This time on Downtown Highlights, we visited Dough, a brioche doughnut shop. Dough started as a small shop in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. Their popularity quickly grew, encouraging the opening of more shops across New York City. Now, Dough has seven locations including Flatiron, Brooklyn, Rockefeller Center, Astoria, Urbanspace Vanderbilt, City Kitchen, and Smorgasburg.
In this episode, we had the pleasure of interviewing Vicky Pantazi, the manager of the Flatiron Dough location. When asked what makes Dough special, Pantazi said without hesitation that it’s the dough.”It’s very fluffy, it’s very soft, and that’s what makes us unique” Pantazi stated. All doughnuts at Dough are made fresh in small batches daily to ensure that all customers only receive the best.
Dough has vegan options as well. Vegan options include Vegan Plain Glaze, Vegan Cinnamon Sugar, Vegan Hibiscus Glaze (Seasonal), and Vegan Blood Orange (Seasonal). Even though these options are vegan, the dough is still really soft and fluffy. We tried the Vegan Cinnamon Sugar doughnut off-camera and fell in love with it. We couldn’t even tell that this doughnut was made solely with vegan ingredients!
The Taste Test – Hibiscus Glazed Doughnut
Since Dough has not yet developed a line of gluten-free doughnuts, Sam came out from behind the camera to do the taste testing instead. She decided to try the Hibiscus Glazed doughnut. This flavor is available year-round. The bright pink glaze on this doughnut was so eye-catching, she couldn’t resist.
The doughnut was as delicious as it was beautiful. The dough was soft and fluffy, just as Pantazi had described. The pink glaze was sweet and smooth, and of course, strongly tasted like hibiscus. The glaze is made fresh in the kitchen by cooking down hibiscus flowers. No wonder it tasted so fresh!
The next time you are looking for some breakfast to start your day with, check out Dough. You won’t regret it! For the last Downtown Highlights episode, click here.
Colorful, soft, and sweet; there isn’t a treat quite like mochi!
This time on Downtown Highlights we visited Mochidoki. Mochidoki serves delicious mochi. Mochi is ice cream wrapped in rice flour dough. All mochi at Mochidoki is gluten-free, with vegan options too.
While visiting, we had the pleasure of interviewing Christopher Wong, the co-founder of Mochidoki. Christopher explained that he has many fond memories of mochi. Some of his earlier memories were from his childhood in Hong Kong when he would eat mochi with his grandmother after school. This deep love for mochi inspired Christopher to open Mochidoki.
One of the most challenging things about making mochi is getting the dough to remain soft while the ice cream is frozen. Christopher explained “we managed to find a way so that the mochi stays nice and soft even though it’s frozen. We spent a lot of time on developing.” The process was perfected so that the mochi is absolutely flawless when taken out of the freezer: the dough is soft while the ice cream remains just the right consistency and firmness that ice cream should be.
This summer, Mochidoki’s seasonal flavors are Cake Batter and Turmeric Hot Honey. We were intrigued by both flavors and sampled the Turmeric Hot Honey flavor for this episode. It was absolutely delicious, with the right amount of sweet and spicy. If you are looking for a sweet treat in Downtown Manhattan this summer, we highly recommend swinging by Mochidoki.
Passover is one of the Jewish holidays that stands out for me because my family always gathered together for a large and delicious Seder.
Everyone brought their signature dish to the table, and we saw the return of the hard as a rock Passover rolls that we swallowed down with gallons of water once a year. The daffodils, tulips, and hyacinth that grew in our front yard were always cut into a few vibrant bouquets and put on the seder table, heavy with the scent of spring. I’d always be helping out in the kitchen as my mother prepared matzoh ball soup, roasted turkey, chopped liver, charoset, bitter herbs – and all the trimmings. Even though I wasn’t the youngest, I always carefully practiced the four questions – just in case.
Photo by Rachel McMinn,
Yet, for whatever reason, we never made the mainstay of the holiday: the matzah. Each year we would buy box after box of the stiff cardboard-like matzah that fills the shelves every March and early April. This year I decided to start the tradition of making fresh matzah with my young daughter so that it can become one of the memories she carries with her when she hears the word “Passover.”
So, because the Jewish people had only 18 minutes to prepare their bread before they fled from Egypt, we made our matzah in only 18 minutes, too. Here’s how you can make it in your home.
Photo by Rachel McMinn
Tools: Large bowl, baking sheet or pizza stone, rolling pin, flat surface to roll dough on, a fork, measuring cups
Ingredients: 1 cup flour, 1/3 to ½ cup water, a sprinkle of flour for your flat surface
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 500 degrees
In a large bowl, mix your flour and water together by hand. It should form a dough that sticks together well but is neither sticky nor too crumbly. Add more or less water to achieve this.
Place your ball of dough on your flat surface and knead the dough briefly to ensure it is the right consistency. Start rolling out your dough until it is pretty thin, less than ¼ inch.
Use the fork to poke holes in the dough, all over. Make sure the holes go all the way through the dough. We don’t want the dough to bubble or rise at all.
Place your dough onto your baking sheet or stone and place in the oven.
Cook for approximately 5-7 minutes and then carefully flip the matzah to ensure both sides are cooked. Continue cooking for about another 4-5 minutes until the sides are browned and the top is lightly browned.
Let your matzah cool and enjoy!
Image credit: Rachel McMinn
Image credit: Rachel McMinn
Rachel McMinn is an early childhood educator at Buckle My Shoe Preschool in Tribeca, who has taught the young 2year old children for almost nine years. She holds a Masters in Early Childhood Education from Hunter College and a Writing degree from Pratt Institute. She lives in Brooklyn with her daughter, post-production & screenwriting husband, and two attention-seeking cats.
Artisinal doughnut shop Dough has collaborated with model Iskra Lawrence for a limited edition doughnut only available during Fashion Month. The brioche doughnut is topped with a white chocolate and raspberry glaze along with a white chocolate drizzle and dried raspberries and is available through the end of February. 10% of the proceeds from the sale of this collaborative doughnut will benefit the efforts of the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA).
Iskra is a brand ambassador for NEDA as well as an #AerieReal Role Model who supports body positivity and self-care. She said,
I am beyond excited that Dough has created a doughnut in my name to celebrate fashion month. The Iskra doughnut is made with some of my all-time favorite flavors and natural ingredients. It’s a fun reminder that we should all be able to savor life’s special moments, reject any social pressure or toxic diet culture messaging, and try to stay focused on fully enjoying our lives and love for food!
Dough has done some VIP collaborations in the past, including ones with Chrissy Teigen and Kevin Durant. Dough owner Steve Klein said this one came to be because,
I’d seen Iskra eating our doughnuts, and she always had such a great reaction to them, so we already knew she was a fan. We love the work she does, and the fact that she is a model who still enjoys sweets. I sent her an Instagram DM, and let her know that we’d like to make a doughnut for her, and she was ecstatic. She let me know her favorite flavors are white chocolate and raspberry, so our chef Laura Palace came up with a phenomenal glaze that blends both of those, and topped it off with fresh dried raspberries and a white chocolate drizzle.
Launched last year, The Meadows Music & Arts Festival was a two-day event launched by Founders Entertainment, the team behind Governors Ball. Headliners at Citi Field included Kanye West, J. Cole, Chance The Rapper, The 1975, Grimes and Metric. Food and drink vendors, as curated by The Infatuation, included Roberta’s, Dough, Arancini Bros., Luke’s Lobster and Momofuku Milk Bar. Other on-site attractions included the Bud Light Beer Garden, the Don Julio 1942 Truck, the Viceland Tour Bus, and Sober Meadows.
In turn, the bar is set very high for the 2017 edition — now a three-day event — which returns to Citi Field from Sept. 15 to 17. While the lineup has not yet been announced, more than 60 performers are promised among the four stages.
Downtown was on-site at the pre-event Black Carpet, which was hosted inside The Sports Bar on East 11th. As touring musicians are known to dine out regularly, we asked Epiphone Revolver Music Awards attendees about their favorite New York City restaurants. The owners of Vandal and Mira Sushi ought to be very pleased.
Jesse Leach, Killswitch Engage – Cookshop, 10th Avenue and 20th [Street]. It’s farm-to-table, legit. I’ve seen them driving the truck up to the place and taking the animals and veggies off the truck. That place is amazing. Super-good food.
Ann Courtney, Mother Feather: First thing comes to the top of my head is Yakitori Taisho. But I’ve gotta give some love to Chris Santos and Vandal. Vandal is outstanding.
Mina Caputo, Life Of Agony – I don’t know, there’s so many of them. It’s so hard to choose. That’s like asking me, “What’s my favorite artist?” Maybe Cafe Orlin, right over here.
Shaun Morgan, Seether – Ballato’s, it’s down on Houston [Street]. It’s a nice little Italian place, only five or six tables. Good place.
Elias Soriano, Nonpoint – Right now, the 5 Napkin Burger. It’s probably the best burger in the city right now.
Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal, Art Of Anarchy – One of my favorite restaurants was a place called Resto on 29th [Street] near Lexington and Park, but unfortunately they closed down. I would love going there and getting the deviled eggs and getting their pulled pork grilled cheese sandwich. It was delicious comfort food that just made you feel good.
John LaMacchia, Candiria – I’m going to say Vandal by Chris Santos. That’s my favorite spot right now.
Carley Coma, Candiria – Vandal as well. (laughs)
Danny Grossarth, Candiria – I don’t want to double-pick. (laughs) My favorite restaurant is Mira Sushi in Flatiron.
Leon Lyazidi, Cilver: I eat really late at night and there’s a place called L’express. It’s a 24-hour three or four-star French restaurant. Republic’s also awesome.
Uliana Preotu, Cilver: Mine is definitely by far Totto Ramen. I will stay in line for that ramen soup and I will eat it all because you cannot take it home. Go to Totto Ramen.
Ben Flanagan, Black Map: Sbarro’s. I wouldn’t go anywhere but Times Square for my pizza. (laughs) There’s a pizzeria called Nick’s that one of my best friends has worked at for years that I go to every time I’m here. That’s not the most sophisticated answer, but it’s better than Sbarro, right? (laughs)
Sarabeth Linden, Tower – My favorite restaurant is Sarabeth’s Kitchen, because I was named after Sarabeth’s Kitchen.
James Danzo, Tower – My favorite restaurant is Minitalia Pizza on Fresh Pond Road, owned by Rocco Labianca. The best slice you’ll ever have.
Philippe Arman, Tower – My favorite restaurant is a tiny place called Smile To Go. It is amazing.
Dylan Kirouac, The Wild! – I’ve only been here three times, and every time I see a radio station, a venue and a hotel. But I know you’ve got some good pizza, so you’ve got to show me where the best one’s at.
Matt Helpern, Periphery: Mira Sushi. Chef Brian Tsao. We’re big foodies, that’s a great spot to go.
Dave Davidson, Revocation – I just tried this placed called The Bao down the street. I’d never been there before. It was really, really good. I’ll tell you my favorite donut spot is Dough in Bed-Stuy. That place rules.
Frankie Palmeri, Emmure – Shout out to Nagoya on Kings Highway in South Brooklyn. That’s my favorite place to go to in all of New York.
Casey DC, 9ELECTRIC – Rizzo’s Pizza in Astoria, Queens.
