Hot in the City

Mister Softee's soft ice cream, still a hit.

Picture this (not too difficult this time of the year): it's hot, hazy and humid. You can see heat waves rippling from the asphalt, feel sweat trickling down your back. You're parched. Dying for something to revive you. And then you see him: Mister Softee.

Though the ubiquitous ice cream trucks can no longer play that nostalgic jingle (a citywide noise ordinance went into effect earlier this summer), the trucks, parked on corners in every neighborhood, and ice cream are much the same. For most New Yorkers, they are beacons of happiness and relief on sweltering summer days.

With not much more than chocolate or vanilla soft serve, you can choose from an impressive menu of cones, sundaes and shakes. "Everybody gets a chocolate dip," claims one Mister parked in Union Square, though other toppings include sprinkles, crunchies and peanuts.

While traditionalists are satisfied with strawberry shakes and butterscotch sundaes, many of the trucks show a little flair with their offerings. Try the Red Merlin, for example—a cone that's partly covered with rainbow sprinkles, partly with cherry dip. Or the Chocolate X-Mas with chocolate dip and whipped cream. It's no LA fro-yo or Italian gelato. But, yeah, that's sort of the point.

Grand Finale

This East Village dessertery sets the bar high.

The joint that kicked off the dessert bar trend in 2003, ChikaLicious is as good as watching a friend whip up magic in her kitchen while you get to prop yourself up at the counter with a glass of sherry or a cup of chamomile. As you sit back and relax, Chika prepares your meticulous treats in the open kitchen while her husband-partner-sommelier, Don, offers the perfect accompanying wine. Rounding out the chez-amis vibe are homey details like mismatched china, jazz music, and lots of small talk and genuine smiles.

For better or worse, however, the desserts are creations your friends probably wouldn't attempt at home. ChikaLicious' prix fixe menu starts with an amuse (watermelon sorbet) and ends with a sampling of petit fours (a sliver of chocolate cheesecake, a coconut-dusted marshmallow, and a mini butter pecan sandwich cookie). In between, you get your choosing of one of a half dozen dainty desserts. The menu changes daily but think: poached cherries with white corn ice cream and toasted-warm cornmeal poundcake, or fromage blanc island cheese cake served atop a mound of shaved ice. Precious perfection.

ChikaLicious
203 East 10th Street
212.995.9511

Summer Snack

Another irresistible treat from Mr. Chocolate.

When you’ve been a New Yorker for some time, chances are you’ve warmed up more than one cold winter moment with a cup of Jacques Torres’s wicked hot chocolate. So what to do in a summer of soaring temperatures? Dig into the polar opposite: an ice cream sandwich.

Made with homemade ice cream and chocolate chip cookies, these frozen sandwiches give credence to the expression of two great tastes tasting great together. The cookies: loaded with bricks of thick dark chocolate. The ice cream flavors, they vary according to what Torres is creating in his factory. Rotating options include everything from espresso and hazelnut, to raspberry and banana, to standard chocolate and vanilla. There’s even a Wicked sandwich, made with the same spicy chocolate as his cocoa, to remind you that the chilly days of winter won’t be too far behind.

Chocolate Haven
350 Hudson at King Street
212.414.2462

Pie Hole

An American classic, served just fine.

Pie lovers are a devoted lot. While a cookie monster can be sated with a brownie, and cakes, cupcakes and baked breads can be interchanged without seriously gypped feelings, people who love pie, really love pie and are evangelical about their favorite slice. This is something 22-year-old Little Pie Company gets. In addition to seasonal flavors, their menu includes little pies, whole pies, and slices in about 10 varieties.

Their success is as varied as its menu.

The best seller, Sour Cream Apple Walnut, is a richer version of the American classic. The sour cream lends a nice savory flavor to the thinly-sliced Granny Smith apples that are layered beneath a brown sugar, cinnamon, butter and walnut crumble top. The pie is served warm with whipped cream (albeit it Redi-Whip).

The Mississippi Mud pie is less pleasing. Also heated, the combined German chocolate, brownie streusel and Oreo cookie crust is like eating warm brownie batter—a bit much. It'd probably be better served chilled. The Banana Coconut Cream Pie is a mash of bananas and coconut cream—a light, yummy balance.

Both the midtown and MePa locations offer old-fashioned soda fountain counters so you can eat your pie (or sundae, or cupcake, or cheesecake) in-house. While there, indulge your voyeuristic side and spy the pies in their various stages of baking in the open kitchens.

407 West 14th Street between 9th and 10th
212.414.2324

424 West 43rd Street between 9th and 10th
212.736.4780

Patriotism is a Cupcake

Homemade Bakeshop by Kitchenette
383 Amsterdam
212.799.2253

Kee'p 'em Coming

Thompson Street, now twice as delicious.

Go, Kee! Expanded space and macaroons on the menu. Her chocolates are just the prettiest - check out the perfect Guggenhiem swirl of the Honey Saffron, the present perfection of the Hazelnut Praline, and the boldly beautiful truffles dusted in almonds, sesame seeds, and pistachio nuts. The expanded menu with more exotic flavors ups the ante for every New York chocolatier.

Cupcakery, Cool

An unsung cupcake bakery in a city crowded with competition.

There’s nothing precious or pastel at Bruce’s Cupcakery—a welcome departure for those of us who don’t want to feel like we should be wearing ballet flats or reading Candace Bushnell in order to eat a cupcake.

But this humble corner spot deserves the spotlight for another reason: “cupcakery” is a cool term, unemployed by the legions of places pawning cupcakes in this city. And Bruce’s delivers on a range of mostly delicious options. They’re divided into frosting flavors and toppings, each of which comes with either chocolate or vanilla cake. The cake, unless it’s more than a day old, is a good foundation that’s firm, moist and not saturated with sweetness. The frosting is slathered on thickly, from the rims upward to the center, creating a half-inch-thick dome. A sprinkling of confections is added when the flavor calls for it. The Caramel Top, for example, has walnut bits and caramel drizzlings. The Oreo cupcake has crushed bits of Oreos, and the Hazelnut Top, well, is decorated with almond slivers.

For an innocuous bakery in a rarely-trafficked part of town, these are worth an afternoon visit.

Bruce’s Cupcakery
1045 First Avenue at 57th

Greek American Belgian Bonbons

I was excited to try Leonidas Belgian chocolates on Madison Avenue. A trusted source told me they were the best. They're good, but… Teuscher and Neuhaus still have them beat.

The selection is great: butter cream, ganache, praliné and caramel centers come enrobed in white, dark and milk chocolate. There are truffles (pistachio, cocoa, champagne), marzipan, and chocolate-covered orange and lemon peels.

Ultimately, though, Leonidas chocolates don't have the same je ne sais quoi quality of their Belgian and Swiss counterparts. The shells are harder (maybe more tempered?), and I like my bonbons soft and creamier. They should melt in your mouth and smack of freshness. The flavors should meld together yet explode in your mouth. These flavors are good, very good, but not sublime.

And what's up with the weird Greek name on Belgian chocolates? Leonidas Kestekides was a Greek-American confectioner who found is way to Brussels in 1913. There, he met success as a chocolate-maker and he met his wife. The brand made its way to New York in 1991.

Check out a nice explanation of the traditional chocolate-making process on Leonidas' corporate site:

http://www.leonidas.com/smartsite.dws?id=FBTCEN

485 Madison Avenue between 51st and 52nd