Breaking News! Peter Pan Donuts available at Farmacy!!!

I think it's just a weekend thing, but at 10am today, Farmacy (513 Henry St., at Sackett St., 718-522-6260) had Peter Pan Donuts available for sale, fresh from Greenpoint's most awesomest bakery. How happy this made me! The husband lived mere blocks from Peter Pan when we were dating, so I was able to get them whenever I wanted, but now that we're a train ride away, indulging in the delicious treats is a rarer occurrence (perhaps for the best, but nevertheless, disappointing!). Today we had a glazed, red velvet Old Fashioned (eaten immediately and therefore no photographic evidence exists). It was perfect, especially with a glass of cold milk. Farmacy keeps on getting better and better. Make sure to check it out - it's worth the trip!

Breakfast at Four and Twenty Blackbirds

PIE! That'll catch my eye pretty quickly, and so I finally made my way to Four and Twenty Blackbirds, (439 3rd Avenue, at 8th Street, 718-499-2917) a new coffee shop, bakery, breakfast place in the Gowanus neighborhood the pretty much specializes in Pie! It's a very positive addition to this slowly getting life back strip of auto repair shops and various industrial businesses. It's gorgeous inside, with lots of windows, pressed-tin walls and ceiling, wood floors and gigantic wooden tables. It's simple and tasteful but cute, and the scent of freshly baked pies greets you as you step inside.

We got two orders of Egg in a Nest for our breakfast. This is something I know as a fried egg in a hole cut out of a piece of toast, but this, this was one-of-a-kind amazing. Part souffle, part savory muffin, part baked egg, it was juicy, fluffy and flavorful - with thyme and cheese to make it strong and tasty. Isn't it gorgeous?

I also got a Chocolate Chip Scone. It was flaky in all the right ways, dense, slightly sweet and wonderful. So pretty too, served on antique-y floral china.

I couldn't leave without getting a slice of pie, for later. Out of the four flavors (Apple, Strawberry Balsamic) I picked the Rhubarb Crumble. It, too, was delicious. Brown sugar and some cinnamon added just the right amount of sweetness to the oats on top. Fat slices of rhubarb throughout were perfectly tart and the crust was flaky and excellent. It was overwhelmingly buttery either, which was a nice change from the usual heavy baked goods found around town.

They do take custom pie orders, but make sure you give them two days notice. I am looking forward to going back for another slice of pie, and maybe a fig scone? Coming soon...Lunch!

Baked Goods at The Blue Stove

My boyfriend took me to The Blue Stove (415 Graham Ave., at Withers St., 718-766-7419) recently, while we were wandering this section of Williamsburg, checking out some shops and boutiques and were in need of some snackage. When you first walk in you notice the most incredible smell. It's the combination of sugar and cinnamon and butter, all warm and delightful, which makes you want to sit down right there and eat a whole pie, all by yourself. I managed to restrain myself, and only ordered a few small things.

The Cranberry, Walnut & Orange Zest Muffin was to eat right then. The top of a muffin is always the best, as the inside too cakey for me. The flavors of this bad boy were strong and prominent though, which made eating it quite enjoyable. The tart cranberries, the bright orange zest & the nuts all made deliciousness. The top was still the best, but the rest of it was good too!



I also got two Tarts for later. One was savory, with Ham & Cheese & whole sprigs of Thyme popping out of it at different angles. It was buttery flakiness full of smoky ham and strong Gruyere cheese inside. Excellent for a mid-afternoon pick-me-up. Some of the cheese had bubbled out and got a little burnt & crispy which was so yummy!



The other was a sweet tart made with whole Figs & Goat Cheese. The cheese was creamy and tangy and the figs chewy and mellow, all wrapped up in the same flaky, buttery crust that gets all over your fingers and lips as you eat. Perfection. I did want a bit more fig in this though, but that felt like a minor disappointment.



Like I said, I can't believe how good it smelled inside. I want to go back and sample more of their baked goods, including the huge slices of coffee cake piled in a dish by the front door, to one of their whole pies in all sorts of bursting-berry flavors.

Cookies from Little Buddy Biscuit Co.

Sorry for the late post today! I was away this weekend and didn't plan well. Hope these cookies make up for it! And thanks to my 50th follower!



Based on the packaging alone, I love the cookies from Little Buddy Biscuit Co. (635 Fifth Avenue at 18th Street, (718) 369-6355)! I was recently emailed by Josie Diels, the media contact for this new bakery in the South Slope, and subsequently sent a beautiful pink and blue package with three different Little Buddy cookies (lovingly cushioned with the packaging peanuts that melt in water).



There's a great little story about the creation of Little Buddy that's on their website which is appealing in and of itself...but the cookies! They're SO tasty and perfect. Some are creative and unusual in their combinations which sound a little crazy: orange, cardamom, coconut, currant & macadamia nut, but worked really well together. I also tried the ginger spice (with real chunks of dried ginger) and their version of double chocolate chip. The cookies are big, crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, and just the right amount of sweet. I'm heading over soon to try their Chocolate Chip, which, as some of you know, is my absolute favorite and the cookie against which all other cookies are measured.



They also serve brownies, cakes, muffins, scones and of course biscuits, PLUS a variety of savory & vegan goods. Let me know if you go!

Cookies and Brownies

I feel so fortunate to live within mere blocks of four great Italian bakeries, each with it's own specialty. Today I'm highlighting the cookies from the sort-of recently renovated F. Monteleone & Cammareri Bros. Bakery (355 Court St., between Union & President Streets, 718-852-5600) in Carroll Gardens. When I'm coming home from work and am in need of a little sweet pick-me-up, I pop in here and get a little assortment of treats.

Looking at the photo below, starting in the middle with the big white cookie is the Almond Paste cookie. This is a soft cookie, made mostly with almond paste and covered with the finest powdered sugar, and is one of my favorites. It tastes fresh, with no bitter or fake aftertaste which taints too many of these kinds of cookies. Going clockwise we have the raspberry sandwich cookies with sprinkles. The cookie is slightly almond flavored vanilla cookie; smooth, crumbly and buttery but not overly sweet, with a layer of raspberry jelly and half-dunked in chocolate and then coated in multi-colored sprinkles. Not my favorite, but basic, tasty and fun.



At the top are the Seven Layer Cookies, again made with almond paste, with thin layers of apricot jelly between the cake and then coated in dark chocolate. These are more subtle than the straight-up Almond Paste cookie, they are moist little morsels of yumminess. The last cookie is the Apricot Butter cookie, a simple butter cookie with a dollop of sticky apricot jam in the center. These are some of my favorite kinds of cookies. They aren't overly buttery, and have a lovely little design around the outside. Perfect with coffee or tea at the end of a meal.

Then there are times when I want a more substantial desserty snack, something really chocolatey and satisfying. At those moments I head over to Naidre's (502 Henry St., at Sackett St., 718-5963400) (NOT an Italian Bakery but in the space formerly occupied by Cammareri Bros. Bakery, which was in the movie "Moonstruck") to pick up one of their massive Brownie's, which last me two days, so make sure you get it in a glassine envelope so it will keep. It's so chocolatey, with loads of chocolate chips throughout it's moist, cakey goodness. It's dense too, and a little on the sweet side (hence the time-out half-way through).



I like the corner piece, but they'll give you whatever piece you ask for!

Pastries from Provence En Boite

It's been recommended to me on a number of occasions that I try the croissants at Provence En Boite (263 Smith Street at DeGraw Street, 718-797-0707) (thanks Mimi!). I was even at a potluck Brunch in Western Massachusetts recently when someone, upon learning I lived in Brooklyn, enthusiastically came over to me to encourage me to seek out this little pastry. So this past weekend I decided it was time. I picked up a few of their baked goods and went home for the taste test.

I started with the plain croissant. It looked like a little crab to me; it was the size of the palm of my hand, with two sharp curled-in points that looked like claws. It was crusty on the outside, super flaky and slightly sweet and very rich and buttery. Pretty much the perfection I had heard about.



The Chocolate Croissant was on the smallish side as well, which is probably a good thing, since these little treats are so rich with tons of butter. This was made with two" logs" of hard chocolate which is not my preference. I'd much rather have softer, richer chocolate spread evenly throughout the middle. The dough was flaky, and everything tasted good though - fresh, not fake.



The Almond Croissant was really good. The almond paste was subtle, and not overpowering, in a thin layer inside the soft & dense yet flaky shell. Powdered sugar coated the top along with lots of slivers of almonds. I think this was my favorite out of the three.



I haven't been here for a full meal yet, although I've heard mixed reviews. Your thoughts?

Pastries from Marquet Patisserie

One thing I love to do on Sundays is get some good pastries and sit down with a coffee and the paper and read all morning. On this particular Sunday, I had a craving for the Apricot Danish from Marquet Patisserie (221 Court St., between Warren and Wycoff Streets, 718-855-1289). This little beauty is quite something to behold. The halves of apricot peek out from their cozy pastry nook, tasty sweet cheese is layered throughout, adding denseness to the flaky dough. It's not too sweet, is just the right size and is delicious.



My boyfriend wanted the Almond Croissant, a huge portion of flaky pastry with a layer of almond paste inside and almond slivers on the outside. This lasted us almost all day, as you cannot eat it all in one sitting. If you like almond flavor, then you'll like this. It's on the sweet side though, which adds to the necessity of eating it slowly.



I also got a Pain au Chocolat to round things out. This was pretty amazing. Real chocolate filled the interior, it was baked to perfection and was light and flaky and thoroughly enjoyable.



The coffee is good here as well, and while I've never tried the savory food, I hear they make a mean egg salad sandwich.

Sweet Treats from One Girl Cookies

I treated myself to some cookies from One Girl Cookies the other day (68 Dean St., between Smith St. & Boerum Pl., 212-675-4996) because, well, sometimes a little sweet is needed. I hadn't been to One Girl in a while because I was a bit disappointed with the goods after they first opened. I'm happy to report that things have changed. I loved every one these little beauties, each with it's own girl's name.

First there was the Chocolate Chip Cookie (I didn't write down all the cookie names at the shop, so my information isn't complete!). This had a classic flavor, was a little chewy and cake-y and had a hint of vanilla. I liked it a lot more than the first Chocolate Chip I had here, which didn't have a good flavor at all.



To the left of that is the Cecelia - two Chocolate Cookies with Mocha Creme filling. This was great with a hint of coffee and a crispy, crumbly cookie - really yummy!

Then there was the Penelope - a butter cookie with apricot preserves. This was delicious - buttery and flaky with a burst of sweet apricot flavor.

My favorite out of the bunch was the Peanut Butter cookie with Coconut Flakes (again, no name!). YUM! Coconut, butter, peanut butter - how can you go wrong? This was absolutely fabulous, with so much flavor packed into such a tiny cookie.

I also got a Lemon bar since those are the BFs favorite. He said: "It's thick, subtle and gummy. The lemon isn't overpowering, which is nice, and the top is a little crusty which is a good balance to the sugar". He then declared it better than most. I thought the lemon was a good, true lemon flavor, but I prefer a nice buttery, chocolatey cookie.

Cake Man Raven

A friend of mine who lives in Ft. Greene had been wanting to take me to Cake Man Raven ever since she knew about this Food Blog. We made the trip together on a recent Saturday afternoon to the narrow storefront at 708 Fulton St., where S. Oxford St. & Greene Ave. intersect (718-694-2253). The sidewalk out front is crowded with lush tropical-looking trees and flowering plants, complete with a little bench for sitting and enjoying your slice of cake, should the weather permit.

As you walk in, you're met with two big deli cases full of plastic take-out containers with big, fat slices of Southern Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. That's it. You can get other flavors of cake if you're ordering a whole cake (German Chocolate, Pineapple Cream Cheese or Coconut Pineapple), but as far as slices, the Red Velvet is all you're gonna get.



Which is fine, actually, because it's amazing. Definitely go with a friend, because it's even too much for two to finish. The cake is dense and moist and subtly sweet. The frosting is thick and creamy and very sweet. Try to have some coffee or tea to balance out the experience, or else you might go into shock. It's a perfect, decadent treat. Check out Gastronormous's recent visit also!

Amazing Cupcakes from Ladybird Bakery

A friend celebrated his birthday at a local bar, to which another friend brought two huge bakery boxes full of some of the most amazing cupcakes I've ever had. The cupcakes, from Ladybird Bakery in Park Slope (1112 Eighth Ave., 718-499-8108) were an assortment of vanilla, chocolate and red velvet cake with a whole bunch of icings and toppings.



The hit of the night was the red velvet cupcake with cream cheese frosting. It was devoured before I could snap a picture! The frosting was creamy, subtly sweet, and went incredibly well with the red velvet cake, which was moist and tasty.

There was a vanilla cupcake with strawberry frosting that was really nice too. The frosting tasted like real strawberries! And also reminded me of Breyers Strawberry Ice Cream.



There was a Vanilla Cupcake with Sugar Frosting and Coconut Flakes that was pretty amazing, with the consistently moist cake, and tons of coconut on top. The Buttercream Frosting was too buttery for me, but that's my preference. It was beautiful though, with colorful sprinkles.



You can see that these cupcakes were so enticing, nobody was able to keep their fingers away to sample all the toppings and flavors.



Ladybird Bakery has so many options for building your own birthday cake too - standard cake options, specialty cakes (ie. orange, mocha), types of filling (ie. flavored buttercream, fudge) and all kinds of frosting (ie. vanilla, chocolate glaze). The results are as good as the choices sound! YUM!

Bialys, Croissants & Raisin Nut Rolls from Mazzola Bakery

Mazzola's Bakery (192 Union St., at Henry St., 718-643-1719) is my neighborhood bakery. It's old school and the ladies who work there (and the one young guy who's still in High School and works in the afternoons), are awesome. So efficient and fast, but warm and friendly at the same time. At night you can smell the fresh baking bread wafting around the block. It's one of my most favorite things about the neighborhood.

The bagels at Mazzola's are not that great. In my search for an alternative, I discovered the Bialy. Oh wonderful Bialy - not too big and with a sourdough-y tang and little bits of onions in the center that offer a nice bite. I usually get it toasted with cream cheese; it's the best little breakfast meal on the go.



Their plain croissants are decent. You have to take into account that this is an Italian bakery, so don't expect perfection. If you're dying for a croissant, this will do you well. It's big, soft, flaky and buttery.



Their Chocolate Croissants are great though. The chocolate is soft and evenly spread throughout, not a hard log of chocolate in the center. It's baked so that it's nicely browned on the outside.



The best item offered at Mazzola's though, is the Raisin Walnut Roll. This is a dark roll full of fruit and nuts and dusted with cinnamon. It's hard on the outside and soft & dense on the inside. I usually get it with butter, but it's definitely tasty without, and goes well with a nice, hot cup of coffee, of which there are a number of flavors available at Mazzola's. Big thanks to Serious Eats for the mention!