1.  Bouchon Bakery at Columbus Circle has some devilishly tasty-sounding specialty items this season.

• Bat TKO’s – A Bouchon Bakery Halloween favorite; crisp, bat-shaped chocolate cookies filled with sweet white chocolate ganache; $2.75 each
• Pumpkin Cupcake – These decadent devils food cupcakes are shaped as a pumpkin, complete with a rich, cream cheese center and finished with fondant; $4.50 each (see pic below)
• Spider Cookies – Homemade shortbread cookies festively decorated with fondant; $3.25 each
• Pumpkin Brittle – This classic brittle is fused with pumpkin seeds to highlight the flavors of the season; $5.75 per bag
• Caramel Apple – fresh, crisp apple smothered in house made caramel; $7.50 each

Check out these decked out pumpkin cupcakes. I can just imagine how sweet and buttery that fondant frosting must be...

…and….

2.  Cafe Du Soleil on the Upper West Side is holding a costume party dinner with a $24.95 Prix Fixe menu and $50 to the best costume.  Click the flyer image below to make reservations on their website.

This soiree looks sinful...

Pricing: Not Cheap
Venue: Take Out
Cuisine: French Bakery, Dessert, Coffee
Favorite Dish(es): Blueberry Macaron ($2.95), Bacon Chive Scone, Red Velvet Cupcake

Fancy bakeries are pretty commonplace in NYC, but this one on the top floor of the uberposh “mall” at Columbus Circle sets itself apart with a few notable offerings. Most obvious are the colorful, oversized macarons (not to be confused with macaroons) and bakery-made Oreos behind the glass. Don’t even get her started on the macarons. Definitely try the blueberry one- it’s blueberry and cream cheese heaven. I also liked the chocolate and our friend is a huge fan of the vanilla ones. Just get one of each and try them all to find your favorite. I doubt any will be left uneaten.

But in my opinioin, the hidden gem that isn’t a sweet treat at all is the Bacon Chive Scone.

It may sound odd to some, but it’s really a good pairing of flavors and textures, meat and carbs. Crunchy bits of bacon embedded in between flaky layers of buttery pastry that are more like puff pastry than “scone”, but who cares? When i think of scones i think of a rock. This is firm but not crumbly. Its almost like a super gussied up hot pocket, without the freezer burn and oozing fake cheese. I almost thought for a moment that it could be even better with a coat of crispy cheese on top, but the butter and bacon are plenty salty and savory enough on their own. It’s a good thing I don’t work near Columbus Circle or I’d be eating these for breakfast on a regular basis.

The other sweet nothing whispering in my ear was a huge Red Velvet Cupcake. Really though, at the size of a large beefsteak tomato, it was shouting at me, “Take me home.” So I did. It was the perfect size to share, like a mini cake. The interesting thing about it was that it actually tasted chocolatey, unlike most other red velvets. (Red velvet, for those who don’t know, is simply just red food coloring added to a cocoa-based cake mix.)  The chocolate flavor is strong but not overpowering. The frosting is a thick rich cream cheese and butter base. Think chocolate cream cheese muffin. Mmmm. The packaging was also fancy, albeit wasteful. I felt like I had just bought a Coach bag – it is, Columbus Circle after all.

I’ll be back here for sure. after I work off the 2 lbs of butter from the first trip!

Crayola Macaroni!

macarons, not little hamburgers.

chocolate, meet blueberry and cheese

Beggin' for Bacon...Scones

fancy schmancy

mega cupcake, not sure what the red crunchies on top are...

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The contenders, in no particular order:

A – Magnolia’s
B – Buttercup
C – Billy’s
D – Crumbs
E – Sugar Sweet Sunshine

Best of luck! And the tasting begins…

A – Magnolia’s (new bigger location w/ seating!)

Price: $3.00
Cake: It’s very red. It’s very dense, crumbly, and dry. A subtle cocoa flavor, but SALTY.
Frosting: Instead of their signature thick, sugary frosting, this one comes with whipped buttercream. We didn’t care for it much.
Overall: Poor cake. Ok frosting.

B – Buttercup

Price: $2.25
Cake: It’s light and fluffy. The kind you can eat huge mouthfuls of and finish in 3 squishy bites.
Frosting: A buttery cream cheese frosting…very buttery.
Overall: Very yummy cake consistency and good cream cheese frosting. I would definitely crave this one.

C – Billy’s

Price: $2.75
Cake: Super moist, rich, and just buttery enough. Decadent cocoa flavor.
Frosting: Moist and buttery cream cheese frosting.
Overall: Excellent cake + frosting combo!

D – Crumbs

Price: $3.75
Cake: It’s a huge cupcake. Dry. Tastes like cardboard – old and like from a pre-mixed package.
Frosting: Very sugary. Tastes old and packaged.
Overall: Tastes old and packaged…we’re not impressed.

E – Sugar Sweet Sunshine

Price: $1.50
Cake: Good consistency, moist enough.
Frosting: Whipped cream cheese frosting is very good.
Overall: Very good cake + frosting combo. Great price.

And… the overall melt-in-your-mouth winner of the YumYum Award goes to (***drumroll please***)…

Billy’s Bakery.

Billy’s takes the cake!

Billy’s Bakery
184 9th Ave (btwn 21st & 22nd St)
www.billysbakerynyc.com

203 E 10th St, between 1st and 2nd Ave
(212) 995-9511

Pricing: Not Cheap
Venue: Sit Down
Cuisine: Dessert, Dessert Bar
Favorite Dish(es): Blueberry Trifle, Chocolate Tart (Prix Fixe, $12)

This is a tiny little “Dessert Bar” near St Marks that has become popular as a date and happy hour spot, and usually has a line. They only serve dessert and drinks, and everyone from the host to the chefs and Chika herself pitches in to help wait tables, and are super attentive. This isn’t your typical dessert place though – it’s definitely not for everyone and you won’t find a slice of chocolate cake here. The desserts are very unique and inventive, using less sugar than most places, with uncommon ingredients and interesting flavor pairings. The portions are small, more for tasting and holding conversation than getting your sugar fix. It’s definitely worth a try at least once, just for something new and different. We recommend getting the Prix Fixe course for a good sampling.

Note: They also have a take-out bakery across the street that serves more “normal” desserts like cookies and cupcakes, but with the “Chika” flavor twist. We had their Red Velvet Cupcakes, which were pretty good, but too different from what you’d expect from a Red Velvet. Not quite up to the Cupcake Challenge.

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Little Pie Company
109 E. 42nd St (in Grand Central basement Food Court)

(212) 983-3538

424 W. 43rd St, between 9th and 10th Ave

(212) 736-4780

Pricing: Not Cheap

Venue: Take Out

Cuisine: Dessert, Pies & Cakes

Favorite Dish(es): Florida Key Lime Pie, Southern Pecan Pie, Peach Pie, Sour Cream Apple Walnut Pie

I first found out about this place from work- when someone’s bday rolls around in the office we usually buy a few pies…and Jason first found this place at the Grand Central Terminal.

We haven’t tried ‘em all yet- so if it’s not on here as our favorite it’s probably b/c we haven’t eaten it. There’s no wimping out on flavor or substance- these are hearty and good. Some flavors are seasonal so check with them periodically when your favorite fruit is in season. Make sure to heat up the non-fruit ones. (They’re great a la mode too!)

Don’t worry about size- if you need to feed a bunch of people or just yourself, they have individual portions to 10 inch pies.

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