it's almost snack-time!

This photo on Midtown Lunch cracked me up the other day.
"Hot dog vendors gang up on the Street Sweets Truck"
haha. [image from Midtown Lunch]

It is 1:01 as I write this, and I am still eating my lunch (downstairs salad bar today--I was in the mood for a strange combination of foods*), so I really shouldn't be thinking ahead to snack-time already. But I am. It's almost 4th of July weekend, which is shaping up to be pretty festive already. Holiday = snacks? Well, yes. Why not celebrate early with some tasty treats? That's my philosophy anyway.

So what are the options? It is Midtown. Which means, pickins are slimmer. Well there's a giant chocolate chip cookie at Pain Quotidien. Very crispy and delicious. $3.50. Yes, pricey, but enough to feed 4. Then there's Macaron. $1.95 for a very French macaron. Ooh la la. But you have to get the iced tea to go with it. So that runs close to $5. There's always a Starbucks Frappuccino Light. A high price for low-cal at nearly $5 for a medium, but what can you do. Sometimes you have to pay more to save on calories. There's always the Treats Truck. Where are they today? Or the newest truck, Street Sweets (see above). Kee's Chocolates. Do they still have a shop inside the HSBC Bank on 5th and 40th? And then there's good old Mister Softee. 3 bucks. Tasti D-lite? $3.50. Crumbs cupcake? $2.95 for a smaller one. What to choose? Please help!





*Well if you must know, roasted asparagus, brussel sprouts, carrots, zucchini, cauliflower, a bit of spinach, some pasta, some rice noodles with veggies, 3 mini mozzarella balls. That's about it.

afternoon fashion treat

French macarons have nothing to do with coconut. Read on.

If you work in the Garment District in NYC, chances are you have heard about Macaron, and particularly about their lightly sweet and delicate macarons made with almond paste (not coconut) that crumble when you take a bite. Yum! Macaron is a very French little lunch place that opened last summer to rave reviews among those in-the-know. The place is tucked unassumingly into a narrow walk-in space on 36th Street between 7th Avenue and Broadway. If you have lunched in the Garment District with any frequency, you know that Macaron is quite unique. Homemade food. Not a chain or chain-let. Served by the owners themselves. And they smile at you! It's the little things that make life sweet. N'est pas?

Well anyway, we recommend treating yourself to a macaron or two. They have so many exotic flavors (like poppy, lavender, jasmine tea, white chocolate, praline...), many of which rotate daily, that you will continually be satisfied. And by all means, don't miss the iced tea. Two macarons and an iced tea will set you back about $7. But hey, it's worth it every once in a while.

The lunch crowd at Macaron. A line out the door as usual.




There's always a crowd.


These macarons can be yours for a mere $1.95 each.
Tempting. Very tempting.