a little bite of everything

A cheesecake

It is no secret to my friends that cheesecakes rank among my top 5 favourite desserts. All things considered, I’ll go as far as to say that cheesecakes are my ultimate favourite desserts (as of today. This may -this will- change.). Cheesecakes are very popular in NYC: they are listed on every Italian or American/ Continental menu. I even found it in a Mexican restaurant! They are so many different cheesecake recipes, but NYC cheesecake is usually invariably made of cream cheese, egg, sugar, vanilla and heavy cream. Obviously I couldn't resist to step into this cute little shop "EILEEN SPECIAL CHEESECAKE", which immodestly claimed to make “the Best Cream Cheesecake in New York". I had the traditional strawberry-covered cheesecake (see picture, 3.5 USD), which was the lightest, most perfectly balanced and tasty cheesecake I had ever had. I cannot say whether it’s the best cheesecake in NYC (as I haven’t tried all of them) but to be sure, the one I had was the best I ever had so far. The shop’s range of cheesecakes is amazingly varied and beautifully presented. Along with the traditional fruit-covered cheesecakes (blueberry, pineapple, strawberry, cherry or an assortment of the 4 of them), you’ll find an original range of flavoured cheesecakes, with cookies and cream, peanut butter or more surprisingly, pina colada cheesecakes. You can enjoy your individual serve of cheesecake in the little shop or take it away, but you can also order a cake for 12-16 people to be delivered.

EILEEN SPECIAL CHEESECAKE

17 Cleveland Place (Kenmare Street)

SoHo, NYC, USA

A waffle with fruits

In New York City I was more than happy to stick to my rule of tasting local food when I'm traveling abroad. I am a big fan of the renowned American “comfort-food” and I was very excited to try most of them, from macaroni & cheese to pancakes, not to mention cheeseburgers and chicken Ceasar salads (and I did NOT run in Central Park to work it off, for I had to save my energy to go clubbing. Now that's something to go back to NYC for.). You would be mistaken if you thought that you could only find hypercaloric fast-food in NYC. To be honest, I was amazed at the city’s overwhelming diversity of restaurants and cafés, where the food and service often reach very high standards of excellence, even in crowded places or small joints. That said, I know that eating in a French Café in NYC will sound a bit ridiculous when there are so many traditional, local joints to discover. But CAFÉ GITANE is everything I look for in a café: it’s round the corner (I was staying in SoHo), the food is good, simple and fresh, there’s outdoor seating, which is great for people-watching, the staff is efficient and friendly, the interior is cute and comfortable. Oh and I forgot: they serve great coffee, too. I had this yummy homemade waffle with fresh fruits (8 US dollars), which was soft and perfectly sweet. I’d recommend CAFÉ GITANE if you’re looking for a cool neighbourhood café where you’d go for a relaxed breakfast or brunch with your friends.

Café Gitane

242 Mott St, (between Prince and Houston St)

NYC, USA