coffee Archives - Page 2 of 2

The Plaza Food Hall: Kid-Friendly Dining, Midtown, New York

June 20, 2013 / Manhattan Munchies, Midtown, Midtown West / 2 Comments

Plaza Food Court - FP Patisserie by Francois Payard — Some of the best croissants you’ll ever get in NYC. FP Patisserie by Francois Payard

The Plaza Food Hall beneath the famous Plaza Hotel is our secret go-to place when we’re in midtown and need to eat something good in a hurry. For some magical reason, tourists haven’t yet discovered it, so it’s never crazy busy, even on weekends at peak brunch or lunch times. This could be due to its relative newness—while the more well-known The Plaza Food Hall By Todd English opened under the Plaza in 2010, the expanded (and more reasonably priced) food hall with the smaller vendors only opened in May 2012.

Plaza Food Court — Spreading out the delights.

The food court consists of stalls from some of New York’s finest (and most famous) restaurants and bakeries. Current vendors in the Food Hall: Billy’s Bakery, FP Patisserie by Francois Payard, Kusmi Tea, La Maison du Chocolat, Lady M, Luke’s Lobster, No 7 Sub, Pain d’Avignon, Sushi of Gari, Tartinery, Three Tarts, William Greenberg and Yoart.

Give yourself time to do a lap and get acquainted with your huge amount of choice. This will be the most difficult part of your time at the Plaza Food Hall. Honest. Some vendors offer ready-made food that you can simply grab and chow down, you can also get made-to-order cooked food if you’re planning to hang around a bit longer.

I chose a vegetarian quiche from Pain d’Avignon. It was heated up for me in their little toaster oven, and came with a separate side salad, delicately topped with lemon dressing. Cheese, of course, devoured most of my quiche (anyone else have a hard time keeping track of how much they eat with a toddler stealing half of their food?).

Alec chose a salmon salad from FP Patisserie by Francois Payard, plus a few croissants for us to share. Tip: the croissants by Francois Payard are some of the best croissants you’ll find in New York City, so grab a few when you get the chance, even if you’re not feeling particularly hungry at that moment. You’ll be thanking yourself (and, hopefully, us!) a few hours later for your forethought.

One of the reasons the food court is so family-friendly is the large seating area they have. Plenty of room for strollers, lots of high chairs, and a casual, yet upmarket, ambience lending itself to the feeling of finer dining, without the pressure of trying to ensure that your little kids don’t make a peep while you’re eating.

Don’t fill up too much on savouries—be sure to leave room for a treat of the chocolate, cupcake, slice of cake or yogurt variety. Take dessert to go if you can’t squeeze in another bite.

Plaza Food Court - Three Tarts Bakery — Three Tarts Bakery.

Plaza Food Court - Luke's Lobster — Luke’s Lobster.

Plaza Food Court - Tartinery — Tartinery.

Plaza Food Court - Billy's Bakery — Billy’s Bakery cupcakes.

Highchairs: Yes.
Stroller storage: Yes.
Easy access: Yes. Enter via 58th st and take the elevator down.
Change tables: Yes.
Kids’ menu: Not a specific menu for kids, but a lot of places to choose from, so there’s sure to be something kids will like.

The Plaza Food Hall
1 W 59th St
New York, NY 10019
Phone: (212) 986 9260
Prices: $$$
Hours: Mon-Sat 8am-9:30pm Sun 11am-6pm

Lark: Kid-Friendly Cafes, Ditmas Park, Brooklyn, NY

May 28, 2013 / Brooklyn Bites, Ditmas Park, New York, New York Food / 0 comment

Lark, Ditmas Park - kid-friendly brooklyn — Bright, roomy interior.

A cafe that caters especially to families that doesn’t compromise on style. No, it’s not a mystical creature, it does indeed exist, in the form of a sweet little cafe called Lark, in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn. Started by Kari Browne, a journalist, and Lori Kranczer, a lawyer, Lark was born when the two mothers realised there was nowhere in their neighbourhood for families to go to relax, connect and have fun.

We dropped by Lark on a Saturday afternoon after playing in nearby Prospect Park.

At the front counter we were delighted to see locally-sourced food such as our favourite Dough doughnuts. Lark also features Blue Marble ice-cream, Ovenly cookies and cupcakes, Colson pastries, Betty Bakery cookies, ring-a-dings and twinks, Magpies pop tarts and Stumptown coffee.

I tried a lemon pop tart, while Alec tested out a chocolate croissant and a coffee. My pop tart was like a giant shortbread cookie, filled with lemon jam – both Cheese and I really enjoyed the sugar hit. Alec, who has a serious love of croissants, pronounced that his treat was “really good” – as evidenced by the speed in which it was inhaled.

A really great feature of Lark is the events that they hold in the cafe and adjoining event space. Lark offers daily sing-a-longs and story time, as well as live jazz on Saturday afternoons. Performers include well-known kiddie faves such as AudraRox, Music For Aardvarks and Rolie Polie Guacamole. They also host new parent meet-ups and Babes and Beer Happy Hour, which sounds right up our alley!

Lark, Ditmas Park — Honey, Dear – vintage jazz, 4-5pm Saturday afternoons.

Being a Saturday afternoon, we were lucky to be in time to catch vintage jazz duo, Honey, Dear, who performed some cruisy, bluesy tunes, a perfect low-key compliment to the relaxed atmosphere.

As an added bonus, Cheese adored the jazz music. She was totally engrossed in watching the performance (and eating my pop tart), so it was a really enjoyable afternoon for us all.

Lark is constantly adding new events to its already jam-packed schedule. Coming up is a floral arrangement class for kids (junior family members will have fun with flowers, such as making a bouquet), which is being run in conjunction with Stems (the floral shop connected to Sycamore, the bar). Summer at Lark heralds even more new events, including a revolving art exhibit featuring local artists.

Last bite: Lark is your go-to cafe for relaxing with family and friends. Catch a kiddie class or weekend jazz, or just stop by for some seriously good treats.

Highchairs: Yes.
Stroller storage: Yes.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: Yes.
Kids’ menu: No.

Lark
1007 Church Ave,
Brooklyn, NY 11218
Phone: (718) 469-0140
Hours: Mon-Thur 7am-7pm, Fri 7am-8pm, Sat 8am-8pm, Sun 8am-7pm

Get Directions.

Cafe Pedlar: Kid-friendly Cafes, Cobble Hill, New York

May 9, 2013 / Brooklyn Bites, Cobble Hill, New York, New York Food / 0 comment

For a coffee-picky Australian (like, say, my husband), finding a great latte is like discovering a sparkly unicorn living in your neighbourhood. Our favourite cafe to stop by every Sat (and Sun!) morning for coffee is Cafe Pedlar, an artisanal coffee shop in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. Their coffee beans are roasted by Stumptown Coffee Roasters in Red Hook, Brooklyn, and their baristas are all well-trained in the delicate art of making lattes and more. In addition to freshly baked pastries, they also serve some light lunch items such as sandwiches and cut fruit.

As well as making killer coffees, Cafe Pedlar is nice and roomy, with some tables and chairs if you want to sit down. Bonus – they have enough room for you to park your stroller at the tables. Take your coffee and enjoy it on one of the benches outside the cafe, or grab a pastry (on good days they have little pretzel bread rolls) and a window seat for a sweet morning ritual.

Cafe Pedlar, Cobble Hill, New York — Entertaining the kid while waiting for coffee.

Highchairs: No.
Stroller storage: Yes. There’s lot of room for strollers of all sizes.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: No.
Kids’ menu: No.

Cafe Pedlar
210 Court St
Brooklyn, NY
Phone: (718) 855 7129
Hours: Mon-Sun 7am-7pm

Get directions.

Smooch Organic: Kid-friendly Cafes, Fort Greene, New York

April 22, 2013 / Brooklyn Bites, Fort Greene, New York, New York Food / 1 Comment

Smooch Organics is an Australian-owned cafe in leafy Fort Greene, Brooklyn. The service is laid-back and friendly, the ambiance hip, and kids of all ages are welcome.

As an Australian living in New York, I’m always looking to meet other expats, and searching out Aussie-run businesses. Even though I love our life in New York, there is a part of me that’s always homesick, and finding other Aussies and talking about home really helps.

A friend back home recommended Smooch when she saw it written up an Aussie newspaper. Amazingly, it’s in Fort Greene, only a hop, skip and a stroll from where we live, so we checked it out on a (finally!) sunny, spring day.

Smooch Organic — Cute interior – not much room for strollers.

First impressions – it’s quite a hipster little place. Lots of Aussie references with pictures of our beaches and items on the menu named after places I miss, like “The Tamarama” (described as “sexy toast with avocado, tomato, pepper, olive oil and lemon juice, served with a latte, cortada, flat white). My husband misses flat whites possibly more than anything, so was all over this toast and coffee. He says the coffee is solid, by the way, so be sure to check it out if you’re a coffee-lover living nearby.

The cafe is on the small side, with the tables pretty close together. It’s not super kid-friendly for eating in – we could instead suggest either eating on the benches outside, or taking your food to Fort Greene Park, which is just around the corner (literally less than a block away). If you’re after a place to work during the week, this is ideal – they have free wifi and welcome laptops. Yay!

I ordered a smoothie, which was delicious. Cheese and I shared it on the bench outside, enjoying the warm day that had been so long in coming.

As a side note, I saw the owner while we were there. He was in board shorts, thongs (calm down, it’s what Aussies call “flip flops”), and a bucket hat. He was so Aussie I forgot I was in Brooklyn for a moment.

Be sure to take your kids to Fort Greene Park afterwards to run their crazy out – Cheese particularly loves the swings and slide.

Highchairs: No.
Stroller storage: No.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: No.
Kids’ menu: No.

Smooch Organic
264 Carlton Ave
Brooklyn
Phone: (718) 624 4075
Hours: Mon-Wed 8am-9pm, Thur-Sun 8am-12am

Get directions.

Brooklyn Roasting Company: Kid-friendly Restaurants & Cafes in DUMBO

April 11, 2013 / Brooklyn Bites, DUMBO, New York, New York Food / 0 comment

Down an industrial alley near the Brooklyn waterfront, there’s a secret locals like to keep. The Brooklyn Roasting Company is hidden inside a non-descript doorway, a place for DUMBO residents to relax, meet with friends, and indulge in some good coffee. Amazingly, such a hipster haven is actually a really kid-friendly cafe.

While it looks small from the outside, the interior is surprisingly roomy, and we’ve had no problem fitting three jumbo strollers inside.

Brooklyn Roasting is really all about coffee, but they also do food, like baguettes with fillings like mozzarella, pesto and sun-dried tomato, and sweet treats like palmiers, Dough donuts and artisan pop tarts.

If it’s a warm day, grab your coffee and snack and walk down the street to Brooklyn Bridge Park to soak up the sun, or take a pony ride at Jane’s Carousel.

Last bite: Your best bet in DUMBO for decent coffee. Drop in for light food, or to take refuge on a super hot/cold day.

Highchairs: No.
Stroller storage: No.
Easy access: No. There are a few steep steps to get in.
Change tables: No.
Kids’ menu: No.

Brooklyn Roasting Company
62 Water St,
Brooklyn, NY
Phone: (718) 875 1269
Hours: Mon-Sat 9am-8pm Sun 10am-6pm

Get directions.

Dominique Ansel Bakery; Kid-friendly Places To Eat, SoHo, New York

March 5, 2013 / Manhattan Munchies, SoHo / 3 Comments

After a gluttonous afternoon we decided to end it with … even more food, of course. Our target – the Dominique Ansel Bakery in SoHo, for pastries that would blow our calorie counts for the next month.

What was totally surprising was how easy it was to stop by here with a toddler. I’d previously only ordered to go from the front counter, not realising they have a large back garden area, enclosed like a conservatorium. Lots of tables free, lots of space – no one caring if our manic toddler ran around like a nut case. Miss Cheese was in heaven with all the treats coming her way – hot chocolate, croissant, cream puffs. No wonder she was manic … My favourite thing to order here is the DKA (“Dominique’s Kouign Amann”). It doesn’t look like much (it looks kinda like a rock cake), but it’s devine. The best description comes from their website: “Tender, flaky, croissant-like dough with a caramelized crunchy crust”. Yes please.

Highchairs: No.
Stroller storage: No. The front of the store is a bit tight, but they have a large (enclosed) garden out the back where your giant stroller will fit.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: No.
Kids’ menu: No.
Baby-friendly rating: ♥♥—

Dominique Ansel Bakery
189 Spring St,
New York
Phone: (212) 219 2773
Hours: Mon-Sat 8am-7pm Sun 9am-7pm

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The Grey Dog Chelsea; Kid-friendly Restaurants, Chelsea, Manhattan, New York

February 26, 2013 / Chelsea, Manhattan Munchies / 0 comment

After a failed attempt to visit the new Meatball Shop in Chelsea (it wasn’t open despite the website saying it was, so I’m still not sure what happened there), we were left with a group of four adults and one kidlet for lunch at prime time in Chelsea. Not a positive start to the afternoon. Lucky, our friend suggested a local fave of his, The Grey Dog, and, best of all, they had a table free so we could sit down straight away.

On its website, The Grey Dog calls itself the “best cafe in New York”. This is a HUGE call to make, people. Huge. I have to admit though, that it’s right up there – we had a really great experience at this cafe.

When you enter, the waitstaff will show you your table – but you order and pay at the bar. This is a little disorganised when the cafe’s full – or when, like us, you’re juggling a whingy toddler. On the plus side, it allows for a very fast getaway after your meal.

Delicious lunch. Mozzarella, tomato and basil pesto sandwich, potato, leek and broccoli soup, sweet potato fries.

We just missed the breakfast menu (it ends at 3pm), but were just as happy with the lunch menu offerings. As was the Cheese. She absolutely loved trying everything, from the soup to my sandwich and the table favourite, sweet potato fries.

The cafe does have high chairs, but with the way the tables are arrange, close to the walls and tightly together, I can see it would be hard to actually fit a highchair at your table unless you had an uneven number of people with you.

What we loved – the food was delicious and fast. Everything was super tasty and freshly made. They didn’t mind that we wedged the toddler between us on a window ledge so she could pilfer parts of our meals and bang on the window alternatively (sorry again for that, people sitting next to us …).

We will absolutely be back. I can see The Grey Dog becoming one of our neighbourhood go-tos.

Highchairs:Yes – it’s a tight fit though to squeeze them in next to you at a table.
Stroller storage: Minimal. We folded our umbrella stroller and wedged it in a space next to our table.
Easy access: Yes. There is a ramp near the exit, next to the main entrance.
Change tables: No. There is however a large wooden bench in the restrooms that could be used as a change table.
Kids’ menu: No.
Baby-friendly rating: ♥♥—

The Grey Dog
242 W 16th St,
New York, NY
Phone: (212) 229 2345

Hours:
Mon-Fri 6:30am-11:30pm
Sat-Sun 7am-11:30pm

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