More mini than monster

I have to make a rather quick, "short" entry tonight since I actually have work to do. Today, I had a lovely interview with the pastry chefs and the owner of this charming gift boutique/bakery in Chelsea called 3 Tarts. I'll be throwing together an article on them for Asiance soon and will be posting a write-up here about their adorable desserts. Checking out the place and talking to them was a great start to the day because I left feeling inspired and rather happy. Perhaps it was all the sweetness inside the shop that had a positive effect over me. I truly believe desserts are the way to my heart. I hope the sweets taste as wonderful as they look because everything in the glass fridge looked gorgeous...even the twist on the classics, like yuzu marshmallows, molasses cookies and jeweled hibiscus gelee panna cotta, were edible works of art.

After the meeting, I met Tony for lunch today near Times Square at Monster Sushi. I had been planning on taking photos there because according to reviews, the sushi was supposed to be "gargantuan" in size. However, my camera's battery was dead and I had known this but done nothing about it when I first knew this: I didn't listen to Stu the day of the web department potluck when he said that my battery was low and that I needed to charge it. I was furious for a good 20 minutes after I left the bakery and even considered buying another battery or instant camera. That's why I unfortunately have no photos from 3 Tarts yet either, but I'll be back there next week with my camera's battery fully charged and ready to shoot to my delight. Anyhow, there was no need for the camera at Monster Sushi. It was a disappointment. My first one in several weeks!

We ordered the shrimp Gyoza for an appetizer, which was acceptable since they were fried to a crisp but they were tiny and the shrimp was almost undetected. We might as well just have ordered Crispy Gyoza Shells. The frozen dumplings at the Asian supermarkets are cheaper for like 32 pieces, more filling and much tastier. Oh well. We also shared the Dragon Roll (avocado, eel, red roe) and the New York Roll (salmon, shrimp tempera, crab, avocado), both of which were normal sizes with 6 pieces each. They weren't even pretty since they looked a bit smushed! I guess the best part was the red roe...they were really red.

Another disappointment was that reviews not only boasted that the size of the sushi was enormous, but that the rolls were very fresh. While I didn't have any stomach problems after eating, the ingredients tasted rather plain and lacking in body. Nothing exciting. Sadness. I'd much rather have spent 20 bucks for an amazing meal at Mishima (31st St. and Lexington). They have a Maki Combination made with extremely fresh ingredients, where the fish is velvety, not gummy and the cucumber bits are crispy, not on the brink of chewy-ness. I remember the plate to be only $13 for a reasonable number of sushi pieces. I wish I could have some right NOW. Come to think of it, I am HUNGRY.

Lessons of the day: When there's good, there sure as heck will be bad. And that's ok because when the good comes around, you're going to know why it's GOOD! Charge any of your batteries asap when it's low and when someone even tells you to do so.