If there’s ever an occasion to indulge in dessert, it’s Valentine’s Day.
Fortunately, Brooklyn’s myriad of bakeries and candy-makers are more than prepared to satisfy any sweet tooth or sugar craving.
Here are a few of our favorites, a combination of sit-and-indulge locations and top-notch confectioners where you can pick up elegant and delicious sweets for a gift that will be remembered long after the holiday has passed.
Little Cupcake, 9103 Third Avenue, 718-680-4465, is a delightful confection of a shop with a selection of baked goods – cupcakes and a whole lot more – that are even more delightful. This is a romantic spot for a couple to sit close at a tiny table and share a Tiramisu Cupcake or a piece of Oreo Cheesecake, washed down by a cup of excellent coffee.
Classic European pastries and desserts are the stars at Rocco’s Pasticceria, 9402 Fourth Avenue, 718-745-2590. Flaky Napoleons, rich and addictive Cannoli, densely gorgeous Tiramisu are just a few of the sweet treats made in house. The atmosphere is equally appealing, and very European, with curved glass display cases, marble tile floors and classic café tables.
Omonia Café, 7612-14 Third Avenue, 718-491-1435, is renowned for its Greek pastries, as well as for its atmosphere, and for good reason. This sparkling café is the perfect place to indulge in flaky, honey-soaked Baklava, which also stars in sinfully good cheesecake. Among our favorites: the powdered-sugar-dusted Kourambiedes, classic Greek cookies that are wonderfully rich without being cloying.
It’s not just Cannoli at Villabate Alba, 7001 18th Avenue, 718-331-8430. The classic pasticceria has been a staple in Bensonhurst since 1979, but that doesn’t dim its allure, thanks to its wide range of Sicilian sweets plus freshly made Gelato, and the old world atmosphere is truly the icing on the cake.
Those who feel that Valentine’s Day would be incomplete without chocolate have lots of choices.
For chocolate in a wide range of forms, head to Cocoa Bar, 228 Seventh Avenue, 718-499-4080. This eatery, clad in soothing shades of brown, is a great place to wind up after a cozy dinner a deux, perhaps to enjoy a hot chocolate or a cappuccino adorned with a creamy heart, to share a chocolate sampler plate or a wine and chocolate pairing, or to dig into a Spicy Brownie Cake.
Jacques Torres, 66 Water Street, 718-875-1269, offers a wide range of confections at its DUMBO storefront. The candies are gorgeous. So too are the cookies, the ice cream and the hot chocolate. This is the kind of place that it’s virtually impossible to walk out of empty-handed, and the French flair is unmistakeable.
Deliso Confections, 278 87th Street, 718-567-7600, is a jewel box of a shop, small but appealing, with a selection of scrumptious handmade chocolates, as well as caramel corn and peanut brittle, for a gift that any Valentine would find hard to resist. Truffles and other bon-bons are full-flavored and creamy, and altogether delectable.
Located in Sunset Park, Li-Lac Chocolates, 68 35th Street, 212-924-2280, is one of the city’s most renowned purveyors of the sensuous sweet. The exquisite chocolates are all made on the premises and, before you make your selection – truffles, caramels, chocolate-dipped strawberries, and much more — you can watch the chocolatiers at work, creating the treats you can use to woo your love or, perhaps, reward yourself for your thoughtfulness.
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