Last Friday, I visited the Big Apple for a day trip. The options for good eats in NYC are endless – so many, that it would probably take me years to blog about all the delicious restaurants, bakeries, food trucks that I’ve tried and would like to try. For today’s post, I’ll share with you some of my favorite dessert stops in the concrete jungle. No cronut visit, unfortunately.
My favorite place to get the best red velvet cupcake with cream cheese frosting is Two Little Red Hens bakery on the Upper East Side. Yes, I truly think their red velvet reigns supreme to the ones at Georgetown, Sprinkles, Crumbs Bakeshop, etc. TLRH’s cupcake is perfectly moist with incredible cream cheese frosting. I like to order the mini bite-size cupcakes – fun to eat and fewer calories! The carrot cupcake is also equally delicious.
We all know that NYC is the cupcake mecca, where the craze all started. Of course, I visited not one, but two cupcakeries when I was in the city. While shopping in SoHo area, I picked up some mini cupcakes from Baked By Melissa. These were pretty pricey at $10 a dozen, especially since they were even smaller than the minis at other bakeries. How can I say no to all the interesting flavors? Tie-dye, chocolate chip pancake, peanut butter & jelly, and more. BBM is literally a hole-in-the-wall shop, and it’s amazing how much it has expanded (a dozen locations now) due to its success. Read more about the owner on Fast Company.
I tried my first waffle truck in NYC – Wafels & Dinges, and instantly became a huge fan. In the photo, you can barely see the liège waffle because of all the dinges (“toppings” in Flemish, Belgium’s language). I had ordered the WMD “Wafel of Massive Deliciousness,” which came with unlimited dinges – vanilla ice cream, nutella, strawberries, walnuts, speculoos cookie butter spread, whipped cream and powdered sugar. It was very messy but so worth it. The speculoos cookie butter was out of this world good – you can get some at your local Trader Joe’s. Next time, I’ll have to try the other waffle concoctions as well as the savory ones.
My favorite bubble tea shop is Kung Fu Tea, which has over a dozen locations in the empire state. Bubble tea is a popular iced tea drink often fused with milk and mixed with tapioca “pearls” or “bubbles.” To me, KFT’s version tastes pretty authentic to the ones I’ve tried in Taiwan (where it was originated from) – see my post here. It’s nice to be able to adjust the ice amount and sugar level to your preference – just let your barista know. Luckily for me, KFT opened its first location in Allston, MA earlier this year. My favorite flavors are taro (right photo), Ovaltine, and the classic/original milk tea.
If you’ve never been to Paris before to try the famous Ladurée french macaron cookies, don’t fret, there’s one location in NYC! I didn’t have enough time to stop by this past weekend, but still wanted to mention it because it really is a must-try in NYC. Macaron is a current dessert trend, and Ladurée’s are shipped from Paris daily. They’re fresh, perfectly chewy, and consist of a wonderfully creamy filling. My favorite flavors are pistachio and salted caramel. These macarons are worth the long wait time (very likely). If the long queues are too cumbersome, then I’d suggest visiting my other favorite macaron shop, MacarOn Café, which has three locations.
Where are some of your favorite food stops in NYC?
