Aroma Bakery Cafe

Ilana and I went to Aroma on Sunset the other night after a concert and it was such a great late night treat. I love places with big menus, and this menu was HUGE! It was as if The Cheesecake Factory was smaller, and Israeli. Our food was great, but the desserts were better. There was so much to choose from, but I picked a warm chocolate cake served with amazing vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. It was great, mainly because the texture of the cake, which was very spongy, absorbed all the chocolate sauce that was drenching it. The combination of the hot cake with the cold ice cream is the best thing ever. The actual flavor of the chocolate was not anything to rave about, but overall it was good.


The other desserts in the case looked so good! I'll have to go back and try everything else!

Break Fast

This post needs very little explanation. I went over to a friends house for his family's Break Fast for Yom Kippur and as it is every year, both the food and dessert spreads were unbelievable. My friend's mom is the best cook ever, and her dessert room (yes room) really was incredible, everything you could imagine was there. Just look over the photos and drool.

I encourage you to click on the photos to see them full size. You dont want to miss a crumb.






Chocolate Cake - This was so rich! It was almost like a brownie, very soft with chocolate chips and chocolate icing. So great.


Poppy Seed Cake - A classic at this household. Very unique, so moist and not too sweet!


Coconut Mouse - Imagine a thick whipped cream with coconut flakes. So good with the strawberries!




Peanut Butter Balls - The Infamous. Always a treasure in this house, and always amazing. It's a secret what's inside!


Jelly Diamonds - The Regular Guest. Made by a family friend, these are always a hit for this holiday. Each layer a different flavor, not only delicious, but fun food to play with!


My Plate - I had to try everything! I think my favorite which is on my plate but not photographed separately was the chocolate mousse and the cheesecake! I also poured a ton of strawberry sauce over on the cakes. Serious food coma last night!

"New York" Cheesecake

After seeing my previous post about Urth Cafe's chocolate cake, my friend Michael told me that Urth also has great cheesecake. I'm pretty picky when it comes to cheesecake because sometimes it tastes fruity and like freezer burn. For example, diners cheesecake is usually gross. My favorite cheesecakes, from New York of course, are from Petak's on the Upper East Side, Carnegie Deli, on the West Side and Holy Moses in Westhampton. I will also admit that its hard to go wrong at The Cheesecake Factory... While cheescakes usually come in a variety of flavors, I really only like original, at most with strawberries. This one was very good. Really thick, a little on the hard side, I would have liked it to be a little creamier, but it had a really good flavor. I also liked that instead of a slice it was a mini cake, it was very cute. The glazed strawberry topped it off well!

Chocolate Cake

I went to Urth Café in Beverly Hills for dinner and could not walk past the dessert case without trying something. Of course the chocolate cake was calling to me, so I got a slice. And by slice, I mean they gave me two large pieces sitting on top of each other. It's a really good cake - not to be confused with their flowerless, eggless, vegan, low sugar chocolate cake - ew. This is full on sugar. The cake part itself, as you can see by the various shades of brown, was made up of three different layers. The middle was more moist than the top and bottom, and was more like a standard box cake, yum. The bottom layer, a little more dense is like a chocolate pound cake. The icing in between and on top is a very sweet milk chocolate, which is nice mixed with the dark chocolate frosting that sealed the outside. I'm very pleased with this cake. However, its so intense I could only eat half of the one slice. It's better that way- more for later!

A Hollywood Moon Pie

I love stumbling upon random treats! While trying to kill some time, my friend and I went to the nearest coffee shop to where we were in Hollywood called The Corner. Matt spotted the case of small cakes: chocolate, red velvet, some kind of nut thing and a moon pie. Clearly the moon pie was the right choice. It was not only adorable to look at, but it was so tasty. It was similar to an Oreo, but the frosting was cream cheese. It was very sweet but not over the top. The double layer of cake balanced it out perfectly.

TATES!

I've already said that Tate's are my favorite chocolate chip cookie, simply because they are so unique. When my friend Jordan's mom got the cookbook, we knew this had to be done. We attempted to recreate the perfect cookie and they came out pretty good! However, I'm convinced that Kathleen (Tate's creator) is keeping something a secret. Hers are always perfectly crispy, and ours were still chewy. Regardless it was really fun. Definitely going to keep trying to get them just right!

Rainbow Cookies

Since I was little, rainbow cookies have always been one of my favorite treats! In NY, almost every deli sells them, but its hard to find a really good one. I got these from a deli near my house and they are actually really good, but the best one's I've had are still from the Quogue Market in Long Island. They can go wrong and taste cheap if made with bad chocolate, but when you find a good one, they are amazing! Something about the cake with jelly and chocolate makes for a perfect combination. Anyone know where to find a good Rainbow Cookie in LA? The hunt is on!

Shake Shack Shakes

You should know already that Shake Shake is the best burger...so obviously their shakes would reflect the same quality of delight. Shake Shack, now with two locations in Manhattan, has an amazing selection of shakes and desserts, but there's a secret to them. They are made of custard! This makes them richer and thicker and better! The menu offers too many options to even go into, which is sometimes overwhelming when waiting in line. I usually go for the classic chocolate shake, and it's become my favorite one yet! Check out the menu here www.shakeshacknyc.com

La Provence

My friend's mom took me out to dinner tonight to this great little cafe near my house that I would have never come across on my own. La Provence is a tiny patisserie/cafe in a shopping complex on Olympic and Lapeer. The shabby chic decor of the place perfectly suits the elaborate, dainty desserts that temptingly sit in the glass display case.


I chose three of the many rainbow variety of Macarons: Rose, Violet and Pistachio (the prettiest colors!) They are standard French Macarons, rich in flavor, crispy wafer exterior with a gooey creme center. A great little treat.


I then knew I had to taste a chocolate, and after seeing the chocolate cupcake, I immediately knew it was what I needed. It was unreal. An insanely dense, rich cupcake that was not over the top sweet. The icing was amazing, like it was made out of designer chocolate. The cake was super moist and complimented the thick ganashe icing perfectly.


They also had an amazing collection of cakes, croissants, cookies, muffins and giant cupcakes which I must have for my birthday. They don't allow photography inside the store, so I'll just have to buy more and bring them home! This secret spot is worth a trip over to the strip mall - the panini's are great too! I hear its great for breakfast (despite the line). www.laprovencecafe.com

Cookies!

Everyone loves a chocolate chip cookie, but there are so many different ways to make one, its hard to say what's best, crunchy or chewy? Anyone who knows me knows that my favorite cookie is Tate's Chocolate Chip - made in Southampton, NY, and packaged locally (the ones shipped around US are not as fresh aka not the same). I can't even explain them they are so unique, so go look for them yourself and try it out...will be like a treasure hunt. www.tatesbakeshop.com

For freshly made bakery cookies, here are my two favorites...so far! They are both so different in looks, taste and texture, but are both so amazing.

CLEMENTINE - LOS ANGELES
This cookie is flat and looks wrinkly, as if it was poured from a liquid and hardened. The dark chocolate used is rich and chunky and melts well into the cookie, which is amazingly soft on the inside and perfectly crisp on the outside. The ends of the crust almost look and tastes like caramel (although it is not) - there is some sort of melted sugary secret that holds it all together. Its a great after lunch cookie! www.clementineonline.com





LEVAIN - NEW YORK
This cookie is to die for. When you walk into Levain you are overwhelmed with hot gooey cookie smell, and see loads of cookie dough on trays that you want to leap into.. or at least I do. While this cookie is best when right out of the oven, it was recently brought to me in LA from NY and it was still the best thing I've ever tasted. First of all its huge, usually I can only handle half at a time, which says a lot. Its a lumpy cookie with rich chocolate chips and walnuts which ads a great crunch. Something about the way the cookies crumbles allows it to lump together like cookie dough, so if you like eating that you'll love this. Like I said, it's to die for. www.levainbakery.com

Huckleberry

I kept hearing about this place Huckleberry in Santa Monica for breakfast- but when I went I fell in love with their desserts! Their bakery section is out of control. I've been back about 3 or 4 times, and have tasted a few different items including the yellow cake, cinnamon roll, chocolate cupcake, chocolate chip cookie and salted caramel...





My favorite item there is the yellow cake with chocolate frosting. It may be one of my favorite cakes of ALL TIME- the icing is out of this world. I love regular box cake, like Duncan Hines, and this tastes like a glorified yellow cake with an light and fluffy yet rich milk chocolate butter-cream frosting, unlike any other.





My friend Lauren really loves the salted caramel. She says, "If you like caramel its to die for, if you dont, it won't convert you". I'm not a big caramel fan so it's hard for me to rate the way I do with chocolates.



Huckleberry is a MUST! Check out their website for more info: www.Huckleberrycafe.com

My Favorite Brownie

While it seems hard to go wrong with a brownie, it happens more than you'd think. Last summer I went on a hunt in NY for the best brownies, and out of all the posh bakeries and restaurants, the one I found to be the best was from a chain pre-made sandwich shop! Pret-A-Manger began in London in 1986 and can now be found all over NY, especially Midtown. This unassuming brownie is so very special that on my recent trip to the city I bought TEN to bring back to LA with me. Not joking, TEN. They are small squares that are so fudgy with a flaky top layer, but it is the actual flavor that is so good. It's almost like a malt taste that reminds me of my childhood. I have yet to find a better brownie!

Baked by Melissa

This was something I randomly stumbled upon while walking in SOHO on Broadway, and I was so excited by these tiny treats! Melissa Bushell has created a line of miniature stuffed cupcakes that were really good! They were extremely moist and I really loved their flavor options- generally anything stuffed with peanut butter works for me! Unfortunately they were sold out of a couple flavors so I tried the three they had - Peanut Butter Cup, S'Mores and Cookie Dough. The only problem is that they are kinda expensive for how small they are - $1.00 each, and while $1.00 isn't much money, you wouldn't - couldn't eat just one! They would be a great dessert to have out at a party, you can pop them like hors d'oeuvres! Check out www.bakedbymelissa.com

I went back here and was able to try the flavors they were sold out of the first time. Tye-Dye is a vanilla on vanilla and is soo cute and yummy. Red Velvet was a great one too! And of course I had to get Peanut Butter Cup again...the best! I could eat 50 of these a day.

Ice Cream!

One of the best things about New York in the summer is all the Ice Cream! While there are hundreds of options, my two favorites are very obvious.

MISTER SOFTEE:
This Ice Cream truck was started in 1956 in West Philadelphia and can be found on almost every corner in NYC during the Summer season. They carry the standard pops that most trucks have, but their own soft serve is the best ever! I always get a chocolate/vanilla swirl in a sugar cone (which many people don't know they have, because the standard cone is the wafer), with rainbow sprinkles on top! Something about this ice cream is unlike anything else, it almost has the flavor of a good whipped cream. IF I had to compare I would say its similar to Carvel soft serve, but its so much better! Go find a truck now.





FORTY CARROTS:
What started out as a small yogurt spot downstairs in Bloomingdale's in 1975, has become a full restaurant that moved up to the 7th floor and is now extremely popular for more than dessert! Don't be fooled by their low fat/non fat flavors, because the quality of this yogurt is unlike any other "healthy" options out there. It is so thick and creamy you would not believe its a nonfat yogurt. I personally LOVE their coffee and chocolate, but they also offer vanilla and natural flavor as well. They also have a special flavor of the day that has been anything from Wildberry to Peanut Butter. The toppings are pretty standard - granola to Reeces cups, my little sister went for the mini Gummy Bears. Trust me, its worth the long lines!

E.A.T.

During my brief trip back to NYC I had to stop at my favorite places to eat. One is even called E.A.T. This Eli Zabar eatery has been one of the Upper East Side's hot spots for 36 years, and without a doubt has some of the best sweet treats (as well as my favorite Matzo Ball soup!) Their brownies have gained a reputation for being the best, and I agree they are VERY good. I can't say they are the BEST, but they are up there. I do, however, love their dark chocolate covered graham crackers that have a thick layer of raspberry jelly inside (similar to jelly rings, but way better). They also make tiny chocolate chip cookies that are very unique. You definitely can't eat just one of these, I end up popping them like potato chips. While E.A.T. is very pricey, its worth trying out!

A Great Moment in Chocolate History