Sarabeth's is a Solid Bet

Tomato Soup & Scone

I work near Chelsea Market and wind up going to grab lunch there at least several times a week, but I never realized that Sarabeth's has a lunch menu. One day, my coworkers popped in through a little door that I had never really paid attention to, so I decided to follow. Everyone in there seemed to know about the secret menu and were mysteriously placing orders for sandwiches and the like. I asked the cashier for a menu, and voila, the secret was unlocked. 

Little Cupcake Bakeshop of Delights

If you find yourself in Nolita, be sure to stop in to Little Cupcake Bakeshop to grab yourself a sweet treat. We picked up a Coconut Cloud cupcake and found it to be just as delightful as Billy's or Magnolia's offerings, but without a line!

Bread & Gelato at Chelsea Market

The Mr and I decided to have a lazy Sunday and grab a late lunch at Chelsea Market. We go here several times a week for lunch, but are usually rushed and just go for one of our 'usual' spots. Today we decided to stroll through and enjoy a couple of places that we don't usually frequent.

First, we stopped in at Amy's Bread and picked up a mini baguette with fresh mozzarella, tomato and basil. Such a perfect, light summer lunch. Would be perfect for a picnic, but we chose to eat it right there on the spot while we people watched the other Chelsea Market visitors.

Amy's Bread

Looney for Lulu Cake Boutique

Our coworker responsible for ordering the monthly Birthday cupcakes at the office decided to switch it up this time and got a selection of goodies from Lulu Cake Boutique. As I've mentioned before, I'm not a good baked goods critic, because, well I don't think I've ever crossed a cupcake I didn't like. These definitely distinguish themselves from Billys and Magnolia so are not just another ripoff cupcake shop. Notably, their frosting is a bit thicker. My favorite flavor was definitely chocolate hazelnut, which tasted like a bigger, fluffier Ferrero Rocher.

The thing that further sets them apart from the other cupcake shops are their "Lulus". These are basically what a twinkie would be if it was hand made and then dipped. We tried the lemon, red velvet and chocodiles. I'm not a big white chocolate fan, so the chocolate dipped chocodile was definitely my favorite. These are definitely worth stopping by for!

LA Edition: Alcove

Alcove

Scramble with Mushrooms & Zucchini

At this point in my LA trip, I met up with my LA friend who took over the fantastic food finding duty. She started by bringing me to Alcove for brunch which was a delightful sunny and airy spot with enormous breakfast plates. I tried to keep it healthy by getting the egg white scramble with mushrooms & zucchini, but didn't count on the sheer quantity of it! A delicious start to another fun filled Californian day!

Scrumptious Puddings from Sugar Sweet Sunshine

This afternoon I read a Serious Eats article highlighting their 5 Favorite Puddings in NYC and immediately bookmarked them as must trys. This evening when I started craving something sweet, I set about finding a way to get some Sugar Sweet Sunshine delivered to my doorstep. Although they featured the Chocolate Chip Pudding, I simply couldn't resist getting an order of the Pumpkin Trifle Pudding too. I have to admit though, the Chocolate Chip was my favorite. The mix of pumpkin cake, eggnog pudding and whipped cream of the Pumpkin Trifle mostly just tasted like cake shoved in a cup (albeit very yummy cake). In contrast, the mix of whipped cream with butterscotch pudding and chocolate chip cookies lead to a more interesting texture mix.

A Quick Note at La Bergamote

How to choose?

Almond Croissant & Fruit Tarte 

I've heard a lot of really great things about La Bergamote, so when I needed a little treat for The Mr this afternoon I knew exactly where to stop. The Mr is a big croissant fan so I picked up an almond croissant, but bases on hearsay, we had to try the fruit tart as well. The croissant was much more soggier than I would like, but to be fair I was visiting at the end of the day, so they were not at their freshest. The fruit tarte on the other hand lived up to my expectations. It's always good to know where there is an adorable cafe where you can pick up high quality treats, especially when that place is right down the street!

Nuts for Almondine

Coffee, Croissant, & Passion Fruit Macaron

We were enjoying the New York Photo Festival in DUMBO when we found ourselves in need of a coffee break. Almondine had been recommended to us based on their reputation for having some of the best croissants in NYC. The Mr loves him some croissant, so we definitely needed to try them out. The croissant was buttery and flaky and so, in a word, delicious. I also threw in an added bonus of a Passion Fruit Macaron. A perfect little cafe to enjoy high quality french treats and take a break.

Newbie Foodies v Food

We've been watching Man v Food recently with a mix of jealousy and horror and have become fans of the adorable Adam Richman. When we found ourselves with a free afternoon off of work and no plans, we decided to make the pilgrimage to Brooklyn to visit his hometown favorites.

Stop 1: Vito's Bakery

Ok, this wasn't one of Adam's picks, we were just thirsty and needed a snack, but it was good enough that it definitely warranted a mention.

Cookie

Strufoli 

Ahhhh a classic New York Bakery full as far as the eye can see with all kinds of wonder. My personal version of heaven. They also had a deli in the back which looked good, but we got our seltzer and a cookie and were on our way, sadly without a plate of strufoli- which looked divine.

Stop 2: Brennan & Carr

Brennan and Carr

Started with our roast beef sandwich at Brennan & Carr. A good solid roast beef dip, definitely a good neighborhood favorite, but not worth going out of your way for. Enjoyed the old school wood panelling and laid back friendliness of the staff.

Stop 3: L & B Spumoni Gardens

We preferred the sicilian over the regular, but L & B Spumoni Gardens falls into the same camp as Brennan & Carr. A great pit-stop if you are in the area, but not worth going out of your way for.

Happy Birthday to The Mr!

Actually visited Billy's Bakery for the first time. Usually, their scrumptious cupcakes magically show up at work, but today I popped in to get a slice of carrot cake for The Mr's special day. I am happy to report that Billy's is as sweet a place to visit as their cupcakes are to eat.

As for the carrot cake, it was very good, but wasn't deemed a new favorite.

No Crumbs Left

Birthday Cupcakes

For my birthday The Mr. surprised me with dinner at Hill Country BBQ with a bunch of friends. We then took a box of cupcakes back to our place to continue the celebration. These cupcakes were so amazing that we started discussing, at which point someone chimed in that they were actually from Crumbs Bake Shop. Now a lot of New Yorkers turn up their noses at Crumbs in favor of Billy's or Magnolia. But these made us all stop in our tracks. Pictured here: Red Velvet, Cookie Dough, PB & J, and German Chocolate flavors. I'm pretty sure that some of these flavors are only available at Hill Country BBQ. For me Cookie Dough took Runner Up with PB & J knocking my socks off. Vanilla cake with jelly inside topped with peanut butter frosting all capped off with Reeses Pieces. So amazing. But these suckers are pretty big and super rich, so make sure to split them with a friend.

Totto does Soba

I have Totto Ramen on my list of Ramen places to try, but just found out that Totto also has restaurants for Sushi, Yakitori, and Soba. Now I can't say for sure since I'm extremely white, but Soba Totto felt very authentic. I was highly appreciative of a little 'how to eat soba' menu insert which made me feel much more welcome to ask questions of our very sweet waitress. We asked for her recommendations and wound up going with a cold and hot soba dish. So good. I definitely don't think that the fresh, subtle flavors of soba translate as easily to American taste buds as other Japanese cuisine, but I find it deliciously light and refreshing.

As a bonus Soba Totto is only a couple of blocks away from Grand Central so we went over to get an eyeful, pick up some Magnolia cupcakes, and catch the subway back home. We got a red velvet cupcake and a coconut cupcake from Magnolia and wanted to compare it to Billy's, but didn't feel equipped to claim a winner without having them side by side. I think it's safe to say they are both very yummy.

Setting The Momofuku Milk Bar

The Goods

The Soft Serve

What food blog would be complete without an entry for Momofuku Milk Bar? This place lives up to the hype. It's standing room only, so be prepared to eat your snack on the go or wherever your next destination is. We tend to get the Cereal Milk Soft Serve to eat as we walk and a Compost Cookie for a treat later on. "Hold the phone," you say "did you just say Cereal Milk Soft Serve?". Why yes, yes I did. It tasted exactly like the milk left in the bowl after you eat a helping of corn flakes and it is delicious. Oh and the Compost Cookie? It is every good snack all thrown into a cookie. Chocolate chips? Yep. Butterscotch chips? Got it. Oats? Check. Pretzels? Sure. Potato Chips? Why not? It may sound like something a only a ten year old let loose in a kitchen would come up with, but it works.

We are addicted, and we haven't even tried the Crack Pie yet.

Bodacious Billy's Bakery

Monday morning. Aaaah the start to a brand new week. Time to buckle down and start eating better. This plan is going juuuuust fine until these babies show up on my desk. Yep, the day I decided to re-commit to eating right is of course going to be the day we decide to get cupcakes in the office to celebrate the April birthdays. And wouldn't you know, my desk is the perfect gathering place. *sigh* Oh well, there's always tomorrow.