The Proof is in the (Rice) Pudding

Have you ever thought, “Wow, I really wish there was a place that served good rice pudding”? You probably haven’t. I hadn’t either. That is, until I stumbled upon Rich to Riches.





A day of Soho exploring, topped off with a burger at Soho Park and a quick pit stop at Helen Ficalora, led me straight to NoLita and directly into Rice to Riches. Not sure if it’s just that Fall has arrived or I’m plain old overindulging (or both), but comfort food has been high on my list this week – and rice pudding hits the spot. It’s hard to deny the creamy goodness of rice pudding made just right. And Rice to Riches is spot on.



With 21 nontraditional flavors like Forbidden Apple, Man-Made Marscapone w/Cherries, Honey Graham for Mr. Smith, let's face it: the fun names alone make these flavors worth trying. Oh, and if those don't sound decadent enough, you can also pick from about 10 toppings like jam, buttery graham crackers, whipped cream, buttery pound cake...sold yet?



Smitten with the bright lights, funny signs (something about "you're going to die anyway, so why diet?" seems right to me...), and beer helmet filled with rice pudding, I happily stood in a longer-than-average line at the glass case, which I would have thought was an ice cream case, if I didn't know better. Though I'm a traditionalist, I was able to sample some fun flavors, like Forbidden Apple before committing to a Diva-sized (and prepackaged) Cheesecake Rice Pudding, and a takeaway Epic-sized half Old-Fashioned Romance, half The Milk Chocolate Only Rings Twice for a party that evening. Fun packaging and scooping spoons topped off the presentation. While it's maybe not completely eco-friendly, I do intend to reuse my plastic container. Though not exactly inexpensive ($5 for a Solo size, $7 for Epic, $20 for Sumo, & $40 for Moby), it sure beats some other specialty shops in both flavor and portion (e.g. Cold Stone Creamery, a supposed - gourmet - yet - entirely - overpriced - and - overhyped ice cream shop).



The pudding itself was thick, creamy, and sweet - all the components necessary for properly wonderful rice pudding. The thing about rice pudding is that it is very easy to get it wrong in so many ways...but Rice to Riches only gets it right. Sweet, but not too sweet. Thick, but not flan-like. Ricey, but not too ricey. It was the perfect rice to pudding to sweetness ratio. And I can't wait to go back.









Beware: Pudding portions are huge. I started out with a false sense of stomach emptiness, but the RP snuck up on me in an instant making my stomach feel full and needing a post-pudding walk.



Bonus: Rice to Riches is located just across the street from famed Lombardi’s Pizza. Make Rice your dessert destination following lunch at America’s First Pizzeria.

Baked by Melissa Serves Up The Perfect Cupcake For a Sampler

Oreo, peanut butter, marshmallow, mint chocolate, raspberry, devil's food...I don't think it's any secret that one of my favorite New York treats is...drumroll, please...cupcakes. Though I have my favorites, I am constantly in turmoil over flavors. After all, despite constantly being mentioned in my articles and contrary to popular belief, I do not often allow myself to indulge. Since I tend to be a traditionalist (and an earth), I also tend to stick to basic flavors and very rarely veer away from this - despite my desire to taste test. As you may or may not have noticed, I am a sampler. Rarely do I like to commit to a full meal or, in this case a full cupcake flavor, because then I only get to taste just that one. All too often, I'll stick with my usual - chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream (and sprinkles, if available) - but then I don't get to try the many other delectable flavors..making sense?

Luckily, I'm not the only one with this problem. This weekend, I met my sister for some Soho shopping and stumbled upon Baked by Melissa on the corner of Broadway & Spring and suddenly my world of cupcake tasting was turned upside down. What's so special about another bakery selling fresh cupcakes? Well apparently Melissa is a gal after my own heart. After suffering from seemingly the same predicament, she started Baked by Melissa, a teeny window/counter in Soho that sells quarter-sized stuffed cupcakes. With flavors like Peanut Butter & Jelly, S'mores, Mint Chocolate Chip, Cookies & Cream, Cookie Dough, Red Velvet, and Tie Dye (didn't get to this one this time, but it's on my short list for the next trip), each mini cupcake is $1. And the best part? I was somehow able to rationalize this as being guilt-free since they are so teeny. The basic order is 3 for $3 and I ordered the S'mores, PB&J, and Oreo Cookie.

Clockwise from bottom left: S'mores, Oreo Cookie, Peanut Butter & Jelly

Each cupcake was fabulous in it's own right and completely encompassed the essence of said flavor, even in its smallest form. The S'mores featured a chocolate cake with marshmallow filling and topped with a small yet buttery graham cracker. If I sat in front of a campfire with a marshmallow on a stick, it couldn't taste more S'more-like. The Oreo Cookie was chocolate cake stuffed with vanilla cream and topped with a piece of Oreo. I have to say, this had potential to go seriously wrong, but it tasted just like a real Oreo cookie, right down to the super sweet & sugary icing. I saved my projected favorite for last - the Peanut Butter & Jelly. And I must say - it did not disappoint. Yellow cake stuffed with jam and topped with peanut butter frosting...the flavor combination doesn't really get better than this. And if you've found one, please tell me at your earliest convenience.

Bottom Line: For a fab sampling of sweets on the go that won't break your bank or your calorie count, be sure to check out Baked by Melissa's.

Before Oktoberfest, It's Italianfest: Part 2 OR How To Do the Festival Circuit

The last in my September series of food and events is my own personal favorite, The Feast of San Gennaro. Held each year in the heart of Little Italy, the streets are lined with cannolis, calamari, fried Oreos, zeppolis, sausage & peppers, cupcakes...the list goes on and on. This year, I hit San Gennaro with a plan. Armed with two companions, my mom and my sister Kimberly (miss you Stiney), 'twas a night of eating and exploring. Now, I'm not sure how many of you have traveled the festival circuit, but in my well seasoned, expert opinion, I find it best to abide by the following rules:

1) Travel in Pairs
Festivals are more fun with a partner. Most of the things I write about can certainly be enjoyed solo, but when it comes to festivals and taste testing, I highly recommend a group. It's really the only way to get the most bang for your buck in terms of most food tasting time/money/stomach room allows.

2) Do a lap before you commit to the food
I cannot tell you how many times I have dove in to the first (few) delicious items that I see, fill up instantly (usually on cupcakes) only to find something that I would have loved to eat but just can't seem to find any more space in the tum. Instead, I realized that I should either a) know what I'm going to eat before I get there (this list always includes mozzarepas...and did I mention cupcakes?) or b) do a complete sweep of the area before stuffing my piehole (this is easier said than done).

3) Pace yourself
I know this seems obvious, but if you want to make the most of your night without your stomach turning on you, take small bites and big steps. The likelihood that these well-stocked vendors would run out of food are slim to none.

The Savory
One of my favorite festival foods are MozzArepas - essentially two corn pancakes (note: I love anything made with cornmeal) grilled and stuffed with mozzerella cheese in between. A sweet and savory food, this cheesy, greasy delight is something I could eat everyday...which is probably why only eating this once or twice a year at festival time is a good move for me.

mmmmmozzerepas!!!

Next, I sampled some of Kimmi's steak sandwich. This giant $9 sandwich featured crisp, fresh Italian bread (this was Little Italy after all) mozzerella cheese, loads of garlic (yummmm), onions, and steak. Though not necessarily made for walking and eating, this is one sandwich for which I'd be willing to make a quick pitstop.

steak...yummm

The Free
Honestly, there wasn't as much as I'd hoped. Bertolli, the maker's of the olive oil sitting in my pantry, had a booth of freebies featuring brownie squares and Italian bread with...you got it, Bertolli's olive oil.

Kim samples free Bertolli brownies!

The Sweet
The first stand I encountered as I walked up Mulberry (starting at Canal) was none other than Snacky's Slices, Ices, & Fun Foods featuring a glass case with cupcakes galore. Remembering my rule #2, I looked, not tasted. The very nice gentleman behind the counter allowed me to take a picture with the promise that I'd be back after 'dinner' for my cupcake dessert. I stayed true to my promise and returned at the end of the night. I went with my standard, chocolate cake with vanilla frosting and it was worth the wait. 4 oversized cupcakes for $10 (no, I did not eat them all) and lots flavors, like red velvet and Oreo cookie, ultimately made this a successful stop for the end of the night.

Backtrack for a moment...in between the above I abandoned rule #2 and put aside my cupcake promise for the moment. I couldn't help but stop and sample at Stuffed Artisan Cannolis. With 3 mini cannolis for $5 and flavors like birthday cake, mint chocolate chip, peanut butter, pb & j, and pumpkin pie, there was no way I could pass this by. (Note: The only food I love more than cupcakes and peanut butter is pumpkin anything...pie, bread, bars, lattes, cannolis...). Kimmi and I sampled the pumpkin pie, birthday cake, and peanut butter. While the pumpkin pie and birthday cake left a little to be desired, the peanut butter was the clear and deliciously wonderful front runner.

Peanut butter, birthday cake, pumpkin pie

A pumpkin pie cannoli? Fall has arrived!

The last sweet for the night is an item that could not go ignored...Fried Oreos. An Oreo, rolled inside a zeppole, fried to crisp, oily perfection and dotted with confectionery sugar...well it doesn't really get much better than that. Need I say more?

The End
After lots of walking, taste testing and a celebrity sighting or two (...it was Bernadette Peters looking mighty fabulous...), we wrapped up the night with tired legs, full tummy's, and cupcakes in hand. Bottom line? San Gennaro '09 provided lots and lots of fab food, only to be followed by lots and lots of days at the gym. Good thing it only comes once a year...