Emergency fruit tart đ
I will take this emotional support dessert on the subway with me
Hello and welcome back to Five Things I Ate! Check out past posts here, and please follow my Instagram @fivethingsiate.
Mixed fruit tart at Ladybird Bakery
1112 8th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Ladybird Bakery is a delightful little bakery in my neighborhood that sells the cutest and most perfectly (in my opinion) decorated 4-inch mini cakes. The little cakes are frosted in off-white frosting and topped with trails of ombre buttercream wildflowers, and they come in classic flavors like yellow cake, carrot, and lemon. I have been ogling these little beauties since the Birthday Ear Infection Fiasco of 2018, but I never had a good reason to buy myself whole-ass (no matter how small) decorated cake on my not-cake-day. Surviving my own personal hell, aka being strapped into the claustrophobia machine to get my head scanned, seemed reason enough, so I swung by Ladybird on the subway ride home from the doctorâs. By now you guys are probably all on the edge of your seats, waiting for the Instagram photos of the aforementioned cake and the description of my sweet, sweet first bite. Well it turns out that when I am under high duress my decision-making skills drastically decline, so I decided (incorrectly!!) to get a fruit tart at the last minute instead, and now I am sitting here in the dark eating it and telling you I, too, am human and make mistakes.
Shio ramen at Rai Rai Ken
218 E 10th St, New York, NY 10003
I never really understood that old metaphor about sex and pizza*, but I think thatâs because it really doesnât apply to women-identifying folks whose âbadâ experiences are dehumanizing at best and assault at worst. Iâm also lactose intolerant, so pizza better be really really damn good for it to be worth it. But, before you hit unsubscribe because we have nothing in common (or maybe too many things in common and you came here for the escapism), I do feel this way about ramen!! I think that even bad ramen is good ramen (I mean, as long as itâs not actually spoiled or completely mushy or something). The ramen at Rai Rai Ken (a last minute Seamless** call) is not very good. Like, the soup is chicken broth and the chashu was meh and everything was both salty and bland. But hey, even bad ramen is good ramen amirite?
* And Iâm also not going to link to any of the articles discussing or re-discussing it because all of them are bad takes!!
**Sorry :(
 Rose scented black tea at Harney & Sons
433 Broome St, New York, NY 10013 (Flagship store, or online)
This tea is a near-perfect dupe, as they say on the Youtube, for last weekâs lychee rose tea. Obviously it lacks lychee but honestly, rose is my favorite flavor of⊠everything from perfume to tea so I didn't miss the other fruity flavors. I believe itâs also about the same price per ounce (the four ounce tin was $8) too. So if youâre in the mood to support a large corporation instead of a Chinatown original, swing on by Harney & Sonâs flagship store in Soho to buy a tin of Rose Scented tea. I mean, itâs also way easier to procure, for everyone who doesnât live in New York/along the right subway lines/really doesnât have the damn time to travel for tea.
Homemade æ±€ć (tÄng yuĂĄn) at my apartment
Courtesy of my wonderful co-worker Ash!
Last year, I said some dismissive words about tang yuan, the mochi dumpling soup thatâs supposed to bring you many happy reunions with your family. Let the record state that Iâd like to retract my former statements. It turns out that tang yuan from scratch is a whole different animal from the frozen ones I grew up eating: Perfectly chewy and pillowy soft; I could eat dozens. My friend Ash led the tang yuan production, and like a true Chinese chef does not believe in measurements, so I canât really give you a recipe, just some broad strokes: Mix sweet rice flour with water to form a soft dough, and then form into little balls. Meanwhile, boil water, enough sugar to ⊠make it sweet, and strips of ginger in a large pot. Drop in the little dumplings and cook until⊠cooked. Stir in some sweetened red bean paste. Enjoy with your family, chosen or biological.
Sylvie Augereau Les RĂ©jouissances* at Racines
94 Chambers St, New York, NY 10007
Racines is located on an unmemorable stretch of Chambers street. Adjacent to a nail salon and across the road from an urgent care center, I almost walked past the entrance, but Iâm very glad I didnât. Inside is a warm and welcoming French bistro, with a woman-led wine list that is surprisingly affordable (they have a happy hour where you can get great wine for $7 a glass). Itâs also remarkably simultaneously family (I spotted two tables with toddlers) and date friendly; the most difficult intersection of Venn diagrams. The decor is unmemorable but pleasant, like a screenshot from the Restoration Hardware website. The highlight of time spent at Racines is definitely interacting with master sommelier Pascaline Lepeltier, a compact woman with dark-rimmed glasses and a tendency to give hearty slaps on the back. âFor his 40th birthday,â my drinking buddy whispered, âmy rich friend bought out this entire place. The counter was lined with wine bottles four rows deep. Can you imagine?â No, I really couldnât.
*Translation: A nice bottle of red wine I didnât order. But seriously just get a $7 glass at happy hour, youâll be just as good.
Wishing you good health,
Soph