Corrado Bakery, Two Little Red Hens, Alice's Tea Cup,

I was accepted into the Cum Laude Honor Society at my school's award ceremony!! I received a lil pin to prove it! My mom was very proud and we got a bite to eat at Corrado Bread and Bakery, that just opened on 79^th and 3^rd.

I really felt like nova and ordered the Smoked Salmon Sandwich ($9.50), layered with capers and tomatoes, between pumpernickel spread with a thick cream cheese. The bread was flavorful, soft, a little chewy, and the cream cheese was not creamy, more of a thick layer. But, in no way can I complain about the salmon.

Along with the capers, the fish was saltier than my preference, but salt popped the flavor of the tomatoes, which became creamy with a bite that included the cheese layer. If you can manage to fit all the ingredients in one bite, it is delicious. This sandwich is huge, I can’t decide if it’s worth $9.50, but all the same I could not get enough of the salmon and ended up finishing the insides and leaving the bread aside.

My mom left me, and I headed uptown towards Two Little Red Hens. I have always passed by, but never tried their famed Brooklyn Blackout cupcake.

Cupcake prices depend on size and the flavor; a mini size, for $1.75, or a full size, which can range from $2 to $4 dollars. $4 is rather steep for a cupcake, but I decided to splurge and get one of these double chocolate confections.

This cupcake has heft. As I walked over to a little table, my paper plate was buckling beneath the weight of my dessert. Vanilla lovers beware! This multi-textured chocolate cupcake means business.

There is a tall layer of dark chocolate, truffle-like icing, that is sweet but definitely not overpowering. I hate to admit it, but it was slightly grainy and at first reminded me of Pillsbury canned chocolate icing that has come out of the fridge. The icing may be dense but once you dig in, it melts against the breath and on the tongue. There is a lot and I mean a lot, of icing, so much it topples the cake if you cut it in half. The cake appeared moist.

Without icing the chocolate underbelly turns dry and crumbly on the swallow. The most exciting part of the cupcake is a fluffy ganache, found in the center. Filled cupcakes make me happy!! And of course they need to be experienced with one large and messy bite that includes icing, cake and insides.

One of these mega combo bites is rich, and the epitome of chocolate decadence. Yummy. Eating started to become a chore. I recommend splitting one of these with a friend, that likes chocolate, because one cupcakes is a heavy but luxurious experience.

I received a call from a friend to go to a sample sale on 59^th street and Lexington Ave. Because I am a ridiculous dessert freak, my walk down was interupted by a stop to Alice’s Tea Cup. I have been here only once before. A bad experience where a group of 7^th grade graduates were charged $250 for tea, oh wait and tea sandwiches…..So I had a certain grudge against this place, but I have heard of their scones and really wanted one. Wow, I am ridiculous, but I just love chocolate. Surprisingly, I am a size 4. Yay for cardio!

This tea stop is adorable. The upstairs room I sat in is a child’s delight; pale turquoise and red walls are home to scattered butterflies of different sizes and shapes. The tables are petite and wooden. Besides having a separate menu for black, green, herbal, red and fruit teas, they also serve breakfast, lunch and dinner.

I ordered the Blackberry and Chocolate Scone. This is huge. Look at those moons of melted chocolate peeking on the surface.

A hard crust encloses melted chocolate and bursting blackberries, embedded in a crumbly, cake textured scone. The dough was even salty in some bites, but the chocolate added a sweetness that worked well with the unsweetened scone.

It came with a skimpy portion of cream and jam on the side. I slathered some cream in a chocolate bite and was in heaven. I ordered some heated skim milk, which came in a mason jar with. Thereafter I began to soak little bites on a spoon.

Now if they had clotted cream, I think I would have clogged my arteries in dessert ecstasy. I ended up foraging for chocolate chips and juicy hot berries. This was rather expensive ($6.50), but I could have easily split the scone with another person. I recommend a definite visit to this adorable hideaway.

I ended the day at a POSH super sale and got a large bag of clothes for $15 dollars. A lot of trousers and flowy shirts :)

This day was good!

Corrado Bread and Bakery
960 Lexington Ave. at E. 70th St.
New York, New York 10021

Two Little Red Hens
1652 2nd Ave (86th street)
New York, NY 10028
(212) 452-0476

Alice's Tea Cup
156 E 64th St
(212) 486-9200