8.10.10

New York City - Unique Eats

We came across this program called Unique Eats on Cooking channel which featured best places to dine/snack. Of particular interest was the episode where desserts were featured and so when we planned our trip to NYC we had to put this on the top of to-do list.

Babycakes

Though this place is a vegan bakery, the cupcakes and donuts we had were very very delicious. We tried Red Velvet, Chocolate cupcakes and a Lemon-coconut Donut. The cupcakes were yummy and moist, though I was not crazy about the frosting. Beet juice was used to achieve the color in the Red Velvet cake. The donuts are baked not deep fried and the best I ever had including the frosting. Since the frosting is made from flour it is healthy as well.

Crazy staircase apartment building - was the intention to have a private emergency exit for each apartment? ;-)

Four and Twenty Blackbirds
This pie shop is another hidden gem in Brooklyn. The restaurant itself felt like a refuge from the hustle and bustle of NYC. The interiors were warm and made us feel very cozy. We did not take any pictures of the pies because we simply forgot and digged right in as soon as they arrived! They are not masterpieces to look at but out-of-this-world to eat. We had Salted Caramel Apple, Honeyed Fig pies and a Savory pie with egg plant. Honeyed Fig was our absolute favorite and for a moment I thought I was passing out. The girl at the counter was surprised because we had one slice after the other with the last one to go.



Van Leuween Icecream
Parked at various locations in NYC, the color of the truck itself makes you want to have the icecream. Yet another place like Babycakes and Blackbirds who believe in honest goodness of natural and best ingredients. We tried Earl Gray and Hazelnut+Chocolate flavors. Earl Gray was simply the best, aromatic and floral. Some of the reviews I read complained about the flavor being muted but really the icecream is made out of basic ingredients and no additives. Read their interview at Etsy.

Another must visit is the new Eataly, a european style market founded by Mario Batali and Lidia Bastianich to bring gourmet food to NYC. The market features products that you may not find in any of the Whole Foods and the likes. Also, there are several food stations that you can dine at.



Shots of Chrysler and Empire State buildings from Bryant Park behind the New York Public Library.


One thing I look forward to when in NYC is featured Arts for Transit on the subway trains. Here are the "excerpts" of the two I took in a moving train.


Have a great weekend.

- Kalyan

4 comments:

Stephanie said...

What a fun way to see and taste NY. I've never been but I would certainly seek out Four & Twenty Blackbirds. I heart pie

ashima said...

Sing a song of sixpence a pocket full of rye,
Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie.
When the pie was opened the birds began to sing,
Wasn't that a dainty dish to set before the king? :)

Lovely post :) Everything looks and sounds so mouth watering! Glad you had such a wonderful stay in NYC and enjoyed every thing! I now have the above nursery rhyme replaying over and over in my head ;)

Nanette Merrill and daughters said...

I had to laugh at the food you ate. Sweets! haha What would life be without sweetness. I have always wanted to try vegan cupcakes. I see them on the food channel and wonder about them. Maybe some day. It just sounds interesting. New York is so fun. I really hate that most of the places tourists know to eat are chains. It is best to eat at small local places. How smart of you to pay attention beforehand and plan your trip. I know my very favorite place to eat in the whole world is under a bridge in the hometown I grew up in, in Pennsylvania. In fact if you don't know it is there, you'd never see it. Yet they always have customers. Now I'm homesick for the east!! ;-) Thanks for your pics and trip info.

ashima said...

Guess what! Anshu ate at Eataly too and he loved it too :) He was just telling me that he'll take me there, the next time I'm in NYC, I told him I already got the recommendation from my two amazing friends in Boston - You both :)