Chocolate soufflé cupcakes

I've always been a fan of Kyotofu. Needless to say, it's been awhile since I'd visited but when I heard New York Magazine touted their chocolate soufflé cupcakes the best in the city, it was the perfect excuse to go.

I'll take three, please!

They pair perfectly with a glass of Cote du Rhone.

Infinite chocolate chip cookies

One of the very few good things about working way over on 11th Avenue is that it’s not so far from Ruby et Violette.

Do you know this itty-bitty cookie shop? And their marshmallow cookies?

Their butter pecan cookies?

Caramel popcorn and cassis...


...Irish, peach cobbler, French vanilla, and many, many more...



Trust me, it's not the most convenient location. But it's more than worth the haul.

457 West 50th at 10th Avenue

Why not, biscotti?

Biscotti is hardly the stuff that my dreams are made of. It’s not gooey or chocolaty or rich and creamy. It doesn’t ooze pastry or almond cream or stick to the roof of my mouth in heavenly defiance. So when Niels suggested we go to Bis.Co.Latte for a snack, my expectations were as low as a short-stack from Clinton Street Baking Co.

Little did I know how cute this joint is. Never did I dream biscotti could be so fun and exciting.


A tasting bar displayed the world of flavors this sweet café cooks up.

Cherry apricot, caramel walnut oat bran, fig and date, Kahlua espresso bean, lemon poppy seed, chocolate ginger, fennel almond, white chocolate lavender, Reese’s pieces… the list goes on. And on! 50 handmade varieties of biscotti, as a matter of fact. There's even a Goober biscotti.

Accompanied by a café au lait or chai latté, this little Hell’s Kitchen café just might be what some dreams are made of.

667 10th Avenue at 47th
212.581.3900

The mixing bowl: Amy Scherber

Not only do I feel an affinity for Amy Scherber because of our shared name—which is also the name of her bakery, which is the first reason I went years ago, but now I just go for the great, big baked goods—but also because she builds her travel itineraries around finding the best sweets in town.

Growing up, my favorite sweet was:
Lemon meringue pie

My favorite sweet now is:
A fabulous lemon curd tart, or devil’s food cake with chocolate frosting and vanilla ice cream, or a hot fudge sundae.

My personal Amy's Bread favorite:
Definitely Devil’s Food with Chocolate Silk Frosting

What I love about Hell's Kitchen is:
It is our “original” location and it has a fabulous old New York wood bay window. It feels like a place from another era. The neighborhood is very modern now, and busy, so it is fun to have that “old place” in the area that everyone knows about.

Truffles or pralines:
Truffles are my favorite.

White, milk or dark:
Dark chocolate, for sure!

Caramel, ganache or cream:
Salty caramel, or ganache are both wonderful.

The perfect pairing:
A tender, not too sweet shortcake biscuit with fresh, local strawberries and unsweetened whipped cream; gingerbread cake with lemon sauce and unsweetened whipped cream; sweet and tart, or rich plus salty.

I'd love to create a flavor for:
A new muffin for President Obama.

Kitchen essentials:
I just love tongs and use them for everything—and my digital gram scale. I also can’t live without my super sharp, Japanese serrated bread knife.

Style essentials:
If I am wearing a beautiful pair of boots, a decent pair of jeans, a stylish, fitted top, and interesting artist-made jewelry, I am happy.

Pastry chefs I admire:
I admire almost all the pastry chefs I meet because training and managing a staff of people on a sugar high is a huge challenge and takes great talent, not to mention being good at making pastry.

I'm most inspired when:
I try delicious food while I am on vacation. I can taste it better then.

How much is too much?
It’s more fun to try lots of small tastes than a huge meal. A giant steak with gigantic side dishes is too much.

Favorite movie snack:
Popcorn shared with my 4-year-old son. He holds the container.

Guilty pleasure:
A chocolate hazelnut biscotti with a well made single espresso at 4 p.m.

Other favorites:
Traveling abroad; visiting bakeries around the world; visiting playgrounds in foreign cities and observing “kid culture” with my 4-year-old son; running in Central Park in the spring; dining in Japan.

The curious case of the shrinking cupcake

It used to be that Amy's cupcakes were so big, you couldn't fit your mouth around one of them. This was good for gluttonous instincts (guilty). But not so good if you were trying to show a little dignity while chowing down.

But look at this: Amy's cupcakes are now much smaller. In fact, they barely peep out of their liners.

The spendthrift part of me found this disappointing at first. Like I was getting gypped. But the reality is, we don't need softball-sized cupcakes. If Amy can help us with portion control, it's something our dignity and our butts should thank her for. Besides, the uber-moist cake and light buttercream frosting are still divine. Not too sweet. And now, just the right size.

Sullivan sweet bakery

With the threat of sticking to New Year's resolutions safely behind me, I can once again indulge in pastries for breakfast. This thought was inspired by a trip to Sullivan St Bakery.

This place used to be a favorite standby for lunch (hel-lo, potato slice). So how is it that I don't remember their amazing selection of sweets? They caused me a good seven minutes of private but fierce deliberation: Should I get an apple turnover? Persimmon cake? A naughty bombolini?? Should I change it up with a rice pudding tartlet? Or how about - sigh - a long slice of banana bread pudding cake? (I still don't know how I passed that up.)

I finally settled on the sweet brioche.

In the center of this square pastry is a crater that's chockablock with cherries, raisins, walnuts and, just to make sure it's especially delicious, one of my all-time favorites: mascarpone.

It's a beautiful melding of flavors and textures: mostly doughy and chewy, but a little crunchy from the walnuts. And sweet, sweet, sweet, but a titch hearty, too, from the syrupy medley of fruit and nuts. Just the way I like it.

533 West 47th Street between Tenth & Eleventh
212.265.5580

Pretty, sweet pastries

My friend Cheryl lives in the wild west of 48th Street. She has often told me about Domus, and I finally went and fell in love. So I knew I had to carry on westward to scope out the patisserie she told me about: Dousoeur de Paris.

This wee salon, run by two sisters, serves breakfast and lunch, coffee and tea. But of course I went for the sweets and suggest you do, too. Mini tarts, macaroons, marshmallows, chocolate éclairs, chocolate mousse, petit cakes and more are just begging for your attention.

Enjoy a private moment or tete-a-tete in the salon. Or bring them chez-vous and the soeurs will wrap your pastries as only the French can do.

652 Tenth Ave at 46th
212.315.4543

5 best vegan treats

I could never be a vegan. I love cheese too much. And then there are baked goods, which I obviously all but live on.

But that doesn't mean you can't find some killer vegan treats around town. Done right, you never know what you're missing.

Hot fudge sundae at Lulu's Sweet Apothecary:
Splurge on a dairy-free sundae and—why not?—throw on some gluten-free marshmallow and gummies.

Warm miso chocolate cake at Kyotofu:
The stellar dessert bar's chocolate cake is, simply put, to die for.

Cupcake from This Chick Bakes:
Jennifer Houston rocks all of her baked goods, but I liked the vegan cupcake even better than the egg- and butter-loaded cookies.

Brownie from BabyCakes:
Not only are these little fudgy bites adorable, but they're a perfect fix when you need a spot of chocolate. Or cake. Or just when you want a brownie. A gluten-, soy- and dairy-free brownie.

Hot soy steamer at Soy Luck Club:
I love the savories at this Willage café and could drink the day away there. A white chocolate hot soy steamer? Yes, please.

Another day, another cookie

The chocolate chip cookies from ChikaLicious were thin, chewy and buttery. And they got me thinking about other chocolate chip cookies. There are so many beautiful variations out there. It's important to try them.

So I went to Amy's Bread and picked up one of theirs. I was admittedly wary. The cookie was on the brown side of golden brown. It was thick and big. I thought it was going to taste like a stale Italian cookie that hooks you its perfect looks only to be hard and crunchy and taste like absolutely nothing.

But Amy's are good. Soft and chewy. A nice almost savory flavor with warm buttery, sugary undertones. And generous semisweet chocolate chips. I like this project, tasting chocolate chip cookies.

Epic baklava

God, I love mom and pop shops. The other day I went to Poseidon, which has been a family-run business for over 85 years. It has all the tattered, personal charm of your Greek grandmother's kitchen.

I talked to Anthony about his family, the business, high rents in the city—the kind of chit-chat makes you feel connected to the community. This is what a neighborhood joint should be about. Their great goodies don't hurt either.

Instead of a dainty triangle of baklava, Poseidon's portion is like a rock. The top is a thick, multi-layered roof of homemade flakey phyllo dough; the middle is a meaty blend of crushed walnuts and almonds; and the bottom is saturated with honey—the kind that, instead of being overwhelming or cloying, adds just the right touch of sweetness.

629 Ninth Avenue at 44th
212.757.6173

With a name like Amy's

It has to be good, right? This I know. I've been snacking at Amy's Breads for years. I've had especially good birthday cakes there. But with a name like White Chocolate Cherry Chunker ("chunker" — I love it!), I had to try this cookie.

It's a chunker alright. About five inches in diameter and packed with lots of oats (which, are a Superfood - good for you!), and sprinkled with chunks of creamy white chocolate and chewy sweet-sour cherries. It's a good fix for a Friday afternoon, though I would have liked even more chocolate and cherries in that chunker.

On a side note, I've been loving dried cherries in everything lately, from Alta's spinach salad to Trader Joe's cereal to this month's gorgeous Bon Appetit.

18 chunks

If you ever need an excuse (or 18) to venture outside on a cold, rainy day, here it is: Ruby & Violette is open again.

When the cookie café shuttered 14 months ago, I really thought they were gone for good. Instead, they've spiffed up their space and added ice cream and espresso to the menu.

But those upgrades pale in comparison to the variety and creativity of the 18 chocolate chunk cookie flavors currently available.

Yep. 18 flavors of chocolate chunk cookies. And by "chunks" I mean huge chunks Italian-imported chocolate.

The "perfect" (that is, pure chocolate chunk), oatmeal raisin and lemon white cookies are always on the list. The other flavors rotate according to season and whim. Which means Ruby & Violette actually churns out dozens of flavors.

What to try? The root beer float is pretty kickass. The champagne strawberry has a nice light flavor. And the marshmallow is a creamy, chocolaty, otherworldly cookie experience.

Next time, I'll try one of these:
• Candy Jar
• Berry Blueberry
• Home Run
• Lavender
• Peppermint Chip
• White Irish
• Oatmeal Butterscotch
• Dried Strawberry
• Espresso Bean
• Cassis


457 West 50th Street
718.728.6250

Kyotolicious

How do you say “wow” in Japanese?

As dessert bars become nearly as common as corner pubs in Manhattan, they have to distinguish themselves somehow. It appears the three partners of Kyotofu, the latest dessert destination, have done just that. Not only does the Hell’s Kitchen gem specialize in Japanese desserts, but they use soy as the base of most of their exquisite creations.

The rotating menu is short and sweet, making the most of fresh and seasonal ingredients like lychee and mochi. Sansho-pepper cheesecake ($10), for example, is made with homemade tofu, with hints of candied ginger leaving a tangy aftertaste. Black sesame sweet tofu with hoji-cha tea syrup ($8) hits just the right note of sweetness. And bite-sized cookies use okara, a form of soybean, to create moistness and texture that would make Martha proud. Each dessert is artfully composed, making it both a pity to destroy and irresistible to sample.

The proof of Kyotofu’s superiority isn’t just in the (soy-based) pudding. It’s also in the flatware and teapots, the white leather banquets and cherry-stained floors, the backlit walls and retro music. In other words, Kyotofu takes design almost as seriously as dessert. So even though they’re adding takeout items to the menu, do yourself a favor and make it a ritual to dine in-house.

Kyotofu
705 Ninth Avenue
212.974.6012