Day 1
Serendipty 3 - For years now, (even before I loved food and sweets), it's been a tradition for my mom and I to eat here after our flight into JFK. The frozen hot chocolate comes in a number of variations - plain, Mint, Malt and my ususal Peanut Butter. All are icy cold and chocolaty rich without being heavy. But if you're looking for something more refreshing, the also have fruit based frozen beverages.
4TB Serendipity 3 Post
Day 2
Wafels & Dinges - This food truck/cart makes it's way through the streets of Manhattan and it just so happened that one of their carts had set up outside of the Guggenheim on our museum day. Serving up classic Belgian waffles, the sugary jolt was the perfect way to start my morning. Although it makes my "Best Waffle List," it wasn't on the top of it. I stick by my recipe!
Sigmund Pretzelshop - Although not technically "sweet," it's still a bake good. After our short stroll from the Guggenheim to the Met, I happened to notice the Sigmund truck that I was told to keep an eye out for by my mom. I had the Cheddar Truffle and she had the Pumpkin Seed. Mine was full of flavor, encrusted in cheese, had a light crunch on the outside and served soft and warm on the inside. For serious pretzel officianados, they offer giant pretzels that looked almost 1-foot wide!
Gilt - I enjoyed an wonderful dinner at the restaurant and to top it off my dessert was beyond amazing. My mom had the Black Forrest - beautiful with bold flavors. And I had a Huckleberry Sphere that was filled with mascarpone, blueberries and popcorn ice cream. It was garnished with streusel and salted popcorn. Although it was complex, the flavors and textures were distinct...absolutely delicious!
Day 3
Sarabeth's Bakery - Cheesetwist.
Eleni's - Located in Chelsea Market, I always stop here if I'm in the neighborhood. I like the cupcakes here - simple, yet of good quality. I find that hard to come by nowadays, especially since everyone thinks they can make the best cupcakes. My favorites here are the Lemon and the Red Velvet. This time however, I tried the Oatmeal Raisin Cookie - to die for! Soft, chewy and YUMMY! I wish I tried it at the shop because I would have bought a package of them... maybe it's for the best.
Vosges - Their most popular candy bars are available at upscale grocery stores throughout the nation, but when I'm in NYC or Las Vegas, I like to stock up at their boutiques. Vosges' claim to fame is their Bacon Bars, but my favorite is the Black Salt & Caramel in 72% Dark Chocolate. Something new caught my eye this time and I decided to give it a try - Plantain Chips in Milk Chocolate. Boy am I glad I did.
Chinatown Ice Cream Factory - This is another regular stop on my NYC visits. My grandmother was born in NYC's Chinatown, so I have always felt ties to the community here. Ever since I was little, I can remember enjoying a scoop of Lychee or Cantaloupe during a muggy NYC afternoon. The Lychee even has bits of fruit in it!
Day 4
Francois Payard Bakery - The items I tried here, a Coconut Mango Ice Cream Sandwich and a Macaron were both too sweet for my taste.
Bottega Falai - This shop recently opened next to Caffe Falai. It is very clean and chic. As well as selling some Italian pastries, small cakes and chocolates, they also sell some gourmet Italian pantry items and some quick bites. I tried the Lemon Sfogliatella which was okay, but I really regret not trying the bomboloni. It looked so good, but I thought I should try something different. Unfortunately, there was not room in my stomach for both. I would like to visit their Panetteria in the LES on my next visit.
Il Laboratorio del Gelato - Since my previous visit in May 2010, this little gelato window in the LES has moved to a prominent storefront on Houston Street on the corner just beside the famed Katz Delicatessen. At this huge location, there must be around 60 flavors available at any given time. The gelatos here are rich and creamy, just the way they should be. My all-time favorite here was the Green Grape Sorbet (not shown).
David Burke Townhouse - After dinner here, I enjoyed a Peanut Butter mousse. It was good, but I expected something a little more whimsical to fit in with the rest of the menu. A nice treat was the peanut brittle you can pile into a cone as you leave the restaurant.
Day 5
Sigmund Pretzelshop - On the morning of my last full day in NYC, I received a comment on my Chocolate Chip Cookie post from Rona. She told me that if I was in NYC that I should try the Wanko Cookie here. I was already planning on stopping by the LES again and made it a point to visit Sigmund's storefront just for their cookie. It was HUGE and pretty tasty - chocolate chips, peanut butter and even has a few pieces of pretzel in it!
Dessert Truck Works - This dessert truck has so much "street-cred" that it has opened up shop in NYC. I tried the Goat Cheese Cheesecake with berries and Rosemary Caramel. For my taste, the flavors weren't distinguishable enough. Being around these flavors often, I wanted them to be bold and remind me of something slightly savory. However, these flavor are probably more suited for mainstream America.
Bisous, Ciao. MACARONS - I love the minimal look of this macaron selling shop. It's bold and allows the beautiful macarons to be the center of attention. Of the 6 flavors I tried here, I came to the conclusion that the flavors of the fruit ones weren't very prominent, but the other ones were. I personally like the shell to be slightly chewier than the ones sold here. I do however think that these make a nice gift for fellow food-lovers!
Maison du Chocolat - This is a upscale classic French Chocolatier with prices to match. Chocolates and truffles are heavenly, but can break the bank.
Day 6
Magnolia - This bakery is still a favorite among locals. Although I didn't have one on this particular vist, their cupcake have always been too sweet for me. My mom loved their Lemon Poppyseed Muffin in the past, however, this time it was covered in glaze and dense. Maybe one more try for us here...
Levain - This bakery serves up what must be NYC's largest and most infamous cookie. Each cookie is 6 oz! They offer 4 flavors - Chocolate Chip Walnut, Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal Raisin and Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip. We tried all but the Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip. Besides being very filling, they were slightly under-baked making them soft and not dense.
Some Favorites Not Visited on This Trip
Amy's Bread - Large variety of different bread
Bomboloni - Tender Italian doughnuts in a myriad of flavors
Ceci Cela - Classic French Patisserie with the best croissants
Grom - Gelato
Lady M - Boutique Cake Shop
goodness. we need to make LA trip happen so I can accompany you on these treat-trips
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