Sweet Paris Creperie

Crepes are a wonderful treat and can be either savory and sweet. I have passed the Sweet Paris Creperie frequently and have always wanted to try it but finally got around to trying it. It has a tiny patio out front and the rest of the restaurant is tucked away behind it. This is a great little place that is nice and airy where you can sit back and relax. It was quite busy when I went for breakfast which was a bit surprising since I didn't expect crepes to be a huge breakfast food. Clearly, I am a bit behind on the food scene. You walk into the dining area and then around the corner is where you order and can see them making the crepes in front of you. The only bad thing was that they didn't have any Wifi, so keep that in mind if you wanted to go there and study. However, the yummy hot chocolate and giant (but delicious) crepe made up for it.

While checking their hours online, I decided to preview the menu. My eye was caught with the word "Nutella".... and then I read that it was Nutella hot chocolate. Talk about chocolate goodness in a cup! This was something that I needed to check out. It came out and the aroma of chocolate hit me. There was chocolate froth on top mixed with whipped cream and a chocolate drizzle. It was a rich chocolate taste that was laced with Nutella. It wasn't overly sweet as it seemed that that sweetness came from the Nutella and the whipped cream. Sometimes with flavored hot chocolate, the flavor is sweet and then they add more sugar which makes it out of control sweet. The nuttiness from the hazelnut seemed to shine even more, so this was definitely a most welcome treat.

 I ordered the "Le Mexicain", which had two scrambled eggs, refried beans, avocado and cumin-cinnamon spice carnitas topped with chipotle salsa, cilantro and queso fresco. The crepe was light and fluffy and there wasn't too much extra crepe. They definitely got the stuffing to crepe ratio right. They also have a vegan, gluten and dairy free batter that you can get. This crepe was a different take on breakfast burritos and I have to admit it was most enjoyable. The carnitas were packed with flavor and super tender. You could taste the hint of cumin and the cinnamon in the background. The salsa added a hint of spiciness, the cilantro was fresh and the queso fresco added a little bit of salt. This was a very harmonious combination of flavors and I will definitely be back to try the rest of their menu. Even if you don't like crepes, they also have some salads and paninis. If you haven't made it to Sweet Paris Creperie, grab a book and head on over for a wonderful meal.

Brunch at Saint Genevieve

There are places that are just so good you need to go back and try multiple times. Saint Genevieve is definitely one of those places. I heard they had an awesome brunch and so of course I had to go try it. They have their full drink list plus an array of special mimosas. We opted for pineapple coconut mimosas which immediately transported you to a beach. (It was even more appropriate considering it was a perfect day outside!) The mimosa wasn't overly sweet and had a very nice balance of flavors....definitely something to sip on while laying on the beach or poolside. Fortunately, my sister is like me and was having a difficult time deciding between sweet and savory... so I convinced her to split one of each with me. 

We ended up with Nutella french toast and an egg white and goat cheese frittata. The frittata was light and fluffy. It was topped with a whole roasted tomato and arugula. The arugula added some mustard like flavor and crunch. However, I wish the tomato would have been incorporated into the frittata instead of on the side. It was a great option if you are looking for something on the healthier side. I'll be honest, some how whenever I do this the super unhealthy choices usually wins (maybe that's because it's always the sweet option and I do have an affinity for sweets), so this time the Nutella french toast won hands down! The whipped cream like Nutella dollop on top melted and covered the french toast on goodness without being too heavy. The banana slices paired nicely with the Nutella and the french toast had a nice golden crust on it. This is a great brunch place, but be sure to make reservations because you might not be seated if you don't. They do their seatings at 11:00am and 1:00pm, which isn't advertised on the website and it was only by chance that we got in. So learn from our almost mistake and go ahead and make reservations.

Nutella Cookies

So I know that I am a few days late on this, but don't worry I will try to play catch up over the weekend to get back on track. This month I have challenged myself to make one new treat everyday. I know a lofty goal, but hey why not end 2012 with a bang. Since my refrigerator and pantry aren't exactly stocked correctly for a month long baking project, I headed over to Supercook to see what I could make with what I had on hand. I found a recipe for Nutella cookies from Food Network and was ready to go. I am a huge Nutella fan and having it sit around is dangerous because it's so yummy. I have never used it in a recipe and figured this was a perfect time to try it. It was a super simple recipe that used only powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, flour, and Nutella. You are off by mixing the powdered sugar and butter together until light and fluffy. Then mix in the vanilla, gradually add in the flour, and finally beat in the Nutella. Some of the reviews said that it didn't have enough of a Nutella flavor, so I added more because you can never have enough, right?!

I will warn you that the batter does not look like normal cookie dough. Scoop out the dough onto parchment lined baking sheets, only putting each because they spread out. However, I only had two baking sheets so I put more than 12 on each (I'm such a baking rebel!) Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes, unless your oven is like mine and bakes super quickly. They will have an almost fudgy like texture, so don't worry if they don't look crunchy. Let them cool 5 minutes before cooling them completely on a wire rack. After they are completely cooled, you get to "roll" them in powdered sugar. Since they are somewhat flat, I am not entirely sure how that works, so I ended up just dipping the tops of the cookies. They were fudgy, melted in your mouth, and definitely had that Nutella taste to them. It was also suggested to add in some nuts, which might have been a good choice to add some texture. This is a great (and quick) recipe for those times you just need to whip up a batch of cookies.

Always Alto

I have already shared with you about this great little pizza place in West Ave, but here I am talking about it again. I was flattered when a friend and I were going to go out to eat and she said she had read my blog and wanted to try Alto. So of course, that's where we went. It was delicious before, so I was more than happy to go back to try something new. However, I did have to indulge in something old, so I had a glass of the super fruity, white wine sangria. We started off with an order of calamari served with traditional marinara and a parsley dip. The parsley sauce was a great combination with the seasoned crunch of the calamari coating. The breading didn't fall apart and there wasn't too much of it. A squeeze of lemon adds a touch of citrusy freshness to it, making the flavors light and bright.

Next, we decided to try the daily special pizza. It had roasted garlic, red onion, chicken, cheddar cheese, and rosemary. The rosemary add a deep, earthy flavor to the pizza and the roasted garlic sort of melted into the sauce, making it almost taste like a barbecue sauce. There were big chunks of chicken that were well seasoned and very moist. The cheddar cheese was a nice change from the normal mozzarella and helped add to the barbecue feel of the pizza. The thin and crispy crust doesn't fill you up with unnecessary bread, so you get to enjoy the toppings... the real reason you eat a pizza.

I have to admit that the few times I have been to Alto, I have never had dessert. Then I heard a whisper that there was some sort of dessert with Nutella. Who passes up something with that chocolate hazelnutty goodness? So we splurged and got an order of sourdough doughnuts with nutella! The dough of the doughnuts wasn't sweet at all, but was rolled in sugar. The Nutella was melted which made it even better and easier to dip into. It was heaven and I couldn't get enough of them! Each bite had tartness from the dough, crunch from the sugar crystals, and a smooth chocolate finish. They were some of the most delicious doughnuts I have ever had. If you haven't had them, you need to go get an order as soon as possible. This is something that I may have to work on figuring out how to make at home. I am so glad that I went back to Alto and had another delicious dinner!