7th Ave Donuts and Diner French cruller: Here’s another donut from a 24-hour shop, this time based in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Mostly diner but partially donut shop, 7th Ave Donuts and Diner has a selection of unfussy classics from glazed to jelly to toasted coconut. I judged the quality of their donuts from their French cruller. Its thick vanilla icing was far too sweet, but the donut itself was surprisingly good, with its toasted exterior, crispy at the edges, but eggy, slightly raw custard-like interior. I would gladly come back fo... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended nyc donut dessert 7thavedonutsanddiner French cruller 3.5
The Donut Pub Blueberry donut: This 24/7 West Village donut shop has been open for over 50 years. I asked what the least sweet options were which led me to purchase this blueberry cake donut. I’m used to fried donuts with a light and fluffy consistency - their cake donuts are pretty much the exact opposite. Crumbly and a tad dry, the blueberry flavor was decent nonetheless, and it wasn’t too sweet. It reminded me of a less sweet version of blueberry flavored muffins I had growing up from Costco. I would say Donut Pub is a... (read more) 2.5/5.0
dessert nyc thedonutpub blueberry 2.5 donut
Befco Scallop bakauke rice crackers: Shaped like mini boomerangs, these individually wrapped pairs of Japanese rice crackers come in a variety of flavors. This time, I purchased their scallop version from Sunrise Market in NYC, which was about $0.25 more expensive than their classic soy variety. The scallop crackers have a very strong salty and briny flavor that I wouldn’t necessarily identify with scallop but tastes of seafood more generally. It has a strong odor I couldn’t quite place until I suddenly realized they smelled ki... (read more) 2.5/5.0
japanese befco scallop bakauke rice crackers 2.5 Sunrisemart
Cha Cha Matcha Matcha lemonade with mint: More mint than matcha, this chilled lemonade is refreshing but doesn’t quite hit the mark as far as green tea flavor. It has a slight bitterness that sets it apart from a normal lemonade, but it would be hard to guess it contains matcha if you were to drink it without first seeing its identifying dark green color. Purchased from the ultra trendy matcha shop Cha Cha Matcha, a cafe seemingly built for Instagram, replete with a faux living wall and lifestyle neon signage. 3.0/5.0
drinks nyc chachamatcha matcha lemonade mint 3.0
Golden Steamer Sweet pork bao: Here’s another bao from Golden Steamer in NYC. Filled with sweetened pork in a thick savory gravy, it’s like the enhanced version of a dim sum favorite. Lightly sweetened, pillowy white bread is the centerpiece - there’s much more of it than the meaty filling, and that’s fine by me. It costs $0.90. 3.5/5.0
recommended bao nyc bread goldensteamer sweet pork 3.5
Leonelli Focacceria e Pasticceria Cheesecake: New York, the city of cheesecakes, squeezes in another well-executed rendition at Leonelli Focacceria e Pasticceria, the bakery adjacent to former Lincoln’s chef’s namesake restaurant. A hockey-puck-sized cake is light and airy, not overly sweet yet still uniquely creamy. Topped with slightly tart but mostly sweet sliced strawberries, as well as halved pistachios. No one is asking for yet another cheesecake, but when it’s done well, it falls into place as if it always existed. 4.0/5.0
recommended cheesecake nyc strawberry dessert pistachio cake leonellifocacceriaepasticceria 4.0