Stellina Cafe

This little pink cafe is owned by the Sorella restaurant next door. It offers sandwiches, salads and the famous grissini that Sorella is known for. It also showcases luscious looking and tasting gelato. This is high end gelato expensive and worth it. Cones are housemade too for a full ice-cream experience. Gelato is $3.5 per serving and I ordered two in a cone which came to $6.53. The salted caramel with bits of chocolate was divine as was the giandujotto with bits of caramel. Incredible flavors like bananamil which is banana with animal cookies and coconut stadatellla make this a must visit for ice-cream addicts like me. 95 Allen Street.
MUST GO!

Il Laboratorio

The newly opened Il Laboratorio is a genuine modern ice-cream factory. Clean, industrial with minimalist seating, it houses the works in the back and retail in the front. Double the flavors of the Orchard Street location this is an ambitious undertaking. My favorite flavors are Thai chili chocolate and banana both of which were on hand when I was there. Two scoops in a small cup are $3.50 plus $1 extra for a topping. I got a hot fudge topping(pictured). Black mission fig, marscapone, lavender and other amazing flavors. Also, enjoy the refreshing sorbets on a hot day as they are made with raw fruit and quite tasty.
Must Go!

Red Rooster Harlem

Red Rooster is a hopping, happening Harlem hotspot. Complete with a big, beautiful bar this spot is a scene from the moment you enter through a velvet curtain. Hosts with attitude greet or don't greet you and you won't get a table without a reservation unless your name is Clinton or Obama. That being said there are 18 seats at three communal tables next to the bar and there I sat and consumed a fine meal. Ok, bread with exotically spiced chickpea dip arrives first. I ordered the Fried yard bird($21), sweet potatoes with maple bacon($8) and a frosty malted choclate for dessert($8). The two big pieces of chicken are fried darkly and exotically spiced over collards, white mace sauce and hot sauce plus a shake of spices and the chicken is tasty. The whipped sweets with maple bacon are super delicious- bacon makes everything better. The frosty malted chocolate served with house made creme fraiche and pieces of malted milk balls is an orgasmic dessert.
GO!

Dough

A doughnut pilgrimage to Bed-Stuy in the wee hours of the morning is not as far-fetched as it sounds if you love doughnuts. This bakery/doughnut plant makes baked goods for it's retail as well as other establishments in an open kitchen. Perched on the corner of Franklin and Lafayette it is a welcome sign to early morning hunters of a great breakfast. Stumptown coffe is served here along with just baked donuts showcased on the small counter. All doughnuts are $2 and with flavors like chocolate with chocolate nibs, dulce de leche with almonds and nutella filled- you are likely to encounter just the doughnut for you. All yeast all the time. We started with the chocolate covered with chocolate nibs- this doughnut was slathered in fresh chocolate and messy to eat and absolute doughnut nirvana. The coffee was killer and the hot chocolate $2.50 for a molten lava blend of several was absolute dark and delish. I took home the nutella filled and another chocolate as the freshness and absolute doughnut magic I wanted to bring home. G train to Classon Ave. 1 block walk to Franklin.
MUST GO!

Doughnut Plant

Oh, doughnut joy and happiness. The arrival of the Doughnut Plant at the Chelsea Hotel has been long awaited and overdue since August. It is more than a factory it is a cafe too serving organic coffee and hot chocolate and making the doughnuts right here in Chelsea. There are some new uptown flavors like creme brulee with a raspberry glaze a salted peanut cake doughnut and the regular favorites like the square jelly or the Valrohna chocolate. Doughnuts are $2.50 each and the place is packed especially on weekends. Mark Israel the owner is present at his latest gift for the Chelsea community and beyond.
MUST GO!

Pizza Roma

Roman style pizza is square with a formidable crust. There are few spots that do it right, Golosi is one and now Pizza Roma. This spot opened in the former historic Zito's bakery. You can dine inside or take your pizza to go by the slice. The margherita pizza pictured is $3.25 and was a tasty slice with good ingredients. The bianco or plain pizza was also strongly crusted with a little sea salt. If you dine in you get this pizza bianco or pizza bread at the table and it is divine. The star which is not pictured was the rice balls. Oblong, and freshly darkly fried these balls were divine- meaty, gooey with cheese and sauce. $6.00 for two. You can also order the Suppli or rice balls with porcini and cheese- also the best rice balls around. Most pizzas like potato and artichoke are $5 and the dessert pizzas are also $5. This spot rocks and don't forget the balls.
259 Bleeker at Cornelia St. Must Go!

Joe's Italian Cuisine of Ave. U.

There is no school like the old school and I am the headmistress. This spot offers authentic south of the boot food, heavy on the fish, olive oil and flavor. Eating here is like going back in time- same booths and food with the same delicious flavor I remember from back in the day. Baked clams ($8) with a piece of garlic on each clam sitting on a bed of olive oil thick with parsely are simply great. The bread here from a bakery on Ave. O is dense, and divine. The chicken parm.($8) pictured is served with a huge dollup of fresh ricotta which is the best I have ever tasted. You can't go wrong with any of their seafood dishes which offer a true Sicilian taste. You can eat an enormous amount of food for a reasonable price. Head to Nuccios bakery down the block afterwards for some Italian pastry. Ave. U and McDonald Av.
MUST GO!

9 Restaurant

New Eric Hara(Oak Room, David Burke's Townhouse) corner spot offers haute American style food among the ethnic pockets of Ninth Ave. The seating is slightly cramped though the food more than makes up for the space. A lunch special of two dishes for $15 is a bargain for the caliber of food served. The butternut squash pictured features candied bacon, organic mini arugula and a poached egg. The egg adds a lusciousness to the dish and the candied bacon is spectacular. The chicken BLT was food theatre piled high on a toasted brioche. Fries were perfection with some skin on served with mayo and ketchup. This is absolute comforting comfort food. Service here is top-notch.
GO!

Desserts NYC

A Chinatown treat, this sho serves up suprisingly killer cupcakes, cakes and chocolate balls of joy. Bowls of chocolate wait ready to frost the luscious sweets. You can have your cupcake frosted with chocolate, espresso, raspberry etc. The chocolate is specially thick, rich and delish. The vanilla cake is moist and fresh. The staff is very friendly and accomodating and at $2 per cupcake you are getting a sweet deal. This Chinatwown treasure is at 155 East Broadway around the corner from the East Broadway stop of the F train.
GO!

Oaxaca

Oaxaca is a chain of no-frills Mexican street fare restaurants offering authentic food in a spot of minimalist decor for very low prices. I have been to two of the Oaxacas- one on 4th Ave in Park Slope and one on Smith Street in Carroll Gardens. Each spot offers the same grub. There are daily specials and weekly lunch specials of two tacos and rice and beans for $6.95. I have tried both the taco and the burrito which is not on the menu. What sets these Mexican staples apart is that the the tortillas are warmed on the flattops and the fillings are that good. The tacos are $2.95 and filled with your choice of meats or specials. Yesterday, I ate the burrito with a filling of potato and poblano peppers that also included black beans, tomatoes, cheese and pickled onions served in a warmed and slightly charred tortilla with a dollup of sour cream. I asked for salsa verde whcich was a slightly spicy green salsa. The flavor was outstanding. Twitter.com/Oaxacatacos
Go!

One Girl Cookies

One Girl Cookies is an upmarket bakery in Cobble Hill specializing in mini artisinal cookies with girls names. Like petit fours these cookies are made from top quality ingredients. You can try four for $2.50 and they are all unique. I particularly liked the Lucia and the Lana. The Lucia has a shortbread bottom and combines caramel with a chocolate top for a swwet treat. The Lana is a bittersweet chocolate cookie with a raspberry jam center. Uniquely pretty cupcakes(pictured) are $2.50 and mini cupcakes are a steal at $1.50. A cute sort of nostalgic seating area.
F train straight to Bergen Street and One Girl is right on Bergen.http://www.onegirlcookies.com/
GO!

Maialino's

Danny Meyer's Roman trattoria is a remarkable achievement. Housed in the elegant Gramercy Park Hotel, you can look out at the lovely private park and enjoy your meal.
Starting with the hostess who said would you like to wait for your party at the table, and being seated at a comphy booth you feel the professionalism right from the start. The room has a warm feel and no noisy din usually associated with a full restaurant. We went for brunch and wanted to try a few things so we shared. Starting with the bombolini($4) and the brioche carmellatto($3). For the mains we also shared the malfatti(open ravioli) with their signature suckling pig($21) and a ricotta pancakes($14).
The roman style bread(pictured) served simply with sea salt was super.
The brioche was warmed in a tiny toaster oven- a homey touch for such a nice spot. Perfect tiny donuts with a light custard. The malfatti is perfection with it's housemade yolky pasty filled with the slightly salty pig in a butter sage sauce with the green from the arugula. The ricotta pancakes are light, sweet, cooked perfectly and served with a splendid fruit compote. My hot chocolate with flowere creme fraiche on top $5 was a tad light though pretty. A carefully chosen wine list. Bathrooms could be better lit. Gramercy Park Hotel- 2 Lexington Avenue.
MUST GO!