Count on LA to offer a venue where former gang members will whip up a fresh mint-spinach lemonade to go with your zucchini blossom omelet.
Homeboy Industries was founded in 1988 with the goal of getting young Angelenos out of gangs and into the workforce. The nonprofit organization provides former gang members and other at-risk youth with job training and on-the-job experience at its two eateries, Homeboy Bakery and Homegirl Café.
Both outposts are located at the Homeboy Industries headquarters, a renovated warehouse downtown, two blocks from Union Station. Homeboy Bakery offers freshly baked muffins, bagels, cakes and pies, while the adjacent Homegirl Café serves up a Latin-influenced menu, with omelets and chilaquiles--crisp tortillas simmered in salsa--in the morning, and sandwiches and tacos for lunch, along with that mint-spinach lemonade, which believe it or not, is delicious.
Ok, this week's pick isn't a full-on restaurant per se, unless of course you happen to eat solely fresh baked cookies as your main food group. We'll admit, we've had some tough times that called for just that, so our interest is piqued by Insomnia Cookies, opening this week on West 8th near Macdougal.
Started in 2003 by two enterprising UPenn grads, Insomnia Cookies curbs the late night cravings most college students have and offers cookies & milk delivery at a dozen campuses nationwide (including NYU) between the hours of 8pm-2:30am.
This week their first daytime hours run shop is set to open for New Yorkers who sleep at night, offering delicious, reliable standbys like freshly baked double chocolate chunk cookies (90 cents), white chocolate macadamia cookies (90 cents) and others like peanut butter cup ($2), oatmeal, and more. Not to worry, they'll still deliver too. You can also order mixed gift boxes for your favorite co-ed.
Though the area is now dominated by Middle Eastern and Chinese populations, Brooklyn's Bay Ridge neighborhood once housed thousands of northern Europeans. During the late-19th century influx of immigrants, Scandinavians arrived in New York's ports side-by-side with eastern Europeans and Italians and settled southwest of Prospect Park.
Norwegians, Swedes, Finns and Danes, however, have since almost vanished from the area. Writing for the site Forgotten New York, blogger Kevin Walsh recalls Bay Ridge's past:
My family and I went to a restaurant called the Scandia, bought bread at Lund's Bakery, our super was Norwegian, Nordisk Tidende (Norway Times) was on every newsstand and I was regularly bullied by guys named Bergstol and Hedberg.
Even though their numbers have dwindled, Bay Ridge still has a few shops, a park and even a parade commemorating its Nordic roots. In Brooklyn, the adage holds true: There are two ways to do things, the right way or Norway.
Enter another one into the NYC cupcake competition: Bruce's Cupcakery, also just known as Bruce's Bakery. Tucked into a weird, busy corner on 57th St and 1st Ave., Bruce's retro neon signs stand out, and the window displays beckon with cupcakes, challah bread, and anything else baked that day. Sure, Bruce's looks a little suspect from the outside, but only because it's a real old-school style NY bakeshop. No cutesy tea menu or awning here, just the real thing: delicious, moist cupcakes and good deals.
You can even head to Bruce's for lunch, where a sandwich, Coke, and surprise (hint: think cupcake) spice up any old brown bagger's day. Bruce's cakes are also pretty damn good (albeit a bit pricey). You'll be trying to wash down and digest that chocolate ganache for a good while. They've also got an outpost in Great Neck, Long Island, and like to call themselves "the baker to the stars" meaning Mickey Mantle and the cast of All My Children, but that's what we love about Bruce's - they're not into the next, hip thing, only into what works.
As we're on a little bit of a comfort food kick this week (must be the weather), today we're thinking rich, buttery, decorated baked goods. We're thinking Crumbs. With five locations (even one in the Hamptons), Crumbs is within craving distance at all times.
It's pretty much got everything a bakery should have, including cupcakes, cookies, brownies, and custom-made sheet cakes. Might sound normal, but after you dig into their fresh preserve fillings (peach, blueberry) you'll realize they're a step above. Or bite into one of their famous red velvet, cappuccino, or Devil Dog cupcakes - just big enough for a little lunchtime break. There are more than 25 types of cupcakes baked daily, and you can order a sixer of 'em, perfect for surprising someone on their birthday classily, or if you forgot to get a gift ahead of time.
Crumbs was opened by Mia and Jason Bauer four years ago, and interiors were inspired by old-school candy shops, with tile floors, wood display cases and "wall to wall treats." Don't worry - your winter sweaters will hide those few extra pounds.
At behest and via the courtesy of the Netherlands Board of Tourism,
Jaunted went to Amsterdam to check out what is happneing in AMS right
now. Tough gig, we know. Remember, we do this all for you. Enjoy.
Our Amsterdam high has worn off and we're back today reporting on all that we saw and did. We spent our first few hours in Amsterdam checking out our hotel, the Lloyd Hotel, which is a few miles from the center of town on the Oostelijke Handelskade, a little island created in the late 19th century to accomodate steamships coming into the port.
Then we headed out for a guided walking tour of the city and found that Amsterdam is surprisingly walkable. You can definitely cover most important parts of the city by foot. Just try to visit when the weather's warm as we were unfortunate to have cold, windy and rainy weather.
That's why we ducked into De Bakkerwinkel (The Baker's Shop) just off the Red Light District for tea and pie which hit the spot. Yup, we got another bakery tour for ya. The place is a little bit like what you would find in an independent coffee shop, in the states of course. As you know, Amsterdam's coffee shops have a very different meaning. There's a bit of eclectic furniture like wooden tables and fabric-covered chairs, along with living room lamps and floral wall-paper. But its all very cozy.
As for the fare, obviously this place sells delicious bread but also on the menu are salads, soups, sandwiches and desserts. We tried the apple pie (on the right of the plate) and our fellow travelers sampled the chocolate and carrot cakes.
We hit up the Bakkerwinkel on Warmoesstraatt but there are a few other locations throughout the city as well as in nearby Rotterdam and Utrecht.
When the New York City cupcake wars were raging, it seemed like every time you got a bakery recommendation, it had to be about the cupcakes and who made the best Magnolia knockoff. Some people don't even like Magnolia's cupcakes that much, you know. In defiance of the Magnolia obsession, we've got a pair of alternatives--one uptown and one downtown--to satisfy your sweet tooth, whether you crave cupcakes or carrot cake. Neither is a complete secret, but remember that restaurants get popular for a reason. Usually.
Downtown:Ciao For Now is a bakery/cafe on 12th Street between Avenues A and B. They have great cupcakes here (they come in regular and miniature sizes), but we especially love their scones and muffins. The scones come in all sorts of flavors (mango, strawberry, raspberry, you name it) and have an unusually high fruit-to-dough ratio. That's soothing for both the palate and the conscience, despite the fact that the brain knows scone ain't a vitamin any way you slice it. Also recommended: Ciao For Now's delicious and filling frittatas and vegan cookies.
Uptown:Two Little Red Hens has less of Ciao For Now's cafe element, and none of its earthy/vegan-friendly appeal, but that's something fans of traditional baking will appreciate. The Upper East Side location opened after the original one in Brooklyn, and its pricing makes more sense for special purchases than daily snacking. Still, for stuff like carrot cake and oatmeal cookies, it's hard to beat.
At behest and via the courtesy of the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation, Jaunted spent the weekend in 6th Borough for a sleepover and tour--meaning this trip was on Ben Franklin, Rocky, and Boyz II Men--or something like that. Our thoughts are scattered below. Enjoy.
One thing we heard from quite a few Philadelphians on our trip is that Philly doesn't really have many celebrities...besides Will Smith and ?uestlove. As a result, a lot of "local characters," such as bloggers and restaurant owners and the like, become Philly's celebrity equivalent. Joey Sweeney of Philebrity is one example we heard cited. Tom Block, though we didn't hear him specifically namechecked in those conversations, could certainly be another.
Block co-founded Thomas Sweet Ice Cream & Chocolate, a popular Jersey-based chain. He had plans to retire from the chocolate business, but before he could, his daughter Sara scooped him up for another venture. The two co-own and run Naked Chocolate, a Walnut Street desert café. The elder Block, thanks to his looks and jovial demeanor, reminds us of Willa Wonka and is definitely a treasure.
He and Sara serve up delicious hot chocolate, plus truffles and baked goods, all day. Naked Chocolate isn't a bakery in the traditional sense--they don't open super-early to offer muffins for your pre-work breakfast--but they do have a great brownie equivalent they like to call a "nudo." You can grab one with a coffee at 10 am, or come in after dinner to top off your food coma. We weren't able to see one for ourselves, but we hear Sara has also prepared Turkey-shaped blocks of chocolate in honor of Thanksgiving. Vegetarian, and SO much better than Tofurkey!
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by BS
