This edition of Current Crush is all about a long week-end or a short vacation in New York City, one of my favourite place to visit when I have a few days off. I was there in early June for the Saveur Magazine Blog Awards which I was a finalist in, in the Travel Coverage category. I spent some time in Brooklyn and a couple of days in Manhattan and below are the new spots I discovered.  If you are heading to NYC, don’t forget to consult my NYC Google map, which includes dozens of my favourite spots in New York. Just a quick reminder that these “Current Crush” posts are here so I can share a few of my latest coups de cœur with you. Enjoy this edition and don’t forget to check out the others here!

Roberta’s
261 Moore Street, Brooklyn, NY 11206 / +1 718 417 1118
Monday to Friday: 11am – Midnight / Brunch: Saturday & Sunday: 10am – 4pm / Dinner: Saturday & Sunday: 4pm – Midnight

Roberta’s pizza is truly one of the best pizzas I’ve ever tasted. Located in the middle of Bushwick, the neighbourhood is really desolate except for this haven of deliciousness. Try and go off hours so you don’t have to wait for long but having a drink in their back patio is a great way to work on your appetite if you have to wait. The Neopalitan pies are baked in a wood-burning oven and cooked to perfection. We started our meal with the fresh stracciatella cheese served with their very own baked bread. I would’ve been happy eating just that. It was absolutely divine. I hear the salumi and pasta dishes are also very good but I couldn’t taste everything in one sitting. The stracciatella was followed by a refreshing and luscious, Caesar-style Romaine salad with candied walnut, pecorino cheese and fresh mint. We picked the classic Margherita pizza as well as the Speckenwolf with speck, mushrooms, onions and oregano. Both were delightful and spot on.

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Reynard
80 Wythe Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11211 / +1 718 460 8004

Inside the Wythe Hotel (see below) is a magical place where the food is as delightful as the friendly staff. Open all day long, the Reynard space is just as well designed as the rest of the Wythe Hotel. From the people behind Marlow & Sons and Diner, Reynard’s menu is simple, but it’s the kind of food you want to eat all day long. Crunchy and fresh vegetables, light and balanced seasonings, airy fish dishes and filling meaty ones, are all created using local and seasonal products. Our dinner included oysters hollandaise, grilled romaine with anchovy, radish, sunflower seed and egg and roast pork with pole beans, potato and an aioli. Every dish was spot on and if I had more time in Brooklyn, I probably would’ve had brunch there the very next day. Until next time Reynard!

Wythe Hotel
80 Wythe Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11249 / +1 718 460 8000

If you decide to stay in Brooklyn, the Wythe Hotel is the best choice. In fact, if you decide to stay in Brooklyn, it’s probably because you want to stay at the Wythe. Once an abandoned factory, this converted hotel is where hip was born in the very hip Williamsburg part of Brooklyn. Every single space is just the perfect mix of industrial, vintage and elegant elements and the view of Manhattan from the Ides bar on the top floor is just breathtaking. You must try and be there for sunset! The service and friendly staff just adds to the charm of this very unique hotel.

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Mast Brothers Chocolate
111 North 3rd Street, Brooklyn, NY 11211 / +1 718 388 2625
Monday to Sunday: 10am – 7pm

I have been a huge fan of the Mast Brothers chocolate bars for years. I am constantly hording a few for fear of ever running out. This was my first time at their Brooklyn store, where I thought I had died and gone to heaven the minute I crossed the threshold. The smell of chocolate is just so overwhelmingly celestial, I wanted to live there forever. You can buy a few bars or custom fill a case of 12 bars, which I may or may not have done. If you want to tour the chocolate factory, you must email them beforehand.

On weekends (Saturdays: 10am to 7pm / Sundays: 10am to 5pm), you can also visit the new Mast Brothers chocolate laboratory next door and try some of the experimentation happening there, as well as craft chocolate and chocolate brews.

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Dominique Ansel Kitchen
137 7th Avenue South, New York, NY 10014 / +1 212 242 5111
Monday to Saturday: 8am – 7pm / Sunday: 9am – 7pm

If you’ve been reading this blog or have been following me on Instagram ,you know that Dominique Ansel’s first bakery is always a stop whenever I go to New York. This time around, I stopped in at his latest venture and had a great lunch casually sitting on the steps of the delicious West Village spot. The place is always buzzing so expect a slight wait. I had a prosciutto and brie croissant and avocado edamame brioche for lunch followed by a 48-hour Tea-ramisu (black tea and honey-soaked cake with mascarpone cream) and a coffee caramel pull apart éclair. All this was then followed by one of the best ice creams I’ve ever had: a burrata soft serve cone with microbasil shoots and balsamic caramel. Just amazing!

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Prune
54 East 1st Street, New York, NY 10003 / +1 212 677 6221
Dinner: Monday to Sunday: 5:30pm – 11pm / Brunch: Saturday & Sunday: 10am – 3:30pm

Brunch at Prune is a great affair.It includes classics such as Benedict, Dutch pancakes and steak and eggs as well as less traditional brunch fair such as spaghetti a la carbonara and a great Monte Cristo. Whatever you order, you cannot skip one of the dozen takes on a Bloody Marys on offer.

Prune does not accept reservations for brunch but the wait is worth it and there are a lot of little shops to discover all around while you wait for the restaurant to call you and let you know your table is ready.

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Chalait
224 West 4th Street, New York, NY 10014 / +1 212 929 0266
Monday to Friday: 7am – 7pm / Saturday & Sunday: 8am – 7pm

Have you ever had a chai latte? I went to Chalait for the great colour of their matcha latte (that shade of green is my favourite) and I stayed for the great taste of my very first chai latte. If you know of any place in Montreal that makes some (other than Starbucks), please leave me a comment below. I’ve been trying to convince my local café here in Montreal to start making some.

Blue Bottle Coffee
160 Berry St., Brooklyn, NY 11249 / +1 212
Monday to Thursday: 7am – 7pm / Friday to Sunday: 7am – 8pm

Blue Bottle Coffee is one the best known coffee companies in the US “united by the simple purpose of getting great coffee to everyone who asks for it”. All hot coffees are ground à la minute and their specialty brews are worth a try. They offer free public coffee cupping on Fridays at 2 pm at their Williamsburg Berry Street location. Blue Bottle has several shops in New York.

Happy Bones
394 Broome Street, New York, NY 10013 / +1 212 673 3754
Monday to Friday: 7:30am – 7pm / Saturday & Sunday: 8am – 7pm

Good coffee at this cute little café right on the edge of New York’s Little Italy. You an sit down, take a break from walking the city and leaf through some of the great publications they have on site.