Veniero's Pasticceria & Caffe

Veniero's Pasticceria & Caffe is a well known Italian bakery in New York.  It has incredible history, as it was founded in 1894, and has been run by the same family since.  Known for both traditional Italian pastries (cannoli, biscotti, tiramisu, butter cookies, etc), but also for having what some consider the best New York cheesecake in the city (they also make Italian version, if you prefer).  Veniero's has won all sorts of awards, been on a bunch of TV shows, etc.  

I didn't hear about Veniero's through any of those channels though.  I first learned of Veniero's the very first time I ever visited New York, years ago.  A friend told me about this bakery where he got the best cheesecake of his life.  He had a tale about walking the entire length of Manhattan, a trek of many hours, that resulted in landing at Veniero's, and having this life changing cheesecake.  He said it was worth the trek.  And so, my first time to NY, I sought it out too.  I wasn't much of a foodie then, but, I've always had a sweet tooth, and I do remember enjoying it, but nothing more specific than that.

When I returned to New York this summer to spend a month, I knew a return visit to Veniero's was in order.  

Charm, since 1894.

Very little has changed at the bakery since my last visit probably 15 years ago, and from the sounds of things, very little has changed since they first opened.  They are still at the same location, and the bake shop is in the basement, same as it has been for ~130 years.  

Baked Goods.

There is still a looong bakery counter with all the goods on display for takeout, and a full dining room if you prefer to dine there and have table service.  They also deliver on all the major food apps these days.

The line of pastry display cases extends the entire length of the store.  It can take a while to take in the lineup of all the goodies, which range from Italian classics like several kinds of cannoli, tiramisu, eclairs, cream puffs, lobster tails, napoleon, millefoglia, and butter cookies / biscotti of all kinds.

More Baked Goods.

Then there are slices of cakes, individual size cakes, mousses, fruit tarts, and more.  Mini sizes of many items exist too.

Cakes.

Also running the length of the inside are refrigerated cases, housing all the full size layer cakes, which are far too numerous for me to enumerate.

Mousses and Cheesecakes.

And finally, more refrigerated cases, with the mousse cakes and the huge lineup of cheesecakes.

I've only included a few photos of each to give you an idea of the offerings, but, the lineup is vast.  To place your order in person, you must take a number, just like a deli counter at a busy supermarket.

Signature Box.

If you get your goodies to go, they come in a Veniero's signature box, tied up with string.  A cute touch, although I found it a bit cumbersome to break into my goodies ASAP!

Box of Joy.

I narrowed my selection down to just 4 items, which, was agonizing as I wanted so many items, but, I also can only consume so many pastries in a short amount of time, and these are mostly pretty perishable.

My final choices were strategic: one individual sized caffeinated cake, one non-caffeinated cake slice, one caffeinated pastry, and one cheesecake.  The pastry I knew would only keep a few hours, the cakes could be ok for a day or two, and the cheesecake a bit longer.  My plan was to start with the most perishable caffeinated item after lunch (and obviously try a small bite of the other caffeinated one), have the most perishable non-caffeinated item after dinner, the caffeinated cake the next day with lunch, and cheesecake last.

My strategy mostly worked, besides the fact that of course I still wanted to try them all immediately.  The came all separated by paper, and stayed fairly tidy in the box.

Lobster Tail (Chocolate Cream). $6.60.

"A crispy shell filled with either chocolate or vanilla bavarian cream topped with poedered (sic) sugar."

After the truly, truly glorious lobster tail I had from Mia's Bakery in Brooklyn a few weeks prior, I couldn't stop thinking about lobster tail pastries.  I also had been craving chocolate, and when I saw Veniero's did a chocolate filled version of the lobster tail ... well, I knew I had to get it.

The Veniero's version was a very, very mixed bag for me.  The pastry itself was a complete let down.  While it looked relatively crispy, and the description declared it such, it was not.  The layers were great, but, it just wasn't crispy or flaky in any way.  It also was just a (layered) croissant-like pastry, it didn't have the second choux like layer inside.  So, a true lobster tail it wasn't really?  The powdered sugar coating was good.  I suspect that it was not freshly filled to order, and had been stored in a refrigerated area due to the cream filling, and thus, the pastry was soggy.  So, pastry aspect?  **, the flavor was fine, construction was good, but, it was soft.

The filling however was great, and abundant, given how thin the pastry wrapper was.  The description said "chocolate or vanilla bavarian cream", which I parsed as "chocolate bavarian cream or vanilla bavarian cream", so I expected a thick, egg based, bavarian style cream.  It was not.  It was however a very glorious thick chocolate cream, so, perhaps the correct parsing was "chocolate cream or vanilla bavarian cream"?   I truly didn't mind, as I adored the chocolate cream filling.  Lovely milk chocolate flavor, perfectly smooth, nicely thick.  Excellent filling, and honestly, I'd gladly eat just a bowl of it topped with fresh strawberries or raspberries, maybe a scattering of mini chocolate chips/curls/nibs, like a mousse, and be very very happy.  ****.

So, overall, I loved what was inside, but, I ordered a lobster tail and not a chocolate mousse because I wanted the crispy pastry, so, *** overall.  I wouldn't get it again unless I could verify it being freshly filled to order, but would gladly try more items with this filling.

The size was reasonable - one person could finish it, two could share (if they got another item too of course) and still feel like they got a real taste.  About the size of two larger size cream puffs, if that makes sense.  Or, you know, *half* the size of the monster from Mia's.  It was $1 less than Mia's, and the price did feel a touch high.

Windmill Pastry. $6.68.

"Chocolate sponge filled with light chocolate whipped cream, garnished with chocolate shavings."

After loving that chocolate cream so much, I opted to get another item clearly featuring it: the "Windmill" (not sure why it is called that).  

It may look like a cupcake here, but, it is much bigger, an individual round cake, not really a cupcake.  This, like most of the "pastry" items, is also available as a full size cake (6 layers!), and by the slice for $7.45.  I opted for the individual round one, because I thought it would have a higher ratio of chocolate shavings and chocolate whipped cream.  

I was pleased that all around it was covered in the dark chocolate shavings, and also quite pleased that it had extra chocolate cream perched right on top, AND around all the sides, in addition to being layered with it inside.  As I had hoped, it was the same, or at least, very similar to, the chocolate cream filling from inside the lobster tail.  Chocolately, fluffy, fairly tasty.

Windmill Pastry: Inside.

Here you can see the cross section, with the ratios of cream to cake.  Yup, very generous cream layer inside, and on top, and around the sides, and just two fairly thin layers of cake.  If you prefer more balance, I suggest a slice of the layer cake.

Anyway, the cake was the letdown.  Highly mediocre.  A bit too dry for me.  Not particularly strong or deep chocolate flavor.  Very "meh".

So, decent chocolate whipped cream, but, overall, not really a winning cake for me.  I wouldn't get this again.  ***.

Camillia Pastry.  $7.70.

"Camillia pastry is a delicate and delicious French-inspired treat. It is made of Yellow Sponge soaked in Raspberry liqueur, layered with seedless raspberry jam, whipped cream infused with Godiva white chocolate liqueur and topped with marzipan. The Camillia pastry is a perfect addition to any dessert table, and it's perfect for special occasions and events. Each pastry is handmade with the freshest ingredients, ensuring that every bite is a delicious experience. Its unique flavor and texture will sure to please everyone's palate."

The Camillia cake sounded really interesting to me.  Liqueur soaked cake, jam, white chocolate whipped cream, AND marzipan, all in one?  Even if one element was meh, there was so much opportunity here.  It also sounded a lot like princess cake, just with white marzipan instead of the signature green colored you find on princess cake, and the extra flair from the liqueur and white chocolate.

It was even better than I had imagined it would be.  Every layer was glorious.  And together?  Complete bliss.

There were three layers of cake, separated by either a layer of raspberry jam or white chocolate whipped cream.  The cake was incredibly moist due to the liqueur soak, and yet light and fluffy at the same time.  Pretty much perfect sponge cake, boosted by some booze.  **** cake.  

The raspberry jam layer was thin, but it was sweet and fruity, and, given the other sweet components, you didn't want it any thicker.    Very smooth, seedless, which made it integrate very well.  ****.

Then, the thicker layer of white chocolate whipped cream.  This was remarkably good as well - slightly complex sweet from the white chocolate, perfectly creamy, and again, in great balance with the other layers.  This same cream wrapped around the exterior as well, to bind the marzipan.  ****.

And finally, the marzipan.  Much like fondant, this can be a bit polarizing for folks.  But me, I like it.  And this version was no exception, although, it was certainly the sweetest element, and a little went a long way.  It was nicely soft, had a bit of bite to it, and had a lovely light almond flavor.  Very good.  ***+.

Put this all together, and really, it sounds silly, but, a bite really was pure bliss.  A collection of textures, different levels of sweetness, and just, well, joy.  I adored every bite of this.  *****.

New York Cheesecake (w/ Strawberries).  $6.69 + $0.85.

"Gluten free - creamy yet light, made with fresh cream cheese & sour cream. Proclaimed one of NY's best.  Topped With Fresh Strawberries."

"It is the creamiest and yet finest cheesecake that will ever approach your lips. (Proclaimed

New York's best). Indulge in the rich, creamy goodness of New York Style Cheesecake. Made with only the highest quality ingredients. The creamy, tangy flavor of the cheesecake is perfectly balanced with a hint of sweetness, making it the perfect ending to any meal. One bite of this delicious cheesecake and you'll be transported to the bustling streets of New York City. So why wait? Treat yourself to a slice of this classic dessert today!"

And finally, *the* signature item from Veniero's: the New York Cheesecake.  I opted for strawberry topping (+$0.85).  The description said "fresh strawberries", so I was slightly surprised they were glazed/sweetened, but I didn't mind.  The berries were very very sweet, but also, totally delicious.

And the cheesecake?  Yup, well, this is cheesecake perfection.  Sure, it doesn't have a crust, and I'd kinda prefer one, but, the cheesecake was flawless.  Textbook.  So smooth and creamy.  Rich in the right ways.  Light tang from the cream cheese and sour cream, but balanced by sweetness.  Check, check, check.  I have nothing to criticize about this cheesecake.  There is a reason it is so well known.  I'll gladly have it again and again. ****+.

The cheesecake is available in a round mini version as well, but I really wanted the (slightly more expensive) slice.  Of course, also available as full size 6" for $21 ($27.50 with strawberry) or 10" for $40 ($57 with berries).  They also have an Italian version (ricotta based), Sicilian version (ricotta, chocolate chips, glazed cherries), or several flavors of New York style (almond, chocolate marble, Oreo).  I'd like to try the almond NY version perhaps ...