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