Almonds and chocolate-a girl's new best friends

The cutest little addition to Grand Central Station is a patisserie called Financier. This patisserie has a few locations around NYC but this location just happened to be the only one I pass on a fairly regular basis. I stepped inside unsure of what I really wanted. Eager to try anything -since everything looked so great and it was evident much time and energy went into the displays and the decor and I would guess the food should be just as delightful.

After some browsing, and an employee's persistent efforts to move me along in my purchasing decision, I selected the florentine. The chocolate on one side had a rough finish like little mountain peaks and it reflected light like chards of glass. The other side was like a whole other world with roasted, honey-glazed almond slices. It was much more substantial in weight and taste then any other florentine I'd allow to graze my lips. The texture was both chewy and crunchy. Two perfectly delicious ingredients combined to make a most perfect sweet treat! I have to say Financier did not disappoint. Now I'll test their version of a Galette de Rois...

NOLA Holiday Bites

So I went home for Christmas and, as usual, was overwhelmed by all the restaurants (and relatives) I had to visit during my short stay. I began my hunt almost for food the moment I hit the ground with a (half and half) shrimp and oyster po-boy on the way home from the airport which has become a delicious tradition. After my last bite of the sandwich, I was left thinking what will dinner behold. Things started to take a turn in an unanticipated, troubling direction once my sister arrived from Atlanta a few hours later. She was hungry from the long drive and wanted soup or a salad for dinner. Now, I was sure none of the restaurants on my list were known for their soups or salads. I could only begin to think -she's going to waste one of my meals on something like french onion soup or ceasar salad! This was all very troubling as she and my mom started to list off different restaurants none of which caught my attention. They settled on a local middle eastern place that had a nice selection and I agreed to join them. To my surprise it was a delight and the shock and panic of their choice wore off once I got inside.

The rest of my time at home left me with a few more critical restaurant choices but none proved to come near the joy that came from the Patton's hot sausage poboy. I'm not sure if time made my taste buds grow fonder but everything about the sandwich was perfect! The flaky bread, crisp lettuce, juicy tomato and perfect amount of mayo. (This is the only way I'll have my hot sausage poboy dressed.) Of all places, I found it at the Tastee Donut shop. It's the most simple sandwich but the perfect combination of ingredients make it so divine! This proves the phrase .. In New Orleans we live to eat!