Please, mess with perfection

Ruby et Violette's chocolate chip cookie is called the "Perfect." And it nearly is. Modestly size. Chewy batter (no sugary grit, but that's okay). And huge, fudgy chocolate chunks. Nice.

But how about a little, I don't know, champagne tossed in the batter? Or dried apple? Or, as is the case with the Monday Night Football flavor, Rice Chex Mix? Seriously. It's a sticky, salty, peanut-y amalgam of yumminess.


All of Ruby et Violette's wonderful, wacky flavors (which change seasonally) are proof that, sometimes, you can mess with perfection.

457 West 50th at 10th Ave
718.728.6250

Sweet Freak Smackdown: San Francisco v. New York

New York is the reigning champ of sweets. It’s that easy. But if you have you have to score in another city (that’s not Paris), San Francisco is as good a contender as any. How do the two cities fare in a Sweet Freak Smackdown?

Specialty’s v. Levain

Sigh. There’s nothing better than a whopper of a cookie. Levain takes the cake with its six-ounce beauties. But Specialty’s isn’t far behind.

My love for Specialty’s—in particular, the wheatgerm chocolate chip cookie (just trust me on this one)—was very deep when I lived in San Francisco. It hasn’t waned. That I got to the Battery Street location just when the black and white cookies were pulled warm from the oven only solidified my love for the hippie-ish café.

Verdict: Levain for consistency and quality. Specialty’s for range of flavors (11 of them) and fun.

Tartine Bakery v. City Bakery

These two are different, that’s for sure. Tartine is small, City Bakery is sprawling. Tartine is still firmly entrenched in French pastries, CB has mastered American snacks. Tartine is six-years-old, Maury Rubin served his first tarts in 1990. But they both produce the most mind-blowing baked goods (as well as savories) that warrant the vulture-like fans who pace and scope, pace and scope, waiting a wee table to open so they can sit and feast.

Verdict: Tartine for its bread pudding. City Bakery for its peanut butter cookie.

Bi-Rite Creamery v. il Laboratorio del Gelato

Both of these homegrown gelato shops produce small batches of unique flavors made with the best (best, best) ingredients. As much as I love il Laboratorio, I’ve never had ice cream as good as the salted caramel at Bi-Rite. Never.

Verdict: Give it up for SF.

Recchuiti v. Kee’s

Michael Recchuiti is an exacting chocolatier. So is Kee Ling Tong. Michael’s signature treats are the fleur de sel caramels and s’more bites. Kee’s are the crème brulee truffles and fresh macaroons. Michael has an adorable sliver of a spot in the gorgeous Ferry Building. Kee’s eked out space in western Soho. I could go on. They’re both amazing. But…

Verdict: This one goes to Kee’s.

Fog City News v. Food Emporium

World-class chocolate should be more available. Kudos to Fog City News and Food Emporium/Trump Plaza for doing their part to share the wealth with the masses. Fog City News offers over 100 bars from around the world. Food Emporium for its sheer brazenness of attaching a fine chocolate shop to the smelly

Verdict: Fog City News for its impressive selection. Food Emporium for the brazenness of attaching a fine chocolate shop to a smelly grocery store.

Verdict

This one is tough. San Francisco has no shortage of kickass sweet shops. I didn’t even mention Miette, Citizen Cake or Bittersweet.

But New York is… New York. Untouchable. Delicious. Divine. From cupcakes at Batch or ChikaLicious Dessert Club to croissants at Patisserie Claude or Amai Bakeshop. From scones at Alice’s Tea Cup to brownies at Baked. From soy desserts at Kyotofu to vegan treats from This Chick Bakes. From cocoa at Jacques Torres to pudding from the Dessert Truck. From Doughnut Plant to Birdbath, Papabubble to Three Tarts, Lady M to Black Hound, Sugar Sweet Sunshine to Two Little Red Hens… okay, it’s not so tough after all.

Places I wish were in New York: Tartine Bakery

Words cannot describe my love for this place.

I haven’t even sampled many things from Tartine Bakery. For example, I haven’t tried a croissant or pain au chocolat, both of which are the size of babies’ legs. I haven’t had a slice of Bavarian or hazelnut cake, which are so, so pretty. And I haven’t had an éclair, cookie, macaroon, brownie or scone. I know, I know… what am I waiting for? Good question.

But the two things I have had, the mixed berry bread pudding and now, the banana cream tart, are to die for.

Just look at this tart. The pastry shell is lined with dark chocolate and caramel. Then filled with bananas and pastry cream. And topped with sweet cream and generous shavings of rich chocolate. Needless to say, it’s an oozy, creamy, sweet-savory plate of deliciousness, and a good reason to keep coming back to San Francisco.

The underwhelming chocolate chunk

More and more, I’m realizing the start-up bakeries (Amai, Kumquat, Nine Cakes) are where it’s at. Their small batches, artisinal ingredients, appetite for experimentation and the exquisite treats that, combined, these things yield are nothing short of sublime.

But Bouchon is supposed to be sublime, too. And I figured with the luck I had at Petrossian, the chocolate chunk cookie from Keller’s boulangerie-inspired bakery would also be pretty incredible (like his bouchon).

I have to say, it was unremarkable.


What it did have was an awesome chocolate to batter ratio. And a titch of saltiness, which was nice. But it could use more butter and brown sugar to make it doughier, greasier, chewier and—more sublime.

The mixing bowl: Baked

Anyone with eyeballs and a sweet tooth know that Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito of Red Hook’s adorable bakery, Baked, have crazy talent and taste. But now we see their style and senses of humor are pretty delicious, too.

Growing up, my favorite sweet was:
Matt: Easily, hands down, Entenmann's chocolate chip cookies (hey, I didn't know).
Nato: My eyes used to roll into the back of my head when I ate Nutella. It was exotic at the time and I would only be able to eat it when someone brought it back from Italy.

My favorite sweet now is:
Matt: I am a sucker for our brownies with vanilla ice cream.
Nato: Most forms of anything chocolate.

My personal Baked favorite:
Matt: If I am feeling cake, it will always be the Sweet and Salty Cake.
Nato: The chocolate chip cookie is a perennial fave.

What I love about Red Hook is:
Matt: It still has a neighborhood feel and the water views of the city are mesmerizing
Nato: I like our regulars a lot. They are friendly, funny and sometimes I wish I weren't so busy so I could chat with them some more!

Truffles or pralines:
Matt: Truffles all the way. I like pralines, but they are usually too sweet.
Nato: Truffles, hands-down.

White, milk or dark:
Matt: Dark, dark, dark.
Nato: Milk, milk, milk!

Caramel, ganache or cream:
Matt: I am rather ganache crazy.
NATO: You know? I’d have to say caramel. My sweet tooth is very sweet.

The perfect pairing:
Matt: Red wine, Ambien, bath tub.
Nato: Cheese and burger.

I'd love to create a flavor for:
Matt: McDonald's. They mastered the french fry; I will fix their dismal dessert menu.
Nato: Top Pot Doughnuts. I just recently fell in love with them.

Kitchen essentials:
Matt: KitchenAid mixer, whisks, commercial baking sheets.
Nato: I really get a lot of mileage out of my toaster oven, surprisingly. Also, a really good chef’s knife. And lastly, a coffee maker and some really great coffee.

Style essentials:
Matt: I am a minimalist. Nothing too fancy.
Nato: Simple is usually the hardest to do, but always turns out the best.

Pastry chefs I admire:
Matt: I fell in love with one of Nicole Kaplan's desserts....I fell hard.
Nato: Hmmm… tough one. I think Wendy Kromer is pretty amazing as a decorator... I’m very easy to please when it comes to desserts. I even fawn over the Great Wall of Chocolate at P.F. Chang’s.

I'm most inspired when:
Matt: I am a terrible sleeper. I usually start thinking hard around 1 a.m.
Nato: When I have time to stop, step out of the situation and think. If I keep going, I lose steam pretty quickly and have a hard time coming to solutions.

How much is too much?
Matt: I always err on the side of it is always too much.
Nato: I don't like clutter, in my mind or with my physical surroundings. I get too distracted, so I would say too much is the point where things start to look or get too confusing. Keep it simple.

Favorite movie snack:
Matt: M&Ms.
Nato: Those little chocolate covered pretzel balls — Flipz? I don't even know the name, but man, are they good.

Guilty pleasure:
Matt: Day off of work.
Nato: Spending a whole day doing absolutely nothing. Hasn't happened much these days, though.

Other favorites:
Matt: I love me some Las Vegas, Paris, and most books.
Nato: Folksy, pop-y, electronic-y sounding tunes: Iron and Wine, Sufjan Stevens, Tracey Thorn, The Ting Tings, Beirut, Yelle, Adele, Jose Gonzales, and a little old Fleetwood Mac thrown in for good measure. Food: Italian, Mexican, comfort (in that order). Books: My Life in France, and David Sedaris always makes me laugh. 30 Rock. Brilliance. Paris, Amsterdam and, most recently, Portland, Oregon.

Chicks who bake

Don’t believe vegan baked goods can taste good? Get one of these cupcakes in your mouth.

Usually I'm skeptical of bakers who don't have storefronts. But I sampled some of Jen Houston and Charley Tucker's (of This Chick Bakes) treats, which are distributed to kickass cafes throughout the city, and my belly and I were happy.

The vegan cupcake was fresh-from-a-bake-sale moist and delicious (not soggy), with just a thin layer of frosting with crunchy dot sprinkles.

The raisin coconut oatmeal cookie (not vegan) was a cinnamon-y cookie, filled with chewy raisins, coconut shavings and chunks of semi-sweet chocolate. It was sort of like an "everything but the kitchen sink" cookie. Dee-lish.

And the café latte cookie was pretty mild and savory. Except that giant coverage of white chocolate that sweetened it up.

This chick bakes. And she bakes well.

Check out 71 Irving, Joe's, Gimme Coffee & 88 Orchard

Love and history

In the words of Kool & the Gang…

There's a party going on right here
A celebration to last throughout the years
So bring your good times, and your laughter too
We gonna celebrate your party with you

Come on now
Celebration
Let's all celebrate and have a good time

Celebration

We gonna celebrate and have a good time
It's time to come together

It's up to you, what's your pleasure
Everyone around the world


Come on!

Walking around Manhattan today is amazing. It really is like a party. I luvit, I luvit, I luvit.

Join the party and vote!

Cupcake heir

If, as Jennifer 8. Lee recently suggested in the New York Times, the cupcake is going to go the way of Krispy Kreme, what, dear God, will replace it? Here are five worthy contenders.

Sandwich cookie
Why? It's different from an ordinary cookie. Duh, it's twice the fun. Plus, whatever's sandwiched in the center has the same sugary appeal of a cupcake's frosting. It could be caramel (Treats Truck), peanut butter (Bouchon Bakery) or your basic vanilla cream (Milk & Cookies).

Brownie
Caky, fudgy, transportable, easy to eat, decadent, classic, a throwback to childhood... really, what doesn't the brownie have going for it? Especially when you think about Baked's amazing specimen with caramel and fleur de sel, or dried cherries inside a chocolatey Fat Witch brownie.

Marshmallow
This retro throwback is getting gussied up with all kinds of gourmet flavors and labels. Three Tarts makes sublime treats ranging from rosemary to espresso, master chocolatier Pierre Marcolini offers chocolate-covered marshmallows and, yes, even Trader Joe's is on it, serving up vanilla and peppermint varieties of the fluffy snack.

Chocolate chip cookie
Ah, where to begin. A good old American classic, like the cupcake, the chocolate chip cookie never gets old. Never. I prefer them in their purest form (hel-lo, Jacques Torres), but I won't turn one down if it has nuts (Petrossian), champagne (Ruby et Violette) or double the chocolate (Levain).

Red velvet cake
Like the cupcake, red velvet is basically cake dolled up differently. Instead of personalized pieces of a whole cake like the cupcake, red velvet claims its stylish independence with food coloring (Amy's Bread, Sweet Revenge) or, in the best samples, beet juice (Daisy May's).

Who should inherit the declining cupcake's adoration? Weigh in with your opinion.