Live and Breathe

Once again I bought another voucher. Man I'm going broke from all these deal sites yet I just can't pass up on a good deal. Especially when it's food related^_^

Before I even purchased the voucher I read that LAB aka Live and Breathe was suppose to be some sort of molecular cuisine. That was the reason I bought the voucher in the first place. The menu was enticing coupled with some great reviews I was sold. However, the menu appeared to have change from when I previously viewed it. Regardless, the food was outstanding even if it didn't involve molecular gastronomy.

I arrived pretty early so I took advantage of the empty place and snapped some photos.

This wall was cute. Guess this was the part that involved a bit of science although don't know if this actually meant anything. Sorry I don't remember my science or chemistry class lol they were my least favorite subjects in school.

Porchetta & Co.

If you want a juicy pork sandwich then head to Porchetta. Located in Portugal Village, this tiny sandwich place serves up one of the best sandwiches I have ever had. Now I can see why there's so much excitement over this place.

Think about it. A piece of pork shoulder marinated for 24 long hours then it's wrapped in prosciutto for more flavor and then the whole entire meat is wrapped again in cured pork belly just to be roasted then slow cooked for another few more hours. Just reading it made me drool. Do you know any place else that does this? I sure don't. Also the sourdough bun they use are fresh from the Caldense Bakery which is right across the street. Just can't get better than that.

They only specialize in pork and there are only 2 items to choose from on their menu. The Porchetta plate or the sandwich. I chose the sandwich. The fun part was picking the toppings.

Here for my toppings I chose the truffle sauce, rappini, and mushrooms. I loved the bun. It was pillowy soft and it went perfectly well with the sandwich. It got really messy eating this. Most of my toppings kept falling out and the truffle sauce was running down my arms. So messy but soooo good:)

For this sandwich I made it simple. Just added tomato sauce and mozzarella. Simple is always best. It was delicious. They also added to each sandwich a few pieces of crispy pork rind for a nice added crunch.

For this place to specialize in only one item they better make it right and right on point they did. Porchetta is in my top faves for the best sandwich shops in the city.

Since it's a very small shop with only 6 stools for seating it's best to bring it home to enjoy if you live close by and savor every single bite. But if you eat there try to go in the summer. It was difficult for me to enjoy my sandwich while balancing my big bag and my winter coat on my lap all the while trying to make sure the sauce did not drip onto my coat and bag. Nevertheless, it was well worth it.

TOTAL BILL $17...EAT HERE NEXT!!!

Final Brunch @ Hoof Cafe

I'm baaaack but sadly it will be my very last brunch at Hoof Cafe:(

Even though I was just here yesterday I couldn't resist returning again since my friend wanted to try the french toast with foie gras.

We arrived close to 2pm and lo and behold no lineup. Woohoo!

Once again I began ordering right away the minute our waitress came to pour us a glass of water.

We had the french toast and beignets and also some new dishes I haven't tried yet.

Here is the scrapple which included a fried egg and some greens. I didn't know what a scrapple was but it's suppose to be scraps of pork mixed with cornmeal. Albeit the name doesn't sound appetizing it was a hit.

Here is the side of pork belly pastrami. Tasted like bacon but much more meatier. Delicious.

Here is the Hoof crepe with a huge slab of ham encircled in some sort of syrup with a smear of creme fraiche topped with bits and pieces of fried brussels sprouts. It was delectable.

Now out of everything I tried so far the best dish is the scrapple. Once again I left the cafe with a sad look. The food is simply extraordinary. I hope the new restaurant won't disappoint and will blow us away just like Hoof otherwise if not there will be some very unhappy Hoof fans.

TOTAL BILL $64...EAT HERE NEXT!!! (or actually try the Black Hoof)

Hoof Cafe

ATTENTION ALL MEAT LOVERS AND BRUNCH LOVERS! HOOF CAFE WILL BE CLOSING FOR GOOD ON FEB. 28!!!

After discovering that in 2 days the restaurant will be closing its doors I had to push my boyfriend to take me there. Lucky I was browsing around otherwise I would have missed a chance to dine at one of the top most rated brunch spot in the city. I have been wanting to try this place since last year. It's insane that they are closing when they are doing so well. Hoof Cafe will be transforming into BHCO (Black Hoof and Company). Click here to read more about it. One highlight of the new place will be that it will now accept reservations. Thank god!!!

We arrived 10 minutes prior to opening time . At first we saw only a few people waiting so we figured we made good timing. Unfortunately the lineup was for the restaurant Saving Grace. At Hoof Cafe the lineup was 10 times longer. I think there were at least 50+ people ahead of us. Guess we weren't the only ones who heard about the bad news. Once the doors opened we gave our name and number and off we went to kill some time. We stumbled upon The Communal Mule and stayed there for at least an hour which wasn't too bad. Finally an hour and a half later we received the long awaited phone call we've been yearning for. Our table was ready. YES!!!

Once we were seated I didn't waste any time and immediately began ordering. I ordered all the items that everyone kept raving about. Since they were closing I had to splurge and order everything I had my eye on which luckily wasn't the entire menu. (Ok maybe almost half of the menu lol)

Since we waited so long for a table I decided to order a drink. I rarely have a drink so early in the morning but since I'm going all out might as well go all the way. I ordered the Hoof Caesar since I saw practically everyone holding the red drink in their hand. It consisted of pink peppercorn, vodka, Marmite syrup, Clamato, house hot sauce and worcestershire. The glass was rimmed with rock salt, pepper, and dehydrated horseradish. It gave a great punch with the bold spicy and salty flavor.

We were fortunate to get a seat by the window so it wasn't as crowded compared to sitting at the counter. People's arms were literally right up against one another where there was no gap between them at all.

I had to order the beignets since I read that these were sold out by afternoon so it was on my list to try. These were baked fresh and were stuffed with sour cherry jam and bone marrow. I'm not quite sure how bone marrow taste but these sugary donuts were delightful.

Here is the infamous suckling pig benny. It consisted of buttery homemade dough biscuits with tender pulled pork under poached eggs topped with Hollandaise sauce and served with a side of arugula salad and a few pieces of pork rind. I thought this dish was magnificent however, my boyfriend did not agree. He prefers the benny at Steve's Restaurant over this. Let's just say we agreed to disagree on this one.

The tongue grilled cheese was exceptionally astounding. I don't think I've tried tongue before but I did not expect it to taste that good either. Absolutely mouthwatering.

The brioche french toast with foie gras was pretty pricey ($27 with foie gras and $13 without). But without a doubt a major sugar rush. Who would've thought foie gras and french toast would be a match made in heaven. The foie gras was extremely buttery that it just melted in your mouth. It was so rich with all the sweetness and the delicateness of the foie gras it was impeccable. I loved the added crunch from the bits and pieces of hazelnuts. You do not need to order dessert after this dish. It was overly sweet that I could only eat half of it. My boyfriend only had 2 bites and that was enough for him.

Although the pictures made the dishes looked bigger but in actuality I thought the portions were small. But since everything was so rich and heavy the portions were perfect after all. I was stuffed to the max. In the end was it worth all the hype. ABSO-FREAKIN-LUTELY!!!

This is the second restaurant I have ever waited in line for. Guu being the first. At least with Hoof I was able to stroll around even though there wasn't much in the area to look at. Regardless, they were both well worth the wait.

It's so sad that Hoof is closing but at least I got to experience it before they shut their doors for good.

TOTAL BILL $78...EAT HERE NEXT!!!

The Communal Mule

While waiting for a table at the bustling Hoof Cafe, me and my boyfriend wondered off and decided to kill time at an expresso bar just a few stores down the street. Upon entering The Communal Mule it felt like I had entered into a completely different time zone or better yet some strange cafe built in the late 1900s or something.

There were vintage movie posters and some weird light contraptions that look like those huge dryers at hair salons hanging over the tables.

We had ordered a mochaccino and a latte. I was eying the baked goodies but was trying to save my stomach for brunch. I was told that some of the treats came from Wanda's Pie in the Sky. The most popular item were the scones which I did see a lot of people buying while I was sipping on my drink.

They also sold loose tea leaves and coffee blends. There was a wide variety of flavors ranging from blood orange to lavendar to chocolate.

TOTAL BILL $9...EAT HERE NEXT!!! (or better yet DRINK HERE NEXT!!!)