not as rare as I would have liked, but medium-rare.

Since they had to cook something like 50 steaks, I think they might have...boiled (?) it before grilling it to cook them faster?

Hmm I am not that knowledged in the culinary world to know different methods of cooking.

The glaze/sauce on the side was sort of too strong, but because the steak wasn't seasoned at all, it accompanied the meat pretty well.

Yup, definitely not as rare as I would like.

The mashed potato was really dry, but not too buttery. It was garnished (?) with bell peppers and spinach.

I cut up a small slice. When I had this piece, I realized right away that rather than tasting like steak, it tasted more like ROAST BEEF! They cheated us.

The dessert was the heaviest chocolate extravaganza.

It was chocolate fudge cake with thick chocolate syrup on top, drizzled with chocolate syrup, and a side of canned tangerine. Haha.

Too rich.

It had two or three layers of thin chocolate cake with rich cream fillings and fudge in between.

Too chocolatey!

My friend next to me cut the cake so evenly.