I moved to New York City with a list in my pocket. And on that list were the collected wisdoms of family, friends, and bloggers who had been to New York at one time or another and had deemed these the essential bakeries of New York, the spots I had to visit, the baked goods I had to taste. In order to cull that list to a manageable length, I made a pact with myself that I would only visit one new bakery each month. This way, I could savor my experiences and thoroughly assess them.
I now present to you the first seven months of my bakery adventures, with accompanying analyses and ratings:
September. Magnolia Bakery: Vanilla Cupcake with Chocolate Frosting. How fitting that Magnolia Bakery turned out to be my first stop in September; it’s one of the most famous bakeries in New York and has satellite shops around the world. I visited the original and it did not disappoint. First, the size of the cupcake was ideal, neither too small to satisfy nor too large to induce a stomachache. Second, the appearance (with a small sugared flower on top) was cute but absolutely no frills, indicating that this dessert was all about the flavor. An appropriate ratio of frosting to cupcake (2:3 in my opinion) and an appropriate balance of sweet vanilla and buttery rich chocolate took this cupcake into the ranks of deliciousness. ★★★★
October. Momofuku Milk Bar: Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cookie. If you’re unfamiliar with the hype around this cookie, do yourself a favor and quickly google for the recipe (and hundreds of blogger renditions). It’s an unexpected treat. Like the Magnolia cupcake, this one came in distinctively non-showy packaging. In fact, I was quite skeptical when I ordered my much-anticipated cookie only to find that it came in plastic wrapping like a grocery store purchase. Still, I sat outside in the October sun and bit down into glory. So many flavors and textures going on here: cold chocolate chips, salty and crispy cornflakes, chewy cooked marshmallow and soft surrounding cookie. I polished this off in a manner of minutes. No sharing. Gold stars all the way. ★★★★★ Continue reading
The City Space 