Posted by Robyn Lee, January 23, 2008 at 6:30 PM
What is banana cream pie besides my most favorite pie in the universe? Just a combination of four of the best things on Earth: buttery pie crust, bananas, thick vanilla pudding, and a heavy dose of fluffy whipped cream. That's a little piece of stomach-crushing heaven right there.
I once went to Billy's Bakery for dessert after eating dinner at Grand Sichuan with Kathy. Despite that we felt like our stomachs were going to explode and/or burn away from stuffing ourselves with hot Sichuanese food, we proceeded to dig into a hulking slice of their banana cream pie. The plastic plate it came on was barely strong enough to support the pie's heft. Each forkful of crust, banana chunk, creamy vanilla pudding and freshly whipped cream that we swallowed was like a stab to our digestives systems, but the combination was too perfect to resist. Sometimes you just have to eat through the pain.
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Posted by Robyn Lee, October 5, 2007 at 3:00 PM
This past June when my friend Morten brought up the idea of joining him on a two-and-a-half week vacation in Bologna the first thought that popped in my head (aside from, "Hell yeah, I'm going") was, "What's the greatest amount of gelato that I can consume without tearing a hole in my stomach?"
Don't worry—I stayed well below this level or else I'd be typing this from a hospital bed.
My gelato consumption averaged out to one gelateria a day during my vacation. Some days I ate no gelato (gasp!) while other days I ate it more than once. Here's a round up of the best Bolognan gelaterias I went to, culled from Slow Travel's recommendations.
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Posted by Erin Zimmer, July 20, 2007 at 5:30 PM
Before we return you to our regularly scheduled programming, we wanted to introduce you to Erin Zimmer, who will be checking in weekly with notes and news from the greater D.C. area. Welcome, Erin! We're looking forward to your dispatches from the nation's capital. —The Serious Eats Team
So maybe Tasti D-Lite isn't always as mouthwatering as the flavor names insinuate. But every once in a while, the ten-calorie-per-ounce fluffiness is Godlike. So why can't cities like Washington be part of the fro-yo fun?
Oh wait. Here's a little known fact—even to longtime D.C. residents. We kinda are. Tasti D-Lite actually has a long-lost cousin in College Park, Maryland, at the center of the University of Maryland's campus. It opened in 2005 and is just a few Metro stops from D.C. proper. The location is so enigmatic, though, that a Google search isn't much help, and even Tasti D-Lite's corporate website doesn't mention it.
The story gets stranger. The store temporarily closed earlier this summer, during prime time fro-yo season. Apparently the loss of full-time UMD students hurt business and it plans to reopen once the academic year begins.
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Posted by Robyn Lee, July 11, 2007 at 6:00 PM
Working at Paris-based Pierre Hermé, one of best patisseries in the world, is a joy that few of us are qualified to experience but many of us are curious to learn about. Thankfully, Fanny of foodbeam possesses the culinary prowess required to intern at the patisserie for the next 7 weeks and like any good food blogger is diligently documenting the experience. Her first week round up is loaded with beautiful photos and kitchen commentary that should interest any dessert lover or Pierre Hermé groupie (I being one of them), possibly resulting in uncontrollable drooling while staring into the hearts of the meticulously crafted creations.
If you ever visit Paris and have a penchant for sweets, you absolutely cannot pass up Pierre Hermé. Not unless you want to deny your taste buds of utmost bliss.
Posted by Lia Bulaong, April 20, 2007 at 1:00 PM
The Philadelphia City Paper's Margaret Battistelli lists five delicious Amish treats and where best to get them in the area. My tastebuds are all a-flutter at her description of the Stoltzfus Bakery's wet-bottom shoofly pie, "like two desserts in one — a buttery coffee cake laid over a thick, sweet sludge made of brown sugar, butter and molasses. It's better than the cakier dry-bottom version, and sweet enough to make your teeth ache on contact."
