Lunchtime Links for February 28th, 2014

• Averie Cooks: Quadruple chocolate soft fudgy pudding cookies. 
• Crazy for Crust: Oreo truffle chocolate chip cookie bars. 
• Love & Olive Oil: Chocolate truffle creme brulee.
• Brown Eyed Baker: Red velvet roll cake with white chocolate cream cheese filling. 
• Cookies & Cups: The perfect blondie. 

Shake Shack - Pretzel Caramel Custard

I've definitely mentioned this before, but I always love when I get the perfectly domed custard at Shake Shack, haha.  It looks so perfect when it's that circular ball o' ice cream.

The Pretzel Caramel custard was definitely one that I assumed would be a winner, just based on the two main components.  And as expected, I loved this one! There were not any visible pretzel pieces in my cup, but there was a salt and pretzel-y flavor definitely coming through in each spoonful.  I hope they bring this one back again sometime, it's a great custard flavor that I think a lot of people will enjoy! 

Lunchtime Links for February 27th, 2014

• The First Year Blog: Baked potato soup. 
• Kirbie's Cravings: Red velvet and cream cheese cookies. 
• Table for Two: Butterscotch Fluffernutter Krispy bars. 
• Oh, Sweet Basil: Reese's peanut butter marshmallow cookie pie. 
• Picky Palate: Brownie red velvet gooey s'mores bars. 

Daikaya - Mugi-Miso Ramen

I'm a huge fan of the Shoyu (soy sauce) ramen at Daikaya, but every once in a while I actually manage to branch out a little, haha.  I chose the Mugi-Miso ramen during a recent visit: "Our barley miso ramen has a very fragrant quality and is lighter than traditional miso. Miso ramen is native to Sapporo, but using mugi-miso is special to Daikaya." 

The taste is definitely different than the shoyu ramen, but I did find this miso ramen to be delicious as well.  One main reason that I don't usually like miso ramen is because the miso flavor can be cloying and a little overwhelming, but this one had a very balanced flavor.  Considering I didn't think I liked miso either before enjoying this ramen, I would definitely recommend giving it a try if you're looking to switch it up a bit from the more widely-known soy sauce based broth. 

Lunchtime Links for February 26th, 2014

• Handle the Heat: Crepes. 
• Kirbie's Cravings: Chinese spicy cucumber salad. 
• Two Peas and Their Pod: Brown butter chocolate chip hazelnut cookie bars.
• The Budget Babe: DIY wall art with a Tiffany & Co. mailer. 
• Picky Palate: Homemade chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter toffee chip cookie dough frosting. 

Fresh Baguette - Bethesda, MD

A few weeks ago while I was making my regular pilgrimage to Georgetown Cupcake in Bethesda, I thought I would stop in Fresh Baguette as well.  Location-wise this worked out well, as Fresh Baguette is around one block from Georgetown Cupcake. 

The inside of this small shop smells amazing, assuming you love the smell of fresh baked bread. And if you don't, then I don't think we can be friends, haha.  After looking around at the selection of pastries and breads, I decided to try their chocolate croissant.  Chocolate croissants will always remind me of my semester abroad in London - which I know sounds random but stick with me here. I had an internship one day a week while I was in London, and the office had a coffee shop nearby that other employees would frequent for mid-morning breaks.  The chocolate croissant became one of my regular picks for these breaks, which sounds dangerously unhealthy to me now, but oh well, haha. 

Ok, so back to the chocolate croissant at Fresh Baguette.  This was my first time there, so it could have just been luck or good timing, but this croissant I got was warm, flaky, and SO good.  The chocolate was evenly distributed which was great- I hate when it's only in the first few bites or off to one side.  Even later when I warmed it back up to eat the rest of it, it was buttery and delicious.  It may also be worth noting that while I was enjoying my croissant, a few customers came in to pick up special orders - it seems like they have a number of dishes that would be great for parties, or to bring to a dinner at someone's house. I hope to go back to pick up a baguette or another pastry soon! 

Fresh Baguette

4919 Bethesda Avenue

Bethesda, MD 20814

301.656.0000

Lunchtime Links for February 25th, 2014

• Kirbie's Cravings: Red velvet brownies. 
• How Sweet It Is: Spicy mini meatball grilled cheese. 
• Two Peas and Their Pod: Chocolate mousse brownie trifles. 
• Handle the Heat: Homemade cookie dough brownie bombs. 
• The Comfort of Cooking: One bowl chocolate cupcakes for two.