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Meringue Tart

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Do you know the difference between a Macaron and a Macaroon? Macarons and macaroons suffer from the worst case of identity confusion food I’ve ever seen. Nowhere does a single vowel, by its mere presence (or absence), produce a more profound difference in two cookies! 

For the sake of clarity, I’m referring to French macarons (pronounced “mack-ah-ROHN”) and coconut macaroons (“mack-ah-ROON”). Let’s begin by identifying some of the most obvious differences.

For starters, these two cookies are constructed in totally different ways. French macarons are sandwich cookies. They consist of two halves of delicate, airy cookie with a layer of filling in between. Architecturally, they’re like brightly colored Oreos.

Moreover, great care and attention goes into ensuring that the size and shape of each cookie is as identical as possible. Color and flavor are what distinguish one macaron from another. The number of multicolored macarons on display in a Parisian bakery is nothing short of dazzling.

By comparison, macaroons are fairly dense, ambiguously shaped dollops of coconut-flavored cookie, baked to a moderate shade of golden brown.

French macarons are light, airy, and colorful, with a range of flavors that include chocolate, pistachio, rose, and salted caramel. The outer shell should be crisp, the inner cookie slightly chewy, and the fillings can resemble jam or buttercream.

While the overall procedure is broadly similar to that of coconut macaroons, the process is fairly demanding and making excellent macarons is something that requires a good deal of practice and experience. In Paris, high-end macarons are sold in patisseries that resemble boutiques, where they’re displayed like jewelry.

Other than Paris, look for French macarons at a French bakery. (I like to get mine at Chez Lenox with coffee and time to kill.)

Coconut macaroons, on the other hand, are very much less elegant, although what they lack in cuisine they make up for in their appeal and they’re so easy to make. One way I like to jazz them up is by dipping the cooled cookies in melted chocolate. Macaroons are more widely available, likely at a bakery or coffee shop.

It might be unfair to think of coconut macaroons as the country cousins of French macarons, like the city mouse and the country mouse, it turns out the two cookies are related after all.

Coconut Cake

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You may think a food truck is a step down from a normal restaurant but in the case of Mobile Gourmet you’d be so, so wrong. The Mobile Gourmet Food Truck is indulgent, tasty, and as good as any sit down place I’ve been to in my life.

The focus of the Mobile Gourmet is Venezuelan street food: arepas, cachapas, patacones, and of course empanadas! The arepas are served on a pair of smaller corn patties. They’re super crispy and far easier to eat. You can choose from fried cheese, pulled chicken, pulled beef or roast pork. (I think the roast pork is the best in the city, you’re allowed to disagree… but you’ll be wrong.) 

For a real treat, get a hot dog, served with fried potato shreds, cheese, choice of sauces, and lettuce. Be ready though, unless you’re ordering an actual hot dog there won’t be a hot dog in the bun, instead the meat of choice. It’s a bit misleading as it’s really just referring to the buns, but they’re delicious nonetheless. 

They also make an amazing sandwich, the pepito, a popular Venuezualan sandwich with your choice of grilled chicken, pork, or sirloin in between a baguette and topped with cheese, house sauce, “pink sauce”, fried potato shreds, and lettuce.

Confusing? Just think of almost everything on the menu as the same toppings and meat that are in the arepas, but just wedged Arepas (fried corn cakes), Perros (hot dog buns), or Pepitos (french baguette). That’s how I explain it to my friends.

Now, why am I reviewing them for my dessert blog? THE BEST SWEET DRINK EVER. The decadence of this wonderful menu extends into the drinks. Aside from the usual sodas, juice, and water, they offer Chicha – a thicker horchata that’s delicious to start with, then gets even more sugary when topped with condensed milk, and served iced. I admit going to the truck just to get a Chicha and I’ve never been able to finish one… but maybe you can!

This is not the place for you if you’re on a diet. It’s the kind of food you want after a night on the town or, in the case of my father, if you’re extremely hungry and want a meal that will immediately throw you into the couch. They’re open 6 PM to Midnight from Wednesdays through Saturdays. You can find them at Founder’s Square at the main entrance. You can smell the food a mile away, you won’t miss it. Remember, they’re a food TRUCK so be prepared to wait for your food if the park is busy and especially after the clubs close.

Christmas Cookies

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When I was younger I loved pancakes. Excuse me, I loved MAPLE SYRUP. Pancakes were a way to get as much maple syrup on my plate, my hands, and my face. Eventually, my mother realized I was leaving the pancakes half-eaten and we’d run out of syrup in two weeks instead of a month. It’s not that my mother’s pancakes were bad, it was that I didn’t know what a pancake tasted like that wasn’t drenched in dark, sweet, syrup.

Years later I had breakfast at a cafe in Chattanooga and my life changed. My uncle brought us to Martha Johnson’s for brunch and he made me eat a bite of pancakes without syrup. “These are the best pancakes you’ll ever have. Don’t you dare drown them in syrup!” He was right. The pancakes were crusty on the outside, fluffy on the inside, and sweet enough that just a hint of butter and they were perfect. 

I still go back to Martha’s when I visit my uncle to have pancakes and remind me how good the simple things can be. Martha’s is in a tiny building behind a strip mall and you wouldn’t know it was there if you looked too quickly. The walls and ceilings are covered with gothic and punk rock themes. The people employed seem to fit in with the decorum. The wait to get in can be long, especially in the morning (as they serve breakfast food all day long). 

Go late on a Saturday afternoon and you’ll have no trouble getting in (weekend mornings you’ll have to wait!) The pancakes are their specialty but the waffles are great too. They have great local craft beer and cider on tap, and a pint of cider with pancakes is even better than it sounds! My uncle swears by the hash and biscuits, I don’t think I’ve seen him order anything else!

They don’t have a lot of parking, so be prepared to walk a few blocks but it’ll be worth it!