Whole Earth Bakery and Kitchen

Whole Earth Bakery and Kitchen - 130 St. Marks Place
A cute little vegan bakery and mini deli. The guy behind the counter is really nice (and always offers a taste of the smoothie currently being blended.) The foods a little pricey, but not unreasonably for the area. And hey - it's vegan, so that's nifty/neat. The vegan pizza's tasty - although don't expect regular pizza taste - rather, it's crunchy, chewy, with a taste all its own. Oh - and try the snowball sweets - deep, rich chocolate, unlike the snowballs found in the junkfood isle.

Veniero's

Veniero's - 342 E. 11th Street (Italian Pastries)
A spectacular Italian bakery - filled to the brim with rich cannolis, pastries and tons of delicious (sinful) treats. Though I've known the place for only 15 years, the place has been a NYC institution for over a century. With that kind of track record, you have to go and try a pastry...at least once!

Moishe's Kosher Bake Shop

Moishe's Kosher Bake Shop - 115 2nd Avenue (off 6th Street)
A tempting little kosher pastry shop, right in the heart of Saint Marks. Pretty darned cheap, and the munchie's look tasty (I've personally tried the Kichel and Bowtie Pastry...and held off on the rest!)

Beard Papa's

Beard Papa's - 740 Broadway (Astor Place) (Japanese)
They say it's the best place around for cream puffs. I'm actually not a cream puff type, but I did stop to sample the Chocolate Fondant. Not bad. Chocolately - but hardly transcendant. But if you're a cream puff fan, you should know where this place is located. There. Now you're duly served. Try 'em and let me know.

Sullivan Street Bakery

Sullivan Street Bakery - 533 W. 47th (10th and 11th Avenue) (Bakery/Bread) (Also: 73 Sullivan Street)
Located on the far westend of town - a small classy bakery, specializing in loaves and other baked goods. Specifically interesting are the pizza slices - made from thin slices of bread, decorated with toppings such as potato, tomato or mushroom. (Vegans take note: several of the options are cheeseless....and wow, the mushroom slice is very good.) On the GG trip, I also sampled the whole wheat loaf - which proved to be substantial and tasty-chewy. While I wouldn't trek all the way across town for it, fans swear by this place, calling it the best bread in NYC. So give it a try - either at the Hell's Kitchen location, or the original spot downtown on Sullivan Street.

Magnolia Bakery

Magnolia Bakery - 401 Bleeker Street (off 11th Street)
Made famous by Sex and the City, the cupcakes at Magnolia Bakery are touted as tasty, superlative...and generally irresistable. Today, I strolled over to Magnolia - to test the theory myself. The counter offers an array of cupcakes with do it yourself service, as well as several other sweet desserts (such as cheesecake and bread pudding.) The atmosphere is preppy, and the space a little crowded (expect a line, though it moved fast for me.) As for the cupcakes? Surprisingly reasonably priced (given the location), they only cost about $2.00 a pop - and the super sweet icing was the best part. The cupcake itself was no great shakes - and certainly not worth the return trip. Bottom line? If desserts are your thing, its probably worth checking out once. But don't expect an earth shattering experience...

Russ and Daughters

Russ and Daughters - 179 E. Houston Street (Allen and Orchard) (Jewish)
A small traditional specialty shop, stocked with lots of Jewish delicacies and goodies - from herring to halvah, cheeses, coffee beans and kosher pastries. Within a block of the landmark known as Katz's, R&D is worth a look (especially if you're already in the area.) Speaking from personal experience, I can say that the Rugelach is good. And the Babka cake is delicious.

Koryodang

Koryodang - 31 W. 32nd Street
A decent Korean bakery (a little on the fru-fru side for my tastes). But worth a stop. There's also one in Flushing, so I read.

There's one amazing thing I've had here: the cashier simply called it mochi, but it was wonderfully different. Pure white, this mochi was assymetrically lumpy with a tiny gel-green leaf on top. Inside was a creamy white filling, with a taste that I can't place (shiro-an, white bean paste?). It was the softest mochi/daifuku type dessert I've ever had - I think it had soy bean flour (kinako) on it. Almost supernaturally soft! They had it right next to the register, and if you see it....get it!

Kabir's Bakery

Kabir's Bakery - 1425 Foster Avenue, Brooklyn and 29-05 36th Avenue, LIC (Indian/Pakistani)
Haven't been to a physical location, but have had their products at my local Bronx deli. They seem to have a good variety, so they deserve at least preliminary mention.

Cafe Zaiya

Cafe Zaiya - 69 Cooper Street
A cute little Japanese bakery, tucked right around the corner from the mouth of St. Marks.
A treasure trove of pan (Japanese bread), Zaiya is filled with a bunch of other delicacies and Japanese sweets:

Bread and buns are available in a load of varities, such as green tea or cheese flavored.
Grab and go quickie meals are also available, including onigiri, yakisoba (fried noodles) on a bun, and ham and cheese in a croissant.

During my visit, I personally tried a soba noodle salad - consisting of veggies, ginger dressing and a nest of cold soba buckwheat noodles. But honestly, the salad didn't begin to compare to the yummy (reasonable priced) sweets that followed. Among the must haves at Zaiya:

A whipped, green "fruit jelly" in a cup - light, flavorful, sweet and filling, and tasting strongly of green tea.
The highlights of the trip: Zaiya's Yakimochi - with baked glutinous rice dough, surrounding a filling of sweetened adzuki bean paste - and an Adzuki Donut (featuring a similar filling, but with a more Westernized, sugary exterior.)

Not planning on a trip to the East Village in the near future? Then be informed that Zaiya *does* have another location - 18 E. 41st Street (right near Yagura.) So if you work in Midtown East - you might just be in luck.

Roll and Dough

Roll and Dough - 135 W. 3rd Street (6th Avenue and McDougal)
Hidden throughout Flushing Chinatown are many tiny gems - small shoppes serving cheap, tasty edibles - items not readily available in the tourist heavy haunts of Manhattan. One of the best was Unique Pastry, a miniscule shoppe offering $1.50 steamed buns, and bings (flattened fried buns, coated with sesame seeds and stuffed with a variety of fillings.) In the past few years, the snacks have become famous in certain foodie circles, earning the owner of the shoppe (Elizabeth Ting) the name of Bing Lady.

In August 2006, the shoppe moved to Manhattan/West Village, around the corner from the basketball courts. Renamed Roll and Dough, the shoppe offers the same tasty snacks - and a more easily accessible location.

Despite the Manhattan address, the price remains reasonable - juices are sold for $3.00, bings/buns run from $1.50 - $2.00. The menu seems expanded, offering a wide range of flavors, from spicy pork to veggie. Though slightly cold, the bings I sampled (both sweet and savory) were tasty. Since Taro had sold out, I tried the sweet banana filling - nothing amazing (though satisfactory.) The hot and sour vegetable bing - that had punch, and flavor...the clear winner of the taste test. But there's always the red bean to try out - for yet another day.

In the end, I walked away from Roll and Dough happy - wishing the best for Ms. Ting's expanding business. It's good to see culinary diversity thrive in the West Village... It's also good to have access to bings - without having to ride the 7 train to get them.

Unique Pastry

Unique Pastry - 135-23 40th Road (Flushing, Queens) - Chinese
My first flushing linkable. This is a great easy-to-miss hole in the wall bakery right off the 7 line. They have terrific buns, filled with taro, spicy chicken (very good), and other stuffs. I also had an egg and chives pastry that wasn't bad. They're very nice and friendly, and it's only a little over a dollar a roll. If you're in Flushing, you have to go!

9/6/06 Bad news - I hear that Unique Pastry is no more, closed up shop. Good news: they've moved to Manhattan West Village, under the name Roll and Dough! Closer bings...yum!

Taipan Bakery

Taipan Bakery - 194 Canal Street or 37-25 Main Street (Flushing) (Chinese-Taiwanese?)
One of the larger, more commercial bakeries in both the Manhattan and Flushing Chinatowns. It's always bustling, always a line. The highlights: glutinous sugar rice cake, 'my bread' (a peanut butter and condensed milk sandwich on white toast) and a host of good ice cream sundae platters. (Try the German or Tiramisu sundae - they take awhile to make, but have plenty of ice cream, cake, and fresh fruit - and are just large enough to fill you up.) Also: they have a catering menu!

HW Cafe Bakery

HW Cafe Bakery - 242 Canal Street (Chinese)
A great overall bakery. Less commercial than some of the other bakeries. I especially love their glutinous (white) rice cake, which I haven't seen available elsewhere.