Colson Patisserie

Brooklyn's version of the Belgian bakery of the same name. French born film-maker trained with the culinary creator Hubert in Belgium to bring us this high lavel bakery. I rediscovered this patiserrie on Sunday after a long absence. Originally, there upon opening the baked goods look absolutely gorgeous. Traditional pastries, scones, breads, brioches and cookies. A chocolate chip cookie was super-fine and one of the finest around. Almond/chocolate croissant was also well done. Worth exploring more especially considering this one block of 9th street houses Colson and Almondine bakery.
GO!

Ovest

Situated on the far west of Chelsea, down the block from clubland, Ovest was devoid of the club kids when we ate there on Sunday night. Actually devoid of all diners when we first got there about 6PM. Never having ate at Luzzo's I was pizza curious and satisfied upon leaving. A big, square albeit odd space on this deserted block we sat down at a four top and ordered. Starting with fritto misto, and fried artichokes, they were both delicous. The seafood($10) was fried to perfection and tasty, tasty with a slightly spicy red sauce. I particularly enjoyed the artichokes which were also perfectly fried and delish. The pizza maker took great pride in creating the pie- an alessandro/arugula combination as we updated the arugula with fresh cherry tomatoes the restaurant added an open table fee to our bill for it. Also on the pie was fresh procuitto creating a nice smoky taste. The pie was perfect and tasted of green, and red almost like an Italian flag.
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Vesta

Vesta is a corner trattoria/wine bar in the far reaches of Astoria and it is worth the trek from the 30th Street N train station. Our Queens group arrived at 6:15 on Sunday when it was empty and quiet and by the time we left at 8:30 it was packed. The friendly waiters brought over nice bread and olive oil to start. What sets Vesta apart is the interesting menu. Lots of interesting pasta dishes and the Sunday special of three meat lasagna(veal, pork & beef) for $15 was the big draw for me. Two of us ordered the meatball appetizer(pictured above) which was two tasty meatballs in a intense/red/winey saurce. For the main, I ordered the Sunday special lasagna served up in a ceramic baking dish(very rustic). Absolutely rich, meaty, cheasy and delish.
The side of garlicky Russian kale with smashed cannelini beans was the perfect compliment. Their internet touted Baby Jesus cake which is simply a date cake surrounded by toffee and homemade whipped cream was a happy ending to a perfectly lovely meal. Wines were quite good according to the group.
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DBGB

Uber cool and hip industrial spot on the burgeoning Bowery. My second visit proved dissapointing foodwise. Though the bread and salted butter are what you expect from a high end restaurant other features are uneven. There are the sausages made on premises which are hit or miss. My viennoise with emmanthaler cheese(pictured) and served with housemade sauerkraut was a tad bland though sauerkraut was good. At $14 though it is pricey. A side of spaetzle for $6 was also underseasoned. The superstar dessert of rhubarb tart with meringue and ice-cream was a winner at $9. Unprofessional service for a spot of this caliber.
Slowgo!

Pain d' Avignon

Oh the bread.........Pain d' Avignon formerly sold to the trade from their bread ovens in Long Island City. Now in a tiny kiosk in Essex Street Market, one can enjoy the gorgeous breads and rolls at reasonable prices for artisan goods. Baguettes, pecan, cranberry, onion rolls are some of the offerings. These breads have depth, flavor and are perfect! If you are a bread lover.......you......
Must Go!

Hecho en Dumbo

Soaring, industrial space on the now trendy Bowery, Hecho soars with upmarket Mexico City style offerings. There is exposed brick on both sides of the long room and kitchen seating for those who like to watch their food being made. Water is brought over in a Patroon style bottle and they were nice enough to ask if I wanted ice in my water. This is not your chips and salsa style Mexican and you only get their housemade tortilla chips with an order of guacamole($7). The salsa shown above come gratis and include pico de gallo, a red and a green. The crema de elote soup of zucchini and corn with spring onion succotash was a perfect blend of flavors for $7.
The three sopes which you can mix and match- I had the chicken in a chile sauce plus two sopes de nopales(cactus) which included a spread of black bean puree on the tortilla(tasty) for $8. Enjoyed the hip, fab space and not too pricey food.
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The Spot

A divine dessert bar that creates desserts that are constructed in front of you. The desserts are in the molecular gastronomy realm or as I call it "molecular dessertronomy." Innovative flavor combinations as well as textural combinations. We shared a dessert tapas of three desserts- soft cheesecake, chocolate pudding with bananas as well as a coconut crema. The soft cheesecake was balanced by tangy blood oranges and crunchy granola. The chocolate pudding with bananas featured a crunchy sweet crisp made in house that was also divine. Lastly, the coconut crema served with passionfruit mousse was a refreshing combination. These desserts are delicous and different.
MUST GO!

Roebling's Tea Room

Guest house meets industrial warehouse chic. Roebling Tea Room sits on a corner in a huge converted factory space with some outdoor space to boot. A large menu of teas confirms that this is a tea room. Popular brunch lures in the local hipsters for some interesting brunch items. Do come for the "big pancake" pictured above for $10 which is an absolute killer cake with stewed fruit. $10 buys you this cakey delicacy with butter and syrup that is not only unique, but one of the best in town.
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Joseph Leonard

Farmhouse, shabby chic interior with wood-beamed ceilings and well worned wood tables. A perfect lunch-spot on a snowy day off from work. Lunch time is still pricey though an interesting menu creates a unique experience. There are cornichions and salt on the tables and service is thoughtful though distant. I ordered the crab sarnie with fresh chips as well as a side of winter stuffing. The sarnie came prettily served on toast though tasted better on the onion roll offered by the waiter. The winter squash with sausage and chestnuts was slightly spicy though a little bready. The best part of the meal was a salted caramel pudding with cookies on top which was t.d.f.
Go!

Lansky's

An old-fashioned Jewish deli with some new fangled dishes. Decorated in black and white and clearly an Upper West Side nabe fave. Starters include the requisite sour/half sour pickles and coleslaw. Tangy sour pickles create a tasty start. After watching reruns of deep fried paradise on the Travel channel, I could not resist the Devil Dog which is a deep fried hot dog with three toppings for $5.25.
My dog was a juicy mix of flavors with pastrami bits, brisket and baked beans as well as raw onions. Delish. The other two dishes- mac and cheese croquettes, and potato pancakes were a supporting cast to the deep fried dog. Very accomodating service.
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Cafe Luluc

Charming, and friendly French style bistro with a killer brunch. Minus the long lines on Clinton Street, these pancakes are worth the trip. Topped with fresh fruit they are nicely crispy at the edges and superflavorful. A side of bacon was cooked to order and hot chocolate a comforting breakfast drink. Empty before 10AM on Sunday, affordably priced and offering the usual brunch dishes besides the heavenly pancakes. Great Brooklyn brunch!
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La Lucha

La Lucha stands for a popular free-style wrestling popular in Mexico. It is a stylised little spot on Ave. A. and East. 9th street. Decorated with little Mexican wrestling figurines, it is a hot pink skinny space. There are vintage wrestling movies projected on a white wall which is a nice touch. The food is authentic, quite good and cheap which is why it is popular. Chips are fried up in house and naturally addictive. The guacamole pictured is limey freshness served up with those insane chips. I have been here twice for dinner and once for brunch. At brunch the chiliquiles are the best I have tried outside Mexico- served with chicken there are lots of flavors at once. There Mexican hot chocolate hits the mark with perfect richness. The flautas are served with cheese or chicken and are tasty as is the corn pictured which is one of the spicier ones I have tasted. You can have dinner here for under $20 in a fun, relaxed and unique enviroment.
GO!