(that was going to be the title but it didn't fit with the song lyrics/movie quote theme... this one was BOTH!)
Ladies and gentlemen (Gentleman? Hi Dad!), I have found my zen.
There is a little coffee shop that has been in Morningside Heights for a million years. It's a local business, a piece of history, and a landmark. It combines everything I love and miss about quirky Gainesville (Coffee Culture Tuesdays, where did you go?) with everything I hoped for about artsy, local New York flavor. Am I exaggerating here? Is this place heaven on earth? I loved the mood lighting in this place too much to screw it up with my camera's flash, so I've graciously stolen these images from teh interwebz.
From the front, an unassuming local cafe. Nothing too special.(Source - Plate of the Day)
But let me introduce you to...
THE PASTRY CASE.There are actually two of them. Only one is pictured.
(Source - Ezter H. via Yelp)
Yes, I have been here three times, and I've never had anything that wasn't completely delicious. The first time, I was with my mom. We got two cappuccinos, an apple turnover, and some kind of peach pastry that I've since reordered as simply "Peach." I seriously can't stress this enough. Delicious.
Today I decided to mix it up and order an eclair. A puffy pastry is sliced in half, with rich creme filling the bottom half. It is then topped with fluffy chocolate mousse, followed by the other half of the pastry... which has been dipped in dark chocolate.
On my second and third trips, both this week, I discovered my second favorite thing about Hungarian Pastry Shop: free coffee and water refills, self serve. So you mean I could sit there ALL DAY and just keep drinking coffee? Um, yes. Obviously I don't since the coffee is decently strong, but it's nice to know during finals week I'll have the option. It's also nice to refill my water bottle from the icy pitcher!
Someone else's delicious setup. I'm pretty sure that's tea, but you get the idea.
(Source - phong-lan h. via Yelp)
Today I decided to mix it up and order an eclair. A puffy pastry is sliced in half, with rich creme filling the bottom half. It is then topped with fluffy chocolate mousse, followed by the other half of the pastry... which has been dipped in dark chocolate.
On my second and third trips, both this week, I discovered my second favorite thing about Hungarian Pastry Shop: free coffee and water refills, self serve. So you mean I could sit there ALL DAY and just keep drinking coffee? Um, yes. Obviously I don't since the coffee is decently strong, but it's nice to know during finals week I'll have the option. It's also nice to refill my water bottle from the icy pitcher!
Someone else's delicious setup. I'm pretty sure that's tea, but you get the idea.(Source - phong-lan h. via Yelp)
So I order my pastry du jour and my coffee and find a table. I've been lucky, table-wise, so far. Today I snagged the last one. The company surrounding my study spot? Professors. Writers. Grad students. Maybe a few stray undergrads, but only the serious Ivy Leaguers. This place just makes me FEEL smarter. And every once in a while you'll get a local having a fascinating conversation; that's when having an iPhone with Pandora queued up and ready to go is a handy little tool. The lighting is dim, but there are sconces around the cafe, and my eyes were never straining to read my book. There's no wireless internet, but most of my reading is book-bound, so I don't mind. Also, the owner's kitties wander around, and they are quite adorable.
Ok, bear with me on this one. I also love the bathroom. Sure it's small and there's usually a line. Honestly, in NYC, I'm just happy there IS a bathroom. But it's covered in graffiti. And not hateful, angry, racist graffiti like most of New York. Not even drunken, slutty, Greek life graffiti like most college towns. I mean, thought provoking, hippie protest, beautiful, quotable graffiti. Sure, there were some political statements I didn't agree with. But there wasn't any angry YOU'RE WRONG graffiti criticizing it - just differing opinions. My favorite piece?
Words to live by.
(Personal Photo)
A fairly accurate description
(Source - Urban Photo)
(Source - Urban Photo)
Ok, bear with me on this one. I also love the bathroom. Sure it's small and there's usually a line. Honestly, in NYC, I'm just happy there IS a bathroom. But it's covered in graffiti. And not hateful, angry, racist graffiti like most of New York. Not even drunken, slutty, Greek life graffiti like most college towns. I mean, thought provoking, hippie protest, beautiful, quotable graffiti. Sure, there were some political statements I didn't agree with. But there wasn't any angry YOU'RE WRONG graffiti criticizing it - just differing opinions. My favorite piece?
Words to live by.(Personal Photo)
And last but not least, the cafe is completely open, so you get the breeze, but you also get lots of street noise. I don't have a problem with this, since most of the street noise is bells coming from the towers of this famous Morningside Heights landmark, to be explored at a later date.
The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine. Magnificent.
(Source - American Guild of Organists, NYC Chapter)
The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine. Magnificent.(Source - American Guild of Organists, NYC Chapter)
To sum it up...
Five Things I Love About Hungarian Pastry Shop
1. THE PASTRIES
2. The free coffee refills
3. The ambiance
4. The bathroom graffiti
5. The neighbors
Five Things I Love About Hungarian Pastry Shop
1. THE PASTRIES
2. The free coffee refills
3. The ambiance
4. The bathroom graffiti
5. The neighbors
Those eclairs look like they were made by the prophet Moses himself! And do I not count as a gentleman?
ReplyDeleteSeriously, you need to get one.
ReplyDeleteAnd sorrryyyy, I'll give you a shout out another time :)