Queensyard Cheescake: This cheesecake comes from the neighboring cafe of British restaurant Queensyard in the new Hudson Yards mall. It's deceptively simple, with an egg-custard-like cheesecake topped with a handful of fresh berries, all encased in a slightly spiced crust. Its simplicity belies its top notch execution, particularly the biscuit base that crumbles under just the right amount of pressure. A strong recommend. 4.0/5.0
recommended pastry hudsonyards nyc cake queensyard cheescake 4.0
Dominant Culture Yogurt with Rosemary Sorbet: When asked for recommendations for where to eat in NYC, I always bring up Chikalicious, a dessert bar in the East Village where $18 gets you a prix fixe tasting of fine-dining-level desserts, always served by the industrious and humble pastry chef Chika Tillman. She and her husband have been offering to-go treats at a separate pop-up on the edge of Tompkin Square Park, including churro cone ice cream that I've previously reviewed. Now they're planning a yogurt shop called Dominant Culture an... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended nyc chikalicious dominantculture yogurt rosemary sorbet 4.0
Morgenstern's 850 Deluxe ice cream sandwich: With oatmeal cookies, grape ice cream, and walnuts, this treat somehow combines the taste of a childhood afterschool snack of cookies and a Welch's grapefruit juice box and elevates it to culinary levels. The oatmeal cookies have a satisfying bite, with raisins that aren't overly tough despite being frozen; the grape ice cream is balanced by a bit of lemon juice; walnuts add an unexpected flavor and texture. An excellent ice cream sandwich that was part of the #fuckthatsdelicious collaborat... (read more) 4.0/5.0
exceptional nyc icecream icecreamsandwich grape cookie oatmeal oatmealraisin walnuts morgensterns 850 deluxe ice cream sandwich 4.0
Milk Bar Apple Pie Soft Serve: While I generally find many items at Christina Tosi’s Milk Bar to be overly sweet, one thing that I’ve always loved is their soft serve. The cereal milk soft serve, in particular, is very well judged. This apple pie soft serve, available at the Flagship Milk Bar, is another great example. The tartness is surprisingly great, and the texture is perfectly smooth - more sorbet-like than ice-cream-like. The mix of spices (cinnamon, allspice, clove, and probably ginger, I’m guessing) is way mo... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended nyc softserve applepie milkbar apple pie soft serve 4.0
Zabar's Black and White Cookie: Despite having lived / been around in NYC for most of my life, I had not had a Black and White cookie until this week. I learned from Wikipedia that there are at least two styles of Black and White cookies; a dense shortbread base is common in NYC, while a more cake-like base with frosting is more likely to be found in Central New York. Zabar's is the latter, with a sizable diameter and soft, moist-enough cake base with a generous spread of chocolate and vanilla frosting, split evenly down... (read more) 4.0/5.0
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Bao Tea House Jasmine peach milk tea: Bao Tea House is a small shop in the West Village close to the West 4th subway stop, and it's my favorite place in the city for tea. Their jasmine peach milk tea was very well balanced, with a fragrant, creamy, floral, and fruity flavor (a combination I imagine most places would not get right). The drink came with brown sugar aloe cubes, with a slightly chewy texture that still has a bit of bite. Though it's an entirely different type of dish, the closest analogy I can make in terms of textu... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended drinks nyc milktea jasmine baoteahouse peach milk tea 4.0