Artopolis is a hidden gem of a Greek bakery if you live anywhere but Astoria, Queens. If you live in Astoria, you are very likely to have visited once, and then quite often. Perhaps we are the only ones who live in Greenpoint, Brooklyn who know Artopolis, or at least I'd like to think so. They have so many tasty treats including every Greek dessert from galaktoboureko to baklava and even have special displays for the melomakarona and kourabiedes (pictured above). They must be extra special cookies in the Greek pantheon of cookies, I would gather.

But what we come for, most frequently, are the mini spinach pies. They will heat them up for you. They are only $1 each. They have cheese pies too. What could be better? Their coffee, iced coffee, iced frappe (Greek style, view here) is tasty and reasonably priced too. Four spinach pies, a coffee and an iced coffee is just $7.50. What are you waiting for? Meet me for coffee!


Artopolis
23-18 31st Street
Astoria, Queens
718.728.8484
Take the N to the end of the line

Littleneck Outpost on Franklin Street, Greenpoint sells sardine sandwiches ($9) and lobster rolls ($18) slathered in mayonnaise. I'm not saying that they go particularly heavy on the mayo. They probably do it just right. They have another location in Red Hook after all, so they probably know what they're doing. For me, however, the combo of mayo and lobster and those buttered and toasted Maine hot dog rolls is the opposite of delicious. But they have good iced coffee. And tin ceilings. It's ice shucked. The iced coffee, not the ceilings. Meet me for coffee?


Littleneck Outpost
128 Franklin Street
Greenpoint, Brooklyn
718.522.1921

Cafe Royal [image via Greenpointers]

After a fun jaunt to Cookie Road for coffee last Sunday morning with my favorite hubby (I have only one hubby, but he is my very favorite), I am on the hunt for more coffee spots in North Brooklyn. Greenpoint to be exact. Last week we sat outside in the sun! Outside! It was great and warm and great.

Aha! This place looks promising. Cafe Royal on Nassau. Thank you Greenpointers for the tip!



Café Royal
195 Nassau Avenue (Russell/Humbolt Streets)
near McGolrick Park
718.349.8584


***
Update
Scratch that. They're closed on Sundays. The search continues.

Update
Well, maybe we'll just go on Saturday.

Brooklyn Academy of Music


BAM, in downtown Brooklyn near the clock tower. Totally iconic.


They don't make signs like this anymore. Fontastic!


Now doesn't that look gorgeous? I love that this photo is time stamped.

I've been wanting to go to Junior's for five and a half years now, basically since we moved to Brooklyn. I'm not really a cheesecake fan, but really, Junior's is iconic. I was content with having a cup of coffee at the counter. Did they even have a counter? They must have a counter. (I looked it up online. They have a counter.)

So after we went to see a movie at BAM (another favorite iconic Brooklyn location of mine), we struck out for the Flatbush Avenue Extension (which I finally looked up on a map. All these years of hoping to happen upon Junior's on Flatbush Avenue did not prove fruitful. It never turned up.) And do you know what? It was my most favorite thing we have done lately!

The maitre d' was dressed in a suit. We sat at the horseshoe counter, and he immediately handed us menus. When does immediate acknowledgment happen in a New York restaurant? Our waiter was also dressed impeccably in a white shirt, black bow tie and vest. All of this proper service was straight out of another era. And it made our experience at Junior's so memorable. I cannot wait to go back.

We were just going to get coffee, but then we spied the mile-high lemon meringue pies in the window. So after three refills of coffee, we got a piece of pie to share. Look at this portion! Bottomless coffee was only $1.95 and this massive piece of pie (1/4 of a whole pie, in fact) dotted with the most delicious crumbs, was just $5.95. I think we tipped our waiter $10. He was great, and thanks to him, we had a great time.

Great logo, great orange stripes.


Yes, Junior's has a counter.


I love the milk pitcher. It's like a spaceship.


Would you look at this piece of lemon meringue pie!
Just look at it!

The much-anticipated new Paris Baguette in New York's Koreatown!


Banquet seating in the front. Très luxe.


Good lighting. I'm a sucker for good decor.


A subtle nod to French café society: metal stools originally
designed by Xavier Pauchard in 1934


That's a lot of French pastries.

All the food bloggers have been wagging their tongues about Paris Baguette, which opened in Koreatown on September 9. So much so, that I ran all the way to check it out! I ran because I just got a heart rate monitor watch, and wanted to see how many calories I could burn getting there. (Only 30, but I didn't eat anything, so it was win-win.) As you know from previous posts, one of my hobbies is dessert-gazing. Not eating, just gazing. So enjoy the pics, and go taste for yourself. They have another Paris Baguette in Flushing, which I think I've actually been to for some reason. Again, I just gazed. What is it with me and loving to look at desserts?


Paris Baguette
6 W 32nd Street (5th Avenue/Broadway, closer to 5th)
Koreatown
New York
212.244.0404

The self-serve station.
Grab yourself a tray and a pair of tongs and get ready to dig in!


Every pastry looks impeccable. And the place is fastidiously clean.


This light, flat sheet dotted with almonds fascinated me the most.


Japanese love "choux creme" too. I don't think the French refer to it as such...




These cakes are works of art. I'd definitely get
one for a dinner party.


I wonder how they taste?


...and now for the sinfully delicious (-looking)

I love the staff outfits: cute Paris-style striped shirts and berets.


The seating area in the back is also quite nice.
But I prefer the front banquets.


Checkout in the back. Lots of drinks too.
Like a matcha frappe. And cappuccino, etc.
Meet me for coffee!

This post is featured on Midtown Lunch for September 24, 2010

The coffee shop's Garment Center location


Just in case they correct their logo, I will have had proof of the typo.

From Gregorys [sic] Coffee

How is this a crème brûlée croissant? The name of this fine-looking pastry perplexes me. Crème brûlée, I can believe, but not croissant. And no one at Gregorys [sic] Coffee on 7th Avenue & 39th Street seems to know what's in it. I thought chain stores are required to provide ingredient lists and nutrition information as per the Mayor's last-year ruling, at least in-store, if not on their Websites. Not so for Gregorys, who also doesn't feel the need to punctuate their name properly.



And sadly, the typos don't end with the name (their logo, for heaven's sake!) Please read their tagline: "GREGORYS COFFEE STRIVES PERFECTION, THE RESULT IS A CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE SECOND TO NONE."

Remember when I went to The Ace Hotel three times in one week, took lots of pictures and was going to blog about it? Well I didn't (remember). Until just now, when I found all my pictures in my folder. That post may come tomorrow. In the meantime, here's a small tease. My favorite pretzel and macchiato. The pretzel is made by Brooklyn's own Frankie's Spuntino. Quite an ingenious shape -- thin and crispy on top and soft and chewy at the bottom. Somewhere around $3. Salt: totally removable. I like an unsalted pretzel myself.

What's New Year's without new thoughts, new practices, new ways of being, new taste sensations? Thus tomorrow, I am excited to try chicory added to our morning pot of coffee. Apparently, you can add 1/3 chicory to 2/3 coffee and make your morning cup more mellow and more New Orleans-y. Sounds exciting!

Cookie Road on Oak Street in Greenpoint is now open for cookies!


We walked by these paintings for many months, fantasizing about
what the cookies would be like.


Cookie Road, located at the corner of Oak and Franklin Street
in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Entrance on Oak.


hooray!

If you live in Greenpoint, or on Franklin Street, and have walked by the mysterious hand-painted signs on the stone and concrete facade of a once-residential corner building for the past number of months, you will be extremely excited to know that today, Cookie Road -- yes a cookie shop -- opened! I could not wait to get home and run right over with my camera to confirm it with my own lens (and eyes). So of course, I had to buy a cookie to celebrate their opening. Spanish Peanut or Chocolate Marshmallow? I will have to try the Spanish Peanut next! The Chocolate Marshmallow cookie is definitely for the cakey-cookie lovers. Soft, rich, delicious. Very delicious. Two dollars. Very reasonable.

Cookie Road will be open this evening until around 7 or 8. The proprietors will be testing some opening and closing times for the next few weeks; but you can bet they will be open 6 days a week, Tuesday-Sunday (closed Monday). The hours will be around 8:30am - 7pm, give or take an hour or so, depending on traffic to their new spot. Cookie Road also has special iced cookies in various shapes, as well as savory treats like quiche and all sorts of coffee (including iced) and espresso. Prices are good old reasonable Greenpoint prices. Amen to that. Cookie and coffee fans, show your support for Cookie Road!

A new awning, and a very neigborhoody spot.


Taste of the case. My Chocolate Marshmallow cookie front and center.


Chocolate Marshmallow cookie, lit by the setting sun off the East River.

This post is featured on Greenpointers for June 19, 2009

Here's what I would like to know. What are the various prices on a small (12 ounce) cappuccino in and around Midtown. Now that I would find useful. I think I will just have to compile a list myself. Excuse my while I do some research.

Okay, here is my list, starting with my favorites on down to ones I haven't tried yet. Note: all prices are before sales tax.

Macchiato Espresso Bar

141 E 44th Street (Lex & 3rd)
New York, NY
Midtown East

212.867.6772
small cappuccino $3.15

Pain Quotidien
Bryant Park
70 W 40th Street (btwn 5th & 6th Avenues)
New York
Midtown West
212.354.5224
small cappuccino $3.69

Pret a Manger
1410 Broadway @ 39th Street
New York
Garment District
646.572.0490
small cappuccino $2.79
BEST VALUE!

Macaron Cafe
161 W 36th Street (btwn Broadway & 7th Avenues)
New York
Garment District
646.573.5048
small cappuccino $3.75

Amish Market
240 E 45th St (2nd & 3rd Avenues)
New York
Midtown East
212.370.1761
small cappuccino $3.25

Joe The Art of Coffee
Graybar Passage
Midtown East
Grand Central Terminal
New York
212.661.8580
small cappuccino $4.00

'wichcraft
Bryant Park kiosk
11 west 40th street @ 6th avenue
New York
Garment District
small cappuccino $2.95*
Read about Coffee Happy Hour on Midtown Lunch!

Zest Cafe
1441 Broadway (40th & 41st Streets)
New York
Garment District/Times Square
646.572.0490
small cappuccino $3.00*

Europa Cafe
1412 Broadway (39th & 40th Streets)
New York
Garment District
212.398.9822
small cappuccino $3.25*



*Haven't tried these yet.
**FYI, a small cappuccino at Starbucks is $3.20





This post is featured on Midtown Lunch for December 12, 2008

The new demi-sized Joe is strictly to-go.
I am intrigued by the spiral staircase in the back. Where does it lead?

Joe The Art of Coffee opened its doors this week (at last) in the Graybar passage of Grand Central Terminal. This location is store #4 for the West Village mini chain.

I will get back to you in this post after I try their iced coffee which, in my opinion, will indicate the true taste and strength of the brew. My brief checklist: 1) it must be dark and chalky (note: chalky is a good thing in my book), and 2) if a small goes over $2, it must have a darn good reason; i.e., extra chalky.


***
My honest review: The small was $2.10 which I didn't mind, except I had to fumble in my change purse for the dime. I wish stores would just round off their prices. But then the small turned out to be a super-small small, making the price more like $3. The taste: not as chalky as I prefer. It had a note of something. Chicory? Chocolate? I am not sure, but the brew wasn't dark enough for my tastes. I am glad because I didn't want to be a traitor to Macchiato.



previous post:
Joe The Art of Coffee

The Bluedog on W25th St and 6th Ave, packed as usual at lunchtime.


Come at an off-hour to grab one of the 5 or so tables: try 11am or 3pm.
You won't want to sit during the lunch rush, because the line
fills every nook and cranny of the small space. There is also
a lot of yelling from the staff to "shut the door, the AC is on!"
Yes, an off-hour is best to enjoy Bluedog.


The Bluedog takes the Hostess Cupcake in a gourmet direction.
The pricetag: $3.50 per cupcake.

The Bluedog Coffeebar & Bakery on W25th Street is a small catering company with a tasty revolving menu. The ingredients are always fresh and healthy, with plenty of vegetarian options. Last week I tried a small salad of miniature baked falafels, couscous, chick peas, and cucumbers (small: $5.95, large: $7.95, served with mesclun, garlic toast, olives, and feta). Delicious! This week I tried the tortellini salad with veggies and a mint dressing. Also delicious, but this time I got an unfortunately small portion. I can personally vouch for the iced coffee, which is always consistent. It is a super-caffeinated and full-bodied Iced Americano. The price for a small: $2.50. I would say that it is my favorite Iced Americano in the city. The staff gets a little cranky, but (mainly) when it's crowded. My advice, go on an off-hour.


Bluedog Coffeebar & Bakery
101 W25th Street (at 6th Avenue)
New York
212.229.9222
no Website

The sandwiches are all pre-made.
For a long time, I thought the numbers were the prices
and had sticker shock over the $16 sandwich.
But no, the numbers coordinate with the menu. See below.

The Menu! Click image to enlarge.


Insanely plump cupcakes for $3.50 a piece.
They certainly do not stint on the icing either.
Pictured above, the Reese's Pieces Cupcake with peanut butter icing.


Oreo Cookie Cupcake


Red Velvet Chocolate Ganache Cupcake