299 Bowery
New York, NY 10003
(212) 933-5300
www.danielnyc.com
For a going away dinner, my husband took me to DBGB down on Bowery and E 3rd. I had heard they had amazing food, but when I looked at the dessert menu online, I knew this is where I wanted to have my last meal! (I left today for the Young Frankenstein National Tour) Well, it did not disappoint and in fact went above my expectations! I was overwhelmed when not one, not two, but SIX desserts came out of the kitchen for me to review!!! What a way to end a meal! Dessert Heaven! I surveyed my territory, took hold of my small, but mighty dessert spoon, and dug in. One small bite for me, one giant leap for dessert mankind!
Souffle Chaud- A Souffle is a very famous French dessert. Since we were at Daniel Boulud’s restaurant and the Executive Pastry Chef is French, it is no surprise that one is on the menu. Souffles are baked to order and can come in a variety of flavors. When you see a souffle it is hard not to “OOH and AHH!” because they are so beautiful, puffed high above their dish and dusted with powered sugar. It is like a work of art. As instructed we popped a hole in the top of the souffle and poured the side of creme anglaise inside. FANTASTIC! Watching the sauce coat the cloud like souffle was utter enjoyment. The result was a light, fluffy souffle that coated with creme anglaise, melted in my mouth and warmed my soul. The crackled top added nice texture against the velvety souffle. There was also a touch of lemon which was a nice, refreshing surprise.
Tarte Au Figues- This fig tart was delicious and tasted like a cream filled fig newton! It had a buttery thin graham cracker crust that nicely held the tart together. The middle was a marscapone cheese filling that was light and fluffy like a whipped cheesecake. The layer of figs on top were sweet and chewy combining well with the cheese. On the side was a small scoop of ginger port wine ice cream that I have to say was a little overpowering. I found that when I took a bite of the ice cream and the tart, I could not taste anything but ginger. It was overwhelming. I much preferred having multiple bites of the tart and then a small bite of ice cream to cleanse my palate. This way I was able to enjoy the fall flavors of figs and cheese and then afterward, ginger.
Gateu Rousse Au Framboise- When I asked our waiter about the desserts, he insisted on the Gatau. Homemade pistachio cake with a layer of pistachio mouse and homemade raspberry jam. I LOVE pistachios and it is quickly becoming a favorite flavor of mine. The pistachio mousse was AMAZING! It was a beautiful green color and tasted like you were eating a handful of pistachios. Then you have the raspberry jam which popped out against the nutty flavor. It was the sweet and salty thing that keeps you coming back for more! The cake on either side of the mousse was light, but dense and held up nicely to the mousse. This mouse with fresh raspberries and jam was SO GOOD that I could have taken a dish of it all on its own. That’s right, a bowl of mousse! What could be better?
Pear Ice Cream Sandwich- This was the most creative and unique ice cream sandwich I have ever had. Shortbread cookies, lemon ice cream, pear sorbet, pear compote, and topped off with a caramel pear liquor sauce!!! Did you get all of that?! With pears currently in season, I knew this ice cream sandwich would be delicious. The shortbread was perfect! Buttery, flakey, soft, yet able to act as the “bread” to all this “meat” inside. The tart lemon ice cream was so refreshing against the sweet pear sorbet. Then the compote of juicy, fresh diced pears were wonderful for added texture. With the thick caramel pear liquor sauce this dessert went from refreshing to SATISFYING!!! The caramel brought all the flavors together and locked them in with its sweetness. The pear liquor was just enough to make you remember that this ice cream sandwich not just unique but sophisticated!
Can you believe we are still eating?!?!?!
Coffee Mocha Sundae- Are you ready for this? (Oh and by the way, everything here is homemade) Chocolate sorbet, coffee mocha ice cream, chocolate brownies, chocolate cookies, candied pecans, whip cream, and a drizzle of chocolate sauce. The sorbet was very rich, perfect flavor and because sorbet is icey, it helped to keep this chocolate mountain light and achievable! It’s a fantastic idea to use sorbet in a sundae so that you can keep it light. The intense, fudgy brownie bites were were so chewy against the airy, crunchy chocolate cookies. Then you add the sweet/salty candied pecans for more crunch and texture! The overall coffee flavor was perfect, not overwhelming like some mocha desserts. It married the coffee and chocolate flavors perfectly! My FAVORITE bite was a little bit of sorbet, with a brownie chunk, a bit of cookie, whip cream and chocolate sauce. The sorbet against the dense chocolate brownie was amazing because as it melted you still had this rich brownie to chew in your mouth! OUT OF THIS WORLD!
Golden Plum Pistachio Sundae- This was probably the most creative sundae flavor combination I have ever had. And BRAVO to the Chef, because it all combined so well and kept me coming back for more. Golden Plum-Pistachio ice cream, lemon sorbet, plum compote, marshmallows, vanilla cookies, whip cream and caramel sauce! Again the use of sorbets in sundaes is brilliant here! Whether you had a bite of sorbet with compote, sweet and tart! Or ice cream and marshmallow, sweet and nutty! It was fantastic. I was expecting marshmallow sauce, but to get actual marshmallows was magnificent! It added a chewy texture and you could really taste the sugar against the nutty pistachio ice cream. I loved the plum compote too! I hardly ever have plum anything, so this was a treat! (No pun intended) It was a key ingredient adding a delightful syrup-like sweetness, which was really yummy with the homemade vanilla cookies.
And that’s all folks! Six desserts later, we were very full, but were proud of our achievements! DBGB is a DLDR! (that was Dessert Lovers Dream Restaurant) xoxoBlondie
95 East 10th Street (between 3rd and 4th)
(212) 979-9398
www.sundaescones.com
Down in the East Village is a small ice cream shop, Sundaes and Cones. Serving quality homemade ice cream since 1991, Sundaes and Cones prides themselves in the theory, “Tasting is Believing.” After tasting my two scoops, I BELIEVE! I really enjoyed all the flavors they had to offer. I sampled an inventive one…Corn! Yes, I said Corn. It was very yellow, sweet, and buttery like corn on the cob. But my choice that night was the chocolate peanut butter and banana ice cream. I don’t normally go for chocolate based ice creams, but the color was so rich and dark that it called my name from the case. The thickly layered stripes of pb were generously swirled into the chocolate, making the perfect combo! Then I had my banana on the other side to help cut the richness from the chocolate. It was fresh, sweet, and ripe! Not artificial tasting at all, just delicious like a banana should be. I especially enjoyed mixing the two flavors in one big spoonful! Luckily, I had my husband with me so I got to taste his ice cream too! The joy of having someone to eat desserts with! He got “Pralines and Cream” along with “Cookies-N-Cream” in a chocolate and nuts coated waffle cone!!! I really enjoyed how creamy the “Pralines and Cream” was and loved the giant chunks of cookies in the Cookies-N-Cream. The waffle cone was extremely fresh and remained crisp until the last bite. Sundaes and Cones ice cream is really cold and hard until it hits the warmth of your mouth and instantly melts. The flavors burst on your tongue and explode in your mouth. They also make sugar free and fat free ice creams, but I say just indulge in the real thing! There is outside inside seating in the very clean shop. It is true what they say, “Tasting is Believing!” xoxo Blondie
107 Ave C @ East 7th Street
New York, NY 10009
(212) 598-1098
www.zumschneider.com
For a little something different, head down to Zum Schneider in the East Village. I had been wanting to go there for a while, and of course, I was mostly interested in what they had for dessert, even over the delicious food and enormous beers. After a fantastic dinner and drinks, I ordered their dessert special: Marillenknodel. It’s basically cheese dumplings made with Topfen (Quark), an Austrian soft cheese, in an apricot sauce. SO GOOD! They were like cheese blintzes and the dough was very thick. The dish was served warm and I just couldn’t get enough of it! What I liked was the balance of the cheese and dough. The amounts perfectly equaled each other so neither was overwhelming. The apricot sauce was a great accessory to the dumplings and gave me that fruity sweet taste I wanted with the more savory cheese. Even though it’s an Austrian sweet treat, this definitely beats the famous German chocolate cake everyone identifies as the quintessential German dessert. Go outside the box and try some European things…it definitely pleased me! xoxoBrownie
I finally made it back to Dessert Club @ Chikalicious! I came to try the vanilla soft serve that was recommended to me by the owner! But, standing in line, I found a couple other treats I wanted to try. Luckily, I had my husband with me and he had the same idea. First we tried the red velvet and coconut cupcake. These cupcakes have been rated as some of the top in NYC, so I had my game face on. Biting into a chickalicious cupcake is like taking a bite out of a cloud. It is that light, that fluffy, and moist as if it might start to rain. The meringue-like frosting is generously spread on the airy and SUPER moist cake. These cupcakes were so fresh, almost right out of the oven goodness. My only fault in these cupcakes is that because of the lightness, I remain unsatisfied. I realize this is because I like sugary and thick buttercream frostings. It is simply a difference in taste. I did enjoy the red velvet more than the coconut because the frosting had the cream cheese flavor.
Next up on the menu: homemade vanilla bean soft serve and a salted caramel macaroon! I was told this soft serve is made with real vanilla beans and the freshest ingredients, producing an ultimate ice cream. I was in complete bliss savoring every bite of my creamy treat. It was indeed soft, melt in your mouth delicious, and full of vanilla beans! It was a wonderful side to my cupcake. The salted macaroon was incredible! A little expensive, but large in size, this macaroon was so fresh it almost didn’t hold together when I took my first bite. The crunch from the meringue top blended perfectly with the whipped salted caramel filling. Again, the macaroon was incredibly light and fluffy! I began to think this is the theme at Chikalicious. Light and airy, but flavor-filled treats that leave you thinking, “Did I really just eat that or was it my imagination?” xoxo Blondie
248 Broome St
New York, NY 10002
(212) 677-5047
www.babycakesnyc.com
On an extremely rainy day (and NYC has had a lot of them lately), I had the pleasure of stopping in this adorable little bakery on Broome Street. With the cute decor and fun music playing, I immediately forgot about the rain. Now, I have to say I wasn’t excited about trying some vegan and gluten-free sweets, since I’ve not had many, if any, gluten-free foods. I didn’t have my hopes high for amazing taste. Wow, was I impressed! Between my friend and I, we tried their gluten-free chocolate chip cookie icing sandwich, their gluten-free bite-sized brownie, their gluten-free chocolate cupcake with chocolate icing, and their “spelt” carrot cupcake with vanilla icing. Spelt, I learned, is a relative of wheat and folks with a wheat allergy may be able to handle it in their tummies. BabyCakes also never uses white sugar in their recipes. First, I must say, the icing was incredible! I mean it was so light and sweet, I couldn’t believe it was gluten-free! My favorite treat was the cookie sandwich. The cookies were soft and crisp at the same time, and the icing amount was generous inside. The brownie was moist, chewy, and delicious. The chocolate cupcake was “OK” in my book. I’m a definite fan of the icing, but the cake was a bit harsh in sharp cocoa taste for me (some may like that). Being such a cupcake fan, it was a hard transition from traditional chocolate cupcakes, but my overall opinion was that it was pretty darn good for gluten-free. The carrot cupcake was fantastic! It was moist and you could taste the spices. The employees were dressed in cute pink dresses and were very friendly. It was definitely an enjoyable stop. For a dessert fanatic, I must say that I would definitely go there again for more. That says a lot since I could go anywhere in NYC for the same things but with regular ingredients. I’m so glad to know that there is a place in NYC that makes such yummy sweets for gluten-free and vegan peeps! Yay, it makes me happy to know that everyone can enjoy desserts without repercussions. On last note, this place was packed with people stopping in for a quick treat, even with the crazy rain! BabyCakes is doing something right! xoxoBrownie
The Cocoa Bar
21 Clinton Street
New York, NY 100002
212.677.7417
www.cocoabarnyc.com
One of my favorite things to do in NYC is walk around the lower east side. I feel like there are always new restaurants, shops, and places to explore. My newest find was the Cocoa Bar on Clinton Street. The adorable bar serves chocolates, coffee, and wine…what else do you need in life? My husband and I strolled in and ordered an Elvis Moo Chocolate and a Butternut Toffee along with a chocolate and a banana nut latte!! My latte, the banana nut, had the bold coffee flavor with a great nutty bite and a touch of sweetness from the banana. It all blended so well in the mug and was a perfect concoction. The Chocolate is a blend of milk and dark chocolate melted into steamed milk. This was the real deal, no chocolate syrup here! They use real chocolate chip shavings!! It’s a beautiful thing!
The Elvis Moo is a “HUNKA HUNKA BURNING LOVE” in your mouth! The thick Belgian dark chocolate coating cracks right away when you bite into it. You actually hear the cracking sound, yet the candy stays together. Inside is natural banana, marshmallow fluff, and chunky peanut butter all layered on top of each other. The Belgian chocolate was SO GOOD! It wasn’t bitter like some dark chocolate, just sweet and smooth. The marshmallow layer was so fluffy and paired with the banana was a creative treat!
Toffee isn’t one of my favorite things, but my husband wanted to try it so I did not protest. Well, it is one of my favorite things now because Cocoa Bar does it right! It’s about 3/4″ thick and coated in almonds with a milk chocolate layer. Inside is the most buttery toffee center that lingers in your mouth after each bite. Having a sip of my latte after this toffee sweetened each sip even more. It was a perfect pairing. I LOVED the almond coating and the milk chocolate layer surrounding the buttery toffee. It wasn’t hard at all, just the right texture!
The Cocoa Bar is a great spot. They have tables or a bar where you can sit and enjoy your treats and a coffee or glass of wine. It is a must stop if you are in the LES! xoxo Blondie
Butter Lane
123 East 7th Street
New York, NY 10009
(212) 677-2880
www.butterlane.com
Cupcakes from Butter Lane (From left to right) Vanilla w/french vanilla buttercream, banana w/cream cheese buttercream, and chocolate with french chocolate buttercream
Butter Lane…the better cupcake was suggested to me by a friend of mine. She said that I MUST try her favorite cupcake, the banana cupcake with cream cheese frosting. Since I was in the area for dinner, I headed down to 7th Street to try Butter Lane. Called the “better cupcake” because of using pure, organic ingredients, Butter Lane thinks itself as “Cupcakes for grownups.” The little shop is adorable and I enjoyed seeing my cupcakes being frosted as ordered! Another sensational surprise was the frosting tasting at the counter. Coffee stirrers are set out by the tray of “frostings of the day” so you are able to taste test what flavor you may enjoy most. What a thoughtful idea for those frosting lovers, like myself, who choose a cupcake based on the frosting! The cream cheese flavor was my favorite so I did not hesitate to order what had been recommended to me. The banana cake had an intense flavor and was very moist. It was light, not dense, and reminded me of the breakfast bread. The cream cheese buttercream enhanced the banana flavor in the cake and was the perfect compliment. It was thick, sugary, and had just the right amount of cream cheese. I also tried the french chocolate buttercream and classic American chocolate cupcake, but it did not hold a candle to the classic banana. I strongly suggest stopping by Butter Lane for the banana cupcake and while you are there sample the other frostings of the day!!!
The frosting tasting
Candy Bar Pie
Momofuku Bakery and Milk Bar
207 2nd Ave. (at 13th Street)
www.momofuku.com
If you are a desserts lover, you MUST head downtown to Momofuku. They are creating treats here that blew my mind. Momofuku bakery brings your inner child out and turns it into the most delicious thing to put in your mouth. They are NOT kidding around here! I could eat here everyday and always enjoy myself. To make things better, the extremely helpful staff bent over backwords with generosity to make me a happy customer when my cake was served frozen. I had to change my order, but she gave me a slice to go so I could enjoy it once it thawed out a little. So, here is what I did try…
The Candy Bar Pie
The candy bar pie had a chocolate espresso cookie crust that was then covered in a layer of caramel. Added to that was a layer of homemade nougat, a layer of PB or toffee (it was hard to tell), and covered in chocolate with pretzels in it. This pie was very rich and because of that, the perfect size. I loved the caramel layer, it was thick, smooth and creamy.
Cornflake cookie, Compost cookie, and the PB cookie
The COOKIES!
The Compost Cookie consists of chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, potato chips, coffee grounds, and pretzels. I may even be missing an ingredient. Basically, they put a whole lot of stuff into dough and baked it. The end result…AMAZING! What works with this cookie is the texture. There is so much butter that the bottom and edges are a little greasy, but taste incredible. The butter makes you come back for more. I really enjoyed taking each bite, trying to taste all the ingredients.
The Cornflake Marshmallow cookie consists of cornflakes, chocolate chips, and marshmallow. The cornflakes really stood out with this cookie and added a sweet, sugary crunch. The marshmallow was my favorite part because it reminded me of a rice crispy treat. I enjoyed breaking pieces off this cookie to see the marshmallow pull apart!! It also had the overwhelming butter bottom and edges. This was my favorite cookie!
The Chocolate Peanut Butter was very thick and tasted like cookie dough. Extremely peanut buttery with bits of actual peanuts, this cookie was really hard to stop eating. I liked the texture of this cookie because it was crispy on the outside, but really soft and chewy on the inside. WOW!
I CANNOT WAIT to go back! I still want to try the soft serve and of course the famous cereal milk. So stay tuned for more to come. But, if you want some AMAZING cookies…don’t waste a minute and go to MOMOFUKU!!
Dessert Truck
Park Ave. and 52nd St.
St. Marks Place and 3rd Ave.
www.desserttruck.com
OK, so I was on my way to a bar on the lower east side, when I saw a magnificent sight on the street. A truck selling only desserts. I mean anything is possible in NYC, but of all the unique things, this was straight out of my dreams. This is no Mr. Softee I tell you. Started by two friends (one of whom was a pastry sous chef), this truck was packed with gourmet, homemade desserts at $5 each. Of course, I made my friends stop to check it out. I mean, these were fancy, fresh desserts in 5 min! I got their chocolate bread pudding, which was just plain GOOD. Served in a to-go cup, there was this beautifully displayed chocolate piece with Dessert Truck inscribed on it. It was warm and tasted right out of the oven. Chocolate bread pudding covered in a melted cream sauce….hmmmm. What a delightful way to start the night out! Their day location is on Park Ave. and 52nd Street (12-4 pm), and their evening location is at St. Marks Place and 3rd Ave. (6 pm-12 am). So if you’re out and about one night, head downtown and make a pit stop at my new favorite NYC quick spot, Dessert Truck!
Smores Cupcake and Chocolate Chip Cookie
Dessert Club at Chickalicious
203 E. 10th Street
NY, NY 10003
www.chickalicious.com
Smores Cupcake
Across the street from Chickalicious is the to-go version, Dessert Club. On the menu are many treats: cupcakes, cookies, soft serve, cakes, and puddings to name a few. The smores cupcake sounded too good to be true and with a marshmallow top, it was love at first sight! The cupcake in size was smaller than expected but big on taste. The cake was gingerbread with a chocolate ganache filling in the center. I am glad that the chocolate was there because the cupcake could have been boring without it. The cake itself was extremely moist and tasted like your mom’s homemade kind. The frosting was all mallow, roasted, maybe by a mini blowtorch. I really liked the “all mallow” topping because it brought out the smores campfire idea.
Dessert Club also serves up some amazing chocolate chip cookies. With a 3″ diameter, these chocolate chips were crunchy on the outside and completely chewy on the inside. It is a thin cookie with chocolate abounding…not chips but chunks. Thin slate chunks, if you can imagine. This cookie is perfect for dunking in milk and you get three for just $1.95!!!
After conversing with the owner, Don, I am determined to get back to Dessert Club to try the vanilla soft serve. I have learned that the soft serve is cheaper than most soft serves in the city and twice the size. It is served with real vanilla beans as a topping. Because of these luxuries there are no samples allowed. Clearly this soft serve is no Tasti-D! I will be back Dessert Club!
photos by Todd Kloots
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