Things aren't always black and white...

Things aren't always black and white, but I sure love when they are! I am an obsessive rule-follower. The kind that actually arrives at the doctor's office 15 minutes before my appointment because that's what I was told to do. Even though I know we'll be sitting in the waiting room with 15 snotty-nosed, hacking kids for at least an hour.

The kind that plans trips and activities around my four-year-old's school schedule so that she doesn't miss pre-K. Not that her attendance really counts for anything. But she's supposed to be there. I even remember as a kid that my mom would beg me to stay home from school for a day so we could play or I could recover more fully from an illness, but I refused every time.

And when I bake or cook, I scrape the top of the measuring spoon or cup so I can put in EXACTLY the right amount of an ingredient that the recipe calls for.

I've never been late to work. Or received a speeding ticket. Or had a cavity, since I obsessively brush my teeth every morning and night (unfortunately, flossing is not yet one of my "rules").

I guess you could say that a lot of things are very black and white in my mind.

And maybe that's why I love classic New York City black-and-white cookies so much. And last month, I stumbled upon the best of the best...the black-and-white at Orwasher's Bakery on the Upper East Side.

The cookie is cakey, yet dense enough not to be crumbly. The thickness of the cookie is perfectly balanced with a thin layer of delicious fondant frosting. And surprisingly, I liked the white side just as much as the chocolate! The vanilla fondant was sweet with a slight hint of almond flavoring. And the black side was a rich dark chocolate that I would be happy to have coating any cookie, or fruit, or a peanut butter sandwich, or almost anything! Now to try their highly recommended jelly-filled donuts. I was also thrilled to learn that Orwasher's has a presence closer to us in the All Good Things market in TriBeCa!

Also, if you're looking for another good black-and-white, you must hit up Glaser's Bake Shop, also of the Upper East Side. Their cookies are a close second in my opinion.

Despite the joy brought by easy black and white decisions and the delicious cookies of the same name, it's best that those grey areas exist. And that the very best bites of every black-and-white are those straight down the middle with both the chocolate and vanilla. And in the words of the wise Jerry Seinfeld, the world would be a better place if we just "look to the cookie!"

Evacuees

Note: “The views contained in these web pages are my personal views and do not

represent the views of NYU Langone Medical Center.”

I had this delicious, chocolately treat yesterday at the Silver Moon Bakery on 105th and Broadway on the Upper West Side. It was incredible. Actually, every treat I've had from this packed little French bakery is worth writing about. But tonight, I wanted to tell the story of how I got to be in this bakery yesterday with my two little girls.

Thursday was supposed to be a day of sleep. I was scheduled to work nights all week, and planned, against better judgment, to stay up all day on Wednesday to enjoy Halloween with my girls. Then after a full night at work with one or two freshly post-op patients, I hoped to sleep the day away. But Hurricane Sandy changed all of that....

On Sunday, just after noon, as sweet Brother Vogelman was going a little over-time with his Sunday School lesson, several cell phones started making emergency alert noises. Instead of a typical third-hour church meeting, our ward leadership pulled the whole congregation together to let us know that word had just been received that there was a mandatory evacuation of Zone A, the perimeter of downtown Manhattan and other sites in several boroughs, due to the approaching Hurricane Sandy. This area encompassed a large portion of our ward, including our own apartment on the South Street Seaport. As everyone began making arrangements to campout at a another place, host an evacuated family, or gather necessities to ride out the storm at home, we called my brother-in-law Jordan to ask if we could crash at his place. Honestly, I didn't think much of it, since Zone A had also been evacuated for Hurricane Irene, but not much had happened in downtown New York. I assumed this would be the same, but figured we might as well enjoy the family time.

We loaded up and headed to Jordan and Kristi's place (Kristi and their daughter were actually visiting family in Utah), carrying two days' worth of clothes and a couple gallons of water. On Monday, the subways were closed and James was exempt from going in to work, so we enjoyed a leisurely day together, actually waiting around for the storm to show up. I was still scheduled to work Monday night, and since the wind and rain were picking up in the early evening, I headed in about 6pm to make sure I didn't get held up by worsening weather. My cab zipped down to NYU Medical Center on nearly deserted roads. The closer we got to the East River, the worse the wind was whipping around the car.

As I stepped into the elevators to head to the 15th floor, I felt that knot in the pit of my stomach that caused me to say a quick prayer for strength to deal with whatever comes, thinking it was likely due to a sick patient that could have a difficult night. Jill, the day shift nurse practitioner, gave report on the 6 kids in our Pediatric Cardiac ICU, and then showed me the emergency food supply (chips and cookies!) that her and Maura had hoarded all day, just in case.

At about 7:30, the computer stopped working. Then the phones went out at around 8pm. The day shift nurses were still giving report to night shift when the power went out, and we switched over to generator power. Not a big deal, and almost expected. We ensured all the critical care equipment was plugged into the red emergency outlets.

A short while later, the generator tripped and our equipment reverted to battery power for about 10 minutes, though a few overhead lights stayed on. Our unit then returned to generator power, but we received word that the other pediatric units on the 9th floor were without the backup power. Several of our staff members (including 4 that had already worked 12 hours that day) went down to help the PICU and NICU staff support their patients and search for backup batteries for the fading equipment.

Around 10pm, I was informed that administration had announced we were to evacuate the hospital. NICU and PICU were to go first, and we were to be the last pediatric unit to go (except our one intubated patient), as we still had generator power.

The next two hours consisted of calling every hospital accesible with the closed bridges and tunnels to see who would take my patients. As planned, our intubated patient was the first to be transferred (and among the first of all the pediatric patients). The cardiology fellow carried the baby down the stairwell to the waiting ambulance, while our fabulous charge nurse manually ventilated the patient with a bag attached to his breathing tube.

I was still in the process of negotiating placement for the remainder of our patients when, just after 1am, we lost all power. The unit was pitch black, except for the red glow of the EXIT signs and the green glow of our battery operated medication pumps. I ran to the room of each patient to make sure everyone was OK, then called one of the hospitals back to inform them of the change in our condition. The fellow said she'd work on getting as many of our patients there as possible, but would need attending approval first (which is standard).

 

In the meantime, the FDNY showed up and said that we had to evacuate immediately. I wrapped up and held the patient I was most concerned about moving, and each nurse grabbed her patient. We were instructed to use the stairwell on the east side to carry the patients down the 15 flights. By the last flight of stairs, my legs were shaking from carrying the 34 pound child and my mind was endlessly repeating a prayer of pleading to steady my feet.

All five patients were safely brought to the lobby. And within several minutes, the outside hospitals graciously agreed to accept our patients. One hospital took four of our remaining patients (and a couple others of our surgical patients that were in the NICU), but asked that we provide staff to care for them as the additional patients would overrun their capacity. Nurses that had worked all day and now halfway through the night didn't think twice as they offered to stay with the patients as long as necessary.

Once I knew all my patients had a place to go and a team to transport them, I jumped in the ambulance where two of our nurses held babies in their arms. Our ambulance crew had driven most the day from their homes in Michigan to be on hand in case assistance was needed. It was quite the scene to see the seemingly endless line of ambulances that had come from across the country to be on call for just such a need.

The receiving staff at the outside hospital greeted us warmly and our patients were shortly made comfortable in their new beds. I was brought to the command center to obtain temporary credentialing and was amazed as I walked into a room of dozens of former adult NYU patients tucked into every corner or the large room. The activity was nonstop, but somehow felt like an organized form of chaos.

I was overcome by the positive attitudes and charity that was demonstrated in every phase of this unbelievable night (I only heard one grumbler, and she was doing it behind a closed door where she thought nobody could hear!). The nurses were the stars of the night. They worked tirelessly (and sleeplessly), providing the highest quality of care. They stayed calm, while preparing for the worst, and worked together in every step of the way. And I'll also be forever grateful to the attending doctor who walked down 48 flights of stairs in the dark and caught a cab in the flooded streets to come relieve me so I could go home to my family!

We came to find out that the hurricane led to storm surges above 13 feet, meaning waves from the East River were crashing against the east side of Manhattan. The hospital basement flooded severely, and our generators were no longer able to function. But miraculously, every patient was safely evacuated.

One of my fellow nurse practitioners took my Tuesday night shift to cover at the outside hospital so I could rest fully. And then all the patients were transferred on Wednesday to facilities that could care for the children with the staff they already had.

Leading me to an unplanned vacation with my family, safe on the Upper West Side, as we wait for the return of power to our devastated downtown. So here we are. And life goes on. The girls enjoyed trick-or-treating in makeshift costumes. And yesterday we stopped by a bakery for a chocolate chip cookie.

Buttery Bliss and "Backyards"

Last week, playgroup brought us to SoHo and the exciting Vesuvio Playground (equipped with a free public pool, a huge playground, swings, and sprinklers - the kids were in Heaven!). I was hoping our luck in finding a bakery nearby would be good since the playground was named after the iconic Vesuvio Bakery (which is now closed unfortunately). But I had no idea how lucky we would be!

We stumbled upon Dominique Ansel Bakery. It looked like a cute French bakery, but then I saw that their chalkboard sign said they were just named one of the Top 5 Destination Bakeries (still can't find where that title comes from, but I believe them...read on).

I asked the lady to give me their best bakery item, so she suggested a DKA: Dominique's Kouign Amann. I had never heard of such a treat, but she described it as essentially a caramelized croissant. It was incredible!! The pastry was so tender and flaky. The caramelized exterior created the perfect texture - not gooey but not hard at all. And the center, where all the buttery caramel settled (but wasn't a messy pool), was seriously one of the best bites I've ever taken.

Hannah got a chocolate macaron, which didn't disappoint at all. Now I need to go back and try all the other amazing treats! My other favorite thing was the garden seating in the back. Such a relaxing atmosphere and the perfect place to enjoy a treat that will put you into a momentary butter coma!

So our trip to this amazing bakery and enjoying a peaceful moment sitting in patio furniture, surrounded by greenery and covered with natural shade, left me yearning for a backyard. Don't get me wrong, I'm really enjoying being a city dweller, but I'd like to introduce you to our "backyard":

Actually, we are very fortunate to have a balcony, and accomodating a full-size BBQ grill is one of the greatest perks of our place. But my husband feels that he has found the solution that will bring together the best of city and suburban dwelling: astroturf. He is certain that covering the cement balcony with a perfectly measured piece of fake grass will make for a very comfortable grilling/lounging space.

Let's just say that I haven't had the most open mind about this idea. Maybe it's my flashbacks of daily strolls through Durham on the sketchy side of Roxboro Road to get to our favorite walking path. It was not uncommon to see an overgrown lawn leading to a porch covered in astroturf, which was inevitably so worn down that its bright green hue was now a dingy gray.

So I tried googling astroturf, thinking I might find images of classy back patios covered in astroturf and topped off with a nice outdoor dining set. But the results weren't that reassuring. Mostly, I saw football fields and mini golf courses. Then there were a lot of random things covered in astroturf:

I wouldn't call it the epitome of class.

That said, I'm open to look at all angles. Any thoughts...?

Grandaisy and Gravel

The girls and I found another winner this week. I had Friday off of work, so I loaded the kids up for a morning of running errands. We planned to cover a lot of territory, so the buggy board was strapped to the stroller in hopes of avoiding the dawdling feet of my 3-year-old. It seemed like a great idea, but there were two major drawbacks: 1) the uncoordinated feet of that 3-year-old's mother kicked the buggy board so many times that I broke my big toenail and bled all over the sidewalks of downtown; 2) with a baby in the stroller, a preschooler on the buggy board, "I just worked four 12-hour shifts this week" hair, and all sorts of bags draped from the stroller, I became a true "shlepper" and earned many interesting looks. But all of that aside, we accomplished a lot, found a great bakery along the way, and hit up one of our favorite parks.

The bakery: Grandaisy is a quaint little bakery in upper TriBeCa. When I got over my initial disappointment that they didn't have chocolate chip cookies, I decided 11:00am was late enough for lunch and we ordered two of their Roman-style pizzas and a panini dolce.

The pizza was incredible! I tried the zucco, a thin-crust pizza (served unheated, which worked well and didn't taste like the hardened piece of pizza sitting in a take-out box in the fridge (which I actually don't mind at all!)). It was topped with butternut squash, onions, gruyere cheese, and sea salt. Bursting with flavor and delicious! My picky eater had the plain pomodoro, which was simply crust and sauce, but also very tasty.

When I ordered the chocolate with cream cheese panini dolce, I thought it was a macaron-style cookie. So I initially felt that it was way too dry and crumbly. However, I quickly realized it was a chocolate shortbread cookie, and my opinion softened (though the cookie didn't). The shortbread had a deep chocolate flavor and the cream cheese had a yummy sourness to it. Not my favorite treat ever, but I was very satisfied.

To relax for a minute before trekking home, we stopped to play at Washington Market Park on Greenwich Street. Hannah adores the train and settled right in. And Abbie was so satisfied, after watching Hannah and me devour our delicious pizza and cookies, to sit in the dirt and eat some rocks.

Note: Grandaisy also has a location on the Upper West Side at 176 West 72nd St #2, New York, NY.

Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass

I love how so many places in New York City are named after the actual location - SoHo (South of Houston Street), TriBeCa (Triangle Below Canal Street), NoLita (North of Little Italy), etc. But DUMBO is not only my favorite name of the sort (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass), but it's also one of my favorite places to visit. The in-laws were in town last week, so we spent an afternoon making the roundtrip to this charming Brooklyn neighborhood and of course ended up with some delicious treats along the way! Here's the tour:

Walk the Brooklyn Bridge.

Eat the best pizza in New York at Grimaldi's (the new location next door, but the same great pizza!)

Walk around Pier One. Ride Jane's Carousel (the girls adored it!!!) - the most joy that could possibly be packed into 3 minutes!

Make a stop at the French patisserie Almondine on Water Street. My father-in-law lived in France for two years, so he enjoyed the very French atmosphere of this picturesque little bakery (so picture-perfect that we had to veer around the newlyweds taking wedding photos on the front steps!).

Serious Eats dubbed Almondine the winner of the Brooklyn leg of the best chocolate chip cookie contest, therefore, I had no choice but to try it. The cookie was the same size as my apartment and absolutely delicious! Like a good New Yorker, it was crispy and soft at the same time, and it had an almost caramelized flavor (but not to the burnt-tasting extreme like City Bakery). I was wishing for a little more chocolate (don't let the picture fool you, there are more than 3 chocolate chips, but still not quite enough), but overall, a winner!

Since you can't go to a French bakery without indulging in fresh macarons, my mother-in-law picked out several of the colorful two-bite macarons to try (not realizing that the size in no way correlates with the price!). They were wonderful - dense yet perfectly fluffy, flavorful, and filled with delicious creams and jellies. I loved the pistachio, James preferred the black cherry, and Hannah enjoyed the chocolate. There were a dozen other pasteries that looked delicious as well, which gives us every excuse to come again!

Finally, ride the East River Ferry home.

It was a perfect day!

Traveling Sweet Tooth

We were recently in Utah to visit family, and of course it didn't take long for my mind to turn to treats! Thanks to my mother-in-law's killer baking skills, I usually have a full supply of sweets for our entire stay. But with a Utahn recently winning Cupcake Wars, of course I had to make a special trip to try her goods! After eating the cupcakes at Sweet Tooth Fairy, there is no question why Megan Brown won - her cupcakes are fantastic! I tried the chocolate with salted caramel frosting. The cake was moist, dense and full of flavor. The frosting had that perfect balance of savory/sweet that the sea salt adds to the caramel, and it was perfectly smooth. Loved it!

The red velvet cupcake was also good, but not quite the same blow-your-mind flavor (and the frosting has an almondy taste that caught me off guard).

Of course, being a cookie fanatic, I had to try a chocolate chip cookie. It was good, but I'd stick to the cupcakes. Honestly, if I weren't so spoiled by NY cookies, this one might top my list. But now that I know what's really out there, I missed the crispy exterior, soft middle, and quality dark chocolate. This cookie was soft all over and a little lacking in the chocolate. 

Finally, my sister-in-law has brought Sweet Tooth Fairy cake bites to family dinners on several occasions, and I HIGHLY recommend them! I think they are the best cake bites I've ever had. My favorite is red velvet, with double fudge being a close second. These are definitely rich and sweet, but perfectly so. Best of all, they deliver (and since this is a blog about New York City treats, this somehow makes this post a little more relevant)! They go on hiatus for the summer months to avoid delivering melted blobs, but will be back to usual on September 4th. 

As a side note, I love the tooth fairy. Whenever I lost a tooth, I was so excited to leave the tooth under my pillow and a cup of water next to my bed. In the morning, I'd have a dollar under my pillow and water dyed the color of the sweet fairy's dress. My husband, on the other hand, grew up in a family of 5 boys. His dad convinced them all that the tooth fairy was a hunchbacked ogre with mangled hands that sneaked into their rooms at night. Still hoping my tradition wins out when our girls start losing teeth....

Yura Gonna Enjoy This!

I had some plans on the Upper East Side a couple weeks ago and was excited to finally be in the neighborhood of Yura on Madison. This gourmet prepared food market made the list of Serious Eats' Uptown Edition chocolate chip cookie taste test (and is one of the few on Serious Eats' list that I haven't tried yet). Everything in this restaurant looked amazing - both the entrees and bakery items. And I have to say that my Healthy Asian Chicken Wrap was so good that I find myself daydreaming about it at least once a day.

The chocolate chip cookie was obviously crunchy, which I typically don't prefer. But I went in with an open mind and was pleasantly surprised. There was not a bit of softness in the cookie, but instead of tasting like my sweet mom's burnt Pillsbury refrigerated break-the-dough-and-bake cookies, it had a great balance of flavor. It was buttery without being greasy, rich, and a little salty. I still prefer a cookie with a crunch on the exterior and a soft middle, but as far as hard cookies go, this was a winner.

The goodness of the day continued when we met some of our favorite people at the awesome Ancient Playground next to the Met. My little Egyptian goddess loved exploring the Nile as it flowed through the pyramids and obelisk. Great sprinkle park, but bring a hat and sunblock, because there is very little shade. And hopefully the water isn't recirculated, since Hannah told me she needed the potty, and in the time it took me to strap my baby into the stroller, Hannah had stripped her bathing suit off and was peeing in the drain. Oops!