Sugar (& Sugar) & Plumm

New York just keeps giving. Candy. Chocolate. Pastries. Ice cream masterpieces. What do you want? What are you waiting for? Whatever it is, get yourself to Sugar & Plumm and dig in!

Pick up some baked goods (those cupcakes have pastry chef Pichet Ong’s signature all over them—yum!)…

… or take some divine desserts to go (have you ever seen such a seductive carrot cake?).

 Or you can opt for chocolates, from French chocolatier Thierry Atlan…

… and packaged bits and candy by the ounce (c’est dangeroux!).

The boutique-restaurant has a fun vibe. The David Rockwell interior is peppy and informal, and moms can walk around with wine while the rugrats annihilate gummies and sundaes.

It’s the kind of place you have to revisit again and again to sample all the delicious chocolaty, creamy, sugary offerings.

Sugar & Plumm 

377 Amsterdam Avenue 

 

Sweet Freak Smackdown: East vs. West

The Willage has always been my go-to neighborhood for sweets. But, like a dark horse, the East Village has come from nowhere with chocolate, cookies and cupcakes of heroic portions and flavors.

So, which side of town is the best sweets destination? A Sweet Freak Smackdown:

The dessert bar & spin-off:
p*ong and Batch v. ChikaLicious and ChikaLicious Dessert Club

I've always been a sucker for Pichet Ong's sweet-savory combinations. It started at p•ong with a three-course dessert-as-dinner feast: a walnut-crusted Stilton cheese soufflé with basil-arugula ice cream, a chevre cheesecake croquette and a malted chocolate Bavarian tart served with crunchy caramelized bananas. And my love for his cupcakes—carrot salted caramel, chocolate dragon devil's food cake and others—is no secret. I have an affliction.

But at the original dessert bar, ChikaLicious, Chika and Don Tillman are hardly slouches. Their three-course prix fixe menu starts with an amuse, ends with petit fours, and includes your choice of a gorgeous dessert like brown sugar panna cotta served with grape sorbet, warm chocolate tart with pink peppercorn ice cream and red wine sauce, or fromage blanc island cheese cake served atop a mound of shaved ice. And, knowing that Sweet Freaks sometimes like a treat on the run, their Dessert Club offers heavenly cupcakes, bread puddings and chocolate chip cookies.

Verdict: West Village
At the end of the day, my heart belongs to Pichet.


Cupcake central:
Magnolia v. Butter Lane

We can thank Magnolia (sincerely or facetiously) for taking us on this national cupcake binge. When I first moved to Manhattan, there were no annoying lines at the West Village bakery (just cranky employees) and I quickly became a fan of the ultra sweet pastel cupcakes. Then I got a little sugared out.

Thank goodness new cupcake stations, like the East Village's Butter Lane, have toned down the sweetness and introduced super fine ingredients like French buttercream, farm fresh eggs and pure vanilla. This three-month-old cupcake-only bakery does the neighborhood proud.

Verdict: East Village
Butter Lane kicks butt.


Cookie monsters:
Milk & Cookie v. Momofuku

I really think cookies are my all-time favorite sweet. Classic chocolate chip is hard to beat, but I'm always hungry for experimentation.

I love that Milk & Cookies lets you create your own flavors with killer ingredients like hazelnuts from Bazzini and E.Guittard chocolate, not to mention cappuccino chips, M&Ms and cranberries. Their variety is impressive; quality, top-notch; and the place is just cute.

But, um, Momofuku? Best. Cookies. Ever.

Verdict: East Village
Momofuku's blueberry cream and cornflake marshmallow chocolate chip cookies seal the deal.


For the chocoholic:
Pure Dark & Li-Lac v. Bespoke & Bond Street

Both Villages have seen a lot of chocolate action lately. Alison Nelson's Chocolate Bar spent seven years on Eighth Avenue before high rents last year sent her across town to East Seventh Street. But the East wasn't as kind and just six months later, she closed. Sad, but… she's going to reopen right across the street from her original shop in the West Village.

In the meantime, Pure Dark opened on Bleecker (house specialty: create your own bark with mix-ins like cacao nibs, mango and macadamia nuts), joining Willage staple Li-Lac.

On the eastern side of town, Bond Street Chocolate, home of the gold-dusted deities and tequila truffles, opened on Fourth Street, followed by Bespoke, where you can get the most divine melt-in-your-mouth truffles.

Verdict: East Village
Between Bespoke's strawberry balsamic truffle and Bond Street's chocolate-covered corn nuts, I have my sweet, salty and sour chocolate needs met.

Overall verdict:
East beats West!

Mad About P*ong

Give your palette a break from the usual vanilla.

Although there is nothing expected on the menu at Pichet Ong’s P*ong, you can expect each dessert to have a little something crunchy (crushed walnuts, cookie crumbs), a little something creamy (sherbet, mascarpone), and a little something exotic (wasabi, lemongrass). It’s these surprising combinations that set apart this West Village eatery.

Take the soufflé, for example—it’s a walnut-crusted stilton cheese soufflé served with basil-arugula ice cream. Perfect for someone who wants an alternative to a cheese flight for dessert. Likewise, the chevre cheesecake croquette is light, fluffy and savory, save for the sweet diced pineapple. The rosemary shortbread cake stacks roasted pluot with crisp shortbread in honey sabayon, and is paired with peach wedges and sherbet.

If you’re holding out for something more familiar, there’s the malted chocolate Bavarian tart. Creamy ganache filling hides within a chocolate crust beneath a layer of crunchy caramelized bananas and is served with Ovaltine ice cream. It’s decadent on every front.

150 West 10th Street near Waverly
212.929.0898

Grand Finale

This East Village dessertery sets the bar high.

The joint that kicked off the dessert bar trend in 2003, ChikaLicious is as good as watching a friend whip up magic in her kitchen while you get to prop yourself up at the counter with a glass of sherry or a cup of chamomile. As you sit back and relax, Chika prepares your meticulous treats in the open kitchen while her husband-partner-sommelier, Don, offers the perfect accompanying wine. Rounding out the chez-amis vibe are homey details like mismatched china, jazz music, and lots of small talk and genuine smiles.

For better or worse, however, the desserts are creations your friends probably wouldn't attempt at home. ChikaLicious' prix fixe menu starts with an amuse (watermelon sorbet) and ends with a sampling of petit fours (a sliver of chocolate cheesecake, a coconut-dusted marshmallow, and a mini butter pecan sandwich cookie). In between, you get your choosing of one of a half dozen dainty desserts. The menu changes daily but think: poached cherries with white corn ice cream and toasted-warm cornmeal poundcake, or fromage blanc island cheese cake served atop a mound of shaved ice. Precious perfection.

ChikaLicious
203 East 10th Street
212.995.9511

Kyotolicious

How do you say “wow” in Japanese?

As dessert bars become nearly as common as corner pubs in Manhattan, they have to distinguish themselves somehow. It appears the three partners of Kyotofu, the latest dessert destination, have done just that. Not only does the Hell’s Kitchen gem specialize in Japanese desserts, but they use soy as the base of most of their exquisite creations.

The rotating menu is short and sweet, making the most of fresh and seasonal ingredients like lychee and mochi. Sansho-pepper cheesecake ($10), for example, is made with homemade tofu, with hints of candied ginger leaving a tangy aftertaste. Black sesame sweet tofu with hoji-cha tea syrup ($8) hits just the right note of sweetness. And bite-sized cookies use okara, a form of soybean, to create moistness and texture that would make Martha proud. Each dessert is artfully composed, making it both a pity to destroy and irresistible to sample.

The proof of Kyotofu’s superiority isn’t just in the (soy-based) pudding. It’s also in the flatware and teapots, the white leather banquets and cherry-stained floors, the backlit walls and retro music. In other words, Kyotofu takes design almost as seriously as dessert. So even though they’re adding takeout items to the menu, do yourself a favor and make it a ritual to dine in-house.

Kyotofu
705 Ninth Avenue
212.974.6012