Archive for 'Sweets'

Best Chocolate Chip Cookie in Midtown

Serious Eats New York launched their Chocolate Chip Cookie Championship yesterday, promising to discover the best that NYC has to offer chunk by chunk (Uptown, Midtown, Downtown, and Outer Boroughs). We’ve asked this question a few times here on ML, so I’m kind of curious where they’ll end up.  (Although they might need to add a “Mobile” category, and “Chains” category… Treats Truck, Starbucks and Au Bon Pain make damn fine chocolate chip cookies.)  You guys have any suggestions for the folks over at SE?

FIKA Boasts Best Chocolate Bonbon: The 2009 Chocolate Show this past weekend, and FIKA Swedish Espresso Bar (on 58th btw. 5+6th) won "Best Overall Bonbon or Truffle, ganache filling, single flavor". Who knew they even made their own chocolate!? (I've always been more about their Swedish Meatball Sandwich.) [via Grub Street]

Checking Out the Macarella (and Yoko) at the Street Sweets Truck

I’d like to pretend that I’ve mastered the art of taking advantage of free food deals.  You know… get in, grab free stuff, get out unscathed.  But sometimes they do work on me.  On Friday, I stopped by Kyotofu to grab their free bag of mini muffins, and ended up buying a pumpkin/chocolate soft serve.  And a week before that I stopped by the Street Sweets Truck for a free mini pumpkin whoopie pie, and ended up with a full sized pumpkin whoopie pie and their latest creation… the macarella.  What can I say, I couldn’t resist.

What the hell is a macarella?

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Your First Look at Midtown’s Gulluoglu

Gulluoglu

I could barely contain my excitement yesterday, when I stumbled upon Gulluoglu– which opened on 52nd and 2nd Ave. last week.  Known mostly for their extensive selection of Turkish baklava, the first American branch of this popular Turkish chain opened on Coney Island Ave. in Brooklyn back in 2005, but this is their first Manhattan location.  Alot of what they sell is imported from Turkey, but I was surprised to find a good number of savory baked goods plus a menu of sandwiches and salads available.  Sadly I had already had lunch, but I could resist picking up a few things- and snapping a few photos of everything they had to offer.

Check it out after the jump…

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3 More Weeks for La Maison du Chocolat’s Ice Cream

lamaisonDid you know that La Maison du Chocolat (on 49th btw. 5+6th in 30 Rock) serves up ice cream and sorbet in the summertime? Serious Eats New York highly recommends the chesnut ice cream, but warns everybody to get there at least 45 minutes before the shop closes.  (That’s when they stop serving the cold treats.)  You have three more weeks to check it out, and then the ice creams  and sorbets are gone.

Mister Softee + Treats Truck Could = Delicious Ice Cream Sandwich

Saw this message on twitter from Miss Softee to the Treats Truck yesterday and it gave me a great idea! Two chocolate chip cookies from the treats truck, plus a squirt of soft serve from Miss Softee’s ice cream truck would make quite the awesome ice cream sandwich- don’t you think? Ideally this would be perfect on Tuesdays and Thursdays, when the Treats Truck is parked on 38th & 5th and Miss Softee is parked on 40th and 5th. But I suppose if you liked the idea enough you could walk from 45th and 6th (where the Treats Truck is parked today) to 40th and 5th.

I actually suggested this idea to Kim a couple of years ago as a way to smooth things over with the Mister Softee truck that parked on 45th and 6th (as you may recall, he wasn’t too excited when the Treats Truck showed up on the scene.) I think now it’s time to make this happen! Even if it isn’t officially endorsed, I’m sure that you could buy two chocolate chip cookies from Kim, walk them over the Miss Softee truck- and she would be more than happy to sell you a squirt of soft serve for a couple bucks.

Related:
Meet Queen Frostine: The Ladies of Mister Softee

Meet Queen Frostine: The Ladies of Mister Softee

frostine

I think Mister Softee has gotten a bad rep on Midtown Lunch.  Sure some of them screw over their customers, get into fights, try to intimidate mobile bakeries, and yes, even sell cocaine.  But they’re not all bad!  Take the ladies of Queen Frostine, a new collective of female ice cream truck drivers who have taken it upon themselves to bring some of the fun back to soft serve. We mentioned Miss Softee last week, but at the time I didn’t realize that there are more of them. And they all park in Midtown!

Meet them all, after the jump…

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Macchiato Espresso Bar Revisited… For the First Time

It’s been almost three years since Macchiato Espresso Bar opened on 44th btw. Lex+3rd, selling their line of Italian coffee, sandwiches, salads, and pastries.  When it first opened, I posted my first impression (meh) which drew the ire of the owner because I hadn’t actually eaten any of the food or tries the coffee.  At the time I just wasn’t interested in trying another turkey and swiss sandwich for $9.  So sue me.  Well, it’s taken me almost three years… but I’ve finally gotten enough positive emails to warrant actually trying Macchiato Espresso Bar.  Well not me, but our resident coffee and baked goods expert Kathy YL Chan (from A Passion For Food).  I thought this place would be right up her alley, and asked her to check it out and report back.  Here’s what she found…

Welcome to Macchiato Espresso Bar on 44th Street, the last thing you’d expect to discover in discover in midtown. Coming in from 3rd Avenue, the bright blue entrance looks like some sort of strange oasis. The Bar exudes a Euro-trash meets midtown business vibe. Music is energetic, and the counter service is knowledgeable, efficient. Prices are high, though quality justifies to a certain extent.

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Kinako Soft Serve Alert: I don't think I've ever had kinako (soybean powder) in any form- but according to Kathy YL Chan, Cafe Zaiya on 41st btw. Mad+5th is now serving kinako soft serve... and I will take her word for it that this is exciting news!  I guess we'll need her to update her food porn guide to Cafe Zaiya.

Cupcake Stop Truck in Midtown Today (With Pudding!?!)

By now I’m sure you’ve heard about the law student, turned cupcake truck owner behind the Cupcake Stop Truck.  Originally they were planning on parking the Herald Square Area, but fame is a fickle mistress- and aside from a few TV appearances, where they handed out free minis to passersby, Midtown has been completely Cupcake Stop free.  Until today.  The Cupcake Stop Truck is selling cupcakes today on 47th and 3rd from now until 6pm tonight (barring any “problems”.)

They were parked near my apartment on Sunday, so I decided to “sample” a box of mini cupcakes.  Check ’em out after the jump…

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