Treat House - Rice Krispie treats enjoyed by all

Who doesn't love Rice Krispie treats?  As a child of the 80s and someone whose parents were of the first to obtain a 'Price Club' membership before Kirkland was a household name, we had those shiny blue Snap, Crackle and Pop wrappers by the dozen - chocolate drizzle, rainbow, chocolate chunk - I have a special place in my heart for RK treats.

Until they started making me sick.  To be fair, a lot of things were making me sick before I was aware of my gluten/soy/life allergy.  But who would think that Rice Krispie treats WEREN'T gluten-free?!  After all, rice is the preferred carb of choice by celiacs everywhere.  Well, sorry Kellogg's, but you're not getting any love from me on this one.  When I learned that malt flavoring was one of the ingredients in Rice Krispies cereal, and soybean oil was thrown in as a binding ingredient - they were wiped from my list of snacks that I can eat guilt and pain-free.

So you can imagine my excitement when I first heard about Treat House opening up on the Upper West Side.  Treat House makes Rice Krispie treats in dozens of flavor combinations; and nearly all are gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free and Kosher.  So basically, unless you're allergic to rice or marshmallows, you're good to go!

Each mini square is flavored, colored and topped with a different theme: birthday cake, chocolate mint, M&Ms, cookies and creme, pink bubble gym, chocolate peanut butter - they were all beautifully decorated and I couldn't decide which to try.  I tried to elicit a recommendation from the woman behind the counter, but she wasn't super helpful.  She seemed annoyed that I asked for a recco, and unfortunately even though I mentioned I was writing for the blog, she didn't seem to care to help me find the best RK treat.  Her attitude aside, I opted for the M&M and the chocolate mint.  At $2.25 apiece, two was just the right amount - the squares were on the small side, and the cost was definitely more than I was expecting.  But once you label something gluten-free, you know how it goes.

They came boxed in mini containers that perfectly fit each square.  The M&M was a bit bland; it didn't stand out with a thin layer of marshmallow and a sprinkling of mini M&Ms.  The chocolate mint was much better though; there were little pieces of mint chocolate chips throughout the rice krispies.  With a layer of chocolate on top and a wedge of York peppermint patty completing the treat, this was absolutely excellent.  I wish they were a bit larger, since it was gone in 3 bites, but I suppose that means I'd just have to get more next time.

Treat House is located on 452 Amsterdam Avenue between West 81st and 82nd street. They're open Monday-Wednesday 7:30am-9pm
Thursday-Friday 7:30am-10pm
Saturday 9am-10pm
Sunday 9am-9pm

http://www.treathouse.com/

A General Store in Queens with not so general baked goods

Long Island City - the new area in Queens that Bloomberg has focused on as of late, looks nothing like it did the last time I was there a few years ago.  Full of luxury high-rise buildings, waterfront dining and parks, and artisinal gourmet coffee beaneries, LIC looks like Williamsburg did just as it was becoming gentrified.  As always, I wanted to go there not to see the new glass of the Citibank building, but because I read about a cafe with an awesome brownie.  Once I heard they were also featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives I knew I had to hurry over there quick!

Biking over the Pulaski bridge from Brooklyn to Queens, I was let out just a few blocks away from Sage.  We pulled up in front of a cozy little restaurant, and in we went to seek out this double chocolate brownie.  There was a glass jar full of dessert to choose from, including assorted flavors cupcakes, cupcakes that resemble Drakes Ring Dings, and Valhrona chocolate brownies.

We of course opted for the brownie, because when do we not go for the brownie.  There were chocolate chips spread throughout, and crisp edges all around.
Each bite was soft and filled with an outburst of chocolate.  It was definitely on the sweeter side; a couple bites and you can put it away and save for your next sugar craving.
It was up there on our list of great brownies, and judging from the crowd inside, it looks like their food is pretty good too.
So the next time you're in Long Island City and craving some Valhrona chocolate, give Sage General Store a go.

Sage General Store can be found at 24-20 Jackson Avenue
Sage's website
718-361-0707





Check their site for updates before heading there because their hours are pretty all over the place - as of 9/20/13, the hours are:
Sunday 3-8
Monday 3-7
Tuesday - Saturday 4-12

Ladurée - an international macaron delight - special Hong Kong edition!

Ladurée, a french bakery originally from Paris had opened up a location on the Upper East Side back in the summer of 2011, and it's been on my list ever since.  I've either been lazy or just not on the UES all that often, and when I am up there I either forget or it's 2am and the shop's been closed for hours.  But here I am, wandering around one of the most amazing cities I've ever visited, Hong Kong, thinking how I could really go for a nice sweet treat since Asia is mostly lacking in chocolate and bakeries and I hadn't had anything chocolately other than a Twix bar in weeks!  

All of a sudden, as I'm strolling through one of the many shopping centers near the water, up rises before me a pyramid of pastel-colored macarons.  It looked vaguely familiar; I'd seen this windowfront before.... and sure enough, as I get closer, I saw the name etched in gold on the window - Ladurée. Famous for being one of the most renowned bakeries in Paris, with a double-decker flagship shop and 4 locations throughout Paris, I was thrilled to see they were now expanding not only to New York, but to Hong Kong as well (but only because I was there and in dire need of sweets).  From reading their Wikipedia page, since the main site is in French, I learned this was Blair Waldorf of Gossip Girls' sweet of choice.  All the more reason to give it a try.

There were a rainbow-full of colors worth of flavors to try, but at 23 Hong Kong dollars apiece (around $3 USD), and being on a bit of a budget since leaving my job, I could only justify buying one $3 cookie; a price equivalent to half of my hostels in Thailand and Laos.  (Sidenote - the condition of the cookie was way better than the hostels.)  I had read a review from an expat living in Hong Kong describing the salted caramel macaron as one of her top 5 sweets in the city, so I went with that one.  Now I should probably take a step back and explain what exactly a macaron is.

A macarOn, not to be confused with a macarOOn, is a meringue-based confection made up of two almond meringue discs filled with a layer of buttercream, ganache or jam.  Ladurée is credited with creating these sweets interestingly enough, so what better for me to write my review on. A macaroon, on the other hand, is originally a small cake made up of mostly almonds, although throughout time the macaroon has transformed to include more of a cake-like substance, made with egg whites, and affiliated with coconut and often covered with chocolate.

Ladurée also sells chocolates, chocolate cream, pastries and merchandise including scarves, mugs and key rings.  You can create your own assortment of macarons and have them gift wrapped in a fancy pastel box.  Sadly, my povery-stricken self went up to the counter to request my sole macaron, which I ate immediately upon leaving the shop and running out with humiliation at not being able to afford all of the pretty colored-cookies.  Since there's no specific chocolate involved I wasn't sure how much of a fan I'd be.  I've tried macarons in the past and thought they were just OK.  However, Laduree products no ordinary macaron.  This was a sugary sensation!  The cookie crumbled in my mouth; the sweetness of the salted caramel filling blended perfectly with the soft meringue of the cookie casing.  I couldn't believe how good a macaron could be!  And then I wished I could try more. And more.  Luckily, when I got back to New York I made a trip up to the UES with my co-blogger Cjap and we got to try a few more flavors.  The iced mint, one of the seasonal flavors, tasted exactly like mint chocolate chip ice cream!

Some of the flavors can be seen here
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But in case you can't see, since I can't really make out the writing in this photo either, I will list some of the classics for you:

Vanilla
Orange Blossom
Rose Petal
Pistachio
Chocolate
Raspberry
Lemon
Licorice


And some of the seasonal flavors in NY right now are iced mint, gingerbread, Venezuelan chocolate, and coconut.  There's a separate section listed as the Incroyables, including a chocolate coconut macaron, which I tried and was also delicious, however I am clueless as to what the word Incroyable means.  If anyone goes to Paris anytime soon, please investigate and get back to me.

They are expanding to more locations internationally; currently besides Paris, NY and Hong Kong you can find Ladurée in Singapore, Dubai, South Korea, Morocco, Sydney, Japan, Brazil and many locations throughout Europe including Switzerland, Germany, England and Italy.

The New York location can be found at 864 Madison Avenue.
Open Monday - Saturday 9AM - 7PM; Sundays 10AM-6PM.
(646) 558-3157
Laudree main site

Milk and Cookies and Bacon?

Milk and Cookies, a bakery in the West Village, has been on my hitlist for the longest time. To be honest, I'm not too familiar with all of the street names in the W. Village and Commerce Street, to me, could have been in the village, Soho, the financial district, or 100 other places around New York that are one block long. On a recent walking tour of the area, we were walking down a street past the narrowest house in New York (only 9 1/2 feet wide!), and passed right by Milk and Cookies bakery!

Being that I'm gluten-free 50% of the time, and was with a friend who's gluten-free all of the time, he didn't understand my overwhelming excitement over a random bakery full of poisonous wheat-filled goodies.  I, however, knew that since this WAS the West Village, there was a high likelihood there would be a G-F treat for Dan, and one for me to have along with my gluten-filled cookie.

When we walked in, I was immediately overwhelmed with the options in front of me.  There were dozens of different types of cookies. From standard chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin to chocolate mint, peanut butter and cream filled.  Their specialty, and why I had read about them in the first place, was their Bacon Smack cookie - maple syrup, candied  cherry wood smoked bacon, dried cranberries, 72% dark chocolate chunks, toffee and graham cracker pieces.  Since chocolate covered bacon, or chocolate bars with bacon bits sprinkled throughout is a trend that doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon, these are one of their best-selling cookies.

 

There were also tons of amazing assorted treats - ice cream
sandwiches filled with il laboratio del gelato, brownies, magic bars, rice krispie treats, shortbread - on and on. They also had special little cookie dog bones, and since Foxy was out with us for the day, she got her own treat. Poor thing couldn't wait to get into the bag! Sadly once I gave them to her she was less enthused; we left half of the treats on the floor under the bench in front of the shop. Foxy usually loves peanut butter biscuits, but she might have just been overwhelmed because she devoured the rest of them once we got home. 

But now on to the cookies for people (Foxy is important, but our readership amongst canines on this blog is still fairly low).
Dan and I each had the gluten free cookies, since as I mentioned he is gluten free and I am sometimes.  We had the chocolate chip and double chocolate GF cookies.  The chocolate chip cookie was so good that Dan ate it in 2 bites and I didn't actually try that one! The double chocolate was perfect - you would never know it was gluten free.  It was soft, a consistency hard to find in GF baked goods.  There was a perfect allocation of chocolate, and the size was perfect for an afternoon treat.  We judge cookies by the size because while some of New York's finest - Le Vain, Jacques Torres, Paradis, City Bakery - are fantastic, they're tremendous and if you eat the entire thing you are forced to spend the rest of the night in back to back Soul Cycle classes.  This was a normal cookie size, so you can have one guilt-free.  The ingredients used are of the finer quality - Valrhona chocolate, E Guittard chocolate chips, etc. I brought home the bacon smack cookie to try, even though I'm not a huge bacon fan (I don't like to eat pork since Charlotte's Web was my favorite book growing up!) that was their specialty cookie and everyone had raved about it.

To be honest, this was not my favorite cookie.  It might be chalked up to my not being a bacon enthusiast, but the hickory scent overwhelmed me before I even took a bite.  There were large chunks of soft bacon, large chocolate chips, and cranberries - there was just too much going on in my mouth simultaneously.  I pulled out the chocolate chips and gave Foxy the remainder, and this one she went crazy for - much more than her special dog treats. If you're a bacon lover it's definitely worth a try, but otherwise I would stick to Milk and Cookies' many other varieties. 

The last thing I'll note is the shop was pretty small, so unless you're stopping in with one person, you probably will take the cookies to go.  There was a bench in front of the store that we ate on, but I think these are better to be enjoyed at home.  They also deliver, and there are special gift baskets you can order. And they show up in this neat little truck!

19 Commerce Street
Sunday-Thursday 11AM-10PM, Friday and Saturday through 11PM
212-243-1640
http://www.milkandcookiesbakery.com/site/

There's No Nonsense about the Runcible Spoon after a 30 mile bike ride

When we ventured off to Nyack, in typical Cjap fashion we were expecting a giant sign outside of the Runcible Spoon, a biker-friendly bakery in Nyack at the end of the route.  I'm not sure how we both didn't realized that Route 9W continues all the way up through Bear Mountain to Albany, since we both attended SUNY's upstate. So on this hot June die, the first day of summer, we rode from Manhattan to Nyack, and right through it!  After going up the largest hills we've ever climbed, we realized the error in our ways, and hightailed it back into town straight to the Runcible Spoon.

Now, what is a Runcible Spoon, you might ask?  On their website, they define a Runcible Spoon as a spoon-shaped fork (but not exactly a spork, since a spork has fewer ridges), with one sharp wavy tine that can be used as a knife.  Wikipedia describes "runcible" as a nonsense word invented by Edward Lear, used in the poem "The Owl and the Pussycat."

If you can't see the actual spoon in this image, here's a clearer version:

While this name is certainly odd and nonsensical, we heard great things about the place so in we went.  

There was a bike rack full of bikes outside, so we knew we'd arrived at the right place. I was a little bit thrown when I walked in - there were giant butterflies or bugs of some sort on the ceiling with the bakery's name on them.  I thought the place might be a little strange, but once I laid my eyes on the crazy selection of cookies and baked goods, I changed my mind.

The Runcible Spoon opened up 20 years ago in Rockland County. They're open 365 days a year - they don't like to close for even a day because they have their regulars who don't like to skip one day of their daily dose of The Spoon. During the week the cafe is filled with women and children on playgroups, and on weekends overflowing with bikers like us up for an excursion from the city.

The shop had assorted cookies in adorable sugar-coated types like flowers, lobsters, hearts and stars. There was every flavor of muffin and cookie you can imagine. For the biker crowd you could find an equally large selection of sandwiches and salads, to refuel mid-ride.  There were a few gluten-free options as well; glad to see the RS is prepping carbs for the celiac riders out there!

We opted for a 1/2 hummus wrap with veggies in a red pepper wrap, followed by a chocolate cloud cookie and gluten-free brownie.  This was one place that it was actually hard to choose because every option looked better than the next!
The sandwich was perfect after a long ride - it had the protein and carbs needed, but was the perfect size and light enough to not get full before hopping on our bikes to go back to the city.
The desserts were excellent.  The cookie was large, thick and chewy.  There were nuts and chocolate chunks sprinkled throughout the cookie.  It was more than large enough for us to share.  The brownie was very dense and fudgy, and so chocolatey that we were only able to take a few bites before starting to have chocolate overload.

Just 4 miles past Piermont, we would love to come back here and try out other menu items on future trips to Nyack/up 9W.  Now all this town needs is a Lulu...

The Runcible Spoon

37 N Broadway

Nyack, NJ 10960

845-358-9398

Open Mon-Sun, 6:30am - 6pm

New Cupcake Shop on the Block

They say a new cupcake shop opens up every 7 minutes in New York. Okay, that statistic may or might be true, but I'm fairly positive it's pretty damn close.  On a recent night out in the West Village, after a pitcher (or 3) of sangria, we were en route to the bars.  We said NO to dessert at dinner. We were on a mission - Saturday night out! We had no time for dessert. Alcohol was on the mind!
Until we walked down 7th Avenue South and stumbled (literally) across the House of Cupcakes.  We never heard of it before, but it looks glorious from the outside (and, let's face it, who doesn't like a drunk cupcake) so in we went.

When we walked in, we were overwhelmed by the enormous selection of cupcakes - each and every one sounded absolutely amazing.  We spent at least 15 minutes debating which flavors to try, since we were going to have to carry them into a bar and clearly couldn't try one of each of the 30 flavors!

Summarized list of the best flavors here:
Chocolate cheesecake brownie
Espresso brownie
Hazelnut crepe
Espresso brownie
Dulce de leche
S'mores
Snowball, chocolate OR vanilla
Salted Caramel
Candy Cup
Chocolate chip cookie dough
+ gluten-free & sugar free options

Full list here: House of Cupcakes menu

The House of Cupcakes is originally from Princeton, NJ, and were winners of Cupcake Wars on the Food Network.  I really need to start watching this show!
You can order cupcakes online and customize them for events - anything from birthdays to weddings to client gifts.

We tried the chocolate chip cookie dough and the vanilla snowball.  The cookie dough was probably my favorite cupcake ever.  I mean, raw cookie dough in the middle and a vanilla cream frosting with specks of cookie throughout - how can you go wrong!  I was less enthused with the vanilla snowball, but more because I was hoping it would taste just like the Hostess snowballs from my youth.  We want to come back here once a week until we've tried every cupcake they make.

They also have a wide selection of gigantic freshly baked cookies that looked equally amazing.  While the West Village is cluttered with an exorbitant amount of bakeries, this is one you shouldn't miss!

101 7th Avenue South

Open Sunday-Friday 10am-11pm
Friday-Saturday open until midnight

To conclude, a lovely picture of Miss Joselyn digging into the cupcake in her car - we just couldn't wait until we got home :)

Butter & Salt en Français sur Essex

English translation - Beurre and Sel in French on Essex.

Essex Street market is a small market on the Lower East side that most New Yorkers have never been to. It's only open until 7pm, and until recently was closed on Sundays. All of the business are local, family-owned shops, from the local butcher to an award-winning solo chocolatier.  We've visited Essex Street Market once before, but on a recent half day we were able to go when the crowds were minimal, which gave us a chance to really spend some time with the vendors.

Beurre and Sel was on my list of cookie places to try when they took a spot in Essex Street Market, although when we got to the stand there wasn't much to see. A display of only 5 varieties of cookies, with all of the other flavors in bite-size versions on the wall.  Usually the owners/employees of small shops like to tell you about their cookies, but this employee didn't care to share, so we had to do our own research when I got home.

Dorie Greenspan is the creator of Beurre and Sel. She is a renowned baker who has made multiple baking cookbooks, and won the James Beard Award (the Oscar for foodies).  Her cookies are all made using a circular mold and each is the exact same size as the next.  The flavors range from World Peace (Valrhona chocolate based), Rosemary Parmesan, Cocoa cayenne, Espresso chip, Classic Jammers (strudel, vanilla and French jam), French Lavender and; white chocolate, sesame sea salt, and cranberry, and honey.

We tried the World Peace and the cocoa cayenne.  As an often-perfectionist, the circular precision was quite intriguing.  Each bite guaranteed to be identical to the next.  The flavors weren't overwhelming; it was a classic, good cookie.  I would have like to try the Rosemary Parmesan for something unique and different, but that only came in a package and to be honest, spending $14 on a package of cookies that I wasn't sure I would like didn't seem like the smartest idea.  Sampling the more unique varieties would have helped to seal the deal Dorie!

Next time you're in the area, check out Beurre and Sel along with some of the other local shops at Essex Street - Roni Sue, Porto Rico coffee and more!

Essex Street Market
120 Essex Street
Monday - Saturday 8am-7pm
Sunday 10am-6pm

Our Founding Chocolate Fathers - Washington, Jefferson and Uncle Chip

On my recent trip to Washington, DC, I had a lot of fun things on the agenda. There was the Cherry Blossom festival that I've been dying to go to for years. The original Kermit the Frog at the Smithsonian - a Muppets lover's dream. And a run across the National Mall to get a glimpse of the statues of our country's most revered presidents. But of course, up there on the list, was the chance to try (and review) the best chocolate in DC. I left it up to my gracious hosts, who had eaten their way through Colombia with me and whose taste I surely trusted. 
We rode bikes to Georgetown, home of the famous Georgetown cupcakes. I have already tried Georgetown and reviewed them at their Soho location, but I was planning to review the original location that started it all. Interestingly, the line at Georgetown Cupcakes was wrapped around the corner and halfway up the block! Their cupcakes are good, but I refuse to wait in line for anything other than Levain or a ride at Disney World. We ventured over to another famous cupcake shop in DC, and the line of get in there was 20 people deep. Again, I turned away, sad that DC was clearly deprived of good chocolate shops that forced people to wait on insanely long lines. 

I had just about given up, when Elisa brought me to Eastern Market. As we browsed the stands of homemade cherry blossom art and vintage jewelry, I stumbled across a sign advertising the best cookies in DC!


Now on occasion I'm wary of signs that claim to be the best, because so many questions arise. Who declared this? Was it Yelp? 100 loyal cookie lovers?  Your mother?  It's a slippery slope to tread on, but in this case, since all of Washington DC was determined to not let me have chocolate of any sort, I had to give it a go.

My options were the regular chocolate chip, double chocolate, or oatmeal raisin.  I usually go straight for the double chocolate, but since it was early and we hadn't had brunch yet, I felt the traditional chocolate chip cookie was the way to go.  The man at the booth was super friendly when I told him I was doing a review for my blog.  In NY when I tell people, they either roll their eyes or ignore me. So even if the cookies weren't good, I would have at least given them a positive mark for congeniality.

The cookies were pretty good.  I wouldn't say they're the best I've ever had, but they were the best I personally had in DC.
The outside was crisp and crunchy, and the inside was soft and chewy - just the right mix!  The cookies were large, too, and I was able to have little bites throughout the day that lasted for hours.  Uncle Chip's cookies are baked fresh each morning, which means there are no preservative (always a benefit since I hate recommending overly-processed treats.)  They use real vanilla, real chocolate, and real butter (sorry vegans). No preservatives! No artificial colors! No trans fat! A true winner in my book.  They also have a black bean gluten-free brownie which I didn't try, but I like when bakeries have options for those of us who die when they eat wheat, malt or barley!

They also include funny cards in each order (at the store itself, not Eastern Market), so the cookies can be distributed to:

• that fabulous coworker
• sassy sister
• ex-boyfriend (my ex-boyfriends would never be allowed to get a good cookie, sorry Uncle Chip)
• girl that won't return your phone calls
• guy at the gym
• and more!

Uncle Chips can be found every Sunday at Eastern Market. There are many more options in the store including brownies, breads and black and white covered shortbread cookies.  Their full location is located at:

1514 North Capitol Street NW
Washingon, DC 20001
(201)999-4990
www.unclechips.com

Open Monday-Friday 10AM-8PM
Saturday 9AM-8PM 
and Sundays, 9AM-4PM

Sugar and Plumm and Everything Nice

If you walked down Bleecker street in the West Village 4, 5 years ago, you wouldn't recognize any of the shops and restaurants that are there now.  I've watched Bleecker gain pizzerias like Keste, yogurt places like Yogurt Land (which has closed and reopened at least 3 times, and now will be ousted completely by the latest appearance of 16 Handles a few doors down), and Murray's Cheese Bar.  It's a great location, especially for a foodie.  I had read in some of my food blogs that Sugar and Plumm, a restaurant on the Upper West Side, had amazing desserts, including something called an earthquake in a fishbowl, which includes multiple different cakes including cheesecake, Brooklyn blackout, key lime pie, heaven/hell cake, butterscotch pudding, 3 flavors of ice cream, with whipped cream on top.  I didn't now there was talk of a separate bakery opening in the village until I happened to stumble across it the other night while wandering around the West Village after dinner.

Now I had just eaten at Ayza, the wine/chocolate bar/restaurant, and ended the meal with chocolate fondue.  We weren't hungry, and were walking down Bleecker towards Barnes and Noble, when we came across none other than Sugar and Plumm's OPENING DAY.  Now, this is not the first time I've accidentally stumbled across opening day at a dessert shop. The first 16 Handles on 2nd and 10th, I happened to be eating dinner at Veselka right up the block, and watched the amazingness that is now my favorite dessert place ever be unveiled.  For a chocolate-lover/blogger who keeps up with her research, discovering a place I hadn't heard about on it's opening day was beyond exciting.  What was better was, when we entered, we found a display of dessert samples - the shop wanted everyone to know just how great their chocolate was, and we got to try EVERYthing!

The baked goods include brownies, blondies, and cookies (both regular and gluten-free), almond croissants and a colorful array of macarons. There were rows upon rows of artisinal chocolate, beautifully decorated with shades of gold and floral designs.  The woman at the counter was quite a salesperson; I planned to buy just 2 pieces of chocolate to review but she kept convincing to buy another, and another, until the box was full.
There were statues made of chocolate and fun designs like purses, eggs with chickens coming out for Easter, and a chocolate champagne bottle and bucket.  A full list of the cool chocolate creations can be found here:
Sugar and Plumm chocolates
The chocolate really vary in price; the small individual pieces are $1.50 each. The cookies are average priced at $3-4.  For the chocolate masterpieces, there is quite a range.  I ordered the chocolate champagne bottle as a gift, at a hefty pricetag of $60.  There's a giant chocolate eggs that can be purchased for $1,000.  The chocolate purses and shoes were beautiful and would be a great centerpiece at a bridal shower or bachelorette party.

Everything we tried was delicious.  The small chocolates were my favorite, probably because of the beautiful designs that reminded me a bit of Mariebelle, but weren't as costly.  The people in the store were friendly and helpful; even though there were a ton of samples out on display, when we expressed interest in something they let us try it.  This is definitely a place to go to get seasonal chocolates; the selection for Easter was astonishing for a brand new shop.  We walked out with a bunny cake pop, a box of chocolates, and a cookie.  I loved everything I tried, and have bumped Sugar and Plumm the restaurant higher on my list so I can try the desserts too.

For some background, Chef Pichet Ong is involved with the creation of the pastries and desserts, which are made fresh each day with natural ingredients and sent out twice daily. The chocolate in the Chocolate Shop use the world's finest all-natural raw chocolate, most of which is sustainably-farmed in the US for Sugar & Plumm. The chocolates are hand-crafted in small batches in-house, and since they focus on the perfection of the crystallization process of the chocolate and temperature control, a chocolate bar can take a week to complete.  Somehow knowing each chocolate bar is made with love and care, makes the chocolate taste even better.

Sugar and Plumm
Open Sunday - Thursday 10am - 10pm and Friday-Saturday 10am - midnight.
www.sugarandplumm.com

Breads Bakery - a nice post-Passover leavened treat

Union Square is probably one of the smallest neighborhoods in NYC.  Go too far above 18th street you're in Flatiron. Venture to the left an extra couple of steps you're in Chelsea. Over to the west? Gramercy. And right below, the East Village. Each neighborhood has it's own identity, and their own share of bakeries and chocolate shops to get you coming back for more.  But Union Square proper really hasn't had much of a claim to stake in the bakery category, until Breads came onto the scene in February.

All of the breads and pastries are made with fresh, natural ingredients.  For someone like me, with a sensitivity to most of the ingredients found in baked goods and processed foods, this means that I can eat it without getting sick, always a plus!

There is a wide assortment of bread loafs, from Rye to Walnut to cereal bread.  The counter held quiches made of goat cheese and artichoke.  There were sandwiches and coffees and ample seating to escape the chaos of Union Square (or take a breather after a trip to Lululemon).

I had a hard time deciding here, but opted for the chocolate roll and two pieces of the chocolate rugelach.  The owner/baker Uri Scheft is originally from Israel (he's the man behind the 11-year old Lehamim bakery in Tel Aviv), so you'll find a lot of Jewish desserts, including the rugelach and a chocolate babka loaf.  Even though I'm Jewish, I've never been a fan of Jewish desserts.  Most don't include chocolate, and the ones that do are usually hard and stale-tasting and not worth the calories.  But this rugelach was phenomenal.  Each piece was bite-sized and warm, fresh out of the oven.  Looking like mini chocolate croissants, it was oozing with chocolate and flaky crust, and all I could think was that I wished I had brought home other things from Breads to try.

Bread Bakery, now open at 18 East 16th street, right off of Union Square East.
Open Monday - Friday, 7-7. Weekends 8-7.  Every train goes to Union Square, so no excuses why you can't check this one out!
www.breadsbakery.com

Crepes and Waffles - Colombia edition

On a recent trip to Colombia, I was excited to get up close and personal with the best Colombian chocolate, similar to what Caryn and I find on the shelves at Whole Foods.  When I got to Colombia, however, I learned that, much like Ecuador, all of the best chocolate is exported elsewhere, and I have a better chance of getting Colombian chocolate at my local grocery store.

Colombia is known for their Arequipe, which is caramel/dulce de leche, which is quite good but there was no way for me to survive 10 days without chocolate!
Thankfully, my friends discovered an ice cream chain which saved my chocolate cravings, and the trip!

Crepes and Waffles opened in 1980 in Bogota, styled after a French creperie.  Colombians love to eat traditional food and you won't come across as many foreign chains or cuisines as you will in other Latin countries.  Bogota is also located at a high altitude (2,625 metres - 8,612 feet above sea level), and as the third highest-altitude capital city in South America after La Paz and Quito, it is quite cold.  A French ice cream shop was definitely a gamble, since Bogota folks don't even wear shorts in their summer (learned this the hard way), however this chain became a sweet spot (literally) for Colombians,

Chocolate brownie ice cream, photo compliments of Grace Lee

turned out to be a tremendous success, and now there are 62 locations throughout Colombia alone, as well as stores across Ecuador, Panama, Mexico, Peru, Spain, Brazil, Venezuela and Chile.  I was actually quite surprised when I made this discovery, since I spent time in most of those places, ice cream-less.  I don't recall even eating in Ecuador aside from corn from a street cart, because the food was godawful. Knowledge for next time!

Some of the shops today are still heladerias (ice cream shops), however many also have grown to include restaurants with an extensive brunch menu.

You can order a plain, amazingly rich ice cream flavor in a cupo or a cono, or you can choose from their list of specialty desserts, which include cheesecake, fondue, ice creams with faces (picture below) and a lot of other desserts that are all detailed in Spanish that it's too early in the morning for me to attempt to translate. (Full list of desserts)

I really wanted to get the happy face dessert shown on the right, but there was a problem with the freezers at the location in Cartagena Julia and I went to on our last night, and the ice creams were half melting, and my poor cara de sonreir helado was not going to happen. Also, I think they're meant for 5 year olds and that's secretly why the lady wouldn't do it.  So instead I opted for chocolate and brownie, and I died and went to heaven right there outside the shop on Carrera 2.  There were full brownie chunks mixed into the ice cream.  My two scoops were so decadent, and you could taste the fresh chocolate that was probably picked in the nearby cacao plantation in each and every bite. I'm shockingly not a big ice cream fan typically, but I fell in love with Crepes and Waffles.  Julia and I were mildly depressed after that we hadn't made it here sooner, and crossed our fingers we'd find one at the airport so we could have it one more time (it wasn't.) We'll have to make a trip to another Latin country to get to experience this again!

Full list of locations throughout Central and South America:
http://crepesywaffles.com.co/puntos-de-venta

What's your favorite dessert you've discovered abroad?

Crumbs 10 Year Anniversary

Close your eyes for a minute.
Think back to New York City at the beginning of the millennium.
What do you remember?
I recall Y2K, running around a party holding 4 flashlights and a package of beef jerky (the power didn't go out, and the Slim Jim was eaten long before midnight).
I remember when there was no B train to bring you to South Brooklyn but the Q and Q diamond, because the MTA seemed to temporarily run out of letters of the alphabet and moved along to differentiation by shapes.
I remember friends letting each other know their whereabouts via AOL instant messenger away messages.
What I don't remember, is cupcakes.
And since I've been a chocoholic since birth, you can bet I'd remember having cupcakes that didn't come from a Duncan Hines box.
But the reason I don't remember (and I'm sure you don't either), is because they didn't exist!
There were a couple out there - Magnolia (overrated) was around in the mid-90s, but cupcakes just weren't a thing...until there was Crumbs.

Working at an ad agency right out of college, I clearly remember Crumbs.  It was the next big thing back in 2004.  Reps would bring them in for meetings, and the second they were placed on the snack table the hoards of starving media planners would pounce from the woodworks to get a glimpse of these amazing giant calorie-ridden baked miracles of god.  Having never been a fan of any sort of chain establishment (Chipotle is exempt from this statement), it's rare to hear me say that I so much as like a chain, let alone call it my favorite.  But Crumbs has done a phenomenal job of making cupcakes a necessity - a sugar, sprinkle-covered treat that comes in every imaginable flavor, size and seasonal theme.

Crumbs originated in 2003 on the Upper West Side (originally a little mom & pop bakery managed by Mia and Jason Bauer).  They gradually opened up additional locations and spread like wildfire - today there are a total of 62 stores throughout the state of New York, as well as Chicago, DC, Boston, Viriginia and LA.

One of the things I love about Crumbs is their ability to change with the times.  When their abundance of locations forced them to post calories, and the world was able to see that there were over 1,000 calories in some varieties, they worked around it by creating additional sizes (most cupcakes are now available in a "Classic" (regular), "Signature" (original, large, double-the normal size of  a cupcake size), and mini "Taste".  If you're bringing cupcakes for a group you can get a 12 pack of an assortment of the "tastes".  If you're going to a birthday party you can get a giant Colossal cupcake and 6-8 people can share.

They have holiday themes (Red Velvet Hearts, Hugs and Kisses) for Valentine's Day.  They just had football cupcakes for the superbowl; some that had green frosting and footballs on top and others that had chocolate covered potato chips and pretzels.  They have every flavor imaginable, from your basics like vanilla frosting with sprinkles, to red velvet, to peanut butter cup and cookie dough.  Every location carries different flavors as well; and some are named based upon their location (there's a Bryant Park cupcake at the 42nd street location only for example).  I like to stop in sometimes just to see what new flavors there are.

As I mentioned they change with the times - well, they know there's a lot of competition out there.  With Baked by Melissa's mini bite-size cupcakes, Magnolia's boring but somehow widely loved Carrie Bradshaw cupcakes, and places like Butter Lane, Billy's, and Sugar Sweet Sunshine - Crumbs has to keep up to maintain their popularity.  While at Roosevelt Field mall last week, I was amazed to walk into a Crumbs to find a make-your-own cupcake station!  Those Crumbs folks know that us New Yorkers are all about customization, so they're now allowing you to design your own cupcake, selecting your base flavor, filling, frosting flavor and toppings.

That was what caught my attention while passing by.  But once we entered, we were amazed at all the other new novelties I hadn't seen at my usual Crumbs near Grand Central.  They had cake pushpops.  Candy bars in Crumbs flavors (Cookies and Cream, Red Velvet, etc).  They carry their usual brownies and cookies, but there was also chocolate cookie pizza!  With a cookie crust for dough, chocolate layer for sauce, MMs, marshmallow, Reese's PB cups for topping and caramel sprinkled across for cheese - it's almost as good as getting a slice at Spumoni Gardens!!  It was of course amazing, and Caryn and I splitting it still were only able to finish half.  I'm sure I don't have to tell you where your nearest Crumbs is (you should really know that!) but if you don't: http://www.crumbs.com/locations
Comment below to let me know your favorite flavor of Crumbs!

Willy Wonka & Jacques Torres coming to Brooklyn!

Super exciting news - Jaques Torres, who many already refer to as the Willy Wonka of the real world, will be making that dream statement more of a reality.  Jacques will be opening a giant chocolate factory in the Brooklyn Army Terminal in Sunset Park. 

The new space will include a 70-foot tunnel, a chocolate powder room, an ice-cream room, and a five-ton chocolate melter.  In October of 2011 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Willy Wonka, Jacques had Oompa Loompas at his store giving out Golden Tickets.  Let's all cross our fingers and hope all of the employees at this new factory will be the Oompa Loompas from the picture below!

Two Red Hens with way more than two cupcakes

While on my way to visit a friend on the Upper East Side last week, I decided it would be nice to bring a little something over, and also to have a something to use for my monthly blog entry.  Unfortunately the last few weeks I've been living on Starbucks cake pops and while I absolutely love them, I can't blog about anything that comes from a Seattle-based chain restaurant!  There are a few places that have opened up on the UES in the past few months that have made it to 'the list' - including Pips the gluten free bakery and the place that has all the candy from London.  But I had heard about the cupcakes at Two Little Red Hens and decided this was the way to go.

Now I'm usually a little bit anti-buying things that say Brooklyn when they're not from Brooklyn (I will never, ever shop at any Brooklyn Industries if it's across the Brooklyn Bridge).  But the most popular cupcake at TLRH is the Brooklyn Blackout, so I had to make an exception just this once.  There is a limited but good variety of cupcakes available, and most come in both mini and large versions.  The regular cupcake flavors include red velvet, carrots, banana, ginger, pumpkin spice and marble.  Then you have the specialty filled cupcakes - peanut butter fudge swirl, boston cream, key lime, coconut creme, and the Brooklyn Blackout, our flavor of the day.

The Brooklyn Blackout consists of a dark chocolate cake with chocolate pudding filling, topped with chocolate icing.  I got the miniature version to try and it was perfection, but I think the large version would probably be a little overwhelming.  All of the small versions cost $1.75, and the larger versions are $3 for the regular and $4 for the filled; on par with NYC cupcake prices.  There was only one mini Bk Blackout when I got there, so I'm glad I made it in time!  The marble and red velvet were just okay, to be honest.  I wasn't a fan of the cream cheese frosting on the red velvet and the marble was a little bit boring.  They wrapped my three mini cupcakes in a heart shape which was super cute.  I listened in on what others were ordering and it seems like cheesecake and the red velvet cupcake are high on the list.  Maybe I was having an off day with the red velvet, but I would recommend trying the Brooklyn Blackout if you make it uptown and can find the shop behind the scaffolding (will the 2nd Avenue subway line ever be finished?!)

Two Little Red Hens is located at 1652 2nd Avenue between East 85th and 86th streets.  Hours of operation are Monday-Friday 7:30am-9pm, Saturday 8am-9pm and Sunday 8am-7pm.

http://www.twolittleredhens.com/