Bluestreet Dessert Cafe

Dessert.  If you read my blog, you know I'm a dessert girl through and through (I eat dessert after every lunch and dinner, without fail, my blog has a label just for desserts and I review exclusively bakeries and ice cream shops on Thursday, etc).  So of course when a new dessert cafe opened in New York this May, I was going to pay attention.

"Coffee • Crepes • Waffles • Desserts. Your day-to-midnight cafe in NYC."

Note though that Bluestreet is a dessert cafe, not a bakery, a point I didn't quite realize until I visited.  The main attraction is their crepes, which they do make there and smother in Instagram worthy sauces, but most of the other desserts from the extensive lineup seem purchased from elsewhere.  Still a cute place, but not where to go if you want homemade desserts (other than the crepes and waffles).

Exterior.

The exterior was quite eye catching, with bright blue color (for "Bluestreet"?) and clear "COFFEE" and "DESSERT" signs.  In the summer, the whole front opens up, making it really quite inviting.

Inside.

Inside has table and long display cases, and an open prep area where you could watch them assemble items like crepes.

Nice Decor.

The place is really pleasantly decorated, is well kept, and clean.  I used the bathroom when I was there, and it too was aesthetically pleasing and clean.

Baked Goods / Chocolate.

The pastries looked decent, relatively glossy and flaky looking croissants, muffins with a homemade look, soft looking cookies.

They also sell several styles of $$ Dubai chocolate bars.

Cakes / Cookies.

On the bottom two rows of this case were cakes that didn't really look housemade.  I can't imagine a bakery making them in house putting in the little paper separators like that.  I suspect these are frozen and thawed, from a wholesale distributor. It was also notable that only one item in this entire case, on the middle row, said homemade (the carrot cake). The top layers were cookies and more cakes.

Mousses / Baklava. 

The most attractive looking items were here, as they carry a bunch of those fruit mousses that are shaped and colored to look like real fruits, and come wiht names like "Strawberry Bliss" (for the strawberry shaped one), "Blueberry Dream" (for the blueberry), etc.  This section also had tons of styles of baklava, and some other cookies and bars.

Dubai Chocolate Cake. $8.90.

"Rich chocolate cake layered with pistachio cream and crispy kadayif, finished with a glossy chocolate coating."

I ordered online in advance, so I didn't realize that the time I was picking something that didn't look homemade.  Yep, I went for the Dubai chocolate trendy cake.  I know, I know, but I really like crispy kadayif, and was in the mood for chocolate, so this sounded promising.

The cake was ok, but not really anything special. The chocolate cake bottom layer was a bit dry, not necessarily the freshest.  But the pistachio cream was sweet and creamy, I loved the texture from the crispy kadaif, and the fudge was fine.  This cake was definitely carried by the toppings, not the cake itself.

I did finish this (part I had with ice cream to balance the rich fudge) and liked it well enough, but I wouldn't get it again, and I doubt they make it in-house.  3/5, higher end.

Read More...

Ark Bagels

Ark Bagels is a bagel shop I walk by daily, literally right across the street from my office. I've never really given it a second glance.  It doesn't look particularly interesting, I've never heard it mentioned.  It opened in 2023, so it has lasted a few years, but reviews are mediocre-average.  I likely wouldn't have ever set foot inside, if it wasn't the summer of Paze*, and I opted to get a few orders there due to convenience.  Even though it was very convenient, the staff were friendly, my orders were always ready on time, I don't see myself returning as it just wasn't very good.  

*If you are unfamiliar, Paze is a digital wallet system (like Paypal or Google Pay) that you can use to check out with some merchants.  In the summer of 2026, when they launched, they had a promotion with most major credit cards and banks to give you back a $10 credit, up to 10 times, per card/account, if you spent $10 and paid with Paze.  One of their launch partners was Clover, the company behind many restaurant POS systems, so if you ordered online through their Clover storefront, and paid with Paze, you got $10 free (over and over, again, 10 times per card/account).  Tax, tip, it all counts towards the $10, so you could get something <$10, and just tip up to the $10 to trigger the credit.  I love a freebie, and I love excuses to check out places that I wouldn't normally stumble into, so I used Clover and Paze to go on little missions every weekend, gettings $100s in free food along the way

Bagels

Given the business name, you can guess that bagels are their main focus.  They make all the standard varieties, offer cream cheese and other spreads, and make breakfast egg or omelettes on a bagel, and lunchtime bagel sandwiches.

Poppy Seed. $1.99.

I tried one bagel, poppy seed, something I used to get frequently back in my regular bagel eating days.

It was very average bagel.  Probably above average for not New York, but, average for here.  Big, puffy, decent enough chew.  Well coated in seeds.  But otherwise completely unremarkable. 3/5.

Pastries

Near the registers they also have a variety of muffins and danishes.  Unsure if they are made inhouse, baked off in house, or acquired from elsewhere.  Some were fairly unnatural looking.

Banana Nut. $2.99.

This is one of the most unique banana nut muffins I've had.  To start, it used peanuts, not the more standard choice of walnuts.  This was fine, as peanut (butter) and bananas go together very well, but it does break from the mold.  The nut element however was extremely minimal - just the visible scattering on top.  The peanuts were chopped McDonald's hot fudge sundae style.

The muffin was evenly baked, slightly crisp top, moist enough inside, consistent crumb structure.  But no nuts within.

Banana Nut: SO YELLOW!

Inside the muffin was also a surprise: SO YELLOW!  The taste was banana but banana "flavored" not banana like banana bread.  So I guess artificial, although it wasn't a bad taste.  Just, clearly banana flavor not banana. 

It was a passable muffin, about what I'd expect at a generic cafe or hotel breakfast, not a real bakery fresh muffin.  3/5.

Deli Sides

They also have a small deli counter with salads, e.g. tuna, chicken, white fish, and the like.  One co-worker got the chicken salad and said it was horrible, but I love macaroni salad, potato salad, and slaw, so I still tried.

Macaroni Salad. $2.49.
(1/2 pound)

I was so excited for this.  I like even generic low end deli or grocery store macaroni salad.  When I saw it had both corkscrews and macaroni noodles I got even more excited.  It seemed actually homemade? And they ran out of a noodle type?

But ... yeah, wow, it was not good.  The pasta was really hard and gummy at the same time.  The overall taste was harsh and too acidic.  It had a very bad aftertaste.  I tried to mix it in with my regular salad, but the texture and flavor were both bad enough that I gave up and ditched it.  0 stars?

Potato Salad. $2.50.
(1/2 pound)

The potato salad fared slightly better than the macaroni salad, but it still was not something I'd get again, and seemed a bit sus in terms of freshness.

The potatoes were not too mushy nor too hard, so they were properly cooked.  The pieces were relatively small but fine.  But there were a lot of black spots that concerned me.  There was minimal anything else, just some unidentifiable bits of some kind of vegetable.  Reasonably well dressed.  But another meh here, and the black spots on the potatoes really did worry me.  2/5.

Read More...

Ayada Thai

I knew the hype.  The viral mango sticky rice.  Michelin-recommend. Yadda yadda.  I honestly didn't pay much attention to it, despite the fact that I work right next to Chelsea Market, and despite the fact that I do quite like mango sticky rice.  I've mostly just been over mango in the United States since living in Sydney for a while and having it locally grown.  It is just so dramatically better there than anything we have here (and I'm sure Thailand and others are great too).  But when my mom recently visited me in New York, and we did the tourist thing of wandering through Chelsea Market, I had to at least get *something* out of enduring that right?  Viral mango sticky rice it was.

Ayada Thai actually has a full sit down restaurant, that I've never heard anyone talk about.  I don't think it is noteworthy in any way, besides their sticky rice. The sticky rice got so popular that they opened a second business a few doors down, a much smaller space, that is literally just for the mango sticky rice. There are a few seats but it is basically a very efficient take out spot.  Since they sell one thing only, the line moves fast (and yes, there was a line).  All you do is say how many you want, and it is handed over instantly, as the containers are all ready to go.  They have multiple staff members off to the side doing nothing but cutting mango, and someone else packaging it up with the rice and sauce, so even though not made to order, it really did seem likely made within the last 20 minutes at most.  The level of streamlining they have done is impressive.

Mango Sticky Rice. $12.

The product however didn't look very impressive.  Packaged for takeout, the rice wrapped in plastic, the coconut cream in a little container. The mango fairly pale.  I didn't think it would be anything special, and sorta rolled my eyes at myself for even caring enough to get it.

But once I got home and warmed up that sticky rice and plated it up ... well, damn.  It is the best I've had in the US.  The sticky rice itself was actually perhaps the best I've had anywhere, which is shocking for takeout that I heated up at home a bit later.  The level of sticky, the sweetness in it, all was just perfect. I have no memory of having a better version.

The mango didn't look particularly ripe or like it would be better than average, but, it was.  Perfectly ripe actually, flavorful, pleasant sweetness.  I've had much, much better mango in other countries, but I don't think I've had better here.  The coconut cream was standard.

Put it all together, and no question, the best I've had in the US.  Yes, I'd get it again.  Yes, this is dangerous knowledge as I work across the street.  4.5/5.

Read More...

Zaab Zaab

I spent a significant amount of time in Sydney over the years, and whenever I was there, I ate southeast Asian food basically the entire time (with a bit of "Australian" thrown in from time to time, but mostly, southeast Asian).  It was just sooo good there, considerably better than anything I had in San Francisco.  I had kinda stopped eating that food in the US for the most part, as I was always let down. But since moving to New York, I've started warming to the idea of finding good Thai (and Singaporean and Malaysian, hopefully) food, particularly after loving some dishes from Thai Diner and Fish Cheeks.

I still didn't actually seek out Zaab Zaab, a local Thai restaurant, with two locations, one in Brooklyn, one in Queens.  They actually came to my office to do a catered meal, which is obviously a different experience than visiting their real restaurant.

Menu.

"All Khao Soi's are served with your choice of protein, egg noodles, broccoli, chopped garlic shallots, lime, and optional dried chili, topped fried noodles."

Our menu was one main dish: khao soi, which delighted me, as it has been my recent favorite Thai dish anywhere.  I liked the visual display with the real product, which probably was helpful to those less familiar.  For proteins, the options were fried chicken, regular or spicy pork belly, or fried tofu.  Interestingly, at the restaurant, they have only one version, with beef shank (which we didn't have).

Assembly Line.

Dishes were assembled to order, assembly line style.  Pick your base (rice, noodles), your protein (chicken, pork belly, tofu), your toppings (broccoli, garlic shallots, lime, herbs).  Items were added to your bowl, which was then finished with a ladle or two of the curry sauce, and crispy noodles.  Chili was on the side for us to add ourselves to customize the spice level, and it was legit spicy, I greatly appreciated this.

Khao Soi, Tofu.

I got noodles as my base, all the toppings, and fried tofu, as I was just not in the mood for pork belly, although it looked crispy, fatty, and excellent.

I liked this.  The noodles in the base were well cooked, not too mushy.  The curry was creamy and flavorful, relatively complex and balanced.  My scoop of chili definitely put the spice level in a nice place.  The toppings were all standard and good, the broccoli nicely crisp.  Of course I adored the crispy noodles on top.  The fried tofu had a really fresh flavor, strong soy, and I liked the fried aspect.

This was all good, average for a real Thai restaurant.  I liked it, it was comforting, and it seemed relatively authentic, but I wouldn't call it a destination dish.  Just, good.  3.5/5.

Read More...

Birdie's Frozen Yogurt

2026.  The summer of froyo in NYC.   My blog has had a label just for froyo for years, so clearly, I'm a fan of this resurgence of froyo and the plethora of options to pick from (less a fan of the ridiculous 1-2 hour lines, and the high price tags though).

I started a bi-weekly froyo crawl with some coworkers, sticking with options relatively close by our office, which limited things, but still allowed us to try a number from my list, including Birdie's, one that was further down on my list, but most convenient for us, only a 10 minute walk away, and likely to not have lines.

"Birdie’s is bringing back delicious frozen yogurt and a curated candy selection to the heart of the West Village, named after our beloved Brussels Griffon."

Birdie's has two concepts: froyo, obviously, and pick and mix candy.  The candy is self-serve, pay-by-weight, but the froyo is not.  As someone who really prefers self-serve froyo, this is a bummer. 

Outside Seating.

The outside of the store really is charming, with cute patio furniture, and their signature pale blue color scheme.  That they have seating is a nice bonus, as most froyo shops do not.

Menu.

Inside follows the same decor theme, again with the pale blue, and the cutesy style.  There are a reasonable number of seats inside.

Birdie's offers 6 flavors, on our visit it was vanilla, chocolate, tart, raspberry tart, peanut butter and vegan chocolate.  I'm not sure how often they change, as those are the only flavors I've ever seen in reviews as well.  You can swirl tart and raspberry tart, vanilla and chocolate, or peanut butter and vegan chocolate, or you can get any two side by side. There are 3 sizes available, for $8/$10/$12.

I asked to sample two flavors, the tart raspberry and peanut butter.  The peanut butter tasted like my memories of JP Licks peanut butter yogurt; it was definitely a sweet, ice cream like style, not a Greek yogurt style.  The tart raspberry was fine; it was still a sweet style, but a bit icier and thin than ice cream would be.  I also tried the vegan chocolate that my coworker got; it tasted exactly like my memory of a fudgsicle.  None left me particularly excited.

Toppings.

Cups are assembled for you, but one unique feature is that they put toppings both on top and on the bottom, although the toppings are pretty pricey ($1.50 for regular, $2.50 for premium).  One non-premium topping is included in the price.  

The lineup included a few fresh fruits, standards like mini choc chips and yogurt chips, plus slightly unique things like mochi or dark chocolate covered pretzels.  The premium toppings were definitely the. most interesting, with different crunch sauces, homemade brownies, and the most famous one, brown butter cookie dough.  All of these are still the type of toppings you'd find at most generic froyo places, again, nothing like what the more trendy Greek yogurt places have featuring kadaif and slews of elaborate sauces.

Peanut Butter and Vanilla/Chocolate Swirl.
Chocolate Hazelnut Crunch Sauce / Strawberries / Yogurt Chips.
Medium ($10) + $1.50 topping + $2.50 premium topping = $14.

I thought the peanut butter was relatively good when I sampled it, but I wanted to try something else too. I opted for both the vanilla and chocolate as a swirl for my second choice, as I thought the tart options would contrast strangely with peanut butter, and I couldn't decide between vanilla or chocolate.

I wasn't really into the chocolate, which I should have known, as I rarely like chocolate ice cream, particularly soft serve.  Oops.  I really thought it would go well with the peanut butter, though; that's why I risked it.  The vanilla was fine but lacked a particularly strong vanilla flavor.  The peanut butter was fine, which I knew from my sample.  All were quite sweet, like typical ice cream, with average thickness and creaminess.  No flavor was particularly memorable, nor did any really taste like yogurt.  

The strawberries were fine, the yogurt chips were as expected, the crunch sauce didn't seem any different from that offered at 16 Handles, I don't think they made any toppings besides the cookie dough and brownies in house.

Basically, it seemed like any generic froyo place, with nothing premium, nothing unique, very little housemade, just a cute decor and on-trend with the summer it opened.  I don't see a real reason to return, but I wouldn't say no if someone wanted to go.

3/5.

Read More...

O'Briens Bar & Grill

A sports bar near Madison Square Garden.  Definitely not a place you'd expect me to stumble into, and yet, I did, to O'Briens Bar & Grill.  I never would have discovered if it wasn't for the summer of Paze*, and this isn't one I'll be returning to, but it was quasi-interesting to check out.  The service wasn't particularly friendly, and my orders were never ready when they said they would be, but at least that meant I got hot fresh food.

*If you are unfamiliar, Paze is a digital wallet system (like Paypal or Google Pay) that you can use to check out with some merchants.  In the summer of 2026, when they launched, they had a promotion with most major credit cards and banks to give you back a $10 credit, up to 10 times, per card/account, if you spent $10 and paid with Paze.  One of their launch partners was Clover, the company behind many restaurant POS systems, so if you ordered online through their Clover storefront, and paid with Paze, you got $10 free (over and over, again, 10 times per card/account).  Tax, tip, it all counts towards the $10, so you could get something <$10, and just tip up to the $10 to trigger the credit.  I love a freebie, and I love excuses to check out places that I wouldn't normally stumble into, so I used Clover and Paze to go on little missions every weekend, gettings $100s in free food along the way.

Exterior.

The outside looks like basically any bar anywhere.  No outside seating, no particularly inviting signage.

Inside.

Inside was considerably bigger than I expected, with two long bars with seating, table seating, and booths on the other side.  Pretty classic sports bar setup with TVs too.

It was entirely vacant the first time I visited at 12pm on a weekend, but quite full during the week at 7:30pm.  Clearly an evening venue.

Onion Rings. $5.50.

The first time, my order was still being prepared when I arrived, so my onion rings were served hot and fresh out of the frier.  They were pretty greasy, and seemed like they were left in a bit too long (or maybe I just prefer a lighter golden color), but I liked the sizes and the amount of coating (although the batter could be more flavorful).  Basically, they were fine, I enjoyed them, but I wouldn't go back for them.  Higher 3/5.

They don't have any dipping sauces available, but included a bunch of ketchup, along with a single mustard and single mayo.

Apple Crumble. $7.95.

Who orders takeout from a sport bar and gets ... the apple crumble?  Um, yeah, me.  I saw it on the menu when I was browsing a few days prior, and I couldn't get it out of my head.  I really wanted apple crumble!  I also wasn't quite sure if this would be a slice of pie with crumble topping, an actual fruit crisp/crumble, or even something more like a crumb cake.  I really didn't want a crumb cake, but either of the previous options would be fine with me.

The answer?  A crumble topped pie. I had pretty low expectations, I knew it wouldn't be made in house, or anything special, so I was quite surprised when I opened my takeout bag to find that 1) they served it warm, 2) they included several sauces, 3) they included whipped cream!  They actually were trying here.

The slice of pie was actually kinda small, I mean, it was a reasonable portion in terms of what a human should eat, but certainly not standard restaurant sized, and felt a bit skimpy for the price.  But that said, it was pretty decent pie.  It had a generous crumble on top that was sweet, crispy, and pretty satisfying, slices of well seasoned and not too mushy apples that didn't have too much goo, and a strangely crisp back and bottom crust that wasn't really standard flaky pie crust, but also wasn't a shortcrust either.  Besides the crust being overly crisp, it really was quite decent.  The crust wasn't bad, it just wasn't any standard kind of pastry crust, and the level of crunchy certainly isn't expected.  Again, I'm sure they purchase this frozen and just reheat it, but hey, it was good. 3.5/5 pie.  That is ... until I found mold.  Yes, mold.  In my pie slice.  I obviously stopped eating it when I tasted (and then saw) it.  Clearly, they have some issues with expiration dates.

 

The whipped cream was a thoughtful touch to include for takeout, and I'm sure when you get it in the restaurant it stays looking nice, but I live a 5 minute walk away, and it was entirely deflated when I reached home.  I'm sure it was standard spray can whipped cream, and that just never holds up.  It didn't taste like plastic-y Reddi-whip, which earns them another point.  I drizzled it over my pie like, well, cream, instead.  

The sauces were a complete surprise to me.  I really didn't expect sauces included, and wouldn't have expected them dining in either.  One was standard chocolate sauce, which made no sense to me with apple pie, and sorta screamed out tacky plating style with chocolate sauce drizzled on every plate for no reason.  But hey, now I have some chocolate sauce for my next ice cream sundae at home.

The other was ... I'm still not sure.  It sorta tasted apple to me, like, cidery almost, which could make sense drizzled over apple pie.  But it was sorta reddish and looked more like a strawberry sauce.  I find it crazy that I can't really tell you which of these things it was, if either, but it sorta tasted like both and neither at the same time.  I did like it though, both with the pie, and I suspect I'll enjoy it on ice cream later too.

Overall, this was a really pleasant surprise, until the whole mold situation.  For a sport's bar dessert, far, far above average, let's even say 4.5/5. If it was served a hotel buffet/restaurant, still quite a bit above average, 4/5.  If I compare to regular mid-range restaurant, about on par, 3/5.  That leaves me somewhere around 3.5/5 as a overall rating, particularly because they included the sauces.  But, they sold me old, moldy pie, and that is unforgivable.  0/5.

Read More...

Nuovo York Pizza

I moved to New York, and became a cliché.

After years of not caring about pizza, I suddenly crave it, all the time.

"We focus on delivering authentic New York style pizza built on consistency, quality, and precision. Every slice is designed to meet a clear standard with balanced flavor, proper texture, and a reliable experience you can count on every time you search for great pizza near you. Our process starts with carefully selected ingredients and a dough that is fermented for optimal flavor and structure. From the sauce to the cheese to the final bake, every step is controlled and repeatable. We do not rely on shortcuts or guesswork. We rely on systems, measurements, and constant refinement. That is how we maintain the same quality across every order. Rooted in classic New York pizza tradition, our approach is focused on improvement, not imitation. We aim for a clean and well balanced slice with the right crisp, the right chew, and a flavor profile that stands out without being overwhelming. "

In particular, what I've been craving is classic New York slice shop slices.  Yes, I've also had all the fancier well known places (e.g. L'Industrie Pizzeria, where I was completely blown away, finding their crust to be exceptionally crisped and lightly chewy, and their signature burrata slice to be totally flawless and well worth the hype, Slicehaus Pizzeria, that I noted that while it is far more accessible than its peers with no crazy lines and great 48-hour fermented dough, and Mama's Too!, where I found their heavy Sicilian-style square focaccia bases to be far too greasy and spongy, though I did enjoy the toppings and sauce on slices like the upside-down and poached pear). But lately I've been into trying out random slice shops (ok, not totally random, at least ones that have good reviews, just not ones I see anyone really talking about much).

Setting

Nuovo York Pizza is one such place, located in the East Village.

Slices.

The setup is pretty standard slice shop, with mixed pies on display, and slices plucked from there and heated up to order.

Seating.

They had a reasonable amount of seating, with a few seats at tables, and high chairs along a counter.  Oregano, garlic, red pepper flakes, and hot sauce available to garnish.  Slice shop style, so no table service or anything.

Food

Pizza comes in two styles: round or square.  Round has the largest selection with 8 styles by the slice (your standard cheese, pepperoni, margherita, plus common white or vodka, then three more unique ones: pepperoni pesto, "cherry charm" (with cherry tomatoes and fresh burrata), and their signature spinach and mushroom white pie), plus two more that are whole pizza only.  Squares are either plain, pepperoni, or bbq chicken or buffalo chicken by the slice, or a few more whole.  No custom orders.  Pizza is available by the slice, one size only round pie (18"), or one size only square pie (16").

For sides, they offer 3 kinds of dough based products: garlic knots (orders of 3 or 6), parmesan bread bites, or cheese sticks. There are no salads, fries, wings or other options for sides, just more pizza dough based items.

Garlic Knots (6).  $4.

For a side, I went for the garlic knots, not really wanting more cheese along with the very cheesy pizza. 

The garlic knots were great.  Puffy, nice golden edges, great garlic flavor.  Buttery but not overly oily.  I really enjoyed these.  3.5/5.

The marinara sauce was fairly standard, a sweeter style but not overly so, nicely seasoned.  Some small chunks of tomato.  Not necessarily better than a really good jarred sauce, but still good. 3/5.

These are available as a trio for $2 or half-dozen for $4.  I actually ordered just 3, but got 6.  One dipping sauce is included, choice of marinara/ranch/blue cheese.

Spinach Mushroom White Pie. $33.

I'll admit that a white pie was an odd choice for me, as I usually do want the marinara.  But I saw so many reviews raving about this pizza, and I knew it was their signature thing, so, hey, why not try it.

My pizza was ready right as I walked it, plucked from the pizza oven and boxed up on the spot.  Can't beat that freshness.

It was a well executed pizza: NY slice thin crust (not fancy thin crust), thick enough to hold up to being eaten without utensils, but not overly bready.  Nicely crisp, slight char on the undercarriage.  Back crust was sufficient for holding but not bigger, so you didn't fill up on crust.  Fairly classic New York slice, executed pretty well.  The slices were massive, 8 to a pie, and 18" diameter, so these were very big, although not very evenly sliced (which I preferred actually, but for a brand that talks about precision, the slicing was not).

The cheese was a very thick layer, and it had nice cheese pull to it.  The white sauce ricotta was creamy under it all.  Definitely some garlic and seasoning in it.  The spinach wasn't dominant, and was barely noticeable, but I suspect it did add a bit to the flavor, even if I didn't quite detect it.  I liked the hearty style of mushrooms used, but they weren't particularly evenly applied.  The toppings came together well, and I liked how creamy it was, but it was pretty heavy with all the cheese.  I think I'd prefer a little less of it.  

So overall, a reasonably well executed slice, and a slightly unique offering, but, not completely assembled with care, and probably not something I'd get again.  I still enjoyed it though.  3.5/5.

Read More...

Let's Bounce - Powered By Keki

Let's Bounce - Powered By Keki.  That's an awkward mouthful of a business name. I think? it is the evolution of a previous bakery, Keki Modern Cakes.

"After traveling Asia and savoring pastries, founders Moul Kim and Lawrence Wai returned to New York determined to recreate those flavors. Teaming up with Executive Chef Kevin Kim, they founded Keki, sourcing fresh ingredients from Upstate NY and Amish Country, PA.  Chinatown, NYC, with its cherished memories, was the perfect location for their flagship. In April 2017, Keki opened on Mott Street, revitalizing the neighborhood and attracting visitors from near and far."

That's all the info I can find on Keki, of either business name.  These days, they make mostly cheesecakes in several styles, and also cream puffs, which I think were their most popular items from the previous incarnation.

Packaging.

We ordered for delivery. The cakes came attractively boxed up, tied with strings.

Let's Bounce - Powered By Keki makes 3 main styles of cheesecake: bouncy (per their namesake, several flavors), basque (with or without yuzu glaze), and "fancy" (several flavors).  I didn't get to try the basque this time, but tried several of the other styles.

Bouncy Cheesecake

"Hailing from Osaka Japan, Keki’s famous bouncy cheesecakes are light and silky in texture and melt in your mouth! Made with locally sourced fresh ingredients, our cheesecakes feature Organic Grass Fed Milk, Amish Cream Cheese, and Organic Free-Range Eggs. All this fresh goodness makes our cheesecakes bounce and dance with delight!"

Their signature cake, or at least the one they seem to be named after, is the bouncy style cheesecake.  If you are unfamiliar, the name comes from the fact that it jiggles a bit.  It is a lighter style cheesecake, sorta hybrid cheesecake-cake-souffle.  Some people call them souffle cheesecakes.  I first had this style from Uncle Tetsu in Sydney when it was ultra popular (2018), and wasn't quite as wowed by it as some people, but I still wanted to give this a try, as it had been years since I've had this style.  I believe they only make two flavors of the bouncy style, I tried both.

Original Bouncy. $18.

Just like Uncle Tetsu, this came with a nearly burnt looking top, and branding of the bakery name.  

It was fine.  Yes, a sorta lighter, less dense, less decadent, somewhat cakier cake, that still did taste like cheesecake.  Certainly not too sweet.  It made me think of angel food cake, one of my least favorite styles of cake, but, an angel food cake that had been crossed with cheesecake.  I found it kinda underwhelming flavor wise, and needed to add fresh berries and whipped cream to make it really into an appealing dessert.  3/5.

Ube Bouncy. $20.

The ube one actually looked pretty unattractive on top.  Brown does not really draw me in.  But inside was relatively vibrant purple from the ube.  It didn't taste all that ube unfortunately.

I felt basically the same way about this one as the previous.  It was fine, but I'd prefer another style of cheesecake, or another style of cake.  It was just soo cakey of cheesecake, or too dense of cake. 3/5.

Fancy Cheesecake

"Bottom layer of thin sponge cake, middle layer of American-style cheesecake, top layer of mascarpone mousse with a flavor."

Then there are the "fancy" ones.  These really were an adventure with three different distinct layers within.  Interestingly, these cakes are purchased frozen and requires 2-3 hours to defrost.  I actually liked them considerably more not fully defrosted.

The Fancy ones are available in original, green tea, or strawberry flavors, I tried all but the original.

Fancy Strawberry. $45.

First, visually, this didn't seem that actually "fancy".  The layers weren't even at all either.  

I actually had this after only an hour or so of defrosting time because our host didn't realize they needed to defrost for several hours.  It was rather hard to slice, as the strawberry hunks within were still very solid, but I actually liked it considerably more this way compared to once I let it properly fully defrost.

The base cake was whatever, barely noticeable, which was fine with me.  The cheesecake layer, when still pretty frozen, was just like cheesecake ice cream.  I liked it.  But the real draw for me was the strawberry top layer, which I guess was a strawberry mascarpone mousse.  It was sooo bright and fruity, and again, because quasi-frozen, it was sorta like ice cream or semifreddo.  I don't generally like strawberry ice cream, so this surprised me, but I really, really enjoyed this.  4/5 in semi-frozen form.

Once I let my other slice defrost properly, I liked it considerably less.  The mousse was almost too strongly flavored, and just an odd consistency, airy in a strange way.  The cheesecake seemed to almost melt, and didn't hold up like a regular cheesecake, even though they say it is American-style cheesecake.  So properly defrosted (but still chilled), I wasn't really into it, low 3/5.

Fancy Green Tea. $40.

"Total fanciness, now with extra pop. Kick dessert into high-gear with everyone’s favorite Asian pick-me-up and dance-about: matcha."

I also had the matcha version semi-frozen.  It was much the same as the strawberry, although easier to slice since it didn't have the big frozen strawberries within.  The bottom two layers, which made up about 1/3 of the cake, were exactly the same as the previous strawberry cake.  The green tea mousse was really enjoyable as green tea ice cream basically, such strong pure flavor, not too sweet.  I really liked this too.  4/5.   I didn't try this one defrosted properly.

Read More...

Grandma's One Pizza

Regular readers of my blog are likely bored of hearing my intro about pizza in my life, so I'll keep it brief this time:

• I grew up in a family that ate a lot of pizza.  Not good pizza, but a lot of pizza.  Usually homemade from that crust mix that comes in a packet that you add water to, generic canned pizza sauce, generic cheese.  Several nights a week.
• We did also get Pizza Hut as part of the Book-It program as reading rewards as kids, and people ordered Little Caesars for birthday parties.
• In college ordering slices late at night was definitely a regular occurrence, and in grad school, every school event featured pizza.  I ate a lot of mediocre local pizza in those years.
• I moved to San Francisco, discovered nicer pizza (both Chicago style and "Californian" fancier pizza), and ate it relatively regularly the first few years.
  
• Then I just stopped eating pizza.  For probably 20 years.  When I'd visit home, the family still had pizza every week.  I didn't participate.
• My final two years in SF I discovered Square Pies Guys, and fell in love with Detroit style pizza.  
• Then I moved to NY and became a cliché who suddenly loves classic slices.  

I've since been enjoying trying more off-the-radar slice shops (although I've of course hit all the bigger names too, e.g. Joe's, NY Pizza Suprema, L'Industrie, Slicehaus, Mama's Too, Prince Street).  My adventures lead me to Grandma's One, in Greenwich Village.

Spoiler: I adored this place.

Setting

Unassuming Storefront.

Located on Bleecker Street, but relatively generic looking storefront, obviously even less appealing with the construction going on the day I visited.

Seating.

Inside has character though with deliberate pizza related signs, a TV that presumably airs something interesting from time to time (it was just set to the music station when I was there), and a few small tables for dining in.

Bar Seating.

The other side of the space has stools along a bar for solo quick dining, more pizza paraphernalia on the walls, and condiments station to add your own red pepper flakes, garlic powder, oregano, or s&p.

Pies.

The layout is classic slice shop, with all the pies on display, all nicely labelled.  Slices are taken from here and heated to order for a few minutes.

Sides.

Besides the slices, they also had knots and pinwheels in the display.

Slices

For pizza, you have your choice of style: classic NY round pies, square Grandma-style pies, or square Sicilian style.  Different topping options are pre-set for all styles, e.g. if you want bbq chicken, buffalo chicken, or baconator, those only comes in square form, similarly veggie or burrata or white spinach come only in round.  Some basics like cheese, pepperoni, margarita are available in multiple styles.  Best I can tell, you can't create your own, even if you get a full pie.

Pepperoni Grandma Slice. $4.50.

"Savor a thin crust square pizza loaded with pepperoni, rich tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, and a dash of basil."

For my first slice, I felt like I needed to get a Grandma slice, given the business name.  I adore cupping pepperoni, so the moment I saw that they used cupping pepperoni, I was all in.

I loved this.  It also may have been the first time I've had a Grandma slice ... I've had plenty of other styles of square pizza, but they have a much thicker crust.  This really was just regular NY thin crust, just, square.  Well, huh.  Speaking of the crust, I really liked the thickness, just thick enough to hold shape and not be too fancy seeming, but not too filling.  Very different from Detroit style squares I got rather addicted to back in San Francisco.  It was perfectly crisp, but not too crunchy.

The sauce was a highlight for me. It had such a vibrancy, and I loved the bright flavor.  It was sweet but not too sweet.  It was generously applied but not too saucy. The cheese had a great pull due to the use of fresh mozzarella rather than standard pizza shredded mozzarella (which they do use on some of the pizzas).  The cheese covered the slice, but not too thickly. 

And then of course the pepperoni, 9 pieces visible, but most were doubled up, which delighted me even more once I realized it.  Perfectly cupped.  Not scorched.  Again, better than standard quality.  It was garnished with a drizzle of oil, fresh basil, fresh parmesan.  

I have nothing I'd change about this slice.  The balance of the thickness of the crust + the level of sauce + the amount of cheese achieved great harmony.  The flavors popped.  They really have perfected the craft of making a great slice.  4.5/5.

Grandma. $4.50.

"A thin-crust delight with tangy tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella and vibrant basil leaves."

My next visit, it was no question that I needed another Grandma slice, and I decided to keep it super simple with the basic plain (margherita style) slice (side note: I do find it interesting that they don't offer a plain cheese Grandma slice, given that the crust is the same style as the classic NY round, and that comes in plain cheese ...).

This slice was a bit more sloppily made it seemed, a very saucey slice, cheese not fully covering it.  But otherwise it was the same - nicely crisp crust, vibrant sauce, lovely cheese pull.  I enjoyed it at home later with some sliced red onion on top, which really complimented it well.  4/5.

Margherita. $5.

"A classic Margherita with tomato sauce, melted mozzarella, and fresh basil on a thin crust."

I finally tried a classic NY slice too.  I went back and forth on getting the simple cheese as that is definitely their biggest seller (while I was there waiting for my other pizza to be finished, I saw quite a few slices get sold, and the plain cheese NY slice was probably 70% of the orders; the pepperoni NY slice was another 20%, and then the rest assorted grandma slices) or this fancier option, the margherita.  Given that I had loved the fresh mozzarella so much on my previous slices, I decided to stick with that.

I had this slice literally right out of the oven, as I was there waiting when it came out.  Removed from oven, basil thrown on top, sliced, handed over.  Doesn't get fresher than that.

The crust was absolutely perfect, you could fold it in order to eat it one handed walking down the street, but it certainly wasn't floppy.  I think it was the same thickness as the grandma slices, so thick enough to hold its form, but not heavy, and not overbearing. The back crust was easy to hold onto, and the flavor was so good I did find myself really wanting the crusts, which is somewhat rare for me without a dipping sauce.  This seemed more back crust forward than the grandma to me, but I'm not sure why, as I don't think it actually has more. 

It had the same great sauce as the grandma slices, just such a bright sauce that I truly enjoy.  It covered the slice well, but it wasn't saucy.  The cheese also covered it well, and had a great cheese pull.  Fresh mozzarella really is perfect for that.  The ratio of sauce and cheese were excellent.

This was a simple slice, but every element was really well executed, the ratios were right, and it was enjoyable to eat.  I'm really not sure which format I prefer, round or grandma, as they are so similar in components and taste, just, a different eating experience.  This one felt more "right" to eat walking down the street though.  4/5, and I'd gladly get it again if I wanted a simple slice.

Meat Lover. $6.

"Loaded with tomato sauce, pepperoni, sausage, meatball, and fresh basil on a classic Sicilian pie."

I know I don't like Sicilian style pizza normally.  But ... 1) I like to challenge my sense of dislikes every so often in case I've changed and expanded my horizons, 2) I was so happy with every other style Grandma's One makes that I thought if I was ever going to like Sicilian, this could be the time for it, and 3) I adored their cupping pepperoni and really wanted to try more meats, and this is the only style a loaded meat slice comes in (you can get pepperoni only in several styles, or sausage or meatball only, but nothing else loaded up).

This pizza wasn't ready when I arrived, so I waited for it to finish cooking, and got it hot and fresh.  It really was loaded up with meats: just as much pepperoni as the pepperoni slices had, plus a few slices of a very pale looking sausage (I think that was the sausage? Or a very pale meatball), and crumbled meatball (or was that the sausage?).  I'll admit that if I had seen this in person I probably wouldn't have ordered it, as the sausage wasn't the style I was thinking it would be (definitely thought ground hunks), and it just looked kinda unappetizing, greasy, and not well cooked (the cheese was very lackluster looking, not fully melted, but the crust looked overly brown).

The pepperoni was incredible as in my previous slices, and I loved it so much.  Thick cupping style with great flavor.  So good. The other meats, which I could barely guess which was which, were far less good.  The crumbled one was very dry and greasy and not good at all, the pale slices were better but still not something I would want more of, although I did eat it all.

As for the base pizza, it was ... yep, Sicilian style.  The crust was much thicker, more focaccia-like, very oily, quite crispy on the outside, yet very soft and doughy and almost undercooked within.  It instantly transported me back in time, as this was the style of crust my family always had.  The taste and doughiness, at least in my memory, was uncanny.  I still didn't like it all that much, as I prefer the other crusts, but this was serious nostalgia for me.

I'm not sure if this is sicilian style or just a less well made pizza, but it had minimal sauce, and only that blob of cheese on top here, so there wasn't much to mask the dough forward nature of it (even with all those meats).

I'm glad I tried this, and I did get some enjoyment out of it, but I wouldn't get it again.  I might still rate it 3.5/5 as the pepperoni is so amazing, and it did bring back so many memories.

Sides

Appetizers/sides include the pizza place standards of garlic knots and wings, plus a few flavors of pinwheel. 

Spinach Pinwheel. $4.25.

"Delight in layers of fresh spinach and creamy cheese spiraled into a savory pinwheel!"

I went for the spinach pinwheel, very randomly, but I wanted to try something totally different.  It too was garnished to order with fresh parmesan and basil.

This was actually considerably more filling than a slice of pizza which I didn't expect.  I was thinking "oh, a little appetizer pinwheel" but the dough is so much thicker it is like eating a full order of garlic knots or breadsticks, as the size really is hefty, bigger than the slices in girth (and obviously much thicker).  It did give me a chance to really appreciate their dough quality, and could imagine liking a slice with a more substantial crust too.  

I loved the cheese skirt around it from where cheese had seeped out, as it was crazy crispy and obviously cheesy, and fun to pick off.  The bottom of the roll though was quite greasy from all the cheese.  Again, this ate a lot heavier than actual pizza.  The spiral itself was fine, filled with a decent amount of spinach and cheese.  It basically was just a more fun form of a garlic knot that happened to have spinach for extra flavor.  I did desperately want something to dunk it in though, and would recommend getting a side of marinara (or ranch or blue cheese or whatever your dip of choice is, they have them all).

This was good, and I am glad I tried something different, but I wouldn't get it again unless I had a specific craving.  3.5/5 without a dipping sauce, I'm certain it would be a 4 with one though (and that's just my bad for not ordering one).

Read More...