Breakfast Club at Four & Twenty Blackbirds

For most Americans, pie season is over. Pumpkin, apple and pecan treats are of a season past, and the preferable winter indulgences are cakes and bonbons. But if you happen to live near Four & Twenty Blackbirds in Gowanus, then pie is a yearlong celebration.

(You might even want a slice of malted chocolate pecan, along with a baked oatmeal muffin, for breakfast.)

Sweets I am thankful for

Orange-kissed cinnamon rolls from The Smile to Go—vegan, no less.

Teuscher champagne truffles. Perfection.

One Girl Cookies, in general.

Receiving the gift of Levain cookies.

Breakfast club with Bennie. Especially one that includes almond croissants at Lafayette.

Or gluttony at Doughnut Plant.

Peanut butter cookies from City Bakery. Sigh.

Butter Lane cupcakes. Take your pick.

And from Paris...

The untouchable praluline

Les escargot from Du Pain et des Idées.

Anything from Jean-Paul Hévin.

A light and lovely Gerard Mulot croissant.

And the Ispahan croissant from Pierre Hermé.

So, so much to thankful for.

Oh you, almond croissant

Lafayette. Have you been? It's pretty awesome. As buzzy as it is for dinner, go for breakfast. Jen Yee's pastries are divine.

There is no shortage to choose from.

But I can never neglect an almond croissant.

I cannot convey to you how soft, moist, sweet and almondy delicious and perfect it is. Go now.

If you go to Greenpoint...

Where?? Green-point! Just north of Williamsburg. Join all the hipsters for brunch at Five Leaves. The ricotta pancakes await.

And while you're (inevitably) waiting for a table, saunter over to Ovenly. Tres adorable; Brooklyn at its best.

Trés French on the Upper East Side

Monsieur Francois Payard has many tentacles in the city now. One being across the street from Eric Kayser.

It's a bona fide French ghetto up there.

So if you want ice cream sandwiches with some serious panache...

... or exquisite bonbons, filled with sesame almond praline, raspberry purée or fresh ginger...

And don't forget the vachon, a delectable little number of mixed berry sorbet, sandwiched between two fine licorice-flavored meringues with just a little bit of whipped cream...

well, you know where to go.

Francois Payard Patisserie
1293 Third Avenue at 74th Street

Breakfast Club at Bakeri

Heaven. We were in heaven.

Ben suggested Bakeri, in Williamsburg, for our latest Breakfast Club. I couldn't have been happier to oblige.
Opened and run by Nina Brondmo since 2009, the place is just adorable.

 

(Does that mural look familiar?)

More important, it's beyond delicious. Everything is baked from scratch in the morning, and there's an incredible selection of breads and pastries, inspired from America (strawberry pie!), France (chocolate brioche!) and Nina's home country, Norway (Skolebrød!). It was tough to decide, but we made exemplary choices.

The chocolate hazelnut tort that Ben insisted upon was perhaps the highlight.

Chocolaty and nutty, still a titch warm from the oven, it was sweet but savory and a totally decadent, but right, breakfast choice.

The strawberry lemon cake with lavender crumble wasn't so bad either. Heavy with moistness, it was equal parts tart and sweet.

The bread pudding was of the savory sort, this one filled with spinach and feta and tomatoes, and every bit as eggy and lovely as one would expect from bread pudding.

But still, we weren't sated. So we went ahead and ordered that ridiculous-looking chocolate raspberry scone.

It was a favorite Breakfast Club destination.

(That's me, genuflecting before the sign.)

150 Wythe Avenue
Williamsburg, BK

Ever so CuRious!

I have always had a crush on Cynthia Rowley. One of the most spirited and fun, one of the sharpest and cleverest fashion designers there ever was, I simply love her (even more after chatting her up in Paris).

So when I heard she was opening a candy story on the Upper East Side, I was over the moon. Cynthia Rowley + sweets = the ultimate inspiration. I mean, check this shit out!

But in the couple months since the townhouse opened uptown, I haven't managed to get there. So I was floored while strolling on Bleecker Street to discover that she opened another Curious Candy Store there.

 

With drawers of gummies and jellies.

A wall of choco delights.

Plus adorable playthings and packaging, befitting such a style queen. 

Get yee there, for a dash of style and some servings of sweets!

396 Bleecker Street
West Village