Dean & DeLuca: Fine New-York-style Pizzas and Pastries

Dean & DeLuca’s Rockwell branch is making New York proud, thanks to the beautifully blistered crust of their pizzas and their uber-moist cakes and pastries.

Dean & DeLuca is a prominent gourmet food chain dedicated to all things delicious. While the Rockwell branch offers a selection of bottled specialty items on sale, it really is more a restaurant.



The smoke and heat of Dean & DeLuca’s wood-fired brick oven work their magic in their pies, giving the thin crust a chewiness and char that go so well with the oozing mozzarella and acidic tomatoes. Their Margherita Parma is spruced up with Parma ham, a mound of arugula leaves drizzled with sweet balsamic vinegar, and finally topped with shavings of Parmigiano. It was lip smacking.

I’ve also tried the braised US Angus beef short ribs during a previous visit, which grew more delicious with every bite. I wanted to order it again but I had to force myself to try other items in their menu.

I thought they made a good attempt with their grilled cheese sandwich, which had a sweet note from the apple chutney. However, I’ve had better (hello, Wildflour).



What I thought was a miss was the gratinated baked oysters, which didn’t taste fresh.



Dean & DeLuca must have a pastry whisperer in the kitchen because their desserts were top-notch. The banana quinoa bread is perfect with coffee for breakfast. I loved the buttery sheets of their flaky kouign-amann. Their carrot cake was enticingly moist and nutty.

I do hope Dean & DeLuca brings in their full range of gourmet food items and make it easier for us to do our own deli dining at home. I also hope they would improve their spotty service. Their waitstaff were well-trained and attentive but the ones manning the takeout counter weren't fully acquainted with what was on their menu. I'm sure they could do better.

Restaurant Recommendations in South Triangle, Quezon City (A Series): Terrace 45

We were driving around almost every block in the Scout Area in Quezon City in search for a fine place to eat where there’s a table for seven and vacant parking, but it was the night before a mid-week non-working holiday and, evidently, everyone was eating out.

We saw Terrace 45 but drove past it because we couldn’t ascertain if it was a restaurant. When we saw it in Booky’s list of new places to try and Joanna thought it was worth checking out, we retraced our course to the corner of Dr. Lazcano and Scout Santiago where it is located. Joanna and I gamely scoped out the restaurant. Only one table was occupied, which fanned some doubts, but it had a cool, young, inviting vibe. “Maybe not a lot of people have seen it because it’s right across an abandoned property,” Joanna said. We looked at the menu and agreed that it was nice enough to try.

I call this the pumpkin soup of hope. It was the first thing on our table and it gave us hope that we were about to have a very good meal. It comes very close to Cibo’s version, which sets the bar, according to my foodie family.

The Caesar salad was not bad either, although I would prefer that the sweetness of the honey glazed bagel crouton be a little more subdued.

Terrace 45 went big with their poutine by topping it with crunchy pork rinds. Theirs departs from the original Québécoise version, which consists of French fries smothered by a ladleful of gravy and sprinkled with cheese, by replacing the gravy with a fantastic aioli. A definite must-try.

If you’re like me who loves slow-cooked anything, you’ll find pleasure in the beef belly, which was simply melting into lusciousness. By the time we had this, we were convinced that the chef knew what he/she was doing.

I must salute the restaurant’s effort to make callos because it is tedious to prepare and takes a lot to perfect. This was a good take but I’ve tried better ones so I’d say, skip this. Or, if you must, pair it with rice, not bread, which is their standard.

I prefer my ribs smoked than glazed so the spice rubbed ribs wasn’t my thing but the kids really tucked into this and were licking their fingers while at it.

Joanna wanted pasta so we went with the prawn thermidor, linguini swathed in cream and topped with chopped prawn meat encased in their shell. A good pick.

The waiter offered the lengua, which was not yet on the menu. It turned out to be moist and flavorful but it was paired with potato chips (crisps) while the Pinoy in me was screaming for rice.

Our foodie family was so psyched about “discovering” Terrace 45. This five-month-old casual dining restaurant offers delectable, updated comfort fare that is as hearty as your favorite home-cooked meal.

Note: This is part of my continuing South Triangle Restaurants Series. I promised to write about Sauté Restaurant but I discovered recently that the restaurant has been closed for good.)