I noticed Balkanika recently, looks appetizing. I've walked by it a couple of times, but (as is too often the case) was already on my way someplace else.

Do they not have a website? I tried looking it up for the menu but I couldn't find anything. There aren't any reviews out there that talk about the food either. I could only find this super short one (http://hellsbellenyc.blogspot.com/201...), and of course, this thread.

Maybe next time I'll ask for a take out menu (if they have one). I like to take my time with them, but when I'm out with people I never want to hold up the group... so reading menus ahead of time has become a really entrenched habit for me.

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Balkanika
691 9th Ave, New York, NY 10036

Caramel. I made rock the first couple of tries and a weird frosting in my last attempt. I read that using a thermometer helps a lot, but I still feel like that's overdoing it. It's just cooking sugar, isn't it? It sounds like it should be so simple... and yet I've never made caramel that was remotely salvageable.
Oh well, you win some...

The same thing happens to me all the time... sometimes I tweak intentionally ("I wonder what if I..."), others purely by accident ("oops, there was cinnamon in that chocolate?"), sometimes to lovely surprises ("hey what did you put in this to make it a little spicy?"), and unfortunately some total flops (*i like to forget those happened*). Maybe most importantly, I invariably learn something--and that's always good, right?