French? Parisian? Er...Korean? We won't bore you with the reason for why we so desperately craved 빵, but after passing by this place whilst returning from a work adventure and then again when returning from ComiCon, we can definitively say, "The craving has been allayed." With A's ravings about their red bean-filled doughnuts in mind, we got a few of those (uh, of course!), while also picking up a red bean bun (hits the spot!), chocolate bread (Wow, chocolatey!), mocha bread (which doesn't taste of mocha, nor bread), and sweet potato cake (It's so surprisingly delicious, we could die!).
This cute little spot was bustling with customers. Why? As of yet, I have no idea. For Bibimbap it really is worth the long trip up and over to K-Town (and the stone pot) instead. Maybe the Kimpap is good? You're probably better off trying dishes that don't require special pots for cooking. I don't know, but I am willing to take one for the team and try those out too.
A search for some Japanese place quickly jotted down days ago led me to be lost and way out of my lunching range. So, on my way back to the office, I spotted this Cuban place (I searched for a Cuban place a couple of weeks prior only to find it closed down and is currently a construction site-- way to be on top of things, me) and hopped right in to purchase an over-the-budget-before-I-even-had-a-budget meal of Pulled beef with tomatoes and 
We've posted about Veniero's before, but this time, we provide pictures. And, a different point of view. Strangely enough, not too different. This is similarly the third stop of the night, but we decided to take out all the stops and put our metaphoric dessert car in full gear. Between KM, P, & I, we tried the Tortoni, Italian Cheesecake, and Chocolate Banana Strawberry Cake. The menu is so extensive (if a little ghetto), it's hard to pick out just one (or three). But, of course, we're not complaining! I'll be honest, it's not the most amazing Italian dessert I've had in NYC, but the place has got something for everyone. On every occasion.
When I said we pulled out all the stops, I meant it. We got some Rainbow Cookies for take-away too! Again, not the best we've had. The cake layers were a smidgen dry for our trained Rainbow Cake palates.
Hankering for a fresh, tasty Lobster Roll/Sandwich? No time to drive up to Maine? Hate road trips? Or just plain old don't have a car? Luckily, now you can pick one up at your local Panera (Hurrah!)-- Limited Time Only! (Oh, no!)
Left to Right: Espresso, Black Sesame, & Coconut
From the top, clockwise: Caramel. Hazelnut. Chocolate.
When the Lunar New Year lies on Valentine's Day, one has the opportunity to choose from a remarkably larger pool of reasons to convince oneself and family to purchase sweets while in NY. However, we are who we are, and we need no convincing.
Some of the flavors were Litchi Rose, Lavender Chocolate, Lemon, Pistachio, Guava, and Espresso. A lot of the flavors tasted true to name, but there were some we couldn't quite pinpoint, and then there was the Espresso, which tasted nothing like it. If you're in the neighborhood and feelin' for a macaron, definitely check this place out for it's unique flavors. But, you should know-- It's not otherworldly.
After some belated birthday present shopping, we almost missed the cupcakestop.com truck parked right in front of our eyes - but luckily the brain did a quick compute and we backtracked to order half a dozen of these newfound cupcakes. To get back in time for (a really late) lunch, we swiftly decided on two each of the red velvet, vanilla vanilla, and black forest. It must've been a V-day special since they were all decorated in PINK (E disapproves).
In the spirit of the holidays, we split them up and shared with the rest of the (starving) fam. The red velvet cake was a little on the dry side, but the black forest and vanilla cakes were more moist to our liking. They were good, but...I think I'm more fond of their mascot than their cakes XP. Nevertheless - would love to try some of the other flavors they have listed on their online menu!
Having heard various things about this new dig in Nolita, we purchased some nibbles to try back home. When asked, "What's recommended?", the girl behind the counter pointed to the tart pictured above. Though it looks like tomato sauce on a thick crust, dusted with slivered almonds, it's in actuality a grapefruit tart and quite delicious. The crust is thick, hovering between a cake and tart crust, and the grapefruit is just a bit on the tarty side.
Whooooo! Drunk at work off lunch! 
Having constantly heard about how great these Hampton Chutney cookies are, we finally bagged some. They aren't mind-numbingly spectacular, but they can definitely appease the Cookie Monster in you. Plus, they keep pretty fresh for days-- if you can keep your fluffy, blue hands off for that long...
See that vanilla buttercream-frosted, banana bread cupcake on top? Classic yumminess with a slight twist - ingenious! See that shine in the top right corner? Yeeeeah, that's honey glistening on top of the creamy BIG RED (aka cinnamon, for those of you who aren't familiar - you should be ashamed of yourselves!) frosting cupcake. See that stuff on the bottom right that looks like popcorn on top of a burnt caramel-frosted, chocolate cupcake? That's exactly what it is (what a notion!?). And see those mini-marshmallows on the left atop a peanut butter cream, banana bread cupcake? That right there is the most delicious thing ever.
There are two things at Cafe 360 that we had to try. OK, more than two things. But we held back! We know. It's hard. It's shocking. It's unbelievable. BUT. WE. DID. IT.
These are some of our favorite desserts, so we always look for recommendations. So, RECOMMENDATIONS???
Thanks to our cousin, KS, we were once again able to nibble (or inhale, whichever) the delicious cupcake flavors of CRUMBS. A lot of cupcake bakeries claim amazing cupcakes, but we often find that their frosting may taste great, while the cake is dry and crumbly. A good frosting is never the answer to a dry cake. That is our mantra. Or, it would be if we had one. You've probably already tried these, so I'll make it short(er). The cake was moist and dense (as a cupcake should be), and though the frosting is a bit thick for our tastes, it was pretty satisfying frosting. We don't like the crunch of the chocolate chips (for those that came with them), but we love the ganache surprise. It screams, "Surprise!". And, we're OK with that.
Flavors shown: Vanilla Coconut, White Hot Chocolate, Peppermint, Pistachio,
SACHER TORTE: Chocolate Hazelnut Cake alternating with thin layers of Raspberry Preserves, $3.75.
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