I recently took my first trip ever to NYC to visit a dear friend of mine. When people told me I would “fall in love with the city”, I just really didn’t understand. Growing up in Chicago and currently living in Houston, I figured it couldn’t be much different from other American cities. My immense TV and movie knowledge informed me there would be more intense people, more famous sites, and more crazy taxi drivers than most cities, but I just wasn’t convinced of it’s glory…
Until I flew right over Manhattan sitting next to this little gem…
and then I got really excited. In the first few hours of arriving I had seen about half of the most famous sites of New York I could have only dreamt of seeing, while staying up until 2 am (early by New Yorker standards). The craziest part was that at 2 am on a Thursday night the city was packed with people… What was this nonsense!?
The energy and the swagger NYC has is incomparable with any place I’ve ever been. The fashion, the attitude, and the aura of the city entranced me. I truly did fall in love with NY, and I can prove it to you with my collection of glamorous shots of me eating dessert all day every day I was there… Legitimately every day at least twice a day…
You’ve seen the famous sites, you’ve eaten the ever famous pizza (I’m drooling just thinking about it), but have you participated in the dessert tour I did? If you’re looking for somewhere for a sweet bite, here are my personal favorite picks from my trip!
1. The Spot
This Asian inspired dessert “spot” is truly one of a kind. The menu is set up like a tapas bar with around 10-15 different options for $7 a pop. They’re most famous for their green tea lava cake. Obviously I was sold at the words “lava cake”. The chocolate mound is hot chocolate cake that comes filled with a green tea and chocolate lava that pours out all over your plate. This is perfectly complemented by a fresh green tea ice cream. I would have never thought to put the two together, but it was godly. Below you see my “OMG are you kidding me this is so good” face. Attractive to say the least. We also tried the Thai tea creme brûlée. Creme brûlée is by far my fave dessert, and this one with the Thai tea was really unique and fun! I would definitely recommend it.
2. Molly’s Cupcakes
The people of NY know of Magnolia, one of the most famous cupcakes joints in town, but after trying it and then indulging at Molly’s, I can’t really back up the hype. Molly’s cupcakes is the cutest place of all time, with waitresses sporting fifties style hair do’s and the oldies playing in the air, it was just adorable. These awesome swing chairs at the coffee bar didn’t hurt the ambiance either.
The real reason we came in though was for the best cupcakes I’ve ever had. Hands down. And I know a thing or two about cupcakes… About eating them at least! I sprang for the peanut butter Nutella… Duh. David grabbed a creme brûlée one with berries on top (noticing a pattern here?), and we shared the two of them. The cupcakes were seriously devoted to their flavors, packing an amazing amount of peanut butter flavor into the one cake, while there was a delightful brûléed crunch on the other! I was in my own little heaven when I also noticed that they had various free sprinkles set out to decorate your cake with next to all of the coffee fixins… Could this place be any better?
3. Lauduree
You’ve possibly heard the name of this famous macaroon joint since it originated in Paris. As Lauduree is located on the Upper East side, I did my best to fit in with the glamour that only a rich 16 year old could portray (Seriously, who owns a white leather jacket and a Prada bag at that age?). It was like being transported to France as soon as we hit the doors. Everything was written in French, which I personally loved having taken a bit of French in school, and the people working there were obviously filtered through to attain an elegant but adorable at the same time kind of feel. Words cannot describe how fancy this place is. So here, take a look. And yes, that is a gold leafed macaron.
David and I decided that pistachio, raspberry, and salted carmel would satisfy our sweet tooth. It’s not a cheap experience, especially if you grab a fancy gift box, but if you really want to feel treated to something special this will definitely make you feel like a princess.
4. Levain
This tiny little bakery is hidden on the Upper West side just a couple blocks from Central Park. With room for about 5 people inside, there tends to be a line out the door. Once you enter the doors your nose fills with the scent of chocolate and fresh bread. The options are limited, but it really doesn’t matter because you need to come for the cookies. They are unlike any cookie I’ve ever eaten. The monster sized beauties come in three flavors, so naturally we got one of each. Chocolate chip and walnut, double chocolate chip, and chocolate with peanut butter. The cookies are incredibly dense with a crisp outside and a gooey inside. David and I took ours to the park and went to town! This chocolate brioche followed by cookies was breakfast… I had no complaints.
Ahh New York, I loved you so much and cannot wait to go back! Just for good measure, here are a few famous sites… You can’t really see enough of them. If you ever make it there, make sure you don’t forget dessert!
Sew Bake Decorate 