NYC treats

Just look as this little pile of delightful nuggets.

As a New Yorker, I am ashamed to say this was my first time at the Doughnuttery. After seeing it countless times on The Food Network and The Cooking channel, I was always pretty eager. It wasn't even my plan to go there yesterday, but since a friend and I some extra time to spare, we thought we would take a quick stroll through Chelsea Market. 

I hate to say I havn't spent much time in the market either. Living in Westchester, I have the big city at my finger tips and rarely take advantage of it. I'm hoping to change this soon. 

As we approached the Doughnuttery, I could smell the warm fried dough in the air. When I got up to the counter, it was just as I expected from watching it on T.V. The conveyer belt was right there at the front of the counter and you can see the process of the doughnuts being fried. The fryer poured the batter into a big funnel that dropped and shaped the mini doughnuts into the oil. It went down what looked like a little river of oil, was flipped over by a conveyer paddle, and was then fried on the other side. 

Not only are you seeing how these doughnuts are made, you're getting them fresh out of the fryer and then you get to see them tossed in whatever flavor you desire at that moment.   

When you go, you're not just getting little doughnuts, you're getting an experience. 

Biting into these is a whole different story. Light and airy but oh so rich in flavor. Sweet but not overly sweet and you cant just eat one. It's safe to say these are perfect little doughnuts. 

If you are in the New York area, this should be one of your stops. 

Of-course on our stroll I couldn't just stop for one thing. I love Gelato. Even though I can never find anything comparable to Italy, I get close enough sometimes. L'Arte del Gelato is small ice cream counter when you walk in the entrance of Chelsea Market. They have a bunch of different flavors to choose from. Since it's hard to choose just one, I chose three. 

Caramello al Sale, Mascarpone, and Zuppa Inglese. Carmello al Sale was salted caramel that had a pronounced salty flavor, which is great if you prefer that saltiness more then something overly sweet. Mascarpone is kind of like Italy's version of cream cheese, except lighter but rich tasting at the same time. 

Of all three, my favorite was the Zuppa Inglese. This was egg nog gelato. This past winter, I have formed such a loving relationship with egg nog, where it has to be so delicious for me to truly appreciate it. This flavor was so pleasing that I found myself going around the other flavors just to get to it. 

I couldn't even make it to the bottom of the container because by then I had sent myself in such a sugar rush. I don't regret it thought. My heart was happy. It was a great visit and I'm planning to go back very soon.