Yvonne Hsiao

In a final gasp of narcissism, the A&E staff decided to make a list of all of our favorite (and least favorite) things from the past year. This was a highly scientific process which consisted of wildly naming things we remembered from this past year and deciding which ones we had strong feelings about.

It's been a whirlwind of a year for Morningside Heights' dining scene, with restaurants coming and going since the late summer 2013. The changes include the loss of longtime staples Columbia Cottage and Havana Central—not to mention the loss of Vareli, the rise of Domain, and the subsequent loss of Domain and return of Vareli—while the neighborhood gained Dig Inn, Insomnia Cookies, and Pita Grill.

Lunar Gala comes but once a year, and when it does, there's no shortage of performances from student groups— or food. From contemporary cello music to Chinese yo-yo and caffeinated fruit juice, the 35th Lunar Gala has a lot to offer besides a fashion show.

Given that the perfect girl is petite, thin, and porcelain-skinned, has straight, jet-black hair, plays piano, and has a 4.0, which best describes you?

The Maison Kayser in Taiwan is arguably where my interest in French cuisine was first piqued. My mum fed me my first baguette from this bakery's outpost in Taipei after I had a particularly bad day at school. I remember trying to break off the tip—I almost cut myself on the crust—and the surprise of the soft, chewy center. The simple bread's combination of textures and nuanced taste won me over. This summer in Paris, a friend and I visited the Maison Kayser on Saint-Germain. Though I wondered if it was selling out, visiting a chain store in the middle of Paris, the macarons and yeasty baguette proved to be well worth the expansion of our waistlines that afternoon. With two favorable experiences in this bakery, I would say that the new location at Columbus Circle met my expectations once again.

Fusion cuisine had always sounded like a bad excuse to mix various mediocre gastronomical cultures into a quasi-avant-garde aggregate. But I renounced my prejudice at La Pulperia, a Latin American restaurant that opened in Hell's Kitchen on Feb. 11.

A pulperia is traditionally defined as a combination between a tavern and grocery store, so I expected taco-truck food served on silver plates. Treated to a series of culinary delights by head chef Carlos Barroz and mixologist Cesar Chavez, I was pleasantly surprised by this new eatery that features predominantly Argentinian cuisine with Italian and Spanish influences. Its exposed bricks, wooden paneling, and Mexican tiles give it a cozy yet upscale feel, with an ambience for both a romantic dinner and a fancy night out with friends.

Its simple but delicious raw bar offered six clams resting on a painted stripe of pesto, garnished with diced tomatoes, and sweet, rich, and meaty oysters.

The ceviche, a salmon brûlée, was excitingly bright. Every mouthful contained bursts of heat and citrusy zing from the ginger-infused leche de tigre. The dish was paired with the smooth kind of salmon I associate with high-end sashimi beautifully marbled with fat. The olive oil was robust, but it did not overpower the freshness of the lime juice and zest, nor did it make the fish taste too heavy.

The concept behind the cream cheese and brown sugar glaze combination was creative, but the dish toed the line of becoming a mess of indistinguishable flavors. But the individual ingredients, which have capitalized on the trending culinary paradox of sweetened savory dishes, managed to put a unique, sparkling punctuation mark on a traditional dish.

La Pulperia did its ensalada de quinoa right. Challenging the concept of a salad, La Pulperia had cherry tomatoes, hard-boiled egg, and water-shocked carrots peppering a bed of quinoa. The textures—from the crisp skin of the tomatoes, to the soft chewiness of egg whites—gave the salad dimension while remaining grounded in its foundation of nutty carbs. The salad was finished with pungent, but water-tamed red onions and watercress, and dressed with pomegranate vinaigrette. The pomegranate mellowed out the acidity of the vinegar, and softened the pop from the onion. The result was a dynamic and complex winter salad that, although a bit aggressively seasoned, struck the right balance between salty and sharp.

Slathered with flavor, the sangria-braised short ribs entrée is an indulgent dish. Juicy and crisp, it had a lot of character, probably because Barroz's stew contained an alcohol concoction that could be ingested on its own. Once reduced, the slightly sour and acidic notes left by the wine joined the mildly fruity, woodsy butter baste so that I could just distinguish the intentionally over-caramelized onions of the smoky mirepoix. The depth of richness in this dish was highlighted by the vibrant chimichurri sauce, which had the right amount of lemon juice and vinegar to cut the creaminess of the cheese. It was an aromatic, bittersweet flavor boost to the perfectly brined, tangy meat.

A virgin Piscobamba mocktail topped off my meal. Without the smooth and fruity flavor of the Pisco Portón, the gentle taste of the muddled apples was fragrant and oddly tannic atop the tartness and sweetness of the fresh apple juice. There was too much agave nectar for my liking, disturbing the balance of the flavor layers. Overall, though, this was a satisfying concoction.
My culinary escapade at La Pulperia convinced me that fusion cuisine might actually be an emergent property.

arts@columbiaspectator.com | @ColumbiaSpec

Love chocolate?  You've got an excuse this special weekend.  Splurge on something delicious to nibble on—be it for your Valentine, or yourself.  Full of personality as well as free samples, these shops all make sweet date spots, but for those who don't want to brave the winter storm this weekend, they also take online orders.  Satisfying vegans, sex kittens, and connoisseurs of fine dining alike, these chocolates all share an incredible attention to detail that gives customers the best experience possible.

I gripped By The Way Bakery's signature rolling pin handle on the door and thankfully pulled it open to cross into the inviting interior. I was drawn in by the pretty, clean space set apart from the backdrop of gray slush that was Broadway­. Floor-length windows offered a view from a small standing counter and a tasteful, minimalist blue line wrote itself across the ceiling. All of this contributed to a welcoming atmosphere on the cold winter day.

You'd think that the schlep down to the Lower East Side would be a frigid, unrewarding journey, but the 40-minute trek is worth it for the culinary wonderland there. Stationed in the vicinity of classics such as Kossar's Bialys and Katz's Delicatessen is Ost Café. Originally established in the East Village, Ost Café brings the flavor of modern Central Europe to the Lower East Side after an extensive three-year search for the perfect location. Owner Alex Clark serves customers with a warm hospitality that is so often missing from New York's professional interactions.