NYC Tastes

Fika is probably my favorite espresso place in the city.  This little shop translates to "coffee break" in Swedish and they make the perfect macchiato and churn out some of the best chocolates in the city. My go-to is the Macadamia but recently I've been switching it up with these other three...a silky white chocolate champagne truffle, creamy Bailey's and a crunchy Hazelnut Gianduja. You really can't go wrong with anything they make be it coffee, chocolate or one of their delicious pastries.  So do as the Swedes do and take a little fika once in a while. Fika

This year I've decided to go with a traditional Swedish dessert to celebrate- the Semla from Fika. Made from a wheat bun with its top cut off and insides slightly scooped, it's  stuffed with a mixture made from milk, almond paste and rich whipped cream.  The result is a big, delicious Swedish Cream Puff!  It's only available at Fika for 28 days each year around Lent.  So go quick before this delicious treat vanishes again for another year. Fika

When I woke up Sunday and saw that the rain had finally stopped outside I was so excited. I am one of those people that constantly needs to be doing something. I can’t just lay around all day. I had been battling a really bad cold all week and with the treacherous rain I was forced to stay inside doing nothing even longer. Now with the rain gone I was excited for a great day walking around the city, so I jumped into the shower. About 20 minutes later I came out dressed and ready to go. I grabbed my coat, took one more look out my window and…SHIT!!! It started raining AGAIN!!! You have got to be kidding me! I had a moment of deep contemplation. My body was still filled with sickness, my runny nose, throbbing coughs and wheezy congestion were not going to get any better outside in the rain. However a moment more stuck inside my small apartment with nothing to do but watch Mr. T play Final Fantasy was about as close to hell as I could imagine. I needed to get outside. So I forced my...

I absolutely love Fika. You’ve heard me sing its praises many times here on this blog. Recently I have enjoyed my espressos at Abraco and Stumptown a little more than Fika but it still has a big place in my heart. I stopped by the 28th street location the other day for a quick morning pick-me up and noticed some muffins in the display case. The blueberry one looked absolutely amazing with some kind of creamy, custard like substance actually dripping from the top. I had to try it out so I took one home for breakfast. I was so excited to give this muffin a taste and see what that luscious cream was like. It had such a thick beautiful shine to it I had never seen on a muffin before. Mr. T and I each took a bite and then simply looked at each other slightly bewildered. It was batter. I mean the actually muffin batter used to make the muffin. Now how does this happen? I’ve had undercooked baked goods before where the inside was a little runny but the top? The rest of the...

Okay I have really been trying to go off of coffee but life has certainly been making it hard. Remember my favorite espresso joint of the year? The one I would travel all the way uptown to 59th street for Fika? They opened one 5 blocks away from my apartment. How awesome!! It's my Christmas present! I swung by the other day and was very happy to see they had all of my favorite pastries, including the wonderfully delicate vanilla dreams and the sweet raspberry tarts. I got a macchiato and was in heaven. It’s funny too. I had been in a really bad mood. Just kind of depressed for a while and this place completely lifted my spirits. The big window store front allowed me to stand and watch the world outside without having to be involved in all of its’ business. Sometimes I just need a little time away from the world and a good warm treat to make me feel better. Fika definitely delivered. Unfortunately I may not be able to quit my coffee habit for a while :(

I decided to schedule a hair cut appointment for this Satudray since I knew Mr. T had to work most of the afternoon. I always get my hair cut on a weekeday and am usually so exhausted from work I just go right home after. My hair cut place is uptown around 54th street, so when I got done Saturday about 1:30 I decided to walk around uptown for a little while since I never do that anymore. If you named just about any place below 23rd street I could tell you exactly where it is....Uptown not so much. I never spend time wandering here. So I was pretty excited. I was feeling like a good cup of coffee to start out my day so I headed over to a place I had heard about last year called Fika. Fika (prononced fee ka)bills itself as a Swedish espresso bar that's also kown for it's chocolates. Look you can almost see me in the reflection :) Fika is quite small with only about 3 tables and a short bar to sit at. I walked in and took a look at their pasteries. I wasn't feeling ch...