Dining

By Sylvie Bigar

The other day in Union Square, it was sunny but I could already feel the changing season in the air. The Greenmarket, which just celebrated its thirtieth anniversary, is thriving. As is the case every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, the scene is dotted with white aprons and coats; chefs were shopping. 

By Kate Brumback

Mom always said no dessert until the dinner plate was clean. But you can forget about lima beans, Mom, or anything else that’s good for you at dessert-only restaurants, where there is no dinner to finish first.

By Shivani Vora

Goodbye, M&Ms. Hello litchi-passion fruit ganache. It was only a matter of time before New Yorkers, already obsessed with artisanal cheeses, olive oils and vegetables, started improving their chocolate. New York confectioners are taking on the Belgians and French, hoping to make their mark in the competitive world of chocolate-making. Here are some shops making their mark in the city’s chocolate society.

By Rachel Jones

What do you get when you take five scoops of Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream decked with exotic candies and truffles, dribble bittersweet chocolate with a 70 percent cacao content over it, top it with fruit-infused caviar and edible gold leaf, then serve it in a crystal goblet with an 18-carat gold spoon?

By Charlotte Maitre

At CamaJe Bistro in the West Village, David Satnick ate a succulent meal of red snapper in a bath of chives and porcini mushrooms topped with pearls of caviar. He capped off the meal with a dessert of hot chocolate with bergamot creme and a raspberry patch. Until the very last bite, Satnick did not see what he was eating. He was blindfolded. On purpose.

By Rachel Monahan
One tiny puff of gray mold on a Valencay, a pyramid-shaped goat cheese from the Loire Valley, was outgrowing the other mold. Alex Garcia--a specialist in affinage--determined that it was time to pat it down to size.

By Christina Parrella

Tourists flock to Canal Street for knockoff Prada bags and $5 Tiffany rings. But foodies on a budget head to Chinatown for the genuine, and genuinely affordable, snacks at Tai Pan Bakery.

What Tai Pan is not is relaxing: the café's boisterous atmosphere, amplified by sweet smells, can be overwhelming. "Tai Pan" means "big shot" in Chinese, and the bakery strives to live up to the name. Wall-to-wall glass showcases display elaborate wedding and birthday cakes. But Tai Pan's cheaper baked goods are its most popular items. Hot and cold snacks range in price from 75 cents to $5 and satisfy even the poorest of customers.