There is no shame in dragging your friends fifty two blocks, past the industrial clothing factories dotting Orchard Street where bearded men hock paisley dresses and orthopedic shoes circa 1969, all for the minor miracle of huddling in a tiny shoppe – just to get a taste. Yes, my obsession with il laboratorio del gelato, is very much like crack. Quite honestly, look to your right and let me know if you can possibly resist the creamiest gelato in New York City.

Dedicated to producing the very finest ice cream and sorbet, il laboratorio del gelato opened in August 2002 on Orchard Street in Lower Manhattan. With a list of almost 100 vibrant and affordable flavors which includes chocolate kahlua, lemon verbena, fuji apple, dinosaur plum…the options are dizzying and endless. This hip looking slip of a store offers an expansive window into an open kitchen, where their frozen desserts are hand-made in small batches, and many of the ingredients are locally supplied or organic.

With gelato this divine, you want to stop and sample all the flavors. On today’s trek, we savored toasted almond, blueberry and basil and yes, we are going back!

Prices: $2.75 a small cup (two scoops), $3.25 for a medium, and $3.75 for a large. Pints are $4.75, and $4.50 for two, or more pints. $2-5 for cappuccino, and other assorted drinks, such as affogato (espresso poured over a scoop of gelato.)

il laboratorio del gelato
95 Orchard St., New York, NY 10002
between Broome and Delancey Sts.
212-343-9922
Subway: F/V to Delancey

Famished | Email | Print | //

After spending a luxurious two weeks in Paris sampling mousse and berry tarts, coming home to a sultry New York summer replete with hour-long lines at Starbucks and crowded thoroughfares, I was desperate for a little bit of Paris in Soho. Meet Ceci-Cela: a charming, cozy (cozy in New York speak = claustrophobic) cafe that evokes nostalgia for the crowded patisseries of Paris. Maybe it’s the glass cases of impossibly delicious pastries baked by chef Laurent Dupal who was trained at the prestigious Compagnons du Devoir du Tour de France or the loaves of warm bread smothered in strawberry preserves, but this shop is the eminent destination for sweet-hounds and gourmet coffee lovers, tired of the morning coffee carts lining the streets.

Owned by two former French pastry chefs who met while working at a Club Med, Ceci-Cela boasts a loyal following of downtown hipsters, expats and anyone seeking a cafe au lait and a flaky croissant (much better than the over-hyped Balthazar down the street). Although the service is a touch on the slow side, the savory fare is well worth it.

Duck into the woody back room with your Sunday Times and treat yourself to petit fours, a hearty sandwich and quiet in a notoriously rowdy neighborhood.

Ceci-Cela
55 Spring St
New York, 10012
(212) 274-9179
Subway: 6 to Spring Street

Famished | Email | Print | //

I stumbled on to Pala by sheer accident. It was a late Saturday night and Allen was buzzing with outdoor conversations, bottles of wine being uncorked and cabs screeching to a collective halt. My girlfriend and I were famished and headed into the open-air restaurant to grab a slice on the run.

We certainly didn’t expect to fall madly in love. Although Pala was packed the gills, one never felt claustrophobic as the structure is much like a garage, with fresh air, open space and tables flowing out to the sidewalk. Each table is adorned with sprigs of fresh oregano (for pizza topping) and the menu is bountiful (40 Italian wines, over a dozen unique pizzas). We started off with the spinach salad – which was to die for – a plate filled with organic greens, fresh blue cheese and browned walnuts. Next up was the zucca pizza (pumpkin and top-notch pancetta) for me and the spicy cherry tomatoes and chunks of fresh mozzarella for my friend. The menu was filled with delish antipasti, salads and pizzas – so decision making was trying.

Be prepared the pizzas are HUGE! For $8, you get a foot-long, thin crust pizza that can easily feed two. With attentive service, remarkable and green conscious food (organic dough and ingredients), Pala boasts a chic, comfortable vibe and good with great flavor.

Tip: Akin to Rome, pizza is served by the foot (a steal at $8) and easily feeds two. If you’re in a hurry, you can order up pre-made slices at the counter. Also, CASH ONLY.

Pala
198 Allen St
New York, NY 10002
(212) 614-7252
Between Houston Street and Stanton Street
Subway: F, V at 2 Ave

Famished, Scene, Thrifty | Email | Print | //

Hankering for walnut brownies, overstuffed ciabatta sandwiches, homemade granola, piping-hot peanut butter cookies without all the yuppified Park Slope attitude? My home base for long conversations and tasty fare has been Naidre’s, a sweet cafe that escapes the stroller-mom madness of bustling Park Slope.

Inside resembles your breakfast nook replete with cookie jars, coffee pots, handwritten signs and the latest issues of Seed, Business Week, Entrepreneur, O and Time Out New York, spread out amongst the tables. Service is quick and incredibly friendly and you can tell a little bit of love goes into everything they make. From fresh tuna melts on multi-grain bread to the cinnamon raisin organic home-made oatmeal that sells out in a flash, to a bevy of healthy and decadent sandwiches, the options are bountiful and the vibe decidedly laid-back.

If the sumptuous selection of baked goods (some vegan, sugar and gluten-free but all are divine) don’t lure you back, check out their no cell phone policy – imagine a quiet lunch without someone barking into their phone. There is no table turn policy here and I’ve spent afternoon hours munching on energy cookies (think granola, cranberries and all the healthy bits rolled into a fortifying treat) and sipping on raspberry ice-teas. The coffee is always strong and fresh, and tea selections delightful (black current, mango, english breakfast, and a variety of green teas).

So head in with the breakfast crowd for fresh food on the go or kick back in the later hours at this Park Slope down-home cafe.

Two Locations:
Park Slope
384 7th Avenue
(Between 11th & 12th Streets)
Brooklyn 11215
TEL 718-965-7585
EMAIL naidre@naidres.com
Subway: F to Seventh Avenue

Carroll Gardens
502 Henry Street
(corner of Sackett)
Brooklyn, NY 11231
TEL 718-596-3400
EMAIL naidre@naidres.com

Famished, Scene, Thrifty | Email | Print | //

Owners Peggy & Debbie, former theater actors who ran in the corporate circuit and former employees of the famed Magnolia bakery, took their love of baking and launched a full-scale operation in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Armed with dusty Betty Crocker cookbooks, quite simply, the two best friends wanted to open a cozy, comfortable shop brimming with velvet and decorative treats. Your home – only with a pantry of cupcakes. In 2002, Sugar Sweet Sunshine was born.

SSS is a kitch place with a low-key vibe. The decor borrows from the 60′s & 70′s with pea-green chairs, tv dinner tables and other accessories of the playful era. But the cupcakes are a pure delight. Pistachio nut, pumpkin, and rich velvet pipped with either chocolate or vanilla icing, I guarantee you will enter giddy and leave with a dizzing sugar-high. And with haute bakeries hocking tiny, bland cupcakes priced upwards of $3-$4, these darling and creatively made treats at SSS are a worthwhile steal at $1.50

Sugar Sweet Sunshine
126 Rivington Street
NY, NY 10002
212.995.1960
Subway: F/V to Delancey

Famished | Email | Print | //

A favorite among Cooper Union and NYU students, Chickpea, a new falafel joint in the epicenter of the East Village, is perfect for the budget-minded gal who has a hankering for savory shawarma (roasted marinated lamb, chicken or turkey fillets). Although the food is served in a rapid-flash style, there is nothing “fast food” about the chewy homemade pita, the outrageous falafel, the deliciously seasoned red onion and the shawarma – juicy and roasting on a revolving spit.

For $3.50, score a sandwich overstuffed with fresh food that’s high on flavor. And the scene is certainly not greasy or low-budget – copper counters, Moroccan starlight fixtures, even a lounge! – Chickpea is the perfect moniker for this tasty wallet-conscious spot.

Chickpea
23 3rd Avenue
New York, NY 10003
212.254.9500
Subway: 6 to Astor Place

Famished, Thrifty | Email | Print | //

Viriginia Woolf once said that one cannot think well, live well, and sleep well, if one has not dined well, and owner & executive chef Stephen Lyle (famous for the landmark, Odon restaurant), has taken this old adage to heart in his local favorite French-American bistro, Village. It’s apropos that Lyle has restored this superb 1920′s grand space, as the feel is decidedly a throw-back to the Algonquin set with its wood-paneled walls, antique fixtures, and dashes of vibrant red, everywhere. A vintage skylight that was uncovered and refurbished by the owners holds court in the dining room amongst locals feasting on oysters, steamed mussels, and perfectly-seasoned roasted chicken with lemon and thyme.

The menu is elegant and fish-friendly, and also ideal for the veggie-conscious diner (delicious fresh roasted beets with tarragon, arugula salad), but what makes patrons swivel in their seats are the frites, cooked to perfection.

A fine selection of French and Italian vintage wines and a cafe menu that offers American comfort food favorites, makes this the eatery you wouldn’t mind having around your corner.

Village Restaurant
62 W. 9th Street (6th Avenue)
New York, NY 10011
212-505-3355
*reservations highly recommended
Subways: F to 14th Street; Path train to 9th Street Station

Famished | Email | Print | //

Sometimes a girl just needs a cookie…or two, three – who are we kidding here? Go in for the baker’s dozen at City Bakery, the iconic cafeteria-style shop that sells delicious sweets and decadent treats – a must-have for the gal with the sweet tooth.

Although the decor inside is industrial, and the arrangement of the cafeteria sort with metal chairs, tables and the lunchroom line, don’t be deceived. Peer over the glass at warm pretzel croissants, piping hot chocolate (I dare you to drink the entire cup) and marshmallows for dunking, and enormous chocolate-chocolate chunk, oatmeal raisin, or black chocolate cookies. Prepare for the sugar rush, ladies, and be ready to indulge.

If you’re serious about your chocolate addiction, go the distance in the curtained off connoisseur’s room, where you’ll find bars of Dutch and Belgium treats, cocoa, and other savory delights. The fine variety will make your head spin.

And yes, this gourmet emporium offers healthy items with a salad bar that can’t be beat, lunches and brunches and other waist-conscious what-nots. But why would you want a chef’s salad or buffet-style fare, when buttery cookies await?

The City Bakery
3 W 18th St (btwn 5th and 6th Avenue)
New York, NY 10011
212-366-1414
Subway: 1/9 to 18th Street, F to 14th Street, 6 to 23rd Street, N/R to 23rd Street

Famished | Email | Print | //

If you’re jetting about on autopilot, you very well might miss Sympathy for the Kettle, a magical oasis in the uber-hip East Village where the vibe is decidedly rock and roll. This teeny haven serves up a smattering (150+) of organic, free-trade, and luscious mix-brewed teas in teapots from the dainty to the Orient. Don’t be deceived by the softly-lit wire lamps, serene pink walls, and the display cases filled with whimsical china cups, sterling silver tea strainers, and aficionado books – owner, Jodi Holiday, stocks up whimsy alongside a rock and roll edge (from the tattoos to the Page and Plant blaring from the stereo).

But the teas are nothing short of divine. Holiday serves up the classic mainstays: earl grey, english breakfast, however, she’s creative, much like an obsessed French perfumier, creating new blends such as a Provencal blend of black teas and lavender. Customers have a choice of kettle teas, healing teas (infused with date, ginger citron or quince) or their famous honey/green tea lattes.

While the majority of their teas are from China, Sri Lanka, Japan, India, Indonesia, Taiwan, and emerging Rwanda, Kettle also offer herbs from South Africa, Argentina, Turkey, Iran, Egypt, France and the United States (including ginseng from Wisconsin and organic peppermint from Oregon).

So if you’re interested in proper tea with an edge, visit this favored East Village haunt where the teas and homemade treats (palmiers, scones) never fall short on flavor.

Sympathy for the Kettle
109 St. Marks Place
New York, NY
212-979-1650

Famished, Fancy, Pretty, Relaxin' | Email | Print | //

Owner and baker, Jerome Audureau, a man who believes baking isn’t baking until you shape the dough with your hands, adds Parisian flare to this simple, sweet space that is warm in decor (wicker and iron chairs), with walls that are painted in serene hues. Amidst soothing jazz, you’ll hear a constant buzz from patrons clicking on laptop keys or the family of tourists seeking refuge from the maddening galleries and street artists that flank West Broadway. Akin to the sidewalk cafes and bistros in Paris, you’re not gently prodded to the door as soon as you’ve polished off your goat cheese and portobello sandwich. Table-turn is an evil word at Once Upon a Tart and on a chilly Saturday afternoon, I met an old friend for hot tea, delicious treats and good conversation. During the three hours we spent in the cafe, I sampled the pumpkin cranberry biscotti AND scone, the roasted turkey and cranberry mango chutney and frisee sandwich, and a selection of their British teas, and couldn’t have been more satisfied. Wonderfully seasoned with a care for presentation, my late lunch was not only savory but sweet and flavorful. The freshest ingredients are used here and the proof is definitely in the tasty fare. The baked goods were heavenly – biscotti, light, crispy and the scone unbelievably light and flaky.

Whether you’re jetting in for a quick pumpkin cranberry biscotti or spending a lazy afternoon sipping green tea and indulging in fluffy, decadent scones or being very, very good with a savory sandwich and tossed salad, Once Upon a Tart brings a little bit of whimsy into downtown bohemia.

Once Upon a Tart
135 Sullivan Street (Btwn Prince/Houston)
New York, NY 10012
212.387.8869
Subways: C/E to Spring Street or N/R to Prince Street

Famished, Relaxin', Thrifty | Email | Print | //