Dessert/Pastries in NYC

[NutMeg]

Next weekend I will be heading to NY with 2 friends - all three of us are professionals in various aspects of the pastry arts, and our main goal is to get all the quality pastries, chocolates, and desserts we can. We have a few ideas (WD-50, Payard, MarieBelle, Room4Dessert, Jacques Torres....) but would LOVE any other suggestions we can get. In particular, can we go to restaurants like Per Se or Le Bernadin just for dessert? It's not in our budgets to have a full-out multi-course fine dining meal every few hours, but we'd obviously like to experience those places.

Thanks in advance for suggestions!

Meg

[Sneakeater]

Don't forget Varietal.

[docsconz]

Kee's Chocolates are on Thompson St. not far from Mariebelle or Jacques Torres and probably better than both for bon-bons and truffles.

[mukki]

A few places I always go when I'm in NY: Kee's Chocolates (favorites are her yuzu, key lime and turtles), City Bakery (try the pretzel croissant) and Bouchon Bakery (love the TKOs or "oreos"). I've only been to Patisserie Claude for the croissants once, but I'll definitely be going back. Not the most elegant croissant, but it's one of the tastiest (if not the -- need to confirm this, though) I've had.

[Sethro]

My friend Derrick is doing some really awesome stuff at Spice Market (albeit completely under the radar). I always liked the style of aquavit's desserts too.

[larrylee]

Le Bergamote. Check this thread for references and tips.

[tupac17616]

Some thoughts:

pumpkin scone at Alice's Tea Cup

meyer lemon poppy seed bread pudding at Annisa

pistachio semi-freddo at Babbo

kaiserschmarren at Blaue Gans

banana-walnut or chocolate chip bread pudding at Blue Ribbon Bakery

apfelstrudel at Cafe Sabarsky

butternut squash cheesecake w/ ceylon cinnamon soup at Compass

pumpkin doughnut at Doughnut Plant

passion fruit souffle at Falai

apricot souffle at Gordon Ramsay

coconut tapioca w/ passion fruit & coconut sorbets, passion fruit caramel & cilantro syrup at Gramercy Tavern

black mission fig gelato at Il Laboratorio del Gelato

pear & chocolate praline mousse cake, poire william gelee, butternut squash souffle, prune-armagnac ice cream at Jean Georges

plain cheesecake at Junior's

creme brulee truffle at Kee's Chocolates

dessert kaiseki at Kyotofu

chocolate-almond croissant at La Bergamote

mille crepes at Lady M

le sucre and the best macarons in the city at L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon

milk chocolate pot de creme, caramel foam, maple syrup, maldon sea salt at Le Bernadin

chocolate chip walnut cookie from Levain

sour cream apple walnut pie at Little Pie Company

red velvet cake at Make My Cake

japanese pastries at Minamoto Kitchoan

lemon cheesecake w/ lemon chantilly cream, lemon candy & mint syrup at Ouest

olive oil gelato at Otto

cream puff at Patisserie Claude

canneles from Petrossian

'laissez pear' at Room4Dessert

concrete at Shake Shack

wolfberry at Varietal

salzburger nockerl at Wallse

dessert tasting at wd~50

i could go on, but i'll spare you. i have a bit of a sweet tooth...

[Pan]

Impressive list, Tupac, but do you prefer Junior's cheesecake to Two Little Red Hens? I haven't had Junior's in a long time, but I don't remember being blown away by it. There's an even better place way up in the Bronx, as of several years ago, anyway. Around 231 St., I think.

[docsconz]

Impressive list, Tupac, but do you prefer Junior's cheesecake to Two Little Red Hens? I haven't had Junior's in a long time, but I don't remember being blown away by it. There's an even better place way up in the Bronx, as of several years ago, anyway. Around 231 St., I think.

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I remember a time when Juniors Cheesecake was generally considered one of the best desserts in the city, but then I am showing my age. It still has a nice nostalgic component to it though. I wouldn't turn one down even if I no longer go out of my way for one.

[Nathan]

Daniel does a desert tasting menu that you can order on its own in the Cafe. The other four stars do not.

You could get away with just ordering desserts at Robuchon (the sugar globe is well worth trying).

[Eatmywords]

Some thoughts:

pumpkin scone at Alice's Tea Cup

meyer lemon poppy seed bread pudding at Annisa

pistachio semi-freddo at Babbo

kaiserschmarren at Blaue Gans

banana-walnut or chocolate chip bread pudding at Blue Ribbon Bakery

apfelstrudel at Cafe Sabarsky

butternut squash cheesecake w/ ceylon cinnamon soup at Compass

pumpkin doughnut at Doughnut Plant

passion fruit souffle at Falai

apricot souffle at Gordon Ramsay

coconut tapioca w/ passion fruit & coconut sorbets, passion fruit caramel & cilantro syrup at Gramercy Tavern

black mission fig gelato at Il Laboratorio del Gelato

pear & chocolate praline mousse cake, poire william gelee,  butternut squash souffle, prune-armagnac ice cream at Jean Georges

plain cheesecake at Junior's

creme brulee truffle at Kee's Chocolates

dessert kaiseki at Kyotofu

chocolate-almond croissant at La Bergamote

mille crepes at Lady M

le sucre and the best macarons in the city at L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon

milk chocolate pot de creme, caramel foam, maple syrup, maldon sea salt at Le Bernadin

chocolate chip walnut cookie from Levain

sour cream apple walnut pie at Little Pie Company

red velvet cake at Make My Cake

japanese pastries at Minamoto Kitchoan

lemon cheesecake w/ lemon chantilly cream, lemon candy & mint syrup at Ouest

olive oil gelato at Otto

cream puff at Patisserie Claude

canneles from Petrossian

'laissez pear' at Room4Dessert

concrete at Shake Shack

wolfberry at Varietal

salzburger nockerl at Wallse

dessert tasting at wd~50

i could go on, but i'll spare you.  i have a bit of a sweet tooth...

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I nominate Tupac for resident dessert guru! That's some (off the top of your head?) list.

Though I've only had the cookies (delicate, complex, excellent) there's a pretty good buzz for the latest (Japanese) dessert bar, Kyotofu. Lots of info online, start here, http://events.nytimes.com/2007/01/17/dinin...html?ref=dining

(edit; better link)

Edited March 19, 2007 by Eatmywords (log)

[tupac17616]

Impressive list, Tupac, but do you prefer Junior's cheesecake to Two Little Red Hens? I haven't had Junior's in a long time, but I don't remember being blown away by it. There's an even better place way up in the Bronx, as of several years ago, anyway. Around 231 St., I think.

I've only been to Two Little Red Hens once, and that day I was on a mission for some red velvet cake. I'd gladly return if there were some quality cheesecake waiting for me to sample, though. Thanks for the heads up.

I find Junior's to be nice and consistent. Not mind-boggling deliciousness, but it hits the spot when I'm in the mood for cheesecake. I think I remember reading on Chowhound about the place in the Bronx you allude to, but I've not been. The only other place I've been to that specializes specifically in cheesecake was Eileen's Cheesecake on Cleveland Place. FWIW, I thought it was borderline terrible. I liked the cheesecake at both Carnegie Deli and Artie's Deli, but they aren't places I'd return to in all likelihood. I'm trying to think of other places whose cheesecake I've enjoyed, but none spring to mind. I'm not sure I've ever really been blown away by any classic NY cheesecake, so I suppose the search continues. Oh, darn.

[tupac17616]

[...] Juniors Cheesecake [...] I wouldn't turn one down even if I no longer go out of my way for one.

Agreed. I wish I knew of a place whose cheesecake I would go out of my way for.

Daniel does a desert tasting menu that you can order on its own in the Cafe.  The other four stars do not.

You could get away with just ordering desserts at Robuchon (the sugar globe is well worth trying).

Daniel is a nice suggestion. I'm pretty certain Le Bernadin would let you do just desserts as well. Chef Michael Laiskonis maintains a nice little dessert menu, and is quite a talented guy (not to mention an eGullet member). Some friends and I have gone through his entire repertoire during to cap off a given meal, so I don't see any reason why they couldn't do just desserts.

Re: L'Atelier....abso-friggin-lutely. Le Sucre (the sugar sphere) is a must. Le Marron is also outstanding. Hell, even the pre-dessert, and the canneles and macarons that follow are good. The macarons are impeccably fresh, and much better than anything you might encounter at Fauchon, La Maison du Chocolat, Payard, Financier, et al. Best in the city, I think. So yeah, L'Atelier is definitely a good plan.

I nominate Tupac for resident dessert guru!  That's some (off the top of your head?) list.

I confess. It wasn't completely off the top of my head.....I thought the cilantro syrup in that Gramercy Tavern dessert was actually basil syrup. We all make mistakes, I suppose.

[Pan]

Miss Grimble's was awesome for cheesecake, but they closed their retail outlet years ago and only do a catering and special order business nowadays.

I like Two Little Red Hens' cheesecake very much but also like things like their lime/coconut bars.

[daisy17]

City Bakery (try the pretzel croissant)

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City Bakery is still one of my weekend favorites for the pretzel croissant or a tart. Amazing tarts. And chocolate chip cookies. And hot chocolate or lemonade depending on the weather.

[alanamoana]

how about johnny iuzzini's desserts at jean georges? i'm sure you can go there just for desserts.

[tupac17616]

how about johnny iuzzini's desserts at jean georges?  i'm sure you can go there just for desserts.

Definitely a good suggestion. And while you're at it, ask to meet him. Exceptionally nice guy.

[NutMeg]

Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions everyone - you reminded me of some I'd missed on my list and opened my eyes to a whole other set of possibilities. So, now that our 3-day tour has a 3-page list to go with it, looks like we'll be skipping sleep and just eating sugar for about 72 hours straight. Is there a better way to live? I don't leave til tomorrow night, so if there are any last minute suggestions, throw em out there! I'll make sure to report back when we return....

Thanks again!

Meg (soon to be known as the fattest person on earth)

[BryanZ]

Just make sure to make resos if you plan on hitting some of the four-stars. And tell them you just want to eat dessert. This is probably easier at places with bars/lounges/less formal rooms such as Daniel, JG, etc.

[mascarpone]

Perhaps I am off the subject, but my favorite dessert in the city is the Budino di castagne $7.00 (Warm chestnut pudding on a bed of chocolate cream) served at Gnocco Restaurant @ 337 East 10th between Ave. A and B.

http://www.gnocco.com/#

If you can get to Brooklyn, try Villabate @ 7117 18th Ave, Brooklyn for Italian pastries. 90% of the clientele will be speaking Italian when they are waiting in line to be served.

http://www.villabate.net

[Pan]

I like that dessert at Gnocco, but I'll note (and I think you'll agree with me) that none of their other desserts are anything special at all. The Budino di castagne is unsweet and it's only the combination with the sweet chocolate sauce that makes it a dessert.

[kathryn]

Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions everyone - you reminded me of some I'd missed on my list and opened my eyes to a whole other set of possibilities.  So, now that our 3-day tour has a 3-page list to go with it, looks like we'll be skipping sleep and just eating sugar for about 72 hours straight.  Is there a better way to live?  I don't leave til tomorrow night, so if there are any last minute suggestions, throw em out there!  I'll make sure to report back when we return....

Thanks again!

Meg (soon to be known as the fattest person on earth)

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So how did it go? Looking forward to your report...

[NutMeg]

Can't talk.....sugar....overload.....

I will try to post a full report later today - I've been keeping busy working 14 hour days ever since I got back.

The list of where we went:

Jean-Georges

WD-50

Room 4 Dessert

Varietal

Atelier de Joel Robuchon

Melissa's Patisserie

Cocoa Bar

Chocolate Bar

City Bakery

Michel Cuizel

La Maison du Chocolat

Marie Belle

Bouchon

Balthazar

Murray's Cheese

Payard

Max Brenner

Err....I think I'm probably forgetting something....there were lots of places we just kind of ducked into to check out quickly....

As I said, more details to follow.....!

Meg

[Megan Blocker]

Wow, that's amazing.

I applaud your stamina.

Now, I have to ask - did you have the hot chocolate at Chocolate Bar? It's my favorite in the whole city. Their Salty Pretzel bars ain't too bad, either.

[larrylee]

Now, I have to ask - did you have the hot chocolate at Chocolate Bar?  It's my favorite in the whole city.  Their Salty Pretzel bars ain't too bad, either.

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They do have some good hot chocolate. Especially the spicy. I've got tins of it (and Marie Belle dark) at home. :-)