Point Chaud
I dropped in to Point Chaud Café & Crêpes (website under construction) on 14th Street a few weeks ago. Places like this make me wonder why there aren’t more crêperies in this area! The crêpe is the perfect café food. It’s fast, it’s sweet, it’s savory…and it can be eaten on the go or savored slowly over a hot cup of your favorite beverage.
The menu at Point Chaud is just a long list of suggested combinations. Customers are welcome to pick and choose whatever ingredients they want. I would take forever if left to my devices, so on my visit here, I went ahead and picked something straight off the menu – the honey and almond powder crêpe.
It was absolutely lovely. The crêpe was airy and light, the honey was just sweet enough, and bits of crushed almonds added a nice bite. I had a frothy cup of cappuccino with it. My only wish is that there was more, but the “to stay” portion of cappuccino only came in one size.
Masa 14
I’d heard a lot about the Latin/Asian fusion restaurant Masa 14, a collaboration between Richard Sandoval (Zengo) and Kaz Okochi (Kaz Sushi Bistro). I stopped in there for a Sunday brunch a few weeks ago, and I left feeling a little underwhelmed. Granted, the place was having a number of problems that day, including a broken oven (so flatbreads and quiches were off the menu), and busted espresso machine. The waitress was very eager to please though, perhaps due to the many glitches in the kitchen machinery.
I ordered the pan dolce with ancho whipped cream and roasted pineapple syrup, pictured above. This was my favorite of the dishes that I tasted at the brunch. I thought the bread had a nice texture and I loved the chunky pineapple syrup with it.
More after the jump:
Estadio
Estadio is the newish sister restaurant to Proof, one of my favorite wine bars in the city. I finally had occasion to try it out a while ago with a friend of mine who has the kind of job I envy – he travels to places around the world and writes about them. X)
The interior of the place is very charming and warm, with lots of character. I was a little surprised, however, when they led me to a very small table by the wall with tall bar chairs, instead of a real table. I didn’t mind it very much, but the table was a little cramped, and it felt like I was there for happy hour more than dinner. (I did have a reservation).
The food, for the most part, was very enjoyable! We ordered up quite a number of tapas to share, and they were served one after the other in a happy parade of good eats.
Pictured above is the duck breast with baby chard, quince, and ginger sauce. The skin was crispy, the meat was tender, and flavors spot on. This was quite possibly some of the best duck I’ve ever had. The baby chard provided a nice, slightly bitter contrast to the duck.
The rest:
