Feel the Powder!

My friend Cris and I enjoyed a lazy (though not that lazy) and definitely decadent Sunday afternoon. We began by meeting at Fred's for brunch. The walls of this Upper West Side locale, which is named after the owner's black labrador retriever, are covered with canine collages; in fact, the doggie decor was the primary reason I chose this spot. The other? The $15 prix fixe brunch menu. Cris got the spinach, goat cheese, and mushroom omelette, while I chose Fred's French Toast (made with "New York's Best Cinnamon Raisin Bread from Orwasher's Bakery").
It had been awhile since I'd had french toast, so I was extremely excited. I indulged in scarfing down two hearty slices of scrumptious toast: thick and moist (but not soggy) in the center, and crispy crunchy on the outside. They didn't even need the syrup or dusting of powdered sugar, they were so sweet and lovely.

After leaving Fred's, we window-shopped (sans windows) at a flea market and farmer's market on Columbus Avenue. Cris had bought some unique, hand-crafted truffles from a shop near his hometown of Mahopac, NY, so we took a seat on a bench near the American Museum of Natural History to eat a few of 'em. The best of the bunch? The red wine infused truffle, with its rich, soft, and slightly bitter ganache center and cocoa powder coating. The hazelnut and caramel varieties were quite tasty too.
The most memorable, however, was the earl gray truffle. Cris and I both agreed that it was our least favorite. Its flavor was overpowering, and its aftertaste lingered long after the chocolate was consumed. There was certainly no mistaking it for any other type of truffle; it tasted as if I had shoved a fistful of Twinings tea bags in my mouth.


After meandering through Central Park, we walked 70 blocks (!) due south, to the 3rd Annual Manhattan Cask Ale Festival at the Chelsea Brewing Company at Chelsea Piers. We each had three small glasses of:

"unfiltered, unpasteurized beer brewed only from traditional ingredients, matured by secondary fermentation in the container from which it is dispensed, and served without the use of extraneous carbon dioxide. Cask Ale is also known as 'Cask-Conditioned Beer', and 'Real Ale.'"
Cheers!

Tired and slightly buzzed, we agreed it was time for a satisfying dinner. We ended our long day of delicious drinks and eats with steak (for Cris) and a burger (for me) at The Viceroy Cafe on 8th Avenue while brainstorming on what to title this latest blog-stallment.

How did we do?