Rachel from Cupcakes Take the Cake and I decided to check out Batch as neither of us had been.

Batch has a cute storefront and inside has a small place for a couple people to sit and the aroma is appetizing. There's chandeliers for sale and behind the glass are the yummy treats.

I chose first to have the Chocolate Dragon Devil's Food cupcake, which quite honestly is one of the best cupcakes I've ever had in my life. The cake was moist but not wet, the frosting was quite creamy and atop were crunchy chocolate bits. Inside was a caramel surprise that complimented everything quite well. It was rich and sweet and right up to my lines of "too rich" and "too sweet" without going over. They nailed it. If I threw a cupcake party in New York, I'd just get a bunch of these. Wow.

One of the others I sampled was their vanilla bean cupcake, which appeared unsuspecting and simple, but this cupcake is a secret sleeper -- a yummy taste of lemon awaits inside.

Service was fantastic too, although it may not be fair to judge as we were treated like rock stars when they quickly realized who my cupcake eating partner was.

We tasted a few other cupcakes as well but I'll letand Rachel do did a more formal review on Cupcakes Take the Cake. I'll update this page when she posts it. In the meantime, g Get your mouth watering with this yummy slideshow too.

I love this place. If I'm in the area before I leave New York I'm getting another cupcake here.

Batch
150 W 10th St
New York, NY 10014
212-929-0250

My trip to New York wouldn't be complete without a stop at Lombardi's, which lays claim to the first pizzeria in the United States. There's a plaque on their corner on Spring and Mott Streets that indicates as such but the original Lombardi's was a block away and opened in 1897 as a grocery store. They started selling "tomato pies" in 1905.

Although their location looks small, there's a back room for dining and they have seating in the basement, where the walls are essentially a huge wine rack. Many of the tables have the stereotypical red and white checkered table cloths but atypically the staff seating people were equipped with two-way radios and headsets.

My waitress, Sofia was friendly and prompt. I ordered the Margherita -- their classic. It arrived quickly with fresh sauce, cheese thrown down in dabs and fresh basil sprinkled around. Very well balanced. The crust is thin but the edges are thick and a bit doughy. Suited to be eaten with a fork and knife but can also be eaten by holding it like a stereotypical New York slice: Your thumb and middle finger on the bottom and your pointer finger pushing down in the middle. However you eat it, I wouldn't mind having another one right now.

I wondered how close this is to the pizza served here 100 years ago. Either way, it's good and it's a little slice of history.

Also note: just like it was 100 years ago, Lombardi's only accept cash.

Lombardi's
32 Spring St
New York, NY 10012-4173
212-941-7994

It's a good sign when you walk into a restaurant and everyone's speaking Italian. I showed up at Luzzo's about fifteen minutes before they opened at noon but they seated me anyway and gave me water after I hiked around East Village. Overall, friendly people.

Luzzo's, which is easy to miss if you're not looking for it, has one of the few remaining coal-burning ovens in the city as they're now illegal to make but existing ones can still be used. They are a hot commodity in New York so I made sure to check this place out. When they had their oven up at the right temperature about fifteen minutes after they opened, I was handed a menu and quickly ordered their "4 Formaggi." I couldn't tell if the smile I got in return was their appreciation that I pronounced "4" as "quattro" or if they thought my Italian pronunciation was poor.

A beautiful pizza arrived at my table with loads of cheese. The crust was thin, chewy and had very crispy layer on the outside. The base of it was burnt up a bit -- just enough to perfection and not too much where it overpowers the taste. The cheeses themselves, mozzarella di bufala, gorgonzola, provolone and parmigiano were mixed around the pie but the mozzarella was by far, the most predominant. Nothing to complain about though. They pull off a good balance and it was hard to put down. I took my time and ended up not resisting eating the whole thing. Very tasty.

Wish I lived near by.

Luzzo's Restaurant
211 1st Ave
New York, NY 10003
212-473-7447