Monthly Archives: September 2014

Hot Bread Kitchen

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Lots of times at bread and bakery shops, each specializes and houses a particular style or type, whether it be Parisian, or Eastern European. But, At Hot Bread Kitchen in East Harlem, you can choose from an array of multi-ethnic breads. 

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Located in La Marqueta, they produce all of their breads on-site, from loaves of bread, to tortillas to lavash. Everything looked great, but I decided to try a couple of things. 

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First, I went for their Pecan Raisin Roll. The bread itself has a nice crust on the outside, and a softer texture in the center, with almost a bit of that bite sourdough bread has. Then, you get the sweetness of the baked in raisins and pecans, adding a nice texture as well. 

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Then, I went for an old familiar item, the Bialy. My family grew up on the Lower East Side in NYC, so, visiting as a kid, we’d always stop by one of the local Jewish bakeries and pick up some fresh Bialys. Since then, they’ve become more sparse, and not as common to see or find. So, this was a nice little surprise, and had to pick one up. Theirs is light, with a nice chew to the bread, and then you have the tiny caramelized onion and poppyseed combination in the center, making it an authentic Bialy. 

The Shorts:
Name: Hot Bread Kitchen
Location: 1590 Park Avenue, NYC
The Long and Short: Would I go back? Yes, they have a cute little cafe there as well, so you can grab a coffee and baked good, or, take it to go.
Would I recommend it? Yes, there is a nice variety, something for everyone. And, if you can’t make it to the shop, you can find them at a number of other locations. 

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il laboratorio del gelato

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Well, my Best Ice Cream In NYC Challenge off of Refinery29’s list continues, and my next stop was il laboratorio del gelato in the Lower East Side. Walking by the busy street of Houston, it’s hard to miss this spot. On the corner, you approach a big, white, open spaced shop, with some blue lights luring you in. 

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Inside, they’re making the finest gelato and sorbets, with a growing flavor list of over 200. But, don’t worry, they’re not all available at once, which makes it only slightly easier to decide on a flavor, since they still do have quite a number to choose from. Some flavors are common, but most are unique and unusual, making use of the whole lab concept. 

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I’ve been here before, but there were flavors that I hadn’t tried, and you can choose two flavors in your serving. I was interestingly dreaming of Thanksgiving, and went for Corn and Sweet Potato. Let’s start with the corn flavor. It certainly did taste like corn, but the flavor was very mild, either making it much more accessible to someone more hesitant toward a corn flavored gelato, or, just having a very mild flavor in general. Consistency wise, the gelato was rich and creamy, with a nice, thick and silky texture. The real star of this duo though, was the sweet potato. This was just like eating a sweet potato in gelato form, which, might now be the only way I’d like to consume my sweet potatoes. Well, ok, aside from sweet potato fries and a casserole for Thanksgiving. Aside from those, the only way. 

The Shorts:
Name: il laboratorio del gelato
Location: 188 Ludlow Street, NYC
The Long and Short: Would I go back? For sure, they’re always putting out new and interesting flavors, and the quality of gelato is amazing. 
Would I recommend it? Yes. Be prepared, on a busy evening, you’ll need to take a number and be willing to wait just a little bit to grab your frozen treat. Also, get the Sweet Potato, maybe skip the Corn. You’re still getting your serving of veggies, right?