Sweets in the Slope

Sweet Melissa's Patisserie
175 7th Ave (between 1st/2nd)
Park Slope, Brooklyn
718-502-9153

Is there anyone who does NOT love Patisseries?? To me the Patisserie is the ultimate in decadent sweet shop, many steps up from the average cafe/coffee shop or bakery in the intricacy, colors, sheer beauty of the treats they have in the gorgeous glass cases. One of my favorite parts of visiting Paris is always the joy of Patisseries around nearly every corner. Just "browsing" in these sweet shops is an awesome activity, with the fruit tarts and éclairs and colorful treats never before seen. There are a fair number of places around NYC that call themselves patisseries, but Melissa's hits the nail on the head. It feels like you are in a cafe in Paris, very cozy and European. They have table service or takeaway, and the gorgeous glass display of European-looking treats and tarts, souffles & florentines & truffles, plus a great pie and cake selection. They do have an outdoor courtyard/garden that we haven't tried yet as well. They also have a lunch menu and an afternoon tea that I'm dying to try.

It's hard not to walk by and not stop in for a treat. (Especially with the beautiful cakes in the window!) We've become particularly fond of the delicious fruit pies! We had a slice of sour cherry & rhubarb that was to die for (by the way is rhubarb a northern thing?? I'd never even heard of it growing up in Florida; not til I lived in England. But hubby loves it and used to grow it in his back yard in Wisconsin!). Oh and it had--get this-- Pistachio crumbles on top! Yum. This week I tried the "Jumbleberry Crumble pie" or something to that effect, with a great berry mix and yummy crumbles on top, it was heaven. You can tell I must have a thing for crumbles. Their cafe au laits are quite nice too. When you are craving a sweet and a coffee in Paris, stop by Sweet Melissa's and forget about the rest of NYC outside.

Nov, 2007 update-- just a quick post-blog note: had lunch at Sweet Melissa's and it was so tasty! So even beyond sweets, check them out. A lentil soup with roasted garlic & tomato was fabulous, and the salad with roasted pears and stilton cheese was so tasty too... :)

Red Horse Cafe

Red Horse Cafe
Corner of 12th St/6th Ave
Park Slope, Brooklyn
(718) 499-4973

When I started this blog, I mentioned how Magnolia is one of our favorite local restaurant options. During the course of the first year we lived here, we noticed a new coffee shop going up across the street from Magnolia, which ultimately opened up as "Red Horse Cafe." The entrance was done up very nicely and it looked very inviting. It took a while before we began to stop in, and usually we just got coffees to go. I really enjoyed their iced mochas, though they did vary tremendously depending on who made them. They always had a small selection of treats in the glass case and on the counter to choose from, and the dark cozy interior had various wooden tables & chairs and usually people on their laptops there. I like the bar by the windows, and the couches. There are also a few seats/tables outside often. I do remember a couple of delicious scones we had once-- blueberry and pumpkin spice, they were heavenly. We've also seen signs recently that they've started selling alcohol, and are staying open later on weekends.

This week we decided to stop by on a hot summer afternoon and get lunch here. It was hot and sunny but not too humid so we decided to see if we could bear it outside under a small touch of shade. (I always enjoy soaking up sun, being from the sunshine state and all!) We ordered a chicken and grape sandwich and gazpacho. The sandwich was decent, though probably overpriced, but the gazpacho was delicious, very tasty and refreshing, perfect for summer. It's definitely a nice local place for a coffee and a quiet hangout.

Grey Dog Cafe

Grey Dog Cafe
33 Carmine Street
West Village, New York City
(212) 462-0041

So we found ourselves in the West Village this sunny Sunday morning, and decided it was the perfect time to check out the Grey Dog Cafe, which the hubby informed me was "the place to brunch in Manhattan." Despite the fact that he used to live in this neighborhood, he'd never been there before, and it seemed the perfect suggestion to fight off the Sunday hangover headaches...

Most of the other places in the area weren't opened yet at 10:30am, so we were happy to see the Grey Dog already bustling. From the front it looked like a place that would fit in perfectly on Key West's Duval Street; open-air with painted carribean-style sign posts in the entryway and fence posts and ocean buoys lining the front entrance. Everyone waits in line, whether you are taking out or eating in, and hopefully tables open up as you wait. You put in your order and pay, and then orders are brought out by name. When you finish you just get up and leave, since you're all paid up; reminded me of an English pub or caf in that respect. Guess they get faster turnover that way. The interior was pretty cute, had a lot of character. The sandwich menu looked amazing, but we had breakfast in our sites. I do want to go back and try the hot pressed sandwiches though, with chicken, mozzarella, pesto, roasted tomatoes... and another with turkey, brie, and raspberry-mustard sauce!

The iced cappucinos we got were divine, I would definitely recommend their coffee. I noticed you can buy bags of it for home as well. I had a simple breakfast plate with scrambled eggs and "hash-mash" and toast. The eggs were fine, standard; the hash-mash was tasty crispy hash browns. Hubby got an omelette; each was about $7.50 (with a few dollars more for the omelette toppings). Helped ourselves to silverware and condiments, and scarfed in our low blood-sugar hunger, as it got more and more crowded.

Overall, glad we got to check it out; on Sundays if you're awake before 11, I suggest go then before it gets crazy, and love the coffees. Perhaps a hot pressed sandwich next time...

Blog Soop reviews of Grey Dog Cafe