A little bit of everything all rolled into one

Some people read Time Out New York for the articles (very few. The articles are atrocious.)  Some read it to find out what's happening in this amazing city each week. Some read it to find out about the sample sales. And some read it for the G&L parties.
The cjaps? We read it for the openings of new bakeries and restaurant openings.

A few weeks, ago, we were reading our TONY, and when I turned the page a picture so stunning I couldn't take my eyes off hit the page - it was a BRookie.  A BROWNIE baked INSIDE a COOKIE.

Yes. It's true. We didn't believe it either.  We had heard about Baked's amazing brownies. We've tried their brownies (admittedly, pre-packaged, sold at the Dean and Deluca down in Soho.)  Baked is located at 359 Van Brunt Street in Red Hook. Red Hook is one of those parts of Brooklyn which is fairly impossible to get to by public transportation, but pretty cool when you actually make it there. We rode our bikes there over the weekend (only 6 miles from midtown!) and felt like we weren't in the city anymore.  As we rode down Van Brunt street, cute little restaurants and antique shops popped up, and when we got to 359, the small of baked goods filled the sidewalk.

Inside, Baked is a cozy shop where you can sit, enjoy a cup of espresso, and eat one of the greatest chocolate confections in Brooklyn.  Since 2005, Baked has been baking amazing, unique treats daily.  They make cookies ranging from chocolate chip, to chocolate cloud (chocolate upon chocolate upon chocolate), and whoopie pies. Their brownies can be bought as the basic chocolate variety, or contain chiles and cinnamon or caramel and fleur de sel.  But sitting on the counter in a glass dome, sat....the brookie.

It was smaller than I thought it was, and when I handed the girl $5 and only received a $1 bill in return, I thought I was back in Manhattan.  $4 for this little brownie/cookie combo?
We sat in the little window seat, got comfortable and dug in.
The brookie was worth the $4 and then some.  The brownie served as the shell, and was hard enough to hold the cookie but soft enough that it melted with each bite.  The cookie was baked into the middle, soft as butter and full of chocolate chips.  It was interesting, but the tastes merged in my mouth perfectly and the brookie was sweet enough that my sweet tooth was filled for the rest of the day (which is not typical for us!)

We wanted to try the caramel brownie as well, but the brookie was so filling that we decided to venture back on another occasion and try it then.  You can make the trip to Red Hook, stop by a Dean and Deluca I've only seen them at the D&D in Soho and on the UES) for most of the brownies, or you can order from their website at www.bakednyc.com

Coffee Shop in Astoria with some Sophistication!

Today we ventured out of the city into Astoria to find out for ourselves about George McKirdy’s new venture, Astor Bake Shop, which opened 2 weeks ago. As the name indicates, the café/bakery serves a wide variety of homemade pastries ranging from decadent brownies (more on that), homemade cakes, tarts, freshly baked breads, cookies, and muffins. In addition, “sloppy” burger sandwiches are also served which feature Pat La Frieda meat.

Being that George McKirdy has over 20 years experience as a pastry chef working in top notch places such as Tribecca Grill, Nobu,  and Blue Fin—made the Cjaps more than eager to try this place!

 Although we are avid chocoholics, we decided to first try the famed red velvet cake ($4) (it looked so good). As guest star Michael exclaimed, ‘This puts Crumbs to shame!’ Michael is a trusted authority on sweets, as he has a well trained palette and has been the recipient of many desserts that we were unable to finish throughout our expeditions. We agreed with Michael- the cake was delicious –it was served cold, which was refreshing. Additionally, it was not overly sweet and was perfectly moist. We really loved the frosting; it was a cream frosting that was a perfect compliment to the cake, it had just the perfect amount of sweetness. We really enjoyed this non chocolate treat.

Now on to the chocolate…….

Being chocoholics, we couldn’t resist trying the brownie ($2), despite having the cake  (that’s why we need to bike and walk everywhere). The brownie looked so wonderfully fudgy and decadent staring at us through the glass. We had bought the brownie, hoping to try it later in the day, however the brownie barely lasted an hour after purchase. This was the BEST brownie we have tried to date!  It was super fudgy and chocolaty- the chocolate used is of superb quality- it tasted like brownie batter but less sweet. Some may find this brownie to be rich, but we thought it was perfect.  Michael commented, ‘Wow, this is real deal’ (he ate half of this brownie in addition to eating more than half the red velvet cake and an Astor Burger)!

Astor bakery is a welcomed and much needed addition to Astoria! This place is serious about their sweets. George McKirdy bakes all pastries himself at the shop and is on premise. The cookies and tarts also look excellent. We would recommend trying any pastry that looks appealing as they are all baked on location and will be excellent. Prices are very good ranging from $1.75 to $4.00 (definitely cheaper than a lot of places in the city)!

Astor Bake Shop is definitely worth the trip. After stuffing your face here, we recommend taking a walk around Astoria Park which is about 2 short avenues away from the Shop (this is how we rationalize our indulgences).  Additionally, Astor Bake shop serves Stone Street Coffee from Red Hook Brooklyn, which is very good! We will definitely be back to sample more pastries.

http://www.astor-bakeshop.com/home.html

The contents of your kitchen cabinet, in cookie form

The Cjaps deliberated writing about Momofuku Milk Bar, since after the article about crack pie went out earlier this year, the place became a total tourist attraction. We passed by on our way to 16 Handles one night and the line was out the door and down the block! We had protested for a while, but now they've opened a second location in midtown attached to Ma Peche, so we decided to reconsider.

We originally went to Momofuku Milk Bar about a year and a half ago, after reading a review about their interesting soft-serve flavor, cereal milk (the cereal milk is now officially trademarked by owner David Chang). We went to Momofuku and got a sample of the cereal milk, which can be topped off with fresh fruit and cornflakes. The cereal milk was indeed true to taste - it was reminiscent of the leftovers of a bowl of cereal that you pour down the sink. We hated the soft serve, but the trip wasn't a total waste. We discovered that Momofuku had a variety of cakes, pies and cookies with unconventional flavors. There was crack pie - gooey butter and oats, which is supposed to be so good that you become addicted, much like a drug (hence the name). There was brownie pie, and candy bar pie, filled with chocolate, caramel, peanut butter nougat and tons of other wonderful treats.

As for the cookies, the most compelling one was the compost cookie - pretzels, potato chips, chocolate chips, coffee, oats and butterscotch. Momofuku also sells double chocolate chip cookies, which is a double chocolate cookie with cookie crumbs. There are also peanut butter, corn, and confetti, which is a sugar cookie with rainbow cake and rainbow sprinkles. All of the cookies are now sold in individually wrapped bags for $1.85 each.

Today I tried the compost cookie and the double chocolate chip cookie, thanks to guest star of the day Laurie Porter who graciously brought some back to the office to brighten my afternoon! We shared the cookies on the 15th floor and savored every bite. The double chocolate chip cookie was a bit too rich, but for a chocoholic it was a dream. The soft, bulky middle ending out with a crisp surrounding rim made for the perfect texture cookie. On to the compost cookie. It sounds atrocious - like the chef threw in the remainders of uneaten snacks from the cabinet into cookie dough. This is far from the case. The mixture of ingredients creates the perfect cookie. The pretzel provides the substance; the potato chips the saltiness, the coffee the jolt, the butterscotch the softness and the chocolate brings the tastes all together. Laurie tried the peanut butter cookie as well which she declared the best of the group, however since I don't eat peanut butter unless it's Reese's Pieces, I can't compare.

Momofuku Milk bar's original location is at 207 2nd Avenue on the corner of 13th street. Their new location is at 15 W 56th street between 5th and 6th Avenues.
David Chang, famous for his Momofuku Noodle Bar, Ko and Ssam bar restaurants, opened up Milk Bar in November 2009 next to Ssam Bar. He utilizes the expertise of chefs from esteemed restaurants and bakeries around NY - Del Posto, 11 Madison Park, Jacques Torres, Magnolia, etc.
Both locations are open from 9am-midnight.

2 interesting facts -
Momofuku means Lucky Peach in Japanese
All ingredients come from local farms with sustainable practices.

And one word of advice -
If you see something there that you'd like to try, get it. Don't wait for next time. Their core products constantly change, and one of my favorites - the cornflake marshmallow cookie - is no longer in existence. The brownie pie, which the Cjaps stared at behind the glass on many an occasion and always said 'next time', is out of commission as well. Maybe David Chang will read this blog and decide to bring it back ;)

http://momofuku.com/milk-bar

Who can take a rainbow...

The evening began with absolutely no intention of eating sweets (hard to believe, but true!) As we walked along 1st Avenue on our way to Happy Hour, our eyes were captivated by bright colors and decadent chocolate frosting that took the shape of— a cupcake?? Were we seeing this correctly or had the smoldering NYC heat caused us to hallucinate?? A rainbow cookie cupcake??? Simultaneously, we ran into Pinisi Bakery to make sense of what we were seeing through the store window.

Ken, who works at the bakery, and a local patron who was eating the rainbow cookie cupcake as we walked in, explained to us that these cupcakes were indeed a spin off of Italian rainbow cookies (a favorite of ours, growing up oh so close to Bensonhurst!) and to sweeten the deal- they were just baked at the Pinisi’s other location, on East 4th between 1st and 2nd Avenue (merely steps away). Without any deliberation, we exclaimed in unison "give us one NOW!" We anxiously waited while Ken cut the cupcake in three sections (for us and our friend, guest star of the day Sangita). Ken displayed his artistic side by cutting the cupcake into a peace sign! The cupcake far exceeded our expectations. Our friend, who is not as infatuated with sweets as we are, exclaimed, "wow this is amazing". This rainbow cupcake creation was warm, moist, and tasted like a rainbow cookie! It wasn’t overly sweet, unlike some varieties of cheap rainbow cookies. An added bonus was the wonderful chocolate frosting- this chocolate frosting was not sugary and complemented the cupcake perfectly. For $3 a cupcake, this is reasonably priced in a city where cupcakes can run anywhere from $1 for a mini Baked by Melissa to $35 for a supersized steroids-induced Crumbs cupcake cake.

In addition to the rainbow cookie cupcake, Pinisi has red velvet cupcakes, gluten free brownies, freshly baked breads, and a flourless chocolate cake that we will definitely come back to try. They also had Kiko's - giant Turkish sugar cookies that Ken explained were only a fraction of the size you can find them in Turkey, but the oven wasn't big enough to accommodate.
There was a special art exhibition adorning the store that had just been put up featuring the artwork of Ms. Meghan Oare. The comfy couches in the back allow you to sit back, relax, absorb the art and eat your baked good of choice.

Store Info: Pinisi Cafe & Bakery is family owned & operated. All baking is done on premises to provide the freshest quality baked products.
http://www.pinisibakerynyc.com/
There are two locations: 128 E 4th street between 1st & 2nd Ave (the original, open 7am - 11pm daily) and 18-20 1st Ave between East 1st and 2nd street (open 6am-midnight); the one we stumbled across that's been open just about a year.

This is the first bakery the Cjaps have discovered on our own without reading about it in NY Mag, The NY Times, Time Out NY or one of the many food blogs we subscribe to! Cheers to the Cjaps for our new discovery!

Silver Moon gives chocoholics the carbs they need for a long ride

The Chocoholic Cjaps set out bright and early Saturday morning for a long ride up to Piermont.  We were caffeinated, but hadn't had breakfast.  After coming out of Central Park at 110th street on the West side, we realized that Silver Moon bakery - one of the places on 'the list', was at 105th and Broadway.  We were so close, we simply HAD to try it!

We rode over the 5 blocks and arrived at Silver Moon to discover that this was a popular hangout for Upper West Siders.  Outside there are seats (waiter service only, unfortunate for the Cjaps who are scared to leave their bikes anywhere after the infamous Williamsburg theft last summer) for brunch, and inside is the overwhelming but welcoming aroma of freshly baked bread and muffins.  After deliberating if it was acceptable to get a chocolate chip cookie at 10:00 in the morning (and of course deciding it was just fine), we noticed a chocolate brioche behind the glass.  Since a brioche is technically a breakfast food, we okayed it for sure, and decided this would give us the carbs we needed to get us through our long ride up to Piermont. 

We put our bikes up against a phone booth (who knew those still exist!), took off our gloves and split the roll in half.  The brioche was excellent!  There was a bit of large sugar specks sprinkled across the top. The inside was soft and had chocolate chunks spread throughout.  It was the perfect blend of chocolate and bread, and would be okay eating with a coffee at breakfast or as a snack for a 3:00 pick-me-up.

We'll end with this.  We got lost.  In Jersey.  That chocolate brioche was probably the only thing that let us survive the ride!

Silver Moon Bakery, located at 2740 Broadway @ W 105th street, is open from 7:30am - 8pm M-F, and from 8am - 7pm Sat & Sun.  They've been open since November 2000, and are widely known throughout Manhattan for their breads, from traditional kinds such as sourdough and whole wheat, to the extreme - Ethiopian bread with Nigella seeds, gruyere cheese bread, etc. There are chocolate cakes and tortes, macarons (which the Cjaps have yet to try - we're not really sure what they are), and cookies.

The Cjaps are big fans of Silver Moon, and intend to come here for brunch the next time we're on the UWS so we can enjoy more of their fine baking.
http://www.silvermoonbakery.com/

A coconut dream bar to start them all...

We've been friends for 11 years. It all began in a humble Brooklyn mall where we both worked serving buttery fresh pretzels and frozen yogurt, before frozen yogurt was a big thing, to anxious shoppers. Our bond began when we both slyly took turns breaking pretzels so that we could taste them. Our friendship blossomed as we worked together behind the frozen yogurt stand and chatted while we ate spoons of sprinkles and M&Ms. We realized how much we both loved shopping, sales, biking, and food, particularly chocolate. Since then we've gone to Mardi Gras together, drank in an ice vodka room together, had our bikes stolen in Williamsburg together- had countless adventures since high school. Buts some things never change, and our favorite thing to do has always been to eat chocolate!

Now when I say eat, I don't mean eat like a normal person. A typical night for us consists of going to the gym solely to justify the 600 calories of ice cream/cookies/brownies we will scour Manhattan for as soon as spin class has ended.

We don't care about the newest Danny Meyer restaurant. We don't care about 3 square meals a day.
We subscribe to local magazines and blogs to find out about the newest chocolate shops opening up so we can taste test them and see if we'll find a new favorite.

And now, we've decided to share the chocolate-filled wealth with the world.
We're aware that there are now 11 years worth of bakeries that haven't been documented. So - we have to start from scratch! Which won't be a problem for us - maybe our jeans, but not for us!

To begin - Amy's Bread.
Amy's has been around since 1922. They started off with a location in Hell's Kitchen, and now also have locations on Bleecker Street and in Chelsea Market.
Last night, I was walking with my roommate down Bleecker street after stopping at Eskimix for frozen yogurt candy mixes. We were full and done with our chocolate for the day, but as we walked down Bleecker Street back to the East side, we noticed brownies and coconut bars staring at us through the window of Amy's Bread. Could we do it, we thought? How awful is it to get a brownie AFTER eating our ice cream? We decided against it, and started to walk home. After 4 blocks, we backtracked because the baked goods had simply looked too amazing to pass us by. When we got back to Amy's, to our dismay, it was CLOSED for the night - we were 5 minutes to late!
I dreamed about that coconut brownie all night.

Today, after work, the Chocoholic Cjaps met up to shop (and snack) in Soho.
We got our frozen yogurt for dinner, since it was a 'healthy night.' We passed Amy's and went in, to look at the coconut bars. Since we were trying to be healthy, we decided not to get the bar. Well, as we walked the 2 Avenues and 10 blocks to Chelsea Market, we could think of nothing but that coconut bar. When we got to Chelsea Market, we went straight to Amy's to get the bar, hoping it would last until tomorrow.
When we walked in, we saw the brownies. We saw the blondies. We saw the chocolate cake. But the coconut bars? GONE! They must have been that good!

Out of curiosity, when the man behind the counter asked us what he could get us, we asked him if the coconut dream bars were good enough to justify coming back for. He said, 'they sure are', and asked if we wanted one. We thought he was joking since there were none left, but - lucky us! - there was one hiding in the back of the tray! We were ecstatic!

We took out our wallets to pay, but the most amazing thing happened - he just GAVE us the bar! He said, 'don't worry about it', and winked at us.

Well, I don't know if it was the fact that this bar free, that I'd been trying for 2 solid days to find it, or what, but this was one of the best combinations of coconut, graham cracker and chocolate we've ever tasted. It was sweet but not overwhelming, gooey but not too soft - it was heaven on a place (or tissue paper, since it was smuggled to me over the counter!)

I would recommend this to anyone looking to try something a bit out of the ordinary. And for $3.50, it's priced relative to NYC brownies. But a word of warning - make sure to get there early enough so that you don't run the risk of missing out!
http://www.amysbread.com/

There's a recipe for these amazing dream bars on Martha Stewart's website, although I doubt they'll come out as good as Amy's!
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/gooey-coconut-dream-bars