The next morning we went off to find breakfast and I knew just the place: Baked. I loved this place and cannot recommend it enough. They’re rated as having some of the best cinnamon rolls in New York, and I can believe it. The cinnamon roll was warm, melty, delicious, and oh so gooey. We liked the atmosphere of it: the service was great, there was free water and Wi-Fi, everything was served in reusable plates and cups, and it felt like the perfect spot to just hang out. Most of their other baked goods made my mouth water.
From Baked, we went on to Brooklyn to start our day. I don’t remember if I’ve been to Brooklyn before, and Amber told me the vibe is very different. I could sense that almost immediately from stepping out of the subway. Brooklyn feels more like a suburban city, minus the skyscrapers, noise and pace of Manhattan. It feels like New York, but not Manhattan. I’d love to go back and explore it more!
Our first stop was the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. Be prepared: there is an entrance fee. Because some of their attractions were closed, we were given vouchers to come back before the end of the year to see them again. Unfortunately, this is another one of those parks that would probably look much better during the spring. But that didn’t make our visit a waste. Like Central Park, it was peaceful to walk through and there were pretty flowers blooming. But that wasn’t the best part for us. The garden had greenhouses and we absolutely loved them. They had five or six different greenhouses, each with their own theme. We went wandering through them like delighted children. Suddenly it was bursts of HEAT and GREEN in the middle of the city in winter. We saw tropical forests, cactuses, and even bonsai trees!
For lunch we decided to eat at the BBG restaurant, Yellow Magnolia Cafe. It was weekend brunch time, and the dishes were rather creative. I wasn’t expecting much, because of my experience with museum restaurants, but it was actually quite good. The space was designed as a sun room with windows overlooking the gardens, and we sat on these nifty high-top stools. We shared the biscuits (very yummy), which came with molasses butter and a cherry-apple compote (not really a jam, it was pieces of fruit in some syrup), which was an interesting flavor. I ordered the burger which came with chips made with purple sweet potatoes, which was a refreshing complement. Amber ordered the chicken and enjoyed her dish.
After eating we chose to leave the botanical gardens to carry on with our day. We walked to Four and Twenty Blackbirds, a pie shop. This is another place where you never know what you will get. This place has a great customer experience. You can sit at a bar and they’ll bring you your pie, any drinks, and take your payment there. Some people were treating it like a coffee shop atmosphere and doing their homework. I got a slice of salted caramel apple and Amber got lemon curd. I wouldn’t say it was the best slice of pie I’ve ever eaten, but it was definitely very good. It was light on the caramel, so I’d just call it an apple pie. The apples were tender and creamy and the crust flaky. Amber’s pie was very lemony.
Close by was our next stop, Ample Hills Creamery. I like this place’s concept—they not only make their own ice cream, but they also make all their own baked goods that go into their ice cream. They feature creative flavors next to traditional ones, but nothing peculiar like bleu cheese or pickle (which have been real ice cream flavors), it’s all sweet. There was a bit of a line, which is always a sign the product is good! I already knew what I wanted to get—peanut butter cup and the ooey gooey butter cake (based on St. Louis butter cake). The ice cream was good, but not bold—the vanilla base wasn’t very intense. I really liked the ice cream mix-ins.
Our next stop was the Museum of Food and Drink. This museum is set in a small warehouse with a single rotating exhibit. Their mission is to educate on the importance of food in culture, and has an active kitchen to engage all the senses related to food (food IS about tasting, right?). The current exhibit is on the history of American Chinese food. I only found out that this was the exhibit right before we got there, so “Museum of Food and Drink” was the draw for me and not this specific exhibit, but I was still very intrigued.
Amber and I had a ton of fun there (Dad, you would enjoy this). We were greeted by a wall of Chinese takeout boxes (is this art?). We learned about the history of Chinese restaurants in the United States and how the unjust Chinese Exclusion Act led to Chinese immigrants opening their own restaurants, and how that has since led to their ubiquity. They had an assortment of restaurant menus to survey and all the fortune cookies you want. If you don’t want to keep your fortunes you can pin them to the wall. One panel explained some of the science behind Chinese cooking, such as how the sauces are made and the cooking techniques.
Then it was on to the tasty portion of the visit, sitting at the bar where they will make samples of food right in front of you. Chinese food isn’t my cuisine of choice, but they prepared us something so simple it worked for me. It was rice with a ginger soy sauce and Chinese onions. It was pretty good. Probably the best part was watching them make it in the wok. You could even test your wok skills at a nearby sink with plastic food, providing you instructions on how to work (or wok) it.
We headed back to the City (hint: what New Yorkers call Manhattan) to meet up with Benoni, our roommate from last year. She’s currently studying in New York. We got to see her dorm and hang out, and tour her campus. Then we went to dinner. The first few places we tried had long waits, but we got to settle on a place where we were seated immediately, Community Food and Juice. This is another one of those local food joints with creative offerings. I got a roast chicken dish that came with a side of lemony couscous and root vegetables. The chicken was just okay, not seasoned much and I didn’t like the skin. I did like the side and I lapped that up.
They featured interesting desserts. An “award-winning” dessert was a pear upside-down cake. It’s a butter pound cake with the sliced pear, pecan ice cream, and salted caramel sauce. I was intrigued enough to try it and it was so worth it! The cake was yummy and the pear was an interesting pearing (yes, that is a pun). The ice cream tasted like it had a little alcohol in it, which was a bit annoying for me. I would go back to this place, and probably sample other dishes.
We called it a night, and headed back to our hotel via the subway. We were going through quickly to get to the subway, and the subway turnstile rammed into me! Oooooouch. Yes it hurt. It left a big bruise. But I lived.
The next morning we went to church at Trinity Church Wall Street. Trinity’s main church is currently undergoing construction maintenance (as things always are in this city), so instead they’re holding church services in a separate building they also own about a block away. We didn’t exactly realize this until we got to the main building, and kept going. Fortunately we made it there on time. It might have been the first church I needed to go through a security check to get into.
I really liked this church. Amber even picked up on that, she said “this is an Amy kind of church.” The liturgy was more on the high church end and their music was great. The experience of going to church in New York was interesting—we must have been right above a subway line, because the building rattled from the impact a lot. The church body was very diverse which is something I want in a church. But the best part was of course the sumptuous coffee hour afterwards, with Danishes, bagels, and donuts—all you could want!
We went on to brunch at Le Pain Quotidien. I liked the ambiance of this place, it felt perfect for a relaxing Sunday brunch. I got a Belgian waffle with berries (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, I liked the variety!), a croissant and a blueberry muffin. Both the waffle and the croissant were very good, the blueberry muffin had a bran base and I didn’t like it as much. I ordered a mint lemonade which was so so good.
Before we had to leave for the bus station, we stopped by Levain Bakery for their world famous cookies. Note that if you go here, there might be a bit of a line. But they get you in and out quickly! If you come in knowing what you want you can simply order it, you pay very fast (if you pay with card), and you’re out. And it IS worth it because these cookies might be the very best. They are big, and the doughiest, meltiest, chocolatiest goodness.
Well that’s a wrap folks. We had a fantastic time with non-stop fun. I always love finding new places to eat at and explore and I’m excited to go to New York again to find even more! My favorite part of the trip though was that I got to do it with Amber, one of my best friends! We’ve created some great memories and now I can look forward to our next adventures!
