New York Bakery Cafe Graces 30th Avenue

The other night when I was walking back from dinner at Harissa, I noticed a new bakery on 30th Avenue that I handn't paid attention to before.  Although sporting a generic name, New York Bakery Cafe, the inside looked cheery and enticing, its displays packed with tons of beautiful-looking goodies, including cookies, pastries, the famous chocolate mice that are adored in Astoria, and plenty of cakes.  The fortune cookie cake in particular caught my eye and I may very well come back to get it for a special occasion.  

It was also interesting to see that besides the traditional New York style desserts, they also had Greek goodies such as baklava, kourabiedes, kataifi and more.  While I didn't get anything this time, I'll certainly be back and sample some yummies.  Let me know if you've tried it yet, I'm interested to see what you think.

New York Bakery Cafe - 32-06 30th Avenue, Astoria NY 11102
718.267.1010
N/Q Train to 30th Avenue

Omonia Next Door is Awesome!

It's been about 2 months since Omonia Next Door, an offshoot of the original Omonia Cafe opened.  Walking by the other day, the storefront immediately caught my eye, as it looked modern and had an attention grabbing display of breads that looked oh-so-fresh.

Naturally, I walked in to check out their offering and was very impressed.  When I tell you that this bakery has nearly everything under the sun, I mean it - cupcakes, red velvet cake, cookies, bread, muffins, bagels, coffee.  I only peeked in for a few minutes, and didn't yet order a treat, but what I saw was very impressive and the staff was lovely.

Something else that attracted me was the quaint outdoor garden they have in the back, where you can take your treat and enjoy it in the fresh air.  It seems like a quiet, chill area to relax and I'll make sure to take advantage of it soon.

A full review will come in the near future, but in the meantime, I wanted to give you a quick heads-up.  Has anyone tried it yet? And if so, what do you think?

Omonia Next Door - 32-20 Broadway, Astoria NY 11106
718.274.6650
N/Q Train to Broadway
www.omoniacafe.com

Cream Bakery - Cupcakes That Will Make You Swoon

Last week, I posted a note about a cupcake promotion from Cream Bakery for buy 1 get 1 free cupcake.  For those of you who know me personally, you won't be surprised to learn that I tried Cream bakery the very next day.  Being a sucker for sweet things, and cupcakes in particular, I just had to taste the deliciousness they were preaching.  And I'm happy to say that I wasn't disappointed.

Although I didn't go to the bakery myself (I sent Dan in my stead), I got to sample Cream's cupcakes at a family birthday party last weekend.  Here are my thoughts and ruminations:

Cupcakes - From the minute I saw them, neatly wrapped in two 6 cupcake containers, I started salivating.  There were so many different flavors that my senses were on overload and I couldn't decide just which one (or more) I would try. 

Dan took advantage of the buy 1 get 1 free special of course, which limits you to 3 free cupcakes, so he paid for 9.  There were 5 varieties he picked including your standard vanilla and chocolate with different colored buttercream frosting and other fancier flavors too, including banana, red velvet and chocolate cheesecake.

I automatically gravitated to the chocolate cheesecake cupcake, which didn't have a creamy frosting like the others, but it was so rich that it didn't need a topper.  Wow! Once I bit into this soft mound of heaven, I knew I chose the right cupcake.  The chocolate dough was moist and not too sweet but still very chocolatey--and as soon as I took a bite out of the creamy, tangy cheesecake portion, my senses were delighted even further.  Overall, the cupcake was surprisingly light, given its rich ingredients and unlike a big slice of cheesecake, it went down easy.

Although I didn't try all the other cupcakes, I licked off the frosting on a few stragglers and was impressed with its sweet, velvety texture and its delightful taste.  I can't wait to sample the other varieties really soon.

Cost:
Despite the great deal we got with the buy 1 get 1 free, Cream's cupcakes are expensive at $2.00 - $2.75 each.  A dozen came out to $21, even with the aforementioned coupon.

3 Mmmms

Cream Bakery - 31-78 Steinway Street, Astoria NY 11103
718.545.3800
R Train to Steinway Street