Adorably Pink and Delicious: Hello Kitty High Tea and Hello Kitty Brunch October 22, 2009
Posted by Dorothy in information.9 comments
Hello Kitty Waffles
Supercute Hello Kitty Brunch
Hello Kitty Tramezzini
Hello Kitty High Tea
Hello Kitty Pancakes
Adorable Hello Kitty Cookie
How cute and delicious are these?! All of these are exclusive Hello Kitty desserts/edible goodies from the Royal/T Cafe in Los Angeles for Sanrio’s Three Apples Exhibit. These are only available Oct 23 – Nov 15! Check out the menu below:
Hello Kitty’s Kawaii High Tea $25
An assortment of sweets, savory canapé, and mini sandwiches, including a pot of tea
mmm Delicious Mixed Mushroom & Cheese Tramezzini $8
Toasted white bread pockets filled with mushrooms and cheese, served with organic mixed greens
Say Hello Chicken & Artichoke Tramezzini $8
Toasted white bread pockets filled with artichoke hearts and chicken, served with organic mixed greens
School is Fun Ham & Cheese Tramezzini $8
Toasted white bread pockets filled with ham and cheese, served with organic mixed greens
Super Yummy Waffles $7
Waffles, mixed berries, whipped cream, and syrup
I ♥ Pancakes $7
Pancakes, bananas, whipped cream, and syrup
Individually wrapped, hand-decorated Sweet Happy Cookies $6
The Three Apples Exhibit is a multi-media celebration of all things Hello Kitty for her 35th anniversary. For more information on this unique Hello Kitty event click here. For more information on Hello Kitty food from Royal/T click here.
Too cute to eat? I can’t decide!
Oh, who am I kidding?! Of course I am going to go and eat everything!
Images courtesy of Wagstaff Worldwide
Las Vegas Dessert Tour: World’s Largest Chocolate Fountain October 10, 2009
Posted by Dorothy in bars, chocolate, cookies, cupcakes, dessert tour, ice cream, information, sweet eats.Tags: bellagio, chocolate, crepes, jean philippe patiserrie, las vegas dessert tour, las vegas desserts
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Let’s continue on my Las Vegas Dessert Tour with a stop at the delicious Jean Philippe Patisserie inside the Bellagio:
Berry Crepe
Chocolate Crepe with Dark Chocolate Fudge
Not only is the Jean Philippe Patisserie famous for their Chocolate Waterfall, they are also known for their French style crepes. There are all sorts of crepes – sweet, indulgent, fruity, and savory – to satisfy everyone. We tried three different crepes:
Veggie Crepe: Crepe filled with Mediterrenean vegetable mix and a side of field greens. Good, but not amazing. Tasted a little bit like marinara pasta and salad.
Chocolate Crepe: Crepe with chocolate syrup, intense chocolate fudge, brownie bites, chocolate shavings, powdered sugar and mint garnish (comes with whipped cream if you like). I LOVED this crepe – Very indulgent and SO delicious! Extremely chocolate-y; a must for chocoholics!
Berry Crepe: Crepe with berry (strawberry, raspberry, and blueberry) compote, powdered sugar, and whipped cream – my favorite one of the three! Sweet and berry delicious! I loved the chunks of fruit and the perfect balance of sweet and tangy fruit. Very light and leaves you craving more.
Pastries
The dessert paradise that is Jean Philippe Patiserrie has a never-ending supply of pastries, candy, cakes, and gelato. There are giant almond brioches, fancy eclaires, a variety of sandwhiches, baguettes, hazelnut spread, opera cake, slabs of chocolate from the chocolate fountain, Sponge Bob birthday cakes, Hello Kitty cupcakes… you name it! I could barely take it all in with my eyes. Can’t wait to go back!
Jean Philippe Gelato
So I think I met myself from the future… September 20, 2009
Posted by Dorothy in information, sweet eats.5 comments
… not really but totally kind of! Well I didn’t meet her but I know she’s out there! PROOF BELOW:
Bakery owned by my Future Self in Korea
THAT photo above is a shot of the entrance to the Dorothy Ann bakery in Korea!! DOROTHY. ANN. BAKERY. in KOREA.
and its HOT PINK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I cannot believe someone beat me to it and opened a hot pink bakery in korea named after myself. I have forever been wanting to open a hot pink bakery named Dorothy Ann!! And I’ve always wanted my bakery to be in Korea because I wish I was Korean! Absolutely cannot believe that there can be another person SO similar to moi but so much more accomplished.
Then I realized it has to be ME from the future!! I mean, that’s the only explanation for the existence of this bakery. It looks exactly like the one that’s been sitting in my head! It IS the one that’s been sitting in my head.
I hope she’s married to a korean pop star.
Dorothy Ann Sandwich
Seoul, Korea
Las Vegas Dessert Tour: Carnival World Buffet at the Rio September 16, 2009
Posted by Dorothy in information.15 comments
Las Vegas, the epicenter of sin. Of course, that would include gluttony, which goes hand in hand with gourging on decadent desserts. So put on your most loose-fitting clothing, and get ready to sin. After all, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas!
Mind you, I was only in Sin City for the weekend so this is a shorter dessert tour. First stop, the Carnival World Buffet at the Rio:
With a whimsical name like that, who doesn’t want to eat at Carnival World? Praised time and time again as one of Vegas’ best buffets, Carnival World Buffet offers over 300 dishes prepared on the spot. The buffet includes steak, teppanyaki, sushi, barbeque, and a wide range of international cuisine. And of those 300 dishes, more than 70 of them are desserts.
Chocolate Manicotti
The first thing you notice when you walk through the Carnival World entrance is the dessert section, as it is located right by the entrance. Perfect for those like me, who only eat dessert – we can start eating right away! Every dessert is made fresh by Chef Randy Sebastian, one of the top pastry chefs in the nation, and his team.
The moment I stepped into Carnival World, I made a beeline for the gelato bar. There are ten different flavors of gelato and sorbetti. I tried coconut (superdelicious), peach (okay), strawberry (yummy), vanilla bean (not as vanilla-y as I like), chocolate, coffee (bitter), and cookies and cream (I had 3 servings of this!). There is also a fun topping bar with all your favorite toppings including syrups, candies, cookies, and fruits.
Gelato Bar
Besides the wonderful gelato, Carnival World also has quite a few cakes and pies. There are plenty of the usual fruit and pudding pies, but there are also sugar-free versions. I had a bite of apple pie, and it tasted pretty generic. There were three different cakes the day I went: chocolate with chocolate frosting, red velvet with cream cheese frosting, and carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. All three of them were really moist and yummy, but my favorite was the red velvet. It was a perfect red velvet! Wish I could eat that everyday.
Amazing Peanut Bars
And like every dessert buffet, there were plenty of cookies, bars, and biscottis. None of the biscottis or cookies interested me; I don’t like hard or crispy sweets. But I did try the brownies (mediocre), chocolate manicotti thingys (superdelicious), and my favorite of the entire night: the peanut bars. I don’t know what their official name is, but they are peanutty and baklava-y, sticky, gooey, teeth rotting, and absolutely perfect. I am willing to go to Carnival World Buffet again JUST so I can eat these!!! I want to eat them! I want to make them! I want them! If anyone knows of a recipe for a good sticky gooey peanut bar, let me know!
"Secret" Dessert Card from Bus Driver
Carnival World Buffet also has a “secret” dessert which you have to specially ask for – the Warm Chocolate Lava Cake. I took the shuttle from the Rio to the Strip, and at the end of the bus ride the bus driver gave everyone a card for a secret dessert at the buffet. The cake is assembled for you on the spot and then topped with powdered sugar and vanilla gelato – I put chocolate syrup from the toppings bar all over mine. Not every bus driver will give you one of those cards, but if you really want a chocolate lava cake when you visit the Carnival World Buffet, you can also find a coupon here.
Warm Chocolate Lava Cake
Note of advice: the wait for this buffet is extremely long, as it is with almost all buffets around the Strip. I arrived Saturday at 1pm, only to be told there was a 2 hour wait. There was no way I was waiting for 2 hours, so I left and came back at 4pm, and only waited for 30 minutes. So get there early!
Carnival World Buffet at the Rio
3700 W Flamingo Rd
Las Vegas, NV 89103
Breakfast $14.99 plus tax, 7am-11am Mon-Fri
Lunch $16.99 plus tax, 11am-3:30pm Mon-Fri
Dinner $23.99 plus tax, 3:30pm-10pm Mon-Fri
Saturday & Sunday Champagne Brunch $23.99 plus tax, 8am – 3:30pm
Breakfast & lunch children 4 – 8 $4 off adult price
Dinner and brunch children $7 off adult price
I will be posting the rest of my Las Vegas Dessert Tour featuring the World’s Largest Chocolate Fountain and Serendipity later this week, so get excited!
Los Angeles Dessert Tour: (I strongly strongly recommend) Porto’s Bakery August 25, 2009
Posted by Dorothy in bread, cake, chocolate, cookies, cupcakes, dessert tour, information, sweet eats.Tags: burbank desserts, cheap bakeries, cuban cuisine, cuban desserts, glendale desserts, los angeles bakery, los angeles dessert tour, los angeles desserts, porto's bakery
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- Dulche de Leche Napoleon
Porto’s Bakery is my newest love and obsession! This place is so super wonderful; I have no idea why it took me so long to find it! Located in the heart of Burbank or Glendale (there are two locations), Porto’s is just a quick (and very worthy) drive away from L.A., and a definite dessert stop in Los Angeles. I recently visited the location in Burbank, and had the time of my life. The place is almost as big as a Whole Foods store, and packed to the max with cakes, pastries, desserts, and customers! This dessert heaven is completely family-owned and operated, and all the goods are made fresh at the premises.
Exotic Red Velvet Cupcakes
Surprisingly, Porto’s is actually a Cuban restaurant and features a wide variety of (delicious) Cuban sandwiches, snacks, and drinks along with traditional Cuban desserts and exotic pastries. Even though they are a Cuban bakery, they still have a great selection of the regular cakes/pastries/desserts we are used to. There is also a huge selection of fresh baked breads and rolls, too. I’ve never had real Cuban cuisine myself, but a customer standing in front of me in line told me Porto’s had the most authentic Cuban cuisine she had ever had in California – and yes, she was Cuban.
Delicious Banana Chips
Now, I never write about real food because I don’t really eat it, as I just live off dessert, but the real food at Porto’s was SO good that I am going to mention it. I had a vegetable sandwhich which was perfectly cheesy and delicious, but the thing I really want to talk about are the banana chips that came with the sandwhich. These are supersuperthin slices of banana that are freshly fried into crispy banana chips – also know as plantain chips. Soooooogood! They are the perfect thinness and perfect crispiness and they even come with a delicious dipping sauce. I suggest you order a large side and enjoy!
On to the best part now – the desserts! Porto’s is super fun because it has two extremely long glass display cases that stretch the entire length of the store completely filled with all the sweets you are craving. A lot of the sweets feature the exotic flavors of guava, mango, pineapple, apricot, and coconut which you don’t usually see in desserts at traditional bakeries. Here’s a small sample of what they have to offer in those wonderful display cases: Opera Cake, Apricot Empanada, Cheese Roll (sweet cream cheese filled pastry; their best-seller), Tiramisu, Guava Pie, Napoleons, Mariner Cake, Red Velvet Cupcakes, Tres Leches Cake, Raspberry Pudding…
Mango Turnover
admist all this wonder, I finally settled on six sweets to try:
Coconut Strudel: my favorite item from Porto’s! This was so coconutty and sweet, I ate half of my strudel and ran inside to buy more 
Dulche de Leche Pound Cake: good, like caramel pound cake from anywhere else. The only average-tasting item I had at Porto’s all day.
Dulche de Leche Napoleon (I was having a caramely day): soooo good! The layers were flaky perfection, the buttercream filling was delicious, and the dulche de leche definitely filled my caramel cravings.
Chocolate Eclair: this was pretty average as far as eclairs go.
Mango Turnover: delicious! Mango in a turnover is genius.
Refugiado (guava and cheese pastry): omg so good! I have never had guava in a pastry before, but I have totally been missing out! Similar to a raspberry and cheese strudel, but more tangy. The tang compliments the sweet cheese perfectly.
Refugiado (guava and cheese strudel)
Next time I go, I am definitely going to stock up on Coconut Strudels and Refugiados. I also want to try their Cinnamon Rolls, which are bigger than my head, their best-selling Cheese Pastry, and the Tres Leches Cake.
Doesn’t Porto’s sound amazing?! Well, I didn’t even tell you the best part yet – the PRICES! I have never been to a dessert place with prices this good. My favorite Coconut Strudels are only 85 cents each, and $7.40 for a dozen. The delicious Refugiadosare only 65 cents each! Most cheesecakes/sliced cakes/Napoleons are only $2.50. The cheapest I’ve ever had for a Napoleon outside of Porto’s was $6.50! The cinnamon rolls that are bigger than my head are $1.50! Everything is super worth it.
After that life altering dessert trip, I have added a new life goal to my list of life goals: to try every sweet at Porto’s Bakery! Yay, this is going to be so much fun! If you’re planning on going, be prepared to park far away and wait in long lines as the place is ridiculously popular and always packed and there is no such thing as big parking lots in or around LA. Porto’s Bakery has two locations to satisfy your sweet tooth:
Glendale Location
315 North Brand Blvd.
Glendale, CA 91203
tel. (818) 956-5996
fax (818) 956-0696
Map it
Burbank Location
3614 W Magnolia Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91505
(818) 846-9100
Map it
So if you live near LA, go! Now!! I’ll see you there
