Best new bakeries to visit this winter in New York :)
Also some lovely warm dishes I ate recently. This is the type of research that makes my heart sing
After a prolonged fall (summer?) and extremely worrying drought, I’m relieved that it finally feels like the season is turning. Interestingly, it seems like the mayor may have planned for this timeline all along, because Friday, November 29th is the official last day for outdoor dining this season — the new Adams-approved guidance dictates that seasonal streeteries can only exist from April to November, after which point every shed must be dismantled (even the sick, expensive ones!).
Which ones were the best this year? I don’t know because personally I prefer ambiance to sitting on the street.
Anyway, now that it’s really winter, I am even more in the mood than usual for baked goods — and I am always in the mood for baked goods. Luckily for us all, a couple of fantastic new bakeries opened in the city recently that I legitimately think you all need to visit. Here they are!
Baked goods that you NEED to know about
Cinnamon babka from Thea Bakery (17 Greene Ave)
I made good on my promise in the last newsletter to make the trek to the contentiously popular new bakery Thea, and — oh my God. We ordered several pastries and a sandwich, all of which were unbelievable, but this cinnamon babka, studded with nuts and still warm from the oven, was the fan favorite. We missed out on getting their harissa caramelized onion babka, which I am pissed about.
Thea’s owner, Tomer Blechman, seems to be able to do no wrong. His first restaurant, Miss Ada, is on every “where to eat in Fort Greene” list ever published; his other new venture Theodora is now ranked the #1 restaurant in NYC on Beli; there continue to be long, fast-moving lines out of the door at Thea each day. For good reason! I officially approve.
Cardamom pain de singe from Laurel Bakery (115 Columbia St)
Laurel Bakery opened this April in the Columbia Street Waterfront District, the only neighborhood in NYC that nobody has ever heard of. The location is admittedly out of the way — it’s a 17-minute walk from the Bergen Street F stop, and you need to cross over the BQE to get there — which I think is the only thing holding it back from being just as popular as Radio Bakery. Seriously!
I’ve never had something here that I didn’t like, but this pain de singe (French for MONKEY BREAD!) is a standout; it’s made with cardamom instead of the traditional cinnamon, which keeps it flirtatiously savory while still capitalizing on the fun of pulling apart chunks of pastry with your hands like a true ape. Note that the only non-dairy milks for your latte at Laurel are unfortunately their housemade almond and sunflower seed milks, which I must say are not at all similar to milk yet. Still, they’re foamable, and you gotta give ‘em points for trying.
Coconut cream sourdough danish from Elbow Bread
Another important follow-through moment for me this month was making it to the other popular new bakery of the moment, Elbow Bread, opened by the Court Street Grocer folks and baker Zoe Kanan in Dimes Square. The signature pretzel at Elbow is really cute, made with sweet potato and folded into a sweet knot with distinctive finger-like strands at each end of the rope, but my favorite thing we ate here by far was the coconut cream sourdough danish, which felt truly revolutionary. Apparently, Kanan based the danish on a German pastry called the “puddingbrezel” (which is exactly what it sounds like), but swapped out the vanilla pudding for a custardy coconut situation instead. Unmissable.
Things to be excited about
On the theme of a good pastry, my favorite food writer Scott Lynch has just reported that the “best cinnamon bun ever” is available now at a new bakery called Hani’s in Cooper Square, and it looks stunning.
New Cantonese American spot Sal Tang’s (by the Cafe Spaghetti team!) is getting closer to opening — word on the street is that the official opening date is Friday, December 6.
A new $95 omakase spot called Kinjo opened last month in Dumbo. 11 courses, 13 seats. Apparently housed in a former “torpedo factory,” whatever that means; regardless of the setting, this video made me salivate.
Chef Melissa Rodriguez (of Michelin fame) just opened a new restaurant this past Wednesday called Crane Club, which is the newest fine dining concept in the same Chelsea location that she and her partner Jeff Katz have occupied in various incarnations over the past decade. Rodriguez is famous for Italian and French food, but at Crane Club, she’ll be cooking over the grill; the space will also feature what the team is calling a “roving raw bar cart,” which I find quite enticing.
Frog Wine Shop, the little brother of Frog Wine Bar in Bed-Stuy, opened on Halloween in Cobble Hill. They sell natural wine exclusively, at pretty accessible prices; I walked by yesterday morning and saw bottles as cheap as $19 in there. (The shopkeeper tells me that they’re having trouble getting it on Google Maps, so if you’re trying to go, find the wine shop at 389 Henry St in Brooklyn.)
Best (warm) bites of the month
Since we’re microdosing winter… here are a couple of the warmest meals I’ve had this month.
Beitenjan at Al Badawi (151 Atlantic Ave)
Confession: The first time I went to Al Badawi I was a hater. It was the restaurant’s first week in operation, my food was served cold, and the lighting was turned all the way up; I had a bad attitude about it. Despite the first impression, I was recently able to get over myself enough to pay this popular Palestinian restaurant another visit, and a couple years into operations, the experience has completely transformed — dramatic lighting, warm food, and a waiter who joked that if we didn’t like our food he would use it as an excuse to go beat up the guy in the kitchen (awesome).
I’m a freak for muhammara (as previously mentioned), so we ordered it along with beitenjan, which translates to eggplant, and stuffed our faces with the combination smeared onto fresh piping hot pita. This was one of those perfect meals where you leave feeling pleasantly heavier than you entered. Plus, BYOB.
Spicy Big Tray Chicken at Spicy Village (68 Forsyth St B)
This is the original Spicy Village, as opposed to the unaffiliated restaurant that mysteriously adopted the name “New Spicy Village” and sits a couple blocks away. After visiting both a couple of times to get the lay of the land, I can officially verify that the original is preferable. If you go, get their specialty, the spicy big tray chicken — it’s chunks of chicken served in a tingling sauce made with anise and Sichuan peppercorns, topped with a hefty serving of hand-pulled noodles. It’s served in a dramatic tin and large enough to fill two people to the brim. Cash only.
Sausages from Smør Clinton Hill (26 Putnam Avenue)
I’ve been getting really into the idea of Denmark lately, which led me to Smør, a Nordic-inspired restaurant in the East Village that just opened a new location this past month in Clinton Hill. We had several fantastic dishes — the Smør dog, a hot dog slathered in curry ketchup, is a surprising can’t-miss — but what I loved most here was the sausage main, served with decadent mashed potatoes, broccolini, gravy, and apple chutney. It was just Thanksgiving-y enough, warm and bright, with the sneaky sweetness of the chutney cutting through it all. It’s the perfect winter meal.
(Also, an honorable mention for a non-warm dish goes to the trout toast, which is stunning. Take a look at that thing!!!)
In other news
My second book review came out in Necessary Fiction this month. It’s about Small Wonder by Eileen Kelly, a darling debut novel about a preschool teacher living in Park Slope. I will not say a single thing more in summary because I would like you to read the review (and the book).
Speaking of novels: The reason why I haven’t been doing as much freelance food writing recently is that I’ve been focusing all my attention on my own novel. The break has paid off: I officially finished my third draft!!! Anyone know an agent who reps upmarket thrillers? My research begins today…
All my love,
Hannah
Kinjo is next-level delish!!! Can’t wait to try the rest!
For anyone else wondering - the torpedo factory fun fact is true! :) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._W._Bliss_Company