A handsome piece of cake, isn't she?
By now, I have a list of yearly food-related pilgrimages to make in NYC, or a mental checklist of Things to Eat While It’s Still _____(cold/hot/spring/fall/recession/PMSing?). Like, lasagne at Bianca when it’s dry and chilly; ramen, always ramen, when it’s cold and rainy, after a trip to the Russian Baths; and, Museum Row on the UES for some Cafe Sabarsky action, no matter the weather (although, it seems more romantic and appropriate when the season requires a soft, warm scarf). The food is always so lip-smackingly good, but you’re really there for the desserts. Despite my complicated relationship to cake—most of the time I avoid the icing or buttercream depending on how sweet it is, or how sweet everything is all together—I enjoy every bit, from the moist cake layers to the chocolate curls on top, in this instance. It doesn’t hurt that the cake, the Schwarzwalder Kirschtorte, is dressed in the namesake kirsch, and topped with boozed up cherries. The fruit reminded me that spring is around the corner, and instead of anticipating it, I was just happy to sit there, sip tea, and enjoy the chill for once.
