Duane Reade to the rescue!

I’ll admit it. I’m a sweets snob.

Why have a Mrs. Fields cookie when you can have Ruby et Violet, Levain or Birdbath? Why go to Cold Stone Creamery when you can hit up Grom, il Laboratorio del Gelato or the Van Leeuwen truck? Why eat Mars or Cadbury when you can get artisinal bonbons and bars from Kee’s, Jacques Torres or Pierre Marcolini?

Unless, you know, you’re standing in line to buy your sundries at the pharmacy and are studying all the food bits on the shelf nearby. And you just so happen to see a jar with that beautiful word, nutella, printed on the front. Then… then, it’s perfectly okay to get your sweet fix from the pharmacy.

Countdown to chocolate

It’s October. Mast Brothers’ bean-to-bar chocolaterie is supposed to open this month in Williamsburg.

Keep your eyes open for their gorgeously wrapped chocolate bars in flavors like pistachio and fleur de sel, and new items like truffles and cookies (hooray).

Befitting a small family-run business, the Masts are doing their part to source organically, practice sustainability and be good neighbors. Love it.

103 North 3rd between Berry & Wythe

The mixing bowl: Benjamin Van Leeuwen

Let's hear it for principles! The only thing that makes sweets better is when smart, compassionate people that you actually want to sit around the kitchen table with create them. Like Ben Van Leeuwen—who sometimes caves in to Heinz ketchup, but is otherwise devoted to purely unmolested products.


Growing up, my favorite sweet was:
Chocolate croissant

My favorite sweet now is:
Hot fudge sundae

My personal Van Leeuwen flavor:
Chocolate

What I love about being mobile is:
Not paying rent and being able to put the savings into the best ingredients and earth-friendly packaging.

Truffles or pralines:
Truffles

White, milk or dark:
Milk, actually.

Caramel, ganache or cream:
Caramel

The perfect pairing:
Espresso ice cream, fudge and cocoa nibs.

Kitchen essentials:
Real balsamic vinegar, grape-seed oil, shallots, 2-3 artisan cloth bound cheddars, 1 English cheddar for grilled cheese, mushrooms, ginger.

Pastry chefs I admire:
Not exactly a pastry chef, but Michael London, from Saratoga Springs.

I'm most inspired when:
I taste incredible food.

Favorite movie snack:
Popcorn

Guilty pleasure:
Enjoying Heinz ketchup with french fries, even though it has high fructose corn syrup.

Sampling madeleines

When I fall for something, I fall hard. (I'm a Scorpio: fiercely loyal.)

So after my first Petrossian experience, I was smitten and immediately a fan of the place.

Even the building that houses Petrossian is gorgeous. It's really a sight to see.


So I'm willing to overlook a gaffe or two.

In full disclosure, I’m not a madeleine fanatic. But I've had better than the cranberry and chocolate varieties I sampled.

The lemon and tart cranberry flavors popped nicely. But the pastry was too moist and greasy. Can't it be fluffy without so much oil?

For some reason, the chocolate worked. Rather than borderline soggy, the density of the cake was lighter and airier. Not unlike Lady M's petit chocolat.

I have my eye and mind on other Petrossian treats. Redemption can only be a bite away.

911 Seventh Ave between 57 & 58
212.245.2217

Seriously? The grocery store?

I can't stand the smell of old-school supermarkets. But I might have to plug my nose and take a journey uptown to "The Food Emporium Fine Chocolates shop at Trump Palace." How silly.

But the word from Emily is that it will be worth it: chocolate from 14 different countries.

5 sweets I’m craving now

We’re on the doorstep of fall and I’m trying really hard not to be sad. I’m a summer girl. I understand everyone’s love of thick sweaters, crisp apples and crackling fireplaces. But I find it really hard to let go of long days of sunshine, lazy picnics in the park and bare feet.

That said, the change in light and temperature is getting under my skin, making my sweets cravings turn toward more fruity, savory and autumnal desserts:

Apricot danish from Petrossian:
Thanks to my conversation with Edward at Café Cluny, where they serve these wonderful creations.

Banana cupcake from Billy’s:
The cream cheese frosting reminds me of last weekend’s wedding cake.

Croissant from Claude’s:
Just do it, Amy.

Slow-baked apples & cinnamon from Dessert Truck:
It’s one of the last remaining treats to be sampled from the truck (the molten chocolate cake is the other).

Chocolate banana bread from Once Upon a Tart:
It’s just been way too long.

The off season

I so don't need this. Cold hot chocolate from City Bakery.

They couldn't (wouldn't) tell me how it's made, but it's their same hot cocoa, served over ice. And you get about 10 more ounces than you do with the hot portion, which is utterly ridiculous.

3 West 18th Street at Fifth
212.366.1414

Places I wish were in New York: Flour Bakery

A visit to Boston isn't complete without a stop at Flour Bakery in the South End.

It's a homey, hippy-ish neighborhood place: the kind with chalkboard menus, communal tables and newspapers, and warmth from the kitchen's ovens.

Killer sandwiches on house-baked bread (God, I love sandwiches), gourmet Oreos, Scharffenberger cookies, crazy-rich brownies, moist muffins. Dee-lish.